I 



during the Great Rebellion. 301 



through Chippenham and slept at the White Hart, and that the 

 townsmen rang the bells, and presented him with two bottles of 

 sack. This portentous personage appears in Wilts in the spring 

 of 1645, then holding a subordinate commission to Waller. Both 

 generals were sweeping over South Wilts, when, intelligence reach- 

 ing them that Sir James Long, lately made Secretary to the Prince 

 of Wales, and High Sheriff of Wilts, with his fine troop of Wilts- 

 hire gentlemen was escorting His Royal Highness from Oxford to 

 Bristol, they marched hastily on Devizes, in hope to intercept the 

 Sheriff on his return. Sir James, unaware of the presence of so 

 potent a foe, had just returned from Bristol, when Waller and 

 Cromwell fell furiously on the works on the Potterne side of 

 Devizes. Utterly unable to withstand the powerful force arrayed 

 against him, he drew off his troop precipitately on the road to 

 Bath. That day was March 12th — the rain was pouring in floods. 

 Waller records that it was the " basest weather," and that the 

 Wiltshire lanes were the "worst of ways" he ever saw. The 

 Sheriff and his troop, 400 strong, had nearly reached Melksham, 

 when they were suddenly confronted by a brigade, which Waller, 

 with admirable forethought, had sent forward to lie in ambush, 

 somewhere in the line of country between Devizes and Bath. They 

 broke and scattered in all directions. One part bore away to 

 Westbury, but were soon ridden down and captured ; others 

 endeavoured to return to Devizes by Seend, and galloping down 

 the valley, fell into the very jaws of the foe : Cromwell in person 

 captured two companies; the last fragment of the broken squadron 

 before nightfall, was intercepted by Waller himself: the Draycot 

 troop, which had done so long and so signal service, was virtually 

 annihilated ; and Sir James, with about twenty other officers, was 

 taken prisoner. " Of 400 horse," writes Sir W. Waller to the 

 Speaker, " there escaped not thirty — 300 soldiers were taken 

 prisoners, with 340 horses — gallant horses, their best horses," adda 

 a private letter of the day. 



On the tidings of this disastrous affray reaching Hopton, all 

 the horse in Chippenham and in other open stations were commanded 

 to retire to Bath. 



