defended their post, and being quickly seconded by supplies of horse and foot from all their quarters, after a very sharp conflict, in which many fell on both sides, the king's party, commanded by the earl of Forth himself, (the general,) consisting of near one thousand musketeers, was forced to retire to their body; which they did the sooner, because those of the town made no semblance of endeavouring to join with them; which was what they principally relied upon. The reason of that was, the garrison, not seeing their relief coming, sent for a parley to the enemy, which was agreed to, with a truce for so many hours, upon which hostages were delivered; and a treaty begun, when the king came to relieve it. Upon the view of the enemy's strength and intrenchment, all were of opinion that the small forces of the king would not be able to raise the siege, or to join with those in the town; and in this melancholic conclusion his majesty retired for the present, resolving to make any other reasonable attempt the next day. In the mean time, some soldiers found means to escape out of the town, and colonel Fielding himself in the night came to the king, and told him the state they were in; and "that they were in treaty, and "he believed might have very good conditions, "" and liberty to march away with all their arms "and baggage ;" which was so welcome news, that the king bid him, prince Rupert being then present, "that, if he could procure such conditions, "" he should accept them :" for indeed the men and the arms were all that the king desired, and the loss of either of which was like to prove fatal to him. The king continued still at Nettlebedd, a 1643.] Reading surrenders upon articles, April 27.37 village seven or eight miles distant from Reading, to attend the success of the treaty; resolving, if it succeeded not, to try the utmost again for their redemption but all men praying heartily for liberty to march off upon the treaty, the next day these articles were agreed on. : 1. "That the governor, commanders, and soldiers, both horse and foot, might march out with flying colours, arms, and four pieces of ordnance, ammunition, bag and baggage, light match, bullet in mouth, drums beating, and “trumpets sounding. 66 66 66 2. "That they might have free passage to his "majesty's city of Oxford, without interruption of any of the forces under the command of his ex"cellency the earl of Essex; provided the said "governor, commanders, and soldiers, use no hostility until they come to Oxford. 66 3. "That what persons were accidentally come to "the town, and shut up by the siege, might have liberty to pass without interruption; such persons "only excepted, as had run away from the army under the command of the earl of Essex. 4. "That they should have fifty carriages for baggage, sick, and hurt men. 5. "That the inhabitants of the town of Reading should not be prejudiced in their estates, or persons, either by plundering or imprisonment; and that they who would leave the town, might 66 I have free leave, and passage, safely to go to 66 what place they would, with their goods, within 46 the space of six weeks after the surrender of the town. 6. 66 That the garrison should quit the town by VOL. IV. E "twelve of the clock the next morning; and that "the earl of Essex should provide a guard for the "security of the garrison soldiers, when they began "to march." Upon these articles, signed by the earl of Essex, the town was delivered on the 27th day of April, (being within a fortnight after the siege began,) and the garrison marched to the king, who stayed for them, and with him to Oxford. But at their coming out of the town, and passing through the enemy's guards, the soldiers were not only reviled, and reproachfully used, but many of them disarmed, and most of the waggons plundered, in the presence of the earl of Essex himself, and the chief officers; who seemed to be offended at it, and not to be able to prevent it; the unruliness of the common men being so great. And as this breach of the articles was very notorious and inexcusable, so it was made the rise, foundation, and excuse for barbarous injustice of the same kind throughout the greatest part of the war; insomuch as the king's soldiers afterward, when it was their part tỏ be precise in the observation of agreements, mutinously remembered the violation at Reading, and thereupon exercised the same license; from thence, either side having somewhat to object to the other, the requisite honesty and justice of observing conditions was mutually, as it were by agreement, for a long time after violated. There had been, in the secret committee for the carrying on the war, forming those designs, and administering to the expenses thereof, a long debate with great difference of opinion, whether they should not march directly with their army to be 1643.] forces towards the Reading garrison. 39 siege Oxford, where the king and the court was, rather than Reading; and if they had taken that resolution, as Mr. Hambden, and all they who desired still to strike at the root, very earnestly insisted upon, without doubt they had put the king's affairs into great confusion. For, besides that the town was not tolerably fortified, nor the garrison well provided for, the court, and multitude of nobility, and ladies, and gentry, with which it was inhabited, bore any kind of alarum very ill. But others, who did not yet think their army well enough composed to resist all temptations, nor enough subdued in their inclinations to loyalty, and reverence towards the person of the king, had no mind it should besiege the very place where the king himself was; and the earl of Essex himself, who was yet the soul of the army, had no mind to that enterprise: and so the army marched, as hath been said, directly to Reading, with the success that is mentioned. Though, at the instant, the parliament was highly pleased with the getting the town, and the king as well contented, when he saw his entire garrison safely joined to the rest of his army, (for it cannot be denied the joy was universal through the king's quarters, upon the assurance, that they had recovered full four thousand good men, whom they had given for lost,) yet, according to the vicissitudes in war, when the accounts are cast up, either party grew quickly dissatisfied with its success. The king was no sooner returned to Oxford, but, upon conference between the officers and soldiers, there grew a whisper, that there had not been "fair carriage, and that Reading had been be 66 66 "to re trayed," and from thence made a noise through Oxford; and the very next day, and at the same time, colonel Fielding, upon whom the discourses reflected, came to the king to desire, that an "account might be taken of the whole business at a council of war for his vindication;" and the common soldiers, in a disorderly manner, "quire justice against him for betraying and de"livering up the town to the rebels;" which they avowed with so much confidence, with the mention of some particulars, as having frequent intercourse with the earl of Essex, and hindering and forbidding the soldiers to issue out of the "town to join with the king, when he came to "relieve them, albeit their officers had drawn "them up to that purpose, and were ready to lead them;" and the like; with some rash and passionate words disrespectful to his majesty; so that he gave present order for his commitment, and trial at a court of war; the king himself being marvellously incensed against him, for that clause in the third article, which gave liberty to all who were accidentally come to the town, and shut up by the siege, to pass without interruption, wherein there was an exception of such persons who had run away from the earl of Essex's army, and by virtue of that exception some soldiers of that kind were taken after the rendering of the town, and were executed. And though the colonel excused himself, as being no more concerned to answer "for the articles, than every member of the council of war, by which they were agreed;" yet it was alleged, that the council of war had been in"duced to consent to those articles, upon the 66 "" |