assassins. In this case the whole transaction will appear barbarous and cruel, and altogether unbecoming the character of the valiant and the brave. As one of the actors in this fatal tragedy has assured the public this was not their design, truth compels us to acknowledge the whole justified by the laws of honor and war. Their old general had been taken prisoner, and the garrison had been threatened, 'that unless they surrendered the castle, he would be brought and executed before its walls. Love to him prompted them to take Rainsborough prisoner, that in case any violence was offered to him, it might be retorted on Rainsborough, or at least the one be exchanged for the other.

Such was the design, and it appears from the detail, that the tragical event which occurred, arose from particular circumstances. It is obvious that if the general had made no resistance his life would have been spared; but has he did resist, the law of self-preservation compelled the royalists to act as they did. Had they left him to have collected his troops, their number was too small to have withstood the charge; and they must either have fallen by the sword, or have been made prisoners.

On their return from this expedition, they had the satisfaction to hear that sir Marmaduke Langdale had fortunately made his escape + from Nottingham castle, the night previous to this adventurous exploit. He fled to prince Charles, then in exile; and on his return with him at the restoration, in rememberance of and gratitude for his services, was made a baron of the realm, by the title of baron Langdale, of Holm, upon Spaldingmoor, in this county.

But a few days turned their joy into grief, for the loss of the truly wise, courageous, and heroic capt. W. Paulden who died in the castle of a high fever, and was buried in the chapel of St. Clement, by the Rev. Mr. Beaumont.

After this singular event, the besiegers do not seem to have been more successful than they had hitherto been. Sir H. Cholmley sent letters to the house, complaining of the mismanagement, and ill success of the siege. From this it should seem that there was either a spirit of insubordination among the troops, or a general disagreement among the officers. The vigilance, activity and courage of the garrison, put them on severe duty as well as exposed them to severe losses; and it cannot excite surprise, that both officers and men should disrelish the service.

At length Cromwell himself arrived here, and adopted every

Captain Thomas Paulden, vid. his letter to a friend, dated 31st. March, 1702. Sir Marmaduke Langdale owed his escape to Lady Saville, wife of sir William Saville, of Thornhill, in this county, the daughter of Thomas lord Coventry, lord keeper of the great seal. She conducted her designs respecting Langdale with such secrecy and address, that he was liberated from prison, and reached the continent before his enemies knew that he was missing.

measure to restrain the excursions of the garrison, and to induce them to surrender the fortress. The name of Cromwell, like that of the modern scourge of Europe, inspired terror, and nearly of itself gave success to his enterprises. Relying on this and the general circumstances of the country, he summoned the governor to surrender the castle to the use of the parliament.

The governor did not think it prudent to treat this summons with absolute indifference, but replied that if general Cromwell was authorized to treat with the garrison, and was possessed of powers to perform the conditions, he was ready to enter into such treaty.' As Cromwell had no particular powers given to him for this purpose by parliament, the governor was not satisfied; nor did he think it prudent to treat with Cromwell, on the authority which he possessed as lieutenant general. In consequence of this the siege was prosecuted with greater vigour. Lines of circumvallation were drawn wholly around the castle, and forts erected in places deemed most proper to check the garrison, and prevent them obtaining any supplies.

On the 15th of November, Cromwell sent letters to the house, stating the necessities of his troops before Pontefract castle, and requested immediate supplies. This letter was referred to the committee of the army to consider of the particulars, and to supply them. An order was given for two hundred and fifty barrels of powder, with match and bullet proportionable, to be sent for the forces before the castles of Pontefract and Scarborough. An order was also given, on the 18th, for two great cannon to be sent to the same troops, in order to facilitate the reduction of these places.

At this period both the king and parliament were placed in the most critical circumstances. On the departure of the army from London, the parliament had assumed its usual vigour, and unawed by the presence of the army, had acted with its usual spirit of independence. The leading members had exerted themselves to bring about an agreement with the king; and as the army had now wholly subdued the Scotch, it seemed the interest of both parties to come to an immediate agreement in order to prevent the dreadful catastrophe which soon followed. The king, in the conference at Newport, remained fixed to the adage of his father, no bishop, no king; and on the other hand the house was equally resolved to establish the presbyterian form of church government. Thus by the unyeilding spirit of both parties the time was spent and nothing concluded.

The army, under the direction of a council of their officers, now began, not to petition the house, but by their general in chief' to demand justice upon the king.' This language clearly indicates that the

design of putting the king to death was already formed; and the petitions of the army were intended only to prepare the public for the event. Every regiment engaged in the siege of our castle, presented petitions to Cromwell, which he forwarded to the general, breathing the same spirit. On the remonstrance of the army at St. Albans, and the seizure of the king by col. Ewer, Cromwell wrote, from Knottingley, expressing his approbation of what the officers and army had done.

The superior number of the forces of the enemy to the besieged, and the vigorous manner in which the siege was conducted, began now to produce its natural consequences. Some of the garrison were dispirited, as they could not have the least foundation to hope for any relief. Others, by deserting to the enemy, equally betrayed the cause they had espoused, and the fears which influenced their conduct. The garrison, however, contained many whom no dangers could appal; nor any circumstances induce to forfeit their honour. At this period they made a desperate sally; but after an arduous contest, in which many were slain, they were compelled by superior numbers to retreat to the castle.

Cromwell, who had now remained a month before this fortress, and who doubtless would have been glad to have had the honour of terminating the siege, found it necessary to depart, and join the grand army under Fairfax, in order to accomplish the design which had been formed. Previous to his departure he had sent for general Lambert out of the north, and appointed him to the chief command of the forces before the castle. Lambert arrived here on the 4th of December.

Enraged at the death of Rainsborough*, Cromwell ordered general Lambert to take vengeance on the garrison; and having brought with him what forces he thought necessary, the castle was more closely surrounded than ever. He raised some new works, and by regular approaches towards the castle, effectually cut off all correspondence and supplies, hoping the garrison would at last yield to famine, if nothing else could subdue them. Although the garrison made several bold and vigorous sallies, in which many lives were lost on both sides, these efforts were unavailing, and were uniformly compelled to retreat.

During these transactions, colonel Pride had destroyed the independence of parliament, by guarding the house and preventing those members, who were inimical to the designs of the army from entering the House of Commons, if it now deserved that name,

*There was not an officer in the army whom Cromwell would not more willingly have lost than this man, who was bold and barbarous to his wish, and fit to be trusted in the most desperate interest, and was the man to whom that party had always intended to commit the maritime affairs, when it should be time to dismiss the earl of Warwick; he having been bred in that element, and known the duty of it very well, though he had the misfortune before mentioned. CLARENDON.