The Works of Thomas Carlyle/Volume 6/Letter 25
Prince Rupert had withdrawn without fighting; was now at Worcester with a considerable force, meditating new infall. For which end, we hear, he has sent 2,000 men across the country to his Majesty at Oxford, to convoy ‘his Majesty’s person and the Artillery’ over to Worcester to him,—both of which objects are like to be useful there. The Committee of Both Kingdoms order the said Convoy to be attacked.
‘The charge of this service they recommended particularly to General Cromwell, who, looking on himself now as discharged of military employment by the New Ordinance, which was to take effect within few days, and to have no longer opportunity to serve his country in that way,—was, the night before, come to Windsor, from his service in the West, to kiss the General’s hand and take leave of him: when, in the morning ere he was come forth of his chamber, those commands, than which he thought of nothing less in all the world, came to him from the Committee of Both Kingdoms.’[1]
‘The night before’ must mean, to all appearance, the 22d of April. How Cromwell instantly took horse; plunged into Oxfordshire, and on the 24th, at Islip Bridge, attacked and routed this said Convoy; and the same day, ‘merely by dragoons’ and fierce countenance, took Bletchington House, for which poor Colonel Windebank was shot, so angry were they: all this is known from Clarendon, or more authentically from Rushworth;[2] and here now is Cromwell’s own account of it.
‘Committee of Both Kingdoms,’ first set up in February gone a year, when the Scotch Army came to help, has been the Executive in the War-department ever since; a great but now a rapidly declining authority. Sits at Derby House: Four Scotch; Twenty-one English, of whom Six a quorum. Johnston of Warriston is the notablest Scotchman; among the leading English are Philip Lord Wharton and the Younger Vane.[3]
‘Watlington’ is in the Southeast nook of Oxfordshire; a day’s march from Windsor. ‘Major-General Browne’ commands at Abingdon; a City Wood-merchant once; a zealous soldier, of Presbyterian principles at present. The rendezvous at Watlington took place on Wednesday night; the 25th of April is Friday.
TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THE COMMITTEE OF BOTH KINGDOMS, AT DERBY HOUSE: THESE
My Lords and Gentlemen,—According to your Lordships’ appointment, I have attended your Service in these parts; and have not had so fit an opportunity to give you an account as now.
So soon as I received your commands, I appointed a rendezvous at Watlington. The body being come up, I marched to Wheatley Bridge, having sent before to Major-General Browne for intelligence; and it being market-day at Oxford, from whence I likewise hoped, by some of the market-people, to gain notice where the Enemy was.
Towards night I received certain notice by Major-General Browne, that the Carriages were not stirred, that Prince Maurice was not here; and by some Oxford scholars, that there were Four Carriages and Wagons ready in one place, and in another Five; all, as I conceived, fit for a march.[4]
I received notice also that the Earl of Northampton’s Regiment was quartered at Islip; wherefore im the evening I marched that way, hoping to have surprised them; but, by the mistake and failing of the forlorn-hope, they had an alarm there, and to all their quarters, and so escaped me; by means whereof they had time to draw all together.
I kept my body all night at Islip: and, in the morning, a party of the Earl of Northampton’s Regiment, the Lord Wilmot’s, and the Queen’s, came to make an infall upon me. Sir Thomas Fairfax’s Regiment[5] was the first that took the field; the rest drew out with all possible speed. That which is the General’s Troop charged a whole squadron of the Enemy, and presently broke it. Our other Troops coming seasonably on, the rest of the Enemy were presently put into confusion; so that we had the chase of them three or four miles; wherein we killed many, and took near Two-hundred prisoners, and about Four-hundred horse.
Many of them escaped towards Oxford and Woodstock; divers were drowned; and others got into a strong House in Bletchington, belonging to Sir Thomas Cogan; wherein Colonel Windebank kept a garrison with near Two-hundred men. Whom I presently summoned; and after a long Treaty he went out, about twelve at night, with these Terms here enclosed; leaving us between Two and Three-hundred muskets, besides horse-arms, and other ammunition, and about Threescore-and-eleven horses more.
This was the mercy of God; and nothing is more due than a real acknowledgment. And though I have had greater mercies, yet none clearer: because, in the first “place,” God brought them to our hands when we looked not for them; and delivered them out of our hands when we laid a reasonable design to surprise them, and which we carefully endeavoured. His mercy appears in this also, That I did much doubt the storming of the House, it being strong and well manned, and I having few dragoons, and this being not my business;—and yet we got it.
I hope you will pardon me if I say, God is not enough owned. We look too much to men and visible helps: this hath much hindered our success. But I hope God will direct all to acknowledge Him alone in all “things.” Your most humble servant,
Poor Windebank was shot by sudden Court-martial, so enraged were they at Oxford,—for Cromwell had not even foot-soldiers, still less a battering gun. It was his poor young Wife, they said, she and other ‘ladies on a visit there,’ that had confused poor Windebank: he set his back to the wall of Merton College, and received his death-volley with a soldier’s stoicism.[7] The Son of Secretary Windebank, who fled beyond seas long since.
- ↑ Sprigge’s Anglia Rediviva (London, 1647), p. 10. Sprigge was one of Fairfax’s Chaplains; his Book, a rather ornate work, gives florid but authentic and sufficient account of this New-Model Army in all its features and operations, by which ‘England had ‘come alive again.’ A little sparing in dates; but correct where they are given. None of the old Books is better worth reprinting.—For some glimmer of notice concerning Joshua Sprigge himself, see Wood in voce,—and disbelieve altogether that ‘Nat. Fiennes’ had anything to do with this Book.
- ↑ vi. 23-4.
- ↑ List, and light as to its appointment, in Commons Journals (7th Feb. 1643-4) iii. 391; Baillie, ii. 141 et sæpius. Its Papers and Correspondence, a curious set of records, lie in very tolerable order in the State-Paper Office.
- ↑ ‘march,’ out towards Worcester.
- ↑ ‘which was once mine,’ he might have added, but modestly does not; only alluding to it from afar, in the next sentence.
- ↑ Pamphlet, in Parliamentary History, xiii. 459: read in the House, Monday 28th April (Commons Journals, iv. 124).—Letter to Fairfax on the same subject, Appendix, No. 7.
- ↑ Heath’s Chronicle, p. 122.