A true Relation of the late ſucceſſe at Sliggo againſt the Iriſh Rebels.Performed by Sir Charles Coot, Sir William Cole, and Sir Francis Hambleton, with the particulars hereafter expreſſed.

ON Sunday the 17. of October 1645. the Iriſh Rebels having ſurrounded the Towne with 1000. Foot and 300. Horſe, the Garriſon ſeeing little hope of the advance of the Ʋlſter For­ces (who were then neere them at Bandron) though unknowne to them, conceived it abſolutely neceſſary to hazard the fighting with the Rebels with their own ſtrength and Sir William Coles Troops, rather then to ſtarve themſelves and loſe their out-Garriſons which were blocked up, the Enemy lying betweene them; Captaine Richard Coot and Captaine Richard Cole2 commanded our Horſe being two hundred, who charged the Rebels Horſe very reſolutely, and fell in to the Sword pell mell, and beat them among the Diviſions of their own Foot, and routed them, which Lieutenant Colonell Saunderſon recovered with the Foot, and Sir Francis Hamilton came alſo with his Troope in the nick of time, and had the execution of the Rebels for five miles, their Foot taking flight upon giving ground of their Horſe. In the purſuit their Commander and Preſident of that Province was flaine (the titular Archbiſhop of Tu­ain.) Our men took one hundred and fifty of their Horſes with Piſtols, all their Baggage, Tents, and Ammunition, there were two Wagons with rich Spoile and Money in them, they tooke ſeverall of their Standarts and Colours, foure and twenty Drummes and Officers of note, in number 48. who are now priſoners in Sliggo, about two hundred of their men lay killed in he place, and many more had beene, if Plunder had not beene preferred before Execution by our Foot; we had but one killed of Sir William Coles Troop, and ſix horſmen〈◊〉, and ſome Horſe.

Upon this defeat one thouſand Foot and two hun­dred of the Enemies Horſe more that were on their march to Sliggo, friendly turned backe with their fellows, whom they met in great haſte flying, and our Laggan Forces comming alſo to relieve as, are now with us beleagering two ſtrong holds of the Rebels neere our quarters. The Archbiſhop was a principall Agent in theſe wars, and one of their ſu­preme3 Councell; divers Papers and Letters of im­portance were found about him; hee had for his particular an Order from the Councell at Kilkenny for leavying the Arrears of his Biſhoprick, which Order and the Popes Bull and Letter from Rome, Paris, and other forraigne parts, and from ſeverall of this Kingdome (in order to the Iriſh Affaires) re­late, That the Pope would not at firſt ingage him­ſelfe for the ſending of a Nuncio for Ireland, untill the Iriſh Agents had fully poſſeſſed him that the reſtabliſhment of their Catholique Religion was a thing feizable in this Kingdome: whereupon hee undertooke the ſolicitation of their Cauſe with Florence, Venice, and other Eſtates, and to deligate his Nuncio to attend the Affairs of this Kingdome. The ſaid Nuncio after ſome delaies in France was expedited hence by the Popes expreſſe order, and arrived at the River of Killimarre with twenty ſixe Italians of his retinue in a Friggot of one and twen­ty peeces, 22. October, and in his company Secre­tary Beling, and divers regular and ſecular Prieſts; the Iriſh are much incouraged with the ſupplies, he hath brought the Liſt, whereof were found about the Arch-Biſhop, Inprimus two thouſand Muskets, foure thouſand Bandaleers, two thouſand Swords, five hundred pare of Piſtols, and ten thouſand weight of Powder, which arrived in another Friggot before him at Crooke-haven the tenth of October, together with ſixe Desks and Trunkes of Spaniſh gold, the ſumme uncertaine. Theſe Letters likewiſe informe us that all the Kings hope is from Ireland, and if they deſert him, he is likely to be undone very ſpeedily;4 ſeverall other things they containe concerning Prince Rupert, Col. Legg, the Kings loſſes at Briſtoll and Chefter, which are as particularly related as if them­ſelves had been in the place; ſomething alſo there is concerning the Treaty of Peace. Ormond (ſaies one Letter) is found a Machavillan; Dillon, Muskery, and Talbot are for peace, Conditionibus quibuſcunque, which is, On any conditions whatſoever; (ſaies another) that their publike affairs are in via non ter­mino: which is, in a fair way, but not brought home un­to their end; (ſaies a third) the Propoſitions have their Anſwer ſlight and ſlow. There are ſome miſte­ries of State in the buſineſſe which cannot be com­mitted there to paper, yet more really certaine it is there will be peace; alſo the Letters expreſſe ſome differences amongſt themſelves between Muskery and Browne, in ſo much that Browne departed from Dub­lin diſcontented to Killkenny, between Caſtle-Haven and Preſton, in ſo much that Father Beauchamp was ſent from the ſupreame Counſell to reconcile them. There is alſo a private Letter, ſome ſuſpicions in­formations againſt Dominico Spinila an Agent in Ire­land, wherein he is traduced to hold correſpondency with the Queene of England in France, and ſo to be a lover of their enemies.