The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-10-19


 Late in the night of November Il, j647, Cromwell came in haste to Hamp- ton Court to answer to notice from Whalley that the king had fled. When 1t was made known to the parliament, Whalley was summoned in person to explain the manner of the escape and then ordered to reduce his statement to writing, which he did in the follow ing letter addressed to the speaker of the house:
 MT. Speaker:
 l. What I spake in the house (accord- ing to your command) present you in writing as followeth, to my best re- membrance.
 3, It is not, suppose. unknown to you, that I have faithfully, and through Gods mercy, successfully, served the parliament from my first undertakings, which was from your first engagements. You have been pleased so much to honor me, as to let me share in your favor. And desire to let you know that highly esteem it, and shall endeavor to deserve. I shall therefore, according to your command, deal clearly and candidly in giving you, as in the presence of God, a true rela- tion of my service, and the kings going away.
 8. The place, the guards and com nands that lay upon me considered, makes it no wonder the king should be gone. The king was never declared to me to be a prisoner. I was not to re- strain him from his liberty of walking so that he might have gone whither he had pleased.
 Neither was I to hinder him from his privacy in his chamber, or any other part of the house; which gave him an absolute freedom to go away at pleas ,Ire,
 f. The house is vast; hath several hundred rooms, as am informed, in it. And would require a troop of horse, upon perpetual duty to guard all the out goings So that all that could be expected from me was to be as vigilant over the king as could in the daytime and when, after supper, he was retired into his bed chamber, to set sentinels about him.
 Which I constantly performed; as il is well known to the commissioners and others.
 5. But for some fifteen weeks had Mir. (John) Ashburlham's engagement for the kings safe abiding with me.
 And truly, must do him so much right as to declare that he dealt honest ly and like 6 gentleman with me. For, about three weeks ago, he came to me and minded me of his engage ment, which was to continue no longer than he gave me warning; (whicaN V told me he now did. And would st4nG engaged no longer.
 G. I demanded of him the reason. He replied, the court was so much Scotti- fyd that he feared there would be workings to get the king away '. Whereupon I presently sent a dis patch to his excellency Sir Thomas Fairfax acquainting him with it l (And) not long after went myself tc the headquarter at Putney; at what time his excellency and the officers satt in council there again before the whole company acquainted his excel lency with MT. Ashburnham disengag- ing himself; and, withall both myself and my friends earnestly solicited for z
 
 had been long imposed upon me; whicl was not the first time that openly hat l desired it.
 l s. I gave divers reasons for it. Ont was that I had been two or three week. upon that careful and hazardous duty l And I thought it was but reasonabl, now to have some relaxation, and tha some others should be put upon it. | 9. Another, that if they did look upor ] the kings safe abiding with us as { concernment to the good of the king l dom; 1t was impossible for me, the kint l having that liberty and such bed cham bermen about him as were, to keep him 1 One of them was Colonel Leg Conc, governor of Oxford ,ander the king) the other (though they were gentlemen of honor and quality, put in by parlia n1ent; yet) they were his ancient ser i wants And though perhaps the, would not put him upon any designs 0 going away, yet probably would no cross him nor disclose any. Therefore I conceive, if the parliament did expec the general should safeguard his ma jesty's person, that the general shoult desire leave of the parliament, to pu such bed cham bermen about the kinl as he himself would be responsible fo and might confide in. And indeed, did there declare I was very jealous 0 MT (Patrick) Mawle Afterwards tn Earl of Panmaure in Scotland).
 10 The third reason that gave to b discharged was this: Should the kim go away (for cannot term it an es cape, because he never was in custod. as a prisoner)I should not only run tn hazard of losing some reputation my self, but divers of my near related | friends, eminent officers in the army would have jealously cast upon then being by some already suspected upo, less grounds than that would be.
 il. But. say what I would, or m friends for me, I must not go off. was long debated, and by all concluded that I could no more keep the king (i he had 8 mind to go) than bird in pound. Yet I must continue m charge.
 12 But truly I conceive, both the gen eral officers and q am sure) myself di much rely upon his majesty's engage n1ent. His majesty was pleased freel to promise me (when I waited upo him at New Market) that he would no go from me till h first gave me warn | ing.
 '13. When he came to Wobourn, ob serving my guards, he told me, Colone
 Whalley, your guards are strong. Bu l do you think you could keep me if