[1]
Essex, regardless of the royalists who assembled in the rear of his
army, pursued[d] his march into Cornwall. To most men his conduct was
inexplicable. Many suspected that he sought to revenge himself on the
parliament by betraying his forces into the hands of the enemy. At
Lestwithiel he received[e] two letters, one, in which he was solicited by
the king to unite with him in compelling his enemies to consent to a peace,
which while it ascertained the legal rights of the throne, might secure
the religion and liberties of the people; another from eighty-four of the
principal officers in the royal army, who pledged themselves to draw the
sword against the sovereign himself, if he should ever swerve from the
principles which he had avowed in his letter. Both were disappointed. Essex
sent the letters to the two houses, and coldly replied that his business
was to fight, that of the parliament to negotiate.
[Footnote 1: I doubt whether Essex had any claim to that generosity of
character which is attributed to him by historians. The queen had been
delivered of a princess, Henrietta Maria, at Exeter, and sent to him for
a passport to go to Bath or Bristol for the recovery of her health. He
refused, but insultingly offered to attend her himself, if she would go to
London, where she had been already impeached of high treason.
Pages:
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109