PRINCE ROBERT HIS SPEECH TO THE Earl OF ESSEX The morning before he marched forth with his Forces: AND HIS EXCELLENCES Answer thereunto. Also the manner of his marching out with his Forces from Northampton on Monday Sept. 19 and the number thereof. Likewise the manner of the disarming of the Papists and ill-affected persons in Lincolnshire (by the Earl of Lincoln and Gentry of the County) and causing them to subscribe for money and horse for the King and Parliament, with the like proceedings in Yorkshire.  
LONDON, Septemb. 21. Printed for T. Cook. 1641.   

PRINCE Robert's MESSAGE to his Excellency the morning before he marched forth with his Forces, and his Excellencies Answer thereunto.  
Also the manner of the disarming of the Papists and ill-affected persons in Lincolnshire, and causing them to subscribe to find money and horse for the Parliament, with the like proceedings in Yorkshire.  
ON Monday the 19 of September the Earl of Essex having received Letters from the Parliament to advance his Forces from Northampton caused Drums to be beated up at four a clock in the morning, to call the soldiers together▪ and about six of the clock in the morning all the Colonels and Commanders attended on his Excellency, signifying that their soldiers were in a readiness to march with his Excellency: which they had no sooner done, but there came a Message from Prince Robert to his Excellency the Earl of Essex, intimating that he had received certain information, that the said Earl of Essex was in a traitorous manner raising forces against his majesty and had advanced forward and approached near unto his majesty's person with force and arms making war against his Majesty and his good Subjects, and that he heard the said Earl intended to march tewards Coventry which if he did he would give him the meeting at Dunsmore Heath and would be well provided against his coming thither.  
Whereupon his Excellency returned answer, that the manner of his raising those forces that were then with him ready to march under his command was a thing not now to be disputed upon between them, the occasions▪ and legality thereof being already determined by both houses of Parliament, neither had he undertaken that command with an intent for to levy forces or make war against his majesty's royal person but to obtain a peace between his sacred majesty and his great counsel of Parliament and all the rest of his majesty's faithful dutiful and most loyal Subjects against any persons whatsoever that should oppose and resist the same and that he feared not to meet the said Prince in any place that he should appoint or make choice of.  
And thereupon about ten of the clock the same day his Excellency advanced his Forces, consisting of about two and twenty thousand Horse and Foot, intending to march about eight miles that night; which the country people inhabiting thereabouts having intelligence of, came in great multitudes to express their true love and unfeigned affection to his Excellency and his honourable Person, and also to show a testimony of their love and earnest desire of the good success of that cause which he had undertaken, the greatest part of the Gentry of that County coming thither in great pomp and state to attend his Excellency, and marched before him out of the town, and the meaner sort of people expressed themselves with great acclamations of joy, to see his Excellency accompanied with such a number of brave, resolute, able men, which number the country would have been glad to have doubled, their affection was so great to this service.  
It is credibly reported, that the King's Majesty is gone into Staffordshire, and from thence is intended to take his journey unto Shrewesbury, because some of his carriages are gone thitherward already, where also his Majesty expects great supplies of aid and assistance to come out of North-Wales, about two thousand of them being come down into Shropshire and Cheshire already, but none of them dare come into the town of Shrewsbury, because the townsmen do threaten to beat them out again if they come thither, or at least to do by them as the Citizens of Chester did by three hundred Welshmen that the Lord Strange had bileted there, who when they went forth of the City to exercise, shut the gates against them, and kept them out.  
It is reported his Excellency will march with Forces directly towards Coventry, and in his passage thither he is to march over Dunsmore Heath, where it is conceived that the great Challenger Prince Robert will play least in sight; for he knows it is not firing of houses that will there serve his turn, which is the way wherein he shows his greatest valour: but he might have done better to have retorted that piece of Art upon the Spaniard, who by that means wrought the great ruin in the Palatinate.  
The Earl of Lincoln, with many Gentlemen and freeholders in the County of Lincoln, considering the dangerous estate in which this kingdom now stands, have gathered together in that County, and have searched all the Papists and ill-affected Protestants houses of any worth in that County, and have not only taken away their arms, but have also forced them to subscribe to maintain horse and moneys for the King and Parliament, so that this County is now secured for the Parliament, the greatest part of the country being so much incensed against the Cavaliers that they say, if any of them come again thither, they will be their executioners.  
In Yorkshire they are very quiet, Sir John Hotham having lately defeated some troops of the Earl of Cumberlands. The City is all for the King and Parliament, they hope that other countries will take warning by their ignorance for at the first they being ignorant of the cause of the division between the King and Parliament and of the insolent behaviour of the Cavaliers had some relish of an indifferent good opinion of their cause which made many of them decline from the Parliament at that time which being now better informed are for it, and although this County sends forty Members to the Parliament, and there is not above three or four of them that hath continued firm and constant to the house yet now we hear diverse of them are changed in their opinions and would gladly be received again into the house, we are here about to take the course amongst those that are Popishly affected and of the malignant faction, as they have done in Lincolnshire and although we shall not tender any oath of association yet we intend to make such a tye between them and the Parliament that they shall not get off without forfeiture of that which they will be unwilling to lose.  
FINIS.