HUmane nature is covetous of novelties; never had that Axiome so pregnant proofes as in these dayes; never were the people so appetitious of newes; never were their desires so answered with diversity of Narrations; and to say truth, never were there broacht so many false and improbable relations: every man spea­king according to his fancie and wishes, and divers sons of audacity and impudence, confidently committing ma­ny illegitimate conceptions of their owne to the publike view, which have no more affinity with truth, then the opinions of Copernicus, of the motion of the earth, or that relation of our Countryman of the new world in the Moon, or of Domingo Gonzales and his flight thi­ther upon the wings of his Ganzas: But this abs [...]re, good wine needs no bush: veritas non quarit angulos, our present discourse needs no preface to excuse it, be­ing a positive and confirm'd truth: on Tuesday last, All-Saints day, destined for holier uses, Prince Robert, with his well beaten troops, after they were routed in the late knowne battaile by the Parliaments forces wearied with their flight, and bleeding with the wounds they had received there, sought to refresh themselves in the pleasant and plenteous County of Buckingham, in which all things exuberate that might please their appetites, or satisfie their wants (that Country being most odious to them, cause most faithfull to the Par­liament) they left no expressions of their hostility and [Page 4]rapine unperformed souldiers (especially wanting ones) wishing no better place for plunder then a [...]ich and fertile Province, till they arrived at Ailesbu [...], a towne one of the most signall and wealthy of that Shire, where Prince Robert with some ten thousand horse and foote, on T [...]sd [...]y morning, about six of the clock entered to the great amazement and feare of the ho­nest inhabitans, who little expecting such a sudden greeting from the Enemy, were unprovided for de­fence, the faithfull M [...] of that good towne, be­ing unable to make resistance against such a multitude of halfe desperate men, made a vertue of necessity, and gave them a free entertainment; the chiefe Ma­gistrates there knowing it was, Prudemiae multum dis­simulare, affording them good words: and to give the Divell his due, there they remained in indifferent peaceble disposition, till some of Prince Roberts scouts or horse centinels, upon the spurre came in, and with a sudden alarme, gave a speedy and dreadfull notice to their Generall, that there were great and formi­dable forces approaching the body of an Army, as their feares made them conjecture, of at least six thou­sand men, when as since it was certainly knowne, and credibly astirmed they were not above fifteen hun­dred men, or thereabouts, under the command of the valiant, Sir William Belfore, sometimes Lievtenant of the Tower, and now Lievtenant Generall of the present forces for the defence of the kingdome, under his Excellency, the Earle of Ess [...]x, who after the late bat­tell, were sent by the said Earles carefull directions, to advance through the neighbouring Counties, and to secure their safeties, there being nothing so requisite and full of commendation in generall, as to consider distant dangers of his friends and confederates, with the same eye hee lookes upon those which are pre­sent, and threatning himselfe: for that end therefore [Page 5]was Sir William Bels [...]re sent forth, who investigating the Enemies passages, had certaine intelligence, that Prince Robert, with some of the prosligated troopes, was returned into Bucking hamshire, and had sixt their place of rendezvous at Al [...]sbury; whither with all con­venient speed the said Sir William made, knowing that delaies in affaires military, as in all other actions be­get dangers, with his fifteen hundred men, being six horse troops, and the foot part of Colonell Hampdens, and part of Colonell Granthams Regiments, which were the army of six thousand foot and horse, which the Cen­tinels gave information to the Prince, were then inva­ding him at not halfe an houres march distance, with which alarme, not affrighted, but a little troubled, hee prepared not for his defence, but to give them the bein, or the mal venu (take it as you please) to Alasbury, leaving, lest the townes-men whom he durst not con­fide in, should fall upon his rear, a troope of horse, and two companies of foot there in perada to secure the in­habitants, where, when they heard of their friends, ap­proaches, were all unmindfull to act their parts on that Theatre of war for their owne safeties: active spirits forces young men, like Lapwings, to run out of their nest, part of the shell ye [...] sticking to their temples; so it has done with this Prince Robert, whose fiery soule has rendred him too great a stickler in this king­domes quarrels, but he having drawne forth his Com­panies into one entire body, without the towne, hee espied within a quarter of a mile the Parliaments forces, which were as ready to charge him, as the Prince was them: but their wise and prudent Chiefe, Sir William Belfore, knowing that hasty attempts beget dangerous and uncertaine successes, kept them in, facing the Prince with a narrow body of horse-men, his troope being drawne out like a Pyramid, sharpe at the top, and broad by degrees in the grosse. Prince Robert [Page 6]with his owne troope, the flo [...]er of the Cavalry, charging through Sir Will. Belfore his front: and thinking to make us find as easie passage through the rest, Was bid to a bloody dinner in the heart of his squadrons. The florsemen there being at least ten broad in rank, thundring death from those engines of destruction, their Carabines and petronels into the bosome of the Princes Souldiers, who neither knew well to advance nor to retreat. Ano­ther Troope if I mistake not, young Master Pyms (the hopefull Son of an excellent father, charging them hotly in their right flanks, so that Prince Roberts mauger his native courage was at his non plus ultra, till Sir Lewis Dives a man of as much acrimony and spleen as any of the malignants against the Parliament: fell in pell mell to the princes rescues: having behinde each of his horse­men a musketier, who being at competent distance, alighted and diffus'd their dreadfull and death bearing bullets through our squadrons, which then began to tot­ter from their order, some ten or fourteene falling in that furious charge: till Captaine Herbert Blanchard, Cap­taine of the Earle of Peterborromes Troope came in with much courage to the aid of Sir William Balfores Troope, and the foot forces on our side having gained both wind and sun, sent cheerfull vollyes of fire, smoak, and bullets, on the left flanke of the Princes squadrons, the horses gald with the shot overthrowing their riders, And the Souldiers of our foot taking fire from their re­solv'd Captaines, animating each other to an assur'd con­quest: Commissary Willmot who all this while had stood as a reserve to the Princes Forces, then falling into this game of blood and slaughter, reduced the Conflict to an equall scale, killing some threescore of our men, when Sir William Balfore who leaving his owne Troops to the charge of his Lievtenant, had retir'd into the rear of his horse and brought them up to the face of the Enemie, our foot in the interim wheeling about, came in upon [Page 7]theirs with a full charge, beating them from their stati­ons, and disordering their rankes. They sent at least two hundred of their men to salute the earth never more to rise thence. The Prince all this while made good the fight against Sir William with his horse till Commissary Wilmot receiving a shot into the shoulder, They began to shock together, and as it were to retreat: when the flight of their foot, who began to use the vertue of their legs: drive them, spight of Prince Roberts fury, to beare them Company and outstrip them at their owne exercise of running away: that Troope and those two foot com­panies advancing forth of the towne to the reliefe of their companions were undertaken by Captaine As­coughs Troop and some foot forces, till the Townes-men neere being rid of their unwelcome guests, to the number of two hundred wel arm'd, charg'd them upon the backs, then they fell into an appatent rout, following their fly­ing fellowes, our horsemen having them in the chace, they did execution on their foot fon the space of a miles riding: killing in the chace and the fight to the number of six hundred men, most of which were the infantery their Cavalry escaping by the benefit of their Horses, found the Proverb verified, one paire of legs is worth two paire of hands. Prisoners of the common sort there were taken two hundred; of note, not any but one Dudley Smith a young gentleman of much courage, who died some houres after of his wounds received in the bat­tell: of our part there fell about fourscore and ten per­sons: too great a number to be lost, yet gloriously they did being, as it were, their Countryes Martyrs. Sir Willi­am Balfore after his victory, marching to Alisbury, spent the rest of that day in prayers and thanksgiving for his good successe, to that great God of battels, in whose dispose is Conquest, and by whose almighty and and out sirecched arme, this victory arriv'd to his servants, Prince Robert with his flying Troopes, as it were, in re­venge [Page 8]of that overthrow, burning the poore Country vil­lages in his retreat towards Oxford, where it is reported hee is: and whence shortly it is hoped, hee and all those perverse malignants will be brought to condigne punish­ment. Thus it hath pleased the Lord of Hosts to give vi­ctory to the Parliaments Forces by an handfull, if com­par'd with the Enemies numbers: In his power it is to fave with few, as well as with multitudes. To him there­fore wee ought to ascribe all praise, trusting that hee will deliver us from all our enemice. Amen.