By the Rev. E, /. Budingtoii. 597 



pointing out that he and his men had been fighting continuou.sly for 

 ten days and ten nights. At all events, all next day, Wednesday, 

 12th July, he only "continued our assault Iteating them from all 

 their out workes and guards," " That day and niglit hoing extreme 

 wet hindered us much." ^ 



All three days, in fact, he had woiried his enemy, l)ut had failed 

 to come to close grips with him. He had left the hill toj) since 

 Monday (except at night) lying in the valley between it and tli-- 

 town, drawing often within carbine shot of the town, stretching 

 his besieging arm rouml the northern'and eastern semi-circle of it, 

 reaching with his cavalry as far as U) Potterne. " lie 

 had planted his batteries on CoateHeld, and incessantly day 

 and night poured great and small sliott into us," says Hopton. 

 Jkit it was for the night of Thursday, 13th July, that he h.id 

 planned the full-dress assault, in the time-honoured English way 

 good-naturedly giving (all unwittingly) to his enemy ample notice 

 of his intentions, so that Pfopton managed to send an urgent mes- 

 sage to Oxford begging for help.- At 2 p.m. on the afternoon of that 

 Thursday, 13th duly, AYaller iieard (it could not surely have I'ccn 

 wiih surprise"^) that the advanced guard of a cavalry force was two 

 miles off him on the high ground of " Bagnall Hill," coniing from 

 Oxford."^ It "sounded trumpets" and fired two guns as a signal lo 

 Hopton, who, by the Earl of Marlborough, answered " from the old 

 Castle where the Trayne was." It [troveil to be a cavalry force 

 2000 to 2500 strong, and to he commamled by Wihimt. 

 Waller hastened "without drum or trum})et " to m(i\<' his 

 cavahy up to l)agnall llill" to meet him. At ."5 p.m. W'ilmot, 

 leaving, it is said, sex'cn hundred dragocjus in ambu.sh in 



' A True Ju'/nt/'oti, etc. ' IloiJten's NaruitiM-. 



•■' Waller tells us the day before " lu- was U)ekin,L,' tor an attack in great 

 strength."' Sre Waller and Masclrigg, etc. 



M True Relntion, etc. 1 can lind or obtain no turther topograpliica 

 details than I have given. 



■'• A 'I'ru' Rti'tfi'^n, etc. 



