"had reason to believe that some of his own "servants were not strangers." The Prince, therefore, who had removed to Pendennis Castle, intending to stay there only a few days, returned not to Truro. But Pendennis Castle was no safe asylum. Hopton and Capel, who were absent with the army, concurred with Hyde and Colepepper in the propriety of the Prince's removal to Jersey or Scilly. Dangers augmented hourly. On the 1st of March, the King's forces retreated from Bodmin, pursued by Fairfax † ; of which alarming fact, the Prince and his Council were apprised the following day. The urgent necessity of departure was increased: and the Prince attended by Hyde, Colepepper, and others of his suite, "that 66 66 night, about ten of the clock, put himself on "board; and on Wednesday, in the afternoon, "arrived safe in Scilly, from whence, within two days, the Lord Colepepper was sent into France "to acquaint the Queen with his Highness' being "at Scilly, with the wants and incommodities of "that place, and to desire supply of men and "monies for the defence thereof, and the support This flight was caused "As soon as Fairfax ad "of his own person." by well grounded fears. "vanceth," said Colepepper, in a letter to Ashburnham in February, "all the horse here are in a * Clar. Hist. Reb. v. 318. Nicholas wrote to Colepepper, from Oxford, on the 4th of February, that he learned from London, "that the "Earl of Newcastle reports there, that the Lord Capel's lieutenant hath "undertaken to deliver the Prince over to the Parliament army." Clar, State Papers, ii. 206. † Carte's Letters, i. 117. Clar. Hist. Reb. v. 320. Rushworth, vi. 104. CHAP. X. 1646. CHAP. X. 1646. "net, without possibility either to break through, "or to save themselves in our garrisons. The "horse lost, it will be impossible ever to get up an 66 army again. And if you saw us, you would believe we are not in condition to fight."* Gallantry and fidelity could hardly have saved the royal forces. Disaffection made their failure certain. Lord Hopton, calling a council of war, was told by his officers, that "their men would never "be brought to fight;" and all, save one, were anxious for a treaty. On the 5th came a summons from Fairfax for a "surrender, and an engage"ment never to bear arms against the Parliament;" offering to the soldiers free permission either to go home or quit the kingdom,—the officers taking with them their horses and arms, the privates surrendering both, but receiving each 201. for his horse. Hopton was still bravely willing to resist, and would not make the propositions public; but his officers declared, that "if he would not con"sent to it, they were resolved to treat themselves." And, from this time, they neither kept guards or performed any duty; their forces every day mingling with those of the enemy, without any act of hostility. There was no course left but to treat. Articles of agreement were signed at Truro on the 14th. The army of the West was disbanded; and Hopton, its brave commander, who, with no incentive but a sense of duty, hopeless, yet undaunted, had manfully struggled through * Clar. State Papers, ii. 207. Rushworth, vi. 110. X. 1646. difficulties which the most courageous ability could CHAP. not have surmounted, quitted Cornwall on the 11th of April, in company with Lord Capel; and, after having been baffled by contrary winds, he at length joined the Prince in Scilly. The Prince and his attendants remained in Scilly from the 4th of March till the 16th of April, in a wretched state of discomfort; sometimes almost destitute of provisions, of which a scanty supply came from Cornwall and from France*; and not enjoying even security. A summons to the Prince, from the Parliament, to surrender arrived on the 11th; and on the 12th a fleet of above twenty sail was seen hovering round the island, in readiness to enforce the mandate. Happily for the Prince, a storm dispersed them: but to remain in Scilly, was reasonably judged no longer safe; and on the 16th, when the storm had subsided, the Prince and his attendants, among whom was Hyde, set sail for Jersey, and arrived there on the following day.t CHAP. XI. MACHINATIONS OF THE QUEEN. HYDE'S LETTER TO JER- AP 1646. XI. 1646. Machina Queen. CHAP. HYDE now undertook the difficult task of combating the machinations of the Queen. This selfish and ambitious woman, little mindful of her tions of the son's true interest, was anxious to draw him within her own control, even though, in so doing, she might place him within the power of France. She had gained Colepepper, who was now with her at Paris. She had gained her husband, who, although it had been settled that if the Prince went any where out of the British dominions, he should go to Denmark, had written to him from Oxford on the 22d of March, expressing a hope that he was then with his mother. She also addressed to Hyde a crafty letter, directed to him at Scilly, but which did not reach him till he had arrived in Jersey, intimating the friendly disposition of the French Court, "if "the Prince, in his way to Jersey, should be neces XI. 1646. "sitated by contrary winds, or the danger of the CHAP. "parliament shipping, to touch in France." This she wrote, foreseeing that the Council would not accede to a direct transport from Scilly to France; and in furtherance of her design of obtaining his speedy removal from Jersey thither. Importunate letters soon followed to the same effect. Colepepper had returned from his mission to Paris a convert to the Queen's views. The question was debated by the Council; and they prevailed in sending back Colepepper, accompanied by Lord Capel, to remonstrate with the Queen, and with instructions to state, in the Prince's name, that inasmuch as the Queen's injunctions are conceived "to be grounded upon her Majesty's apprehensions of danger to our person by any residence here, they shall humbly acquaint her Majesty, that we have great reason "to believe this island to be defensible against a greater force than we suppose probable to be brought against it:" that "if, contrary to ex 66 66 66 66 pectation, the rebels should take the island, we "can from the castle (a place in itself of very great 66 strength) with the least hazard remove oneself to "France" that, "our security being thus stated, 66 we beseech her Majesty to consider whether it "be not absolutely necessary, before any thought "of our remove from hence be entertained, that "we have as clear an information as may be got "of the condition of our royal father and the "affections of England; of the resolutions of the "Scots in England, and the strength of the Lord |