to do often with the Common Enemy but never before engaged against our Friends the very thoughts of which is a wound deeper in our Spirits than the sword can make in our Bowels Above all things therefore it is our earnest Prayer and shall be our endeavour to Reconcile the differences in that which to our Consciences seemes the most equitable and just Medium for us â—o agree in namely To intreat you as we have interposed with the superiour Officers of the Army to labour a due understanding between your selves and the Parliament the necessity and equity of which request we cannot but believe you must subscribe to if you seriously consider a few Proposals 1. Whether the asserting of a free Parliament duly qualified of faithfull men to GOD and his people in these Nations to be the Supream Legislative Authority of these Nations was not the Good Old Cause we fought for as that onely which vindicated in Spirituals our Consciences from Imposition upon them contrary to the Liberty of the Subjects of JESUS CHRIST and our Persons and Estates and Posterity in Civils from the Usurpations of the late King upon the Liberties and ancient Rights of the Free-born People of England 2. Whether it be not the only vindication of your late laying aside the Son and Successor of our old General because you did verily believe as you have protested to the world That the Government of any single person might in time ruine the aforementioned Libertyes purchased by our Blood and the vast Treasures of this Commonwealth Monarchy however bounded necessarily requiring Uniformity as to Religion and Prerogative as to Civil both which must needs be oppressive and destructive to our Consciences and Rights 3. Whether when you set up again this Famous Old Parliament you did not believe in your Conscinces that it was a Return to the Good Old Cause from which you had Apostatized and the best Expedient to heal the sad breaches of this poor Common-wealth which the Lusts of men have made witness your Declaration presented by the Lord Lambert and the rest the sixth of May to the Speaker as the Representee of the House 4. Whether this Parliament hath ever yet endangered or disowned you or the Nation in these Great Ends which can only acquit all the bloodshed from Murther your Liberties as Englishmen and your Priviledges as Christians but rather have given security for both in such Votes as they had time to pass by such promises as they are too honest to forget and by a Progress large enough considering the Confusions and Difficultyes they found the Government in by our setting up the things of which we are now ashamed 5. Whether if your Consciences be better informed it can satisfie ours or any Christian Consciences in the Nation to act according to your particular apprehensions when we see them cross so much the plain Rule of the Word which as it requires obedience to all Authority so much more to that which is asserted and setled upon the surest Foundation of the Peoples Rights and to which you are so solemnly engaged by Protestations as in the presence of God who will not hold them guiltless that takes his Name in vaine 6. Whether if upon this occasion of our Dissentings the Common Enemy should arise with a stronger party and make use of our Divisions to yoak us in bondage worse than ever That their little finger should be heavier than the Loyns of those preceded them the people of these Nations would not have sad Cause to leave at your doors the blood of those Innocents they must sacrifice to their Cruelty Considering especially that the Redemption of these old Usurpations must be by the Heads of Gods People and bring worse upon us the blood of Saints whose death is precious in the sight of the Lord We beg you therefore to lay to heart the Premiâ—â—es and believe we are n en of such Consciences as cannot close with this Action and Acquiesce in it But would cordially desire that God may humble us for the evil of our wayes That in making Peace with Him we may Unite in love to each other And we shall also assure you that though the present Emergency hath made our Commander in chief to put some of the Officers from their Commands whose actings have not been such as might promise they can cordially joyn in this business yet he hath continued to them their Sallaries out of the Contingencies of the Army till the Parliaments pleasure be further known And we shall also assure you That whatever endeavours may be for the setling of this Parliament again in a free capacity to Act for us in these Nations we shall be as ready as you to bear a Testimony against them suitable to our station if they should violate the so often promised and engaged for Liberties of these Nations whether Spiritual or Civil There being a witness against them in their late Votes that the Representative of the people is entrusted not for the Ruine but the safety of the Commonwealth Linlithgow Octob. 22. 1659. Signed in the Name and by the appointment of the Officers of the Army in Scotland WILLIAM CLARKE SECRETARY To the Right Honourable the Lord Fleetwood to be Communicated to the Officers of the Army in and about London A SECOND LETTER TO THE Lord Fleetvvood SIR VVE think fit to acquaint you that the Lord has so prosper'd our endeavours here that my Lord General Monck and the Officers have accepted of our Overtures of mediation and they have appointed Col. Wilkes Lieutenant Col. Clobery and Major Knight to repair to London Commissioners to treat with the like number of Officers there for a firm peace and unity amongst the Forces of both Nations for which we doubt not but the prayers of all good men will be poured forth to the Throne of Grace We have prevailed with my Lord General to dispatch Order this night to his remotest Quarters that they advance not further Southwards during this Treaty and we desire you will do the like that none of yours may march more Northward then they are And truly for as much as we can perceive none of these Forces had so hastily marched out of Scotland if yours had not gathered this way In a few dayes we shall see you and in the mean time desire you to believe we are Sir Your affectionate Servants Thomas Clarges Thomas Talbot Dalkieth this 4th of Novemb. 1659. GENERAL MONCKS LAST LETTER TO HIS EXCELLENCY THE Lord Fleetwood My Lord AFter I had answered the Letter your Lordship did me the favour to send me by Col. Talbot I received another from your Lordship of the 29th of October wherein your Lordship is pleased to express much of your Lordships Affection and Friendship to me for which I shall ever acknowledge my self engaged to you but truly I must assure your Lordship no personal Discouragements although I have had my share of them have induced me to the Justification
A COLLECTION Of Several LETTERS AND DECLARATIONS SENT BY General Monck Unto the Lord Lambert the Lord Fleetwood and the rest of the General Council of Officers in the ARMY AS ALSO Unto That part of the Parliament called the Rump The Committee of Safety so called The Lord Mayor and Common Council of the City of London The Congregated Churches in and about London LONDON Printed in the Year 1660. A LETTER FROM General Monck TO KING CHARLES May it plÌ„ease your Majesty SEeing it hath pleased God out of his gracious will and pleasure to cause me to cast my Eye upon this Common-wealth of England my native Country and your three Kingdomes and viewing there to behold the sad and lamentable condition that now and for many years past it hath been intangled in which as Reason and Conscience together perswades me is occasioned chiefly for want of its ancient and ever customed way of Government to wir a King and Parliament which hath been unsetled altogether amongst us ever since the unhappy death of your Majesties late father our King by reason whereof our ancient and accustomed wholesome Laws both of Church and State are most strangely torn and massacred and all through the self-seeking ends of some certain persons which at present I judge not fit herein to be communicated who having gotten the power of the sword in their hands thought for ever to rule and reign over their opposers I think in spight of God or man But of late some of those I hope I may truly bless the name of the Lord for it who were the chief Rulers of those unhappy Differences between our King and his three poor distracted Kingdomes are taken out of this World insomuch that the Power of those remaining is much weakened But yet they will I perceive seek to tread in the felf same steps of them that have gone before them as seeking only to set up their own Interest although to the utter ruine of the Nation Studying how of littleness to become great hating the name of a King but would joyfully imbrace the power thereof yea I may say they seek far more Power than ever our late King did take upon him and all this done under the zealous pretence of Saintship and Religion the form or manner whereof is plainly manifested by their tollerating and setting up of strange Sects of Relâ—gion as Anabaptists Quakers and such like seeking utterly to destroy and pull down our antient Orthodox Divines unless timely prevented I question not but your Majesty is very well knowing of the Power which for some few years past I have had in governing the English Army here in Scotland which Power when I had once obtained I did resolve as much as in me lay to keep until a fit time and opportunity should offer it self that I might imploy it for the glory of God and the good of your Majesty whose faithful Subject I humbly acknowledge my self to be Now so it is may it please your Majesty I plainly seeing and with a sad heart beholding the threatning hand of the Lords severe Judgements stretched forth against these three Kingdoms which forthwith must and will inevitably fall heavy upon us for ought as can be imagined to the utter ruin both of King and Subjects unless suddenly prevented by our humble submission to the Lord and an unfeigned Repentance of our former miscarriages May it also please your Majesty to give me leave to acquaint you that I humbly conceive I had never a better opportunity of doing my Country service in freeing them from their Egyptian bondage as I may term it and in restoring the Crown to the right owner thereof which if possible to be done shall be done with as much care safety and diligence as God shall enable me and that with as little wrong as may be either to King or Subjects which work when it is perfected I hope will tend to the settlement of our ancient Protestant Religion In tender consideration of all which Premises I most humbly beg that high favour of your Majesty that you will be graciously pleased to permit me to make these Proposals following First whether your Majesty will be pleased to accept of the real endeavours of me your unworthy Subject and Servant to be imployed in being a means in helping your Majesty to a quiet and safe possession of three Kingdoms which have with violence been so long time withheld from you If yea Then Will your Majesty be pleased to consent to a Treaty to be had between your Majesty and a free Parliament which shall be lawfully Elected and Chosen by the Country whose care I hope will be for the choosing of such honest godly and religious men as had no hand in the death of our late King or since his death have by any unlawful means whatsoever enjoyed any of his Lands Tenements or Rents or the Lands Tenements and Rents of the late Deans and Chapters or any of your late sequestred Subjects or which since his death have appeared violent in their acting against Kingship and consequently against your Majesty our lawful King Not in the least that I have any malice or evil will against such persons but for that my Conscience tells me that so long as self-interessed persons are suffered to sit in Parliament there is little good to be expected either for King or Kingdome for it is a hard thing for men to act against their own selves to the loss of their Lands and Livings which they suppose they have so honestly gained If your Majesty will be pleased to consent to such a Treaty and that thereupon it may be agreed upon that your Majesty shall be restored to your three Kingdoms which I question not but will be the event of such a Treaty Then I humbly beg that your Maj. would be pleased to think fit to declare what mercy and pitty you are pleased shall be shewn to all those that have been the chief of your enemies whose blood in severity of justice might deservedly be spilt upon their humble submission to your Majesty and their promise of future obedience for I hope you will judge that the onely way to joyn the hearts of the People of your three Kingdoms to pray for your happy success in all things and not only so but it will undoubtedly encourage them all to venter their Lives against all your opposers if any shall contest and also that your Majesty would be pleased to declare out of your gracious goodness what satisfaction shall be made to the poor Common Souldiery throughout your three Kingdomes who have been forced to take up Arms although against your Majesty for meer necessity to keep them and their Families from starving who indeed are much behind in their pay which will be utterly lost and undone unless your Majesty take compassion upon them which if you are pleased so to do I question not but you will find as much humility and submission from them as can
I desire you will joyn with us in your desires that this Parliament may be restored to the excution of their duties and trust with freedome and honour I have no more but my hearty Love and service to you all desiring God to bless you all and make you happy instruments for the good these Nations in your severall places which shall be alwayes the Prayer of dear Friends Your humble Servant and fellow Souldier G. M. Edenburgh Novemb. 29. 1659. To the Right Honourable Vice Admiral Goodson to be Communicated to the rest of the Officers of the Fleet in Answer to the Letter that was sent to me from them A LETTER Of General George Moncks Dated at Leicester 23 Ianuary and directed unto Mr. Rolle to be communicated unto the rest of the Gentry of Devon occasioned by a late Letter from the Gentry of Devon dated at Exceter 14 Ianuary and sent by Mr. Bampfield to the Speaker to be communicated unto the Parliament Read in Parliament Jan. 26. Most honoured and dear Friends MEeting with a Paper dated at Exon the 13 instant directed to William Lenthal Esq Speaker of the Parliament and subscribed by divers of my friends and relations purporting the recalling the Members secluded 1648. as the best expedient for establishing these Nations upon a foundation of lasting peace I have taken the boldness from my relation to some of you as allyed and my affectionate respects to all of you as dear Friends and Countrey-men to represent to your consideration my present apprehensions of the state of Affairs here in order to all our better satisfactions wherein I humbly crave your leave of freedom without prejudice Before these unhappy Wars the Government of these Nations was Monarchical in Church and State these wars have given birth and growth to several Interests both in Church and State heretofore not known though now upon many accounts very considerable as the Presbyterian Independent Anabaptist and Sectaries of all sorts as to Ecclesiasticks and the Purchasers of the Kings Queens Princes Bishops Deans and Chapters and all other forfeited Estates and all those engaged in these Wars against the King as to civils These Interests again are so interwoven by Purchases and intermarriages and thereby forfeited as I think upon rational grounds it may be taken for granted That no Government can be either good peaceful or lasting to these Nations that doth not rationally include and comprehend the security and preservrtion of all the foresaid Interests both Civil and Spiritual I mean so far as by the Word of God they are warranted to be protected and preserved If this be so Then that Government under which we formerly were both in State and Church viz. Monarchy cannot possibly be admitted for the future in these Nations because its support is taken away and because its exclusive of all the former Interests both Civil and Spiritual all of them being incompatible with Monarchical Vniformity in Church and State thus expired That Government then that is most able to comprehend and protect all Interests as aforesaid must needs be Republique Wherefore to me it 's no small doubt if upon the Premises to admit of the Members secluded 1648. were not to obstruct our peace and continue our War rather than establish the one and end the other in that very many of those Members assert the Monarchical Interest together with the abolition of all Laws made since their seclusion Which I fear upon accompt of self-preservation both of Life and Estate as well as Spiritual Liberty will immediatly involve all these Nations in most horrid and bloody War afresh the very apprehensions whereof I confess I do infinitely dread and submit the dangerous consequence thereof to your prudent considerations and the rather seeing the Army also will never endure it Having thus briefly laid before you the present condition of Affairs let me now intreat you to consider whither it were not better to desist from that Paper and submit to the proceedings of this Parliament who have resolved to fill up their House determin their sitting and prepare a way for future successions of Parliament by which means being full and thereby comprehending the whole Interest of these Nations they may through God's Mercy and all our patiences establish such a Government in the way of a Common-wealth as may be comprehensive of all interests both Spirituall and Civil to the glory of God and the weale and peace of the whole But if by your impatiencies they be obstructed our peace will be so much the longer a stranger to us and we thereby a prey to our selves and all forreign Enemies Wherefore humbly pressing these upon your serious considerations with all the friendly and affectionate respects and service to you all I remain Dearest Friends Your very humble and affectionate Servant GEORGE MONCK Leicester 21. Jan. 1659. For the honoured Robert Rolles Esq to be communicated to the Gentlemen of Devonshire who signed the late Letter to the Speaker of the Parliament of the Common-wealth of England A LETTER FROM THE Officers at Whitehal To the OFFICERS under General Monck In SCOTLAND Dear Brethen and Fellow Souldiers WE most heartily wish Grace and Truth to be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord And also we desire the God and Father of all Grace to add to your Faith Vertue to Vertue Knowledg and to Knowledge Temperance and to Temperance Godliness and to Godliness Brotherly Kindness and to Brotherly Kindness Charity Dear Brethren We cannot but be deeply affected and afflicted in our own spirits to consider of your dissatisfaction with us upon mistaken grounds You have known us this many years to be your faithful Brethren that durst do nothing that is sinful And we may affirm with plainness honesty and simplicity of heart we have done nothing in the late Revolution but that which the Providence of the most wise God prepared to our hands and led us unto without so much as one half hours time to design or resolve to take that course we were necessitated unto Since which most of such persons that were not clear in the present and sudden Action have made their acknowledment of their full satisfaction and we are mutually reconciled and they are received and tendered by us as affectionate Brethren And for a more full Narrative of the providential Grounds and gradual Steps that led us to that Work yet with aking hearts and as an Answer to your Queries signed in your name by William Clerk Secretary bearing date the 22. instant We refer you to a Book Intituled The Armies Plea and also The Armies Declaration relation thereunto being had we hope will give you satisfaction Loving Brethren What have we done that you are offended we are not conscious that any thing is acted by us upon the publick Theater but that which we judge is acceptable to God And what we have done hath proceeded from uprightness of heart and for the glory of God
continued in the Army some Persons of dangerous Principles and such who were active enough in the late Defection Though we are far from wishing the ruine of any yet we could desire that your signal indulgence to late notorious Offenders did meet with that candid reception from them as to be so much the more ingenuous in their professed repentance But we observe that many of them do seek to justifie themselves and are not without their Agents in print to palliate their soul Enormities which maketh us yet to suspect that we are in some danger of returning to the late distempers that You and the Nation are but newly delivered from We are not ignorant that there are those who lately struck at the Root of English Parliaments in Practice and Design thereby have inflamed the Nation and given great advantage to the Common Enemy yet they are not without a strange confidence to precipitate men into a belief that they are the onely Persons against the one and for the other With grief of heart we do remember and would lament over the too palpable Breach of Engagements in this Nation Therefore we should think it a duty rather to mourn over the same then to promote any new Oath to be taken at this time Yet we perceive that there is a designe to provoke the Parliament to enforce an Oath upon the Nation and do take notice that amongst others there are some who are most forward to promote the said design who have made the least if any Conscience in keeping Engagements already taken Here we must not silence our first resentment of a bold Petition and of dangerous consequence which was lately presented to you the consequence whereof if you should answer their desires would be to exclude many of the most conscientious and sober sort of men from serving under you in Civil and Military Imployments who have and will prove themselves most faithful and a Door would be opened in designe to retrive the Interâ—st of those who have by the just Hand of our Gracious God made themselves to apparently obnoxious Moreover which is not the least part of the venome of that Petition we clearly see the same spirit which of late would have pull'd away the by you declared just Maintenance from Ministers would now provoke you by an Oath to endanger the forcing away of many of the most Godly from their Maintenance In urging our fears from the premises that concerns some of different Principles from us we would not be thought to as we do not design any thing that may incur the censure of unjust rigidity We freely professe our desires that tendernâ—sse of Conscience may have its full just liberty but we cannot in judgment count that tendernesse of Conscience which will not scruple at treachery it self or any unrighteousnesse to carry on corrupt designes Having presented You with our fears we shall adde our Resolution That by the help of God we shall stand by you in the pursuance of what we have declared for And therefore do make this humble request to You. We could desire That whilst you sit your utmost endeavours may be to manifest your affectionate desires for the Publick Good of these Nations Our further desires is That those Regiments under your consideration whose Officers who are not may be speedily passed And in regard we find that the Grand Cause of the present Heats and Dis-satisfactions in the Nation is because they are not fully Represented in Parliament and seeing no other probable expedient whereby to keep the Nation in peace then by filling up your number We must therefore make this our main desire upon which we cannot but insiâ—t that you would proceed to Issue forth Writs in Order to Erections For the better effecting whereof we entreat That you would conclude upon due and full Qualifications that not onely those who have been actually in Arms against the Parliament may be excluded but also such who in the late Wars betwixt King and Parliament have Declared their Disaffection to the Parliament And because the distracted condition of this Nâ—tion is at this hour so evident and pressing we are constrained for the just maintenance of your Authority and the satisfaction of all true English-Men earnestly to desire That all the Writs may be issued forth by Friday next returnable at the usual and legal time For we think it convenient to acquaint you that to pacific the minds of this great City in the prosecution of your late Commands the Chief of Us did give an assurance thereof And we must not forget to rememeber you that the time hastens wherein you have Declared your intended Dissolution which the people and our selves desire you would be punctual in Hereby the Suspition of your perpetuation will be taken away and the People will have assurance that they shall have a Succession of Parliaments of their own Election which is the undoubted Right of the English Nation you have promised and Declared no lesse Both the People and your Armies do live in the hope and expectation of it That we may the better wait for your full and free concurrence to these just Desires on the Nations behalf upon Mature Deliberation we have thought it our duty as to continue the usual Guards for the safety of your sitting so for the present to draw the rest of the Forces under our Command into the City that we may have the better opportunity to compose Spirits and beget a good understanding in that great City formerly renowned for their resolute adhering to the Parliamentary Authority and we hope that the same Spirit will be found still to breath amongst the best most considerable and and interessed Persons there This Action of ours as we hope it will receive your favourable interpretation so we do believe it will through the blessing of God be of good use for the present Peace acd future settlement of these Nations These are our thoughts which we communicate to you in the Names of our selves and the Officers and Soulders under our Commands We are Your Honours most Humble Servants GEORGE MONCK Colonels Tho. Sanders Leon Litcot Jo. Clobery Jo. Hubblethorne Tho. Read Ra. Knight Dan. Redman Ethelbert Morgan Lieut. Col. Nathaniel Barton Major Majors Tho Johnson Jer. Smith Phil. Pryme Fra. Nichols Peter Banister White Hall Feb. 11. 1659. A LETTER From the Lord General MONCK And the Officers here to the several and respective Regiments and other Forces in England Scotland and Ireland Dear Brethren and Fellow-Souldiers YOU cannot be ignorant of the many endeavours and earnest Desires of many good men in these Nations to bring us to a Settlement which it hath pleased God to dis-appoint unto this day and leave us as a broken and divided people ready to run into Blood and confusion which that we might prevent so great Calamities impending after our earnest seeking God for his Direction and Assistance we find no Expedient so likely for the satisfaction of the good
People and the quiet and welfare of this Common-Wâ—â—lâ—h as the re-admission of the Secluded Members in order to a Legal Dissolution of this Parliament by their own free consents and to issue Writs for a future Full Representative of the whole Common-Wealth of England Scotland and Ireland under such Qualifications as may secure our Cause â—o convene on the twentieth of April next at Westminster for the establishing this Common Wealth upon the foundations of Justice and true Freedom And to take away all just Jealousies from you we do assure you that we shall joyn with you in the maintenance of those ends expressed in the enclosed 〈◊〉 and do expect your chearful concurrence with us And we desire to take God to witnesse that we have no inten ions or Purposes to return to our old Bondage but since the Providence of God hath made us free at the cost of so much blood we hope we shall never be found so unfaithful to God and his People as to lose so glorious a Cause But we do resolve with the Assistance of God to adhere to you in the continuing of our dear purchased Liberties both Spiritual and Civil The reason of oâ—r Proceedings in this manner may seem strange but if you duly consider the necessities of our Affairs and the present state of things you will certainly conclude nothing so safe to secure Publick Interest and to engage the Nations Peaceably to submit to a Free State most of these Members having given us full assurance that their Session in Parliament shall not be longer than absolute necessity will require to the putting the Government into Successive Parliaments they not being free so to Act by the old Writs as when they shall be called upon a Common-Wealth Account and its the Opinion of the truest Friends to a Free State That it cannot be consistent with the perpetual sitting of these Members being contrary to the Nature of such a Government And as we are confident the present Parliament now sitting will not Repeal any of the Acts Ordinances or Orders of this Parliament for Sales of Publick Disposition of Lands so we shall in our Station observe and cause to be observed all other Acts and Ordinances of this Parliament whatsoever and humbly interpose with the next succeeding Parliament not only to passe a further Act of Confirmation of all such Sales and Dispositions of Lands here in Scotland but also of all the Distributions and Dispositions of Lands and Houses in Ireland to the Souldiery Adventurers or any other Persons made by or in pursuance of any of the Acts Ordinances or Orders of this present Parliament or any pretended Parliamentary Authority And we entreat You to send up an Officer to give to the Lord General Monck an Account of Your Acquiescence with Us herein And if any dis-affected Persons shall hereby take occasion to make disturbance of the Peace of the Common Wealth either in favour of CHARLES STUART or any other pretended Authority We desire you to secure them till the pleasure of the Parliament or Council of State be known in that behalf you shall speedly receive Encouragement supplies of Monies and indeed it was not the least Motive to induce us to this way of Composure of Affairs that we might facilitate the raising of Monies for the subsistance of the Army and Navy which would not otherwise have been done if at all but with effusion of Blood We have nothing more at this time but to assure you that we shall ever remain Dear Brethren and Fellow-Soldiers Your very Affectionte Friends GEORGE MONCK Cols R. Knight John Clobery Tho. Read Jo. Hubblethorne Leonard Litcot Tho. Sanders William Eyre Rich. Mosse William Farley Arthur Evelin John Streater Jo. Butler Quart Ma. Gen. L. Cols Ethelbert Morgan James Mutlow James Emerson Joseph Witter Dennis Pepper Majs James Dennis Rich Wagstaff Th. Johnson Fra. Nichols Jer. Smith Nath. Barton Tho. Higgs John Clark Capts. W. Goodwin Hen. Ogle White Hall Feb. 21. 1659. That was his Speech at the re-admitting the secluded Members