598 The Battle of Roiindway Dovju. 



case of disaster, charged Waller's vanguard.^ "Tliis, suddenly 

 <lisordered, by whose helpe and fowle retreat the rest was the like, 

 so that oil a sudden we," says Hoptoii, " could see the enemy's 

 whole body of horse face about and runiie with speede and our 

 horse in close bodyefyring, in their reare till they had chased them 

 downe the hill in a steep place where never horse went downe nor 

 up before. Waller went in such haste that he left all his body of 

 foote and cannon standing upon the very crowne of the hill, who 

 for a while made a gallant resistance against our horse . . ." 

 Meantime, Hopton himself, who, as he tells us, "fearing a stratagem," 

 had waited in the town till " officers from Prince Maurice," who 

 was with Wilmot, arrived to say that "the horse were routed and 

 cliaced," marched out with the whole of his infantry, only leaving 

 guards for the guns and baggage, and climbing with panting breatli 

 the steep slippery hill in superior numbers fell upon the Parlia- 

 mentarian foot an4 cannon. According to one of Waller's colonels^ 

 these had "stood for an hour and a halfe and forced the Royalist 

 horse to retreat divers times; but now, as the Cornishmen were 

 seen to be coming apace upon them they were made to leave their 

 armes and flye." At first, says Hopton, they hoped to make good 

 their retreat, and accordingly "made for the next enclosures, but 

 drawing over the downes seeing severell bodies of our (Royalist) 

 horse pressing hard upon them on all sides, they began to fall in 

 pieces and melt into such disorder that they suffered miserably; 

 they were 1800 in number, of which above 600 was then slaine, 

 the rest all wounded and taken with their collours and armes and 

 nine brasse piece of cannon." Clarendon says there were 600 

 slain, 900 prisoners, 8 guns, and all their stores captured. 

 According to the accounts given by Waller's side, their 

 loss in the whole action only amounted to " 50 horse and at 

 the most 200 common soldiers slaine and taken prisoners, and about 



^ According to A True Relation, etc., Waller's troopers made two charges 

 unsuccessfully against their enemy. This may have been before Wilmot's 

 decisive charge. But clear detail is wanting. Both sides may be describing 

 the same incidents. 



^In A True Relation, etc. 



