A true RELATION Of the Proceedings of His EXCELLENCE The Earl of ESSEX, With His Army, since His departure from these parts, in pursuit of the CAVALIERS.  
With the taking of Redding by colonel Hampden, and colonel Hurry with their Regiments.  
With the departure of the King's Forces by Worcester towards Shrewsbury.  
By H. G.  
LONDON, Printed for John Matthewes.   

HIs Excellence the Earl of Essex by order from the High Court of Parliament about the middle of the last week advancing forward in pursuit of the Cavaliers, first to Windsor, and thence to Marlowe and Henly upon Thames; from whence colonel hurry was sent with the Forces maintained by the City of London, to try if it were possible to get beyond Reading to stay the Cavaliers in their passage thence to Oxford. Upon notice of which intention and advertisement of the Earl of Essex his Excellence proceedings, the Cavaliers quickly abandoned Reading, retiring in all haste toward Oxford, about which the main body of their army lay billeted, leaving nevertheless in the town of Reading for the security of it to their part, a considerable Garrison; some conjecture 1500 men, under the command of colonel Kirke and others; His Excellence in the interim having certain notice of the passages of the Cavaliers, employed Colonel Hampden, and the aforesaid Colonel Hurry in their pursuit, who cut off divers of their stragglers, and some of their rear, giving them very frequent and fierce alarms▪ his Excellence remaining still about Marlowe and Kingston upon Thames, intending to send some other Forces into Sussex, where Master Ford the High sheriff with the assistance of the Earl of Thanet, has raised two thousand men, drawing them towards the good town of jews, which has still stood faithful to the Parliament. The aforesaid Colonels Hampden and Hurry, with the trained Bands of Buckinghamshire and the Londoners Forces, having left the pursuit of the army, retired to Reading, intending if it were possible, to reduce that town to the obedience of the Parliament by treaty, if not, to accomplish it by force: and so being drawn together in one Body, they sat down not far from the town, sending with a Trumpet a Gentleman of quality to demand the said town of the Garrison, promising to dismiss all such as were not noted Malignants, and proscribed by the Parliament, in safety. The governor colonel Kirke and his associates in great contempt and derision answered, that they knew not by what or whose authority they came to demand that town of them, which was His Majesties, and by His Majesty to them delivered to be kept for His use, which they were resolved to do against all the world, and so dismissed the Trumpet and Gentleman, with many opprobrious and uncivil speeches against the Parliament and the present Forces, bidding them tell those that sent them they would pay their roundheads if they came within their reaches, and so instantly ordered themselves for their defence, forcing the honest townsmen who had rather have had their room then their companies, to put on harness and assist them in manning their works, which they had before made with as much skill and strength as their Engineers could possibly direct. Colonel Hampden and colonel Hurry resolute, not to depart without carrying the town, begun to make their approaches and so planted their Cannon that they shot into the town with ease, which yet they were loath to do, lest they should injure the honest inhabitants. The cavaliers within answered ours with their Ordnance; but our trenches were so advantageously situated, that they did us but little harm, our men in the mean while playing over into their works with their Muskets, made them find it very hot service▪ Yet their Commanders, especially colonel Kirke, animating on his own men, and enforcing the townsmen in a manner unto the service, they slew some few of our men; which rather encouraged then disheartened the rest: at last, after some attempts, as sallies out of their works upon ours, in which they were with very considerable loss repulsed, the darkness of the night parted the medley. Colonel Hampden and his valiant associate colonel Hurry setting careful Watches in their works, determined as soon as it was light to resalute the Gentlemen with a fresh charge; who (like cavaliers) spent most part of the night in carousing, and swearing death and a thousand confusions to our forces; and a little before day departed well laden with Wine from their Works to their Lodgings, leaving but a very slender Guard in their Works, and those most of them Townsmen. Our men in the morning admiring the solitude and silence that was in their Works, informed colonel Hampden of it; who gave immediate order, that some Companies of his best and most resolute soldiers should try if they could force their Works by onslaught. And so fair and softly without least noise or tumult four hundred able men attempted the assault, passing their ditches without discovery, they got upon their Rampire, and so fell pellmell into the Work: The townsmen that were in guard threw down their arms, and willingly yielded themselves to their Friends; the cavaliers that were in that Work retired to the next▪ whither our men pursued them with much resolution; but there the encounter was different, the soldiers in that strength being not so easily driven from their stations, put back our soldiers, slaughtering good store of them in the ditches▪ so that undoubtedly they had been put to the retreat▪ had not colonel Hampden advanced more men to their succours; who getting up to their companions, and with fresh men supplying the places of those that were fallen, they brought the business into pretty equal terms, when all the cavaliers about this time awaked from their drunken humour with the noise and danger, came rushing in like a violent flood to the rescue of their companions, with their Commander colonel Kirke: But neither their number, nor desperateness amated the courage of noble colonel Hampden, and his resolute Buckinghamshire Militia, who charged and discharged upon them with such fury and nimbleness, that the cavaliers began to drop on all sides. Yet knowing it was in vain to quail at such a push, being reduced as it were to the l●st precipice, bestirred themselves very valiantly, beating down our men at push of pike into the graft, and with their Muskets and handgranades, doing some small execution upon our men, which was requited with treble the damage we received; colonel Kirk's lieutenant being slain, and other cavaliers of note and quality, yet could not that tough soldier colonel kirk be driven either to fear or flight, when colonel Hurry, who was gotten by this side to the other side or quarter of their sconce, with great fury, but greater discretion, assailed them there, omitting nothing that might tend to the destruction of those desperate Malignants, who still made good their work for the space of four whole hours by Redding clock, till there was at least four hundred of them de●d in the place, as if they had intended to make a new bulwark of their bodies, to defend that place dead, which they could not keep living: Our men having advanced their ensigns on the top of the Work▪ colonel Kirke giving place to necessity▪ withdrew by a fally port on that side where our men could not come, with the rest of his cavaliers, into the Town, and there getting to their horses, (nay some of them leaving them behind for haste, fled on foot) the colonel and his horsemen made haste away from our men, who did not pursue them, contenting themselves, and thanking God for that victory and the recovery of that good town; yet all the Cavaliers escaped not, some of them being sorely, some slightly wounded were made prisoners: as also divers others that were not nimble enough to accompany their fellows in their flight, their number in all two hundred and fifty: there fell in both the works at least five hundred soldiers; there were taken eight good pieces of Canon all the Cavaliers bag and baggage, with some money, which they had unjustly gotten by plunder and rapine in those and other countries. The townsmen of Reading for joy of their deliverance from their unwelcome guests, whom they entertained more for fear then affection, making bonfires, and ringing their bells at our arrival into their town. Colonel Kirke is certainly fled towards the King to Oxford▪ who on the knowledge of this disaster to Reading, or rather happiness, and his certainty of his Excellence the Earl of Essex approaches thither, intends as it is more than probable, to remove with speed from Oxford towards Worcester▪ and so to Shrewesbury, as is imagined, because a great part of the main body of his army is sent before towards those parts, where his Majesty intends to spend the rest of this Winter, there to unite himself with James Earl of Darby, with his Cheshire and Lancashire forces; and William Earl of Newcastle with his Northern Regiments: as also to receive, if they be not prevented, supply of ammunition and money, which he daily expects, as the late intercepted Letter made mention from Denma●ke, France, and other places, where, by the instigation and endeavours of his crafty malignant agents he hath hopes to be furnished with such provisions.  
His excellence the Earl of Essex is yet at Henly upon Thames, expecting convenient opportunity of marching after his Majesty, when he shall remove towards the aforementioned places: and this day we had intelligence from our forces which were sent into Sussex to relieve that County from the malignant's, of their success. The sheriff Ford marching along the country, enforcing all the well-affected honest people in his way, from Chichester to Lewis, to side with him against the Parliament▪ threatening them to fire their houses, and cut their throats, if they did not yield to his unjust commands, him and his Regiment, with the Earl of Thanets companies, our forces pursued, finding everywhere as they Marched lamentable expressions of their inhuman cruelties. At last, upon Hawoods' Heath, some seven miles from Lewis, and two miles from Cuckefield in Sussex, they overtook sheriff Ford with his malignant's, and valiantly resolved to give him battle; our forces falling on him and his malignant's very hotly, both armies being without Ordnance, the fight was performed with their muskets at first, and after some volleys, our horse broke into their Van, and our footmen just at that instant charging courageously into their quarters, they began a little to give ground, but being more in number than we, it was impossible on the sudden to put them into rout, though they were much discomposed with that furious assault; nevertheless, sheriff Ford, with the Earl of Thanets Horse, made good the field for at least an hour, though there fell in that place at least two hundred of their foot. In fine, the reserve of our forces coming in to the assistance of our body, they were at apparent rout; the poor country people that were enforced by the sheriff to that service, flinging away their arms, and running as fast as their legs would carry them to Hurst, Dichiling, and the neighbouring Villages: Master Ford, with the Earl of Thanets horse, flying with all speed up to the not far distant downs, and so to Wissum to the Earl's House, whence they are returned towards Chichester. Our forces marching on towards Lewis to secure that good and loyal town from the future attempts of malignant's.  
FINIS.