arguments of his councillors could prevail upon him to threaten
severe measures against the prisoners fallen into his hands. It was
urged that unless the Government treated their prisoners as prisoners
of war and not as rebels, the prince would be well advised to retaliate
by equal harshness to the captives in his power. But on this point the
prince was obdurate. He would not take in cold blood the lives that he
had saved in the heat of action. Then and all through this meteoric
campaign the conduct of Charles was characterized by a sincere
humanity, which stands out in startling contrast with the cruelties
practised later by his enemy, the "butcher Cumberland." It prevented
the prince from gaining an important military advantage by the
reduction of Edinburgh Castle. He attempted the reduction of the
castle by cutting off its supplies, but when the general in command
threatened to open fire upon the town in consequence, Charles
immediately rescinded the order, although {217} his officers urged that
the destruction of a few houses, and even the loss of a few lives, was
in a military sense of scant importance in comparison with the capture
of so valuable a stronghold as Edinburgh Castle. The prince held
firmly to his resolve, and Edinburgh Castle remained to the end in the
hands of the Royal troops. Charles displayed a great objection, too,
to any plundering or lawless behavior on the part of his wild Highland
army. We learn from the Bland Burges papers that when the house of
Lord Somerville, who was opposed to the prince, was molested by a party
of Highlanders, the prince, on hearing of it, sent an apology to Lord
Somerville, and an officer's guard to protect him from further
annoyance.

[Sidenote: 1745--In the heart of England]

But time was running on, and it was necessary to take action again.
England was waking up to a sense of its peril. Armies were gathering.
The King had come back from Hanover, the troops were almost all
recalled from Flanders. It was time to make a fresh stroke. Charles
resolved upon the bold course of striking south at once for England,
and early in November he marched. He set off on the famous march
south. In this undertaking, as before, the same extraordinary
good-fortune attended upon the Stuart arms. His little army of less
than six thousand men reached Carlisle, reached Manchester, without
opposition. On December 4th he was at Derby, only one hundred and
twenty-seven mile