To the Honorable, William Lenthall Eſquire; Speaker of the Houſe of COMMONS.

NOt to trouble you with vain Relations, whereby to hinder the other ſerious imployment for the Kingdoms good; May it pleaſe you to be adver­tiſed, That the Town of Oſſeſtree, late taken by the Forces of the Parliament, under my Brother Colonel Mittons command was upon Saturday laſt begun to be begirt, and ſince ſtrictly beſieged by the Kings for­ces, conſiſting of about Fifteen hundred Horſe, and Three thouſand five hundred Foot, under the com­mand of Colonell Marrow; And that thereupon, in purſuance of a Councell of War's determination, oc­caſioned by an earneſt and importunate Letter from my Brother Col. Mitton, directed to me, for ſpeedy re­lief and raiſing of the ſiege of the ſaid Town; I did upon the Lords day laſt paſt, with ſuch Forces of Horſe and Foot as I then had with me, and the Foot Forces of Cheſhire, all of us then at Knotsford, up­on a determinate reſolution to have marched for Man­cheſter, and then for the ſervice in the North: Accor­ding to enjoynment of the Committee of both King­doms, returned and readvanced with all my ſaid For­ces, unto a place called Spurſtow heath, where that night we quartered, and thence advanced upon Mun­day morning towards Whitchurch; we quartered that night likewiſe in the open Fields, at a place called the Fens in Flintſhire, where yeſterday we marched to­wards4 Elſmore, and ſo to the ſaid town of Oſweſtree, where the Enemy endeavoured by battering and ſtor­ming of the ſame, violently to have carryed it; about Two of the clock in the afternoon we came in ſight of the Town, and within Three miles of it, where the Enemy having got Intelligence of our Approach, were prepared to receive us, the chief Forces of our Enemy conſiſting of the moſt valiant Commanders and Soul­diers, drawn out of the garriſons of Cheſter, Cheſhire, Shrewsbury, Shropſhire, Ludlow, Denbyſhire, Flint­ſhire, and other places. The Enemy had taken the paſ­ſage of water neer to Whittington, and very furiouſly aſſaulted and charged us, but were repulſed and forced to retire, through the courage of our Horſe, who moſt couragiouſly entertained the Enemy, three ſeverall times the skirmiſh was doubtfull, either ſide being for­ced ſo often to retreat, but in the end our Foot Forces coming up, relieved the Horſe, beat back the Enemy, and purſued them with ſuch force, that the Horſe thereby encouraged, which indeed was formerly wea­ry, joyning with the Foot; they put the Enemy to an abſolute flight, in which we purſued them Five miles towards Shrewsbury, to a place called Felton heath, and where likewiſe wee remained after their flight a­gain thence Maſters of the Field: In the skirmiſh with the Enemy, and in the purſuit, we loſt ſeverall of our Horſe, ſome of our Troopers, but never a Footman which I am yet informed of, many of the Troopers are hurt, but I hope they will recover; I loſt one Ca­ptain Williams, and one captain Lieutenant Fclether, a very couragious man, being Captain Lieutenants to Colonell Barton, in my Brigade was dangerouſly ſhot, but I hope not mortally. As for the Enemy, they loſt5 many ſtout men, had many of them taken priſoners, the number whereof the incloſed will manifeſt, ſome of them being of great quality; As, the Lord New­ports eldeſt Son: And beſides, in their flight ſuch was their haſte, that we found in the way of our purſuit of them, the high way, as it were, ſtrewed with ſtore of Bread, Cheeſe, Bacon, and other good proviſions, clothes, and elſe, ſuch neceſſary appurtenance to an Army, beſides ſome whole Veals and Muttons new kill'd. The Enemy before the relief came, had taken the Church, being the ſtrongeſt hold about the Town, upon the approach of the relief they ſuddenly deſerted it, and ſent their two battering peeces unto Shrewſ­bury. In the way alſo were taken by our Forces, ſeven Carts and Waggons loaden with proviſions, as Beer, Bread and other neceſſaries, whereof one was loaden with Powder and other Ammunition, the Town of Oſweſtree I finde to be a very ſtrong Town, and if once fortified, of great concernment, and the Key that lets us into Wales.

SIR, I had to my ayd three Regiments of Foot, viz. Col. George Booths Regiment, a gallant Regi­ment led by himſelf on foot, to the face of the Enemy; Another by Col. Manwaring, and the third by Col. Croxon, all of them ſtout and gallant Commanders, and the reſt of the Officers and Souldiers full of cou­rage and reſolution. Major Louthien, Adjutant Ge­nerall, that brave and faithfull Commander, to whom I cannot aſcribe too much honour, brought up the Reare that day.

For the much honoured, the Lady Middleton.

I Shall trouble you with the ſight of this paper, wherein you may pleaſe to obſerve Gods Provi­dence to us; on the Lords day laſt we marched from Knotsford to Bundbury, fourteen miles from Bun­bury in Cheſhire, to Fens Hall in Flintſhire, eleven miles on Monday, on Tueſday we marched to Oſe­ſtry: in the narrow lanes they layd their Ambuſca­does, three miles ſhort of the Town, kept all paſſages and lined all hedges to the Town, hedges thicke, and lanes ſtrait, from which our men beate them, though their horſe charged our men very furiouſly, followed them up to the Town, to their maine body, fighting all the way for three miles, in the meane6 time their Carriages were drawn away, and their Foot Marched away in a Body, our men purſuing tooke theſe priſoners, but they being ſtrong in horſe hinde­red, that Execution that might have been done upon them: I can aſſure you, the Town of Oſweſtrey will be of great concernment to this Kingdom, and I hope this Enemy is well queld by raiſing of this Siege, though they were one thouſand five hundred Horſe, three thouſand five hundred Foote; but I hope your Countrymen are gone for the mountaines, and will not eaſily be drawn back for the ſame ſervice, ſo with Remembrance of my ſervice,

I Shall give you a ſhort account of our preſent con­dition: by Gods Providence, We have won Munsford Bridge, beate the Enemies muskettiers there­from, have brought all our carriages over; are now within three miles from Shrewesbury, our forlorne hope, and the Enemies are at the preſent engaged, we are all now marching up with the whole Body. My Lord Denbigh, my Major Gell, Sir Tho. Mid. and the forenamed Cheſhire Gentlemen, are all at the preſent Advancing up; this was the deſign mentioned in my former letter, dated at Oſweſtry, but not ſignified: In briefe the Drums and Trumpets command me away, and ceaſe for the preſent, So I reſt

THeſe incloſed will ſhew you the State of York­ſhire, thankes be to God, much altered with us in a day, for yeſterday, a Commander and Kinſman of mine of Lichfield, our Enemy, ſent me a jeering letter, to advertiſe me that the Prince had taken old Leſly Sir Tho. Fairfax, 48. peeces of Cannon, thirty thouſand Armes, and had routed, ſlaine, and taken all the reſt of our friends. This was with great triumph blazed, with Bonfires, Bels, and Ordnance; in this Letter the Lo: Fairfax himſelf was taken. The Earl of Denbigh at Mancheſter was by a Counſell of War to retreat to Oſweſtrey, to raiſe the ſiege there laid by Col. Marrow; & 4000. at leaſt, but before my Lord could all out reach it, marching with incredible ſpeed, Sir Tho. Middleton with leſſe then two thouſand vvas in fight, and vvith exceeding hot ſervice Marrow vvas raiſed, his foote routed, his carriages taken; he had but one peece, and that he ſent away before, hearing of my Lords approach, my Lord thereupon, without ſtay Marched toward Shrewsbury, vvhich he hath begirt as vve heare, vvith about five thouſand men. Sir John Meldrum, and Sir Will. Brereton are by this time about Yorke, and the freſh ſupply of Scotch, vvhich I hope vvill yeeld us dayly increaſe of good nevvs, of vvhich God-vvilling, I ſhall not faile to acquaint you, as I poſſibly may. I thought to have vvritten to the Lord Generall, my right vvorthy good Lord, the Earl of Eſſex, but I preſume you vvill impart theſe unto his Excellency. Noble Sir, I beſeech you eſteeme me as I really am,