FRom Leicester they write, that M. Henry Hastings came late­ly towards their town with his forces to plunder and pil­lage, which made the townsmen stand upon their guard, and arm all their horse and foot presently, which being made ready, the L. Grey of Groby, son to the Earl of Stamford, issued out of the town with eight Troups of horse: but when the Malignants heard of his coming, they immediately marched away: but the Lord Grey pursued him 11. miles, and fell upon them, killed twenty of them, wounded and hurt many more, and took 38 of them Prisoners, the Lord Grey lost not above one man in this skirmish.

The Parliament have passed an Ordinance for the assessing of all such refusers as have not contributed to the maintenance of the Parliaments Army in all the Counties of this Kingdome, that the whole burden might not lie upon the well-affected of the City of London, with a proviso that the said Assesment ex­ceed not the twentieth part of their estates.

From Exceter and Plymouth in the County of Devon they write, that the Lord Hopton had again gotten into Tavistock in that County, and summoned the inhabitants thereabouts to bring him in men, moneys, and victuall, which they refused, up­on which he retreated back again into Cornwall, but during his abode there he sent two poor Troupes to Totnes, where there was a Faire, to surprize the Countrey-peoples horses, whereof [Page] the Exeter troops having notice, made towards them, and drove them from their intended Designes empty as they came, and that the Earl of Stamford with six thousand Foot, and one thousand Dragoones, and six hundred Horse, is marching into Cornwall, totally to subdue them, if it please God to prosper his Designe.

Master Pym at a conference of both Houses of Parliament in the name of the house of Commons, desired the Lotds that Judge Mallet (who had been limited by the Lords to have his liberty upon sufficient baile) might be remanded to the Tower again, for diverse reasons and causes by him exhibited to them▪ then he read a Declaration which was framed by the Com­mons, wherein was contained at large all the proceedings in the late treaty at Oxford, between the King, and Parliaments Committee, whereunto Master Pym desired the Lords consent for the publishing thereof, which being done, the Earle of Manchester now Speaker of the House of Peers, acquainted the Commons with an Answer sent unto them from the King, a­bout the affaires of Ireland, to this effect. Whereas an Act had passed the Parliament, to give unto all adventurers that would subscribe monies for the reduceing of Ireland, a certain pro­portion of the Rebels Lands, when the warre should be ended, in which Act there was no clause or proviso to constrain the subscribers to bring in their Monies which are yet in arreare, the Parliament had desired the King to passe a Bill for that pur­pose especially, because the English Armies now in Ireland, are in great distresse for want of monies, and other necessary supplies whereunto the King answereth in briefe thus, that he will be content to passe the said Bill, provided that he may have a true accompt given him, how the monies have, or shall be imployed, that are granted by the said Act, which answer both Houses have taken time to consider of.

From Northampton they write, that a Gentleman came lately to their town with a letter, which hath proved forged, from the Parliaments Lord Generall, to require them to arm some horse and foot, and to send them to Banbury, where some of his forces should meet them, to drive the Cavaliers from thence, where­unto they giving credit, presently sent out thither 500 horse and foot, where being come, they were presently surrounded with multitudes of horse from the town, and miserably defeated, 40 of them being slain, sixty of them were taken prisoners, and they lost also one Drake, and a carriage of ammunition, and their provision, which happened to them by incautelous credulity.

Yesterday in the morning there was 15000. pound sent to Reading, which was guarded thither by Colonell Harvey and his City Troupe of Horse to prevent the seizing of it by the Malignauts, who have done many robberies upon that rode, and slain & taken Captain Holbech and some others coming thence.

At a Conference of both Houses of Parliament this day a letter was read from the L. Fairfax out of Yorkshire, that on Sa­turday last he was well at Leeds, where he had strongly intren­ched and fortified himself, insomuch that he feared not the Earl of Newcastle and his whole Army, but that in regard he wanted both money and horse, he was not of strength sufficient to keep the field, and therefore he requested the Parliament speedily to furnish and supply him with both, which they have resolved to doe.

From Warwick they write, that Colonell Longsford who hath been a prisoner there ever since the battell at Keynton, com­bined with another of his fellow-prisoners to poyson Serjeant Major Bridges, Governour of the Castle, and to seize upon it, who drew another into their plot, who abhorring the fact, told them he would not condescend, because it was too base an acti­on for souldiers, and more fit for Popish Priests and Jesuites:

wherupon Lunccford and his Comrade, fearing that he would discover their plot, and finding a fit opportunity, presently laid hands on him and would have cut his throat, but their Keeper coming in rescued him out of their hands, unto whom he dis­covered their intentions, who instantly revealed it to the Go­vernour, by which meanes they were immediately laid in Irons and thrown into the Dangeon, whereas before they had the liberty of the Castle.

Out of Wiltshire they write that Sir Edward Hungerford hath been a long time in Sommersetshire, whereby there Coun­ty hath been left in a naked condition, but that of late he is re­turned with Colonell Stroud, to Mear, whether they have brought along with them seven hundred Horse and Foot, and also that they were there joyfully entertained, and had free quarter given them, and that during their abode at Mear, their souldiers seized upon master Arundels cattell, and killed almost all his Goates in Hormingsham Common, and they also got into the Parke at Long-leat, and killed some of Sir James Thines Fallow Deer, and afterward they marched to Warder Castle, which belongeth to Count Arundel, who obtained that title from the Emperour Rodolph, the second of that name, for the good service he did him in his warre against the Turks, who since his return into England was created Baron of Warder Castle, by King James, this Lord being a great Papist, had gotten men and Ordnance into his Castle, where­by he much terrified and annoyed those parts of Wiltshire, Sir Edward Hungerford and Colonell Stroud being come neare the said Castle, they summoned it, but instead of an Answer they reccived great shot from them, whereupon they planted their Ordnance, and for diverse dayes plaid against it, it now being credibly reported that the said Castle is taken by Sir Edward Hungerford▪

Out of Nottinghamshire they write, that the Earl of Newca­stles souldiers have committed inhumane outrages in that coun­ty, for at Maunsford they plundered one Francis Gardland, and took from him a dozen of boots, and ten dozen of shoes, toge­ther with all his leather and tools, and at Woodborough in the same County, Christopher Foster, William Pickard, and others have been used extremely, and all taken from them, and that M. Hewes the Minister of Kneesall in the same County had all his goods taken from him, and not so much as a gown left his wife to put on, and forced her to run a mile for her safety, her maid servant together with another maid were ravished, and a woman half gone with child villanously abused, that it is thought impossible she should live, and another woman in that town slain outright.

M. Laves son, one of the Atturneys of the Court of Requests was with two other Gentlemen this day brought before the Parliament guarded with about sixty Musketiers, for speaking words of dangerous consequence against his Excellency Lord Generall of the Parliaments Army, for which the said M. Lave after some examination touching the same was committed to safe custody, till he should be proceeded against according to Law.

From Manchester they write that Colonell Aston with about two thousand horse and foot marched from thence to Wiggen, where the Earl of Derby with 900 Musketiers and som Troups of horse was again refortifying of that town, but upon the Colonels approach they all fled from thence to Latham, the Colonell having re-obtained that town, demolished all the works and fortifications, and burnt the new gates and posts that were set up, and took an oath of the townsmen never to beate arms again against the King and Parliament: from thence he pursued the Earl to Latham, who left that house, and fled to [Page] Preston, whither the Colonell pursued him, and in his way thi­ther took a house of the Earls called Knowsley, whither the Earl sent him a Message, that he would give him 300. pound if he would not burn his house: the Colonell returned answer, that he came not to burn houses, but to reduce him to peace and o­bedience, and from thence marched to Leverpoole, but before he came thither the Earl was fled, and was reported to be gone in­to Yorkshire to the Queen with two Troups of horse.

From the West parts of England it is again informed, that at the late defeat given to the Cornish Malignants on Swarton Downe neer Okehampton, a great delivery of the Parliaments Forces from their enemies was in two respects very observa­ble: the first whereof was that Serjeant-Major Chudleighs men had gotten Hoptons word, and by that means with the more fa­cility slew many of his men, and that some of the Cornish men had also gotten Serjeant Major Chudleighs word, which bred such distraction amongst them, that the Hoptonians thinking they had some of their enemies among them, fell upon them, and killed many of their own men. The second passage was, that during the rout and flight of the Cornubians an extraor­dinary storme of lightning and thunder fell upon them, which lightning singed and burnt the haire of their heads, and fired the gunpowder in their musket pans and bandeliers, which so lamentably scorched and burnt many of their bodies, that they sent for 12 Chyrurgions from Launceston to cure them, and which is more remarkable, in their scorching they said, that the Militia fought not against them, but the Divell: so that living without God in the world, as the Scripture saith, they had not God in all their thoughts, to acknowledge his just judgment therein, but ascribed their sufferings to their directer the Di­vell, whose wayes and suggestions they follow.