A TRUE RELATION Out of IRELAND, Of All The Passages, and Overthrows Given to the REBELS, from the 1 of june until the 10 of July, 1642.  
Sent in a Letter from Captain JOHN GOWER, And Ordered to be Printed.  
London, Printed for Richard Best, 164●.   

Sir,  
I May be bold to assume thus much to myself, that I have not ommitted any occasion wherein I might serve you according to your commands, I have formerly sent you the relation, the good service my Lord of Inchiquin hath done to the state, and this Country; Ever since our arrival he hath commanded in chief as General of these Forces by being vice Precedent to his Father in Law during the time of his long sickness, in which service I'may modestly say he hath expressed himself, the only Terror to our Enemies, the greatest comfort to the King's good Subjects, and the most absolute (next under God, and your cares) protector of this Province; for no man can more certainly relate (his continual care of our distessed, and beleaguered friends, his nightly excursitions and incursions upon the enemy's quarters, his extraordinary Sedulity in procuring spies, and intelligencers in all parts of the enemy's Countries) than myself, who had the honour to be employed in some of these expeditions; but what will now happen unto us we are both ignorant, and have just cause to fear, for the Lord Precedent is now departed this World, and our Enemy hopes, and we fear, an alteration of our chief Commanders, for we cannot hope for any in his place, so fit for it as he is himself, he being acquainted both with the condition of the people, speaking their own language, and so knowing in the Country, that he is of the whole Army the best guide himself, I will not detract from any of our ancient Officers here, for we have Sir William Oagle, Sir Charles Vava●●ur, Sir John Paulet, very gallant men and old Soldiers, and so have expressed themselves in these affairs, but I am of that opinion, that they do find this kind of service something new to them, for our chiefest expeditions come by camisadoes in the night, or sudden surpris●lls upon some certain intelligences of the enemy's re●…lls, which seldom happens, but my Lords spies do discover, and it hath hitherto proved to the ruin of all, or most of them, as did appear in the business with Sir Edward Fitzharris, and the overthrow which he gave to the Lord Roch, and the Quond●…s, and in our last conflict where we got the victory 〈…〉 thousand five hundred T●…e, and Horse, with about six hundred and fifty of ours, where we slew four hundred of the enemy, took five Colours, some prisoner's, all their baggage, and many arms, as the relation here enclosed doth further express. The former of these expeditions were absolutely his own, and in this later Sir William Oagle, and Sir John Paulet, with part of their Regiments were with him; yet if I do ascribe that likewise to him, it is no more than their own act, because this I must speak of mine own knowledge, That when we stood in battalions opposite to the Enemy, they seeing the number of the Enemy so far exceeding ours, they were unwilling to consent that we should fight, and told my Lord that they would do their Offices as Colonels, but the act should be his own, upon which my Lord commanded to charge, and got the victory without the loss of two men, nor do I imagine but that these Colonels advised my Lord very well, considering what service they had formerly been in, where one Army equally armed, equally valiant had fought: this odds of number had been dangerous to us, but my Lord by his intelligence, certainly knew all the proceed of their Army, how they were Armed, how strong in foot, how in horse, and was very certain that we far exceeded them in the strength of the horse, which was the main ground that made him in my hearing give this reason why he would fight, that with the strength of his horse and the largeness off the plain he was able to relieve the foot and bring them off when he pleased. This relation I only make to conduce to that I formerly said, that though we have many brave Commanders yet I conceive I cannot detract from any of them in supposing him the most fit man for this war. I hope and I make no question but you shall hear, that we shall go forwards a pace in our victories so long as he that now commands doth continue in his place, for he hath wrought his intendments almost to a full ripeness considering the small forces that we have, being not able to march two thousand into the field, But thus I will conclude with you, and value my judgement accordingly in other things if it do not happen according to my sense, that the alteration of our chief Officer be not the greatest Remorah to our proceed that can happen, but I question not if that greedy beast Ambition be not amongst us, our Colonels and great Officers will Petition you for that which we the inferior officers, and the rest of the Army so much desire: I have myself had my share in all these businesses, it was my fortune to take a Lieutenant prisoner in the last he is able to pay enough for his ●…ans●… if I might be 〈…〉 it, but I believe he will be hanged ere you receive this Letter: if I have done any thing more than ordinary you shall have the relation from  
Your Servant john Gower Donaroyall july 3. 1642.   

THE OCCURRENCES Enclosed in the letter aforesaid.  
THe Lord Inchiquin marched over the mountains with his troops and 80 footmen to pillage the Country, and took some Castles that would annoy us, but in his return, Sir Edward Fitz-harris came down with his Army and waylaid them, so my Lord fell upon them, beat them out of their holds, slew about one hundred and forty of them, and came safe home with his prey without the loss of one man. Upon holy thursday our forces marched into the L. Roch his Country: but the Quondames who are notable rebels, and the Lord Roch had heard of his coming and were drawn into battalia, but my Lord fell upon them, routed them, and killed betwixt two and three hundred, and brought away the prey home safe. The week after Whit sunday Sir Charles V●…saur with his regiment, and Captain Gepsons troop beleaguered a place called Drumaneeve, and battered it the first day, with 2 pieces of ordnance, made a breach in the Wall of the Court, and entered the breach with the soldiers, but were beaten off it with the loss of five or six men: the wall being hollow, the enemy sets fire on it, so that they could not assault there any more: next day my Lord appointed me to wait on him thither, where they had drawn their approaches to the gate, but those guns would not by't: so that they were constrained to send to Cork to fetch a greater, which came in two or three days, so they battered it all that day, all the next, and in conclusion took it by composition, that they should departed with their lives and their  on their backs. The next day my Lord sent me with forty horses through the Roch his Country, into the Quondams where we saw the enemy, took away their cows, sheep, and horses, so we brought them all home safe, they never once offering to assault or hinder us: within two days my Lord Inchiquin drew the horse and foot together and sat down before the Lord Roch his Castle, and battered it all that day and that night, the next day they begged quarter, which my Lord denied. I was sent with my Lord's troop to pillage round about, I brought above a thousand sheep and three hundred cattles: that night our troop was commanded to lie at the foot of the mountain to stop any relief from coming to the Castle we lay there two nights, which hath bred a great sickness amongst them I brought out of Yorkshire, all this whole night and day the Castle was battered and no quarter would be given them, until such time as news was brought, that the enemy was gathered together and fallen upon our quarters at Donaroyall, so that we were forced to give them quarter, and turn them out of the Castle with their lives, and to haste to our own Town, which we did, we took great store of Corn, many Arms, and much other provision in the Castle, there were seven or eight hundred people in it besides old women and children, who fled into the mountains, where we shall be sure to have them the next Castle we take, and then they may certainly expect a general hanging. The 27 of june about 12 of the clock at night my Lord Inchiquin sent me out with forty horse and fifty foot to relieve Liscarroll and Newmarket, which I did, and drove the Cattle away from the Castle Anno and beat 300 of their men from the prey and came safe home. Upon Saint Peter's Eve, my Lord Inchiquin received intelligence that eighteen colours were come from the county of Limbrick, and were set down before a place called Castle Dodd, in the hands of one Master Monk a friend unto our Army, and a good subject, my Lord as he hath been always ready to relieve such, advised with Sir William Oagle and Sir john Paulet, who suddenly concluded to march: which we did betwixt eleven and twelve a clock that night, and found them not there, but heard they were gone: unto a place called New town alias Shaudrum, in the County of Cork, from whence they intended the next night with other forces to fall on our quarters according to their pretence: they had heard of our coming by that time we marched toward them, for most of our neighbours here are Traitors, in the same condition with the rebels, we found them at the end of a Champiane in Battalia, a little bog being between them and us, the troops just behind them, and under the town a great morosse and wood: we presented them battle, but they immediately drew out of the plain into the lanes, and the a soresaid towns, so that our horse could no way help us or offend them, upon which we drew up the musquetiers, who disputed the business with them, for an hour, until such time as the horse found out a little way through the wood & encompassed the enemy round, which as soon as they perceived, they retreated, but in such, disorder, that our horse having some convenient ground to charge them, fell upon them, and so absolutely routed then whole body; the business after that was nothing, but the execution I believe was as great as any hath been since these wars began: the number could not be certainly known, because the execution was so dispersed, & the enemy throwing down their weapons and running, gave us encouragement to fight disbanded, so that the slaughter was over all the fields, both bogs and ditches; the general vote is, that there were slain about four or five hundred men, but if you will have my opinion, having the command of the horse that day, and saw what were slain, both by the horse and foot, there was slain six hundred; we took sieve colours, some prisoners, whereof I took myself a Lieutenant prisoner, we took all their baggage, and many arms, two days after this battle my Lord Precedent died, and without question poisoned by the popish Doctors.  
Yours john Gower.