Sir William Waller and Malmesbury . 



177 



Prince Maurice is but 40 muskets and 26 pickes, neither can I receve aney from 

 my Lord Chandoyes as notwithstanding your Highness letter and other invitations 

 soe that the enemy beinge stirringe this way my request to your Highness is that 

 you would be pleased to send some Regiment that is armed, and I doubt not wee 

 shal be able to withstand any opposiiion they shall dare to macke, soe with my 

 humble service to your Highness I rest your Highness servant to comande, Jo* 

 Hines, Cirencester, March 17th, 1642" [1643 present reckoning]. 



On the 19th of March Sir William Waller, says Rushworth, 1 

 S( having raised a competent force [Clarendon says " a light party 

 of dragoons and horse'"], advanced from Bristol to Malmesbury, 

 where a Colonel " Herbert Lunsford, a stout gentleman, and a 

 good soldier (brother to Sir Thomas Lunsford, that was taken at 

 Edgehill) was governor ; who sent out some troops to encounter 

 him, but they being beat back, Waller assaulted the town, but not 

 prevailing, he prepared next morning for another and more fierce 

 attack : but they within, conceiving the place not tenable, desired a 

 parley, and yielded upon quarter; Colonel Lunsford, Colonel Cook, 

 some other officers, and near 300 common soldiers [Clarendon ' 6 or 

 7 score''], being made prisoners; and one piece of ordnance and 

 some ammunition taken." 



But it is time to give Waller's own account of it, in his graphic 

 despatch to the Earl of Essex 2 : — 



" A letter from Sir William Waller a member of the House of Commons to 

 the Right Honorable Robert Earl of Essex his Excellencie. 

 " My most honored Lord 



" I have had the honour to receive two letters from your Excellency This met 

 me at Malmesbury, where I was engaged in a hot service for so long as it lasted. 

 I sate down before the place yesterday a little after Noon : At my first coming 

 their horse showed themselves in a bravado under the side of a wood, about a 

 quarter of a mile from the town, but upon the first proffer of a charge they retired 

 hastily towards Cicester-way before we could come up to them ; whereupon we 

 fell to worke with the towne, which is the strongest inland situation that I ever 

 saw ; In the skirts of the outer Town there were gardens walled in with dry stone 

 wall, from whence the enemy played upon us as we came on, but within half an 

 hour we beat them out of these strengths, and entered the outer or lower town 

 with our horse and foot and kept possession of it, the enemy withdrawing into 

 the upper where they had bin at coste to fortifie, we fell on upon the West 



1 Pt. III., vol. ii., p. 263. 

 2 This is from the printed copy in the " King's Pamphlets," vol. xcix. Strange 

 to say it is not in Rushworth, though published by command of the House of 

 Commons. 



