the meantime, several bodies of ‘horse’ mentioned as deserting, or taking quarter and service on the Parliament side.[1] It is over these that Lehunt is to be appointed Colonel; and to Fairfax as General-in-chief ‘of all the Parliament’s Forces raised or to be raised, it belongs to give him and his subordinates the due commissions.
July 5th. Young Villiers Duke of Buckingham, son of the assassinated Duke; he with his Brother Francis, with the Earl of Holland, and others who will pay dear for it, started up about Kingston-on-Thames with another open Insurrectionary Armament; guided chiefly by Dutch Dalbier, once Cromwell’s instructor, but now gone over to the other side. Fairfax and the Army being all about Colchester in busy Siege, there seemed a good opportunity here. They rode towards Reigate, these Kingston Insurgents, several hundreds strong: but a Parliament Party ‘under Major Gibbons’ drives them back: following close, comes to action with them between ‘Nonsuch Park and Kingston,’ where the poor Lord Francis, Brother of the Duke, fell mortally wounded;—drives them across the river ‘into Hertfordshire’; into the lion’s jaws. For Fairfax sent a Party out from Colchester; overtook them at St. Neot’s; and captured, killed, or entirely dissipated them.[2] Dutch Dalbier was hacked in pieces, ‘so angry were the soldiers at him.’ The Earl of Holland stood his trial afterwards; and lost his head. The Duke of Buckingham got off;—might almost as well have died with poor Brother Francis here, for any good he afterwards did. Two pretty youths, as their Vandyke Portraits in Hampton Court still testify; one of whom lived to become much uglier!
July 8th. Duke Hamilton, with the actual Scotch Army, is ‘at Annan’ on the Western Border, ready to step across to England. Not quite Forty-thousand: yet really about half that number, tolerably effective. Langdale, with a vanguard of Three-thousand Yorkshiremen, is to be guide; Monro, with a body of horse that had long served in Ulster, is to bring-up
