“That no one should quit the house, but that she would keep it, whilst God enabled her, against all the king’s enemies; that, in brief, she would receive no more messages, but referred them to her lord, scorning their malice, and defying their assaults.”

As the sequel of a business often depends upon the manner of its beginning, to second and confirm this answer the next morning she ordered a sally, when Captain Farmer with one hundred foot and Lieutenant Kay with twelve horse, their whole cavalry, went forth at different gates.  Captain Farmer, determining to take them by surprise, marched up to the enemy’s works without firing a shot; then pouncing upon them suddenly in their trenches, he ordered a close and well-aimed volley, which quickly made them leave their holes in great disorder.  Immediately Lieutenant Kay, wheeling round with his horse, took them in flank, doing great execution as they fled.  There were slain of the enemy about thirty men.  The spoil was forty muskets, one drum, and six prisoners.

The retreat of this little band was skilfully secured by Captain Ogle and Captain Rawsthorne, so that not one of the assailants was either slain or wounded.

The besiegers were much annoyed with devices, ingeniously contrived by the garrison to intimidate them, and hinder and injure their work.  Hitherto they had not been able to cast up a mound for their ordnance, so harassed and occupied were they with these incessant alarms.  But Rigby, on whom devolved the plan and conduct of the siege, seeing that their affairs were in no thriving condition, but that rather they were the scoff and jest of the garrison, who daily taunted them from the walls, determined at all hazards to raise his cannon.  For this purpose a considerable number of the peasantry and poorer sort in the neighbourhood, and for miles round, were driven like beasts to their daily work, labouring unremittingly at the mounds and trenches.  At first they were sheltered by baskets and hurdles, afterwards by a testudo, or wooden house running upon wheels and roofed with thick planks.  Still many lives were lost in this desperate service.  In the end they brought up one piece of cannon, amusing themselves like schoolboys at a holiday, in practising their harmless reports.  The first shot struck the outer wall, but it was found proof.  Afterwards they aimed higher, intending to beat down a pinnacle or turret, but this also passed without damage.  The last shot, which missed entirely, went over and beyond the buildings, burrowing in a field on the other side.

When they had performed this mighty feat they sounded another parley, having, as they supposed, mightily beat down the hearts of the besieged.  Colonel Rigby’s chaplain then appeared at the gate with a letter that Sir Thomas Fairfax had received from Lord Derby, who was now at Chester, on his return from the Isle of Man.  In this epistle he desired a free and honourable passage for his lady and their