The Company removed the next morning, and they were not gone two houres from my houſe before I returned thither, where I aſſure you I found all things as orderly, as unſpoyled, as if my beſt friends had been my gueſts, and one of my ſervants told me, that he had rather meet with 100. Cavaliers, then 10 Round-heads: 'tis true, they had as good proviſion for themſelves and their horſes as could be made, which they received with ſo much Civility to all my ſervants, as if they thought themſelves beholding to them for it (though it was much worſe then had been given the day before) and departed without the leaſt diſorder.

For the buſineſſe of Marleborough, which you ſay was carryed with ſo much fierceneſſe and barbarity in firing and plundring the Town, I beleleeve you have not that relation ſo perfectly, and ingenuouſly made to you, as in truth the matter will beare; you muſt thinke my information is not partiall on the Kings part, when I receive it from one who fled to a friends houſe of mine for ſhelter, and loſt at leaſt the value of 300 l. by the Kings Souldiers in that Town.

You know well how that Town hath behaved it ſelf all this yeer, in raiſing great ſummes of money againſt the King (for that the Army which hath given him Battell, is not againſt him, can no longer be underſtood) in gathering and exerciſing Souldiers, as if they defied any Enemy, how they ſeized upon His Majeſties proviſions, bought and paid for by His Commiſſary of the victuals for the ſupply of Redding, and would not ſuffer them to be carryed thither. The King could not but thinke of reducing this place, and to that purpoſe ſent the Lieutenant General of His Horſe (a Gentleman, whatever vote you pleaſe to paſſe upon him, of great reputation in the Countreys through which he paſſes, for his ſober government of his charge) with Inſtructions, moſt ſutable to his nature, That if his reception into that Town, was ſuch as became them to give, he ſhould ſuffer no violence to be exerciſed by the Souldiers, but ſhould bring away the Arms which had been ſo ill uſed, and ſome ſeditious Perſons who had infected that place, and put His Majeſtie to that trouble, with ſome other directions that ſufficiently expreſſed a care of that people, and a willingneſſe to beleeve them in the number of His Subjects.

When this piece of the Army (the reputation of which might well have diſperſed that rabble) by ſlow marches, had brought it ſelf within a little diſtance of the Town, a fellow ſent by the fooliſh Knave Franklin, who they ſay hath brought all this calamity upon a place he hath been long in ſpoyling, came to them with a ridiculous Letter of adviſe, to a perſon of Honour amongſt them.

The Meſſenger who might have expected worſe uſage, was brought before the Lieutenant Generall, who cauſed all the men to be ranged before him, then asked him, whether he thought the ſtrength of that Town could reſiſt that force, the fellow anſwered, it could not reſiſt a quarter of that power: Get your wayes then (ſaid that Gentleman) to your friends, and tell them what you have ſcene, if they throw down their Armes, and ſubmit themſelves to His Majeſtie, they ſhall be uſed like friends, and receive no prejudice by the Souldiers, but if they make reſiſtance, and force us to enter the Town in bloud, it will not be in my power to preſerve them. The man returned, did his errand in the preſence of him who gives me this account, and who immediately fled, when he found the perverſneſſe of that Franklin would neither ſubmit to the advice, or ſuffer it to be communicated to the reſt of the Town: When the Army advanced, all poſſible reſſiſtance was made, and many Souldiers of the Kings dangerouſly wounded, out at windows, and from their works, inſomuch as they were compelled to burn ſome houſes, in which Muſqueteers were placed to give fire upon them.

Thinke ſadly with your ſelves, how your Army (which committed ſuch outrages and plundrings in the poore Citie of Wincheſter, where the Gates were opened to them, and no ſhew of reſiſtance made by the people of that place) would have requited ſuch oppoſition, nay was it ever known, that after ſuch a contention leſſe then a ſlaughter of the Enemy, and a ſacking of the Town followed? yet as there as nothing of the firſt here, ſo there was ſo little of the other (and yet more I beleeve then the Commanders could have wiſhed) that they have onely cauſe to curſe thoſe who drew ſuch viſitants to them.

But no more of theſe particulars, let us rather raiſe a compaſſion one towards another out of the conſideration of theſe miſeries, and to what height they will in a ſhort time be improved, then contract a bitterneſſe, and hatred againſt thoſe with whom we muſt live happily, if there be any hope of happineſſe left for this poore Kingdom.

You will thinke this a ſtrange dialect for me to uſe, whom you have known to concurre with the fierceſt men in the fierceſt reſolutions; but if you were out of the Houſe of Commons, where all Arguments tending one way, beget a generall conſent in opinion, and ſo whatever is thought eaſie is concluded lawfull, and ſpent one Moneth with me in the Countrey (though you know it is a place was never fondly devoted to the Kings command) you would obſerve a ſtrange dejection in the ſpirits of the people, and if I am not cozened, an inquiſitiveneſſe, by queſtions they did not uſe to aske, Who raiſed Arms firſt? Why they did it? What the Common-wealth wanted? Whether the King hath denyed any thing was not in his lawfull power to deny? Whether the preferring half a ſcore perſons (for they ſay, all theſe calamities have grown from no more, and ſome will undertake to name them) be of that value, that ſo many widows muſt be made, ſo many children fatherleſſe, and ſuch a deſolation brought upon the whole Kingdom for them? with the like queſtions, which in a little time may raiſe ſuch a ſtorm, as the cunning and power of both houſes cannot allay.

'Tis true, they do yet yeeld ſome obedience to the terrible warrants which ſummon them to appeare with their Arms in your commands, but with ſuch grumbling, and unwillingneſſe, ſuch a peremptorineſſe not to fight, that I ſhould thinke my ſelf very unſafe with a guard of 5000. of them.

Let me tell you, ſince the buſineſſe at Edge hill, the inclinations even of the hotteſt men in our Countrey are ſtrangely ſtartled and perplexed, not with the ſenſe of being beaten (whether that were ſo, or to ſuch a degree, is not materiall) but with the apprehenſion of the known extream viſible danger the perſon of the King (whom we had all ſo often ſworn to defend, and for the preſervation of whoſe perſon the Countrey people beleeved even this Army to be raiſed) was that day in; beleeve it you will never be able more to perſwade them, that ſo many Canon and Musket ſhot were made at him for the ſafety of his Perſon.

And theſe Conſiderations do not onely make impreſſion in us here, but have had a great influence with men whoſe Affection, and courage you do not ſuſpect. I aſſure you one of your chiefe Leaders (you will eaſily gueſſe the man by what he hath ſince done, told me, and he told it me in the hearing of four or five of your moſt active friends) that in a week after that battel he ſlept not an houre with the horrour of the thought, what it was to kill the King, and had that agony of ſoule about him, that he would not endure again ſo long for the greateſt preferment in the Kingdom.

One of the ſlanders by (who uſed that induſtry to gather up the Arms about the Field, and ſent them to you to Warwicke) ſharply anſwered him, If he had gone to bed in his right minde, he would have dreamed that he was reſcuing the King out of the hands of Theeves, and would have feared no accidents: he replyed ſoberly, that ſuch Arguments do ariſe from the warmth and faction of debate, never are ſupplyed out of the innocence of ſleepe. I beſeech you (ſaid the other ſcornfully) what medicine have you ſince applyed to your ſelf, for the recovery of your reſt: Repentance, ſaith he, and reſolution to be madde no more. It had been well, ſaid the other, you had ſlept firſt, for now me thinks this reſolution ſeems but an effect of your madneſſe. I am content (he replyed with an angry ſmile) you ſhould thinke ſo, but when you come home, recollect all that I have ſaid to you this day, and if I am not deceived, you will change your minde too. He hath been as good as his word, you never ſaw ſuch an alteration in a man, ſuch a ſadneſſe and damp of ſpirit, and he proteſted to my yeſterday, if a peace were not concluded ſpeedily, we ſhould have our Chriſtianity ſuſpected, and be beaten out of all places with ſtones by the people.

Sir, truſt me, it concerns you, it concerns us all, that you finde ſome way to quiet and compoſe theſe diſtractions. It is not the name of a Parliament, of evill Counſellours, Malignant Cavaliers, and other hard words will keep the people longer aſleep to their own ruine: you may remember the Councell-Table, yea, and the Star-Chamber too, names of reverence, but when they left their Juſtice, they loſt their reputation; neither was Ship-money grievous, becauſe it was a ſupply to the King, (Let us not deceive our ſelves, Engliſhmen naturally love their King, and what ſtarts ſoever they may make, will retire into their loyalty, to the ruine of their ſeducers;) but becauſe it did, or might take more from them then they were willing or able to ſpare, and what power ſoever doth, or endeavours to do the ſame things, will have the ſame fate in the affections of the people.

Do you thinke the condition of the poore Countreyman hath not ſuffered a ſad alteration, from a State (in which you found him) wherein he knew what was his own, and was not capable of any violence, for which he was not ſure of a remedy and reparation, to this wherein he receives commands under the penalty of plundring and hanging, from perſons of whom he never heard, for Horſes, for Money, for perſonall attendance, of which, as he can finde no ground, ſo he can hope for no end; and ſees the twentieth part of his eſtate taken from him, to continue and maintain a calamity, which makes all the reſt of no uſe to him? I ſay again, no cunning, wit, and induſtry will longer bewitch the people to this folly and tameneſſe.

A blunt neighbour of mine told me yeſterday, that the Parliament had ill luck, is diſcountenanced all men, whoſe Wiſdom, Juſtice, and Charity, the Countrey could confide in, and confided in none ſo much as in thoſe who are onely known by the ill they have heretofore done; and asked me whether my Lord Re • ohford, Feilding, and Haſtings were not like to be precious Inſtruments of a Reformation: I anſwered, Great Councells were not to be undervalued by the meanneſſe or unworthineſſe of ſome of their members. He replyed, 'Twas true, when the Councells juſtified themſelves; but 'twas time to looke upon the particular perſons, when nothing was ſaid in defence of the Actions, but the power and reputation of the Actors.

Theſe skirmiſhes I meet with, even with thoſe, who when you and I parted, were in the Catalogue of your followers, if there be the ſame alteration in other places, on my word it will not be long in your power to make ſo good an end of theſe troubles, as now it is. For Gods ſake call up all that is of prudence and generoſity about you, and if there be any thing I have ſaid moves you, impart it to our friends in Red croſſeſtreet, and joyn all your endeavours for a happy Accomodation.