A Marshall man principally deuoteth him selfe to hazard his lims and life in the seruice of his Prince & coun­trie for honour and crownes: as it were shame to eclipse him the one, so it is iniurie to scant him the o­ther: for the surest whetstone of valour and vertue is renowne and glorie: in defrau­ding the souldier of his pay, you cut his purse and re­bate his edge: in deprauing his honour, you cut his throate and strike him stone deade: whereby I was induced to publish the renowned seruice done late­ly by that honourable knight S. IOHN NORREYS in Britanie: to the end that neither he, neither the rest of the braue Captaines, gentlemen and souldiers should want their due commendation, that both they may be encouraged to continew their braue & heroicall mindes, and others inclined to aduance themselues to the like honorable attempts & actions. I am the better able to performe this my promise by reason of a letter I receiued thence from a gentleman so well qualified, that neither he wanted skill or wit to record the seruice with the pen, neither valour & [Page] courage to performe anie enterprise with the sword, being a principall actor in the execution thereof, the copie wherof I present to the reader, that he may be truely enformed of the seruice, and yeelde the ac­tors their due commendation.

SIR, by my last letters I aduertised you of the safe ariuall of our armie in Britanie, the third of May, continewing about the Abbay of Beauport a weeke, for the arming of the souldiers, mounting the artil­lerie and marshaling our Campe. The tenth, we be­gan our march, and lodged with our troupes before Guingand the 13. Since which time, through the wonderful paines and continuall trauel of Sir IOHN NORREYS our L. Generall, the towne is rendered to the Prince D'OMBES, sonne to the Duke MOM­PENSIER of the house of Burbon, Gouernour of Britainie for the King. The reporte whereof may seeme straunge to you, for we our selues do wonder at it, considering the strength of the place by arte and nature, and how greatly the conseruation therof imported Philibert Emanuel, Duke Mercurie of the house of Vaudemont a collaterall branch of Lorrayne, Gouernour of Britanie for those rebellious Leaguers who murthered his brother in law the late king his owne sisters husband: as well in regarde of his ho­nour and reputation, as of his profit and peculiar in­terest, the towne being his proper inheritance, in the right of his wife Marie daughter and heire to Seba­stian Duke of Pontheiure, whose father Francis Vicount [Page] Martigues of the house of Luxemburg attained large territories in Britanie, marrying Charlotte sister and heire of Iohn de Brosse who descended of the house of Ponthieure a collateral line of the Dukes of Britanie. The duke Mercurie notwithstanding hee was thus particularly interessed in the town of Guingand wan­ting neither sufficient garison, munition or victuals, hauing Don Ioan de Lagula in a readinesse with foure thousand Spaniards at Pontiguy besides his owne troupes: yet suffered this defensible place to bee lost without blowes vpon dishonourable and base con­ditions, whereby we may see how God rebateth the edge of rebels harts, daunteth their courages and ran­uerseth their actions with his by blows or vnlooked­for counterbuffes.

That the particularities of the matter may bee better knowne vnto you, you are to vnderstand that the town of Guingand is strongly waled round about inuironed with a large ditch and a deepe counter­scarfe, extending it selfe in length from the South Southeast, to the North Norwest. Vpon the South end of the town where was sometimes an old castle, there is now a very strong bulwarke with three Flan­kers, and in the middest thereof a Cauallero which commandeth the whole towne. Not farre from it Eastwarde is the gate of the towne, of it selfe verie strong, and before it a verie great Rauelin within the counterscarfe of the ditch: at the bottom whereof there is a most daintie Sallye, insomuch as a thousand men may issue out at the same, and not one bee dis­couered [Page] vntill their heades appeare aboue the coun­terscarfe. And aboue them are two drawne briges for the Saliants, the one for horse, the other for foote, & right before the Raueling is a pretie conceited Turne­pike or Barricado to checke the throng and multitude of pursuers. From this place Northwarde the wall is embowed like a horne with three Flankers vpon it, and so ranforced within with earth, as it is accounted a Terra-pleyn. The West hath a very deepe ditch ful of water: neither could any aproch be made that way by reason of the marrishis. The North end of the towne hath manie Flankers and a deepe ditch, yet somewhat drie & fast by an Abbey of Iacopins which the villaines them selues pulled for the most part downe, lest it should anie way distresse the towne, standing within lesse then eightie paces of the towne wall. Notwithstanding this their prouident malice, the rebels left as much standing for vs as serued to cut their owne throates. My Lord Generall hauing quickly found that this part of the towne was fittest to receaue a breach, made shew to the quite contra­rie parte thereof, as at the South parte hee caused trenches to be cast, and passages to be made through the walles of old houses, euen to the verie counter­scarfe of the ditch, a long trench was likewise cast ve­rie neare the walles of the East side of the towne, and in the middest therof a platforme of earth to be erec­ted to some reasonable height, as if the canon should haue beene placed there: in the meane time all trauel was vsed in making of a Mine according to our Ge­nerals [Page] direction, neare to the entended breach, and the waies made for the bringing and dressing of the places fit for the Canon to play vpon, which was per­formed in so good sorte as that by the 20. day of this moneth our artillerie was brought downe to the Ia­copines cloister, and there placed within losse then an hundreth paces of the wall. And this was one of our greatest combars both in respect of trauel & hazard, to both which how my L. did expose himselfe truely I could not but wonder, and in my hart was angry to see it, and yet if he had not so hazarded himselfe, I did partly perceiue that little woulde haue beene done.

On fryday the 21. we began our batterie, and notwithstanding it continued all the day, yet by rea­son of the few peeces of artillerie, not able to make sufficient batterie, the dayes worke brought forth no great effect other then the crushing of two Flankers, and the beating of the perrepet, so that the breach was very small and the same so repaired continually by the souldiers and inhabitants within the towne, maintaining the rampart with fetherbeds, horse dung and bags of earth almost to the lowest part of their perrepet. The next day verie earely once againe wee began our batterie, and continued it vntil two or three of the clocke in the after noone, by what time the breach seemed verie faire. Whereupon the French humor vrged verie hotely to an assault, and so impor­tuned the Prince D'ombes that he consented thereun­to. Our Generall although he was hardly drawne to yeeld his consent, vnderstanding by a Sergeant [Page] of a band whom he had sent to discouer the breach, that the rentrenchment within was exceeding deepe, and the mounting vp the breach very steepe, sliding and difficult, but especially because the myne was not so forwarde to be answerable to the breach: notwith­standing seeing the French men offering to attempt the place of them selues which had beene some dis­grace vnto vs, yeelded to their humor, and most in­stantly demaunded the pointe and honour of the as­sault for the English men, which being graunted con­ditionally that they shoulde bee seconded by the French. Such was the emulation of our commanders and Captaines to winne honour, that all being wil­ling to attempt the seruice, to auoide contention our Generall caused the dice to bee cast, so that it fell to Captaine IACKSON and Captaine HERON to leade the first two hundreth to the assault, which af­ter their deuout prayers recommending them selues to God, they performed verie valiantly, scrambling vp with a notable resolution, standing a long halfe houre at the push of the pike in the face of a whole storme of the small shot, especially Captaine IACK­SON who came to the point of the breach, but not being throughly seconded by the souldiers vnable to get vp by reason of the steepenes of the place, yet were they hardly commanded to retire, performing their retraite with no lesse good order then their at­tempt to the assault, Captaine HERON receiued a shot in the throate, whereof he presently dyed, and not aboue twelue others slaine: Captaine IACKSON [Page] sore hurt. Captaine WOLFE in the top of the breach had three daungerous woundes in the head, and others in his body: Captaine CATESBYE a voluntarie gentleman sore hurt in the arme. Also Captaine WHITTON and Maister Paule Wingfeeld with some other yonge gentlemen to the number of 30. Which losse can not be thought great in such a peece of seruice, considering the great strength within to defend the place. The second attempt was giuen by the Baron of Molac Collonel generall of the French infanterie in these partes, and very well answered by himselfe, and some few of the French gentlemen, but the common souldiers aduancing them selues coldly to the breach, receiued the greater hurt, and by that occasion were slaine of them many more then of our nation. Some others straight pre­sented themselues for a third assault, but the breach being found so difficult, and resistance within strong and well prepared, it was aduised to stay vntill the next day that the battery had made the breach more easie. During the time of the assault Captaine DEN­NIS a braue gentleman being sent with some forces to make offer of a scalado to one other part of the towne, aduancing himselfe too farre, receiued a Mus­ket shot in the bottome of his bellie, wherof he dyed about twelue of the clocke the same night. That night those within demanded a Parley, which being accorded, certaine deputies out of the towne repai­red the next morning to the Prince Dombes, and in the end grew to a capitulation, the copie whereof [Page] you shall receiue herein inclosed. Which in my iudgement would haue beene accorded with much more aduantage to the Prince, if he had pleased to haue insisted vpon it: but being glad to recouer the towne, which is saide to be the strongest in Britanie, except Nantes and Dinant: withall doubting least the Duke Mercury with the helpe of Don Iuan de Lagula should come to the succour of the towne, (which it is likelye had beene performed, if the French had beene in so good readines as the Spaniardes) he woulde not treate anie long agreement. But all thinges being accorded on both sides, on Whitson­day the towne was surrendered into the handes of Monsieur Cargomart appointed gouernour for the Prince. And Captaine GARGANTON which be­fore held the place for the Duke Mercurie, with one other named Contary, sent by the Duke Mercurie to assist the other, departed the towne the 24. of May, with an hundred and twentie horse, and about two hundreth and sixtie foot, in all mens iudgement able and strong enough to haue kept the place for a much longer time. We had in the towne foure Ensignes, one Cornet, one Cannon Perrier, one Demy Cul­uering, and sixe Sacres and Minions, two thousand waight of pouder, and great store of victuals. The hauing of this towne greatly importeth the King, for in a manner all base Britaine doth depend vpon it. The Courtes of Parlement, which was ordinarily held at Reynes were by the rebellious Leaguers transferred to Guingand, which argueth in what esti­mation [Page] they held the strength of the towne. Thus haue I plainly and truly reported the seruice of Guin­gand, and I perceiue our Generall meaneth to enter­taine vs in action, for we are presently to march a­gainst Morlays a rebellious towne coasting vpon the sea, whereby I am enforced to leaue my penne, and betake my selfe to the launce, for the trompet soun­deth, mont'a cauallo.

• 1 THe Gouernour, Captaines and Souldiers of Guingand shal render the towne into the Prin­ces handes to morrowe the 23. of May, being Whitsonday, before noone.
• 2 The Prince will permit that the horsemen shall depart the towne with their horses and furniture, and the footemen with their Harquebuze and swordes by their side.
• 3 The Cornets, Ensignes, and Drums which are in the towne, shall be deliuered to the Prince, and all their artillerie and munition of warre.
• 4 All Englishmen and Irishmen, if there be anie, shall be put into the hands of the Prince.
• 5 All Spaniards shall remaine prisoners.
• 6 The gentlemē who haue no charge of souldiers, who retired themselues to the towne for refuge, shal pay 15000. crowns, and therby freed to enioy [Page] their possessions and mouables.
• 7 The inhabitants of the towne shall pay 25000. crownes, and thereby shall be warranted from all pillage, enioying the kinges protection according to his late ordinances.
• 8 The prisoners the Kinges seruants, shall be set at libertie, and deliuered to the Prince.
• 9 For the assurance of this treatie, they shall pre­sently giue hostages, two for the gentlemen, two for the souldiers, and two for the inhabitants.