withal. Our Foot want clothes, shoes and stockings; these ways and weather have shattered them all to pieces: that which was the great blow to our Horse was (besides the weather and incessant marches) our march ten miles to fight with the Enemy, and a fight continuing four hours in as dirty a place as ever I saw horses stand in; and, upon the matter, the continuance of this fight two days more together in our following of the Enemy, and lying close by him in the mire-[moths again and mildew.. . . . until at length we broke him at a near.. a great party of our horse having. . . . . miles towards Lancaster; who came up. to us, and were with us in all the action]. These things I thought fit to intimate, not knowing what is fit to ask, because I know not how your affairs stand, nor what you can supply. I have sent Major-General Lambert, upon the day I received this Enclosed, with above two-thousand horse and dragoons and about fourteen-hundred1 foot in prosecution of the Duke and the nobility of Scotland with him; who will, I doubt not, have the blessing of God with him in the business. But indeed his horse are exceedingly weak and weary. I have sent to Yorkshire and to my Lord Gray to alarm all parts to a prosecution, and if they be not wanting to the work, I see not how many can escape. I am marched myself back towards Preston; and so on towards Monro or otherwise, as God shall direct. As things fall out, I shall represent them to you; and remain, My Lords and Gentlemen, Your most humble 'servant,' OLIVER CROMWELL.* No. 13 LETTER TO THE DERBY-HOUSE COMMITTEE IN 1648 [Vol. i. p. 369.] RECAPITULATING what is already known in the Text; finds its place here. 1[Carlyle printed "thousand."] Original signed inside and out by Cromwell : much [Sealed with the Cromwell arms, Inserted first in * Tanner MSS. lvii. (1) 229. injured by mildew and moths. the 1857 edition.] VOL. III.-17 To the Right Honourable the Committee of Lords and Commons at Derby House Norham, 20th Sept. 1648. MY LORDS AND GENTLEMEN, 3 I did, from Alnwick, write to Sir William Armyn1 an account of our condition; and recommended to him divers particular considerations about your affairs here in the North, with desire of particular things to be done by your Lordships' appointments in order to the carrying-on of your affairs. I send you here enclosed a copy of the summons that was sent to Barwick 2 when I was come as far as Alnwick; as also of a letter written to the Committee of Estates of Scotland: I mean those who we did presume were convened as Estates, and were the men that managed the business of the war. But there being, as I hear since, none such; the Earl of Roxburgh and some others having deserted, so that they are not able to make a Committee; I believe the said letter is suppressed, and retained in the hands of Colonel Bright and Mr. William Rowe, for whom we obtained a safe convoy to go to the Estates of that Kingdom with our said letter; the Governor of Barwick's answer to our summons leading us thereunto. By advantage whereof, we did instruct them to give all assurance to the Marquis of Argyle and the honest party in Scotland (who we heard were gathered together in a considerable Body about Edinburgh, to make opposition to the Earl of Lanerick, Monroe, and their Armies), of our good affection to them. Wherewith they went the 16th of this month. 4 Upon the 17th of this month Sir Andrew Car and Major Straughan, with divers other Scottish Gentlemen, brought me this enclosed letter, signed by the Lord Chancellor of Scotland, as your Lordships will see. They likewise showed me their Instructions, and a paper containing the matter of their Treaty with Lanerick and Monroe; as also an Expostulation upon Lanerick's breach with them, in falling upon Argyle and his men, contrary to agreement, wherein the Marquis of Argyle hardly escaped, they having hold of him, but seven-hundred of his men were killed and taken. These papers also I send here enclosed to your Lordships. 5 1 Original Member for Grantham; one of the Committee, and from of old busy in those International concerns. [One of the Commissioners for the North.] 2 Letter LXX. 3 Letter LXXII. Not 'suppressed,' though it cannot be received except unofficially (vol. i. p. 5 Bishop Guthry's Memoirs, So soon as those Gentlemen came to me, I called a Council of War; the result whereof was the letter directed to the Lord Chancellor ;1 a copy whereof your Lordships have also here enclosed, which I delivered to Sir Andrew Car and Major Straughan; with which they returned upon the 18th, being the next day. Upon private discourse with the Gentlemen, I do find the condition of their affairs and their Army to be thus: The Earl of Lanerick, the Earl of Crawford-Lindsay, Monroe, and their Army, hearing of our advance, and understanding the condition and endeavours of their adversaries, marched with all speed to get the possession of SterlingBridge; that so they might have three parts of four of Scotland at their backs, to raise men, and to enable themselves to carry on their designs, and are about 5,000 Foot and 2,500 Horse. The Earl of Leven, who is chosen General; the Marquis of Argyle, with the honest lords and gentlemen, David Lesley being the Lieutenant-General: having about 7,000 Foot, but very weak in Horse, lie about six miles on this side the Enemy. I do hear that their Infantry consists of men who come to them out of conscience, and generally are of the godly people of that nation, which they express by their piety and devotion in their quarters ; and indeed I hear they are a very godly and honest body of men. I think it is not unknown to your Lordships what directions I have received from you for the prosecution of our late victory, whereof I shall be bold to remember a clause of your letter; which was, "That I should "prosecute the remaining party in the North, and not leave any of "them (wherever they shall go) to be a beginning of a new Army; "nor cease to pursue the victory till I finish and fully complete it, with "their rendition of those Towns of Barwick and Carlisle, which most “unjustly, and against all obligations, and the treaties (then) in force, "they surprised and garrisoned against us." In order whereunto, I marched to the Borders of Scotland, where I found the country so exceedingly harassed and impoverished by Monroe and the Forces with him, that the country was in no sort able to bear us on the English side, but we must have necessarily ruined both your Army and the subjects of this Kingdom, who had not bread for a day, if we had continued among them. In prosecution of your orders, and in answer to the necessity of your friends in Scotland, and their desires, and considering the necessity of marching into Scotland, to prevent the "Letter LXXIII. 2["have not" in the Pamphlet.] Governor of Barwick from putting provisions into his Garrison on Scotland side (whereof he is at present in some want, as we are informed), I marched a good part of the Army over Tweed yesterday about noon, the residue being to come after as conveniently as we may. Thus have I given to your Lordships an account of our present condition and engagement, and having done so, I must discharge my duty in remembering to your Lordships the desires formerly expressed in my letters to Sir William Armyn and Sir John Evelyn, for supplies; and in particular for that of shipping to lie upon these coasts, who may furnish us with ammunition or other necessaries wheresoever God shall lead us; there being extreme difficulty to supply us by land, without great and strong convoys, which will weary-out and destroy our Horses and cannot well come to us if the Tweed be up, without going very far about. Having laid these things before you, I rest, my Lords, OLIVER CROMWELL. P.S. Whilst we are here, I wish there be no neglect of the business in Cumberland and Westmorland. I have sent orders both into Lancashire and the Horse before Pontefract. I should be glad your Lordships would second them, and those other considerations expressed in my desires to Sir William Armyn thereabouts.* No. 14 LETTER ON BEHALF OF YOUNG CHOLMLEY [Vol. i. p. 381.] WRITTEN On the march from Carlisle to Pontefract. For the Honourable_William_Lenthall, Esquire, Speaker to the House of Commons: These SIR, Burroughbriggs, 28th October 1648. I do not often trouble you in particular businesses; but I shall be bold now, upon the desire of a worthy Gentleman, LieutenantColonel Cholmley, to entreat your favour on his behalf. *Old Pamphlet: in Parliamentary History, xvii. 481. ["The transactions of several matters" (E. 465, 18.) The letter was published by order of the House of Commons of September 28.] The case stands thus. His son Major Cholmley, who was killed in the Fight against the Scots at Winnick,1 was Custom-master at Carlile ; the Gentleman merited well from you. Since his death, his aged Father, having lost this his eldest Son in your service, did resolve to use his endeavour to procure the place for a younger Son, who had likewise been in your service; and resolving to obtain my letter to some friends about it, did acquaint an undertenant of the place to his Son with this his purpose to come to me to the borders of Scotland to obtain the said letter; -which the said tenant 2 did say, was very well. And when the said Lieutenant-Colonel was come for my letter, this tenant immediately hastens away to London; where he, in a very circumventing and deceitful way, prefers a petition to the House of Commons; gets a reference to the Committee of the Navy; who approve of the said man, by the mediation of some gentlemen :-but I hear there is a stop of it in the House. My humble suit to you is, that if Colonel Morgan do wait upon you about this business (I having given you this true information of the state of it, as I have received it), you would be pleased to further his desire concerning Lieutenant-Colonel Cholmley's younger Son, that he may have the place conferred upon him; and that you would acquaint some of my friends herewith. By which you will very much oblige, Your most humble servant, OLIVER CROMWELL. * No. 15 CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE Mayor of WATERFORD. [Vol. i. p. 510.] PRESERVED in the anonymous Fragment of a Narrative, more than once referred to, are these Letters and Replies: 1 Against Monro, I suppose, when he ended his maraudings in that quarter (vol. i. p. 354). [Carlyle, following Cary, printed "was bold in the fight against the Scots at Berwick. Winwick was one of the contests on the way from Chester to Warrington.] 2[Cary printed "servant," and Carlyle, naturally puzzled, added tenant."] * Tanner MSS. (in Cary, ii. 46.) [vol. lvii. 393.] " or under |