ice. The king
in person tried to rally and employ the reserve, but the force was
already beaten and demoralised, and the retreat became a disorderly
rout. The prizes of the victors were 5000 prisoners, 8000 arms, and 100
colours; but, most of all, this severe defeat was a death-blow to the
royal cause, and was the last in which Charles I. engaged in person.

One curious result of it was that Lieutenant-General Cromwell himself
reported to the Speaker of the House of Commons “how the good hand of
God” had fought for them.

There was little after Naseby in the year 1648 to disturb the
victorious army of the Parliament. There were sundry small fortresses
and castles to reduce, and these soon fell. To Cromwell was deputed the
task of capturing Devizes, Winchester, and Basing, and the latter is
especially noteworthy for the tenacity with which it was long defended,
and the rapidity of its final fall. The seat of the Marquis of
Winchester, whose motto of “Aimez loyauté” gave the name of “Loyalty”
to his mansion at Basing (to which also “the jubilant Royalists” had
given the name of “Basting” House), was a large and important group of
buildings, consisting of four great square towers linked together by
a wall, and with inner buildings of sorts. The main importance was,
that it closed the Great Western Road, south of the Kennet valley, as
Donnington Castle did on the north bank of that river. It had been
several times attempted during the past four years--first by Sir W.
Waller in 1643, who suffered heavily in his attempt to storm; and other
very partial attempts followed, until Cromwell himself was sent to
settle, once and for all, in whose hands the road by Basingstoke from
London should rest.

So the lieutenant-general laid formal siege to it, and, on the morning
of 14th October 1645, stormed it, and carried it in three-quarters of
an hour. “He had spent much time in prayer,” says Mr. Peters, “the
night before the storm, and was able to write that night to ‘the Hon.
William Lenthall, Speak