MY kind love unto you remembred, hoping in God of your good health, as I was at present thanks be to God for it: your let­ter dated the tenth of May I have received, and of the 29 of March, sin [...]e which time I have not received any from my Father, and your selfe, fearing two Letters are miscarried which you sent by Post. As for the state and condition of this King­dome it is very troublesome as yet, and the wars are like to hold long, in regard the Rebels will never stand long to Battell, but flye to the Mountaines, Bogs, and Woods, we having not men sufficient to meet them in severall places, and to compasse them in, and to leave Garrisons in every Towne of note. For my part I doe continue in Sir Charles Cootes Regiment, as Waggon Master to the Regiment. And w [...]ereas my Father wri­teth for me to come over, I cannot well get off as yet, and if I should seeke to get off, I should never get my pay which is due to me, having received but 50 shillings this eight moneths, but I am promis'd to receive part of it as soone as money cōmeth over: businesse not agree­ing [Page 2]well with the Parliament of England, is a great hin­drance to the proceedings here in Ireland, and a discou­raging of the Souldiers wanting their pay. I believe I shall hardly get [...]eave to come over as yet, in regard they want Englishmen to be guides to the Army. I am Gar­rison'd at the Na [...]s. I have beene in the Country for six or seven weekes together, where the Lord hath prospe­red us in all our proceedings: the greatest number of the Rebels that I did see, was at a place called Kilrush, in the County of Kildare, to the number of 12000. of them, we having but 3000. Horse and Foot, besides they ha­ving an infinite number which lay behind the Hill, ly­ing upon advantage to divide the spoyle, thinking to have had the victory of us, crying and shouting, victo­ry, victory, before they had obtained it. It pleased God at very sight of our men being couragious (although they had the Hill and Wind of us) our Commanders marching up towards them daunted them: and at two or three shots at each other, the Rebels began to retreate and flye, and to separate themselves, and flye over Bogs and Hills, our Horse pursuing them, many of them were slaine in an houre and a halfe space, we killed neere up­on 600, of them, and tooke aboundance of Armes and Ammunition from them, and brought three heads of their chiefe Commanders to Dublin. Thus Gods won­derfull providence in delivering us from the hands of our enemies, we having had but foure or five men slain at that Battel; many conflicts we have had with them since, and still we had good successe thanks be to God for it. I make no question but you have heard of the losse of our Colonell Sir Charles Coote, that Noble Comman­der, who by accident of my Lord Burlaces troopes, was [Page 3]shot at Trime in pursuing the Rebels there, who came to take Trim after he had recovered it from them, he having but 150. men, discomfited 3000. of them, the losse of that man is much lamented among us all, and especially true hearted Christians, for God did prosper and blesse all his proceedings. I am sure I have lost the best Master in Ireland, if he had lived he had done much good for them that belonged to him, and other people that were robbed, thousands will misse him: there was no man in Ireland did terrifie the Rebels so much as he, and if it had pleased God to have spared his life, he had quickly sub­dued thē, the very name of him was a terror to them: the Earle of Kildare hath Sir Charles Cootes Regiment; how he will proceed against his Countrymen I know not as yet, I pray God send my Lord Lieutenant safe over, for we want him to settle businesses here; since my Colonels death things goe on but slowly.

I pray God blesse and prosper the Parliament in their proceedings, and that the King and they might a­gree, both for the good of the Church and Common-Weale.

THe last Letter that I received from you was of the 7 of Aprill, by one Veele, to whom I shall be ve­ry ready to give my assistance towards his preferment, when I have rid my selfe of a few former ingagements. We are now in so good condition for matter of men, that I know it will be wondred that wee doe no more with them, but when it shall bee considered what men without money, Meat or Cloathes, are able to doe, I hope we shall not be taxed with sloth, having by many winter, and uncomfortable Journeyes, manifested our unwillingnesse to lye still; it is true that our want of money, was then as great as now, but then the Hagards Barnes, and Houses were full of all manner of Provisi­on, which now betwixt us and the Rebels are so wasted that the most fertill Countrey affords nothing but pe­nary and desolation, and the booty that heretofore gave edge to the souldiers, and made them endure iude­fatigably all manner of labour, is for a great circuit a­bout us, either already taken by our men, or removed into inaccessable places by the Rebels, nor have wee carriage (if there were plenty o [...] Victuall in the store) to convey it with us, forth of those limits already wa­sted, [Page 5]if we march in such numbers as to considerable service, and on the otherside if we lye still, and eat [...] up­on the Magazin, we shall very suddenly waste it, so that unlesse there be a speedy supply of at least victuall, and carriages, this army raised at so great charge to that Kingdome, will be forced to dissolve or ruine of it self. I have given you this short, and true accompt of the state we are in, because I hope you are at London, where you may acquaint such of your friends as are of the Par­liament with it, as likewise that you might be able to say something in my excuse, in case the blame of this dan­gerous losse of time should be laid on me; for th ugh all this bee much fullier represented to the Commissio­ners, appointed for the management of this War, from the Lords Iustices, and Councell, yet many may be apt to censure mee, that will not be called to the reading of that.

When I know you are at London, you shall heare often, and more particularly from me; on Munday next I take a journey to Conaught, where I will endeavor to doe some service before our provision he quite gone, from thence you shall heare from me, in the meane time I rest.