The Copy of A LETTER Sent from a person of much Honour and Reason, accidentally present at that hot encounter betwixt the Forces under the Command of the Lord Goring, Earl of Norwich, and Sir Charles Lucas of the ROYAL Party,  
And those under the command of the Lord Fairfax of the Parliaments party, on the 13. of june, in the Suburbs of COLCHESTER.  
Printed in the year, 1648.   

The Copy of a Letter sent from a person of much Honour and Reason, accidentally present at that hot encounter betwixt the Forces under the command of the Lord Goring, Earl of Norwich, and Sir Charles Lucas, of the Royal party, and those under the command of the Lord Fairfax, of the Parliaments party, on the 1, of June, in the Suburbs of Colchester.  
SIR,  
THough I ever found a strong aversion in my genius from becoming a mandrake, and groaning blood, ruin and death; and have been so happily exempted from this heavy storm of calamity and desolation, which this our bloody intestine war hath showered down upon three Kingdoms, that I have hitherto lived safe both in the Protection of my solitude and neutrality; yet being by the fortune of some business with the Lord Fairfax at that instant, an eye witness of the most remarkable passages in the hot and bloody encounter betwixt the Forces of the Lord Goring, Sir Charles Lucas Sir William Compton, Sir George Lisle, and others of the Royal party, and of the Lord Fairfax, I conceived myself obliged by the duty of friendship, to give you a short but faithful account of my observation, assuring myself, that by how much the less interest I have in either's engagement or success, the more credit you cannot but in justice give to my relation.  
On Tuesday the 13. of june in the afternoon, the Lord Fairfax being marched near to Colchester, sat down with all his field Officers at a Council of War, within half a mile of the town: what their determination was though I was removed at too great a distance to hear the Vote, yet the issue encourages my conjecture, that it was to fall on that evening. For immediately the Army was drawn out into a spacious Campania enriched with a luxurious crop of wheat. Here● stood divided betwixt the pleasure of so gallant an object as an Army complete both in persons and discipline, and the sorrow of beholding the spoil of that rich blessing which is so essential to the life of man, that the same bounty that gave it, is pleased to call the staff of bread.  
No sooner was the Army thus in a full body, but there followed so deep and unbroken a silence for the space of half an hour, that midnight seems thunder if compared to it, there appearing no noise, but what every man heard from the violent motion of his own heart. Had some augur been there, he might have safely foretold, that many of them should ere many minutes be received into an eternal silence. This ●alme dissolved, some officers of the Army were sent to survey the Suburbs; among these Col. Bakster returning, told the General, that if he would be pleased to let him have a party of 500 commanded men, he would attempt the great street in the Suburbs, which on reason he conceived saultable. This motion was embraced, seconded, and put in execution, but with so fatal a destruction of the greatest number of the assistants; the Defendants (which were men whose Martial education and experience ennobles them as much as their high births and plentiful fortunes) at the same moment pouring in whole volleys of cannon and musket shot so level in the face of the enemy, that there seemed to follow as many wounds as shots, and as many deaths as wounds. However, the design was pursued with 500 more, who receiving the same welcome their bold fellows had, were put not only to a stand, but some confused retreat, or repulse, call it which you please: which the General perceiving, drew the whole Army to engage in the action, driving on the foot with the Horse so violently, that I never read of any precedent that may parallel him, but the furious Bajazet the Second, who used to force on his soldiers on their enemy's swords, valuing men no better than stones to dead the shot, and blocks to fill up ditches for the living to pass over. Had the great masters of valour, the Romans been spectators of this action, they would have frowned on the Commanders, and called them rather rash then valiant. The town husbanding this opportunity, discharged such thick peals of great and small shot on them, that I beheld amongst them that horrid slaughter of men and horse, which in my melancholy lecture of bloody battles I saw in fancy, with so much compassion, that could not but drop some tears to embalm the slain. But how pensive this black sight made me, I shall leave your reason to judge, when you have considered the horror of blood spent in fury, and the melancholy complexion of my mind inclined to hold a sypathy with all sorrow that my senses communicate to me. notwithstanding this confusion and butchery of the common soldiers, who had some Officers fell with them to conduct them into the other world, the General constant to his purpose, and more in love with his former good fortune, then present safety, goaded up his men on the mouth of the Canon with such fury (pardon me if I call it not valour since it wanted wisdom) that the Defendants were forced to desert the Suburbs, and Retreat speedily into the City, leaving without the gates about 350 of their choicest men, whose habit and gallant deportment in their diftresse and imprisonment spoke them Gentlemen to the most enraged and malicious of their Enemies. For according to the custom of War, being examined by the General concerning the number, strength, resolution and defences of their friends within the Town, they scorned to return any other Answer, but that, though being Prisoners and at mercy, they would soo●er embrace the worst of deaths, the anger and wit of their Foes could contrive, then reveal a title of any thing that might prejudice their friends, or secure their Adversaries. Thus long Victory stood hover unresolved on whose head to place her Garland. The General thus possessed of the Suburbs, the gallant prisoners were made a prey to the common Soldiers, who exchanged their Habits, but could not so disguise them, but the bravery of their minds was plainly legible to every eye, that was acquainted with the characters of virtue. The next business was the placing of Guards on either part; the Parliament Porces in that Street they had so dearly won, the Royal in the Town they had so bravely defended; for the darkness of night forbade any further Action for the present. But this remora was soon removed by an accident (for whether it was design or fortune is yet to me uncertain) the firing of two or three houses in the Suburbs. For by the light of the flames, the Town discovering where and in what Posture the Enemy lay, let fly their Cannon and Musket upon them with such well directed fury, that I may boldly affirm, that among such a number of men and horse, there never was so bloody an Execution: Here you might have seen the limbs of men, horses, arms, fire, and dust confused together in one horrid Chaos. The Lord Fairfax so fare engaged himself both to encourage and relieve his men in this distress, that a Cannon shot from the Town struck him blind with the dust it raised, for half an hour.  
The Horse thus brought on in the mouth of destruction by the example more than the command of their General rushed on so fare, that three whole Troops brought beyond all possibility of Retreat, were all taken Prisoners, and the rest so shattered, that in a great consusion they shogged of to the same place, where this fatal design was concluded on by the Council of War. And thus was this violent Fever for the present cured by the most prodigal effusion of blood, that ever History tells us was drawn forth betwixt such small Parties in so few minutes. For on an exact survey of the slain on ●oth sides, my Arithmetic accounted no less than 1500 dead bodies. The rehearsal of some of the premises, will satisfy your curiosity of knowing on which side the greatest number fell; for the nature of the action tells us that the Assailants could not but lose ten for one. Besides this irrepatable loss of stout and experienced Soldiers (whose lives providently spent on a Foreign Enemy might have revived the Ancient glory of our Nation) and some faithful Officers instructed in the principles and Discipline of their General, I cannot but discover my observation of some cloud that from hence is risen to eclipse the glory of the Lord Fairfax, it being the first remarkable check his fortune ever received. Thus Sir, you have a true and impartial draught of this action according to the best observaton of  
Your humble Servant, C.I. Chenceford the 15. of june, 1648.  
FINIS.