Another happy victorie obtained by His Excellencie the Earle of Essex, Decemb. 21 with 7000 men consisting of five regiments of foot commanded by these worthies, viz. the Lord Rochford, the Lord Roberts, Sir Iohn Meldrum, Sir William Constable : together with 17 troopes of horse commanded by the Lord Fielding, Sr. Philip Stapleton and Sir William Balfore : against 9000 of the Kings army, who were comming from Oxford towards Wellingford and Reading to relieve the rest of their forces that lay thereabouts : declaring also how His Excellencie obtained the victory in slaying and taking prisoners two of His Maiesties foot regiments and putting to flight the greatest part of the horse, taking from them 5 piece of ordnance and store of ammunition.

Another VICTORIE OBTAINED By that vjctorious Generall, Robert Earle of Essex, against the whole body of His Majesties Army, December 21. between Oxford and Windsor.

SIR,

ON the 21. of this month, his Excellency being advan∣ced from Windsor, toward Oxford, he met with a great and strong party of the Kings Army, who out of my duty to∣wards you, I thought necessary to relate unto you the exact Relation of a great and blessed Victory, which God hath gi∣ven

us upon the Army of the Cavaleeres, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 those evill persons, who upon wednesday the one and twentie of this instant, ingaged His Majesty in another dangerous and bloudie Fight against His faithfull Subjects, in the Armie raised by Auchoritie of Parliament, for the preservation of his Crown and Kingdome; wee marched from Windsore on Tuesday the twentieth, upon intelligence that their Army was moved from Oxford, and bending toward us our Traine of Artillery was so unready, through want of Draught Horses, that wee were forced to leave it behinde to follow to fol∣low us, and with it the Regiments of Colonell Hampden, and Colonell Grantham; and stay∣ing for it, wee could advance no further then to a little Market-towne called Bradshaw neere Oxfordshire, where wee came with eleven Regiments of Foot, two and fortie Troops of Horse, and about seven hundred Dragoones, in all about ten thousand men, there wee intended to rest for some certaine time, and the rather, that our Artillery, and the Forces left with it might come up to us. In the morning 〈◊〉〈◊〉 we were going forward, we had newes 〈◊〉〈◊〉 brought us, that the Enemie was two miles from us, upon a great Hill: Whereupon wee presently marched forth into a great Field un∣der that Hill, and made a stand some halfe a mile from the Foot of the Hill: Their Forces appeared to be much greater then wee could

possibly have conceived them to be; by the con∣fession of the prisoners we have taken, they that say least, say Five thousand. In this posture we stood, when the other Armie advanced to∣wards us, the strength of their Horse were on their right wing opposite to our left, In their left wing they had but ten Troopes, but their Foot which appeared to us, divided into five great bodies came up all in Front, and after some playing with the Canon on both sides, that part of it which was on their left, and toward our right Wing, came on very gallantly to the charge, and were as gallantly received, and charged by Sir Philip Stapletons and Sir William Balfores Regiments of Horse, assisted with the Lord Roberts and Sir Will. Con∣stables Regiments of Foot, in such a manner, that they forced all the Musketeers of two of their best Regiments to run in and shrowd themselves within their Pikes, not daring to shoot a shoote, and so stood: When our reare came up, and then charging all together, espe∣pecially that aart of our Reare which was pla∣ced upon the right hand, and so next unto them, which was tho Lord Generalls Regiment, and the Lord Brooks, led on by Colonall Bal∣lard, who commaaded that Brigado, forced that stand of Pikes, and wholly broke those two Regiments, and slew and tooke almost e∣very man of them.

The other Regiment of our Rear, com∣manded by Col. Ballard, charged those which were before them, and then the whole body of the Kings foot, except 2. other Regiments, ran away.

By this time it grew so late and dark, where we made good the field, and gave them leave to retire.

But before we come to this, we will give you an account of what passed in the other parts of our army, before our Rear came up to charge. Our battell at the first wholly disbanded and ran away, wihtout ever striking stroke, or so much as being charged by the enemy, though Col. Mel∣drum himself, and others that commanded those Regiments, did as much as men could do to stay them.

Now for our Kear thus it was, before it towards the out side of it stood the left wing of horse, advanced a little forward where they stood in a battalio lined with commanded Musquetiers; but upon the first charge of the enemy they wheeled about, fighting pell mell, just upon Col.

Hollis his Regiment and brake through it.

In this fight Sir Wil. Balfour behaved himself with most noble and discreet co∣rage, who in the beginning of the Day broke a Regiment of foot which had green Colours, beat them to their Canon where they threw down their Arms and ran away.

Then he pursued the Cavaleirs halfe a mile upon exceution, and afterwards re∣turned to the Red Kegiment, where Sir Philip Stapleton was charging of them, and at last charged them up to push of pike with his single Troop; and they then, with the help of some of the Foote of our rear utterly broke it, as you had it before.

Here is one remarkable and observable Passage, concerning that heroick spirit Sir Phillp Stapleton, who when five Troops of the Enemies horse returned from pur∣suit of our left Wing, and passed by the outside of our Rear upon the left hand, went and charged them with his Troope

and made them run: but they finding a by place, got away, and returned to the rest of their broken Troopes. If wee had time wee could relate unto you many more remarkable passages.

The Kings foot are either slain, or most of them runne away, and are now very weak, and should have bin pursued by us, but that we must of necessity refresh Our men for 3. or 4. dayes, and then wee shall God willing, addresse our selves to finish the work, And so we rest,

Your faithfull Servant, William Balfore.