wards goeing on his journey & now the King is hie to church which cutts of this

May it please your Highnesse

I have not before this, since yours of the 14th presumed to troubled to you because the importance of the Action you were about was (and as by the successe to your great glorie, joy of your friends and happinesse of all) & is now knowne so considerable, as it would have bine great indiscretion in that time to have given any occasion to lead away any thought from what did so much require them, but this being a time of gladnesse, as the other was of care, in you for the publicke, & in all for you give mee leave to dilate now upon my particular joyes, & to retire them so farre from the present Jubile all men are in at your last great victorie,* as to beginne with that which, before this Jubile, was one to mee, the honor & contentment I latelie received from you, which if value can make precious, & an intent affection doe anything to show an acknowledgement, will not bee lost upon mee. Your comand to pray for you at a time was then to come shall bee as before my Generall rule what is to bee done, look into all future times & this upon which you directed it be now passt I must joine it to the rest, that is so & the same way to, of praise, still greater cause of addition growing. So the division of

* The storming of Newark.

present thoughts and wishes to come hath this subject, to observe what is due to you & for you. This is the generall I hope I shall not faile on my part of the practise

May Itt please your Highnes

You are welcoume S' so manaye severall wayes, as itt is beyonde my Arethmetick to number, butt this I knowe you are the redemer of the North & the savior of the Crowne. Your name S hath terefide thre greate Generalls & theye flye before itt. Itt seemes theyer designe is nott to meet your Highnes for I beleve theye have gott a river betweene you and them butt they are so newlye gone as ther is [no] sertentie att all of them or their Intentions, neyther Can I resolve any thinge since I am made of nothing butt thankfulness & obedience to your Highnes comandes

Your Hignes most obligde

&

Most obedient Servant

W. NEWCASTLE.*

Yorke

July the first
1644

* William Cavendish, Marquis of Newcastle, Lieutenant-General of the Royal armies north and south of Trent. See p. xlix.

[No. 21.]

Maie it please your Highnesse

In all places where I come, its my misfortune to meete wth extreame trouble. The Gaurisons not able to bee maintayned by the Contributions belonginge to them, & yet the horse not so considerable in number as I wish: And they unwillinge to goe out upon the Enemy (especially such as goe under the name of Reformadoes) they shoote not sufficient to maintayne the Garrisons against a Seidge, the provisions therein much wasted & the making of Powder & Match in all places at a Stand (wch wth all possible speed I am pressinge to set forward) The Souldiers (cheifly the Governors) discontented at the Comissioners, & the Country people much exasperated against the pressures of the Souldiers: so that they have been ready to rise against the Guarisons, but as yet are quieted. I have mett in this place wth an exceedinge great trouble the comanders & souldiers in the Close at Litchfield havinge shut out my Lo Loughborough, all or most of the Officers articuled against him to the Kinge: Yet I finde their Complaints not so much againste his LoP himselfe as some learned Reformadoes that appertayne to him, & the most of these who complaine of him confessinge Courtesyes received from his Lo However I finde they have wth joynet consent taken an Oath or Protestation of fidelity to the Kinge, & another to runne all one waye in defence of what they have donn To reconcile this business, I desired my Lo Loughborough's coming hither, & wrought so farr with the Officers as they all were ready to give him satisfaction, acknowledg their Errour & crave his pardon in publique. But of this his LoP would not accept; but Iwould have a Counsell of Warre called wch will aske

tyme; I cannot stay. And, in the mean tyme, if I should comit any of them (as in such a case ought to bee) All the officers are so linked togeather, & all the Souldiers have such dependence on them, not having half men enough to put in & remove them; a greate Inconvenience certainly would ensue to the prejudice of his Ma3 Service, by the probable apprehension of their Errours. So in this nature I have left the place, under the comand of St Thomas Tyldesley & Colonell Henry Bagot & am going to Tutbury & after to Bridgnorth, whence I received lres from the Comisioners there of the daunger by practises of the Enemy upon that place, & some discontents agaiest S' Lewis Kirke, now gonn for Oxford. Thus having given y Highnesse a breif accompt of the state of thinges heere, I humbly take leave & rest

Altho the multiteude of Y' Highnes more wyghtie affairs be argument sufficient to inhibitt my importenning Y' Hgs with my wrytting yet the multiteud of grieffs I suffer by some bad information I understand Y1 Highnes have receaved of me, since my parting wh Yr Hgs inforces me to present to Y' Highnes vew what I heave heard, to witt, that Y' Hg after I was gon to Skearsbrough

* Sir Jacob Astley, Major-General of the Foot in the Royal army, 1642, was created Baron Astley of Reading, Nov. 4, 1644. He was now Field-Marshal-General. See Introduction, p. xxvi.

were undertaken at Oxford to [be] recuited, yet levyd, nor cannot be considered possible by any rationall men, the Enemy is active in every place, but here wee live as if possest with a lethargy. I shall ever pray for Yr Highness happiness remaining

By this inclosed you perceive the distresses of the North and now the choice is whether you will desert Yr Countrie now gained & possest or serve against a fresh enemie I pray resolve speedily of it; and make all the haste hither you may it is very fitt the Prince be acquainted with it for if S Th. Fairfax joyne with the Rebells all these forces in these pts and those in Darbyshire must joyne and follow them Sir a counsell of warr must necessarily be called, & the prince acquainted with it.

*. Probably Ralph Goodwin, M.P. for Ludlow, 1640.

+ Samuel Tuke, Colonel in the Royal army; created a Baronet, March 31, 1664.