1646.] OF THE MARQUIS OF WORCESTER 143 



which his Majesty conceived to be the safest way ; there 

 by Sir Eobert was I exceedingly welcomed as coming 

 from his Majesty, and in that employment, and for the 

 space of five days I was concealed in Sir Eobert s house 

 whilst he did continually employ some of his trusty 

 servants to endeavour a way for my passage over Severn, 

 which both by land and water was very strongly guarded; 

 yet having disguise from him I hired a boat for Black 

 Eock, and passed as a grazier, and a farmer, a friend 

 of his with me, to assist me ; but no sooner had we 

 landed but we had, by a grazier, intelligence that in the 

 village, and in all that country of the Moors, were 

 Parliament forces driven by his Majesty s party from 

 Newport and Carlisle. Thereupon the farmer brought 

 me to a church on *& rock [a] few yards from the sea 

 side, into which rock I conveyed my dispatches, and 

 myself and horse into the porch, whilst the farmer 

 bought [brought ?] me a guide, a man of his acquaint 

 ance, well known to the enemy s party but honest to 

 his Majesty s ; and after night he conveyed me through 

 their guards by the name of a butcher of Bristol, and 

 on the break of day, three Parliament officers, newly 

 landed at Gouldcliffe from Bristol, seeing me riding fast, 

 charged me in a lane and questioned me who I was for ; 

 and I answered that it was then no time to ask im 

 pertinences, by my being here you may judge who I 

 am for ; I intended for Newport or Carleon in business, 

 for the States, but my guide tells me that there is my 

 Lord Charles Somerset with 300 horse, for God s sake 

 tell me how I shall avoid them. Whereupon they 

 being as much affrighted with my word, as I with their 

 summons, hastily pointed me out a way, and ran them 

 selves another way into the Moors. By this means I 

 came to Carleon, from whence the King s party were 

 marched two days before ; and being then within four 



