58 THE CIVIL WAR }S DEVON. 



in the attempt, in establishing a parley with them. 

 Accordingly three gentlemen were admitted within 

 the hamlet, and continued their efforts to appease 

 the popular discontent until night-fall. At last the 

 alarm of their friends without had well nigh threat- 

 ened their safety, by a party attempting to rescue 

 them ; when they were suffered to return, having 

 gained nothing beyond a promise of tranquihty on 

 the part of the populace, provided the reformation 

 were deferred until the kmg came of age. The ill 

 success of this conference, caused much dissention 

 among the magistrates, some of whom openly re- 

 proved their brethren of insincerity in the reformed 

 cause. On the other hand, the malcontents were 

 not slow to profit by such a state of things ; and 

 Sir Peter Carew had hardly time to join Lord Russel 

 at George Henton, in Somersetshire, when they 

 advanced to lay siege to Exeter, under the conduct 

 of Humphrey Arundel, Esq., Governor of St. Mi- 

 chael's Mount ; and among his associates, many of 

 them from the lowest grades of society. The names 

 of eight priests have been preserved by cotemporary 

 chroniclers, but whether these appeared in army, or 

 only abetted the revolt in council, we are not 

 mformed ; one of them will find notice hereafter. 



On the 2nd of July, Exeter was closely invested 

 by the rebel army, and soon reduced to great ex- 

 tremities. Hooker says that the bread soon failed, 

 and the citizens were compelled to resort to puffing., 

 and bran baked in cloths in order to keep it together ; 

 afterwards they were reduced to feed on horse flesh, 

 and soon had to regret the scanty supply of even 

 this unsavoury diet. What held out longest we are 

 told, was rice, salt fish, prunes, raisins, and wine. 

 It does not however fall within the scope of this 

 paper to relate all that occurred during a close block- 

 ade of five weeks ; or the cabals which distracted 

 the city, in which were many not well inclined to 

 the royal cause. A successful sally, in which the 

 citizens had captured and brought in some of the 



