ON Munday the 19. of September the Earle of Essex having received Let­ters from the Parliament to advance his Forces from Northampton caused Drums to be beated up at foure a clock in the mor­ning, to call the souldiers together▪ and about six of the clock in the morning all the Co­lonels and Commanders attended on his Ex­cellency, signifying that their soulders were in a readinesse to march with his Excellency: which they had no sooner done, but there came a Message from Prince Robert to his Excellency the Earle of Essex, intimating that he had received certain information, that [Page 2] the said Earle of Essex was in a trayterous manner raising forces against his Majestie and had advanced forward and approached neere unto his Majesties person with force and Armes making warre against his Majesty and his good Subjects, and that he heard the said Earle intended to march tewards Co­ventry which if he did he would give him the meeting at Dunsmore Heath and would bee well provided against his comming thi­ther.

Whereuppon his Excellency retourned answer, that the manner of his raising those forces that were then with him rea­dy to march under his command was a thing not now to bee disputed upon be­tweene them, the occosions▪ and legality thereof being already determined by both houses of Parliament, neither had he under­taken that Comand with an intent for to leavy forces or make warre against his Ma­jesties royall person but to obtaine a peace betweene his sacred Majestie and his great Counsell of Parliament and all the rest of his Majesties faithfull dutifull and most loyall Subjects against any persons whatsoever that should oppose and resist the same and that hee feared not to meete the said Prince in any place that hee should appoint or make choice of.

[Page 3]And thereupon about ten of the clock the same day his Excellency advanced his For­ces, consisting of about two and twenty thousand Horse and Foot, intending to march about eight miles that night; which the Countrey people inhabiting thereabouts having intelligence of, came in great multi­tudes to expresse their true love and unfained affection to his Excellency and his honoura­ble Person, and also to shew a testimony of their love and earnest desire of the good suc­cesse of that cause which he had undertaken, the greatest part of the Gentry of that County coming thither in great pompe and state to attend his Excellency, and marched before him out of the towne, and the mea­ner sort of people expressed themselves with great acclamations of joy, to see his Excel­lency accompanied with such a number of brave, resolute, able men, which number the countrey would have been glad to have dou­bled, their affection was so great to this ser­vice.

It is credibly reported, that the Kings Majesty is gone into Staffordshire, and from thence is intended to take his journey unto Shrewesbury, because some of his carriages are gone thitherward already, where also his Majesty expects great supplies of aid and assistance to come out of North-Wales, about [Page 4] two thousand of them being come down in­to Shropshire and Cheshire already, but none of them dare come into the town of Shrews­bury, because the townsmen do threaten to beat them out againe if they come thither, or at least to do by them as the Citizens of Chester did by three hundred Welchmen that the Lord Strange had bileted there, who when they went forth of the City to exer­cise, shut the gates against them, and kept them out.

It is reported his Excellency will march with Forces directly towards Coventry, and in his passage thither hee is to march over Dunsmore Heath, where it is conceived that the great Challenger Prince Robert will play least in sight; for he knowes it is not firing of houses that will there serve his turne, which is the way wherein he shews his grea­test valour: but he might have done better to have retorted that peece of Art upon the Spaniard, who by that meanes wrought the great ruine in the Palatinate.

The Earle of Lincolne, with many Gen­tlemen and Free-holders in the County of Lincolne, considering the dangerous estate in which this Kingdome now stands, have ga­thered together in that County, and have searched all the Papists and ill-affected Pro­testants houses of any worth in that County, [Page 5] and have not onely taken away their armes, but have also forced them to subscribe to maintaine horse and moneyes for the King and Parliament, so that this County is now secured for the Parliament, the greatest part of the Countrey being so much incensed a­gainst the Cavaliers that they say, if any of them come againe thither, they will be their executioners.

In Yorkshire they are very quiet, Sir Iohn Hotham having lately defeated some troops of the Earle of Cumberlands. The City is all for the King and Parliament, they hope that other Countreyes will take warning by their ignorance for at the first they being ig­norant of the cause of the devision betweene the King and Parliament and of the insolent behaviour of the Cavaliers had some relish of an indifferent good opinion of their cause which made many of them decline from the Parliament at that time which being now better informed are for it, and although this County sends forty Members to the Parlia­ment, and there is not above three or four of them that hath continued firme and constant to the house yet now we hear diverse of them are changed in their opinions and would gladly be received againe into the house, wee [Page 6] are here about to take the course amongst those that are Popishly affected and of the malignant faction, as they have done in Lin­colnshire and although we shall not tender a­ny oath of association yet we intend to make such a tye between them and the Parliament that they shall not get off without forfeiture of that which they will be unwilling to loose.