This day the Parliament sent a messenger to their prisoners to know
how they fared, and how they were used; who returned word, that
they fared indifferent well, and were very civilly used, but that
provisions were scarce, and therefore dear.
This day a party of horse, with 300 foot, sallied out, and marched
as far as the fort on the Isle of Mersey, which they made a show of
attacking, to keep in the garrison. Meanwhile the rest took a good
number of cattle from the country, which they brought safe into the
town, with five waggons laden with corn. This was the last they
could bring in that way, the lines being soon finished on that
side.
This day the Lord Fairfax sent in a trumpet to the Earl of Norwich
and the Lord Goring, offering honourable conditions to them all,
allowing all the gentlemen their lives and arms, exemption from
plunder, and passes, if they desired to go beyond sea, and all the
private men pardon, and leave to go peaceably to their own
dwellings. But the Lord Goring and the rest of the gentlemen
rejected it, and laughed at them, upon which the Lord Fairfax made
proclamation, that his men should give the private soldiers in
Colchester free leave to pass through their camp, and go where they
pleased without molestation, only leaving their arms, but that the
gentlemen should have no quarter. This was a great loss to the
Royalists, for now the men foreseeing the great hardships they were
like to suffer, began to slip away, and the Lord Goring was obliged
to forbid any to desert on pain of present death, and to keep
parties of horse continually patrolling to prevent them;
notwithstanding which many got away.
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