foon after it was erected, and could not be fixed again in a day or two. This (as Rufhworth, Hooper, and fome others take notice,) was looked upon by many melancholy people as a fatal prefage of the war."

"The following other particulars remarkable, happened during the king's stay at Nottingham"

"The day after his arrival at Nottingham he reviewed his horfe, which were 800, and no fooner was this review over but the king received information that two regiments of foot were marching to Coventry by the earl of Effex's order; whereupon he hafted thither with his cavalry, in hopes of preventing the parliament's forces, and poffeffing himself of that city, before which he accordingly arrived a day before the two regiments, but the mayor of the city, tho' without a garrifon, fhut the gates against him, and fired upon his men; the king was very fenfibly touched with this indignity, but as there was no remedy he was forced to return to Nottingham, leaving the command of his cavalry to commiffary-general Wilmot; Rapin adds from Clarendon: that on the 2d of Auguft the king imagined that fetting up his standard at Nottingham would draw great numbers of people, thither, but was very much difappointed; he had with him but 300 foot and fome trained bands, drawn together by Sir John Digby, fheriff of the county; his horfe (as has been faid) conlifted only of 800; his artillery was ftill at York, from whence it was difficult to bring it, many things being yet wanting to prepare and form it for marching; nevertheless he had given out many commiffions and ordered his forces to repair to Nottingham; he expected them in that town, tho' not without danger, the parliament having at Coventry, 5000 foot, and 1500 horse."

"The king was certainly in great danger at Nottingham, the town was not in a condition to refift long, the king having fcarce any forces and the parliament troops were not above twenty miles off, which had they marched directly to Nottingham, the king must either have retired with dishonour to York, or elfe have hazarded his being made prifoner; this danger was evident, and yet quitting Nottingham could not be very prejudicial to him: He was therefore advised to fend a meffage to both houfes with fome overture to incline them to a treaty; the king refused it, was offended at it, and broke up the council: the next day the fame motion was renewed, but under a different view, i.e. it was advised to fend a meffage to both houfes only to gain time, the king was ftill reluctant, but upon it being reprefented to him that very likely both houfes would reject the offer, they would thereby render themselves odious to the people, who were defirous of peace, and who would be the more inclinable to ferve his majefty for his endeavours to procure it, that if the overture was accepted, the king would have an opportunity of demonftrating that the war on his part was purely defenfive; in fhort, that the bare offer of peace would of courfe retard the preparations of the parliament, because men's minds would be in fufpence, whilft the king's levies might be continued by virtue of the commiffions already fent out: The king yielded to thefe reafons, and on the 25th of Auguft three days after the fetting up of the standard [within the caftle] a meffage was fent by Thomas Wrothefley earl of Southampton, Sir John Culpepper, the earl of Dorfet and Sir William Uvedale, knight.” a

This overture, every one knows, was rejected with indignation. While the king was at Nottingham, this year, he fent a letter to the mayor and corporation of Leicefter difowning

4. DEERING.

owning his having any knowledge of a letter fent by his nephew, Prince Rupert to that body demanding a loan from them of £2000. a The kings letter.

"

"Trufty and well-beloved we greete you well. We have feen a warrant under o'r "nephew Rupert's hand dated ye 6th of this month, requiring from you and other Inhabitants of our Towne of Leicester ye loan of 2000, wih as wee doe utterly difavow and "diflike, as being written without our priority or confent. Soe wee doe hereby abfolutely free and discharge you and that our Towne from yeelding any obedience to the "fame, and by our owne letters to our faid Nephew wee have written to him to rebuke ye fame, as being an act very difpleafing to Us: Wee indeede gave him directions "to difarm fuch perfons as appeared to be difaffected to our Perfon and Government, "or the peace of this our kingdome, and fhould have taken it well from any of our Subjects that would voluntarily aflift us with ye Loane of Armes or Money, but it is "foe farr from our hartt or intentions by Menaces to compel any to it, as wee abhor "ye thought of it; and of this truth our accions fhall bear teftimony."

Given att our Court att Nottingham, 8 Septbris, 1642."

The demand of Rupert and the gentle hint, at nearly the conclufion of this letter, that a voluntary loan would be taken well, fhews that the king began the war with empty

coffers.

1643 William Nix.

: Nottingham was in the hands of parliament, and fo continued to the end of the war. A notable prifoner, John Hotham, governor of Hull, was fent to Nottingham caftle this year, as a place of fafety; but he found means to escape thence. b

1644 William Nix.

1645 Thomas Gamble.
1646 John James.

Henry Hanley Efq, by deed dated 1646, and by will dated 1650, left the annual rent of £120 for charitable and pious purposes, chiefly to this town: £20 of which fum he left for a lecture to be preached, weekly, at St. Mary's church.

1647 William Drury.

I may obferve that, during thefe unpleafant times, the Elector Palatine and his brother, prince Rupert, were feveral times at Nottingham.

1648 William Richards.
1649 William Nix.

Money was fo fcarce, about this time, that tradefimen, of note, coined their own money. This fort of cafh was chiefly of brafs, with the names of the owners thereon, called tradefmen's tokens. The plate, fubjoined, contains copies of many of thofe made for the ufe of the refpectivè tradefinen &c. of Nottingham. This collection was made by Mr. William Stretton of Nottingham, for this hiftory, (to whom I acknowledge myself beholden, alfo, for other favours in the profecution of this work) none are earlier than 1648, nor of a later date than 1672.

1650 Thomas Gamble.

4. He obtained only £500 of the money. Rupert's army, when he demanded the money, lay at Queeneborough, 6 miles from Leicester.

b. The things that particularly regard this place, at this important period of our national history, are as follow, collected chiefly by DEERING from Ruthworth, Whitlock and other writers.