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1921 THE BATTLE OF EDGEHILL 41 showing as much dexterity, presence of mind and personal courage as any man. He is said to be at Oxford last night for all the victory God was so bethanked. On Wednesday night late the children were carried from St. James into the city for the place's security, though the women with tears besought the contrary, the house not being aired, the children sickly and the night late. They fortify Westminster etc. but give God thanks and pray heartily. Ill Bodleian Library, Ashmole MS. 830, fo. 292. Dear Mother, I am very thankful to God to receive the glad news of your health and my friends in Cheshire. It did much trouble me to depart from you as I did, but I thought it better to do so than to take a more serious leave which might have occasioned more compunction and have prevailed nothing to alter my resolution which had before engaged me to wait on Sir Edward [Fitton] in this business which my conscience powerfully tells me is the most noble just and christian cause that can be defended. And I wish as I hope God will bless with an happy success being for the defence of His own truth and His own anointed for oelieve me nothing else should have carried me so far from you, no sinister or by respect in all the world. And did I in my soul believe that this cause were not right you may not conceive I am not so lost a man in the world as to hazard my life and estate so rashly or could I suspect any inclination or the least smiling at all towards papistry, tyranny or any other either false religion or government in it, my soul is so precious (I praise God) that I would sooner lose all the world than suffer it to shipwreck [?]. A true Protestant christian I was born, baptised into the true faith of Christ, promised and vowed to maintain it and so by God's grace I will to my last blood, and am satisfied that to die in this faith will be a glorious martyrdom, for to me to live is and to die is gain. You desire to know the truth of our battle and I am very willing to satisfy you, that gladly I could write but have not time to be long. A word or two of truth is better than a thousand lies and I protest before God I will not falsify a syllable to my knowledge. On Sunday the 23 Oct. about 2 o'clock in the afternoon in a part of red-horse- vale, called Keinton fields, our armies joined but with great disadvantage they being 18000 men (foot) or thereabouts, and we not 10000 at most (foot), they too having stayed there all night refreshed and ordered their men and not having marched 5 miles that day very fast without ordnance & all to meet them. Our horse quite put to flight and worsted all theirs, chased them 3 or 4 miles together. But our foot was harder held to it and fought with doubtful victory till night parted them. But as I do faithfully believe they lost 5 men or ten of their foot for one of ours besides so many hundred that fled and overrun them, as too many also did from us, more I think than were slain in the field, amongst whom my good cousin Massy was one, but I hope he will be met with if in England. You may consider who had the better by this, that all their horse was either slain or put to flight ; we brought off 9 pieces of