THS TLJCE OF VATTLS 185 



runs east and west along the edge of the battlefield. 

 Here, on the slope, Skippon arranged the Parliamentary 

 forces, withdrawing them " about a hundred paces" 

 further up the hill, on the advice of Fairfax, in order to 

 give them more advantage in the charge, and, by retir- 

 ing them behind the ridge, to screen their numbers and 

 position from the eyes of the Royalists. 



The army of the King was drawn up finally on Dust 

 Hill, facing the Parliamentary line at the distance of 

 rather more than a mile. The slopes of the two hills 

 and the hollow of Broad Moor, lying between, formed 

 the narrow limits of the battlefield. The blackthorn 

 hedge, behind whose cover lay concealed a thousand 

 dismounted Parliamentary dragoons, was on the extreme 

 of the Royalist right, connecting the two positions ; so 

 that, as they followed Rupert in the charge, the 

 Cavaliers must pass the entire length of its galling fire. 



It has not been always fully recognised that the 

 Royalist force at Naseby was far outnumbered. It is 

 only since the evidence has been so carefully weighed by 

 Colonel Ross and Dr. Gardiner that the disparity has 

 been clearly understood. The statements of Parliament- 

 ary writers naturally anxious to make the most of 

 their victory that the numbers were evenly balanced, 

 have long been accepted without question. But modern 

 research has made it clear that, while 14,000 men of the 

 New Model followed Fairfax to the field, the Cavaliers 

 went into action not 8000 strong " a body not suffi- 

 cient," as Clarendon observes, " to fight a battle for a 



