Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 9.djvu/227

 THE RISING OF THE NORTH. 213 to Carlisle Castle. He answered from Naworth that he was ill and could not leave his bed, and Scrope at once agreed with the rest, that his arrest could not be ven- tured safely without troops from the South. For him- self, he said that if he raised the whole county of Cum- berland, the people would not serve against the Dacres, and if it came to blows they would take the Dacres' eide. 1 Spies reported that JSTaworth was full of men and was provisioned for many weeks. There were cannon on the corner turrets. The castle was protected on one side by a moat, on the other by a deep ravine that sunk pre- cipitously from the foot of the walls. The country was utterly bare, and there was no shelter anywhere to cover an approach. The armoury at Carlisle was practically empty ; there were a few old honey-combed guns there, but without carriages and unfit for service. There were no troops left between Berwick and Carlisle beyond the ordinary Border guard, and Westmoreland and Buc- cleuch were for ever in the field, driving ' great booties of cattle and sheep/ and threatening to burn Newcastle. Bishop Pilkington came panting into Berwick with the news that Durham was again fermenting. The rebels had sworn ' to hang the prebendaries/ ' whereof they were so affeared that they were ready to fly out of the country.' 2 The communication along the Marches was unsafe. Buccleuch, Herries, Maxwell, Lochinvar, and 1 Scrope to Cecil, January 31 ; Scrope to Hvmsdon, February 3 : MSS. Border. 2 Hunsdon to Cecil, February 7 : MSS. Border,