both houses, that the Earl of Essex should go forward in advancing his forces according to his instructions, with all convenient speed; and to lay by the petition which was to be preferred to his majesty.

Much about this time the King advanced from Shrewsbury, with an army, consisting of six-thousand foot, three-thousand horse, and fifteenhundred dragoons. His design was to march towards London with all his forces; of which the Earl of Essex being advertised, he advanced, with a resolution to encounter with them; and being a grave counsellor, as well as a great commander, he desired the parliament, that the trained-bands, in and about the city of London, might be put in a readiness for their own defence; and that the city might be fortified, and an especial care taken to secure the persons of the chiefest of those malignant citizens, who were suspected to contrive mischief, and were able to perform it. Whereupon the house of parliament did order, that the trained-bands of London, Middlesex, and Surry, should forthwith be put into a readiness, and that the close committee should make a diligent enquiry, after the chief malignants of the city; and warrants were issued forth with power to apprehend them, and to bring them to the parliament.

On the 22d of October, his excellency the Earl of Essex did march to Kinton, with about twelve regiments of foot, and above forty troops of horse; he made haste to meet with the army of the King, and therefore was forced to leave behind him three regiments of foot, and ten troops of horse; for, the country being destitute of provision, it was thought requisite that they should not follow the main body of the army, in so swift a march. On the next morning intelligence was received, that the King's army was drawing near, with a resolution to encounter with the forces of his excellency. They had got the advan tage of Edge-hill, which served them for a place of safe retreat, it being of a high and steep ascent. The Earl of Essex made a stand about half a mile from the hill, and did there draw forth his army into a body, and did set them in battalia: he marshalled the field with great judgment, having but little time to do it; which was no sooner done, but he beheld many regiments of the King's foot come down the hill, and there were a strong body of dragooners with them. The horse also came down in order, and placed themselves at the foot of the hill, on the right hand of our army. It was something long before their cannon and the rear of their foot could be brought down. Our foot were marshalled a good space behind our horse; three regiments of horse were on the right wing of our army, namely, the Lord General's regiment, commanded by Sir Philip Stapleton, who that day did excellent service; Sir William Belfore's regiment, who was lieutenant-general of the horse; and the Lord Feilding's regiment, which stood as a reserve unto them. In our left wing were twenty-four troops of horse, commanded by Sir James Ramsey, commissary-general.

The cannon on each side having discharged their cholerick errands, the enemy's foot advanced against our right wing, and they were gal lantly received by Sir William Stapleton's and Sir William Belfore's regiments of horse, which were at that instant seconded by the noble Lord Roberts's and Sir William Constable's regiments of foot, who

charged on the enemy's foot, with so much resolution, that they forced them, in great disorder, to shrowd themselves amongst their pikes. That day, Sir William Belfore shewed excellent demonstrations of his valour, for after this he charged a regiment of the enemy's foot, and broke quite through them, and cut many of them in pieces, and not long after, having received some assistance of foot, he defeated another regiment, and seized upon a part of the enemy's ordnance; but we did afterwards leave them, having none to guard them. The enemy's horse, on the left wing, had the better of ours; for, at the first shock, they routed them, and did beat them back upon our foot, and forced their way clean through Colonel Hollis's regiment; which struck such a terror to some other of our foot regiments, on the left wing, that four regiments, without striking one stroke, did run quite away, their officers being not able to stay them, who therefore came up to the van, in the right wing, and did extraordinary service, amongst which was Colonel Charles Essex, who, performing all the parts of a gallant soldier, was unfortunately shot in the thigh, of which, not long after, he died.

His Excellency perceiving that four regiments of the left wing of his army were fled, and never fought with, it doubled his resolution on the right wing, where, with undaunted valour, he charged the king's regiment: Once he charged with his own troop of horse, and often with his regiment of foot. An admirable man, who, for the safety of the kingdom, and to pluck the king from the hands of those that did mislead him, did this day admirable service. He was always at the head of his army, and, having at last got the advantage of the wind and ground, he charged the King's regiment so home (having the regiment of the Lord Brooks to assist him) that he utterly defeated it; he took the King's standard, and the Earl of Lindsey, General of the King's army: His son was also taken prisoner, and Lieutenant-Colonel Vavasor, who commanded that regiment; Sir Edward Varney, who carried the King's standard, was slain; the Lord Aubigny was also slain; Colonel Munroe, a great Commander on the King's side, was slain. Two regiments of the enemy's foot (the night coming on) retiring themselves towards the hill, found their ordnance without any guard at all, where they made a stand, and discharged many great shot against us. By this time the body of the enemy's horse, which had been pillaging the waggons at Kinton, had the leisure to wheel about, some on one hand of our army, and some on the other, and so at last they united themselves to the body of their foot; Sir Philip Stapleton, who did remarkable service this day, seeing in what disorder they came along, did ride forth with his troop, to charge four or five troops of theirs; which they perceiving, did put spurs unto their horses, and, with what speed they could, joined themselves with the rest of their broken troops, which had now recovered their foot that did guard their ordnance. Our horse were also gathered to our foot, and thus both armies of horse and foot stood one against another till night. This great victory being obtained, the Earl of Essex marched to Warwick, where he refreshed his army for a few days, where Mr. Marshall speaking of the admirable success of this battle; his excellency replied twice together, That he never saw less of man in any thing than in this battle, nor more of God.

Not long after his excellency the Earl of Essex came to London, with several of his regiments of horse and foot, who, with much joy were entertained by the citizens. And, on the Lord's-day following, many good ministers, about the City of London, praised God for their safe return to their parents, friends, and masters.

About the 4th of November 1642, at a conference in the Painted Chamber, the Earl of Northumberland, in the name of the whole House of Peers, did acquaint the Commons, that the committee for the safety of the kingdom had some thoughts to send certain propotitions to his Majesty, to prevent the farther effusion of blood, and to re-establish the peace of the kingdom, before which time they held it requisite to acquaint his excellency with it, who returned an answer to the Parlia ment to this effect;

That what he had done was in obedience to the commands of both Houses, and what they should command further he would be careful to obey That he was now with his army, and could not leave his charge, to come, in person, to contribute any thing for his Majesty's honour, and the safety of the kingdom. That he believed the committee had such reasons for those propositions, as were laid on sure grounds; but withal, that he hoped that they had no fear of any weakness of his army, or that the courage of those who stood to it so stoutly, in the late battle, would fail them, if nothing but a second encounter must decide the matter, and end the quarrel.

There was now a treaty for Peace agreed upon on both sides, when behold, on a sudden, unexpected news is brought unto the parliament that the King's and parliament's forces were engaged at Brentford, and that prince Rupert, with about thirteen troops of horse, had (undiscovered to our scouts) taken the advantage of a misty morning, with a full resolution to cut off the forces of the parliament that were quartered thereabouts, and from thence to force his way to London, trusting, that, upon their approach so near unto the city, the malignants would rise in arms, and declare themselves for the King; but it pleased God so in mercy to ordain it, that he fell short of his expectation; for he was so well entertained at Brentford and Turnham-green, by colonel Hollis's regiment, and part of the lord Roberts's regiment, the regiment of colonel Hampden coming also to their assistance, that prince Rupert durst not adventure to make his approaches nearer to the city. And the parlia ment forthwith dispatched a committee to London, to raise all the forces both of horse and foot, to defend the city, and secure the out-works. Immediately his Excellency the Earl of Essex departed from London, and marched against the enemy, who, at the first shock, over-powered our forces by their number, who were many of them destitute both of powder, and all furniture of war: we lost in that service Serjeant-major Quarles, and Capt. Lacy, and many soldiers of inferior quality. Capt. Lilburn with some others were taken prisoners: there were diverse of the enemy slain, and many carts laden with their wounded, and their dead; besides, they buried many, very privately, to conceal the ignominy of their great less.

Immediately after this the lord general caused a bridge to be made of long and flat-bottomed boats, over the river of Thames, from Fulham unto

Putney (a sudden work of war) to prevent, and the better to enable his men to assault the cavaliers in their march from Kingston into the county of Kent, and to oppose them in their further invading the county of Surry.

This bridge, at each end, was fortified with ordnance and musqueteers to defend it from the enemy, who, at that time, had miserably plundered Kingston and some adjacent villages thereunto, and now, being full of the pillage of the towns of Brentford, Kingston, and other places, and not daring to attempt further, they were retiring towards Maidenhead, and from thence to Reading and Oxford, the seat of the court, and the rendezvous of the malignant army during the war.

The parliament (as they had just cause so to do) did, on this, publish a declaration, to testify to the world the carriage of the matter at Brentford, in the time of a treaty for the peace of the kingdom, to the end that all men, discerning how far they had been deceived with fair shows and bare pretences, might now, at last, stand upon their own defence, and their strongest guard, and to associate themselves together to defend and preserve their religion, laws, and liberty of parliament and kingdom; yea, themselves, their wives, and children from rapine and ruin, who were all concerned in the common danger now round about them; on this the counties of this kingdom did begin, by degrees, to associate themselves.

The King having, after this, made another motion for peace, and the parliament having made a fair answer to it; upon some new counsels, his majesty was so impatient as to reply:

That he looked on the parliament's answer, as penned by a malignant party in both houses, whose safety is built upon the ruin of this nation, who have chaced his majesty, his peers, and commons from the parliament; the truth whereof, he said, might appear by the small number left; and, moreover, that they had raised an army to take away his life, and the life of his children, and that these rebels are now come to London; and, since they cannot snatch the crown from his head, they would invite him, tamely, to come up, and to lay it down. And, for the expressions of that accident at Brentford, his majesty hoped (if it be permitted by them to be published) that his declaration would satisfy his people.

The parliament, upon consideration of this, being compelled to look unto themselves, did resolve to forbear all further treaties, and gave order to his excellency, forthwith to advance with his army; and the rather, because, they understood, by an intercepted letter, sent unto Sir Edward Nicholas, that many experienced commanders, and, with them, great provision of money, arms, and ammunition, were designed, from Holland, to land at Newcastle, for the service of the King, and the advancement of this unnatural war.

This did set so sharp an edge on the affections of the city, that, whereas the Parliament did desire them to assist them with a loan of thirtythousand pounds, to pay the army, they cheerfully subscribed to pay in threescore-thousand pounds, and would have made it a far greater sum, to further the lord general, the Earl of Essex, to proceed with his army

to rescue his majesty from the hands of those, who detained him from his people and his parliament.

But the winter did now grow heavy, and immoderate showers of rain had so corrupted the ground, that the body of foot could not march, nor the train of artillery move; therefore, the lord general was inforced to continue in his winter quarters, at Windsor, until the spring; howsoever, our horse did excellent service in the west, under the command of Sir Wm. Waller, and the right honourable the Lord Fairfax, and his renowned son, Sir Thomas Fairfax, atchieved many glorious victories in the north, of which it is not so proper, in this place, to deliver the story, it being the task of this pen to express only those particular services, in which his excellency was personally present.

The spring now coming on, his excellency, about the middle of April, did quit his winter quarters, and advanced towards Oxford; he seemed to pass by Reading, to render that garrison more secure, and that, the chiefest strength being gone where the chiefest danger did appear, he might take Reading with the more ease and speed; having therefore, wheeled about, he unexpectedly came and sat down before Reading, and sent his trumpeter to the governor to surrender that town unto him, for the service of the King and parliament. Colonel Ashton, who was governor of it, returned a stubborn answer, that he would either keep the town or starve and die in it. Thereupon his excellency, taking compassion of the women and children, which were to undergo the common danger, he sent unto the governor, that they might be suffered to come forth, but this also was refused by the colonel.

Hereupon our soldiers began to intrench themselves, and daily to make their approaches nearer and nearer to the town; his excellency incamped on the west-part thereof betwixt Reading and Oxford, to hinder any relief that might come from Oxford to it. The enemy had many strong out-works, which were defended also by some main bulwarks; from those they continually plied us with their great and small shot, who were not remiss to answer them with advantage. They had in the garrison three thousand soldiers besides townsmen, many pieces of ordnance, and great store of provision and ammunition. The enemy had strongly fortified Causham hill which commands the whole town; from this place, by fine force, they were beaten and driven inte their works nearer unto the town. This hill being gained, we instantly raised our batteries on it, which much annoyed the enemy, and, by this means, we got the opportunity with the greater safety, to make our approaches nearer unto their works, and in many places within less than half a musquet-shot; hereupon the enemy endeavoured to make some sallies, but they were always beaten in with loss. They had planted some ordnance in a steeple, believing that from that height they might play upon our men with more advantage; but our cannon were levelled against it with such dexterity, that both the cannoniers and cannon were quickly buried under the ruins of the steeple. After this, the enemies would not adventure themselves on towers, but kept for the most part in places more secure, our ordnance perpetually beating down the houses, and Colonel Ashton, the governor, being sorely wounded in the head, by the fall of bricks from a battered chimney, which made him the more will