unto the next day at
sun-rising), wrote to Mr. Salkeld, and craved redress. He excused
himself by the absence of the Lord Scroop. Whereupon Bacleuch sent
to the Lord Scroop, and desired the prisoner might be set at liberty,
without any bond or condition, seeing he was unlawfully taken.
Scroop answered, that he could do nothing in the matter, it having so
happened, without a direction from the queen and council of England,
considering the man was such a malefactor.--Bacleuch, loth to inform
the king of what was done, lest it might have bred some misliking
betwixt the princes, dealt with Mr. Bowes, the resident ambassador of
England, for the prisoner's liberty; who wrote very seriously to the
Lord Scroop in that business, advising him to set the man free,
and not to bring the matter to a farther hearing. But no answer was
returned: the matter thereupon was imparted to the king, and the queen
of England solicited by letters to give direction for his liberty; yet
nothing was obtained; which Bacleuch perceiving, and apprehending both
the king, and himself as the king's officer, to be touched in honour,
he resolved to work the prisoner's relief, by the best means he could.

"And, upon intelligence that the castle of Carlisle, wherein the
prisoner was kept, was surprisable, he employed some trusty persons to
take a view of the postern gate, and measure the height of the wall,
which he meant to scale by ladders, and, if those failed, to break
through the wall with some iron instruments, and force the gates. This
done, so closely as he could, he drew together some two hundred horse,
assigning the place of meeting at the tower of Morton, some ten miles
from Carlisle, an hour before sun-set. With this company, passing the
water of Esk, about the falling, two hours before day, he crossed Eden
beneath Carlisle bridge (the water, through the rain that had fallen,
being thick), and came to the Sacery, a plain under the castle. There
making a little halt, at the side of a small bourn, which they call
Cadage, he caused eighty of the company to light from their horses,
and take the ladders, and other instruments which he had prepared,
with them. He himself, accompanying them to the foot of the wall,
caused the ladders to be set to it, which proving too short, he gave
order to use the other instruments for opening the wall nigh the
postern; and, finding the business likely to succeed, retired to the
rest whom he had left on horseback, for