In this council the king proposed the marching to London, to put an
end to the Parliament and encourage his friends and loyal subjects in
Kent, who were ready to rise for him; and showed us letters from
the Earl of Newcastle, wherein he offered to join his Majesty with a
detachment of 4000 horse, and 8000 foot, if his Majesty thought fit
to march southward, and yet leave forces sufficient to guard the
north from any invasion. I confess, when I saw the scheme the king had
himself drawn for this attempt, I felt an unusual satisfaction in my
mind, from the hopes that he might bring this war to some tolerable
end; for I professed myself on all occasions heartily weary with
fighting with friends, brothers, neighbours, and acquaintance, and I
made no question but this motion of the king's would effectually bring
the Parliament to reason.
All men seemed to like the enterprise but the Earl of Worcester, who,
on particular views for securing the country behind, as he called it,
proposed the taking in the town of Gloucester and Hereford first. He
made a long speech of the danger of leaving Massey, an active bold
fellow, with a strong party in the heart of all the king's quarters,
ready on all occasions to sally out and surprise the neighbouring
garrisons, as he had done Sudley Castle and others; and of the ease
and freedom to all those western parts to have them fully cleared
of the enemy.
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