"Artillery booming at our gates, bullets falling in our streets. At last I had a little taste of real war. I did not altogether dislike it. There was something that made my heart beat firmer in the thought of sharing my brothers' and my Father's danger. But then, I must confess, it did not come very near. The walls were still between us and the enemy. After a short cannonading the rebels drew off, from a cause, Harry says, worth us many victories. Lord Essex and Sir William Waller, their two generals, could not agree, and between them the attack on Oxford was abandoned; and what was more, the king, who was encamped outside the city, with a force in numbers quite unequal to cope with their combined forces, was suffered to retreat without a blow to Worcester. "But better than all. Harry says the rebel generals are assailing each other with all kinds of reproaches in the Parliament, accusing each other as the cause of all the late failures. Lord Essex, Lord Manchester, and Sir William Waller, none of them cordially uniting with each other against us, but all most cordially uniting in assailing Oliver Cromwell, who is the only one among them we have cause to dread. And to complete the mêlée, the Scotch preachers are having their say in the matter, and solemnly accuse Mr. Cromwell of being an 'Incendiary!' "Which is quite plain to us he is. So that now, when the Incendiaries themselves have set about to fight each other, and to put out the flames, it is probable the arson will be avenged, the flames _will_ be put out, and we quiet and loyal subjects shall have nothing left to do but to rebuild the ruins. "Then we will try to say as little as we can about who began the mischief, and only see who can work best in repairing it. "The King and the Parliament throughout the land, and the Draytons and the Davenants at dear old Netherby." OLIVE'S RECOLLECTIONS. At the end of July, 1644, we had a letter from Roger:-- "_Marston Moor, July_ 3_d._--To my dear sister Mistress Olive Drayton.--On the battle-field. A messenger going south will take these. "Thank God we are here this day. And the enemy is not here, but flying right and left, over moor and mountain. No such victory has been vouchsafed us before. "Yesterday, the 2nd July, early in the morning, we were moving off the ground--Lord Manchester, General Leslie, and General Cromwell. "Prince Rupert had gallantly thrown provisions into York, which we were beleaguering; but the generals thought he would not venture an attack on our combined forces. "But when we were fairly in order of march the prince fell on our rear. "It took us till three in the day to face round, front them, and secure the position we wanted. There is a rye field here with a ditch in front, where the dead bear witness how we had to fight for it.