]
[Sidenote c: A.D. 1646. March 7.]

from the committee of the two kingdoms,[1] and employed his time at Oxford
in persuading Charles of the necessity of concession, and in soliciting
from the Scottish commissioners authority to assure their sovereign of
safety as to person and conscience in the Scottish army. On the first of
April he received from[a] Charles a written engagement, that he would take
with him to their quarters before Newark "no man excepted by parliament,
but only his nephews and Ashburnham," and that he would then listen to
instruction in the matter of religion, and concede as far as his conscience
would permit.[2] In return, Montreuil pledged to him the word of his
sovereign and the queen regent of France,[3] that the Scots should receive
him as their natural king, should offer no violence to his person or
conscience, his servants or followers, and should join their forces and
endeavours with his to procure "a happy and well-grounded peace." On this
understanding it was agreed that the king should attempt on the night of
the following Tuesday to break through the parliamentary force lying round
Oxford, and that at the same time a body of three hundred Scottish cavalry
should advance as far as Harborough to receive him, and escort him in
safety to their own army.[4]

[Footnote 1: Lords' Journ. viii. 171. Commons', Feb. 16, 28, March 4, 5,
7.]

[Footnote 2: Of this paper there were two copies, one to be kept secret,
containing a protestation that none of the king's followers should
be ruined or dishonoured; the other to be shown, containing no such
protestation. "En l'un desquels, qui m'a este donne pour faire voir,
la protestation n'estoit point. Faite a Oxford ce premier Avril,
1646."--Clarend. Papers ii. 220.]

[Footnote 3: Why so? It had been so settled in Paris, because the
negotiation was opened under their auspices, and conducted by their
agent.--Clarend. Hist. ii. 750. Papers, ii. 209.]

[Footnote 4: Ibid. 220-222. It had been asked whether Montreuil had any
authority from the Scottish commissioners to make such an engagement. I see
no reason to doubt it. Both Charles and Montreuil must have been aware that
an unauthorized engagement could have offered no security to the king in
the hazardous attempt which he meditated. We find him twice, before the
date of the engagement, requiring the commissioners to send _powers_ to
Montreuil to assure him of safety in person and conscience in their army