I Am much beholding to you for such occurrences as I have received from you , and I can do no lesse than take this opportunity to gratifie you by way of relation : We are both for the King , and therefore I need not straiten my selfe , but speake liberally my thoughts concerning his Majesties affaires .

We laid for our selves a very reasonable foundation , for when we could not make Yorkeshire so much ours , as we desired , nor possesse our selves of Hull , by reason of Hotham , ( being too much injured and weakned by the losse of the Navy ) we thought it safest to be assured of Newcastle , and so to be secured , as to the Scots ( for we know they are too apt to thinke that England is a better soyle than theirs ) as also to place a Generall ( my Lord Cumberland ) with a considerable strength of Horse in Yorkeshire , and a more considerable power , the commission of Eyre and Terminer , to secure us from any Insurrection in Yorkshire , and those multitude of Round-heads in the West-riding , and so to preserve the peace of that County , that so , if they do us not that good we expected yet they may not annoy us , and lay obstructions in our way . To the same purpose his Majesty did prudently take pro concesso , in all his Speeches , that that County was his ( though we knew to the contrary ) and that neither He nor His Posterity should forget their loyalty , ( which let me tell you is not worth the remembring . )

Well we leave them ( who deserve not our owning ) and having issued out Commissions for Horse , and a ful Infantery , at least 16000 , we were content , it should be given out , we would draw towards the West , but we resolved upon the South , & to make Nottingham our Randevous , Leicestersh . Northamptonshire and Warwicksh . the Seat of our War ; Nottingham being a place every way well fortified , ( fit to secure His Majesties Person , our Magazine , and to make our retreat to , if need were , and the other Countie ( chiefly Leicestersh , ) being abundantly provisioned for Horse and man ( which would recompence our want of moneys when our stock is spent ) and replenished with store of Round-heads , a good prey and encouragement for our Souldiers : In those said Counties we designed to strengthen our selves , with the possession of Warwick , and the Castle , Coventry and Northampton ; only there was an unhappy mistake , for at that time when we went for Warwick , we should have gone to Northampton ; The cast of a Dye did it such avidents the greatest and best designes are subject to .

Thus I give you the reason of that foundation wee thought best to lay , and upon which wee had as good reason to conclude , that we might have built upon it ( which we desired ) a monument of Honour to His Majesty , some share of that to our selves , and plenty of fortune : For let me tell you , if we had once been thus well provided for , set down in the foresaid Counties , and secured to our selves those Townes ( where would have been a prety beginning of encouragement to our Souldiers ; We would in a short time by the helpe of the Commission of Array ( and that of Eyre and Terminer too , if need had been ) have made better provision for our selves at London , for we have a just sense of all their practises against us , and where the foundation of our mischiefe was laid .

Now I must tell you in your eare , It is our unhappinesse , our Plot is much weakned , for Petoes holding out Warwick Castle beyond all expectation till succours came neere him , and Coventry following Hotham and his steps , and our enemies force comming upon us before we were aware , or indeed prepared for them , and they understanding our designe ( and all openings are weaknings ) and present condition by some that are about us , but not of us , hath done us so much mischiefe , that I can by no meanes like of His Majesties present condition : Our retreat at Southampton was an ill omen and though we lost not many men , for our Commanders were prudent , and marched away orderly , yet we strengthned our adversaries hands and weakned our own . But besides , the Gentry of these Counties do not draw after them such numbers of commons as His Majesty presumed upon , and we are not assured of the Trained bands any where .

In Leicestershiere upon frequent summons , they came in thinly , and on Tuesday last at Leicester , they were so bold as openly to say they were for the King and Parliament , wee know that language well enough . In Nottingam-shiere wee cannot secure our selves in any , but Captaine Digbies band , and hence our Maxime is not to trust the trained band , but we will make the best use of them we can , and that is of their armes , which I may tell you we have need enough of , for besides that we have but an indifferent number , we cannot come at them : Some say that Yorkshiere will not supply the King , with carriages to bring them , the Officers may be bribed , something is in the wind , and when they come , we shall be defective as to that part .

Our Infantarie cannot encourage a temperate man , for we have not above 1200. Their poverty I passe over , for we may make them richer in time , but many are too young , raw , and most very uncapable of discipline . We have prety store of Horse , some say there are 5000 or more , I cannot say ( for I must speak the truth ) more than 2000 , if so many . Here we make good use of the Catholicks , but your Citizens Horse , sure are fed like Aldermen to these , they look very poorely , and surely the Captain upon advance money deceived too purpose , for many horses are not worth 5 Marks , & many a troop hath but 40 horse , this the Captains put up as their own . But the Kings guard troop , the Prince , Prince Rob. the Lord Willoughby and S. William Penniman , are very wel set off , only one thing because I am a Protestant , I must not like nor owne that many of the Kings guard troop are Papists , and there are some Popish Commanders , how this come about I know not , specially seeing it is a principle with the wisest , that no Papists should have command , for feare of the ill report it would make among the Kings Leidge people , another thing I dislike , that the Irish Commanders are paid & not the English , which in time will discontent them , and disservice the King : Our Commanders are good for the generality , but we cannot say much for our Artillery , some 7 field pieces we have , which we planted in Leicester lately , but because we had a suspition of our enemies , whom we heard they were inclining toward a march , we called a Councell of War about 10 of the clock on Wednesday night & never left till we had resolved to withdraw our Artillery from Leicester , and our armes and ammunition there , which was the best part of our store , and might have been as well theirs as ours ( had they beene wise enough ) to a safer place , and so they are gone toward Nottingham ; We expect some 10 pieces from York ; I forgot to tell you the good plot we have to hold them in hand about a treaty , to which purpose we sent them propositions by my L. Dorset , and prudent Southampton , we made account this faire hair would have taken with them and put them upon delayes , wherein would have consisted our reparation and good , their evill and ruine , so in the interim of Treaty we could have drawn up our force , & provided a considerable Infantry , & supplyed those defects we are yet under : the Round heads are grown arrant Polititians & we suspect Say & Seale weakened this Plot : when we become our selvs , we shall repay all with usury , however this advantage results out of that designe , that his Majestys loving Subjects wil believe he is a peaceable Prince ; you heare how we served that old Puritane Porphyry , we owed him a good turn , so Coventry had been our boo●y and resigned to us , had not he interposed , we rid him of all his armes , till he can use them better , and burnt a part of his house , disabled his tennants and now he must live a while upon the publick faith brave P. Rupert was our chiefe , we had I confesse too many troops there for such a service , & our Commanders were too resolute , it cost Colon. Steward and Lieutenant Colo. Richardson their lives , also we lost 2 common men , we must commend one Abbot , who did like a Souldier , however we obtained our end . This instant we have an expresse come to Court , that tels us our friends grow lesse & lesse , for the L. Westmerland cries peccavi , the L. Mountagu like a good old blad stood it out as long as he was able , but is now prisoner , the L. of Newport also is willingly a prisoner at Northampton , I feare al wil forsake us . I could give you many particular relations , but I am in too much hast , I will take another time . Silence my name , you know my hand , and that I am .