I. 1642. PART to the governour of their denyall; being assur'd he would check them for it, and furnish him with what he wanted. In the mean time he caus'd his ketch which rode by him, to yeere on board him upon his quarter, which was from their ships; and cutt a hole in his own quarter, through which passage he took in all the pouder which was on board the ketch, and stowed it in his own ship: After which, so soon as the tyde serv'd, he weigh'd and stood up towards Hull, the two Parliament ships doing the like, and keeping a good distance, a starn of him, to make sure that he might not get out to sea. In this manner they continued turning up, till it was almost high water. At which time his pilot told him he thought he could now secure him, and the ship, without running the hazard of passing under the guns of the town; for that he was come up with a sand which was very narrow, over which ther was but twelve foot water at the top of the tyde; and being once got over that, he had depth enough, and could run on shore where he thought convenient, without danger of the Parliament ships which drew more water. Whereupon the Captain took the resolution of passing over his ship, drawing at eleven foot and a half, and accordingly setting up all his sails, stood boldly over it, and got into the other channell. The two Parliament 'ships endeavour'd to follow him, but having no water enough, stuck fast. The Captain continued his way down, till he came to a place call'd Paull, some miles below Hull, on the same side of the Humber, and there ran his ship a shore, so that she serv'd him for a battery to defend him in landing the armes and ammunition, which he immediatly did, and dispatch'd away a messenger to the King at York to give him notice of his arrivall at that place. After which, having severall gentlemen and officers on board, they fell immediatly to work, and intrenched themselves, I: 1642. while the seamen were unloding, apprehending that their PART neighbours of Hull might take them unprovided, and bereave them of what they had hitherto preserv'd with so much danger and difficulty; and they us'd such diligence in this, that they were in a posture of defence before the Enemy could attempt any thing upon them. For though they of the town came out, before any releif could be brought from York, yet seeing how advantageously Straughan was posted, they return'd without making the least attempt, and left them quiet till his Majesty sent men to convoy them up to York. As for the ship his Majesty was moved to have her burnt, since she must fall of necessity into the Rebell's hands; but he absolutely refus'd it, saying, She had done him too much service to be so us'd, and that besides he did not despaire of having again both her and all the rest in his own possession. So she was left there after her guns were taken out, which were carryd to York, and most of her seamen made gunners. The next day after she was clear'd, they of Hull came out and took possession of her: however the hope of his Majesty was in some sort propheticall, for when his Son was restor'd, that very ship with all the rest came to be in his power. With this supply of armes and ammunition being enabled to raise an Army, his Majesty after having secur'd York, and left those parts in a good condition for his service, went attended with a considerable number of officers to Nottinghain, and there first set up his Standard. Then it was that the zeal and affection of those Noblemen and Gentlemen who continued loyall to him, appear'd in a most exemplary manner, shewing what might be perform'd, when men well born and rightly principled undertake to serve their Prince with diligence; For in a very litle time, without any fund of mony but what themselves furnish'd, they rais'd so considerable an Army, that before the end of October the King was in a condition to fight a battell with The King sets up his stand ard at Nottingham. ORIG. MEM. Part I. p. I. 1642. PART the Rebells, thō they had begun to raise forces before him, and wanted neither mony, nor armes, nor ammunition, nor indeed any thing to make themselves as numerous and as well appointed, as they pleas'd; whereas his Majesty, notwithstanding the supply which he had received from Holland, was obliged as he passed along from York to Nottingham, and from thence to Shrewsbery, to disarm the train'd bands in all places, and to furnish his new rais'd forces with their armes ; And yet after all those shifts and hardships, many of his men remain'd unarm'd. The Battell of Edge hill fought the 23 of October. ORIG. MEM, His Majesty's Army being thus form'd, he departed from Shrewsbery about the midle of October, with a resolution to incounter the Army of the Rebells; and upon the 22 of the same month he came to Edgecot in Northamptonshire, not far from Bambury, where having notice that the Enemy's forces under the command of the Earle of Essex were within a days march of him, he order'd his whole Army to meet him the next day at Edge hill. He was no sooner arrived there with his first troop, than he saw the van of the Rebell's Army down in the bottom by Keynton, which soon after began to draw up in battell in the plain before that village, but advanced no further. When all his Majesty's troops were come up to him, he march'd down the hill, and order'd Ruthven (who was then but Feild Marshall thō soon afterwards made Earle of Branford) an experienced officer who had serv'd the King of Sweden in the quality of Major General, to draw up his Army in battell. But the Earle of Lindsay who was Generall, was so much displeas'd at this preference, that he said, Since his Majesty thought him not fitt to perform the office of Commander in Chief, he would serve him as a Collonell, and immediatly went and put himself at the head of his Regim' of foot, which he desir'd might be placed opposite to that of the Earle of Essex, hoping therby that he might ingage him per PART I. 1642. Part 1. p. 16. sonally. The foot was drawn up that day much differing from the manner now in use, but according to the Swedish Brigade as they then called it, and the horse in two wings; the right commanded by Prince Rupert who was generall of it, and the left by the Lord Wilmott his leiftenant generall, Each wing had a second line or reserve, the one composed of the Lord Digby's and Sir Thomas Aston's regiment, with whom were some dragoons under the command of Collonell Edward Gray, the other of the Lord Biron's regiment, they themselves being at the head of them; and on the right hand of the right wing, were likewise some dragoons commanded by S Arthur Aston. According to the best relation of those who were present and could best tell, his Majesty's Army consisted of about eight thousand foot and two thousand five hundred horse, and ten piece of cannon: OR. MEM. And the Rebells had between ten and eleven thousand foot, and they somewhat outnumber'd the Royall Army in horse as allso in cannon. As for their order of Battell, they made not their wing so equall as his Majesty's, for knowing Prince Rupert was to command the King's right wing, they put the greatest part of their best cavalry into their left; as having lately felt the effects of his courage and conduct neer Worcester, where being much inferiour in number to them, he routed a body of their best horse: Besides this, to strengthen that wing, they had small plotoons of musquetiers betwixt every squadron, and on their left hand some dragoons: As for their right wing of horse, which were not all come up, they drew that part of them which was present behind their foot, seeing they were not strong enough to encounter with the King's left wing, and lin'd the bushes with some dragoons to make a shew. In this posture they stood, expecting to be be charg❜d, without advancing one step to meet the King's Army. PART 1642. The fight of Part I. p. 17. The King with the Pce of W, and the Duke march'd immediatly after the foot. Ibid. It was almost three of the clock in the afternoon before his Majesty's Army was wholly drawn up in Battell; at which time they march'd on with a slow steady pace, and a very daring resolution. So soon as they were within reach of cannon, the Rebells fir'd at them, and their volly was made before the King's began to play. His Majesty with the Prince of Wales and the Duke of York, march'd immediatly after the foot, attended by several of the Lords whom he had commanded to stay by him, and by the band of pensioners on horseback led on by their leiftenant Sir William Howard; and that it might be known in what part of the Army the person of the King was, he had a scarlet cornet larger than ordinary carryd before him. When the Royall Army was advanced within musket shot of the Enemy, the foot on both sides began to fire, the King's still coming on, and the Rebell's continuing only to keep their ground; so that they came so near to one another that some of the batalions were at push of pike, particularly the regiment of Guards commanded by the Lord Willoughby and the Generall's regiment, with some others; in so much that the Lord Willoughby with his pike kill'd an officer of the Earle of Essex his own regiment, and hurt another. The foot being thus ingaged in such warm and close service, it were reasonable to imagine that one side should run and be disorder'd; but it happen'd otherwise, for each as if by mutuall consent retired some few paces, and then stuck The Foot con- down their coulours, continuing to fire at one another even till night; a thing so very extraordinary, that nothing less then so many witnesses as were there preseut, could make it credibile; nor can any other reason be given for it, but the naturall courage of English men, which prompted them to maintain their ground, thō the rawnes and unexperience of both partys had not furnished them with skill to make the best use of their advantages. Tis observed that of all nations the The foot so close to one another that they are within push of pike. tinue till night firing at one another. Ibid. |