A Life of Anthony Ashley Cooper Author:William Dougal Christie Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. Excerpt from book: Section 3CHAPTER III. 1644—1658. Retrospect of public affairs—The war in the West—Sir A. A. Cooper goes into Dorsetshire for the Parliament, July 1644—Appointed to act with the army as Field ... more »Marshal General—Taking of Wureham— Made one of the Dorsetshire Committee for the army—Allowed to compound for his estates with a fine textit{of 5001. —Appointed Commander- in-chief of the Parliament's forces in Dorsetshire, October 1644— Takes Abbotsbury by storm—Narratives by himself and by one of his officers of storming of Abbotsbury—Takes Sturminster and Shaftes- bury— Instructions of Dorsetshire Committee—Cooper's notes on the military condition in Dorsetshire, Wiltshire and Somersetshire, November 1644—Letter from Colonel Butler—Want of money— Cooper relieves Blake besieged at Taunton, December—Cooper's letter to Essex on relief of Taunton—Siege of Corfe Castle, 1645— Endeavours unsuccessfully to gain admission into the House of Commons on his former petition, September 1645—Self-denying Ordinance—Termination of Cooper's military service—High Sheriff of Wiltshire for the Parliament, 1647—Cooper's Diary, 1646-50— Story of his advice to Holies to be forbearing with Cromwell— Selections from Diary—Execution of Charles the First—Death of Cooper's wife—His second marriage with daughter of Earl of Exeter —Snbscril es the engagement and is a commissioner for administering it—Appointed member of the Commission for reforming the' laws, January 1652—House of Commons absolve him from all delinquency, March 1653. Sir Anthony Ashley Coopek was far advanced in his twenty-third year when, after some ten months' service on the King's side, he went over to that of the Parliament. Here, as in other parts of Dryden's sketch of his history in "The Medal," the satirist's animosity has outrun accuracy:— " A martial hero first with e...« less