marches to that town while the king,
suddenly returning upon his own footsteps reached Oxford; and having
reenforced his army from that garrison, now in his turn marched out in
quest of Waller. The two armies faced each other at Cropredy Bridge,
near Banbury; but the Charwell ran between them. Next day, the king
decamped, and marched towards Daventry. Waller ordered a considerable
detachment to pass the bridge, with an intention of falling on the rear
of the royalists. He was repulsed, routed, and pursued with considerable
loss.[*] Stunned and disheartened with this blow, his army decayed and
melted away by desertion; and the king thought he might safely leave it,
and march westward against Essex. That general, having obliged Prince
Maurice to raise the siege of Lyme, having taken Weymouth and Taunton,
advanced still in his conquests, and met with no equal opposition. The
king followed him, and having reenforced his army from all quarters,
appeared in the field with an army superior to the enemy. Essex,
retreating into Cornwall, informed the parliament of his danger, and
desired them to send an army which might fall on the king's rear.
General Middleton received a commission to execute that service; but
came too late. Essex's army, cooped up in a narrow corner at Lestithiel,
deprived of all forage and provisions, and seeing no prospect of succor,
was reduced to the last extremity. The king pressed them on one side;
Prince Maurice on another; Sir Richard Granville on a third. Essex,
Robarts, and some of the principal officers escaped in a boat to
Plymouth; Balfour with his horse passed the king's outposts in a thick
mist, and got safely to the garrisons of his own party. The foot under
Skippon were obliged to surrender their arms, artillery, baggage, and
ammunition; and being conducted to the parliament's quarters, were
dismissed. By this advantage, which was much boasted of, the king,
besides the honor of the enterprise, obtained what he stood extremely in
need of: the parliament, having preserved the men, lost what they could
easily repair.[**]

* Rush. vol. vi. p. 676. Clarendon, vol. v. p. 497. Sir Ed.
Walker, p. 31.

** Rush. vol. vi. p. 699, etc. Whitloeke, p. 98. Clarendon,
vol. v p. 524, 525. Sir Edward Walker, p. 69, 70, etc.

No sooner did this intelligence reach London, than the committee of
the two kingdoms voted thanks to Essex for his fidelity, courage,
and conduct; and this method o