Chap. VIII. T'be HIS T 0 R Y of the PuRITANS. 279 '' the king had not made an apology to the queen, and fufficiently implied, K. Charles I. " that he did it by confl:raint, .and that when be was at li?erty, an? in power,~~ '' he lhould think himfelf difcharged from the obligatiOn. This letter was " fewed up in the fkirt of a I addle tobe fent toFrance; but Cromwe/1 and Ire- " ton having information of it, went to an inn in Ho/born and feized the let- " ter--" DI:. Lane of the commons frequently decl ared , " that he " had feen this original letter, that he knew it to be the king's own hand , '' and· that the contents were as above." Another writer f<1ys, that the l ett~r mentioned his majdl:y 's being courted by the jcots prdbyterians as Hift.Stuarts, well as the army, and that tbey that bid fairefl: for him lhould have him. p. 390. Upon the difcovery of this letter, Cromwell went to Mr. Ajhburnham who attended the king's perfon, and told him, tha t be was no1v .fatisfied the king could not be trufled; that he bad no confidence in tbe army, but was jealcus ifthem and their qfficers-tbat he bad treaties with tbe City presb)'– teriam, and with the fcots commij}ioners, to engage the nation again in blood, and that therefore he could not be anfwerable if any thing fill out contrary to expeflation. Sir Richard Baker, Mr. Coke, and others, are of opinion, that till this time Cromwell and Ireton were hearty and zealous for refl:or– ing the king, and oppofing the levellers who began to arife jn the army, but that after this difcovery they forfook him, as did the refl: of the chief officers, who feldom came to court: the guards alto changed their !an. guage, and t1id that God had hardened the king's heart, and blinded bis eyes. Under thefe circumfl:ances the infatuated king left Hampton-court, Nov. I r. at night, and having croffed the Thames, took horfe in com- Kingefcopes pany with Sir']. Berkeley, Mr. Leg, and Mr. Ajhburnham, and next morn-from Hamp- · ing arrived at Titc!field-houfe, where he fl:ay'd while Leg went over to Rtonocourt. . . U lW. p. the !Jle if Wzght, to treat With colonel Hmnmond ·the ·governor, about 920 , g6o. the iafety of his pcrfon, who without any treaty, brought the governor to the houfe where his majefl:y was, upon which the king fa id, he was betrayed; as indeed he was in all his affairs. Hammond carried him over to the !Jle Nov. q. and after fome time lhut him up in Carisbrook c-aft!e, dnd is con– where his majefl:y remained almofl: a year with one or two fervants only, fined in tbe h . ,. I f: . . h L ld d . r. ffi . IOe of avmg 1tt e conver a!lon Wit tue wor , an time 1U cient to contem. w· 1 t plate on the uncertainty of all human affairs, and on the miferable cir- •g ' cumfiances to which divine providence had fuffered his ow11 imprudent . conduct to reduce him. · Let us now attend to the projects of the feveral parties for refl:oring the public tranquility: as foon as the army had got poffeffion of the city of Prapofo!s of London, they made the following propofals to the two houfes. With reg;1 rd t\e anny. to religion; " that an act be paffed to take away all coercive power at~ d Ru6 ~1w. P· • ·r.J·.o.· 73 l JUrllUII..LIOn Rapin, p. 416, 418.
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