At this time the prince of Wales had been more than six weeks in the Downs.  As soon as he heard of the revolt of the fleet, he repaired to the Hague, and taking upon himself the command, hastened with nineteen sail to the English coast.  Had he appeared before the Isle of Wight, there can be little doubt that Charles would have recovered his liberty; but the council with the prince decided[a] that it was more for the royal interest to sail to the month of the river, where they long continued to solicit by letters the wavering disposition of the parliament and the city.  While Hamilton advanced, there seemed a prospect of success; the destruction of his army extinguished their hopes.  The king, by a private message, suggested that before their departure from the coast, they should free him from his captivity.  But the mariners proved that they were the masters.  They demanded to fight the hostile fleet under the earl of

[Footnote 1:  Journals, x. 477.  Rushworth, vii. 1242, 1244.  Clarendon, iii, 177.  Fairfax says in his vindication that they surrendered “at mercy, which means that some are to suffer, some to be spared.”—­Memoirs, p. 540.]

[Sidenote a:  A.D. 1648.  July 20.]

Warwick, who studiously avoided an engagement, that he might be joined by a squadron from Portsmouth.  During two days the royalists offered[a] him battle; by different manoeuvres he eluded their attempts; and on the third day the want of provisions compelled the prince to steer for the coast of Holland, without paying attention to the request of his royal father.  Warwick, who had received his reinforcements, followed at a considerable distance; but, though he defended his conduct on motives of prudence, he did not escape the severe censure of the Independents and Levellers, who maintained that the cause had always been betrayed when it was intrusted to the cowardice or disaffection of noble commanders.[1]

It is now time to revert to the contest between the two houses respecting the proposed treaty with the king.  Towards the end of July the Commons had yielded[b] to the obstinacy of the Lords; the preliminary conditions on which they had insisted were abandoned,[c] and the vote of non-addresses was repealed.  Hitherto these proceedings had been marked with the characteristic slowness of every parliamentary measure; but the victory of Cromwell over Hamilton, and the danger of interference on the part of the army, alarmed the Presbyterian leaders; and fifteen commissioners, five lords and ten commoners, were appointed[d] to conduct the negotiation.[2] At length they arrived;[e] Charles repaired[f] from his prison in Carisbrook Castle to the neighbouring town of Newport;

[Footnote 1:  Lords’ Journals, x. 399, 414, 417, 426, 444, 483, 488, 494.  Clarendon Papers, ii. 412, 414.]

[Footnote 2:  They were the earls of Northumberland, Salisbury, Pembroke, and Middlesex, the lords Say and Seale, Lord Wenman, Sir Henry Vane, junior, Sir Harbottle Grimstone, and Holles, Pierrepoint, Brown, Crew, Glyn, Potts, and Bulkely.]