34 The Life of William, Duke of Newcastle 



and the General of their army seemed to take no notice of my 

 Lord's being in it, for which afterwards he excused himself. 

 But as they drew near, they found not such entertainment 

 as they expected ; for though they assaulted a work that was 

 not finished, yet they were beaten off with much loss. 



The enemy being thus stopped before the town, thought fit 

 to quarter near it, in that part of the country ; and so soon as 

 my Lord's army was come up, he designed one night to have 

 fallen into their quarter ; but by reason of some neglect of his 

 orders in not giving timely notice to the party designed for it, 

 it took not an effect answerable to his expectation. In a word, 

 there were three designs taken against the enemy, whereof 

 if one had but hit, they would doubtless have been lost ; but 

 there was so much treachery, juggling, and falsehood in my 

 Lord's own army, that it was impossible for him to be success- 

 ful in his designs and undertakings. However, though it failed 

 in the enemy's foot-quarters, which lay nearest the town, yet 

 it took good effect in their horse-quarters, which were more 

 remote ; for my Lord's horse, commanded by a very gallant 

 and worthy gentleman 1 , falling upon them, gave them such 

 an alarm, that all they could do was to draw into the field, 

 where my Lord's forces charged them, and in a little time 

 routed them totally, and killed and took many prisoners, 

 to the 'number of 1500 2 . 



Upon this the enemy was forced to draw their whole army 

 together, and to quarter them a little more remote from the 

 town, and to seek out inaccessible places for their security, as 

 afterwards appeared more plainly ; for so soon as my Lord 

 had prepared his army for a march, he drew them forth against 

 the Scots, which he found quartered upon high hills close by 

 the river Tyne, where they could not be encountered but upon 

 very disadvantageous terms ; besides, "that day proved very 

 stormy and tempestuous, so that my Lord was necessitated 

 to withdraw his forces, and retire into his own quarters 3 . 



1 The Lord Langdale. 



2 This skirmish took place on Monday, February 5 (Rushworth III, ii, 614). The loss 

 of the Scots appears to be exaggerated by the Duchess. See also the letter of the 

 Marquis and General King, quoted in Appendix vii. 



3 The Scots marched from before Newcastle on February 22, leaving a detachment 

 to blockade the town ; they passed the Tyne on February 28, and entered Sunder- 

 land on March^4. See the letter of the Marquis in Appendix vii. During the latter 

 part of the campaign the great aim of the Marquis was to cut off the supplies of the 

 Scots by means of his great superiority in cavalry. This he partially effected, ' so that 

 sometimes their whole army had neither meat nor drink, and never had above twenty- 



