s lay at a distance.
They voted an address for a treaty. The king's nearer approach to
Colebroke quickened their advances for peace. Northumberland and
Pembroke, with three commoners, presented the address of both houses; in
which they besought his majesty to appoint some convenient place where
he might reside, till committees could attend him with proposals. The
king named Windsor, and desired that their garrison might be removed,
and his own troops admitted into that castle.[*]

Meanwhile Essex, advancing by hasty marches, had arrived at London. But
neither the presence of his army, nor the precarious hopes of a treaty,
retarded the king's approaches. Charles attacked at Brentford two
regiments quartered there, and after a sharp action beat them from that
village, and took, about five hundred prisoners. The parliament had sent
orders to forbear all hostilities, and had expected the same from the
king; though no stipulations to that purpose had been mentioned by their
commissioners. Loud complaints were raised against this attack, as if
it had been the most apparent perfidy and breach of treaty.[**] Inflamed
with resentment, as well as anxious for its own safety, the city marched
its trained bands in excellent order, and joined the army under Essex.
The parliamentary army now amounted to above twenty-four thousand men,
and was much superior to that of the king.[***] After both armies had
faced each other for some time, Charles drew off and retired to Reading,
thence to Oxford.

While the principal armies on both sides were kept in inaction by
the winter season, the king and parliament were employed in real
preparations for war, and in seeming advances towards peace. By means of
contributions or assessments levied by the horse, Charles maintained his
cavalry; by loans and voluntary presents sent him from all parts of the
kingdom, he supported his infantry: but the supplies were still very
unequal to the necessities under which he labored.[****]

* Whitlocke, p. 62. Clarendon, vol. iii. p. 73.

** Whitlocke, p. 62. Clarendon, vol. iii. p. 75.

*** Whitlocke, p. 62.

**** Clarendon, vol. iii p. 87.

The parliament had much greater resources for money; and had by
consequence every military preparation in much greater order and
abundance. Besides an imposition levied in London, amounting to the
five-and-twentieth part of every one's substance, they established on
that city a weekly assessment of