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 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, 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 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.