SEVERAL LETTERS Of great Consequence INTERCEPTED BY Colonel Milton, near Ruthyn IN WALES, Concerning Irish Forces to be brought into England, and other matters of great consequence. Together with a LETTER sent out of Ireland, to Mr. Pierrepont a Member of the House of Commons, concerning the Passage, Imprisonment, and Enlargement of the Earl of Glamorgan: All which were Read in the House of COMMONS. ORdered by the Commons assembled in Parliament, That these Letters be forthwith Printed and Published. H. Elsing, Cler. Parl. D. Com. London, Printed for Edw. Husband, Printer to the Honourable House of Commons, and are to be sold at his Shop at the sign of the Golden Dragon in Fleetstreet, near the Inner-Temple. Feb. 17. 1645. To the Honourable William Lenthal Esq Speaker in the House of Commons. SIR, I Acknowledge with all humble thankfulness, the favour of the Honourable House of Commons, in trusting me with your Service in these parts, and hold it my duty, not only to perform that trust to the uttermost of my power in action, but also upon all occasions to represent unto you the state of the Affairs here; in pursuance whereof, I have now dispatched Mr. Fogg my Chaplain with some Letters which I met withal here, who also can acquaint you with the cause and particular occurrents since my coming hither, and will readily return unto me what further Commands you shall please to lay upon me. The main end of my coming hither was, to find out the Lord St. Paul's Forces, and to prevent his conjunction with the Lord Ashley; but perceiving him to decline me, and to retreat to Fanrust, being a Pass into Carnarvonshire, where I am credibly informed he is now with his Forces: I have chosen rather to stay here, then to advance any further toward him, he being Master of that Pass, and so may secure himself: If I should march up to him, my being here I hope will keep him from either joining with Ashley, or any way annoy the Leaguer before Chester; and withal, I am certainly informed that this Castle is in a low condition, wanting both Ammunition and Fuel. The Governor before my coming hither, being gone to Conway for a supply of Powder, hoping that in case I be not called away upon other occasions toward Chester, unto which all my designs shallbe subservient. I hope by God's blessing not to make any long work of it. Ruthin, 2●. of Jan. 1645. Your humble servant Tho. Mitton. For His Highness the Duke of York. May it please your Highness, HAving received intelligence of your being at Worcester, and a dispatch now going to His Majesty, I hold it my duty to acquaint Your Highness with a report brought hither, or perhaps framed here, That your intention is to come into this Kingdom, a thing so unprobable, that I can give no credit unto it; yet I hold it my duty as well to His Majesty as Your Highness, to inform you, That as yet there is no Peace concluded here, and that through an accident lately fallen out (wherein the Earl of Glamorgan hath a part) His Majesty's Affairs here, and all His Servants, are not only upon very great uncertainty, but in apparent and continual danger of surprise and distress, as well by the Irish as by the Covenanters in the North, and other parts of this Kingdom, all which is now advertised to His Majesty, and therefore if any such intention of Your Highness coming into this Kingdom should be (which I take to be impossible) I humbly offer, whether Your Highness may not hold it fit to expect His Majesties further pleasure, which He may declare upon the knowledge He will receive of the state of Things here, by the dispatch that goes herewith before any such dangerous adventure of Your Highness' Person, as You must in such case undergo in Your coming, and during Your Highness' abode here. I humbly beseech Your Highness to pardon the impertinence of this first address to Your Highness from His Majesty's Castle of Dublin, the 19 of Jan. 1645. Your Highness' most faithful and most humble Servant ●rmond. To his much honoured and worthy friend Sir John Wat's Knight, Governor of Cher● Castle. Noble Governor, I Thank you for this, and all other courtesies; be pleased to read, and then to Seal this enclosed, and you shall thereby understand, all I am able to say of this great business, which God Almighty prosper. Col. Butler, who will be with you at or before this Letter, will import all the News of Ireland: He is a servant in ordinary of the Queens. And so beseeching God to bless you, I remain, Noble Governor, Conway, 25. of jan. 1645. Your affectionate friend and servant, Io. Eborac. To the Right Worshipful, his worthy Friend, Master Doctor Lloyd Warden of Ruthin. MAster Doctor, I thank you for your Letter, and will satisfy the Bearer: And I beseech you to return these Letter, to the Noble Governor, The Duke of York, to be sent him, as soon as may well be; for in Ireland they will not be gainsaid, but that he is at Ludlow. The Boat stayeth, I thank you good Doctor, and am Conway, 25. of jan. 1645. Your affectionate friend, joh. Eborac. To the Right Honourable the Lord Ashley. Most noble Lord, YOur Lordship's Letter of the 12. of January, I received late at night, the 24 of the same month. I have communicated to the Lord Byron, the Lord marquis of Ormond his Letter of the 12. of Decemb. and by this time (not sooner) the Lord Byron's Answer is at Dublin, which I sent by his Lordship's Chaplain. It employed some fears of holding out Chester, thus long: Col. Butler tells me even now, that the men and shipping are still ready in Ireland, though retarded hitherto by reason of this distraction; which since Tuesday last, is so composed, that the Earl of Glamorgan is out upon Bail of six or eight Noble men, whereof the Lord marquis of Clenrickard is one. From the Lord Lieutenant I have received no Answer in writing as yet (though my Letters to his Excellency were many since the first of January) nor from the Lord Digby any more to the purpose, than this enclosed. There is, Noble Lord, no relying upon these Irish Forces for this Service, though if they come, they shall be carefully transposed to such a Rendezvouz, as I shall hear is most fitting for the passage of your Lordship's Army: And for that end, your Lordship shall surely be punctually informed of their landing, and condition. In the mean time, it is fit your Lordship should understand, that under Colonel Gilbert Byron, the Lord of St. Paul is in these parts in the head of 600 (as he saith) but I believe of 500 Horse and Foot, good men and well Armed, to be directed and employed by your Lordship. Next that, that Lieut. Col. Roger Morton is landed with a piece of a Regiment (some 160 as Col. Butler tells me) of the Lord Digbies raised in Ireland of English, and some Lorainnese, and he will be able to make it up 200 upon his own credit (a Commissioner of Array and Peace in this County) and will be, after a day or two his refreshment, at your Lordship's dispose. I conceive your Lordship will receive better Information than I can give you, of the Forces that our Garrisons are able to afford, from the worthy Governor of Cherb. But I have it from good and knowing hands, that the Armed and Fight men in Chester are above 4000, whereof many may issue forth. I pray God hearty (as I have cause) to bless and prosper your Lordship's honourable design: and desire your Lordship to esteem of me, as of one, who hath long loved your Lordship, and may truly write myself, Conway, this 25. of january, 1645. Your Lordship's most affectionate and humble servant, joh. Eborac. I have imported your Lordship's Letter, and Sir John Wats to Col. Gilbert Byron, to be sent to Chester. May it please your Grace, I Give you very many humble thanks for your obliging Letter by Master Moor: I have likewise sent yours to the marquis of Ormond; and I am glad to find there, that you do not take the Alarm at my Lord of Glamorgans' commitment so hot, as upon it to despair of the relief of Chester; which, though it hath been somewhat retarded by it, yet I make little question now, but it will go on speedily and effectually: And of this I desire you to certify my L. Byron, Dublin, the 21. of jan. 1645. Your Grace's most affectionate humble servant, George Digby. For the Honourable William Pierpoint Esquire. Honourable Sir, I Send you herewith another copy of the Articles taken in the Bishop of Tuam's Pocket, because we find that many of our Letters do miscarry; and we are not in case to send expresses till the Ship with the Money come to us: Her stay is a very great prejudice to the Service; for if she had been here, we had prevailed with the British to send a 1000 men into Connaught, and you will perceive by the enclosed from the Precedent there, what he would expect to do if he had them. We thought it was of concernment, to let the good party at Dublin see how they were bought and sold; and therefore sent some Copies of the enclosed Articles to them, who made such an uproar: That the Lord Digby disclaimed the thing, and said, The King would not yield to them to save his Crown, and his life; and that if any such thing were gotten, it was procured surrepticiously; and therefore accused the Earl of Glamorgan of Treason, and accordingly he was committed the 26 of the last to the Castle of Dublin. This in all appearance was done to pacify the people; for a friend writes that he might have been released of his close imprisonment within two days after, if he would have acknowledged that he proceeded in it without Warrant, but he justifies the Act, and so remains a prisoner. I have written to you several times, that the Derry cannot be secured till there be some power to displace Malignant Captains of that Regiment; and if the Scotch Commissioners should now come, the Ordinance is expired the third of this Month. I hope you are providing of a Deputy, who may easily cure all the distempers of this Army. I wrote to you formetly, that I was going into Connaught, and had been gone before this, but the Frost and Snow was so great, that I could not well travel. This day, God pleased, I begin my journey, and do hope, God assisting, to make it useful to the public. I believe a long Letter will be troublesome to you, and therefore I will not detain you longer from reading the Precedent of Connaughts, which hath in it very good news: And so conclude myself to be Bilfast, ●. jan. 1645, Your humblest servant Robert King We shall endeavour to get 1000 to go in to Connaught, though the Money be not come. Prodromus Papae. This was sent in the Packet with the precedent Letter. THe Style, Audience and Substance of the Oration of the Pope's Nuncio at Kilkenny Dominus johannes Baptista Renuccius. Dominus Archicopiscopus & princeps Farmanuz, apud Confederatos Hiberniae Catholicos Extraordinarius Apostolicus Nuncius, Had Audience at the Castle of Kilkenny the 19 of November, 1645. where he shown his Commission, and declared the Reasons of his coming, which was only to establish according to his power, 1. The Roman Catholic Religion. 2. To preserve their Liberties. 3 And lastly, to serve their Prince and Sovereign. Which he did express with a great deal of sense and feeling in these words, viz. Et serenissimo vestro principi meipsum devoveo. Clapping his hand upon his Breast, But yet, that for their Religion they should fight & maintain it against all the world. He said High Mass in the Church of Kilkenny upon Saint Andrews day. FINIS.