IT is a mere truism in the history of revolutions to assert that they are seldom brought to a close by the persons or political parties with whom they originate. Men whose existence was perhaps scarcely known to the world at large when the onward movement took its origin rise in succession to the surface, acquire the government, and carry forward the work to lengths and heights which their predecessors never contemplated. It is in tracing this sequence of political parties, the gradual growth of what was looked upon in the first instance as a contemptible and almost senseless faction, its struggles for the mastery, the arts (too often unworthy) by which it acquired the ascendancy, its acts whilst in a condition of dominancy, and finally the errors by which it forfeited power and made way for the next in turn, that much of the interest of historical narrative is found.

The great necessities that the Scoch army and mine were in hath caused us to devide our armies, and to march into fresh quarters. I am upon my marche, and doe hope, God willing, to be at Doncaster to-morrow night, and there to stay untill I shall reseive your comands. My men, through want of clothes and other necessaries, fall sicke dayly. I hope the Lord will preserve us from any pestilentiall disease, yet the Scoch army and mine is very much weakened through sicknes. I thinke fitt to give your Lops an account where our quarters are. The Scotts are quartered at Leeds and Wakefield. I am quartered at Doncaster, and soe forward towards Newarke. Wee have left the Lord Fairefax with his forces in Yorke, and he hath now only some few castles that make oposition to him.

In the beginning at my coming into the Earle of Manchester's army in February last I was commanded to goe with Cromwell towards Hilsdan Howse, which was taken, and so ordered to continue about Buckingam and thereabouts with both horse and foote. Cromwell went to Cambridge for the further settlement of things there, and in his absence one Leiftenant Paker, a notorious Anabaptist, disobeyed Major-General Craufurd's orders neere Bedford, whereupon the head of the armie gave the said Paker a sore cheque and putt him in arest, so that the said Paker complayned to the said Cromwell, who uppon my returne to Cambridge sent Leiftenant Coll. Rich to signifie unto mee that I did exceeding ill in chequing such a man which was not well taken, hee being a Godly man, and so further of that there was no more.

About the middle of December, now allmost two yeares sine, the now Leiuetenant-Generall Cromwell being then captaine of a troope of horse under the command of the Earle of Essex, and 1 well knowinge that he had some part of his estate lyinge in the lie of Ely, and a good part of my owne estate lying in the same He, and I well understood the dayly approch of the enimie upon our bordering counteys, and that the enimie and many of the inhabitants did plott to take that He for theire quarters, and soe to annoy all the adjacent counteys that bounde upon the sayd Ile.

Being commanded by the House to give an accompt concerning the many opportunityes lost and advantages given to the enemy since the late conjunction of our armyes (which seemed to be by some miscarriage or neglect in the conduct of the armyes), and especially of our not prosecuteing the victory at Newbery in time to prevent the King's rallying, of our suffering him (after he had recollected and gott to an heade againe) to relieve Dennington Castle and fetch off his ordnance (with all hee had left there) in the face of our armyes, and to goe off without fighting; of our quiting of Newberry afterwards, and withdrawing the siege from Basing. I did in my narrative of the story freely declare that I thought the Earle of Manchester was most in fault for most of those miscarriages and the ill consequences of them.

1. That the Earl by his constant backwordnesse to action, and unwillingnesse to ingage with the enimys, hath lost many faire advantages and opportunityes, and hath neclected the commands of Parlement and booth Kindomes in matters of importance.

1. Ha. that ther weare propositions made to the Earl when he came from Yorke to beleauger Newarke, which was a thing very feasable, but the Earl wold not consent unto it.

2. Ri. that after the Earle came from Yorke he found him allwayes backward to putt his armye to action.

3. Wa. that when ther wear propositions made to the Earl to putt his army into action he was very backword, and, beeing advised to build a fort a[t] Musham Bridge to block upp Newark, he refused it, and when ther wear propositions sent to march into Cheshire he refused to goe.