ABSTRACT
The stumbling blocks to an agreement were so huge that it took months of agonizing negotiation, together with the Cromwellian triumph in Ireland, finally to surmount them. Following another four weeks of playing cat and mouse with Leslie west of Edinburgh Cromwell was forced to withdraw to Dunbar. His council of war now gave all its attention to the desperate question of how to get back to England alive. It was short work for the Ironsides to cut through these demoralized men. If we can believe English reports Cromwell did not lose more than 20 men. It was reported that royalists rejoiced at the news of Dunbar. The next stage followed hard on the heels of the first: at the beginning of April parliament asked Charles to take command of the army. The policy is an attempt to safeguard the revolution in England by exporting some elements of it to Scotland.
