forces behind him for necessary garrison purposes in Scotland, came
on from Edinburgh to establish himself at Berwick with the rest. He
was there before the end of the month. In the beginning of December
1659, therefore, the two Armies were all but facing each
other,--Monk's consisting now of about 6000 foot and 1400 horse and
dragoons, and Lambert's of between 4000 and 5000 horse and about
3000 foot: the excess in horse giving Lambert a great superiority. At
Monk's back, moreover, there was no effective support in case of
failure, unless by that arming of the Scots which he was unwilling to
risk, while to back Lambert there were about 20,000 more regulars in
England, besides a militia of 30,000, not to speak of the forces in
Ireland, and the regiments in Flanders. Between the two Armies all
that intervened to prevent conflict was the Treaty to be resumed at
Newcastle. Monk magnified the importance of that, but took great care
to postpone it. Wilkes, Clobery, and Knight, had not returned from
London, and were rather slow to do so and face Monk after their
blunder; and the two new Commissioners had not yet been appointed.
Meanwhile letters and messages passed between the two Armies, and
there were desertions from the one to the other.[1]

[Footnote 1: Skinner, 146-158; Phillips, 670-672; Whitlocke, IV.
373-377.]

All this while the London Government of the Committee of Safety had
been attending as well as they could to such general business as
belonged to them in their double capacity of supreme executive and
temporary deliberative. For, at the constitution of the body on the
26th of October, it had been agreed that they should not only
exercise the usual powers of a Council of State, but should also
prosecute that great question of the future form of the Government of
the Commonwealth which had occupied the late Rump. They were to
prosecute this question in conference, if necessary, with the chief
Army officers and others; and, if they should not come to a
conclusion within six weeks, the question was to return to the
Wallingford-House Council itself.[1]

[Footnote 1: Letter of M. de Bordeaux to Mazarin of date Nov. 6, 1659
(i.e. Oct. 28 in English reckoning), in Appendix to Guizot, II.
274-278.]

In the matter of foreign relations the Committee of Safety had little
to do, the arrangements of the late Rump for withdrawing from foreign
entanglements still holding good for the present. Meadows, who had
become tired