The Copy of a LETTER From PORTSMOVTH.

I Sent you a Letter by the foot-poſt, which I hope came to your hands on laſt Saturday, wherein was con­tained all or moſt part of Ports­mouth news, and now I herein ſend you all or moſt of what hath hap­pened ſince thereabouts: The Co­lonell having cauſed the Bridge called Portbridge 3 miles from Portsmouth entring into the Iſle of Port­ſea, (in which Portsmouth ſtands) to be made ſecure with a frame of timber work very ſtrong, to hinder all from paſſing that way but whom he pleaſed, and having built a little Fort or Bulwork of earth a little within that Bridge, and planted four pieces of Ord­nance there to defend the Bridge, and having placed 10 or 12 horſemen to watch there day and night, did on Wedneſday laſt carry back to Portſmouth 3 of4 his Ordnance, and the fourth alſo about a mile, but the wheels broke, ſo that he was fain to leave that piece in the high way, all which he did for feare the Troopers which came from London, would by force or ſome ſtratagem get them away, and then make uſe of them to offend the Colonell: yet when the pieces were gone, he ſtill kept horſemen day and night at the Fort, and the timber work upon the Bridge, to ſecure it as formerly, and all Wedneſday Thurſday & Friday laſt, he cauſed divers hundreds of cattell, ſheep, and ſwyne, in the fruitfull Iſle of Port­ſea to be brought into Portsmouth there, whether they were fat or lean, to be all kill'd and ſalted up, and cauſed every houſe in that Iſle to be ſearched and all manner of proviſions to be taken away from the owners, as corn, meal, flower, beefe, bacon, bread, butter, cheeſe, eggs, and all their poultry and ducks, not leaving half loaves of bread, nor pieces of bread, nor pieces of cheeſe, and drove away all cat­tell whatſoever, to the great terrour of all the people, eſpecially women and children, forcing poor and rich to come away, and beg about for bread to keep them alive, and he made ſuch men as he could find, help to drive their own cattell and carry their own proviſions into Portſmouth, and then kept many of them there by force; but the Kings Ships as ſoone as they heard of theſe cruell intentions, landed ſome men at the Eaſt ſide of the Iſland, and two pieces of Ordnance, and thereby kept off the horſemen, whilſt the ſhip-men got over many women and children in­to Hayling Iſland, and about 100. cattell, and about5 200. ſheep, they got ropes over the cattels heads, & made them ſwim over after boats: Upon Friday laſt in the afternoon, I went purpoſely to Portſdown to ſee and heare what I could, at which place all this was credibly told me, and I then went as neer the Fort as I durſt, which was dangerous to be fetcht in by the horſemen which guarded it, in regard all the Troopers were then in Havant Town & in South­wick, 4 miles diſtant where they lay, and came not a­broad all that afternoon, by reaſon of the extraordi­nary rain which happened that afternoon: if the wea­ther had been fair, as I was told in the preſence of the Councell of war at Southwick, the Troopers had attempted to have taken the Fort that afternoon, and then I had ſeen it: but in the night time, that night ſome Troopers went down to the Fort, and were troubled to get down the timber-work, it being ſo ſtrong, and whilſt they were getting it down the horſemen rode all away from the Fort, and the Troo­pers after them, but could take but one of the men, and two horſes, ſo as now the Troopers have the fort, and have ſet there four pieces of Ordnance, and block'd up that paſſage, ſo as the Colonell and his company are all within the walls of Portſmouth as it were in a pound, not daring to encounter the Troo­pers; Although they laſt Saturday went almoſt to the Town Gates, to try if any dared to come forth to them, the Colonell ſent out two pieces of Ord­nance charged with muſquet bullets, and two gun­ners to guard the piece with the broken wheel, that the Troopers might not get it away: But on Satur­day6 in the afternoon, a valiant Trooper alone adventured to go neer them, and cunningly got on the back ſide of the men, who could not ſuddenly turn about both or one of the pieces, ſo as the Trooper ſhot off his Carbine at one of them with a brace of bullets, and ſpoil'd his running away, for he fell down dead, I be­lieve that this day they will attempt to take a Caſtle neer Portſmouth called Southſea Caſtle, half a mile from Portſmouth, and make no queſtion to take it, and then to make uſe of it to ſhoot into Portſmouth. Maſter Lukener, Maſter Bellingham, Christopher Bird, and others of the County of Suffolk, I believe wiſh they were at Chichester again, every night ſome of Portſmouth ſouldiers and gunners get away down the walls and come to the Troopers, utterly diſli­king the Colonells cauſe and uſage of the Inhabi­tants of Portſea Iſland, by taking away their cattell and proviſions, &c. And yet ſcorn to be thought cowards, for they offer to go in the forefront, and in moſt danger with the Troopers in any ſervice whatſoever. Since Chichester men came to Portſmouth there hath been harder uſage of people by the Colo­nell and his company then before, and ſome think by their or ſome of their advices, a yong woman in Portſmouth being great with child, who got leave to come laſt Friday out of Portſmouth, and whom I met by the way, reports; that one of Chichester men, but not Mr. Recorder Lukener, nor Mr. Bellingham, ſaid to her that he would not have her go, becauſe if the Town ſhould be ſo put to it, as to want victualls, then that in her belly would eat as ſweet7 as a yong ſucking pig, by which we may gueſſe that they are inclinable to ſhew as much mercie as the Rebells in Ireland, but I hope that God will pre­vent all their wicked purpoſes. The Troopers I be­leeve reſolve to baniſh all fear of danger, and within fewer dayes, though with loſſe of men, to adventure to ſcale the Walls, and take the Town, and prevent the doing of any more miſchief by them in the Town to the poor Inhabitants, or any others: there is no great ſtrength in the town of men, & but 80 or 90 horſes, there being about 240. horſes, Troopers, and 500 foot, by the Parliaments directions; but the Town is extraordinarily well provided with pow­der, and ſhot, and dyet, by reaſon of the fetching in ſo much from the Inhabitants, there was a horſe and a man taken on Saturday laſt about five of the clock at Havant, going to Portſmouth with a ſuit of cloaths for one Mr. Bellingham in Portſmouth, but not Bel­lingham of Chicheſter, yet his kinſman, in which cloaths, between the outſide and inſide were ſowed up 10 Letters; and about that time our Troopers took a man, and a horſe, and ſeverall Letters going out of Portſmouth from the Lord Wentworth the•e, and divers other Letters are taken, ſo as the bottome of their plots are I hope diſcovered: This morning one of the Iſle of Wight was with me, and told me, All their people there ſtand right for the King and Parliament, except the Captains of their Caſtles, and ſome of the Gentry; one Sir Robert Dillington there would have ſent over much corn to Portſmouth, but was prevented by Maſter Bunckley a Juſtice of8 peace there, who ſtands very right for the King and Parliament; there is in the Iſland much fear of the Captains of the Caſtles, whether they will prove right or not; they are ſuch men as Col: Goring is; the people are in great fear of them, and wiſh that the Earl of Pembroke were come, and that they might Muſter, &c.

15. August: 1642.