PART SECOND. PROM THE BEGINNING OF THE WAR TO THE TIME OF HIS LEAVING THE ARMY. THE point at which the king ventured to make a stand against the claims of the parliament,"was when they. demanded of him that the militia of the kingdom should be put under the command of men in whom they could confide, andwhom theymight nominate. This was, in their view, essential to their personal safety, and equal- ly essential to secure the executionofthe laws and the liberties of the people. After some delay, and some proposals for a compro- mise, the king, having in the mean time removed fromLondon, sent them a flat refusal. The two houses proceeded to form and publish an ordinance, in which they 'named lieutenants for the counties, conferring on them the command of the militia, and of all the guards, garrisons and forts of the kingdom. These lieutenants were to obey the orders of the king, signified by the two houses of parliament. On the other hand, the king, taking advantage of an old statute, issued his commissions of array, appointing men of his own choice in the several counties to array, Muster and train the people. The date of the ordinance of parliament was March 5th, (1642) but no "attempt was made to execute either that or the king's commissions, till three months afterwards, or about two months before the formal declaration of war. The setting up of these clashing authorities was attended with some skirmishes in places where there was something like a balance of strength be- tween the two parties. But, generally, where the people had, with a decided majority, espoused the cause of parliament, the mi- litia acknowledged the authority of their ordinance ; and where the majority were for the king, the commissions of array were put in execution. That part of the country in which Baxter resided, including the three adjacent counties of Shropshire, Worcester, and Here- fordshire, was so generally devoted to the king that there was no public.movement in behalf of theparliament. And as these prep- arations for war went forward, it became necessary for him to re- treat from a scene of so much danger to those of his known char-
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