VII. 31.]

Prince Rupert marches to Birmingham.

19

it; for though the earl of Newcastle at that time was master of 1643 the field in Yorkshire, yet the enemy was much superior in all the counties between that county and Oxford, and had planted many garrisons so near all the roads that the most private messengers travelled with great hazard, three being intercepted for one that escaped. To clear these obstructions, and not without the design of guarding and waiting on the Queen to Oxford, if her majesty were ready for that journey, at least to secure a necessary supply of powder, prince Rupert resolved in person to march towards the north; and about the beginning of April (the treaty being then at Oxford, and hope that it would have produced a good effect, at least that the earl of Essex would not have taken the field till May) his highness, with a party of twelve hundred horse and dragoons and six or seven hundred foot, marched towards Litchfield; which if he could reduce, and settle there a garrison for the King, lay most convenient for that northern communication, and would with it dissolve other little adjacent holds of the enemy, which contributed much to the interruption. In his way thither, he was to march through Bromigeham [Birmingham], a town in Warwickshire before mentioned, and of as great fame for hearty, wilful, affected disloyalty to the King, as any place in England. It is before remembered1 that the King in his march from Shrewsbury, notwithstanding the eminent malignity of that people, had shewed as eminent compassion to them, not giving way that they should suffer by the undistinguishing license of the soldier, or by the severity of his own justice; which clemency of his found so unequal a return, that the next day after his remove thence the inhabitants of that place seized on his carriages, wherein were his own plate and furniture, and conveyed them to Warwick castle, and had from that time, with unusual industry and vigilance, apprehended all messengers who were employed, or suspected to be so, in the King's service; and though it was never made a garrison by direction of the Parliament, being built in such a form as was indeed hardly capable of being fortified, yet they had so great a desire to [Book vi, § 83.]

1

20 The earl of Denbigh killed at Birmingham. [VII. 31.

1643 distinguish themselves from the King's good subjects that they cast up little slight works at both ends of the town, and barricadoed the rest, and voluntarily engaged themselves not to admit any intercourse with the King's forces.

April 3.

32. In this posture prince Rupert now found them, having in the town with them at that time a troop of horse belonging to the garrison of Litchfield, which was grown to that strength that it infested those parts exceedingly, and would in a short time have extended itself to a powerful jurisdiction. His highness, hardly believing it possible that when they should discover his power they would offer to make resistance, and being unwilling to receive interruption in his more important design, sent his quarter-masters thither to take up his lodging, and to assure them that if they behaved themselves peaceably they should not suffer for what was past: but they had not consciences good enough to believe him, and absolutely refused to let him quarter in the town; and from their little works, with mettle equal to their malice, they discharged their shot upon him; but they were quickly overpowered, and some parts of the town being fired, they were not able to contend with both enemies, and, distracted between both, suffered the assailant to enter without much loss; who took not that vengeance upon them they deserved, but made them expiate their transgressions with paying a less mulct than might have been expected from their wealth if their wickedness had been less.

33. In the entrance of this town, and in the too eager pursuit of that loose troop of horse that was in it, the earl of Denbigh (who from the beginning of the war, with unwearied pains and exact submission to discipline and order, had been a volunteer in prince Rupert's troop, and been engaged with singular courage in all enterprises of danger) was unfortunately wounded with many hurts on the head and body with swords and poleApril 8. axes; of which within two or three days he died1. And but for which accident, (and to remember the dismal inequality of

1 ['-having been overthrown in his coach by a careless coachman, his wounds brake out again so sorely that he died shortly after.' Mercurius Aulicus, p. 192.]

VII. 34.]

Prince Rupert marches to Lichfield.

21

this contention, in which always some earl, or person of great 1643 honour or fortune, fell, when, after the most signal victory over the other side, there was seldom lost a man of any known family, or of other reputation than of passion for the cause in which he fell,) I should not have wasted so much paper in mentioning an action of so little moment as was this of Bromigeham: which I shall yet enlarge with the remembrance of a clergyman, who was here killed at the entering of the town, after he had not only refused quarter but provoked the soldier by the most odious revilings and reproaches of the person and honour of the King that can be imagined, and renouncing all allegiance to him; in whose pockets were found several papers of memorials of his own obscene and scurrilous behaviour with several women, in such loose expressions as modest ears cannot endure; and this man was the principal governor and incendiary of the rude people of that ill place against their sovereign1. So full a qualification was a heightened measure of malice and disloyalty for this service, that it weighed down the infamy of any other lewd and vicious behaviour.

34. From Bromigeham, the prince, without longer stay than to remove two or three slight garrisons in the way, which made very little resistance, marched to Litchfield, and easily possessed. himself of the town, which lay open to all comers; but the Close (which contained the cathedral church and all the clergy houses) was strongly fortified, and resolved against him. The wall, about which there was a broad and deep moat, was so thick and strong that no battery the prince could raise would make any impression; the governor, one colonel Rouswell, very resolute; and the garrison of such men as were most transported with superstition to the cause in which they were engaged, and in numbers equal to the ground they were to keep; their provisions ample, for a longer time than it was fit the prince should stay before it. So that it was believed, when his highness had in vain endeavoured to procure it by treaty,

1 [His name was Whitehall, and he is described in A true relation of the cruelties exercised by the cavaliers at Birmingham as having been confined in Bedlam for many years as a lunatic, and as being mistaken by the royalists for the minister of the parish, one Roberts.]

22

Prince Rupert takes Lichfield.

[VII. 34. 1643 he would not have engaged before it; for his strength consisted, upon the matter, wholly in horse; his foot and dragoons being an inconsiderable force for such an attempt. But whether the difficulties were not throughly discerned and weighed at first, or whether the importance of the place was thought so great that it was worth an equal hazard and adventure, he resolved not to move till he had tried the uttermost; and to that purpose drew what addition of force he could out of the country, to strengthen his handful of foot; and persuaded many officers and volunteers of the horse to alight, and bear their parts in the duty, with which they cheerfully and gallantly complied; and in less than ten days he had drawn the moat dry, and prepared two bridges for the graff. The besieged omitted nothing that could be performed by vigilant and bold men, and killed and wounded many of the besiegers, and disappointed and spoiled one mine they had prepared. In the end, early in the morning, the prince having prepared all things in readiness for the assault, he sprung another mine, which succeeded according to wish, and made a breach of twenty foot in the wall, in a place least suspected by those within; yet they defended it with all possible courage and resolution, and killed and hurt very many; whereof some, officers of prime quality, whereof the lord Digby, colonel Gerard, colonel Wagstaffe, and major Legg, were the chief of the wounded; and when they had entered the breach, they continued the dispute so fiercely within, (the narrowness of the breach, and the ascent, not suffering many to enter together, and no horse being able to get over,) that, after they had killed colonel Usher and some other good officers, and taken others prisoners, (for both colonel Wagstaffe and April 21. William Legg were in their hands,) they compelled the prince to consent to very honourable conditions; which he readily yielded to, as thinking himself a gainer by the bargain. And so the garrison marched out with fair respect, and a princely testimony of having made a courageous defence; his highness being very glad of his conquest, though the purchase had shrewdly shaken his troops, and robbed him of many officers and soldiers he much valued. At this time, either the day

VII. 35.] The King marches to relieve Reading.

23

before or the day after this action, prince Rupert received a 1643 positive order from the King to make all possible haste, with all the strength he had and all he could draw together from those parts, to the relief of Reading: which was in the danger we but now left it. Upon which his highness, committing the government of Litchfield to colonel Baggott, a son of a good and powerful family in that county, and appointing his troops to make what haste was possible after him, himself with a few servants came to Oxford to attend the King, whom he found gone towards Reading.

35. The importunity from that garrison for relief was so peremptory, and the concernment so great in their preservation, that the King found it would not bear the necessary delay of prince Rupert's returning with his forces; and therefore his majesty in person, with those horse and foot which he could speedily draw together, leaving very few behind him in Oxford or in any other garrison, advanced towards Reading; hoping April 24. (and that was the utmost of his hope) that he might with the assistance of the garrison be able to force one quarter, and so draw out his men, and, by the advantage of those rivers which divided the enemy and the passes, to be able to retire to Oxford; for, being joined, he would not have near one half of the enemy's army. When he drew near the town, the day being passed whereon they had been promised, or had promised themselves, relief, he was encountered by a party of the enemy, April 25. which defended their post, and being quickly seconded by supplies of horse and foot from all their quarters, after a very sharp conflict, in which many fell on both sides, the King's party, commanded by the earl of Forth himself, the general, consisting of near one thousand musketeers, was forced to retire to their body; which they did the sooner, because those of the town made no semblance of endeavouring to join with them; which was that they principally relied upon. The reason of that was, the garrison, not seeing their relief coming, sent for a parley to the enemy, which was agreed to, with a truce for so many hours, upon which hostages were delivered, and a treaty begun, when the King came to relieve it. Upon the view of