ad taken shipping for France to get relief a
few days before.

Here a grand council of war was called, and several things were
proposed, but as it always is in distress, people are most irresolute,
so 'twas here. Some were for breaking through by force, our number
being superior to the enemy's horse. To fight them with their foot
would be desperation and ridiculous; and to retreat would but be
to coop up themselves in a narrow place, where at last they must be
forced to fight upon disadvantage, or yield at mercy. Others opposed
this as a desperate action, and without probability of success, and
all were of different opinions. I confess, when I saw how things
were, I saw 'twas a lost game, and I was for the opinion of breaking
through, and doing it now, while the country was open and large, and
not being forced to it when it must be with more disadvantage. But
nothing was resolved on, and so we retreated before the enemy. Some
small skirmishes there happened near Bodmin, but none that were very
considerable.

'Twas the 1st of March when we quitted Bodmin, and quartered at large
at Columb, St Dennis, and Truro, and the enemy took his quarters at
Bodmin, posting his horse at the passes from Padstow on the north, to
Wadebridge, Lostwithiel, and Fowey, spreading so from sea to sea,
that now breaking through was impossible. There was no more room for
counsel; for unless we had ships to carry us off, we had nothing to do
but when we were fallen upon, to defend ourselves, and sell victory as
dear as we could to the enemies.

The Prince of Wales seeing the distress we were in, and loth to
fall into the enemy's hands, ships himself on board some vessels at
Falmouth, with about 400 lords and gentlemen. And as I had no command
here to oblige my attendance, I was once going to make one, but my
comrades, whom I had been the principal occasion of bringing hither,
began to take it ill, that I would leave them, and so I resolved we
would take our fate together.

While thus we had nothing before us but a soldier's death, a fair
field, and a strong enemy, and people began to look one upon another,
the soldiers asked how their officers looked, and the officers asked
how their soldiers looked, and every day we expected to be our last,
when unexpectedly the enemy's general sent a trumpet to Truro to my
Lord Hopton, with a very handsome gentlemanlike offer:--

That since the general could not be ignorant of his present condition,
and t