OF SIR JOHN BERKLEY. IN the Year 1647, her Majesty, and his Highness the Prince of Wales, were pleased to send me into Holland, to condole the death of the Prince of Orange; and having performed that office, I returned with Mr. John and Mr. William Ashburnham, to France, by the way of Calais ; where we met with the news of his Majesty's being seized by one Cornet Joyce, in Holmby House, from whence he was carried with a guard of 400 horse, towards the army, the Cornet producing no authority, whereby to warrant this proceeding. The next Post brought us advertisement to Calais, that his Majesty was well-received by the officers and soldiers of the Army, and that there were great hopes conceived, that they would both concur to establish his Majesty in his just Rights. From Calais we went to Rouen, where we met a confirmation of this intelligence, and heard withal, that one Sir Edward Ford (who was brother-in-law to Commissary-general Ireton) was sent, by her Majesty and his Highness the Prince of Wales, into England, to discover the intentions of the Army, and to promote an agreement between his Majesty and them. From Rouen, we went to St. Germain's ; where, we were no sooner arrived, but we heard that Mr. Denham (who, during his imprisonment, had contracted a great familiarity with Mr. Peters, a preacher, and a powerful person in the Army,) was dispatchedcns, a Commission to the like effect, with that of Sir Edward Ford. As I was going-up to her Majesty, I met, accidentally, with my Lord Culpepper, who scarce had saluted me, before he told me, that I must prepare myself immediately for another journey, her Majesty being resolved to send me into England, after Sir Edward Ford and 2A2 Mr. Mr. Denham. I answered, that I had no pass, nor any acquaintance with any one of the Army; and that I doubted, that, if the King'sparty should come too thick upon them at first, those of the Army would be jealous, that they should have too many sharers in the places and preferments, which they might, perhaps, meditate to procure and preserve to themselves. His Lordship replied, That, if I were afraid to go into England, her Majesty and his Highness would serve themselves of some other person, because they conceived it necessary to employ some to the Army, that might be supposed to have greater trust, both with the Queen in France, and with the King in England, than either Sir Edward Ford or Mr. Denham had. I returned, That if, after a serious consideration, it should be judged of use to dispatch me into England, I would adventure, though I had not the honour to be very well known to his Majesty, and, therefore, could not expect any great trust from him. To that part, his Lordship. replied, That there was an intention to send Mr. John Ashburnham after me; but, that he would not go without a pass, and therefore, that I should have it added to my instructions to procure him one. Within few days after, I had my dispatch, and went by the way of Dieppe, where I met with Mr. William Leg, of the Bedchamber to his Majesty. He embarked with me for England; we arrived at Hastings, and from thence went the 'next day towards London. Two miles on this side Tunbridge I met with Sir Allen Apsley, who had been my Lieutenant-governor of Exeter, and afterwards Governor of Barnstaple, in the County of Devon. He told me, that he was going to me from Cromwell, and some other officers of the Army, with letters, and a cypher, and instructions, which were to this effect: "That he should desire me to remember, that, in some conferences with Colonel Lambert, and "other officers of the Army, upon the rendering of of the Royal autho-Exeter, I had taken notice of the Army's bitter inrity, In June, 1647. « veighing against the King's person, as if he had been "the worst of men, and their excessive extolling the "Parliament; both which being without any colour of "ground, I had concluded, that those discourses were not Cromwell and some other officers of the Parliament-Army, send letters to Sir John Berkley, offer ing to treat with the King for his restoration to the exercise out of any persuasion of mind, but affected to prepare men men to receive the alteration of Government, which they "intended that the Parliament should effect, by the assist"ance of the Army; which I had said, was not only a most "wicked, but a very difficult, if not an impossible, design, "for a few men, not of the greatest quality, to introduce a popular Government against the King and his Party, "against the Presbyterians, against the Nobility and Gentry, against the Laws established, both Ecclesiastical "and Civil, and against the whole Genius of the Nation, "that had been accustomed, for so many ages, to a Mo"narchical Government. Whereas, on the other side, if "they would but consider, that those of their Party had no particular obligations to the Crown, (as many of the "Presbyterians had,) and therefore ought less to despair of "his Majesty's Grace and Favour;-that the Presbyter began this War upon specious pretences of making the King a glorious King;-that, under that pretext, they "had deceived many well-meaning men, and had brought great things to pass; but that now the mask was taken"off, and they were discovered to have sought their own "advantages-and, at the same time, that the power to do "themselves much good, or much hurt to others, was now "almost wrested out of their hands; and that this had been " done by the Independent Party, who could establish them"selves, no way under Heaven, so justly and prudently, as "by making good what the Presbyterians had only pre"tended to do, that is, the restoring King and People "to their just and ancient Rights; which would so ingra"tiate them with both, that they would voluntarily in"vest them with as much trust and power as Subjects are "capable of: Whereas, if they grasped at more, it would "be with the general hatred, and with their own destruc"tion. To this discourse of mine, they now informed me “that, at that time, they had only given a hearing, but no "consent, as proceeding from an interest much divided "from theirs; but that they had since found, by expe"rience, all, or the most part, of it, to be so reason"able, that they were resolved to put it in practice, as I "might perceive by what had already passed. They desired "for the present nothing of me, but that I would present them humbly to the Queen and Prince, and be Suitorto "them in their names, not to condemn them absolutely, 2 A 3 "but 'The state of the two Parties of Presbyterians and Independents in June, 1647. "but to suspend their Opinions of them, and their Pre"tensions towards his Majesty, and judge them rather ", by their future Behaviour; of the innocence whereof they had already given some Testimonies to the World, "and would do more and more, daily. When I should "have done this Office, they desired I would come over " into England, and become an eye-witness of their pro ceedings." I thought this rencounter no ill Omen to my future proceedings. Sir Allen Apsley told me I should have to do with subtil men, that governed themselves by other maxims than the rest of the World. I remember I answered, that the caution was good, and that I would arm myself the best I could; but that it was hard to secure ourselves from malicious men, when we were absolutely in their power. I took the best information I could from Sir Allen Apsley, and resolved with him to go into London, before I went to the King or the Army, that I might be enlightened by the most able men of our Party; which I did, and collected this following discourse from them. During the time his Majesty was at Newcastle, the Independent Party was so prevalent in the House of Commons, that the Presbyterians were forced to consent to have the King rendered by the Scols to the Parliament; and his Majesty was accordingly delivered by them to the English Committee, and a guard of English set upon him of the Presbyterian party, and no passionate enemies of his Majesty. The Presbyterian party, (that was very numerous in the House of Commons, and over-voted the other in most questions,) had engaged themselves privately (by some of their Chiefs) to the Scots in two points; first, that the Army should be disbanded, and then that the King should be brought to his Parliament with Honour and Safety. The disbanding was gone-about very seriously by the Parliament; and a Committee (whereof the Earl of Warwick was the chief) chosen, and accordingly sent to Newwarket, or Saffron-walden, where the Army then lay. Many of the Army professed really their obedience to the Parliament as to the disbanding; but none more solemnly than Cromwell, who made great execrations against himself in the House, if he did not desire it cor dially. |