r
arrival, commenced the work of destruction. They broke open the doors
of the church, demolished the monuments, and turned the building into a
stable.

The fury of Cromwell's soldiers is thus described in an old paper
called:--

"_A short and true narrative of the Rising and Defacing the Cathedral
Church of Peterborough, in the year 1643._"

"The next day after their arrival, early in the morning, they break
open the church doors, pull down the organs, of which there were two
pair. The greater pair which stood upon a high loft over the entrance
into the quire, was thence thrown down upon the ground, and then
stamped and trampled on, and broke in pieces.

"Then the souldiers entered the quire, and their first business was to
tear in pieces all the common prayer books that could be found. The
great bible indeed, that lay upon a brass eagle for reading the
lessons, had the good hap to escape with the loss only of the
apocrypha.

"Next they break down all the seats, stalls and wainscots that was
behind them, being adorned with several historical passages out of the
old testament, a latin distich being in each seat to declare the story.
Whilst they were thus employed, they happened to find a great parchment
book, behind the ceiling, with some twenty pieces of gold laid there,
by a person a little before.--This encourages the souldiers in their
work, and makes them the more eager in breaking down all the rest of
the wainscot. The book was called 'Swapham,' and was afterwards
redeemed by a person belonging to the minster for ten shillings.[19]

"There was also a great brass candlestick hanging in the middle of the
quire, containing a dozen and a half of lights, with another bow
candlestick about the brass eagle. These both were broke in pieces, and
most of the brass carried away and sold.

"A well disposed person standing by and seeing the souldiers make such
spoil speaks to an officer, desiring him to restrain them; who
answered, '_See how these poor people are concerned to see their
idols pulled down_.'

"When they had thus defaced and spoiled the quire, they made up next to
the east end of the church, and there break and cut in pieces, and
afterwards burn the rails that were about the communion table. The
table itself was thrown down, the table cloth taken away, with two fair
books in velvet covers; the one a bible, the other a common prayer
book, with a silver basin gilt, and a pair of silver candlesticks
besi