IN my laſt letter I wrote to you of a Commiſſion that came hither, and brought by one Thomas Bourke a Papiſt, who was of the Houſe of Commons here, and one of thoſe Committees ſent over by the Houſe of Commons here into England, mine time of the Earl of Straffords triall; the ſubſtance of which Commiſſion for ought I can hear is no other then that I wrote you word of before, to receive the Demands of the Rebels: the Marqueſſe of Ormond, the Earl of Clanrickard, the Earl of Raſcommen, my Lord Moore, Sir Thomas Lucas, Sir Maurice Eustace, the Kings Sarjeant, and this Bourke being Commiſſioners, though this be all in the Commiſſion that I can learn, yet the Papiſts do much rejoyce here, and bragge that they ſhall have their wills and what they pleaſe (ſo fooliſhly I hope are they abuſed by their Prieſts and others who tells them of wonders, when I doubt not, but it will be but ridiculus mus) for ſure His Majeſtie is ſenſible of the blood of his Engliſh Subjects ſo barbarouſly ſpent and ſpilt by thoſe Rebels here, which by a remonſtration given in here unto the State is no leſſe then an hundred fourtie foure thouſand in the Province of Ʋlster, onely which by the Rebels have beene hanged, killed, drowned, ſtoned, and now miſſing there. And if ſo many in one of the foure Provinces, what are there in the other three Provinces? The place appointed by the Commiſſioners to receive what the Rebels offer, is Troudaiſh; the time I heare which is appointed is the 23. of this inſtant: they are to come thither not above thirtie, and of them none to be of their Clergie; They have a ſafe conduct ſent them unto Kilkenny, and are to have a Convoy for to ſecure them in their paſſage if they doubt any thing. What will be the iſſue of it time will ſhew, but you muſt not look for ſuch conſtant Intelligences as heretofore; for 'tis reported here, that Captaine Bartlet who commanded the Pinnace, and ſerved the State upon theſe Coaſts, and to runne betweene Chester and Dublin, have delivered his Ordnance out of his ſhip, being ſixteen in number, to fortifie Westchester, and have moored up his ſhip there as tis given out, and for his excuſe doth ſay, he hath done it by the command of thoſe who have power to do it.

For our eſtate here it is much after the old manner, we cannot ſtirre out of Dublin but the poore Engliſh are ſwept up, if they go not out ſtrongly. On Munday was a ſeven night at noon day, an hundred and fourtie of the Calves which the poore Engliſh that dwelt in Dublin had, were ſwept all away by the Rebels from the Greene of Dublin, and Oxmanton Greene, and carried cleane away without reſiſtance, which will adde to our ſcarcitie, it being too much alreadie, and which if we be not ſoone relieved. I feare we muſt abandon this Kingdome for want of victuals; and whither we poore few that are left ſhould go to begge, if England be not quiet, we do not know onely our eyes wait upon that great providence which yet hath been wonderfull towards us in goodneſſe.

On Friday was ſeventh night Sir Francis Willoughby went with 1500. Foot, and three Troops of Horſe to Mennooth, where the Rebels were in great multitudes; but upon his approach they fired the towne, and ſome of them betook themſelves to the Caſtle, where they endured about ninetie great ſhot from our Ordnance, and then in the night ſtole all away. Such ill luck hath Sir Francis ſtill, that the Rebels ſlip away from him when he ſhould come to execution: and for the preſent there is a garriſon of two hundred men put into it, whether they ſhall continue there, or how long we know not, but the reſt of the ſouldiers are come home.

I wrote to you alſo in my laſt of a Convoy of a thouſand foot and about two hundred horſe, ſent to Athlowe in Connaught, from hence with Ammonition and proviſions for reliefe of the Souldiers there, amongſt which were ſome clothes for the Souldiers, what the ſtate here could ſpare, and that very hardly, they went ſafely thither, but in their coming back about two miles of this ſide of Mullingare, in Weſtmeath, at a place called Rawnnell, their way was through a paſſe or cawſey over a bogge, the bogge being on both ſides the cawſey, which the Rebels had purpoſely ſo cut and ſpoiled, that neither horſe nor foot could poſſibly paſſe over it: and at the hither end towards Dublin the Rebels had made works and trenches to lie in, to cut off our men in their returne; In thoſe trenches and that ſide, they had (as the certaineſt reports are of them that were there) 2500. men, and on a hill a little from the bogge, a thouſand men more, and in another place 700. more, and the countreys thereabout riſing and making towards them, their Generaliſſimo Preſton had ſent his eldeſt ſonne, who was a Collonel amongſt them, with many of his beſt men unto that place to their help. Our men ſeeing the ſtraight that they were in, and having no other way to paſſe but that way through the bogge, ſent Serjeant Major Morris a young man, who ſometimes was the late Earl of Straffords Page, with the forlorne Hope to try the bogge, he commanded his man to lead his horſe after him: and finding that the bottome of the bogge was gravelly, though they went up to the ankles, and ſometimes to the knees, yet reſolvedly he went on and got over, and then called to our horſe to follow, which they did with what ſpeed they could: and ſo ſoon as ſome few of them were got over they were charged by one Captaine Bryan (whom I formerly wrote to you ran away from us, he being then Cornet to Sir Thomas Lucas, and whoſe plot was to have carried with him two or thre troops of our horſe, (they were received bravely by our men, though but newly got out of the mire) and though Bryan gave them three charges with great courage and fierceneſſe, yet his men could not endure the face of our horſe, but preſently fled and ranne away. When Bryan was ſlain, and his head carried to Droggedah, our foot likewiſe waded through the bogge with great courage, and were no ſooner got through, but they charged the Rebels in their very trenches, and with ſuch furie and reſolution, that they came up to the very loopholes where they put out the nuzzels of their Muskets, and ſo couragiouſly beat them out of their trenches, and made them to betake them to their heels, and they followed the chaſe about 6. miles. How many of the Rebels were killed is uncertain, for none can tell that were there but by gueſſe: ſome think 400. at leaſt, and many of good note, and their beſt men, amongſt whom was Adam Cuſacke, one of our great ſpeakers in our Parliament. There were taken Collonell Preston, the Generall Preſtons eldeſt ſonne, who is now in the Caſtle of Dublin; and as ſome of them that were there ſay, and I heare it confirmed by Sir John Sherlocke, that Betangh of Menaltagh his eldeſt ſonne, and Garret Otylemer the Lawyer, his eldeſt ſonne, which two, they ſay, they left at Trim, with ſome others of their beſt men. There were eleven of their Colours taken, ſome ſay ſixteen, but I ſaw but ten brought into Dublin, if I miſtooke not in the telling them as they were brought.

This we account as great a Victory, as that of Killruſh, conſidering all the difficulties that were therein, and the advantages that the enemie had of us, and we muſt not, nor ought we to aſcribe it to any policie or ſtrength of ours, but to the immediate hand of our good God, who as in our former fights, ſo in this, ſhewed his owne power and mercy to us, and even miraculouſly preſerved us, and gave us this victory. There were but foure or five of our men killed in all this fight, and ſome twentie hurt, but not mortally, that I can heare of Sir Richard Grenvile commanded the Horſe in chiefe, and Sir John Sherlocke the Foote, Sir Michael Ernely was there alſo with them, who is accounted amongſt our Souldiers as brave a Commander, as we have any, and Sir Charles Coote, Sir Edmund Povey, and the Lord Preſident of Connaught, who are all come to Dublin, but Sir Michael Earnely, who fell ſicke at Trim by the way, where he is. This battell was fought yeſterday ſennight, and the Newes came to us on thurſday, and our Souldiers came home on Saturday laſt.

The beginning of the laſt Summer, there were ſent into Connaught, with Sir Michael Earnly, and other Commanders, two thouſand men, which came to us from Chester; of theſe there came up with our Convoy now from Athlew, onely ſix hundred men, and in that diſtreſſed miſerable caſe, that it would pittie any mans heart, that had but one dram of mercy in him to ſee them; they are almoſt ſtarved, and ſome now dye comming to get a little fulneſſe of meate, and I feare many of them will follow that way. So ragged and naked are they for want of cloaths, as I never ſaw Souldiers in all my dayes: and ſome of them dyed by the way, not being able to travaile up, and almoſt all of the reſt of the two thousand that went downe, beſides theſe ſix hundred, are dead in Connaught, of meere hunger and ſickneſſe, as the Souldiers ſay; For they doe report that few or none were killed by the enemie.

As I ſaid before, our wants here increaſe very much, and if we have not ſupplyes ſpeedily ſent us out of England, what wee ſhall doe, or which way to turne us, or whither to goe, wee know not, and if we have no helpe from you, we cannot continue long; for if wee wanted nothing but victualls, that were enough to deſtroy us all.

They are preparing here to ſend out about two thouſand men, horſe and foote, this next weeke, but whither they ſhall goe, is kept ſecret; it was a motion made by my Lord Liſle, which wee thinke came originally from Collonell Munke; both which, as we heare, are to goe in the ſervice: they carry Battering Pieces with them, and Quernes for grinding of Corne, and if God bleſſe them, we thinke they will not haſtily returne; for in truth, we have no victualls for them. And thus with my kindeſt reſpects to you, I reſt