powerful escort. Twenty-five hundred musketeers and pikemen, of whom one
thousand were Spaniards, and six hundred cavalry, Epirotes; Spaniards,
and Italians, under Hannibal Gonzaga, George Crescia, Bentivoglio, Sesa,
and others, were accordingly detailed for this expedition. The Marquis
del Vasto, to whom was entrusted the chief command, was ordered to march
from Borkelo at midnight on Wednesday, October 1 (St. Nov.) [N.S.]. It
was calculated that he would reach a certain hillock not far from
Warnsfeld by dawn of day. Here he was to pause, and send forward an
officer towards the town, communicating his arrival, and requesting the
cooperation of Verdugo, who was to make a sortie with one thousand men,
according to Alexander's previous arrangements. The plan was
successfully carried out. The Marquis arrived by daybreak at the spot
indicated, and despatched Captain de Vega who contrived to send
intelligence of the fact. A trooper, whom Parma had himself sent to
Verdugo with earlier information of the movement, had been captured on
the way. Leicester had therefore been apprized, at an early moment, of
the Prince's intentions, but he was not aware that the convoy would be
accompanied by so strong a force as had really been detailed.

He had accordingly ordered Sir John Norris, who commanded on the outside
of the town near the road which the Spaniards must traverse, to place
an ambuscade in his way. Sir John, always ready for adventurous
enterprises, took a body of two hundred cavalry, all picked men,
and ordered Sir William Stanley, with three hundred pikemen, to follow.
A much stronger force of infantry was held in reserve and readiness,
but it was not thought that it would be required. The ambuscade was
successfully placed, before the dawn of Thursday morning, in the
neighbourhood of Warnsfeld church. On the other hand, the Earl of
Leicester himself, anxious as to the result, came across the river just
at daybreak. He was accompanied by the chief gentlemen in his camp, who