m. Poudram Castle being
taken by him, and Exeter blockaded on all sides, Hopton, a man of merit,
who now commanded the royalists, having advanced to the relief of that
town with an army of eight thousand men, met with the parliamentary army
at Torrington, where he was defeated, all his foot dispersed, and he
himself with his horse obliged to retire into Cornwall. Fairfax followed
him, and vigorously pursued the victory. Having enclosed the royalists
at Truro, he forced the whole army, consisting of five thousand men,
chiefly cavalry, to surrender upon terms. The soldiers, delivering up
their horses and arms, were allowed to disband, and received twenty
shillings apiece, to carry them to their respective abodes. Such of
the officers as desired it had passes to retire beyond sea: the others,
having promised never more to bear arms, paid compositions to the
parliament,[*] and procured their pardon.[**] And thus Fairfax, after
taking Exeter, which completed the conquest of the west, marched with
his victorious army to the centre of the kingdom, and fixed his camp at
Newbury. The prince of Wales, in pursuance of the king's orders, retired
to Scilly, thence to Jersey; whence he went to Paris, where he joined
the queen, who had fled thither from Exeter, at the time the earl of
Essex conducted the parliamentary army to the west.

In the other parts of England, Hereford was taken by surprise: Chester
surrendered: Lord Digby, who had attempted with one thousand two
hundred horse to break into Scotland and join Montrose, was defeated
at Sherburne, in Yorkshire, by Colonel Copley; his whole force was
dispersed, and he himself was obliged to fly, first to the Isle of Man,
thence to Ireland. News, too, arrived that Montrose himself, after some
more successes, was at last routed; and this only remaining hope of the
royal party finally extinguished.

When Montrose descended into the southern counties, the Covenanters,
assembling their whole force, met him with a numerous army, and gave him
battle, but without success, at Kilsyth.[***] This was the most complete
victory that Montrose ever obtained.

* These compositions were different, according to the
demerits of the person: but by a vote of the house, they
could not be under two years' rent of the delinquent's
estate. Journ. 11th of August, 1648 Whitlocke, p. 160.

** Rush, vol. vii. p 108.

*** 15th August, 1645.

The royalists put to sword six th