"But now, Sirs, this last week, upon the 28th of November, there
came a party of soldiers commanded by a Cornet, and some of them of
your own regiment, and by their threatening words forced three
labouring men to help them to pull down our two houses, and carried
away the wood in a cart to a Gentleman's house, who hath been a
Cavalier all our time of war, and cast two or three old people out
who lived in those houses to lie in the open fields this cold
weather (an act more becoming Turks to deal with Christians than
for one Christian to deal with another). But if you inquire into
the business you will find that the Gentlemen who set the soldiers
on are enemies to you, for some of the chief had hands in the
Kentish rising against the Parliament, and we know, and you will
find it true if you trust them so far, that they love you but from
the teeth outward.

"Therefore our request to you is this, that you would call your
soldiers to account for attempting to abuse us without your
commission, that the Country may know that you had no hand in such
an unrighteous and cruel act. Likewise we desire that you would
continue your former kindness and promise to give commission to
your soldiers not to meddle with us without your order."

As we shall presently see, nothing more discouraged the little company
of Diggers than the assistance given to their enemies by the soldiery.
Lord Fairfax, however, had no free hand in this matter; the Council of
State had again received information of what was termed "a tumultuous
meeting at Cobham," which the ordinary power at the disposal of the
local Justices of the Peace "was not sufficient to disperse," and had
consequently sent Lord Fairfax definite instructions to send "such horse
as you may think fit to march to that place."[124:1] This information