JOURNAL OF JOHN ASTON, 1639 81 



his personall guard ; others mentioned a great defeate given to 

 the king's partie, they knew not well where ; yet theise were 

 miitterd with some confidence, as though they were secretts 

 not fitt to bee divulged. Some repined and tooke it as an 

 ill presage wee should turne our backs to our ennemies, and 

 make a shamefull retraite upon the first advancing neere them ; 

 but the greatest ennemy wee could heare of (at our retourne 

 that night to Anwick) was hunger, which had soe assaulted 

 the campe then at Gosswick, that there was a mutine in the 

 army for want of bread, and if wee had gone on it was feared 

 wee should have sufferd with them and emboldned theire disorder 

 with our companie. This was probably the occasion of our 

 command back, because wee mett divers cart loades of bread 

 the dayes following goeing to the army from New-Castle, . 

 Morpitt and Anwick and all the county about, which carriadges, 

 with the king and campe's remoovall before, soe overlaboured 

 the countrey's cattell that many of them dyed, and the rest 

 were soe feeble and the people soe unwilling to come in upon 

 summons (knowing how they were abused by the master 

 waggoner, who would sometimes send out warrant for 500 

 carriadges when hee wanted but 200, making his profitt by 

 the rest), their allowance beeing but 2d. a mile, that the king- 

 was constrained to stay a day longer at Anwick than hee 

 intended for want of carriadges. 



[May] 24. This night after our retourne from Belford, 

 beeing 12 long mile, and an exceeding hot day, to please us 

 for our paines, and to repaire our lost honour by our retraite 

 which made it 24 miles, wee were graced with the like needlesse 

 watch of his majestie's person which my lord chamberlaine's 

 troupe had the night before, and it was as wellcome to us 

 and our beasts as a new onset to allready beaten souldiours, 

 but " obedience is better than sacrifice." The quarrell (I thinke) 

 relished soe ill, that every petty sufferance to unwilling mindes 

 ^equalled Hercules twelve labours, and were thought unmercifuU 

 exactions. 



In the church at Anwick I could not but wonder that the 

 painted frame of his majestie's armes over the quire doore, 

 beeing for noething considerable, and having the earle of 



