"adhere unto, nor fhall willingly affift the Forces raised by "the King, without the Confent of both Houses of Parlia"ment. And this Vow, and Covenant, I make in the prefence "of Almighty God, the Searcher of all Hearts, with a true in"tention to perform the fame, as I fhall answer at the great "day, when the secrets of all Hearts shall be disclosed.

THOUGH many were much startled at this Covenant, and took time to confider of it, there being in the Preamble, and pofitive part, much which very few believ'd, and in the promiffory part a more direct denouncing War against the King, than had been in plain terms before avow'd by them, and an abfolute Proteftation against Peace, till the King was at their Mercy; yet the fear of being concluded guilty of the Plot, made them fwallow all the reft; and the example of one prevailing with many, there was not a Member of either House that took it not; and being thus fetter'd, and intangled themfelves, they fent their Committee into the City, to acquaint them with their "Happy difcovery, and how miraculously "God had preferv'd them, and to engage them in the fame "facred Vow, and Covenant; which was readidy fubmitted to; The fame and, by the Industry of their Clergy, fooner than can be ima- Vow and gin'd, taken throughout that People. Then it was, with equal taken diligence, and folemnity, tranfmitted to their Army, that their throughout Fears of inconvenience from thence might be likewife purged; the City, and and thence it grew the mark of diftinétion, to know their Army. Friends and Enemies by; and whosoever refused to take that Covenant, needed no other Charge to be concluded, and profecuted, as the highest Malignant.

Covenant

Tomkins,

BEING this way fecure from any future Clamours for Peace, they proceeded to try Mr Tomkins; Mr Chaloner, a Citizen of The Tryal good Wealth and Credit, and moft intimate with Tomkins; and ExecuMr Hambden, who brought the laft Meffage from the King; tion of Mr one Haffel a Meffenger of the King's, who pass'd often be- and Mr tween London and Oxford, and fometimes carried Letters and chaloner. Meffages to the Lord Falkland; and fome Citizens, whose names were in the Commiffion fent from Oxford; by a Council of War; by whom Mr Tomkins, and Mr Chaloner were Condemn'd to be hanged; and were both, with all circumftances of feverity, and cruelty, Executed: the One, on a Gibbet, by his own Houfe in Holborn; where he had long liv'd with fingular eftimation; and the Other, by his House in Cornbil, near the Old Exchange. Haffel the Meffenger faved them farther trouble, and dy'd in Prison the night before his Tryal: And there being no evidence against Mr Hambden, but what Mr Waller himfelf gave, they gave no judgment against him, but kept him long after in Prifon, till he dy'd; neither proceeded

proceeded they Capitally against those Citizens whose names were in the Commiffion, it not appearing that their names were used with their confent, and privity; though the brand of being Malignants ferv'd the turn for their undoing; for all their Eftates were feifed, as theirs were who had been Executed.

THERE is nothing clearer than that the Commiffion fent from Oxford by the Lady Aubigney, had not any relation to the difcourfes pafs'd between Mr Waller, Tomkins, and those Citizens, or that they who knew of one, had not any privity with the other: which if they had Had, and intended such an Infurrection, as was alledg'd, Mr Waller, and Mr Tomkins, or some one of those Lords who were fuppofed to combine with them, would have been in the Commiffion. Or if the King's Ministers had been engaged in the confultation, and hoped to have raised a Party which should suddenly seise upon the City, and the Parliament, they would never have thought a Commiffion granted to fome Gentlemen at Oxford (for the Major part of the Commiffioners were there) and a few private Citizens, would have ferv'd for that work. I am very confident, and I have very much reason for that confidence, that there was no more known, or thought of at Oxford, concerning the matter of the Commiffion, than I have before fet forth, nor of the other, than that Mr Tomkins fometimes writ to the Lord Falkland (for Mr Waller, out of the cautioufnefs of his own Nature, never writ word) and by Meffengers fignified to him, "That the Number of those who defired Peace, and ab"horr'd the proceedings of the Houfes, was very confi"derable; and that they refolv'd, by refuling, to contribute to "the War, and to fubmit to their Ordinances, to declare and "manifeft themselves in that manner, that the Violent Party "in the City fhould not have credit enough to hinder any Ac"commodation. And the Lord Falkland always return'd Anfwer, "That they fhould expedite thofe Expedients, affoon as "might be, for that delays made the War more difficult to be "reftrain'd. And if I could find Evidence, or Reason, to induce me to believe, that there was any farther defign in the thing it felf, or that the King gave farther countenance to it, I fhould not at all conceal it. No Man can imagine, that if the King could have entertain'd any probable hope of reducing London, which was the Fomenter, Supporter, and indeed the Life of the War, or could have found any expedient, from whence he could reasonably propofe to diffolve, fcatter, and disperse those who, under the name of a Parliament, had kindled a War against him, but he would have given his utmoft affiftance, and countenance thereunto, either by publick Force, or private Contrivance.

THERE

THERE were very great endeavours used, to have proceeded with equal severity against the Earl of Portland, and the Lord Conway (for the accufation of the Earl of Northumberland, it was proceeded tenderly in; for though the Violent Party was heartily incenfed against him, as a Man weary of them, yet his Reputation was ftill very great) who were both clofe Prisoners; and, to that purpofe, their Lordfhips and Mr Waller were confronted before the Committee, where They as peremptorily denying, as He charging them, and there being no other Witness but He against them, the profecution was rather let alone than declined, till after a long reftraint they procured enlargement upon Bayl. Mr Waller himself (though confeffedly the moft guilty; and by his unhappy demeanour, in this time of his Affliction, he had raised as many Enemies as he had formerly Friends, and almost the fame) after he had, with incredible diffimulation, acted fuch a remorse of Confcience, that his Tryal was put off out of Christian compaffion, till he might recover his understanding (and that was not, till the heat, and fury of the Profecutors, was reasonably abated with the Sacrifices they had made) and, by drawing Vifitants to himself, of the moft powerful Minifters of all Factions, had, by his liberality, and penitence, his receiving vulgar and vile fayings from them with humility, and reverence, as clearer Convictions and Informations than in his Life he had ever had; and diftributing great Sums to them for their Prayers, and Ghoftly Counsel; fo fatisfied Them, that They fatisfied others; was brought, at his fuit, to the House of Commons Bar; where (being a Man in truth very powerful in Language; and who, by What he spoke, and in the manner of fpeaking it, exceedingly captivated the good Will and Benevolence of his Hearers; which is the higheft part of an Oratour) with fuch flattery, as was most exactly calculated to that Meridian, with fuch a Submiffion, as Their Pride took delight in, and fuch dejection of mind, and fpirit, as was like to coufen the Major part, and be thought ferious; he laid before them "Their own danger, and concernment; if they should suffer one of their own Body, how un"worthy and monftrous foever, to be tryed by the Sol"diers, who might thereby grow to that power hereafter, that "they would both try thofe, They would not be willing "fhould be tryed, and for things which they would account "no Crimes; the inconvenience, and infupportable mischief "whereof, all wife Common-wealths had foreseen, and pre"vented, by exempting their own Members from all judg "ments but their own: He prevailed, Not to be tryed by a Council of War; and thereby preferv'd his dear bought Life; fo that, in truth, he does as much owe the keeping his head

to

to that Oration, as Catiline did the Lofs of His to thofe of Tully and by having done Ill very well, he, by degrees,drew that refpect to his parts, which always carries fome compaffion to the Perfon, that he got leave to compound for his tranfgreffion, and them to accept of ten thousand pounds (which their Affairs wanted) for his liberty; whereupon he had leave to recollect himself in another Country (for his Liberty was to be in Banifhment) how miserable he had made himself, in obtaining that leave to live out of his own. And there cannot be a greater Evidence of the inestimable Value of his Parts, than that he liv'd, after this, in the good Affection, and Etteem of many, the pity of moft, and the reproach, and scorn of few, or none.

THESE high proceedings, at London, and in the Houses, were not feconded with any notable fuccefs abroad; but it ap pear'd plainly, by the flow coming in of Monies, and more flow coming in of Men, that the hearts of the People were generally more devoted to Peace, than to the continuance of thofe diftractions; and the Earl of Effex, by the great decay, and sickness of his Army, was not, in near fix weeks, able to remove from Reading; by which many Men concluded, which could not be reasonably foreseen, that if Reading had held out many days longer, he would have been compell'd to raise his Siege; and that was the reafon the Earl gave for granting fo good conditions; for if he could have ftayed longer before it, he well knew, they must have yielded on worse terms; neither feared he the King would be able to relieve it. In the end, there being no other way to quiet the City of London, he march'd towards Oxford; but, in truth, rather to fecure Buckingham-fhire, which was now infefted by the King's Horfe, than to difquiet that place. And to that purpose, he The Earl of fixed his head Quarter at Thame, ten Miles from Oxford, and upon the very edge of the other County.

Effex marches to 'Thame.

IN the beginning of the War, the Army in Scotland having been lately disbanded, many Officers of that Nation, who had ferv'd in Germany and in France, betook themselves to the Service of the Parliament; whereof divers were Men of good Conduct, and Courage; though there were more as bad as the Caufe in which they engaged. Of the former fort Colonel Hurry was a Man of Name, and Reputation, and an excellent Officer of Horfe, and had Commanded those Horse at Edge-bill under Balfour, which had preferv'd their Army there; and finding himself afterwards not fo well regarded, as, he thought, he had deferv'd, as it was no eafy thing to value that People at the rate they did fet upon themselves; and being without any other Affection for their Service, than their Pay inclined him to, he refolv'd to quit them, and to go

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to the King; in order to which, he had kept some correfpondence with the Earl of Brainford the King's General; under whose Command he had formerly ferv'd in Germany. Whilft the Earl of Effex remain'd at Thame, and his Army Quarter'd thereabout, Hurry came to Oxford, in the Equipage that became a Colonel of Horfe, who had receiv'd good Pay; and the very next day after he came, having been very graciously receiv'd by the King, to give proof that he brought his whole heart with him, he went to Prince Rupert, acquainted him where the Parliament Horse lay, and how loofe they were in their Quarters and to give a teftimony of his fidelity to the King, he defir'd to march a Voluntier with a good Party, to make an attempt upon the Enemy; and the Prince affigning a ftrong Party for the Service, he accompanied, and conducted them out of the Common Road, till they came to a Town; where a Regiment of the Parliament's Horfe was Quarter'd, which they beat up; and kill'd, or took most of the Officers and Soldiers; and then fell upon thofe other Quarters, by which they had paffed before, with the like fuccefs; fo return'd to Oxford with many Prifoners, and with notable da mage to the Enemy.

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beats

up some of

As foon as he return'd, he made another Propofition to the Prince for the Attacking the Quarters near Thame through which he had pass'd, when he came to Oxford, and fo was well acquainted with the pofture in which they were, and affured the Prince, "That, if he went about it time enough, "before there fhould be any alteration in their Quarters, "which he believ'd the General would quickly make, the "Enterprise would be worthy of it. The Prince was fo well Prince Ru fatisfied with what he had already done, that he refolv'd to conduct the next adventure himself, which he did very for- his Quartunately. They went out of the Ports of Oxford in the ters with Evening upon a Saturday, and march'd beyond all the Quar-good fuc ters as far as Wickham, and fell in there at the farther end of cefs the Town towards London, from whence no Enemy was expected, and fo no Guards were kept There. A Regiment of Horfe, and of Foot, were Lodged there; which were cut off, or taken Prisoners; and all the Horfes and a good Booty brought away. From thence they march'd backward to ano ther Quarter, within less than two Miles of the General's own Quarters; where his Men Lodged with the fame fecurity, they had done at Wickham, not expecting any Enemy that way; and fo met with the fame fate the others had done and were all kill'd, or made Prifoners. Thus having perform'd, at least as much as they had proposed to do, and being laden with Prifoners, and Booty, and the Sun being now rifing, the Prince thought it time to retire to Oxford,

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and