dale of the successes of the Marquis
of Newcastle against Fairfax, the safe arrival of the Queen with
military stores, and his own expectation of being joined to her escort,
which would enable him to have an interview with the King at Oxford.
This intelligence, added to that of the advantages gained over Sir
William Waller in the west, revived the drooping hopes of the loyalists,
and terrified the enthusiastic Eustace with apprehensions lest the
contest should be decided before he could measure swords with one
round-head.

Dr. Beaumont took a more comprehensive view; he saw how little had been
done, and how much loyal blood had been shed. The King's cause was
supported by the death or ruin of his best friends, but his victories,
instead of intimidating, hardened his opponents. They were bound
together by a dread of danger, and a belief that they had sinned beyond
all hopes of pardon, and therefore must depend for safety entirely on
the success of the rebellion they had fomented.

To insure that success, the Parliament had long since employed the most
potent stimulant of human action, religion; and, by embodying their
favourite teachers under the title of the Assembly of Divines, contrived
to give that species of state-establishment to their own theological
scheme which they had objected to, as one of the crying sins of
episcopacy. This memorable body of auxiliaries was created at the time
of their beginning to levy war upon the King, by seizing his military
resources, and refusing him admission into his own garrison. A fact
which may serve to convince the reflecting mind of the close union which
subsists between monarchical and episcopal principles is, that their
next step to that of employing the forces and revenues of the crown
against the person of the Sovereign, was a declaration "that they
intended a necessary and due reformation of the Liturgy and government
of the church, and that they would consult godly and learned divines,
and use their utmost endeavours to establish learned and preaching
ministers, with a good and sufficient maintenance throughout the whole
kingdom, where many dark corners were miserably destitute of the means
of salvation, and many poor ministers wanted necessary provision."

Though wise men saw the design of this carefully-worded declaration, yet
indolent, or quiet men, who were willing to hope, caught at its
designing moderation, believed that Parliament only meant to reform
abuses, and