8. "Pride's Purge."-Frightened at the temper of the army, the Parliament re-opened negotiations with the King at Newport. But the army had other views. Already before going forth to the Second Civil War, the army leaders, indignant at the King's conduct, had met, after their wont, for prayer and consultation, and had resolved that it was their duty, if ever they came back in peace, "to call Charles Stuart, that man of blood, to an account for that blood he had shed." Charles was now removed by soldiers to Hurst Castle, a lonely stronghold on the shore of the Solent, and as the Parliament decided to come to a reconciliation with him, it was "purged," —that is, the entrance to the House was barred by Colonel Pride with a regiment of foot, and more than a hundred members displeasing to the army party were shut out. Thus "purged," the Commons, or rather the remains of them, voted that it was treason in the King of England to levy war against the Parliament, and followed this up with an ordinance appointing a High Court of Justice to try Charles on that charge. The Lords refusing to concur, the Commons voted that the supreme authority resided in themselves, and the so-called High Court of Justice was finally constituted by the authority of the so-called Commons alone. The most notable of its members were Cromwell, his son-in-law Henry Ireton, and the president of the court John Bradshaw.

9. Trial and Beheading of Charles.-On the 20th January, 1649, the King was brought from St. James's Palace before the High Court in Westminster Hall. Of a hundred and thirty-five members of the Court, less than seventy, Cromwell being among them, were present. When the name of Fairfax, as one of the members, was called, his wife's voice was heard in answer, "He is not here, and will never be ; you do him wrong to name him." Charles, bearing himself with kingly firmness and dignity, refused to acknow,

ledge the jurisdiction of the tribunal. Marks of public sympathy for him were not wanting, and the soldiers' shouts of "Justice! "Execution!" were mingled with counter-cries of "God save the King!" On the last day, Jan. 27, of the trial, Charles requested a conference with the Lords and Commons, but was refused, and sentence of death was pronounced upon "Charles Stuart, King of England," as "a tyrant, traitor, murderer, and public enemy to the good people of the nation." The names of fifty-nine members of the Court were subscribed to the warrant of execution. Charles calmly resigned himself to his fate, taking a tender farewell of his two youngest children, the Princess Elizabeth, aged thirteen, and Henry, Duke of Gloucester, who was but eight. The rest of his time was spent at his devotions, in the company of William Juxon, Bishop of London, by whom he was attended on the scaffold in front of Whitehall, where he was beheaded, January 30. A few faithful adherents followed him to his grave in St. George's Chapel, Windsor. About a week after his death, the Commons voted that the House of Lords and the office of King were useless and dangerous, and ought to be abolished. By taking the life of Charles his enemies in reality exalted his fame. The execution of a King was a thing hitherto unheard of, and Royalist and Presbyterian alike stood aghast. The mass of his subjects, forgetting his misgovernment and faithlessness, only remembered that he had been condemned by an illegal and arbitrary tribunal, and that the ancient institutions of the nation had fallen with him. The Episcopalians, mindful how he had striven to maintain the Church in its power and dignity, styled him Martyr, and well-nigh worshipped his memory.

10. Children of Charles. Of the children of Charles, his eldest sons, Charles, Prince of Wales, born 1630, and James, Duke of York, born 1633, each in turn

became King. Mary married William, Prince of Orange Nassau, who held the office of Stadholder or chief magistrate of Holland, and their son was afterwards King William III. of England. Elizabeth, and Henry, Duke of Gloucester, who were in the power of the Parliament, were treated after their father's death like the children of a private gentleman. Elizabeth died in 1650 in Carisbrooke Castle, where she had been placed together with her brother Henry, who, two years later, was allowed to join his family abroad. He died in 1660, soon after his brother Charles had been restored to the throne. Henrietta Maria, born 1644, married Philip, Duke of Orleans, brother of King Louis XIV. of France.

CHAPTER XXXIV.

THE COMMONWEALTH.

war

The Commonwealth (1) the Irish War (2) with Scotland; battles of Dunbar and Worcester; escape of Charles (3)—the Dutch War (4)—the Long Parliament turned out by Cromwell (5)—the Little Parliament (6)—the Protectorate; Oliver Cromwell; offer of the Crown; "Oliver's Lords" (7)-foreign affairs (8)—death of Cromwell (9)—religious affairs, Fifth Monarchy men; Quakers (10) Richard Cromwell (11)-General Monk: final dissolution of the Long Parliament (12)—Restoration of the King; character of the Puritans (13).

I. The

Commonwealth,

1649-1660. The House of Commons, such as it was, for it now seldom exceeded some fifty members, had become the sole ruling power, and by it a Council of State, of which Bradshaw was the first president, was appointed to carry on the government. The Duke of Hamilton

and two other Royalist noblemen taken in the Second Civil War were beheaded, and England was declared a Commonwealth and Free State, to be governed without any King or House of Lords. Some voices however were raised in complaint that the new government was no better than the old; and in the army these malcontents-called "Levellers," because they held, or were accused of holding, that all degrees of men should be levelled, or placed on an equality as to rank and property-broke out into a mutiny, which was swiftly crushed by Cromwell.

2. Ireland. Young Charles, who was regarded as King by every Royalist, was an exile abroad. His chief hopes lay in Ireland, where James Butler, Marquess of Ormonde, the Royalist Lord-Lieutenant, gathered round him every one, whether Roman Catholic, Episcopalian, or Presbyterian, who would fight for the King. Against these, the Council of State sent out, as their Lord-Lieutenant, Cromwell, who, by dint of unsparing severity towards all who resisted, and by drawing over the Protestants to the Parliament side, broke the strength of the Royalist cause. After nine months he was called away to Scotland, leaving Ireton to carry on his work in Ireland. Under the rule of the Commonwealth, permission was given to the Roman Catholic leaders and their followers to enter the service of foreign states; many of the Irish were shipped to the West Indies; large confiscations of land were made, certain counties of Munster, Leinster, and Ulster being portioned out among English "adventurers" (men who, upon the outbreak of the rebellion, had advanced money for quelling it, in consideration of forfeited lands to be allotted to them) and Parliamentary soldiers; while the old proprietors were "transplanted" to lands assigned to them in the wilds of Connaught and Clare.

3. War with Scotland. Scotland, where Charles had arrived, and was accepted as King, was

next invaded by Cromwell, who, unable to bring the Scots to a battle, and with his troops distressed by sickness and scarcity of food, had eventually to fall back upon Dunbar. Before him was the Scots army under David Lesley, strongly posted on Doon Hill, behind him the sea, and on his left the enemy had seized the pass towards England. But the Scots

66

on

beginning to descend the hill, Cromwell suddenly attacked them in flank, about daybreak on the 3rd September, 1650. As the sun rose over the sea, the English general exclaimed "Now let God arise, and His enemies shall be scattered; " and scattered the Scots were, in utter rout. In the course of the next year, whilst Cromwell was still engaged in Scotland, Charles and his army suddenly crossed the Border, and though their hopes of a rising in their favour were disappointed, they pushed as far as Worcester, where Cromwell overtook and defeated them the anniversary of Dunbar. Cromwell wrote of this victory as a crowning mercy;" and in fact it was the last battle he had to fight. The Parliament had declared the adherents of Charles traitors and rebels, and as such the Earl of Derby and two other prisoners suffered death. A reward of a thousand pounds was offered for the apprehension of Charles, who, having made his escape from Worcester, went through a succession of hazardous adventures, during which he entrusted himself to more than forty persons, none of whom failed in fidelity or caution. A Roman Catholic family of the name of Penderell, country folk living at or about Boscobel in Shropshire, were among the chief agents in his concealment. At one time, with hair cut short, and dressed as a peasant, he lay hidden in Boscobel wood; at another, shrouded in the thick leaves of a great oak-tree, he caught glimpses of the Parliament soldiers hunting up and down in search of fugitives. Having walked till he was footsore, he was glad, when he left Boscobel House for Moseley,