Page:The house of Cecil.djvu/156

 132 THE CECILS

stately stone-built house, not far from Stamford also, called Burghley House, situated in a large park and sur- rounded with a strong stone wall, but God seasonably sending Colonel Hubbard and Colonel Palsgrave to his assistance, both with men and ordnance, the brave Colonel with this auxiliary strength immediately advanced to the said Burghley House, sat down before it, and having com- modiously planted his ordnance, shot at it two or three hours (beginning about three of the clock that morning), but could do no good that way, the house being so strongly built. 1 Then the noble Colonel sounded a parley to the enemy, and offered them quarter, to have their lives and liberty to depart without their weapons ; but the enemy utterly refused the motion, resolutely answering, that they would neither take nor give quarter. Hereupon the valiant Colonel gave present order to storm and assault it with his musketeers ; whereupon the fight grew very hot, and was bravely performed on both sides for awhile, and with much difficulty and danger on ours, the enemy being very active and confident ; and thus the assault continued divers hours, till at last the Cavaliers' courage began to fail, ours pressing on them very fiercely and furiously, so that they sounded a parley from within the house : whereupon the as virtuous as valourous Colonel, commanding presently that not one of his soldiers should dare to shoot or kill any man during the parley on pain of death, notwithstanding their former cruel and bloody answer to his foresaid proffer of quarter to them : in brief they soon concluded upon quarter for their lives, and so they took them all, being two colonels, six or seven captains, three or four hundred foot, and about an hundred and fifty or two hundred horse, with all their arms and ammunition, together with the pillage of the whole house."

1 Charlton states that the attack was directed against the south side of the house, and that several indentations, supposed to be the marks made by cannon balls are visible below the first floor windows on that side.

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