YOu may please to take notice, that (thanks be to God) the 20. of this pre­sent, I arrived safe here, and this day Captaine Constable will be here dis­patched to be ready for the first faire Tyde to set Sayle for Kinsaile, and from thence to Limmerick where he might have been by this, had he not been ordered to touch in these Ports. But now whether he will be able to relieve the Castle of Limmerick or no is uncertain; In regard Lim­merick men have built two Block-houses upon the River, and placed Ordnance in each, the one at Cortebarck on Munster side, the other on Thomond side, and chained up the River between, as it is credible reported: there is Captain Coles ship and one more now in the River; But the newes is that they cannot relieve the Castle. The report here [Page 2]is for certain that the Lord Muskry, and the Lord Roch are now at Limmerick; Their successe in these parts of late having not been so pleasing as they expected, and Limmerick being now grown to a great strength, and the place intended for the Enemies refuge: The Castle they much aime at, and no certainty whither it be ours or no, it is much feared it will be very hard recovering of it. The Lord President is not yet thoroughly reco­vered of his sicknesse, and many much doubt that he will hardly ever recover, which would be a great losse in these parts: Yet he is daily up, and this day hath sent part of his goods to Dun­raile whither he intends to goe the next week to dwell. The remainder of the 2000 men came to Town yesterday, which hath been no small com­fort to the Lord President and all the English in these parts, and a great discomfort to the Irish, For surely they thought there would not have beene any more aid sent into these parts. It hath been so long a comming; were here 1000 or 2000 more, the Lord President would then speedily for Limmerick and these parts, were but these Townsmen to be trusted and the Lord Muskeries Castle down, which I think will be aymed at the next week, then it would bee reasonable cleere here. For the passage by land from hence to Kinsaile, Bandon-Bridge, Mallogh and Dunraile is without much danger, and likewise to Youghall, in regard the Earle of Barrimore keeps all his [Page 3]Countrey in safety, out of which parts the Market is daily supplyed here.

On thursday last the Lord Inchiquin came hi­ther, who told mee that he had a man with him some eight dayes since which came then out of Thomond; at which time my Lord of Thomond was yet safe in his Castle at Bunratty, and that divers of the English Castles doe yet hold out, but feared that provision growes short with them: Some English have beene forced to submit to the enemy and yeeld up their Castles and so to Masse. One Castle called Inchecrony, where Anthony Heathcot lived some twelve miles from Bunratty, where divers English were, was taken by the Shane­ses and all the English put to death, only Heathcot and his wife, for whom my Lord of Thomond ventured hard himself with one hundred men, and brought them off to his owne house at Bunratty. But his Lordships Park is brok up by the Rebels, and all his stock droven from him. The Lord Inchiquin hath promised to goe over the river into Thomond within three weeks at furthest, and carry some five hundred men with him, which he hopes will make reasonable good work in those parts.

The Lord Inchiquin doubts not, but if my Lord of Thomond had 2000 men in Thomond, it would suffice there, the enemy being but weakly armed: and if the Parliament have not ordered some for Thomond by this time, then the English there must [Page 4]needs be in the miserablest case of any in Ireland, in regard Limmerick is like to bee the seat of these warres, Galloway for certaine is out but the Fort relieved.

Two Castles neere adjoyning have been by our Forces taken since my comming hither, but the pillages in them very small; the one was rendred upon quarter, the other shot down, where were slain some fifty men, women and children, not any escaping, only some six or seven that scaped through a breach they made at the West side ad­joyning to a Bogge: There were not any of our men lost, only nine hurt, but there is hope of their recovery: This Castle was within a mile and half of my Lord Muskeries, and he, (then there) though fled to Limmerick since with his Forces, was by our souldiers expected: But surely he was very weak in munition, or very cowardly, otherwise he would then have shewed himselfe. About the nineteenth of this month, the Lord Inchiquin and some eighty Horse, with an hundred Musketiers, was set upon by foure hundred of the Lord Roches and Caudens ablest Forces, hard by the Lord Ro­ches Castle, called Castletowne; but it pleased God to bring the Lord Inchiquin off, and his com­pany without any losse, only one Horse; but there were slaine of the Lord Roches men about an hundred and forty, the rest they forced into the Castle, burnt the outward gate, recovered two [Page 5]drums, two cellars, and some fifty muskets. Since the Lord Inchiquin, and Mr. Iepson have burnt all the Lord Roches Countrey, and Caudens. At pre­sent I have not else to trouble your Honour with­all, only with my earnest prayers for you and yours I humbly take leave ever to remaine