LIX. from mistake, rather than any bad intentions, he had CHAP. himself so much contributed. The prefbyterian, or the moderate party among the commons, found themselves confiderably weakened by his death: And the small remains of authority, which ftill adhered to the house of peers, were, in a manner, wholly extinguished M ̧ M Clarendon, vol. v. p. 43. 1647. CHAP. LX. Mutiny of the army-The king feized by Joyce-The army CHAP. THE dominion of the parliament was of fhort duration. LX. No fooner had they subdued their fovereign, than their own servants rose against them, and tumbled them 1647. from their flippery throne. The facred boundaries of the laws being once violated, nothing remained to confine the wild projects of zeal and ambition. And every fucceffive revolution became a precedent for that which followed it. IN proportion as the terror of the king's power diminished, the divifions between independent and prefbyterian became every day more apparent; and the neuters found it, at laft, requifite to feek fhelter in one or the other faction. Many new writs were iffued for elections, in room of members, who had died, or were difqualified for adhering to the king; yet ftill the prefbyterians retained the fuperiority among the commons: And all the peers, except lord Say, were esteemed of that party. The independents, to whom the inferior fectaries adhered, predominated in the army: And the troops of the new model were univerfally affected with that enthusiastic spirit. To their affiftance did the independent party, among the commons, chiefly truft, in their projects for acquiring the afcendant over their antagonists. SOON after the retreat of the Scots, the prefbyterians, seeing every thing reduced to obedience, began to talk of diminishing the army: And, on pretence of eafing the public burthens, they levelled a deadly blow at the oppofite faction. They propofed to embark a strong detachment, under Skippon and Maffey, for the fervice of Ireland: They openly declared their intention of making a great reduction of the remainder. It was even imagined, that another new model of the army was projected, in order A Fourteen thousand men were only propofed to be kept up; 6000 horse, 6000 foot, and 2000 dragoons. Bates. der to regain to the prefbyterians, that fuperiority, which CHA P. they fo imprudently loft by the former B. LX. THE army had small inclination to the fervice of Ireland; a country barbarous, uncultivated, and laid wafte 1647. by maffacres, and civil commotions: They had lefs inclination to disband, and to renounce that pay, which, having earned it through fatigues and dangers, they now proposed to enjoy in ease, and tranquillity. And most of the officers, having rifen from the dregs of the people, had no other profpect, if deprived of their commiffions, than that of returning to languish in their native poverty and obfcurity. THESE motives of intereft acquired additional influence, and became more dangerous to the parliament, from the religious fpirit, by which the army was univerfally animated. Among the generality of men, educated in regular, civilized focieties, the fentiments of shame, duty, honour, have confiderable authority, and serve to counterbalance and direct the motives, derived from private advantage: But, by the predominancy of enthusiasm among the parliamentary forces, these falutary principles loft their credit, and were regarded as mere human inventions, yea moral inftitutions, fitter for heathens than for chriftians C. The faint, refigned over to fuperior guidance, was at full liberty to gratify all his appetites, disguised under the pearance of pious zeal. And, befides the ftrange corruptions engendered by this fpirit, it eluded and loofened all the ties of morality, and gave intire scope, and even fanction to the selfishness and ambition, which naturally adhere to the human mind. ap THE military confeffors were farther encouraged in difobedience to fuperiors, by that fpiritual pride, to which a mistaken piety is fo fubject. They were not, they said, mere janizaries; mercenary troops inlifted for hire, and to be difpofed of at the will of their paymasters D. Religion and liberty were the motives, which had excited them to arms; and they had a fuperior right to see those bleffings, which they had purchafed with their blood, enfured to future generations. By the fame title, that the presbyterians, in contradistinction to the royalifts, had appropriated to themselves the epithet of the godly, or the wellaffected; the independents did now, in contradiftinction F 2 to C Ibid. vol. vi. p. 134. D Ibid. B Rush. vol. vii p. 564. vol. vii. p. 565. CHAP. to the prefbyterians, affume this magnificent appellation, and arrogate all the afcendant which naturally belongs LX 1647. to it. HEARING of parties in the houfe of commons, and being informed, that the minority were friends to the army, the majority enemies; the troops naturally inteDefted themfelves in that dangerous diftinction, and were eager to give the fuperiority to their partizans. Whatever hardships they underwent, though perhaps derived from inevitable neceffity, were afcribed to a fettled design of oppreffing them, and refented as an effect of the animofity and malice of their adversaries. NOTWITHSTANDING the great revenue, which accrued from taxes, affeffments, fequeftrations, and compositions, confiderable arrears were due to the army; and many of the private men, as well as officers, had near a twelvemonth's pay ftill owing them. The army fufpected, that this deficiency was purposely contrived, in order to oblige them to live on free quarter; and, by rendering them odious to the country, ferve as a pretence for difbanding them. When they faw fuch members, as were employed in committees and civil offices, accumulate fortunes, they accused them of rapine and public plunder. And, as no plan was pointed out by the commons for the payment of arrears, the foldiers dreaded, that, after they should be disbanded or embarked for Ireland, their enemies, who predominated in the two houfes, would entirely defraud them of their right, and opprefs them with impunity. Mutiny of On this ground ar pretence did the first commotions the army. begin in the army. A petition addreffed to Fairfax the general, was handed about; defiring an indemnity, and that ratified by the king, for any illegal actions, of which, during the course of the war, the foldiers might have been guilty; together with fatisfaction in arrears, freedom from preffing, relief of widows and maimed foldiers, and pay till difbanded P. The commons, aware of what combuftible materials the army was composed, were alarmed at this intelligence. Such a combination, they knew, if not checked in its first appearance, must be attended with the most dangerous confequences, and muft foon exalt 30th Mar, the military above the civil authority. Befides fummoning fome officers to anfwer for this attempt, they imme D Parl. Hift. vol. xv. p. 342. diately LX. 1647. diately voted, that the petition tended to introduce mu- CHA P. tiny, to put conditions upon the parliament, and to obftruct the relief of Ireland; and they threatened to proceed against the promoters of it, as enemies to the ftate, and disturbers of public peace. This declaration, which may be efteemed violent, especially as the army had fome ground for complaint, produced fatal effects. The foldiers lamented, That they were deprived of the privileges of Englishmen; that they were not allowed fo much as to represent their grievances; that, while petitions from Effex and other places were openly encouraged against the army, their mouths were stopped; and that they, who were the authors of liberty to the nation, were reduced, by a faction in parliament, to the most grievous fervitude. In this difpofition was the army found by Warwic, Dacres, Maffey, and other commiffioners, who were fent to make them proposals for entering into the service of Ireland F. Instead of inlifting, the generality objected to the terms; demanded an indemnity; were clamorous for their arrears: And, though they expreffed no diffatiffaction against Skippon, who was appointed commander, they discovered much stronger inclinations to ferve under Fairfax and Cromwel G. Some officers, who were of the prefbyterian party, having entered into engagements for this fervice, could prevail on very few of the foldiers to inlift under them. And, as they all lay under the grievous reproach of deserting the army, and betraying the interefts of their companions; the reft were farther confirmed in that confederacy, which they had fecretly formed H. To petition and remonftrate being the moft cautious way of conducting a confederacy, an application to parliament was figned by near 200 officers; in which they made their apology with a very imperious air, afferted their right of petitioning, and complained of that imputation thrown upon them by the former declaration of the lower houfe. The private men likewife of fome regiments fent a letter to Skippon; in which, together with infifting on the fame topics, they lament, that designs were formed against them and many of the godly party in the kingdom; and declare, that they could not engage for Ireland, till E Parl. Hift. vol. xv. p. 444:. F Rufh. vol. vii. p. 457. G Ibid. vol. vii. p. 458. |