1647.] INCIDENTS IN CONNECTION WITH 55 



soon becomes a pliant tool in the hands of the dictator. We 

 have seen the new king breaking his engagement and foregoing 

 a previously arranged visit to Newmarket, because Bucking- 

 ham — dreading his ultimate fate — did not think that place safe 

 enough for////;/. And, after Buckingham fell beneath the hand 

 of an assassin, other ministers of poor capacity and less suavity 

 succeeded, all pandering to the king's infatuity in enforcing 

 " the right divine to govern wrong." Some of the best traits 

 of Charles are exhibited during his sojourns at Newmarket, and 

 these need no recapitulation here. Happy it would have been 

 for him and all his belongings, and for the national sports to 

 which he was ardently addicted, if we had more of them to 

 mention in lieu of political and polemical subjects, of which, 

 alas ! there are too many. Hence our task here abruptly ends ; 

 and we have only to quote, in conclusion. Sir Philip Warwick's 

 personal character of Charles I., who says, " His exercises 

 were manly ; for he rid the great horse very well ; and on the 

 little saddle he was not only adroit, but a laborious hunter 

 and field-man : And they were wont to say of him, that he 

 failed not to do any of his exercises artificially, like some 

 proportion'd faces, which yet want a pleasant air of coun- 

 tenance." 



As every particle of information relating to the last sad 

 visit of Charles I. to Newmarket is particularly 



lfi47 



interesting, we append the following additional 

 details from the original correspondence : — 



" The Commissioners attending the King to the Speaker. 



" Sir — We received yesterday the votes of both houses 

 concerning his majesty's removal from hence to Richmond. 



" We immediately acquainted the General therewith, by 

 letter from ourselves ; and there is a messenger from us now 

 attending for his answer, which is not yet come to us. We 

 also acquainted colonel Whalley, who commands the parlia- 

 ment guards here, with the said votes, desiring to know of 

 him whether he had received any order therein from the 



