PAKT I. Reverend Mr. RichardBaxter. InCornwall, Sir Rich. Greenvile having taken many Souldiers of theEarl of Effeaìs Army, fentenced about a dozen to be hanged : when they had hanged two or three, the Rope broke which fhouldhave hanged the next : And they tent for new Ropes fo oft to hang him, and all of them fillbroke, that they duff go no far- ther,but faved all theref : Betides univerfal undeniable Report,I had this oft toldme byMr.Woodboufe,an honeft godly fober Man, a Sifters SonofJuftice Rettleby of Sbrop- jhire, who himfelf food by expe&ing Death, andwas one of the Number of them wholeLives were fared by ir. If I would here give an account of all the Military A&ions of thofe' time which I had the certain knowledge of; the manner of taking and lofingTowns and Cailles, the Progrefs of the main Armies and of the Parties in the feveral Counties, in Cbefhire, Lancafhire, Yerkfhire, Derhyfhire, Staffordfhire, Sbropfhire, Lin- colnfhire, Gloucefterfhire, and other Counties where particular Wars were carriedon and between Pembrokefhire and the ref of Wales, andelfo the manner of the feve- ral great Fights, efpecially that at Maroon-moor near York, it would fill of it felf a greater Volume than I intend, and is a matter betides my prefent purpofe , and fit tobe donein another manner : And therefore I (hall pali that by, and proceed in the Narrativeof thepaifges of my own Life, interpofing only Generals, and the ¡mirages whichoccafioned them. §69. When by the great Mercy ofGod I had lived two years in quietnefs at Co- tentry, the Earl ofEfTx being weakened by a great lofs inCornwall, fell under the ,4nt644 great difpleafure of tome of the Parliament, not as to his Perfon; but as to the Condu& of Affairs, who prevailed to have ,him laid, by. The Castles were all thefe in Conjun&ion: r. Thoughnone could deny but the Earl was a Perfon of great Honour,Valour, andSincerity ; yet did fome Accufe the Soldiers under him of being too like the King's Soldiers in Profanenefs, lewd and vitious Pra&ices; and rudenefs in *their Carriage towards the Country ; and it was withal urg'd, that the Revolt of Sir Faithful Fortefeue, Sir RichardGreenvile, Col. Urrey, and fome others, wasa fatisfy- ingEvidence, that the irreligious fort of Men were not to be much tufted , but might eafily by Money behired to betray them. z. And it was difcovered that the Earl of Efer's Judgment (and the wit-eft Mens about him) was neverfor the ending the Wars by the Sword, but only to force a PacificatoryTreaty : He thought that if the King Ihould Conquer, the Govern- ment of the Kingdom wouldbe changed into Arbitrary, and the Subje&s Proprie ty and Liberty loft : And he thought that if he himfelf Mould utterlyconquer thé King, theParliament would be tempted to encroach upon the King's Prerogative, and the Priviledges of the Lords, and put too much Power in the Gentries and the Peoples hands, and that theywould notknow how to fettle the State of the Kingdom, or the Church, without injuring others, and running into Extreams, and falling intoDivifionsamong themfelves. Therefore he was not for a Conqueft of the King. But they faw the Delay gave the King advantage, and wearied out and ruined the Country, and thereforethey now began to fay, that at Edgbill, at Newbury, and at other times, he had never profecuted any Vietory, but food fill and teen the King's Army retreat, and never purfued them when it had been eafie to have ended all the Wars. ;.But the chiefConte was,that Sir H. Vaneby this time had increafed Se&aries its the Houfe,having drawn fume Members" tohis Opinion ; and Cromwell, who was the Earl ofMancbefter's Lieutenant General, had gathered to him as many of the Religious Party, efpecially of the Se&criesas he couldget; and kept a Correfpon- dency with Vane's Party in the Houle, as if it were only to ftrengthen the Religi- ous Party: And MancbeffersArmy, efpecially Cromwell's Party, had won a Vi&o- ry near HerncaJEle in Lincolnfhire, and haddone the main Service of the day at the great fight at York ; and every where the Religious Party that were deeplieft ap- prehenfiveof the Concernment ofthe War, had far better Succefs than the other fort of Common Soldiers. Thefe things let together, caufed almoll all theReligious fort of Men in Parlii- ment, Armies, Garrifons and Country, tobefor the new modellingof theArmy, and putting out the loofa fort ofMen (efpecially Officers) and putting Religious; Men in their heads. But in all this Work, theVanifls in the Houle, and Cromwell in the Army, joined together, out-wined and over-reacht the ref}, and carriedon thepinteref of the S'e&cries in fpecial, while they drew the Religious Party along asfor the Intereil of Godlinefl in the general, The
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