"Thirdly, That all the furniture and goods " in the house fhould be fafe from plunder; and "to this purpose one of the fix nominated to "attend the ladies, was to ftay in the caftle, and ❝ take an inventory of all in the house; of which "the Commanders were to have one copy, and "the Ladies another.

"But being on these terms masters of the "castle and all within it, 'tis true they obferved "the first article, and fpared the lives of all the " befieged, though they had flain in the defence "at leaft fixty of the Rebels. But for the other "two they obferved them not in any part. As "foon as they entered the castle, they first seized "upon the several trunks and packs which they "of the caftle were making up, and left neither "the Ladies nor fervants any other wearing-clothes "but what was on their backs.

"There was in the caftle, amongst many rich ❝ones, one extraordinary chimney-piece, valued "at two thousand pounds; this they utterly de"faced, and beat down all the carved works "thereof with their pole-axes. There were «likewife rare pictures, the work of the most "curious pencils that were known to these latter "times of the world, and fuch that Apelles him"felf (had he been alive) need not blush to own "for his. These in a wild fury they break and

tear

"tear to pieces; a lofs that neither coft nor art

can repair.

"Having thus given them a taste what per"formance of articles they were to expect from

them, they barbarously lead the Ladies, and the "young Lady's children, two fons and a daugh"ter, prisoners to Shaftesbury, fome four or five « miles from Wardour *.

"While they were prisoners, to mitigate their "forrows, in triumph they bring five cart loads "of their richeft hangings and other furniture "through Shaftesbury towards Dorchester: and "fince that, contrary to their promife and faith, "given both by Sir Edward Hungerford and "Strode, they plundered the whole castle: fo "little ufe was there of the inventory we told

you of, unless to let the world know what "Lord Arundell loft, and what the Rebels gained. "This havock they made within the castle. "Without they burnt all the out-houses; they "pulled up the pales of two parks, the one of "red deer, the other of fallow; what they did

The learned and the illuftrious Mr. Chillingworth was in Wardour Caftle when it was taken. He had retired thither in very bad health. He was carried by the Parlia mentary army first to Salisbury, and then to Chichester; in the Bishop's palace of which city he died foon after: wards.

"not kill they let loofe to the world for the next "taker. In the parks they burn three tenements "and two lodges; they cut down all the trees " about the house and grounds. Oaks and elms, fuch as but few places could boaft of the like,' "whofe goodly bushy advanced heads drew the

eyes of travellers on the plains to gaze on them;

thefe they fold for four-pence, fixpence, or "twelve-pence a-piece, that were worth three, "fout, or five pounds a-piece. The fruit-trees "they pluck up by the roots, extending their "malice to commit fpoil on that which God, by a "fpecial law, protected from deftruction even in "the land of his curfe, the land of Canaan; for fo "we read: When thou shalt befiege a city, "thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by forcing "an ax against them, for thou mayeft eat of them, " and thou shalt not cut them down and employ "them in the fiege; only the trees which thou "knowest that they be not trees for meat thou shalt "defroy. Deut. xx. 19, 20. Nay that which "efcaped deftruction in the Deluge cannot escape "the hands of thefe Children of the Apollyon the "Deftroyer. They dig up the heads of twelve

great ponds, fome of five or fix acres a-piece, and deftroy all the fish. They fell carps of two foot "long for two-pence and three-pence, a-piece: "they fent out the fish by cart-loads, so that the

« country

away

"country could not spend them. Nay, as if the "present generation were too narrow an object for "their rage, they plunder pofterity, and destroy "the nurseries of the great ponds. They drive and fell their horses, kine, and other cattle, " and having left nothing either in air or water, "they dig under the earth. The castle was served "with water brought two miles by a conduit of "lead; and, intending rather mischief to the "King's friends than profit to themselves, they cut,

up the pipe and fold it (as these men's wives in "North Wiltshire do bone-lace) at fix-pence a "yard; making that waste for a poor inconfiderable "fum which two thousand pounds will not make "good. They that have the unhappy occafion to "fum up these loffes, value them at no less than "one hundred thousand pounds. And though "this lofs were very great, not to be paralleled by "any except that of the Countess of Rivers, yet. "there was fomething in these sufferings which did "aggravate them beyond all example of barbarity. "which unnatural war till now did produce, and "that was Rachel's tears, lamentation and weep-, "ing and great mourning, a mother weeping for "her children, and would not be comforted, be

cause they were taken from her. For the rebels, "as you hear, having carried the two Ladies "prifoners to Shaftesbury, thinking them not fafe ❝ enough,

T 4

and infolent as it is, will recall, for the honour of the country where it happened, but imperfectly perhaps to the mind of the reader, the fcenes of ravage, defolation, and murder, which have taken place in a neighbouring Nation; which, not fatisfied with the deftruction of its old corrupt Govern ment, has raised upon the ruins of it a fyftem of tyranny and of rapine without example in the annals of the world.

EXTRACT FROM MERCURIUS RUSTICUS.

"ON Tuesday the fecond of May 1643, Sir "Edward Hungerford, a Chief Commander of the "rebels in Wiltshire, came with his forces be"fore Wardour Caftle in the fame county, being "the manfion-houfe of the Lord Arundell of "Wardour. But finding the caftle strong, and "those that were in it refolute not to yield it up "unlefs by force, called Colonel Strode to his "help. Both thefe joined in one made a body "of 1300, or thereabout. Being come before "it, by a trumpet they fummon the caftle to "furrender: the reafon pretended was, becaufe "the caftle being a receptacle of cavaliers and "malignants, both Houfes of Parliament had "ordered it to be fearched for men and arms;

and withal by the fame trumpeter declared, "that