soldiers complained, that having at the expense of their blood secured the general tranquillity, they were deprived of the privileges of Englishmen, and of the right of representing their grievances. An application to parliament was signed by near two hundred officers, in which they asserted in a very imperious tone their right of petitioning, and complained of the imputation thrown upon them by the former declaration of the lower house.

Cromwell hitherto had not deviated from that deep dissimulation in which he certainly was a very great master. He was in the house of commons when these petitions and addresses were made, and bitterly inveighed against the presumption, complaining" of the great licence that had got into the

army; that, for his own part, by the artifice of "his enemies, and of those who desired that the "nation should be again imbrued in blood, he was "rendered so odious to them, that they had re"solved to kill him, if, upon some discovery made "to him, he had not escaped out of their hands ;" and when he spoke of the nation being to be involved in new troubles, he never failed to weep bitterly, and appear the most afflicted man in the world with the sense of all calamities which were likely to ensue. But as members of the house had long ago discovered his wicked intentions; and the most active officers and agitators in the army were known to be his own creatures, acting only under his direction, his hypocrisy could no longer be concealed. It was accordingly privately resolved by the principal members of the house, that when he came the next day, they would send him to the tower. But this determination was immediately discovered to Cromwell by one of his spies, and the very next morning, when the house expected every minute his presence, they were informed that he had been met out of the town with one servant only, on the

way to the army, from whence he wrote to the house of commons, that having the night before been informed that the jealousy of the troops against him was much abated, he had thought that his immediate presence among them would be of great use to calm their agitation, and for the suppression of the late distempers. That he hoped to discover the fountain from whence they sprang, desiring, in the mean time, that the general Fairfax and the other officers, members of the house, might presently be sent to their quarters, that there might be a general rendezvous of the army.

Skippon, Cromwell, Ireton, and Fleetwood were empowered by the parliament to make offers to the army, and to inquire into the cause of its distempers. As these generals, at least the three last, were secretly the authors of all the discontents, they did not fail to foment them, and to render the mutiny incurable, by suggesting a measure which, being adopted, brought at once the matters to extremity. That they might be on a nearer level with the parliament, the army made choice of a number of such officers as they liked, which they called the general council of officers, and was appointed after the model of the house of peers; and the common soldiers made choice of three or four private men or inferior officers of each regiment, who were called agitators, and appointed to be as a house of commons to the council of officers.

This fierce assembly immediately voted the offers of the parliament unsatisfactory, declared that the army had no distempers, but many grievances to be redressed; and they began by specifying such as they desired to be most speedily removed. The same conduct which had been successfully used by the parliament against the king, was now put in practice against them by the army, who rose in their demands in proportion as the commons com

plied with them. The parliament ventured once more to make a vigorous effort to try the force of their authority; they voted that all the troops which did not engage for Ireland should instantly be disbanded in their quarters. At the same time. the council of the army ordered a general rendezvous of all the regiments, in order to provide for their common interests; and while they thus prepared themselves for opposition to the parliament, they struck a blow which secured the victory in their favour.

Cornet Joyce, who had once been a tailor, and was now one of the agitators in the army, came, June 3d, with a squadron of fifty horse, to Holmby castle, about the break of day, and, without being opposed by the guard, knocked at the king's chamber door, and said he must presently speak with the king. His majesty rose out of his bed, and, half dressed, ordered his door to be opened. Joyce, and two or three more came instantly into the chamber with their hats off and pistols in their hands. Joyce told the king that he must go with him."Whither?" asked the king." To the army." "Where is the army?"-" We will carry you to "the place where it is." "By what authority do you come?"-" By this," answered Joyce, shewing his pistol, and desired his majesty that he would cause himself to be dressed, as they were obliged to make haste. The king said he could not stir before he spoke to the committee to whom he had been delivered, and who were trusted by parliament, One of his majesty's attendants was sent to call them. They came quickly to his chamber, and when they asked Joyce what authority he came by? he shewed his pistol, and inade no other answer than that he had made to the king. They said they would write to the parliament to know their pleasure. Joyce replied they might do so, but

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the king must presently go with him. The king went into his coach attended by the few servants who were put about him, and was conducted by Joyce to Newmarket, where he arrived the next day.

The committee informed the parliament of what had passed, and the intelligence was received with the utmost consternation; nor could any body conceive what was the purpose of such an attempt. The account they received of it from Cromwell himself did not alleviate their anxiety. He informed them that this attempt had been made without his consent, or of any officers about him, and without their desire or privity; that the ground thereof was from an apprehension of some strength gathering to force the king from thence; that he would take care for the security of his majesty's person from danger; and assured the parliament that the whole army wished for peace, and were far from opposing presbytery or affecting independency, or from any purpose to maintain a licentious freedom in religion, or the interest of any particular party, but were resolved to leave the absolute determination of all to the parliament. The falsehood of these assurances was so notorious, that they were supposed to have no other purpose than to mask some other more dangerous attempt; and positive information being received at the same time, that the whole army was upon its march, and would be in London the next day at noon, the alarm increased to the highest pitch. The parliament voted that the two houses should sit all the next day, being Sunday; that Mr. Marshall should be there to pray for them; that the committee of safety should sit up all that night to consider what was to be done; that the lines of communication should be strongly guarded; and all the train-bands of London should e drawn together under pain of death. All shops

were shut up, and such a general confusion prevailed every where, and in the faces of all men, as if the army had already entered the town. The parliament wrote a letter to the general, desiring him that no part of the army might come within five and twenty miles of the town, and that the king's person might be delivered to the former commissioners. Cromwell, still preserving his hypocritical demonstrations of submission, returned for answer, that the army was come to St. Albans before the desire of parliament came to his hands; but that, in obedience to their commands, he would advance no farther, and desired that a month's pay might presently be sent to the army, in which they deferred not to gratify them, though as to the delivery of the king to the former commissioners, no other answer was returned than that they might rest assured that all care should be taken for his majesty's security. The declaration by which the military petitioners had been voted public enemies, was recalled and erased from the journal book.

Here commenced the encroachments of the military upon the civil authority. The army, following the example of their general, preserved, in words, all deference and respect to the parliament, but, in reality, insulted them and tyranized over them. They did not pretend to accuse the assembly, but only the evil counsellors who seduced and betrayed it. They proceeded so far as to name eleven members, whom, in general terms, they charged with high treason, as enemies to the army, and evil counsellors to the parliament; and these were the very leaders of the presbyterian party. They insisted that these members should be immediately sequestered from parliament, and be thrown into prison. The eleven members themselves, not to give occasion for discord, begged leave to retire from the