a-half of foot to march to the van, whilst the brigade under Colonel Monk, and that under Colonels Pride and Overton, with the two remaining regiments of horse, brought up the cannon and rear. They, how. ever, stood in battalia all the day; a great ditch or ravine, formed by Spott water, from Brands-mill westward, lay between both armies, offering much disadvantage to those who should first attempt to pass it. During the night, the English drew as close to the ravine as possible, with their field pieces planted in each regiment. Before dawn on Tuesday, the 3d September, Cromwell despatched three regiments of horse and two of foot, to force the pass of Pease, whereby they might the more readily get round upon the Scots. This dispute was effected in about an hour. At sun-rise, the Protector, standing on a gentle eminence east from Broxmouth-house, still called Cromwell-mount, reconnoitred with his telescope the Scots camp in motion: They are coming down," he exclaimed," the Lord hath delivered them into our hands!" Both armies had now assumed the canting style of the times. The watchword of the Scots was, "The Covenant;" that of the English, " The Lord of Hosts." About six o'clock the battle became general. The Scottish lancers coming gallantly down the hill, were as bravely repulsed. Two regiments of the English foot deployed below Broxmouth-house towards the sea, and fell upon the Scottish flank, at the eastern extremity of their line, with pike and musket. This attack was well sustained, till a troop of the enemy's horse coming up, cut the Scots down in all quarters, and

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left them to the mercy of the infantry. The Scots now began to fall back, and the sun shining full on their faces as it rose from the sea, Cromwell seized the lucky moment, and exclaimed: "Now let God arise, and his enemies shall be scattered." His iron brigade making a successful charge up the hill, the Scottish foot threw down their arms, and fled in every direction, some towards Cockburnspath and others to Haddington, whither they were pursued. Never was victory more complete: the fugitives now became, as Cromwell observed," as stubble to their swords;" about 3000 were slain, and 9000 taken prisoners. Their whole train was taken; consisting of thirty-two pieces of ordnance, with small, great, and leather guns; two hundred colours, horse and foot, with arms, tents, baggage, &c. The loss of the English was so trifling as to be almost incredible; it was stated at forty men in the whole engagement, and not one officer, except M. Rokesby, who died of his wounds; but from the resolute attack of the Scots at the onset, the small loss of the English is justly doubted.†

*Many of the killed are said to have been buried in and about Spott-dean. Muskets, bullets, swords, human bones, pieces of scarlet cloth, &c. were sometimes found in the neighbourhood.

† According to Whitelock, "at the battle of Dunbar 15,000 were killed and taken. Of these the general sent home upon their pa role 5000 of the prisoners, being wounded, old men and boys; the men house-keepers, forced out of their houses to take arms, and 2100 of them died by the way; the other 5000 were sent prisoners to Berwick, and so to Newcastle."

"The governor of Berwick gave to each Scotch prisoner for one

Many men of distinction fell in this fatal conflict; amongst whom were the Homes of Wedderburn, father and son; Sir William Douglas of Kirkness, who appears to have fallen at Broxmouth, as a plain stone, bearing his name, in legible characters, lies in the shrubbery south-east from the house. Amongst the prisoners were twelve lieutenant-colonels, six majors, thirty-seven captains, &c. Cromwell's first act after the battle was to return thanks to the Almighty for the victory he had gained; and, as if anxious to refute the odium of cruelty imputed to him, sent back the principal prisoners in his own coach, and the wounded in waggons. It is further asserted by Walker, that, after the battle of Dunbar, he sent a thousand of the wounded men in a gallantry to the countess of Winton."

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The following proclamation was issued by the conqueror, respecting the wounded left in the field:

"Forasmuch as I understand that there are several soldiers of the enemy's army yet abiding in the field, who, by reason of their wounds, could not march from thence these are, therefore, to give notice to the inhabitants of this nation, that they may have free liberty to repair to the field aforesaid, and with their carts, or any other peaceable way, to carry the

day three biskits, and a pottle of pease, which, they said, was more than their own officers gave them three days together.

" November 11. The Scots prisoners taken at the battle of Dunbar, at their first coming to Newcastle, got into the gardens, and fed so greedily upon the raw cabbages, that they poisoned their bodies; 1600 of them died, 500 more were sick; and 900, in health, were sent to work there."-Whitelock's Mem.

said soldiers to such places as they shall think fit; provided they meddle not, or take away any of the arms there; and all officers and soldiers are to take notice that the same is permitted. Given under my hand at Dunbar.

"September 4. 1650."

"O. CROMWELL."

The parliament ordered, that the colours taken at the battles of Preston and Dunbar, should be hung up in Westminster Hall, and that medals of gold and silver should be given to the soldiery, in remembrance of God's mercy, and of their valour and victory.

Cromwell spent the next day at Dunbar in writing letters to the House of Commons, detailing the victory, which will be found in Note I. at the end of this chapter. It has been remarked, that his principal victories at Dunbar and Worcester happened on the 3d of September; and, finally, his death on that day.

After Cromwell was promoted to the Protectorship, Monk, who distinguished himself as one who led the van at the late battle, was appointed commander-inchief in Scotland, and one of the commissioners for uniting that country with the commonwealth. He took up his residence at Dalkeith, and remained there chiefly during the years that intervened between that period and the restoration; during which time a number of letters passed between him and the magistrates of Dunbar, regarding the assessments levied on the burgh. This correspondence is preserv ed in the archives of that place, and will be found in Note II. appended to this chapter.

NOTES TO CHAPTER XII.

NOTE I.

A Letter from the LORD GENERAL CROMWELL, from Dunbar; containing a true Relation of the Proceedings of the Parliament Army under his command in Scotland: and the success God was pleased to give them against the Scots army, in a battle at Dunbar, Sept. 9. 1650.

FOR THE HONOURABLE WILLIAM LEUTHAL, ESQ. SPEAKER OF THE

PARLIAMENT OF ENGLAND.

"SIR, I HOPE it is not ill taken, that I make no more frequent addresses to the parliament; things that are of trouble, in point of provision for your army, and of ordinary direction, I have, as I could, often presented to the councel of state, together with such occurrences as have happened; who, I am sure, as they have not been wanting in their extraordinary care and provision for us, so neither what they judge fit and necessary, to represent the same to you; and this I thought to be a sufficient discharge of my duty on that behalf.

"It hath now pleased God to bestow a mercy upon ycu, worthy your knowledge, and of the utmost praise and thanks of all that fear ard love his name; yea, the mercy is far above all praise, which, that you may the better perceive, I shall take the boldness to tender unto you some circumstances accompanying this great business, which will manifest the greatness and seasonableness of this mercy. We having tryed what we could to engage the enemy three or four miles west of Edinburgh; that proving ineffectual, and our victual failing, we marched towards our ships for a recruit of our wants. The enemy did not at all trouble us in our rear, but marched the direct way towards Edinburgh, and partly in the night and morning, slips through his whole army, and quarters himself in a posture easie to interpose between us and our victual; but the Lord made him lose the opportunity; and the morning proving exceeding wet and dark, we recovered, by that time it was light, into a ground where they could not