1820.] 
from Frank Windham’s, and to cover 
the matter the better, I rode before a 
consin of Frank Windhany’s, a Mrs. 
Juidith Connesby, 1 still going by the 
nae of W™ Jackson: memb”’ that 
one day during my stay at Trent, | hear- 
ing y® bells ring, (y¢ church being close 
by Frank Windham’s) and seeing a coms 
pany got together in the church-yard, I 
sent down the maid of the house, who 
knew me, to enguire what was the mat. 
ter; who, returning, told me, that there 
was a rogue, a trooper, come’ out ‘ef. 
Cromwell’s army, that was telling the 
people that he had killed me, and that 
that was my buff coat which he had then 
on. Upon which, most of the village 
being fanaticks, they were ringing the 
bells and making a bon-fire forjoy of it. 
This merchant having apointed us to 
come to Lyme, we, viz. myself, 1? Wil- 
mot, Frank Windham, Mrs. Connesby, 
and a servant of Frank Windbam’s, 
whose name was Peter, were directed 
from him to a little village hard by 
Lyme, the -vessel being to come out 
of the cobb, at Lyme, and come to 
a little creek that was just by this village, 
wither we weft, and to send their boat - 
on shore to take us-in at the said creek, 
and carry us over to France; the wind 
being then very good at north. So we 
sat up that night, expecting the ship to 
come out, but she failed_us, upon which - 
I sent Frank Windham’s man, Peter, and 
my |¢ Wilmot, to Lyme, the next morn- 
ing, to know the reason of it. But we 
were much troubled to know how to pass 
away our time the next day, till we c’4 
have ananswer. At last we resolved to 
go to: a place on the road. to London 
called Bridport, about four miles from 
Lyme, and here stay till my l¢ Wilmot 
sh! bring us news wether ye vessel- 
could be had the next night or uot, and 
the reason of last night’s failure, So 
Frank Windham, Mrs. Connesby, and 
I, went in the morning of horseback 
away to Bridport, and just as we came 
into the town, I could see the streets full 
of red coats (Cromwell’s soldiers), beiug 
a vegt of Col. Haynes’s, 1500 men, going 
to embark to take Jersey. -At which 
Fk Windham was very much troubled, 
and asked me what I w™ do; I told him, 
We must go impudently into the best inn 
_in the town, and take a chamber there, 
_as the only thing to be done, because we 
sh otherwise miss my I* Wilniot, ia 
_case we went away any where else, and 
that wé be very inconvenient both to 
hkimand me, So we rode directly into 
! 
Searce Tracis, Ke. 
eX 
143 
the best inn of the place, and found the 
yar full of soldiers. I alighted, and 
taking the horse, thought it the best way 
to go blundering-in amongst them, and 
lead them through the middle of the sol- 
diers into. the stable, which I did, and 
they were very angry with, me for my 
rudness. As soon as I came into the 
stable, I took the bridles off the horses, 
and called’the hosiler to me to help me 
feed the horses, Sure, Sir, 1 know your 
face !—which was no very pleasant ques-’ 
tion, but I thought the best way was to 
ask him where he had lyed, wether he 
had always lived there or no; he told me 
he was newly come thither, that he was 
born in Exeter, and had been hostler in 
an inn there hard by one Mr. Potter’s, a 
merchant there, in whose house I had 
lay’d in the time of the war. Sol thought 
it best to give the fellow no further oc- 
casion of thinking where he had seen 
ne, for fear he should guess right at last ; 
therefore I told him, friend, Certainly you 
have seen me at Mr. Potter’s, -for I 
served him a good while above a year: 
O! says he then, I remembei you 'a boy 
there, and with that was put off from 
asking any more about it; but desired we 
might drink a pot of beer together, which 
IT excused ‘by saying, that I must go wait 
‘upon-my master, and get his dinner 
ready for him, but told hin. my master 
was going to London, and w4 return 
about three weeks hence, when he would 
lay ‘there, and [ would not fail to drink 
a pot with him. As soon as we had 
dined, my lord Wilmot came into the 
town from Lyme, but went to another 
inn, Upon ‘which we rode cut of the 
town, as if we had gone upon the road for | 
London, and when we had got two miles 
off, my lord Wilmot overtook us, he 
having observed, while in town, where 
we were, and told us he believed the 
ship night be ready next night, but that 
there had been some mistake betwix 
him and the master of the ship. Upon 
which, [thinking it not fitt to go back 
again to the same place where we had 
sat up the night before, we went toa 
village called , about four miles 
in the country, above Lyine, and sent 
Peter to know of the merchant wether the 
ship would be ready; but the master of 
the snip doubting that it was some dane 
gerous employment he was fired upon, 
absolutely refused the merchant, and 
would not undertake to carry us overs 
whereupon we were forced to go back 
again to Frank Windham’s, at Trent, 
where we might be in some safety till we 
had 
