Griff meantime had made his way to the party headed by the
magistrates, and accompanied by the dragoons, and the mob began to
flee; but Colonel Brereton had given strict orders that the soldiers
should not fire, and the plunderers rallied, made a fire in the
Chapter House, and burnt the whole of the library, shouting with the
maddest triumph.
They next attacked the Cathedral, intending to burn that likewise,
but two brave gentlemen, Mr. Ralph and Mr. Linne, succeeded in
saving this last outrage, at the head of the better affected.
Griff had fought hard. He was all over bruises which he really had
never felt at the time, scarcely even now, though one side of his
face was turning purple, and his clothes were singed. In a sort of
council held at the repulse of the attack on the Cathedral, it had
been decided that the best thing he could do would be to give notice
to Sir George Eastwood, in order that the Yeomanry might be called
out, since the troops were so strangely prevented from acting. As
he rode through Clifton, he had halted at Lady Peacock's, and found
her in extreme alarm. Indeed, no one could guess what the temper of
the mob might be the next day, or whether they might not fall upon
private houses. The Mansion-House, the prisons, the palace were all
burning and were an astounding sight, which terrified her
exceedingly, and she was sending out right and left to endeavour to
get horses to take her away.
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