P A Ii T I: ReverendMr. RichardBaxter. 45 they were doing, but followed his own bufinefs ; nor had he feen me, or heard of me ofa long time. At this time Col. Nihon, and other Shrapfhire Gentlemen, refolved to fettle a Garrifonat Wem, a little Townin their own Country, eight Miles from Shrewf- bury, and Mr. Mackwortb, Mr. Hunt, &c. were cornett with me to go with them becaufe it was myNative Country. I wasdefirous to be near my Father if I could any way relieve him,and to be abfenta while from Covrntry,(therebeing fome Dif- ference between the Earl of Denbigh and the Committee, whichwent high): fò I confented togo with them only for a few weeks, and to return : Their Defign was to get fomeof my Neighbours thither, who they knew would follow me ; and about thirty or forty of them joyned in Colonel Mackworrbs Troop and went. As loon as we came thither, and they began to fortifie Wem, the Lord Capri brought his Army from Shrewsbury againff them ; where ( Sir William Brererou bringing theChefhire Trained Bands to allïft the little handful at Wem ) the two Armies lay within a Mile of each other two or three Days, and after fome little Skirmifhing the Lord CapeU drew off, and marcht into Cbefhire to Namwicb, being affured thereby to draw off the Chefhire Men, and then refolved the fame Night to return and Storm the Town ; and his Plot took according tohis Contrivance ; for that Night he plundered all the Villages about Nantwicb, and at Midnight march'd backanother way : TheCbefhire Men were quickly on their March, when theyheard that the Enemywas plundring their Countrey : and by that time they came to Nantwich the Lord CapeU was got back again to Went. There was nothing about the Town but a Ditch little bigger than fuch as Husbandmen inclofe their Grounds with, and this not finilhed ; and the Gates, new made, had no Hinges, but were reared up,and therewas but very few Men in theTown;efpecially under theCommandofCol. Hunt (a plain hearted, honeft,godly Man,entirely beloved,and nulled bythe Soldiers for his Honelty) : I went with the Chefhire Men to Nant- wách; when they came thither , they underftood the Stratagem ofthe Lord Copef; and heard that they were forming Wem; and.SirWìUáam Brenton would havehad his Men march after them prefently , to relieve Wem but the Soldiers were all Commanders, and feeing their own Countrey plundred in their Abfence, and be- ing weary, they all refolved that theywould not go; and fo Wem was given up as loft ; but in the Morning about three or four a Clock, when we thoughtthey had been afleep, their Minds all changed, atad toWem they would then go ; but they marcht fo lowly, and halted by the way, that the Lord Capon's Army had twice formedWem, and being beaten back, drew off jufl as the Chefhire Men cameupon them, and fecured their Retreat by Lee-bridge and the Darknefs of the Night, and the Ignorance of their Bears and Diforders in the Army that purfued them. When we came to Wem, we found that the Lord Capell had been twice repulft with muchlofs; Col. Win (lain, and Col. Sir The. Striven mortally wounded, and little Hurt done toany in the Town. g 65. When I had flayed here, and at Longford Garrifon about two Months or more, and had redeemed my Father out of Prifon at Lilul, I returned to Coven- try, and my Neighbours would not flay behind : (the recital of Military Paffages there and elfewhere, belongeth not to my prefent purpofe, but as it concerneth the Hiflory ofmy own Life, and therefore I leave them to fuch as write the Hi- Roryof thole Wars): When I came toCoventry, I foiled in myold Habitation and Imployment, and followed my Studies there in quietnefs for another Year. But whereas whin I rode up and down, any Body had more Health than of a long time before, when I (died to my Studies in a Sedentary Life (and grieved for the Calamitous Condition oftheLand) I fell weaker than ever I was before : Andgo- ingto London was long under the Cure of Sir Theodore Meyern, and fomewhat reco- vered, returned again. § 66. TheGarrifon of Coventry confitted half of Citizens, and half of Coun- try-men : the Country-men were fuch as had been forced from their own Dwel- lings, the molt religious Men ofthe Parts round about, efpecially from Bremicham, Suwon-Coldfreld, Tamworth, Nuneaton, Hinkley, Rugby , &c. There were Men of great Sobrietyand Soundnel of Underftandingasany Garrifon heard of in England: But one or two that came among us out of New England(of Sir Henry Vane'sPar- ty there) and one Anabaptifl Taylor, had almoft troubled all the Garrifon, by in- feeling the bonefl Soldiers with their Opinions : But they foundnot that Succefs in Coventry, as they had done in Cromwel's Army. In publick I was fain to preach over all the Coutroverfrea againft the Anabalatifts firtt, and then againff the Sepal ratiflt
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