pelling the parliament to a peace; and general of all the forces of England. On account of his youth a council was assigned

time, with much more melancholy of his own con dition, and the state of his affairs, than he had used to do. So that his majesty told them, "He found it absolutely necessary to pursue his former resolution of separating the prince his son from himself, that the enemy might not, upon any success, find them together; which, he said, would be ruin to them both; whereas, though he should fall into their hands whilst his son was at liberty, they would not dare to do him harm." He seemed to have very reasonable apprehensions, that upon the loss of a battle, he might become a prisoner; but he never imagined, that it would enter into their thoughts to take away his life; not that he believed they could be restrained from that impious act by any remorse of conscience, or that they had not wickedness enough to design and execute it: but he believed it against their interest; and would often, in discourse, say, of what moment the preservation of his life was to the rebels; and how much they were concerned to preserve it, in regard, that if he himself were dead, the parliament stood dissolved; so that there would be an end of their government: which though it were true in law, would have little shaken their power, of which they were too long possessed to part with it easily. This was a speculation of that nature, that nobody had reason to endeavour to change the king's opinion in that particular; and his majesty thought of nothing so much as hastning the prince's journey; and to that purpose, commanded those who were appointed to attend him to be ready

him by his majesty. But nothing of consequence was done by council or army. The parliament forces, under Sir Thomas

by a short day, resolving that his highness should make his journey directly to Bristol, and continue his residence there till some emergent alteration should make his remove from thence necessary.-There happened an accident at this time, that reconciled the mind of many to this journey of the prince into the west, and looked like a good omen that it would produce good effects; though it proved afterwards an occasion of much trouble and inconvenience. When the king returned through Somersetshire, after the defeat of the earl of Essex in Cornwall, there had been a petition delivered to him, in the names of the gentry, clergy, freeholders, and others his majesty's protestant subjects of the county of Somerset, in which they desired, that his majesty would give them leave to petition the parliament, that there might be a treaty for peace; and that they might have liberty to wait upon his majesty in person in his march; and that when they came to a nearer distance, they might then go before, and deliver their petition; and if they should not obtain their so just request, they would then assist his majesty to get that by the sword, which could be obtained no other way to that purpose they desired leave to put themselves in arms, to attend his majesty in his journey. The king gave them a gracious reception, and liberty to do all that they desired; believing it possible, that he might even from thence recruit his foot; which he most desired. But his majesty's speedy march left that design to be better weighed and digested. Upon the fame of the prince's being to visit

Fairfax, were every where victorious, through their own bravery and conduct,

the west, and to keep his court there, some gentlemen, of the best quality in the west, came to Oxford, as entrusted by the rest to acquaint his majesty, that they had now formed the design, they had formerly presented to him, much better than it was; and that the four western counties, Dorset, Somerset, Devon, and Cornwall, had resolved to enter into an association, and to be joint petitioners to the parliament for peace; --and whosoever refused to join in the petition, should be looked upon as enemies to peace, and their country, and accordingly treated; so that this address could not but have great influence upon the parliament, being under the style of one and all; and could not but be look'd upon as such. They desired the king, that the prince might be made general of this association; in order to which, they would provide for his support according to his dignity; and, in the first place, take care for the raising a good guard of horse and foot, for the safety of his person.-Upon these reasons, the prince had two commissions granted to him; one to be general of the association; and another, to be general of all the king's forces in England."-This was only a matter of form: the youth and inexperience of the prince rendered it impossible for him to execute either of these commissions.

The same writer, in another work, tells us, that on the day the prince began his journey towards the west, his majesty sent for him, the historian, "and repeated some things he had mentioned before. He told him there had been many things which had troubled him,

3 Hist. of the Rebellion, vol. IV. p. 601-604.

be under his mother's care, who was to have the absolute and full power of his edu

with what was proposed by the officers. The best speech, 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 implacable animosity 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 confesses, notwithstanding 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 arrest at his post of command, upon a day of battle, and shamefully sent away a prisoner to Exeter, a sacrifice to the secretary and master 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 same fate at the same time, for no other reason that appears against either of those noble persons, but that they were beloved 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 service, could not but create more and more distraction: and hence arose that unhappy division in men's minds which set honour and loyalty at variance. This infection was not yet spread into the west, where alone every thing continued quiet and hopeful, when the prince, too young and unexperienced to judge for himself, was sent down attended with one of these councils, of which the chancellor was president and supreme director. Sir Richard Granville was then at the head of the

cation, in all things except religion; those to whom he was intrusted, on the near ap

troops. It is to be observed, that this very council itself was divided into parties: the earl of Berkshire, to whose care the prince's person and education was. entrusted, was kept out of all secrets, and so were several others, though members of the same council. The chancellor and his immediate creatures governed the whole. It would be strange to imagine that the king, than whom there could not be a nicer judge, should commit so high and so important a trust as the care of his son, heir to his crown, to any person unqualified for it, at so critical a juncture: it was enough that his majesty had made the choice, to be convinced of that noble lord's merit; but it was his misfortune to be out of the chancellor's favour, as were almost all who had the honour to be appointed near his highness's person. These divisions and sub-divisions in the family and council, could promise nothing but confusion in every part of the administration, civil or military. The general soon 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 spared wherewithall to answer other services: to this he made a peremptory reply, that he neither could nor would command an army unpaid: his answer was resented, but they durst not proceed to any alteration; the whole army was as much concerned as the general. He proposed no scheme of any kind for carrying on the service but what was contradicted or rejected in the most contemptuous manner: this man who had been bred under prince Maurice, the greatest captain of the age; this