I Have written one Letter to you since I came in­to this Bay. Yesterday I received yours of the 24 of May, rejoycing much in that health which God pleaseth yet to continue to you and my familie at home. I thank God I am well, onely much sad­nesse of spirit is contracted from the sad spectacle that besieged Lime doth continually offer to ou [...] view; a Towne that deserves abundance of pittie and love, they being still under the violence of a cruell Enemie. Captaine Pine, of whose wounding I writ to you in my last, is since dead: God brought my Lord hither to a singular purpose, it tending to save that distressed Towne hitherto, having not in it at his Lordships comming, above two dayes bread, and a small quantitie of Ammunition. There are in the Towne 4000 soules, whereof 1000 in G [...]rrison; who though they want Shooes, Stockings, Clothes? and pay, and have not departed from Lime since the beginning of the siedge; yet are all of them resolved [Page 2]to stand out to the last man: and when they can doe no more, to breake through the Enemie with their swords.

At my Lords first comming, he sent on shoare neere 40 barrells of Powder and some Match, which came along with his Lordship purposely for their reliefe. The Ships under his Lordships commands did before his comming, spare what Provisions they could, none comming to them from other parts, and the passages by Sea being neer blockt up, his Lord­ship contracted, for 350 pounds worth of Come and other Provisions, being then bound for Plymouth to be sold there, and tooke order to send it into the Towne, himselfe undertaking the price.

The condition and courage of the besieged did so prevaile with our Sea-men, that on Saturday last, out of their poore overplus, they sent them above 30 paire of Boots, 100 paire of Shooes, 160 pure of Stockings, some Linnen and old clothes, and some quantitie of Fish and Bread, that they had formerly, saved out of their Sea allowance. They did also una­nimously give one fourth part of their bread for the next foure moneths, amounting to 9000 weight, which their hard labour and constant cutie might ad­vise them to have reserv'd rather for their own bellies. On Monday lasts my Lord and the Ships with him, determin'd to spare them 2000 weight of bread more, and some quantities of Beefe, Porke, Shot, Fish, and other necessaries. That day some of our Sea-men were desired by the Towne to looke to the Lyme, while 600 of the Garrison sallyed on the Ene­mie, and 300 men were resolved to be sent; but the [Page 3]same day the Towne received a terrible for me from the Enemie, yet with little advantage to the besiegers, they 100 sing about 60. and the Town but eight, one­ly some of their Comanders were then hurt, viz. Colonell Ware was shot in the bellie, but not dange­rously, and Lieutenant Colonell Blake was slightly hurt in the foot. The Townesmen of the three Cap­taines that led up the forlorne hope, killed one Cap­tain Southern, who had on the Lord Paulets own Ar­mour, and tooke prisoner another, viz. Captaine Aston, who was the next day brought aboard our Ship. This Captaine Aston is brother to a servant of Master Ketchmar in Fish street: the Enemie refused to take off their dead, resolving to burie them, and to take the Towne altogether. But God afterwards corrected their daring & presumptuous Cruckie. The Garrison being in couraged by this successe, resolved to prosecute their former purpose of sallying, and in pursuance thereof, on Tuesday night last, the 300 men were sent safely on shoare, though to make good their landing 3 or 4 of the Townsmen were shin, On the same Tuesday, his Lordship determin'd to send two of his Sips, & all the ship-boats futed with men towards Char [...]outh, [...]ir [...]port, & other places about six miles frō Line, that the Enemies opinion of our land­ing men in those parts, might draw off the horse, where­by the sallie would be more secure and advantagious. And on Wednesday last the ships and boats were ac­cordingly sent out, at a time signified from the towne by shooting off a Gun from Daves fort and giving an alarme on the East shoare, obtained what was in de­signe. For all the day long, foure or five troopes of [Page 4]horse, and some hundreds of foot, attended the mo­ving of the ships and boats, from whence diverse great shot and small shot played into lands, which forced the enemie to cast up a brest-work by the sea side for their owne defence. The enemie mistooke the inten­tion, supposing that these boats had in the night taken men out of the Towne, with purpose to set them on shore, for getting of provisions into the Towne, or to fall on the reare; and thereby thinking the Towne to be weakned, they did on the same Wednesday neere the time appointed for sallying, assault the Towne with great surie: from about sixe at night to about eight at night, there was such a continuall peale of small shot and great shot, that the Towne seemed to be all on a flame; twice the enemie made an orderly retreat, appearing each time in a body of about a thousand men. The third assault was most violent, the enemie advancing with brave resolution, and be­ing as gallantly received by the Townesmen. A little after eight of the clock there was a remitting of the former furie; and about nine, an almost generall silence. There was slaine of the enemie in this assault, as some of the Towne this day aboord computed, foure hundred; and of the garrison, but six or seven kild and wounded, whereof Major Townsend was one, who was shot in the head, but is still alive. Amongst the staine, there was found one Gentlemen that came that morning from Exeter with Letters for Oxford, whither he would faine have carryed the newes of the taking of Lyme, but God prevented him, and the Let­ters found in his pocket are sent to London; the prin­cipall thing imparted by them being, that they heard [Page 5]the wayes to Oxford began to be obstructed; that the Queene was better then formerly, and much com­forted in Doctor Mirons comming on Sabbath day last.

On Thursday last there was a parley in the Towne, the enemie desiring to burie their dead, which before they scorn'd.

Yesterday some reliefe came for the Towne by Sea, and in the afternoone part of the Towne was fired, yet but three houses burnt. This day another part of the Towne was fired, and at this instant the fire en­creaseth, and twentie new houses are burnt.

You may now judge the state of poore Lyme, but if you saw it as it is continually before us, your eyes would much affect your baste, considering that such gallant spirits, worth a Nation indeed, should be the subjects on which the rage and madnesse of a base and cruell enemie is from day to day exercised and im­printed.

If London knew their merit and condition, I am confident they would not only compassionate them, but relieve them: what is wanting in men, will bee made up I hope by the power and providence of hea­ven, whose salvation hath him hither to appointed by God, for their wals, and bulwarkes somethings I may not omit, that at the late storming, one woman shot off 16 Musquets upon the enemy, and the wo­men of the Town generally did fill the Souldiers Bandileres while they sought: the continuance of their dangers having much blunted the sence of their dangers, retaining in their spirits a constant cheere­fulnesse, as knowing they shall have deliverance, [Page 6]ther from the affliction, or by it: and to all let mee adde, that this mercy to them was the result. I doubt not of the prayers put up at the instant on their be­halfe, from aboard as well as in other parts of the Kingdome.

We have taken upon the seas since our setting from the Downs, 2 prizes, one a Dartmouth vessell, laden with oyle and salt for Holland, and the other was brought into us on Saturday last which was a Dutch Galliot laden with commodities for the enemie at Aptham, and Exceter, to the value of 8000 li. and the Master of the Galliot him selfe confessed, that they had for her more safe convoy of the company of two States men of War, who had aboard their ships 5 barrels of money amounting to 1000 Dollars, confined to some malignants in Exceter: the factor under whose charge the money went committed, being aboard the men of war, was loath to be discovered, but at length being apprehended, and brought before his Loadship was for some peremptory speeches to my Lord put in safe custody the goods will prove undeniable prize.

Erom aboard his Majesties ship the James, at an­ [...]her before Lime, the first of June.

This is Licensed according to Order.