any discre

resumed after the Civil War. Where there is pancy between it and my text, it has been altered from scattered notes appended to the Prince's diary.]

D.

Captain Pyne seems to have commanded one of Prince Rupert's ships in his corsairage. This biography of his is very nautical; but furnishes one or two anecdotes of interest, and seems to prove that this writer wrote down memoranda and anecdote that he had heard the Prince or his followers relate: it has no relation with the former or any other MS.

CAPTAIN PYNE'S MANUSCRIPTS.

"An abstract, as near as I can remember, of all such passages and actions as hath happened unto, and been achieved by the illustrious and high-born Prince, &c., from the time of his birth unto the * *

*

"He was born in Prague, the capital city of Bohemia, Anno Domini 1619, about half-a-year after his father had been proclaimed King of that kingdom.

"At six months old he began his travels, that city being then surprised (upon a Sunday, the . . . day of ,) by the Emperor's army, under the conduct of Here he was like to have been taken prisoner, for the court and city being in a distraction, every one flying for their safety, leaving dinners ready dressed, and his Highness's maid being extremely frightened, running amongst the crowd, let him fall, but with some difficulty he was recovered and thrown into a coach.

"Whither they then went, what happened in their

travels, and how long it was before they came into Holland, I am uncertain.

"Being a child he was well grounded in his religion, which the subtle Jesuits, with whom he hath been much conversant, could never make him stagger in. Also, in the mathematics and languages, but his chief delight was in military discipline, wherein he perfected so much under , his tutor for the infantry, and

Monsieur the age of fourteen years he was judged capable of a regiment, which he commanded in Westphalia, at the battle of against the

his tutor for the cavalry, that at

,

where by the wilfulness of his brother, the Prince Elector, the treachery of General King, who served him little better at Marston Moor, they lost the day, his Highness Prince Rupert, the Lord Craven, and divers others were taken prisoners. My Lord and most of the rest were in a short time ransomed. But his Highness Prince Rupert was sent unto the city of Lintz, lying upon the banks of the Danube, in the land of Trent, where he was kept close prisoner above two years in that castle. The third year he had some enlargement, being now and then permitted to hunt both the stag, roe, wild boar, hare, fox, &c., but always with a good guard; in which time there happened many remarkable passages, one amongst the rest, as it is there curiously reported, was at the hunting of a fox, which took the earth, a dog, which the Prince loved, followed him, but returning not presently, his Highness being impatient of stay crept in after and got hold of his leg, which he could not draw out by reason of the narrowness of the hole, until Mr. Billingsby, who waited always on him, took hold of his Highness's heels, so he drew out the Prince, the Prince the dog, and the dog the fox. The picture of this passage is yet to be seen there, of which there have been divers copies taken and dispersed abroad. "Another was of the chamois, of whose skins is

made the best chamois leather, he somewhat resembles a goat in shape, but his horns are smaller and turn backward like a great fish-hook. He lives in the mountains amongst the craggy rocks, with which he is so well acquainted, and withal so nimble and swift, that being hunted, he skips from one to another in such a strange manner that no dog is able to fetch him up, about the hunting of whom there passed some remarkable things, which at present I cannot well remember.

"At the end of three years and odd months, the Emperor was pleased to grant him liberty upon his parole, never for the future to bear arms against his Imperial Majesty.

"After which, for the bettering of his understanding, and gaining experience, he spent some years in travelling into several countries,1 viz.

[A break occurs here.]

"And in anno 1642, a little before his Majesty's setting up his standard at Nottingham, he returned the second time into England, with his brother, Prince Maurice, and was presently made General of his Majesty's horse. After which he commanded in chief in several expeditions, and >erformed divers remarkable services in the behalf of his Majesty, as long as he had any army in the field, viz.

"At Worcester, where he defeated Colonel Sandys and Douglas, both of whom were there slain, with most of their party. There Prince Maurice received a dangerous wound in his head.

"At Edge, 23rd of October, 1642, being Sunday.

"On Monday morning he profferred, if his Majesty would give him leave, to march presently with three thousand horse, &c., to Westminster, and there dissolve the Parliament, which he might easily have done before the Earl of Essex's arrival, but the old Earl of Bristol was the

This must be a mistake of Captain Pynes. The Prince only obtained his release from prison in 1642.

VOL. I.

H H

chief man who obstructed that design, which had he been permitted, would, in all probability, have made an end of the war.

"The next morning, with a good party of horse, he fell upon the rear of the rebel's army, where, finding them in some disorder, he did much execution, especially upon their train and carriages.

"On Thursday following he marched with his Majesty to Banbury, which we took in the same day, where we found one regiment of foot and some horse, besides the

townsmen.

"Then his Majesty returned for Oxford, his army being quartered round about in the country, to refresh themselves.

"The 12th November, 1642, he defeated the rebels at Brentford, where we took near five hundred prisoners, and destroyed the remainder of two brave regiments, many of whom ran into the Thames and drowned themselves.

"This service preserved his Majesty at that time; for it is probable, if he had not brought a considerable strength to defend himself, they would then have betrayed him, under pretence of giving him a treaty at Syon house

"For, besides the two regiments which lay at Brentford they had a strong party at Kingston and at Windsor, which had order to fall upon his Majesty and surprise him un

awares.

66

Sunday, the 13th, having in the morning defeated those forces that came down the river in barges from Kingston, by blowing up their powder, from whom we took thirteen handsome field-pieces of brass, besides a good quantity of provisions, which was a great strengthening unto our train of artillery, yet for want of harness we were forced to sink some of our own iron guns in the Thames. In the afternoon, while his Majesty marched to Oatlands, his Highness Prince Rupert drew up his horse upon Hounslow-heath to make good his Majesty's retreat,

if the Earl of Essex should have adventured to have hindered the same with his new-raised citizens.

"This winter I do not remember any considerable thing that was done.

"At the spring of the year 1643, the Parliament, having raised a great army, commanded the Earl of Essex to besiege Oxford. In order to which, he marched down unto Thame, where he took up his quarters, but before he advanced over Wheatley-bridge his Highness Prince Rupert, with three regiments of horse, viz., Prince Charles's, his own, and my Lord Percy's, and a thousand dragoons fell upon their quarters on Saturday night, the

day

of .. And the next morning the enemy thinking to intercept him upon his retreat, drew up their forces together in Chalgrove field, the place where Hampden first exercised his rebellious regiment, and where he this day received his death-wound; but his Highness, perceiving their drifts, sent part of his dragoons to make good the passage at Wheatley-bridge, and with his horse gave them battle, though they were double his number. Here God was pleased to give him a great victory, which so much disheartened their new-raised forces, that the Earl of Essex durst not advance any further, but returned back to London with shame.

E.

MEMOIR OF SIR JACOB ASTLEY, FIRST BARON ASTLEY,

OF READING.

[For this memoir, which I obtained too late for insertion in the proper place, I am indebted to the kindness of Lord Hastings, and of the Rev. Charles Elwin, his lordship's chaplain, by whom it was drawn up.]

Sir Jacob Astley, knight, was the second son of Isaac Astley, of Hill Morton, in the county of Warwick, and of