CHAP.

:

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the Isle of Wight-Stricter guard of the King in Carisbrooke

Castle His Habits in his Imprisonment-First Rumours of

The Scottish Engagement: Royalist Programme of a SECOND

CIVIL WAR-Beginnings of THE SECOND CIVIL WAR:

Royalist Risings: Cromwell in Wales: Fairfax in the South-

east: Siege of Colchester-Revolt of the Fleet: Commotion

among the Royalist Exiles abroad: Holland's attempted

Rising in Surrey-Invasion of England by Hamilton's Scot-

tish Army Arrival of the Prince of Wales off the South-

east Coast: Blockade of the Thames-Consternation of the

Londoners: Faintheartedness of Parliament: New Hopes

of the Presbyterians: their Ordinance against Heresies and

Blasphemies: their Leanings to the King: Independents in

a struggling minority: Charge of Treason against Cromwell

in his absence-The Three Days' Battle of Preston and utter

Defeat of the Scots by Cromwell: Surrender of Colchester

to Fairfax: Return of the Prince of Wales to Holland:

Virtual End of THE SECOND CIVIL WAR-Parliamentary

Treaty with the King at Newport: Unsatisfactory Results

-Protests against the Treaty by the Independents-Disgust

of the Army with the Treaty: Revocation of their Concordat

with Parliament, and Resolution to seize the Political

Mastery Formation of a Republican Party-Petitions for

Justice on the King: The Grand Army Remonstrance—

Cromwell in Scotland: Restoration of the Argyle Govern-

ment there: Cromwell at Pontefract: His Letter to Ham-

mond-The King removed from the Isle of Wight to Hurst

Castle-The Army again in possession of London. . . 576

:

II. Troubles in the Barbican Household: Christopher Milton's

Composition Suit: Mr. Powell's Composition Suit: Death

of Mr. Powell: His Will: Death of Milton's Father-Sonnet

XIV. and Ode to John Rous-Italian Reminiscences: Lost

Letters from Carlo Dati of Florence: Milton's Reply to the

last of them--Pedagogy in the Barbican: List of Milton's

known Pupils: Lady Ranelagh--Educational Reform still a

Question: Hartlib again: The Invisible College: Young

Robert Boyle and William Petty-Removal from Barbican to

High Holborn-Meditations and Occupations in the House in

High Holborn: Milton's Sympathies with the Army Chiefs

and the Expectant Republicans-Still under the Ban of the

Presbyterians: Testimony of the London Ministers against

Heresies and Blasphemies: Milton in the Black List-

Another Letter from Carlo Dati: Translation of Nine Psalms

from the Hebrew-Milton through the Second Civil War:

His personal Interest in it, and Delight in the Army's

Triumph His Sonnet to Fairfax-Birth of Milton's Second

Child Another Letter from Carlo Dati

III. The Two Houses in the Grasp of the Army: Final Efforts for

the King: Pride's Purge and its Consequences-The King

brought from Hurst Castle to Windsor: Ordinance for his Trial

passed by the Commons alone: Constitution of the Court-

The Trial in Westminster Hall: Incidents of the Seven suc-

cessive Days: The Sentence-Last Three Days of Charles's

Life His Execution and Burial

631

. . 692

BOOK I.

JULY 1643-MARCH 1643-4.

HISTORY-FIRST EIGHT MONTHS OF THE WESTMINSTER ASSEMBLY: CIVIL WAR AND THE LONG PARLIAMENT

CONTINUED.

BIOGRAPHY:-MILTON STILL IN ALDERSGATE STREET: HIS MARRIAGE MISFORTUNE: HIS FIRST DIVORCE TREATISE.

THE LIFE OF JOHN MILTON,

WITH THE

HISTORY OF HIS TIME.

CHAPTER I.

THE WESTMINSTER ASSEMBLY IN SESSION-THE SOLEMN LEAGUE AND COVENANT: SCOTTISH COMMISSIONERS IN THE ASSEMBLYDEBATES ON CHURCH-GOVERNMENT: APOLOGETICAL NARRATION OF THE INDEPENDENTS-PARLIAMENTARY PROCEEDINGS-SCOTTISH AUXILIARY ARMY IN ENGLAND.

THE Westminster Assembly held its first formal meeting in Henry the Seventh's Chapel on Saturday, July 1, 1643, after the impressive opening ceremonial of a sermon preached before a great congregation in the Abbey Church by the appointed Prolocutor, Dr. Twisse, on the text John xiv. 18, "I will not leave you comfortless." About 69 of the members were present at that first meeting, many who attended afterwards not having yet come up from the country. Among the 69 were the few of the Episcopal persuasion" who afterwards dropped off; and these were conspicuous by their canonical dresses among the bulk of the members in all sorts of plain Puritan suits. The average attendance subsequently seems to have been from 60 to 80. The place of meeting for some time continued to be King Henry the Seventh's Chapel; but this was changed, when the weather grew colder, for the celebrated Jerusalem. Chamber, also in the close vicinity of the Houses of Parlia