1642-3. Jan. 7. On Saturday, January the seventh, the marquess, with Princes Rupert and Maurice, Lords Chandos, Carnarvon, and others, appeared before it, and after refusal of a summons prepared to storm; but, probably, not considering themselves strong enough to attempt it, they retired on the following day to Oxford. [54]. This gave the new deputy governor of Gloucester an opportunity of shewing his activity and spirit of enterprise. He sent off some ordnance to Cirencester; and on Thursday, January the twenty-ninth, with the concurrence of the deputy lieutenants, ordering Jan. 26. out the horse and canoneers, and bringing other troops from Tewkesbury and Gloucester, he laid siege to Sudley Castle, [55) the seat of Lord Chandos, and the strongest hold in that quarter. Captain Bridges the governor, at first refused to surrender, but Massey found means to intimidate him, and the castle was yielded on the third day. The chapel of this building was distinguished by the beauty of its architecture and many costly monuments. [56] The soldiers, in their hatred to Chandos, and contempt of the church, according to their general practice, brought miserable havoc and defilement into this sanctuary. The monuments were broken; the nave was converted into a stable, and the chancel into a slaughter-house; the carcases of sheep were suspended by pegs from the pulpit; and the communion table became a dresser. It were a violation of common decency to relate the whole. [57] But it is not likely that Massey sanctioned or witnessed these proceedings; as soon as he had effected the capture, and provisioned the place, he left the command to Lieutenant Colonel Forbes, and returned to Gloucester. On Monday, January the thirtieth, Prince Rupert passed by Sudley and Jan. 50. quartered that night, at two miles distance, in the open fields. But it was not his intention to waste his time there, while he had an undertaking of greater importance before him, in the success of which the castle would be sure to fall. It was enough that his having shewn himself kept the garrison close, while he advanced once more to Cirencester; where, being reinforced with horse and artillery, on Thursday, February Feb. 2. the second, after a contest of two hours, he carried the town by assault. Two tracts in the collection contain the details of this event, varying a little, according to the bias of the writers, but agreeing as to the 1642-3. main circumstances; the royalist complimenting the victors on their moderation; [58] and his adversary taxing them with cruelty, especially towards the prisoners. Lord Clarendon admits, that "the town "yielded much plunder, from which the undistinguishing soldier "could not be kept, but was equally injurious to friend and foe." It was the first place that was stormed in this part of England, and on that day, for aught that appears to the contrary, was blood first shed in this county. The greater part of Lord Stamford's detachment, who made the stoutest opposition, were slain; and Corbet complains of many murders committed after the enemy had entered; but the account of one who was present, though it may studiously conceal their loss, speaks of no deaths but in the fight and pursuit. [59] Upon the whole, could any thing like consolation be extracted from a review of such scenes, it must be found in the fact that, out of so many defenders and inhabitants, not more than about three hundred, at the highest computation, fell by the sword; that the vanquished were spared upon submission; and that the place did not suffer more by fire. The difficulty of arresting the hands of men, whose evil passions are upon such occasions let loose, often beyond all possibility of controul, may render it more worthy of observation. The writer is very far from being an apologist of enormities that were committed on both sides in the course of this miserable civil broil, so many traces of which are visible in the memoirs of the actors. Yet in a contest in which either party, mutually exasperated, looked upon the other, as out of the protection of the law, as rebels to their king, or traitors to the liberty of their country, it should be understood, that the rights of humanity were not always forgotten. If in the heat of open battle or assault, the soldier, while he met with resistance, spared not his adversary, quarter was as habitually demanded and allowed; though it must be admitted there were some dreadful exceptions to the contrary, and that sometimes when offered by the conqueror, it was rashly refused by high-spirited cavaliers. Yet, during the whole affair, bad enough as it was, it may be affirmed that fewer atrocities were committed in cold blood, than might perhaps have been expected, or would have occurred under similar circumstances among most other nations of 1642-3. Europe; and this may be asserted without prejudice or partiality, if the historians of those nations may be credited. The temper of armies depends much upon the disposition of their leaders: as the quarrel was protracted, authority fell into the hands of those who had become inured to blood and pillage; but of the commanders in the outset, the king himself, notwithstanding the aspersions of party, and the charges brought against him in his last extremity, though he never showed himself backward to engage in fight, when he deemed it necessary, was anxious to spare the lives of his subjects; [60] Essex gave many proofs of punctilious honour and humanity; [61] and Waller, in an excellent letter, addressed to his former companion, but afterwards antagonist in arms, Sir Ralph Hopton, declared, "with what a sad sense he went 66 upon this service, and with what perfect hatred he detested this war "without an enemy." [62] Rupert and Maurice were foreigners, and seem as though they could not forget that they were bearing arms in a foreign country. But even these at Cirencester behaved with a degree of forbearance. Hostilities were carried on with far greater animosity in Scotland and Ireland. The disposal of prisoners, where the numbers were considerable, appears to have been always attended with some difficulty. It is this difficulty of retaining them, and the danger of permitting them to escape, that often, in civil troubles, has brutalised the combatants, and obstructed the granting of quarter. When they were marched off, they were usually tied together, and when halted, were thrust into some church, the strongest vacant building at band, where they were too frequently treated with neglect or unwarrantable severity. Arrived at their final depository, if they were neither ransomed nor exchanged, or if they refused to enter into the ranks of their captors, they were dismissed upon oath to abandon the cause for which they had fought, or remained in durance till they could elude the vigilance of their guards. Most of those taken at Powick were set at liberty after they had been sworn. Charles carried all whom he took at Edge-hill to Oxford, and Essex marched his to London. Some who fell into the hands of the parlia 1642-3. ment at Farnham, [63] were brought in carts, with their legs tied, to Lon- Prince Rupert having left his brother Maurice governor of CirencesFeb 3. ter, advanced on the day following to Gloucester. He sent in a summons on the part of his majesty; to which Dennis Wise, the mayor, and Colonel Massey, replied, that they should keep and defend it for the king and parliament. Massey, and his officers, added, that they would not surrender it to a foreign prince; and this is necessary to be observed, as we shall have occasion to advert to it hereafter. The prince, having repeated his demand with as little effect, retired, raising contributions, and plundering the country on his way to Oxford, [66] and proving how effectually the occupation of Cirencester had enlarged the king's quarters. Cirencester lying in the victor's grasp, in a petition, [67] Feb. 6. couched in most submissive terms, implored and immediately received. the royal pardon; and the neighbouring gentlemen, in the name of the county, agreed to raise money and men for his majesty's service. Charles, in consequence of the refusal of Gloucester, wrote to the sheriff 1642-3. and justices, prohibiting his subjects in the county from having any traffic or commerce with the city until it should return to its obedience; and Feb. 12. his letter was ordered to be read in all churches and chapels, that all persons might know his royal pleasure, and do their duty accordingly. [68] But while Gloucester continued firm to the part that it had embraced, the news of the disaster at Cirencester operated far and wide. Upon the report of it the castles of Sudley and Berkeley were abandoned, and Tewksbury yielded to propositions dictated by Sir William Russell, [69] from Worcester; but a body of the military and townsmen withdrew to Gloucester. The "Certaine Informations," above-cited, says, that "the "inhabitants, finding their town not defensible enough if the cavaliers "should assault it, have taken their ordinance, armes, and goods out of "it, and carried all down the Severn to Glocester, hoping to secure "them all there." Sir Matthew Carew soon garrisoned the place as governor for the king. Communication from above by the Severn being thus closed, the south was still kept open towards Bristol: but on the northern and eastern frontier, Gloucestershire was entirely excluded from intercourse with London. Their friends had not, however, been unmindful of them. Early in the month, according to "the Perfect Diurnal," [70] "it was "ordered, that all merchants and other well affected persons of the city "of London, who will do any thing for the defence and safety of the "west country, and especially of Bristol and Gloucester, should come "to the committee of Haberdashers Hall, London, on Thursday next, at "five o'clock in the afternoon, who are appointed to consider of this busi"ness." And this was followed up by a notice in the " Certaine Infor"mations." [71] "Some thousands of pounds have been subscribed at "Haberdashers Hall for the defence of the oppressed county of Glou"cester, and for the present security of the cities of Bristol and Glouces "ter, and other western counties, against the enemies that now infest "them, and until they see the armies actually disbanded, let them go on " and lose no precious time." At length the public are further informed in the news-book, entitled, "Special Passages," [72] that "there hath "been great pains to relieve the distressed county of Gloucester; Sir "William Waller [73] is at last gone with what money and power could "be got, but not what was necessary for that service." [74] And the result |