to be
right and according to the truth: For the ill writing of it, I desire that
your Lordship would excuse me, for I had not time to write it over again;
yet I suppose it may be read, and your Lordship may cause it to be written
faire, if your Lordship thinke it worth so much. For that which your
Lordship writeth concerning my brother _John_, is a most false and
malicious slander which that fellow hath raised upon him, that he should
be the first man that fled on the left wing, when as none of your
Lordship's sonnes were in the left wing, and my brother _John_ was not at
all in the field while the fight was; for by occasion that I intreated him
on Saturday morning, when we marched towards _Keynton_ (little dreaming of
a Battell the next day) to go to _Evesham_ (which was but three miles from
the quarter where our Troops lay, before they marched with the Army to
_Keynton_) for to take some Arms that were come thither the night before,
for such of our men as wanted Arms, and so to come after to the Rendevous
at _Keynton_. He could not come thither on Saturday with those men of both
Troops which went backe with him to _Evesham_ for their Arms, but the next
day he came thither between three or foure of the clock; at which time our
left wing being defeated, many of the Runaways met with him as he was
coming to the Army; and happily among the rest, this fellow that raised
this report; for that _Vivers_ which your Lordship mentioneth, was not
Captain _Vivers_ (for he was in _Banbury_) but a brother of his that was
in one of Colonell _Goodwin's_ Troops, and as I heard my brother say, he
saw him there; and I heard my Lord Generall say, that _Vivers_ was one of
the first that ran away: Now it seemes that those men that ran away so
timely, seeing my brother before them, reported as if he had fled from the
Army, which is so contrary to the truth, that he tooke a great deale of
pains to make his own men and Captain Vivers' men which were with him to
stand, and to stop the Runaways that came from the Army, and this he did,
and made two or three stands, and at length gathered a pretty body upon a
hill together, and with them (there being Captain Keightlye's, and Captain
Cromwell's Troope, at length came to them also) he marched towards the
Town; and hearing the enemy was there (as indeed they were with the
greatest part of their horse they made a stand, and sending forth their
Scouts to give them intelligence where the enemy and where o