In this fatal battle, fought near
the village of Naseby, the king lost more than three thousand men, nine
thousand stand of arms, his park of artillery, the baggage of the army, and
with it his own cabinet, containing private papers of the first importance.
Out of these the parliament made a collection, which was published, with
remarks, to prove to the nation the falsehoods of Charles, and the justice
of the war.[1]
[Footnote 1: For this battle see Clarendon, ii. 655; Rushworth, vi. 42; and
the Journals, vii. 433-436. May asserts that not more than three hundred
men were killed on the part of the king, and only one hundred on that of
the parliament. The prisoners amounted to five thousand.--May, 77. The
publication of the king's papers has been severely censured by his friends,
and as warmly defended by the advocates of the parliament. If their
contents were of a nature to justify the conduct of the latter, I see not
on what ground it could be expected that they should be suppressed. The
only complaint which can reasonably be made, and which seems founded in
fact, is that the selection of the papers for the press was made unfairly.
The contents of the cabinet were several days in possession of the
officers, and then submitted to the examination of a committee of the lower
house; by whose advice certain papers were selected and sent to the Lords,
with a suggestion that they should be communicated to the citizens in
a common hall.
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