After Charles's flight, Oxford speedily surrendered to Fairfax ; and the civil war was ended at the distance of 4 years from the time when the king's standard was first erected at Nottingham.
The surrender of Charles's person to the Scottish ar my, was followed by negotiations between the Scotch and English, for the payment of arrears clue to the former, which were settled, after many deductions, at 400,0001., and for the delivery of the king into the hands of the English. These two agreements have been perpetually identified by historians, but they were, in fact, distinct. The amount of the arrears was adjusted in August ; the disposal of the royal person was unsettled in November. In that month, the Scottish parliament, indignant at a vote passed in September, (a month after the settlement of the arrears,) by the English parliament claiming the sole disposal of Charles's person, resolved to maintain the freedom of their king, and his right to the English throne; but they retracted this vote, upon just conside ration, that it was abandoning their solemn league and covenant, taken in concert with the English Presbyte rians, unless they obtained his consent to their joint de mands. They offered to reinstate him on his throne, and to obtain for him a just settlement with his English subjects, provided he would take the covenant ; and commissioners were appointed from the estates in Scot land, to signify to his majesty, that on no other terms could he expect a reception in Scotland, or assistance from the Scottish people. The Duke of Hamilton, one of his chief friends in Scotland, concurred with his min isters in representing, that this alone would save ; that if he conceded the Presbyterian church to the two kingdoms, the demands respecting the militia would be relaxed, that all Scotland would declare in his favour, and few in England would venture to oppose granting him a limited power, while the Presbyterians continued still numerous and powerful. The king was inflexible to their propositions. On the eve of his departure, the commissioners earnestly renewed their offers to conduct him to Berwick, and procure more equitable terms from the English parliament, if he would accede to the cove nant; and a large bribe was offered to Alontreville,* to obtain even a bare promise of his compliance with their religious demands. Charles would grant no promise of the Presbyterian church but for three years, and in giv ing this concession, justified it to his own conscience before two of his bishops, by his firm resolution to re cover and maintain Episcopacy. Let us respect the king's conscience, but let some allowance also be made for the conscience and common sense of those who had him in their power. He had thrown himself, indeed, on their generosity, but not without designs of detaching them, by national prejudices, from their common cause with the English, at the hazard of involving them in a bloody war. It had been urged, indeed, as a disgraceful circumstance against the Scotch, that the English par liament still retained their arrears, as a punishment in reserve, had they broken terms with them. If the case
had so stood, that their refusal to surrender Charles would have been punished only by defrauding them of the money, the charge might have been well alleged, that they sold Charles for prompt payment. But the Scotch could justly plead, that the loss of the arrears was a trifle, in comparison with the misery, the blood shed, which must have ensued from drawing the sword in Charles's defence, without securing the objects of the covenant. They offered all that could be offered, as the just terms orr which they were willing to retain the king, or, in other words, to defy the hostilities of Eng I.:11d. By his refusal it was shewn, that if they had con quered England in his cause, they were only sure to ri vet the chains of Episcopacy and tyranny on them selves.
The king having been delivered over to the English commissioners, was conducted under a strong guard to Holdenby in Northamptonshire, and rigorously debarred from the visits of his friends and family. The Pres byterians in the English parliament had now no enemy to fear but the army which had fought for them; who having shewn their power at the secret instance of Cromwell in refusing a purposed expedition to Ireland, set up a military parliament of their own, called the agi tators ; while the principal officers composed a council to represent the body of peers. As the first token of mastery, the agitators obtained possession of the king's person ; Joyce, a cornet of dragoons, having seized him at Holdenby castle. Fairfax, who sent two regiments to restore him to the parliamentary commissioners, could not get him back ; and the king's speech to Fairfax on this occasion leaves room to suspect, that he was privy to the arrest. Cromwell, who was secretly at the bot tom of the design, came to the army next day, and re ceived from the agitators the chief command. The par liament tried alternately, hut in vain, both submissive and bold measures to diminish the power of the military ; who, after advancing to St Albans, at last demanded the expulsion of Hollis, Stapleton, and other leading Presby terians to the number of eleven, from the House of Com mons, and a general right of new modelling the govern ment and settling the nation. It was to no purpose that the citizens of London rose to delend their legislature, while the city militia were called out, and the works of the city manned. A minority of 62 members in the in terest of Cromwell, escaped to the army at Blackheath, who brought them back in triumph, expelled the eleven Presbyterians whom they had formei ly impeached, sent the mayor of London and the leading aldermen and offi cers of the city militia to prison, razed the lines about the city to the ground, and reduced every thing to obe dience.