Professor of Arabic at Oxford;" and is now, we perceive, in this Spring 1643, a Student at Cambridge; of meditative peripatetic habits; often walking into the country with a little Arabic Volume in his pocket; - apt to be fluttered at the Town Gates by these new military arrangements. In this difficulty he calls on Colonel Cromwell; and But his little Volume itself is still extant, and tells its own story and his. A thin duodecimo, in white hogskin binding now grown very brown; size handy for the smallest coat-pocket:- and on the fly-leaf, in Oliver's hand, stands written (signed successively by three other Committeemen whom Whelocke would soon search out for the feat): - 4th April 1643. Suffer the Bearer hereof, Mr. Abraham Whelocke, to pass your guards so often as he shall have occasion, into and out of Cambridge, towards Little Shelford or any other place; and this shall be your warrant. THO. COOKE. EDW. CLENCHE. OLIVER CROMWELL. S No. 4. EASTERN ASSOCIATION: THREATENED RISING OF PAPISTS IN NORFOLK. [Vol. i. p.127.]} Two Committee-Letters, both of Oliver's writing; illustrations of his diligent procedure in the birth-time of the Eastern Association. To our noble Friends, Sir John Hobart, Sir Thomas Richardson, Sir John Polts, Sir John Palgrave, Sir John Spelman, Knights and Baronets, and the rest of the Depuy-Lieutenants for the County of Norfolk: Present these. GENTLEMEN, 'Cambridge, 26th January 1642.' The Parliament and the Lord General have taken into their care the peace and protection of these Eastern parts of Whelocke's Arabic Volume (a version into Arabic of one of Bellarmin's Books, by some Armenian Patriarch, for benefit of the Heathen, Rome, 1627, with slight marks of Whelocke on the other fly-leaves): Volume now in the possession of Dr. Lee, Hartwell, Buckinghamshire, who has kindly given me sight of it. - Next year, under this Pass of Oliver's, lower half of the same fly-leaf, there is a Renewal of it, or Copy in almost precisely the same terms, written and signed by the Earl of Manchester (in ink now grown very pale, while Oliver's has changed to strong red-brown), of date 27th February 1643'-4, when his Lordship again for a time (see antea, vol. i. p. 181) had become chief Authority in Cambridge. (Note of 1857.) the Kingdom; and to that end have sent down hither some part of their Forces, as likewise a* Commission, with certain Instructions to us and others directed; all which do highly concern the peace and safety of your County. Therefore we intreat that some of you would give us a meeting at Mildenhall** in Suffolk, on Tuesday the 31st of this instant January. And in the mean time that you would make all possible speed to have in a readiness, against any *** notice shall be given, a considerable force of Horse and Foot to join with us, to keep any Enemy's force from breaking-in upon your yet peaceable Country. For we have certain intelligence that some of Prince Rupert's forces are come as far as Wellingborough in Northamptonshire, and that the Papists in Norfolk are solicited to rise presently upon you. Thus presenting all our neighbourly and loving respects, we rest, Your respective friends to serve you, TERRELL JOCELYN. WILLM. MARche. EDW. CLENCHE. JAMES THOMPSON. MILES SANDYS. FRANC. RUSSELL. ROBERT CLERKE.§ To our worthy Friends, Sir John Hobart, Sir Thomas Richardson, Sir John Potts, Sir John Palgrave, Sir John Spelman, Knights and Baronets: Present these. GENTLEMEN, Cambridge, 27th January 1642. The grounds of your Jealousies are real. They concur with our intelligences from Windsor; the sum whereof we give unto you: From a prisoner taken by Sir Samuel Luke (one Mr. Gandy, a Captain of Dragooners) this confession was drawn, That the Papists by direction from Oxford should rise in Norfolk. Whereupon it was desired from thence That Sir Henry Benningfield and Mr. Gandy, their persons should be seized, "the" erased. **"Millnall" he writes. *** "any" inserted with a caret: both corrections apparently in Cromwell's hand. § Original in Tanner мss. lxiv. 116. and that we should do our** endeavour to make stay of the Person and Letter which contained this encouragement to them, he being described by his horse and clothes. But we believe 'he' was past us before we had notice, for our Scouts could not light on him. As for the other consideration of his Majesty's forces being invited into these parts, we have confirmation thereof from all hands; and there is this reason to doubt it will be so, Because his Majesty is weary of Oxford; there being little in those parts left to sustain his Army, — and surely the fulness of these parts and fitness of them for Horse are too-too good arguments to invite him *** hither. Thus we agree in the grounds of our doubt and fear. The next thought is of Remedy. And in this we account it our happiness to consult with you of common safety, to be had either by the Association you speak of, or by † any other consideration by communication of assistance, according to necessity. Wherein I hope you shall find all readiness and cheerfulness in us, to assist you to break any strength that shall be gathered; or to prevent it, if desired, having timely notice given from you thereof. The way will be best settled, if you give us a meeting, according to our desire by a Letter particularly prepared††† before we received yours, and now sent unto you for that purpose together with these. This is all we can say for the present; but that we are, Your friends and servants, 'P.S.' We sent to Sir William Spring to offer him our as "I" erased. **"my" erased. *** "them" erased: All the corrections in Cromwell's hand. Comes to the end of the sheet, and turns to the margin. ++"may" erased, and "shall" substituted. ††† “and di" (meaning "directed") erased." - sistance for the apprehension of Sir H. Benningfield, &c.* We have not yet received any answer. - We knew not how to address ourselves to you. It's our desire to assist you in that or any other public service. § Nr. 5. GAINSBOROUGH FIGHT. [Vol. i. p. 155.] HERE are other details concerning Gainsborough Fight; Two Letters upon it that have successively turned up. 1. The first is a Letter two days earlier in date; evidently not written by Cromwell, though signed by him and two chief Lincolnshire Committee-men, as he passes through their City on his way to Huntingdon. Sir Edward Ayscough, or "Ayscoghe" as he here signs himself, probably a kinsman of Sir George the Sailor's, possibly the father of the "Captain Ayscoghe" mentioned here, he and John Broxholme, Esq., both of the Lincolnshire Committee, ** are clearly the writers of the present Letter. - "For the Honourable William Lenthall, Esquire, Speaker of the Commons House of Parliament: These. "Lincoln, 29th July 1643 (Six o'clock at night). "NOBLE SIR,-We, having solicited a conjunction of Forces "towards the raising of the Siege of Gainsborough, did appoint "a general rendezvous at North Scarle to be upon Thursday the "27th of July. To the which place, Sir John Meldrum with "about Three-hundred Horse and Dragoons, and Colonel Crom"well with about Six or Seven Troops of Horse and about One"hundred Dragoons, came. With these they marched towards "Gainsborough; and meeting with a good party of the Enemy “about a mile from the Town, beat them back, — but not with "any commendations to our Dragoons. We advanced still to"wards the Enemy, all along under the Cony-Warren, which is "upon a high Hill above Gainsborough. The Lincoln Troops "had the van, two Northampton, and three small Troops of Not"tingham the battle, and Colonel Cromwell the rear; the "Enemy in the mean time with his body keeping the top of the "Hill. * "and" erased; "&c." substituted. § Origina, in Cromwell's own hand throughout, in Tanner Mss. Ixiv. 129. **Husband, ii. 171. "Some of the Lincoln Troops began to advance up the Hill; "which were opposed by a force of the Enemy: but our men re"pelled them, until all our whole body was got up the Hill. The "Enemy kept his ground; which he chose for his best advan"tage, with alBody of Horse of about Three Regiments of Horse, "and a reserve behind them consisting of General Cavendish his 'Regiment, which was a very full regiment. We presently put 66 our Horse in order; which we could hardly do by reason of the cony-holes and the difficult ascent up the Hill; the Enemy "being within musket-shot of us, and advancing towards us be"fore we could get ourselves into any good order. But with "those Troops we could get up, we charged the greater Body of "the Enemy; came-up to the sword's point; and disputed it so "a little with them, that our men pressing heavily upon them, "they could not bear it, but all their Body ran away, some on "the one side of their Reserve, others on the other. Divers of "our Troops pursuing had the chase about six miles. แ "General Cavendish with his Regiment standing firm all the while, and facing some of our Troops that did not follow the "chase,Colonel Cromwell, with his Major Whalley and one "or two Troops more, were following the chase, and were in the "rear of that Regiment. When they saw the body stand un"broken, 'they' endeavoured, with much ado, to get into a body "those three or four Troops which were divided. Which when "they had done,- perceiving the Enemy to charge two or three "of the Lincoln scattered Troops, and to make them retire by "reason of their being many more than they in number; and the "rest being elsewhere engaged and following the chase, "Colonel Cromwell with his three Troops followed them in the "rear; brake this Regiment; and forced their General, with "divers of their men, into a quagmire in the bottom of the Hill. "Where one of Colonel Cromwell his men cut General Caven"dish on the head; by reason whereof he fell off his horse; and "the Colonel's Captain-Lieutenant thrust him into the side, "whereof within two hours he died;-the rest chasing his Regi"ment quite out of the field, having execution of them, so that "the field was left wholly unto us, not a man appearing. Upon "this, divers of our men went into the Town; carrying-in to my "Lord Willoughby some of the Ammunition we brought for "him; — believing that our work was at an end; saving to take * Original has "his," and for "General Cavendish" in the foregoing line, "him." Carlyle, Cromwell. IV. 21 RNHARD TAUCH SEP. |