1639

A GLOOMY PROSPECT.

15

culty and of vast expense to curb them by force, their power being greater, their combination stronger, than can be imagined." He himself could do little for a long time to come. If the King was in no better condition, he might 'think of some way of packing it up.' The Scots seemed ready to offer all civil obedience.' If the King was able to 'suppress them in a powerful way,' he would do his part, 'which will only be the stopping of their trade, and burning of such of their towns as' are 'upon the coast.' Even this he could not promise to do for any length of time, as his provisions would soon be exhausted.1

May 8.

Aboyne offers to

Before this lugubrious despatch reached him, Charles had been listening to young Aboyne, who had come to offer to rouse the North if only money and arms were placed at his disposal. Charles sent him on to the Forth, directing Hamilton to give him what assistance he could in men, but to be careful not to incur any further expense. He calculated that he had money enough to keep on foot his existing force till the end of the summer. More than this he could not do.2

rouse the North.

May 9.

Others around him were not even so sanguine as this. "Our army," wrote Verney, "consists of two thousand horse and twelve thousand foot, and that is the most, and Verney's more by some reasonable proportion both of horse opinion of the position. and foot than we shall have with us, or that will come to us, unless Marquis Hamilton's forces come to us. Our men are very raw, our arms of all sorts naught, our victual scarce, and provision for horses worse; and now you may judge what case we are in, and all for want of money to help us till we may be better men, or to bring more men to us. I will write to you again as soon as I hear what the Scots will do in obedience to the proclamation, which certainly will come to nothing."

113

The proclamation indeed had already come to nothing, but only the vaguest possible rumours of the state of the

Hamilton to the King, May 7, Ham. Papers, 78.

The King to Hamilton, May 13, Burnet, 136.

• Verney to R. Verney, May 6, Verney Papers, 232

Rumours from Scot

land.

66

D1

country across the Borders reached the King's ear. Some said that the Scotch were armed to the teeth. Others declared that their leaders had failed to raise the necessary supplies for the maintenance of an army. Though many come from those parts," wrote Coke to his brother-secretary, "yet we find so much variety amongst their reports that we know not whom to credit, or what to expect.” Already, therefore, Charles was hesitating between negotiation and war. On May 14 he signed a fresh proclamation in startling contrast with the one which had threatened death and confiscation a month before.2 He now assured his Scottish subjects that he would not think of invading Scotland if only civil and temporal obedience were secured to him. They must, however, abstain in their turn from invading England; and, to give him assurance of this, they must not approach within ten miles of the Border. If this condition were violated, his general would proceed against them as open traitors 3

May 14. Issue of a second proclamation.

Hamilton's

It was Charles's habit to couch his demands in general terms, the intention of which was seldom defined even in his Its intention own mind. The requirement of civil and temporal uncertain. obedience was perfectly compatible with a re-assertion of all the demands which his Commissioner had made at Glasgow. But it was also compatible with much less; and on the very day on which this proclamation was drawn proposed up, Hamilton was writing a despatch in which he urged his master to content himself with very much less. If the Scots would lay down their arms, surrender the King's castles, express repentance for their faults, and promise to respect his Majesty's civil authority, they might then be allowed to express their objections to Episcopacy in Parliament, when these objections, as well as those which had been produced at the Glasgow Assembly, might, as their desire shall seem just or unjust, receive a ratification or denial.'

surrender.

1 Windebank to Windebank, May 8. Coke to Windebank, May 9, S. P Dom. ccccxx. 106, 120.

2 See page 9.

Proclamation, May 14, Peterkin's Records, 220. Hamilton to the King, May 14, Ham. Papers, 80. Burnet, 131.

1039

NEGOTIATION OR WAR?

17

Such a concession cost Hamilton nothing. He was quite as ready to put himself forward, in 1639, as the vindicator of the Royal authority by taking the initiative in throwing over. modified Episcopacy, as he had been to throw over absolute Episcopacy in 1638. It is quite possible, too, that he had taken care again to sound the Covenanting leaders as to their acceptance of a scheme which he now regarded as the only chance of restoring the kingly authority in any shape whatever. By such a course he might gain friends on both sides, as he had attempted to do in the previous year. Such, at least, in the absence of positive evidence, is a probable explanation of the rumours of the time that he was playing a double part.

For the present, Charles evaded an absolute decision. He instructed Hamilton to go on with the negotiation on the basis which he had laid down, and to abstain from any May 17. Charles's immediate attack, unless a Scotch army should reply. march to the Borders in such strength as to make it absolutely necessary that a diversion should be created. He did not say, and in all probability he did not know, whether he meant Hamilton's negotiation to be carried on seriously, or merely with the object of gaining time till his own preparations were ready.1

Reinforcements ordered.

How inadequate those preparations were, he was himself now painfully conscious. In spite of his acknowledgment that he had not money to keep on foot additional troops, he wrote to order the levy of a reinforcement consisting of 4,000 foot and 300 horse. All his hope of supporting them when they arrived lay in the prospect of a favourable response to his demand for a general contribution for the war, and as yet no signs had appeared that such a response would be given. Fictions, however, cost nothing, and Windebank was directed to terrify the Scots by spreading rumours that this levy of 4,300 would consist of no less than 14,000 men.2

'The King to Hamilton, May 17. Note by the King, May 16, Burnet, 131.

* The King to Windebank, May 17, Clar. S. P. ii. 42.

The quality of Charles's army was not such as to make amends for the deficiency of its numbers. "If the CovenState of the anters meant foul play," wrote an official attached to army. the Court, "they might make foul work; for our people are not together, and are most unready and undisciplined, as everyone says here. The Scotch bishops are as detested here as by their own, who have expelled both their persons and order. The tales they told at London, that the Scots would disband and run away at our approach in the North, are every day disproved more than other, for they are. 40,000 strong at least, and may go where they please, and do what they list. I think that no man, who loves the honour of his prince and safety of his country, but must be sensible of the loss and danger of both by this fatal business, wherein all men are losers, but the King most.” 1

May 22. Charles resolves to advance to Berwick.

In spite of these alarms, Charles announced his intention of advancing in person to Berwick. Bristol, who had retained in his old age that habit of looking facts in the face which in earlier life had ruined his prospects at Court, said plainly that it would be folly to trust the person of the King so near the enemy with a dispersed and undisciplined army. The military leaders concurred with Bristol; but there are moments when there is no choice between rashness and irremediable disaster, and Charles, who, irresolute as he was in the face of the necessity of decision, was no coward to abandon the post of danger, firmly persisted in his resolution.2

Risk incurred.

Whether necessary or not, the resolution was hazardous in the extreme. If Leslie had not around him the 40,000 men with which he was credited at Newcastle, he had at least at his command a well-appointed force of half that number, against which Charles could at this time bring no more than at the utmost 15,000 men. So gloomy did the situation appear, that on the 22nd Charles wrote to Hamilton to be ready at a moment's notice

Hamilton ordered to be ready to

return.

I Norgate to Read, May 16, S. P. Dom. ccccxxi. 34.

2 Mildmay to Windebank, May 24, S. P. Dom. ccccxxi. 169.

1639

HAMILTON URGES CONCESSION.

19

to bring back his forces from the Firth to join the army on the Borders.'

conference

with the

Before these orders reached him, Hamilton had penned another despatch even more despondent than the last. He had been engaged in conferences with the CoveMay 21. Hamilton's nanting leaders, and had taken upon himself to explain the meaning of the civil obedience required Covenanters. by the King's latest proclamation. His Majesty, he said, was not bound to relinquish his negative on the acts of an ecclesiastical assembly, but he was 'confident, that whatsoever should be agreed on by such an assembly, called by his Majesty's command, and when the members should be legally chosen, his Majesty would not only consent unto them, but have them ratified in Parliament.' 3

the King.

Hamilton's letter to the King is so involved as to give rise to the suspicion that he wanted to frighten Charles into the His letter to acceptance of these terms. The Scots, he said, would admit of no peace unless it be the ratification of their mad acts made in the late pretended General Assembly.' They were resolved to force a battle. The best thing would therefore be for him to send two out of his three regiments to reinforce the Royal army, keeping only one to burn villages on the Firth. Above all things, the King should avoid an encounter. If he kept quiet, the rebels could not keep their forces long together. On the other hand, they might pass round his army and cut him off from his base of supplies at Newcastle. If his Majesty were 'well strengthened with foot,' this might be hindered. "They find," he went on to write, "they are not able to subsist, and therefore take this desperate course; for already they are pinched by stop of

'The King to Hamilton, May 22, Burnet, 133.

This hints at the abolition of the lay elders as electors.

Account of the conference by De Vic, Burnet, 133. The paper is not dated; but there is mention of conferences in a letter of May 24 (S. P. Dom. ccccxxi. 176); and it is about this time that Burnet places it. The conference cannot have taken place after Hamilton received orders, on the 22nd, to be ready to return, as he states that he will be found where he is a month hence.'