Page:The histories of Launceston and Dunheved, in the county of Cornwall.djvu/291

 CIVIL WAR. 261 warfare should occur in the two counties. It was hoped that, in the interim, general terms of peace might be settled. It is clear, however, that neither party had much confidence in such a result. At Launceston, as elsewhere, the utmost vigilance and preparations for war manifested themselves. Our accounts disclose that on the nth January, 1642 [3], Stokes "pd for a man & 2 horses for S r Ralph Hopton to Lostwithiell 6s." This entry points to the time when Sir Ralph was either on his way to or returning from the quarter sessions at Truro, with his little force of 100 horse and 50 dragoons. Sir Ralph had been welcomed into Cornwall by Sir Bevil Grenville, who marched with him towards the West. The Parliamentarians had made a presentment to the sessions against "divers men unknown, who were come armed into the county." Although Sir Ralph Hopton was not named in the presentment, it was well understood that the net was designed to catch him. Sir Ralph voluntarily appeared before the Justices, and produced the commission from the King to the Marquis of Hertford, and from the Marquis to himself, appointing him (Sir Ralph) lieutenant-general of the horse.* The jury not only acquitted Sir Ralph and his companions, but declared that it was a favour of his Majesty to send down help to them ; and the same court forthwith found an indictment against Sir Alexander Carew and Sir Richard Buller for " a rout and unlawful assembly at Launceston." On that indictment an order of sessions was granted to the High Sheriff to raise the posse comitatus for dispersing the unlawful assembly at Launceston, and for Summer Assizes of 1642, and not at the Truro Sessions of January, 1642-3. We admit such a possibility ; but inasmuch as these assizes were held either in July or August, and the battle ot Edgehill was not fought until October of 1642, and moreover as I Iopton did not himself come into Cornwall until after the battle of Edgehill, we incline to the opinion that Lord Clarendon's version is corroborated by our cotemporaneous MSS.
 * We have seen it stated that this presentment was made at the Launceston