p. 601604. council or army. The Parliament forces, under Sir Thomas Fairfax, were every where victorious, through their own bravery and conduct, as well as the rapine, cowardice, and diffenfions of their (E) adver This was only a (4) Vol. iv. the King's forces in England (1).' matter of form: the youth and inexperience of the Prince rendered it impoffible for him to execute either of thefe commiffions. and repeated He told him The fame writer, in another work, tells us, that on the day the Prince began his journey towards the West, his Majesty sent for him, the hiftorian, fome things he had mentioned before. there had been many things which had troubled him, 'with reference to his fon's abfence from him; for all ⚫ which but one he had fatisfied himfelf: the one was, the inconvenience which might arife from the weaknefs and and folly of his governor [Berkshire]; against which he had provided as well as he could, by obliging the Prince to follow the advice of his council in all things; which he was affured he would do; and he had given them as much authority as they could with (m).' The chief of this council were the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and the Lord Colepepper. It was on the 4th of March, 1764, O. S. that the 8vo. Oxon. Prince parted from his father, and began his journey for Bristol, from whence he removed to Barnftable, and afterwards into Cornwall. This was the laft interview between them. (m) Life rendon. vol. j. p. 105. $759. (E) The Parliament forces were every where victorious, through their own valour, as well as the rapine, &c. of their adverfaries. His Majesty having ordered the Prince, in cafe of neceffity, to go into any their adverfaries.] If Lord Clarendon's account is Go P.555. (0) See vol. iv. P. 534 p. 539. ships, according to any rules of honor, or integrity (n):'(x) V^l. iv. and the latter is defcribed by him as a monster of cruelty, villany, and impudence (o). Under fuch leaders, it is not to be wondered, that the foldiery was mutinous, difobedient, rapacious, and cowardly. ring's crew is ftill proverbial in the Weft. Fairfax, after having driven all before him, came up with and eafily defeated the remains of these bodies at Torrington, then under the command of Lord Hopton, which totally diffolved the Western army. For, by treaty, the officers and foldiers laid down their arms, and were to have paffes to their feveral houses, or beyond the feas if they defired it, engaging never to bear arms against the Par liament. This was in March, 1645, O. S. In the above account I have followed Lord Clarendon, who imputes the loss of the Weft to the ill behaviour of the generals (Lord Hopton excepted and the foldiery. But Lord Landfdown infifts on it, that it was not generals or foldiers who were to blame, but the council in general, and more particularly the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The King,' fays he, had been fatally ad'vised to a method that was pretended for the better VOL. I. 6 government C into France, and there to be under his mother's care, who was to have the absolute and government of his armies, which was, to appoint a ⚫ civil council to infpect and regulate the conduct of his ' generals, and controll the military operations. This 'measure had given great disturbance to the brethren of the blade, old officers, and men of experience, who C thought very reasonably that they were not to be told their trade by perfons who knew nothing of it. Thus • those who advised, and those who were to execute, • lived in eternal contradiction and variance. The 'counsellors, fays the chancellor, being men of better • understandings and better expreffions than the officers, commonly difpofed his Majefty to their opinions from ⚫ concurring with what was propofed by the officers. The beft fpeech, it seems, carried it, as if the man who • had the greatest command of words was best intitled to the command of troops. This raised an implaca⚫ble animofity in the whole army against the council: and who can wonder at it? The Lord Wilmot, · though the best beloved and most popular officer in the army, and whom the chancellor confeffes, notwithftanding the great liberties he takes with his character in all other respects, to have had more credit and authority in the troops than any other man, was yet put • under an arreft at his poft of command, upon a day of battle, and shamefully fent away a prifoner to Exeter, a facrifice to the fecretary and mafter of the Rolls, who at that time were the great over-rulers in all debates by the volubility of their tongues, in which they excelled. The Lord Piercy had the fame fate at the and full power of his education, in all things except religion; thofe to whom he was intrusted, fame time, for no other reason that appears againft either of those noble perfons, but that they were be* loved by the army, and hated by the council. This 'unnatural mixture of councils civil and military, • when it came to be particularly applied to every part ⚫ of the fervice, could not but create more and more dif'traction and hence arose that unhappy divifion in હૈ mens minds which fet honour and loyalty at variance, This infection was not yet fpread into the Weft, * where alone every thing continued quiet and hopeful, ' when the Prince, too young and unexperienced to judge for himself, was fent down attended with one * of these councils, of which the chancellor was prefident and fupreme director. Sir Richard Granville was then at the head of the troops. It is to be obferved, that this very council itfelf was divided into parties: the Earl of Berkshire, to whofe care the • Princes perfon and education was entrufted, was kept out of all fecrets, and fo were feveral others, tho' • members of the fame council. The chancellor and his immediate creatures governed the whole. It would be ftrange to imagine that the King, than whom ther * could not be a nicer judge, should commit fo high and fo important a truft as the care of his fon, heir to his crown, to any perfon unqualified for it, at fo critical a juncture: it was enough that his Majefty had made the choice, to be convinced of that noble lords merit; but it was his misfortune to be out of the chancellors favour, as were almost all who had the honour to be 6 appointed ، C 2 trusted, on the near approach of the enemy, prepared to give obedience thereunto. Accordingly ' appointed near his Highness's perfon. Thefe divifions ⚫ and fub-divifions in the family and council, could pro mise nothing but confufion in every part of the adminiftration, civil or military. The general foon found ⚫ the effects of it. They began with an offer to retrench his allowance for the pay of his troops, upon pretence of œconomy, that out of those contributions there might be fpared wherewithall to anfwer other fervices to 'this he made a peremptory reply, that he neither could nor would command an army unpaid: his anfwer was <refented, but they durft not proceed to any alteration; 'the whole army was as much concerned as the gene⚫ral. He propofed no fcheme of any kind for carrying C on the service but what was contradicted or rejected in the most contemptuous manner: this man who had • been bred under Prince Maurice, the greateft captain of the age; this man whofe experience and activity was thought moft neceffary where action was to be; ⚫ this man fo beloved by the veteran regiments (the best judges of their officers) that they cared to follow nobody elfe, as the hiftorian had told us before: this • brave, this active, this experienced officer, could now, ' all on the fudden, offer nothing but wild notions and • ftark madnefs. Thefe diforders daily increafing, • Sir Richard at laft fairly and honestly represents, in a letter to the Prince, the impoffibility of doing any C thing with an army fo diftracted by different and contradictory orders and recommends a more abfolute ◄ command to be given to fome person whom all would & obey, |