tee the morning of his delivery, who thereupon
were so civil unto him, especially Sir William Ermin of Lincolnshire,
who at first wondered I appeared not against him; but upon my humble
request, my long continued antagonist was enlarged and had his liberty.

In 1651 I purchased one hundred and ten pounds _per Annum_ in fee-farm
rents for one thousand and thirty pounds. I paid all in ready money; but
when his Majesty King Charles the Second, 1660, was restored, I lost it
all again, and it returned to the right owner; the loss thereof never
afflicted me, for I have ever reduced my mind according to my fortune. I
was drawn in by several persons to make that simple purchase. The year I
bought it, I had my ascendant directed into a Trine of Jupiter first,
and in the same year into the _Cauda Draconis_--my fortune into a
quadrant of Mercury. When Colchester was besieged, John Booker and
myself were sent for, where we encouraged the soldiers, assuring them
the town would very shortly be surrendered, as indeed it was: I would
willingly have obtained leave to enter the town, to have informed Sir
Charles Lucas, whom I well knew, with the condition of affairs as they
then stood, he being deluded by false intelligence: at that time my
scholar Humphreys was therein, who many times deluded the Governor with
expectation of relief; but failing very many times with his lies, at
last he had the bastinado, was put in prison, and inforced to become a
soldier; and well it was he escaped so.--During my being there, the
steeple of St. Mary's Church was much battered by two cannons purposely
placed: I was there one day about three of the clock in the afternoon,
talking with the cannoneer, when presently he desired us to look to
ourselves, for he perceived by his perspective glass there was a piece
charged in the castle against his work, and ready to be discharged. I
ran for haste under an old ash-tree, and immediately the cannon-bullet
came hissing quite over us. 'No danger now,' saith the gunner, 'but
begone, for there are five more charging,' which was true; for two hours
after those cannons were discharged, and unluckily killed our cannoneer
and matross. I came the next morning and saw the blood of the two poor
men lie upon the planks: we were well entertained at the head-quarters,
and after two whole days abiding there, came for London.

But we prosecute our story again, and say that in the year 1652 I
purchased my house and some lands in