Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 9.djvu/143

 1569.] THE RISING OF THE NORTH. 129 so I do indeed. Your Majesty must consider whethei it shall be greater surety for you to pardon these Earls their part taken and their offences past, to call them to attend at your Court, where you may be sure from any practice, and this winter to purge this country and the other parts of the realm of the ill-affected ; and so to avoid the danger of foreign aid and make all sure at home ; or else to hazard battle against desperate men, with soldiers that fight against their conscience. ' If it come to the fight, either God shall give you the victory, or if any man will stand with me, you shall find my carcase on the ground, whatever the rest of my company do ; for besides my duty to your Majesty, I will, for my conscience' sake, spend all my lives, if I had a thousand, against all the world that shall draw sword against our religion ; but I find all the wisest Protest- ants affected that you should offer mercy before you try the sword/ 1 The Earls understood thoroughly that for the time the game was in their hands. They advanced straight and steadily southwards, their numbers varying or variously reported as from eight to fifteen thousand, among whom were two thousand horse well armed and appointed. The only regular troops in the Presidency were on the Border in garrison at Berwick or Carlisle, or in the Middle Marches with Sir John Foster. Both Sussex and Cecil wrote pressing!}^ that some of these soldiers should be sent to York ; but they could not be 1 Sussex to the Queen, November 15 : MSS. Border. VOL. ix. 9