sciences, besides your late experience of our the laws and liberties of the kingdom, to religious observance of our former decla- which our help is required, have a particular rations of this kind; so in the meantime obligation upon this nation, as we have forgive us leave to appeal to the great searcher merly declared our intentions published beof hearts, who knows that, had not the love fore our last expedition, for refusing to of Christ, requiring christians to bear one countenance or maintain a war against us another's burdens, and the law of nature, in the year 1640) have thought fit by their challenging our utmost care and endeavour commissioners, enabled to that effect, to for the prevention of our own danger and desire a firm union with us and this just ruin, which an ordinary understanding will and necessary assistance from us. And easily see to be wrapped up in our neigh- whereas it is too obvious an objection, that bours, and our duty and desire of rescuing the king's command or consent being no the king from the dangers wherein he is ingredient, our calling thereby is rendered involved by the company and pernicious deficient; we answer, that though, through counsel of those who are enemies to reli- the injury of mischievous counsels, both his gion, his majesty's happiness, and peace of person and personal commands are withheld his dominions, called and compelled us to from us, yet his honour, his happiness, posthis service, we could with far more content terity, his great council, and the welfare of and satisfaction to ourselves have enjoyed in his kingdoms, call importunately to us for quietness our dry morsel, than entered into this timely interposing; so that unless we your houses full of sacrifices with strife; which can (which God forbid) blot out of our yet since we are required and necessitated thoughts the sense of piety and religion to by that just calling hereafter to be men- towards God, of honour and duty toward tioned, we profess before God and the world our sovereign, and of gratitude toward the that our thoughts and hearts are clean and parliament and kingdom of England, we free from any other intentions than those can in nowise resist our present call to expressed in our solemn league and cove- this undertaking. And lastly, for what nant, in which we are confederate with concerns the manner of the of pursuance England, viz., the preservation and refor- this just cause and lawful calling, although mation of religion, the honour and happi- the many frustrate petitions and remonness of the king, and the peace and liber- strances from both kingdoms, presented to ties of the kingdoms; all which we now his majesty, have left us only this way, apprehend to be deeply endangered by the which yet is not intended against his macounsels and confederacies of papists, pre-jesty's person nor any of his good subjects, lates, malignants, and their adherents, so prevalent in England and Ireland; and we shall no otherwise desire a blessing upon our endeavours, than as they shall be directed to the conservation and establishment thereof. And because it is not sufficient to be engaged in a good cause, unless by a good calling, we do hereby further declare, that though the inseparable interests of both nations, in their religion and liberties, which having the same common enemies must look to stand and fall together, might have given us sufficient warrant to have endeavoured the prevention of our own ruin by preserving our friends and brethren from destruction; yet that we might be the more fully and formally obliged to this christian duty and service, and so the mouth of slander and malice be stopped, God hath so ordered things in his wise and just providence, that the parliament of England (who besides their interest in the preservation and reformation of religion, and the defence of

but those enemies of the king and kingdoms with whom no other means can prevail; yet we shall diligently so order the affairs of our army, that all insolencies, rapines, plunderings, and those other calamities that usually attend upon war, may be prevented; and herein as with no small content to ourselves, so with no less satisfaction to you, are we able to refer you to the experience of our former expedition (when our own necessities drove us into England, as now yours do call us), to consider how little damage was occasioned by our means, how little disorder was committed by us, in any place where we came; and we hereby promise the like care and diligence shall be renewed, and if possible doubled to that effect."

By the close of the year, the Scottish army of about twenty thousand men was assembled on the borders. The chief command was given to Leslie earl of Leven, who was accused of having thus broken his promise to the king never to fight against

whether we shall enter into England and lift arms against our own king, who hath promised and done as much as may secure us in our religion and liberties; but whether against the popish, prelatical, and malignant party their adherents, prevailing in England and Ireland, we be not bound to provide for our own preservation ?" "If," said they, "England shall subdue the enemies of religion without that assistance which they call for from us at this time, what help can we expect from them in the hour of our temptation, which we have deserved, and the Lord may bring upon us when he will? God forbid that we should give them cause to laugh at our calamity, and mock when our fear cometh. And if they shall be given over into the hand of the enemy (which God in his mercy avert), will not the enemy, strengthened with increase of power, be the more insolent and unresistable? And will not the power of England, turned into the hands of malignants, turn also enemy against this kirk and kingdom, and upon such pretences as be already invented, and yet (they will allege) according to the late treaty of peace, within three months' space denounce a national war against us?" "The question is not," they said again, "whether we should presume to be arbitrators in the matters now debated by fire and sword betwixt his majesty and the houses of parliament, which may seem to be foreign and extrinsecal to this action, and wherein we may be con

him again, but he said this promise was given with the express condition that it should not be binding if the religion and liberties of his country were in danger. Under him, William Baillie was lieutenant-general, and David Leslie major-general of the horse. And now, when their forces were ready for marching, a new declaration of the convention of the estates was published, in which they declared at greater length the necessity of their proceedings and the purity of their intentions. They began by describing the dangers and distresses they had undergone from the ambition of the prelates, and their own peaceable but ineffectual efforts in defence of their religion and liberties. They then related how the troubles had begun in England, and how they had in vain offered the king their friendly intermediation; the negotiations which had passed between them and the parliament; and the publishing and subscribing of the solemn league and coveDaut. After this, they said, they knew that the opposite and malignant party would rage and tumultuate more than ever, and they were convinced that, unless they would betray their religion, liberties, and laws, and all that they possessed, into their hands, and suffer themselves to be cut off and massacred by such barbarous cruelty as had been exercised in Ireland and in England, it was necessary for them to take arms for mutual defence in the cause of religion, of the king's honour, of the liberty and peace of the kingdoms, and of every one of them-ceived to have no interest; but whether our selves in their own private estate and condi- mediation and intercession, being rejected tion. "The question," they said, "is not by the one side upon the hope of victory, or whether we may propagate our religion by suppose by both sides upon confidence of arms, but whether, according to our power, their own strength and several successes, it we ought to assist our brethren in England, be not our duty, it being in our power, to who are calling for our help, and are shed- stop or prevent the effusion of christian ding their blood in defence of that power blood? or whether we ought not to endeawithout which religion can neither be devour to rescue our native king, his crown fended nor reformed, nor unity of religion and posterity, out of the midst of so many with us and other reformed kirks be attained; who have in the cause of religion and the like exigence assisted us and other reformed kirks; to whom, of old and of late, we have made promises of the real declarations of all christian duty and thankfulness; and who, upon our desires and their endeavours for unity in religion, have often warned us that the malignant party would bend all their invention and forces to interrupt the work, and to ruin and destroy them in the undertaking of it, which we see this day come to pass. "Neither," they added, "is the question (as our enemies would make it)

dangers, and to preserve his people and kingdom from ruin and destruction? If every private man be bound in duty to interpose himself as a reconciler and sequestrator betwixt his neighbours, armed to their mutual destruction; if the son ought to hazard his own life for the preservation of his father and brother at variance the one against the other; shall a kingdom sit still and suffer their king and neighbouring kingdom to perish in an unnatural war? In the time of animosity and appetite of revenge, such an interposing may be an irritation; but afterwards, when the eyes of

had been collected in Yorkshire, under the off, and carried him away prisoner. The immediate command of the marquis of royalists were so disheartened by the loss of Newcastle, who, hearing of the approach their commander, that they did not withof the Scots, had hastened with a detach-stand the attack of the Scots, but made a ment of troops to the relief of that town, hasty retreat to Newcastle, with some loss. which he entered the day before that on which the Scots presented themselves before it. The town-council, therefore, returned answer to the summons of the committee, that, seeing the king's general was at that time in the town, they conceived all the power of government to be in him, and that it was not their duty to return a more definite answer; but that, if he had not been there, they themselves intended to hazard their lives and fortunes, rather than betray the trust reposed in them and forfeit their allegiance to their sovereign.

CHAPTER XV.

THE SCOTTISH ARMY ENTERS ENGLAND; BATTLE OF MARSTON-MOOR; CAPTURE OF NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE; PROCEEDINGS IN SCOTLAND.

On

On the 13th of January, 1644, the Scottish turning a fair answer, and thus avoiding army under the command of the earl of open hostility for which they were not preLeven, at Harlaw, near Berwick, numbered pared. Others urged that they ought not eighteen thousand foot and three thousand to give any answer until they had commufive hundred horse. Leven had waited there nicated with the marquis of Newcastle as the arrival of a committee of the English their commander-in-chief in the north. A parliament, which, joined with a committee third party were of opinion that the letter of the estates of Scotland, was to form a of the committee of the two kingdoms must committee of the two kingdoms to super- be sent to the king, before any answer could intend and direct the operations of the be given. It was, however, finally resolved army. Between the 13th and the 19th, that an immediate answer should be rethe different divisions of the army, which turned, and accordingly sir Thomas Glenseem to have been scattered over the coun- ham wrote a letter accusing the Scots of try, were called in, and on the day last-men- disloyalty and ingratitude to their sovereign, tioned they marched into England. Next denying the authority of any committee or day the committee of the two kingdoms ad- committees such as had pretended to sign dressed a letter to sir Thomas Glenham, the letter addressed to him, and applying the king's commander in Northumberland, rather freely the titles of traitors and vipers who was stationed at Alnwick with other to all who should join or assist in this Scotofficers and gentry of the county, informing tish invasion. them of the march of the Scots, requiring their co-operation, and intimating that any display of hostility would be met with force. In reply, Glenham requested time for consultation, and having called together the gentlemen of the county and the officers who were with him, he put to them three questions: 1. what they should do with those places in the county which were not yet in possession of the Scots, but which they could not protect against them? 2. What answer they should return to the letter of the committee? 3. Whether they should fight the Scottish army? On the last only of these questions were they unanimous, namely, that it would be madness to attempt with the force they had, which consisted only of two regiments of foot, sixteen troops of horse, and some small ordnance, to oppose the Scottish army in the field. It was resolved, however, that they should defend the bridge. The two other questions were rather warmly debated. The Yorkshire officers proposed that the county should be laid waste, that it might afford no accommodation to the enemy; but this was violently opposed by the gentry of Northumberland, who would have been the principal sufferers, and they carried the question against the others. With regard to the second question, some were for re

Meanwhile the earl of Leven was preparing to advance upon Newcastle. the 23rd of January, lieutenant-general Baillie marched with six regiments of foot and a regiment of horse from Kelso to Wooller; and next day, the earl of Leven himself, who had halted at Adderston till his artillery came up, reached Alnwick. The weather hitherto had been severe, and the ground was covered with deep snow, but a sudden thaw now coming on caused a flood which impeded the march of the infantry, who were often above their middles in water. Nevertheless, they pressed forward, and sir Thomas Glenham, who had intended to destroy Felton-bridge in his retreat, was followed so closely that he was obliged to hurry on to Morpeth without executing his design, and from that place he marched without delay to Newcastle. While Leven, with the main body of the army, advanced to Morpeth, the marquis of Argyle, with another division, made himself master of Coquet Island. At Morpeth Leven remained five days to refresh his army; and on Saturday, the 3rd of February, the Scottish army presented itself before Newcastle, and the mayor and corporation were summoned by the committee of the two kingdoms to surrender. The main force of the royalists in the north