The Works of William Harrison Ainsworth

by William Harrison Ainsworth

  PLAN OF WORCESTER IN 1651.

  But Cromwell had lost his chief prize. For some hours it was supposed — chiefly on Colonel James’s representation — that the king was concealed within the city, and every precaution was taken to prevent his escape. But before morning assured intelligence was brought to the Lord General that Charles Stuart had unquestionably fled towards the north, accompanied by the Duke of Buckingham, the Earls of Derby and Lauderdale, and several others, and that Leslie, with his Scottish cavalry, had taken the same direction.

  On receiving these tidings, Cromwell gave immediate orders that Lilburn, Fleetwood, and Harrison, each with a regiment of horse, should start in pursuit of the Royalist leaders. At the same time he especially enjoined Colonel James to follow on Charles Stuart’s track, in case the Young Man should separate himself — as was not unlikely — from his attendants.

  A Proclamation was likewise issued, promising a reward of One Thousand Pounds to any one who should discover the person of Charles Stuart — while the penalty of high treason was declared against all those who should harbour or conceal him. Copies of this Proclamation were forthwith despatched by swift messengers to all towns near which it was deemed likely the fugitive monarch would pass.

  Colonel James, with a detachment of horse, started at once for Stourport, while the three Republican generals, previously mentioned, prepared to follow the retreating Scottish cavalry. The companies of militia stationed at the various towns were ordered to keep strict watch, and arrest all fugitive soldiers and malignants. Moreover, they were enjoined to search the houses of all declared Royalists.

  Several country gentlemen, resident in the neighbourhood of Worcester, and suspected of taking part in the conflict, were arrested on the night of the battle. Sir Rowland Berkeley had a narrow escape. On taking leave of Charles at Barbourne Bridge, as previously related, the brave Royalist turned towards his old mansion, Cotheridge, in a very dejected frame of mind. Not merely was he anxious for the king’s safety, but for his own. He felt that his peril was materially increased by the peculiar colour of the steed he had ridden throughout the day.

  However, a plan of avoiding the danger occurred to him. Fortunately, he possessed a couple of piebald horses, and on arriving at Cotheridge he sent the steed he had been riding to a distant farm, and had the other piebald horse placed in the stable and covered with body-clothes. This done, he withdrew to his chamber, and prepared to play the part of a sick man.

  Two hours later, Colonel Goff, with a detachment of dragoons, arrived at the old mansion and demanded to see its owner. He was told by the butler that Sir Rowland was extremely unwell and confined to his room, but the answer did not satisfy him.

  “Lead me to your master instantly,” he said.

  Attended by half a dozen dragoons, he then followed the butler up-stairs, and on entering Sir Rowland’s room found him in a loose robe and slippers, and presenting the appearance of an invalid.

  “What means this intrusion on my privacy?” demanded the baronet.

  “You affect surprise at my appearance, Sir Rowland,” rejoined Goff; “but you can feel none. I arrest you as a traitor to the Commonwealth. You took part in the battle to-day, and fought with the malignants.”

  “You are mistaken, general,” was the reply. “I am far too unwell to leave my room, and utterly unable to put on arms or sit a horse.”

  “Tut!” cried Goff, incredulously. “You were present in the fields near Powick, and, later on, in the fight within the city. I myself beheld you on both occasions — on a piebald horse.”

  “’Tis true I have a horse of that colour,” replied Sir Rowland. “But you will find him in the stable, and his freshness will prove that I could not have ridden him as you state. Satisfy yourself, I pray you, general. If it should appear that I have deceived you, treat me as you list.”

  “Since you affirm this so roundly I will go see,” observed Goff, somewhat staggered. “But you must not stir from this chamber.”

  “I have not the power to leave it,” said Sir Rowland, feigning extreme debility.

  Placing a guard at the door of the chamber, Goff then proceeded to the stable, where he found a handsome charger, which, being stripped of its covering, proved to be piebald in colour, and exactly resembled the steed he had seen. The freshness of the horse showed that he could not have been out during the day. Astounded at the sight, Goff made no further inquiries, but returned without his prey. As a declared enemy of the Commonwealth, however, Sir Rowland had subsequently to compound for his estate by the payment of two thousand pounds.

  We must now repair to the Commandery, whither, as already related, the Duke of Hamilton was conveyed from the field of battle. His right leg had been shattered by a slug shot, and the injury was so severe that amputation of the limb was deemed absolutely necessary by the king’s chirurgeon, Kincaid, who was in attendance upon him; but the duke would not submit to the operation. He had passed a night of almost intolerable agony, and was lying on a couch in the room adjoining the great hall. His countenance was livid and distorted; and a cloak was thrown over his lower limbs.

  A word as to the dying hero. William, Duke of Hamilton, then in his thirty-fifth year, had succeeded his elder brother, James, who was beheaded for high treason in 1649. Of the large train of distinguished personages who accompanied Charles in his march from Scotland, none was more devoted to the royal cause — none more determinately hostile to the rebellious Parliament — than the Duke of Hamilton. Though despairing of success, the duke adhered firmly to the king to the last, and that he was as brave as loyal was proved by the prodigies of valour he performed on the battle-field at Worcester.

  “The torture I endure is almost insupportable, Kincaid,” he groaned. “I could not suffer more from the rack.”

  “No anodyne will assuage the pain, my lord duke,” replied the chirurgeon. “As I have already represented to your grace, amputation of the shattered limb is the sole means of saving your life.”

  “I would rather die than lose the limb,” groaned the duke. “’Tis not pain I dread, but disfigurement.”

  “The Lord General has signified his intention of sending his own surgeon, Trappam, to attend your grace. You will hear what he has to say.”

  “I will not suffer him to come near me,” said the duke, sternly. “I will accept no favour from the regicide Cromwell.”

  As he spoke, the door communicating with the great hall was opened, and two persons came in. The foremost was Cromwell, the other was Trappam, the chirurgeon. The Lord General was armed as he had been during the battle, and wore a broad-leaved hat, which he did not remove. Marching direct towards the couch on which the wounded man was stretched, he regarded him fixedly for a few moments, and then said, in not unkindly accents:

  “I am sorry to find your grace so grievously hurt. But it may be that the Lord will heal your wounds. Such aid as man can render will be afforded by my own surgeon, Master Trappam. He is very skilful, and has wrought many wondrous cures.”

  “I thank your excellency,” rejoined the duke, raising himself, “but the king’s surgeon is in attendance upon me, and I lack no other aid.”

  “Let them consult together,” said Cromwell, “I would fain save your life, if I can.”

  “Wherefore save me?” observed the duke, sternly. “Would you bring me to the block, as you brought the duke, my brother?”

  “The duke, your brother, was justly condemned as a traitor to the Commonwealth of England,” rejoined Cromwell. “Perchance, your grace may be pardoned. My intercession shall not be wanting if you are disposed to agree to certain conditions.”

  “I know not what the conditions may be, but I reject them beforehand,” rejoined the duke. “I will die as I have lived, a loyal subject of the king, and an enemy of his enemies!”

  “Charles Stuart is a proscribed fugitive,” said Cromwell. “Hitherto he has been king only in name; now he has not even the name of king. My messengers are upon his track, and will assuredly f
ind the lurking-place wherein he hideth.”

  “They will fail to take him,” rejoined the duke. “It is written that he shall escape, and return to triumph.”

  “Where is it so written?” demanded Cromwell, scornfully.

  “In the book of fate.”

  “You do not read the book aright, my lord duke. Were I to turn over its leaves, I should soon light on one in which his death on the scaffold is recorded.”

  “You will find no such record,” rejoined the duke. “You have slain the king, his father, but him you shall not slay. His destiny is not in your hands.”

  “All things are in the Lord’s hands,” said Cromwell. “But would Heaven have vouchsafed me this crowning mercy if it had not meant — —”

  “That you should be king!” interrupted the duke. “Not so. Be not deceived. King you shall never be. Hitherto, the third of September has been propitious to you, but another anniversary of that day shall come, and it will prove fatal.”

  Exhausted by the effort he had made in uttering these words, he sank backwards, and his countenance assumed the pallor of death.

  Thinking he was gone, Cromwell called to the surgeons, who had retired to discuss the duke’s case.

  “While you are conferring together, your patient has expired,” he cried.

  “’Tis but a momentary faintness, your excellency,” said Trappam. “But assuredly his grace will not live long, if he refuses to undergo the operation.”

  “Then let him die,” cried Cromwell, sternly. “He will ‘scape the scaffold.” And without another word he quitted the room.

  Continuing obstinate, the unfortunate Duke of Hamilton died of his wounds. Though he begged to be buried with his ancestors, at Hamilton, his dying wishes were disregarded, and he was interred before the high altar in Worcester Cathedral.

  It was long before the city recovered from the terrible punishment inflicted upon it by the exasperated Republicans. There can be no doubt that Cromwell entertained a strongly vindictive feeling towards Worcester, for the constant attachment it had manifested towards Charles I. and his son. To prevent the possibility of any further rising, he levelled the fortifications with the ground, destroyed the gates, and filled up the dykes. The work was done so effectually, that not a vestige is left of Fort Royal, while only here and there can a few remains of the old walls be discovered. Sidbury-gate is gone; so is the Foregate — so are almost all the memorials of the Battle.

  Treated like a conquered city, ravaged, partially destroyed, all its wealthy inhabitants fined, many imprisoned as well as fined, some hanged, it could not be expected that Worcester, elastic as it has ever shown itself, should immediately rise again — nor did it recover until the Restoration.

  Then the city became prosperous once more, and it has prospered ever since. If not so picturesque as of yore, it is much better built — at least, we are willing to think so. Most of the old timber houses and ancient edifices have disappeared — but the Commandery is left. The noble cathedral is improved — both externally and internally. A very respectable structure of Queen Anne’s time occupies the site of the old Guildhall. In short, it would be difficult to find in the whole realm a city that can vie with Worcester in cheerfulness, prosperity, or beauty of situation. Its inhabitants are as loyal as ever, and ready to fight the old battles o’er again.

  Floreat semper fidelis civitas.

  * * *

  CHAPTER II.

  HOW THE FUGITIVE KING AND HIS COMPANIONS RODE FROM BARBOURNE BRIDGE TO WHITE LADIES.

  More painful feelings were never experienced by a monarch than were those of Charles as he fled from Worcester on the evening of the battle. All was lost. The crown he hoped to win was gone. His life was in jeopardy, and after a vain attempt to escape, he might be placed in the hands of his enemies.

  The cavalcade, as already mentioned, numbered about sixty persons of various ranks, but all devoted to the king, and prepared to defend him to the last. But it was the determination of the leaders of the party to avoid any needless encounter. Having quitted the high road to Kidderminster, they were now speeding along the lanes skirting the left bank of the Severn, under the guidance of Lord Talbot’s servant, Yates, and another man named Walker. Charles did not ride at the head of the troop, but with the Duke of Buckingham and the Earl of Derby brought up the rear. None of his attendants attempted to disturb the profound reverie into which the unfortunate king was plunged, and so engrossed was he by painful thoughts, that he scarcely seemed conscious of their presence.

  It was a pleasant evening, and though the sun had already set behind the Malvern Hills, the heavens were filled with rosy clouds, which were reflected on the surface of the river. The troop passed by several farm-houses, but the scared occupants only watched them at a distance. Anxious glances were occasionally cast back by the fugitives to ascertain whether they were pursued, but no enemy appeared in sight. By degrees the calmness and beauty of the evening produced a soothing effect on the king’s troubled mind. What a contrast was offered between the peaceful lanes through which he was now riding and the city resounding with the din of arms, the roar of artillery, and frightful cries.

  Having passed Beveré Green, and dashed through the ford of the Salwarp, at Hawford Mill, but without meeting interruption of any kind, they now pursued the Ombersley-road for some distance, but turned off at the Mitre Oak for Hartlebury, and halted at the Old Talbot Inn, where the king drank a cup of sack, while his attendants refreshed themselves with such liquors as they could procure.

  Once more they were in motion, and a narrow by-road brought them to Hartlebury-common, then of great extent and dangerous in places, but as they could still see their way, they rode on without fear.

  Nothing can be pleasanter, under certain circumstances, than a gallop across a wild heath at the twilight hour; but when danger lurks on every side, when the riders are flying for life — above all, when a king’s safety is at stake, the sensations are not quite so agreeable. Deceived by the gathering gloom, the fugitives are apt to suspect that the foe is lying in ambush for them, and to turn needlessly from their course. This was the case with the flying troop. They avoided Stourport because they fancied there was danger in that quarter, and shaped their rapid course past the dismantled manor-house of Hartlebury, which had been garrisoned by Charles I. during the Civil Wars. The ancient mansion might have afforded them shelter for the night, but they did not dare to stop there.

  They were still on Hartlebury-common, and were soon close upon Kidderminster, but did not deem it prudent to enter the town. Skirting the valley in which it lies, and galloping past Hoobrook, they proceeded by Chester-lane and Green Hill to Broadwaters. Thence up Black Hill to Sion Hill. Next traversing the beautiful woody district that now forms Lea Park, they descended a gentle acclivity that brought them to the old bridge across the Stour.

  Had there been light enough to distinguish it, a charming scene would have been here presented to the king’s gaze. But he crossed Hay Bridge without looking at the beautifully winding river or at the precipitous rocks on its opposite bank, well satisfied that there was no enemy concealed amid the woods to dispute his passage.

  By the time the troop reached Kinver Heath it had become quite dark, and the guides declared it was impossible to cross the wild and boggy waste at that hour.

  Notwithstanding their representations, the king would have pushed on at all hazards, but the Earl of Derby, Charles Giffard, and Careless, who knew the heath, dissuaded him from his rash design. Lord Derby thought there would be far less danger in passing through Stourbridge, even if it should be occupied by militia, which was doubtful, than in attempting to traverse a morass in which they were almost certain to be engulfed.

  “There are so many quagmires in Kinver Heath, that, even in daytime, it is difficult to avoid them,” observed the earl. “At night it is impossible.”

  “I am entirely of his lordship’s opinion,” said Captain Giffard. “I know Kinver Heath well, and I implore your majes
ty not to risk your royal person upon it.”

  “Are you afraid to go with me?” asked Charles.

  “’Tis my duty to prevent your majesty from rushing on certain destruction.”

  “Nay, then, if the danger is really so great, we must proceed to Stourbridge, despite the militia.”

  “The rascals will not be on the look-out for us, so we shall most likely escape them,” remarked Careless. “Besides, if we are slain, we shall die like gentlemen. Any death is preferable to being stifled in a quagmire.”

  “As the hour is late, I do not think the enemy will be on the alert,” observed the Earl of Derby. “But no precaution must be neglected. In the event of an attack, all of us who are near your majesty will speak French, so that your presence may not be suspected.”

  “’Tis well,” replied Charles. “You hear, my lords and gentlemen, we are all to become Frenchmen when we reach Stourbridge.”