I was obliged to walk about all Night which proved very cold by reason of a sharp Frost Towards Morning our Army having received a Reinforcement of Colonel Hampden's and several other Regiments to the number of about four thousand Men who had not been able to join us sooner was drawn up and about Day-light we saw the Enemy upon the top of the Hill so that we had time to bury our Dead and theirs too if we thought fit That Day was spent in sending Trumpeters to enquire whether such as were missing on both sides were killed or Prisoners Those of ours taken by the Enemy were the Lord St. Johns who was mortally wounded and declared at his Death a full Satisfaction and Cheerfulness to lay down his Life in so good a Cause Colonel Walton a Member of Parliament and Captain Austin an eminent Merchant in London of whom the last died through the hard Usage he received in the Goal at Oxford to which he was committed It was observed that the greatest Slaughter on our side was of such as ran away and on the Enemy's side of those that stood of whom I saw about threescore lie within the compass of threescore Yards upon the Ground whereon that Brigade fought in which the King's Standard was We took Prisoners the Earl of Lindsey General of the King's Army who died of his Wounds Sir Edward Stradling and Colonel Lunsford who were sent to Warwick-Castle That Night the Country brought in some Provisions but when I got Meat I could scarce eat it my Jaws for want of use having almost lost their natural Faculty Our Army was now refreshed and Masters of the Field and having received such a considerable Addition of Strength as I mentioned before we hoped that we should have pursued the Enemy who were marching off as fast as they could leaving only some Troops to face us upon the top of the Hill but instead of that for what reason I know not we marched to Warwick of which the Enemy having notice sent out a Party of Horse under Prince Rupert who on Tuesday Night fell into the Town of Keinton where our sick and wounded Souldiers lay and after they had cruelly murdered many of them returned to their Army The King as if Master of the Field marched to Banbury and summoned it and tho about a thousand of our Men were in the Town yet pretending it not to be sufficiently provided for a Siege they surrendred it to him From thence the King went to Oxford and our Army after some Refreshment at Warwick returned to London not like Men that had obtained a Victory but as if they had been beaten The Parliament ordered them to be recruited and about the same time sent to the King who was advanced with part of his Army to Maidenhead or thereabouts to assure him of their earnest Desire to prevent the effusion of more Blood and to procure a right Understanding between his Majesty and Them The King in his Answer which was brought by Sir Peter Killegrew professed to desire nothing more and that he would leave no means unattempred for the effecting thereof Upon which Answer the Parliament thought themselves secure at least against any sudden Attempt But the very next day the King taking the advantage of a very thick Mist marched his Army within half a Mile of Brentford before he was discovered designing to surprize our Train of Artillery which was then at Hammersmith the Parliament and City which he had certainly done if two Regiments of Foot and a small Party of Horse that lay at Brentford had not with unspeakable Courage opposed his Passage and stopt the March of his Army most part of the Afternoon During which time the Army that lay quarter'd in and about London drew together which some of them and particularly the Life-Guard had opportunity the sooner to do being at that very time drawn into Chelsey-Fields to muster where they heard the Vollies of Shot that passed between the Enemy and our little Party the Dispute continued for some Hours till our Men were encompassed quite round with Horse and Foot and then being over-power'd with Numbers on every side many brave and gallant Men having lost their Lives upon the Place the rest chusing rather to commit themselves to the Mercy of the Water than to those who were engaged in so treacherous a Design leap'd into the River where many Officers and private Souldiers were drowned and some taken Prisoners However the Enemies Design was by this means defeated and they discouraged from any farther Attempt that Night The Parliament also were alarm'd in such a manner with the Danger and Treachery of this Enterprize that they used all possible Diligence to bring their Forces together so that by eight of the Clock the next Morning we had a Body of twenty thousand Horse and Foot drawn up upon Turnham-green a Mile on this side Brentford Those of ours also that lay at Kingston were marching to us by the way of London The Enemy drew out a Party of theirs towards the Hill at Acton which we attacked and forced to retire in Disorder to their main Body And here again in the opinion of many judicious Persons we lost as at Edge-hill before a favourable opportunity of engaging the Enemy with great Advantage our Numbers exceeding theirs and their Reputation being utterly lost in the last Attempt But the Earl of Holland and others pretending to encourage our Army by their Presence made use of their time to disswade the Earl of Essex from fighting till the rest of our Forces arrived magnifying the Power of the Enemy to him and thereby giving them an opportunity to draw off their Forces and Artillery towards Kingston which they did as sast as they could leaving only a body of Horse to face us between the two Brentfords the rest having secured themselves by a timely Retreat Upon this Party some of our great Guns guarded by a Regiment of Foot were towards the Evening ordered to be fired The like Guard was drawn up in the High-ways to secure our Foot from any Attempt of Horse that might be made upon them which some Great Men who pretended a Resolution to fight in that Troop blamed charging the Advisers thereof with Rashness in hazarding them in such a Pound where they must inevitably be cut off if the Enemy should advance upon them But I fear this great care was only counterfeit and that those Persons well knew the Enemy to be in a flying and not in a charging Condition as it quickly appeared for our Cannon no sooner began to play upon them but they retired to the main Body of their Army the Rear of which had by that time recovered Hounslow-heath The Enemy took up their Head-quarters at Kingston where by the advantage of the Bridg over the Thames they hoped to be able tho inferiour in Number to defend themselves against a more numerous Army if they should be attacked and to put in execution
sitting in Council there having not quite lost the Affections of English-men took the examination of that Affair into their hands and suspended Smith from the execution of his Office till he should give Satisfaction concerning those things of which he was accused They committed the Management of the Place to one Thorp and sent some of their own Number to enquire concerning our Usage In the mean time Smith came to me by Order and offered me the liberty of the Town and to lodg where I pleased therein upon my Parole to be a true Prisoner but demanding of him whether in case I accepted his Offer I might have the liberty to visit my Friends in the Castle when I thought fit and he answering that it would not be allowed I chose rather to be confined with my Friends than at liberty with my Enemies The Lord Arundel endeavouring to make good his Promise of procuring my Exchange for his two Sons earnestly solicited the King to it but tho he had been a great Sufferer for his Service the King positively refused to grant his Request telling him he had no use of Children The Lady Byron came to me and desired me to procure her Husband who was Prisoner in the Tower to be exchanged for me and carried a Letter from me to my Mother then at London about it who soliciting the Earl of Essex our General to that effect was desired by him not to trouble her self any more therein assuring her that he would be as careful of me as if I were his own Son A Person from Sir Edward Stradling came also to me in order to an Exchange between us telling me that the King had promised that nothing of that nature should be done before Sir Edward Stradling and Col. Lunsford were exchanged The Lord Willmot sent a Gentleman to acquaint me that he had procured a Grant from the King that I should be exchanged for Sir Hugh Pollard and that if I would write a Letter to the Earl of Essex with the Proposal he would send it by a Trumpeter but I judging this Exchange to be very unequal Sir Hugh being a Person much esteemed for his Interest and Experience proposed in my Letter to the Lord General that he would put some other Person with me into the Balance against him Whilst I was in expectation of the General 's Answer we received Advice that most of our Foot that lay before Newark commanded by Sir John Meldrum a worthy Scots-man were defeated and made Prisoners by Prince Rupert But this Loss was in some measure recompensed by a Victory obtained at Cherington in Hampshire by our Forces commanded by Sir William Waller against those of the King commanded by Sir Ralph Hopton The Numbers on each side were very near equal and the Success had been doubtful for the most part of the day but at last the Enemy was totally routed and put to flight And had good use been made of this Victory the Controversy had soon been decided in the West but we were not yet so happy to improve our Advantages by which Negligence we got little more than the Field and the Reputation of the Victory tho the Enemy lost some of their principal Officers in the Fight amongst whom were the Lord John Brother to the Duke of Lennox Sir Edward Stawell Col. Richard Manning formerly mentioned and that Smith who had been knighted by the King for rescuing his Standard out of the hands of Mr. Chambers Secretary to the Earl of Essex This Fight at Cherington happened on the 29 th of March 1644. about a Fortnight after the Surrender of Warder-Castle till which time had I been able to keep it I should have been relieved The Enemies Officers came to the Castle at Oxford to solicit the Prisoners to take Arms under them but finding their Endeavours to prove ineffectual they soon desisted from that Attempt After three Weeks Confinement here my Exchange was agreed the Lord General Essex expressing much Generosity and Readiness in it as he had promised to my Mother for lest the King should be reminded of his Promise to Sir Edward Stradling and Col. Lunsford or of that to my Lord Willmot in favour of Sir Hugh Pollard and so on either hand the design of my Liberty come to be obstructed he consented to the Exchange of all the three for Col. Houghton Sir John Savil Capt. Abercromy and my self Col. Henley went off also with us being exchanged for Lieutenant Colonel Robert Sandys I was led blindfold through the City of Oxford till I had passed their Works and the next day arrived at London where I found the Earl of Essex disposed to an Exchange for my Officers and Souldiers which was soon after made and with them for Mr. Balsum whom he entertained as his Chaplain to the time of his Death He expressed a great Desire to provide me with a Command in his Army but the Parliament upon the Instances of the Gentlemen that served for the County of Wilts having appointed me Sheriff thereof upon an Invitation of Sir Arthur Haslerig to be Major of his Regiment of Horse in Sir William Waller's Army which was designed for the Service of the West I accepted of it and mounted the choicest of my old Souldiers with me Sir Arthur buying a hundred Horse in Smithfield for that purpose the rest of my Men the Lord General took into his own Company As soon as my Troop was compleated and furnished with all things necessary I repaired to the Regiment then with Sir William Waller near Abingdon who was directed by the Parliament with his Army to block up the King at Oxford on one side whilst the Earl of Essex should do the same on the other Which Storm the Queen foreseeing withdrew to Exeter where she was delivered of a Daughter which she leaving in the Custody of the Lady Dalkeith returned to France as well to secure her self as to solicit for Supplies In the mean time the King breaking out from Oxford marched towards Worcestershire upon which the Earl of Essex commanded Sir William Waller to march after him whilst he himself with his Army marched westward This Order seemed very strange to the Parliament and to most of us being likely to break Sir William Waller's Army which consisted for the most part of Western Gentlemen who hop'd thereby to have been enabled to secure the Country and to promote the Publick Service The Parliament sent to the Lord General to observe his former Orders and to attend the King's Motions but he sending them a short Answer continued his March West in which he took Weymouth and relieved Lyme that had endured a long Siege and with the Assistance of the Seamen tho their Works were inconsiderable had often repulsed the Enemy and killed great numbers of them in several Sallies that they made upon them A Party commanded by Sir Robert Pye was ordered to Taunton which he reduced to the Obedience of the Parliament Upon the Advance of the
him without excuse if he should depart from it They ordered also an Act to be brought in for settling two thousand Pounds per annum on the Lord Deputy Ireton the News of which being brought over was so unacceptable to him that he said They had many just Debts which he desired they would pay before they made any such Presents that he had no need of their Land and therefore would not have it and that he should be more contented to see them doing the Service of the Nation than so liberal in disposing of the Publick Treasure And truly I believe he was in earnest for as he was always careful to husband those things that belonged to the State to the best Advantage so was he most liberal in employing his own Purse and Person in the Publick Service Our Battery being now in order and the Regiments that were appointed to storm disposed to their several Posts we began to fire directing all our Shot to one particular part of the Wall wherein we made such a Breach that the Enemy not daring to run any farther Hazard beat a Parley and soon came to a Resolution to surrender upon the Articles we had offered before delivering up the East-gate of the out-Town which was separated by a River having a Draw-bridg over it from the other Town The Deputy ordered all the Arms and Ammunition to be carefully preserved and the Souldiers who were not of the Town to be drawn up between the Place and our Army that such as desired it might have Convoys to conduct them to their respective Parties and that those who would return to their Habitatious might have Passes granted to that effect The Governour Col. Hugh O Neal met the Deputy at the Gate where he presented him with the Keys of the City and gave order for the marching out of the Souldiers who were not Townsmen according to the Articles They were in number about two thousand five hundred Men. As they were marching out two or three of them fell down dead of the Plague Several of them also lay unburied in the Church-yard The Governour waited on the Deputy to shew him the Stores of Arms Ammunition and Provisions which were sufficient to have lasted near three Months longer He shewed him also the Fortifications and whatsoever else he desired of him withal acquainting him that nine or ten of those who were excepted from the Benefit of the Articles had surrendred themselves to his Mercy and were waiting his Orders in a certain House which he named Upon which the Deputy commanded a Guard to be set upon them and committed the Governour also to their Custody The Bishop of Emmene and Major General Purcel with Wolf the Priest were taken in the Pest-house where they had hid themselves Jeffery Barrow and Sir Geoffrey Galloway surrendred themselves Two days after the Delivery of the Town the Mayor came to the Place of Worship where our Court of Guard was met and whether by his Words or Actions he gave cause of Suspicion I cannot tell but they seized him and upon Examination found who he was whereupon they committed him to Prison The Bishop of Limerick was the only Person excepted that was yet undiscovered but we afterwards understood him to be one of a more peaceable Spirit than the rest A Court Martial was assembled and the Bishop of Emmene with Major General Purcel required to acquaint them if they had any thing to say why they should not die according to the Sentence passed upon them The Bishop said that having many Sins to confess he desired time to prepare himself to that purpose which was granted Major General Purcel fell upon his Knees and begged earnestly for his Life but that was denied This poor Man was of so low a Spirit that wanting Courage at the time of his Execution he stood in need of two Musqueteers to support him The Bishop died with more Resolution and Wolf the Priest was also executed The Governour and Jeffrey Barrow were also condemned to die but the Deputy resolving to hear them demanded of the Governour what he had to say for himself who answered that the War had been long on foot before he came over that he came upon the Invitation of his Country-men that he had always demeaned himself as a fair Enemy and that the ground of his Exception from the Articles being his encouraging to hold out tho there was no hope of Relief was not applicable to him who had always moved them to a timely Surrender as indeed he made it appear and therefore hoped that he should enjoy the Benefit of the Articles in confidence of which he had faithfully delivered up the Keys of the Town with all the Arms Ammunition and Provisions without Embezlement and his own Person also to the Deputy But the Blood formerly shed at Clonmel where this Col. O Neal was Governour had made such an Impression on the Deputy that his Judgment which was of great weight with the Court moved them a second time to vote him to die tho some of us earnestly opposed it for the Reasons before mentioned by himself and because whatsoever he had been guilty of before had no relation to these Articles which did not at all exempt him from being called to an account by the Civil Magistrate for the same The Court having passed Sentence of Death a second time against him the Deputy who was now entirely freed from his former manner of adhering to his own Opinion which had been observed to be his greatest Infirmity observing some of the Officers to be unsatisfied with this Judgment referred it again to the Consideration of the Court who by their third Vote consented to save his Lise Jeffrey Barrow having the same Question put to him with the rest answered that it was not just to exclude him from Mercy because he had been engaged in the same Cause as we pretended to sight for which was for the Liberty and Religion of his Country The Deputy replied That Ireland being a Conquered Country the English Nation might with Justice assert their Right of Conquest That they had been treated by the late Government far beyond their Merits or the Rules of Reason notwithstanding which they had barbarously murdered all the English that fell into their hands robbed them of their Goods which they had gained by their Industry and taken away the Lands which they had purchased with their Money That touching the Point of Religion there was a wide Difference also between us we only contending to preserve our natural Right therein without imposing our Opinions upon other Men whereas they would not be contented unless they might have Power to compel all others to submit to their Impositions upon pain of Death The Council of War looking upon what he had said for himself to be hereby fully refuted adjudged him to die as they did the Mayor also and the Sentence was executed accordingly Limerick being taken it was debated in a Council
Enemy And because the Propositions offered by the late Lord Deputy to those of Galway had been no farther prosecuted by reason of his Death Orders were dispatched to Sir Charles Coote authorizing him to conclude with them in case they should accept the Conditions at or before the ninth of the next January According to their Orders the Officers met at Kilkenny by whom being informed of what they thought necessary for the ensuing Service we acquainted the Parliament and Council of State with the Particulars of such things as were requisite desiring them to send them over with all convenient speed that no time might be lost when the Season of the Year should permit us to take the Field We published two Proclamations to prevent the Country from supplying the Enemy with Arms and other Necessaries wherein drawing a Line as it were about the Irish Quarters we required all Persons to withdraw themselves and their Goods from the places of their resort within a limited time which if they refused to do we declared them Enemies and ordered all Officers and Souldiers to treat them accordingly commanding also all Smiths Armourers and Sadlers that lived in the Country to retire in twenty days with all their Families Forges and Instruments into some Garison of the Parliament on pain of forfeiture of their Goods and Tools besides six months Imprisonment for the first Offence and of Death for the second We ordered also that all those who had withdrawn themselves out of our Protection and joined with the Enemy since the coming over of General Cromwell should be deprived of the benefit of Quarter Having published these and other Orders of the like tenour we appointed the Lord Broghil Commissary General Reynolds Sir Hardress Waller Colonel Axtel and the rest of the Officers to cause them to be put in execution as occasion should require Having finished our Affairs at Kilkenny and dismissed the Officers to their respective Quarters I resolved to go to Portumna to make all things ready for the Siege of Galway Being on my March on the other side of Nenagh an advanced Party found two of the Rebels one of whom was killed by the Guard before I came up to them the other was saved and being brought before me at Portumna and I asking him if he had a mind to be hanged he only answered If you please so insensibly stupid were many of these poor Creatures The Commissioners having done their business in this Place and given Directions for the carrying on the Siege of Galway with Power to treat as before mentioned to Sir Charles Coote we returned to Dublin and at our arrival were informed that the Barony of Bâ—rren relying upon the security of their places of Retreat had refused to pay the Contributions which they had promised upon which Sir Hardress Waller had been obliged to lay the Country waste and to seize what he could find that it might be no longer useful to the Enemy We had advice also from Vlster that some of our Troops had killed and drowned about a hundred and forty Tories who infested that Province with their Robberies The time limited by the Proclamation requiring the Irish to withdraw from the places mentioned therein being expired I marched with a Party of Horse and Foot into the Fastnesses of Wicklo as well to make Examples of such as had not obeyed the Proclamation as to place a Garison there to prevent the Excursions of the Enemy Talbot's Town was the Place I thought fittest for that end which having rendred defensible against any sudden attempt and furnished with all things necessary I marched farther into the Country The next morning I divided my Men into three Parties sending away Colonel Pretty with one of them to his own Quarters lest the Enemy should fall upon them in his absence with the other two we scoured by different ways the Passes and Retreats of the Irish but met not with many of them our Parties being so big that the Irish who had Sentinels placed upon every Hill gave notice of our March to their Friends so that upon our Approach they still fled to their Bogs and Woods When I came to Dundrum a Place lying in the heart of the Enemy's Quarters I perceived the Walls and Roof of an old Church standing wherein I placed Captain Jacob with his Company who was afterwards very serviceable against the Enemy The like Methods being taken by the Lord Broghil Colonel Zanchey Colonel Abbot and other Officers the Irish were reduced to great Extremities About fourscore of the Inhabitants of Galway went privately out of the Town and seizing a hundred Head of Cattel designed to drive them thither but being upon their Return they were met by a Party of ours who killed threescore of them and recovered all the Cattel This Disappointment was attended with another much greater for two Vessels loaden with Corn endeavouring to get into the Harbour of Galway being pursued by two of our Frigats one of them was taken and the other forced upon the Rocks near the Isle of Arran where she was lost The Parliament having received an Account of the hopeful Condition of their Affairs in Ireland and of the great Appearance there was of a speedy Determination of that War appointed a Committee to summon before them those Adventurers who in the Year 1641 had advanced Monies upon the Lands in Ireland The said Persons being met at Grocers-Hall chose twenty eight Deputies to manage the Business with the Committee in the Names of all the rest In conformity to this Proceeding the Commissioners of Parliament in Ireland began to consider of Qualifications and Heads under which the Irish should be brought that the Innocent might be freed from their Fears and Apprehensions that Justice might be done and the Guilty punished according to the different nature of their Crimes Of which the Irish having notice and considering the declining Condition of their Affairs in all Parts sent a Letter directed to the Commissioners of the Parliament of England from the Principal as they called themselves of the Kingdom of Ireland and subscribed by Gerald Fitz-Gerald on the behalf of their Assembly held at Glanmaliero in the Province of Leinster representing That being advised that the Commonwealth of England is in a condition to give honourable and sure Terms to them they are in an entire Disposition to receive them and to that effect desire in the Name of that and the rest of the Provinces a safe Conduct for every one of them with Blanks subscribed to that end that they may impower and send some of their Members to present Propositions to the Commissioners that are or should be authorized to that purpose To this the Commissioners answered in substance That tho the Letter was subscribed by one under the pretext of an Authority which they could not own without prejudice to that of the Parliament yet for the satisfaction of those concerned they thought fit to declare That the Establishment of this