A TRUE RELATION Of a great and wonderfull VICTORY, &c.
THough I be from Mancheſter, yet having this convenient Bearer thither, I thought good to give you a Relation (in which I deſire not to exceed) of Gods great preſervation of us, which was greater then I mentioned in my laſt〈◊〉〈1 page duplicate〉3〈1 page duplicate〉4That the Earl of Derby, the Lord Mollineux, Sir Gilbert Hoghton, Colonell Tildeſley, with all the other great Papiſts in this County, iſſued out of Preſton, and on VVedneſday noon came to Ribcheſter with eleven Troops of horſe, 700 foot, and infinite of club-men, in all conceived to be 5000. VVe lying at Dunkenhalgh-hall with out two Troops hearing of his great force retreated to Padiham, having before ſent to Colonell Shuttleworth, to raiſe the country which he did, all the firemen came in the next morning (though they have had no pay this 5 weeks) and ſome few club-men: I did compute us to be 60 horſe, and ſome 400 foot, not above five hundred5 I am ſure at the firſt: we marched with our horſe towards Whalley, where we tooke a man and 2. geldings of Mr. Lathams the great Papiſt, and retreated to Read-bank, here we diſcovered above 150 horſe to follow us, and when our foot was come thither to us, our horſe retreated more, our foot advanced cloſe under a wall, only my ſelf ſtood and faced the enemy: I made as though I fled, they purſued me, when I knew they were in the command of our men, I advanced again and ſhot off my piſtoll (being the ſigne for our foot) whereupon our men diſcharged with a great ſhowt, the enemies horſe fled in great diſorder, we wounded many, took forty priſoners,6 ſome horſe and 60 Muſquets, our fire men purſued them to Whalley, where the Earl of Derby and the reſt were in the Abbey, much a do we had to keep our Souldiers back, the enemy (who were ten for one to us) diſcharged his Cannon 5. times, but hurt not a man of us, (bleſſed be our good God) he drew into a body, we being out of order ran under hedges, played upon them with our Muskets, and routed their foot, which fled over the VVater, their horſe ſtill facing us, our men ſtill purſued them to Lango-green, where Captain Aſhton and my ſelfe with much a doe cauſed our firſt men to ſtay till more came up, then our men ſhot; their horſe fled; then7 all our horſe came up and purſued them through Salisbury Park, and to Ribcheſter, & moſt of their great ones had ſome touch, or ſome narrow eſcape, as themſelves report. And having thus driven them out of the Hundred, we retreated to Padiham, where having a good Miniſter, ſome hours were ſpent in thankſgiving for this great deliverance, and be aſſured it is to be taken (next the firſt great bout at Mancheſter) the greateſt deliverance we have had. VVe had one day laſt week, and on Friday next we are to obſerve a Thankſgiving both in Salford Hundred & this, with praiſes to our God. The intent of the enemy was to overrun this Hundred,8 and ſo to Bolton and Mancheſter, (as upon examination appears by the priſoners) and be aſſured if the Lord had ſufferd this part to fail, we had in al probability bin utterly undone. The enemy ſtole all horſes & beaſts as far as they went; I hope our Gentlemen in this county vvill conſider to joyn and clear the county; This part vvhich before vvas dejected, is novv through Gods mercy united and raiſed, and the common people never more forvvard, and the ſouldiers more couragious, but the Lord is our preſerver; So deſiring ſtill to hear from you, I reſt