several Letters of Complaint from the Northern parts of this Kingdom.  
Setting forth the Barbarous cruelty and inhumanity of the Scotch Army, in destroying whole Families, and Towns, and carrying away all manner of portable goods, and driving away all sorts of Cattle into the kingdom of SCOTLAND.  
Also their murdering of women in child-bed and robbing Parents of their dear children, more barbarously then the Irish Rebels.  
To which is added a DECLARATION OF THE County of york thereupon, concerning their rising,( from the age of 16 to 60) as one man, to suppress these treacherous Invadors, and secure themselves from Utter Ruin.  
London, Printed by J. M.   

To their honoured friends the Committee of the County of Lancaster, now at Manchester, these.  
Gentlemen,  
IN ours yesterday to Sir Richard Hoghton we gave you a short Character of the Scots Army now quartered all along the Borders of our County, both on the Lancashire and Westmerland side: Truly what we said of them yesterday, was but the expressing the Delineaments of Hercules by the Foot; We spare to spake the worst of them, least we should forfeit that credence you have towards us, and not be believed; but assure yourselves, they by there daily incursions into our poor Country, between this and their quarters have left nothing in all the world that is portable; in divers places some whole families have not left them wherewith to subsist a day, but are glad to come hither for mere subsistence; they have taken forth of divers families all, the very rackencrooks and pothooks; they have driven away all the beasts, sheep, and horses in divers whole Townships, all without redemption save some poor milch-kine: They tell the people they must have their houses too, and we verily believe it must be so, because Duke Hamilton hath  told them it should be so: Their usage of some women is extremely abominable, and of men very barbarous, wherein we apprehended, nevertheless, something of Gods Justice towards very many, who have abundantly desired and rejoiced in their advance hither: Old extreme Cavaliers, whom( above and beyond all others) they have most oppressed in their acts of violence and plunder to our great admiration. They rail without measure against our Lacashire Ministers, and profess the destruction of so many as they can get; many Cavaliers have sent into Furness, and Cartmel to Sir Thomas Tilsley for Protections, but the Scors weigh not their Protections a rush, and Tilsley himself tells the Cavaliers he can do them no good▪ but wishes them to use their best shifts in putting their goods out of the way; they say they'll not leave the County worth any thing; they make no account of Lambert,( as they call him,) they say he is run away: They are yet in quarters at Burton, Kirkbie, Whittington, Greshingham, Barwick, and Leighten, and the English in Encross and Furness; They have driven away above 600. cattle, and above 1500. sheep, they have given such earnest of their conditions, that the Country have wholly driven away their cattle of all sorts towards Yorkshire, and the bottom of Lancashire; forty great droves, at least, are gone from us, and through this Town this day. But we hope this sad distraction will shortly clear up by the timely conjunction of our Forces, and by the cheerful rising of our Country all over; whereof we are assured they never stood half so much need, for all the sufferings they have endured. We pray you let us know the state of things in relation to the business of the North, and we shall not fail to give you account of what we daily learn, concerning the enemies motion or design, wherein, or in any thing else within the compass of our endeavours, we shall desire to be,  
Your most assured and ready friends to serve you▪ 

Henry Porter.  
W. West.   Lancast. 7. August. 1648.   

Manchester 11. of August, 1648.  
Sir,  
FOR News it grows worse and worse daily amongst us; the Scotch and English Cavaliers are now within a mile of Lancaster, and so quarter all over the Country as far as Hornby, Barwick, Lonsdon▪ Burton, and some part of Raishton, Grange, Kerby, and Glatborn, they use the people with far greater cruelty then any Army yet heard of in these parts; they take and carry away into their own Country all manner of movable Goods, quick and dead; they take young children from their mothers, and either kill them or sell them again to their own Parents for good sums of money; they have burnt one or two women in childbed about Hornby; they plunder all Papists and Protestants, friends and foes.  
An Extract taken out of Sir Ralph Ashtons Letter.   

By the Committee of the Militia for the County of York.  
WE being Assigned and authorised by Authority of Parliament, for the raising of Forces within this County, for suppressing of Invasions and Insurrections within the same, do( according to our duty both to God and our Country) Declare and Publish to all Inhabitants of this County, that at this present time whilst the Parliament is busied about settling the Peaceable Government of the Kingdom in the true Protestant Religion, and according to the just Rights both of King and People,( being the true scope and end of the Parliaments endeavours,) a most wicked confederacy of Papists, and other ill-affected and evil-disposed persons of discontented spirits, and desperate fortunes, envying at the growing settlement of the Peace of this Nation, have joined with an Army of Scotland, who have( contrary to the minds and desires of many well-affected of that Nation, yea even of the general Assembly of Divines of that King, by them published in print, seriously advising to the contrary;) invaded this Kingdom in a hostile manner with an Army out of Scotland, which Army is by the Commons of England in Parliament publicly declared to be enemies, and all such as adhere unto them, or assist them, Traytors and Rebels; and however they would colour their doings with fair pretences, under the cloak of the Covenant wrested and abused; yet have they miserable wasted some part of Cumberland and Westmerland already, driving away all their goods, and stripping men and women of all they called theirs, and intending, as appears,( if not speedily prevented) to enter into this County, and then no other can be expected, but that they will in like sort rob and plunder, and carry or sand away whatsoever is of value and movable into Scotland, thereby to enrich themselves: These are therefore in the Name and Power of God Almighty, our only Refuge and Rock of defence, to stir up and awaken all true-hearted English-men, especially of this County of York, to join together as one man, and to require every man above the age of sixteen, and under the age of threescore, unanimously and manfully forthwith to rise and meet at the Quarters of Col. Cholmely and Col. Fairfax, or any the Quarters of the Parliaments Forces within this County, where divers well affencted Gentry will meet, join, and help to put into an orderly way the Forces raised for the bearing back of this encroaching Enemy, and the suppressing of this horrid Rebellion and Invasion, which intends no less then reducing of our persons to slavery, and our Estates to their wills, and the subversion and subjection of this Kingdom. And all such as shall so rife and join, are desired to furnish themselves with the best weapons they have or can get upon the sudden, and to carry with them ten days Provision and Victuals. And the seasonable performance hereof is expected from all the well-affected English,( as in old time when the Scotish Incursions were frequently repulsed by the Valour and Courage of these Northern Parts,) as they tender the safety of their Wives and Children from the Rapine and cruelty of the Enemy, their Estates and Goods from Plunder and Devastation, and the very Being and Welfare of this whole Kingdom from utt●r ruin and Desolation: And such as shall be negligent herein, will be looked upon as persons ill-affected to this Kingdom and their Countries good. And this our Declaration is ordered to be published in all Parish-Churches in this County the next Lords Day after the receipt hereof, by the Ministers and Churchwardens of each Parish, at their Perils, as also in the open Markets by the Head▪ Officers.  
Given at York the second day of Aug. 1648. Signed by the Authority, and in the name of the Committee for the Militia abovesaid. T. Darcy.  
FINIS.