JOUENAL OF JOHN ASTON, 1639 77 



days after made an escape out of Scotland by boate and 

 came himself, and as was reported besought the king hee 

 might have the conduct of some souldioui's and hee would 

 conquer his ennemies, but this was thought some Gibeonitish 

 guile, and little credited by those who heard noe other of it 

 than as before. Whether this were the truth of the message, 

 and how it was relished by the king and counsell I cannot 

 affirme. 



But wee were soddainly (as before) commanded towards 

 Barwicke, and that Wednesday night, May 22nd, I came to 

 Stannington, three miles short of Morpit, and nine miles from 

 Newcastle, and my business of preparation for the journey beeing 

 not wholly finished, it was late in the afternoone before I set 

 out, soe I began my journey just when the sunne sufferd an 

 ecclipse, ite was darke and misty before I came to Stannington, 

 and the way beeing pesterd"-^^ with troupers, made mee stay 

 and seeke a lodging in this poore villadge; it was not super- 

 stition stayed mee, though rumors beeing then uncertaine, and 

 our departure soddaine, there wanted not those who construed 

 this ecclipse as an ominous presage of bad successe to the 

 king's affaires. 



Stannington. This was a very meane towne, and with 

 much difficultie I got such a lodging at one widdow Gayles as 

 was there to bee expected, soe meane and uncleanely as it made 

 mee first feele the smart of backbiters in this journey. 



Yet the villadge was remarkable for two accidents lately 

 happening, the one fatal 1 to it-self e, by the necgligent dischardge 

 of a carbine (by one of the Lord Newport's horse-troupe there 

 billeted) out of a high window neare the eves of a thatched 

 house. The powder of the panne taking fire in the thatch 

 was vmdiscavered till by strength of the winde it grew to an 

 unquencheable fire and wholly consumed 7 or 8 dwelling houses, 

 whose ruines, at my beeing there, did lamentably witnesse the 

 truth of it. 



^ Pestered = crowded, clogged, incambered. " The calendar is filled 

 not to aay pestered with them, jostling one another for room, many 

 holding the same day in copartnership of festivity." — Fuller, Worthies 

 of England, c. 3. 



