heraldryofyorkmi01custuoft

THE HOTHAMS.
195
An excellent French scholar, he acted the part of a sea- sick Frenchman
so admirably that the crew were entirely deceived, and left him to himself
while they carefully guarded the other. On reaching Hull he told one of
the guards in broken English that he desired to speak to the governor, as
he could disclose some secrets relative to the King and Queen. Hotham
received him in the presence of a large company, and, in spite of his own
knowledge of French, and of many of those around him having only lately
come from France, he was quite deceived by Lord Digby's voluble statements
of the French service and his experiences therein.
At length he asked for a private interview, to which Hotham, afraid
of assassination, demurred ; but he withdrew with him into a large bay
window, where they would be out of earshot. To his surprise, the supposed
Frenchman asked him in good English if he knew him. Sir John said
" No."
" Then," replied Lord Digby,
" I will try whether I know Sir John
" Hotham, and whether he be the man of honour I take him to be," and
at once revealed himself to him. Hotham, taken aback and apprehensive
lest the others should discover him, accepted the confidence reposed in him.
Postponing further communication for the present, he called the guard
and ordered them to take the prisoner away to safe keeping. Then, turning to
the company, he said that the Frenchman was a shrewd fellow, and understood
more of the Queen's counsels and designs than any could suspect,
though he had not as yet elicited such clear information as he hoped in
a few days to send to the Parliament.
The result of a secret interview next day was that Lord Digby
skilfully wormed himself into Hotham's confidence, painted such an
exaggerated picture of the Royal cause, the certainty of its
speedy
triumph, the honours in store for its friends, the destruction of its
enemies, and so worked on Hotham's fears and ambition, that he consented
to give Lord Digby a free pass to York, where he could assure the King that
if he would only appear before Hull with one regiment he would, after
sufficient show of resistance to save his reputation, open the gates. But
his subordinates proved very ill disposed to favour such a purpose,
specially his son and
; though Charles came to Beverley, Digby found the
governor, on his next secret interview, less sanguine. Eventually Sir John
abandoned the plan, and acted with increased activity against the Royalists,
sending out his son to ravage the country, until encountered and defeated
by Sir Thomas Glemham on the wolds above Malton, he was forced to
retreat. But again sallying out with him, he committed terrible devastations
in Lincolnshire and Yorkshire.
However, another influence arose from his own side, for the Parliament,
feeling that there ought to be a commander-in-chief in the north, sent down
Lord Fairfax, and thus virtually superseded Hotham, who resented this as a