I Sent you a Letter by the foot-post, which I hope came to your hands on last Saturday, wherein was con­tained all or most part of Ports­mouth news, and now I herein send you all or most of what hath hap­pened since thereabouts: The Co­lonell having caused the Bridge called Portbridge 3 miles from Portsmouth entring into the Isle of Port­sea, (in which Portsmouth stands) to be made secure with a frame of timber work very strong, to hinder all from passing that way but whom he pleased, and having built a little Fort or Bulwork of earth a little within that Bridge, and planted four pieces of Ord­nance there to defend the Bridge, and having placed 10 or 12 horsemen to watch there day and night, did on Wednesday last carry back to Portsmouth 3 of [Page 4] his Ordnance, and the fourth also about a mile, but the wheels broke, so that he was fain to leave that piece in the high way, all which he did for feare the Troopers which came from London, would by force or some stratagem get them away, and then make use of them to offend the Colonell: yet when the pieces were gone, he still kept horsemen day and night at the Fort, and the timber work upon the Bridge, to secure it as formerly, and all Wednesday Thursday & Friday last, he caused divers hundreds of cattell, sheep, and swyne, in the fruitfull Isle of Port­sea to be brought into Portsmouth there, whether they were fat or lean, to be all kill'd and salted up, and caused every house in that Isle to be searched and all manner of provisions to be taken away from the owners, as corn, meal, flower, beefe, bacon, bread, butter, cheese, eggs, and all their poultry and ducks, not leaving half loaves of bread, nor pieces of bread, nor pieces of cheese, and drove away all cat­tell whatsoever, to the great terrour of all the people, especially women and children, forcing poor and rich to come away, and beg about for bread to keep them alive, and he made such men as he could find, help to drive their own cattell and carry their own provisions into Portsmouth, and then kept many of them there by force; but the Kings Ships as soone as they heard of these cruell intentions, landed some men at the East side of the Island, and two pieces of Ordnance, and thereby kept off the horsemen, whilst the ship-men got over many women and children in­to Hayling Island, and about 100. cattell, and about [Page 5] 200. sheep, they got ropes over the cattels heads, & made them swim over after boats: Upon Friday last in the afternoon, I went purposely to Portsdown to see and heare what I could, at which place all this was credibly told me, and I then went as neer the Fort as I durst, which was dangerous to be fetcht in by the horsemen which guarded it, in regard all the Troopers were then in Havant Town & in South­wick, 4 miles distant where they lay, and came not a­broad all that afternoon, by reason of the extraordi­nary rain which happened that afternoon: if the wea­ther had been fair, as I was told in the presence of the Councell of war at Southwick, the Troopers had attempted to have taken the Fort that afternoon, and then I had seen it: but in the night time, that night some Troopers went down to the Fort, and were troubled to get down the timber-work, it being so strong, and whilst they were getting it down the horsemen rode all away from the Fort, and the Troo­pers after them, but could take but one of the men, and two horses, so as now the Troopers have the fort, and have set there four pieces of Ordnance, and block'd up that passage, so as the Colonell and his company are all within the walls of Portsmouth as it were in a pound, not daring to encounter the Troo­pers; Although they last Saturday went almost to the Town Gates, to try if any dared to come forth to them, the Colonell sent out two pieces of Ord­nance charged with musquet bullets, and two gun­ners to guard the piece with the broken wheel, that the Troopers might not get it away: But on Satur­day [Page 6] in the afternoon, a valiant Trooper alone adventured to go neer them, and cunningly got on the back side of the men, who could not suddenly turn about both or one of the pieces, so as the Trooper shot off his Carbine at one of them with a brace of bullets, and spoil'd his running away, for he fell down dead, I be­lieve that this day they will attempt to take a Castle neer Portsmouth called Southsea Castle, half a mile from Portsmouth, and make no question to take it, and then to make use of it to shoot into Portsmouth. Master Lukener, Master Bellingham, Christopher Bird, and others of the County of Suffolk, I believe wish they were at Chichester again, every night some of Portsmouth souldiers and gunners get away down the walls and come to the Troopers, utterly disli­king the Colonells cause and usage of the Inhabi­tants of Portsea Island, by taking away their cattell and provisions, &c. And yet scorn to be thought cowards, for they offer to go in the forefront, and in most danger with the Troopers in any service whatsoever. Since Chichester men came to Portsmouth there hath been harder usage of people by the Colo­nell and his company then before, and some think by their or some of their advices, a yong woman in Portsmouth being great with child, who got leave to come last Friday out of Portsmouth, and whom I met by the way, reports; that one of Chichester men, but not Mr. Recorder Lukener, nor Mr. Bellingham, said to her that he would not have her go, because if the Town should be so put to it, as to want victualls, then that in her belly would eat as sweet [Page 7] as a yong sucking pig, by which we may guesse that they are inclinable to shew as much mercie as the Rebells in Ireland, but I hope that God will pre­vent all their wicked purposes. The Troopers I be­leeve resolve to banish all fear of danger, and within fewer dayes, though with losse of men, to adventure to scale the Walls, and take the Town, and prevent the doing of any more mischief by them in the Town to the poor Inhabitants, or any others: there is no great strength in the town of men, & but 80 or 90 horses, there being about 240. horses, Troopers, and 500 foot, by the Parliaments directions; but the Town is extraordinarily well provided with pow­der, and shot, and dyet, by reason of the fetching in so much from the Inhabitants, there was a horse and a man taken on Saturday last about five of the clock at Havant, going to Portsmouth with a suit of cloaths for one Mr. Bellingham in Portsmouth, but not Bel­lingham of Chichester, yet his kinsman, in which cloaths, between the outside and inside were sowed up 10 Letters; and about that time our Troopers took a man, and a horse, and severall Letters going out of Portsmouth from the Lord Wentworth the [...]e, and divers other Letters are taken, so as the bottome of their plots are I hope discovered: This morning one of the Isle of Wight was with me, and told me, All their people there stand right for the King and Parliament, except the Captains of their Castles, and some of the Gentry; one Sir Robert Dillington there would have sent over much corn to Portsmouth, but was prevented by Master Bunckley a Justice of [Page 8] peace there, who stands very right for the King and Parliament; there is in the Island much fear of the Captains of the Castles, whether they will prove right or not; they are such men as Col: Goring is; the people are in great fear of them, and wish that the Earl of Pembroke were come, and that they might Muster, &c.

15. August: 1642.