ASHLEY, who in the first Skirmishes had received a wound, was quartered with a strong Brigado at the East side of the City. Thus was Gloucester on all sides blocked-up, and nothing expected but a most furious and bloody businesse. The King's Commanders, being many of them Gentlemen of great skill and experience of Conduct, had made their approaches (by the confession of all) with as much advantage as could be; and placed their Batteries accordingly; the Souldiers on that side had shewed themselves very swift and indefatigable in their Intrenchments, and as bold in all attempts which they made upon the Towne. Nor were the besieged behind-hand in courage, patience and activity; as appeared, not onely in their defences, but in their frequent Sallyes; the Governour MASSEY being admired by his Enemies, for the great skill and dexterity which he shewed upon all occasions: Of which I shall discourse the more particularly and at large, by reason of the great importance of this famous Siege; the condition of the whole Kingdome depending so much upon the successe of it. Many strange and successeful Sallyes were made by the besieged. Three daies after the Siege was layed, an hundred and fifty Musketeers, commanded by Captaine GRAY, sallyed over the Workes, upon the Worcester Forces, with whom the Welch had not yet joyned, fell into their Quarters, marched-up to their Maine Guard, killed a Captaine, with eight or nine Common Souldiers, tooke five Prisoners, divers Armes, burnt their Guard, and retreated without the losse of any. Captaine MALLERY, with the like number of Musketeers, within a day after, was commanded-forth, to surprize some Ordnance of their Enemies, which were suspected to lye at a certaine place; but, finding none, he retreated without losse, having killed some men, taken a few Prisoners, and fired part of their Quarters. Within a weeke after, another Party of an hundred and fifty Musketeers, commanded by Captain CRISPE, sallyed-forth, and fell into their Enemies Trenches under the Towne-Wall, marched above halfe-way thorow them, performed strangely, and killed above an hundred men, (as was confessed by some of that side,) and, by the help of the Musketeers on the City-Walls, retreated safe, without the losse of any, only two men being wounded. The Besiegers proceeded with great skill and industry in making their Batteries, and undermining at several places; which labour of undermining, at some places was made frustrate by water-springs, and in others by the extreme hardnesse of rocky ground; and where the businesse was more feasible, the skill of the Governour prevented them by countermining. Many Granadoes were shot of great bignesse from their Morterpieces into the Town, but guided by a strange hand of providence into such by-places that they did very little hurt. One thing is worthy the relating; when the Welch and Worcester Forces of the King came-up, and foure Peeces of Ordnance were drawne a good distance before the place of their Leaguer, and one of them planted for battery; a Party of about foure hundred Musketeers, commanded by Major PUDSEY and Captaine GRAY, assisted by Captaine FAULKNER and Captaine MASSEY, sallied forth of one of the Gates; meane while a Lieutenant, with fifty Musketeers, was sent over the Works to give them them an Alarum, whilest the greater Party got behind their Cannon and BreastWorks; fell upon their maine Guard, slew many Officers, two Cannoniers, slew, or mortally wounded, about an hundred Common Souldiers; tooke a Lieutenant, with foure more Prisoners; nayled their Cannon; and retreated with the losse onely of two slaine, and foure taken Prisoners. Two Sallyes of such Parties were, not long after, made, though not with the same successe altogether (by reason of some mis-guidance) yet with so much as that they retreated without any sensible losse; and were enough to amaze their Enemies, that such small Parties should runne-up to their head-Quarters, force their men, and be able in that manner to recover back. And it was observed by those who well understood Warre, that it was a more than ordinary providence, which did preserve and bring-off those many several Parties, when the vanquishing of any one of them must needs run the City into extreme hazard; whose whole strength remained upon the Workes day and night, except the reserve of an hundred and twenty men at the Maine-Guard. One rare and slender ranke were to receive all the storme without seconds: Yet it was the opinion of the best Souldiers, that the safety of the whole did require those frequent Sallyes, as the best remedies for so desperate a disease: Which did not onely retard their Enemies Preparations, but put them into an Amaze, that the besieged should continue in such an height of resolution; which resolution was to be kept-up by the heat of Action. And it was the Governour's care, to keep his Enemies waking by continual Alarms, to waste and weary them. The King's Army were still preparing for a general storme, and striving in the meane time to waste the Magazine of the Town, which, they hoped, would soone faile they spent their owne store, and daily acted to the terrour of the besieged; shooting Granadoes and Fire-balls out of their Morter-Peeces; and from one Battery which they had planted, shot in one night above twenty fiery bullets, which flew thorow the ayre like so many falling Stars, some eighteene pound weight, others two and twenty; some of them passing thorow Stables and Hay-ricks, did, notwithstanding, by their swift motion, faile of kindling; and, (which seemed strange,) could not set one house on fire. Many Mines and Countermines were, every day, working with great industry on both sides, the Governour MASSEY, striving to animate his men, and prevent the Towne's despairing, by shewing the probability of a sudden reliefe; withal adding, that their so late yeelding would not all mollifie the King's Army. On the other side, the King seemed loath to invite them to yeeld solemnly by publike Summons, least he should detract from the honour of his enterprize. Yet many dealt with them underhand, by advertisements of the King's displeasure, using also perswasions, and some intimations of the possibility of Grace. Preparations at London for the reliefe the City of Gloucester. 1 The Expedition of the Lord-General Essex for reliefe of WHILEST Gloucester was thus besieged, and the Siege so straight, that no of intelligence could possibly arrive at it; the Parliament, (who, after serious considerations and debates, had, for the present, resolved upon the reliefe of that City, as the onely meanes to preserve the Kingdome;) were as much straightened how to proceed in the businesse with that expedition which was required. To recruit an Army so much wasted as the Lord-General's was, seemed too slow for this Service; and therefore the Trayned-Bands of London, and their Auxiliaries, must of necessity be made use of. Those that were well-affected to the Parliament encouraged each other to the Worke: The disaffected, on the other side, laboured in all discourses to breed despaire of the Atchievement; and, to discourage the Lord-General from marching, false reports were every day raised in London, that Gloucester was taken. The Lord-General Essex was foure-score miles off, with no present, or visible, Army at that time; his March lying thorow those Countries which were already harrowed by the Enemy: Insomuch that all considered, it was a question, which was the more wonderful," that he undertooke it," or "that he did it." The Parliament was at that time so farre sunke, both in strength and reputation, and so much forsaken by those who followed fortune, that nothing but an extraordinary providence could make it againe emergent. The Cause, and very Being, of the Parliament, was now at stake; by the successe onely of this Expedition, to be redeemed, or quite lost. But it pleased God, that, according to that extremity, the resolutions of men were fitted. The City-Regiments and Auxiliaries came cheerfully in, to performe the Service; and that poore remainder of the Lord-General's old Army was with all speed recruited. An Army was likewise intended to be speedily raised for Sir WILLIAM WALLER to march after, as a Reserve. But that was not so suddenly done as the occasion required; if it had, and Sir WILLIAM could (as was intended) have come-in with a supply at Newbury, it was the opinion of most men, that the King's side would have received an irrecoverable Defeat, On THE HISTORY OF THE PARLIAMENT OF ENGLAND. 221 On the 24th of August the Lord-General Essex on Hounslow Heath, ten miles The Earl of Essex from London, mustered his men; where almost all the Members of both Houses marches with an of Parliament rode with him to survey the Army; and toward evening tooke leave the City of Glouces army to the relief of of their General, who marched-on, and that night lodged at Colebrook. ter, August 24, 1643. Upon intelligence of this Armie's advance, Prince RUPERT, with the greatest part of the King's Horse, drew-off from Gloucester, to oppose their March, and take what advantages he could against it: But the King with his maine Army continued the Siege, resolving so to do till the last houre; hoping that every moment might worke somewhat for his end; either by failing of the Towne's store of Ammunition, or some other want that might happen. Neither was that hope without reason. And so much more wonderful was the fortune of that Towne, to be relieved at such a nick of time, when their Ammunition was so farre consumed, that but three single Barrels of Powder were left in their Magazine. On Saturday the 26th of August 1643, the Lord-General Essex began his March from Colebrooke to Beckensfield, and so forward to Beerton, where he cloathed his Army, and marched-on. The City-Regiments and Auxiliaries joyned not with the Lord-General's Army till the first of September, when the general Rendezvouze was on Brackley Heath. But before the joyning of all their Forces, a small Party of the King's Army, consisting of 400 Horse, had faced a part of the ParliamentArmy, and skirmished with them about Bicister, but soone retreated upon the approach of greater numbers. The General taking-up his Head Quarters at Aynow, sent a Regiment to quarter that night at Deddington under the Conduct of Colonel MIDDLETON; who, hearing there of two Regiments of the King's Horse, sent two Companies of Dragoones and a Party of Horse, to approach the Towne. But the King's Horse retreated to a passage toward Orford, where the Lord WILMOT was with 50 Troops more. The next morning two Parliament Regiments, conducted by MIDDLETON and Sir JAMES RAMSEY, advanced to that passe; where their Enemies stood in two great Bodies, and, after some Skirmish, gained the passe, placing Dragooneers to maintaine it. But the King's Forces drew-up againe toward it, and were received with a very hot Skirmish, which lasted many houres, till at last the King's Forces made a retreat; but, perceiving that Colonel MIDDLETON marched-back toward the maine Army (which he did by the Lord-General's Command) they sent a Party of Horse to fall-on his Reare, who followed them thorow Deddington; but were beaten-back thorow the Towne in some confusion. The losse of men in these Skirmishes was not much on either side; neither could it certainly be knowne, but was imagined by the Parliament-side to be more on their Enemies Party than on theirs. The Lord-General with his owne Regiment of Horse, and the Lord GRAY, quartering at Adderbury, upon intelligence that some of the King's Horse from Banbury were abroad, sent-out a Party from both Regiments, who beat them in againe, and pursued them into Banbury Towne, whence they tooke divers Horses and Prisoners, those in the Castle not daring to stirre-out. The General marched from The King abandons the Siege of Gloucester, Sept. 6, 1643. The Lord-General 1618. from thence to Chipping Norton; where some of the King's Forces appeared againe, but soone retreated, as they did almost every day, during the March of that Army. On the fourth of September, when the Lord-General marched toward Stow on the Old, he sent Colonel HARVEY, with his Regiment of Horse, and two Regiments of Foot, to advance a little before toward the right-hand, and the CityRegiments upon the left, under the Conduct of Lieutenant-Colonel BAILY, General-Adjutant of the Foot. Prince RUPERT appeared with about 4000 Horse, drawne-up on the Hills, facing the Parliament-Forces, and sent a strong Party of Horse into a bottome neer Stow on the Old, to encompasse Colonel HARVEY'S Regiments. Which being perceived, three Regiment from the Vanne of the Parliament-Army advanced to his rescue, and made that I arty of the King's Forces retreat to their maine Body: Many Skirmishes there happened; but with little losse on either side. From thence the General marched in the Front of his Infantry, Sir JAMES RAMSEY in the Reare, and Sir PHILIP STAPLETON had the Van-Guard. When the King's Horse againe appeared, and were by Sir PHILIP STAPLETON, and others of that Army, encountered with divers Skirmishes; but they retreated in a great Body, and still appeared before the Parliament-Army, as they marched-on, for the space of seven miles. On the fifth of September the Lord-General advanced, and came to Presbury Hills; where he drew-up his whole Army in view of the City of Gloucester, and discharged foure Peeces of great Ordnance, to give them notice of his approach. Soone after he might discover the King's Quarters on fire: For upon the LordGeneral's advance, they deserted the Siege, and marched-away all night. The Reere-Guard of the Lord-General's Army, some Ordnance and Ammunition, stayed on the top of the Hill, by reason of the steepnesse thereof, the darknesse of the night, and the tempestuousness of the weather, whereby (besides a famine of Victuals) the whole Army had, for three daies March before, extremely suffered, through a Country that their Enemies had already destroyed. But the Lord-General marched from thence to Cheltenham, though, during his March, the King's Forces skirmished with some Parts of his Army, and divers times beat-up his Quarters whilest he stayed at Cheltenham, which was two daies, till the eighth of September, when he marched with his whole Army to Gloucester; and was there, with great expressions of joy, and much honour, received by that long-besieged, and nowrescued City; The General much extolling the skilful valour and indefatigable industry of Colonel MASSEY, and praising the patient constancy of the City; They, on the other side, highly honouring his Excellency for bringing them this reliefe, thorow so many difficulties, discouragements, and disadvantages; both joyning in thanks to Almighty God, for his divine providence over them, and great mercy in sending so timely a deliverance. The Lord-General lodged two nights in Gloucester, furnishing the City with Ammunition, Money, and other necessaries; and from thence marched to Tewksbury, |