yce for this
high offence, and breach of the articles of war; but the officers, whether
for fear of the distempered soldiers, or rather (as I suspected) a secret
allowance of what was done, made all my endeavours in this ineffectual."
Somers's Tracts, v. 394. Holles asserts that the removal of the king had
been planned at the house of Cromwell, on the 30th of May (Holles, 96);
Huntingdon, that it was advised by Cromwell and Ireton.--Lords' Journals,
x. 409.]

This design of seizing the person of the king was openly avowed by the
council of the agitators, though the general belief attributed it to the
secret contrivance of Cromwell. It had been carefully concealed from the
knowledge of Fairfax, who, if he was not duped by the hypocrisy of the
lieutenant-general and his friends, carefully suppressed his suspicions,
and acted as if he believed his brother officers to be animated with the
same sentiments as himself, an earnest desire to satisfy the complaints of
the military, and at the same time to prevent a rupture between them and
the parliament. But Cromwell appears to have had in view a very different
object, the humiliation of his political opponents; and his hopes were
encouraged not only by the ardour of the army, but also by the general
wishes of the people.

1. The day after the abduction of the king[a] from Holmby, the army
rendezvoused at Newmarket, and entered into a solemn engagement, stating
that, whereas several officers had been called in question for advocating
the cause of the military, they had chosen certain men out of each company,
who then chose two or more out of themselves, to act in the name and behalf
of the whole soldiery of their respective regiments; and that they did
now unanimously declare and promise that the army should not disband, nor
volunteer for the service in Ireland, till

[Sidenote a: A.D. 1647. June 5.]

their grievances had been so far redressed, and their subsequent safety so
far secured, as to give satisfaction to a council composed of the general
officers, and of two commissioned officers, and two privates, or agitators,
chosen from each regiment.[1]

2. The forcible removal of the king had warned the Presbyterian leaders
of the bold and unscrupulous spirit which animated the soldiery; yet
they entertained no doubt of obtaining the victory in this menacing and
formidable contest. So much apparent reverence was still paid to the
authority of the parliament, so powerful wa