A TRUE RELATION Of Disbanding The Supernumerary Forces IN The several Counties of this Kingdom, and the Dominion of Wales, Amounting to Twenty thousand Horse and Foot;  
TO The great ease of the Kingdom, and taking off Freequarter from the Subject.  
Published for Satisfaction of the Three Kingdoms.  
LONDON: Printed for Laurence Chapman, Feb. 28. 1647.   

SIR,  
BEing a little diligent this week to employ my endeavours to know the truth of disbanding the Supernumerary Forces of this Kingdom, who as I am informed, are near upon Twenty thousand Horse and Foot, I addressed myself to some Agents and others, employed in the said Service; and I have conferred with divers Gentlemen that received Letters from several parts of this Kingdom, by the several Posts of this week, and of the last week; Out of all which I have collected the particulars ensuing, whereby I find, That the industry and care of the Committee of the Army hath been very great, not only in procuring the speedy bringing in of the Assessments to pay the two Months pay for the disbanding of so great Forces in so short a time, and for easing the Kingdom of all Free quarter taken by the said Supernumerary Forces of Horse and Foot both in England and Wales, but also have paid the rest of the Forces their constant pay ever since the 15. of January last; which I have written, worthy Sir, for your satisfaction, and shall ever rest,  
22 Febr. 1647. Your Friend and Servant, J. R.  
THe Letters this week by the Post, brings good News concerning the Disbanding of the Supernumerary Forces in several parts of England and Wales; who for a very great space of time have lain in several counties upon Freequarter; and in particular the Letters out of Somersetshire certify, that there is disbanded in that county all that Regiment of Foot under the command of Colonel William Herbert, being Five hundred; and also one Troop of Horse consisting of about Seventy Horse. There is likewise disbanded in Glocestershire, and in the city of Gloucester, Colonel Morgan's Regiment of Foot, consisting of Nine Companies, with Officers and Soldiers; and another Regiment of Foot of Col: Kempson's, both Officers and Soldiers; and also one Troop of Horse which was raised by the Committee of Gloucester; with th'other Supernumerary Forces residing in that county, to the very great ease and comfort of those parts, who have, during all the late Wars, lain under very great burdens and Free quarter.  
The Letters also from Herefordshire do certify, That the Commissioners there have by the blessing of God, disbanded all Col: Humphreys Regiment of Foot, who were 1000 in number at the least; and that 300. private Soldiers of that Regiment, with some of their Officers, have listed themselves to serve for the King of France; and are upon their march to be transported out of this Kingdom into France: And now in Herefordshire they are upon disbanding Col: Hoptons' Regiment of Horse, which are near 500 good horse, and do all of them most willingly submit to their dibanding, according to the Ordinances of Parliament in that behalf; and the strong Castle of Hereford is Garisoned by three Companies of Foot of Sir William Constables Regiment: so that that county, who had so great Forces in the bowels thereof upon Freequarter, by this means will enjoy a breathing space from those great inconveniencies which formerly they miserably languished under: That the two Regiments of Foot in Wilts and Worcestershire are disbanding, their Accounts being stated, and sent down with the Debenters of all Arrears due to the Officers and Soldiers of the said several Regiments, and their two month's pay is ready in the counties to be paid unto them; so that it is no way doubted, but that they will be all of them this week disbanded; together with the remainder of several Troops of Horse which are yet not disbanded: but there hath lately been disbanded thereabouts, Col: Cooks Regiment of Horse, which were at first providing for Ireland, but now submitted to the Ordinances of Parliament for disbanding, who will no doubt be considered according to his merit by the Parliament, in some other honourable employment or service for the Commonwealth.  
All Letters out of the Northern parts do certify, The disbanding of all the Horse and Foot Soldiers in Yorkshire, except the Foot in the town of Hull, and four Troops of Horse which were also in disbanding the last week, and so before this without question disbanded: By the happy dispatch of this business, the county of York and other places are eased of Free quarter: And in effecting this work of disbanding these Northern Forces, Major Gen. Lambert hath given sufficient testimony of his fidelity to the Parliament, and good affection to the Country. And from Durham the Letters impart, The disbanding of Major sanderson's Troop of Horse, and Captain lilburn's Troop of Horse, and Captain Blaxtons Company of Foot, and Captain Gray's Company of Foot: The disbanding money of those two Troops of Horse, and two Companies of Foot which they received, was about Eight hundred pounds. The other particular Forces of Horse and Foot in the rest of the several Northern counties, are not come up this week by the Post, but are expected by the next: But the Letters of this week dated this instant February from Durham, impart, That divers Papists are said, by good hands, to go with some of the Scots that passed by into Scotland, and some of them (seeing the Parliaments Soldiers) told them, They must now alter their opinion, and be no longer for the Parliament, but for the King: Whereunto some of the Soldiers replied, How could they be for the King, when they had sold him away.  
And as concerning the Supernumerary Forces in North-wales under the Command of Major General Mitton, consisting for the most part of several Troops of Horse, they all express their willingness to submit to the several Ordinances of Parliament; and their disbanding money is sent down, with the several Warrants for the disbanding of them: So that we doubt not but by the next, the same will be actually performed. The Supernumerary forces in Cheshire, Lancaster, and the rest of the counties in that part of the Kingdom; and of Staffordshire, Nottingham, Derby, Norfolk, Northampton, and Warwickshire, where many Companies of Foot, and some Troops of Horse that were maintained by the several counties are to be disbanded, of whom part is finished, and Warrants and money for the rest is provided and dispatched unto the Commissioners in the several counties; whereby in those and all other counties, the Supernumerary Forces are and will be disbanded, and the whole Kingdom eased of all Free quarter, which was too great a burden to be long endured; and therefore the Parliament took the same into their serious thoughts, and hath hitherto had a happy progress, and their care will be to go on to do good unto the Kingdom, and to ease them in few months much more than they have done, in case new designs and devilish plots do not again break out to hinder their good intentions and resolutions.  
I hear, that hitherto but little hath been done for the disbanding of the Supernumerary Forces in Southwales, under the Command of Major General Laughorn, but the moneys are there provided, and the Warrants sent down, but Commissioners were wanting to perform that service; which the Parliament hath now supplied, by authorising Baronet Richard Phillips, Col: Horton, Col: Edward; Prichard, Col: Tho: Carn, Col: Jones, Col: Lewis, and divers other Gentlemen of the several Counties, speedily to disband the said Forces, and to take all their Accounts, and to pay them two month's pay, according to former Instructions and Ordinances of Parliament made in that behalf; whereby those counties will find great ease and contentment. I remember nothing more at present, but that the Forces in Plymouth remain undisbanded, although they were first taken care for; which, as I am informed, hath happened by reason the six month's Assessments of the county of Devonshire hath been much retarded, both in assessing, collecting and paying it into the Treasurer General of that county; whether by the default of the Gentlemen of that county trusted therein, or backwardness in the Inhabitants to pay the same, or what other obstruction hath happened, is unknown to me, but I hope all will end well, which God grant, that this Kingdom may once again enjoy the blessed fruits of truth and peace.   

25. Feb. 1647.  
Imprimatur  
Gilbert Mabbot.   
FINIS.