Letter to Lord General Concerning Bristol, Day 7
SATURDAY. Auguſt 12.
This day newes was brought to Town of Sir William Waller's extraordinary progreſſe in raiſing the great Army intended for him. You heard before how the good women flocked to Weſtminſter on Tueſday laſt, to cry out for peace; three of the which were killed directly in the place, and thirteene or fourteene more moſt ſhrewdly wounded. And the next day, to ſhew the men were better ſtudied in the point then ſo, came downe ſome 5 or 6000 of the uſuall hacksters, which had beene alwayes ready for ſuch purpoſes at a minutes warning; and they cryed No peace. And being told by ſome who were appointed to returne the Anſwer, that they who were for the continuance of the Warre, (as every one of them ſeemed to be) ſhould goe to Haberdaſhers Hall, and there liſt themſelves under the conduct and command of Sir William Waller: it wrought ſo much upon the courage of thoſe gallant ſpirits, (Reader, thou canſt not chooſe but wonder at ſuch monſtrous forwardneſſe) that of 5000 men which would have no peace, no fewer then fifteene ſturdy fellowes (in words at length and not in figures) liſted their names upon the Roll to purſue the Warre. And ſome of thoſe perhaps may ſee Glouceſter one day.
It was advertiſed this day alſo, that 200 of the Rebels by the appointment of Sir William Brereton, have laid ſiege to Eccleſhall Caſtle in Staffordſhire, (an houſe belonging to the Lord Biſhop of Coventry and Lichfield;) the greateſt part of thoſe who are ſhut up in it, being Ladies and Gentlewomen of that County, who purpoſely came thither to ſecure themſelves in theſe times of danger. And that they are ſo gallantly reſolved upon it, that though their victuals doe begin to faile already, they meane to ſtand upon their guard and defend the place (in hope His Majeſtie will relieve them e're it come to that) as long as they have horſe fleſh, water, and old leather left to preſerve nature. Which as it ſhewes the bravery and courage of thoſe noble Ladies, ſo is it an infallible argument of the incivility and rudeneſſe of thoſe barbarous Rebels (who regard neither ſex nor quality of perſons) from whom the beſt that can be looked for, is more unſufferable then the miſeries of warre and famine.
This day there came to Towne from London, the Earle of Lindſey▪ Lord Great Chamberlaine of England, and Sir George Radcliffe; the firſt tooke Priſoner at Edge-hill, the ſecond made a Priſoner by appointment of the Houſe of Commons at the beginning of this Parliament: but by what meanes and accident they are at liberty, is not yet made knowne to mee.
But becauſe the Rebels are now ſo farre vanquiſhed, that they diſpaire of their deſignes, they reſolve (like bloudy cowards) to make uſe of all baſe advantages, for which end they are now beginning to ſhip away beyond ſea ſuch of His Majeſties good Subjects as are in their cuſtody; and wee were this day informed, that Mudford alias Murford (that infamous Browniſticall Governour of Southampton) hath this weeke taken a learned ingenuous Gentleman one Mr Jones of Lincolnes Inne, and others out of Priſon, and ſent them by ſea to New-England, or ſome ſuch other place as the Devill and they think fitteſt for their puniſhment, making the ſaid Maſter Jones to paſſe through the ſtreets by his owne doore, but would not ſuffer him to take leave, or ſpeake with his Wife, or any other friend or Kinſman to furniſh him with linnen and other neceſſaries for this unexpected voyage; and that yeſterday their brother Rebels at London conveyed Colonell Goring▪ Sir George Sands, Sir John Goodrick and other gentlemen (three or foure Coaches full) to the water ſide on ſhip-board, there to lye under hatches like ſlaves of Argiers, exſpecting every hower how this barbarous bloudy faction will diſpoſe of them. Nor is this ſtrange if you conſider their devotion, for this aforeſaid Mudford ſent up his Levite into the pulpit at Southampton, to move the people to take the New Covenant, who (like a Prieſt of their Religion) fell on curſing (praying they call it) in theſe very words Bleſſe the King, O Lord, mollifie his hard heart which delighteth in bloud, open his eyes that he may ſee that the bloud of thy Saints is deare in thy ſight; He is fallen from faith in thee, and become an enemy to thy Church: Is it not He that hath ſinned and done evill indeed? but as for theſe ſheep, what have they done? Let thine hand, we pray thee O Lord our God, be on Him and on His Fathers houſe, but not on thy people that they ſhould be plagued. And (to let you ſee both Prieſt and people are of the ſame profeſſion) Saint-barbe himſelfe after he had taken the Covenant ſaid aloud before many witneſſes, that he had rather ſee the Kingdome in a flame, then that the King ſhould prevaile againſt this cauſe they have undertaken. This is pure Proteſtant Religion, ſuch as their brother Judas ſcarce findes among the damned. And it was alſo ſignified by Letters from Wincheſter, that this aforeſaid Murford in purſuance of his former threats to the Prentiſes of South-hampton (whereof you heard laſt weeke) for refuſing to take the rebellious new Covenant, ſent one Thornborough, Riggs, and divers others to Portſmouth, where they are lodged in ſuch a dungeon, as they are not able to ſtand upright, but are forced to doe their neceſſary acts of nature in the ſame place where the poore men muſt make their lodging: And yet the Newes-men at London have the impudence to tell us in print, that no body hath beene puniſhed for refuſing their Covenant. And in the ſame Letters it is advertiſed that the Maior of Southampton (a very ancient man) is ſo over awed by this Murford, that being lately come from the two Houſes (whoſe priſoner he hath beene theſe eleven weekes for his loyalty to his Soveraigne) hee muſt not now be ſuffered to goe out of the Towne gates▪ but every common Souldier by Murfords command forceth him backe again; in ſuch contempt is the Kings Lieutenant amongſt this faction; and all this out of Whitehead of Portſmouth his malice to the Maior, becauſe he would not deliver the keyes of the Towne to him when hee demanded them for the two Houſes; the good old Maior (being a Jer…y man) anſwering him, Me no hang for you Maſter Whitehead, you hang for your ſelfe.
This day alſo we received a copy of Iſaack Pennington's Petition againſt peace, (though moulded and penned by John Pym himſelfe) deſiring the Houſe of Commons, or rather commanding them to perſiſt in this warre (though they periſh in the worke;) and tendring a forme of an Ordinance to preſſe and force every man rich and poore (excepting ſome few) to take Armes for this cauſe, or pay ten pounds a peece; which accordingly was voted, and the Petitioners had thankes returned them from the Houſe.
This day wee ſaw a printed Ordinance from the two pretended Houſes, for the ſpeedy rayſing and levying of a weekly contribution towards the maintenance of their Army, to be paid by the ſeverall Counties and Cities of this Kingdome for two moneths together: as for example, the Citie of Cheſter is to pay weekly unto the two Houſes 62l. The County of Cornwall 625l. The Citie of Yorke 62l. The County of Salop 375l. The Citie of Lichfield 5l. Briſtol 55l. Worceſter 16l. The County of Worceſter 500l. Oxford 400l. If the worthy Members will come to theſe places, the money lyes ready for them.
The Earle of Northampton this weeke intercepted divers Letters from London, wherein we ſee ſuch pretty devices as the Brethren uſe to cheat one another; One writes, That 3000 Cavaleirs were ſlaine at the taking of Briſtol. Another, That Waller will be 30000 Horſe, and 20000 Foot. Another, Th… Waller is 8000 ſtrong already. Another, That 20000 Scot… are come as far as Barwicke. Another, That the Scots will not come, becauſe the Citizens have no money. Another, That all is loſt except ſpirituall comfort. Another, That the Earle of Eſſex would have all their Souldiers leave their Garriſons, and come away with their Armes, leſt they be all taken by the King. Another, That Glouceſter cannot be relieved. Another, That the rotten Lords (a pretty-pretty epithete) would now have Peace. Another, That now they muſt no longer truſt in the Parliament. Another, That the loſſe of Briſtol hath diſcovered many falſe hearts, who onelyonly had creature-confidence. Another, That to vote for peace now, was like the plot of the Trojan horſe, and like Saul, to fly in diſtreſſe to the Witch of Endor; with a world more of ſuch excellent expreſſions, as doe trouble me to want paper for them.
And the Printed Newes-men are this weeke turn'd Preachers, urging Scripture (in place of Newes) againſt fainting in tribulation, yet ever and anon ſprinkling a lye: as 1. That the Lord Digby hath one Troope of Spaniſh Papiſts: (My Lord thankes you for raiſing a new Troope for him; but hee thinkes you meane the Walloones at Fulham, allowed to have Maſſe by the Cloſe Committee. 2. That the Lord Willoughby of Parham's Souldiers marched out of Gainsborough with all their Armes: (You were cudgelled for this the laſt weeke, and yet you are at it againe.) 3. That the King commands to kill men for fearing God, (for labouring to murther him in the feare of God; feare God, obey the Parliament.) 4. That Sir William Waller hath many thouſands of men: (yes, at Round-way Downe.) 5. That thoſe men are moſt of them good luſty Butchers (to knocke downe the Oxe at Kingſton.) 6. That Sir William went in triumph to Butchers Hall neare Newgate: (he went himſelfe now, but next time he ſhall be brought to Newgate.) Laſtly, That the Cloſe Committee had newes that Dorcheſter, Weymouth, and Lincolne, were delivered up to the Kings Forces, and yet were not diſheartned at it: I thinke it would pleaſe them to ſee one another hang'd; which God for his mercies ſake, &c.
FINIS.
End of the text · Nathaniel Fiennes, Letter to Lord General Concerning Bristol (1643)