“Things being thus set in order between his Majesty and me, I fairly took leave of the Parliament to go down to my father; where I no sooner arrived but there came directed unto me from his Majesty a Commission of Array; whereof I presently, by a servant of my own, sent word to the Parliament, with a letter to the House of Lords, which I directed to my Lord of Holland, and to the House of Commons, to Mr. Pym; in both of which I offered to intercede to his Majesty, and conceived I should prevail to suspend the Commission of Array, if they should make an Act that their militia should not come into my country; but they, with civil compliments and thanks, replied, that his Majesty’s [proceeding?] was so illegal, and theirs for the kingdom so just and necessary, that by no means would they waive the one for the other. At which I declared myself irritated to see that they durst tell me that anything commanded by my master was illegal, and professed I would obey his Majesty’s commands, and let them send at their perils. So, immediately, and in 8 days’ time, I raised 6 regiments, fortified Monmouth, Chepstow, and Raglan; fetching away the magazine from the Earl of Pembroke’s town, Carlyon, and placed it in Raglan Castle, leaving a garrison in lieu thereof. Garrisoned likewise Cardiff, Brecknock, Hereford, Goodrich Castle and the Forest of Dean, after I had taken them from the enemy. “To the then Lord Marquis of Hereford, in Wales, as many forces as cost me the raising and arming [H][8000?] “Lent him to prosecute that expedition, in raising of [2000?] forces in Wales, first and last, [to the?] number of twelve thousand men, and [maintaining] them, whilst the country was tottering, [also providing?] them weekly for fifteen months: . . [plainly?] speaking, and it shall be made good. [I] } “Brought to Oxford and delivered [with my?] own hands[I] } [130,500?] “My journey to Ireland with levies and incident [al expenses?], there as well at sea as at land.[J] **** [Illustration: One line of the Marquis of Worcester’s cipher writing] “The furnishing of troops of 6 score [gentlemen with?] arms, and most of them with horses, some of them of an hundred pounds price, and many of £50; for though the gentlemen betwixt them made above £60,000 per annum land of inheritance, yet being unexpectedly raised in 8 days, and could not furnish themselves, which I did according to their quality, together with their servants to the number of 200, keeping a constant table for them the whole journey, all along from Gloucester into the West; whereat they never wanted wine, that being carried along with us, but oftentimes beer; together with £6,000 in ready money, paid my foot soldiers at the raising of the siege of Gloucester: which, all modestly rated, came unto above 25,000