tempted no further. This ſo enraged the Houſe, that they choſe a Guard to defend themſelves againſt future Inſults, and the King ſoon after left London. Some time before this began the Iriſh Rebellion, where the Iriſh pre-
tended the King's Authority, and ſhewed the Great Seal to juſtify themſelves; which whether true, or falſe, raiſed ſuch a jealouſy in the People, that he was forced to conſent to leave the Management of that War to the Parliament: Yet he afterwards ſent a Meſſage to them, telling them he would go to Ireland in Perſon; and ac-
quainted them, that he had iſſued out Commiſſions for raiſing 2000 Foot and 200 Horſe in Cheſhire for his Guard, which they proteſted againſt, and prevented it. By this we may ſee what Force was thought ſufficient in his Reign to enſlave the Nation and the frequent Attempts to get it.
Then the Civil Wars broke out between him and his People, in which many bloody Battels were fought; two of the moſt conſiderable were thoſe of Newbury,[1] both won by new Soldiers, the firſt by the London Militia, and the latter by an unexperienced Army, which the King uſed to call in deriſion the New Nodel.[2] And ſome years after, the Battle of Worceſter was in a great meaſure won by the Country Militia, for which Cromwel discharged them with anger and contempt, as knowing them Inſtru-
ments unfit to promote his Tyrannical Deſigns. At laſt by the fate of the War the King became a Priſoner, and the Parliament treated with him while in that condition, and at the ſame time voted that ſome part of the Army ſhould be diſbanded, and others ſent to Ireland to reduce that Kingdom; upon which the Army choſe Agitators among themſelves who preſented a Petition to both Hou-
ſes, that they would proceed to ſettle the Affairs of the Kingdom, and declare that no part of the Army ſhould be diſbanded till that was done. But finding their Pe-
tition reſented, they ſent and ſeized the King's Perſon from the Parliaments Commiſſioners, drew up a Charge of High Treaſon againſt eleven principal Members for en-
deavouring to diſband the Army, entred into a private Treaty with the King: But he not complying with their de-
mands, they ſeized London; and notwithstanding the Parlia-
ment had voted the King's conceſſion a ground for a future Settlement, they reſolved to put him to Death, and in
- ↑ cf. First Battle of Newbury and Second Battle of Newbury
- ↑ The New Model Army was created by Parliament to serve as a full-time, professional, and mobile force, as opposed to part-time militia in local garrisons.
