joyful news FROM plymouth, BEING An exact Relation of a great victory obtained against the Cornish Cavaliers, by the Parliaments Forces in those parts, also a wonderful token of Gods mercy to the Parliaments Forces, for during the Fight, the Lord sent Fire from heaven, so that the Cavaliers Powder in their Bandaliers, Flasks, and Muskets took fire, by which means they hurt, and slay each other, to the wonder and amazement of the Parliaments Forces.  
Published at the request of some persons of eminency, which were partakers of this wonderful mercy, and mighty deliverance.  
Whereunto is annexed an Abstract of several letters, sent from several parts of the kingdom, to good hands in the City, containing many worthy particulars.  
May: 18 LONDON, Printed for Leonard Smith, 1643.   

True Information of a great Overthrow given to the Lord Hopton and his Cornish Cavaliers, &c. with special intelligence from divers other places.  
FRom Leicester they writ, that M. Henry Hastings came lately towards their town with his forces to plunder and pillage, which made the townsmen stand upon their guard, and arm all their horse and foot presently, which being made ready, the L. Grey of Groby, son to the Earl of Stamford, issued out of the town with eight troops of horse: but when the Malignants heard of his coming, they immediately marched away: but the Lord Grey pursued him 11. miles, and fell upon them, killed twenty of them, wounded and hurt many more, and took 38 of them Prisoners, the Lord Grey lost not above one man in this skirmish.  
The Parliament have passed an Ordinance for the assessing of all such refusers as have not contributed to the maintenance of the Parliaments Army in all the Counties of this kingdom, that the whole burden might not lye upon the well-affected of the City of London, with a proviso that the said assessment exceed not the twentieth part of their estates.  
From exeter and Plymouth in the County of Devon they writ, that the Lord Hopton had again gotten into Tavistock in that County, and summoned the inhabitants thereabouts to bring him in men, moneys, and victual, which they refused, upon which he retreated back again into Cornwall, but during his abode there he sent two poor troops to Totnes, where there was a Faire, to surprise the Countrey-peoples horses, whereof the Exeter troops having notice, made towards them, and driven them from their intended designs empty as they came, and that the Earl of Stamford with six thousand Foot, and one thousand dragoons, and six hundred Horse, is marching into Cornwall, totally to subdue them, if it please God to prosper his design.  
Master Pym at a conference of both Houses of Parliament in the name of the house of Commons, desired the Lotds that Judge Mallet( who had been limited by the Lords to have his liberty upon sufficient bail) might be remanded to the Tower again, for divers reasons and causes by him exhibited to them▪ then he red a Declaration which was framed by the Commons, wherein was contained at large all the proceedings in the late treaty at Oxford, between the King, and Parliaments Committee, whereunto Master Pym desired the Lords consent for the publishing thereof, which being done, the earl of Manchester now Speaker of the House of Peers, acquainted the Commons with an Answer sent unto them from the King, about the affairs of Ireland, to this effect. Whereas an Act had passed the Parliament, to give unto all adventurers that would subscribe moneys for the reduceing of Ireland, a certain proportion of the Rebels Lands, when the war should be ended, in which Act there was no clause or proviso to constrain the subscribers to bring in their moneys which are yet in arrear, the Parliament had desired the King to pass a Bill for that purpose especially, because the English Armies now in Ireland, are in great distress for want of moneys, and other necessary supplies whereunto the King answereth in brief thus, that he will be content to pass the said Bill, provided that he may have a true account given him, how the moneys have, or shall be employed, that are granted by the said Act, which answer both Houses have taken time to consider of.  
From Northampton they writ, that a Gentleman came lately to their town with a letter, which hath proved forged, from the Parliaments Lord general, to require them to arm some horse and foot, and to sand them to Banbury, where some of his forces should meet them, to drive the Cavaliers from thence, whereunto they giving credit, presently sent out thither 500 horse and foot, where being come, they were presently surrounded with multitudes of horse from the town, and miserable defeated, 40 of them being slain, sixty of them were taken prisoners, and they lost also one Drake, and a carriage of ammunition, and their provision, which happened to them by incautelous credulity.  
Yesterday in the morning there was 15000. pound sent to Reading, which was guarded thither by colonel Harvey and his City Troupe of Horse to prevent the seizing of it by the Malignauts, who have done many robberies upon that road, and slain & taken Captain Holbech and some others coming thence.  
At a Conference of both Houses of Parliament this day a letter was red from the L. Fairfax out of Yorkshire, that on Saturday last he was well at Leeds, where he had strongly entrenched and fortified himself, insomuch that he feared not the Earl of Newcastle and his whole Army, but that in regard he wanted both money and horse, he was not of strength sufficient to keep the field, and therefore he requested the Parliament speedily to furnish and supply him with both, which they have resolved to do.  
From Warwick they writ, that colonel Longsford who hath been a prisoner there ever since the battle at Keynton, combined with another of his fellow-prisoners to poison sergeant mayor Bridges, governor of the Castle, and to seize upon it, who drew another into their plot, who abhorring the fact,  told them he would not condescend, because it was too base an action for souldiers, and more fit for Popish Priests and jesuits:  
whereupon Lunccford and his Comrade, fearing that he would discover their plot, and finding a fit opportunity, presently laid hands on him and would have cut his throat, but their Keeper coming in rescued him out of their hands, unto whom he discovered their intentions, who instantly revealed it to the governor, by which means they were immediately laid in Irons and thrown into the Dangeon, whereas before they had the liberty of the Castle.  
Out of Wiltshire they writ that Sir Edward Hungerford hath been a long time in Sommersetshire, whereby there County hath been left in a naked condition, but that of late he is returned with colonel strand, to Mear, whether they have brought along with them seven hundred Horse and Foot, and also that they were there joyfully entertained, and had free quarter given them, and that during their abode at Mear, their souldiers seized upon master Arundels cattle, and killed almost all his Goates in Hormingsham Common, and they also got into the park at Long-leat, and killed some of Sir James Thines Fallow dear, and afterward they marched to Warder Castle, which belongeth to Count Arundel, who obtained that title from the Emperour Rodolph, the second of that name, for the good service he did him in his war against the Turks, who since his return into England was created Baron of Warder Castle, by King James, this Lord being a great Papist, had gotten men and Ordnance into his Castle, whereby he much terrified and amnoyed those parts of Wiltshire, Sir Edward Hungerford and colonel strand being come near the said Castle, they summoned it, but instead of an Answer they reccived great shot from them, whereupon they planted their Ordnance, and for divers dayes played against it, it now being credibly reported that the said Castle is taken by Sir Edward Hungerford▪  
Out of Nottinghamshire they writ, that the Earl of Newcastles souldiers have committed inhuman outrages in that county, for at Maunsford they plundered one Francis Gardland, and took from him a dozen of boots, and ten dozen of shoes, together with all his leather and tools, and at Woodborough in the same County, Christopher Foster, William Pickard, and others have been used extremely, and all taken from them, and that M. hallows the Minister of Kneesall in the same County had all his goods taken from him, and not so much as a gown left his wife to put on, and forced her to run a mile for her safety, her maid servant together with another maid were ravished, and a woman half gone with child villainously abused, that it is thought impossible she should live, and another woman in that town slain outright.  
M. Laves son, one of the attorneys of the Court of Requests was with two other Gentlemen this day brought before the Parliament guarded with about sixty musketeers, for speaking words of dangerous consequence against his Excellency Lord general of the Parliaments Army, for which the said M. Lave after some examination touching the same was committed to safe custody, till he should be proceeded against according to Law.  
From Manchester they writ that colonel Aston with about two thousand horse and foot marched from thence to Wiggen, where the Earl of Derby with 900 musketeers and some troops of horse was again refortifying of that town, but upon the Colonels approach they all fled from thence to Latham, the colonel having re-obtained that town, demolished all the works and fortifications, and burnt the new gates and posts that were set up, and took an oath of the townsmen never to beate arms again against the King and Parliament: from thence he pursued the Earl to Latham, who left that house, and fled to Preston, whither the colonel pursued him, and in his way thither took a house of the Earls called Knowsley, whither the Earl sent him a Message, that he would give him 300. pound if he would not burn his house: the colonel returned answer, that he came not to burn houses, but to reduce him to peace and obedience, and from thence marched to Leverpoole, but before he came thither the Earl was fled, and was reported to be gone into Yorkshire to the Queen with two troops of horse.  
From the West parts of England it is again informed, that at the late defeat given to the Cornish Malignants on Swarton down near Okehampton, a great delivery of the Parliaments Forces from their enemies was in two respects very observable: the first whereof was that privy-councillor Chudleighs men had gotten Hoptons word, and by that means with the more facility slay many of his men, and that some of the Cornish men had also gotten sergeant mayor Chudleighs word, which bread such distraction amongst them, that the Hoptonians thinking they had some of their enemies among them, fell upon them, and killed many of their own men. The second passage was, that during the rout and flight of the Cornubians an extraordinary storm of lightning and thunder fell upon them, which lightning singed and burnt the hair of their heads, and fired the gunpowder in their musket pans and bandeliers, which so lamentably scorched and burnt many of their bodies, that they sent for 12 chirurgeons from Launceston to cure them, and which is more remarkable, in their scorching they said, that the Militia fought not against them, but the devil: so that living without God in the world, as the Scripture saith, they had not God in all their thoughts, to aclowledge his just judgement therein, but ascribed their sufferings to their director the devil, whose ways and suggestions they follow.   
FINIS