The marquis of ORMOND'S LETTER TO HIS MAJESTY, Concerning the late Fight betwixt the Forces under his Command, and the Garrison of Dublin.  
The Copy whereof was taken out of His Majesty's Letter, and sent from S.  en Say, bearing date the 25. of this instant, (new style) to an Eminent Person of this Kingdom.  
Together with the most considerable Occurrences in relation to the appeasing of that Kingdom, and embracing the Prince's Interest.  
Printed in the Year, 1649.   

The marquis of ORMONDS' Letter to His MAJESTY, etc.  
May it please your Majesty,  
THe Rebels are possessed with such an admirable dexterity of spreading abroad petty defeats, for Glorious Victories, and use such an extraordinary vigilance to Intercept, and Bury, all those Letters which may present the Truth without disguise: That though the last Action upon August the second, be scarcely worth the Royal notice, yet their swelling Relations may convey it to your Majesty's knowledge in such a multiplying Glass, as to deliver a Camisadoe for a Battle, and the trifling success of it for a memorably complete Victory.  
I shall therefore deliver your Majesty a most exact account of that day's emergencies, in which I had rather exceed to the Rebel's advantage, then by an unseasonable flattering your Majesty with a pretended Prosperity, divert your Princely thoughts and care, from strengthening our hands with such Foreign strength as may be procured to your Majesty's Service: It being an undoubted Maxim, that the securing this Kingdom, will (by God's blessing) speedily reduce the other two out of the Jaws of those Barbarous Rebels, to your most Just, and natural Obedience.  
On Wednesday at night, August the first, it was Resolved by a Council of War, (the Results whereof, Sir Robert Welch is to present your Majesty in Duplicate) That Baggohrath should immediately be Possessed, and Fortified. The accomplishment whereof, could not but extremely strengthen the Rebels in their Provision, who, though by the Addition of Force out of England, they were grown something Numerous; yet in our apprehensions, were become capable of hastening the Famine to its full groweth amongst them. Nor did their number so much add to our fears, as it wasted from their own Provision: To the acceleration of which waist, the possession of this place would have been considerable; since (by thus Pinfolding them up) their Horse, and Cattles, must have been totally deprived of all imaginable subsistence.  
The consequents arising from the Fortifying of this place, the Rebels apprehended to be of no less danger to them, than we decreed it of advantage to us; and therefore Sallied out with all the strength of Horse and Foot they could possibly make to beat us thence: To facilitate the which, and the more to amuse us, a Report was spread in my Army, (through their artifice) That Cromwell himself, was Landed in the Night, and that the whole English Power of the transported Rebels would that day be upon our Shoulders: Which, though I looked upon as a Lie, (& a leisure to have searched, would quickly have discovered the Author:) yet I could not undeceive the Soldiery, who were wholly possessed with it: more especially, those I had sent to Baggohrath, upon the eruption of the necessitated Rebel, did conclude it for a Truth indisputable.  
This proposition of their Minds being extreme prejudicial upon the instant of Engagement, the better part of the Army Commanded to other places, or not come up. The Lord Inchiquin himself, being gone into Munster with a considerable Body of the Horse, and twelve thousand I expected from Clanrickard; and the Lord of Ards not yet come up, I resolved to call those Commanded Forces off from Baggohrath; and in order thereunto, gave Command to the Earl of Fingall, Sir William Vaughan, and my Brother, to bring them off without engaging at all the Enemy.  
But the Rebels advancing with an extraordinary expedition, (enforced by necessity, and now encouraged by our declining the engagement) fell with a confident speed upon our Rear, where Sir William Vaughan, and Sir Edmund Varney, making a vigorous resistance, had the honour to Sacrifice their Lives in your Majesty's Quarrel: My Lord of Fingall, and my Brother (over-venturously voluntiering it) after some Wounds, were enforced to become their Prisoners; the rest of the Commanded Party full of amazement and prepossession, defended themselves rather out of despair of Life, then hope of Victory; which being perceived by the Rebel, (highly animated with a prosperous beginning) all, or most of the Commanded Foot, being in number about twelve hundred, were either slain, or taken. The Horse, with inconsiderable loss, drew off to their advancing seconds.  
This was performed with such speed, that the Seconds I had sent forth after necessity of Engagement, were not able to come up to their Relief; and the Violent Rebel was so flushed with this Victory, that (growing eager to pursue his Fortune) he would needs charge those succours: which by the signal Valour, and Bravery of the two Lords, Castle-haven and Taffe, turned so little to their advantage, that about 500 of their Horse left their triumphant Riders upon the place, and the rest making a swift Retreat with their Foot into the City, of my 200. Men before taken Prisoners were recovered: which, with eight of their Horse-Colours taken, may very well serve to bring the Victory to a new Dispute, what ever they may hereupon write to the contrary, to haule Cromwell's unwilling Soldiery to the relief of their loud Necessities.  
At the present, Sir, We will not any more commit any thing to Fortune, by attempting to Block them up, (otherwise then on this side) till a full conjuncture with the Forces which Clanrickard, Inchiquin, and Ards, are Marching up with towards us: which we resolve upon so much the rather, as resting assuredly confident, that Providence hath designed this particular place for the seat of War in this Kingdom, in regard Cromwell, with the remaining division of his Army, (the treacherously intended delivery of Cork being happily prevented) cannot be of any considerable power to Land in any other part to our disadvantage.  
In this Paper, Sir, I have given your Majesty an entire, and exact account of every thing worth your Princely knowledge, which may have passed in the late Action of August the second. Of which, though the Rebels, who reckon Deliveries for Conquest, may, peradventure, unseasonably triumph in the Gazettes: They have no other true Ground then what is included in this Narration. The Bearer whereof, Sir Robert Welch, hath in Commission to satisfy all such Scruples as may appear justly questionable: who furthermore, is to assure your Majesty, that the Army under my Command, hath recovered so much Spirit, and Ardour against the most Barbarous Rebel, That Cromwell at his arrival, will find an Enemy fully possessed with a generous desire of Revenge, Honour, and Liberty, of a more high, and noble Courage, than his mercenary Soldiery can ever be Principled into, whose Conscience clogged with a guilty violation of all Laws, both Divine and Humane, must at one instant drive him into a Cowardly despair, and infuse a glorious confidence of Victory into all the honest Souls of your Majesty's Party in General. And particularly, Sir, into the Bosom of  
Your Majesty's most obedient Subject, and obliged Servant, ORMOND. Finglai, August the 4. 1649.  
The endorsement was to HIS MAJESTY.   

Resolved in a Council of War held at Finglasie, AUGUST 1. 1649.  
REsolved, That a Party of twelve hundred Foot, and five hundred Horse be drawn out of His Excellency's Army, to possess themselves of Baggohrath, and Fortify it.  
Resolved, That eight hundred of the prepared Pioners be commanded to attend the said Party, that the place may be Fortified with all Expedition.  
Resolved, That the Foot of this Party be commanded by Adjutant General Searle, and the Horse by Col: Matthewes, who are to attend His Excellency for Orders.  
Resolved, That the Earl of Castle-haven, and the Lord Taff, draw out two thousand selected Horse with Lieu. Colonel Gerard's Fuiseers of His Excellency's Lifeguard, to second the said Party, in case the Rebel's attempt to interrupt them.  
Resolved, That (the Castle being made good) a running Trench be drawn from thence to the Waterside to disturb all future Landing.  
Resolved, That the running Trench being perfected, a Fort shall be raised at the end thereof, and six Pieces of Ordnance mounted thereupon, to Command the water passages.  
Resolved, That a Copy of these Results be recommended to his Highness' Prince Rupert, who is Humbly desired by the Council of War to furnish out two of the nimblest sort of his Frigates, which may serve for Avisoes and give seasonable Intelligence to his Excllency accordingly of the Rebel's Course upon the Marine.  
Jo: percival, Secretary to His Excel. and Council of War.  
This is an exact Copy.   

My Lord,  
THe Gentleman who hath vouchsafed the delivery of this Letter to your Hands, Professeth himself a great Servant of your Lordships and highly addicted to the advance of the Royal Interest; and though his unfortunate weakness heretofore had made him so clouded to the eyes of his understanding, as to render him Incapable of perceiving those artifices by which the Grandees of the Present Faction have ascended to their Noon of Greatness, yet (that Philme being at Present taken off, he with great detestation abhors the very Memory of their actions, and to show himself willing to satisfy for former mistakes) offers to undeergoe any Hazard to testify the sincerity of his Conversion.  
By him therefore as by a Person less abnoxious to suspicion, I have chosen to send you my Lord of Ormonds' Letter to his Majesty about the Late fight betwixt Colonel Jones and him, and take leave to assure your Lordship that it is a most Perfect Copy.  
August the 22 stylo novo. Sir Robert Welih came to Saint Germain's from his Excellency, with an exact Narrative of that action: and since that Time several expresses are come to his Majesty and other Great ones of the Court, from the Earl of Castle-Haven, the Lord Tasse, and the Lord Byron, all which render his Excellency's relation so full of exactness truth, and Ingenuity, That his Majesty is so absolutely confirmed in the relation, That all the Tempests of your Pamphlets, and Thunder of Thanksgiving cannot shake us from an acquiescence in that Narrative.  
The French Kings magnificent reception into Paris, hath I doubt not more filled your gazettes, than the return of Provence to his most Christian Majesties obedience, or the Possibility of an utter Ruin to the Rebels of Bordeaux by the Gallant D'Espernon, Or the hopeful spring of a Peace at Cambray (easily to be collected from the Duke de Longevills this Letters) That which more Particulary acceeds to the English Interest is the Visit of the Lord de Hante-Rive from his Eminency Da Mazarini. The substance of whose Message (though all be here Buried in a deep gulf of silence, yet by observing a more than usual Gaiety in the aspects of the Greatest Privadoes) gives (us of the next Orb) just occasion to hope that a Tempest is preparing here which may in no long series of time humble all your Grandees at Westminster, and make your counsel of State apprehend White-Hall subject to Earthquakes.  
One thing I am obliged to tell you, though something our of order of time, which is, when the Prince de Conde came to Present his Baise-mains to his Majesty, my curiosity (drawing nearer, unperceived, than their Privacies might have allowed me) gave me the opportunity of hearing these words at their departure fall from the Prince of Conde to his Majesty: Sire Consolez vous, ●●●royez pour choose asseuree, que quant a vos enemis nous leur Marcherons sur le Ventre tous deuz ensemble, ilsne nous eschapperent pas Le Roy l'a dit, son Altisse  l'a Promise.  
Sir, Comfort yourself, and believe it for a thing assured, that for what concerns your Enemies, we two together will March over their Bellies: they shall not escape us, the King has said it, His Royal Highness has promised it.  
Whether Montrosse is designed to strengthen Ormond in Ireland, or to fall upon the North of Scotland, is not known: Counsels are more obscure here then at Westminster. But by an express dated the first of August, from Lubeck we are Certified, That eighteen hundred of his Horse are shipped at Lubeck, the Foot are to be Received from Denmark, in number Ten thousand, I shall give your Lordship a more particular account with the next Conveniency.  
His Majesty hath expressed himself very favourable in the Reception of Mr. G. and Mr. Ar. upon your Recommendation, and omits no opportunity to testify what high esteem you retain in his Opinion. Your Lordship will be Pleased to Pardon my abrupt ending, I am at the instant called away, and have only the Leisure to Tell your Lordship that I am in all numbers of gratitude,  
My Lord, The Faithfullest, and most Humble of your Servants St.  en Say, Aug. 28. 18. 1649.  
FINIS.