BEing Commanded by you to this ser­vice, I think my selfe bound to ac­quaint you with the good hand of God towards us and you, we marched yesterday, after the King, who went before us from Daintry to Harborough, and quartered about six miles from him, he drew out to meet us, both Armies ingaged, wee after three houres fight (very doubtfull) at last routed his Army, killed and tooke about five thousand, very many Officers, but of what quality we yet know not; We tooke also two hundred Carriages, all he had, and all his Guns, being twelve in number, whereof two were Demy-cannons, two Demy-Culverins, and I think the rest were Sacres. We pursued the enemy from three miles short of Har­borough to nine beyond, even to the sight of Leicester, whether the King fled; Sir, this is no other but the hand of God, to him alone be the glory, wherein none are to share with him. The Generall served you with all faith­fulnesse and honour, and the best commendation I can give him, is, I dare say he attributes all to God, and had rather perish then assume it to himselfe, which is an honest, and a thriving way, yet as much bravery may be given to him in this Action, as to a man.

BOth Armies were drawne in Ba [...]talia in a great feild neere Knaseby by ten in the morning, each wing of both sides char­ged other, with that eagernesse, that they had not patience to shoot of one peece of Ordnance, our Dragoones begun the Bat­taile Flancking the right wing of the Enemies Horse as they char­ged our left wing of Horse, the Foot charged not each other till they were within twelve paces one of another, and could not charge above twice, but were at push of Pike, the Enemies Foot gave a little backe, and so did some few of ours, and then the right wing of our Horse (wherein the Generall was in person) charged in the Flancke of the blew regiment of the enemies Foot, who stood to it, till the last man, abundance of them slaine, and all the rest surrounded, wounded, and taken, these (the hope of their Infantry) being lost, Horse and Foot gave backe, wee ad­vanced on after them in order our Horse flancking▪ our Foot, and after one charge more, became Masters of all their Infantry, and tooke about three thousand prisoners, the Enemies Horse ran a pace, but still our Horse, though one would have beaten ten, (such a feare was the Enemy possessed with all) would not pur­sue in heate but take the Foot to flancke them, the King cryed out, face about once and give one charge and recover the day, our Men Horse and Foot came on with that courage, that before ever wee gave fire they faced about and ran clee [...]e away, and [Page 3] happy was he that was best mounted, and Livetenant Generall Cromwell; pursued with the Horse after them on a Curre [...]e about twelve or thirteen miles, within two or three miles of Leicester, and having taken eight peeces of Ordnance in the Feild, whereof two were Demicannon, one whole Culverine, tooke all the rest of their Ordnance and their Carriages, Bag and Baggage▪ aboun­dance of Coaches, and rich Plunder, Carts with Boates and great store of Bisket and Cheese, (a seasonable refreshment for our soul­diers that had marched so hard, and the night before had not a bit of Bread to a regiment for their refreshment,) the Foot and the Traine Marched this night to Harborough (foure miles) where our head quarter is. Time will not give me leave to enlarge my self on particulers otherwise it were worth your knowledge and fit to be had in memory, I shall not attribute more to one Comman­der then to another, for indeed they did as gallantly, as ever men on earth could doe, and so did the Enemies foote, which before the battaile wee least valued, Rupert and Maurice (having at least two thousand Horse more then ours that charged, were so well received by our men though our left wing gave backe a little as their hearts were broake at the first▪ that which made our Horse so terrible to them, was the thicknes of our reserves and their orderly and timely comming on, not one failing to come on in turne; A­bout the beginning, the day was doubtfull, but blessed be the name of our God, in one halfe houre the field was woon and the Enemy gone, to God alone be the praise, it becomes not me to say any thing of my Generalls, Major Generalls, or Livetenant Generall Cr [...]mwells carriage in this battaile, I leave it to all men, on the place to relate it, who cannot but admire their valour, and thus hath the Lord gone along with this new moulded Army, so much contemned by many & left as sheepe to the slaughter by o­thers, but from the beginning I was confident, a blessing from heaven did attend this Army, there were in it so many pious men, men of integrity, hating vice, fighting not out of ambitiousnesse or by ends, but ayming at Gods glory and the preservation of Re­ligion, & Liberty, and the destruction of the Enemy which was ne­ver in so faire a way as now is, if peoples hearts would yet be mo­ved to redeeme themselves from slavery and all ioyne as one man, [Page 4] If this advantage be improved (as what a wearied out and tyred Army is able to doe, will be done) with the blessing of God, and an addition of some fresh horse, ours being worne off their legs, the Enemy in all probability will not this Summer get head a­gaine, and I hope in the Lord, never more considerable in the field, some observations I had in the time of Battell in the carri­age of things, that one great incouragement to the common Soul­dier to fall on, was the rich Plunder the enemy had (their purses also being full of Money, the Plunder of poore Leicestershire, God turned to be one meanes of their ruine, and indeed our souldiers got plenty, the Irish women Prince R [...]p [...]rt brought on the field (wives of the bloody Rebels in Ireland (his Majesties dearly belo­ved subjects) our souldiers would grant no quarter too, about 100 slain of them, and most of the rest of the whores that attended that wicked Army are marked in the face or nose, with a slash or cut. I viewed the dead bodies, from the Battell to Harborough, truly I estimate them not to be above 700, together with those slaine in the fields running away, but in pursuit between Harborough and Leicester, and by townes, conceived about 300 more slaine, abun­dance wounded, persons of great note fell, one with a starre and a red crosse on his coat, conceived to be the D [...]ke of Lenox foure Lords came mortally wounded to Harborough, but durst not stay, we tooke all the foot Colours in the field, the Kings owne Co­lours, with the Lyon and Crowne, with this Motto, Dieu & mon droit; The Queenes Colours, and the Princes Colours, and the Duke of Yorkes Standard; We got the Plunder of the Kings Coach, his Cabinet, &c. The enemies word was, Queen Mary, ours. God is our strength, and so he was indeed. They had beane stalkes in their hats, we nothing; some of ours of their owne ac­cord had white Linnen, or paper in their hats. A party of theirs that broke through the left wing of Horse, came quite behind the reare to our traine, the Leader of them being a person somewhat in habit like the Generall, in a red Mountero, as the Generall had, he came as a friend; our Commander of the guard of the Tra [...]ne went with his hat in his hand, and asked him how the day went thinking it had been the Generall; The Cavalier whom we since heard was Rupert, asked him and the rest, if they would have [Page 5] quarter, they cryed no, Gave fire and instantly beat them off; It was a happy deliverance, we had slaine on our part none above a Captaine I yet heare of, and in all not 250. to my best judge­ment, and I viewed the ground where the bodies lay, the honest and valiant Major generall wounded Collonel Butler, Collonel Francis Major Horton, Captaine Potter, one of the Commons of Parliament, Collonel Ireton, and some other Officers of note wounded; The Provost Marshall saith, he hath in all about foure thousand Prisoners, whereof above 400. are Officers, foure Col­lonels, 12 Lievtenant Collonels, many Majors, 60. Captaines, besides Lievtenants and Ensignes. The Souldiers have already brought in to the Generall, above 40. Standards and Colours, he gives each man a reward, Sir Iacob Ashley's Coach was taken with great store of Plunder, also some Letter, of Nicholas the lyer, wherein he hath this expression in his Letter to the King, That the Parliament had given particular Direction to the Generall to kill the King, and to give him no quarter, the rest of his stories are like this; Wee tooke 5000. Armes on the field, but the Soul­diers were so greedy of Plunder and pursuing the enemy, that the Countrey got some of them. Sir Iacob Ashley was neere taking, we got the Cap of his head; The Army is marching to­ward Leicester, and will not give the Enemy time to rally; our Horse are close in the reare of them, Collonel Rossiter came sea­sonable to the engagement, and charged where the Generall was, and is still in pursuit of the enemy, I could say more had I time to sleepe, I rest yours, &c.

Harborough, Iune 15. two in the morning.

We tooke one Colours of Horse, with a paire of horns, Come Cuckolds, was the Motto; as soone as our men had it in possession, they held the Hornes and Motto towards the Enemy, and so charged them.

Langdels Brigade ran away basely, and lost the King the day.