SInce my laſt to you, It hath pleaſed the Almighty God, out of his great mercy to us here, and the Kingdome, to preſerve us from an eminent danger, and ruine plotted againſt us here, which I thought fit to acquaint you with. I writ a word of it to the Committee at Yorke, but ſince have made a more ample diſcovery. I have within my Company a Lieutenant, his name is Foolks, ſonne in law to one Maſter Thomas Beckwith a Recuſant at Beverly, a good Souldier but poore. This man, his father in law, thought a fit Inſtrument to worke upon, and to that end, ſent for him to come over to him. The Gentleman preſently acquaints me with it, and asked my leave and advice therein; Proteſting, that both in regard of the honour of a Souldier, and a Gentleman, nothing ſhould paſſe but I ſhould know. He had formerly beene obliged to me, and therefore I gave him leave to go, with directions to yeeld to ſuch propoſitions as ſhould be made him; for otherwiſe being in their power, I knew not how they might have uſed him. At his returne he told me, that at his firſt comming, after an unuſuall kinde welcome, that Maſter Beckwith broke the matter to him, That if hee would doe ſervice, &c. hee ſhould be rewarded in a great meaſure, intimating to him how unable I was to preferre him in any way of ſubſiſtance: To be ſhort, He made a plaine contract with him, That if he could betray a Port, he ſhould have five hundred pound in hand, and two hundred and fifty pound per annum for his life, this he willingly accepted: Then Beckwith diſcourſed with him of the meanes how he could doe this; he told him, that upon Thurſday night, the ſix and twenty day of May, he had the guard at the North gate, and if Alarum were given at another gate, called Heſſell Gate, he could then let them in. This thus overnight concluded upon, next morning he was brought into the preſence of one Triſt, he was a Papiſt, and commanded Maſter Percies Troop of Horſe at the defeat at Newbourne, and one Captaine Courtney, and ſix others; ſome of which his father-in-law told him were Lords diſguiſed: Theſe promiſed him to make good his reward, but they doubted, unleſſe ſome Captaine might likewiſe be aiding, it might miſſe of performance; and therefore propounded to him to draw his Captain into the buſineſſe. Lowanger a Dutch-man (a man truely of that faith, courage, and ability, that were I to manage an enterpriſe of the greateſt moment that might be, I would not wiſh a better ſecond) they propounded to him that hee ſhould have in reward 1000 pounds, 500 pounds for his life, and be made a Knight. You ſee, Sir, whatever the performance would have beene, they were not ſpare in promiſes. Trist told him he had a man of his, whom under colour of carrying Armes as a Voluntiere, he might imploy as he ſaw cauſe. Beckwith, it appears, ſome time before, had an eye to have corrupted Lowanger, for he had invited Lowanger to his houſe, and ſent him word hee would beſtow a Gelding upon him, which he preſently then acquainted me with, and told me he thought there was ſome ill meant in it, and ſo would not goe: He hath exceedingly laboured in the diſcovery of this, being in a great meaſure ſenſible of his honour herein. Upon Tueſday we cauſed the Lieutenant to write back to his father-in-law, that Lowanger liked well of the buſineſſe, but deſired ſome better aſſurance of his reward then Triſt and Courtneyes words, and ſent a boy with the Letter; and that it might appeare to Mr Beckwith 〈◊〉 be carried with more ſecrecy, the boy was cauſed to put the Letter in his Shooe: the return was this Letter incloſed; the originall (being well known to be his hand) I keep (to be ſent when the Parliament ſhall command) leaſt it might miſcarry, as ſome other Letters of his, whereby his hand may be knowne. I have Triſts man in hold, who confeſſeth he was ſent hither by Triſt (under colour to carry Armes) to give intelligence: and I finde he had endeavoured to ſend to York divers of my Souldiers. This morning I received a Letter from Maſter Maior of Beverley, the Copy of which I ſend you, of divers aſſembled at Maſter Beckwiths houſe: Wee had another, as I thinke, to ſurpriſe the Block-houſe, being the ſtrong Fort of the Towne; but how that is, I have not yet made a full diſcovery.

I have ſent to the Maior of Beverley to ſearch Maſter Beckwiths houſe, being a Recuſant, and to tender them the Oath of Allegiance and Supremacy, and to know their names. If there had beene open warre, I could ſoone have told what to have done in this buſineſſe: And truely, if I ſhould have let the Plot gone on, and given them what they deſerved, I thinke, being they came that way to have taken the Towne, I might have juſtified it before God and man: But being loath to be the firſt letter of bloud, I reſolved of another courſe; which was, To advertiſe His Majeſtie of the Plot diſcovered, leaſt ſome ſhould adviſe Him upon a deſigne, might prove diſhonourable and dangerous to Him. This diſpatch I ſent away laſt night. I ſhall trouble you no farther, but reſt,