I Am much beholding to you for such occurrences as I have received from you, and I can do no lesse than take this opportunity to gratifie you by way of relation: We are both for the King, and therefore I need not straiten my selfe, but speake liberally my thoughts concerning his Majesties affaires.

We laid for our selves a very reasonable foundation, for when we could not make Yorkeshire so much ours, as we desired, nor possesse our selves of Hull, by reason of Hotham, (being too much injured and weakned by the losse of the Navy) we thought it safest to be assured of [Page 4] Newcastle, and so to be secured, as to the Scots (for we know they are too apt to thinke that England is a better soyle than theirs) as also to place a Generall (my Lord Cumberland) with a considerable strength of Horse in Yorkeshire, and a more considerable power, the commis­sion of Eyre and Terminer, to secure us from any In­surrection in Yorkshire, and those multitude of Round-heads in the West-riding, and so to preserve the peace of that County, that so, if they do us not that good we ex­pected yet they may not annoy us, and lay obstructions in our way. To the same purpose his Majesty did pru­dently take pro concesso, in all his Speeches, that that County was his (though we knew to the contrary) and that neither He nor His Posterity should forget their loyalty, (which let me tell you is not worth the re­membring.)

Well we leave them (who deserve not our owning) and having issued out Commissions for Horse, and a ful Infantery, at least 16000, we were content, it should be given out, we would draw towards the West, but we re­solved upon the South, & to make Nottingham our Ran­devous, Leicestersh. Northamptonshire and Warwicksh. the Seat of our War; Nottingham being a place every way well fortified, (fit to secure His Majesties Person, our Magazine, and to make our retreat to, if need were, and the other Countie (chiefly Leicestersh,) being abundant­ly provisioned for Horse and man (which would recom­pence our want of moneys when our stock is spent) and replenished with store of Round-heads, a good prey and encouragement for our Souldiers: In those said Coun­ties we designed to strengthen our selves, with the pos­session [Page 5]of Warwick, and the Castle, Coventry and North­ampton; only there was an unhappy mistake, for at that time when we went for Warwick, we should have gone to Northampton; The cast of a Dye did it such avidents the greatest and best designes are subject to.

Thus I give you the reason of that foundation wee thought best to lay, and upon which wee had as good reason to conclude, that we might have built upon it (which we desired) a monument of Honour to His Ma­jesty, some share of that to our selves, and plenty of for­tune: For let me tell you, if we had once been thus well provided for, set down in the foresaid Counties, and se­cured to our selves those Townes (where would have been a prety beginning of encouragement to our Soul­diers; We would in a short time by the helpe of the Commission of Array (and that of Eyre and Terminer too, if need had been) have made better provision for our selves at London, for we have a just sense of all their practises against us, and where the foundation of our mischiefe was laid.

Now I must tell you in your eare, It is our unhappi­nesse, our Plot is much weakned, for Petoes holding out Warwick Castle beyond all expectation till succours came neere him, and Coventry following Hotham and his steps, and our enemies force comming upon us be­fore we were aware, or indeed prepared for them, and they understanding our designe (and all openings are weaknings) and present condition by some that are a­bout us, but not of us, hath done us so much mischiefe, that I can by no meanes like of His Majesties present condition: Our retreat at Southampton was an ill omen [Page 6]and though we lost not many men, for our Com­manders were prudent, and marched away orderly, yet we strengthned our adversaries hands and weakned our own. But besides, the Gentry of these Counties do not draw after them such numbers of commons as His Ma­jesty presumed upon, and we are not assured of the Trained bands any where.

In Leicestershiere upon frequent summons, they came in thinly, and on Tuesday last at Leicester, they were so bold as openly to say they were for the King and Parliament, wee know that language well enough. In Nottingam-shiere wee cannot secure our selves in any, but Captaine Digbies band, and hence our Max­ime is not to trust the trained band, but we will make the best use of them we can, and that is of their armes, which I may tell you we have need enough of, for be­sides that we have but an indifferent number, we can­not come at them: Some say that Yorkshiere will not supply the King, with carriages to bring them, the Officers may be bribed, something is in the wind, and when they come, we shall be defective as to that part.

Our Infantarie cannot encourage a temperate man, for we have not above 1200. Their poverty I passe o­ver, for we may make them richer in time, but many are too young, raw, and most very uncapable of discipline. We have prety store of Horse, some say there are 5000 or more, I cannot say (for I must speak the truth) more than 2000, if so many. Here we make good use of the Catholicks, but your Citizens Horse, sure are fed like Aldermen to these, they look very poorely, and surely the Captain upon advance money deceived too purpose, [Page 7]for many horses are not worth 5 Marks, & many a troop hath but 40 horse, this the Captains put up as their own. But the Kings guard troop, the Prince, Prince Rob. the Lord Willoughby and S. William Penniman, are very wel set off, only one thing because I am a Protestant, I must not like nor owne that many of the Kings guard troop are Papists, and there are some Popish Commanders, how this come about I know not, specially seeing it is a principle with the wisest, that no Papists should have command, for feare of the ill report it would make a­mong the Kings Leidge people, another thing I dislike, that the Irish Commanders are paid & not the English, which in time will discontent them, and disservice the King: Our Commanders are good for the generality, but we cannot say much for our Artillery, some 7 field pieces we have, which we planted in Leicester lately, but because we had a suspition of our enemies, whom we heard they were inclining toward a march, we cal­led a Councell of War about 10 of the clock on Wed­nesday night & never left till we had resolved to with­draw our Artillery from Leicester, and our armes and ammunition there, which was the best part of our store, and might have been as well theirs as ours (had they beene wise enough) to a safer place, and so they are gone toward Nottingham; We expect some 10 pieces from York; I forgot to tell you the good plot we have to hold them in hand about a treaty, to which purpose we sent them propositions by my L. Dorset, and prudent Southampton, we made account this faire hair would have taken with them and put them upon delayes, wherein would have consisted our reparation and good, [Page 8]their evill and ruine, so in the interim of Treaty we could have drawn up our force, & provided a consi­derable Infantry, & supplyed those defects we are yet under: the Round heads are grown arrant Polititians & we suspect Say & Seale weakened this Plot: when we become our selvs, we shall repay all with usury, how­ever this advantage results out of that designe, that his Majestys loving Subjects wil believe he is a peaceable Prince; you heare how we served that old Puritane Porphyry, we owed him a good turn, so Coventry had been our boo [...]y and resigned to us, had not he inter­posed, we rid him of all his armes, till he can use them better, and burnt a part of his house, disabled his ten­nants and now he must live a while upon the publick faith brave P. Rupert was our chiefe, we had I confesse too many troops there for such a service, & our Com­manders were too resolute, it cost Colon. Steward and Lieutenant Colo. Richardson their lives, also we lost 2 common men, we must commend one Abbot, who did like a Souldier, however we obtained our end. This instant we have an expresse come to Court, that tels us our friends grow lesse & lesse, for the L. West­merland cries peccavi, the L. Mountagu like a good old blad stood it out as long as he was able, but is now pri­soner, the L. of Newport also is willingly a prisoner at Northampton, I feare al wil forsake us. I could give you many particular relations, but I am in too much hast, I will take another time. Silence my name, you know my hand, and that I am.