150 LIFE, TIMES, AND SCIENTIFIC LABOURS [1646-7. 



the withdrawing room, where my Lord used to enter 

 tain his friends with his pleasant discourses after dinners 

 and suppers, which, glancing upon a little marble pillar 

 of the window, from thence hit the Marquis upon the 

 side of his head, and fell down flattened upon the table, 

 which breaking the pillar in pieces, it made such a 

 noise in the room, that his daughter-in-law, the Countess 

 of Glamorgan, who stood in the same window, ran away 

 as if the house had been falling down upon her head, 

 crying out, L Lord ! O Lord ! But at length, find 

 ing herself more afraid than hurt, she returned back 

 again, no less excusing her as she was pleased to call 

 it rudeness to her father, than acknowledging her 

 fears to all the company. To whom the Marquis said, 

 4 Daughter, you had reason to run away, when your 

 father was knocked on the head. Then pausing some 

 little while, and turning the flattened bullet round with 

 his finger, he further said, l Gentlemen, those who had 

 a mind to flatter me, were wont to tell me that I had a 

 good head in my younger days ; but, if I don t flatter 

 myself, I think I have a good head-piece in my old 

 age, or else it would not have been musket proof. 



It shows how closely Eaglan Castle was besieged, 

 when on the 26th of May, about 11 o clock at night, 

 some of the Parliamentary soldiers could be drinking 

 at a public house, but a little distance from the Castle, 

 having alighted from their horses, and sent a scout to 

 reconnoitre : who bringing them favourable news, they 

 refreshed themselves at their ease. Meanwhile, having 



O 



been observed, 60 or 80 horse were sent from Eaglan 

 to surprise them, and they succeeded in seizing three or 

 four of their horses ; but some of the Eoundheads escaped 

 in a cornfield, while most of their companions quickly 

 mounted ; some riding off were lost in the darkness, 

 while the remainder, in a skirmish of half an hour, took 



