Taking England as a whole, we may say that the southeastern half, that
is, what was then the richest part of England, with London and most of
the other large towns, was against the King, and that the southwestern
half, with most of the North, was for him. (See map opposite.) Each
side made great sacrifices in carrying on the war. The Queen sold her
crown jewels, and the Cavaliers melted down their silver plate to
provide money to pay the King's troops.
On behalf of the People's army Parliament imposed heavy taxes, and
levied now for the first time a duty on domestic products, especially
on ales and liquors, known as the "Excise Tax." Furthermore, it
required each household to fast once a week, and to give the price of
a dinner to support the soldiers who were fighting against the King.
Parliament also passed what was called the "Self-denying Ordinance"
(1644) (repeated in 1645). It required all members who had any civil
or military office to resign, and, as Cromwell seaid, "deny themselves
and their private interests for the public good." The real object of
this measure was to get rid of incompetent commanders, and give the
People's army (soon to be remodeled) the vigorous men that the times
demanded.
With the outbreak of the war great numbers of little local newspapers
sprang into short-lived existence in imitation of the first
publication of that sort, the _Weekly News_, which was issued not
quite twenty years before in the reign of James I (S422). Each of the
rival armies, it is said, carried a printing press with it, and waged
furious battles in type against the other. The whole country was
inundated with floods of pamphlets discussing every conceivable
religious and political question.
444. The "New Model"; Death of John Hampden; the Solemn League and
Covenant (1642-1645).
At the first battle fought, at Edgehill, Warwickshire (1642), Cromwell
saw that the Cavaliers (S442) had the advantage, and told John Hampden
(SS436, 440) that "a set of poor tapsters [drawers of liquor] and town
apprentices would never fight against men of honor." He forthwith
proceeded to organize his regiment of "Ironsides," a "lovely company,"
he said, none of whom swore or gambled.
After the first Self-denying Ordinance was passed (S443), Cromwell and
Fairfax formed a new People's army of "God-fearing men" on the same
pattern, almost all of whom were Independents (S439). This was called
the "New Model" (1645) and was placed under the joint command of the
men who organized it. Very many of its officers were kinsmen of
Cromwell's, and it speedily became the most formidable body of
soldiers of its size in the world,--always ready to preach, pray,
exhort, or fight.[1]
[1] "The common soldiers, as well as the officers, did not only pray
and preach among themselves, but went up into the pulpits in all
churches and preached to the people."--Clarendon, "History of the
Rebellion," Book X, 79.
Meanwhile John Hampden (SS436, 440) had been mortally wounded in a
skirmish at Chalgrove Field, Oxfordshire. His death was a terrible
blow to the parliamentary army fighting in behalf of the rights of the
people.[2]
[2] See Macaulay's "Essay on Hampden." Clarendon says that Hampden's
death produced as great consternation in his party "as if their whole
army had been cut off."
Parliament endeavored to persuade the Scotch to give their aid in the
war against the King. The latter finally agreed to do so (1643) on
condition that Parliament would sign the Solemn League and Covenant
(S438). Parliament signed it, and so made the Scotch Presbyterian
worship the state religion of England and Ireland (1647). In reality
only a small part of the English people accepted it; but the charge
forced a large number of Episcopal clergymen to leave their parishes.