Lime, and Weymouth; but the king, also, had possession of other places. In Wilts, Hants, Oxford, and Bucks, the places of strength were chiefly in possession of the king. In the midland counties, as Hereford, Worcester, Salop, Stafford, Chester, Leicester, Lincoln, and Nottingham, the majority of the forts were also occupied by him. Warwick and Northampton were chiefly garrisoned by the parliament forces; but the whole of Wales, with the exception of Pembroke town and castle, in South Wales, and Montgomery castle, in North Wales, were in possession of the king. Beyond the Trent, he still held some places; but the country in general was subjected to the parliament *.

At the commencement of the campaign, Fairfax himself proposed to march to the relief of Taunton; but, as the king's army became formidable in the midland counties, the committee of both kingdoms ordered the general to send a detachment only to the relief of that place, and himself besiege Oxford, and watch the royal motions. He therefore dispatched between 4000 and 5000 men to Taunton; and, having deceived the enemy by his countermarches, so that the besiegers imagined his whole force was directed against them, he proceeded back towards Oxford. But Goring, having been sent by the king with 3000 to join with Grenville, Hopeton, and Berkeley, their united forces being about 10,000, to renew the siege of Taunton, cooped up in the town the forces sent by

* Rush. vol. vi. p. 18, et seq.

Fairfax to its relief, and recommenced the siege with vigour. By occupying the situation about Oxford, Fairfax was in a posture to intercept the king if he attempted to march to the south or southwest, while the Scottish army, nominally 21,000, yet scarcely 16,000, was ordered to march south, and be joined with all the forces in Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, and Lincolnshire, besides 2500 horse and dragoons, under Colonel Vermuden, whom Fairfax dispatched to join them, as they were deficient in horse. But this promising state of things was disappointed by the conduct of the Scottish army, which, chagrined at the new model, and probably reposing small confidence in a military body in which one old soldier alone, Skippon, remained, retreated into Westmoreland, and thus changed the nature of the campaign. At the outset, the new-modelled army met with some slight repulses, which raised the presumption of their enemies, as they excited the melancholy forebodings of false friends, who declared "the huge imprudence" of the arrangement to be now fully exemplified. Charles had taken by storm Leicester, which his troops plundered and sacked with every species of inhumanity; and the state of the parliamentary affairs appeared to become critical. Their forces were, therefore, ordered to concentrate, and Cromwell was, at the express desire of Fairfax, nominated lieutenant-general of the horse. Having left Oxford, the parliamentary general closely followed the king and beat up his quarters, determined, if possible, to

bring his majesty to an immediate engagement. Charles, who was taken by surprise, and saw that his army would be exposed if he attempted to retreat, resolved to offer the engagement, which could not safely be avoided. Both armies, now in the neighbourhood of Naseby, immediately formed their plans for battle. Skippon drew that for Fairfax, and Cromwell joined him late in the evening. The active disposition of the new general would not allow him to rest on such an important occasion, and himself rode about during the night reconnoitring, when an odd accident occurred. Absorbed in deep reflection, he passed the lines, and, as he was unknown to the centinel, he was, on his return, threatened with being shot through the head, when the captain of the guard having been called, recognised his person *.

Naseby,

The following was the arrangement on the royal Battle of side: The centre was commanded by the king in 14th June, person, the right wing, consisting of cavalry, by 1645. the Princes Rupert and Maurice; the left, also of cavalry, by Sir Marmaduke Lonsdale. The right hand reserve was commanded by the Earl of Lindsay, and Sir Jacob, now created Lord, Ashley; the left by the Earl of Litchfield and Sir George Lisle. The parliament's army stood thus: The main body was commanded by Fairfax and Skippon; the right wing, consisting of six regiments of horse, was led by Cromwell; the left wing, composed of five regiments of horse, and a division of 200 horse of

• Rush. vol. vii. p. 27, et seq. Whitelocke, p. 141, et seq. Clar. vol. iv. p. 652, et seq. Baillie, vol. ii. p. 105. 116.

the Association, to secure the left flank, was, at the particular request of Cromwell, committed to Colonel Ireton, who, for that purpose, was made commissary-general of horse. The reserves were brought up by Rainsborough, Hammond, and Pride. The two armies were about equal in number, and the scene of action was a large fallow field, about a mile broad, at the distance of a mile from Naseby. The field was wholly occupied with the respective armies. Fairfax had taken up his position on the brow of a small hill, having sent down a forlorn hope of 300, who were instructed to retreat when hard pressed. On the right wing of the king's army, Rupert charged most furiously; and, though Ireton received him with great spirit, the prince ultimately bore down that wing, a circumstance which was imputed by the adverse party to a disorder occasioned by pits and ditches which had not been observed. Ireton's own horse was killed under him, while a spear was run through his leg, and another into his face; and, in this condition, he fell into the hands of the enemy, from whom he only escaped during their subsequent rout. Rupert pushed on till he came to the baggage, which he commanded to surrender; but the forces stationed to guard it, being well prepared, returned the summons with a brisk fire, and kept him engaged till the royal forces were thrown into confusion in other parts of the field. In the right wing of the parliamentary forces, Cromwell, after a desperate resistance by the royal troops,

which conducted themselves to admiration, com

pletely routed that wing; but, instead of following the course pursued by Rupert, he sent a small part of his force to prevent the enemy from forming, and wheeled back to the charge of the main body. In the centre, success appeared at first to incline to the king's side, the parliamentary troops having been obliged to retreat upon the reserve, but rallying, they made another most desperate charge, and threw the king's foot into confusion, with the exception of one Tertia, which stood two attacks immovable as a rock; when Fairfax having commanded Captain D'Oiley, of his lifeguard, to attack them in rear, while himself charged them in front, that they might meet in the middle, broke them, and with his own hand he killed the ensign who carried the royal colours. A trooper of D'Oiley's having seized them, boasted that himself performed this meritorious act; but, when D'Oiley reprimanded him for arrogating the credit of the general's exploit, Fairfax cried out, "let him take that honour, I have enough beside." Rupert had now returned, but he could not prevail on his troops to make a second charge, and a body of cavalry alone still remained undefeated. Fairfax delayed the attack upon it till he could direct against it the flower of his foot as well as horse, and when the adverse party saw such mighty odds brought against them, they fled from the field in spite of the magnanimous efforts of the king, who cried out "one charge more and we recover the day." His conduct this day, which, in spite of fortune, was in reality the