his was the most fatal action of the whole war, not so much for
the loss of our cannon, ammunition, and baggage, of which the enemy
boasted so much, but as it was impossible for the king ever to
retrieve it. The foot, the best that ever he was master of, could
never be supplied; his army in the west was exposed to certain ruin,
the north overrun with the Scots; in short, the case grew desperate,
and the king was once upon the point of bidding us all disband, and
shift for ourselves.

We lost in this fight not above 2000 slain, and the Parliament near
as many, but the prisoners were a great number; the whole body of foot
being, as I have said, dispersed, there were 4500 prisoners, besides
400 officers, 2000 horses, 12 pieces of cannon, 40 barrels of powder,
all the king's baggage, coaches, most of his servants, and his
secretary, with his cabinet of letters, of which the Parliament
made great improvement, and basely enough caused his private
letters--between his Majesty and the queen, her Majesty's letters to
the king, and a great deal of such stuff--to be printed.

After this fatal blow, being retreated, as I have said, to
Ashby-de-la-Zouch in Leicestershire, the king ordered us to divide;
his Majesty, with a body of horse, about 3000, went to Lichfield, and
through Cheshire into North Wales, and Sir Marmaduke Langdale, with
about 2500, went to Newark.

The king remained in Wales for several months; and though the length
of the war had almost drained that country of men, yet the king
raised a great many men there, recruited his horse regiments, and got
together six or seven regiments of foot, which seemed to look like the
beginning of a new army.

I had frequent discourses with his Majesty in this low ebb of his
affairs, and he would often wish he had not exposed his army at
Naseby. I took the freedom once to make a proposition to his Majesty,
which, if it had taken effect, I verily believe would have given a new
turn to his affairs; and that was, at once to slight all his garrisons
in the kingdom, and give private orders to all the soldiers in every
place, to join in bodies, and meet at two general rendezvous, which I
would have appointed to be, one at Bristol, and one at West Chester.
I demonstrated how easily all the forces might reach these two places;
and both being strong and wealthy places, and both seaports, he would
have a free communication by sea with Ireland, and with his friends
abroad; and having Wale