Here the infantry proposed to halt for the night. They brought with them the six pieces of cannon seized on board the _Robert_, and likewise some casks of brandy taken from the custom-house. At Garstang, Brigadier Mackintosh set free Christopher Hopkins, who had been hitherto detained a prisoner, telling him if he again fell into his hands, he would shoot him. Long before the cavalry reached Preston they came in sight of the town, delightfully situated on a ridge overlooking the flat district they were traversing, and the aspect of the town was so cheerful, that the spirits of the young troopers began to revive. They had heard much of the beauty of the ladies, and curiosity to behold them was suddenly awakened in their breasts. Could they compare with the lovely girls they had left behind? That was a question which would very soon be answered. The young troopers now became impatient to get to Preston, and wondered whether the ladies would come forth to meet them as had been the case at Lancaster. In this respect they were disappointed. There were no ladies at the foot of the hill--none on Friargate brow--but in the market-place an agreeable surprise awaited them. END OF BOOK THE SIXTH. _BOOK THE SEVENTH_--T HE ATTACK. I.--PROUD PRESTON. |Proud Preston--or Priests' Town, as it was originally called from the number of its religious houses--merited the epithet applied to it, albeit somewhat derisively. Proud were its inhabitants--proud of their town--of its fine situation, its beauty, its salubrity--proud of their wives and daughters, whom they deemed, and not erroneously, the handsomest women in the kingdom. As a place of fashionable resort, where the best society could be found, Preston, at the period of our story, ranked higher than any other town in the North of England. A great number of gentry resided there--many of them belonging to the oldest Catholic families of the county, and these persons gave an aristocratic character to the place. But the Preston gentry were not as wealthy as they were proud. High Churchmen as well as Roman Catholics abounded in the town, and the only thing low about the parish church was the steeple. Hence the old rhyme:= ````Proud Preston, poor people, ````High church, and low steeple!= Delightfully situated on the summit of a ridge, rising gradually from the Ribble, which sweeps round it on the south, and commanding extensive and beautiful views in every direction, Preston, from its salubrious climate, and contiguity to the sea, enjoyed the reputation of being one of the most agreeable and healthy towns in England. In the early part of the eighteenth century Preston was but a small place, and could boast little regularity of construction, but it had a remarkably clean and cheerful aspect. Attached to many of the houses were good gardens, and these being laid out on the slopes of the eminence on which the town was reared, contributed materially to its beauty.