ers shook
their heads at it, for, being well paid, they had at present no
occasion for dying.

Seeing it thus, they agreed to treat, and the king grants them
conditions, upon laying down their arms, to march off free. This was
too much. Had his Majesty but obliged them upon oath not to serve
again for a certain time, he had done his business; but this was not
thought of; so they passed free, only disarmed, the soldiers not being
allowed so much as their swords.

The king gained by this treaty forty pieces of cannon, all of brass,
300 barrels of gunpowder, 9000 arms, 8000 swords, match and bullet in
proportion, 200 waggons, 150 colours and standards, all the bag and
baggage of the army, and about 1000 of the men listed in his army.
This was a complete victory without bloodshed; and had the king
but secured the men from serving but for six months, it had most
effectually answered the battle of Marston Moor.

As it was, it infused new life into all his Majesty's forces and
friends, and retrieved his affairs very much; but especially it
encouraged us in the north, who were more sensible of the blow
received at Marston Moor, and of the destruction the Scots were
bringing upon us all.

While I was at Chester, we had some small skirmishes with Sir William
Brereton. One morning in particular Sir William drew up, and faced us,
and one of our colonels of horse observing the enemy to be not, as he
thought, above 200, desires leave of Prince Rupert to attack them
with the like number, and accordingly he sallied out with 200 horse. I
stood drawn up without the city with 800 more, ready to bring him off,
if he should be put to the worst, which happened accordingly; for, not
having discovered neither the country nor the enemy as he ought, Sir
William Brereton drew him into an ambuscade; so that before he came up
with Sir William's forces, near enough to charge, he finds about 300
horse in his rear. Though he was surprised at this, yet, being a man
of a ready courage, he boldly faces about with 150 of his men,
leaving the other fifty to face Sir William. With this small party, he
desperately charges the 300 horse in his rear, and putting them into
disorder, breaks through them, and, had there been no greater force,
he had cut them all in pieces. Flushed with this success, and loth
to desert the fifty men he had left behind, he faces about again, and
charges through them again, and with these two charges entirely routs
them. Sir W