|
Gentleman's Magazine 1840 part p.402
weak body, not much addicted to those pleasures which young
gentlemen commonly accustom themselves to. His genius led
him most to ye repairing of his houses, and bringing his
estate into some better order than he found it, for he paid
many debts which his father left upon it, and endeavoured to
stock his grounds, thereby to bring his revenue to ye hight
from which, in the time of his Wardship, it was much fallen.
About ye space of seven years following, hee lived in this
sort, suitable to his quality and fortune," - at Hartley
Castle, as Justice of the Peace and Quorum in ye Counties of
Cumberland and Westmorland."
Subsequently he was made a Deputy Lieutenant, an office of
far greater importance than at present, inasmuch as it was
not devolved on many persons, and actually incurred the
duties of the Lord Lieutenant, during his absence.
In 1644 Sir Philip Musgrave was, by the Marquess of
Newcastle, made Commander-in-chief of the two counties of
Cumberland and Westmorland. At the battle of Rowton-Moor
(where the Earl of Lichfield was slain) he was among the
prisoners taken by the victorious Parliamentarians. After a
few months imprisonment at York and Pontefract castles, he
was again actively engaged in the royal cause, until all was
lost.
Ye next day after ye King was put to death, hee left London,
went to Dover, and staying a few hours, shiped himself to
France and landed safely at Calice ye next morning. There he
found Sr Marmaduke Langdale, and stayed with him six weeks;
in which time ye English Parliament voted him to be one of
ye eleven persons excepted for their lives and estates. Of
this number ye young King and his brother ye Duke of York
were named ye two first."
In 1650 the King, then at Breda, signed a warrant for the
title and dignity of a Baron, to be conferred on Sir Philip
Musgrave, (which warrant is appended to this publication,)
but this never passed the great seal. Shortly after, he
accompanied the King to Scotland, and was present at his
coronation at Scone. He was hardly ever at rest even during
the Protectorate, being engaged in most of the attempts made
for the restoration of his sovereign. He sufferd various
imprisonments; but, on the whole, appears to have been
fortunate in the leniency of his treatment from the regnant
authorities, chiefly through the interference of his
kinsman, Lord Wharton.
"Then came ye actions of ye once great Lambert, who rebelled
against the thing yt called itself a Parliament, and wch he
and his souldiers had owned by yt title, yet turned ym out
of ye honor, and did appoint a certain number of men which
were stiled a Committee of Safety to do as he would have ym,
until, when he was at Newcastle, and upon his march toward
Scotland, against Genl Monk, God put a hook in his
nostrills, and turned him back by the way yt he came, untill
his men, without feeling yr blow or seeing ye face of an
enemy, dropt away from him like snow melting wth ye summer
heat."
This is, we think, on the whole, the most eloquent passage
with which the worthy family chaplain has favoured us. His
composition cannot be termed exceedingly entertaining, for
the writer is a very matter-of-fact person, detailing his
events in a dry circumstantial style. But when we say that
his narrative is full of exact particulars of the
occurrences in the north of England, particularly during the
eventful period of the civil war, and that great reliance
may be placed on their authenticity and precision, it will
be allowed that Mr. Jefferson has done good service in
giving it to the world; only, to secure its utility, he
should have added an Index to the persons and places which
occur in such abundance.
Sometimes the names have not been carefully printed. The
Earl of Lanerick in p.12 and Lord Laurick in
p.14, both mean one person; and who is he? The Earl of
Clewland in p.18 should be Cleveland. Barclif,
p.27, is previously Racliff.
The narrative is continued to near the time of the good old
cavalier's death, which occurred in 1678, at the age of
seventy. A very beautiful letter is appended, written to his
wife when under arrest at Carlisle in 1655, under imminent
danger of his life.
|