WIth grief I have conſidered your laſt Letter, and no marvell of ſuch diſtractions in the Kingdome, when as the Ports are opened to receive thoſe rebels and traitors which paſſe from hence to His Majeſty, and as by your Letters and Pamphlets of newes they are received and made chiefe Commanders of His Majeſties Army; there is, as I conceive, a great default in the ſearchers of Plymouth, Briſtoll and Mineard, which ſuffer any to paſſe without examination or otherwiſe, ſo that the Kingdome is in a deſperate condition, and lies at the brink of deſtruction.

Oneale the great Rebell hath of late beene very ſick, and we all think he will hardly recover it, for what with his wound in his ſide at Felles ſiege, and ſickneſſe together, he lies deſperately ſick. We often heare from him, th •• he is well recovered, but by his ragged ſouldiers which we take daily, they have confeſſed that he cannot live; and in caſe he ſhould die, the young Makarkey ſhall be made Generall over the whole Kingdome: what ſouldiers we take we dare not keep them for feare of infection, for the plague is very much diſperſt among them, & hundreds die at a time. We have had it likewiſe amongſt our ſouldiers, but we received it firſt from the Rebels and captives which we took; but we hope the worſt is paſt, for there dieth not above 100. a week, and ſome weeks leſſe, which is but a moitie of thoſe hat die of the rebels. Sir, about 4. dayes before the date of my Letter, wee advanced our Forces towards Felles, where we found ſome of the Iriſh Army drinking of carowſes and healths to the King of Spaine their ſuppoſed Protector; but in the midſt of their jollity our Army fell upon them, and ſlew 200. whereupon a greater party of the Rebels appeared, and aſſaulted us, and there was a ſtout fight on both ſides, laying aſide pikes & muskets, and fighting only with our ſwords, ſo that our men had ſlaine and wounded moſt of them, had not Colonell Bourne with a freſh ſupply of 600. come in the interim. Nevertheleſſe our ſouldiers made good their parts, and came off with the loſſe of 100. at the moſt. We brought from them 1000. cowes, beſides horſe and ſheep, and great ſtore of other pillage that was freely given to the ſouldiers for their pains, which very much incourageth them. Oneal his ſouldiers are moſt lamentable diſtreſſed poore people, hardly ſufficient to cloath their nakedneſſe. We were much afraid of the Spaniſh Forces which landed at Waterford two dayes before the fight, but, as God would have it, our ſouldiers carried their pillage quite away before they came to aſsiſt Colonell Bourne, who was chiefe Commander amongſt the Rebels in that fight.

We have great hopes of Captaine Bartlet, for hitherto he hath done very good ſervice; and this inſtant day he took a Dunkirk ſhip full of ammunition, and 40. Iriſh Commanders in it, and immediately brought them to Barannakilly: they were driven with a tempeſt upon our coaſts, for it appeared by their examination that they intended to have landed at Tingmouth, Dartmouth, or ſome ſuch like creek in the Weſt parts of England.

I cannot but admire at a Merchants ſhip of Briſtoll which lately anchored at Crockhaven by reaſon of tempeſtuous weather, the Captain and Maſter of the ſhip fearing leſt the rebels would ſink her, invited the chiefeſt rebels of the towne aboard, and gave them royall entertainment, in hopes to have merchandize for their Tobacco, they had fair promiſes proteſted aboard, but when the rebels got the Captain & Maſter aſhore, they vowed to hang them if they commanded not the reſt of the Mariners to come aſhore and leave their ſhip and goods amongſt them. The Captain and Maſter eſcaped with their lives, though it were not a penniworth of hurt if the rebels had hanged them in earneſt, for they needed not to h • zzard ſhip or goods, nor were they conſtrained to go aſhore, but they might have caried away or curbed the rebels at their pleaſure.

Sir Charles Vavaſour is worthy of honour, and very forward in any deſigne, he hath lately been at Kelly and Barry, and although the townes have been beſieged, yet with leſſe then 500. he raiſed the ſiege, and enforced them to take their bulwarks for their refuge, and between their works and ſconces in the trenches he ſpied at leaſt 200. of the rebels dead, who died of the ſickneſſe, and lay on the ground like dead dogs: he commanded his ſouldiers not to touch any of them, which they all obeyed, yet he departed not empty, for his ſouldiers tooke 7. or 800. ſheep, beſides cowes and hogs: beſides other ſpoile by fire which he did before he departed, he took 12. Commanders, and coupled them in chaines, and brought them unto Dublin. I will not trouble you with ſuperfluous matter, onely this, our City of Dublin is at great expence for the paiment of ſouldiers, and is ſtrongly fortified within and without, being double chained in every croſſe ſtreet, and 1000. armed men every night equally diſtributed to the Courts of Guard: nevertheleſſe the rebels affront us to the very ports of the city; but I hope God in his good time will abate the pride of thoſe his enemies, aſſwage thei • malice, and confound their divelliſh devices, unto which I ſhall ever ſay, Amen.