the meffenger had occafion to ftay till this "morning. Wee cannot be ready to march till " to-morrow, and then I believe wee fhall. I de"fire you would be pleased to send me againe, "as foon as you can, to the army, that wee may "know what posture you are in, and then you "will hear which way wee go. You fhall do "mee a favore to certify mee, what you hear of "the King's forces; for I believe, your intelli gence is better from Oxford and those parts << than ours can be. "Yo' humble «fervant, "I. HAMPDEN." "Northampt. " November 1° "1642." "Queen Elizabeth was entertained by Grif "fith Hampden, Efq. of Hampden, the ancestor "of John Hampden, Efq. in her progrefs. For "the more convenient accefs to his house, he "cutt a paffage through his woods (which is "now called the Queen's Gap). There is "an ancient tradition, that King Edward the "Third and the Black Prince were entertained " at Hampden, where the Prince and Mr. "Hampden exercifing themfelves in feats of "chivalry, they difagreed, whereupon Mr. се Hampden ftruck the Prince on the face. They They went away in a great wrath, upon "which came this rhyme: Tring, Wing, and Ivinghoe; "For ftriking of a blow, "Hampden did foregoe, "And glad he could escape fo." From MS. Collections for the County of Bucks, in the Bodleian Library. During the time in which Mr. Hampden was engaged in the Civil Wars, he wore round his neck an ornament, confifting of a small filver chain, inclosing a plain cornelian ftone. Round the filver rim of the ftone was infcribed, Against my King I never fight, "But for my King and Country's right.". This interesting record of the fentiments of that great man has been bequeathed to the University of Oxford by the late Thomas Knight, Efq. of Godmerfham Park, Kent. A reprefentation of it is here fubjoined: The The following Petition from the County of Bucks to Charles the First, in favour of their imprisoned Member, is printed from a MS. in the Bodleian Library at Oxford: "TO THE KING'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY. 44 THE HUMBLE PETITION OF THE INHABITANTS OF THE COUNTY OF BUCKS: "SHEWETH, That your Petitioners having, by "virtue of your Highnes writ, cho"fen John Hampden, Efq. Knight "for your Shire, in whofe loyaltie " and wifdome we his countrymen " and neighbours have ever had ་་ good caufe to confide, however of "late, to our no lefs amazement "then grief, we find him, with other "Members of Parliament, accused "of treafon. And having taken to our serious confideration the man"ner of his impeachment, we can"not but under your Majeftie's fa"vour conceive, that it doth so op"pugn the rights of Parliaments, to "the maintenance whereof our pro"teftation binds us, that we believe "it is the malice which their zeal to st your Majesty's fervice, and the "State "State have contracted in the ene"mies to your Majefty, the Church, " and Commonweal, which have oc"cafioned thofe foul accufations, ra"ther than any defert of theirs, who "do likewise through their fides "wound the judgment and cares of "us your petitioners and others, by "whofe choice they were prefented to "the Houfe. "Your Petitioners therefore most "humbly pray, that Mr. Hamp den, and the reft that lye under "the burden of that accufation, "may enjoy the juft privileges of "Parliament... "And your Petitioners will "ever pray." AT THE COURT AT WINDSOR, 13th OF JAN. 1641. "His Majesty being graciously pleased to let "all his fubjects understand his care not (know сс ingly) to violate in the least degree any of the privileges of Parliament, has therefore lately, by a meffage fent by the Lord Keeper, fignified "that he is pleafed (because of the doubt that "hath been raised of the manner) to wave his foramer proceedings against the said Mr. Hampden " and " and the reft mentioned in this Petition, con cerning whom his Majefty faith it will appear "that he had fo fufficient grounds to question them, as he might not in justice to the kingdom, "and honour to himself, have forborn; and yet сс his Majefty had much rather that the faid perfons should prove innocent than be found guilty; howfoever he cannot conceive that "their crimes can in any fort reflect upon thofe "his good fubjects, who elected them to serve in "Parliament." As every fragment relating to this diftinguifhed Englishman must be interesting to his grateful countrymen, the following Infcription, written by him, and inscribed on his Wife's Monument in Hampden Church, Bucks, is fubjoined: "To the eternal Memory of the truely Vertuous and pious ELIZABETH HAMPDEN, wife of John In her Pilgrimage The state and comfort of her neighbours, The |