50 The LIFE of the LIB. I, and marcheth into Nortbamptonfhire into the Parliaments Quarters, and thence ftrait to LeieeJter, aTown poorly fortified, but fo advantagioufly fituated for his Me, as would have been an exceeding Lofs to the Parliament,if he could have kept if. It was taken by Storm, and many flain init. General Fairfax leaveth Qxfird, and marcheth through Nortbainptonfbire towards the King. TheKing having the greater number, and the Parliaments Army be- ing ofa new contemnedModel, hemarchethback to meet them, and in a Field near Nafeby, a Village in NortbamptonJhire, theymet. Cromwell had halted a few days before into theaffociated Counties ( which were their Treafury for Men and Money) and brought with him about poo or boo Men, and came in to the Army juft as theywere drawn up, and goingon to give Battei. His fudden and feafona- ble coming, with the great Name he hadgot by the Applaufes of his ownSoldiers, made a fudden Joy in the Army, (thinkinghe had brought them more help than he did ) fo that all cried, ACromwell, ACromwell, and fo went on ; and after a fhort hot Fight, the King's Armywas totally routed and put to flight, and about c000 Prifoners taken, with all his Ordinance and Carriage, and abundanceof his own Letters to the Queen and others in his Cabinet : ( whichthe Parliament print- ed, as thinking fuch things were there contained as greatly difadvantaged the Re- putation of his Wordand Caufe). Major General Skippon fighting valiantly was here dangeroullywounded, but afterwards recovered. TheKing's Army was ut- terly loft by the takingof Leicefter : for by this means it was gone fo far from his own Garrifons, that his FlyingHoufe could have no place of Retreat, but were utterly fcattered and brought to nothing. The Kinghimfelf fled to Lichfield, (and it is reported that he would have gone to Shrew bury , his Council having never füffered him to know that it was taken till now) ; and fo he went to Rayland Ca- ftle in Monmourbieire, which was a BrongHold, and the Houfeofthe Marquefs of Woreefter a Papitt : ( where his Difpute with the Marquefi was faid to be; which Dr. Gaily publilhed, and then turned Papift ; and which Mr. Cbri(topber Cartrigbr continued, defending theKing). Fairfax's Army purfued to Leiee/lcr, where the wounded Men, and lòmeothers, flayed with the Garrifon : in a day or two's time the Town was re- taken. Andnow I am come up to the Paffagewhich I intended of myown going into the Army. § 7 ;. Nafeby being not far fromCoventry whereI was, and the noire of the Vi- dory being loud in our Ears, and I having two or three that of old had been my intimateFriends in Cromwell's Army, whom I had not Peen of above two Years, I was deflrous to go fee whether they were deadoralive ; and fo to Nafeby Field I went twodays after the fight, and thence by the Armies Quarters before Lei- after to feek my Acquaintance. When I found them, I ftayedwith them a Night, and I underftood the Bate of the Army much better than ever Ihad done before. We that lived quietly in Coventry did keep to our old Principles, and thought all others had done fo too, except a very few inconfiderable Perfons : We were un- feignedly for King and Parliament : We believed that the War was only to fave the Parliament and Kingdom from Papifts and Delinquents, and to remove the Dividers, that the King might again return to his Parliament; and that no Changes might be made in Religion, but by theLaws which had his free confent: We took the true happinefsofKing andPeople, Church and State, to be our end, and fo weunderflood the Covenant, engaging both againft Papilts and Schifma- ticks : And when theCourt News-book told theWorld of the Swarms of Ana- baptifts inour Armies, we thought is had been a meer lye , becaufe it was not fo with us, nor in any of the Garrifon or County-Forces about us. But when I came to the Army amongCromwell's Soldiers, I founda new face of things which I ne- ver dreamt of : I heard the plotting Heads very hoc upon that which intimated their Intention to fubvert both Church and State. Independency and Anabap- tiítry were moB prevalent : Antinomianifmand Arminianifm were equally diBti- buted ; and Thomas Moor's Followers (a Weaver of Wiebitob and Lyn, of excellent Parts) had made fome fhifts to joyn thefe two Extreams together. Abundance of the common Troopers, and many of the Officers, I found to be hones, fober, Orthodox Men, and others tradable ready to hear the Truth, and of upright Intentions : But a few proud, felf -conceited , hot-headed Sectaries had got into the higheR places, and were Cromwell's chief Favourites , and by their very heat and aetivity bore down the reif, or carried- them along with them , and were the Soulof the Army, though much fewer in number than the reif ( being indeed notone to twenty throughout the Army ; their Brength being in the Ge- nerals
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