WIth grief I have considered your last Letter, and no marvell of such di­stractions in the Kingdome, when as the Ports are opened to receive those rebels and traitors which passe from hence to His Majesty, and as by your Letters and Pamphlets of newes they are received and made chiefe Commanders of His Majesties Ar­my; there is, as I conceive, a great default in the searchers of Plymouth, Bristoll and Mineard, which suffer any to passe without examination or otherwise, so that the Kingdome is in a de­sperate condition, and lies at the brink of de­struction.

Oneale the great Rebell hath of late beene very sick, and we all think he will hardly reco­ver it, for what with his wound in his side at Felles siege, and sicknesse together, he lies de­sperately [Page 2] sick. We often heare from him, th [...] he is well recovered, but by his ragged souldi­ers which we take daily, they have confessed that he cannot live; and in case he should die, the young Makarkey shall be made Generall o­ver the whole Kingdome: what souldiers we take we dare not keep them for feare of infecti­on, for the plague is very much disperst among them, & hundreds die at a time. We have had it likewise amongst our souldiers, but we received it first from the Rebels and captives which we took; but we hope the worst is past, for there dieth not above 100. a week, and some weeks lesse, which is but a moitie of those hat die of the rebels. Sir, about 4. dayes before the date of my Letter, wee advanced our Forces towards Felles, where we found some of the Irish Army drinking of carowses and healths to the King of Spaine their supposed Protector; but in the midst of their jollity our Army fell upon them, and slew 200. whereupon a greater party of the Rebels appeared, and assaulted us, and there was a stout fight on both sides, laying aside pikes & muskets, and fighting only with our swords, so that our men had slaine and wounded most of them, had not Colonell Bourne with a fresh [Page 3] supply of 600. come in the interim. Neverthe­lesse our souldiers made good their parts, and came off with the losse of 100. at the most. We brought from them 1000. cowes, besides horse and sheep, and great store of other pillage that was freely given to the souldiers for their pains, which very much incourageth them. Oneal his souldiers are most lamentable distressed poore people, hardly sufficient to cloath their naked­nesse. We were much afraid of the Spanish For­ces which landed at Waterford two dayes be­fore the fight, but, as God would have it, our souldiers carried their pillage quite away before they came to assist Colonell Bourne, who was chiefe Commander amongst the Rebels in that fight.

We have great hopes of Captaine Bartlet, for hitherto he hath done very good service; and this instant day he took a Dunkirk ship full of ammunition, and 40. Irish Commanders in it, and immediately brought them to Baranna­killy: they were driven with a tempest upon our coasts, for it appeared by their examination that they intended to have landed at Ting­mouth, Dartmouth, or some such like creek in the West parts of England.

[Page 4] I cannot but admire at a Merchants ship of Bristoll which lately anchored at Crockhaven by reason of tempestuous weather, the Captain and Master of the ship fearing lest the rebels would sink her, invited the chiefest rebels of the towne aboard, and gave them royall enter­tainment, in hopes to have merchandize for their Tobacco, they had fair promises protested aboard, but when the rebels got the Captain & Master ashore, they vowed to hang them if they commanded not the rest of the Mariners to come ashore and leave their ship and goods a­mongst them. The Captain and Master escaped with their lives, though it were not a penni­worth of hurt if the rebels had hanged them in earnest, for they needed not to h [...]zzard ship or goods, nor were they constrained to go ashore, but they might have caried away or curbed the rebels at their pleasure.

Sir Charles Vavasour is worthy of honour, and very forward in any designe, he hath lately been at Kelly and Barry, and although the townes have been besieged, yet with lesse then 500. he raised the siege, and enforced them to take their bulwarks for their refuge, and be­tween their works and sconces in the trenches [Page 5] he spied at least 200. of the rebels dead, who di­ed of the sicknesse, and lay on the ground like dead dogs: he commanded his souldiers not to touch any of them, which they all obeyed, yet he departed not empty, for his souldiers tooke 7. or 800. sheep, besides cowes and hogs: be­sides other spoile by fire which he did before he departed, he took 12. Commanders, and cou­pled them in chaines, and brought them unto Dublin. I will not trouble you with superflu­ous matter, onely this, our City of Dublin is at great expence for the paiment of souldiers, and is strongly fortified within and without, being double chained in every crosse street, and 1000. armed men every night equally distributed to the Courts of Guard: neverthelesse the rebels affront us to the very ports of the city; but I hope God in his good time will abate the pride of those his enemies, asswage thei [...] malice, and confound their divellish devices, unto which I shall ever say, Amen.