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upon the towne, but his ayme was at Gloucester, and had so ordered the business 

 that Gloucester men had notice of his intent ; and that with the help of his flat- 

 bottomed barges, which he carrieth along with him in the nature of waggons, and 

 are very useful both by land and water, he would transport his forces along the 

 River of Severne past Gloucester, and fall upon the reare of Lord Herbert's 

 Welch forces when they should the least dread him, and withall gave the 

 Gloucester forces notice when they should fall upon the front of the Welch Army, 

 as he would upon the reare, which designe was no better plotted than it tooke 

 effect ; for when the Lord Herbert was in skirmish with the Gloucester forces, 

 upon their comming out to him with full thought to cut them all off, being so few 

 in comparison of his, Sir William Waller brought his forces neare the Forest of 

 Deane, and fell upon the reare of them with such fury that the Welchmen soon 

 showed their Welch valour, and would gladly have tooke flight if they had known 

 which ways to escape them. Sir William making such havocke amongst them 

 that there was slaine, as is conceived, at least 500 in the place, neare 1000 taken 

 prisoners, with all their arms and Ammunition, and the rest of the forces wholly 

 routed, the Lord Herbert, as was at first supposed to be slaine, for that he could 

 not be found ; but it is since informed he got away and fled to Oxford, leaving all 

 his Welchmen behind him which made them swear by Saint Taffie, they'll never 

 fight for him againe, unless he passe it under his hand and seale he will stand it 

 out." 



These two extracts are from the "Parliamentary Organ." That which 

 follows is from the " Mercurius Aulicus," which was the organ of the King's party. 

 The loss is here fully admitted, although it is accounted for by an allegation of 

 treachery against Sir William Waller. 



"This day was taken up in scouring and examining the reports which came 

 from Gloucester, touching a blow said to be given by Waller to the Lord Herbert's 

 forces neare that city, which being first noised to be a total overthrow of that 

 little army, and after confidently affirmed to be nothing, but rather that they had 

 the better and repulst the enemy, ended at last in this relation : that the Lord 

 Herbert had entrenched his forces at a place called Hineham, on the further side 

 of Gloucester, beyond the Seveme expecting forces to come down from the hither 

 side and so block it up. That Waller, i)erceiving the co-operation of the King's 

 other forces with those at HLneham would be a great danger to the Towne passed 

 over the Severne secretly, at a place called Newnham, about Friday, and fell upon 

 the back of the Lord Herbert's quarters, who then was at the Court, but met 

 with such resistance that there he lost 400 of his men, and so gave over for that 

 time. Finding the next day that the King's forces were willing to admit of 

 parley, he hearkened to it, and entertained a treaty with them, having lost so 

 many of his men in the former onfalls. But while they were upon debate of the 

 conditions and almost come to a conclusion, some of the men perceiving one of the 

 outworkes to be but meanly manned (most of his Soldiers being withdrawn in con- 

 fidence of some faire end by the present parley), gave in upon the same and wone 

 it, and from then set upon the rest : that the horse both troopers and dragoons, 

 seeing how little hope there was of safety if they should abide it, went fairly off 



