298 



Chippenham, and the Neighbourhood, 



some attempt was there made by the Chippenham cavaliers to 

 arrest their flight. 



On reaching Chippenham bridge, one party took the road to 

 Malmesbury, which was yet a Parliamentary garrison ; the greater 

 body continued its course through the night to Bath, but knowing 

 the fortifications of that city could not long repel attack, pushed 

 on to Bristol, where it is said Waller, riding up to the gates with 

 a few jaded troopers, was the first to announce his own defeat — 

 " My dismal defeat" — he bemoans in his memoirs— " the most 

 heavy stroke of any that did befal me — I had nearly sunk under 

 my affliction, but that I had a dear and sweet comforter — I did 

 prove at that time that a virtuous woman rejoiceth her husband." 



Leaving Sir R. Hopton at Devizes, the Cornish army retraced 

 its steps ; an outpost was left in Chippenham : Malmesbury was 

 occupied for a third time ; Bath surrendered without any serious 

 resistance, and in pleasant quarters, in that fair city, the troops 

 rested from their severe service, and replenished their exhausted 

 commissariat from the enemy's abundant stores. 



For the rest of 1643, and during next year, Wilts was unmo- 

 lested, except that in May, General Massey, suddenly burst out of 

 Gloucester, carried Malmesbury by storm, and himself the only 

 herald of his approach, broke through the slight earthworks 

 which had been raised about Chippenham, captured the whole of 

 the garrison, passed on to Calne, there seized George Lowe, the 

 Member, and still progressing in his daring raid, pounced upon 

 the King's Commissioners in Devizes, and made a prize of that 

 redoubtable loyalist, Michael Tidcombe. 



Massey seems now to have occupied Chippenham as a temporary 

 station ; and thence to have planted garrisons in the mansions 

 round. In December, 1644, a small body of his musqueteers 

 possessed themselves of Pinhill House, near Calne, the residence 

 of the Blakes ; but before their entrenchments were completed, a 

 party of troopers from Devizes opened a galling fire. This led 

 to a speedy submission. The prisoners begged hard they might 

 not be stripped naked — whereupon the scoutmaster pointed through 

 the windows to the cavaliers outside, and told them they might 



