A LETTER FROM PLYMOUTH Concerning the late Occurrances and affairs of that place.  
DIRECTED To captain joseph Vaughan in London, and received Novemb. 2. 1643.  
LONDON, Printed for A.N. Novemb. 4. 1643.   

A Letter sent from Plymouth 27 Octob. 1643.  
SIR,  
I Hope our Letters by Master Kekewich, are long ere this come safely to your hands, and he by this time returning with a dispatch answerable to the present exigents of this place: The enemy being masters of the whole County, draws in to their assistance what numbers they please, and hath now as we hear, brought divers great Guns for battery from Exeter and Dartmouth, one above the rest they speak of, is the great wreathed brass Gun which was sent by the Parliament to Exeter. Vpon Friday night last, the enemy had made a work near one of our outworks, where they had placed three hundred men, their Horse and Foot standing at their back, ready upon all occasions to relieve them; upon notice hereof a party of our Foot only, fell upon them( for the place is beyond the River where our Horse could not come) and after an houres skirmish were entred upon the enemies works, but by their Horse were soon repulsed and put off again; but soon after our men came on again with greater resolution then before, and quiter beat off the enemy, and possessed themselves of their works, which hitherto we hold, and I trust in the Lord shall hold them still, yet upon Sunday morning through the treachery or cowardice of the Officer, who was trusted with the guarding of the place( for which by the order of the general he was shot to death upon Tuesday last) the enemy had regained the Work, but within two houres our men driven them out again; since which time they have made other works somewhat further off, which I suppose are not yet finished, for from thence as yet they have attempted nothing, only they lie iovius under hedges, and with long fowling pieces can watch our works. Vpon Tuesday morning colonel gold being abroad viewing the place received a light hurt in the back upon the point of his shoulder with a bullet, shot out of one of those long Guns which they took at Exeter. The fight between our men and the enemy was very fierce, both Saturday and Sunday: we lost about three or four men each day, whereof captain Corbet, one of those Captaines which came hither with colonel gold was one: how many were lost on their side wee know not, but certainly there was a great slaughter of them; we hear they lost three Captaines, and three lieutenants, and it is probable a number of common souldiers-in proportion to those Officers; they buried divers of their slain men in their works presently, the rest as many as they could they carried off, yet they left about twelve or fourteen-dead in the open field, and thirty seven wee took prisoners. We hear that mayor Parry who hath had the command in chief at Saltash since the last taking of it by the enemy( a violent bloody man) was one of those Commanders they lost, and young Bluet of Cornwall, a bold daring man, another: we hear the enemy hath lost by this enterprise partly of such as were slain, wounded, taken prisoners, and partly of those that upon this action ran away, near about a thousand men: the greater cause we have to bless God for it, especially if we consider our own weakness; for to say truth, the business was done principally by those poor little boyes( for the most part of them are such) which came with colonel gold, which are not in all above four hundred, and upon them chiefly the defence of this place now stands, and therefore you shall do well to procure more men to bee sent down as soon as possibly you can, if there bee Officers only to bring them down it will be well enough, for the Regiment that came down with colonel gold will take up one thousand men to complete it; it is true, here are many men which are not in the service, nor are fit to be, many of them being faint-hearted, and many others false-hearted. Certainly( Brother) this town is of great importance to the whole kingdom, especially to Merchants, and therefore I marvel those of London take no more care about the securing of it, one thousand men will do more for the keeping, then ten thousand for the regaining of it, should it once be lost; and five thousand pounds in money will do more now, then a hundred thousand will do for the recovery of it out of the enemies hands: We have besides these two great wants of men and money, one other, whereof I writ unto you in my last, which is for the well ordering and government of the affairs here, not only in the field, but in the town, Fort, and iceland, which now lies at six and seven, and we stand unresolved who it is that doth, or can, or should command, and by that means are in a very ill posture. I pray advice with our special friends, and bestir yourselves to help us. Fare you well hearty, I remain yours assuredly.  
FINIS.   

This is licenced and entered according to Order.