Charles Stuart, his aiders and abettors, guilty of high treason. All
correspondence with him was forbidden under the penalty of death; it was
ordered that all persons known or suspected of attachment to his cause
should be placed in custody, or confined to their own houses; and the
militia of several counties, "tried and godly people," were called forth,
and marched towards the expected scene of action.[1] But Charles had to
contend not only with the activity of his enemies, but with the fanaticism
of his followers. The Presbyterians of Lancashire had promised to rise,
and Massey, a distinguished officer of that persuasion, was sent before to
organize the levy; but the committee of the kirk forbade him to employ any
man who had not taken the covenant; and, though Charles annulled their
order, the English ministers insisted that it should be obeyed. Massey
remained after the army had passed, and was joined by the earl of Derby,
with sixty horse and two hundred and sixty foot, from the Isle of Man. A
conference was held at Wigan; but reasoning and entreaty were employed in
vain; the ministers insisted that all the Catholics who had been enrolled
should be dismissed; and that the salvation of the kingdom should be
entrusted to the elect of God, who had taken the covenant. In the mean
while Cromwell had despatched Colonel Lilburne, with his

[Footnote 1: Journals, Aug. 12.]

[Sidenote a: A.D. 1651. August 11.]
[Sidenote b: A.D. 1651. August 25.]

regiment of horse, into the county, and ordered reinforcements to join him
from Yorkshire and Cheshire. Derby, with the concurrence of the royalists
in Manchester, undertook to surprise Lilburne in his quarters near that
town, but was himself surprised by Lilburne, who marched on the same day[a]
to observe the earl's motions. They met unexpectedly in the lane leading