353

£ H A R L E S ' I.

At the commencement of the civil war, all cEnglishmen, who- served abroad, were invited ^viiover, and treated 'with extraordinary .respect :

And most of them, being descended of goodfamilies, and by reason of their absence; unac- «quainted with th.e new principles, which depressedthe dignity of-the crown, had inlisted under theroyal standard. But it is observable, that, thoughthe military profession requires. great genius , andlong experience, in the principal commanders,all its subordinate duties may be discharged byordinary talents , and from superficial practice. Ci-tizens and country-gentlemen soon became excellentofficers ; and the generals of greatest fame andcapacity happened, all of them, to spring up onthe fide of the parliament. The courtiers and greatnobility, in the other party, checked the growthof any extraordinary genius among the subordinateofficers; and every man there, as in a regular estab-lished government, was confined to the station,in which his birth had placed him.

The king, that he might make preparations,during winter, for the ensuing .campaign, sum-moned to Oxford all the members of either house,wljo adhered to%his interests ; and endeavoured,to avail hjmself of the name of parliament, sopassionately cherished by the English nation ’. •

The house of peers was pretty full; and besidesthe nobility, employed in different parts of thekingdom, it contained twice as many members

3 Bush. vol. vi. p. (co.

sot. IX. A a