With the help of this boat, I
got over 100 troopers first, and then their horses, and then 200 more
without their horses; and with this party fell in with one of the
small bodies of foot that were posted on that side, and having routed
them, and after them the reserve which stood on the road, I made up
to the other party. They stood their ground, and having rallied the
runaways of both the other parties, charged me with their pikes, and
brought me to a retreat; but by this time the king had sent over 300
men more, and they coming up to me, the foot retreated. Those on the
bridge finding how 'twas, and having no supplies sent them, as before,
fainted, and fled; and the dragoons rushing forward, most of them were
killed; about 150 of the enemy were killed, of which all the officers
at the bridge, the rest run away.
The town suffered for it, for our men left them little of anything
they could carry. Here we halted and raised contributions, took money
of the country and of the open towns, to exempt them from plunder.
Twice we faced the town of Cambridge, and several of our officers
advised his Majesty to storm it. But having no foot, and but 1200
dragoons, wiser heads diverted him from it, and leaving Cambridge
on the left, we marched to Woburn, in Bedfordshire, and our parties
raised money all over the country quite into Hertfordshire, within
five miles of St Alban's.
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