; the foot, who were engaged in the
streets, crying out, "Horse, horse." Immediately I advanced to the
gate, for we were drawn up about musket-shot from the works, to have
supported our foot in case of a sally. Having seized the gate, I
placed a guard of horse there, with orders to let nobody pass in
or out, and dividing my troops, rode up by two ways towards the
market-place. The garrison defending themselves in the market-place,
and in the churchyard with great obstinacy, killed us a great many
men; but as soon as our horse appeared they demanded quarter, which
our foot refused them in the first heat, as is frequent in all
nations, in like cases, till at last they threw down their arms, and
yielded at discretion; and then I can testify to the world, that fair
quarter was given them. I am the more particular in this relation,
having been an eye-witness of the action, because the king was
reproached in all the public libels, with which those times abounded,
for having put a great many to death, and hanged the committee of
the Parliament, and some Scots, in cold blood, which was a notorious
forgery; and as I am sure there was no such thing done, so I must
acknowledge I never saw any inclination in his Majesty to cruelty, or
to act anything which was not practised by the general laws of war,
and by men of honour in all nations.

But the matter of fact, in respect to the garrison, was as I have
related; and, if they had thrown down their arms sooner, they had had
mercy sooner; but it was not for a conquering army, entering a town by
storm, to offer conditions of quarter in the streets.

Another circumstance was, that a great many of the inhabitants, both
men and women, were killed, which is most true; and the case was thus:
the inhabitants, to show their over-forward zeal to defend the town,
fought in the breach; nay, the very women, to the honour of the
Leicester ladies, if they like it, officiously did their parts; and
after the town was taken, and when, if they had had any brains in
their zeal, they would have kept their houses, and been quiet, they
fired upon our men out of their windows, and from the tops of their
houses, and threw tiles upon their heads; and I had several of my men
wounded so, and seven or eight killed. This exasperated us to the last
degree; and, finding one house better manned than ordinary, and many
shot fired at us out of the windows, I caused my men to attack it,
resolved to make them an examp