covenant; and then they would all join with him." His lordship replied, "Sir, I hope this is only your own opinion, and therefore I desire that the gentlemen present will be pleased to deliver their own sentiments:" when all made answer, "That their minister had spoken their thoughts: adding, that his majesty had taken the covenant, and thereby gave encouragement to all his subjects to do the same; and that if his lordship would not put away all papists, and enter publicly into the solemn league, they could not join him.”

To this his lordship replied, "That upon these terms he might long since have been restored to his whole estate, and that blessed martyr Charles I. to all his kingdom; that he came not now to dispute, but to fight for his majesty's restoration, and would upon the issue of the first battle humbly submit himself to his majesty's direction in that point; that he would refuse none of any persuasion whatsoever, that came in cheerfully to serve the king; and hoped they would give him the same freedom and latitude, to engage whom he could for his majesty's preservation; and that he was well assured, that all those gentlemen he had brought with him were sincere and honest friends to his majesty's person and interest."

Major General Massey seconded his lordship, and made use of the strongest arguments and exhortations to lay aside all animosities, and depart from their former mistakes; and by his and other examples embrace this opportunity which God had put into their hands, and to join heartily with the Earl of Derby in manifestation of their own duty and loyalty, and the vindication of themselves from all attempts or intention of usurpation that they were suspected of, and then lay upon them.

But the whole party insisted peremptorily upon their demands to have all the papists disbanded, and the Earl of Derby to take the covenant, without which they would not join the earl. Perceiving it was in vain to press them

any further upon that subject, the old leaven having taken too much effect, and soured them too far to be sweetened by any arguments or reasonings whatsoever, his lordship. only added before parting, "Gentlemen, if you will be persuaded to join with me, I make no doubt but in a few days to raise as good an army to follow the king as that he has now with him, and by God's blessing to shake off the yoke of bondage resting upon both you and us; if not, I cannot hope to effect much. I may, perhaps, have men enough at my command, but all the arms are in your pos session, without which I shall only lead naked men to slaughter. However, I am determined to do what I can, with the handful of gentlemen now with me, for his majesty's service; and if I perish, I perish: but if my master suffer, the blood of another prince, and all the ensuing miseries of this nation, will lie at your doors." His lordship then took horse, having with him only the worthy gentlemen that came from the Isle of Man, and some few of the royal party that were come in to him,

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His lordship, on resting a while, sent out his warrants for all persons willing to serve his majesty under him forthwith to repair to him at Preston, the place appointed for their rendezvous. These warrants were secretly dispersed in all the chief towns in the county, and many came to him from all parts; but before he could possibly raise and accoutre a sufficient number, Colonel Lilbourn, then in the County, with 1800 dragoons, and the foot militia of Lancashire and Cheshire, were got to Manchester, and marching directly against Lord Derby. His lordship had at that time about six hundred horse; and, being informed the enemy were near him, trusting to the goodness of his cause, and the courage and resolution of those with him, he resolved with these to engage that great body of the enemy, therefore gave orders to march forthwith to Wigan, a most faithful and loyal town to his majesty, and there to expect the enemy.

But, unhappily and unexpectedly to him, Lilbourn having made long marches, had, before his lordship could reach the town, lined the hedges with his foot, and engaged his lordship's troops in Wigan lane. However, the earl still held on his march in very good order, and in continual expectation of an engagement, when approaching near the enemy, he caused his troops to halt so long as to give. them his orders, then divided his horse into two bodies, about three hundred in each; the van he commanded himself, and gave the rear to Sir Thomas Tyldesley, and then sounded a charge.

Twice his lordship and all his party made their way clear through the whole body of the enemy; but attempting it a third time, and being opprest and environed by unequal numbers, the Lord Witherington, Sir Thomas Tyldesley, and other brave and worthy gentlemen, were slain. Sir Throgmorton, Knight Marshal, was left among the dead, but taken up by a poor woman, and relieved by that worthy knight Sir Robert Bradshaw.

His lordship had two horses killed' under him, and was seconded and remounted both times by a faithful servant, a Frenchman, who there lost his life by his master's side. In the third charge, upon the fall of Lord Witherington, his lordship mounted his horse; and being seconded by six gentlemen of his party, he with them fought his way through a great body of gentlemen into the town, where his lordship, quitting his horse, leapt in at a door that stood open, and immediately shut it before the enemy could reach it; and the woman of the house kept it shut until his lordship was conveyed to a place of privacy, where he lay concealed for many hours, notwithstanding the most industrious search of the enemy.

Of the six hundred gentlemen with his lordship, he lost at least the half. The earl received seven shots upon the breastplate, and thirteen cuts upon the beaver he wore over a cap of steel, which was taken up in the lane after the

the battle; he also received five or six slight wounds in his arms and shoulders, but none very dangerous. Perhaps this age has not known an action of greater bravery, where 600 horse fought 3000 horse and foot in a disadvantageous place for two hours together, leaving 700, dead upon the spot, besides the wounded, with the loss of three hundred only..

His lordship having got his wounds privately dressed, and furnished with a disguise, that very night about two o'clock, attended only with three servants, began his jour ney towards Worcester, whither he came before the battle there; and though his wounds were green and sore, he attended his majesty through the whole fight, behaving therein with his usual and accustomed gallantry,

That battle being unluckily lost on the third of September, 1651, his lordship conducted his majesty with safety to a friend's house, yet famous for the Royal Oak, where his lordship had been kindly treated on his journey to Worcester; and there having happily disposed of his majesty in great security, his lordship prepared for his return, being accompanied by the Lord Lautherdale, and about forty more; who, taking their march through bye-ways to get into Cheshire and Lancashire, had the misfortune to fall in the way of a regiment of foot and a troop of horse of the enemy, commanded by Major Edge, who were marching towards Worcester. After some small dispute with that party, the earl and his companions making themselves known, had quarter given for life, and condition for honourable usage, upon giving up their arms, and submitting themselves to be their prisoners.

But this great and valiant person being now in his enemies' hands, Bradshaw, Rigby, and Birch, design him to be a victim to their inveterate malice; Bradshaw, because he had denied him the vice-chamberlain's place at Chester, preferring Mr. Bridgeman, now Lord Bridgeman, before him; Rigby, because of his ill success before Latham

house and Bolton; and Birch, because his lordship had trailed him under a hay-cart at Manchester, by which he got, even among his own party, the deserved epithet of the Earl of Derby's carter. These three, assisted by Sir Richard Houghton, a rebellious son of a very loyal father, Sir Gilbert Houghton, carver to his majesty, representing to Cromwell how unsafe it would be not only to that country, but the whole nation, to suffer that man to live, got a commission to try him by a pretended court-martial, that is, by twelve sequestrators and committee-men. During the preparation for this unjust and undeserved trial, his lordship wrote to his lady then in the Isle of Man.

Lord Derby's Letter to his Lady after he was taken, and Prisoner at Chester.

My dear Heart,

IT hath been my misfortune since I left you, not to have one line of comfort from you, which hath been most afflictive to me and this, and what I now further write you, must be a mass of many things in one.

I will not stay long on particulars, but in short inform you that the king is dead, or narrowly escaped in disguise, whither not yet known; all the nobles of the party killed or taken, save a few, and it matters not much where they be. The common soldiers are dispersed, some in prison, some sent to other nations, and none like to serve any more on the same score. I escaped a great danger at Wigan, but met with a worse at Worcester, being not so fortunate as to meet with any that would kill me, and thereby have put me out of the reach of envy and malice. Lord Lautherdale and I having escaped, hired horses, and falling into the enemy's hands, were not thought worth killing, but had quarter given us by one Captain Edge, a Lancashire man; and one that was so civil to me, that I and all that love me are beholding to him.