1649] CROMWELL IN IRELAND 693 From Drogheda, leaving Venables and Coote to relieve Londonderry and conquer Ulster, Cromwell turned southward. At Wexford he followed his unvarying plan of summoning the governor, with the warning, that if the summons was refused he must expect the extreme severity of a storm. The governor consented to treat, but upon terms ridiculously high; and while the negotiations were still pending, a chance quarrel brought on an assault, the city was stormed, and the same sharp measure dealt to the garrison as at Drogheda (Oct. 12). In this instance there seems to have been no distinct intention of such a thing in Cromwell's mind. The fate of the garrison arose from the accident of war. The effect of these two fearful victories was, however, instantaneous; few fortresses henceforward refused the summons. Before the close of the year all the South of Ireland, with the exception of Waterford, was in Cromwell's hands. While giving his troops a short rest during the winter, it had been determined that the Lord-Lieutenant should be summoned home to assume the command against the Scots. But he was again in action before the order reached him, and in the first months of 1650 had taken the town of Kilkenny, overrun the county of Tipperary, and completed its conquest by the capture of Clonmel (May 10). This closed his victorious career in Ireland. Recalled His presence was required in England, whither he to England, at once returned, leaving the completion of his work to Ireton and Ludlow, who found but little difficulty in finishing what he had so well begun. Charles accepts proposals. The victory of Rathmines and the subsequent successes of Cromwell had changed the views of the young King. He had brought himself to accept the bitter terms which the the Scotch Scotch Church and Estates offered him, even though pressed home by their envoy, Winram of Liberton, with most uncompromising harshness. He had promised to make a final arrangement at Breda, in Holland, anxious to wait a little longer to see whether Montrose and the genuine Royalists might not still be successful. But disaster had throughout followed that nobleman. He had collected troops among the kingdoms of the North of Europe, but his transports were all wrecked on their way to Scotland, and it was with little more than 1000 men that he proceeded through the counties of Caithness and Ross-shire. There, at a place called Corbiesdale, he was entirely routed by the Covenanters Montrose's de(April 27), and subsequently taken prisoner, and exe- feat and death. cuted (May 21) with all the vindictive insult which his hereditary enemy, Argyle, at that time paramount among them, could inflict upon him. The news of these disasters brought Charles to submission. With the singular selfishness and meanness which marked both himself and his father under similar circumstances, he disowned Montrose's efforts, accepted all the limitations required, and betook himself to Scotland in the capacity of a Covenanted King. Fairfax refusing to fight Scotland, The command against Scotland was given to Fairfax, but Fairfax, though he had supported the action of the army at the time of the change of Government, had not approved of the execution of Charles, and was much under the influence of his wife, who was a Presbyterian. He declared that he had conscientious scruples against fighting the Scotch, with whom the kingdom had so lately been bound in the Covenant. The command was therefore transferred to Cromwell. It was not without great pain that he brought himself to fight against those whom he acknowledged as belonging to the great party of which he considered himself the champion, and which he spoke of as "the godly party" or "the good men." But to him it appeared that the cause for which he had hitherto been fighting the cause namely of civil and religious liberty-was still at stake. Religious liberty meant to him freedom of conscience within far larger limits than could be hoped for under the supremacy of Presbyterianism; nor could he believe that civil liberty would be secured under a Stuart King still accompanied by large numbers of the old Royalist party. Cromwell accepts the command. He passed the Tweed with an army of 16,000 men on the 16th of July. The Scots had placed themselves under the command of the old Earl of Leven and of David Leslie. As yet their army was a purely Covenanting one. By an act of the Scotch Church, called the Act of Classes, all known Malignants, and the Engagers (as those men were called who had joined Hamilton's insurrection), had been removed from the army. The country between the Tweed and Edinburgh had been wasted; and the inhabitants, terrified by ridiculous stories of the English cruelty, had taken flight; but Cromwell's army, marching by the coast, was supplied by the fleet. He thus reached the immediate neighbourhood of Edinburgh; but Leslie skilfully availed himself of the advantages of the ground and refused to be brought to an engagement. It became necessary for Wins the Battle Cromwell to withdraw towards his supplies. He fell back to Dunbar, which lies upon a peninsula, jutting out into the Firth of Forth. The base of this peninsula 16501 BATTLE OF DUNBAR 695 is at a little distance encircled by high ground, an offshoot of the Lammermuir Hills. These heights were occupied by the Scotch army, as was also the pass through which the road to Berwick lies. Cromwell was therefore apparently shut up between the enemy and the sea, with no choice but to retire to his ships or surrender. Had Leslie continued his cautious policy, such might have been the event. A little glen, through which runs a brook called the Broxburn, separated the two enemies. Between it and the high grounds lay a narrow but comparatively level tract. Either army attacking the other must cross this glen. There were two convenient places for passing it one, the more inland one, towards the right of the English, who stood with their back to the sea, was already in the hands of the Scotch. Could Leslie secure the other at the mouth of the glen, he would have it in his power to attack when he pleased. The tempta tion was too strong for him, he gradually moved his army down from the hills towards its own right flank, thereby bringing it on to the narrow ground between the hill and the brook, intending with his right to secure the passage at Broxmouth. Cromwell and Lambert saw the movement, saw that it gave them a corresponding advantage if they suddenly crossed the glen at Broxmouth, and fell upon Leslie's right wing, while his main body was entangled in the narrow ground before mentioned. The attack was immediately decided upon, and early on the 3rd of September carried out with perfect success. The Scotch horse of the right wing were driven in confusion back upon their main body, whom they trampled under foot, and the whole army was thus rolled back upon itself in inextricable confusion. From Dunbar Cromwell advanced to Edinburgh. The town fell Takes Edin burgh. the Scotch. easily into his hands, but the castle offered resistance; and while he was lying before it political differences began to show themselves among his enemies. Three parties were gradually apparent; one purely Royalist; another, a middle party, Division among embodying the bulk of the Presbyterians and the high officials, of which party Argyle was the head; and in the West of Scotland a more extreme party, who considered any union with their Malignant King injurious to the cause. The Royalists contrived to entice the young King to fly from Edinburgh (Oct. 4), with the idea of putting himself in their hands. But as Charles found no troops to support him, and was quickly followed by the Covenanted troops, he returned. The Royalists made some movements in the Highlands, and required to be repressed by David Leslie, but the greater part of them thought it prudent to join themselves to Argyle's party. The Start, as Charles's sudden flight was called, alarmed the Covenanters so thoroughly that they henceforward treated the young King with more respect, and a resolution was passed, that in the present crisis all Scotchmen might be employed in the service of the country, thus repealing the Act of Classes. This resolution called out much opposition in the West, where a protest was drawn up against it, and the two parties assumed the Protesters and names of Resolutioners and Protesters. The support of Resolutioners. the Protesters Cromwell, trusting to the character of their religious views, had some hope of securing, and negotiations were set on foot with them; but though subsequently, on the settlement of the country, he succeeded in winning the friendship of some of them, and was constantly inclined to show them favour, they at pre 1651] BATTLE OF WORCESTER 697 England. sent continued the war against him, and were defeated at Hamilton by General Lambert. Meanwhile the King was entirely Charles is in the hands of the Resolutioners; in January he was crowned. crowned, and renewed the Covenant; he then advanced southward, hoping to intercept a part of the English army which had not yet crossed the Forth. But Cromwell, moving with all his forces northward, avoided the danger, and subjugated the county of Fife and the city of Perth. But while thus pursuing his successes, he had passed the Scotch army, which thus lay between him and England. Charles took advantage of this mistake, and determined to push on at Marches into once and try and renew the quarrel in England itself. The news of his advance filled the Parliament with alarm. even thought that Cromwell had allowed the King thus to pass him on purpose, having come to some terms with him, while others believed, with more show of probability, that his object was to compel that party in England which disliked the present rulers to act energetically in self-defence. The very fact that the world could not believe in Cromwell making an error proves the high opinion generally formed of him. Whether accidental or intentional, the approach of Charles excited the people to action. Recovering from their first fright, the Council of State took vigorous measures. The militia was everywhere raised, and as Charles advanced, pursued by Lambert and Cromwell, the forces gradually closed round him. On reaching Worcester, he waited a few days, collecting his army round him; and was there overtaken by Cromwell, who had come by the Cromwell eastern road from Scotland, and so across England. The attack upon the town was from the south. Worcester itself lies upon the eastern bank of the Severn. The attack was made on both sides, a bridge of boats connecting Fleetwood on the west with Cromwell and the main army on the east. This division of troops settled the plan of the battle. Charles, coming out of the town, fell upon the eastern army, entirely separated as he believed from Fleetwood and the west. But his attack was in vain. Cromwell, who had been with Fleetwood, hastily returned to the eastern bank, repulsed the attacks of the Royalists, advanced to the town, where he was met by Fleetwood, and the army, thus reunited, pushed the Royalists, still fighting, through the city, and so completely broke them that there was no hope of their again rallying. This victory was, as Cromwell called it, the crowning victory of the war. Charles himself escaped; and after an adventurous flight of forty-four days, through the western counties and along to France. overtakes him at Worcester. Sept. 3. Charles escapes |