676 ENG L 
pounds, they would deliver up the king to his enemies. 
♦This fpecies of barter may be palliated, but can never 
be defended upon any principle of rertitude, honour, or 
humanity. Like free-booters they divided the fpoil; and 
the Scots returned home, laden with plunder, and the 
reproaches of all good men. 
The king, being thus delivered over by the Scots to 
the parliamentary commillioners, was conducted to Holm- 
by cattle', in Northamptonfhire. They treated him in 
confinement with the molt rigorous feverity, difmiffing 
all his ancient fervants,. debarring him from all vifits, and 
cutting off all communication with his friends and his 
family. The civil war was now over ; the king had ab- 
folved his followers from their allegiance, and the par¬ 
liament had no enemy to fear, except thofe very troops 
by which they had extended their overgrown authority. 
But in proportion as the terror of the king’s power ’dimi¬ 
ni fhed, the divifion between the independents and the 
prefbyterians became more manifeft. The majority in 
the houfe were of the prefbyterian fert; but the majo¬ 
rity of the army were independents. At the head of 
this fed! was Cromwell, who fecretly directed its opera¬ 
tions, and invigorated all its meafures. 
After the retreat of the Sco^s, the prefbyterian party, 
feeing things reduced to obedience, propofed to difmifs 
a confiderable part of the army, and fend the red to Ire- 
land. But the army were as unwilling to difband, as to 
be led over into a country as yet uncivilifed and barba¬ 
rous. Cromwell alfo took care to infpire them againft 
both: they regarded him for his'bravery and religious 
zeal, and (fill more for his pretended afi'ertion towards 
them. Indead, therefore, of preparing to difband, they 
refolved to petition ; and they began by defiring an in¬ 
demnity, ratified by the king’s fignature, for any illegal 
-artion which they might have committed during the war. 
This the commons treated with great feverity ; they 
voted, that this petition tended to introduce mutiny, to 
put conditions upon the parliament, to obdrurt the relief 
of the kingdom of Ireland ; and they threatened to pro¬ 
ceed againft the promoters of it as enemies to the (late, 
and didurbers of the public peace. 
The army now began tO confider themfelves as a body 
didinrt from the parliament, and complained, that they 
had fecured the general tranquillity, while they were to 
be deprived of the privileges of Englilhmen. In oppofi- 
tion, therefore, to the parliament at Wedminder, a mi¬ 
litary parliament was formed, compofed of the officers 
and common foldiers of each regiment. The principal 
officers formed a council to reprefent the body of peers ; 
the foldiers elected two men out of each company to re¬ 
prefent the houfe of commons ; and the'fe were called the 
Agitators of the army. Cromwell took care to be one of 
the number, and thus contrived an eafy method of con- 
durting and promoting the fedition of the arniy. This 
fierce affembly, having debated for a fhort time, declared 
that they had many grievances to be redrelfed ; and 
began by fpecifyingfuch as they wifiied to be mod fpeedily 
removed. The fame conduit which had formerly been 
ufcd by the parliament againft their fovereign, was now 
put in practice by the army againft the parliament. In 
proportion as the commons granted their requeds, the 
agitators rofe in their demands; thefe accufed the army 
of mutiny and fedition ; the army retorted the charge, 
and alleged, that the king had been depofedonly to make 
way for their ufurpations. 
The wretched Charles, in the mean time, continued a 
prifoner at Holmby cadle ; and as his countenance might 
add fomc authority to that fide which diould obtain it, 
Cromwell, who fecretly condurted all the meafures of 
the army, refolved to ieize the king’s perfon. Accord- 
ingly a party of five hundred horfe appeared at Holmby 
cable, under the command of Joyce, who had been ori¬ 
ginally a tailor, but who, in the prefent confufion of 
affairs, was advanced to the rank of cornet. Without 
AND. 
any oppofition, he entered the king’s apartment, armed 
with piftols, and told him he mud prepare and go with 
him. “ Whither?” faid the king. “ To the army,” 
replied Joice. “ By what warfant ?” aficed the king. 
Joice pointed to his followers. “Your warrant,” replied 
Charles, ‘‘is wrote in fair characters.” And without 
further delay, he went into his coach, and was fafely con¬ 
ducted to the army, who were hadening to their ren¬ 
dezvous at Triplo-heath, near Cambridge. The next 
day Cromwell arrived among them, where he was re¬ 
ceived with acclamations of joy, and inveded with the 
fupreme command. 
It was now that the commons perceived a fettled de- 
dgn in the army to prefcribe laws to the parliament; and 
they did not fail to fpread the alarm through the city of 
London. But it was too late to redd ; the army, with 
Cromwell at theirhead, advanced with precipitation, and 
arrived in a few days at St. Alban’s; fo that the com¬ 
mons now began to think of temporiling. The declara¬ 
tion, by which they had voted the military petitioners 
enemies to the date, was recalled, and ended from their 
journals. But all fubmillion was vain; the army now 
claimed a right of modelling the whole government, and 
of fettling the nation. But as too precipitate an affump- 
tion of authority might appear invidious, Cromwell began 
by accudng eleven members of the houfe as guilty of high 
treafon, and enemies to the army. The members'ac¬ 
cufed were the leaders of the prefbyterian party, the 
very men who had prefcribed fuch rigorous meafures to 
the king, and who now, in turn, were threatened with 
fimilar feverity. As they were the leading men in the 
houfe, the commons were refolved to protect them ; but 
the army infiding on their difmiffion, they voluntarily 
left the houfe, rather than breed contention. 
. At lad the citizens of London began to- open their 
eyes, and to perceive that the conditution was totally 
overturned. They faw an oppreilive parliament now fub- 
jerted to a more oppreilive army ; they fojind their reli¬ 
gion aboliffied, their king a captive, and no hopes of 
redrefs but from another feene of daughter. In this 
exigency, therefore, rhe common-council adembled the 
militia of the city; the works were manned, and a ma- 
nifedo publidied, aggravating the hodile condurt of the 
army. Finding that the houfe of commons, in'compliance 
with the requed of the army, had voted that the city mi¬ 
litia fhould be difbanded, the multitude rofe, bedeged 
the door of the houfe, and obliged them to reverfe that 
vote which they had fo lately paded. In this dilemma 
the houfe was rent into two parties ; the one dding with 
the feditious citizens, while the other, with the two 
fpeakers at their head, were for encouraging the army. 
In this confufion a reparation of the parties took placet 
the two fpeakers, with fixty-two members, fecretly re¬ 
tired from the houfe, and threw themfelves on the pro¬ 
tection of the army, then encamped on Hounflow-heath. 
They were received with fliouts and acclamations; their 
integrity was extolled ; and the whole body of the fol- 
diery, a formidable force of twenty thoufand men, now 
■moved forward, to re-indate them in their former feats 
and dations. 
In the mean time, that part of the houfe that was left 
fitting, refolved to art with vigour, and redd the en¬ 
croachments of the army. They chofe new fpeakers ; 
they gave orders for en'iiding troops ; they ordered the 
train-bands to man the lines ; and the whole city boldly 
refolved to redd the invafion. But this refolution only 
held while the enemy was thought at a didance; for 
when the formidable force of Cromwell came in fight, all 
was obedience and fubmillion ; the gates were opened to 
the general, who attended the two (peakers, and the reft 
of the members, peaceably to their habitations. The 
eleven impeached members being expelled, retired to the 
continent. The mayor, (heriff, and three aldermen, were 
fent to the Tower; feveral citizens ; and officers of mi- 
