ch greatly injured the king's affairs, while his fierce
disputes with Rupert and his party further embarrassed them. On the 14th of
October 1645 he was made lieutenant general of the royal forces north of
the Trent, with the object of pushing through to join Montrose, but he was
defeated on the 15th at Sherburn, where his correspondence was captured,
disclosing the king's expectations from abroad and from Ireland and his
intrigues with the Scots; and after reaching Dumfries, he found his way
barred. He escaped on the 24th to the Isle of Man, thence crossing to
Ireland, where he caused Glamorgan to be arrested. Here, on this new stage,
he believed he was going to achieve wonders. "Have I not carried my body
swimmingly," he wrote to Hyde in irrepressible good spirits, "who being
before so irreconcilably hated by the Puritan party, have thus seasonably
made myself as odious to the Papists?"[2] His project now was to bring over
Prince Charles to head a royalist movement in the island; and having joined
Charles at Jersey in April 1646, he intended to entrap him on board, but
was dissuaded by Hyde. He then travelled to Paris to gain the queen's
consent to his scheme, but returned to persuade Charles to go to Paris, and
accompanied him thither, revisiting Ireland on the 29th of June once more,
and finally escaping to France on the surrender of the island to the
parliament. At Paris amongst the royalists he found himself in a nest of
enemies eager to pay off old scores. Prince Rupert challenged him, and he
fought a duel with Lord Wilmot. He continued his adventures by serving in
Louis XIV.'s troops in the war of the Fronde, in which he greatly
distinguished himself. He was appointed in 1651 lieutenant-general in the
French army, and commander of the forces in Flanders. These new honours,
however, were soon lost. During Mazarin's enforced absence from the court
Digby aspired to become his successor; and the cardinal, who had from the
first penetrated his character and regarded him as a mere adventurer,[3] on
his restoration to power sent Digby away on an expedition in Italy; and on
his return informed him that he was included in the list of those expelled
from France, in accordance with the new treaty with Cromwell. In August
1656 he joined Charles II. at Bruges, and desirous of avenging himself upon
the cardinal offered his services to Don John of Austria in the
Netherlands, being instrumental in effecting the surrender of the garr