SInce my laſt, the meſſenger whereof is piſtold by the way with my Lords Lettere and mine; theſe are to en­forme you that we have beene in very hot and ſharpe ſervice, making attempt to gaine a bridge to Shrewsbury which we did gaine and made the enemie fly in halfe an how­ers hot ſervice. My Lord himſelfe lead on galantly in the forlorne hope, having not patience till the bridge could bee let downe, we all in the forlorne hope crouded through the R•ver to our horſe skirts, wee only had one man fell over there was drownd, ſo we purſued and tooke Major Fiſher Ma­jor Manly, and many other priſoners, they iſſ•ed out of Shrewsbury and fought with us, we beat them in, and fin­ding our ſelves to few to beſiege it, we in the night retreated and are now this day upon news received marching for York. The news to us is this encloſed, for I now am in haſte.

Dated at Weme, newly come from Shrewsbury. July 9. 1644.

I Bleſſe God I yet live to praiſe him for his renewed mer­•e to me and our Armie, and to write to you our conditi­on, & that you may have a true teſt, my General hates idlenes, I muſt tell you he ets us not reſt night nor day, but upon on deſigne or other wee vvere this day ſevennight at Mauche­ſter, then hurried wee to Knotsford, North vvitch, and to Oſvveſtrie to relieve that: at vvhich place and in that ſervice, Sir Thomas Middletons Troope and mine had the brunt of the ſervice, and came off vvith honour: they tired our vvith of­ten charging. Sir Thomas brought up other horſe to relieve them: who fell on gallantly, and did good ſervice: and pur­ſued the Enemy neere Shrewsbury, and took many priſoners of qualitie, the Lord Newports ſonne a Parliament man, Mar­row hardly eſcaped.

The very next day my Lord Generall ſent Captaine Rent to give Orders for all horſe and foot to quarter on and about Sutton on the Hill, in the way to Shrewsbury, early next morning vve marched tovvards Mansford Bridge vvhere the Enemy kept Garriſon: and a drawbridge over the Severne: our men fell on gallantly, and my Lord himſelfe appeared in the Van of the Forlorn Hope for their encouragement, which cauſed them to ſtir bravely, and to ſtrive to adventure beyond expreſſion, to gain the paſſage in a quarter of an houres time the Enemy fled: upon which my Lord ſent Cap. Keme to call the Forlorn Hope of Horſe, and after other horſe which hee did, and wee came ſo haſtily on, that one Captaine Shipply a gallant man, not having patience to ſtay till the draw bridge was let down, ventured over the River after him, rent the Forlorn Hope, In purſuit, and my Lord was in the midſt of them, and only one man next me, and not far from my Lord, fell into a hole of the River, hardly eſcaped drowned.

Thus wee got out, and by this time the bridge was downe, our Army crowding over. I mean the horſe out of Captaine Kemes Troop came in at a houſe over the bridge where they kept the Court of Guard, and tooke a Lievtenant Colonels Colours which he gave his Captaine to preſent to my Lord, but we followed the purſuit, and between the Bridge and the Heath we tooke moſt of the men, and had wee not hallowed for all our horſe to come up we had entred Shrewshury, with the enemie, many of their horſe and foot quartering our of Towne which wee lighted on ſome of Marrows Dragoones: We drew up till our armie came up on a Heath on this ſide Shrevvsbury a mile, the enemy came in parties up Ambuſ­cadoes, the lanes vve beat them from them. Colonell Booth lead his Regiment of Foot on himſelfe valiantly: and my Lords ovvne horſe, his life Guard commanded by Captaine Tovy a gallant man purſued to piſtoll ſhot of the Workes: Marrow came out, and Major Manly, and fought vvith us; and there vvas a hot bout for tvvo hours and above: Wee tooke Major Fiſher, Major Manly Governour of Bangor, and di­vers other Officers and Souldiers.

We made good the ground within Musket ſhot of their Works till night: then ſeeing our little Armie was not able to ſit downe before it: my Lord drew off and vvee retreated that night to the Heath.

A mile off and the whole Army quartered in the fields, the horſe, foot and carriages on the Heath. Next morning wee matched away upon advice of the Councell of Warre to Weme: where we quartered all night, being Friday. Satur­day we marched to Whitchurch: On the Lords Day mor­ning, my Lord had Captain Keme to preach, which he did and after dinner gave him order to order a Randevouz at Nor­mans Heath which was done: where my Lord further decla­red his intentions to ſend the Caſhire Gentlemen, and on his march to obſerve the commands of the Committees of both Kingdome to ſecure Lancaſhire and Cheſhire to waite on P. Rupert, to call in at Cholmley houſe, a ſtrong Garriſon of the Enemies: My Lord with his owne Troop and Colonell Bar­tons; and Ma or Burtons, and Captaine Kemes, and Captaine Farmers, and ſome two Troopes more marched to view the ground, we came to it, and found it full of difficultie, unleſſe we ſpent time on it. Yee my Lord ſent them a ſummons by a Trumpet, which was to tell them, hee required in his paſ­ſage to have quater in the houſe for his army, for the uſe of King and Parliament; the Enemy ſcorned to anſwer, but ſhot at the Trumpeter: upon which, my Lord gave order to draw up his Cannon, and early ſaluted them: and finding them to cake little effect, reſolved to ſtorme it; upon information it was ſurrounded with a ſmall ditch only; But the Cheſhire men that knew it was a Moat deep and broad: were ſomwhat backward to adventure their men: My Lord told th•m his Honour was ingaged in it; what hee did was in affection to ex­preſſe his affections to them. And if they would not goe on, he would go on with his Stafford foot him ſelf; Major Low then a gallant man lately come out of priſon: hearing it went to ſome of the Cheſhire Officers, and told them what my. Lord ſaid: upon which they drew forth a 100 out of a Regi­ment. So Major Pinkny a moſt valiant honeſt Gentleman led on the Stafford foot, who had the brunt of the buſineſſe: Lievtenant Colonell_____the Cheſhire, and Major Croxon, and after the ſignall of two piece of Ordnance, fell on to ſtorm it, and ſuch a ſtorm, as I never heard the like but at Ba­ſing, in half an houres time, they within cried quarter; but by reaſon of hollowing, and Drummes and Trumpets they could not be heard: at laſt our men entred the draw bridge, and took it.

In which entry Major Barton Captain Tory, and Captain Hitchcock, and Captain Harford did good ſervice, facing their horſes, and in which enery in the croud, I had like to have loſt my life, or taken the more when we came in four men were ſo mercifull to give them their lives, till we heard brave Major P nkney was ſlain, ſhot in the belly and in the armes by two flags, who is much lamented, Captain Keme is to p•each, this evening at his funera, he was my Lords Major of St•fford foote, under Colonel Rudgeley. In the houſe was little riches only ſome good horſes, 2 barrels of powder, and ſtore of bul­lets: what there was the Souldiers had, and arms about a 100 priſoners, Lievtenant Colonell Horton, and others, 66 in all. My Lord gave them to the Cheſhire Gentlemen, and the horſe to Reare Garriſon. It is a place if you ſee it miracu­lonſly gained by Gods free love, with loſſe but of five men, and 6 wounded, This night we came to Namptwitch, to morrow is a day of Thankigiving to God for our ſelves, and the great buſineſſe of York. I have ſent you the Cavaliers Pro­teſtation I found in the houſe. My love to all our friends. Pray and praiſe God, I reſt yours.

Nontwich,the 9 of Iuly, 1644.