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shot, the one body from the other ; and the dragoons having 
fired on both sides for the space of half an hour or more ; 
they not advancing towards, we advanced to charge them, 
and advancing our whole body after many shots on both 
sides (but their bullets still flew over our heads and did us 
no harm), we came on with our troops a pretty round trot, 
they standing firm to receive us ; but after about half an 
hour in that posture, and some great shot spent on both 
sides, our men most violently and resolutely marched up 
and fiercely charged on them. Whereupon their hearts 
instantly failed them : a spirit of trembling came upon them, 
and they were immediately routed and ran all away, and 
we had the execution of them, two or three miles out at 
least ; and I verily believe that some of our soldiers killed 
two or three men apiece in the pursuit. The true number 
of men slain we are not certain of, but by creditable report, 
and estimate of our soldiers, and by what I myself saw, 
there were very little less than a hundred slain and mortally 
wounded, and we lost but two men at the most on our side. 
"We took forty- five prisoners, besides divers of their horses 
and arms, and rescued many prisoners whom they had lately 
taken of ours, and we took four or five of their colours, and 
so marched away to Lincoln.' ' And who do you think was 
the writer of this letter, and whose name is subjoined ? — 
Oliver Cromwell ! 
" The Dangers of the Heath" which forms the concluding 
portion of my subject. And now are you prepared for a 
scene of horror, — for a fearful contest for life on the 
heath between a knight and a witch? Long had one of 
those dangerous creatures haunted this locality some 
centuries ago (so says the legend) ; sometimes she was seen 
cowering over a fire emitting a blue unearthly light, and 
sometime.s flitting bat-like through the shades of night intent 
on mischief towards man and beast, when a certain knight 
made a vow that he would rid the heath of so great a pest. 
