114 THREE LETTERS ON January Carte MSS. in the Bodleian Library. An earlier letter of Pett's, dated 26 June, has already been printed for the Historical Manuscripts Commission in the Ormonde MSS., new series, vii. 343-4. G. Davies. Carte MS. 72, fo. 609. Froom 1 July '85. 12 at noon. Sir, My Lord Ossory thanks you for your letter of 29 June, and is very glad to hear my Lord Duke is well. He presents his most humble duty to his grace and has given me command to be sure to send such accompts of what passes with us as his grace has been pleased to require. Since mine of Sunday nothing remarkable has happened. We marched on Monday to Westbury, where yesterday morning came to us five com- panies of my Lord Dumbarton's regiment,^ with 16 cannon and a good train of artillery and baggage. Yesterday two Dorsetshire regiments, who have been with us from the first, were dismissed and sent to their own county with thanks for their good service. They seemed unwilling to leave us, and promised to be ready whenever the King should think fit to command them again. We marched hither yesterday, and it is believed we shall remove in the afternoon towards Wells, whither the enemy got last night. We had some baggage with money and some arms of Colonel Kirke's there, but I hope the guard of dragoons, which was left with it, have taken care the rebels be not the better for it.* We are informed they have plundered the town but my lord Grey has saved the altar and organs.' We are assured by people who have been in PhiUips Norton,* where we had the skirmish on Saturday, that their loss was more than ours. They left 20 more wounded in one house beside what they brought away, among which some of our men whom we found at this place, who also inform us that Captain Matthews ^ is not killed, but three other officers. Mr. May, whom we thought killed, is a prisoner. With my most humble duty to my Lord Duke I remain, Sir, your humble servant, Phineas Pett. ' The first of the line, known as the Royal Scots. George, earl of Dumbarton, was at this time in Scotland.
- This baggage was captured : see Lord Wolseley, John Churchill, Duke of Marl-
borough, I 305. » This is confirmed by Macaulay, History of Englavd, ed. C. H. Firth, ii 590 ; Plumptre, Thomas Ken, L 214-5.
- The advanced guard of the royal army under Grafton wm repulsed at Philip
Norton on 27 June : Macaulay, op. oil. u. 689 ; Wolseley, op. cit. L 300-1.
- William Matthews, Captain of the Grenadiers in the Queen Dowager's Regiment
of Foot : Dalton, English Army Lists, 1685-8, 25. He was granted £200 for his services : Akerman, Secret Services of Charles II and James II, p. 112. He must be ilistinguished from the rebel colonel, Edward Matthews, on whom see Mr. Doble's notes in the Collectanea of the Oxford Hist. Soc. iii (1896), pp. 267-8, 278. 1
