ister's dress), and they ordered the hanging of
captives and of the women who had accompanied the Irish. "It was certain
of the clergy who pressed for the extremest measures." {186a} They had
revived the barbarous belief, retained in the law of ancient Greece, that
the land had been polluted by, and must be cleansed by, blood, under
penalty of divine wrath. As even the Covenanting Baillie wrote, "to this
day no man in England has been executed for bearing arms against the
Parliament." The preachers argued that to keep the promises of quarter
which had been given to the prisoners was "_to violate the oath of the
Covenant_." {186b}

The prime object of the English opponents of the king was now "to hustle
the Scots out of England." {187} Meanwhile Charles, not captured but
hopeless, was negotiating with all the parties, and ready to yield on
every point except that of forcing presbytery on England--a matter which,
said Montereuil, the French ambassador, "did not concern them but their
neighbours." Charles finally trusted the Scots with his person, and the
question is, had he or had he not assurance that he would be well
received? If he had any assurance it was merely verbal, "a shadow of a
security," wrote Montereuil. Charles was valuable to the Scots only as a
pledge for the payment of their arrears of wages. There was much
chicanery and shuffling on both sides, and probably there were
misconceptions on both sides. A letter of Montereuil (April 26, 1646)
convinced Charles that he might trust the Scots; they verbally promised
"safety, honour, and conscience," but refused to sign a copy of their
words. Charles trusted them, rode out of Oxford, joined them at
Southwell, and, says Sir James Turner, who was present, was commanded by
Lothian to sign the Covenant, and "barbarously used." They took Charles
to Newcastle, denying their assurance to him. "With unblushing
falsehood," says Mr Gardiner, they in other respects lied to the English
Parliament. On May 19 Charles bade Montrose leave the country, which he
succeeded in doing, despite the treacherous endeavours of his enemies to
detain him till his day of safety (August 31) was passed.

The Scots of the army were in a quandary. The preachers, their masters,
would not permit them to bring to Scotland an uncovenanted king. They
could not stay penniless in England. For 200,000 pounds down and a
promise, never kept, of a similar sum later, they left Charles in En