THE ENGLISH CIVIL VVARRS.
BOOK I.
The Contents.
See first a good, then a bad Parliament,
The fatal causes of our discontent,
The two Scotch
expeditions; causes why,
Ireland
's Rebellion, Strafford's
Tragedy,
London
tumultuous: The Kings brave intents
Ireland
for to releive; Hotham
prevents,
By Hulls
denyall; which the King to take
Forces combines: Meldrum
on them doth make
Two Sallies bold: Some Royalists are slain,
The King for York
from Hull
retreats again.
A noble Persons councell, some releife
Contributes to the King, opprest with grief.
SEE! where our
English three Estates do sit,
In Parliament: a Councel onely fit,
Our Nation to secure from bold abuse,
To legal forme, injustice to reduce,
To deleate bad; just laws to procreate,
Publick assignes to guide and regulate,
To act what may conduce to the renown,
Both of the State, Religion, and the Crown;
Englands Epitomie; representation,
My Muse invites, excites to admiration!
Thy noble Senate,
Rome, my wonder was,
Till this high Court their lustre did surpasse,
As fair as
Cynthia that pale Queene of night,
Out-shined is, by
Phoebus glorious light:
If admiration did thy thoughts transport,
From
Rome's Terrestrial to Heavens glorious Court,
Much more,
Fulgentius, might thy ravish'd minde
From this to Heaven's a quick transition finde,
☞ But what malignity, vitious excesse
Is this, a Parliament cannot redresse,
The body politick symptomes presents,
That all these State-Physitians discontents,
A dolorous Corasive we must indure,
These sad distempered Nations to recure:
Whilst head and members do indeed agree,
A Parliament's a Soveraigne remedy
To cure distempers, but if these discent,
Each seemes to move out of their element;
And such a motion must in the conclusion,
(Being irregular) induce confusion.
The hands of food, the belly did deprive,
(As in the fable) but how long survive?
Those most ingrateful members, by and by,
They with the dying belly also dye.
Our Army's sad miscarriages must bee
At
Cades, Rochel, and the Isle of
Rhes,
All charg'd upon the King; when as the State
Themselves made those designes unfortunate,
By not allowing to his Majesty,
Such supplements of Coin, and Souldiery,
To mannage those most excellent designes,
Unto some purpose: when the State declines
The King to second, who can then expect,
That brave attempts, should have a wish'd effect?
Ship-monys, Poles, Taxes, Monopolies,
Illegal Pressures, frequent subsidies,
They charge the King to have without consent,
Impos'd on us, out of his Parliament.
But could our Royal Navies mannag'd bee,
Commerce maintain'd; our Seas from Pyracy
Be kept secure, and all out of no thing?
Crows are not killed with an empty sling,
Or may not Kings? when as the exigent
Of state requires, without a Parliament,
Impose such monies, without all abuse,
Upon their subjects, for such Soveraign use?
If not, then farewell Crown, and Royalty,
Who would not rather a Plebeian bee?
But peace, as yet these things seem'd to represse,
Which did prepose a vulgar happinesse,
Till Vengeance eminent, Celestial Ire,
Enflam'd three kingdomes in the fatal fire
Of Warre: for blood these raging flames to quench
Bright
English Swords, brave
English veines must drench
Nothing but blood, dolorous Phlebotomie,
Can cure poor
England of this Lethargie,
Hot was the Zeal (too hot for to be good)
That must be quench'd with so much Christian blood.
☞ The King now presseth a Conformity,
In
Scotland, to our
English Liturgy,
Intent all his three Kingdomes to combine,
In Uniformity of Discipline,
Holding that Prelacy doth most agree,
Both with the Scriptures and Antiquity;
For in our
English Sphere even then did shine,
Such Prelates Orthodox, truely Divine,
Whose learned works like blossoms redolent,
Sweetly respire, an odoriferous sent;
And if my genius real truth inspire,
Their worths ensuing ages shall admire.
That the Kings Order might acceptance finde,
Some Scottish Bishops also are design'd
For Privy Councellors: But detestation
Of Prelacy posses'd the Scottish Nation,
Shall their Presbytery now be substituted?
To Prelacy the cause not pre-disputed?
This
Dagon ne're their Altars shall infest,
Their combin'd Synods boldly do Protest,
This Liturgy much Popery did comprize,
And did the Romish Missals sympathize,
Boldly (though falsely) do the
Scots relate,
And with our Bishops thus expostulate,
Shall Romish Missals have their tolleration?
And Scotch Presbytery totall extirpation,
Papists, than
Calvinists lesse odious be,
Rome, than
Geneva to proud Prelacy.
In audience of their Commons, Kirk, Estates,
The King a Scotish Bishop imperates
At
Edenborough this Book for to repeat,
☞ With zealous fury: Furious zeal repleat.
The
Scots avow their general disaffections,
By barbarous tumults; furious insurrections,
Had not the Bishop's heels been his redresse,
He sure had dy'd in that tumultuous presse.
And that their zeal rebellious might appear,
They rise in Armes, then covenant and swear
Presbytery to defend, even with their blood:
When as his Majesty this understood,
(With this affront so high, who could dispence?)
He vengeance doth avow in consequence,
Upon the Rebells Prelacy disdaining,
And this his Liturgies non-entertaining.
Then to defend himself, and them to fright
Into subjection, rather than to fight.
The King doth a defensive Army raise,
Yet both by messages and wise delayes,
Their furious zeal the King thought to allay,
And their Ring-leaders curbe some other way,
Then by the dint of Sword: but the more milde
They finde the King, the
Scots grow far more wilde
Impudent, fierce, seditious, arrogant!
What can induce such Zealots to recant?
But
England's ease, and peace here terminates,
Recluded are those Iron-Temple Gates,
Of
Janus; angry
Jove by frequent Thunder,
Foretold those discontents that rent asunder
This Monarchy: Hell's impious furies rage,
Prodigious blazing-Comets, Starres, presage,
England's sad fate, Arm'd Chivalry appear,
Pransing upon the Clouds in full carrear,
And huge Battalions of Arm'd Infantry,
Marshal'd on the Etherial Canopy
Of Heaven; with beating Drums, Colours displai'd
And roaring Cannons, seeme for to invade
Each other: Tragedy, Murther, Blood, Dearth,
Declare Heaven's vengeance to rebellious Earth;
Abortive, monsterous births of every kind,
Are to presage the rage of Heaven design'd,
Sea-monsters with innumerable swarmes
Of Fishes; bids
England now prepare for Armes,
All Creatures our sad destinies disclose,
Sounding Alarm's unto our future woes,
But though
Pandora from her Box do vent,
All the curs'd Symptomes of dire discontent.
To
England her ensuing miseries,
Though Heaven, sea, land, and all things trumpetise
Yet all cannot extract a just remorse,
From
England, her lov'd sins, for to divorce,
Mens hearts obdure, impure, impenitent,
Impious, Seditious, proud, malevolent,
No Rethorick from such crimes can men perswade
Ruine-portending Judgements to evade.
☞ Now Beat our English Drums, for Volunteers
Royal Commissions, to our Nobles, Peers,
Are given, to raise great forces in all parts,
Kings oft mens hands command, when not their hearts
To
York in
April these Commanders bring,
This gallant Army to attend the King,
Who there designes them
Scotland to invade
And
Arundel's their Captain-General made.
☞ For
Scotland now it's no time to recant,
They vow for to maintain their Covenant
Against the King, National devastation,
Kirk-Disciplines intended alteration,
Against proud Prelates, and the Kings design
They now profess they did, and will combine,
That their rebellion might it self discry
Yet further; these their Frontiers Fortify,
Leavy more Forces to defend their Land,
Which
Alexander Lesley doth command,
And to prevent the entrance of the King,
Lesley to
Kelsay doth his forces bring,
From
York with display'd Colours, beating Drums,
To
Barwick now the English Army comes,
Where first the prospect of the
Scots white Tents,
Bold opposition to the King presents.
For
Carlile are design'd some Regiments;
Whose in-rodes
Lesley's vigillance prevents;
Having a party there in readinesse,
All such attempts expected to represse,
Finding the
Scots to fight thus resolute,
With words, not Swords, the cause they'l now dispute
Our Grandees courage this doth much abate,
No hopes Presbytery, to Episcopate.
The River
Tweed these Armies did divide,
Who in their Quarters quietly recide,
For some few months, and then strong Obligations
Of Peace, concluded are betwixt the Nations.
Both Armies to retreat and be disbanded,
Are by the Generals of both parts commanded;
☞ But while the King for
London's retrograde,
The
Scots their faithlesse faith again betray'd,
And in their words an
odium is discry'd,
Unto that League confirm'd, pre-ratifi'd.
Nor would the
Scots their Forces now disband,
But sleight the League, the Peace, the King's Command
So much for their own ends, and by-respects,
Scots faith upon advantages reflects.
New Articles they feigne wherein the King,
So low in condiscentions they do bring,
As never Monarch would (though quite subdu'd)
On such dishonourable rearms conclude.
Which when the King receiv'd, and read, said hee,
Because my Forces all disbanded bee
Will they abuse mee thus; can they pretend
That wee, to these base tearms would condiscend?
No said the King:
London to'th'
Tower is sent,
Who did these forged Articles present;
All Copies of which forg'd Pacification,
The common Hangman burns; new preparation
For
Scotland's made: The King with new supplies
Edenborough and
Dun-Brittan fortifies,
Those Scottish Merchants that in
England Trade,
Their Covenant for to abjure are made.
The King having his Army new recruted,
His Captain-general
Strafford is deputed,
The
Scots their march For
England do direct,
Strafford's advance at
Barwick to expect,
His Excellence now in the
North arriv'd,
This was the first designe by him contriv'd,
That
Holland should passe
Tweed, and there discry
The Scotish Camp, number, Artillery,
Who their Vant-guard on
Dunsian hills espyes,
Back with his Troopes for
England then he flies,
As though his Lordship with a panick fear,
Had been surpriz'd to see the
Scots so near,
The
Scots their Camp dislodge, march thorow
Tweed
The English Force retreat, and do receed,
The
Scot Northumber-land; Strafford's design
Is to fight
Lesley on the banks of
Tine;
The
Scots for
Newburne streight direct their course
Discover, Charge, and Rout the English Horse,
After which running Charge, flying dispute,
Through
Tine, the
Scot imboldned, makes pursute,
After our English dispers'd Regiments,
Rumours of Conquests are of large extents,
New-Castle is deserted, whose wide Barrs,
Stand open to the Scottish Conquerers,
The Newcastilians can the
Scots allow,
In prospect of their walls to randevow,
Their Drums they beat, their Colours they display,
Their Trumpets sound; the Tryumphs of that day
To celebrate; with Scottish Levites sweet,
Thy ecchoing walls,
New-Castle they do greet,
The Army drawn to a form circular,
The General in the mid'st 'gan to declare,
In Scottish Rhethorick; learned Oratory;
This speech ensuing, to augment their glory.
☞ Fellows in Armes, brave martialists combin'd
England to conquer; Men by fate design'd,
For better Climes then
Scotland can afford,
Fair
England, England, on your hearts record,
As your debenters for past misery,
As your reward for future gallantry,
Each Loune shall have a Lady for his prize,
Each Loune and Clowne
England will Gentelize,
Your Bonnets shall be chang'd to Beavers brave,
For louzy gray, of Scarlet Cloaks yee's have,
For Broangs, my Rooges, ye shall ha Boots most neat
For Plads, bra Lads, ye shall ha Sutes compleat,
For Cottages of Sods, Halls of square stone,
And Lord it bravely, rule the roast alone,
See, these wide gates, do our approach expect,
As though they did our conquering Troops affect,
Wee shall get riches, honours,
Englands goods,
View these bra Towns, fields fertle, christal floods
Our Scottish
Frith, equallity disclaims,
To
Northern Tine, much more to
Southern Thames.
Here are some Lads the
Germaine wars ha seen,
And in those sharpe encounters parties been,
Who can as well, even as my sell record,
Those sad vastations by the furious Sword,
This English warr's a Theater for play,
Face but the Louns, they'l span their gates away.
This first Encounter doth good fate presage,
The vanquish'd scarce with victors will engage.
Hermaphrodites, virago's feminine,
Cannot dispence with Martial Discipline,
English effeminate, Pudding-fed Lads,
Ken not the muckle worth obscur'd in Plads,
Warres, vigills, Famins, tumults, frights, alarms,
Will scar the Louns from dalliance, Ladies armes,
The muckle hardlinesse that warres comprize,
Will soon these English Louns anatomize.
Fresh-water Souldiers, milk-sops cannot fight,
Our very looks them daunt; shroudly affright,
On then, let's prosecute our conquering Fates,
Delay breeds danger: Cow-hearts animates,
Warres practise courage breeds, exempts dismay,
Though now they quake to hear our Muskets play.
☞ From
Bishoprick our Forces make recession,
Now wholly yeelded to the
Scots possession,
In general our Grandees the Warres decline,
As private favorites of the
Scots design,
But future blood-shed, ruine to prevent,
Both Armys to a treaty now consent,
First they conclude for two months, Armes cessation
To pay the
Scots the prefix'd times duration;
North-humber, Dure-holme, Carlile, Westmore-Land
Are all resign'd unto the
Scot's command,
For Winter-Quarters; Private wrongs, abuse
Must not infringe the pre-concluded Truce,
During the Peace in
England. Merchandize,
By sea and land the
Scots may exercize,
But Souldiers without Order, leave expresse,
Must not from Quarters, wander or digresse.
Thus rests the Armys, and thus Warres surce ase,
Better than Warre, (though just) is impious Peace
This may encourage others to Rebell,
When as the
Scots rewarded are so well;
The Scottish League, by this time, doth expire
Paid, and reduc'd, their forces home retire;
London the King incontinent forsakes,
And into
Scotland streight himself betakes,
Not one auspicious look these
Scots would cast,
Upon their King, as he their Armies pas'd.
Yet the Kings presence, in the Scottish State,
Did their tumultuous madnesse much abate.
☞ Whilst here the King resides
Ireland Rebels,
And puts in practise those Hell-stamped spells,
Plots Jesuitical: by barbarous death,
Poor Protestants for to deprive of breath,
Inhumane Tyrannies, deadly perswasions,
Licentious rage, bloody insinuations,
Infused are by numerous distribution,
Into the Multitude, in execution;
These bloody Plots to put joyntly conjur'd,
To such attempts,
Romes Locusts are inur'd;
Two hundred thousand Protestants there dye,
As sacrifices to
Romes Tyranny,
A Prologue to that Tragedy whose rage,
Must be enacted on our English Stage.
Phoebus th'Autumnal Equinoctial Line,
Towards the Pole Antartick did decline,
The sable Queen of the black-mantled night,
Had fill'd her Semi-globe with borrowed light,
And now to
Thetis lap precipitate,
Darknesse gave way these facts to perpetrate,
Darknesse, the works of darknesse to contrive,
Gave way: yet did poor Protestants deprive
Of all resistance; whom by multitudes,
That mid-night in the night of death includes,
Murther, death, rapine, barbarous butchery,
A confus'd, dismal, hideous mid-night-cry,
Did fill th' affrighted slumbering peoples ears;
Fire from the burning Villages appears,
With it's aspiring flames daring the sky,
Whole familys of naked people flie
Thinking those scorching flames for to prevent,
Meet death, in the contrary Element,
And are by thousands into waters forc'd,
Whose souls and bodyes soon are there divorc'd,
☞ Whilst man and wife, securely arme in arme,
Lye flumbering, clear devoid of thoughts of harm,
A confus'd noyse them both doth terrifie,
Listning, at length, they plainly do discry,
The pitious plaints of poor injured wights,
This from their sleep (though last) them both affrights,
Up starts the man, opening the Casement wide,
The Country round about on fire he spi'd,
The naked people that came running by,
Cry'd, Neighbour rise, flye for your life, oh! flye,
This unsuspected, dismal accident,
Dismaies them both, but see! incontinent,
The Rebells break up doors, the house they fire,
And sacrifice to their infernal Ire
The suppliant peoples lives: they violate
The wife in sight of her now dying Mate,
They dye their skins in blood, by barbarous power
Their Maids and Virgins chaste they do deflower,
Before their Mothers eyes, shame bids conceal,
Those Barbarisms acted by their Popish zeal,
For what they act, for what blood they expend,
Commission from the King, the Rogues pretend,
And when the Irish work's done, they professe,
By force to
London for to make accesse.
To guard the King from
Scotland to
White-hall,
And tame that Juncto Puritanicall.
☞ But this was an officious Popish lye,
Those jealousies to widen, multiply,
That were betwixt the King and Parliament,
The King did such compliance, scorne resent;
And would have queld (though with his bloods expence,
This proud rebellion; Irish insolence.
Thy wings (my Muse) though bloody, elevate,
The Irish Sea, thou now must transvolate,
Wash not thy plumes; thy bloody plumes may bee
A Symptome of poor
Irelands misery,
And may extract remorse from hearts of stone,
To hear thy queremonious plaints, and moan,
Relief to grief, pray
England distribute,
What's
Irelands now, may once be
Englands sute.
To
London streight my dolorous Muse now flies.
But few with
Irelands grief there Sympathize,
For bold Petitions, by a multitude
Of people barbarous, factious, savage, rude,
Are brought each day into the Parliament,
Faction, disorder, tumult, discontent
Fills every place:
Strafford, and
Laud accus'd
Of Treason are; the King himself abus'd,
Aspers'd, injur'd, each of his words and deeds,
Wrested, misconstru'd and from hence proceeds
These jealousies, surmises, fears, that ring,
In Vulgar ears, fomented 'gainst the King,
By
Canniballs, who Monarchy resent,
Anarchy for to introduce intent.
Hence Pamphlets, Scandals, base Libells flye,
Plum'd with abuse of Royal Majesty,
Because the King was moderate, gentle, meek,
Like
Aesop's Frogs, these his deposal seek;
And may a Storke dominion o're them bear,
That to a King so good; perfideous were.
Few
Straffords admired parts could imitate,
The reason why, most him did emulate;
This noble person, an ignoble crew,
With Justice, Justice, in their mouth pursue,
And prosecute to death; The King doth signe
The fatal Bill, (though much he did decline)
To passe his Royal (here scarce his) consent,
And
Strafford dyes for an expediment
Of State: In
Strafford was the King o'rethrown,
With
Strafford's ruine, he subscrib'd his own,
☞
Pym, Hamden, Hollis, Hasleridge and
Stroad
With scandals most injurious, daily load
The King: whom when of Treason he accuses,
The House to try them legally refuses;
Can injur'd Majesty be pacifi'd,
When his demands (so legal,) are deny'd,
For then the King with his sole Guard attended,
Came to the House, thought to have apprehended
The Traitors; but alas, the Kings intent,
Their absence purposely, did then prevent.
All these are bad presages to suspect,
That some did Monarchy now dis-affect,
Such Symptomes have a dismal reference,
Into their thoughts inward malevolence.
Distempers will work out their malady,
Depress'd but not oppress'd, such thoughts may be,
Like furious winds seeking their rage to vent,
Which in the concaves of the earth are pent,
Having at length all obstacles extruded,
Whereby their force impetuous was included,
Rush out with too audacious insolence,
And by their uncontrouled violence,
Do curle the Oceans billows, bow the Woods,
Blow from their Channels the dispersed floods,
Untile the houses, Sacrilegiously,
From Churches rent their leaden Cannopy,
Jove scorning to obey, if
Jove withstand,
Till
Aeolus do their retreat command,
Thus thoughts most turbulent till now supprest,
Enforce their way from many a factious breast:
Boldly their malice 'gainst the King they vent,
Ambitious of eruption and extent.
Conscience and councel must to power give way,
To teach the Crown, the Gown now to obey,
The peoples priviledges to dissolve,
In Warre and Blood, this Nation to involve.
Their Wills as laws on
England to enforce;
Unto the Sword our Statists take recourse.
What stratagems had long time been projected,
Come to their birth, and must be now effected.
Forces they raise, yet under this pretence,
The House to Guard, to be their own defence.
And
Essex o're their new Militia bands,
By Order from the House, in chief commands.
☞ At this (high time)
London the King forsakes,
And unto
York his journey streight he takes;
From whence he certifies the Parliament,
That his resolves for
Ireland were intent,
His presence would be a most Soveraign spell,
The Rebells minds to charme, their force to quell:
To his victorious Ensignes he doth vow,
To make the proudest of such traitors bow:
And in pursuance of such high intents,
He in the
North will raise some Regiments,
Which from
Hulls Magazine all Arm'd must be
For
Ireland, to attend his Majesty.
☞ 'Twas not the King then (as some him bely)
That did obstruct from
Ireland that supply,
That might those Rebels Armies have subdu'd,
And tam'd that Savage, Popish multitude.
To
York the
Northern Gentry summon'd are,
To whom the King his purpose doth declare,
Commanding their attendance, most obey,
With these the King for
Hull streight takes his way
Who to the gates with this Traine makes address,
☞ But
Hotham there denys his King accesse.
Requesting him not to demand what hee,
Cannot now grant without disloyalty
To th' Parliament: The King soon makes reply,
Our entrance, good Sir
John, do not deny,
I shall passe by, this your affront to mee,
And our admission shall excuse, when wee
To th' Parliament our next addresse shall make;
With
Hotham this milde Rhetorick will not take:
Wherefore the King him stubborn Traitor calls,
And vows hee'l hang him up upon those walls,
That his example may a terrour bee,
To all such haughty traiterous rogues, as he.
Like to a stream whose shoure augmented force.
Scornes obstacles that may retard his course,
And with his swelling waters potent Tyde,
O're banks and all retards doth bravely glide,
Rowls down huge stones, eradicates each tree
That to his feircer current lets may bee,
So angers Tyde in the Kings minde swel'd high,
That him
Hulls entrance
Hotham should deny,
Especially he griev'd for
Irelands grief,
By this depriv'd of his resolv'd relief.
Hotham, he Traitor doth proclaim, then make
Warlick provision
Hull by force to take,
Yet first complaints unto the Parliament,
Of this most bold affront the King had sent,
Wherein he
Hothams Treason did decry,
Whom with his Act, the States do justifie.
This more incens'd the King, shall
Hotham bee
In his rebellion countenanc'd, and hee
Expos'd to such affronts? he doth professe
By dint of Sword these wrongs for to redresse.
☞ His Proclamations through each county fly,
Plum'd with complaints of injur'd Majesty,
His loyal Subjects all to animate,
With him to joyne, these wrongs to vindicate.
The gentry to contribute these, request
Assistance to their wronged Kings behest,
That his intents both just and real are,
For Laws, Religion, Rights, he doth declare.
These proclamations many gallants Court
To
York, now for Commissions to resort;
Wherein short time no despicable force
Convened is, of Armed Foot and Horse.
But while the King pursues this Martial game,
The State, his Acts Illegal do Proclaim,
Prohibiting all men in any wise,
For to abet the Kings known enterprize.
Thus Proclamations, Proclamations thwart,
Commands oppose Commands, Art crosseth Art,
The King commands, the State forbid to Arme,
Who do the King, who not the State, from harme
Vow to secure; Traitors both parts declare,
Who do their mandates crosse, opponents are.
What County can pretend immunity,
From Proclamations vain Logomachy,
The States bid Arme for them; the King says no,
What shall the perplext dubious Vulgar do?
If Arme you must, to void neutrality,
'Tis but your duty, aid his Majesty;
Let not their vain pretences you dis-swade,
Still their pretext Rebells Religion made.
Whilst these transactions are in agitation,
The King for
Hulls Siedge, makes strong preparation
Whither from
York his march he now doth take
Hotham knows well, his life lyes at the stake,
Therefore his rusty Cannons he doth clense,
Putting the Town in posture of defence,
Brasse-Pieces mount, the stoutest Townsmen Arms
Promising reparation of all harmes
Sustain'd in
Hulls assistance: By and by,
The Centinels the Kings approach descry,
Th' Allarum's given:
Hotham doth then decree,
That all the water-sluces drawn shall bee,
The Country's drown'd, men, walls, and Seas combine,
To frustrate this his Majesties design.
☞
Meldrum a Souldier of no small repute,
But yet a
Scot, the Parliament depute,
Hotham's assistant; who a party takes,
Of the most hardy Townsmen, and out-makes
A sudden sally, where the King he beats,
Who with some loss, to
Beverly retreats;
But not long after this, the Parliament
A party strong for
Hull, from
London sent:
Meldrum incourag'd by this new supply,
Will of a second bout, the fortune try:
His choicest men hee soon together calls,
And issuing out, on the Kings Leagure falls,
Whereof some scores, in their new trenches dy,
The rest in haste (disordered much) do fly;
A hot pursuit after whom
Meldrum makes,
At
Aulaby, the Kings Magazin hee takes;
Some barns, and houses, there this
Scotch Knight fires
And then for
Hull, his worship, back retires.
☞ The King perceiving all attempts in vain,
Against the Town of
Hull, for
York again
Retreats: But O! who can his thoughts express?
How can hee now (though milde) passion suppress?
What shall hee do? what will bee the event
Of these beginings, thus malevolent?
Reflects, his looks no reverential awe
Upon Spectators? Dare his Subjects draw
Their Swords against their Prince: shall he dispence
Further with their Rebellious insolence?
☞ But whilest the King is in this self-dispute,
A Noble person did him thus salute:
By Traitors shall your patience be abus'd,
Your commands sleighted; your demands refus'd?
Courage take Sir, Divine and humane laws,
Loudly proclaim the justice of your cause,
See what a train of Lords do here attend,
In your behalf, their dearest blood to spend.
the Parliament us Traitors doth proclaim,
Because to your assistance thus we came,
And though they speak not out, their acts declare,
They are intent upon you for to Warre.
Why raise they Armies? what is your intent,
Us and your self to such a Parliament
Thus to expose? our Swords must us defend,
Or farewell life and fortunes,
Strafford's end
Wee may expect: Traitors let's them declare,
And make provision for defensive Warre,
A thousand lives who would not rather lose,
Then see such Rebels you and yours depose?
To see rapacious Harpies ruinate,
This flourish of our peace, Religion, State,
Are you so credulous these not to fear,
When Treason 'tis, to you for to adhere?
Review the Actions of those Monarches brave,
That as your Predecessors Reigned have,
See how the proudest of their foes did quake,
Even at their frowns, which did whole Kingdomes shake,
Whose very names, their Subjects did adore,
Reputing them not men, but somewhat more.
Then such
Heroicks courage now assume,
Let Traitors know they do too much presume
Upon your Lenity; Sir, make them fear,
And know the Lion in your armes can tear.
☞ At this the
London Juncto Parliament
Traitours proclaimed are; The King
's intent
Is for the South-west parts to take his way,
Posting before Commissions of Array,
Commanding quick attendance from all those
In Arms, that would not bee reputed foes.
Newcastle's General for the North design'd,
Whose influence on those parts, soon combin'd
An Army Gallant: Thus to Civil War
Fully resolved, now both parties are.
But so my Muse, with
Morpheus power possest,
Take's Leave (would
England could do so) to rest.
Finis Libri Primi.
THE ENGLISH CIVIL VVARRS.
BOOK II.
The Contents.
A short dis-swasive from this Civil Warr,
The King sets up his Standard: doth declare
Of his defensive Arms, the Innocence,
Londons
Zeal, for the Parliaments pretence;
Essex
his Force to Coventry
doth bring,
Worcester
Fight: The Battail at Edge-hill.
ROuze up brave Martial Muse, prepare for fight,
Let
Mars desist the
Cyprian Courts delight;
Bellona's Trumpets cals our Troops to field;
Pallas advanceth, arm'd with Spear and Shield.
Combates, not Councels, Muse, thou must rehearse,
Warr, Blood, and Death, are subjects of my Verse.
England, O
England! do not thou distain,
This flourish of thy Peace with Blood: refrain
These Civil Wars, whose sad effects wee see,
In self-divided, ruin'd
Germany.
Did
Scotland tremble? did the
Irish flee?
Was
France once Tributary unto thee?
Renowned
England, did victorious Fame,
From India, unto
India, post thy name?
From cold
Arcturus, to th'
Antartick Sands;
Thy admiration,
England, fill'd all Lands:
Whilst Providence, and valour, forreign foes
Vanquish'd:shall home-bred discord, work thy woes
No Councell, nor yet
Rhetorick can asswage,
Uncivil Civil Warrs, tumultuous rage.
The furious Sword, scorns to obey the Gown;
Some with the State, some with the imperial Crown
Take part; known Ensigns, Ensigns, do defie,
And
English blood;
Englands Cross red must die.
If Warr wee must? why do wee not assay,
On
Asian ground our Colours to display?
Mahomet's dam'd Impostures to expell,
To their curs'd Author, down to
Pluto's cell;
Why do wee not out of the
Seginor's hand,
Regain our Title to the
Holy-Land?
What, might wee not, with lesser bloods expence,
Have quel'd the
Turkes aspiring insolence;
Raz'd
Constantinople's world-commanding Towers,
With her
Seraglio, Aegypt might bee ours.
And all the treasures of the spacious East,
By our victorious Armies bee possest.
As that brave
Tartar, lets our Force ingage,
Bajacet-like into an Iron cage;
Earths greatest Monarch
's captiv'd power to bring,
Or let's advance against the
Spanish King.
His Eighty eight's
Armado's curs'd designe,
To vindicate our Forces let's combine,
Heaven can but grosper such a brave attempt;
Heaven that from
Spain's Invasion did exempt
This Island, for to bee
Spain's dreadfull scourge,
Till all those Martyrs bloods shee shall disgorge:
Suck'd in by inquisition-Butchery;
Or let's goe set the inslav'd
Indians free:
Sail thither may wee, with the tide and flood
Of vengeance-crying murthered
Indians blood.
Why march wee not to curbe that Prelates pride?
Whose Scarlet vestments in the blood are died
Of Martyr'd Christians? doubtless wee may fear,
His influence is too too powerfull here.
These sad incitements to this Civil Warr,
Hatch'd surely by his
Romish Locusts are.
That
Sweed Heroick to his high renown,
Vow'd to devest him of his triple-Crown:
And from his chair-infallible, by force,
That Beast so much admir'd for to divorce;
And but that death, too cruel did prevent,
Doubtless hee had accomplish'd his intent.
England, O
England! Civil Wars decline,
And prosecute that noble
Sweeds designe:
Hoise up thy Sailes for the
Italian shore,
The airy
Alpes, resolve for to march o're.
Fall down like Thunder into
Italy,
Th' affrighted-Scarlet Conclave let's make flye;
And these high Walls, wherein the Beast doth trust,
Let's rase and level with that bloody dust
Whereon they stand; in blood they founded were,
Ruddy with blood, their cement doth appear;
Rape, Superstition, Fraud, Idolatry,
Polythism, Murther, Theft, Theomachy,
Hypocrisie, Pride, Witchcraft, Fornication,
Adultery,
Sodoms-lov'd-Abomination,
Are their curs'd Superstructures; Powers divine,
Except propitious, unto this designe
Vengeance divine, our Cannons best will bee,
Upon those Walls, t' inforce a Battery;
Needs must wee conquer in so just a Warr,
Where foes design'd by Heaven to ruine are.
☞ Reason should with the wise bee Prevalent,
What, have not Civil Wars a sad event?
No joyfull Triumphs in such Warrs have place,
No brave exploits do here the Conquerours grace.
No spoiles are taken from the captiv'd foes,
But such, as even, whereby the Conquerours lose.
Brother, doth Brother, unto death betray,
Fathers, their Sons, and Sons their Fathers slay.
Maids are deflowr'd, and Matrons chaste misus'd,
Young-men for Souldiers prest; Old-men abus'd.
Those treasures that industrious Peace acquir'd,
Exhausted are, the Villages are fir'd;
Cities dis-peopled, Castles ruin'd bee,
Friends even from friends (as from the Plague) shall flee:
Justice, Laws, and properties, all stand
As Ciphers, at the furious sword's command.
Servants will of their Masters, Masters bee;
From Tinkers, even the Constables shall flee:
The basest men will proudly dominere,
Rant, drinke, whore, plunder, strike, curse, damn, and swear.
Oxen, Sheep, Horses, all that you possess,
Souldiers will take, and if you seek redress,
Perhaps you may bee cudgel'd by a slave,
Or else imprison'd, and thats all you'll have.
O what affronts! what wrongs! what violence!
Must all sorts suffer, under the pretence
Of Enemies; when, whom Souldiers dispose,
They make at pleasure, either friends or foes;
Nay the wrong'd people cannot bee assur'd,
By whether party they were thus injur'd:
Your foe, you shall not know, nor yet your friend,
Such sad distractions Civil warrs attend.
The Sword scorns councel (list) Drums beat I hear,
The Trumpet sound, arm'd Horse-men do appear:
The King from
York marcheth with all his Force,
To
Nottingham they streight direct their course;
Where first upon this Civil Warrs account,
The King his Standard Royal doth amount;
And standing under't in the Armies view,
His glistering Sword, hee from his scabbard drew,
Which brandished about his head, hee said,
☞ Fellows in Arms, here in your Soveraigns aid
Conveen'd, you to inform I shall not need,
What to this Parliament wee did conceed,
More than our Royal ancestors had done,
(Thinking the most averse for to have wone,
By acts of Grace) we granted: But behold!
Our Condiscentions make these men more bold,
Things to demand against a Kings renown,
And what would they have now, except my Crown?
When all such acts of Grace did vain appear,
Wee left them, and resolv'd for
Ireland were;
Reveng'd upon those Rebels to have been,
Whilst these into their Errours more had seen;
Intending then at
Hull to arme our Guard,
Hulls entrance wee, by
Hotham were debar'd,
From
Ireland; Ireland now Intomb'd in grief,
This did obstruct our then-resolv'd relief.
And when to
Hull our next address wee made,
With fire and sword, our Camp hee did invade;
Wishing our Person in the number, where
Some scores of our League subjects murthered were.
By Proclamation they prohibit all,
From their Allegiance to our Soveraign call;
And whence do these affronts so numerous spring,
But even from those, that mee a Glorious King
Pretend to make; The men presage my Fate,
Onely the time they seek to antidate.
But this (at which he shook his glistering Sword)
Even this, our best redress must now afford,
Traiterous, here, their proceedings wee declare,
Denouncing Warr, 'gainst them, and all that are
Their Fautors and Abettors; know, wee must
Souldiers, to courage, and our swords now trust,
Through wounds, blood, death our passage now doth lye
To our detained Rights: resolve to dye
VVith me, my Lords, and Souldiers ere we yeild,
Essex that traiterous Cockoo's in the field:
A numerous Army 'gainst us he doth bring,
Are these League Subjects that will fight their King?
My Lords (as you your lives or fortunes love)
Your utmost interest, Force to raise, improve,
For fight we must, and if the day we loose,
Of us and ours, the Conquerours will dispose:
Your Regiments with speed, my Lords compleat,
I even presage, wee
Essex shall defeat.
And you, my Nephews, whose Heroick might,
Hath been approv'd in many a bloody fight
Beyond the Seas (with that hee cast his eye
On
Rupert and Prince
Morice standing by;
In
England late arriv'd) Princes wee must,
To your Heroick skill and prowess trust
The conduct of our Horse.
Rupert repli'd,
Uncle, what's in our power, you may confide,
VVee shall effect; fear not but wee shall bring,
The proudest Rebells, you to own as King.
☞ At this the flourish'd Trumpets that surround
The King this while; commanded are to sound,
VVhose sweetest Levits from the Rocks so near,
VVith airy Eccho's ravish every ear.
Then off the Troops to march commanded are,
To
Shrewsbury the intended seat of VVarr:
Rupert and
Morice late arrived here,
Now in the Fronts of armed Troops appear.
Rupert the elder, of complexion fair,
Yet somewhat swarthy, of brown-coloured-hair,
Of body slender, yet indifferent tall,
Of minde couragious, wondrous fair withall:
Scorning, both fears and dangers, on he went,
Yet inconsiderate, in the management
Of his bold charge: which prov'd indeed to us
In many fields disadvantagious;
His forwardness excus'd,
Europe ne're bred,
One who more nobly Chavalry on led.
☞
Morice more corpulent, yea, and more tall,
Yet not so bloody, and so tragicall:
Full as couragious, not so unadvis'd,
More fortunate in what hee enterpris'd:
VVhose prowess, and whose skill in feats of VVarr,
VVere such as might renown a Souldier.
☞ Out breaks the War, with uncontrouled Rage,
Great Lords, and Gentry, on both parts ingage;
Yet more of these the Royal cause maintain,
As not deluded with pretences vain.
But of Plebeians less intelligent,
More do adhear unto the Parliament;
Their Intellectuals hood-wink'd and captiv'd,
By those pretences, specious then contriv'd.
☞ What City, Town, House, Castle now was free,
But fortifi'd, and Garrison'd must bee?
What Fields with Grain, Mountains with Flocks, that were
Flourish'd of late; now terrible appear
With armed Camps: what deadly Engins wrought?
Sure not more Fields, than bloody battails fought
Hath
England now: try all the Sword would make,
If that of blood, it could a surfeit take.
☞
London! what Martial fury thee possest,
That thus with madness not to bee express'd,
Against thy King, so boldly dost ingage,
VVhat Hellish fury did their hearts inrage?
To strive who should most forward bee in arms,
How did they flock? adjoyn themselves by swarms
To
Essex Colours; what did they intend?
VVhat, was Rebellion? or was Zeal their end?
VVhat, were they weary of that Regiment?
The loss of which (if lost) they'll much repent;
VVhat do they think the name of a free State?
More advantagious, or more fortunate,
Or will Commerce, or Trading flourish more,
Monarchy routed out, then't did before?
London, O let not such conceits thee blinde!
All to thy expectation thou shalt finde
Quite contrary: But what is it indeed,
From Superstitious Rites for to bee free'd
That thou dost thus ingage: Rebellion had
Alwaies religion's Cloak; wherewith shee clad
Her monsterous body: All the world shall see,
Religion but a meer pretence to bee
In these sad VVars:
London will bee as proud,
Her Sins will in the Ears of Heaven as loud
Sound▪ If shee had desired Presbytery,
As now under much-hated Prelacy;
That much pretended, wish'd for reformation,
Shall have a most apparent confutation,
From those curs'd crimes,
London will exercise,
And grant her even what Form shee can devise
For Government, either in Church or State,
But whether doth my Muse thus deviate?
Rupert the leading having now acquir'd,
Of such a Party as his heart disir'd;
Couragious Gallants, who did scorn to fly,
The face of even the proudest enemy,
Thought that his smaller parties fortitude,
Might ballance
Essex's numerous multitude:
O! that their temperance had but equalis'd
Their valour: would
Rupert had exercis'd
A stricter Discipline, and not by force
Suffered his stout (though too licentious) Horse;
Coine, Arms, and Horses to extort from those,
That doubtless (but for this) nere the Kings foes
Had prov'd: Indeed plundring, intemperance,
Bacchus his bowles;
Venus her daliance
Were of the Royal party the sole bane,
How many men surpris'd! how many slain!
Oft in their cupps; want! want! of discipline,
Our Cause (though just) made many to decline.
Yet our Commanders, this to tolerate;
The want of pay, did thus necessitate.
Nor long to us, did any such adhear,
Who in their service mercenary were.
☞ By this time
Essex numerous Forces were
Drawn out of
London, to
North-Hampton, where
They wait their General
's coming: and indeed,
In number three to one, they did exceed
The Kings: So zealously was
London bent
Against the King, to aid the Parliament.
Essex arrived, with his Army now,
Coventry, Warwick, and
North-Hampton too
Did fortifie:
Glocester then did stand
For th' Parliament, under
Massies command.
To
Worcester Rupert his Troops doth bring,
Thinking that City, strongly for the King
To fortifie; But
Essex Horse so near,
Prevents his stay and resolutions there,
Nevertheless, both parties now so near,
Scorn to retreat, as men surpris'd with fear,
Before their Gallantry they have express'd,
By skirmishing most fiercely they contest,
They ride up close, and boldly do give fire,
In one anothers bosoms, then retire.
Others advancing, do their rooms supply,
Their discharg'd Pistols, at the heads do fly
Then of each other, and incontinent
Then hand to hand, unto the Sword they went,
Some giving, some receiving many a wound,
Till many a man lay gasping on the ground.
But
Rupert causeth a retreat to sound,
Lest that the numerous foes should him surround,
And from this skirmish, up his Troops doth bring
To
Shrewsbury, for to attend the King,
Sands now his Prisoner, whose whole Regiment,
To Rout and Ruine, in this Skirmish went.
That famous River that
Sabriua's name,
From her drown'd in it, doth as yet retain,
Almost surrounds the Town of
Shrewsbury,
His Magazin, Mint, Coin, Artillary,
His Person too, here did the King confide,
A Town by Art, and Nature fortifi'd:
☞ During the King
's (though short) residing here
His smaller Forces much augmented were,
So that hee takes the field, fully intent
For
London, but this
Essex doth prevent,
Who with his Force, at
Worcester did lye,
And hearing that the King was marching by,
Draws out his Army, and to
Coventry
After the King, directly marcheth hee
Resolv'd to fight: Such preparations are,
Made
England to ingage in Civil War;
Whose desperate prologue, Muse thou must prepare,
Indoleful accents, now for to declare.
Now
Phoebus did from th'
Equinoctial Line,
His course to the
Antartick Pole decline,
Nor could the cooler air yet qualifie,
Mens hotter Zeal, and desperate fervency
To Civil Wars; this Fire alone must bee
Quenched with blood, dolorous Phlebotomie.
In
Warwick-Shire there lies a spacious Plain,
(Pitty that Civil blood should it distain)
Nere
Keinton, call'd the vale of the
Red Horse,
Where General
Essex, with his numerous force
Was now arriv'd: The Royallists hard by
Upon
Edge-Hill, their near approach discry,
And there their Troops most gallantly display,
Putting their Battaile, quickly in Array.
Linsey was Captain General for the King,
But
Ruthen ordered their embattailing,
The Valliant
Linsey with his Pike in hand,
Led the main Body:
Rupert did command
Those Gallant Troops, placed in the right wing,
Bravely the left
Carnarvan on did bring.
Essex this while embattailed did stand,
His right Battallions
Balfore did command.
Ramsey his left:
Hurry this Day did serve
In the right wing, and was
Balfore's reserve:
Essex a while his Infantry did head,
Till
Meldrum came, who on the same did lead:
Essex now mounted, in his Armies sight,
Thus to the Battail did his men excite;
☞ Take Courage, Souldiers, from your juster cause,
It's for Religion, Liberty, and Laws
You fight: who would not spend their dearest blood
Now for Religion
's sake; and
England's good?
What, do not Pressures, Poles, curs'd subsidies?
Ship-monies, Taxes, damn'd
Monopolies?
Now Fleece us Subjects, for no Soveraign use,
Impudent by permission, grows abuse.
VVhat is not superstitious innovation
Of
Romish Rites, Cross-Altar-Adoration
Obtruded on us? have wee not permission
Of the Mass-Idol: See! the exhibition
Of Sports, even to the Sabbath
's Prophanation,
Are authoris'd by Order, Proclamation.
Cards, Dice, Bowls, Tennis, Stage-plaies, Sabbathsport
Are made, both in the Country and the Court.
Dare mortal men, Gods morral Laws withstand?
VVhat God forbids, dare earthly men command?
O Sinfull daies! O impious, hellish times!
VVhen even by Order, warranted are Crimes,
Bad Presidents, without indulging Laws,
Finde too too frequent, practise and applause:
Ambitious Prelates, now do arrogate,
In honours temporal, to Officiate,
Their Romish Doctrines, ceremonious guise,
All pious hearts resent and much despise.
Nuncio's from
Rome to
England now resort,
And much were honoured in our English Court?
Whither when
Jezabel's proud Sons were come,
They much admir'd in
England to finde
Rome.
It's not against the King that wee declare,
But those that Authors, and Abettors are,
Of these strange things: who will not rather dye?
Then be insnar'd againe in Popery?
Even in your looks I easily perceive
Your forwardnesse, I know you'l not deceive
My expectations: for (meethinks) I see
You in pursute, and yonder Troops to flee;
Meethinks I see what numbers we have slain,
How many prisoners, Horse, Armes, Colours tane;
How every Souldier is inrich'd with prize,
What rare inventions
London doth devize
To grace our Tryumphs: how their Bone-fires burn,
And Bels ring loud to honour our return.
His wicked councel all dispers'd and fled,
In Tryumph shall the King himself be led
By us unto his
London Parliament,
Who will reward with condigne punishment
Most of his wicked party: valorous bee,
Take resolution, magnanimity,
Brave Souldiers, and indeed you may confide,
All these presages shall be verfi'd.
☞ At this, a prologue, to the near dispute,
Essex the King, daringly did salute,
With a loud Volley of his Ordinance,
Whose fiery bals near to the King did glance,
As he from his prospective did survey
Their Army, in that Valley where they lay,
And then three acclamations, even so high
Their Army gave; as seem'd to rend the sky.
☞ At which brave
Linsey soon the King desir'd
Leave to go on: Saying
Essex hath fir'd
His Cannons on us; and shall we stand still
And suffer his great shot our men to kill?
Shall we be dared thus by such proud foes,
And thus our bodies to their Guns expose?
☞ To whom, the best of Kings, sadly reply'd,
Loath, loath I am my Sword should e're be dy'd
In civil blood; my soul doth much decline
These worst of wars; are not these people mine?
(If undeceiv'd) we suddenly should see
Their Arms cast downe, they all would come to me.
☞ But now (more pity) fight indeed we must,
Therefore (brave Souldiers) that your cause is just,
I know you are perswaded, Loyalty
Under your Soveraign's Ensignes here to dye,
Or conquer, doth, and did you first ingage,
How factious Zeal some Sectaries doth inrage
Against their King, you are not ignorant;
I hope they'l see their errours and recant.
Others that are not such, we soon shall see
Prove loyal,
Essex leave, and turne to mee.
Wound not, who e're of them before you flies
Such are not yours, nor yet my enemies.
And now your magnanimity approve,
If you your Country, or your Soveraigne love.
See, how your King (if conquered, see no more)
Your courage, utmost valour doth implore.
They are more numerous; let our fortitude
Their numbers ballance; when they are subdu'd,
'Twill be our glory that with numbers lesse,
Wee did their greater conquer; on, possesse
Their Riches, Campe, Artillery, as prize,
Yonder rich Army I to you demize,
Win Gold and wear't: my cause's just intent,
God now assist as I am innocent.
The murthering Cannons now began to play,
VVhose so well levell'd bullets made their way
Through many a rank; heads, armes, and legs, off fly
VVhich hit, and oft strike dead the standers by.
The Chain-shot, by the middle cuts asunder
VVhole Files of men; who, now in death do wonder
How this so wide a passage open stood,
At once to let out all their vital blood.
How head and feet, leggs, and arms, in one place,
By this strange death conjoyn'd should now imbrace
From Morterpeeces great Granado's fly,
VVhich in their fall kill some; but to the skye
Do in their breath blow up who stand them near,
From others their dismembred Limbs they tear:
Others their furious blasts do blow stone-blinde,
O haplesse men to such sad fates design'd.
☞ As a tempestuous, Heaven-obscuring shower,
VVith violence doth Raine, or Hail down power,
VVith Lightnings, frequent flashes intermix'd,
And loud sky-renting Thunder claps betwixt.
Even so from fire-lock-Pistolls and Carbines,
The fire like lightning from the sky now shines;
And fiery Bullets with their thicker flight
Obscure the day and antidate the night.
Sulphurious clouds of smoak toff'd with the winde
With fiery flashes glancing through them, blinde
Both Horse and man, so that they cannot see,
Therefore lesse fear their quick Catastrophy.
☞ The King's Forlorne,
Dives his Regiment,
First down the hill couragiously on went.
Where Major
Backstake with his party clears
The Hedges lin'd with
Essex Musketeers.
The Royalists then cheerefully discend
The hill: as bravely
Essex doth defend
The ground whereon his Army Marshal'd stood,
Till that red Valley, redder became with blood.
☞ But like a Lyon greedy of his prey,
At length their left wing,
Rupert doth assay,
VVhose charge most furious and Heroick might
Them break, and put to a disordered flight,
Rupert through
Keinton in pursute doth ride,
Then fell to plunder;
Hurry soon espy'd
This fair advantage; and with eagernesse,
Did now on
Wilmot and
Carnarvan presse,
Forcing them to give ground: Then wheel'd about
And fiercely charged on the Royal foot,
VVhere soon the furious Horse asunder rents,
Linsey's, Bowles, Paget's, Fieldings Regiments.
Brave
Linsey seeing his in such distresse,
Rallies a party soon for their redresse;
And like a
Tygar of her whelps depriv'd,
In thickest Troopes of Armed foes arriv'd?
Most valliantly thousands doth kill or wound,
Yet him the numerous foes at length surround,
☞ But when his Son, renowned
Willowby,
His Father thus encompassed did see
He rides up with his Troopes: gave such a charge,
As soon, his noble Father did enlarge
But wounded, soon (too soon, alas) he dy'd,
A fatal losse unto the Royal side.
☞ The Royal Standard
Balfores Troopes had tane
Varney the Standard-bearer being slain,
A valiant Gentleman who this espy'd,
Gallantly through their thickest Ranks did ride,
And there (the new Possessor having slain)
The Standard Royal bravely did re-gaine.
For which brave exploit, Knight and Barronet
The King bedub'd him:
Balfore hard beset
With our fresh Troops, most bravely was assail'd,
And made give ground: The Royalists prevail'd
Sometimes, and sometimes
Essex: Dubious
Was Fortune whom to make victorious.
☞ By this, that spacious Valley was bespread,
With heaps of Men, and Horses that lay dead;
From several wounds, the several streams of blood,
Increased to an overspreading Flood,
Whose stronger currents to the lower ground,
Drove down some bodys, now both kild, & drownd,
Thus many deaths, poor mortals do attend,
VVhen one's sufficient to inforce their end.
Here might you hear the sad laments and moans,
In doleful accents, of their dying groans,
Some execrating their Nativity,
Others that Fatal day: Reveng'd to bee
Some vow'd; and with their Swords about them laid,
Now even in Death: Some boldly did upbraid
The Parliaments Pretences feign'd, some swore,
And off their heads, their hair they fiercely tore;
Some Pray'd, and were exceeding Penitent,
Such several humours, dying men present.
VVho late against each other boldly fought,
Their Reconciliation Death had wrought,
VVhose blood dispended, falling in one place,
Kindly now, arm in arm, by Death imbrace.
Here might you see a bullet-galled steed,
Now of his wounded, or dead rider free'd,
Fiercely run through the field, and oft out-tread
The bowels of the living, and the dead.
Here might you see two armed Gallants met,
Their courage sharper than their swords was whet
By vow'd revenge, much hotter was their ire;
Than from their clashing swords that sparkling fire,
Whose courage, strength, dexterity, and art,
Byinter-courses each did play their part
Till blood and strength expended; these two foes
Upon that bed of honour both repose;
Whose streaming blood could not be intermix'd
Such strong antipathy was them betwixt.
☞ A Cockney, whom blinde zeal-did much inflame,
Essex to serve, a Volunteer late came;
Who to his fellows vaunted, they should see;
The wicked (none pursuing) for to flee.
Tomkins said true, the Cannons 'gan to play,
Down went his Arms, and streight he ran away.
A flying peece of a Granado-shell,
Stroke
Simpson into th'back, who dead down fell,
Speaking these words, then with his latest winde
'Tis base and cowardly for to strike behinde.
☞ A welsh-man, who came as a Volunteer,
Hur King to serve, proudly did dominere
Before the fight, vowing that hur would slay,
All Rebell-Round-heads that came in hur way?
Essex himself should not escape hur hand
If that he durst, till hur came to him stand?
Essex might long have stood;
Taffy was gone
Before the fight, and so kill'd ne're a one,
For when he heard the Cannons 'gin to play,
Down went his Bill; and streight he ran away
Swearing by got, in English he could swear,
He ne're before such roaring Devils did hear.
☞ Another Welsh-man, arm'd
a cap a pee,
Upon a Charger fierce, mounted was hee;
His two-edg'd-sword, drawn in his hand did shine,
His Pistols charg'd, and also his Carbine.
To have him heard, and seen, you would have swore
Stout master
Morgan would have chas'd a score.
But when't came to his turne for to have fought,
T'have fac'd about, and fled,
Morgan had thought.
But his fierce Horse, that did in War delight,
Went on indeed in
Morgan's hearts despight;
Morgan with all his might pull'd at the Raign
To stop his Horse, alas! 'twas all in vain.
With pulling, and for fear, dead men to see,
Backwards, even to his horse taile, bowed hee.
On went the horse: The Royalists surpast,
Amongst the adverse party runs at last.
☞ A Cockney that him in this posture spy'd,
Come fiercely on; hold good sir, quarter cry'd;
The Cockney seeing that he made no stay,
Turn'd's horse about, and fairly ran away.
Morgan more valorous than hee wis'd or wil'd,
Was throwne at last, and under's horse feet kil'd;
The
Cockney that fled, when hee
Morgan spi'd,
Into a Saw-pit, broke his neck, and died.
☞ But now the obscure mantle of the night,
Each Army vail'd, from one anothers sight,
Only the Musketiers, so thick gave fire,
As yet gave light, to both for to retire;
Neither could either
Iö, Paean, sing
Though victory more inclined to the King:
☞ Yet both parties claimed the triumphal Baies,
And noble
Palme; both parties returned praise
For Victory, to their Heavenly Deities,
Both parties had taken Ensigns, Prisoners, Prize,
Both parties of Victory, Trophies did display,
And on the field that night, both parties lay:
By those great fires, which were the only light,
Left them in this obscurity of night.
That night in a black cloud, the Sun had set,
As looking on
Edge-Hill, with much regret;
Ravenous beasts, Rapacious birds of prey,
All hovered neer this fatal field that Day,
Each man the night before, in his last sleep
Seem'd to lament, howle out, and sadly weep,
And by Anticipation to prevent
In fancy, this curs'd daies doleful event.
☞
Titan (though late) now
Thetis lap forsook,
And either Army, might with horrour look
Upon each other; all the Vale bespread
Betwixt them, with their intermixed Dead.
Nor would the Sun, bee-clouded that Day, yeeld
His Rayes should shine upon this bloody field.
In Warlike posture here both Armies stand
Until high noon, then
Essex gave command
For to march off: His
Briggade's to compleat,
From hence for
London, straight hee doth retreat.
☞ But when the best of Kings survey'd the slain,
Hee sigh'd and wep't, and wep't and sigh'd again,
Saying, alas! alas! deceived were
Some thousands of these Dead, that now lye here
Slain in Rebellion; wee lament their fate,
And their Sepulture, here wee imperate,
As well as these, that Love and Loyalty,
Have for our Cause ingaged here to Dye;
Our gracious Pardon too, wee here Proclaim
To all, that shall or will imbrace the same.
Before that
Cynthia with her borrowed light,
Shall three times fill her Globe; at this he sigh'd
And wept again, but off the Army went
For Loyal, Royal
Oxford now intent.
Finis Libri Secundi.
THE English CIVIL WARRS.
BOOK III.
The Contents.
Blake
hang'd: diverse vicessitudes of Warr.
Brainford
fight: Rupert
storms Cirincester:
Lord Brooks
his acts, his fatal wound, and death.
The fights in Riple-fields:
On Haopton-heath,
Litchfield
storm'd twice: & Reading
tane had been
Chalgrave, Landsdown;
and Roundway
fights: The Queen
At Burlington
doth land: The King and shee
Meet on Edge-Hill: Glocester
seige: Newberry
First fight: Eccleshal
seige: Arundel
tane;
Bramdean-heath
fight; where noble Smith
was slain.
Prince Griffiths
gallantry, and quick defeat,
Rupert
from Newark
seige, doth Meldrum
beat.
IN order good the Royalists retire,
And now at leisure, farther do inquire
Into their taken papers, which discry
One
Blake a Traitour, whom the King to dy
Adjudged in a halter, would each tree,
To end the Wars, bore but such fruit as hee:
This
Blake the Royal Court belong'd unto,
Worse is a secret, than an open foe.
To
Banbury the Royal Army came,
Resolv'd by storm for to inforce the same.
Rochfords, and
Peterboroughs Regiments,
All Blew-Coats did lye there;
Marrow prevents
The Kings assault, by yielding of the Town
Upon Conditions.
Rupert now sate down
Broughton before, a House of the Lord Say,
At the first Peal, his Ordinance did play;
The House is yeilded, the King's next address,
By dint of Sword, was
Brainford to possess.
Nor could the Foes, the Kings approach discry,
By reason of the mist-condenced sky,
Till them the Cannons thundering language gave
A fierce allar'm; a while resistance brave,
Was made by Traiterous
Hollis Regiment.
Couragiously the Royalists on went;
Inforce the Town, whose Streets are pav'd again,
With numerous bodies of the men there slain,
The Channels run, as after a great flood
In stronger currents, with their warmer blood.
☞ But while the King plaies at this prosperous game
Lord
Brook's, &
Hamden's regiments on came
Maintaining 'gainst the King, a bloody fight,
From Noon, till the Obscurity of night
Parted the fray; Also the Parliament
Had numerous Forces out of
London sent,
So That the King almost surrounded was;
Kingston alone gave way for his repass:
Then having given the Rebels this defeat,
Safely for
Oxford did the King retreat.
☞ Though greater Hoasts in Winter Quarters rest,
Yet smaller parties, sharpely thus contest,
Nor, had the Royalists alone success,
Massie did
Sudeley-Castle much distress;
Wooll-packs on rowling frames, his men had set,
Under whose covert, to the Walls they get
Free from the Castle-shot, the Barns they fire
With Hand-Granado's, in the smoak aspire
And mount the walls, but
Bridges thus distres'd
A Parley sounds, and yeilds what hee possess'd.
☞ Prince
Rupert taking this in great despight,
Resolved was, the Rebels to require;
Therefore next day, his Force hee did combine
Sudeley before, yet was his chief design
On
Cirincester; whether when hee came
With fire and sword, hee did assault the same.
Of Hand-Granado's, a thick flight was sent
Into the Town, for the first complement,
Which their Out-houses, and their Barns all fir'd,
With resolution, yet to bee admir'd,
Over the Bul-works, then the Foot soon flew
In full Divisions, then the Horse insue;
Stamfords whole Regiment, were well nigh slain,
And twice five hundred Prisoners also tane.
A timerous Footman, when the Prince drew near,
In a Straw-mough had hid himself for fear,
Burn'd was the Straw, in it the Foot-man too,
Him his presumed safety did undo,
Apparent danger's often more secure,
Then in strong walls, our selves for to immure.
Next day from hence, the Prince victorious went
To
Glocester, and in his Summons sent:
But
Massie boldly his Demands deni'd,
Now did the Prince before the Town reside,
But marched off; and in great triumph came
To
Oxford, with his Prize so lately tane.
☞ Some
Irish also, for the King do land,
Over which
Earnly did in cheife command.
Massie to
Berkley, with his Troops now came,
And for a while stood facing of the same,
Till
Herbert with his Horse came up, they fire,
Kill some on both parts, and then both retire.
Near
Tedbury, Massie also dissipates
All
Cary's Horse:
Beverston on thy gates,
Massie's bold Foot, do fasten their Pittard,
But their audatiousness, thou didst reward,
Beating them off with loss: To
Wotton then
Massie (still active) next led up his men,
Skirmishing there a while, with those within.
Now landed
Leger, and bold Collonel
Min
At
Bristol with more
Irish: These design
With
Herbert, Digby, Winter to combine
And Block up
Glocester, Massie suppress;
Skirmishes oft indifferent, for success
Hapned amongst them; scarce a Town was free
Of any strength, but garrison'd must bee,
In that impoverish'd County: Wretched are
The Seats of most uncivil Civil War.
☞
Worcesters Earl with his most noble Son,
To
Glocester with their
Welch Forces come,
Encamp at
Higham, and demand the Town.
Near
Monmoth, as this Army late came down,
Burrows they beat, with his new Regiments,
☞
Massie from their Demands in scorn Dissents,
Telling them plain, hee
Rupert had deni'd,
And soon would curbe, their Insolence and Pride.
Could a
Welch Army think that to regain?
Which
Rupert did Demand, but all in vain;
Glory not that you
Winter did defeat,
Slew
Lunley, and did
Burrows Forces beat
Late in the Forrest; shortly you shall feel,
And know, our sword's of better-tempered steel.
☞ Now while these Forces here incamped lye
Against the Town, from
Bristol a supply
Came unto
Massie: Malmsbury now wone,
Even
Waller too, did with his Army come
To joyn with
Massie; The
Welch they assail
Even in their Camp, and do so far prevail,
That in the place, some hundreds there they kill,
The rest take
Glocester against their will.
☞ To
Hereford from hence then
Waller goes,
Scudamore, and his Roy allifts oppose
And keep the Town;
Waller against the gates
His Guns doth play, the first shot perforates
The boards (though strong) and did the Gate behind
Strike off a Captains head; some were design'd
Upon another side, assault to make,
Which boldly Captain
Grey did undertake.
The Town distress'd, un-mand, not fortifi'd,
Yeilded, most of the Souldiers undiscri'd,
Over
Wy-bridge, away for
Wales do pass,
Whilst
Waller busied in the Parley was;
Nor yet did
Waller keep the Town thus gain'd,
Though after for the King it was retain'd.
☞
Monmoth before, when
Waller first appears,
It is deserted by the Cavalliers,
Waller it leaves, and toward
England came,
Yet for the King
Lane after kept the same,
Till
Stovens by Trechery did the same surprize,
That
Lane betraid it, some indeed surmize.
Waller from
Wales, for
Glocester intent,
To intercept and fight him
Morice went,
Who, ere the Princes Horse could him Descry,
Beat up their Quarters, and so marched by.
Morice alarm'd, thus falls in his rear,
And for a while ingag'd both parties were,
And then do both retire:
Massie had heard,
How
Wallers passage,
Morice had debar'd:
And marching out to meet him, did him finde
Near
Teuxbury, and their Forces now combin'd,
They do resolve upon that Town to fall,
And on they go, the Guard surprized all
Sleeping, (indeed over secure they were,
Dreading no danger,
Morice now so near)
The Town they enter, break up doors, inquire
For Cavalliers; Muskets and Pistols fire
In at the windows;
Carew's men some dye,
Some Prisoners tane, some hide them, others flye.
Next day some of the Prince's Horse appear
In
Ripple-fields, the rest embattel'd were
Near
Upton-bridge: Waller came, doth them view,
But fighting did decline, and off-ward drew
With his Dragoons, thinking to guard his Rear;
The Prince advancing chargeth: all in fear
Through their own foot upon the Bridge, they fly,
Whose heels could not them save, there Pistol'd lye
Hasleridge comes up with a fresh recrute,
And for a while retards this hot pursute;
But
Morice presseth on with his bold Horse,
And soon to flight, them all doth re-inforce,
Many of
Wallers, in this flight do dye;
But at
Mitch-hill again a fresh supply
Of Foot them meet; The Prince there makes a stand,
And then an orderly retreat command.
☞ From
London with his forces came Lord
Brook
And
Stafford-Avon first his Lordship took,
Defeating
Crooker; Wagstaff, and stout
Twist.
Nor could brave
Leichfield then his powers resist,
The Town first wonne, his zealous Ordinance
Play 'gainst the Close. But mark what fatal chance
Befel this Zealot; whilst he did espy
Out at a loop-hole, even into the eye
A bullet peirc'd him, and down dead fell hee?
Thus from a Church, the Church's enemy,
By the Son of a Church-man here lay slain,
His men went on, and did the fight maintain
Winning the Close, a noble sacrifice
Of Cavalliers unto his Ghost here dyes.
☞ But stout
North-Hampton, Leichfield to regain
Against the Close, doth a close fiedge maintain,
Until his Scouts came in and do him tell,
Of the approach of
Brearton and old
Gell.
At this, with his Horse and Dragoons he goes,
Boldly to meet his near approaching foes.
Where soon his unexpected charge and sight,
Puts all
Gell's Horse to a disordered flight.
And then the foot threw down their Arms and yeeld
Num'rous the Prisoners were, tane on the field.
Yet dear (too dear, alas) this victory cost,
For brave
North-Hampton's life, for it was lost,
Who charging in the front, his Horse first shot,
Dismounted there his mortal wound he got.
But gallant 'tis on honours bed to lye,
And thus victorious Loyally to dye.
☞ Prince
Rupert too, at
Leichfield now arriv'd,
His mines the Close for to re-gain contriv'd,
Which sprung, the valorous Souldiers on do go,
But were repulsed stoutly by the foe.
After an hours respite, (though in vain)
With greater courage on they went again.
For with great slaughter they repulsed were,
Ruddy with blood the Moats do all appear.
And of dead Corpse in every place do lye
Great heaps, the Breaches and the Ladders by.
Yet to the Souldiers no discouragement
Was this, for on the third time now they went,
And bravely enter,
Russells then retreats
Unto the Church, and there a parley beats.
Rupert that they in warlike equipage
Should all march off, his honour doth ingage.
☞ This while had General
Essex Force sate down
Reading before, playing upon the Towne
With his great Ordinance; then did assay
To scale the works; and by main-force, his way
To make into the Town; but off was beat,
And in despight was forced to retreat.
After some daies, again they do assail
The Town; and did some of the out-works gain
Though with much losse: The King sent a supply,
Of Ammunition, Men, Artillery,
Which safe arrived there in
Essex sight,
But this his Lordship did so much dispight,
That he commands the Souldiers to prepare
Now for a third assault, his Ladders are
Provided; walls, and works, his Cannons beate
All down before them, his Granadoes great
Blow up whole houses; and in furious guise
His souldiers do attempt the Enterprize.
Aston made brave resistance for that while
He could do service; for a ponderous Tyle,
Which from a house a Cannon bullet rent
So brus'd his head, that now incompetent
Of all command he was;
Fielding's resolve
Now upon whom the power did all devolve,
Was for to yeild, a parley sounded is.
On gallant tearms, indeed both he and his
March out: The Royalists the Act decry,
And by a Martial Councel judg'd to dye
Was
Felding for't at
Oxford: but the King,
Pardon'd the person, and forgave the thing.
☞
Rupert and
Gunter did at
Chalgrave meet,
And with their discharg'd Pistols boldly greet
Each other, but
Rupert shot
Gunter dead,
And whilst the Traiterous
Hamden there did head
His party, he receiv'd a mortal wound
Even on that field, upon that very ground;
Where first against the King hee did declare,
Even so remarkable God's Judgements are.
Numerous the Prisoners were, that
Rupert took;
☞ But let's a while now into
Cornwall look.
On
Lands-Down hills, most advant agious ground
Waller encamps; Hills, Woods, and Walls, surround
His Camp almost; what part did open lye
With Rampiers, and strong works they fortifie,
Lining the hedges thick with muskereers,
Slaining advanceth with his Cavalliers.
Whose horse at the first charge disordered were.
The
Cornish foot charge up; the hedges clear;
The Horse now ralli'd, bravely wheel about
Charge home in deed; put
Waller's Horse to rout
With a great slaughter; the first hill regain'd,
Brave
Greenvile with a stand of Pikes maintain'd
Against their Horse, and shot both great and small
But there, alas, that valorous Knight did fall,
With hundreds more; four brave assaults they make
On
Wallers Campe: the fifth, they do it take.
To the next hill,
Waller his men retires,
At mid-night many Marches there he fires,
Hanging the hedges with them; and so flies,
The Royalists still fireing: A brave prize.
The morning light, to
Slaining's men discry'd,
Sharpe was the fight, numerous the men that dy'd
On both sides; for from noon even till mid-night,
Continued was this bloody desperate fight.
☞ Through unfrequented by-waies
Waller flies,
Yet him Prince
Morice met near the
Device
At
Roundway-Down; but with two thousand men,
And though indeed
Waller was nine or ten,
Morice him greeted with so brave a charge,
That from close Order, soon his men inlarge
To shameful flight, the Royalists pursue,
Numbers of Prisoners took; numbers they slew
Six thousand Arms, ten Cannons, and great store
Of Ammunition, hence the Victors bore.
The Captives did the Victors duplicate,
Which
Round-way-Downe did
Run-way nominate.
☞ Whilst these trans-actions in the
South do pass
At
Burlington the Queen arrived was;
Of Arms and Ammunition store she brought,
With the Crown Jewels late in
Holland bought.
The Parliaments great Ships that hovered near,
When once these Royal parties landed were,
And the Convoy return'd; near shore advance,
On
Burlington with their great Ordinance
They play off Ship-board; for an hour and more,
And then weigh Anchor and put off from shore.
☞
Ougleby and
Montrosse to the Queens traine
Conjoyne their Troopes, and first to
York they came.
Jermin was the Queens General, th' Infantry
Infamous
Lesley led; her Chavalry
The noble
Gerrard; Leg the sole Chieftain
Of her Artillery; and thus they came
From
York up to
Edge-Hill; where the King meets
His Loyal Consort, and most kindly greets
Her with imbraces most affectionate,
And with great joy doth there congratulate
Het safe return; Sweet Martial Melody,
Doth make the Ecchoing Hills and Vales reply,
And tell the World, what love and joyes there are
Conceiv'd at meeting, of this Royal pair.
The Thundering Cannons play at such a rate,
Judgements loud Trump, seeming to antidate,
So sweet the Levits were, so high the strain,
Joying those Loyal Ghosts, there lately slain.
☞ From hence these Royal Armies, all repair
To
Glocester: All things provided are
Now for the Siege: And thus the Camp sate down,
After the King, in vain, summon'd the Town.
Upon the South, laid
Ruthen Earl of
Forth,
Ashley on th' East,
Vavaser on the North,
The River, and most of the Chavalry,
Upon the West side of the Town did lye;
Still in the Leagure doth the King reside,
Ladders, and Engines, numerous they provide,
And with their batteries, make the City-wall
As leaves from Trees, in
Autumn, for to fall:
Yet could not enter, for the Deeper Moat,
In which so many Faggots thrown, still float
Upon the waters, so that they repair
Their breaches: The Kings Mines countermin'd are.
The King (whilst here) much precious time did lose,
Either the art, or prowess of the Foes,
Or the Towns strength (this Town's) unfortunate,
Did all the Kings assaults annihilate.
Many bold Sallies the Besieged make
Some wound, some kill, & some they prisoners take,
☞ Whilst
Glocester the King besieg'd in vain,
Exiter did Prince
Morice powers regain.
Before this Town a while the Prince had laid,
And on it only with his Cannons plaid,
Then makes a fierce assault, prevails so far,
As that their mounts, works, sconces, all won are,
And their own Cannons turn'd against the Town,
In this distress they beat a Parley soon
And yeild on Quarter: Thus even the whole West
Became the Kings, for
Rupert had possest
Bristol before: The third or fourth Day,
Fines had surrendred, and was march'd away.
☞ That constant Herald, even swift flying fame,
Now told the King, how General
Essex came
To raise his Siege, who
Rupert off soon sent,
To bee to
Essex an impediment,
And to retard his Marches, whilst that hee
From
Glocester drew of
's Artillery.
Some skirmishes betwixt these parties pass,
Yet
Glocester releiv'd by
Essex was,
And having done this feat so much desir'd,
For
London hee resolv'd to have retir'd.
☞ But
Rupert follows with a numerous force
Of Chavalry, and Bodies brave of Horse,
Marches for
Wilt-shire, and to
Aubern near,
Most boldly falls in General
Essex rear.
Urry first charg'd, who the Forlorn did lead,
Did execution much, many fell Dead
His Troops before; But
Essex fac'd about,
And well-nigh put brave
Jermins Horse to rout;
Jermin and
Digby shot, some also tane,
Constable and
La-vienville slain.
☞ On
Mavern Hills, they have a second bout,
And for a while ingage both Horse and Foot,
With success equal: But this while the King
To
Newberry, his Infantry doth bring.
Essex goes on to
Cirincester, where
Of Royallists, too many Quartered were
Which hee surprizes. Next Day hee did see
The King embattail'd, near to
Newberry.
At the first sight, both parts began to fire,
But night comes on, and so they both retire.
A plot of very advantagious ground,
This night about two miles off
Essex found,
On which hee did encamp; But the next Day
So soon as
Phaebus, did his Rayes display
Fully upon our
Hemisphere, the King
Up even to
Essex Front, his powers did bring.
With the Forlorn, brave
Lisle boldly went on,
And first did fight, for ground to fight upon:
Then the two
Byrons with much Gallantry,
Led on the Royal Horse, and Infantry,
Acting their parts like Souldiers excellent,
Even to their Enemies astonishment:
☞ Louder than Thunder, now the Cannons roa
[...]
Heads, Leggs, Arms, Thighs, with violence they to
[...]
From whom they hit; Of Bullets the thick flight
Even at high noon, induce a sudden night:
As leaves in
Autumn from an Oaken Wood,
Men fall down Dead; the field o'reflows with blood
Most hideous, pitteous cries, and groans, resound
From Dying men, laid on that bloody ground.
Some wounds so wide, at once mens bloods do spill,
Rapiers and Tucks, do full as surely kill
With smaller pricks, the Fauchians broad hew down
And cleave men, to the middle from the crown.
Here might you see two ride up close, present,
Give fire, then both fall Dead incontinent;
Of Musketiers, whole Bodies you might see,
Now come to push of Pike, fiercely let flee,
With But end of their peeces at the Head
Of one another, striking many Dead
Even at a blow, their brains dispersed were,
And oft did the survivours face besmear.
Here might you see a Bullet-galled Horse,
Through Ranks and Files, his bloody way inforce,
Till on the point of a well-level'd Spear
Hee runs himself, and there ends his carrear.
☞ Whole Files of men, the Chain-shot cuts in twain,
With the Plebeians, are great Nobles slain;
Stroud, Falkland, Morgan, Fielding, Sunderland,
Are now by Death, sequestred from command.
☞ Noble
Carnarvans Death was eminent,
Who now had multitudes before him sent
To
Charons-boat; At length there did him meet
An Armed Gallant with fierce blo
[...]
[...]
Each other, from each stroak the
[...]
Doth slye about them, both at length retire,
And then ride up again, and bravely tilt
At one another, up even to the hilt:
The Enemy did in
Carnarvan sheath
His bloody Blade, nor did the other breath
One minute after; for in Death more fierce,
Carna vans sword, his very heart did peirce,
Thus with their swords in one anothers brest,
They fell and laid on Honour
's bed to rest.
☞ A timerous Foot-man laid close on the Earth
Amongst the Dead, onely for fear of Death,
Yet peeping up often about him spi'd,
A fierce Dragoon that him lye quick descri'd.
In twain, his head with a broad Pole-axe slit,
Freed him from what hee feard, by giving it.
☞
Andover, Peterborough, and
Carlisle,
Brave
Lucas, Darcy, Gerrard, Ivers, Lisle,
All wounded are led off; But
Essex lost
Here not a Lord, though dear his victory cost.
☞ The King and Queen as sad spectatour stood,
And see the effusion of those Seas of Blood
That flow'd upon that field, and to retire
Their well-nigh routed Army did require.
Shrill sound the Trumpets, and the Drums loud beat;
To some a glad, t' others a forc'd retreat.
☞ Nor now had
Essex any appetite
To rally, and renew this bloody fight,
For with Dead Corps having now pav'd his way,
For
London straight hee march'd without all stay:
And to
Westminster did in Triumph bring,
His (dear bought) Colours taken from the King.
☞ Had but the King this Fatal Seige declin'd,
And his brave Troops for
London then design'd;
When first hee came
Glocester walls before,
Hee need not sure, have foughten any more.
Essex condition desperate at that time,
The
Londoners assistance did decline
To th' Parliament, the Lords did all accord
To end the Wars, the King should bee restor'd,
The Principallity of all the West,
(Save
Glocester) the King as then possest,
But the
Errata's wee commit in War
By fates Decree irrevocable are.
Gell, Brearton, Ridgby, Jacson, all prepare,
Bird in his Nest,
Eccleshal, to insnare
And take; who came, first won the Church & Town,
And then those Barns and Stables all burn down
That stood the Castle near; Their Guns they plant
Play at the Walls, yet all this cannot daunt
Those here besieg'd; their hold they do Defend.
To raise the Siege his Majesty did send,
Capel, and
Hasteings, who now drawing nigh,
I' th' Church do the Besiegers fortifie
Themselves;
Bird councels to inforce them thence,
The Lords cannot with so much time dispence
To beat them out, so
Bird resigns his place
(Hopeless indeed as in the present case)
To Captain
Abel, and away hee went
With the Releif, the Siege incontinent
Renewed was, and
Abel thus confin'd,
After a while to
Gell the place resign'd.
☞
Arundel-Castle
Waller came to take,
Assaults most furious, many did he make,
Yet, with great loss was bravely still repel'd.
After a month or more they out had held
They yeild; In it was a full years provision,
Wondrous well man'd, of Arms and Ammunition
Abundance, who can value this rich prize?
Which made the most that knew it to surmise,
Waller with Golden Cannons here had plai'd,
And so this last and greatest Battery made.
☞ For
Winchester Waller doth march, the Town
Hopton possest, and doth to
Bramdean Down
Draw out his men, resolv'd
Waller to fight,
Waller comes on, the Armies now in sight
Each of the other; with loud shouts they rent
The very Clouds, a Dareing complement
Of thundring Cannons, is the first salute,
Waller the Hill had gain'd, the first Dispute
Was him to dispossess; but dear it cost,
And many a life on both parts for it lost.
This dear-gain'd Hill, Stout
Lisle guarded that night,
During which both parts did desist to fight.
Another Hill more advantagious farr,
Waller had found, hither his Foot drawn are,
The hedges lin'd, his Horse themselves display
All in the Van. No sooner had the Day
Lightned the World, but
Hopton on doth press,
Waller of his new-ground to dispossess.
Balfore wheels off, as though hee seem'd to fly,
The
Ambuscado's of their Infrantry
Are now discri'd: Yet no time to retire.
In Vollies thick from th' hedges they give fire,
Bullets like hail-stones fly, that bloody ground
Is covered with Dead Corps,
Ruthen a wound
Received here; Lord
Stuart here was slain,
And that brave
Smith, that erewhile did regain
The Royal Standard at
Edge-Hill; Stout
Scot,
Apleford, Mannings, Sandies, all Collonels, shot.
Most violent, and bloody was the fight,
Sulphureous Powder-clouds, obscure the light,
And fiery flashes through them blinde mens eyes,
Clashing of Armour, tumult, dolorous cryes
Of dying men resound in every place.
Wallers Commanders also fall apace,
The Stout
Dalbier had many a wound here got,
A Cannon Bullet
Thompsons thigh off shot,
And numbers more lay bleeding on the ground.
☞
Hopton at length a forc'd retreat doth sound,
His men disordered well-nigh to a rout,
To
Basing-house from hence he wheels about
Winchester left;
Waller doth follow near,
Winchester yeilds, when once his men appear
Before the Town?
Waller's successeful fate,
Prince
Griffith doth indeed so animate,
To undertake
North-Wales, obedient
To bring by force, unto the Parliament.
From
Lonoon in a most heroick guise,
They set him forward to his enterprize;
His silver Trumpets, Sumpters, brave attyre
Even of his Troopers, make the most admire.
His first design is
Rupert to seek out
They meet; This Pseudo-Prince is put to rout,
His men dispers'd, all driven into holes;
His golden Mountains, thus do prove but Moles;
Like
Phaeton now fallen from the sky
Of all command; his vaunts and gallantry
Lye buryed now in scorn, his means spent all,
Debauch'd he lives, Pride needs must have a fall.
☞
Newark against
Meldrum close siedge had laid
And many waies the Town to gain assay'd;
His Batteries, Mines, assaults were all in vain,
Numbers each day of his assailants slaine.
Rupert at length with a brave Army comes,
To raise the siedge,
Meldrum draws off his Guns
At his approach; and to the
Spittle near
He plants them; all his foot embodied were
In the same place; strong trenches them surround,
His Horse stands pransing on that champion ground
Under the Beacon-hill;
Rupert draws nigh,
And from the Beacon doth the foes discry
Resolv'd to charge them; though his Foot and Rear
Some three miles distant yet behinde him were.
In Order good, his men the hill discend,
Stoutly their ground do
Meldrums Horse defend.
Bloody grew the dispute, the Vale bespread
With heaps of Men and Horses, fallen, and dead.
Rupert's right-wing was well-nigh put to rout,
And cowardly some did run till
Martin stout
Came in to their relief, and turn'd the chase
Making the late pursuers flye; give place.
☞
Hasting's and
Porter's acts were eminent,
And
Gerrard did service most excellent
Till first dismounted, in his arme then shot
He yeilds himself a Prisoner; who did not
Rupert's heroick valour here amaze.
As on some prodigy men stand and gaze
So do his actions even attract each eye,
To see, and wonder: him his deeds discry
Three sturdy fellows him at length beset,
And one fast hold, did of his Choller get;
But that hold hand
Neale at a blow in twain,
Cut from its arme; a second there was slain
By
Rupert's self, the third was Pistol'd dead
By Master
Mortaign. On the Prince doth lead
His troops victorious; charging through the foes,
Hewing down lains before him where he goes.
☞ At length they run even quite behind their foot,
Up to their works
Rupert pursues the rout;
And then retires out of their Cannon shot.
☞
Tilliar by this, up with the foot was got;
And from the hill most boldly doth them lead,
Towards their Bridge of Boats, for which they plead
With Vollies thick of Muskets, intermix't
With thundering peals of Ordinance, betwixt
Them, there they mannage a most bloody fray.
From
Muscam-bridge their horse run quite away
For
Nottingham: the Princes force surround
Them at the
Spittle. But at length they sound
A parley;
Rupert let them march away
With Colours, Drums, Swords, Horses; but doth stay
Their Cannons, Muskets, Powder, Match and Ball;
The noble
Gerrard was releas'd withall.
Then
Rupert having given them this defeat,
Doth to his best advantages retreat.
Finis Libri Tertii.
THE ENGLISH CIVIL VVARRS.
BOOK IV.
The Contents.
Essex
and Wallers
Forces are combin'd,
Essex
for Cornwall
goes: Waller's
design'd
The King to fight: Copedray-bridge
dispute:
The King doth after Essex
make pursuite;
Essex
defeat in Cornwall: Malsmberry
tane,
Pennington
Siege and Banburies: Min
is slain;
Ast-ferry
fight: Monmoth
lost and regaind:
Newberry
second fight: Norton
constraind
Baseing
to leave: Wye-
fight. Shrewsbury
won
Some Northern
actions that this while are done.
THe wing'd Musitians pleasantly did sing
Their airy notes, to welcome in the spring,
Tellus in her Green Livery was beclad,
Flora the Meads with Flowers enameld had,
And now what County, or what Hamler clear
Of Armed Camps, and Martial tumults were?
Great expectation of some actions great
Possess the World, for
Oxford-shire the seat
Of three great Armies was; combined here
Essex and
Wallers numerous Forces were
Against the King: who fighting did Decline,
With their united Forces; and design
Them to divide, and then the one assail.
Nor did the King his expectations fail,
For hee with winding Marches flies about,
And they pursue their Guns, their numerous Foot,
Their Carriages: their Marches so impede,
That
Essex doth from
Waller now recede,
And into
Cornwall his great Guns doth bring,
Waller alone left to pursue the King,
☞ But ere they part the Heavens did evidence,
Their Frowns on their Rebellious Insolence,
And made them feel the thundering
Jove well knew
That his Anointed, none should dare pursue,
A most prodigeous storm of hail there fell
Near
Woodstock on them, out of Heaven, even Hell
Seem'd to bee poured; every stone so great,
As to the ground, down Horse and man did beat;
Thus for two hours, the angry Clouds did pour
Upon their heads this more than furious snower;
Yet in the Royal Camp no hail at all,
But two miles distant (wondrous strange) did fall.
But let's return to
Waller, and the King,
His Majesty to
Worcester doth bring.
His Army
Waller follows,
Beudley then
The King march'd towards.
Waller with his men
Here got before; thinking the King would flye
Straight up the River, unto
Shrewsberry.
The King wheels back for
Worcester, and so
Some two-daies march had got before his foe.
When first the King to
Worcester drew nigh,
From
Dudley-Castle the Besiegers flye.
In winding marches hence the King doth pass
To
Buckingham: his next March ordered was
For
Banbury; But
Waller in his way,
Upon
Croach-hill, his Army doth display
To the Kings view: From that time, even till night,
For
Burley, and for
Nethrope they do fight,
Two Villages betwixt their Camps that laid,
The loss was equal; but when night displaid
Her sable Mantle o're our Hemisphere,
Waller advanc'd to
Burton-hill; more near
To
Banbury, and here his Excellence
Embattail'd stood: nor could be drawn from thence.
For
Daintry, off then march the Cavalliers,
Leaving the Bridge well man'd with Musketiers
To guard their Rear:
Waller his Cannons sends
First down the Hill, and then himself discends
With his main Body, falls in the Kings Rear,
Compton and
Cleaveland, first commanded were,
With noble
Bernerd's brave reserve of foot
To make a stand, and then to face about
And charge: most nobly on the Lords do go
Charge through, and through the proud advancing foe.
Nor
Waller's thundering Cannons did they fear,
Of which, the most here from him taken were.
Wilmot, the Lords did second gallantly,
Many of
Wallers on the Turfe do dye.
Bloody the fight with courage brave maintain'd,
Yet victory Nobly was at length regain'd
On the Kings part;
Wilmot twice Prisoner tane,
The valiant
Cleark and
Bootlier, both here slain.
Haward and stout
Cornwallis Knighted were
Who seeing
Wilmot Prisoner void of fear
Rush through their thickest foes, and hundreds send
To
Charon's Boat; reschew their honoured friend.
Waller by this gave ground, sounds a retreat,
Fearing indeed a total rout, defeat;
Nor could the King his victory home pursue,
Cause
Waller his advantages too, drew.
☞ Some Leathern Guns; twelve Brass here taken were
With
Weems that
Scot; their Master-Cannoneer,
Who both against his Oath, and Loyalty
Unto his Prince;
Waller's Ar
[...]illery
Commanded; oh! ingratful mone-sworne-
Scot,
Against the King to act; who sure did not
Deserve at thy hand; two hundred foot,
Were also taken prisoners at this bout.
And the like number on the ground lay slain
Of
Waller's men; for
London now again
For fresh recruits
Waller his march doth take.
Haste after
Essex, hence the King doth make.
In
Cornwall now arriv'd
Lestithiel near
Where General
Essex forces quartered were.
The King's victorious forces upon sight
Would needs go on, ingage them there to fight.
But them to starve the King resolves, and so
Encamps his Army very near the foe.
Himself at
Mohum's house
Boconnock lyes.
Greenvile came up at length with more supplies,
And now by force of
Lesterman possest
Essex was straightned much, much now distrest.
A Fort and House near to Foy-Haven stood,
The King got these;
Essex depriv'd of food
Was from the Sea by this; for these now man'd,
The King that harbour solely did command.
Yet 'cause the foes ground had so much still
West
And two small Harbours there as yet possest.
Morice upon their quarters doth design
To fall; yet after some advice, decline
The enterprize; for them to hunger out
Was held the best:
Goring's Horse,
Basset's Foot
Therefore went
West, betwixt them and Saint
Blaze
Obstructing all relief, in this sad case,
Balfore doth with their Horse break quite away
Leaving their Foot:
Walgraves near
Saltash lay
Whom with his men,
Balfore had nigh suppris'd.
But when the old man better was advis'd
That they were foes; his Brigade out he drew,
A hundred of them on the place there slew,
Took
Abercony Prisoner, and some more
Goring pursued too, but they got o're
To
Plimouth: in the mean time all the foot
Lestithiel left; to
Foy-ward marching out,
Many brave Cannons left behind them were
The King possest them; followes in their Rear
From hedge, to hedge, most bravely doth them beat.
At length they face, and force the King retreat,
Having got an advantage of the ground,
On goes brave
Bret, (and though he got a wound)
With the Queens Troop, and forc'd them run again,
Onely some four or five of his were slain,
For which brave service he was dubbed Knight.
Nobly Lord
Stuard did in this same fight
Behave himself; With the Kings Troop:
Wray's Foot
Twice forcing from their hedges, to a rout;
But night comes on and parts this running fray,
And in this night their General stole away
With
Meirick, and Lord
Roberts in a beat,
To
Plimouth o're the Waves they nimbly float.
Leaving their Army in this great distresse.
Pity such men should General's names possesse;
Who will not with their men participate,
In most adverse, as well as prosperous state;
O timerous men! notorious cowar dize.
Ten thousand men to leave in such a guise.
But the swift hours by this induce the day,
And known it was
Essex was run away,
Butler his Drums a parley caus'd to beat,
And with the Royalists on tearms they treat.
And in conclusion, thus they do agree,
To leave their Powder, Arms, Artillery.
Onely to officers it granted was,
With Pistols, Swords, and Horses off to passe.
Ten thousand Arms, brasse Peeces forty nine,
Seven hundred Carriages they here resign
Of Powder too; three hundred barrels: then
Their Armelesse Army march: yet of their men
Some thousands take up Arms on the King's part.
From
Cornwall doth his Majesty depart
For
Oxford; and sole Master of the field
Barstable, Ilfercombe, and
Saltash yeild,
To his victorious Troopes, (
Saltash was ta'ne
By storme, and therefore many of them slain.)
Thus in the
West, the King was prevailent
Glocester near, the game against him went,
As though that county were design'd to be,
The King and Kingdomes, sole Catastrophie.
Massy at
Beverstone once wors'd; again
Draws out his men that Castle to regain,
Makes an assault; but least unto the foes
The places weaknesse should their lives expose,
Upon conditions the Defendants yield.
Nor yet could
Malmsbury Collonel
Howard shield
From
Massies powers, the suburbs first they gain'd.
But
Howard sallying out boldly; constrain'd
Them to give ground; what cowards will you flee?
Said
Massy to them, rally, follow mee,
On then again they go, the Town they win
Many put to the Sword, of those within.
On
Teuxbury Massy had his next design
Which he surprises; but they soon combine,
Their dispersed for ces beat him out again
Massy comes on afresh; many are slain:
Min routed in disorder fled away,
The Town to
Massy left is as a prey.
☞ The Fox so politick had left his den
Of
Tamworth and to
Beudley leads his men,
Pretends to
Rupert that he did retain
Demands accesse, it's granted; the Guard's tane,
The Town he enters falls upon his prey,
Littleton and his men all led away
His Captives are;
Mythologists applaud
In Foxes, not their sortitude, but fraud.
Dennington-Castle
Middleton comes to take,
And an assault unparralleld did make;
With more than desperate fury they maintain,
This fierce assault six hours, but all in vain,
A hundred Souldiers on the place there fell,
Nine of their Captains, and a Collonel;
Hundreds more wounded, but
Blois of his men
Both kil'd and wounded, had not full twice ten.
Middleton marches off towards the
West,
Bridge-water, near
Courtney, and hee contest
Sharpely a while (the hedges all were lin'd
With Musketiers, in Ambushes design'd,
Middleton to catch) but off he wheels and flies,
Many first kil'd: at
Sherburn doth surprize
A Troop of Royalists, and some doth slay,
Victor and Vanquish'd in the self-same Day.
☞
Dennington too, now
Horton comes before,
Twelve nights & days, his thundering Cannons roar,
And play most furiously against those Walls,
Some part whereof unto the ground there falls,
Three lofty Towers they raze too, to the ground,
Yet all attempts in vain, experience found
For the Defendants gallantry, and art
(Maugre their malice) forc'd them to depart.
☞ With numerous
Colliers now comes Collonel
Fines
From
Bedworth, Banbury-castle undermines,
Thought in a cloud of Sulphure, to have sent
These Walls up to the Skies:
Waters prevent
His wish'd attempt, frustrate his
Colliers skill.
Then with his thundering Cannons next he will
The work effect, a breach full wide hee made,
With Sword and Pistol they the same invade,
In four Divisions more, on came his Foot
With Scaling-Ladders on their shoulders; stout
To admiration, the Defendants were,
Nor could the assailants any Ladder rear,
But with a vengeance all beat back again,
Except some hundreds on the place left slain.
The next means for to win it,
Fines doth try,
Is with Granado's them to terrifie
Out of their hold; with streaming fires these blaze
Amongst the Clouds, while the Defendants gaze
VVith wonder, Down precipitate they fall,
VVhose thundering language did indeed, them all
At first affright, some kill, and some blow blinde,
As Dust in streets, is by a whirling VVind
Blown every way; So bullets, many a nail,
VVith shattered shells the standers by assail
VVhen these do break; the onely waie's to fall
And lye prostrait, so to avoid them all.
VVhilst multitudes of these,
Fines on them plaies,
North-hampton comes with
Gage the Siege to raise.
Fines fac
[...]d the Earl a while, then off-ward Drew
To
Hanwell, but
North-hampton doth pursue,
Falls in his rear;
Fines faces, many slain,
Two hours and more, both sides the fight maintain
With resolution, and much gallantry,
At length
Fines Forces do disperse and fly,
Three carriages of Powder, Match and Shot,
With one brave Cannon, here the Victors got.
☞
Mins grand design was
Massie to insnare,
And to this purpose many projects are
All set on foot, but fail;
Hartpury near
Some few of
Mins Rear-guard surprized were,
But near to
Elderfield their whole Brigade
Advance; and there their Ambuscado's laid,
Lining the hedges with their Musketiers,
Their Horse stand in their Front;
Massie appears
Next morning, chargeth:
Mins Horse soon retire,
Thinking their Ambuscado's should give fire,
Upon the now advancing Enemy,
And so they did; but forc'd at length to fly.
Min with two-hundred on the turfe were slain,
And near three hundred Prisoners of them tane.
Wounded and taken
Passer was also,
Slain
Min's Brigade as hee came posting to,
To let them know more Forces were at hand.
And though those follow under his command;
Yet their pursuit was vain, the feat was done,
And
Massie with his prize and prisoners gone.
☞
Rupert Ast-ferry to secure intent,
Six hundred Horse and Foot thither had sent,
These for their Guard intrench that neck of land,
That
Wye and
Severn's confluence 'twixt did stand.
Massie this hears, and therefore doth Designe,
Thence to inforce them, ere their works and Line
Perfected are; thither therefore hee went,
A Squadron of his Musketiers are sent
Privately on;
Ruperts men them discry,
And at them all, their Guards at once let fly,
In a loud Volly all their shot; again
Ere they could charge,
Massie's Forlorn amain
Now mount their works; then his reserves on came,
A bloody fight both parts a while maintain;
But in conclusion
Massie got the Day,
Except whose heels and Boats bore them away,
All slain and Prisoners are; So various are
These sad successes of this Civil Warr.
Kirle to
Massie, Monmoth had betrai'd,
Which to effect, thus they their plot had laid.
Massie to
Monmoth first advanceth near,
Then feigns a Post him to recall; they hear
In
Monmoth Massie's gone; Draw out, pursue
Kirle commands this party, who well knew
Where
Massies Ambuscado's now were laid,
Thither hee leads his party; all betraid,
And now surrounded, yeild to
Massie; then
To
Monmoth with a part of
Massie's men
Kirle returns, saying these Prisoners were
They on the Gates; But, behold, in the Reat
Massie comes up; then
Kirle and those got in,
Declare themselves, to wound and kill begin
The Guard; let down the bridge,
Massie comes ore
The Garrison they instantly ore power,
The Governour, advantaged by night
With many more, escape their hands by flight.
Broughton intends
Godridge to fortifie,
Hereford Forces his design discry,
Draw out, the first assault they on it make,
Broughton and all his men they Prisoners take.
Now
Massies Horse to
Monmoth quartering near,
Bravely assaild by valiant
Blaxton were,
Many hee took, many of them were slain,
Yet fresh supplies came up, and back again
Blaxton inforce with loss.
Massie also
With
Gerrard and with
Winter had to do,
Skirmishing oft.
Massie from
Monmoth gone,
Throgmorton had the Regiment alone,
And Drawing out on
Chepstow to attempt,
From
Ragland and from
Godridge some are sent,
Who in
Throgmorton's absence now devise
A Stratagem,
Monmoth again surprize.
What Treachery lost, Policy bravely won
These nobly did, but
Kirle had basely done.
☞
Stephens, Raudon to releeve, flies with his Horse
To give him ground doth the besiegers force,
Whilst hee alights, makes merry with his friends,
Renowned
Ashley a strong party sends,
They block him up, who others thought to free
From a straight siege, besieg'd himself is hee,
And all together yeild, so excellent
Such Stratagems was
Ashley to invent.
☞
Manchester, Essex, Waller, all combine
Forces, the King for to surround, near
Spine
They randezvow; then off their Horse they Draw,
First to inforce the Royalists from
Shaw,
A hot dispute Prince
Morice Horse and they,
Maintain with loss on both parts all that Day.
Nor did their thundering Cannons cease the while,
Some men they kill, some houses they untile,
And with those tiles, oft strike some Souldiers Dead.
Then for a Mill on
Kennet next they plead,
Where (many Royallists surpriz'd and slain)
That Mill and passage the
Essexians gain,
Till noble
Ashley with his Valiant Foot,
Came up (the Foes put all to flight and rout,
And many in the River Drown'd) regain'd
The Mill and Passage:
Bennet too maintain'd,
Waller against a bloody fight: Whose Horse
For to retire,
Leggs Chavalry inforce.
Yet rallying
Legg did bravely charge again,
Routs
Essex's Life-guard, whose Commander slain
By
Bennet was; The Duke of
Yorke's Brigade,
Led on by
Leagure, gallant service made,
Thus on the
West of
Newberry went the game.
☞ But on the
East the bold
Essexians came
With confidence, and resolution on,
And noble
Goring pressed sore upon;
Who did with courage no whit less oppose
The numerous, and as yet prevailing Foes.
Till on goes
Cleaveland with his own Brigade,
And those insulting Foes to fly soon made:
In this same charge was Major
Urry slain,
And
Cleaveland's self, that Noble Earl was tane.
☞
Manchester's men this while on the
North-East,
To
Shaw-ward in this bloody fight, the least
Part had not mannag'd: where Renowned
Lisle,
Had bravely kept them Martial play this while;
Astley and
Brown here service brave had done,
And had some Cannons from the Rebels wone.
Thus was this fight maintained in a round,
Till with dead corps that blood-ore-flowing ground
Newberry on each side, lay thick bespread,
And
Kennets ruddy streams discoloured
With several rivulets of crimson blood,
United, and augmented to a flood,
Nor on the Day alone here did they fight,
But in loud Vollies fired all the night,
The Ecchoes of their thundering Guns, loud cries,
In Doleful accents from those woods replies,
And neighboring vales, tumult, licentious rage,
Fills every place; here armed Troops ingage,
There great Battailions of brave Infantry,
With Death-Defying magnanimity:
The Earth seem'd for to tremble and rebound,
Whereon the prauncing Horse did charge; a wound
Brainford receiv'd i'th' mouth,
Alford i'th' thigh,
Leagure and
Leak stout Royalists here Dye,
Their honour lost in
Cornwall to regain
The Roundheads fight; the Kings part to maintain
Their Honour got; the motives equal were
Courage to breed, and to exempt all fear.
☞ A
Cornish Foot man slipt and got a fall,
As hee was running nigh a Garden wall,
Even at that time, that a thick flight of shot,
Came whistleing ore his head, hee swore by Got
That hee was slain; and panting there hee said,
For Saints and Souls, Desiring his Comrade
Him there to Bury: But to search his wound,
A Surgeon came; behold! none could be found.
They bid him rise, and fight, for nought him ail'd,
But all their words with him nothing prevail'd:
Rather, said hee, Inter mee here alive,
Then I should in such Dangerous times survive.
Cold grew his limbs, his pulse beat weak, his breath
Fetch'd thick, at length hee Dies, for fear of Death.
☞ Dubious as yet, was victory whom to grace
With her triumphant Palms, for in one place
The King prevails, takes Cannon, when hard by,
The like success attends the Enemy.
Here might you see some fly, others pursue,
Fresh Horse advance, those victors late subdue.
Both sides had Ensigns, Cannons, Prisoners tane,
Numbers of both parts on the field lay slain,
Dubious it was, to whom to attribute
Victory, in this so late, and fierce Dispute.
Yet Trophies more on the Kings part appear,
Now marching off for
Wallingford: whose Rear
Till midnight on that bloody place did stay,
And then without Disturbance march away.
☞
Basing had been besieg'd nigh half a year,
Many th' assaults, many the batteries were
Against it made; yet those attempts all vain,
Defendants few, numerous assailants slain.
Many assaults
Waller upon it made,
Who six whole weeks battering before it laid.
Then
Norton's,
Morley's,
Onslow's Forces come,
Out the Defendants Sally oft, kill some
At each adventure; but at length the King
Sends them releif, which on stout
Gage did bring.
On
Chidnam-down, Norton and hee doth meet,
And with a gallant Charge most nobly greet
Each other; In conclusion
Norton flies,
Basing-house furnish'd is with all supplies
Now necessary,
Gage doth back retreat.
Johnson and
Cufford Sallying out did beat
Up
Onflows Quarters, many Prisoners tane,
One Demi-culvering, with some hundreds slain.
But the besiegers rally, and again
Renew their Siege: To whom
Manchester came
With a great Army, yet here did not stay,
But to meet
Essex marched straight away.
When the besiegers heard of
Essex fate
In
Cornwall, and that battail passed late
At
Newberry: with the Kings approach, they fire
Their Hutts, and rise; to
Reading straight retire.
☞
Winter intends a passage upon
Wye,
For his advantages to fortifie.
But
Massi'es forces all upon him came,
Put him to rout;
Gamne and
Vangerris slain,
And
Pore of
Barkley drown'd; the Prisoners were
Many (though
Winter's self escaped) here.
☞
Shrewsbury to surprize,
Mitton had laid
His project, which now took: some say betray'd
Into his hands, that Town and Castle were,
Great was the losse the King sustained here.
Commanders many of great dignity,
Arms, Ammunition, Men, Artillery,
Abundance here were tane:
Plimouth also
Surrendred had to her beseiging foe.
Weymouth was yielded too; even every where
Sharpe seidges, bloody skirmishes there were.
So active
Mars was on the Southern Stage.
☞ No whit lesse furious was his Northern rage.
New-Castle's numerous Forces now advance,
Haward to
Pras-bridge comes, whose fatal chance
Was there for to be slain,
Hotham that day,
Had fac'd; at night draws off, marching away.
New-Castle comes to
York; where
Cumberland
Conjoyns these forces under his command,
To
Tadcaster they march, where the bold foes,
Fairfax and
Hotham's forces, them oppose.
The Town well nigh
New Castle's men had got
Till
Lister's men (though
Lister's self was shot)
Did in disorder beat them back again,
About a hundred Royalist; here slain.
Fairfax at night (the fight maintain'd all day)
Clear quitts the Town, for
Selby march'd away.
☞ Young
Fairfax with his Troops from
Bradford came
To
Leeds, and fiercely did assault the same.
After some hours dispute the Town they winne,
Many are slain and tane of those within.
Savile doth flie to
Pomfret; Beamount drown'd
In swiming
Ayre: Briggs here receiv'd a wound
And so did
Leigh: some twenty of these slain.
Fairfax his Horse, Foot, and his Club-arm'd train
To
Sea-croft leads, after a sharp dispute
Routed is
Fairfax, nigh to
Leeds, pursute
After his dispersed men the conquerers make,
Many they kill, great numbers Prisoners take.
Wentworth with his Brigade at
Wakefield laid,
Fairfax comes thither, doth the Town invade,
All
Wentworth's men (just as the
Trojeans) here,
Drunk, or asleep, in bed, surprized were
Though
Wentworth scap'd, the Prisoners taken thus
Then the assailants were more numerous.
Chamley the Quarters of the Cavaliers
Oft with successe attempted when he hears,
Slingsby at
Gisborough to be resident,
Bointon and he conjoyned, thither went,
After a sharp encounter,
Slingsby's tane,
With nigh two hundred more, many are slain;
Many the Arms the Royalists lost here.
☞ Active the Royalists at
Latham were.
Before
Manchester did Lord
Strange Display
His new-rais'd forces, but was beat away
Thence with some losse: alas! who can declare,
All the occurrences of this sad Warre.
The valiant
Tinsley did with sword and fire
Lancaster fall upon; the Rogues retire,
Out of those flaming streets, discoloured
With blood, and with dead corps also bespread;
Then on the Castle
Tinsley makes assay,
But leaves it, and for
York-shire march'd away.
Girlington stout,
Thirlan his house maintain'd
'Gainst a sharpe siedge; yet was at length constrain'd
On tearms for to surrender,
Horneby too
Had yeilded to the now prevailing foe.
Leviston with his valiant
Skiptoneers
To
Setle came; the Town assaults,
Briggs fears
His men would not hold out; up th'hills he flies,
Onely some three in this dispute there dyes.
After a while,
Briggs did to
Skipton near,
Conjoyn'd with some of
Hothams Troops, appear.
At
Carleton or
Kildwick these remaine,
Often they skirmish, often some are slain.
In
Richmond-shire the noble
Darcy had,
Agallant Regiment in blew-Coats clad;
Under blew Colours raised for the King,
Which Regiment he doth to
Skipton bring.
With these conjoyn'd, 'gainst
Thornton-Hall we go,
Make an attempt out thence to beat the foe
But neither House nor Barns, scarce once hit were,
At twenty shots, by our blinde Cannonier;
Whilst some Dragoons alight on foot to play,
Some of our horse the foes had stoln away;
Onely some Barns we at this bout did fire,
And thence for
Skipton with some losse retire.
☞ To
Thornton-Hall, that Country that lay near
Much dis-affected to the Kings part were,
Clowns for the most part sturdy, savage, rude,
Whom fair pretences did trapan, delude
And court into Rebellion; these did fear
Cause some; that all of us even Papists were;
Their whineing Preachers made them think the King
Strange innovations on the Church would bring
And that his studies all he did imploy
The Laws to change, Propriety destroy.
And on the contrary they did pretend,
The Parliament the country would befriend
Popery rout out; make them a people free
From any Tax, from any Subsidy,
And all their charges in these Warres defray;
(These things they did the clear contrary way.)
And still their exhortations thus did end.
Your Coine and Plate on publick Faith now lend.
The Parliament is on your good intent,
O freely then, aid you the Parliament.
Such fair pretences, promises untrue,
To sad rebellion multitudes soon drew.
And did much Coin into their Coffers, bring
To mannage these late warres against the King.
Finis Libri Quarti.
THE English CIVIL WARRS.
BOOK V.
The Contents.
Atherton
fight; Hulls
Siedge yet these between,
At Gainsborough
and Nantwitch
do interveene
Some actions. Winsby
fight: Hulls
siedge doth rise:
New Castle
meets old Levens
enterprize
Invading England,
his Oration
His Covenanters to; Bowden-Hills on
And Pinshaw;
Skirmishes: Corbridge
dispute,
Fairfax
's forces mightily recruite
In York-shire: Selby
stormed is by them,
Renowned Redman's Cauwoods
Stratagem.
NEw-Castle had receiv'd a brave supply
Of Arms, Commanders, great Artillery,
Late from the Queen: against
Bradford then we go,
That town devoted so much to the foe,
That scarce a Royalist in it was found.
The place is situate on declining ground;
A craggy River on the
South doth glide.
With Bulworks strong the Town was fortifi'd.
Trading had flourish'd, rich the Boars late grew
Of which no cause, but self-desert they knew.
A deep dissembled, verbal, sanctity
Was their Religion; for true piety,
Truth, and good manners had small practise here,
Bishops and Papists hated of them were.
Also the Gentry; facile to perswade
Upon the Account of liberty: to aid
The Parliament, which made them in such swarms;
Under rebellious Ensignes now bear arms.
Such is the Town, such is the Country too,
With which our Forces now must have to do.
Leeds is forsaken; before
Howley-Hall
We then encampe; a breach soon in the wall
Our thundering Cannons make; they yeild, then we
Bradford towards, draw our Artillery.
Near
Atherton a whinny More doth lye,
Full of old Cole-pits, now fill'd up, and dry:
☞
Fairfax in these his Ambuscado's laid,
From out of these, our Forlorne they invade
Put them to rout, our seconds also fly,
Till General
King came with a fresh supply.
Whose words, and actions much encouragement,
Unto our flying Cohorts did present
So that they Rally; and charge up again,
Many of both parts on the field lye slain?
Sharp was the contest, desperate, fierce and hot,
Thick flew the vollies of dead wounding shot,
Loud roar'd our Cannons; a tumultuous rage,
Fill'd every place, Bodies of Foot ingage,
(Having their Powder spent) at push of Pike,
And with the But-end of their Muskets strike
Out one anothers brains, so fierce each stroak
As Barrels bow'd, and Stocks to shivers broke,
Leaving their Pans oft fixed in the head
Of whom they wounded, or had last struck dead.
Fairfax's Horse advantage had of ground,
In number ours,
Haward a mortal wound
Receiv'd; our Swords, Rapiers, and Tucks we Dye
In one anothers blood: Pistols now flie
With more than furious, angry violence
At one anothers heads: most brave defence
The foe still made, though we press on amain,
So difficult was victory to obtain.
Hieron and
Talbot meet, most dexterously
At one another let their pistols flie
One in the breast, the other in the head
Shot; from their horses on the Turfe fall dead.
Now victory, that of late was dubious,
Had her tryumphant Palme bestow'd on us;
The foes before our Troopes victorious flye,
In this pursute numbers of theirs do dye.
A zealous Puritan amongst the rest,
Before the fight did
Fairfax thus request?
'Beseech your worship let's no quarter give,
Pity these wicked Cavalliers should live.
Their party beat; a Cavallier did ride
Up to this Zealot who soon quarter cry'd?
Villain, said he, no quarter thou shalt have,
Who will not give, pity they should receive.
☞ From
Hallifax a club-arm'd short-shorne crew
Zeal for the cause, unto this battel drew,
Who, while the day seem'd on their side to go,
Pursu'd and cry'd, see! God doth rout our foe!
At length the battel sore against them went,
Their Clubs and Sythes thrown down incontinent
They run, and cry'd, oh! God where art thou now
These Cavalliers, alas! will us undo.
Smalwood had told them, Preaching in a tree,
Ten before one, ninety 'fore ten should flee;
Smalwood was a true Prophet in this case,
One now might ten, and ten might ninety chase.
A
Northren Trooper after
Briggs did ride,
About to strike, his club-foot he espy'd,
Turning his horse he said thus in great fear,
Alas! Comrades is not the foul Fiend here?
But with the fight the day began to close
To several guards our Prisoners we dispose.
Lousie to grow indeed they need not fear,
For now of cloaths as thin as hair they were:
From close crop't heads, and long ears preminence
The name of Round-heads late they did commence.
☞ Next day betimes
Bradford we came before,
Against the Town our thundering Cannons roar,
Resolv'd the place by storme to force we are.
But for the on-set while we do prepare
Advantag'd by obscurity of night
Fairfax with some Commanders take their flight
To
Selby-ward, which when our General knew
A party strong are sent, them to pursue.
Fairfax having got (start enough) arriv'd
At
Selby safe, th'old Lord and he contriv'd,
That Town to quit and streight for
Hull to make.
To
Selby come our Horse, some kill, some take,
Ere o're the River they all Boated had.
☞
Bradford this while was tane, a plunder sad
(But yet deserv'd) it suffer'd.
Rotheram tane
We had before, with
Sheifield: To regain
Hull, fatal
Hull, our Army makes addresse
Hotham of this by force to dispossesse.
Fairfax on
Gainsborough an assault doth make,
Enters the Town, in it doth
Kingston take,
Who in a Pinnace down the river's sent
To
Hull; King meets them as they thither went,
And plays upon them with his Musketeers,
The noble Earl upon the Deck appears,
To cry for quarter, for his enemies,
But by a Bullet shot from Shore, he dyes.
Thus by his friends the noble
[...]earpoint's slain.
Cavendish marcheth
Gainsbrough to regain
From
Newark, and close siege thereto had laid,
But
Cromwel comes to the Defendants aid,
They fight: a many Royalists there dye,
The rest for safety are inforc'd to flye.
Not many hours after this fight was done,
New-Castl's Army to the field up come.
For
Lincolne, Cromwel his Retreat doth make,
And
Gainsborough soone
New-Castle's Army take.
Want of Intelligence, thus cast away,
Many brave gallants on this fatal day.
☞
Nantwitch before, the Siege some while had laid
When
Monk at
Chester-lands, and
Byron made
Both with his own and these receiv'd supplies,
Them to releeve, this following enterprize.
At his approach off the besiegers drew,
They meet, and fight, thick now the Bullets flew,
Many of both parts on the ground lye slain,
Fairfax at length is victor,
Monk's here tane,
And
Byron put to a disordered flight,
And nigh to
Chester walls pursu'd that night.
☞
Kingston before, our Army late sate down,
Mounts high were rais'd, Cannons against the town
Are planted, furious batteries many made;
Many Granadoes on the Town are plaid,
Great Engins, many Ladders frame were
Onely perhaps to put the Town in fear,
For no assault was made, the siege throughout.
With the Defendants many a bloody bout
Our Army had, the strength of that curst hold,
Made them in frequent sallies far more bold.
Their numerous Cannons from the walls they play
Beat down our works, many Commanders slay
One fatal shot
Leviston of his head
Depriv'd, and struck another Captain dead.
Alutus with many more of Eminence
Here lost their lives;
Witherington led from hence
A party brave,
Boston (as some surmise)
To take; but
Cromwel meets the enterprize.
They fight, at length the Cavalliers do fly,
The valiant
Hopton, and brave
Bowles do dye,
With hundreds more, numerous the Prisoners were
And great the prize,
Cromwel obtained here.
☞ As with her Traine the Queen late
Southward went
Bravely she had regain'd
Burton on
Trent.
Of
Darcy's Blew-Coats some the River wade,
Whilst that their Collonel had his entrance made
Upon the Bridge, their Cannon leapt upon
This is the Kings, said he, thence nobly on
His men he leads into the very Town,
Their Rampiers and their Bulworks all thrown down
Many of the Defendants there do dye,
And
Burton's taken by their gallantry.
Not many hours after the Town was tane,
Within the Church by accident the Trane
Took fire; the Leads into the Ayre it blew,
And of
Legg's men, some lam'd, and some it slew
'Gainst
Hull the siege was stoutly still maintain'd
Though but small hopes that Town should be regain'd
But the same day of
Winsby's late defeat,
Boldly they sally out in numbers great,
Beating up many of our Guards; they take
And kill a number. And the
Scots now make
Their entrance into
England, and we were
Drawn off to meet and stop the
Scots Carear.
From
Hull the Camp thus rose, oh! fatal place,
Out of our Annals let's even quite dirace
Of
Hull and
Glocester those odious names,
Rebellions hellish sin them much defames,
And infamous for ever let them be,
Till they repent of their disloyalty.
☞ In that same month from
Janus that bears name
The Covenanters into
England came;
Deep was the Snow, conjeal'd the Rivers were
With christal Ice, drowning they need not fear?
No though the Ice had not been half so strong,
Seldome the water doth the Halter wrong.
Thus cold the winter, but the zeal was hot,
Of the rebellious, and falacious
Scot.
Some twenty thousand strong, they march in men
And with great Guns about some two times ten.
Each Loune had numbers of those creatures bold,
That sit till taken napping at their hold.
If winter their increase did not prevent,
Each Loun had bred his triple Regiment;
For a reserve they bore amongst their raggs,
At least a couple of well cram'd meale-baggs,
His Can, his Pan, his muckle large-horn-spoone,
The luggage was of every lousy Loune.
A Piper did before each Cohort play,
Each
Jocky had his
Ginny by the way
To mow with now and then; All was their own
They could lay hands on, the long Robe and Gown
Especially they hate; nor did they irk,
(Though sacriledge) to plunder every Kirk.
What there they found, as bratts of Popery
Most superstitious do the Louns decry?
This deform'd army for the Reformation,
Is hir'd to fight, of this our
English Nation.
If out of Hell an army they had sought,
Sure no such Villains, could from thence be brought.
☞ This Army now advanc'd
New-Castle near,
The General bade each Lad, draw nigh and hear
What to their expedition he could say.
'Tis not bra Lads those Louns that run away,
Some five years since, not far from this same place
With which we are to fight: Indeed the case
Is alter'd now; all
England then were foes,
But now th'are friends, let's only beat but those,
(Casting his eye upon
New-Castle's men)
Our work's then done, home we may turn agen?
What, said I home again, nay by my fay,
Not till we have receiv'd even all our pay.
If then all
England fled at our first sight,
These Cavalliers ne're dare our forces fight,
Meethinks as yet, that running Charge I see,
When quite through
Tine disordered they did flee.
And if my Genius, Lads, do truth presage,
These Cavalliers ne're will with us ingage,
Our cause is now the same that it was then,
We have as many, and as gallant men.
The Parliament will let us nothing want,
Being ingag'd in our good Covenant;
These Louns before us we shall hunger-starve,
The names of souldiers they do scarce deserve;
Wee need not fight, this snow, this frost, this haile
Hunger and cold, 'gainst them will soon prevail,
And make them either run away; or dye
By multitudes, meethinks I do descry,
Discouragement already in them all.
Many good prizes to our share will fall;
Plunder of the Malignants we shall take,
But who are such? even whom we please to make,
Bra' Quarters we shall have, bra' commodation,
Wee'l put our selves into the English fashion.
Each
Ginny here shall have her silken Gown,
Those Cloaks, bra' sutes, good Beavours, all our own
Shall be we find: wee'l then fare of the best.
With good your worship, th'
English shall request
The worst Lad here, even for their own: for we
Of them and theirs, will the sole Masters be.
Take courage then, and hardship let's indure,
Toile is a mean will wealth and ease procure,
Even in the height of future gallantry,
Past toyles to think on, will most pleasant be.
Thus said th'illiterate General while the rest,
By a loud shout their high flown hopes exprest.
☞
New-Castles Army was arrived near.
On
Bowden-hills, therefore these Blew Caps were
Streight ordered to their post, whence all that day,
From their advantages both Armies play
Upon each other, Vollies thick of shot,
Yet at the push of Pike ingaged not.
On
Pinshaw-hills they have a second bout,
And for some hours in vollies thick the foot
Upon each other play: The
English stand
Embattel'd, much desiring acommand
For to fall on: But all that Winter's spent,
And yet no service that was eminent
Perform'd, except at
Corbridge; Langdale here
Had charg'd the
Scottish horse, who by him were
Routed to'th purpose: numbers here he slew
Took many; did their flying Troops pursue
With execution great: The
Jockies had
Ne're such a breakfast; but my Lord forbad
The further prosecution of the game.
Whereas if he had seconded the same
By fresh supplies, many good Souldiers thought,
Ruine on all the
Scots that day had brought.
But seeing fighting was indeed declin'd,
Thousands now Winter starv'd, or hunger pin'd,
And English-men impatient of delay,
New-Castles Army mouldred quite away.
Whom for a while we leave,
Fairfax by this
In
York-shire with his Troops arrived is;
And grows each day more and more numerous,
Many that were arrayed late by us,
And run away, with him do arms up take,
From
Hallifax, and
Bradford many make
To him addresse. Sole master of the field,
Many of our lesse holds to him do yeild.
☞
Selby before, his forces now he drew;
The Town deny'd him, on his Souldiers flew
With fury; several entrances they make,
More then themselves, of ours they Prisoners take.
Whether our men surprized were with fear,
Or for those narrower streets too numerous were
We shall not now dispute: The Conquerers know,
Scarce where their numerous Prisoners to bestow.
Manchesters Army towards
York repaire,
Wortley and
Nostill taken by them are,
As down they came;
Nostil they burn to ground,
Putting the most to sword they therein found.
Now hovering about
York these Armies laid,
The
Scots advance expecting by whose aid
York closely to beleagure, they might be
Put into a compleat capacity.
Before which siege, one stratagem of War,
For
Pomfrets honour shall my Muse declare.
☞ The valiant
Bedman Canwood to surprize,
From
Pomfret marching, doth this plot devise;
Of Orrange-Ribbons bought that morning store,
Flourished in our Hats each souldier wore;
Six men from the waste upwards, stripped were
Into their shirts, with blood we all besmear,
Their heads and shoulders; These before us drive
As Prisoners. At the Town when we arrive,
Their Centinel bids stand; come draw thy chain
We answered; we to
Cromwel do retain
And Prisoners brought: That Centry did obey,
Then up the Town we streight direct our way
Unto the Castle gate, where there did stand
A Serjeant, with his Halbert in his hand.
Of him accesse demanded, streight the Gate
He opens, bids us welcome prosperous fate.
Thus brought us to our wish, some there were slain
And twenty only of them Prisoners tane.
Their Cannons we dismount, some gall ants free
(Their Prison's broken) from Captivity;
Yet
Girlington (though Prisoner there he were)
And call'd upon oft by us; did not hear,
Not yet could we him find though him we sought
In many a Room. To
Pomfret safe we brought
Our Prize, and Prisoners, though the foes in view,
Did even nigh to the Castle us pursue.
Finis Libri Quinti.
THE ENGLISH CIVIL VVARRS.
BOOK VI.
The Contents.
New-Castle
from the North, the Scots
before
Doth fly: York
Siege: The fight at Marston-more,
New-Castle England
leaves; a short reveiw,
Of all those Northern Seiges that insue.
BEhold of men a Concourse from all parts
Of
England: with arm'd hands divided hearts,
Conjur'd of King and Parliament, the right
To try by dint of sword, and Martial might;
And
York-shire by the Fates design'd to bee,
The Stage whereon, to act this Tragedy.
New-Castle now deserts the Banks of
Tine,
And to the
Scots those Quarters doth resign,
His numerous Army almost ruin'd now,
By means insensible; And who knows how?
But that I may the noble General here,
From all suspition of dis-loyal clear
I'dare ingage; that
Boreaes might take wing,
Sooner at
Nilus-head:
Tygras-spring,
Sooner in
Itie Island: than that he
Perfideous prove, unto his Majesty.
Whether then, fate conspir'd to aid the
Scot
Or General
King with
Lesley did complot,
This gallant Army basely to betray,
And
Fabious like to conquer by delay
Is still unknown, yet this is too too plain,
That
Lesley did this victory onely gain,
By times procrastination, hunger, cold,
O how resolv'd! how numerous! and how bold
Upon our first advance our Armies were,
How few! how hunger-starv'd! surpriz'd with fear;
Now in Retreat, what thousands run away!
Or kill'd by hunger, cold, or base delay.
Neither the number nor the fortitude
Of
Lesley and his
Scots, our men subdu'd.
If that our army at our first advance
Against the
Scot, had bravely try'd the chance
Of War: these Victors might have been captiv'd,
Our
Northern Army had
York-siege surviv'd,
The
Scots like mercinary slaves most slain,
The rest sent with a vengeance home again.
But see! the
Scots do march, this barbarous crew
Even to the walls of
York, our men pursue.
Oxen, Sheep, Horses, all thats's in their way, Spoons
To these rapatious Harpies proves a prey.
Their Cans, their Pans, their Meale, their long-horn
Their raggs, their baggs, so load the lousy Louns,
Their Drums, their Guns, their Plundering in the way
Their slower marches do so much delay,
That
York hath for a siege, time to prepare,
And our now dispers'd Troops united are.
Ramsdale from
Leeds, doth lead his Regiment;
From
Knaisbrough, and from
Pomfret some are sent
And those too under
Belhouses command,
That late at
Selby did escape the hand
Of
Fairfax: come these broken parties all
Conveen'd at
York: Our honoured General
Beckning his hand, our silence to request;
Thus to the Army his designs exprest?
☞ Souldiers we cannot in the field withstand,
These Rebels that flock in on every hand?
'Tis not the
Scots alone but
Fairfax too,
With whom at present we must have to do;
Selby is wonne, most of our Souldiers tane,
And what but
York to Leagure doth remain.
Manchesters Army also now draws near,
All these combin'd are, to besiege us here.
Therefore in
York these Foot I will secure,
Till from the King assistance wee procure,
Hulls bloody siege in kind we will requite,
And with these walls, and guns we'l make them fight
With fallies bold their courage wee'll fore-stall,
With thundring shot, their bodies wound and gall.
May
Yorks siege prove as sad, disasterous
To
Fairfax, as his
Hulls hath done to us.
May all these Blew-Caps once before us flee,
As
Caesars men
Torguatus did from thee.
Langdale shall with these Troops fly to the King
And such relief will shortly hither bring,
As shall these Rebels all then put to flight,
Or bravely vanquish if they dare to fight.
Within these walls, provision here's in store,
For half a years subsistance or for more,
These Citizens all Loyal, here secure,
Within these walls we may our selves immure.
Necessity admits no Law, we must
Now to these walls, souldiers, our selves intrust,
And though to be besieged be some grief,
Yet here's our joy, certainty of relief.
At this, the Horse now for the
South design'd
March off: The Foot are unto
York confin'd.
By this the pale Queen of the silent night.
With her dark Mantle vailed had the light,
The Gates commanded are for to be shut,
And round upon the walls strong Guards are put.
☞ The first besiegers that discovered were,
Were the Scotch Armies, who next day appear
Rang'd in battailions great; Then
Lesley takes
Bishop-Thorpe for his Quarters,
Fairfax makes
At
Forforth, residence;
Manchesters force
Encampe at
Clifton: Thus with foot and horse
Of armed foes, under three Generals,
Surrounded are
Yorks now well manag'd walls.
But no assault this City for to take
By violence did these besiegers make,
Save
Manchester alone; whose great design
Was, these our City walls to undermine.
Blow up, and enter; but his
Minors skill
Fail'd, with the execution of his will.
As stronger winds striving their force to vent,
From Caverns under ground; furiously rent
The Rocks, and make even mountains to give way
And to their uncontrouled rage obey,
Causing the Earth to gape and to devour
Whole Cities, yea whole Islands; even such power
This Mine now sprung had; for up to the sky,
Earth, Walls, and Towers, and men on these do flye
In a sulphurious globe; till down at length,
They fall, the Powder having lost its strength.
Then in the place you quickly might espy
Those lofty walls, and Towers intomb'd to lye
In their own ruines: he are a souldier's head,
And there his leggs, or armes discovered.
But not the City, but the Manour-wall,
By this sulphurious Powder-blast doth fall.
At this, the Arm'd foes with great fury run,
Up at the breaches, and doubtlesse had won
The City, but that here the inner wall,
Still standing firm, their expectations all
Deceiv'd: And here bagan a fierce Dispute,
Their errour by repulse ours would refute;
And they by further violence maintain
Against our Sally-Ports; till from the slain;
The mannour-Guard like to a great Land-flood
Did overflow with intermixed blood;
Yet at the length the enemy was wors'd,
And from the breaches headlong re-inforc'd,
Where now on heaps, wounded, and dead they laid
And buryed in those graves their own Mines made.
But the besieged and the besiegers here
We leave a while; Prince
Ruperts Troops draw near
Worcester and
Bridge-North, now left in haste
And all those
Western Counties now surpast.
His swifter Troops new Quarters do acquire,
In the adjoyning towns of
Lanca-shire.
Stopwash, the Prince to stop did first design,
And therefore did their thick-set-hedges line
With numerous companies of Musketiers;
But
Washington of these the coast soon clears,
Charging them in their flanks, making them flee
Into the Town, in whose pursute even hee
Entred; putting some hundreds to the Sword,
Leverpoole to surrender doth accord.
And off from
Latham the Besiegers run,
Hearing what
Rupert had at
Stopwash done.
☞ Though thus the Princ's numerous Troops affright
The most: yet
Bolton dare oppose his might.
In their more bold affront they dare assay
His Quarters up to beat; and men to slay.
But to correct their prouder insolence,
The Prince can with so much of time dispence
To storm the Town, and cause them to lament,
Thus to provoak a Princes discontent;
For full three hundred Widdows here are left,
Which were of husbands in this storm bereft.
And not the Towns men only, here are slain,
But hundreds more of souldiers, that maintain
The town against us: All which town as prize
The Prince unto his souldiers doth demize.
From hence to
Skipton, Rupert's Army come,
But by the way they
Thornton-Hall had wonne,
Which down unto the ground they burne with fire
That Rebells thither may no more retire.
From hence to
York the Prince's marches were
Directed: But when the Besiegers hear
His near approach, they raise their siege in haste,
Leaving their Cabins, Hutts, and Trenches waste;
And their three Generals those their forces all,
To Randezvow immediately do call,
Where they consult, both where, and how to fight
The Princes Army; marching off that night
Towards
Long-Marston, where a spacious Plain;
From
Hessom, or
Long-Marston bearing name
Doth lye; in some places full thick beset,
With whin-bushes, and Marshes deep and wet.
Least these Disorder should their Horse, they take
A field well grown with Corn their camp to make.
The onely, and most advantagious ground,
That round about that spacious Moore was found.
Here they their murthering Cannons plant, and then
In order good Imbattaile do their men.
Of intermixed English-Scottish bands
Their main battallia stood;
Crawford commands,
And leads on these: On the left wing and side
Cromwel with his
Manchestrian Troopes doth ride.
The right wing was Sir
Thomas Fairfax care,
To whom the Scottish troops conjoyned are,
Which
David Lesley leads, the Generals find
A place, the main Battallions close behind
To lodge their Tents: Thus these three Armies large,
Stand Marshal'd to expect the Prince's charge.
☞ By this,
New-Castle a brave party had,
Of Foot, in white-Coats uniformely clad,
Led out from
York, some Gentry, Voluntiers,
Attend the General, and his Souldiers
Well mounted: we near
Popleton do meet
The Prince's Army, and imbrace and greet
Our old acquaintance, (for the fates decree,
That these the last imbraces now shall be
Of thousands of us)
Ouse having o're past.
The Prince the Army marshal'd all in hast.
But some Commanders thought by wise delay
He might have famish'd and made run away
Even without blood, the numerous enemy.
Pomfret, York, Knaisborough, Garrisons had we
Environing the foe, which might have staid
Provisions from their Camp; and doubtlesse made
Them to remove, fresh Quarters to have sought,
And so for us a fair advantage wrought.
But
Ruperts purpose nothing can disswade,
But even that night, their Campe, he will invade,
And to our disadvantage make them fight.
☞
Goring our left wing leads,
Byron the right,
In the main battail do our white Coats stand
With others; the word's given, and straight command
To fall on; Thus on our own Ruine bent,
Our souldiers all couragiously on went.
☞ With equal fury now both Armies meet,
And with their Cannon-Rhetorick loudly greet,
Bullets begin at distance the dispute,
Till their thick flights Sword Logick could refute.
The Horse Rang'd in battalia's proudly prance,
While fire oblickely through their eyes doth glance
From thundering Guns, like lightning from the sky
Whose fiery balls, thicker than hail-stones flyes
Shrill Trumpets sounding, with loud beating Dr
[...]
Clashing of Armour, with great roaring guns
Rattleing of Pikes, Powl-Axes, naked Swords,
From different minds different effects affords.
These sights the Valorous more do animate,
But Cow-heart, timerous-courage, quite abate,
And if dismay should not diminish fear,
Such would fall dead before they wounded were.
The empty air is fill'd with dolorous crys,
The ground with bodies of the men that dyes.
Whole Ranks and Files by Cannon fiery balls
Asunder cut, upon the ground there falls.
Here without head, there without leggs or thighs
In blood, dismembred bodies wallowing lyes.
And that pale Death may potently fulfil
Her pleasure; she most barbarously doth kill
The Living, with those Limbs dasht off the Dead;
Here flyes an Arm, there flies a souldiers head
Which strike their fellows down even to the ground
Thus friends by friends a way to kill Death found.
The smaller shot clouded bright
Phocbus light,
Darkning the Ayre with their far thicker flight;
Whose whistling fury quickly did assaile
The strong'st brest-peeces, and best Coats of male,
And through the strongest armour passage found,
To death, even brave Commanders for to wound.
But where no armour did their fury stay,
Theough many bodies they inforce their way;
[...] them gasping on that bloody ground.
[...]
[...]om the nigh Vallies and the Woods re-sound,
T
[...] doleful occhoes of their dying cryes,
But most of all the Sword doth Tyrannize
And glut it self with the expence of blood,
Which now like to an over-spreading flood
Ran under our Horse feet; for every sword
By this time, had some breast or other goar'd,
And issues made, by which their souls had left
Their bodys, now of blood, and life bereft.
These several streams of blood from several wounds
Winding along those Vallies, lower grounds
Thy lesser waters
Nid, do multiply,
Thy streams discolour with their crimson Dye,
Thou into
Ouse dis-burthenest the same,
Who swiftly down to
York with tydings came.
And to the Citizens did soon discry,
In bloody colours, this dire tragedy.
But still most furiously both sides maintain
The fight, though thousands on the ground lye slain.
Here might you see a strong couragious Horse,
Whose wounds add fury to his former force,
(His livelesse Rider thrown) through friends through foes,
Through ranks, through files, make way; and where he goes
Doth men by scores of their last breath deprive
Whose falls himself doth not so long survive,
Till on the point of a well level'd Spear,
To'th'he art himself he runs in his carear;
And falling with his heels about him lies,
Till strength and blood expended, there he dies.
Here might you see a wounded Rider thrown,
There others from their horse come tumbling down
Hang by the stirrops, dasht against pikes and swords,
Thus fate to one, more deaths than one affords,
For with the fall the frollick horse afright,
Through thickest Ranks takes his enforced flight,
Tossing about his hanging Riders head,
Killing the living, often with the dead.
A timerous foot-man did himself immure,
Amongst dead corps, thinking to bee secure
From flying shot, where closely as he lay,
Some Troops of Horse design'd to charge that way,
Came prauncing down the Moore, in full carrears,
Squeesing the blood, out of his nose, mouth, ears,
As he lay sprawling under their horse feet
Who flies from one, another death doth meet.
A Cannon bullet stroke off
Sandies head,
And with it hit poor
Wolley who fell dead,
Crying alack! alack! I ever ken'd,
Sandio's fauce head, would bring mee to my end.
A thick grown wood, unto the Moore stands near
Where many a blew-Cap hid himself for fear.
Patrick behind the bulk of a grown Tree.
Peep'd often out, the battaile for to see,
Thinking that if his party lost the day
To span his gates, for
Scotland run away.
But as poor
Patrick at bo-peep thus plaid,
A bullet shot at randome did invade
His fore-head naked; who falling, mercy cry'd
Alas! alas! for
Ginny, and so dy'd.
When
Wolly heard the smaller shot to play,
In such thick whistling Vollies, he away,
Spanning his gates through Ranks, and Files, at last
Presuming he all dangers had fur-past
He stops to see, and hear, the fights event,
A bullet from a Peece at randome sent,
Hit
Wolly where he stood devoid of fear,
Under the long of his right side leav-ear,
Who falling dead did never there intend
Under a whin-bush thus to make his end.
But thickest ranks of arm'd foes to assay,
Is still more safe then thus to run away.
☞ The victory still was very dubious,
Yet rather seem'd to smile, and fawn on us,
For our left wing, had routed now their right,
The
Scots and the
Fairfaxians put to flight.
All their three Generals now the field forsook,
To
Bradford ward
Lesley his fleet betook,
Whom wee pursue, his
Scots now curse the time,
That e're they crost the
Northern Tweed, or
Tine.
Their raggs, meal-baggs, gull-pans, long-cans down cast
They span their gates, and run away full fast.
In doleful accents, now the Louns do cry,
Mercy and Quarter, O! how thick they lye
Wounded and slain, how many Prisoners were,
How many Colours taken? in their Rear
We follow still, thinking the day our own
But
Goring our Commander should have known,
That to pursue one party was not good,
Whilst any of the adverse Body stood;
If after we had put that wing to rout,
Against the other we had wheel'd about
And on the flank have charg'd them, sure we might
Victors have been;
Crommwel's men put to flight
And Routed, unto
Cauwood sent them all,
After old
Fairfax and their General.
☞ But now when
Cromwel (apt enough to take
Advantage) see our Horse the field forsake
Now rifling, now pursuing such as fled
In their right wing he presently up led
His Troops; to whom in brief he thus did say,
Assure your selves, brave souldiers of the day.
How stand these foot, and horse to us expos'd?
How easy are they all to be inclos'd?
How will they flye our Armed Troops before,
And for the rest that now have left the Moore
In pursute of our other wing they'l yeild
Or flye; when we are masters of the field.
If but one Troop of ours fall in their Rear,
They'l run, surpriz'd with unexpected fear;
Onely the time at present doth require,
Your valour to demonstrate; you desire
The spoile of this rich field; Victors to be;
And from our wish, but one brave charge are we.
Our Generals all now off the field are gone,
The Victories glory will be ours alone.
And what the Prince and his brave Chavalry
Possesse; after one Charge all ours shall be,
Their Sumptors, and Port-Mantles, by and by
We shall have time to search. Then furiously
On
Byron's wing they charge, routed, and broke
Our bravest Regiments: Each bloody stroak
That their Pole-Axes gave was present death,
And thousands did deprive of their last breath;
Scarce one of ours escap'd without a wound,
But our vain stroaks and thrusts again re-bound
Off their Arm'd breasts and heads; The Prince doth flye,
And yeild the field to the proud enemy.
Now when the Prince's Horse thus routed were,
A party wheel'd about, and in the Rear
Charged on us; broke our disorder'd Horse,
And from the pursute of the
Scots inforce
Us unto a base flight; Yet our brave Foot,
Especially our white-Coats stood it out.
For though the foe on each side them surround
They scorn to yeild, but drawing to a round
On every side most stoutly do give fire,
Forcing the conquering foe oft to retire,
Till all their Ammunition's spent and gone,
Our Horse all fled the field, they left alone
Night drawing on, and many of them slain;
No hopes at all the victory to obtain.
Rather opprest by th'adverse multitude,
Then by true valour conquer'd, th'are subdu'd;
Taken, kill'd, wounded, even most barbarously
By the insulting desperate enemy.
☞ After their Arms down thrown, they Quarter cry'd
Their armed Troopes amongst them fiercely ride,
And put them to the Sword, in vain to live
Most of them supplicate;
Cromwel would give
No quarter: Much delighting in that blood,
That ran under his horse-feet like a flood.
Like as a ravenous Wolf greedy of prey,
Is not content alone, to kill and slay
So many of the flock as shall suffice
His greedy Jaws; but even doth Tyrannize
Over the sheep, and hundreds of them kill,
To satiate his so natural-savage will.
So
Cromwel's bloody mind not satisfy'd,
With all that bloods expence of such as dy'd
During the fight, and while we kept the field
Murthers even Captives, after they did yeild,
And to the mercy mercylesse expose
Themselves of such in-humane savage foes.
☞ The bloodyest field of all our Civil Wars
Now foughten is; the furious Conquerers
Our Cannons and our Carriages possesse.
Here
Cary, Slingsby, Prideaux acquiesse
Upon the bed of fame; affociates
Are
Wentworth, and stout
Gleddal in their Fates,
Here
Lampton, Dacres, Metham, Kirton, dye
Hure, with
Fenwick these accompany.
But now the kind obscurity of night,
Gave an advantage of far safer flight
To
Rupert, who (though with a fresh supply
Claveren came up next day) yet will not try
The chance of War again: but rather yeild
What's lost, then hazard more, by a new field.
Nor were our hopes then altogether vain,
If we next day had Rallied to re-gain
The victory: even those of them that staid
Upon the field, it would have much dismaid,
To see us on the Moore again appear,
Before their broken Troopes united were.
☞ But
Rupert flyes, (though
North-ward first he went
Up to the
South, in minde much discontent;
That this great fight had such a sad effect.
What sure said he, it was not my neglect
In Marshalling my men, no want of skill
Or valour on my part, that to this ill,
And fatal Rout, expos'd my souldiers,
Only I was too forward as appears.
Why did I Charge this night? or why not stay;
Till
Claveren's coming up? (though his delay
His Armies service did this day prevent)
Must I be rash, 'cause he was negligent.
Why did I not refresh my men before?
I did attempt to march up to the Moore;
Both Horse and Man our longer marches tyr'd,
And of repose some longer time requir'd;
If we before we fought a while had stay'd,
Perhaps some fair advantage to our aid
Conspired had: Seldome the Powers Divine,
Do give successe unto a rash design.
☞ This night strange thoughts
New-Castle's head possest
At length in passion he these words exprest.
O! resolution strange of adverse Fate!
How am I thrown from a most prosperous state,
Into mis-fortunes nethermost abyss
Yet this the honour, of my sufferings is,
And that which seasons all my sorrows well,
That with, and for, my Soveraigns cause I fell.
Where shall I fly? where shall I be secure?
Within what walls shall I my self immure?
Did forty thousand Souldiers once appear,
Under my Colours, did the Rebels fear
My numerous forces? and their Dreadful Powers?
Were all the Towns 'twixt
Trent and
Tweed then ours
Excepting
Hull: And now behold! even I
Where to secure my self, whether to flye
Am dubious: had I
Hulls siege declin'd,
And to th' associate Countys then design'd
My marches, sure our cause had gain'd thereby.
Or if the first time we the
Scots did eye,
We had them fought, no doubt but then we might
Have put those ragged Ruffians all to flight.
But time, with fair advantages now past,
Are not to be recall'd: With this, in haste
He Posts to
Scarborough, where both
King and he
The Seas do take; intent for
Germany.
☞
Gleman, of
York the government doth take,
And for a Siege the best provision make
That time would then admit; Scorning to yeild
The City yet; though we had lost the field.
☞ By this, all their Three Generals that had fled
The field: return'd, and up to
York they led
Their men: The City to besiege again.
Each General his old station did retain
Having their Cannons planted, night and day,
Most furiously against the walls they play;
They vow, the work by storm for to effect,
Nor age, nor sex, their Swords shall then respect.
But
Gleman doth their prouder vaunts defie,
Yet at the length Provision's scarcity
Prevails; On tearms they do capitulate,
York's yielded:
Gleman marcheth out in state
And Martial gallantry: To
Carlile where
We leave him for a while; The
Scots appeare
By this before
New-Castle, on the wall
Make furious batteries, while their Miners fall
To work, which work they to perfection bring,
And trains now laid, their several Mines they spring
As great sulphurious globes of stone and fire,
From
Aetna's hideous Jaws the clouds aspire;
Whence falling, all the neighbouring Vales they spread
With Coals adust, the fire extinct, and dead
Even so the trembling earth was heard to roar,
Which, with those walls, and Towers the Powder tore
Up with great violence, and lightly threw
Into the ayre; here like a Comet flew
A souldiers head all on a flame, and there
Whole guards in those sad Ruines buryed were.
Up at the breaches flye the Scottish Foot,
Though the Defendants made resistance stout,
And bravely did from street, to street maintain
The fight; till numbers of both parts were slain,
And
Tines augmented Tide discoloured,
With the great influx of the blood here shed.
Entred now were also the Scottish Horse,
Which
Marley to the Castle doth inforce,
Upon the which, they forthwith Batteries make,
But good Conditions while they might pertake;
Surrender's made. Then did the
Scots sit down
Carlile before, boldly demand the Town,
Thinking perhaps the
New-Castilian Fate,
The valiant
Gleman could Disannimate.
At his Defiance furiously they play
Their battering shot, by Mineing to assay
To make their entrance, Ladders they provide;
But the Defendants bravely curbe their pride
By frequent sallies, killing multitudes,
Which the
Scots high presumptions all excludes,
Of taking
Carlile by arm'd violence.
Therefore most strongly they themseves intrench
Knowing what force could not, that famine will
Effect. Provisions fail, Horses they kill
Within those walls; their Horses all up eat,
Dogs, Cats, old shooes, Mice, Rats, nay Froggs are meat.
Yet
Gleman e're to yeild he will consent,
To know the pleasure of the King had sent.
Phillipson bravely mounted through their guards
Had charg'd; and now rides post to
Oxford wards,
At
Borrow-Bridge some English Horse him tooke,
But a close friend by chance in that same Troope
Secur'd his Horse and Armes, till he could make
From
York, which soon he did, his wish'd escape.
Near
Ferry-Bridge, the place his friend assign'd,
(Thither now got on foot) he safe did find
His Horse and Armes; hence to the King he went,
To whom he
Gleman's Letters did Present
In
Oxford, whence he with the Kings reply
Return'd, and now to
Carlile drawing nigh,
Quite through the Scottish Troopes he bravely rode.
But famine will not suffer their aboad
Longer within those walls, which to the Foes
Surrendred are:
Gleman to
Oxford goes,
With a small traine, lean, naked, hunger-pin'd
And the
Scots are, for
Hereford design'd.
E're
Fairfax was made Generalissimo,
A party strong he
Hemsley led unto,
VVhere while in Leagure with his men he laid,
One from the wall so dexterously had play'd
A shot; that three inch lower had debar'd
Him, from what victories he got afterward.
But he recovers, and the place doth take,
Though
Skiptoniers it to relieve did make
A brave attempt.
Scarborough was battered sore,
The greatest Tower whereof asunder tore;
Half standing, half into the Sea down fell.
Upon the top there stood a Sentinel,
Who in the renting, to the standing side
Had leap'd, and sav'd his life. But to abide
Longer within those walls, famine forbad
And
Chamley yeilds, what he possessed had.
Devoid of any grounded hopes of aid,
Scroop of his
Bolton had surrender made.
Not long on
Knaisborough had their Cannons plaid
E're breaches wide in those old walls were made,
Which
Croft (though valiant) did necessitate
Now to submit to a surrenderers Fate.
VVith Horse and Foot,
Pomfret they do surround
Some Towers whereof were battered to the ground
And the Defendants much distress'd, when wee
VVith a brave party, from the
South do flee.
(
Langdale commands in cheef) swifter then flame
On the besiegers with our Troopes wee came
After a short Dispute, few slain, we take
Of Prisoners store,
Pomfret releiv'd, we make
A quick return: To
Melton-Mowberry near,
VVith
Rossiter we skirmish'd had, and there
Were valiant
Girlington, and
Gascoin slain
As we came down.
Pomfret's besieg'd again,
And though with frequent Sallies they assaile
The enemy, yet Famine doth prevaile,
Which
Lowder doth on tearms to yeild compel.
The
Sandalliers had plaid their parts full well;
And made the enemies full often feel,
Their swords were made of the best temper'd Steel.
Yet famine's leane Pittard enforc'd the Gates
A passage for the Foe, this perforates
To enter; and for the besieg'd away
To march: 'Gainst
Latham the besiegers lay
A year, what Art, or Force, could do, to win
This House was done, but bravely those within
Not onely their own Interest did maintain,
But hundreds of the enemie had slain.
Resolv'd the gallant Countesse was to try
All straits, e're Rebels she will gratifie
By a surrender; but, alas! compel'd
To yeild what she so stoutly had with-held
By famine, this Virago noble is.
Though
Greenay valiantly held out, e're this
Yeilded it was. Now
Skipton they assay
Enter the Town, plunder, and bear away
What lighter then stone-walls in it they finde;
Batteries against the Castle were design'd,
Numerous Granadoes in the interim plaid;
When here the Leagure had some few daies laid
From
Apleby upon
Paroll I came,
Having exactly first perform'd the same.
I to the Castle with a Trumpet went
Whom we return'd. Their Scouts stood eminent
On
Rumles-Moore, from whence they might us
When any party we together drew.
Therefore some twenty in their sight do mount, view
They take th'Alarm, and to their Guards account
Our motion; In the interim we drew out,
Three hundred undiscovered Horse and Foot,
Their Horse all mounted, our small party drew
Streight on our ambuscado: out we flew;
Their three divisions soon we put to rout.
Briggs had some parties to draw out of Foot
Whereof some slain, the rest we dissipate,
Take
Briggs with many more. So fortunate
In such attempts, were the bold
Skiptoneirs;
Their gallantry, in these their acts appears,
In their own meadows, numerous Horse and Foot,
A party small of them did break and rout,
Tripleing their number with the Prisoners tane.
At
Ast-wick-Fair how many had they slain,
Taken, and broke; their party very small;
Wren's Regiment we beat at
Eshton-Hall.
But with a hundred Horse,
Kighley's designe
Was gallant, though alas! the love of Wine
In some Commanders, a miscarriage wrought
Fatal. But we to yeilding tearms are brought,
And hence, convey'd to
Leichfield, march away
In Arms compleat, and souldier-like array.
Finis Libri Sexti.
THE English CIVIL WARRS.
BOOK VII.
The Contents.
The Model new, with some of Cromwels
deeds:
Lidney
Siege raisd: Ludberry
fight succeeds.
Taunton
besieg'd: The King storms Leicester;
Naisby
fight: Gorings
forces routed are
At Lang-port:
whats at several Sieges done,
Routon
and Shearburn-
fights: Westchester
won
Kilsithe
fight: Digby
's rout on Carlisle Sands:
Torrington
fight: Goring
his men disbands.
Stow
fight: Oxford
besieg'd: The King doth make
Thence in disguise unto the Scots
escape:
Hereford
is surprized by a Plot:
Newark
Siege: North
the King goes with the Scot.
THe Parliament now their Grandees recall
All from command: Young
Fairfax Generall
Is made of
England: By this Modell new,
Many advantages to them accrew
Emulous Lords now being laid away,
Men of less note, will need the lesser pay,
Spirits most active for the Cause they chuse,
Of milder Zeal. Commanders they refuse
As useless now:
Cromwell for Eminence,
Was now the MAN next to his excellence.
Northampton's Horse, with the Queens Regiment,
At
Islip-bridge, in Quarters resident
Cromwell upon them comes, they fight, at length
The Royalists ore-powered are in strength;
Cromwell some hundreds of these Horse doth take
With the Queens Colours: then pursuit doth make
To
Blackington after the rest that fled.
Cromwell demands the House; delivered
By
Windebank on tearms it is next day,
Both Horse and Arms they leave, and march away
To
Oxford: where a Martial Court decree,
Windebank shall for this delivery
Bee shot to Death: when too late to prevent
This Collonels Death, the King doth it resent,
Blaming Prince
Ruperts too much urgency,
In this young Gallants late Catastrophe;
His Royal bounty doth the King express,
(All hee could do) to his Relicts distress.
Near
Bampton-Bush, Vavisors party lay,
Cromwell his marches doth direct that way
So privately, that hee surpriz'd them all,
Numerous his Prisoners, and his prize not small.
Lidney against
Massie close Siege had laid,
Langdale at length to the Defendants aid,
Came with a party brave,
Massie off beat,
Many hee slew, and took, in this defeat.
To
Ludberry Rupert with his Forces came,
Massie before possest was of the same,
But seeing
Ruperts Horse so near drew out;
Whilst off for
Glocester hee sent his Foot,
Hee charged with his Horse: fierce the dispute,
Massie at length doth fly, in the pursuit
Rupert shot
Massie's Horse, doubtless his aim
Was at himself, though short his bullets came;
Harlow was tane,
Bacchus laid on the ground,
Bleeding of his (now last) and mortal wound.
Numbers were kill'd, numbers of them were tane,
On
Ruperts part, was noble
Haistings slain.
☞
Hopton on
Tauntons Seige had now design'd,
Greenvill and
Goring were with him combin'd:
Willington-House by storm they late regain'd,
Many within put to the sword: maintain'd
This Siege was with much courage, and more art.
Nor wanted these on the Defendant's part,
Which
Blake advanced unto such renown.
Many assaults were made against the Town,
Mounts high were rais'd, off which their Cannon plaid
Fairfax sends
Graves at length unto their aid,
At his approach th' Assailants march away,
Tauntons releiv'd, nor longer
Graves would stay.
Th' Assailants soon renew the Siege again,
Where to their work wee leave them to remain.
☞
Massie recruited,
Evesham comes before,
Demands the Town,
Legg no such spirit bore
To yeild at the first Summons,
Massie then
Commands the storm; with loss three times his men
Were bravely beaten off;
Sevorn grew red
Soon with the influx of the blood here shed;
But at the fourth assault, the Town they win,
Many put to the Sword of those within.
☞
Fairfax and
Brown, Oxford before sate down,
But the Defendants all the Meadows drown,
Sleight their out Forts, and all the Suburbs fire,
Cromwell doth from the Kings pursuit retire.
(For
Cromwell had a while follow'd the King,
But now recall'd) doth to the Leagure bring
His well-arm'd troops; while
Fairfax veiws the town
And ore the Bowling-green rides up and down,
A Cannon-bullet from the works doth fly,
(Pity it mis'd) which wafts his head hard by,
Which made his excellence in great fear,
Once vaile his Beavour to a Cavallier.
But now let's leave this Leagure, and review
The Kings transactions, who together drew
A gallant Army, and
North-westward went,
The Siege at
Chester for to raise intent.
Brearton his Siege draws at the Kings access,
The King wheels
East; to
Leicester address
Wee make, demand the Town in vain, for they
Within do entrance to their King deny.
At this, command is given to storm the Town,
After our Guns wide breaches had beat down,
(Though those within did make resistance stout)
Resolutely wee enter, Horse and Foot.
Those enemies that yet survive do fly
To th' Market-place, where their Artillery,
With some fresh Companies of Horse and Foot
Did stand, with these wee have a bloody bout;
For full two hours and more they here maintain
The fight, in fine the most of them were slain;
Here laid whole heaps of
Scotish Voluntiers,
There
Dalbin's men by scores; ruddy appears
The
Soure with blood, the Channels did convey
Out of those streets; here
Gray's men slaughtered lay
The Town was plundered,
Gray and
Hacker were
Prisoners: Great was the prize was taken here.
☞
Fairfax hears of these actions of the King,
Rises from
Oxford, and doth
Northward bring
His Army: Orders unto
Cromwell sent,
(Who lately to the Isle of
Ely went,
From
Oxford Siege) to march;
Naisby fields are
For the most fatal fight of this sad War
Design'd the place: The King had got the wind,
Which now stood
West; to
Rupert was assign'd,
With
Morice the right wing,
Langdale did head
The left; the King did the main Battail lead,
The right hand
Tertia Linsey did command
Bards, and stout
Lisle the left;
Ashley did stand
With
Linsey. Skippon now had Marshalled
Fairfax's Army,
Skippon's selfe up led
The main
Battalia, Cromwell the right wing,
Ireton the left,
Pride, Rainsborough, Hammond bring
On the reserves; The Hill was their intent
To get, which the King hastens to prevent.
The Signals given, the thundering Cannons play,
Of smaller shot, thick flights obscure the day,
That vale seem'd all in one united fire,
Which in a Pile sulphurous did aspire
The very clouds; the Aire shrill Trumpets wound,
Clashing of Armour, the tumultuous sound
Of different voices, reach th'
Olympick Skye,
Numbers of both parts, on the ground now lye
Bleeding, the last of their, yet vital blood,
Which now the field o'reflow'd like to a flood.
That Brook from
Welford that doth downward glide
Ran now more blood than water; proudly ride
The prauncing and curvetting Horse about.
Rupert by this, put their left wing to rout,
Who like a swelling stream down fiercely bore,
All opposition him that stood before.
While
Rupert follows the pursuit amain,
As far as
Naisby, numbers having slain
Of their dispersed Troops: with slaughter Great,
Cromwell with his, did our left wing defeat.
Our
Northern Troops too much inriched were
At
Leicester, to stand well to it here,
If these of
Leicesters prize less had thought,
Perhaps much better here they would have fought.
Yet did stout
Langdale here himself behave,
Like to himself, making resistance brave,
While either skill or courage might prevail.
Our Foot their main Battailians do assail
Most boldly, puting most of them to rout,
Skippon and
Ireton wounded at this bout,
The last our Prisoner too:
Cromwell doth see
Their Foot, back on their own Reserves to flee,
Rides thither and doth re-inforce them on
Joyning his Horse, mainly they press upon
Our standing bodies; who assailed were
At once, both in their Fronts, Flanks, and their Rear,
For some indeed to admiration fought,
Whilest others by their heels for safety sought.
☞ A
Cobler from
North-hampton lately came
Fairfax to serve, but here hee got a lame,
Having in his right Leg receiv'd a shot,
Tush saith the
Cobler, Sirs I value't not,
For runing from my work, my Wife mee beat,
Now shall I sit much closer to my Seat.
As
Mars himself against the Giants fought
On
Phlegra's
Plains, when Heaven to scale they thought;
So active was the King in this same fight,
Giving his Souldiers of
Heroick might,
A still to bee admired president
Sometime ingag'd, numbers his own hand sent
To
Erebus; sometimes hee did recall,
And rally such as fled; a Generall
Hee shew'd himself, both valorous and expert,
Acting
Ulisses and
Achilles part.
His words the Timerous much did animate,
His acts the Valorous strove to imitate.
Such as did run, hee did implore to stand,
To every wing hee Rode and gave command,
For what to our advantage might conduce.
For Cowardise who now could plead excuse?
Seeing their Soveraign King thus to ingage,
In the most sharpe Encounters, Fury, Rage,
Tumult, Disorder every place doth fill,
Sirrah, the Sword! and then no more but kill,
Pistol, strike down, here heaps of men do lye,
With Horses intermixt; here some do flye,
Others pursue; here lay a Leg, or Head,
And there an Arm, under our Horse feet Dead
Many were trod, nor could wee understand
Whom to obey, to whom to give Command,
Such the confusion; thick our Pistols flye
At one another; all the Ground doth lye
Bespread with these; Pole-axes cleave Men down,
VVhich oft left fix'd are in the patients Crown.
From covered Armour our charg'd Tucks rebound,
And in the Glance oft times do kill or wound
That party whom against wee did not aim.
☞ By this the sword might sole dominion claim
Over the field, with this alone wee plead,
Till many a Gallant on the field lay Dead:
Brown, Dallison, Cave, Band and
Markam slain,
Linsey, and
Ashley wounded, now 'tis vain
Ours to intreat to stand. They round beset
Most of our Foot, the Coach, the Cabinet,
The Royal Standard of his Majesty
Are taken; all our great Artillery,
The thousand Arms, well nigh five thousand men;
☞ To
Leicester-ward now wee flye, but when
His Majesty came there, hee would not ftay,
But even that night for
Litchfield rode away.
Cromwell pursues, takes many, then beset
Leicester, till his Excellence could get
Up with the Foot; which on in haste they bring,
Thinking perhaps, here to have tane the King.
The town they Summon; their demands deni'd,
They vow to storm it, and forthwith provide
The Onset for: Mounts rais'd, Batteries they make.
But
Haistings, while as yet hee might partake
The Benefit of good conditions yeilds.
☞ Many successful Skirmishes, and fields.
About this time, fall to the Parliament:
Gell towards
Newark late a party sent,
VVhich met a Troop from thence, they fought, and beat
The Royalists;
Mitton a great defeat
Near
Shrewsberry, had given to some of ours:
Brearton near
Chester also now o're powers
A party, near two hundred Prisoners took,
Hingham's now yeilded, but a while let's look,
To
Fairfax who march'd
Taunton's siege to raise.
Goring draws off to
Lang-port, there Displaies
His Army;
Massy first charg'd in his Rear,
Ere the
Fairfaxians Troops advanced were
Up to the field: neither could vaunt success
In this contest,
Fairfax comes, doth possess
Himself of
Sutton fields, where upon sight
Of
Goring hee draws up, intent to fight.
Goring presaging that hee might bee beat,
In the best order, for his safe retreat
Unto
Bridge-Water, did his men dispose.
Many strong Hedges did those Lanes inclose,
VVhich with his Musketiers hee lin'd, then stood
His Cannon, and his Horse in order good
Rang'd in the Lane:
Fairfax by this drew nigh,
Though at some distance thick the Bullets flye,
And many a Man lay Dead upon the plain.
But
Gorings Foot at length they do constrain,
Quite from their post,
Bethell then charg'd the Horse
VVho with a vengeance did him re-inforce
VVith loss; till
Desborough his reserve came on,
And pressing sore the Royal Horse upon
Put them to rout;
Goring did what hee could,
To bring the most of his safe to his hold,
Odd of a thousand on both parts were slain,
Some Cannon
Goring lost, many were tane
Of his: The rest,
Fairfax amain pursues
Up to
Bridge-water: first the Town he views,
Then sends his summons in, to yeeld on sight
(As
Burroughs now had done) or else that night
He vows to storm the Town, put all to sword,
Goring is gone;
Digby returns him word
To do his worst: But
Fairfax makes a pause,
Till
Peters Preach'd the justnesse of the cause,
And till his men received had their pay.
And then with fire and sword he did assay
The Town; The storme was furious, many slain
But in the end the low Town they re-gain.
And
Fairfax Colours on the works display,
To grace those bloody Tryumphs of that day.
☞ Out of the high Town, the Defendants power
Upon their heads, a most stupendious shower
Of great Granado's, which the low Town fire
About their ears;
Fairfax doth much admire
Their Courage, for a second storm prepares.
Yet more for's own security than theirs,
Offers conditions; which refus'd, they rear
Their Ladders, and go on, but bravely were
Repulsed, with th' effusion of much blood;
On heaps they lye now dead, their Ladders stood
Forsaken, and the Trenches round were fill'd
Now with the Arms and bodies of their kill'd.
Fairfax thus beat, his thoughts doth soon Reflect
Upon a new design, which took effect,
Numbers of Iron Bullets straight they make,
Which shot red hot, straw, Hay, and Houses take
A sudden fire, the Town's all on a flame.
Eliot to treat for the Defendants came,
But
Fairfax all his offers now refus'd,
Telling him they his patience had abus'd,
And that indeed he'l put them all to sword,
Or burn them there: Yet doth recall his word,
And grant them with their lives to march away.
Thus of that Town to ground burn'd both parts lay
No house or harbour the poor Townsmen had,
Of Civil wars a spectacle most sad.
Hence unto
Bath, Fairfax directs his way,
Rich with his Forelorne did the Town assay,
Gaining some out-works, e're the General came.
But on these tearms
Bridges doth yeild the same;
That he and his, in war-like posture should,
To
Bristol march; To
Shearburn that strong hold.
Next
Fairfax came, of which being deny'd
His Mines, and Batteries, for a while he ply'd;
Vaine were his Mines, his Batteries do prevaile,
Making wide breaches, on they go, and scale
In furious wise; The Cannons while they plaid
Had the Defendants not so much dismaid.
But
Dives bids them fight, and lets them know,
In valour, their security all now
Consisted: But the enemies on presse,
On every side the Castle they distresse;
Those walls not able longer them to shield;
They beat a Parley, and on tearms do yeild.
☞
Bristol before, the General next sate down,
Boldly of
Rupert doth demand the Town;
Yet e're the summons,
Rupert sallyed out,
And from the fired Suburbs beat their Foot?
But on again they come, the works down tear
With thundering shot, the Moats all filled were
With Faggots, then they force their bloody way
Up Ladders; and in spight of fate Display
Their Colours on those works, from whence they beat
The Royalists:
Rupert makes his retreat
Into the Castle; but thus yeilds next day,
That Souldier-like he march with his away.
☞ Next the
Fairfaxians before
Dartsmouth came
To whom when
Pollard had deny'd the same,
Incourag'd with successes, on they go,
What walls or works can keep out such a foe?
Hammonds Brigade first enter on the
West
The Gate-House, with mount
Flagon soon possest,
Forward they go:
Pride had like prosperous Fate,
Having now entred at the
Northern Gate.
Through every street they force their bloody way,
Kingsworth alone, as yet did hold them play.
But as of blood they had been Prodigal,
Or scorn'd their lives, most furiously they all
With mounted Ladders this strong Fort assay.
Twelve murthering Guns at once upon them play
And numerous Vollies of dead wounding shot,
But mounts they'l raise of corps; rather then not
Now conquer: But all the Defendants tyr'd
With killing, these Conditions yet acquir'd,
Unto the Castle safe to march away.
Which Castle fiercely they assail next day,
The storme so bloody the Defendants crave,
Their lives and liberties alone to have;
Which
Fairfax Nobly grants. And marcheth hence
To
Exeter: where wee his excellence
Shall leave a while,
Cromwel and he now were
Parted; two Suns could not shine in one Sphere.
☞ On the
Devises Cromwel first Designes,
The Governour his offers all declines,
Which made him on a desperate battery fall
After a while down tumbling comes the wall;
And the Defendants a surrender make.
To
Winchester Cromwel doth then betake
Himself, the Gates against him there are bar'd
To which his men affixing a Pittard
With other combustibles, burn them down,
And in despight make entrance on the Town.
The Castle, which to, the Defendants fled,
Is to some purpose by him battered,
That the within besieg'd, for tearms do suo,
Which granted: Unto
Basing Cromwel drew
His great Artillery, Batteries soon they make,
And then the House to storm they undertake.
Had all been
Cromwells, had all thought upon out
A Crown, as he, sure not more fiercely on
They could have gone: That house that had stood
Both many a siege and many a bloody bout,
By force they enter; The Defendants crave
Quarter alone, which
Cromwel nobly gave.
But who the prize can value taken here,
Let's leav't to
Cromwell; for we must: And hear
A while the exploits of the
Scots. By this
Near
Hereford arriv'd,
Cannon-Froom is
The place, which first to storme they do accord
Which they perform, putting the most to Sword
Within that house; to
Hereford next came
Leaven with all his Mercenary traine.
Their lines they draw, Mounts raise, batter the wall
With thundering shot, imploy their Miners all
Under the ground, of Ladders store provide;
Yet by all this, not one whit terrify'd
Are the Defendants. Mines they counter-mine,
Their battered walls, with earth they counter-line:
On the Besiegers often sallying out,
Many they kill; oft put whole Guards to rout.
But when the Louns heard how the King drew near
They quit their fiege and
North-ward march forfear.
Hereford-shire of these Scotch guests may rue,
Their curses even to this day them pursue.
☞ The King this while imbodied had of Horse,
With some Dragoons, no Despicable force;
And late to
Worcester advancing near,
Even at his name, the
Scots had fled for fear
From
Hereford: From hence the King went
East,
And here and there some enemies supprest.
At
Huntington arriv'd, the Town he won,
Some put to sword at entrance, then we come
By
Cambridge; and so unto
Oxford went.
After a while the King is fully bent
West-Chester's siege to raise; thither we go,
Skirted still in our marches by the foe.
At length on
Routon-Heath,
West-Chester near
Arriv'd we make a holt;
Pointz doth appear,
After a while, and boldly doth assail,
Our now imbattail'd Horse: who shall prevail
Is dubious for a while. Hot the dispute,
At length they flye, we follow, in pursute
Many are tane and kill'd; but in our Rear,
Louthian and
Jones do suddenly appear,
With a fresh party, both of Horse and Foot
Drawn from the siege;
Pointz Rallies, wheels about
As soon as e're their signal Cannons play.
Our Front and Rear at once they do assay
With a fierce charge; Ours did what men could do
But in conclusion with the numerous foe
O're press'd, we fly: many of ours they kill
And numbers take, Churches with these they fill.
Where Hunger-starv'd they keep them to repent,
And grow Religious (as the Parliament.)
The King with hundreds more from this sad fight
Arriv'd at
Chester, where we lodge that night.
Then into
Wales again take our recourse.
After a while some two Brigades of Horse
Conveen'd we had, near
Welbeck we divide
Our forces. Part do with the King reside,
And part march
North with
Digby; our design
Was Forces with
Montrosse for to combine,
Who at
Kilsithe in
Scotland lately beat
The Covenanters, with a grand Defeat.
☞ Forward we go passe
Ferry-Bridge, and then
At
Shearburn are oppos'd by Collonel
Wren,
Whose Regiment of Horse, we put to rout
Surprizing there too, nigh a thousand Foot
With all their arms, many we put to sword.
'Twas but small rest our Quarters did afford;
For while our men parting their prizes were,
Many fresh bodies of their Horse appear,
Whom
Copley did command: straight out we drew
With courage great on one another flew;
Sharpe was the charge,
Copley's own Regiment
Had cause indeed this meeting to repent.
Routed to purpose, many of them dyes;
But in conclusion, with their fresh supplies
O're-powr'd we are; turning our backs, we fled
Our Prisoners and our prize relinquished.
Three hundred Horse,
Digby's Coach,
Letters, Cook
A Countesse, with five Collonells here they took.
Carnaby, and Sir
Richard Hutton slain.
To
Skipton ward we fly, when we attain
That Garrison, we find them there in fight,
Near to the Town, our presence did affright
The enemy; making them run; before
Who were well nigh victorious; full a score
Of them we took and slew:
Digby goes on,
(After some rest) but
Browne fell him upon
On
Carlisle Sands, and put his men to rout,
Many were tane, some slain too, at this bour.
To
Workington Digby and
Langdale post,
Whence to the Isle of
Man the Seas they crost.
And thence for
Ireland do their voyage take.
☞
Newark about, the King this while did make
His residence, where to his discontent,
Amongst his Officers most eminent
A sad Discention fell, resolves they make,
Their King in's greatest need for to forsake.
But hence the King (sadden'd at this in heart)
With some few Horse for
Oxford did depart,
Whom
Pointz met by the way, they joyne in fight,
The Royalists o'repower'd are put to flight,
And forc't to ride for't now to save their lives.
But while the King at
Oxford safe arrives
In person,
Pointz before
Belvoir displaies
His Troops, with Sword and Pistoll, then assaies
The place to storm, first the out works they win
The Barns and Stables; putting all within
Unto the Sword; but dear his victory cost,
For many of his Troopers here he lost.
When some months more the Castle out had held
Provision's failing,
Lucas was compel'd
To yeild: His tearms in souldier-like array,
That he with his for
Leichfield march away.
☞ We left
West-Chester by her foes opprest,
Who now the suburbs had by storm possest,
Their Mines and Batteries strenuously they ply'd.
Nor yet impunely did their men recide,
Before the Town, oft
Byron wonderous stout,
With execution on them sallied out.
Many attempts of fatal consequence
Unto the King, the siege to raise from hence
Were made: the first design unfortunate,
Was by the King to
Routon-Heath of late.
Then
Vanghan with at least two thousand went
This siege to raise:
Mitton and
Jones are sent
Against him, near to
Denby both parts met;
In a like Order both their battels set,
With equal fury charge: Many there dye,
But in the end the Royalists do fly,
Losing, at least, a thousand of their men.
Dayes had not passed above nine or ten,
Ere noble
Aston in the enterprize,
Was met near
Sturbridge, in this fight there dyes
Many of both parts; for both stoutly fought,
But at the length safety, alas! was sought,
By flight on
Aston's side, wounded was hee,
And Prisoner to th' insulting Enemy.
From
Litchfield, Worcester, Ludley, Bridge-north,
Then the Lord
Ashley draws some Forces forth;
To
Chester-ward wee march, but our design.
Was with some
Irish Forces to combine;
Which Combination
Mitton did prevent,
So, nought effected, back again wee went.
Now of releif all expectations void,
Many within for want of Food Destroy'd.
The City suffering under miseries great,
On tearms of yeilding,
Byron's forc'd to treat.
Though
Brearton had the Town now at his will,
What tearms hee grants, hee nobly did fulfill,
A shame to those who often falsifi'd
Those Articles, they had pre-ratifi'd.
The
Herefordians Warrants did direct
Into the Country, unto this effect,
To bring in men, their Frost-congealed Moats
To break;
Morgan this hears, in rustick Coats
Suborns a party: Thither doth them send,
Rusticks to bee themselves they do pretend,
And fall to work, long ere the break of Day,
At length the Guard, these for admittance pray,
Pretending they store of Tobacco had,
The Guard admits them (of the news full glad)
But being in they fall upon the Guard,
Their Ambuscado's near, their Signal heard,
(For
Birch did with some Fire-locks lurke hard by,
And
Morgan with a thousand Horse) these fly
O're the Draw-bridge, which now they found let down,
And in an instant do surprize the Town.
☞
Fairfax wee left for
Exeter intent,
(For to this Siege both hee and
Cromwel went)
Pouth-rain to them surrendred is: and then
On Boats of
Bridges, over
Ex their men
They march; inclose the City on each side,
To
Waller then this siege they do confide,
And march themselves for
Cornwall; by the way
At
Torrington, Hopton and
Digby lay:
At sight of the
Fairfaxians they Draw out,
Charge, put the Rebells Forlorn unto Rout,
But on their Army comes,
Hopton is beat,
Who through the Town, doth with some loss retreat.
The Enemy pursue, the Town they take,
Then to the Church (not for Devotion sake)
They haste, for there was
Hoptons Magazin,
But by a train (many of them within)
Of Powder, eighty Barrels fired were.
This blast the Timber, and the lead did tear
Off from the Church; and for their Men made way,
Elijah-like (as
Peters then did say)
In this same fiery Chariot, Heaven to mount,
But surely
Peters ly'd on this account,
For in a sin-like Witch-craft, they were slain,
Their mangled bodies tumbling down again.
But while this Dreadful Stratagem doth take,
Afurious charge
Hopton and
Digby make,
Upon the fear-surprized Enemies,
Many of whom in this confusion Dies;
And then for
Cornwall do their party lead,
Hopton i'th Thigh,
Digby shot in the Head.
Fairfax pursues, to
Lamiston come near,
Basset did quit the Town; the Prince doth hear
These tidings, and
Pendennis doth forsake,
Then to the Isle of
Scylly him betake.
Capel, Culpepper, Hide attend his Grace,
With many more Commanders: In this space
Goring that did that Army left command,
On
Fairfax Summons, yeilds for to Disband
Upon some tearms: Himself the Seas then crost,
Thus the whole
West to the
Fairfaxians lost.
In Tryumph they return to
Exeter,
With thundering Vollies welcom'd here they are,
And straight this Summons unto
Berkley sent,
To yeild what hee commands incontinent,
Or to expect nothing but fire and sword.
Hopes of releif all void, hee doth accord
To treat, and then upon some tearms doth yeild.
☞ From several holds
Ashley had Drawn to field,
About three thousand gallant Horse and Foot,
With these from
Litchfield, by
Bridge-north about
To
Worcester wee came; a Seige hard by
Wee rais'd; into a Church some Rebels fly,
Leaving some Cannons which wee soon possest.
The Church wee enter, earnestly request
Those in the Steeple, Quarter for to take,
But they refusing, under them wee make
A mighty fire, and leave them there to burn,
Or break their necks; to
Bramiard wee return,
And so do march about, but our Design,
Was with some Horse, our selves for to combine
At
Farrington, and so an Army make,
At length our marches thither-ward wee take.
☞
Morgan and
Brearton follow in our Rear,
Whom for to fight, at
Stow inforc'd wee were;
For having Skirmish'd with them there that night,
When the swift houres induce the morning light,
Of Horse and Foot their Bodies wee Discry.
Our General said, Souldiers, let's nobly Dye
Or Conquer now, 'tis base to turn, and fly,
This will bring shame, or else Captivity,
The other fame: the Kings condition's low,
To raise it, let's our hands and lives bestow.
Suppose his Majesty stood you before,
And did your utmost courage now implore;
Suppose, as Forlorn Prisoners now of Warr
Led all wee were, by the proud Conquerer
To nasty Gaols; there scorn'd and Hunger starv'd,
And might from all these miseries bee preserv'd
By Valour: nay, suppose they should Decree,
That wee should hang'd bee for our Loyalty;
(For they of Loyalty can Treason make,
If wee bee vanquish'd) rather courage take,
And these by a more noble Death prevent.
This said, with resolution on wee went,
As scorning wounds and death, up to the face
Of th' Enemy: Pistols are fir'd a pace,
Some of their Bodies soon wee put to rout.
Nor with less Gallantry on went our Foot,
Levelling their thick-vollied shot so well,
That numbers of the Enemy there fell.
Indeed both Horse and Foot had here exprest
Such bravery, as the Enemy confest,
Their number, not their Valour won the Day.
Lucas did here, there
Vaughan did assay
Fresh parties: while that these wee Dissipate,
Hydra-like shee new Heads repullulate.
At length our Foot the Enemy surround,
Our Horse ore-power'd inforc'd are to give ground,
And after to inlarge to open flight,
Some fifteen hundred tane were in this fight,
'Mongst whom our General, who aloud did say,
Your work's now done, put up your swords & play,
For now no Army had the King on field.
Dennington to the Foe, stout
Bloys doth yeild
This while:
Barnstable also they possest,
Ruthen, and
Woodstock too: Now from the
West
Comes
Fairfax, before
Oxford doth sit down,
Which hitherto block'd up had been by
Brown.
To take the King
Fairfax did think to have
The Glory: but the King doth him deceive,
Who in disguise,
Oxford, alas! forsook,
And to the
Scots at
Newark Siege betook
Himself: the
Scots having receiv'd the King,
From
Newark rise, him to
New-Castle bring.
Five months 'gainst
Newark had the siege now laid,
Fiercely the Town oft times had been assai'd;
Sand-fort the
Scots had now some time possest,
Th'
English and they in their attempts, contest
Who should most active bee; Granado's store
Shot on the Town; their thundering Cannons roar
Against the Castle, Houses down are burn'd,
Sinite and
Trent are from their Channels turn'd,
And nothing unattempted for to win
The Town: No whit less active, those within
Make many sallies bold upon the Foe.
The Quarters of the
Scots sometimes into
They fall, with fire and sword: sometimes they try
Rossiter, Pointz, or
Copley's Gallantry,
At every sally slain are more or less,
Each enterprize was Growned with success,
On the Defendants part: but Fatal still
Th' Assaillants to, his Majesty doth will
Bellas to yeild: And Tearms concluded are,
Then to the
North the King and
Scots repair,
Where (ah! good King) with this perfideous crew,
Wee leave him,
Southern actions to review.
Finis Libri Septimi.
THE ENGLISH CIVIL VVARRS.
BOOK VIII.
The Contents.
The Royal Garisons distress'd much are,
The Scots
the King do sell: The second Warr.
Horton
doth Poyer,
and Lang-horn
both defeat,
The London
and the Kentish
Forces beat.
Barwick
and Carlisle, Langdale
doth surprize:
Duke Hamilton'
s succesless enterprize.
The Kirk,
late Cromwels
Foes, with him now side.
Colchester
tane: Cromwels
curs'd Regicide.
WEe that from
Stow (routed of late) had fled,
In diverse Holds are now beleagured,
With Sieges close the Enemies distrest,
Even all those Garrisons that wee possest.
Dudley against
Brearton a while had laid,
Many Granado's on the Castle plaid:
Of mines and batteries too, use hee did make,
When none of these, nor yet them all would take,
Levison doubting of releif doth yeild.
☞ Not yet our hopes on no grounds did we build,
Wee did presume that the Kings presence might,
The
Scots into an understanding right,
Of these late bloody differences induce.
Wee did presume the
Irish might take Truce
With one another, and their Forces bring
England into, for to assist the King.
Some hopes wee had too of Domestick Jarrs,
'Twixt Independents, and the Presbyters.
But all our hopes and expectations fail'd,
With fire and sword the Enemy assail'd
Bridg-north this while, not one house i'th high town,
(Except in rocks) but burned were all down.
The town (or rather now no town) thus won,
The least part of their work they had not done,
For from the Castle oft wee sallied out,
One Colour took, and put whole Guards to rout.
Scarce Pistol shot a barn stood from the wall,
In which a Guard they kept, on this wee fall,
Kill some, beat out the rest, and then return,
But first the Barn down to the ground wee burn.
The Church th' Assailants made their Magazin
For Powder, while Alarm'd they pressed in:
A spark that from a lighted match did fly,
Their Powder fir'd, which sacralegiously
Rent off the Church the timber and the Lead.
Some scores blown blind, some scores stricken quite dead
Here of their men: those that had burn'd the Town
Burn'd were i'th Church, and to the clouds up blown
Like fiery meteors down their bodies came,
Their cloaths and hair all in a smoaking flame.
Five hundred of their battering shot each day
Fiercely against our walls th' Assaillants play;
Of great Granado's too, full many a flight
They sent into these walls, us to afright;
And in those Rocks, their miners did imploy
Us in a blast, Sulphureous, to destroy,
As many of themselves i'th Church late were.
But our Provisions to an end grow near,
On tearms wee yeild, which tearms they falsifi'd,
Those march on foot, who promise had to ride;
No Martial Law th' insulting Foes regard,
Of recompence they think us quite debar'd.
Hence to the
Scots many of us repair,
Who gave us words, made promises full fair,
But their performances, their mindes discry'd,
'Tis bad to trust such as wee have not try'd;
This wee may say, their dealing was with us;
Their words full fair, their acts perfideous.
☞ Though many a futious Battery, Bloody bout,
Couragiously
Banberry had stood out
Her Foes, and famine now grow prevalent,
Needs must shee yeild, though much shee it resent.
The Valiant
Byron was again immur'd
Within
Carnarvan, where hee had indur'd
A Siege most sharpe: by batteries, storm, and mine
To win the place, the Enemies design:
But the Defendants answered each attempt,
With so much gall antry, as did exempt
All hopes the place to gain by violence.
But now provisions fail, who can dispence
With famine? thus stone-walls will penetrate,
This lean Pittard will break the strongest Gate,
And make the stoutest Champion condiscend
To tearms; His Trumpet out doth
Byron send,
With some proposals of delivery,
Then to surrender next day doth agree.
Close siege to
Worcester this while was laid,
But
Washington dispairing now of aid;
And for to yeild having the Kings command,
Not able long the Foe for to withstand,
Begins on tearms for to Capitulate,
Then yeilds: even
Oxford falls under the fate,
Of all the rest of the Kings Garrisons.
Here
Fairfax self with all his
Mirmedons,
Had laid some months, and done what in them laid
The place to force; Bat
[...]ries most furious made,
And many desperate bold attempts to scale,
Nor could their Mines, & great Granad's prevail.
Never was place with greater Gallantry
Defended, nor assail'd; The Enemy
Thought it more Honour,
Oxford to regain
By storm, than all those Holds they yet had tane;
Those undertakings great, they did reveiw,
Accomplish'd late; how o're the Works they flew
At
Bristol, Basing, Dart-mouth, and else where,
And shall their fury bee resisted here?
What, shall this Town not yeild when they command?
Shall this 'twixt them, & their grand triumph stand?
Nay,
Cromwel knew it was the onely Town,
That interpos'd betwixt him and a Crown.
Rather than
Oxford shall their hopes defer,
Rather than
Gleman shall protract the War,
As many
Pioneers they swear they'l bring,
As
Oxford all shall into
Isis fling
With Spades: the City all to fire they vow,
Man, Woman, Childe, to put the sword unto,
And e're of sudden Conquest they will fail,
On one anothers shouldiers, mount and scale.
Not their attempts (though bold) much less their vants,
The valiant and resolved
Gleman dants,
Not only
Oxford bravely hee Defends,
But often sallying out, some hundreds sends
Of these insulting Foes to
Erebus.
The Muses proud to
Mars propitious,
For Schollars now turn'd Souldiers stoutly fought,
And more by swords, then words, for honour sought,
The Gown indeed did love the Royal cause,
Consisting with Religion and the Laws,
Which life and limb they venter'd to maintain
Most bravely; what,
Oxford by storm bee tane?
They vow they'l rather on the works all dye,
Gleman doth therefore all their powers defie.
If
Oxford yeild, hee must; conditions good
Hee'l have, or with the town resign his blood.
Shall the Kings Fort,
Metropolis, submit
To tearms unworthy, not becoming it?
First to worse straights, than e're hee yet indur'd
In
Carlisle, in these walls hee'l bee immur'd,
Not onely Mice, Cats, Horses, shall bee meat,
But Boots, and shooes, nay, Humane flesh they'l eat.
These brave resolves inforce the Enemy,
On noble tearms, with
Gleman to agree,
And
Oxfords yeilded: the two Princes are,
Rupert and
Morice shortly to repair
To forraign parts: The Duke of
York must goe,
His noble Brother, and his Sisters to,
Now at St.
Jameses: For the Parliament
Had all the Royal Children up there pent,
Except the Prince who had escap'd their hand.
From
Exeter of late they did command,
The youngest Daughter thither to bee brought,
What thei'l do with them divers things are thought
Let Royalists pray, and presage the best,
This absent is a safety to the rest.
☞ But whither doth my wandering Muse digress,
Than Articles, the Roundheads nothing less
Perform: this the
Oxfordians fully finde.
Wallingford is to
Fairfax too resign'd,
Though
Blague the place most nobly did defend,
But who 'gainst swords and famine can contend?
This place like others must submit to fate.
☞
Litchfield the next comes to capitulate
On tearms: here valiant
Tinsley plaid his part,
Not all their Force, not all their Miners art,
Not all their Batteries and Granado's great
Prevail; at every storm, they off were beat
With loss, and shame enough; the Moats were fil'd,
With bodies of th' Assailants in them kil'd.
This place by storm had been twice tane before,
Which did th' Assailants animate the more
To bold attempts; but so they answered were,
That no more Ladders did they dare to Rear,
But close laid in their trenches and the town,
But now provisions wonderous scarce are grown
Within; that Horse-flesh they begin to eat,
Necessity
Tinsley inforc'd to treat
With th' Enemy, and now to yeild the place.
☞ Of all our Garrisons
Ragland the Grace,
And honour had, even out the last to hold,
Nor the Old Marquess this surrender would,
For all that
Morgan with his Force could do,
(Though much hee did)
Fairfax arriv'd here now
The Marquess tels; as good tearms hee would give
If they shall yeild: So none of them shall live
Refusing: Life and Death stood in his power,
Expecting answer once within an hour.
The Marquess to this Summons doth reply
In time; nor did hee
Fairfax quite deny;
After some intercourse of Letters sent,
The house is yeilded: Out the Souldiers went
With Colours flying, and their Drums did beat,
All arm'd in Martial furniture compleat.
Having some miles march'd in this Gallantry,
Of Horse and Arms, they make delivery
To
Fairfax, the Triumphant Conquerer.
☞ The mercenary
Scots mony prefer
Before their King; hee's sold to th' Parliament,
And from
New-castle first to
Holmby sent.
☞ The King had not long been here resident,
Before five hundred Horse the Army sent,
Which him surprize, and then to
Hampton-Court
Do with their Prize (or Prisoner) next resort.
Thus though a King indeed bee in distress,
'Tis valu'd much, his person to possess.
Here of access though friends admitted were,
Perhaps, their projects that the King might fear
The less; yet some gave him an intimation,
'Gainst him of a resolv'd assassination,
Therefore in a most dark tempestuous night,
Hence he's inforc'd to his life-saving flight.
Though thus these Harpey's Talents hee evade,
By th' imprudence alas! hee is betraid
Of
Berkley and
Ashburnham, to the hands
Of
Hammond, who the Isle of
Wight commands,
Where most of that sad time hee yet surviv'd,
Hee's kept of worldly comforts quite depriv'd.
☞ But out again most fiercely breaks the War,
Poyer and
Laughorn for the King declare,
Confessing they Deluded had been long.
The Cavalliers conjoyn, potent and strong
They grow at
Pembrook; Chepstow do surprize,
Rout and kill
Fleming: but with fresh supplies,
Of well arm'd, and well ordered Horse and Foot
Comes
Horton, fights them, to a total rout
Puts these unarm'd, scarce Marshall'd Cavalliers.
Cromwell before
Tenby then soon appears,
And falls to storm, indeed so furiously,
That the Defendants soon for Quarter cry,
On mercy yeild:
Pembrook and
Chepstow are
Surrendred too, to this proud Conquerer.
☞ The
London Mutiners this while are quel'd
The General by, the
Kentish men compel'd,
After the fight at
Maidstone to disband
Upon
Black-heath: nor did the
Essexians stand
To a field Fight, but into
Colchester
Do fly, beseig'd by
Fairfax. Parties are
Combin'd at
Kingston upon
Thames, and led
By
Holland: whose designs discovered,
Roured they are to purpose, many tane,
And that young Lord stout
Francis Villiers slain,
Brother to
Buckingham, who did escape,
Then to beyond Seas straight himself betake.
☞
Langdale this while did in the North surprize
Carlisle, and
Berwick; and with him do rise
Many the
Northern Gentry; whom unto
Advanceth the
Scots Generalissimo
Hamilton, with his numerous Regiments.
Lilburn of
Tinmoth also now resents
Rebellion, and doth for the King declare,
But a short time, for a Siege to prepare,
To him and his doth
Hasleridge afford,
The place hee storms, and puts them all to sword.
The other
Lilburn did this while surprize,
Some hundreds of brave Gallants who did rise
Near
Anwick for the King. To
Apleby
Hamilton comes,
Lambert and his do fly,
With some small loss o're
Stain-more: but their way
To make through
Lancashire the
Scots assay
With
Langdale: As they march they do declare,
The King from thrall resolv'd to free they are.
But when the King heard who did thus ingage,
Successess their design hee did presage.
But
Cromwel having
Pembrook lately won,
And all his
Western work 'gainst
Poyer now don;
North-ward by expeditious Marches flies.
Lambert near
Skipton with his Forces lies
Conjoyn'd, ten thousand strong upon the
Scot,
Directly they advance, that fight was not
Defer'd, whereof the King presaged true,
And the
Scots their sad expedition rue.
Cromwel goes forward
Lancashire into,
Near
Preston his Forlorn ingage the Foe,
But e're the
Scots will draw their Forces out,
Langdale's expos'd unto a total Rout,
Then charge the
Scots thinking to bear away
The Victory, and sole Glory of the Day,
But no such facill thing it was to beat
Cromwel; the
Scots are forced to retreat
Into the Town:
Cromwels Horse them pursue,
Soon clear the Streets, and numbers of them slew.
The Duke doth with a stand of Pikes maintan
The Bridge, till many of his men were slain,
And till the wish'd obscurity of night,
Gave him advantage of a further flight.
With execution great pursu'd those were,
Who fled to
Lancaster-ward: every where
Great heaps of slaughter'd
Scots by th' way do lye.
To
Wiggon-ward this night the Duke doth slye,
Yet a strong Barn hee manned by the way,
This for a while
Cromwels pursuit doth stay,
And did some execution on his Horse,
But for to yeild on mercy they inforce
The
Scots, who from them little mercy finde.
From
Wiggon the third day, the Duke design'd
For
Warrington: but by the way, of ground,
Having a plot most advantagious found,
They make a stand: so fierce a fight maintain,
That Roundheads there are full a thousand slain
In half a hour, the rest reacy to flye.
At which
Cromwel ride, up, aloud doth cry,
Come follow mee, and on himself then goes,
Leaping the Hedge t' amongst the thickest Foes,
Of whom some hundreds on the place are slain,
And full two thousand of them Prisoners tane.
The routed
Scots straight to the Bridgeward make,
The Duke with all his Horse doth here forsake
His Foot; which at the Bridge delivered are,
With all their Arms, as Prisoners sad of War,
By
Bayley unto
Cromwel, who did go
North-ward tryumphantly to meet
Monroe.
☞
Hamilton to
Nantwatch directly flies,
Against him every where the Country rise,
At
Uxiter Lord
Gray doth him inforce
Himself to yeild, with nigh three thousand Horse.
Thus are his men all routed, tane, or dead,
And hee himself adjudg'd to lose his head.
Heaven in their kinde the
Scots repay now would,
Who sold the King, by multitudes are sold.
☞
Cromwel by this had
Barwick bounds acquir'd,
Monroe for
Scotland had again retir'd.
And the Kirk party do most Zealously,
The Dukes late expedition, curse, decry.
At
Edenburge they feast, applause, and stile,
Cromwel the man, who now could reconcile
Their Differences; whose presence, prowess, wit,
Made the Malignant party now submit.
For
Lannerick and
Monroe are forc'd t' agree
Now with
Arguile, the Kirk, Presbytery.
With
Cromwels part, but late Sectarians stil'd,
The Kirk's cemented, and fresh reconcil'd.
Thus
Proteus-like the Kirk's even what you list,
An
Hamiltonian or a
Cromwellist.
☞
Barwick and
Carlisle too delivered are
To
Cromwel, who for
England doth repair
Tryumphantly;
Scarborough and
Pomfret's won,
☞ Though the
Colchestrians act what might be don
By art or valour, in their own Defence
Though with his Fleet, the Prince not far from thence
Hover'd at Sea, yet Famine doth prevail,
All expectations of releif them fail,
And yeild they must to
Fairfax; whose Decree,
Was
Lisle and
Lucas shot to Death should bee.
And thus in short wee end the second War.
☞
Cromwel his hopes no longer will defer,
Cobbet is sent to
Carisborough for the King,
To
Hurst, and then to
Winsor they him bring.
☞ Of Justice an High Court they then erect,
A thing most unjust, horrid, these effect,
Their King arraign, condemn, and execute,
What Hell-hounds thus did
Cromwels purpose suit?
What Judge durst Sentence pass so Impious?
Was there no Gods that had respect to us?
Or to our King? what, will the powers Divine,
Their Vengeance from such Miscreants heads decline?
If such acts irreligious shall go free,
Who will beleeve there's any Deity?
Or that these things sublunary, at all
Under cognizance of the Gods do fall.
The Gods on Mortals can inflict no wrath,
Jove's but a fiction, and no thunder hath
Tisiphone! there no such Fury is,
Hell's but a fable and her
Nemesis,
No matter whether Heaven wee love or hate,
There's no such place; all things are rul'd by Fate.
Ah! whether doth my passion mee transport,
Justice dispenc'd will be from Heavens high Court,
On the High Court of Justice: blood for blood
Cryes out aloud, and will bee understood,
Revenge whereof although the Gods delay,
It's with more Fury, that they may repay,
Their Miscreant Enemies, and make them know,
They have respect to things done here below.
Finis Libri Octavi.