CHARLES   I.  299

When  two  names  so  sacred  in  the  English  constitution
as  those  of  King  and  Parliament  were  set  in  opposition,
it  is  no  wonder  that  the  people,  divided  in  their  choice,
were  agitated  with  the  most  violent  animosities  and  fac-
tions. The  nobility  and  more  considerable  gentry,  dread-
ing a  total  subversion  of  order,  generally  enlisted  them-
selves in  defence  of  the  king ;  while  most  of  the  corpora-
tions, as  being  republican  in  their  principles  of  government,
took  part  with  the  parliament.  ,

Never  was  a  quarrel  more  unequal,  than  seemed  at  first
that  between  the  contending  parties  ;  almost  every  advan-
tage lay  on  the  side  of  the  parliament,  which  had  seized
the  king's  revenues,  and  converted  the  supplies  to  their
own  use,;  and  the  torrent  of  general  affection  ran  also  to
the  parliament.  The  king's  adherents  were  stigmatized
with  the  epithets  of  wicked  and  malignant ;  while  their
adversaries  were  denominated  the  godly  and  well-affected.
The  low  condition  in  which  the  king  appeared  at  Not-
tingham, where  his  infantry,  besides  the  trained  bands  of
the  county,  did  not  exceed  three  hundred,  and  his  cavalry
eight  hundred,  confirmed  the  contempt  of  the  parliament.
Their  forces,  stationed  at  Northampton,  consisted  of  above
six  thousand  men,  well  armed  and  appointed ;  and  had
these  troops  advanced  upon  the  king,  they  must  soon  have
dissipated  the  small  force  which  Charles  had  assembled ;
but  it  was  probably  hoped,  that  the  royalists,  sensible  of
their  feeble  condition,  and  slender  resources,  would  dis-
perse of  themselves,  and  leave  their  adversaries  a  blood-
less victory.
