MY Lords, and you the Aldermen, and the Commons of this City, in a busines of this very great consequence and con­cernment, it was very well known to my Lo: General, that you could not but be full of great expectations, and my Lord had according to his duty taken care for to give information to the Parl. to those that had sent him, of what had pro­ceeded; in the very next place it was his particular respect to this Ci­ty, to my Lo: Mayor, the Aldermen, the Common Councel, and all the Commons of this City, that they might likewise be acquainted with the successe of that businesse, towards which they themselves had bin at so much expences, and had shewed so much love and kindnesse in all the proceedings of this businesse, for that purpose, because that Letters might be uncertaine, and might miscarry, there being great in­terception of them, the Forces of the Armies being close together, my Lord thought fit to send M. Strode, a Member of the House of Com­mons, and my selfe, and certainly whatsoever shall be related by us to you, it wil be good news, or else we should not willingly have under­taken the bringing of it, and for the truth of it, though we already heare that there are those that have so much malignity as to oppose it, yet the certainty of it wil clear it selfe, and therefore there shall need no Apologies to be made, but that which shal be said to you, shal be the truth, and nothing but the truth, in a very cleere way of relation of what hath past.

Gentlemen, I shall open to you as neere as I can, as it comes within my memory, those things of circumstance which are worthy the ta­king notice of, and one in the first place shal be, the occasion why so many of the Forces were not then upon the place, which you wil find to be upon very good ground and reason, for the preservation of the Countries that were behind, and of this City, which is he particular thing in the care, and now under the deligence of my Lo: Generall, to preserve. There was left at Hereford which lies upon the confines of Wales, a Regiment of Foot under the command of my Lo: of Stam­ford, and a Troop or two of Horse, that the power of Wales might not fal in upon Gloucestershire, and upon the river of Severn, and so upon the West. There was likewise left at Worcester (which you all know how it is seated upon the river of Severne, and what advantage it hath to interce Pt all force that shal come from Shrewsbury down into the West) a Regiment of my Lord Saint Iohns, and Sir Iohn Merricks. [Page]There was for the safety of Coventry (for that was a town it was likely the King might have faln upon) the Regiment of my Lo: Rochford; but it seems that his Excellence the E. of Essex his Army did so quickly come up to the Kings, that the King thought it no way fit or advanta­gious for him to spend any time upon those places, for certainly they would have very quickly been relieved, so that the King stipt by War­wick and Coventry, which otherwise we conceive they were towns he had as good an eye upon as any other towns in the whole Kingdome, excepting this. There was likewise occasion upon the suddennes of my Lords march, 2. Regiments of Foot, one under the command of a Gen­tleman you all know, Col: Hampden, and the other under the command of Col: Grantham, with some 10. or 12. Troops of Horse, & these were but one dayes march behind, & upon the occasion of bringing up some powder, and ammunition, and Artillery, which my Lord would not stay for purposely upon his diligence & desire that there should not be an houre lost in pursuing after that Armie, and that he might make all haste in comming up to this town, and his desire to make haste to keep with that Army was such, that he kept for two or three dayes together a dayes march before that Armie; and so there being another Regiment lodged in Banbury, occasionally for their own safety, there was with my Lord when this battle was fought upon the Lords day, 11. Regiments of Foot, and about the number of 35. or 37. or 40. troops of Horse; that which makes me say this to you, is partly for your satisfactions, that you may know the reasons of the things are past, and partly that you may give the more glory to God for his blessing, and for his preservati­on of that remnant of the Army which was together, beeing about 11. Regiments of Foot, and a matter of 35. or 40. troops of Horse.

Upon the Saterday at night, upon a very long march (for they came not in til 9. or 10. a clock at night) the Armie came to Konton, & the next morning about 7. a clock (though all that night there was news came that the King was going to Banbury) we had cer­tain information he was comming down a hil, which is called Edge Hill, which hath some advantage by nature for Forts, & breast-works, and such things as those are; and that Hil the Kings Armie came down at that time (that Armie which goes under the pretence of being raised for him, and by his authority, for and against the Parl.) his Armie com­ming down, my Lo: of Essex presently drew out into the Field, and drew his Armie into a place of as good advantage as possibly he could, though the other Armie had the advantage by the hil, which they were possessed of before, and at the beginning of the day the wind it was a­gainst [Page]us, and was for the advantage of the other Armie. The prepara­tion on both sides was for the making of them ready for fight, and the Kings comming down the hil was so long, that there was nothing done til 4. in the afternoone. And Gentleman I shal tel you the worst as wel as the best, that you may know all, and that when you have known the worst, you may find it in your judgments, to give the more praise to God for his mercy, after there was so much probabilitie of ha­ving such an ill successe.

After that we had shot 2. or 3. Peeces of Ordnance, they began for to shoot some of theirs, and truly not long after, before there was any neere execu­tion, there was 3. or 4. of our Regiments fairely ran away. I shall name you the particulars, and afterwards name you those that did the extraordinary service, whereof you will find those of this City to have been very extraor­dinary instruments. There were that ran away, Sir Wil: Fairfax his Regi­ment, Sir Henry Cholmleys, and my Lord Mandevils, and to say the plain truth my own. These ran away.

Gentlemen, you see by this time I am like to tell you the truth, I hope of every thing, but yet I must say this, that though they did so, yet I hope there will be very convenient & very good number of them got together again, that may shew themselves in better condition, and better way of service then yet they have done, I hope so, and by the blessing of God it may be so, for they are but young souldiers, and we have seene very good experience of some of them, that have this last battaile done very extraordinary and gallant service, not long after there was a charge upon the left wing of the horse, and there I con­ceive there was a matter of 18, or 19. Troopes, and truly I cannot say they did so well as they should, though I hope there are not many of them cut off neither, but that they will be brought together again to do very good service hereafter, but so it is, they had the worst of it, and by this you will see that at the beginning of the day wee might thinke it would not prove so well as it pleased God it did afterwards in the close of the day, for foure troopes were divided, and one part of the horse were not in good order, but it pleased God now to shew himselfe, for after they had past the left wing of our horse, I cannot say it was in any hands but Gods own providence, the horse that had past through them flolowed them in part, and went to the Towne where all our baggage was; the baggage of the officers and the private persons of the Army, not they of the Artilery, but the Colonels carts and the Captains carts, and such provision as that, and there they tooke a baite upon our pillage, and fell a plundering, all that while [Page]the rest of the Army was a fighting, and indeede my Lord Generall had some more losse then ordinary by some clothes and money he had there, but we may thanke God they were away, for thereby the rest of the Army had the better oportunity to do that service they did.

My Lord Generall himselfe upon this extremity did begin to shew himselfe to be more then an ordinary man, and indeede I thinke more then I have heard tell of any man, for he charged up at severall times, once with his own troope of horse as I remember, but I am sure with his own Regiment of foote which was raised here in Essex, and though so many ill passages happened before, with his owne provi­dence and encouragement, and the encouragement of others, his own troope of horse fell upon the Kings owne Regiment, (which they had most hopes of) which they called the red Regiment, after a sore and bitter fight (for to give them their due, they fought very well, those of my Lord of Essex his regiment, and those horse I spake of before) they killed the Kings Standard bearer Sir Edward Varney, they tooke the Kings Standard which was raised up against the Parliament, and it was brought my Lo: General, and he delivered it to a servant which was not so carefull as he ought to have beene, but it was not taken by force but by the carelesnesse and negligence of some persons, but it was gotten by force and lost thus. They tooke likewise the Kings General prisoner; and caried him away, they tooke prisoner my Lord Generals Sonne, my Lo: Willoughby, that person you have heard so much of, and beene so wel acquainted with here, Col. Lunsford which should have had the Tower, hee was likewise taken prisoner, and his brother slaine, and Sir Edward Stradling prisoner, and divers others of quality, My Lo: Awberney, and Col: Vavasour, and Sir Edward Mun­roy a Scotchman of great quality, while these were upon this service I must give the right to divers other of the Officers of the horse which were upon the right wing, that they did extraordinary service to, that was my Lord of Bedford himselfe who did very galantly, and Sir Will. Belfore the late Lieutenant of the Tower, Sir Phillip Stapelton, and all the troope which formerly had been under some other kinde of report, they did extraordinary service, kept entirely to their charge, and though they were long under the power of the other Canons there were some 17. shot of Canon shot against them, and they stood stil, and God be thanked not a man of them hurt, yet there was likewise very extraordinary service performed by my Lo: Gray and Sir Arther Hazelrig, who indeede was a helpe for to give a great turne to the day by cutting off a Regiment of the Kings which was called [Page 9]the blew Regiment, and there were many other Gentlemen of great worth, that did very extraordinary service, too, I would not have you understand that others did not do it, because I remember not their names for I speak to you now but on the sudden, but there were divers others did very great service, onely these I have named that come to my me­morie, and you will heare more of the rest upon other oc­casions; upon the close of the day we know it for certain, that the best Regiment of the Kings was cut off, and the next his best Regiment, which was that was under my Lord of Linsey; there was all the prisoners taken I told you off, there were those persons of quallitie slain I told you off, and there was as we conceive (this I tell you upon informa­tion, as we conceive, and are in formed by the Countrie men that saw them burie the dead next day, and bring them up into heaps, there was as is informed, and conceived) about 3000 of theirs slain: and we cannot beleeve, nor we cannot have any information, to give us reason to beleeve that there was ab [...]ve 300 of ours slain; And this was to be observed of Gods providence in this dayes worke, that though it began so improbably, yet before the close of the night, which was two houres, (for they began to fight in­deed, but about four a clocke,) we had got the ground, that they were upon, we had gotten the winde, and we do not know, nor by information conceive, that there was twenty men of ours killed, by all the Kings Cannon; when it was night that there could be no more fighting, we drew our forces together, and so likewise did the King; they were then but at a reasonable distance, it may be three times, or six times or some such distance of this room; but in the night the forces of the King withdrew up towards the hill from whence they came; and my Lord Generall amongst others sent my self for to bring on those forces which I told you were a dayes march behinde, (which was Collonell Hamden, and Collonell Grantham, and those troops of horse, and the Artillery,) and sent to bring them up to him; and [Page 10]about one a clocke at night, or two a clocke, those forces came to my Lord Generall, and joyned with the rest of the Armie, and when the King had drawne his forces up the hill, my Lord Generall drew us a matter of half a mile, or three quarters of a mile further from the hill, that he might be out of the power of the Cannon; there we stood to our arms all the night, and in the morning drew our selves out againe into the fields but we heard no more newes of the other army, more then we saw some scattering men, of some three or four troopes of horses on the top of the hill, which came to burie the dead, and take away some of their Cannon, and such things as those were, but they came no more down the hill, neither that day, nor on tuesday, though there were divers reports came to us in the Armie, and I beleeve came hither, that there was fighting on Monday, and Teusday, yet there was no fighting, for the King kept on the top of the hill, and we came away on Teusday at four a clocke; so that we can assure you there was no more action, then was on the Lords day;

Gentlemen I shall after I have declared this narration to you say no more then this, that certainly my Lord Generall himself hath deserved as much in this service, for his pains, & for his care, and for the particular successe that was upon it, as truly I think ever any Gentleman did; and in the next place, that as God of his owne immediate providence did thus declare himselfe for the owning of his owne cause, so you will not forget to apply your selves to God, to give him the glory, and to entreat his blessing upon the future successe.

GEntlemen all, as this noble Lord hath tolde you, my Lord Generall hath sent him up to you, to give you a clear information of what was done: he hath given you so cleare a one, that there is little left for me to say to you, only my attestation, and that needes not, had that beene all, I should have said nothing but in the Innumeration of those regiments that did run away, and of his owne, I must needs say thus much, when they all were away, he stayd with us in the service all that night, this hold it my dutie to this honourable person, it was modesty in himselfe to say no­thing;

I shall crave leave a little further, to make you some observation, that as God did this great worke, and we as­cribe to him the honour, so you will looke upon the persons by whom he did it; In the first place, you have heard when as it was 1000 to one but that we had lost the day by running away of the troope of horse, and the four Re­giments, and then the Generall did draw up his own Re­giment, and then did God begin in them to shew his owne worke, and it was not onely in them, but by a Regiment raised in Essex and another Regiment raised in this Cittie under the command of master Hollis, and another Regiment of my Lord Brookes, which had the day upon them; these were the men that were ignominiously, reproached by the [Page 12]name of Round-heads, and by these Round-heads did God shew himselfe a most glorious God; And truly (Gentlemen) they that will report to you the Number of our dead, far­ther then we have reported them to you, must finde them many miles from the Armie, and then they were men that run away so far, that it was no matter who killed them; for our men that we could finde any where about the place, we cannot finde in all (nor thinke) above 300, and you'll say, they were well lost that ru [...] away; the boldest men of them that stood were few lost, and they that were so lost, were lost with a great deale of honour; and I beleeve, you will have them in more reputation, then they that live and run away; so that truly I can say no more to you, in such a cause as this is, that you have undertaken with your purses, and with your persons, God hath shewed himself with us be you but couragious and we never need doubt it; and so we say all.

MY Lord Maior, and you Gentlemen of the City, I am commanded, and the reason that makes me trou­ble you at this time with saying any thing, is by reason of a Letter I have received from the Committee, which I think is a Letter of some consequence, and fitting for you to see; otherwise I am so ill a Speaker after such a Decla­ration made to you, I have not the boldnesse to say any thing to you: but truely though I say little, and have a bad tongue, yet I have ever had so good a heart to this busi­nesse, that I shall ever live and die in it.

Gentlemen, you have shew'd your selves like brave and noble Citizens; you have done it with that noblenesse, with that alacrity, with that love to God, King, and Par­liament, that none of your Ancestors before you never shewed more love, nor care, nor zeal, nor performed that you have done better: I have onely this to say to you, If the times are such (not that I think there is any great pe­rill in the Kings Army now, for they have told you no­thing but truth) yet when you have seen this Letter, you will finde there is very good cause for you to crown this work, which must be by following it, with the same zeal, love, care, and noblenesse, and alacrity, which if you do, you may well crown your selves with the name of a glorious City; and none more.

MY Lord Maior, and you Gentlemen of the City, It is more by obedience then con­fidence, that I say any thing to you at this time; my Lords and the Comittee command me, and therefore I shall obey them: That that I shall say to you, is to observe in the Relation that this noble Lord hath made: In the first part of it, what deliverance God hath sent you, that in a danger, and indeed such as I am confident all that were there believe the Cause of Religion, and Liberty, and all lost; you saw what a pre­sent turn it had, such a one, as if it did not give them the victory, it gave them the advantage, that is certain; and truely a very great one, e­specially when it was taken from so unhappy a condition as they were likely to be in, where­in God hath shewed us what a danger might have fallen upon us: And certainly it is, because every man should consider in that danger, what he might have suffered, and what his cause might have suffered, and to give you all by this, warning, That as he hath now begun to deliver you onely by his hand, and by his [Page 16]power, he will expect that you will expresse such a thankfulnesse to him for it, as now to make his Cause your work, and to do it with your hands, boldly, and with courage: For this Letter that you heard read now, you see what is threatned against you; the least that you must expect, is this great Army of the Kings, that certainly by the dispositions of those that command it, and have great power in it, you must know what to expect, and what to trust to; they intend you no lesse (and that is to be believed) then the destroying of the City, your persons, and the preying upon your fortunes: This is not all, you see that if this doth not pre­vail, or be not powerfull enough, an Army must come from the west, the preparation of another in the North from all parts of the Kingdom, the sword is drawn against you: and truly ha­ving those ill intentions that they certainly have, it is the wisest course they can take; for in your City is the strength of the kingdom indeed; it is not onely the life, but the soul of it; if they can destroy you here, the rest of the Kingdome must all submit and yeeld, and in that yeelding must give over the maintenance of all that is most dear to them: Therefore if you will now consider how God hath shewed you first, that he hath kept the first blow from you, by deliver­ing of you indeed from such an imminēt danger, as it could not be believed it could have been [Page 17]recover'd, but by himselfe, and by the power of his hand; this may give you just encouragement to pursue al things that are for his glory, & for the defence of your Religion, and his cause, I am confident, as you will doe it with thankfulnes, and duty, and sincerity to him, so in wisedom, and reason you will (seeing with threatnings there are un­to you, you will defend your selves, and your families; na­ture directs you to it, as well as piety; we only recommend this to you, that you may but know it, and take it into your thoughts, and into your hearts, and then wee are con­fident your hearts will be raysed with so much piety, with so much courage, and with so much resolution, as you wil defend your selves, and in defending your selves, defend us, the Parliament, and the Kingdome, you may do it, you have power, and we expect it from your affections. Finis.

MY Lords and Gentlemen, that little that I have to say, shal not be to set forth your approaching dan­ger, but I shall rather apply my self to stir up your spirits, to incourage you, and to settle this opinion in you, that if you be not wanting unto your selves, which cannot be imagined in this cause, you will have no cause to feare danger; it cannot bee doubted by that which you have heard, but that these malignant mischeivous counsel­lours, and these men of desperate fortunes that they have gather'd to them, and into whose hands they have put our King, that their intentions are, that this rich glorious City should bee deliver'd up as a prey, as a reward to them for their treason against the Kingdome and the Parliament, and that your lives should satisfie their malice, your [Page 18]wives, your daughters, their lust, and religion it selfe the dearest thing of all others to us, should be made merchan­dize off, to invite Papists, to invite forreigners. Notwith­standing their intentions let no mans heart bee discoura­ged, you have power enough in your hands, to bring all this wickednes upon their own heads, through Gods bles­sing; if you will use your hands, if you will hold them up to serve your God, to defend the true religion of Almigh­ty God, to defend your lives, to defend this Kingdome and the Parliament, you need not feare any thing that can bee done by this broken Army, nor feare those things, that are here written in this letter, nor those things that are falsely buzzed abroad by a malignant party, in your City to a­maze you, there is no feare of danger, but in security, in sit­ting still; and therefore if you will be stirred up (as I can­not doubt, we cannot imagine you will) to do that that e­very man, both by the law of God, and by the law of Na­ture in this case will bee induced to doe, through Gods blessing, you shall both honour God, maintaine the true Religion, save this Kingdome, save the Parliament, and Crowne your good beginnings that God hath pleased to shew himselfe unto us in; this is now not a time for men to thinke with themselvs, that they will be in their shops, to get a little mony, this is a time to do that that you doe; in common dangers, let every man take his weapons in his hand, let him offer himself willingly to serve his God, and to maintaine true Religion; you may remember what God saith by the Prophet, my heart is set upon those people, that are willing to offer themselves willingly upon the high pla­ces; let every man therefore shut up his shop, let him take his musket, let him offer himself readily, and willing­ly, let him not thinke with himselfe, who shall pay me, [Page 19]but rather think this, I'le come forth to save the Kingdom, to serve my God, to maintaine his true Religion, to save the Parliament, to save this noble city, and when this dan­ger is overcome, I'le trust the State, that they will have a regard unto whatsoever may be fit, either for my repara­tion in any losse; or for my reward; doe as you doe in com­mon dangers, when there is a fire, men aske not who shall pay him his daies wages, but every man comes forth of his doores, helpes to quench the fire, brings a bucket, if he have one, borrowes one of his neighbour if he have not, when the fire is quenched, then the City will regard to repayre any man that hath suffered all day, that doe you, every one bring forth his Arms, if he have it, if he have it not, let him borrow Armes of his neighbour, or hee shall bee armed from the State; let every man arme himselfe, and arme his apprentizes, and come forth with boldnesse and with cou­rage, and with cheerefulnesse, and doubt not but God will assist you; for though you bee concerned in all you have, yet this is Gods cause, that should be your incouragement, for they are Papists, they are Atheists, that come to de­stroy you; they come indeed in the first and principle aim they have to destroy Religion; Papists are invited, they have Commissions, are these men that should defend the Protestant Religion, when they are Papists, and recusants. Therefore if that you shall come forth, God will go forth with you, he will fight for you, he will save you, but how? he wil not save you without your selves; you may remem­ber what was said, Curse ye Merosh, because they came not out to help the Lord against the mighty; he needs not your helpe, but he will use your service, that he may blesse you, and therefore let every man be incouraged, let him shew his readinesse, let hiw shew his forwardnesse; remember [Page 20]what the Scripture saith, Heare O Israel, God is with you, so long as you are with him, the Lord will bee with you in this cause, for it his cause, but then you must shew your selves ready to bee with him, but I need not use these speeches to those that have expressed already, so much affection as you have done, I shall onely incourage you to go on; bee not daunted, let not malignant parties that goe up and downe, and would goe about to informe you, that there are these feares, and these dangers, let them not make you be wanting to your selves, feare them not at all; I shal con­clude with this, that that good King said, up and be doing, and the Lord will be with you. Finis.

GEntlemen, I shall trouble you but with a word or two the one is upon part of that narrative, which I began withal, wherein truly I take my self to be ve­ry beholding to that Gentleman that spoke after me, that he did not forget to inform you of the extraordinary bles­sing, that God bestowed upon the courage of honest, pious, and religious men; for truely there was very few that did any extraordinary service, but such as had a mark of religion upon them: That which I omitted to tell you, was this, that one great cause of the preservation, and of the successe of that day, was the barbarousnesse, and inhu­manity of Prince Robert, and his Troops, who while wee were a fighting, not only pillaged of the baggage (which was but a poore imployment!) but most barbarously killed Country-men that came in with their teemes, and women, and children that were with them; this I thinke comes not amisse to tel you, because you may see, what is [Page 21]the thing they ayme at, which is pillage, and baggage, and plundering, and the way which they would come by it is mundering, and destroying, & therfore it wil come in very properly, to incourage you to that work, which these two noble Lords have so well opened to you, which is, the stan­ding upon your defence; and to that I shall only add this, that when you shall have done that in that measure, and in that proportion, (which we do not doubt but you will doe, because you have alwayes shew'd your affections, and your wisedomes, to bee so great in the cariage on of this businesse, I say, when you shall have so behaved your selves,) there is no doubt but Gods blessing will bee upon it, and you will be sure to have an extraordinary back, you will bee sure to have an extraordinary assistance, for the Lord of Essex with the whole Army, will bee sure to bee on the one side, when you with your defence wil be on the other side, and when that Army shall lye betweene these two, without question they will come to a very short con­clusion, when you may reap the fruit of your labours that you have beene at, to your benefit, and your posterities. Finis.

MY Lord Maior and Gentlemen, it is but a word or two that I shall say to you, for the shutting up of this; the danger hath heene represented to you, we must desire you likewise to consider how neere it moves, that you must resolve and act both together; they conceiv this Army will be at Oxford as this night, that is within such a distance, as within threee dayes they may march to London, it is very necessary for you to provide against [Page 22]this, as a danger that may bee very suddenly upon you, if they should chance to march before the other Army, and with such an advantage, as to breake up bridges, or any such thing, as may hinder the other Army to move pre­sently, and suddenly after them. Consider how open you are to this danger, if you provide not presently for it, therefore as we have given you reasons, and indeed as you may take almost from your owne reasons to defend your selves) that it will be very necessary for you, to look upon this as a danger, that you wil not lose an hour for the pro­viding against, and that is all I shall say unto you. Finis.

MY Lord Maior, and you Gentlemen, I shall onely speake one word to you, and that concernes your selves most nearest, and you know them better than I a great deale, though I have beene a long time bred in the City for many yeares, truly you that are Citizens, must know it better than I, you know you have a great malignant partie in the Citie, you have now time and po­wer to looke to them, leave no time to looke into it, for if you leave that till a time of distraction, they will bee a great deale bolder than now they are, now you may doe it in time.