Mean while, the Scotch army at Newcastle, understand- CHAR. I.. ing it was reported at London, that they had made a treaty 1646. with the king to affift him against the parliament, published The Scots the king. P. 393 Id. a declaration, protesting, it was always their intention to deny the maintain the covenant between the two kingdoms, and that having made they abhorred all public and private ways tending to violate a treaty with the fame, or to create a misunderstanding between the two nations. At the fame time, they prefented a petition to the 304. king, befeeching him to take a speedy courfe for fettling of religion in England, according to the example of the best reformed churches, and for eftablishing the privileges and liberties of his kingdoms; expreffing their great grief for his not having yet authorized and figned the covenant. They alfo prayed him to comply with the counfels of his parliament. p. 3o5ė The king returned to this petition a general answer, without entering into particulars. -308. The general affembly of the kirk of Scotland writ like- June 18. wife to the parliament of England, the city of London, the Id. p. 306, affembly of divines, to defire them to promote the work of reformation, according to the tenor of the covenant. the Scotch July the 6th, the house of commons voted, That England Vote, that had no further need of the Scotch army, and that the com- army is no miffioners of Scotland fhould be defired to withdraw their longer neforces. d ceffary. -Id. p. 306 Some days after, the two houfes fent propofitions for p. 309. peace to the king at Newcastle, which were little different Whitelock from thofe debated at Uxbridge. Wherefore I do not think P. 215it neceflary to repeat them. I fhall content myself with relating the thirteenth article, being an addition to the former claims of both houses with respect to the militia : fitions of the "That during the space of twenty years, the two houfes The propos "of parliament alone fhall have power to arm, train, and two houses difcipline the militia; and that neither the king, or his to the king. "fucceffors, fhall, during the said space of twenty years, "exercise any power over them. "The like for the kingdom of Scotland, if the estates of "the parliament there fhall think fit. "That moneys be raised for the maintenance of the faid "forces for land-fervice, and of the navy, as the lords and "commons fhall, during the faid fpace of twenty years, "think e The author's words are, " They "prayed him to fign the covenant,' but it is in the petition as in the tranflation. See Rushworth, Tom. VI. P. 304. The commiffioners for the house Z3 of lords, were, the earls of Pembroke July 11. Rushworth, VI. p. 31 CHAR. I." think fit; and that the faid forces be employed, ordered, 1646. and difpofed, as the two houfes fhall appoint, and not "otherwife that they fhall have power, 1. To fupprefs all "forces raised without their authority and confent. "fupprefs all foreign forces, who fhall invade any of the "English dominions.. 3. To conjoin the forces of England "with thofe of Scotland. Jd. p. 319. Clarendon, bil. p. 27. The Scots pefs the king to ac cept the pro 2. To "That after the expiration of the faid twenty years, no "perfon, under any pretence whatfoever, fhall any way "difpofe of the English forces, without the confent of both "houfes. "That after the faid twenty years, if any bills are paffed "by the lords and commons, for the fafety of the kingdom, "and the royal aflent is not given to them within fuch time. "as the houfe of peers fhall judge convenient; that fuch bills fhall neverthelefs be as valid to all intents and pur"poses, as if the royal affent had been given thereunto.' The parliament's commiffioners prefented these propofitions to the king the 24th of July; and as they declared to him, they were limited not to stay above ten days at Newcastle, the king gave them his answer the first of Auguft. "That the propofitions tendered to him did import fo great alterations in government, both in the church and "kingdom, that it was very difficult for him to return a "particular and pofitive anfwer to them, before a full debate, wherein thofe propofitions, and the neceffary explanation, "true fenfe, and reafons thereof, were rightly weighed and "understood; which he found the commiffioners were not "authorized to admit, nor able to give him. That he defired to come to London, with freedom, honour, and fafety, where he might have thofe doubts cleared, and thofe difficulties explained to him. That he affured them, that as he could never condefcend to what was abfolutely de"fructive to that just power, which, by the laws of God and the land, he was born unto, fo he would chearfully grant "and give his affent to all fuch bills, as fhould be really for the "good and peace of his people, not having regard to his own par ❝ticular." Before the king delivered his anfwer to the parliament's commiffioners, the earl of Loudon, lord-chancellor of Scotland, made a fpeech to him, to perfuade him to accept the pvirions. propofitions. His reafons were the stronger and more prefuthworth, fing, as drawn from the neceflity the king was in. But his VIP 319 majefty was not pleated to take his advice. This answer Clarendon, Ip 28. being being read in the parliament the 12th of Auguft, was the CHAR. I. caufe of great joy to those who wished not for peace *. 1646. The fame day, the Scotch commiffioners prefented a me- The Scotch army offer to. VL p. 322. morial to the lords, offering to fend their army into Scotland, upon reasonable fatisfaction for their pains, hazards, charges returnhome. and fufferings. They alfo faid, fince his majefty had not a- Rushworth. greed to the propofitions prefented to him, it was ncceffary to confult with them what was to be done, as well concerning the king's perfon, as the peace and fafety of the two kingdoms. Both houfes returned them thanks, and appointed a committee to examine their accounts. due to the Holles's Some days after, they delivered in an account of arrears, Difputes 2amounting to two millions. The parliament difputed feve- bout arrears ral articles, and deducted fuch fums as the Scots had re- Scots. ceived. The Scots allowed the juftice of fome of these de- Rushworth, VI. p. 323 ductions, but could not agree to others. At laft, after -326. many debates, the Scots offered to accept of a fum in gross, Ludlow. for a full discharge of their arrears. Whereupon they were T.L. P. 174 afked, what fum they demanded, and at first they infifted Mem. upon five hundred thousand pounds. The house of com- p. 64, 66. mons offered two hundred, and afterwards three hundred Whitelock. thousand pounds. At length, the Scots abating one hun- It is agreed. dred thousand pounds of their demand, it was agreed to al- to allow low them four hundred thousand, one half to be paid upon 400,000 1. their removal out of the kingdom, and the other at certain times. This is the fatal bargain, whereby it is pretended, Warwick. the Scots fold the king to the parliament of England, be- Coke. caufe indeed they delivered him up fome months after. But it must be obferved, that this is only a fufpicion, a bare con- faid, that jecture, and if it be true, that the Scots, when they agreed the Scots, Z 4 e A little after the king's coming to Newcastle, a Scotch minister preach. ed boldly before him, and when his fermon was done, called for the fiftyfecond pfalm, which begins, "Why "doft thou, tyrant, boaft thyself, thy The wicked works to praife." Whereupon his majesty ftood up, and called for the fifty-fixth pfalm, which begins, "Have mercy, Lord, on me, 1 pray, "for men would me devour," people waved the minister's pfalm, and fung that which the king called for. Whitelock, p. 270.-Whilft the king was at Newcastle, Henderson came and much importuned his majefty to pafs the propofitions; but his majefty affirming, he could not in confcience confent to several things therein, efpecially to the change of church-go. them. Remark on fold the could not perfuade the king to fign f They acknowledged the receipt of but 700,000l. in monies, provifions, affeffments, quarters, and otherwife See Ruhworth, Tom. VI. p. 323. CHAR. I. upon this fum of four hundred thousand pounds, obliged 1646. themselves to give up the king to the parliament, which I will neither affirm nor deny, at leaft, they acted with fo much addrefs, that there appeared no exprefs proof of it. No treaty, no paper, concerning this affair ever came to the knowledge of the public. The fum was promised them for arrears due to their army, from the 18th of January 1643-4, to the 18th of September 1646. If it could be provided, that in all that time the Scotch army had been regularly paid, according to the treaty between the two nations, and that no arrears were due to them, this, doubtless, would be a confirmation of the aforementioned fufpicion. But this proof is very difficult. For if on one fide, the Scots, to mount the debt of five hundred thousand pounds, inferted in their accounts feveral unjuft articles, which ought to have been abated, the English on their fide, acted with no less injuftice, in pretending to make unfair deductions. Rushworth, This appears by the particulars of the accounts brought in VI. p. 323, by both parties, which are to be feen in Rushworth's Col324, 326. lections. Nay, it feems, if the English had been defirous to conceal the fecret motives of this bargain, they should not have disputed the debt, since nothing would have been more proper to remove the fufpicion of their giving this fum to the Scots, to engage them to deliver up the king, than to fhow it was really due to them for arrears. Another Another, and no lefs important, remark may be made upon this fubject. The thing that has rendered odious this pretended fale of the king's perfon, is the tragical death of that prince, of which it was the occafion. But it must be confidered, it was fo only by accident. Nothing was at that time farther from the thoughts, both of the parliament and the Scots, than putting the king to death. The independents, mortal enemies of the king, Scots, and prefbyterians, were the men who twice took away the king from the parliament, by means of the army, and cut off his head, at the very time the parliament and Scots were heartily labouring to restore him, as will hereafter appear. If therefore this pretended fale, fuppofing it real, was the occafion of the king's death, it may be affirmed, it was the innocent occafion, and its effects ought not to be imputed to the parliament, such as it was at that time, fince it is certain, neither both houfes, nor the Scots, did then carry their views fo far, nor could poffibly foresee what afterwards happened. But, as I faid before, it can by no means be proved, that the Scots did indeed fell the king to the Eng lifh. We fhall fee presently, the reasons why the Scots CHAR. I. would not take charge of the king's perfon. 1646. Hamilton In the beginning of September, the duke of Hamilton, who had been releafed out of Michael's Mount in Cornwall, preffes the upon the parliament's taking that place, came to Newcastle, with fome other Scotch commiffioners, and earnestly preffed to the propofitions. the king to accept the propofitions for peace. If the Scots İd. p. 327. had bargained, by a fecret treaty, to give up the king to Burnet's the parliament, this proceeding feems to have been prejudi- Mem. Ham cial to them, fince the king's compliance would have voided P. 285. their bargain with the English, and deprived them of the promised fum. answer. The king anfwered the duke, and the other commiffio- The king's ners, "That he only defired to be heard, but could not Rushworth, « obtain his defire. That he did not give a denial to the VI. p. 327 "propofitions, but only defired to be rightly informed of "what was demanded, and that his reafons might be << heard." Burnet's P. 285, 286 In another answer given them in writing the next day, he p. 328. faid, "He should be content to reftrain epifcopal govern- Mem "ment to fome few diocefes, at Oxford, Winchester, Bri"ftol, Bath and Wells, and Exeter; leaving all the rest "of England fully to the prefbyterian government, with "the ftricteft claufes they should think upon againft papists "and independents. In a poftfcript, he required them, to give a particular account of this offer to the general af"fembly in Scotland; affuring them, that he would punc tually make good his last letter to them. And hoped, "that they, as churchmen, would not prefs him to comply "with what was against his confcience, till he should have "leasure to be better informed." This anfwer was a plain intimation, that when the king faid, he defired to be heard, it was only a pretence to have liberty to come to London, to caufe, if poffible, the propofitions to be altered. We fee alfo by this answer, that he confidered the affair of church government, as the principal and moft difficult point. In a word, his offer fhows he was very hard preffed, fince he agreed, that prefbyterian government fhould be eftablished throughout the whole kingdom, a few diocefes excepted. Burnet's Some time after, he fent a letter to the duke of Hamilton, Rushworth, (who was now retired, finding the king immoveable) tel- VI. p. 329. ling him, that the two houfes thought of getting him into Mem. their hands, by faying, they did not intend to make him a p. 289. prifoner, but only to give him an honourable guard; but for |