Базовый курс английского языка - Эккерсли К.Э.
ISBN 5-7871-0174-X
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And in this long struggle one of the most decisive moments came in the seventeenth century. It was during this period that the political parties as we know them today began to take shape. Charles I was on the throne. His portrait, painted by Van Dyck, has given us a vivid impression of his handsome face with its sad, thoughtful eyes, his kingly manner and his charm. We know that as a man he was admirable, sincerely religious, a faithful husband and a loving father. As a king he was dishonourable, and untrustworthy. He was brought up to believe in the "Divine Right of Kings", and hated the idea of a Parliament, believing that its only purpose was to vote the money that he thought necessary. To get the money he lightly gave any promise that Parliament asked for, and just as lightly broke that word of honour. Time and again he was trusted and time and again he was false to that trust, until it was forced on the people that no promise that he gave was of any value. At last, when Charles entered the House of Commons itself with the intention of arresting the five men who were the leaders of the party that opposed him, people realized that if freedom and truth and justice were to live at all there was no other choice but to resist him by force.
The actual fighting in the Civil War broke out in 1642. At first the tide of battle went completely against the Parliamentary forces, and they were hopelessly defeated in almost every battle. It was natural that they should be. The majority of the country landowners and the
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wealthy men, most of whom had been trained in arms and had weapons and horses, supported Charles. He had, too, skilful leaders like Prince Rupert of the Rhine; he had all the gay, pleasure-loving, fashionable gentlemen of England, the Cavaliers as they were called, on his side. The Royalists were far more attractive than the Parliamentarians. They had learning, courtesy and good manners. They loved poetry and music and art.
The Parliamentarians were mostly Puritans, men who wanted a simpler and plainer form of religion, and, among the extremists at least, only too often this showed itself in an actual dislike of the beautiful merely because it was beautiful. It led them to destroy pictures, the lovely stained-glass windows of churches and often the churches themselves.
The Puritans, too, bore the outward signs of their beliefs; their dress was plain and dull in coloring; their hair was cut close, their faces were habitually sour. To them all pleasures, even the most innocent, were sinful things. They scorned learning and art; they were bitterly intolerant of the opinions of their enemies and the pleasures of their friends.
But-on the other side of the picture-they had a courage that no defeats could crush; they had a religious faith that inspired every act of their lives. For them God was a living, daily reality But courage and religious faith alone are not enough to win battles. Leadership
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and training are necessary too, and it was the hour-the darkest hour for Parliamentary forces-that brought the man, Oliver Cromwell.
Cromwell was a country gentleman, a farmer, with no desire to be known in the world. He had wanted to leave England and find a new home in America where he would be free to worship as he wished, but the king had forbidden him to leave England. He had been in Parliament, a rough, ungraceful figure, unskilful as a speaker but known for his strength of character and his deep sincerity and religious feeling. Cromwell saw that if the Parliament army was to be victorious it must not only be as fearless and as full of faith in its own cause as the Cavaliers were in theirs, but it must be as well trained as Charles's army-and, if possible, better trained.
He went to the eastern counties and gathered soldiers there, men specially picked for their courage, strength, horsemanship and religious feeling. He said: "A few honest men are better than numbers. If you choose good, honest men to be captains of horse, honest men will follow them." He trained his men in complete obedience, filled them with the desire to fight for freedom, Parliament and religion, combining the spiritual and the practical as in his famous order: "Trust in God; and keep your powder dry."
Then when they were ready he led them into battle, and on that day his army-the Ironsides as they came to be known-did not give way. For the first time the Cavaliers had been held.
Several battles were won by Parliamentarians, and finally at Naseby, 1645, the king's forces were completely defeated.
Cromwell was now leader of the whole Parliamentary forces; the king's army was scattered and the king himself was in flight. Seeing that his cause was lost, he gave himself up, and was imprisoned. Finally he was brought to trial in London for having made war on his people and for being an enemy of his country. He was found guilty and sentenced to death. At his trial he behaved nobly and firmly, refusing to defend himself before a court which, he said, had no power to try him, and he received the death sentence with a calm courage.
