ient his members retir'd agai'ne to their noble pallace his heart ; those efforts, wherein they had violently employ'd his limbs, made them more weake then before, and his payne return'd with such redoubled violence that we thought he would have died in this fitt. While he was thus distemper'd at home, Maior-General Ireton sent him a letter, with a new commission in it, for the resuming his government of Nottingham castle, which the principall officers of the armie, foreseeing an approaching storme, desir'd to have in the same hand, wherein it had before bene so prosperously and faishfully preserv'd: but the collonell sent them word, that as he should 110t have put his kinsman into the place, but that he was assur'd of his fidelity, so he would never ioyne with those who were so forgetfull of the merits of men, that had behav'd themselves well, as to discourage them without a cause. Hereupon they sufrer'd Capt. Poulton to remaine in his command; but while the house was highly busie in · faction, they tooke no care of any of the garrisons, especially of such as were like to continue firme to the cause, the presbiterian faction having a de_signe to weaken or corrupt them all, that they might be prepar'd for the greate revolt from the parliament, which was now working in· all countries. In Nottinghamshire, a brother of the Lord Biron's Coli. Gilbert Biron, meeting Capt. Poulton, began to insinuate into him, and tempt him to betrey Nottingham castle; which proposition, when he heard, he thought not fitt utterly to reiect, lest the castle, being then in a weake condition, and the souldiers discontented, some of his under officers might more readily embrace it and betrey both the place and him. He therefore tooke a little time to consider of it, and 'came to Coll.Hutchinson and acquainted him with it. He advised to hold his cousin Biron on in the treatie, 'till he himselfe ·could goe to London and provide for the better securing of the place, which, his distemper of health a little abating, he did: and when the place
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=