GOOD Friend, would I could perform my promise, with as much profit to you, as delight to my self: But in brief, Since my Apologie would but stigmatize as much your candid construction, as be a further declaration of my own weak­nesse, you shall understand by these few lines our progresse from Stanes, our first advance on the last of April, by severall stages, untill we came to our generall Randevouz at Newbery-Wash, May the 4. From whence, by twelve or one of the clock, we advanced toward Andover, and in the Villages adjacent, with seven Regiments of Foot, to the number, I suppose, of 10 or 12000. Foot; for the Horse most of them not then as yet come in: I would write no more then what I am able to testifie, either by my own, or from the hands of good Authors.

From Andover on May the fifth, we drew up our severall Regi­ments a mile from the Town and staid two or three hours, called a Councell of War, where were cast five or six, one a Renegado, and four more, authours of the mutiny in Kent, who cast dice for their lives; one of them, and the Renegado a Parsons son, were executed in a Village on a Tree in the High-way, in Terrorem; the Parsons son, as was said, in the same Town where he was born, both of them died as they lived, like Sotts: But how the great Judge past his sen­tence on them, I have not to say. Next day, May the sixth, was Pro­clamation made, That it should be death for any man to plunder, at which, our old Horse-Dragoons, somewhat guilty, made answer, If the Parliament would pay truely, let them hang duely: Which hath caused so much good order in our march, that to my best inquiry, I have not heard of any man to complain to loose an Ox, Sheep, Lamb, Hen, no, nor an Egg, save in our hard march, hot-dayes, vacancy of Towns, or Houses, over the Plain, made them inordinately desire drink, or covet for water in the Villages we past. To give you the particular of our severall Stages, would be as difficult, as needlesse: [Page 4]Since for the most part we took Barnes, and Hedges for our nights repose, after our hard and hot-dayes marches, untill within the com­passe of eight dayes. We came on the second of this instant, within the sight of Taunton, where upon the Hills, when we came within ten miles of it, having the advantage of ground, we gave them a peal of our Artillary, ten of our peeces being discharged to give them notice of our approach, which yet did them no good, by reason, that on the Thursday before, which was the eighth of this instant Moneth, the enemy drew out a party of their Horse and Foot, with some peeces of Cannon, and skirmisht in sight of the Town, but one­ly with Powder; in fine, they made the Town beleeve, that Fairfax who was coming to relieve them, was there beaten, hoping by this stratagem, to have drawn a party of them out, to their succour, and to have cut them off by an Ambuscado: But God withheld them, they kept close to their works, and when the enemy returned, they fell to firing of the Town, and told them, you Roundheaded Rogues, you look for relief, but we have relieved them, and Goring is coming on, and we will not leave one House standing, if you will not yeeld; then they played with their Granadoes and Morter peeces so hot, and so long, that they fired the Town: So that, I beleeve, the one half of the Town, which was two long streets of the Subburbs, be both burnt down to the ground; and the mean while, they stormed most furiously, but they met with a Gallant Commander in chief, Colonell Blake, and his stout Souldiers, that gave them such showres of lead, that from good hands it is reported, 1200. at least, there sacrificed their filthy lives, and left their carkasses: The Town in all, from the begin­ning, to the raising of the siedge, hath lost 200. men. On Friday they had work enough to bury their dead, and bethink themselves of saving their living. Hopton sent a parly to resign the Town upon conditions, Blake returned him answer, he had four pair of Boots yet left, and he would eat three pair of them, before he should have it.

On Saturday we came to Chard, within eight miles of it; on the Lords-day, orders were given to beat our Drums by day light, and accordingly, drew up our whole Army, Horse and Foot; and allthough by command from the Parliament, our noble General Fairfax, Generall Major Skippon, and that Regiment which formerly was Barkeleys, were commanded back when we were at Blandford, which was a sad breakfast to most, both Officers and Souldiers, were after sad salutes, and watery eyes, like the parting of Husbands from their Wives, and dear friends, yet we were a thinking of nothing [Page 5]more then resolution to obey, and action to perform, that great work for the which we were sent, with four Regiments of Foot, to wit. Colonell Welden, who as eldest Colonell, a gallant, wise, and brave Gentleman, Commander in cheif, Colonell Fortescu, Colonell Floyd, and Colonell Englesby Regiments; and as we past, came in for our recrute, and met us about Dorchester, six Companies of the Skie-colour Regiment of Colonell Morrels; and on Saturday, as many Colours from Lime, those old, brave Blades, We had a fine Body of Horse, of some 1500. or 2000. and 4. or 5000 Foot, where I never beheld men of all sorts, of more promising courage, resolution, all as one man, sweetly combined against the common enemies of mankinde, such love amongst themselves, Horse, and Foot. One passage I will relate, though I hate prolixitie, a brave gallant Fellow, but a common Souldier, cries out to the Horse as they marcht by: O brave Horse, go on, shew them no more mercy, then to a Louse: Remember Cornwall; To whom a brave Captain of the Plimmouth Troop replied, O Fellow Souldier, let us remember our God, and not fight in malice, but do his work, and leave the successe to him, and you shall see, through Gods mercy, we will stand close to you, O you gallant Foot; but I may not be tedious, yet surely, braver courage was never seen, then even then, when a party of the enemies Horse, and ours, faced each other; our Forlorn Horses meet, and ex­change some Pistols, put them quickly to the Tryall of their heels; but after we were drawn up into Battalia, expecting when to be charged, and made choice of our ground, no enemy appeared, we went on to the very Brow of the Hill in Battalia, and saw betwixt that and Taunton, nothing but inclosures, not minding to adventure all our Horse into a pitfold; the Lanes in many places from thence, we could not march above four or six in brest: The Agitant of the Horse surely a gallant man, a Dutchman, and some eight or nine others, fall down to Pitmister, and without his Dublet, onely in his Shirt, in­countered a Troop of the enemies Horse, being as is said, Hoptons Lifeguard, for they were commanded by his own Cornet, one Brown an Irish man, who furiously charges them, and cries, why do you not fier you cowardly Rogues, spent one Pistoll, charged them thorow, and killed three or four with his own hands, his Sword being all bloody up to the very Hilt; they all run as fast as they could, the Dutch Agitant wheels off, and retreats, lost not one man in the first Rout; the Cornet and some twelve more, faced about, and on them the Agitant charges a fresh, having killed two or three of them, took [Page 6]four of them prisoners, rides up to the Cornet, and cries quarter, he denies it, but sets Spurs to his Horse to run away, but he was soon overtaken by his Pistoll, which ended his journey by a brace of Bul­lets in his back, fell from his Horse, he brought him of alive, but he soon died; and being demanded why he refused quarter, made an­swer, He could not in honour desire it, seeing so many to be beaten, and run away from so few: But questionlesse, the man thought of his Nation, and dreading a halter, chose a more honourable death. All this while, we have not one word from the Town; whereupon, we gave them two or three peeces of Cannon, but they were cautious, and perswaded we were the enemy, who indeavoured to draw them forth; for so the enemy suggested, that Goring was come to relieve them, and that their Rear might not be discovered: toward Evening, we sent a party of Horse, who approacht to their very Works, the enemy having drawn off their Guns, and their Rear upon their march, the Town never before, having any notice of our Forces, that they could confide on as friends there, about six of the clock fell out upon their Rear, killed some, and took other prisoners. We marcht with our whole Body to Pitmister, and then within two miles of the Town, took up our quarters in the Fields, and on Munday morning our Colonels go to Taunton, give order for our whole Army to re­treat back to Chard, where we quartered on Saturday; and the fourteenth is the first dayes rest, the Army hath had, from our first dayes motion Westward; which if you consider of, is one of the greatest expeditions, and gallantest marches, that ever this unhappy War produced; if you do but waigh the length of the way, the in­cumbrances that attend an Army, with their Train, and Artillary; many new Souldiers, hard quarters, exceeding cold nights, and as hot dayes: Let God have the Glory, our Colonells and Officers the praise; who of my knowledge, have marcht two or three dayes on Foot, and never took their Horse, but still in the head of their Regi­ments, gave good incouragement by their own examples, and then God so ordering, that not a man of us miscarried; for my own Company, I can say, not a man sick after we left Newbery, and few or none went from us, but all stick close, valiantly resolved to fight, and die, yet the Town was relieved without the losse of any mans blood, and a terrour strook into the hearts of their enemies. We may say, God fought for us, and of him, we will make our boast all the day long; To whom be all the praise, who lives for ever and ever, Amen, Amen.

Thus far have I brought you to our own Armies expedition; but now for the enemy one word, and I have done, though neither this, nor future ages will beleeve, nor should I my self, who have former­ly known these parts, had not my own eies beheld it: To see one or two Houses ruined in a place, had been no great matter, but all the way we marcht from Okingham to Taunton; no place especially, where Religion was most eminent, but you might track the divell by his cloven Foot: Such devastation of Houses, nay, depopulations in many places; and those Fields, Pastures, Plains, formerly beautified, and inricht with Flocks, and Herds: You may passe ten miles, and scarce discern any thing; rich Pastures, but no Cattle left to eat them. You would suppose the great Turk, his Janisaries and Armies, rather then their Native Prince his Souldiers had been there: Who would think a King, who was so tender hearted, as to charge Hotham so deeply in his Answer to the Parliament, declared 1642. for drowning the Medows about Hull, and was formerly so carefull for the good of the Subjects disabusing by the severall Manafactures of Sope, Cards, Dice, Pinnes, &c. should now lay all desolate where he hath any foot­ing. O that those Counties of Kent, Essex, &c. which complain of heavy Taxes, would compare their Estates with the forlorn West: His Majestie complains, that the Flowers of his Crown, the Prero­gative Royall, should be infringed; and yet the Jewels of the ancient Crown fold to buy us such an unheard off misery, by Walloons, Irish, French, Dutch, &c. If all this will not please the Queen, the Papists, Jesuites, yea, the divell himself; I know not how they can studie more to grive man, and provoke God. Let them palliat the Prince, and tell him, he is to give an account to none but God; yet sure that will be found an hard reckoning at last: A sad maxime, that no way so sure to settle the King in his Throne, as to Pave its way thorow the blood, and ruine of his people and Kingdom. We have heard of three or four Kings, in four or five yeers, and yet the Kingdom to flourish; but we never heard, that one King should destroy two or three King­doms, rather then suffer the least affront, or the least twing of the Toothack; and cursed be those Councels of the Rabbies in Oxford, and divels of Rome, who so perswade. If this be Regall Govern­ment, I know not what to call Tyranny; yet King James, though none of the best Princes, nor worst Politician, hath written Basili­con Doron, and shrewdly descanted on this Theam. How ever Solo­mon could judge of the true mother by her affection, rather to save her childes life, though she lost her childe formerly: Good Princes [Page 8]have been the sheilds and saviours, not destroyers of their Countreys. If the King should miscarry (which we abhor to think or desire) yet we may have many Kings hereafter; But if three Kingdoms perish, what is Monarchy without Majestie; and what Majestie can be up­held with beggery, misery, and slavery. If this be the Protestant Re­ligion, its a strange one: yet so it must be called, yea, Hopton when he saw he could not take, yet cruelly burnt that distressed Town; and when it was all in flames, called, and pulled out by the ears, those distressed people adjacent, to look and behold the flames, with execra­tion and scorn; yet after he had two preachments, no doubt, but to give God thanks, like the Duke de Alva, who before Dinner, gave a good Grace to his meat, thanking God for his buchery of so many thousands in a few yeers: This is that Hopton, formerly accounted Re­ligious, Honest, Noble, so degenerate by the Councell of Tobi Matthews, and old Cottington, and his Uncle, Sir Arthur Hopton, Spanish compliance, and all grounded upon his own beggerly estate, so piti­fully torn, and out at heels, that he is become the monster of man­kinde. In brief, the poor people come from all parts, rejoycing, praising God, and thanking us for delivering them from those Beasts of prey, who before this time, had no Trade, Market, Commerce, or society with each others. Now their faces begin to shut out the for­mer wrinkles, and smilingly tell us, we have shrewdly galled the Cabballers, shower and shower, they be all ago: The Lord keep them as safe, as we have left them; for we have orders to march away Eastward this day, having had not one dayes rest this fourteen dayes, before this time: And now our men are cheerfully marching, and we hope you are praying, that you may never taste that in London, which we have seen in the West. O if Kent did know their happinesse, they would not be so mad to purchase such misery, at so dear a rate; how­ever, they blesse themselves with hopes of their King, these poor souls have found they have King enough. Sir, I have no more to say, but desire three or four words, how things go at Scarborough, and in the North.

Chard, 18. of May, 1645.