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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A61191	Anglia rediviva Englands recovery being the history of the motions, actions, and successes of the army under the immediate conduct of His Excellency Sr. Thomas Fairfax, Kt., Captain-General of all the Parliaments forces in England / compiled for the publique good by Ioshua Sprigge ...	Sprigg, Joshua, 1618-1684.; Fiennes, Nathaniel, 1607 or 8-1669.	1647 (1647)	Wing S5070; ESTC R18123	234,796	358

And have been drinking thereof these three years and more I pray God it hath passed from you Only at present God hath taken it out of your hands though we see not yet he hath made your Enemies drink the dregs of it I cannot but hope and expect That as those Feet have been beautiful that brought you the Retail-tidings of your expiring Warfare so that Hand that shall transmit the Series of them to your view shall not want his due proportion of benevolous acceptance You may not expect here an History beginning with our late unhappy Wars but that which is better it ends with them For better is the latter end of a thing sayes Solomon then the beginning And therefore this Peece though last acted yet being first intended in Providence may well be first committed to History as containing that Point whereinto as into its Center all the former Actions did thrust If any have a story of them to bring forth this doth not at all prevent but prepare for it It is pleasant discoursing of the Wracks of Warre in the Harbour of Peace As once Aeneas to his Men Vos Scyllaeam rabiem penitusque sonanteis Accestis scopulos Vos Cyclopea saxa Experti revocate animos moestumque timorem Mittite forsan haec olim meminisse juvabit Per varios casus per tot discrimina rerum Tendimus in Latium sedes ubi Fata quietas Ostendunt illic fas regna resurgere Trojae Durate rebus vosmet servate secundis Into this Harbour hath GOD now brought our English Bark Of this Peace and the immediate Action that wrought it out doth this History give you a prospect wherein I hope GOD is drawn through all and Providence in the fairest colour and the greatest letter in the Book The Olive branch I bring might discharge me from owing any Excuse yet there are two things whatever more may be for which I shall tender a short Apologie viz. That this Olive branch is no fairer That it is no fresher For the first I may say of the Actions of this Army in a good proportion of truth what was said in another case If they had been all largely expressed such a Volume could not have contained them For as in populous Cities especially if of great wealth and trading Houses are thwackt together without those liberties of Gardens and Orchards which Country villages are accommodated with Even so in the Story of this ARMY into which so many great and glorious actions and births of Providence have throng'd to make it rich and glorious by the mutuall projections of their Lights you cannot expect to have such Elbow-room of Expression and Accommodation of Words as in more single stories Or as lesser Lights shining in an Orbe by themselves seem fair and specious and of greater magnitude then bigger starres in Constellations Even so How many of these Actions were each of them improved and extended by the Art of Speech spread in their just breadth the Folds of their particular Circumstances opened would make so many competent Stories by themselves For the latter Should this Story have been adorned with such Artificial stuffe of feigned speeches Prosopepeia's and Epistrophe's c. it might find better accesse to some eares But whether it be not the glory of the Story Not to need the Trappings of Words I make no question at all Truth is that which is the commendation of History and the greatnesse of an action which makes it great in Wisemens eyes is native not adventitious I should count my self unhappy to detain the Reader in the Artifice of the Style from the Greatnesse of the Matter Lofty language is but to Mount Pigmee actions and to please a lower Sense I dare not be too sollicitous of arraying the works of GOD le●t while I seek to honour them with a gorgeous Habit I hide the true Glory and Majesty of them Besides that the humbler the Phrase is the more sutable to the Persons by whom these things were done and the manner of doing For not by Might nor by Power c. And I write them not for men to pick Phrases out of but to gather matter of Praises to GOD And if this be the fruit I have my end in relation thereto and furtherance thereof I shall adde but two or three words more And the first is concerning the Action the second concerning the Instruments and lastly concerning the Authour GOD. 1. For the Action You that have travelled in all Stories both ancient and modern whose Mindes are so greatned as that you will look upon no small things Tell me I will be bold to put the question and venture the shame of the worst answer that truth and ingenuity can make Did you ever read such a Story as this I relate to the matter of it Did you ever read setting Israels warres in Canaan aside of so many Actions so considerable done in so short a time Such Vnanimity in Councels such Concord in Leaders such Successe upon Endeavours such Feare upon Enemies It was the admiration of a * The Prince of Orange Great man and Souldier in Foraign parts upon the former Services What two Battels in a Summer I know not what he may say of these perhaps nothing Admirationes leves loquuntur ingentes stupent But as the height of Mercy cannot well be taken but from the depth of the precedent Misery so neither can the transcendencie of this Army's Merit be estimated but by the greatnesse and compasse of their Work You shall find therefore in a Table prefixed to the Story the state of the Kingdom set in your view as it stood when this New-Model was raised and sent forth For as it usually fals out that sicknesses and distempers in mens bodies appearing in the greatest height and threatning is the very Crisis and forerunner of Recovery so fared it in this matter The Enemy never had a fairer day for his purpose and on the other hand the Parliaments affairs was never since these Warres more low and declining As by referring to the ensuing Table may appear 2. Concerning the Instruments The goodnesse of GOD hath appeared to us in furnishing us with such Instruments out of our selves in a Paralel way to that Successe he hath given out by them in making the ENGLISH Root again to bud with Honour after the disadvantage of a long-continued Peace for 80. yeares wherein Rest had been conveyed in our Blood from Father to Sonne And now to make the Gallantry Valour and Prowesse of our Forefathers to rise up in their Children in such a Cause and not only to bud but to bear ripe Almonds is that which abstracting from the ●eat of the Wars within our own bowels would have made a delectable story although it had been without successe 3. But we would least of all be thought by this Historie of things done to fixe unconquerablenesse and unvariable successe upon this Army That were to dare Providence to undo us We

of our Spyes came thither out of Torrington that morning assuring his Excellency that the Enemies whole Army was in and about Torrington not expecting our being so neer The Army was drawn to the Randezvouz with intention to martch to Torrington but the weather proving so bad the bridges being broken down by the enemy and besides the day being far spent put the General upon resolution to order his owne Regiment of Foot and a party of two hundred Horse under the command of Captaine Berry to advance three or four mile in the way to Torrington to amuze the Enemy and himselfe with the rest of the Army to return to Chimleigh A party of Colonel Butler's men that were upon the Guard tooke fourteene men and seven and twenty Horse part of the Enemies Guard and brought them to Chimleigh being most of them of Goring's Life-guard who being brought before the General confest they heard of our advance Cattaine Berry who was sent as before toward the Enemy returned with his party of two hundred Horse informing the General that they had met with a party of the Enemy about the same number that the Enemy charged him but he had by the assistance of God routed them and sore wounded Lieutenant colonel Dundasse who led on the party and brought him and others away prisoners but Dundasse was so sore wounded that he was forced to be left at a country Village upon his Parolle to render himselfe a prisoner if he recovered which accordingly he very punctually performed and the General in commiseraton of his condition being disabled for service by reason of his Wounds upon his tender to engage himselfe never to beare Armes against the Parliament granted him his liberty section 4 * It should be remembred here that upon the Armies advance to Torrington Colonel Cooke who alwayes readily received and punctually observed his Orders was sent with Major-General Massie's Horse to lye before Barnstable and upon that part of Devonshire to be in a posture to interrupt the Enemies Horse in case upon the Armies advance into Cornwal they should attempt to break through Monday February 16. The Drummes Beat by four of the clocke in the Morning The generall Randezvouz of the Army was appointed to bee at Rings-Ash about three Miles from Chimleigh where accordingly by seven of the clocke in the Morning the whole Army was drawne up in Battalia Horse and Foot on the Moore five miles short of Torrington and so martched in order ready for a present engagement in case the Enemy should attempt any thing in our martch through the narrow Lanes the Forelorn-Hope of horse commanded by Major Stephens and Captaine Moleneux being advanced towards Stephenston Master Rolls his house neer Torrington his Excellency understood that the Enemy had two hundred Dragoons in the House whereupon a commanded Party of Horse and Foot were sent to fall on them but upon the advance of our Forces towards them the Enemy quit the place yet our Horse martching fast engaged their Reare took severall of their Dragoons prisoners and afterwards the Forelorn-Hope of Horse on both sides were much engaged in the narrow and dirty Lanes at last we beat them from Master Rolls his house all along the Lane almost to Torrington The Army engaged with the Enemy neere Torrington About five of the clock in the Evening the Van of the Army was drawn up in the Park the Forelorn-Hope of Foot was drawne out neer the Forelorn-Hope of Horse in the mid-way between Master Rolls house and Torrington and there lined the Hedges to make good the retreat of the Horse the Enemy likewise drew out of the Towne four or five Closes off and lined the Hedges with Musquetteers within a Close of ours and flankt their Foot with Horse whereupon good reserves were sent to second our Forelorn-Hope of Foot least the enemy knowing the ground and we being strangers unto it might suddenly encompasse us it being by this time dark night and the whole Army being then come up having martched ten miles that day about eight at night the Enemy drew off from some of the Closes they formerly possest whereupon we gained the ground they quitted a Counsel of war being called whether it was advisable it might engage the Enemies Body then in the town who were ready with the best advātages of ground Barricado's to receive us it was the general sense of the Counsell to make good our ground and double our Guards till the next morning that we might the better take view of the places where we were like to engage whereupon the General and Lieutenant-General went from Master Rolls his house to see the Guards accordingly set but hearing a noyse in the Towne as if the Enemy were retreating and being loath they should goe away without an affront to that purpose and that we might get certaine knowledge whether they were going off or not a small Party of Dragoons were sent to fire on the Enemy neer the Barricadoes and Hedges the Enemy answered us with a round Volley of shot thereupon the Forlorn-Hope of Foot went and engaged themselves to bring off the Dragoons and the reserve fell on to bring off the Forlorn-Hope And being thus far engaged the General being on the Field and seeing the generall resolution of the Souldiery held fit that the whole Regiments in order after them should fall on and so both sides were accordingly engaged in the dark for some two hours till we beat them from the Hedges within their Barricadoes which were very strong and where some of their men disputed the entrance of our Forces with push of Pike and butt end of Musket for a long time at last it pleased God to give us the Victory our Foot first entring the Towne and afterwards the Horse who chased the Enemy through the Towne the Lord Hopton bringing up the Reare had his Horse shot dead under him in the middle of the Town Their Horse once facing about in the street caused our Foot to retreat but more of our Horse comming up pursued them to the Bridges and through the other Barracadoes at the further end of the Towne where we had no sooner placed Guards at the severall Avenues and had drawne our whole Army of Foot and most of our Horse into the Towne but the Magazine of neer eighty barrels of Powder which the Lord Hopton had in the Church was fired by a desperate villaine one Watts whom the Enemy had hired with thirty pounds for that purpose as he himselfe confessed the next day when he was pul'd out from under the rubbish and timber and the Lead Stones Timber and Iron-work of the Church were blowne up into the Ayre and scattered all over the Towne and Fields about it where our Forces were yet it pleased God miraculously to preserve the Army that few were slaine besides the Enemies that were prisoners in the Church where the Magazine was blowne up and most of our men that