LETTER XV. WILLIAMS TO ORMOND. Original: own hand. Vol. xv, fo. 443. Maye it please your Excellencye I send your Excye here inclosed, the best returne, I as yeat can doe, of your Exeres queeres in your last letter, of the 12 of december and that naked as they come to my handes wthout any Glosses or Comentaryes made vpon them, knoweinge wth what a Textuarye, in matters of estate, I haue to doe. What concernes the lord Digbye' (to whom I doe not write by this bearer) about the deliverye of his Packets, your Exeye wilbe noblye pleased to impart, wth the remembraunce of my humble service, vnto his Lpp. The Enemyes are retrayted to theyr Quarters befor Chester haveinge kept theyr Christmas in Flintshyre and Denbighshyre, and that wthout beinge once forced by our Forces, thoughe they were 200 good horse and 300 good foote, well Armed. Our Commander in chief, Coronel Gilbert Byron, though chosen by our selves, yeat latelye maried, & very indulgent to his Ladye, hath deceived our Expectation, and don nothinge. I pray god this Monsieur, the Count of St. Pol (a verye valiant and active gentleman, who hath nowe vndertaken to leade our little Armye) doe not overdoe it. They are still alive in Chester, and full of courage, and haue, within these 3 dayes, fetcht in a mayne guard of the Enemye's (consisting of 60 persons), and some sheep & a fewe cattle from Dodleston's 2 side of Chester, where Johnes and his horsequarter lieth. By that time your Exere will haue received this letter, we shall haue essayed to putt some 1 Secretary of State. 2 A village about five miles south-west of Chester, in Cheshire, but on the borders of Flintshire and Denbighshire. The Archbishop would well remember it, for here he had buried his early patron, the Lord Chancellor Ellesmere. victuayles into the Towne by sea, as we have done by land. And more we hadd done for our owne relief, if these small contyes, were not vtterlye eaten vp wth Castles and Governm's, wh swallow vp all the Contributions of the Contreys to noe purpose, and (Cherk onelye excepted) haue never hitherto, nor indeede were able to looke an Enemy in the Face, who is become lord of all we haue in the Contrey, whilst these Governoures drink theyre Ale in these heape of stones, not p'mittinge any Armye to quarter nere vnto them (where they might doe service) for feare of hyndringe theyr contributions. I am afrayde, his mtye hath lost soe much of England vpon this foote and Reckoninge. Here is a greate noise about the imprisoninge of the E. of Glamorgan, especiallye amongst those of his Religion, as though this Accident hapninge so long after the Date, might frustrate or alter at the least the vertue and vigour of your Exeyes letter, wh is sent to the lord Byron, being putt into Cyphers. But because the bearer of that letter cam awaye after those last circūstances, I doe p'sume by your Lpps silence in that point, that the substance and foundacon, is still suer and sounde. And doe intend to give, what directions I can, for the provisions requisite to the passage of 3000 men, in soe bare and poore a Contrey. The best is, that this is the best time of the yeare for such a pur pose. If it be not against some Rules of your Exeyes I doe p'sume to becom a suytor for one Mr. Thomas Johnson, one of your six Clarkes in that Kingedom, that he may haue your Excyes Licence to come into England, and returninge home, wthin the yeare, he maye not be 1 Edward Lord Herbert, eldest son of Henry Marquis of Worcester, was commonly so styled, having a warrant for that title, though it had not passed the great seal. He was a Roman Catholic, and was imprisoned on suspicion of high treason; but was let out upon bail, his release being pressed as absolutely necessary for the relief of Chester. (See Carte, vol. iii, 51, 203, 222; also Letter XVIII post.) damnified by reason of his Absence. I praye God Almighty to blesse and p'serve your Exeye in all your great Affayres. Your Excellencye's most humble servant, Jo: EBORAC. I p'sume to send your Ex another packet of the wickednes & Follye of these times. I meane printed Follies. To his Excellencye, the lord Marques of Ormond, the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, humbly p'sent these. (Indorsed) The Lord Archbishop of Yorkes, 1645.1 LETTER XVI. WILLIAMS TO ORMOND. Original: own hand. Vol. xvi, fo. 242. Maye it please your Excellencye Youres of the 12 of December, I received not vntill yesterdaye wh was the first of this instant, by the wh space of time twenty dayes is allreadye expired of the time to drawe the men to the water side. I haue sent for Sr William Gerrard, who hath a Cypher of the lord Byron's, to communicate the contents of that noble letter to Chester, wh, wth the helpe of somme relief put in, on the Welshe side, maye hold out 3 weekes, and much more, were not the poore vnrulye, wh upon the pullinge downe of soe many suburbes, doth pester that Cittye. The maior's wife, always suspected, is gon to the Enemye. Our Forces from Wales of some, 100 horse (for foote we haue non), under the conduict of Maior Evet, putt in this last supplie of Meale & powder, whilst the Enemie were withdrawne 1 January 1645-6 (?). in parte to meete S William Vaughan, lingringe at Highe Arcol1 wth 1500 Horse & Foote (nere wh place he cutt of 300 of the Rebels in one quarter) in expectation of the mayne supplie from Oxford & Worcester, vnder the Lord Asheley & S Charles Lucas, who shold add vnto his Number in Horse & foote 2200 more. We of the Welsh beinge quite frighted (and 3 of our fiue Contyes beinge for a greate p't of them vnder Contribution to the Enemye), are not able to make aboue 300 horse, & scarce soe many foote, beinge by a peece of ill conduict in Prince Rupert, when he was last in these partes, quite disarmed & discouraged. All these, ioyned with the Foote mencioned in your Excellencye's letter, wilbe more then able, wth god's leaue, to relieue Chester, and lesse will not doe it. For they sett their rest upon this buysines, and beinge defeated in this Attempt, are broken in these p'tes of the Kingedom. And although, Most Excellent lord, the place be in extraordinarye danger, & that the losse of it will drawe alonge all those hideous consequēces, mencioned by your Excye, as the sudden losse of these portes and all Communication with that Kingedom, yeat dare not I advice your Excye to shipp your men, vntill I doe heare more certaynelye of the Approach of such succoures as are destined by his mtye, S William Vaughan himself beinge drawne vp to Wenlock to meet them, but expected by a French lord, who serves the Kinge, Monsieur de Sainct Pol, nowe in my Howse, to come downe the End of this weeke. I doe therefor send a Coppye or the Effect of your Excyes letter, to Cherke & soe to Wenlocke to vnderstand punctuallye & p'ciselye, the time of the succoures theyr fallinge downe, that I maye send your Excye, the verye dailye Mocions of that Armie. And hereof I looke for an Answer wthin 3 dayes. But the Exigencye of Chester soe requireinge, I 1 Ercall, see Letter XIII ante. humblye submitt it to your Excyes better Judgem' whyther your Exere will not wth all speede transport those men, who need not Advance further then Anglesey, Caernarvon, & the skyrtes of Denbighshyre, but remayne soe vningaged, vntill the Kinge's Horse shall meete & receive them, and they, in the meane time, will secure, these Totteringe Countyes. And the Vessels that transport them, maye for 8 or 10 dayes lie or ride very securelye in that Sleeve between Anglesey & Caernarvonshyre vntill the Foote shall punctuallye vnderstand what to trust vnto. If your Exeyes men doe arive here, they shalbe, by god's blessinge, provided of good and safe quarters, all along to theyr ioyneinge wth the relief, and have necessarye Refreshm' but I fear me the buysines will not suffer them to vse that plentifullye vntil the Action be p'formed. But who shall assure your Ex of this, my lord Byron, beinge in Chester, I doe not knowe, but doe write vnto him likewise of that point. And doe promise faithfullye myne owne diligence to the vtmost of my power to effect it. But I must be cleare wth your Exeye that his Mtye hath given me, noe reall Commission or Aucthoritye in this place (although I could haue given him whilst my Bodye was able to beare it, a better Accompt, then he hath hadd of these Townes & Contreys) but what I doe, is by private Interest, & hitherto for p'ticular Endes. thwarted & opposed by such as shold further the service. yeat I hope in god, I shalbe able to doe what your Lpp. desires, in this iust & reasonable demand. I haue acquaynted your Lpp. Allreadye, of my intencion to cōicate your Exeyes letter, & soe the Answer to the Lord Byron's letter of 22do Novembris, to that lord by Cypher. And these worthy Gentlemen comminge from the poore Court of England & full of those Newes, I shall trouble your Exe noe further, but thankeinge your Exere for your favoureable thoughtes of that powder, and beseechinge God Almighty to 3RD SER. VOL. XV. 22 |