prepare so foul a Remonstrance to give the King his first entertainment amongst them, that a blacker libel could not be framed either against his person or government; and it passed so tumultuously two or three nights before the King came to town, that at three of the clock in the morning, when they voted it, I thought, we had all sat in the valley of the shadow of death; for we, like Joab's and Abner's young men,1had caught at each others' locks, and sheathed our swords in each others' bowels, had not the sagacity and great calmness of Mr. Hampden by a short speech prevented it, and led us to defer our angry debate, until the next morning. The King's first entertainment, therefore, must be the presenting this libel or Remonstrance to him, and not long after contrary to his desire, printing and dispersing it; and tumultuously pressing both him and the two Houses with a Bill for the casting out the Bishops from their seat in Parliament.

1643.

(B) A sickness at this time had seized upon the Earl of Essex's army; so that considerable man Colonel Hampden, with Colonel Sheffield, was about Chinner, levying recruits for that army in Oxfordshire towards Tame. Prince Rupert with a strong party drawn out of Oxford, being advertised of it by Colonel Hurry, a Scot, defeated them there in Chalgrove-field,2 which was the very place where Mr. Hampden had first put in execution the first Parliament-Commission for the Militia against the King's authority. Hampden himself was retreated with a small party into a little field very near the place of engagement: a small party of the Prince's perceiving that little body so at distance, briskly charged them, having not the least knowledge that Mr. Hampden was among them. Here he received an hurt in the shoulder, whereof in three or four days after he died; for his blood in its temper was acrimonious, as the scurfe commonly on his face shewed.

He was certainly a person of the greatest abilities of any of that party. He had a great knowledge both in scholarship and in the law. He was of a concise and significant language, and the mildest, yet subtlest, speaker of any man in the House; and had a dexterity when a question was going to be put, which agreed not with his sense, to draw it over to it by adding some equivocal or sly word, which would enervate the meaning of it as first put. He was very well read in history; and I remember 218th June, 1643.

1 See 2 Samuel, chap. iii.

the first time I ever saw that of D'Avila 1 of the Civil Wars of France, it was lent me under the title of Mr. Hampden's Vade mecum; and I believe no copy was liker an original, than that rebellion was like ours. He was a man of a great and plentiful estate, and of great interest in his country, and of a regular life; and though he took upon him but the title of a colonel (for he had greater interest to raise the men, than aptitude to range or fight them) yet he thus died (as is before expressed) in a martial engagement. The news whereof (he being so eminent a man) soon came to Oxford by a tenant of Dr Giles's, who was parson of Chinner, not far from the place where the engagement was; who accidently meeting me, first told it unto me, and I brought him unto the King. The Doctor was a near neighbour and friend of Mr. Hampden's, and being an opulent man, he had built himself a very good parsonagehouse, in the contrivance of which structure Mr. Hampden had used his skill. The King required the doctor, as from himself, to send to see him; for I found the King would have sent him over any surgeon of his, if any had been wanting; for he looked upon his interest if he could gain his affection, as a powerful means of begetting a right understanding betwixt him and his two Houses. I remember how the doctor regretted the King's command; for, says he, I have seemed unlucky to him in several conjunctures of time, when I made addresses to him in my own behalf for he having been formerly so kindly my friend, before I came to Oxford, we the prebendaries of Windsor being all turned out of our houses, in the carrying off of my goods, my wagons were robbed and plundered, though warranted by passport; and I addressing to him for relief, my messenger came in that very instant, in which the news of his eldest son's death came to him; and some good time after falling into a like calamity, though I failed of the fruit of his intended relief the first time, yet I hoped to have found it the second; but my messenger unfortunately met then with another, that brought the news of his beloved daughter, Mrs. Knightley's death; so I seemed to scritch-owl him [bring him bad luck]. However the doctor sent, and when he heard of a message from him, this poor gentleman, though he was in a high fever, and not very sensible, much was amated [distressed] at it. These little stories I put down, because the discovery of great men's natures are often lively expositions of their great counsels: history being but a reduction of morals into examples. It was usually said, that he had more

11576-1631. The historian of the Religious Wars in France.

"The Wonderful Work of God in the Guidance of Bullets." 193

ambition to have been the Prince's governor, than any greater place for aiming at the alteration of some parts of the Government (for at first probably it amounted not unto a design of a total new form), he knew of how great a consequence it would be, that a young Prince should have principles suitable to what should be established as laws.

73. "THE WONDERFUL WORK OF GOD IN THE GUIDANCE OF BULLETS" (1642).

Roundhead soldiers fought with the determination of men who believed themselves instruments of God for the accomplishment of His work. They marched to the field under the divine banner, and if they fell in battle it was because a destiny, which none could escape, ordained that they should fall. This confidence in providential oversight and protection is visible in the comments of Nehemiah Wallington on various encounters of 1642, including the battle of Edgehill. Wallington was a London shopkeeper who kept careful watch of the war, and in his journal never lost a chance of ascribing parliamentary success to heavenly guidance.

SOURCE.-Historical Notices. Nehemiah Wallington (1598-1658). London, 1870. Vol. ii., p. 152.

The wonderful work of God in the guidance of bullets.

1642.-August the 23rd, being Tuesday, at eight o'clock, there was a skirmish for three hours at Southam (in Warwickshire) between the Army under the conduct of the Lord Brooks, the Lord Grey, Colonel Hampden, Colonel Hollis and Colonel Cholmley; and the Army under the command of the Earl of Northampton, Lord Saville, Lord Paget.

The enemy discharged three times their two pieces of ordnance upon the very body of our army, but not a man hurt by God's great mercy. Nay, God's wonderful mark was observed in the guidance of the adverse party's bullets. For one went over the Lord Brooks, his head, as also another bullet went close to the Lord Grey; some went on one side, and some flew clean over their heads, both horse and foot, touching no man, nor doing any harm at all.

N

And some bullets grazed along, and some bullets fell down flat upon the ground before them, and struck or spattered dirt in some of their faces; but not a man hurt, which shows the protection of God is over them that trust in him. Which, after command given on our side to discharge one of our pieces of ordnance, which was charged with musket bullets, which with the scattering many of the adverse party were dangerously wounded, a drummer, with two others, was slain, and supposed many others; and five very good horses found dead.

In the month of July 1645 at the taking of Berkeley Castle, one of Captain Pureye's soldiers, having the same day received an half-crown piece from his captain, put it into the collar of his doublet; not long after which a bullet from the Castle hit the half-crown, and battered it, and afterwards the bullet recoiled to his shoulder, and the strength of it being spent made but a slight wound there. This from one who saw the halfcrown battered, and bullet cut out. It is an act of God's providence as of the soldier, who stuck an horse shoe at his girdle, which preserved his life in like kind.

Now to write a few words of that great fight near Kineton.

Edge Hill.

1642.-October the 23rd, being the Lord's day in the forenoon, both the armies met in the midway between Banbury and Stratford-upon-Avon. And they had a very hot skirmish, their ordnance playing very hot from twelve o'clock till three in the afternoon, and made a great slaughter, and then the main forces joined battle, both horse and foot, and had a furious skirmish on both sides, which continued for all that day.

But that which I would take notice of is God's great mercy and providence, which was seen to His poor despised children, that although the enemy came traitorously and suddenly upon them, and unexpectedly, and four of our regiments falling from us, and our soldiers being a company of despised inexperienced youths, and never using to lie in the fields on the cold ground before the enemy, they being strong, old, experienced soldiers. But herein we see God's great mercy, for all that to give us the victory; for, as I hear, that the slaughter in all was five thousand five hundred and seventeen; but ten of the enemy's side were slain to one of ours. And observe God's wonderful works, for those that were slain of our side were most of them run away; but those that stood most

valiantly to it, they were most preserved; so that you may see the Lord stands for them that stand for Him.

If I could but relate how admirably the hand of providence ordered our artillery and bullets for the destruction of the enemy, when a piece of ordnance was shot off, what a lane was made in their army; O, how God did guide the bullets (as I wrote afore at Southam) that some fell down before them, some grazed along, some bullets went over their heads, and some, one side of them. Oh, how seldom or never almost were they hurt that stood valiant to it, by their bullets; you would stand and wonder. Those that rid most gallantly among an hundred thousand bullets, and faced and charged the enemy, were first, his Excellency the Lord Bedford, Sir William Balfour, Sir John Meldrum, Commander of the Lord Say his Regiment, Sir Philip Stapleton, Sir Arthur Haslerigg, Sir Samuel Luke, Serjeant Major Hurny, Captain Hunt, though left all alone; these are some of those that are chiefly spoken of for their valour, which God did assist of His great mercy. And it

is a sweet passage of his Excellency, it is worth the noting, that when Mr. Marshall was speaking of the success of the battle, his Excellency replied twice together, That he never saw less of man in anything nor more of God.

Again, consider one wonderful work of our God more; which is, that many of our youths that went forth were weakly, and sickly, some with the King's evil, some with agues, and some with the toothache, which their parents and friends were in great care and grief for; yet, when they have lain days and nights in the wet and cold fields, which one should think should make a well body sick, much more to increase their misery and pain that were ill, yet they have testified that their pain had left them, and never better in all their lives.

This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in my eyes.

I did forget to write this remarkable passage, how the King's army shot off thirty pieces of ordnance and killed not passing four of our men; and the first time we shot, we made a lane among them, cutting off two of their colours.

74. THE ORIGIN OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY (1645-49). Lord Bacon is the true founder of the Royal Society, although he died nearly forty years before its first meeting was held. turned the attention of Europe to a new philosophy which had for its aim works of practical utility instead of pure theorising.

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