[Sidenote a:  A.D. 1646.  April 1.]

Two days later Montreuil resumed his pretended journey to Scotland, and repaired to Southwell, within the quarters assigned to the Scots.  That they might without inconvenience spare a large escort to meet the[a] king, he had brought with him a royal order to Lord Belasyse to surrender Newark into their hands; but, to his surprise and dismay, he found that the commissioners to the army affected to be ignorant of the authority exercised by him at Oxford, and refused to take upon themselves the responsibility of meeting and receiving the king.  They objected that it would be an act of hostility towards the parliament, a breach of the solemn league and covenant between the nations:  nor would they even allow him to inform Charles of their refusal, till they should have a personal conference with their commissioners in London.  In these circumstances he burnt the order for the surrender of Newark; and the king, alarmed at his unaccountable silence, made no attempt to escape from Oxford.  A fortnight was passed in painful suspense.  At last the two bodies of commissioners met[b] at Royston; and the result of a long debate was a sort of compromise between the opposite parties that the king should he received, but in such manner that all appearance of previous treaty or concert might be

[Sidenote a:  A.D. 1646.  April 3.] [Sidenote b:  A.D. 1646.  April 11.]

avoided; that he should be requested to give satisfaction on the question of religion as speedily as possible, and that no co-operation of the royal forces with the Scots should be permitted.  At first Montreuil, in the anguish of disappointment, was of opinion that no faith was to be put in the word of a Scotsman:  now he thought that he discovered a gleam of[a] hope in the resolution taken at Royston, and advised[b] the king to accept the proposal, if no better expedient[c] could be devised.  It held out a prospect of safety, though it promised nothing more.[1]

3.  During this negotiation the unfortunate monarch, though warned that, by treating at the same time with two opposite parties, he ran the risk of forfeiting the confidence of both, had employed Ashburnham to make proposals to the Independents through Sir Henry Vane.  What the king asked from them was to facilitate his access to parliament.  Ample rewards were held out to Vane, “to the gentleman, who was quartered[d] with him,"[2] and to the personal friends of both; and an assurance was given, that if the establishment of Presbyterianism were still made an indispensable condition of peace, the king would join his efforts with theirs “to root out of the kingdom that tyrannical government.”  From the remains of the correspondence it appears that to the first communication Vane had replied in terms which, though not altogether satisfactory, did not exclude the hope of his compliance; and Charles wrote to him a second time,

[Footnote 1:  These particulars appear in the correspondence in Clarendon Papers, 221-226.  Montreuil left Oxford on Friday; therefore on the 3rd.]