A LETTER WRITTEN From the Right Honourable the Earl of Bedford, to a Lord of the House of PEERS, Of all the remarkable passages about Sherborn Castle.  
BEING A full Relation of the great overthrow given to the Cavalleers within a mile of Evil: With the Resolution of the Earl of Bedford, to die in the cause.  
Desired by the Lords in Parliament, that this Letter be forthwith printed and published.  
LONDON, Printed for Hugh Perry, Septemb. 15. 1642.   

A LETTER WRITTEN From the Right Honourable the Earl of BEDFORD, to a Lord of the House of PEERS.  
My Noble Lord,  
THis perplexed business, I am now engaged in, hath given me so much trouble, that I have not had so much recreation as to write to my friends, and in particular unto your Lordship, who I account to be the chiefest of that number. To give your Lordship a relation of all our proceed since our coming into these parts, were too long; but in short my Lord, It is my misfortune to be engaged in a business that the world thinks so easy to be effected, but indeed is the most difficultest that is now upon the Stage. The Castle of Sherborne, your Lordship knows very well, was thought to be (at London) a place of no strength, a ruinated thing, and upon the shot of the least piece of Ordnance, it would be rendered. Truly my Lord, it is so fare from that, that when we came thither, we found it to be a place of as much strength, as is in England; and that those Ordnance we brought were no more able to better it then a philip. The men we brought with us were all Trained-bands, so unskilful, from the Colonel to the lowest Officer, and withal so astonished, when they heard the Bullets whistle about their ears, that we were forced to hazard ourselves very much to make them stand, and all to little purpose; and when the Cannon began to play upon them, they run as if the devil had been in them; that, and the hardness of lying in the Field two nights made them go away so fast, that of three thousand I brought with me, there was left not above fourteen hundred, which if I had stayed but two nights longer, would have been gone likewise; I was forced to set Horse round about the Quarter to keep them from running away which were left; and if I had stayed longer, our men running away so fast, I should have run the hazard to have been beaten out of our Quarters, the enemy being a thousand Horse and Foot in the Castle, which would not only have been a dishonour to us, but a loss, nay more a destruction to the cause: therefore upon these and many other reasons, we by the unanimous consent of all the Company, did think it fit to march to some place hard by, and to stay there until we had received (from London) some Regiments of Horse and Foot, with Cannon and other things which we have writ for, and of necessity must be had, and then by God's assistance, I hope to do the work, or else to perish in it.  
On Tuesday last being the sixth of September I marched away to Eivell, four miles from Sherborne, intending to stay a day there to refresh my Troops. The next day being Wednesday about two of the clock, word was brought me, that forty Cavalleers were on the top of the Hill, whereupon I sent out Scouts to see-what number of them was there, who immediately brought me word that there was about a thousand Horse and Foot coming to assault the Town; strait thereupon I made all the hast I could to get those Troops I had there in readiness, which were very few, (many of those fourteen hundred left with me, being now gone away) Colonel Essex, Master Hollis, and myself, went to stop the several passages, which were very many, and indeed the most that ever I saw in any Town, all which we stopped with Carts, Wagons, and Ordnance, what we could not guard with men, expecting the Enemy to give an assault upon divers quarters; This was scarce done, but the Enemy came down the Hill; the Town being in a great bottom, where we had placed a troop of Horse and some Musqueteers; They gave fire upon one another, for an hour and more very warmly, their Horse standing still upon the Hill. Captain Ascough most gallantly charged up against them, and broke clean thorough their first troops, and disordered them, so that he charged again their other Troops, killing many, and put them in such confusion, that they begun to shog a good pace bacl, Then another Troop of Horse commanded by Captain Thompson came up to them, whereupon the Cavaliers began to run away in much disorder, these two Troops pursuing them so long as they could see, doing execution upon them; and if we had but two hours of day light more, we had cut off all those five Troops (All the considerable men of quality being there, save only my Lord marquis, and my Lord Seymore) In the mean time, our other Horse fought so bravely with their Foot below the Hill, that they broke in upon them, and killed them like Dogs, they leaving their Arms and running into Furs to hid themselves. Sergeant major Banfield who commanded their foot, was taken prisoner, Lieutenant Colonel Lunsford was forced to run for it, some say he is hurt, but I am s●●● he did not come into Sherborne until the nex● day, having hid himself with Coll. Sands in the ●●●rres all night, some 40 or 50 of their men were slain upon the place, and 16 taken prisoners, and of three or 400 Foot that they brought with them, we scattered them so much, that there returned not ten men home to the Castle that night. We found them next morning in every Bush. We think there were some persons of condition slain, because I was assured, that night with Lanterns, they took away many dead dodies. Captain Hussy, and Captain Hawes are slain for certain, they keep it very close and say there is none killed; if it had not been a very dark night, we had done very great execution upon them, so desiring to hasten the work that I may have the happiness to wait upon you, I rest  
From Dorchester this 12. of Sept. Your most affectionate servant to be commanded BEDFORD.