A True and Exact RELATION OF The great Victories obtained. by the Earl of Manchester, and the Lord Fairfax; AGAINST The Earl of Newcastles Army in the North.  
As it appears by a Letter of Sir William Widdrington, sent to the Earl of Newcastle; which Letter was Intercepted by the Parliaments Army, and sent to the House of Commons.  
Together with two Letters concerning the said VICTORIES: The one from the Right Honourable, the Lo: Fairfax; The other from Sir John Meldrum, to the Honourable, Sir William Lenthall Esquire, Speaker of the House of Commons.  

ORdered by the Commons in Parliament, That this Relation and Letters forthwith printed and published:  
H: Elsing, Cler. Parl. D. Com.   
Printed for Edward Husbands, October 19 1643.   

To his Excellency, The Lord marquis of Newcastle, most humbly present these:  
May it please your Excellency;  
I Thought fit to give your Lordship an account of our business yesterday, how bad soever, as speedily as I could; We had but three divisions charged, two divisions being of Sir William savil, the third of my Lords, Ethings, and sir John Henderson joined, being Eight Troops; the third division being of the left wing, put the Enemy to disorder, but savil Regiment totally running disordered, and so put to rout our whole Army, we have in a manner totally lost our Foot and Dragoons that were there, being near 800 horse, extremely dispersed, but no great number cut off; sir John Henderson intends to assign them quarters betwixt Gainsborough and Newark, some on Lincolnshire side, and some on Nottingham side, for the better calling of the Troops together; but of the strength of which, we cannot yet give your Lordship any certain account; but you shall not fail to hear daily of our strength; All Officers having order to return a daily account of their numbers; I have written to Hastings for his and the Belvoier Troops, which he hath now called to him, but with little expectation of any assistance from him; sir John Hinderson hath written to sir Edward Nicolas, and General Reven, and I have written to my Lord Jermine, to let them know, that without the King be pleased to send a considerable number of Horse in Huntingtonshire, to divert their staying in those parts, or otherwise to come in the Rear of them, in case they continue in these parts, that your Lordship will be very much straitened for the preservation of the county and Yorkshire, if your Lordship shall quit the siege at Hull upon this unfortunate action; I presume your Lordship will think if fit to fortify the Church, and some part of Beverley, that so a considerable Garrison may be left as near them as may be; Their Horse are very good, and extraordinarily armed, and may be reported to be betwixt fifty and sixty Troops, being very strong; I do not know the number of their Foot, but we believe them to be about Fifteen hundred, or betwixt that and Two thousand; Their Foot was not come up to their Horse, and the ground they had chosen would not admit of above three divisions of Horse to charge at once; they are for the present at liberty to dispose of their Forces what way they please, either to Hull or Derby; I can but submit it to your Lordship's consideration, and remain  
Pon Cotne, Octob. 12. 1643. Your Lordship's most humble servant, W: WITHRINTON.   

POSTSCRIPT.  
SInce I writ this, there are divers Foot and Dragoons come in, so that I hope the loss is not so great as I expected, and I hope not many of the Horse lost, though not many of them come together as yet; if you be straitened for Arms, sir john Fitzherbert hath six or seven hundred Muskets at Bozover castle.  
Sir Ingram Hopton certainly is slain, and Captain Abraham Marcham, and sir George Bowes, and Lieutenant Godfrey, Lieutenant Colonel Ares, Colonel Saint George, Captain Vernat, and divers other Captains and Officers either taken or slain.  
He that commanded that division that routed savil first division (being conceived to be Cromwell) is certainly slain, and one or two Officers more, Master Portington is shot through the Arm, and Master Wheeler through the thigh.   

For my Honourable friend William Lenthall Esq Speaker of the Commons House of Parliament.  
SIR,  
THough it were long ere we received any assistance at Hull, yet when any came, I hope it shall appear we neglected little time in making use of it, an Account whereof I now desire by your means to present unto the House. October 5, we had a a supply, from the Earl of Manchester 400. and from Sir William Constable (though himself be not yet here) about 250 men; the ninth of October the Enemy assaulted one of our works, but was repulsed with the loss of eleven or twelve men, and six or seven Officers, some taken by my men, some carried off by their own men, as some of theirs confess, and some few Prisoners taken. Yesterday being the eleventh of this instant, I drew my auxiliary Forces and my other men with some seamen into two Bodies, commanded in chief by sir john Meldrum, and made a sally upon the Enemy in his Trenches on the west side of the Town, two several ways at once, having placed three Troops of Horse, to keep off the Enemy's Horse (which were quickly drawn into a Body) from annoying my Foot: The service begun about Nine in the morning, it was not long ere my men had beaten them out of one of their works; and assaulted them in another; nor long after that, ere my men falling into some disorder, were forced to a retreat, and the Enemy got possession of their works again, which filled our men with much discouragement, and all of us with fear of the success of the day. But it pleased God, by the gallant courage and activity of sir john Meldrum, and the spirit, and valours of my Commanders and Officers, my men were quickly rallied, and in a short time recovered all their works on that side, and put the enemy to flight; there we purchased one of their foreign brazen staves, one of their great Demy Cannons, which now through God's mercy hath proved a staff of Reed to them, that piece we speedily made a shift to draw away out of danger of their recovery, till we had more leisure, towards night, what time we fetched her within the walls: We took besides, one demi culverin, one sacre, three drakes, and one case of small shortpeeces all brass, one carriage with great buller, and about an hundred Arms: After some two hours' intermission the enemy had drawn together a considerable Body of fresh reserves, both horse and foot, and with those assaulted our weary men, with great fury, but it pleased God, infinitely to manifest strength in weakness, to supply us with new spirits, and after a skirmish of some two hours hot service, to drive the enemy clear of the field, the last night they gave some of my outguards a strong alarm; but what we then imagined is come to pass, we find this morning they then drew off the rest of their Ordnance, from their other works, and have in some measure raised their siege, at least from so close a siege, though I hear and believe they intent to keep some works at a further distance, only some few are left as we conceive to face us a while in one week▪ while they get their carriages clear, and in all this service, we do not find that we lost above sixteen men: And thus through the goodness of God this snare is thus far broken, and we are thus far escaped, and we may truly say, it is the Lords doing, and marvalous in our eyes; and to him we desire the glory should be ascribed: We are confident the enemy will yet keep a Garrison at Beverly this winter, and so though we have obtained some elbow room for ourselves, and our Cattles; yet we expect affronts and what mischiefs they can do us at that distance, howsoever now that this Port for the benefit of the County and Kingdom is thus far secured, to the end we may not here sleep unprofitable, but take all opportunities to advance the public Cause, my desire is you would earnestly move the House, they would now if ever, contrive some way to supply us with moneys whereof we are exceeding short, for the payment of my willing Officers, and Soldiers, who would gladly, now they seem to fe●le the mercy coming be putting on to help it forwards, than which nothing is more desired, nor shallbe more earnestly endeavoured by  
Your affectionate friend and servant. FER. FAIRFAX. Kingston super Hull. Oct. 12. 1643.   

For my Honourable friend, William Lenthall Esq Speaker of the Commons House of Parliament.  
SIR,  
I Shall not weary you much with the Relation of some happy successes, God hath blesseed us withal since my arrival at Hull, knowing that many pens will be set a work, whereby neither the truth, in the narration, nor the favour and mercy of God, can be revealed Upon Monday being the ninth of this instant, the Reginalists about break of day, did with a great deal of courage, being commanded by Denton Stricland, and one Little a Countryman of mine, who commanded in chief, fell upon one of our outworks, called the Raged Jetty, a place of great importance for the safe riding of our shipping before the town: but by the resolution of two English Commanders, and a country man of mine, cousin german to sir William Cunningham, and the courage of the Cunners and soldiers, they were (upon view of a hundred musqueteres which followed me from the mount) beaten out of the work, driven to a most shameful retreat, leaving the bodies of their Commanders dead upon the place: many of their soldiers killed and wounded, Whereupon upon the 9 of October my Lord General did call a counsel of war, where it was resolved for us to issue forth, and to beat them forth of their next works approaching to ours: the order was to fall out in two distinct bodies of 500 Musqueteres apiece commanded (under my charge) by two Colonels Lambert and Rainsborow, who with Major Forbesse and Major Wren, carried themselves very bravely, marching along the enemy's line of approach, on every side, the enemy abandoning one work after another, until we made ourselves Masters of their Ordinance. But as the sun (in the greatest brightness) is subject to Eclipse, so it fell out that the forwardness, and violence of our soldiers, was abated by a hundred pikes of the enemy, who charging the Van of our soot, scattered and in disorder did drive us backward again, regained their Ordnance, and enforced us all to a shameful retreat, the Commanders and myself not being able to stop any one man (if the kingdom had been at the stake) In this retreat Colonel Rainseborough is either taken prisoner, or killed dead and fallen into some ditch, but cannot be found, his man's dead body is found: upon my Lord General's order to shut the gates, and the sense of their own carriage, a body of foot was again drawn up which falling again, with as much animosity and heat as formerly they had retired; did drive them again out of their works, recovered all the Ordnance lost, and gained a Half cannon and a Demy culverin of brass, which we had not possessed in the first charge; upon this change of the Scene of affairs, the Lord Marques, Lieutenant General King brought down the whole army from the head quarter, wherewith the 2 last pieces turned upon the body of their army, they were all forced to a wretched retreat, and to stand at a distance, until we slighted their whole line of approach, we brought off nine pieces of Ordinance, one demi cannon called one of the Queen's Gods, a demi Culverin of brass, two Sacars, and four or five drakes safely within our quarters. After they perceived that they had lost the two brass pieces (which they did imagine we were not able to draw off) their whole body of foot with forty Colours, draws themselves within Pistol shot to the Raged Jetty (where there great was) being resolved to fall upon it that night, but by the Order, the Order they perceived was taken to keep two hundred Musqueteres without the jetty, which could not have been done, if they had had Ordinance, and putting so many resolved men within the jetty, they took themselves to their heels about midnight and retired to their Head quarter, my Lord Newcastle and Lieutenant General King were beholders of the second part of this act, and as is reported, King is wounded in two several places, our Ordinance hath done them a great deal of mischief: and if we had had a fresh body of foot, they had been put to a great strait. In their retiring their other God stuck in the dirt, until all the Country people were called to draw her off. Amongst the captain (who deserved all well) Micklewhaite, Persons, Bethel, and Hardstaffe: For the Horse, Captain Clayton, the bearer hereof, having a general love of all the Soldiers, did very good service, Capt. Salmond, Capt. Sibbalds', and Capt. Crooker for the foot, did carry themselves very valiantly. I had a blow on the side by a slug of cutted Iron shot from the great Piece, but thanks be to God, am not the worse, I believe her Sacred Majesty if she had known where the shot should have lighted, would have checked the Gunne● for not charging f●ll home: Whilst we were in service in Yorkshire we heard the noise of the encounter in Lincolnshire, whereunto God hath pleased to give a happy issue, whereby you may perceive that God is upon the stage, and that Dagon 〈◊〉 down. Since the beginning of my letter we understand that Colonel Raineseborough is safe: I desire that you will continue your accustomed favour towards  
your affectionate friend and servant: IO. MEIDRUM. From Hull Oct. 14. 1643.  
FINIS.