q." He
was imprisoned in Chepstow Castle. Sexby, the most active man after
Wildman in the Levelling or Anabaptist section of the conspiracy,
escaped and went abroad. Adjutant-General Allen, and others less
deeply implicated, were dismissed from their posts in the Army.
Harrison was confined in the Isle of Portland, Carew in St. Mawes, in
Cornwall, and Lord Grey of Groby in Windsor Castle. None of all the
Republicans, higher or lower, it was remarked, suffered any
punishment beyond such seclusion or dismissal from the service.
Clemency on that side was always Cromwell's policy.[1]

[Footnote 1: Godwin, IV. 158-165; Carlyle, III. 66-70 and 98-99;
Whitlocke, IV. 182-188 (Wildman's Proclamation); Life of Robert
Blair, 319.]

Much sharper was Cromwell's method of dealing with the attempted
invasion and insurrection of the Royalists independently. Hopes had
risen high at the Court of the Stuarts, and the preparations had been
extensive. Charles himself had gone to Middleburg, with the Marquis
of Ormond and others, to be ready for a landing in England; Hull had
been thought of as the likeliest landing-place; commissioned pioneers
of the enterprise were already moving about in various English
counties. Of all this Thurloe had procured sufficient intelligence
through his foreign spies, and the precautions of the Protector and
Council had been commensurate. The projected Overton revolt in
Scotland and the Wildman-Sexby plot in England having been brought to
nothing, the Royalists had to act for themselves. Two abortive
risings in March, 1654-5, exhausted their energy. One was in
Yorkshire, where Sir Henry Slingsby and Sir Richard Malevrier
appeared in arms, but were immediately suppressed. The other was in
the West, and was more serious. On the night of Sunday, the 11th of
March, a body of 200 Cavaliers, headed by Sir Joseph Wagstaff, one of
Charles's emissaries from abroad, took possession of the city of
Salisbury, The assizes were to be held in the city the next day, and
Chief Justice Rolle, Judge Nicholas, and the High Sheriff, had
arrived and were in their beds. They were seized; and next morning
Wagstaff issued orders for hanging them, but was stopped in the act
by the remonstrances of Colonel John Penruddock and others. From
Salisbury, finding no encouragement among the citizens, the
insurgents moved westward till they reached South Molton in
Devonshire, where they were overtaken on the night of Wednesday,
March 14, by