CHAPTER XIII.
OF MY COMING BACK TO OXFORD.
Coming back to Oxford about the beginning of the month September, Ifound all things in a very disheartened condition. For, indeed, littlenow remained to the King. The strong city of Bristol the Prince Ruperthad surrendered to the Lord General, having but a few days beforeaffirmed in a letter to the King that he could hold the place for fourmonths unless he should be constrained otherwise by mutiny in thegarrison. The King, indeed, was ill-served by this same Prince, ofwhom it may be said that he was over bold where he needed to becautious, and that where boldness was most required he showed no smalllack of constancy. About the same time also there came news of thedefeat of my Lord Montrose, at Philiphaugh. From him the King hadhoped great things; and, indeed he had had for a time singular greatsuccess; but his army was such that success was no less fatal to itthan defeat, the savage people from the Highlands, who were itsmainstay, retiring, after their custom, to the mountains, where theydwelt, when they had gathered a sufficiency of plunder. As for theKing himself, he was then at Newark, to which place he had fled, withbut a small following, from Chester, where, seeking to relieve thecity from siege, he had been defeated with great loss. But about thebeginning of November (for it was, I remember about the day of our_Gaudeamus_--that is to say, the first day of November) he came backto Oxford, and there tarried for the rest of the winter.
And now it was needful to prepare all things for the worst. First,then, because it could not be hoped but that the city of Oxford wouldbe soon besieged (a thing which, though many times threatened, hadnever yet been done), it seemed good to make perfect thefortifications. There came forth, therefore, a proclamation from hisMajesty's Privy Council that all the inhabitants of Oxford, beingabove the age of sixteen, should upon four several days, namedtherein, work upon the fortifications behind Christ Church (at whichplace their defect was greatest). And it was ordered that if anyperson from age, or infirmity, or other occupation, should fail so towork, he should either find one suitable person to labour in hisstead, or should pay a contribution of one shilling for the day; andfor each servant the householder employing him was to pay the sum ofsixpence. Having but few shillings in my purse, and being curiouswithal to see the matter, which was indeed a new thing in England, Ielected to work rather than to pay. And, indeed it was a strange sightto see the multitude gathered together. Some came for very zeal, as ifthey could not be content but they must show how zealous they were forthe King, and some for meanness or poverty came rather to labour withtheir own hands than to pay. So far as I could see there was butlittle work done, and this from lack of skill in part, and in partfrom want of heart. I verily believe that a hundred stout fellowspaid, not by the hours of their working, but by the work that theyshould do, had accomplished much more than the mixed multitudegathered together that day.
_The Gateway of Christ Church, Oxford._]
The fortifications, however, be they as strong as they might, coulddefend the city but for a short time only, and, indeed, had theirchief use in this, that the garrison and inhabitants, being safe fromsudden assault, might through them obtain for themselves better termsof surrender. It was necessary, therefore, to provide, so far as mightbe possible, against the time when the city should be surrendered intothe hands of our enemies. Of this provision one chief matter was thehiding away of such things as were apt to suffer damage from theirhatred or ignorance. Now there had come from time to time grievousreports of the cruel damage done by the soldiers of the Parliament invarious cathedrals and churches throughout the realm wherever they hadfallen into their power. Especially had they shown themselves zealousagainst what in their fanatic language they were wont to callidolatry, not only breaking down statues that they espied on walls oron tombs, but also figures, whether of Christ or of holy men that werepainted on windows. And it was known that they were especially zealousagainst such figures or images when they savoured of Popery, as ranthe phrase which was greatly in favour in these times. Such thingsthen it seemed expedient to hide. Therefore at Christ Church, in theCathedral, the Dean, than whom there was no one more stiff for theKing, had a certain window, which is especially prized in thatSociety, put away in a safe place, and another set up in its place. Onthis window was represented Dr. Robert King, last Abbot of Oseney andfirst Bishop of Oxford, in his bishop's robes, having a mitre on hishead and holding a crosier in his right hand. 'Twas most handsomelypainted with colours, so fine and so harmoniously blended as no man inthese days seems to have the wit to do. I hope that it may remainhidden so long as these present hardships may endure, and be foundwhen they shall have passed away, as I do not doubt that they will. AtMagdalen College, also, the painted glass of the great eastern windowin the chapel was taken out of its place, and put away in like manner,for the safe restoration of which I here set down the same hope.
_The last Abbot of Oseney._]
On the fourteenth day of March in the year following (that is to say,the year 1646) an army of Sir Ralph Hopton, that still held out forthe King in Cornwall (and 'twas in the West that his Majesty's causewas ever the strongest, whereas it was weakest in the East)surrendered itself, being reduced to such straits as left no hope ofescape, much less of victory. This was heard in Oxford, by a messengerfrom the general of the enemy, who was so courteous as to give us thenews, not the less readily perhaps, that it was not like to bewelcome. On the very same day, that is the twenty-second day of March(for the matter in Cornwall, having befallen on the fourteenth, hadtaken so long to travel to us) came tidings of a great misfortune thathad befallen his Majesty nearer at hand. For Sir Jacob Astley, comingfrom Worcester to Oxford with about three thousand men, mostly horse,that he had gathered, was fallen upon by one Colonel Morgan atStow-on-the-Wold, and routed, being himself taken prisoner. This weheard from one of Sir Jacob's own riders, who escaped, or, I shouldrather suppose, was suffered to escape, that he might bring the illnews to the King. And, indeed, 'twas the very last stroke that oversetthe tottering edifice of his fortunes, as was sufficiently evidentfrom what the good knight, being taken to the aforesaid ColonelMorgan, is reported to have said: "Now you have done your work, andmay go to play, unless you choose to fall out among yourselves." Ofthis same valiant soldier is told another thing which seems to me wellworthy to be here set down, that at the battle of Edgehill, before hecharged, he made this prayer: "O Lord! Thou knowest how busy I must bethis day. If I forget Thee, do not Thou forget me." And having said somuch, he rose from his knees, and cried with a cheerful voice, "Marchon, boys."
And now, a siege being imminent, the King departed from Oxford. Of hisgoing but very few knew beforehand, but I heard afterwards from onethat was present that he went at midnight on the twenty-seventh day ofApril, being disguised as a servant, even to having his hair cut inPuritan fashion, and riding with a portmanteau behind him. He had buttwo companions, Dr. Hudson, that was a parson, but not less a soldier,and a certain Master Ashburnham, whose servant he feigned himself tobe. And if few knew of his purpose of going, the place whither heshould go he knew not himself. At the first he rode towards London, towhich, indeed, he approached so near that he came as far asHarrow-on-the-Hill being minded, it was said, to enter the City andthrow himself on the mercy of the Parliament. But, departing from thispurpose, if, indeed, he ever entertained it, he rode northward toNewark, where the Scots' army lay, hoping that they might protect him,of which hope he was, indeed, grievously disappointed, the Scotsgiving him up to his enemies. 'Twas said that they sold him; and it iscertain that at the time of his being surrendered, it was agreed thatthe Scots should have four hundred thousand pounds, being, as theysaid, arrears of their wages, paid to them. Yet, as they came intoEngland to make war, together with the Parliament, against the King,this charge, methinks, is too harsh, for being by profession enemies,why should they behave to him as friends? Nevertheless it had beenmore seemly if no mention had been made at the time of the wages.
And now at Oxford the end came nearer and nearer. We made a dam
at St.Clement's Bridge (which is by Magdalen College), and so laid thecountry that is to the south side of the city under water. Butelsewhere the lines of the enemy were drawn all about us. This was thebeginning of May. Of fighting there was but little; on this, being, asI conceived, bound by my oath, I did not so much as look. But I couldnot choose but hear the cannonading which went forward with but littlerest. Our men would fire, it was said, so many as two hundred shots inthe day, doing, however, but small damage, so that it seemed as ifthey had it in their mind to spend their powder rather than to doexecution. And I take it that they suffered more damage than theygave, the enemy having more marks, and these also more manifest, atwhich to make his aim. About the ending of the month of May comes anorder from the King that the city should be surrendered.
Meanwhile I, as I have said, turned away not only my hands, but also,as far as it was possible, my eyes and my thoughts from war,conceiving that I should so acknowledge the great kindness of my LordFairfax. Here, therefore, I may not unfittingly set down somewhatabout the thing with which I now concerned myself. Before my going tojoin company with my father before the battle at Naseby, being aboutto finish my second year of residing, I performed my first exercises,that is to say, I answered, as the Academical phrase has it, _inparviso_, and so became, to use again the somewhat barbarous dialect,_sophista generalis_, the visible signs and tokens of which honour wasthe putting into my hands of a book of Aristotle, and round my neck,by one of the bedels, when I had duly finished my answering, of alittle hood of some common black stuff, which same hood, as might beconcluded from its look, had done the like service for many before me.
As I am speaking of this matter I may anticipate the time somewhat inthis place, and relate how I afterwards answered for my degree, whichby great fortune I was able to do before that I was constrained toleave Oxford. The questions on which I disputed were in part ethical,and in part philosophical. And here, for the edifying of my readers, Iwill set them forth, being two of each sort. First, then, came thephilosophical.
1. _Whether there can be administered by the art of the physician anuniversal remedy?_
2. _Whether the moon can be inhabited? And whether, it being grantedthat it has inhabitants, these have a popular or a despoticconstitution?_
After these came the ethical questions, in which were includedpolitical.
1. _Whether the die be a lawful means of acquiring property?_
2. _Whether a multitude of scholars be profitable to a commonwealth?_
But this was not done till after the time of which I have been nowspeaking, when I was near upon completing my fourth academical year.
With the King at Oxford: A Tale of the Great Rebellion Page 14