472 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHED 



Violent restoration of the succeeding members which 

 has destroyed all parliamentary independence. He 

 behaved with respect to the king, and seemed de- 

 sirous of restoring him to his throne ; yet he con- 

 curred in the declaration of the army to support 

 the vote of the commons for no further addresses, 

 or application to him. 



By the death of his father in 1648, he succeeded 

 to his title and estates, and thus united the heredi- 

 tary dignity of the peerage with his acquired ho- 

 nours. In the insurrection of that year for the 

 royal cause, he resumed his arms, and acted with 

 zeal and vigour. He was engaged in the siege of 

 Colchester, which had been occupied by the insur- 



fents under lord Capel,and Sir Charles Lucas. 

 t seems extraordinary that such a place could hold 

 out eleven weeks, against a victorious general, who 

 could command all the military forces of the king- 

 dom ; and is a proof of the small degree of skill in 

 the art of engineering, acquired by the petty actions 

 of these wars ; unless it be supposed that general*!* 

 aversion to injure a town, the inhabitants of which 

 were probably of his own party, caused him to 

 prefer the way of blockade. He appears to have 

 been much irritated by the resistance he met with ; 

 for upon its surrender, without conditions of quarter, 

 he caused Sir Charles Lucas, and Sir George Lisle, 

 brave men, but whom he considered as soldiers of 

 fortune, to be shot. Returning to London, he took 

 rip his quarters in Whitehall, and prepared the 

 way, by overawing and purging the parliament for 

 the king's trial, He himself, indeed affirms that 

 the seclusion of members by colonel Pride, for" 

 which the authority of the council of the army was 

 alleged, was done totally without his knowledge. 

 He was among the first of those nominated for the 

 king's judges, but refused to act. His wife, tha 

 lady Fairfax, who was a woman of uncommon spi- 

 rit, being present in the court, made herself con- 

 spicuous for a severe remark against the justice of 

 the proceedings, and incurred some danger by her 

 boldness. When the cryer of the court, amongst 



