RIght trusty and right well beloved cousin, We greet you well by Our Proclamation, which herewith we send you, you see our resolution, and the grounds of that Our resoluti­on, to advise with the members of both our hou­ses of Parliament, for the restoring of this King­dome to its former peace and happinesse: At least We doubt not it will appear to all the world, and to posterity, that there hath not been such a con­currence in the bringing these miseries upon it, or in compleating that, by the invitation of this for­reign invasion, as is imagined: VVe shall there­fore desire you that you will by no means fail of giving your attendance at the time and place ac­cordingly which in respect of the high concern­ment of our service and the good of the whole Kingdome, We shall not doubt of: And so Wee bid you heartily farewell.

THE Enemy with great forces marched againe towards Glocester, and surrounded the town, to stop provision from comming in, but Co­lonell Massey issuing out of the towne, fell upon their quarters; and slew many of them, and took prisoners.

One Lieutenant Colonell, eight Captains, and other officers and souldiers, with their bag and baggage, and put the rest to flight: Colonell Massey hath also surprised a Barke la­den with Arms and Ammunition, intended for the Cavalliers, which will doe him good service, especially, because his own Ammuni­tion is not yet come to him.

SIr Thomas Fairfax and Sir William Fair­fax, being at Nottingham, marched from thence unto Hinkley and there quartered; and from thence the next day they march­ed to Bosworth, and so to Tamworth, where they quartered one night: from whence they marched the next day to Stafford, and there joyned with Sir William Brewerton, with whom they marched to relieve Nantwitch, which was besieged by the Irish Forces from Westchester, and Shrousbury, and raised the siege. The Enemies being fled to their quarters, Sir Thomas Fairfax, and Sir William marched from Nant­wich to Manchester, and there gathered a body of foot out of Manchester and other parts in Lancashire, and [Page] caused a Fast to be kept for two dayes, for the Enemy were of great strength, and the resiege was feared; The Enemies cruelty did much grieve the Countrey, and ac­cordingly as it was feared the Enemy returned againe to Nantwich, and laid close siege before it; and did attempt to scale the works three severall times, and shot almost 100 fiery hot bullets, with a kind of fire balls to burne the Towne. But blessed be God, there was none of them that did any considerable hurt: the greatest harme the Towne sustained by those bals, was by one which light upon a stack of wood, and fired part of it; which was quenched without doing any further mischief.

Captain Booth the Governour of Nantwich, a young man of about 21 yeers of age, but of a valiant spirit, be­haved himself bravely; his Souldiers consisting of about 1200 in number, who withstood the Enemy bravely, and did good execution upon them, and slew Lieutenant Collonel Boughton, and 4 Captaines more: amongst which, Captain Stamford is one, and kept the Towne in despight of them Cap. Booth still encouraging the soul­diers, and promising unto them that he would loose his life in their defence before he would yeeld up the town to such traiterous Irish Rebels.

Yet Sir William Brewerton was in great fear of loosing the Town; and indeed had not God wrought wonder­fully for us it had been lost.

Sir Thomas Fairfax returning again from Manchester marched to Stafford again, and joyned with Sir William Brewerton; who joyning their forces together marched from thence again to relieve Nantwich, on Friday Janu­ary the 26. with about 6000 horse and foot, the enemy consisting of about 8000.

[Page] When our forces came neer the Enemies quarters, they discovering our Forces, came out of their trenches into the plain, and gave us battell; wherein our Forces charged so hot on their right wing, that they caused the Lord Byron with all their horse to run away, leaving one­ly the foot to stand to it: By this time there were slaine of the right wing about 200, besides those that were in the left wing, and the Foot were left to the mercy of our Forces: And their horse hasted so fast away, that they threw away their Pistols, and fled for their lives. The Lord Byron himself being one of the first that fled.

There were also a fort of Irish women, that were in the Enemies Campe: whose office was to robbe, and plunder, our men that fell: and with long knives which they had hanging by their sides, to cut the throates of those that they found not quite dead.

C. Booth with eight hundred issued out of Nampt­wich, and fell upon the back of them, and so our forces surprised them all, with all their bag, and baggage: of which here followeth an exact list according to the copy, by the Scout brought to the Parliament.