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Whereupon the earl, seeing all things thus going to wreck, he sent his horse away, and retreated with his foot into York, making all necessary preparations for a vigorous defence there, in case he should be attacked, which he was pretty sure of, as indeed afterwards happened. York was in a very good posture of defence: the fortifications very regular, and exceeding strong; well furnished with provisions, and had now a garrison of twelve thousand men in it. The governor, under the Earl of Newcastle, was Sir Thomas Glemham, a good soldier, and a gentleman of great courage. The Scots, as I have said, having taken Durham, Tynemouth Castle, and Sunderland, and being joined by Sir Thomas Fairfax, who had taken Selby, resolved, with their united strength, to besiege York; but when they came to view the city, and saw a plan of the works, and had intelligence of the strength of the garrison, they sent expresses to Manchester and Cromwell for help, who came on and joined them with nine thousand, making together about thirty thousand

men.

The Earl of Newcastle's repeated messengers had now convinced the king that it was absolutely necessary to send some forces to his assistance, or else all would be lost in the north. Whereupon Prince Rupert was detached with orders, || first to go into Lancashire, and relieve Latham || House, defended by the brave Countess of Derby; and then, taking all the forces he could collect in Cheshire, Lancashire, and Yorkshire, to march to relieve York.

The prince marched from Oxford with but three regiments of horse, and one of dragoons, making in all about two thousand eight hundred men. The colonels of horse were Goring, Biron, and myself; the dragoons were commanded by Colonel Smith.

In our march we were joined by a regiment of horse from Banbury, one of dragoons from Bristol, and three regiments of horse from Chester, who, having been at the siege of Nantwich, were obliged to raise the siege by Sir Thomas Fairfax; and the foot having yielded, the horse made good their retreat to Chester, being about two thousand, of whom three regiments now joined us.

We received also two thousand foot from West-Chester, and two thousand more out of Wales, and with this strength we entered Lancashire. We had not much time to spend, and a great deal of work to do.

Bolton and Liverpool felt the first fury of the prince: at Bolton, indeed, he had some provocation, for here we were like to be beaten off. When first the prince came to Bolton, he sent a summons to demand the town for the king, but received no answer but from their guns, commanding the messenger to keep off at his peril.

They had raised some works about the town; and having by their intelligence learned that we had no artillery, and were only a flying party, so they called us, they contemned the summons, and showed themselves upon their ramparts ready for us. The prince was resolved to humble them, if possible, and took up his quarters close to the town.

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In the evening he ordered me to advance with one regiment of dragoons, and my horse to bring ||

them off, if occasion was, and to post myself as near as possibly I could to the lines, yet so as not to be discovered; and at the same time having concluded what part of the works to fall upon, he drew up his men on two other sides, as if he would storm them there, and on a signal I was to begin the real assault on my side with my dragoons.

I had got so near the town with my dragoons, making them creep upon their bellies a great way, that we could hear the soldiers talk on the walls, when the prince, believing one regiment would be too few, sent me word that he had ordered a regiment of foot to help, and that I should not discover myself till they were come up to me. This broke our measures; for the march of this regiment was discovered by the enemy, and they took the alarm.

Upon this I sent to the prince to desire he would put off the storm for that night, and I would answer for it the next day; but the prince was impatient, and sent orders we should fall on as soon as the foot came up to us. The foot, marching out of the way, missed us, and fell in with a road that leads to another part of the town, and not being able to find us, made an attack upon the town themselves; but the defendants, being ready for them, received them very warmly, and beat them off with great loss.

I was at a loss now what to do; for 'hearing the guns, and by the noise knowing it was an assault upon the town, I was very uneasy to have my share in it; but as I had learned under the King of Sweden punctually to adhere to the execution of orders, and my orders being to lie still till the foot came up with me, I would not have stirred if I had been sure to have done ever so much service; but, however, to satisfy myself, I sent to the prince to let him know that I continued in the same place, expecting the foot, and none being yet come up, I desired further orders.

The prince was greatly amazed at this, and, finding there must be some mistake, came galloping away in the dark to the place, and drew off the men, which was no hard matter, for they were willing enough to give it over.

The prince ordered me to come off so privately as not to be discovered, if possible, which I effectually did; and so we were disappointed for that night. The next day the prince fell on upon another quarter with three regiments of foot, but was beaten off with loss, and the like a third time.

At last the prince, resolving to carry it, doubled his numbers, and renewing the attack with fresh men, the foot entered the town over their works, killing, in the first heat of the action, all that came in their way; some of the foot, at the same time, letting in the horse; and so the town was entirely won. There were about six hundred of the enemy killed, and we lost four hundred in all, which was owing to the foolish mistakes we made. Our men got some plunder here which the parliament made a great noise about; but it was their due, and they bought it dear enough.

Liverpool did not cost us so much, nor did we get so much by it, the people having sent their women and children, and best goods, on board

the ships in the road, and as we had no boats to||was his business; it was the enemy's business to board them with, we could not get at them. Here, as at Bolton, the town and fort were taken by storm, and the garrison were many of them cut in pieces, which, by the way, was their own faults.

Our next stop was at Latham house, which the Countess of Derby had gallantly defended above eighteen weeks against the parliament forces; and this lady not only encouraged her men by her cheerful and noble maintenance of them, but by examples of her own undaunted spirit, exposing herself upon the walls in the midst of the enemy's shot, would be with her men in the greatest dangers; and she well deserved our care of her person, for the enemy were prepared to use her very rudely if she had fallen into their hands. (Note 21.)

Upon our approach the enemy drew off; and the prince not only effectually relieved this vigorous lady, but left a good quantity of all sorts of ammunition, three great guns, five hundred arms, and two hundred men, commanded by a major, as her extraordinary guard.

fight; it was his to avoid it, if possible; for, having delivered the city, and put the disgrace of raising the siege upon the enemy, he had nothing further to do but to have waited till he had seen what course the enemy would take, and taken his further measures from their motion.

But the prince, a continual friend to precipitant councils, would hear no advice. I entreated him not to put it to the hazard: I told him that he ought to consider, if he lost the day, he lost the kingdom, and took the crown from off the king's head. I put him in mind that it was impossible those three generals should continue long together; and that if they did, they would not agree long in their councils, which would be as well for us as their separating.

It was plain Manchester and Cromwell must return to the associated counties, who would not suffer them to stay, for fear the king should attempt them; that he could subsist well enough, having York city and river at his back. But the Scots would eat up the country, make themselves odious, and dwindle away to nothing, if he Here the way being now opened, and our would but hold them at bay a little. Other success answering our expectations, several general officers were of the same opinion; but all bodies of foot came into us from Westmore-I could say, or they either, to a man deaf to any land and from Cumberland; and here it was thing but his own courage, signified little. He that the prince found means to surprise the would draw out and fight; there was no pertown of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, which was reco-suading him to the contrary, unless a man would vered for the king by the management of the run the risk of being upbraided with being a mayor of the town, and some loyal gentlemen of coward, and afraid of the work. the county, and a garrison placed there again for the king.

But our main design being the relief of York, the prince advanced that way apace, his army still increasing; and being joined by the Lord Goring from Rutlandshire with four thousand horse, which were the same the Earl of Newcastle had sent away when he threw himself into York with the infantry, we were now eighteen thousand effective men, of which ten thousand were horse and dragoons; so the prince, full of hopes, and his men in good heart, boldly marched directly for York.

The Scots, as much surprised at the taking of Newcastle as at the coming of their enemy, began to inquire which way they should get home, if they should be beaten; and calling a council of war, they all agreed to raise the siege. The prince, who drew with him a great train of carriages, charged with provision and ammunition for the relief of the city, like a wary general, kept at a distance from the enemy, and fetching a great compass about, brought all safe into the city, and entered York with all his army.

No action of the whole war would have gained the prince so much honour, or the king's affairs so much advantage, had the prince but restrained his courage after this, and checked his fatal eagerness for fighting. Here was a siege raised, the reputation of the enemy justly slurred, a city relieved, and furnished with all things necessary, in the face of an army superior in number by near ten thousand men, and commanded by a triumvirate of those veteran generals, Leven, Fairfax, and Manchester.

The enemy's army lay on a large common, called Marston Moor, doubtful what to do: some were for fighting the prince; the Scots were against it, being uneasy at having the garrison of Newcastle at their backs; but the prince brought their councils of war to a result, for he let them know they must fight him whether they would or not; for the prince being, as before, eighteen thousand men strong, and the Earl of Newcastle having joined him with eight thousand foot out of the city, were marched in quest of the enemy, had entered the moor in view of their army, and began to draw up in order of battle; but night coming on, the armies only viewed each other at a distance for that time.

We lay all night upon our arms, and with the first of the day were in order of battle: the enemy was getting ready; but part of Manchester's men were not in the field, but lay about three miles off, and made a hasty march to come up. (Note 22.)

Prince Rupert's army was exceedingly well managed: he himself commanded the left, the Earl of Newcastle the right wing; and Lord Goring, as general of the foot, assisted by Major. General Porter and Sir Charles Lucas, led the main battle.

I had prevailed with the prince, according to the method of the King of Sweden, to place some small bodies of musketeers in the intervals of his horse in the left wing, but could not prevail upon the Earl of Newcastle to do it in the right, which he afterwards repented.

In this posture we stood facing the enemy, ex pecting they would advance to us, which at las Had the prince but remembered the proceed-they did; and the prince began the day by saluting of the great Duke of Parma at the relief of ing them with his artillery, which, being we Paris, he would have seen the relieving the city placed, galled them terribly for a quarter of an

hour; they could not shift their front, so they advanced hastily to get within our great guns, and consequently out of their danger, which brought the fire the sooner on.

The enemy's army was ordered thus:-Sir Thomas Fairfax had the right wing, in which was the Scotch horse, and the horse of his own and his father's army; Cromwell led the left wing with his own and the Earl of Manchester's horse; and the three generals, Lesley, old Fairfax, and Manchester, led the main battle.

The prince, with our left wing, fell on first, and, with his usual fury, broke, like a clap of thunder, into the right wing of the Scotch horse, led by Sir Thomas Fairfax; and, as nothing could stand in his way, he broke through and through, and entirely routed them, pursuing them quite out of the field.

Sir Thomas Fairfax, with a regiment of lancers, and about five hundred of his own horse, made good the ground for some time; but our musketeers, which, as I said, were so placed, were such an unlooked-for sort of an article in a fight among the horse, that those lancers, which otherwise were brave fellows, were mowed down with their shot, and all was put into confusion.

Sir Thomas Fairfax was wounded in the face, his brother killed, and a great slaughter was made of the Scots, to whom, I confess, we showed no favour.

While this was doing on our left, Lord Goring, with the main battle, charged the enemy's foot, and particularly one brigade, commanded by MajorGeneral Porter, being mostly pikemen, charged with that fury in a close body of pikes, that they overturned all that came in their way, and, breaking into the middle of the enemy's foot, filled all with terror and confusion, insomuch that the three generals, thinking all had been lost, fled, and quitted the field.

But matters went not so well with that always unfortunate gentleman, the Earl of Newcastle, and our right wing of horse, for Cromwell charged him with a powerful body of horse; and though the earl and those about him did what men could do, and behaved themselves with all possible gallantry, yet there was no withstanding Cromwell's horse; but, like Prince Rupert, they bore down all before them: and now the victory was wrung out of our hands by our own gross miscarriage; for the prince, as it was his custom, too eager in the chase of the enemy, was gone, and could not be heard of.

The foot in the centre, the right wing of the horse being routed by Cromwell, was left, and without the guard of his horse; Cromwell having routed the Earl of Newcastle, and beaten him quite out of the field, and Sir Thomas Fairfax rallying his dispersed troops, they fell all together upon the foot.

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General Lord Goring, like himself, fought like a lion; but, forsaken by his horse, was hemmed in on all sides, and overthrown; and an hour after this, the prince returning too late to recover his friends, was obliged, with the rest, to quit the field to conquerers.

This was a fatal day to the king's affairs, and the risk too much for any man in his senses to We lost four thousand men on the spot, three thousand prisoners, amongst whom was Sir

run.

Charles Lucas, Major-General Porter, MajorGeneral Telier, and about one hundred and seventy gentlemen of quality. We lost all our baggage, twenty-five pieces of cannon, three hundred carriages, one hundred and fifty barrels of powder, and ten thousand arms.

The prince got into York with the Earl of Newcastle and a great many gentlemen, and seven or eight thousand of the men, as well horse as foot.

I had but very coarse treatment in this battle, for, returning with the prince from the pursuit of the right wing, and finding all lost, I halted with some other officers to consider what to do. At first we were for making our retreat in a body, and might have done so well enough, if we had known what had happened, before we saw ourselves in the middle of the enemy, for Sir Thomas Fairfax, who had got together his scattered troops, and joined by some of the left wing, knowing who we were, charged us with great fury.

It was not a time to think of anything but getting away, or dying upon the spot. The prince kept on in the front, and Sir Thomas Fairfax, by this charge, cut off about three regiments of us from our body; but, bending his main strength at the prince, left us, as it were, behind him in the middle of the field of battle. We took this for the only opportunity we could have to get off, and, joining together, we made across the place of battle in as good order as we could, with our carbines presented.

In this posture we passed by several bodies of the enemy's foot, who stood with their pikes charged to keep us off; but they had no occasion, for we had no design to meddle with them, but to get from them. Thus we made a swift march, and thought ourselves pretty secure; but our work was not done yet, for on a sudden we saw ourselves under a necessity of fighting our way through a great body of Manchester's horse, who came galloping upon us over the moor. They had, as we suppose, been pursuing some of our broken troops which were fled before, and, seeing us, they gave us a home charge.

We received them as well as we could, but pushed to get through them, which at last we did with a considerable loss even to them. However, we had so many men either killed or separated from us, for all could not follow the same way, that of our three regiments we could not be above four hundred horse together when we got quite clear, and these were mixed men, some of one troop and regiment, some of another.

Not that I believe many of us were killed in the last attack, for we had plainly the better of the enemy, but our design being to get off, some shifted for themselves one way, and some another, in the best manner they could, and as their several fortunes guided them. Four hundred more of this body, as I afterwards understood, having broke through the enemy's body another way, kept together and got into Pontefract Castle, and three hundred more made northward and to Skippon, where the prince afterwards

fetched them off.

Those few of us that were left together with whom I was, being now pretty clear of pursuit, halted and began to inquire who we were, and what we should do; and, on a short debate, I

proposed we should make to the first garrison of the king's that we could recover, and that we should keep together, lest the country people should insult us upon the roads. With this resolution we pushed on westward for Lancashire; but our misfortunes were not yet at an end-we travelled very hard, and got to a village upon the river Wharf, near Wetherby.

At Wetherby there was a bridge-but we understood that a party from Leeds had secured the town and the post, in order to stop the flyng cavaliers, and that it would be very hard to get through there, though, as we understood afterwards, there were no soldiers there, but a guard of the townsmen. In this dilemma we consulted what course to take-to stay where we were till morning, we all concluded would not be safe; some advised to take the stream with our horses, but the river being deep, and the current strong, seemed to bid us have a care what we did of that kind, especially in the night.

Here we intended to refresh ourselves and our horses, but were terribly disappointed, therefore we resolved to go on till we should come to a ford or bridge, where we might get over. Some guides we had, but they either were foolish or false, for after we had ridden eight or nine miles they plunged us into a river at a place they called a ford, but it was a very bad one; and though our horses swam, yet seven or eight were lost, but, however, we saved the men, and we all got

over.

We made bold with our first convenience to trespass upon the country for a few horses, where we could find them, to remount our men whose horses were drowned, and continued our march; but being obliged to refresh ourselves at a small village on the edge of Branham Moor, we found the country alarmed by our taking some horses, and we were no sooner mounted in the morning, and entering on the moor, but we understood we were pursued by a troop of horse.

There was no remedy but we must pass this moor; and though our horses were exceedingly tired, yet we pressed on upon a round trot, and recovered an enclosed country on the other side, where we halted.

And here, necessity putting us upon it, we were obliged to look out for more horses, for several of our men were dismounted, and others had their horses disabled by carrying double, those who had lost their horses by getting up behind them; but we were supplied by our enemies against their will. The enemy followed us over the moor, and we having a woody enclosed country about us, where we were, I observed by their moving they had lost sight of us, upon which I proposed concealing ourselves till we might judge of their numbers. We did so, and lying close in a wood, they passed hastily by us, without skirting or searching the wood, which was what, on another occasion, they

would not have done.

I found they were not above one hundred and fifty horse, and considering that to let them go before us would be to alarm the country and stop our design, I thought, since we might be able to Ideal with them, we should not meet with a better place for it, and told the rest of our officers my mind, which all our party presently, for we had not time for a long debate, agreed to.

Immediately upon this I caused two men to fire their pistols in the wood, at two different places, as far asunder as I could. This I did t give them an alarm, and amuse them, for, being in the lane, they would otherwise have got through before we had been ready, and I resolved! to engage them there as soon as it was possible.

After this alarm we rushed out of the wood with about one hundred horse, and charged them on the flank in a broad lane, the wood being on their right. Our passage into the lane being narrow, gave us some difficulty in our getting out; but the surprise of the charge did our work; for the enemy, thinking we had been a mile or two before, had not the least thought of this onset till they heard us in the wood, and then they who were before could not come back.

We broke into the lane just in the middle of them, and by that means divided them; and. facing to the left, charged the rear. First our dismounted men, which were near fifty, lined the edge of the wood, and fired with their carbines upon those which were before, so warmly, that they put them into great disorder.

Meanwhile fifty more of our horse from the further part of the wood showed themselves in the lane upon their front; this put the foremost party into a great perplexity, and they began to face about, to fall upon us who were engaged in the rear; but their facing about in a lane where there was no room to wheel, as one who understands the manner of wheeling a troop of horse must imagine, put them into great disorder.

Our party in the head of the lane, taking the advantage of this mistake of the enemy, charged in upon them, and routed them entirely. Some found means to break into the enclosures on the other side of the lane, and got away. About thirty were killed, and about twenty-five made prisoners, and forty very good horses were taken all this while not a man of ours was lost, and not above seven or eight wounded.

Those in the rear behaved themselves better for they stood our charge with a great deal ef resolution, and all we could do could not break them; but at last our men who had fired o foot through the hedges at the other party, com ing to do the like here, there was no standing it any longer. The rear of them faced about, retreated out of the lane, and drew up in the open field to receive and rally their fellows.

We killed about seventeen of them, and fol. lowed them to the end of the lane, but had no mind to have any more fighting than needs must; our condition at that time not making it proper, the towns round us being all in the ene my's hands, and the country but indifferently pleased with us; however, we stood facing them till they thought fit to march away.

Thus we were supplied with horses enough to remount our men, and pursued our first design of getting into Lancashire. As for our prisoners, we let them go off on foot.

The country being by this time alarmed, and the rout of our army everywhere known, foresaw abundance of difficulties before us; we were not strong enough to venture into y great towns, and we were too many to be co cealed in small ones. Upon this we resolved to halt in a great wood, about three miles beyond

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OF A CAVALIER.

the place where we had the last skirmish, and
sent out scouts to discover the country, and to
learn what they could, either of the enemy or of
our friends.

Anybody may suppose we had but indifferent
quarters here, either for ourselves or for our
horses; but, however, we made shift to lie here
two days and one night.

In the interim I took upon me, with two more,
We were
to go to Leeds to learn some news.
disguised like country ploughmen; the clothes
we got at a farmer's house, which for that odd
occasion we plundered. I cannot say no blood
was shed in a manner too rash, and which I would
not have done at any other time; but our case
was desperate, and the people too surly, and
shot at us out of their windows, wounded one
man and shot a horse, which we counted as great
a loss to us as a man, for our safety depended
upon our horses.

Here we got clothes of all sorts enough for
both sexes, and thus dressing myself up like a
peasant, with a white cap on my head, and a
fork on my shoulder, and one of my comrades in
the farmer's wife's russet gown and petticoat,
like a woman; the other with an old crutch like
a lame man, and all mounted on such horses as
we had taken the day before from the country,
away we went for Leeds, by three several ways,
and agreed to meet upon the bridge.

My pretended countrywoman, who was to pass for my wife, seemed easy in her dress, as did also the cripple, though they were both gentlemen of good quality of the Earl of Worcester's family; but I thought myself very awkward in mine, which made me very shy, especially among the soldiers. We passed their sentinels and guards at Leeds undiscovered, and put up our horses at several houses in the town, from whence we went up and down to make our remarks.

My cripple was the fittest to go among the soldiers, because there was less danger of his being pressed: there he informed himself of the matters of war, particularly that the enemy sat down again to the siege of York: that flying parties were in pursuit of the cavaliers; and there he heard that five hundred horse of Lord Manchester's had followed a party of cavaliers over Branham moor; and that, entering a lane, the cavaliers, who were a thousand strong, fell upon them, and killed them all but about fifty.

This, though it was an untruth, was very pleasant to us to hear, knowing it was our party, because of the other part of the story, which was thus; that the cavaliers had taken possession of such a wood, where they rallied all the troops of their flying army; that they had plundered the country as they came, taking all the horses they could get; that they had plun dered goodman Thompson's house, which was the farmer I mentioned, and killed man, woman, and child; and that they were about two thousand strong.

My other friend in woman's clothes got among the good wives at the inn where she set up her horse, and there she heard the same sad and dreadful tidings; and that this party was so strong, none of the neighbouring garrisons durst stir out; but that they had sent expresses to

York for a party of horse to come to their as-
sistance,

I walked up and down the town, but fancied myself so ill disguised, and so easy to be known, that I cared not to talk with anybody. We met at the bridge exactly at our time, and compared our intelligence, found it answered our end of coming, and that we had nothing to do but to get back to our men; but my cripple told me he would not stir till he bought some victuals; so away he hopped with his crutch, and bought four or five great pieces of bacon, as many of hung beef, and two or three loaves; and borrowing a sack at the inn, which he never returned, he loaded his horse, and, getting a large leather bottle, he filled it with aqua-vitæ instead of small beer, as did my woman comrade the same.

I was uneasy in my mind, and took no care but to get out of the town; however, we all came off well enough; but 'twas well that I had no provisions with me, as you will presently

hear.

We came, as I said, into the town by several ways, and so we went out; but about three miles from the town we met again exactly where we had agreed: I being about a quarter of a mile from the rest, met three country fellows on horseback; one had a long pole on his shoulder, another a fork, the third no weapon at all that I saw. I gave them the road very orderly, being habited like one of their brethren; but one of them stopping short and looking earnestly at me, called out in a broad north-country tone, "Hark thee, friend, whar hast thou thilk horse?"

I confess I was in some confusion, neither being able to answer the question nor to speak in his tone; so I behaved as if I had not heard him, and went on.

Upon this the clown immediately came up to me, and taking hold of my horse's bridle, said, "Na, but ye's not gang soa;" at which, vexed that I could not talk to the fellow in his own dialect, I reached him a knock on the pate with my fork, which brought him from his horse, and then began to mend my pace; the other clowns, though they knew not what the fellow wanted, pursued me, and finding they had better heels than I, I saw there was no remedy but to make use of my hands and faced about.

The first that came up with me was he that had no weapon, so I thought I might parley with him, and speaking as country-like as I could, I asked him what he wanted.

"Thou'st knaw that soon, and Ise but come at thee."

I immediately replied, "Then keep awa, mon, or Ise brain thee."

By this time the third man came up, and the parley ended; for he gave me no words, but laid at me with his long pole, and that with such fury that I began to be doubtful of him.

Though I had pistols under my grey' frock, I was loath to shoot the fellow, as well for that the noise of a pistol might bring more people in, the village being in our rear; and also be

cause

I could not imagine what the fellow meant, or would have; but at last finding he would be too many for me with that long wea

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