The First Book 25 



my Lord's and the enemy's troops, but by two on a breast, 

 and that within musket shot ; the enemy being drawn up 

 in hedges, and continually playing upon them, which rendered 

 the service exceeding difficult and hazardous. 



In the meanwhile the foot of both sides on the right and 

 left wings encountered each other, who fought from hedge 

 to hedge and for a long time together overpowered and got 

 ground of my Lord's foot, almost to the environing of his 

 cannon ; my Lord's horse (wherein consisted his greatest 

 strength) all this while being made, by reason of the ground, 

 incapable of charging. At last the pikes of my Lord's army 

 having had no employment all the day, were drawn against 

 the enemy's left wing, and particularly those of my Lord's 

 own regiment, which were all stout and valiant men, who 

 fell so furiously upon the enemy, that they forsook their 

 hedges, and fell to their heels. At which very instant my 

 Lord caused a shot or two to be made by his cannon against 

 the body of the enemy's horse, drawn up within cannon shot, 

 which took so good effect, that it disordered the enemy's 

 troops. Hereupon my Lord's horse got over the hedge, not 

 in a body (for that they could not), but dispersedly two on 

 a breast ; and as soon as some considerable number was 

 gotten over, and drawn up, they charged the enemy, and 

 routed them. So that in an instant there was a strange 

 change of fortune, and the field totally won by my Lord, 

 notwithstanding he had quitted 7000 men, to conduct her 

 Majesty, besides a good train of artillery, which in such a 

 conjuncture would have weakened Caesar's army. In this 

 victory the enemy lost most of their foot, about 3000 were 

 taken prisoners, and 700 horse and foot slain, and those that 

 escaped fled into their garrison at Bradford, amongst whom 

 was also their General of the Horse 1 . 



After this my Lord caused his army to be rallied, and 



1 Sir Thomas Fairfax. The battle of Atherton, or Adwalton Moor, took place on 

 June 30th. Fairfax estimates the number of the Parliamentary troops at 3000. All 

 accounts agree that the battle began favourably to the Parliamentarians. The enemy, 

 says Fairfax, were thinking of retreating, and some had actually marched off the field. 

 ' Whilst they were in this wavering condition, one Colonel Skirton desired his general 

 to let him charge once with a stand of pikes, with which he broke in upon our men ; 

 and, they not being relieved by our reserves (which were commanded by some ill-affected 

 officers, chiefly Major-General Gifford, who did not his part as he ought to do), our men 

 lost ground, which the enemy seeing, pursued this advantage by bringing on fresh troops ; 

 ours being herewith discouraged began to fly, and were soon routed.' — Short Memorial, 

 Maseres' Tracts, i, 426. A good account of the battle, in a letter from Thomas Stock- 

 dale to the Speaker, is printed in Portland MSS., i, 717. 



