360 him, he began to apologize that he had only taken this command upon him to preserve the country, and should be ready to submit to any lawfull ·authority; and be and his men were not come for ~iny other intent but to prevent disturbance of the peace and gatherings together of men; who, they were inform'd, intended to rise in these parts. Mrs. Hutchimon smiling, told him it was necessary for him to keepe a good gnard, for all the whole country wonld shortly be weary of tbcir yoake, and, no question, find some authority to sb~lter them. A tt last he came to that, as to desire her to let the collonell know he intended him no mischiefe, but he and all his men shou ld be att her command to defend her frorn tbe insolencies of any others. Sbc heard him without fa ith, for she knew the good will they pre tended to her husband proceeded only from their feat·e. It is true that att that time tbe collonell had melt with Coli. Hacker, and several! other gentlemen of Northampton· and 'Warwickshire, and at tbe same time Maior Beque was to have reduc'd Coventry; and another eollonell vVarwick-eastlc. Two regiments of horse ~hould have marcht to a place withit1 seven miles of Coli. Hutchin" son's house, where his men .should have rendezvouz'd, and the towne of Nottingham a t the same time have seiz'd all the souldiers there, ·and they of Leicester the like. These people had, tbrougb the spies that were about the collonell, gotten some ,littl e inclin of his rendevouz, but not right, neither could they have prevented it, had there bene need.' But iust before it should have bene putt in exe- $ P erhaps this c ri sis was the most favourable to the ca use o f liberty of any that had occurred; for th e gcnnine assertors of it would, at thi s moment, have found all the diff'e re nt faction s weakened, and the body of the nation so tired o f tumul t ;md anarchy, th at, had tl1 ey now stood forth in any force, the voice of reason would in all probabil ity have prewtil ed . But tbe fluctuation·s of power and party we re at this time so frequ ent and sudden as hardly to leave sufficient interval for any enterprize that required combin cotion. :Moreover it is to be considere«;! that the march of patriotism is impeded by reserves and restraints which ambition overleaps in its career; and after all it is perhnps justly observed that Col. Hl~tchinson was too wiambit·ious for his own glory or the public good . .
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