The Preface xliii 



Good iortune is such an idol of the world, and is so like the 

 golden calf worshipped by the Israelites, that those arch-rebels 

 never wanted astrologers to foretell them good success in all 

 their enterprises, nor poets to sing their praises, nor orators 

 for panegyrics ; nay, which is worse, nor historians neither, 

 to record their valour in fighting, and wisdom in governing. 

 But being, so much as I am, above base profit, or any prefer- 

 ment whatsoever, I cannot fear to be suspected of flattery, 

 in declaring to the world the merits, wealth, power, loyalty, 

 and fortunes of my noble Lord, who hath done great actions, 

 suffered great losses, endured a long banishment, for his 

 loyalty to his King and country ; and leads now, like another 

 Scipio, a quiet country life. If, notwithstanding all this, 

 any should say, that those who write histories of themselves, 

 and their own actions, or of their own party, or instruct and 

 inform those that write them, are partial to themselves ; I 

 answer, that it is very improbable worthy persons, who having 

 done great, noble, and heroic exploits, deserving to be recorded, 

 should be so vain as to write false histories ; but if they do, 

 it proves but their folly ; for truth can never be con- 

 cealed, and so it will be more for their disgrace than for their 

 honour and fame. I fear not any such blemishes in this 

 present history, for I am not conscious of any such crime as 

 partiality or falsehood, but write it whilst my noble Lord 

 is yet alive, and at such a time where truth may be declared, 

 and falsehood contradicted ; and I challenge any one (although 

 I be a woman) to contradict anything that I have set down, 

 or prove it to be otherwise than truth ; for be there never so 

 many contradictions, truth will conquer all at last. 



Concerning my Lord's actions in war, which are compre- 

 hended in the first Book, the relation of them I have chiefly 

 from my Lord's secretary, Mr. Rolleston, a person that has 

 been an eye-witness thereof, and accompanied my Lord as 

 secretary in his army, and gave out all his commissions ; 

 his honesty and worth is unquestionable by all that know 

 him. And as for the second Book, which contains my Lord's 

 actions and sufferings, during the time of his exile, I have 

 set down so much as I could possibly call to mind, without 

 any particular expression of time, only from the time of his 

 banishment, or rather (what I can remember) from the time 

 of my marriage, till our return into England. To the end of 



