Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	john_n	sir_n	town_n	15,511	5	7.6738	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77400	A briefe and true relation of the seige [sic] and surrendering of Kings Lyn to the Earle of Manchester.		1643 (1643)	Wing B4536; Thomason E67_28; ESTC R1949	6,856	9

A briefe and true RELATION OF THE Seige and Surrendering of Kings Lyn To the Earle of MANCHESTER KIngs Lyn is seated upon an arme of the sea which washes one side of its it hath surrounding the other side one small part excepted a large water fed from the aforesaid arme it s of an indifferent height the parts about being commanded by it being rich Marshes through which passeth at the tides the salt water It had been for a good while cunningly Fortifying it selfe under pretence of Neutrality and when at any time the Parliament upon their miscariages questioned them or required any thing to be done by them they still refused and by degrees appeared more and more for the other party against the Parliament The Earle of Manchester being made Major Generall of the Associated Counties thought it most necessary to secure that back-doore which being so convenient an inlet to the enemy might divert him when he should advance with his powers towards the North for the freeing of Lincolneshire and other parts from the miseries they suffer by the enemy it was much disputed whether it were not better to proceed by blocking up rather then to take it by force the Towne being of that strength that no ordinary power could take it had they that which was fit for defence but it was at last resolved to attempt it by force and for that purpose it was thought good to seize the Towne of old Lyn which is in Marshland which by a party of my Lords Forces was accordingly done and Ordnance planted which kept the Towne in continuall Alarmes and did so terrifie the people with their shot and Granadoes that they durst hardly abide in any of their houses that were towards that side the shot flying daily into the houses in the Tuesday market place and other places the Towne was approched in severall other places two of which were on the side next to the mote the one by the Causey that leades to the South the other to the East gate The enemy at the first sallied out with much courage especially from the East gate and at once fired two houses in Gauwood intending to have done so to the whole Towne that our forces might not Quarter in there but the party that sallied out was well beaten and the rest of the towne preserved though the inhabitants were not worthy of such a favour who fled all away up on the approach of our Forces all things being put in order we called in pioneers from all parts round and fell to breaking ground and by degrees bad brought our approaches within halfe Musket shot yet were we little the neerer the gaining the towne thereby onely the better inabled to batter their walls gates and Forts a little before the towne was yeilded we discovered a hill of firme ground that was neer to that end of the towne next the sea which we had begun to forme into a battery which would have so annoyed them that they would not have knowne where to have been secure and by which a breach might have been made but this also gave us no great hopes of entrance they making up as fast as we should have beaten downe therefore we recalled in many Boats with which we intended to attache it by water and many cart loads of Ladders which we intended for the land side during this hot service we lost about four men one a Canoneer who was shot through the side with a drake bullet he was not dead when the Towne was taken but it was no likelyhood but he would he was a good Canoneer and a man right to his party we had one shot with a buller through the shoulder neer the necke and one Lieutenant had his arme shot off on which he died suddenly after it was with a Cannon shot through a Port-hole so skilfull were they that they would shoot three times together into one Port-hole In this violent playing with Cannon and small shot we beleeve above eighty lost their lives on both sides which is the rather added because people enquire usually how many were killed as if they loved to heare of killing of men and also to rectifie the Judgements of men who will be apt to credit a story of three four or five thousand men slaine at such a Siege and such a Siege its true storming and entring breaches usually wast men but we were not come to this when it was resolved and declared on Saturday morning to storme we hapily received a letter the Friday morning importing a villingnesse in the Towne to capitulate which they said and its like truly they did not send as fearing the taking the Town but to avoid the effusion of bloud My Lord having before advised them to send their women and children out of the Towne which he did for the same reason This Treaty was accepted and eight persons for the Towne and eight for my Lord appoined to Treat at Ganwood at the Quarter of that valiant and pious Scot Serjeant Major Hoames and to begin at five of the clocke on Friday night which being done order was given upon paine of death that none should shoot a shot or worke upon their Works during the time of the Treaty which was inviolably kept on my Lords part The Commissioners for my Lord Manchester were Sir John Pagrave Colonell Russell Colonell Walton Master Philip Calthrop Master John Pickering Master Gregory Gosset Master John Spilman and Master William Good Those for the Towne were Sir Hammon le Strange Sir Richard Hovill Master Clinch Master Dearham Master Pallet Recorder Master Hudson he Mayor elect Master Leeke and Master kerbie when they were come they had no power to treat nor to determine which being demanded the reason of they answered that they intended onely to draw things to a head and to have them ratified by the Mayor at a Common-Hall as for a Commission from his Majestie inabling any to be Governour or to fortifie the Towne there was none produced it was beleeved one of the Commissioners had one but he did not shew it there was therefore a dispatch made to the Mayor who gave it them The Demands of these Gentlemen was to this effect That in regard the Towne of Kings Lyn had a government by Charter from the Kings of England and was not an offender in any thing they therefore desired to be left in their former state onely fortifications demolished and to have free egresse and regresse as formerly They desired also that all houses lands and estates be left to pay taxes by distresse onely where it was to be had and persons of men to be free that the ships goods and personal lestates taken to be restored or satisfaction that all strangers come into the towne be set at liberty that the aspersion of Delinquencie or Malignancie be abolished and that the Earle of Manchester grant Protections to them that desire them My Lord Manchesters Commissioners replied That they had offended for they had

night would not permit but in the morning it should be done which satisfied the Colonell for we saw they vvere perfectly subdued and their spirits as to opposition quite gone If it shall be further enquired why or vvhat should be the reason this towne of so great strength should yeeld to so small a power it is answred first the inhabitants vvere such as had not been asccustomed to vvar and were much frighted by the Granadoes though to speake truth there vvas some defect in them so that they did little only falling among a timerous people Secondly they had no souldiers but inhabitants and of them not many fighters but chiefely for this reason they knew my Lord was noble made up of love and meeknesse that conditions vvould be performed their trade and markets open a garrison vvould spend money among them and if they held out they should it was like lose many of their lives and be blockt up by sea and land if not taken and their estates at last become a prey to the conquerour there is one other question or rather an exception to be answered vvhich as vve understood in the Army vvas that the Londoners tooke exceptions that my Lord sate downe before the Towne For answer to this though it be a sad thing that accounts must be given to those that understand not the affaires of War nor vvhom it so much concerned as the associated Counties yet thus much may be said my Lord thought action vvould have pleased them because they complaine so for want of action and besides to reduce a towne to obedience that they traded vvith and the holding out of it so much prejudice to them should rather have put them upon his encouragement then finding fault Besides he hopes shortly to be in Lincolnshire and to drive the enemy out thence vvhich he could not have done that towne not secured and if God prosper his honour as vvell there as in this late action he shall cleare the Countries make way for the Londoners increase of trade and accommodation vvith provisions for the City Lincolnshire being one of their best magazines for the belly We thus possest of the Towne the next morning about nine of the clock his Lordship marched from his head quarter with his life guard a brave Troope commanded by that valiant Gentleman Captaine Rich and divers Knights and Gentlemen being come into the Towne be repaired to the Sermon where one of his Chaplaines preached to give God thankes for his happy and peaceable entry the Ministers both in fore and afternoone bonding their discourses that way and indeed God was seen exceedingly in the businesse and so much the more as the arme of flesh was weak they laboured also to possesse the people of a blessing to them and to that purpose gave many cleer instances too large to be here inserted whether the people thought so or not did not appear but they will suddenly finde it so my Lord hath his Quarter at Alderman Tolls a Member of the House of Commons who was so roughly dealt with in the time of the Siege that he was constrained to make an escape out at a window into the arme of the sea his house being guarded in all parts else by Musketiers many others returned that had fled out of the Towne who were hapily again possest of their dwellings though with great diminution of their estates which to repaire it were good some course were taken for there is nothing more reasonable then that those that forsake all for the Cause should be satisfied in point of dammage Colonell Waltor hath for the present the Government of the towne thus we see how providence orders he that was lately lockt up for three daies and three nights at Oxford in a poore chamber without food is now Govern our of as great and strong a towne as Oxford in which service he will doubtlesse behave himselfe so well that the towne shall not have cause to complaine and will be able to say that at the delivery of his charge which was said by Master Ash at the evening Sermon after the entring the towne that he was confident notwithstanding the entrance was in the dead of the night yet a halfe penny worth of wrong had not been done to any in the towne The first resolution taken for the better and more orderly government of the Souldiers and content of the people was to have every morning at eight a clocke a Sermon which was to be performed by the Ministers of the Towne and my Lords Chaplaines which will undoubtedly keepe a good Harmony betweene them And thus briefely you have the most materiall passages past in the Service the next thing to be done is the dismissing the Gentlemen Strangers seizing of Armes and what by Articles was to be delivered setling the Garrison that so the place being secured his Lordship may advance Take one observation more the Towne of Lyn may be made as strong a place as any in the world with a little charge and so there is a retiring place for the fearfull that have thoughts of departing the Kingdome it were not amisse to call all that are gone thither and let them pay excise there towards our war rather then the wars of others Let all who apprehend the gaining this Towne a good piece of service to the State give the noble Earle of Manchester his due praise and God the glory This is Licenced and Entered into the Hall Booke according to Order Printed by G. Bishop and R. White