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 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 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 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, 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, 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.