THE OAK—MANHOOD. 
49 
OIID FALKLAND Lad a courage of the most clear and keen 
temper, and so far from fear that he seemed not without some 
appetite of danger; and therefore, upon any occasion of action, 
he always engaged his person in those troops which he thought, 
by the forwardness of the commanders, to be most like to be 
farthest engaged; and in all such encounters, he had about 
him an extraordinary cheerfulness, without at all affecting the 
execution that usually attended them ; in which he took no 
delight, but took pains to prevent it, where it was not, by resistance, 
made necessary : insomuch that at Edge-hill, when the enemy was routed, 
he was like to have incurred great peril by interposing to save those who 
had thrown away their arms, and against whom it may be, others were 
more fierce for having thrown them away; so that a man might think 
he came into the field chiefly out of curiosity to see the face of danger, 
and charity to prevent the shedding of blood. 
From the entrance into this unnatural war, his natural cheerfulness 
and vivacity grew clouded, and a kind of sadness and dejection of spirits 
stole upon him which he had never been used to : yet being one of 
those who believed that one battle would end all differences, and that 
there would be so great a victory on one side that the other would be 
compelled to submit to any conditions from the victor, he resisted those 
indispositions. 
When there was any overture or hope of peace, he would be more 
erect and vigorous, and exceedingly solicitous to press anything which 
he thought might promote it; and sitting among his friends often, after a 
deep silence and frequent sighs, would, with a shrill and sad accent, 
ingeminate the word ‘peace/ ‘peace;’ and would passionately profess, 
‘ that the very agony of the war, and the view of the calamities and 
desolation the kingdom did and must endure, took his sleep from him, 
and would shortly break his heart.’ This made some think, or pretend 
to think, ‘ that he was so much enamoured with peace that he would 
have been glad the king should have bought it at any price;’ which 
was a most unreasonable calumny. As if a man that was himself the 
most punctual and precise in every circumstance that might reflect on 
conscience or honour, could have wished the king to have committed a 
trespass against either. And yet this senseless scandal made some im¬ 
pression upon him, or at least he used it for an excuse of the daring- 
ness of his spirit: for at the leaguer before Gloucester, when his friend 
passionately reprehended him for exposing his person unnecessarily to 
