THE BIVOUAC ON THE PLAIN.
Shortly after the king's departure, two of the newly-raised regiments
proceeded to the quarters temporarily assigned them in the city. Next
day they encamped on the west side of the river. The regiments left
behind remained where they were, and commenced their experience of
military life by bivouacking on the plain. They did not undergo much
hardship, since the night was fine and warm, and the moon being nearly
at the full, every object was as distinctly visible as during daytime.
As far as eatables and drinkables were concerned, the newly-enrolled
troops had no reason to complain. Plenty of provisions and an abundant
supply of good liquor--ale, perry, cider, canary, sack, and other
wines, were sent them by the mayor and sheriff. Though novices in the
art of war, the new soldiers were adepts in drinking, and could empty
their cups as well as the oldest campaigner. Every Cavalier was welcome
to a share of their runlet of sack or claret--but they did not invite
the Scottish soldiers.
Though the night was fine and warm, as we have described, they kept up
their fires, and sat around them to a late hour. These groups, with
arms piled, and horses picketed beside them, lent a very picturesque
appearance to this part of the plain. Further on could be seen the
tents of the Scottish soldiers, bathed in moonlight, but few were
stirring near them except the sentinels. It would almost seem as if
the Scots had retired to rest earlier than their wont to avoid hearing
the songs and laughter of their roystering comrades. A great noise was
undoubtedly made, for a dozen Cavalier ditties were chanted at the same
time by different parties. At last, however, the recruits grew tired of
singing, and began to talk of the war. Round each fire were collected
individuals who had fought at both sieges of Worcester, and these now
favoured their companions with their recollections of those stirring
times.
"Nine years ago," said a burly-looking young man, who had been
addressed as Martin Vosper, "I was just nineteen--so you will readily
guess my age now--and I was then 'prentice to Mr. Lysons, the present
worthy mayor of Worcester. The city, as you know, has always been
loyal, and for that reason was regarded from the very first with
especial disfavour by the rebellious Parliament. In 1642, our faithful
Worcester, for I love to call it so, declared for the king, opened its
gates to Sir John Biron and the three hundred Cavaliers he brought with
him, and fortified its walls. The Roundheads did not leave us long
alone. Lord Say and Colonel Fynes, with a large force, laid siege to
the city; whereupon the king sent word from Oxford that he would bring
fifteen hundred horse and twice as many foot to raise the siege. Our
satisfaction at this agreeable intelligence was damped by hearing that
Lord Essex was marching against us with fourteen thousand men; but
just as we were beginning to despair, Prince Rupert, with his brother
Maurice, threw themselves into the city with a large body of troops.
Then we felt able to set Old Noll himself at defiance. Two successful
stratagems were practised. But I must first describe an action that
took place on this very plain. Determined to strike a decisive blow
before Lord Essex could bring up his forces, Prince Rupert, on the
morning after his arrival, with fifteen troops of horse, marched forth
upon Pitchcroft, and, sounding his trumpets loudly, challenged the
enemy to battle. A gallant sight his troops made, I can assure you,
when drawn up on the plain, for I watched them from the northern walls.
A word about the prince. Never did I behold a fiercer-looking man.
His eye went through you like a rapier. But to proceed. At first the
enemy appeared to decline the challenge, but they were ready enough to
fight, as it turned out, only their forces were dispersed. Lord Say and
Colonel Fynes were elsewhere, as I shall presently explain, but Colonel
Sandys and Colonel Austine brought up their regiments, and the conflict
began. 'Twas a splendid sight. What tremendous charges Prince Rupert
made! How he mowed down the Roundheads! Still he could not break their
ranks. The fight lasted for a couple of hours with varying success,
but the advantage seemed to be with the prince, when a troop of horse
was descried coming from the Blockhouse fields, and a cry arose that
it was the Earl of Essex with his reinforcements. The alarm proved
false, for the troops were those of Colonel Fynes, but on seeing them,
the prince ordered an instant retreat, and dashed precipitately into
the city, whither he was followed so quickly by the Republicans, that
the gate could not be shut, and a desperate fight ensued, which lasted
till midnight, the streets resounding all the time with the rattle of
musketry and the clash of steel. Many a Cavalier died that night, but
not before his sword was reddened with the blood of his adversaries.
The corn-market was full of wounded and dying. Prince Rupert might
have succeeded in driving out the Republicans, if they had not been
strongly reinforced by Lord Say. At length the prince was compelled to
abandon the city, but he rode at the rear of his troops and drove back
the Roundheads who sought to follow him across the bridge."
"Those confounded Parliamentarians _can_ fight, it must be owned,"
remarked one of the listeners. "But what were the stratagems you spoke
of just now, Vosper?"
"You shall hear, Simon Terret," replied the other. "But first give me
a cup of sack to drink the king's health, and confusion to all rebels.
From what I am about to relate you will perceive that the conflict
on Pitchcroft was part of a cleverly-devised scheme, that ought to
have succeeded better than it did. Prince Rupert having ascertained
from his scouts that Lord Say had taken a detachment of a thousand
men to Powick, while another equally large detachment had been taken
by Colonel Fynes to Perry Wood--the object of the two Republican
commanders being to surround the prince, as his highness perfectly
understood--he endeavoured to out-manoeuvre them. With this design a
clever spy was sent to Powick, who represented himself as a servant
to the Earl of Essex, and stated, with an air of great plausibility,
that Cromwell had entered Worcester--and that, if Lord Say advanced
immediately, the retreat of the Royalists would infallibly be cut off.
Duped by the man's apparent sincerity, Lord Say acted on the advice,
and fell into an ambuscade that cost him five-and-twenty men. Colonel
Fynes was imposed on in much the same manner. A messenger galloped up
to Perry Wood and informed him that Prince Rupert was advancing with
ten thousand men, whereupon he fell back four miles. But he found out
the stratagem rather too soon. It was his force that subsequently
alarmed Prince Rupert and caused his highness to retreat into the city.
Had not this discovery occurred, the prince would have beaten the enemy
in detail."
"I think I have heard that those two clever spies were hanged,"
remarked Terret.
"Ay marry, were they," replied Vosper. "They were hanged with several
other good citizens and staunch Royalists on a gallows as high as
Haman's, which was set up in the market-place by Old Noll."
"Would Old Noll were hanged on a like gallows!" cried several voices.
"The _Jus Furcarum_ was an enviable privilege," remarked one of the
circle. "If I possessed the right, as did the old priors of St. Mary, I
would hang every Roundhead rogue of them all."
"Ha! ha! ha!" laughed the others.
"Ah! never shall I forget the barbarities practised by Essex's soldiers
when they took the city," observed Vosper. "Heaven preserve us from
a repetition of such dreadful usage. But all these severities did not
check the loyal spirit of the citizens. You recollect the second siege
in 1646, Trubshaw," he observed to another person near him, "when
Worcester was invested by Sir William Brereton and Colonel Birch?"
"Ay, Colonel Henry Washington was governor at the time," replied
Trubshaw--"as brave a man as ever drew sword, and as loyal.[4] Several
skirmishes occurred outside the walls, but there was an affair at
St. John's in which I, myself, took part. The Parliamentary generals
had blockaded the city on that side, lining the approaches to St.
John's with musketeers, and quartering a large force behind the tower.
Determined to dislodge them, Governor Washington sallied forth one
night with a couple of hundred horse, of whom I myself was one, and
five hundred foot. Tybridge-street, which you know leads to the bridge
from St. John's, was strongly barricaded by the enemy, but we drove
back their advanced guard to Cripplegate, where being reinforced by
horse and foot, they made a stand, but they could not resist our brave
commander, who attacked them with such vigour that he quickly routed
them, and would have put them all to the sword if they had not sought
refuge in the church. We set fire to the houses in Cripplegate, so they
could no longer find shelter there. In this sortie we killed a hundred
of the enemy, and took ten prisoners. Our own loss was trifling.
Governor Washington gained much credit by the achievement."
"Not more than he deserved," remarked another of the interlocutors
named Barkesdale. "Governor Washington was a man of undaunted
resolution, as his answer shows, when he was summoned to surrender
the city. 'It may be easy,' he wrote to General Fairfax, 'for your
excellency to procure his majesty's commands for the disposal of this
garrison. Till then I shall make good the trust reposed in me. As for
conditions, if necessitated, I shall make the best I can. The worst I
know, and fear not.'"
"A brave answer!" cried Vosper. "Did you know Captain Hodgkins? 'Wicked
Will,' as he was called by the Roundheads?"
"Know him! ay," rejoined Barkesdale. "Captain Hodgkins drank deeper,
and fought harder, than any Cavalier of his day. One night, after
he had emptied half a dozen flasks of claret, he crossed the bridge
with a small band of boon companions, surprised the enemy's guard
at Cripplegate, drove them back as far as the Bull Ring, which you
know is close to St. John's, and put several of them to the sword. In
returning, he fell from his horse in Tybridge-street, and not being
able to walk, was tossed into a boat and rowed across the Severn.
In another sally, being somewhat more sober, he brought back seven
prisoners."
"Seven prisoners! ha! ha!" laughed the whole circle.
"'Tis a pity he did not die a soldier's death," observed Trubshaw. "His
body was found in the Severn below the city, near Bunshill. Whether he
was accidentally drowned, or thrown into the river, is uncertain."
"Wicked Will's death was a judgment," observed a deep voice behind them.
Trubshaw and some others turned at the remark, and perceived a tall,
thin man, moving away in the direction of the river. Hitherto this
person had eluded observation as he had been standing among the horses.
"A spy has been amongst us!--a Roundhead!" cried Vosper, springing to
his feet.
"Seize the rogue and make him give an account of himself," cried
Trubshaw, likewise starting up. "What ho! stand!" he shouted.
The spy paid no heed to the summons, but speeded towards the river. The
Scottish sentries were too far off to challenge him, and did not fire.
Vosper and Trubshaw started in pursuit. But the spy reached the river
before them, and jumped into a boat, which he had doubtless moored to
the bank.
When his pursuers came up he was pulling vigorously across the stream.
A pistol was fired at him by Vosper, but without effect.
With a mocking laugh he then altered his course, and rowing down the
stream, soon disappeared beneath one of the narrow arches of the bridge.