called for cans of beer, and continued drinking till about ten o'clock; the sentinel at the gate then gave notice that the man with the saddle was come in. Upon this, we immediately arose, and, as the man was leading out his horse saddled, came up to him with drawn swords, and told him that we were to search all that went in and out there, but, as he looked like an honest man, we would only search his saddle, and so dismiss him. Upon that, we ungirt the saddle, and carried it into the stall where we had been drinking, and left the horseman with our sentinel; then ripping up one of the skirts of the saddle, we there found the letter of which we had been informed; and having got it into our own hands, we delivered the saddle again to the man, telling him he was an honest man, and bidding him go about his business. The man, not knowing what had been done, went away to Dover. As soon as we had the letter, we opened it, in which we found the king had acquainted the queen that he was now courted by both the factions, the Scotch Presbyterians and the army; and which bid fairest for him should have him; but he thought he should close with the Scots sooner than the other. Upon this,' added Cromwell, we took horse, and went to Windsor; and finding we were not likely to have any tolerable terms from the king, we immediately, from that time forward, resolved his ruin.'"

The army had somewhat more humanity than the Parliament, and continued to permit frequent interviews between the king and his children. The first time that he met them, after his arrival at Hampton Court, was at Sion House, the residence of the Earl of Northumberland, under whose charge they had for some time been placed. When they beheld their persecuted father, "they fell down on their knees," says a bystander, "and begged his blessing." Charles embraced them most affectionately, and appeared overjoyed to find them in such perfect health, and so kindly treated. From this period they were constantly permitted to pass the day at Hampton Court, or else Charles would ride over to visit them at Sion.

At these affecting interviews, Charles omitted no opportunity of instilling virtuous principles into the minds of his children. He conjured the Duke of York, then about fourteen years old, in the event of any accident befalling his unfortunate father, to transport himself into Holland, where he was certain of being affectionately received by his sister, the Princess of Orange. He desired the Princess Elizabeth never to marry, unless with the consent of her mother and her brother Charles; always to be obedient to them both, and to the queen especially, except in matters of religion; conjuring her, whatever misfortunes might befall the Church of England, that she should always be constant in that faith. The necessity

of faithfully adhering to the truths enjoined by that church, Charles had ever solemnly impressed on his family. On the 22d of March, 1645, he addresses to Prince Charles the following solemn appeal: "Once again, I command you, upon my blessing, to be constant to your religion, neither hearkening to Romish superstitions, nor the seditions and schismatical doctrines of the Presbyterians and Independents; for know, that a persecuted church is not thereby less pure though less fortunate."

CHAPTER XIV.

CHARLES I.

The King's Flight from Hampton Court - Ashburnham's “Fatal Mistake" Charles Proceeds in Custody to the Isle of Wight-Colonel Whaley's Account of the Discovery of the King's Escape from Hampton Court — The King's Arrival at Cowes-Singular Omen - Arrival at Carisbrook - Dismissal of the King's Chaplains and Servants-Captain Burley's Rash Attempt- His Barbarous Execution - The King's Removal to Newport - Anecdotes Melancholy Change in the Appearance of Charles — Projects for His Escape from Carisbrook- Fruitless Attempts.

THE circumstances which induced Charles to fly from Hampton Court, and the details of that ill-advised measure, have been variously related by historians. It is, however, agreed on all hands that his dread of assassination was the principal motive. Anonymous letters, advertising him of his danger, had for some time been daily conveyed to him; indeed, the king himself, in a letter to the Parliament which was afterward found in his bedchamber, gave it as the special reason of his flight. "I cannot deny," he says, "that my personal security is the urgent cause of this my retirement." To this we may add the testimonies of

Sir John Berkley and Ashburnham, the companions of his flight. "I did most humbly beg of him," says the latter in his Narrative, "that he would be pleased to say whether really and in very deed he was afraid of his life in that place, for his going from thence seemed to us a very great change in his affairs. His Majesty protested to God that he had great cause to apprehend some attempt upon his person, and did expect every hour when it should be."

After every consideration, it appears more than probable that Charles was, after all, a mere puppet in the hands of Cromwell; that it was Cromwell himself who caused the fear of assassination to be impressed upon the king's mind; that Cromwell was acquainted beforehand by his spies, with the proposed time and manner of the king's intended flight; and that, in fact, in flying from Hampton Court, Charles merely fell into a trap which had been laid for him by that extraordinary man, whose policy it undoubtedly was to remove the king as far as possible from the Parliament, and to surround him with his own creatures. Cromwell is even said to have privately intimated to Charles, through his relation, Colonel Whaley, that he could no longer be responsible for his personal safety. That there was a traitor in the court of Charles, and that his most secret counsels were instantly conveyed to Cromwell, there can scarcely be a doubt. Not the least remark