IF I had received but the least notice or hope that you would have come to the meeting place; I had stayed longer to ex­pect you, though I did not part thence, till such time as I feared [Page] to be benighted by the way, and shall be ready upon all occasions to waite on you. I am very sorry to heare of the Arrivall of more Enemies, We having already more then We can suppresse, and doe presume to offer to your Consideration what in­couragement it will be to our disanimated Enemies in those parts, and discourage­ment to Ours; if they shall overthrow your forces at the first Encounter. Where­fore you will doe well to meete them with as strong forces as you can, thereby to defeate them, which will make them the more fearefull thenceforth. I have con­ferr'd with your Brother whom I have acquainted with what I know, to whose relation I referre you.

Our forces here shall be ready to assist you on the least notice, which may be don from hence, for all places about Ardee are so consumed with fire, that there can be no meate had for the Souldiers, for want whereof they will doubtlesse disperse, they are so prompt thereunto upon the least [Page] occasion. Thus praying God to give us better successe then hitherto, I rest

I can write you no Newes from about Dublin, but that Ours have burned a street in the Suburbs, and have good store of for­ces about the English Army that is gone forth, I pray spare me some powder, for I protest we have not ten shots a peece.

Directed thus on the backside,
For his Noble and much respected Kinsman Sir Phelim ô Neale, Generall of the forces of Vlster. These

I Presume I need not informe your Lord­ship of the severall Encounters these Re­giments have had with the Rebells, how in a place of the greatest advantage for the Re­bells, of any in Ʋlster, after relief of the Castles of Donegall, Ballishanon [Page] and Castlerachan, and bringing off Sir Ralph Gore, his house being no place of Strength, in our returne we were assaulted in the middle of a wood growing upon steep Mountaines on every side, at a very strait passe, by neer two thousand Rebells, our forces not exceeding much twelve hundred, we forced the passage, and so beate them in their own known choise groūd, brought off all, after a skirmish conti­nued five houres, and made a safe re­treate, with little or no losse at all, ha­ving killed above a hundred of the Rebells. I presume also that your Lordship hath heard of our marching to ô Cahan's Countrey, where with some eighteen hundred, my own, Sir VVilliam Stewart, and Sir Ralph Gore's Regiments, assisted with some [Page] [...] [Page] [...] [Page] foure Companies out of Derry, we did encounter two thousand foure hundred rebells beat them, killing two hundred, took nine or ten Colours, & took in the Castle of Dungiven, taking prisoner one of the chiefest of the Sept of the ô Cahans, releeved Colrane, and vi­ctualled the two Castles of Limavad­dy and Ballicastell, yet defended by the Brittish, and so having killed some three hundred more, which we found in scattered Companies, by twenties and thirties at a place, called Macgillegin, we retired home with very little or no losse at all, as also how Sir Phelim ô Neale with some foure thousand coming strong to as­sault us the 25. of Aprill, was beat, & put to the flight by some two thou­sand of ours, having lost one hundred [Page] men, we were stopt from prosecuting the victory, and pursuing the Rebells, by reason of the boggs, impassable for our horses, That which now I would impart to your Lordship, is a late conflict which befell on the 16. day of this moneth of June, The Rebells being gathered from all quarters, chased by the English and Scots forces, from the severall Counties of Tirone, Antrim, Armagh, Downe, Fermanagh and Donegall, under the Comand of Sir Phelim ô Neale him­self, Collonell a Caen, lately arrived from Spain, after twenty yeers travells abroad, assisted by Coll Kittaghs sons two Scots High-landers, with many high-landers more, making up in all six thousand foot and five hundred horse, the former night having stood in armes at a halfe a mile and lesse distance all the night, that morning about sun-ris­ing [Page] our forces being drawn up in num­ber not exceeding much two thousand foot and three hundred horse, after we had sent out some comanded Musquet­tiers, and horse, to view the rebells more neere, who being drawn up very orderly, upon the approach of our Commanded men from a hill opposite to us, where they lay the night preceding, and were then drawn up in two brigades, judging that our body should have faln down, to have seconded them, came on with a furious and swift March, making a terrible out-cry in their march according to their maner, but our men having received or­ders to retire to the body, if they were assaulted, did retire accordingly, and in retiring gave fire, the Rebells appre­hending that retreat to be a flight, marcht streight close together in two brigades towards ours, which after we [Page] had perceived, having obtained our end, in drawing them towards that litle hill, where we were scituat, we began to march slowly, they still advancing, Coll Kittaghs sons (cryed up for their va­lor as invincible Champions) with their high-landers and some others assaulted my brigade fiercely, insomuch that they were not far from coming to push of pike but seeing the resolution and constancy of our men advancing still, and not loos­ing ground, galling them with continual shot, finding their reare to shrink back first, and then to flie at last, after a quarter of an houres stand, they turned faces, and so did all that Brigade flie, which that which was opposite to Sir William Stewart seeing, did beare their Countrey-men Company, and so fled confusedly, their troops (never so much as offering once to draw near, far lesse to charge) took the same course the [Page] foot took, we had the chase and execu­tion of them for six or seven miles, killed as is thought five hundred, tooke some Colours, and gained divers Armes and Drums, besides the dead, many we heare are dangerously, if not mortally wounded, This is now the second time that the titular Generall Sir Phelim, with his farre greater forces hath been beaten in the field by us, with an happy successe, which I pray the Lord of Hosts to continue to ours, and all other Brit­tish forces in Ireland, that at last we may see our desire upon our Enemies, and the Crown of this Monarchy flourish upon our Kings head in peace.