by the Parliament intrusted and employed for the safety of the Nation being by Him or is Agents corrupted to the betraying of their Trust and revolting from the Parliament have had entertainement and commission for the continuing and renewing of Warre and Hostility against the said Parliament and People as aforesaid By which cruell and unnaturall Warres by Him the said Charles Stuart levyed continued and renewed as aforesaid much Innocent bloud of the Free-pople of this Nation hath been spilt many Families have been undone the Publique Treasury wasted and exhausted Trade obstructed and miserably decayed vast expence and damage to the Nation incurred and many parts of the Land spoyled some of them even to desolation And for further prosecution of His said evill Designes He the said Charles Stuart doth still continue his Commissions to the said Prince and other Rebels and Revolters both English and Forraigners and to the Earle of Ormond and to the Irish Rebels and Revolters associated with him from whom further Invasions upon this Land are threatned upon the procurement and on the behalf of the said Charles Stuart All which wicked Designes Warres and evill practises of Him the said Charles Stuart have been and are carried on for the advancing and upholding of the Personall Interest of Will and Power and pretended Prerogative to Himself and his Family against the publique Interest Common Right Liberty Justice and Peace of the People of this Nation by and for whom He was entrusted as aforesaid By all which it appeareth that He the said Charles Stuart hath been and is the Occasioner Author and Contriver of the said unnaturall cruell and bloudy Warres and therein guilty of all the treasons murthers rapines burnings spoiles desolations damage and mischiefe to this Nation acted or committed in the said Warres or occasioned thereby And the said Iohn Cooke by Protestation saving on the behalf of the People of England the liberty of Exhibiting at any time hereafter any other Charge against the said Charles Stuart and also of replying to the Answers which the said Charles Stuart shall make to the premises or any of them or any other Charge that shall be so exhibited doth for the said treasons crimes on the behalfe of the said People of England Impeach the said Charles Stuart as a Tyrant Traytor Murtherer and a publique and implacable Enemy to the Common-wealth of England And pray That the said Charles Stuart King of England may be put to answer all every the premises That such Proceedings Examinations Tryals Sentence and Judgement may be thereupon had or shall be agreeable to Justice The King smiled often during the reading of the Charge especially at these words Tyrant Traytor Murderer and publique Enemy of the Common-wealth President Sir you have now heard your Charge you find that in the close of it it is prayed to the Court in the behalfe of the Commons of England that you answer to your Charge which the Court expects King I would know by what power I am called hither I was not long agoe in the Isle of Wight how I came there is a longer story than I thinke fit at this time for Me to speake But there I entered into a Treaty with both Houses of Parliament with as much faith as is possible to be had of any People in the world I Treated there with a number of Honourable Lords and Gentlemen an treated honestly and uprightly I cannot say but they did very nobly with Me We were upon a Conclusion of the Treaty Now I would know by what lawfull Authority there are many unlawfull Authorities Thieves and Robbers on the Highway I was brought from thence and carried from place to place and I know not what and when I knew by what lawfull Authority I shall Answer Remember I am your King your lawfull King and what sinnes you bring upon your owne heads and the judgment of God upon this Land think well upon it thinke well upon it I say before you go on from one sinne to a greater therefore let Me know by what lawfull Authority I am seated here and I shall not be unwilling to Answer In the meane time I shall not betray My trust I have a trust committed to Me by God by old and lawfull discent I will not betray it to Answer to a new unlawfull Authority Bradshaw Pres If you had been pleased to have observed what was hinted to you by the Court at your first coming hither you would have knowne by what Authority which Authority requires you in the name of the People of England of whom you are Elected KING to answer them King I deny that Bradsh If you acknowledge not the Authority of the Court they must proceed King I doe tell them so England was never an Elective Kingdome but an Hereditary Kingdome for neer these thousand yeares Therefore let Me know by what lawfull Authority I am called hither I doe stand more for the Liberty of My People then any here that come to be My pretended Iudges and therefore let Me know by what lawfull Authority and I will Answer otherwise I will not Answer Brash Sir How really you have managed your trust is known your way of Answer is to interrogate the Court which beseemes not you in this condition you have been told of it twice or thrice King Here is Lieut. Colonell Cobbet aske him if he did not bring Me from the Isle of Wight by force I doe not come here as submitting to the Court I will stand as much for the Priviledge of the House of Commons rightly understood as any man here whatsoever I see no House of Lords here that may constitute a Parliament and the King too should have been Is this the bringing the King to His Parliament Is this the bringing an end to the Treaty on the publique Faith Let Me see a Lawfull Authority warranted by the Word of God the Scriptures or by the Constitutions of the Kingdome I will not betray My Trust nor the Liberties of the People I am sworne to keep the Peace by that duty I owe to God and My Country and I will doe it to the last breath in My body As it is a sinne to with stand Lawfull Authority so it is to submit to a Tyrannicall or any otherwise unlawfull Authority Bradsh Brutish The Court expects your finall Answer and will adjourne till Munday next we are satisfied with our Authority that are your Iudges and it is upon Gods Authority and the Kingdomes and that peace you spake of will be kept in doing Iustice and that 's our present work Note So the Court Adjourned and the King was conducted back They had so contrived it that diverse Schismaticall Souldiers and Fellowes were placed round about the Court to cry Iustice Iustice when the King was remanded thinking all the rest of the People would have bleated to the same tune but they almost all cryed God blesse Him and were some of them well cudgelled
protect the 11. impeached Members from justice and with them to raise a new Warre To this we say See my 1. part sect 16.17,18 my said Animadversions pag. 2. neither vvere they legally impeached See Ardua regnâ— or tvvelve arduous doubts vvriten in defence of the expulsed Memb the said Members Ans to the Armies Charge we gave them no other protection than the Laws allowed them For the mispending 200000l designed for Ireland we say that 80000l thereof was paid to Nicholas Loâ—tus and others for service of Ireland and above 50000l to the Treasurers at Warre for the Army which may more reasonably be said to be mis-imployed because the Army had an established pay another way than what the Reformado Officers and Souldiers who obeyed the Orders of the House for Disbanding received who neverthelesse pressed upon the House the more earnestly for their Arreares after the Declarations and Remonstrances published by the Army for paying the Arreares of all the Souldiers of England 4. Their countenancing abetting There vvas a close Inquisition of Godly Cut-throats purposely chose to examine this Tumult vvhich proceeded illegally used so much foule play as to accuse men upon characters of their clothes persons yet malice it selfe could find nothing See my 1. part sect 45 46. to sect 54. Return to sect 2. 5. and partaking with the Tumult of Apprentices and others against both Houses of Parliament To this we say that we wonder they should urge the force offered to the House then which they declared horrid and treasonable to justifie the violence acted upon the House by themselves of a much higher nature This is a meer fiction of the Pen-mans which we doe every one of us for ourselves respectively deny 5. The holding correspondency ingaging and assisting the tumultuous Petitioners last Spring the rebellious Insurrections in Kent the Revolted Ships Prince of Wales with the Scots Army We doe every one of us for our selves respectively deny these 6. That when the Army was dispensed and engaged in severall parts c. and many faithfull Members employed abroad upon publique services and others through Malignant Tumults about this City could not with safety attend the House Then the corrupt and Apostating Party taking advantage of these distractions which themselves had caused First recalled in those Members c. Then they recalled those Votes for Non-Addresses and voted a Personall Treaty To this we say that if the proceedings of the Treaty were surreptitiously gotten in a thin House why do they then complain in other parts of their Paper that the majority of the House is corrupt Return to sect 2. 5. there see the true grounds of these Tumults See vvhat use they make of providence in the 2. part of Englands nevv Chaines and formed to serve the Kings corrupt Interest why did they force from the House above 200. Members at once the Counties never expressed so high contempt of the Parliament untill the like had been first done by the Armies quartering upoÌ„ them And now let us come to that Vote of the House 5. Dec. 1648. That the Kings Answer to the Propositions of both Houses are a ground to proceed upon to a setlement of Peace of which they say That though they advanced hither to attend providence for opening some way to avoid the present evils designed and introduce the desired good into the Kingdome yet they said nor acted nothing in relation to the Parliament nor any Member thereof untill by the Vote passed Decemb. 5. they found the corrupt majority so resolvedly bent to compleat their Designe in bringing in the King Doe they call their threatning Declaration Remonstrance a saying nothing and their marching up against the House contrary to the Order of the House a doing nothing in relation to the Parliament But by these words it appeares that this Vote 5. Decemb. is the very point of that necessity they now relie upon to justifie their force upon the House For before that passed they say They acted nothing c. we must now state the difference between the Houses Propositions See Mr. Pryn's said Speech in the House â— Decemb. 1648 more at large and the Kings Answers and see whether the King did not grant all those Propositions in which te maine security of the Kingdome resteth He granted the first Proposition for taking off all Declarations as was desired And the third Proposition for the Militia as was desired He assented to the Proposition for Ireland limiting the time of the Parliaments disposing Officers there to 20. yeares He consented to such Acts for publique Debts and Publique Vses as should be presented within 2. yeares and incurred within that time Hee granted the Proposition concerning Peeres as was desired Hee granted the Disposing Offices in England to the Parliament for 20. yeares He granted the taking away the Court of Wards having 100000 l. per ann in lieu thereof to be raised as the Parliament should thinke fit Hee granted to Declare against the Marquesse of Ormond's power and proceedings after an Agreement with the Parliament The onely difference therefore remained upon two Propositions 1. Delinquents 2. The Church For Delinquents though He doth not grant all His Majesty consented they shall submit to moderate Compositions according to such proportions as they and the two Houses shall agree 2. He disableth them to beare Offices of Publique Trust and removes then from the Kings Queens and Princes Court 3. For such as the Houses propounded to proceed capitally against He leaves them to a Legall Tryall and Declares He will not interpose to hinder it which satisfies the maine complaint of the Parliament which was in the beginning of the Warre That the King protected Delinquents from justice And all that the House desired in the Propositions presented to Him at Oxford Febr. 1642. was That His Majesty would leave Deliquents to a Legall Tryall and Iudgement of Parliament But that His Majesty should joyne in an Act for taking away the Lives or Estates of any that have adhered to Him He truly professeth He cannot with Iustice and Honour agree thereto 4. Nor doe we see how Delinquents being left to the Law can escape justice the King having granted the 1. proemiall Proposition so by a Law acknowledged the Parliaments Cause and Warre to be just For the Church The Houses propound the utter abolishing of Archbishops Bishops c. The Sale of their Lands that Reformation of Religion be setled by Act of Parliament as both Houses have or shall agree The Kings Answer takes away Church-Government be Archbishops Bishops c. by taking away their Courts and Officers and so farre takes away their power of Ordination that it can never be revived againe but by Act of Parliament so that Episcopacy is divested of any actuall being by the Law of the Land instead thereof the Presbyterian Government setled for three yeares by a Lawâ— which is for so long a time as
and whether every Free-borne English-man especially of Noblest birth amplest Estate be not deeply obliged in point of prudence and conscience to use his utmost endeavour with hazard of life and estate to prevent the erection of such an exorbitant illegall Authority in the very rise and foundation ere it be over-late not patiently suffer a rash inconsiderate number of Hotspurs of meane condition and broken desperate fortunes for the most part out of private malice feare or designes to secure and enrich themselves by the ruines of others of better fortunes and quality to set up such a new shambles to butcher and quarter the King Nobles Parliament-men Gentlemen and persons of all conditions as was never heard of among Pagans or Christians from the Creation to this present and will no way suite with our English soile already overmuch watred with English bloud and so deeply ingaged against all arbitrary and tyrannnicall usurpations proceedings especially capitall in any hands whatsoever which have cost us so much bloud and treasure to oppose and fight against for seven yeares last past Saturday Ian. 20. 1648. The new thing called The High Court of Iustice sate Bradshaw being President 80. The first dayes Trial of his Majesty who had the Mace Sword carried before him 20. Gentlemen forsooth with Partisans for his Guard under the command of Colonel Fox the Tinker An O yes being made and silence commanded the said Act of the Commons for erecting the said Court was read and the Court called there being about 70. of the Commissioners present Then the King was brought to the Bar by Col Hacker with Halberdeers the Mace of the Court conducting Him to his Chaire within the Barre where he sate And then Pres Bradshaw said to the King Charles Stuart King of England The Commons of England assembled in Parliament being sensible of the great calamities brought upon this Nation and of the innocent bloud shed which are referred to you as the Author of it according to that duty which they owne to God the Nation and themselves Prove this povver trust The vvhole Kingdome in effect deny it So doe all our Lavv-Books the practice of all Ages and according to that power and fundamentall trust reposed in them by the People have constituded this High Court of Iustice before which you are now brought and you are to heare your Charge upon which the Court will proceed Solicitor Cooke My Lord in behalfe of the Commons of England and of all the People-thereof I doe accuse Charles Stuart here present of High Treason and misdemeanours and I doe in the name of the Commons of England desire the Charge may be read unto him The King Hold a little President Sir the Court commands the Charge to be read afterwards you may be heard The Charge was read as followeth The Charge against King Charles the First Ianuary 20. 1648. The Charge read THat the said CHARLES STUART being admitted King of England and therein trusted with a limited Power to Govern by according to the Lawes of the Land and not otherwise And by his Trust Oath and Office being obliged to use the power committed to him For the good and benefit of the people and for the preservation of their Rights and Liberties yet neverthelesse out of a wicked Design to erect and uphold in himself an unlimited and tyrannicall power to rule according to his will and to overthrow the Rights and Liberties of the People Yea to take away and make void the foundations thereof and of all redresse remedy of mis-government which by the fundamental Constitutions of this Kingdom were reserved on the peoples behalf in the right power of frequent and successive Parliaments or Nationall meetings in Councell He the said Charles Stuart for accomplishment of such his Designes for the protecting of himselfe and his Adherents in his and their wicked Practises to the same Ends hath trayterously and malitiously levied Warre against the present Parliament the People therein Represented Particularly upon or about the thirtieth day of Iune in the yeare of our Lord one thousand six hundred forty and two at Beverly in the County of Yorke upon or about the thirtieth day of Iuly in the yeare aforesaid in the County of the City of Yorke upon or about the twenty fourth day of August in the same yeare at the County of the Towne of Nottingham when where he set up his Standard of Warre also on or about the twenty third day of October in the same yeare at Edgehill and Keinton-field in the County of Warwicke and upon or about the thirtieth day of November in the same yeare at Brainceâ—ord in the County of Middlesex upon or about the thirtieth day of August in the yeare of our Lord one thousand six hundred fourty three at Cavesham-bridge nâ—er Reading in the County of Berks upon or about the thirtieth day of October in the yeare last mentioned at or neer the City of Gloucester And upon or about the thirtieth day of November in the year last mentioned at Newbury in the County of Berks And upon or about the one and thirtieth day of Iuly in the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred forty and four at Cropredy-bridge in the County of Oxon And upon or about the thirtieth day of September in the year last mentioned at Bodmin and other places neer adjacent in the County of Cornwall And upon or about the thirtieth day of November in the year last mentioned at Newbury aforesaid And upon or about the eight day of Iune in the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred forty and five at the Towne of Leicester And also upon the fourteenth day of the same moneth in the same year at Naseby-field in the County of Northampton At which severall times and places or most of them and at many other places in this Land at severall other times within the years aforementioned And in the yeare of our Lord one thousand six hundred forty and six He the said Gharles Stuart hath caused and procured many thousands of the free-people of the Nation to be slaine and by Divisions Parties and Insurrections within this Land by invasions from forraigne parts endeavoured procured by Him and by many other evill waies and meanes He the said Charles Stuart hath not only maintained and carried on the said Warre both by Land and Sea during the years before mentioned but also hath renewed or caused to be renewed the said Warre against the Parliament and good people of this Nation in this present yeare one thousand six hundred forty and eight in the Counties of Kent Essex Surrey Sussex Middlesex and many other Counties and places in England and Wales and also by Sea And particularly He the said Charles Stuart hath for that purpose given Commissions to his Sonne the Prince and others whereby besides multitudes of other Persons many such as were
shall be used and no other and the Date of the yeare of the Lord and none other and that all Duties Profits Penalties Fines Amerciaments Issues and Forfeitures whatsoever which heretofore were sued for in the name of the KING shall from henceforth be sued for in the name of Custodes libertatis Angliae authoritate Parliamenti and where the words were Iuratores pro Domino Rege they shall be Iuratores pro Republica and where the words are contra pacem dignitatem coronam nostram the words from henceforth shall be contra pacem Publicam All Judges Justices Ministers Officers are to take notice thereof c. and whatsoever henceforth shall be done contrary to this Act shall be and is hereby declared to be null and void the death of the King or any Law usage or custome to the contrary notwithstanding c. 92. Another device to mortifie the King The King lay in White-hall Saturday the day of his Sentence and Sunday night so neer the place appointed for the separation of His Soule Body that He might heare every stroke the Worke-men gave upon the Scaffold where they wrought all night this is a new device to mortifie Him but it would not doe 93. Tuesday 30. Ian. 1648. was the day appointed for the Kings Death He came on Foot from Saint Iames's to White-hall that morning His Majesty coming upō the Scaffold made a Speech to the People which could onely be heard by some few Souldiers and Schismaticks of the Faction who were suffered to possesse the Scaffold and all parts neare it and from their Pennes onely we have our informations His Majesties Speech upon the Scaffold and His Death or Apotheosis The KING told them THat all the world knew He never began the Warre with the two Houses of Parliament and He called God to witnesse to whom He must shortly give an account He never intended to encroach upon their Priviledges They began upon Me it was the Militia they began with they confessed the Militia was Mine but they thought fit to have it from Me and to be short if any body will look to the Dates of the Commissions Theirs and Mine and likewise to the Declarations will see cleerly that They began these unhappy Troubles And a little after He said I pray God they may take the right way to the peace of the Kingdome Souldiers Rebelling against their Master or Soveraigne though they prevaile cannot claime by conquest because their quarell vvas perfidious base and sinfull from the beginning But I must first shew you how you are out of the way and then put you into the right way First you are out of the way for all the way you ever had yet by any thing I could ever find was the way of Conquest which is a very ill way for Conquest is never just except there be a good just Cause either for matter of wrong or just Title and then if you go beyond the first Quarrell that you have that makes it unjust in the end that was just in the beginning but if it be onely matter of Conquest then it is a great Robbery as the Pyrate said to Alexander and so I think the way that you are in hath much of that way Now Sirs to put you in the way believe it you will never doe right nor God will never prosper you untill you give him his due the King that is My Successor his due and the People for whom I am as much as any of you their due 1. You must give God his due by regulating rightly his Church according to his Scripture which is now out of order to set you in a way particularly now I cannot but onely a Nationall Synod freely called freely debating amongst themselves must settle this when that every opinion is freely and clearly heard 2. For the King the Lawes of the Land will freely instruct you and because it concernes My selfe I will onely give you a touch of it 3. For the people and truely I desire their Liberty and Freedome as much as any man whatsoever I must tell you their Liberty and Freedome consists in having such a Government whereby their Lives and Goods may be most their own it lies not in having a share in the Government that is nothing pertinent to them a Subject and a Soveraigne are cleane different things and therefore untill you restore the People to such a Liberty they will never enjoy themselves Sirs it was for this I now come hither if I would have given way to an Arbitrary sway to have all Lawes changed according to the power of the Sword I needed not to have come here See sect 90. and therefore I tell you and I pray God it be not laid to your charge that I am the Martyr of the People c. The House had the impudence to ansvver the Dutch Ambassadours That vvat they had done to the King vvas according to the Lavv of the Land They meant that their Lusts are the Lavvs of the Land for other Lavv they can shevv none This was the effect of His Majesties Speech who shewed much magnanimity and Christian Patience during all the time of His Triall and Death notwithstanding many barbarous affronts put by way of tentation upon Him He had His. Head severed from His Body at one stroak the Souldiers and Schismaticks giving a great shout presently Thus this noble Prince a Gentleman sanctified by many afflictions after He had escaped Pistoll Poyson and Pestilent ayre could not escape the more venemous tongues of Lawyers and Petty foggers Bradshaw Cooke Steele Aske and Dorislaus thus the Shepherd is smitten and the Sheep scattered THe said High Court of Justice with the downfall of King CHARLES the I. thereby and in Him of the Regall Government Religion Lawes and Liberties of this auntient Kingdome is Emblematically presented to the Readers view See the Figure before the Title page Presently after this dissolution of the King the Commons sent abroad Proclamations into London and all England over reciting 94. Proclamations published against proclaiming the King That whereas severall pretences might be made to this Crowne and Title to the Kingly Office set on foot to the apparent hazard of the publique peace Be it enacted and ordained by this present Parliament and by the Authority of the same that no Person whatsoever doe presume to proclaime declare publish or any waies to promote Charles Stuart Sonne of the said Charles commonly called Prince of Wales or any other Person to be King or Chiefe Magistrate of England or Ireland or of any Dominions belonging to them by colour of Inheritance Succession Election or any other claime whatsoever without the free consent of the people in Parliament first had and signified by a particular Act or Ordinance for that purpose any Law Stat vsage or custome to the contrary notwithstanding Who shal judge whē these Fellowes wil be thougt free and whē not and whosoever
Warre bloody thievish Task-masters Remember his deceased Majesties gracious Messages frequently fent for peace and reconcilement Remember His Concessions to His Parliament upon the last Treaty more than ever any King granted to His People Remember His pious meek and Christian Martyrdome suffered for His People which bitter Cup had passed from Him if He would have built up and established this Babel of Tyranny now insulting over us and have turned our wel-mixed Monarchy into an Olygarchicall legall Tyranny by adding His Royall Assent to their wicked Demands tendered to Him but two daies before His translation form this valley of teares Remember His Post humus Booke to His Sonne full of precepts savoring meerly of piety Christian wisdome charity and forgivenesse to His very Enemies and then judge whether our late King or our usurping Kinglings now scratching and tearing us making one Warre beget-another 1 King 3. perpetuating an Army and domineering over us by the power of the Sword were the naturall Parent whose bowels yearned upon this now Orphan Child the English Nation dying and expiring under this new Corporation of Tyrants Oath of Allegiance Stat. of Recognition 1 Iacobi the putative Parent which overlayed it He that acknowledged Allegiance to the Father cannot deny it to his Sonne as having sworne to beare faith and true Allegiance to the King his Father and to his lawfull Heyres and Successours which our usurping Hogens Mogens cannot pretend to be so that as well for duty and conscience to God and their owne Soules as for a necessary and just protection of their lives and estates all honest and wise men ought to cast themselves into the Armes of his Dread Majesty our present KING as the onely sanctuary of their salvation and not suffer themselves to be so farre mis-led by vaine reports as to be more afraid of their cure than of their disease Stultorum incurata pudor malas ulcera celat Solomon hath shewed you out of the Cabinet of Nature the difference between a Natural-Mother and a Step-mother Dictum de Kennelworth and that you may see the difference between a natural King correcting his owne people with fatherly compassion for examples sake and a Usurper wounding killing and robbing those which are none of his owne his fellow Servants for his lust and lucre sake I will set downe a short Abridgement of our owne famous Dictum de Kennelworth and first the occasion thereof which was thus Simon de Montford Earle of Leicester conspiring with many other great Men rebelled against Henry 3. pretending after the manner of all Rebels Reformation of publique Grievances He overthrew the King in battle took Him and his Sonne Prince Edward Prisoners the Prince after a while escaped out of Prison raised an Army overthrew and slew in the Battle of Evesham Simon Montford subdued the whole Party rescued and re-inthroned his Father Commissions were sent forth to prevent future troubles and settle mens minds grown desperare with feare what horrid punishments so horrible a Rebellion would bring upon them The result of all is contained in the said Dictum de Kennelworth as I find it in Magna Charta veteri fol. 60. part 2. observe the moderation of it No man bled to death for it but in the field the bloud of warre was not shed in time of peace the King did not slay those whom he had taken with his Sword and with his Bow but reasonably fined them See the late History of the Marquesse of Montrosse what gentle use he made of his Victory after he had subdued the strength of Scotland at the Battle of Kylsythe not unto destruction though the knowne Lawes called them Traytors and put them into his power for life lands and goods they were but once punished not alwaies tormented and kept upon the rack after the late custome of our fellow Servants and Subjects who will never suffer the partition wall between us to be throwne downe England once more to become one Nation and one People and our broken bones to be againe set and knit together Dictum de Kennelvvorth None to be Dis-inherited but onely fined As namely Those 1. That began and continued in Warre 2. That held Northampton against the King 3. That fought against him at Lewis Evesham Chesterfeild 4. That were taken at Kenilworth 5. That sacked Winchster being yet unpardoned 6. That voluntarily sent against him or the Prince 7. The Officers of the Earl of Leicesters who molested their Neighbours with Rapine Fire Murder or otherwise to pay in three yeares five yeares value and half their Estates of Land If they sell it such as are by the Kings grant possessed of then to have them giving as any other c. and so if it be to be Let those who pay the whole to have all instantly and that pay halfe to have halfe If in three yeares the whole be unpaid the Land to be divided between him that owes it and him to whom the King hath given it If any have Woods by sale of which he would pay his Fine the money to be paid by two of which either side to chuse one 2. Knights and Esquires who during this Warre have enriched themselves by Rapine having no Land to pay half their goods and be bound with Sureties to the peace if no goods be quitted by Oath exceptis bannitis quibus solus Rex potest remittere 3. Lords of Wards to pay for them and be answered by their Wards when they come to age which if they accept not the Wardship to accrue to such as the King hath given the Ransome to and they to be so answered 4. The Kings Wards to remaine where they are placed and be Ransomed as others but without destruction 5. Such as were with the King before the Battle of Levvis and since are Dis-inherited His Majesty to declare his pleasure touching them 6. No man now possest of wood to fell any but onely for repaire till the last day of payment be passed and not observed 7. The King and the Popes Legate to send beyond sea for a time such as are likely to trouble the peace of the Kingdome which if it hindered the paying of their Ransome not for that to be Dis-inherited 8. Such as were grieved with this Agreement might appeale to the Kings Court before S. Hilary and such as were beyond sea to have inducias transmarinas 9. Because the King was to reward many and some had too much the King out of these Fines to provide for them 10. The Legate King and Henry d'Almain to Elect 12. who should cause these Articles to be executed and to see performed what they ordaine according to the estimates already taken or if not to have new rates taken reasonable and true 11. Tenants tha were against the King to lose their Leases but at the expiration of their time the Land to returne to the true owner 12. Forts built by the assent of the King
onely two months pay 2. They have taken away three parts of their Arreares for Free-quater without satisfaction to the Country And at last force them to sell their Debentures at the aforesaid rates that those Souldiers that are continued in Armes shall fare no better when they have served their turnes with them Pag. 10 they say Their engagements against the King was not out of any Personall enmity but simply against his Oppressions and Tyranny on the People but the use and advantage on all the successe God hath been pleased to give us is perverted to that end That by His removall the Ruling Sword men might intrude into His Throne set up a Martiall Monarchy more cruell arbitrary and tyrannicall than England ever tasted of that under the notion of a Free-State when as the People had no share at all in the constitution thereof but by the treachery and falsnesse of the Lieutenant Generall Cromwell and his Son-in-Law Ireton with their Faction was inforced and obtruded by meer Conquest on the People And a little after now rather then to be thus vassallized thus trampled and trod under soot by such as over our backs have stepped into the Chaire of this hatefull Kingship over us in despight of the consent choice and allowance of the Free-People of this Land the true fountaine and originall of all just Power as their owne Votes against Kingly Government confesse we will chuse subjection to the PRINCE chusing rather ten thousand times to be His Slaves than theirs c. Pag. 11. They Vote and Declare The People the Supreme Power the Originall of all just Authority pretend the promotion of the Agreement of the People stile this The first yeare of Englands Freedome entitle the Government A Free State and yet none more bloody violent and perverse Enemies thereto for not under paines of death and confiscation of Lands and Goods may any man challenge or promote those Rights of the Nation so lately pretended by themselves Nothing but their boundlesse lawlesse wills their naked Swords Armies Armes is now Law in England c. 16. August 1649. Col. 209. Col Morrice Governour of Pontefract for the King Endicted at the Assizes at York condemned and executed Morrcie who kept Pontefract-Castle for the KING was Endicted before Iudge Thorpe and Pulleston at Yorke Assizes upon the Stat. 25. Edw. 3. for leavying Warre against the late King and Parliament The Colonel challenged one Brooke Fore-man of the Iury for being his professed Enemy but the Court knowing Brooke to be the principall Verbe the Key of their worke answered Morrice He spake too late Brooke was sworne already Brooke being asked the Question Whether he were sworne or no replied He had not yet kissed the Booke The Court answered It was no matter that was but a Ceremony alleaging he was recorded Sworne there was no speaking against a Record Sure they made great haste to record him sworne before he could kisse the Booke so Brooke was kept in upon this cavill by whose obstinacy Morrice was condemned I cannot wonder that legall Formes Ceremonies are laid by although justice cannot subsist without those Legalities to ascertaine her proceedings which otherwaies would be left at large to the discretion of the Iudge when I see our knowne Lawes Magna Charta the Petition of Right 3. Carol. and the rest with the fundamentall Government of this Nation pulled up by the roots to carry on their Designes of enslaving the People to their lusts notwithstanding the Parliaments Declarations Remonstrances Protestations Covenants Oathes to the contrary and their late Vote in the Act for Abolishing Kingly Government That in all things concerning the Lives Liberties Properties and Estates of the People they would observe the knowne Lawes of the Land But to returne to our Relation Then Morrice challenged 16. more of the Iury whereat Pulleston was so pettish that he bade Morrice keep his compasse or else he would give him such a blow as should strike off his head Untill Morrice cited the Stat. 14 Hen 7. fol. 19. whereby he might challenge 35. men without shewing cause Here you see the Iudges which ought to be of Councell with the Prisoner in matter of Law endeavouring to out-face and blind the Prisoner with ignorance of the Law being a Martiall Man Then he desired a Copie of his Endictment that he might know what to answer saying he might plead Speciall as well as Generall which the Court denied him Next because there was point of Law in it he desired to have Councell citing the Stat. 1. Hen 7. fol. 23. which was likewise denied him yet I am deceived if Rolfe had not Councell allowed him being endicted at Winchester for an endeavour to Murder KING CHARLES the First and had many other favours denyed to Morrice Then Col. Morrice for his discharge produced the PRINCE'S Commission as Generalissimo to the KING his Father The Iudges answered The Prince was but a Subject as Morrice was and if He were present must be tried as he was and rejected the Commission without reading Morrice told them the Prince had His Authority from the King in whose name all Iudges Officers did then Act. The Court Answered the power was not in the King but the Kingdome Observe they endicted him for Leavying Warre against the King and Parliament The word Parliament was a surplusage for which no Indictment could lie no Allegiance no Treason and we owe Allegiance to the King alone whosoever Leavyeth Warre in England in the intendment of the Law is said to Leavy Warre against the King onely although he ayme not at His Person but at some other Person And if he that Leavyeth Warre against the King His Crowne Dignity be a Traitour how much more must they be Traitours that have actually Murdered the King and Dis-inherited and proscribed his lawfull and undoubted Heire and as much as in them lies have subverted the Monarchicall Government of the Land and consequently all Monarchicall Lawes whereof the Stat. of Treasons for Leavying Warre against the Kings Majesty is one and therefore Morrice under a Free-State ought not to be condemned or tried upon any Monarchicall Law So Morrice was found guilty by a Iury for that purpose And an illegall president begun to cut off whom the Faction pleaseth under a pretence forme of Law without help of a Councell of Warre or a private Slaughter-house or a Midnight-Coach guarded with Souldiers to Tyborne These Usurpers have got the old tyrannicall trick To rule the People by the Lawes but first to over-rule the Lawes by their Lawyers and therefore Vt rei innocentes pereant fiunt nocentes judices that true men may goe to the gallowes Thieves must sit on the bench but silent Leges inter arma and now silet Iustitia inter Leges silet Ius inter Iudices the mungrell hypocriticall three-headed conquest we live under hath dispoiled justice of her ballance Three-headed consisting of 1. Councell of Warre 2.
him to contemne them both Thus putting my trust in God I put Pen to Paper and my life into the scales vvhere God I knovv holds the ballance he vvhose providence takes notice of a Sparrovv falling from the house-top vvill vvatch over me and either protect me against them or receive me from them Cromvvell and Ireton by advice of their thriving Iunto of Independents in the tvvo Houses having mutinied the Army against their Masters the Parliament 2. An Introductory Repetition See my I. Part of the History of Independency sect 7 8 9 10 11 13 14. found that crime could not be defended but by committing greater vvherefore they seized the Kings Person at Holdenby to gaine Authority vvith the People that they might the better subdue the Parliament to their lusts for the better expediting vvhereof Sect. 18 19. they courted the City of London to sit Neuters and let them vvorke their vvills vvith the Parliament vvhich Myne not taking fire they united the scismatical Party of the City and Countrey to them and all such as being guilty of publique cheats and spoyles desired the protection of the Svvord to make good their rapines and accounted all men else as Enemies applying themselves to vvooe and cajole the People easily vvrought upon as being vveary of the VVarre and of the Mis-government Factions confusions and oppressions of their nevv Masters the Parliament vvhich indeed vvere very great but aggravated by them and their Agitators beyond the truth and the vvhole vvaight of them charged upon the more moderate and innocent Party onely because they vvere their Opposites vvhereas had they set the saddle upon the right horse as sure as Iudas bore the Bagge the Independents must have rid before the Cloak bagge they being the Publicans and Sinners that handled most publique treasure The Layers on Exactors Treasurers c. of Taxes the farre more numerous and busie party in all Mony-Committees and gainfull Employments Engrossers of all great Offices and the greatest Sharers of Publique money amongst themselves for Compensations for Losses and Revvards for Services pretended and consequently that Faction vvere the greatest Dilapidators of the Common-vvealth Oppressors of the People and Authors of confusion though according to custome by an impudent fallacy called Translatio criminis the Independent faction lay their Bastards at other Mens dores making a shevv to redresse those faults in other men vvhich themselves are chiefly guilty of vvherefore the better to ingratiate themselves vvith King and People they printed and published Engagements Declarations Remonstrances Manifestoes Proposals and Petitions of their ovvne penning and sent them by their Agitators and sectary Priests into all Counties for concurrence and Subscriptions the better to steale the respects of the People from the Parliament to themselves like Absolom they flattered the People to make Addresses and Complaints against publique Grievances to them onely Boasting themselves for the sole Arbitrators of Peace Restorers of Lavves Liberty and Property Setlers of Religion Maintainers of the Priviledges of Parliament Reformers and Callers to Account of all Committees Sequestrators Treasurers c. Deliverers of the People from that intolerable Excise and other Taxes But above all Preservers of all just Interests and Restorers of the King to his just Rights and Prerogatives vvith honour freedome and safety to his Person originally their ovvne vvords Booke of Declarations of the Army pag. 112. Represent of the Army at S. Albons Iune 23. 1647. B. Decl againe p. 64 Sir Tho Fairfax's Letter to the Houses from Reading Iuly 6. 1647. B. Decl againe p. 75. Proposals of the Army Aug. 1. 1647. Putney Projects p. 1â— 14 4â— and my Animadverssions upon the Armies Remonstrance delivered to the Commons Novemb. 20. 1648. The second part of Englands Nevv Chains and the Hunting the Foxes from Nevv Market and Triplo heath to White hall by five small Beagles p. 6 7. See my Animadversions upon the Armys Remonstrance Nov. 20. 1648 and Putney Projects p. 43. and Major Huntingtons Relation in a Booke caled A plea for King and Kingdome in Answer to the Armys Remonst presented Novemb. 20. 1648. pag 14 15. 16. and Second part of England's New Chaines and the said Hunting of the Foxes c. And the Reasons inducing Major Robert Huntington to lay downe his Commission though since they Quarrell vvith Parliament City for using them Reducers of his Queen and Children vvithout vvhich they openly professe and Declare positively in many printed Papers to the vvorld and the Parliament There can be no setled peace nor happinesse to this Nation The truth of this Assertion vvas obvious to the meanest Capacities and vvill sodainly be proved by deare and lamentable experience To all these undertakings they novv hunt directly counter yet in pursuance of these undertakings the Army by their ovvne Authority made Addresses to his Majesty and presented to him more tolerable Proposals than any he could obtaine from his Parliament They treated vvith him yea they vvrought upon him under-hand to neglect the Propositions from Parliament tendered to him at Hampton-Court and to preferre the Proposals of the Army and then presuming they had him fast lymed they propounded to him anevv as I have it from good hands private Proposals for the Interest of the Independent Grandees and the Army derogatory to the Kingly Povver and Dignity to the Lavves Liberties and Properties of the Subject and destructive to Religion To vvhich his Majesty giving an utter denyall they began to entertaine nevv Designes against the Kings Person and Kingly Gouvernment vvhich they ushered in by setting the Schismaticall and Levelling Party on vvork in City and most Counties to obtrude upon the Houses clamorous Petitions against further Treaties and demanding exemplary Iustice against the King exceedingly laboured by Cromwell himselfe in Yorkeshire both amongst the Gentry and Souldiers c. amongst these the Petition Decemb. 11. 1648. vvas the most eminent these men that insolently petitioned against the fundamentall Government of the Land and Peace by Accommodation vvere entertained vvith Thanks Others that petitioned for Peace by Accommodation vvere entertained vvith Frovvns disfranchisings sequestrations vvounds and death as the Surrey Gentlemen this shevved vvith hovv little reality the over-ruling Party in the Houses Treated vvith the King 2. part of England's Chaines discovered 1. Treaty in the Isle of Wight In order to this Designe of laying aside the King and subverting Monarchy They 1. frighted his Majesty into the Isle of VVight 2. The Parliament that is the predominant Party pursued him thither vvith offer of a Treaty upon Propositions conditionally that before he should be admitted to Treat he passe 4. Dethroning Bills of so high a nature that he had enslaved the People subverted Parliaments and had made himselfe but the Statue of a King and no good Christian had he by his Royall assent passed them into Acts of Parliament 1 par Hist Ind. sect 62 63 64. and the Parliament or rather the Grandees
to demeane himselfe in the Treaty vvhich had formerly been Voted to be in the Isle of VVight vvith honour freedome and safety to His Majesty The Instructions vvere 1. That the King shouly enjoy the same liberty during this Treaty that He had at Hampton-Court 2. That no person excepted out of mercy none novv Imprisoned by the Parliament nor none novv in actuall Armes against the Parliament should be admitted to come to the King 3. That no foraine Agent should make any Addresse to Him without leave of both Houses Against these Instructions it vvas argued That some of them contradicted the former Votes That the King should Treat in Honour and Freedome and that He should enjoy the same Liberty He had at Hampton-Court which could not be so long as He was denied to correspond with other Princes His Allyes with vvhom He Vvas in league and amity by their Ambassadors and Agents a Royalty inseperable from the Crowne allovved Him at Hampton-Court and to deny it vvas implicitely to dethrone Him To vvhich vvas ansvvered That this vvas true of a King in actuall exercise of his Regall povver vvhich this King neither is nor ought to be untill He hath given satisfaction to His Parliament That it vvas agreat condescention in them and belovv the Dignity of a Parliament to recall their Votes of Non Addresse and put the businesse of the Treaty thus forvvard and if He vvould not accept of a Treaty upon such conditions as the Parliament thought fit then things vvould be but vvhere thy vvere The peaceable moderate Party perceiving vvhat operattion the Schotish Victory had already upon the fancies of those hot-headed Men Knevv they must speake mannerly and modestly for feare of correctson and must take vvhat they could since they could not have vvhat they vvould 4. That the King should give His Royall vvord not to remove out of the Island during the Treaty nor in 20. 7. The Earle of Warvvicks Letter to Derby-ho complaining of his Sea-men daies after vvithout consent of the tvvo Houses this vvas to make his chaines a linke or tvvo longer yet the King did give His Royall vvord accordingly Thursday Aug. 24. a Letter came to the Committee of Safety at Derby-house from the Earle of VVarvvicke complaining of the perversnesse of his ovvne Sea-men and that those vvith the Prince vvould not yet stoop to the Gods of Gold his ovvne vvords That some other vvay must be thought of besides force to undermine the Prince that since they had subdued their Enemies by Land it vvould be a good preparative to vvorke upon their Enemies by Sea vvith the same Engine You see these Saints having gotten the publique Purse into their hands are at the peoples costs and charges bountifull Corrupters of other mens faith having none of their ovvne About this time a nevv kind of pick-lock vvas invented to open the iron Chests and Counter Boards of the City 8. A Committee to make effectuall the Sale of Bishops-Lands and cajole the City and invite them to throvv more money after that they had cast avvay already in purchase of Bishops Lands namely a Committee to consider of a vvay to secure unto the Purchasers the Money they had already disbursed upon the said Lands and to remove all impediments in the Sale for time to come To vvhich Col. Harvey said That he had experience in the late defection of the City that the Men most backvvards in the Parliaments service vvere such of the Presbyterians as had no engagement upon Bishops Lands vvhereas others of the same Party that have interest in the same Lands are as forvvard as any the best affected Here you see vvhat it is that chaines the affections of the Cite to this Parliament and vvhat it is that divides them amongst themselves self-respects makes them run along blind fold vvith the Grandees in any designe or faction A good bargaine makes a bad Man Harvey needs no other president but himself nor no more visible monument then his exceeding cheap bargaine of Fulham-house and Manour vvhich hath changed him from a furious Presbyter to a Bedlam Independent About this time it vvas Ordered 9. A Commission into the North to enquire what dammages they have sustained by the Scotish Invasion That Commissions should be issued forth into the Northerne Counties to enquire vvhat Damages they have anny vvaies sustained by Hamilton's Invasion This device vvas of a tvvofold use 1. To cut off the Scots demands for Mony due to them for their last Brotherly assistance and otherwise 2. To cajole the poore Country into a beliefe they shall have reparations against the Scots and raise them into a clamorous complaint against the Scots and at last a deadly seude vvhen they shall find their hopes denied by them and disappointed In the meane time they are patiently eaten up vvith Taxes and Free-quarter and vvhile they looke for vvhat they shall never have they lose vvhat they have already This vvas the much applauded invention of Master St. Iohns of Lincolns-Inne 10. Colchester surrendred vvith the sequele thereof About this time the nevves of the Surrender of Colchester inflamed the Antimonarchicall faction from a Feaver to a frantick Calenture They yeilded to mercy and vvithin 4 hovvers after Sir Charles Lucas and Sir George Lisle for the better explanation vvhat Independent mercy is vvere shot to death some attribute it to an old quarrell betvveen him and Generall Fairfax others think it vvas done to put an affront upon the King and the Treaty Colonel Farre vvas likevvise condemned by the Councell of VVarre at the same time but is reprieved as a vvitnesse against the Earle of VVarvvicke vvhen time serves for vvhen VVarvvicke long since vvaited at the Commons Dore vvith some Ladies to petition for a Reprieve for the Earle of Holland a Souldier of the Guard insolently told him He had more need petition for himselfe 11. Instructions for the Commissioners to Treat with his Majesty Instructions for the Commissioners to Treat vvith the King vvere Debated The Independents propounded that those Propositions that were most advantagious to the Parliament should be first debated and if the King did not confirme them all the Treaty to breake off But it vvas held unreasonable in any Treaty that one Party should bind himselfe before the Conclusion and leave the other at large and himselfe in the lurch so it vvas Ordered They should be Treated of in order as they lay and according to His Majesties desire nothing binding to either Party untill all was agreed of The next stumbling block cast in the vvay vvas that seeing 40 daies only were allowed for to Treat that thy should limit how many daies and no more should be spent in Treating upon every severall Proposition But this vvas looked upon as a cavill to make void the Treaty and so over-ruled you see vvhat use these men that gaine by VVarre make of their Victories 12. A Debate what Gentl should be allowed to
the King amongst them Againe they say That if the King come in to the Parliament He vvil be looked upon as the Repairer of breaches Restorer of trade peace plenty c. and if the Army should keep up as it must upon Taxes the Houses and Army vvill be looked upon as Oppressers and the jealousies and discontents of the People be increased against them and make them apt to joyne issue vvith the Kings interest and may yeild us up a sacrifice to appease the King and his Party out of these vvords and their ovvne practice I conclude for them ergo They may carry on their designe upon necessity for self-preservation against the Monarchicall Government and Lavv of the Land to murder the KING as they have since done Againe they say If the King vvere returned each Party vvould strive first and most to comply vvith Him ergo there is a necessity to subvert the Kingdome and murder the KING Behold vvhat use these covvardly Saints make of necessity and self-preservation 5. That they may appeale to their Svvord against the Authority of any their Governours in order to publique safety vvhich tvvo last conclusions set the dore vvide open to Faction and Rebellion since the People are ever floating and given to change and every turbulent ambitious Fellovv is apt to raise them into a storme against their Governours for their fabulous assertions vvherevvith these Saints usually guild over their foule actions 1. That the Houses were free vvhen they passed the 4. Votes for Non-Addresses 2. That they vvere not free vvhen they recalled them 3. That the People vvere quiet and contented untill the recalling those 4. Votes and aftervvards vvere untsetled and presented clamorous Petitions 4. That the Army did not apply themselves to the King untill he proffered Himselfe to them 5. That vvhen they made Addresses to Him it vvas but to prevent the Presbyterian Party But it appeares their ayme from the beginning vvas to suppresse the Presbyterian and advance their ovvne Party and lay by the King and domineer over Him and the Kingdome for vvhen Cromvvell had brought his Designe to perfection he said at Kingston That he vvas as fit to rule the Kingdome as Hollis 6. And then but hypocritically Sect. 65 66 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 88 89 97 98. All these are sufficiently confuted in my said Animadversions and in the said Plea for the King and Kingdome in Putny Projects and in my First part of the History of Independency After all this tedious stuffe aforesaid they make Propositions to the Parliament of tvvo sorts all founded upon the said live Antimonarchicall Principles The first for satisfying publique Iustice that is for the Hang man to teach the Iudges vvho they shall Sentence to execution 1. They demand the Person of the King may be brought to speedy Iustice this affront they put upon the Parliament vvhen they vvere neer conclusion of their Treaty vvith Him vvhen He had already granted more to his Subjects than ever any King condescended to The Kings Supremacy and from thence his indempnity proved this is through the sides of the King to give Monarchy the fundamentall Government and Lavves of this Land and consequently the Liberty and Property of the People their Deaths-vvond By the lavv of God nature reason and the Lavves of all Kingdomes impunity is an inseparable prerogative of Kings as they are Supreme in their Dominions See the Oathes of Allegiance Supremacy Stat of Recognition 1 Iac. Cokes Institut 5.1 Stamford's Pleas of the Crowne l. 1 ch 1 2 Stat. 25. Edvv. 3 42. E. 3. Read Mr. Pryns Memento to the unparliamentary Iunto his Speech in the House of Commons 4. Dec p. 72 73 74. 75 76 77. and my 1. part sect 106. The Conclusions sect 17. and my Animadversions p. 18. the Petition of Right 3. Caroli Declares That they had no povver to hurt the Kings Prerogative much lesse I thinke to hurt his Person the Lavves are the Kings Lavves Courts the Kings Courts Iudges his Iudges Great Seale his Seale the VVrits the Kings VVrits the Iustice and Peace of the Land are his consequently the VVars his VVarres he is the fountaine of all Authority as vvell as of all Honour Thou shalt not speake ill of the Governour of the People therefore not accuse him The King hath no Superior nor equall in England contrary to that false distinction of the Observator that he is Major singulis minor universis VVhen David vvould have gone forth to Battle his Army dissvvaded it using these reasons If vve flee they vvill not care for us neither if halfe of us die vvill they care for us But thou art vvorth ten thousand of us here you see the King is reckoned major universis more than all his Army and yet that Army vvas at that time in effect all the vvel-affected of the Land and therefore by the Anarchicall Principle aforesaid the onely people of the Land for further proofe hereof I appeale to all our Lavvs and Statutes hovv vvill they Trie him vvho shall Iudge him vvho are his Peeres that he may be Legally Tryed like a Freeborne man for sure they cannot deny him that right according to Magna Charta per legale iudicium parium suorum It is a grounded Maxime in our Lavves The King can doe no vvrong vvherefore then vvill they Trie Him for doing no vvrong The policy and civility therefore of our Lavves and of our Parliament too in all their Declarations Remonstrances so long as they continued in any state or degree of innocency alvvaies accused his Evill Counsellours and Ministers and freed Himselfe lest they gave advantages to ambitious men Absolon-like to scandalize and dishonour him and render him lovv and vilde in the eyes of the People to the disturbance of the peace of the King and Kingdoms and shaking of the Royall Throne vvhich is alvvaies accompanied vvith an earth-quake of the vvhole Land * 1. Pet. 2.13 Here the King is called Supreme not the People and though said to be an ordinance of man in some respects yet S. Paul Rom 13. saith He is ordain'd of God 2. Governours are distinguished the King is Supreme and Governors are sent by him his Comâ—ission Besides it appears Gen. 3.16 4.7 God gave not to all men that freedome which is supposed the foundation of supremacy in the people He made them not masters of their own liberty for even then he laid the foundations of obedience in Abel to Cain Eve to Adam If a people chuse a King it is the act of every particular man of vvhom the Commonalty consists and each individuall nor the whole Commonalty can give him more power then himselfe hath But no man hath power over his owne life neither arbitrarily nor judicially but onely over his liberty which he may so give away as to make himselfe a subject or a slave this makes him so chosen a Ruler or Protector of them who have parted with
jugling trick to make them acknovvledge the Lord Fairfax Authority and become voluntary Prisoners upon their ovvne engagement and vvas therefore refused The next morning being Thursday the Imprisoned Members had vvarning given them to meet the Generall and his Councell of VVarre at VVhite-hall vvhither they vvere Guarded in Coaches tyred out vvith vvatching and fasting But the mechanick Councel took so much state upon them that after six or seven hovvers attendance untill darke night and no admittance nor application to them they vvere led avvay from thence on foot vvith Guards of Musketiers like Thieves and Rogues and thorovv the kennels like Col. Prides Dray-horses to the Swan and Kings-head tvvo Innes in the Strand and there distributed under severall Centinels The Souldiers making a stand vvith them sometimes halfe an hovver together in the snovv and raine untill they had put their Guards into a marching posture and reviling them See the 2. part of Englands Chaines discovered and the Hunting of the Foxes c. that they were the men that had cousened the State of their money and kept back their Pay Vpon vvhich scandalous provocation some of them Ansvvered That it was the Committee of the Army and their owne Officers that had cousened them vvhich some of the Foot-Souldiers then acknovvledged Besides the 41. Imprisoned Members the Officers standing severall daies vvith Lists of Names in their hands at the Parliament dore have turned back from the House and denied entrance unto above 160. other Members besides 40. or 50. Members vvho voluntarily vvithdrevv to avoid their violence all vvhom they knovv to be Losers by the VVarre and therefore desirous of a safe and vvel-grounded peace so that they have made vvarre against the majority of the House that is against the vvhole House for major pars obtinet rationem totius by all our Lavves and Customes The major part of the House is virtually the whole House vvhich is Treason by their ovvne Declarations and Remonstrance farre higher than that vvhereof they accuse the King and for vvhich they demand Iustice against Him and the remaining faction of 40. or 50. engaged Members vvho novv passe unpresidented Acts of Parliament of the House of Commons as they call them vvithout the Lords ought not to sit Act nor take upon them the stile of a House under so visible actuall and horrid a force both by the Lavves of the Land and their ovvne Ordinance passed August 20. 1647. To null and void all Orders Votes and Acts passed under the Tumult of Apprentices from Iuly 26. to the 6. August following and yet the said Tumult ended the said Iuly 26. vvhen it begun See the said Ordinance herevvith printed The Army vvho novv acknovvledge no povver but that of the Svvord as Major VVhite long since foretold at Putney and vvhose principle it is To break the Powers of the Earth to pieces as VVilliam Sedgewicke in his Iustice upon the Army Remonstrance saith And who as Ioh Lilburne in his Plea for Common Right p. 6. saith have by these extraordinary proceedings overturned all the visible supreme Authority of this Nation now suffer onely their owne Party of 40. or 50. Members to sit and doe journey worke under them who are Enemies to peace and have got well by fishing in troubled waters and hope to get better so that hardly a seventh or eighth part of the Counties Cities and Burroughs that ought to have Members sitting have any body to represent them and therefore hovv they shall be bound by the Votes and Acts of this fagge end this Rump of a Parliament vvith corrupt Maggots in it I doe not see Friday Decemb. 8. a Message from the Generall vvas brought to Sir Robert Harlow that he might go home to his house giving his engagement not to oppose the actings and proceedings of this present Parliament and Army The like vvas offered to divers others you see hereby vvhat the offence of these Imprisoned Members is onely a feare that they will defend the fundamentall Government the Religion Lawes and Liberties of the Land the Kings Person and Authority and the being of Parliaments against the Tyrannicall and Treasonable practices of the Army and their House of Commons The small remnant of the House of Commons sent sundry times to the Generall to knovv why he Imprisoned their Members 24. Reasons proving that the remaining faction or Iunto sitting under the force of the Army were consenting to the securing secluding their Members sect 134 135. and humbly to beseech him to set them at liberty if he had nothing against them But all this vvas but prevarication and false shevves for 1. Their base and conditionall vvay of demanding their Liberty if he had nothing against them implies an acknovvledgement of the Generalls jurisdiction and conusance over them and an invitation of him to accuse them 2. Their sitting and acting under so brutish a force before their Members righted or the honour of the House vindicated is a deserting and yeilding up of their Membres honour 3. Their Voting an approbation of the matter of the Generall Officers scandalous and jugling Ansvver to their said Demands concerning the secured and secluded Membres as aftervvards they did vvithout hearing vvhat the said Members could say for themselves is cleerly a forejudging and betraying them 4. Their late Votes That no man shall peruse their Iournall Booke of Orders c. without speciall leave is purposely done to barre the said Membres vvho cannot make any perfect Ansvver in confutation of the Scandals cast upon them by the Generall Councels printed Libell against them vvithout having recourse to the said Booke to see vvhat Votes passed for Ireland for the 200000 l. and other matters To say nothing hovv unusuall and unjust it is to keep the Records of the House from the vievv and knovvledge of any man and yet to expect their obedience to them 5. Their exceeding strict and severe prohibiting the printing any Books not Licenced and imploying Souldiers to Search all Printing Houses dayly is done in ordre to barre the said accused Members from publishing an Ansvver in their justification 6 Their Summoning Mr. Pryn by ordre to appeare at the Commons Barre knovving him to be still a Prisoner to the Army shevves that the Army and they serve each others turnes against them 7. And Lastly the Declaration of the present House of Commons dated Iaen 15. 1648. is nothing but an eccho of the said Ansvver of the Generall Councell against the said secured and secluded Members They that are so vvickedly industrious to destroy these Gentlemens credits doe this as a preparative to destroy their Persons and seize upon their Estates for the maintenance of a nevv VVarre vvhich they foresee their violent courses vvill bring upon them and for the farther inriching of themselves and establishing their Tyranny vvhich they miscall The Liberty of the People This violent purge vvrought so strongly upon the House and brought it to that vveaknesse that ever since
up illegall High Courts of Iustice their usurping the Supreme Authority their making Treason an Arbitrary crime their erecting a Councell of State or Hogens mogens forty Tyrants in lieu of one King their altering the style of VVrits and legall proceedings c. Sentence given before any person accused or heard to speake for himselfe Oh the brutish understanding of men whose sinnes and feares have intoxicated their wits The said Lords and Commons doe thereupon judge and declare the said printed Paper to be false scandalous and seditious and tending to destroy the visible and fundamentall Governement of this Kingdome And doe therefore order and ordaine the said printed Paper to be suppressed and that all Persons whatsoever that have had any hand in or given consent unto the contriving framing printing or publishing thereof shall be adjudged and hereby are adjudged uncapable to beare any Office or have any place of trust or authority in this Kingdome or to sit as Members of either House of Parliament And doe further order and ordaine That every Member of either House respectively now absent upon his first comming to sit in that House whereof he is a Member for the manifestation of his innocency shall disavow and disclaime his having had any hand in or given consent unto the contriving framing printing or publishing of the said Paper or the matter therein contained The 12. and 13. 28. The Conventicle of Commons repeat ex tempore in a thin House under a force the Votes deliberately passed in a full and free House Decemb. the Commons that they might purge their Iournall Books of all State-heresies as vvell as their House of all State-Hereticks voted this Index expurgatorius vvhich in their ovvne canting language I here present to you 1. Resolved c. That the Vote of this House Ian. 3. 1647. for revoking the Order Sept. 9. 1647. for suspending Commissary Lionell Copley from being a Member of this House is of dangerous consequence and tending to the destruction of the justice and peace of the Kingdome and is hereby repealed The like for the rest of the impeached Members mutatis mutandis 2. Resolved c. That the Vote of the House Iune 30. 1648. whereby this House did concurre with the Lords for opening of a way to the Treaty with His Majesty for a safe and wel-grounded peace That the Votes Ian. 3. 1647. forbidding all Addresses to be made to or from the King be taken off was highly dishonourable to the proceedings of Parliament and apparently destructive to the good of the Kingdome sure they meant the kingdome of the Saints They likevvise by foure severall Votes revived the said 4. Votes Ian. 3. 1647. for no Addresses in terminis 3. Resolved c. That the Vote Iuly 28. 1648. That a Treaty be had in the Isle of VVight with the King in Person by a Committee appointed by both Houses upon the Propositions presented to him at Hampton-Court was highly dishonourable and apparently destructive to the good of the Kingdome Good Boyes they can say their Lessons vvell The House adjourned and apace too vvhen the Army vvhips them on they vvill shortly have a jubile of play-daies for their paines 40. or 50. Nevv lights snuffed by the Councell of VVarre can better discover vvhat is dishonourable and apparently destructive to their ovvn Kingdome then 340. or 244. could doe at other times If you aske vvhat Debates they had they could have none being novv freed from the contradiction of Sinners being all Birds of a feather taught the same tune by the same Masters and singing in the same cage 29. A Protest to be entered against the Votes That the Kings Grants vvere a ground for a Setlement a Touch-stone of I. Gourdons See the Order Dec. 5. 1648. Yet the unanimous recalling those Votes vvas not thought by those that thinke one thing and say another a sufficient Test all vvere confidently for them that voted vvith them vvherefore godly Iohn Gourdon a Fellovv that spits venome as naturally as a Toad moved That a Protestation might suddenly be drawne up and every Member to set his hand to it in detestation of those repealed Votes A Committee vvas appointed accordingly The 14. Decemb. the said nevv-found Shiboleth vvas brought in by Gourdon vvhich caused divers that vvere not yet mad enough for Bedlam to forbeare the House or rather Conventicle 30. The Militia of the Counties nevv setled in Independent hands Decemb. 14. They repealed the Ordinance lately passed after mature debate for setling the County Militias of the Kingdome because there vvere some Presbyterians in it not vvelaffected to the Army and in that nevv sense Malignants And ordered that a new Ordinance with a List of new names of Saints militant sounding like a Ievvish pedigree be brought in for through the indiscretion of the Presbyterians the Independents have had the custody of our Purses a long time and novv must keep our Svvords too and then Stand and deliver vvill be the only Lavv of the Land About this time Major Generall Browne one of the Sheriffs of London vvas fetched out of the City by a Party of Horse 31. Sheriff Brovvne carried away out of the City Prisoner to S. Iames's and carried before the mechanique Councell of VVarre at VVhite-hall although a Member of Parliament and consequently one of their Masters vvhere he told them he knevv they had nothing to charge him withall but his honest endeavours to preserve His Majesty and His Posterity together with the Parliament City and Kingdome with the Lawes and Government thereof from being rooted up by them and that he feared them not Col. Hewson the one-eyed Cobler vvas so savvcy as to tell him He was too peremptory at last they committed him Prisoner to S. Iames's And that he might not vvant company 32. Sir Will. Waller c. removed S. Iames's they sent a VVarrant to Capt. Lawrence Marshal Generall to remove Sir VVill VValler Sir Iohn Clotworthy Major Gen Massey and Commissary Generall Copley from the Kings head to him The Marshall shevving them the VVarrant 33. They protest against the Generals Authority they Protested against the Authority and offered the Protest to the Marshall in vvriting desiring him to shevv it to the Generall vvhich he refusing to receive Sir VVill VValler desired all the company to vvitnesse vvhat Protestation they did make in behalfe of themselves and all the Free-borne people of England against the violent and illegall encroachments of the Generall and Councell of VVarre against the Lavves and Liberties and read it aloud as follovveth A Declaration of the taking avvay of Sir Will Waller Sir Iohn Clotworthy Major Gen Massey and Colonel Copley Members of the House of Commons from the Kings-head in the Strand to S. Iames's Together vvith their Protestation read at their removall VVith a Copy of the L. Generals Order for the same Tuesday Decemb. 12. 1648. Marshall Lavvrence came and acquainted Sir VVilliam VValler Sir Iohn
the Commons and the Commissioners Names inserted consisting of diverse Lords Commons Aldermen Citizens Country Gentlemen and Souldiers that the more persons of all sorts might be engaged in so damnable and treasonable a designe and because this Ordinance and the proceedings thereupon had no foundation in Divinity Law reason nor practice The Commons to give it a foundation and ground from the authority of their Votes declared as followeth Resolved Diurnall from 1. Ian. to the 8. of Ian. 1648. Numb 286. c. That the Lords and Commons assembled in Parliament doe declare and adjudge That by the fundamentall Lawes of the Realme it is Treason in the King of England for the time to come to levie War against the Parliament and Kingdome of England So together with this declaratory Vote the said Ordinance was carried up to the Lords by that Renegado Lord Gray of Grooby Ian 2. 1648. 55. And sent up to the Lords The Lords met that day farre more than ordinary 16. in number and promising to send an Answer by Messengers of their owne The first Question started by some Lords who had rather have had a thinner House was 56. and Debated Whether it should be presently debated which passed Affirmatively The first Debate was upon the said Declaratory Vote The Earle of Manchester told them The Parliament of England by the fundamentall Laws of England consisted of three Estates 1. King 2. Lords 3. Commons the King is the first and chief Estate He calls and dissolves Parliaments and confirmes all their Acts and without him there can be no Parliament therefore it is absurd to say The King can be a Traytour against the Parliament The Earle of Northumberland said The greatest part at least twenty to one of the People of England were not yet satisfied whether the King levied war first against the Houses or the Houses against Him 57. The Zealots of the H. of Com offended with the Lords for casting forth the Ordin for Triall of the King And if the King did leavie Warre first against the Houses we have no Law to make it Treason in Him so to doe And for us to declare Treson by an Ordinance when the matter of fact is not yet proved nor any Law extant to judge it by is very unreasonable so the Lords cast off the Debate and cast out the Ordinance and adjourned for seven daies Ian. 3. The Zealots of the Commons were very angry at the Lords and threatned to clap a Pad-lock on the Dore of their House but at last they sent up some of their Members to examine the Lords Book and see what they had done who brought word back that their Lordships had passed 2. Votes 1. That they doe not concurre to the said Declaratory Vote 2 That they had rejected the Ordinance for Triall of the King 58. Votes passed by them thereupon Hereupon the Commons resolved to rid their hands of King and Lords together and presently they voted That all Members of the House of Commons and others appointed by order of that House or Ordinances of both Houses of Parliament to act in any Ordinance wherein the Lords are joyned shall be empowred and enjoyned to sit and act and execute in the said severall Committees of themselves notwithstanding the House of Peers joyne not with them therein Upon the debate many hot-brain'd men insisted upon it That the Lords who rejected the Ordinance should be themselves Impeached for favouring the grand Delinquent of England you see the King was likely to have much justice when his Iudges must either condemne Him or be condemned others thought it more prudence to touch their Priviledges and let alone their Persons Die Iovis 4. Ian. 1648. The Commons passed these 3. Votes A question in Divinity voted in Parliament never agreed to by Divines This we find de facto in the subversion of our Religion Lawes Liberties and Properties though not de jure You see that since both Houses ravish'd the Supremacy from the King and a petty Faction from the Houses our Lawes are first shrunke into arbitrary Ordinances of both Houses and now into Orders of a remaining Faction of one House 1. That the People that is their owne faction according to their said Principle are under God the originall of all just power 2. That the Commons of England in Parliament assembled being chosen by and representing the People have the Supreme power of this Nation 3. That whatsoever is enacted or declared for Law by the House of Commons assembled in Parliament hath the force of Law and all the People of this Nation are concluded thereby although the consent or concurrence of the King or House of Peers be not had thereunto This chain-shot sweeps away King Lords Laws Liberties property and fundamentall Government of this Nation at once and deposites all that is or can be neer or deare unto us in scrinio pectoris in the bosomes and consciences of 50. or 60. factious covetous Saints the dregs and lees of the House of Commons sitting and acting under the power of an Army and yet the House of Commons never had any Power of Iudicature nor can legally administer an Oath but this in pursuance of their aforesaid Principle That they may passe through any forme of Government to carry on their Designe The Diurnall tells you there was not a Negative Voice this shevves under vvhat a terror they sit vvhen in things so apparently untrue no man durst say No so the said Declaratory Vote and Ordinance for Triall of His Majesty by a Court Martiall if the Diurnall speake true and yet the King no Prisoner of VVar vvas passed onely in the name and by the Authority of the Commons Notvvithstanding the Order of the House That the Clerke should not deliver a Copy of the said Ordinance to any man I here present the Reader vvith a Copie thereof 59. The Act for Triall of the King An Act of Parliament of the House of Commons for Tryall of Charles Stuart King of England WHereas it is notorious that Charles Stuart the now King of England was not content with the many incroachments which his Predecessors had made upon the People in their Rights and Freedome hath had a wicked Designe to subvert the antient and fundamentall Lawes and Liberties of this Nation and in their place to introduce an Arbytrary and Tyrannicall Government and that besides all evill waies to bring His Design to passe He hath prosecuted it with fire and sword Quaere VVhether the Faction doe not translate these Crimes from themselves to the King with many others leavied and maintained a Civill VVarre in the Land against the Parliament and Kingdome whereby this Country hath been miserably wasted the publique Treasure exhausted Trade decayed thousands of People murdered and infinite of other mischiefs committed sor all which high offences the said Charles Stuart might long since have been brought to exemplary and condigne punishment VVhereas also
the Iewes Petition The last damnable Designe of Cromwel and Ireton and their junto or Caball intended to be carried on in their Generall Councell of the Army and by journey-men in the House of Commons vvhen they have engaged them desperately in sinne past all hope of retreat by murdering the King MAjor VVhite a Member of the Army long since at Putney fortetold That shortly there vvould be no other povver in England but the povver of tee Svvord and VVil Sedgvvick in his Booke called justice upon the Armies Remonstrance saith The Principle of this Army is To breake the Powers of the Earth to pieces and Iohn Lilburne in his Plea for Common Right pag. 6. saith The Army by these extraordinary proceedings have overturned all the visible Supreme Authority of this Nation that is they have and vvill by seizing upon the Members of Par dissolving it and setting up a nevv invented Representative and bring the King to capitall punishment and dis-inheriting His Posterity subvert the Monachicall Government and Parliaments of this Kingdome the Lavves and Liberties of the People and so by bringing all to Anarchy and confusion put the vvhole Government of the Land under the Arbitrary povver of the Svvord In order to vvhich they have and vvill overturne the Government of the City of London by a Lord Mayor and Aldermen and Governerne it by Commissioners and a schismaticall Common Councell of Anabaptists illegally chosen and deprive them of their Charter of Incorporation and Franchises and this shall be a leading case to all the Corporations of England Their next designe is to Plunder and Dis-arme the City of London and all the Country round about thereby to disable them to rise vvhen the Army removes but not to the use of the Souldiers although they greediâ—y expect the first VVeek in February the time appointed from vvhom they vvill reedeeme the Plunder at an easie rate and so sell it in bulk to the Ievves vvhom they have lately admitted to set up their banks and magazins of Trade amongst us contrary to an Act of Parliament for their banishment and these shall be their Merchants to buy off for ready money to maintaine such VVarres as their violent proceedings will inevitably bring upon them not onely all Sequestred and Plundred goods but also the very Bodies of Men VVomen and Children whole Families taken Prisoners for sale of whom these Iewish Merchants shall keep a constant traffique with the Turks Moores and other Mahometans the Barbadus and other English Plantations being already cloyed with VVelch Scottish Colchester and other Prisoners imposed by way of sale upon the Adventurers and this is the meaning of Hugh Peters threat to the London Ministers That if another VVarre followed they will spare neither Man VVoman nor Child For the better carrying on of which Designe the said Caball or Iunto keep a strict correspondency with Ovven Roe Oneale the bloudy Popish Antimonarchicall Rebell in Ireland and the Popes Nuntio there The Antimonarchicall Marquesse of Argyle in Scotland the Parisian Norman and Picarde Rebels in France and the Rebel King of Portugall If danger be not held so close to your eyes that you cannot discerne it looke about you English But this Kingdome is not to be saved by Men that will saue themselves Nothing but a Private hand and a Publique spirit can redeeme it 63. Master Pryns second Letter to the Generall The 3. Ian. 1648. Master Pryn sent a Letter to the Generall demanding vvhat kind of Prisoner and vvhose he vvas as follovveth * To the Honourable Thomas Lord Fairfax Generall of the present Army these present My Lord IT is novv a full Months space since I vvith other Members of the Commons House have been forcibly apprehended and kept Prisoner by some of your Officers and Marshall against the Priviledges of Parliament the Liberty of the Subject the Lavves and Statutes of the Realme and all rules of justice conscience and right reason vvithout the least shadovv of Authority or any cause at all yet made knovvne to me of vvhich vvere there any neither God nor man ever yet made your Lordship or your Officers Iudges I therefore desire to knovv from your Lordship vvhat kind of Prisoner I am and vvhose If a Prisoner of peace neither your Lordship nor your Officers are any Iustices of peace or Civill Magistrates in this place to restraine me for any civil crime vvere I guilty of it much lesse vvithout proof or hearing in case I vvere no Member but being neither guilty nor accused of any such crime and a Member too no Magistrate can nor ought to imprison me upon any pretext at least vvithout the Houses licence first obtained If a Prisonner of VVarre vvhich I cannot probably be being never in Arms and apprehended neer the Commons House dore going peaceably and unarmed thither to discharge my duty then you and your Officers thereby acknovvledge That you have levied VVarre against the Parliament and its Members and vvhat capitall offence this is and vvhat a punishment it deserves I need not informe your Lordship or your Councell vvho have for this very crime condemned and shot some to death as Traytours and demanded speedy justice and execution for it upon the King himselfe I have but one thing more to trouble your Lordship vvith and that is to demand vvhose Prisoner I am having yet seen no VVarrant nor Order from your selfe or your Officers for my restraint though I have oft demanded it of your Marshall If your Lordships Prisoner there appearing yet no legall Authority cause or VVarrant for my restraint I must then crave so much justice from your Lordship being but a Subject and not yet paramount all Lavves to order your Attourney to give an Appearance for you in the Kings bench the first returne of the next Tearme to an action of false Imprisonment for this my unjust restraint vvhich I intend by Gods assistance effectually to prosecute If your Officers Prisoner onely and not yours vvhich I conceive vvho yet abuse your name and authority herein though it be a rule in Lavv Divinity too Qui non prohibet malum quod potest jubet yet I shall be so just as to set the saddle upon the right horse and commence my action onely against such of your Officers vvho have been most active in my Imprisonment for damage and reparations vvhich if there be any justice remaining under Heaven I doubt not but I shall recover in Gods due time in this publique cause vvhich so highly concernes the honour fredome and Priviledges of Parliament and Subjects Liberties for defence and maintenance vvhereof as I have hitherto spent my strength adventured my life body liberty and estate so shall I novv againe engage them all and all the friends and interests I have in heaven and earth rather then they shall suffer the least diminution prejudice or eclipse by my stupid patience under this unjust captivity though I can as vvillingly forgive and put up private injuries
Army and their Parliament Cromwell Ireton and Hugh Peters have severall times made it their errand to go into the City and visit the Ministers 66. London Ministers threatned See the Ministers of Londons Letter to the Generall called A serious Representation dated Ian. 18. 1648. giving them threatning admonitions not to Preach any thing against the Actings of the Army and their Parliament But Hugh acted his part above them all he tooke some Musketiers with him to the house of Master Calamy knocking at the dore a Maid asked whom he would speake with he told her with her Master she asked his name he replied Mr. Hugh Peters the Maid going up the staires to acquaint her Master who was above-staires in Cōference with somes Divines over-heard Peters say to the Souldiers The very name of Peters will fright them all Peters being called up the staires told Mr. Calamy He was commanded by the Generall to warne him to come before him Mr. Calamy leaving Peters vapouring canting Religion and non-sense to the rest of the Divines slipt downe staires and went to the Generall to know his pleasure telling him He had been summoned before him by Hugh Peters the Generall said Peters was a Knave and had no such directions from him Since this the Councell of Warre finding it difficult to stop the Ministers mouths have sundry times debated 67. The C. of VVar consider hovv to shut up the Churches dores How to shut up the Churches dores in the City for Reformation of the Church and propagation of the Gospell they have imprisoned Mr. Canton a worthy Minister for praying for King CHARLES threaten to trie him for his life in the Upper Bench forsooth which all the Lawes call the Kings-bench and upon their new Acts of Parliament made by a ninth part of the Members the small remnant or Junto of the House of Commons notwithstanding by The Directory for Publique Worship established by both Houses the Ministers are enjoyned to pray for the King It is said that Monsieur Paux one of the Dutch Agents here hath advised Cromwell to stop the Ministers mouthes by hanging up a dozen of them and vouches a president for it in the Low Countries 68. The Lords sent some Votes to the Commons for their cōcurrence Ian. 9. The Lords sate againe and passed some Ordinances which they sent downe to the Commons for their concurrence to feel their pulse whether they would vouchsafe to take so much notice of them the Commons laid them aside after some expressions of disdaine 69. Sergeant Dandy proclaimeth the sitting of the nevv H Court of Iustice This day Sergeant Dandy Sergeant at Armes to the Comissioners for Triall of His Majesty rode into Westminster-hall with the Mace belonging to the House of Commons upon his shoulder some Officers attending him all bare and 6. Trumpetors on horsback before him Guards of Horse Foot attending in both the Palace-yards the 6. Trumpetors sounded on horseback in the middle of the Hall the Drums beat in the Palace-yards after which a Proclamation was read aloud by Mr. King one of the Messengers of the said High Court of Justice to this purpose To give notice that the Commissioners were to sit to morrow and that all those that had any thing to say against CHARLES STVART King of England might be heard The like was done in Cheapside and at the Old Exchange 70. The Gr Seale voted to be broken This day the remainder of the House voted their Great Seale to be broken in order to the making of a new one justly putting the same affront upon their owne Seale which they had formerly put upon the Kings 71. Mr. Pryns Memento to the unparliamentary Iunto Upon these occasions Mr. Pryn it is said published his Memento to the unparliamentary Junto therein telling the House That being forcibly secluded from the House by the Officers of the Armies violence whereby he could not speake his mind to them freely in or as the House of Commons yet he would write his thoughts to them as private Persons onely under a force consulting in the House without their fellow Members advice or concurrence about speedy Deposing and Executing CHARLES their lawfull Soveraigne to please the Generall Officers and Counsell of the Army who have usurped to themselves the Supreme Authority both of King and Parliament or rather the Iesuits and Popish Priests among them 1. By the Common Law the Stat. 25. Edw. 3. Cok. 5. Iusti 4. 1. Stamf. Pleas of the Crovvne l. 1. c 1 2. and all other Acts concerning Treason It is High Treason for any man by overt act to compasse the death of the King or his eldest Sonne though never executed and so adjudged by Parliament in the Earle of Arundels Case 21 Ric. 2. Plac. Coronae n. 4 6 7. 2. In the Oath of Allegiance which every man takes before he sits in Parliament you acknowledge Him to be lawfull and rightfull King of this Realme and that the Pope neither of himself nor by any authority of the See of Rome or by any other meanes with any other hath any Power or Authority to depose the King c. 3. Your selves amongst other Members Exact Collect p. 16. 19. 21. 59. 66. 83. 102. 103. 118. 123. 125. 141. 142. 143. 173. 180. 195. 219. 259. 281. 307. 380. 312. 360. 376. 457. A Collect c. p. 13. 18. 41. 43. 44. 49. 51. 61. 64. 96. 181. 182. 310. 321. 424. 425. 499. 599 623 696. 806. 807. 879. Appendix p. 15. in above one hundred Remonstrances Declarations Petitions Ordinances c. in the name of the Parliament have professed you never intended the least hurt injury or violence to the Kings Person Crowne Dignity or Posterity but intended to Him and His Posterity more Honour Happinesse Glory and Greatnesse than ever any of His Predecessors enjoyed That you would make good to the uttermost with jour lives and fortunes the Faith and Allegiance you have alwaies borne to him That all Contributions Loanes should be imployed onely to maintaine the Protestant Religion the Kings Authority Person Royall Dignity Lawes of the Land Peace of the Kingdome and Priviledges of Parliament That the Forces raised by the Parliament were for defence of the Kings Person and of both Houses That the Parliament will ever have a care to prevent any danger to His Person That they are resolved to expose their lives and fortunes for maintenance of the Kings Person Honour and Estate and the Power and Priviledges of Parliament when the King taxed the Houses for insinuating Exact Collect pag 298. 695. 696. 657. 658. 991. That if they should make the highest presidents of other Parliaments their patternes that is Depose the King there could be no cause to complain of them Both Houses by two Declarations protested against it saying That such thoughts never entred nor should enter into their Loyall hearts 4. By the Protestation Collect. of
all Orders p. 8. 13. 41. 43. 44. 49. 51. 61 64. â—6 9â— 623. 69â— 879. Appendix pag. 15. they Declare in the presence of God to defend the Kings Person and Estate and that their Armies under Essex and Fairfax were raised for that purpose inter alia 5. By the Nationall Covenant they vowed to defend the Kings Person and Authority in preservation of true Religion and Liberties of the Kingdome and that they will all the daies of their lives continue in this Covenant against all opposition 6. You monopolize the Supreme power into your owne hands robbing both King Lords the rest of your fellow Members thereof whom you are content should be violently shut out by your Army who have leavied Warre against the Parliament to dissolve it till the removall of which force and restoring your Members with freedome and safety you ought not to sit or Act by your Armies owne doctrine in their Remonstrance Aug. 18. by the Declaration and Ordinance of both Houses Aug. 20. 1647. Also 15. E. 3. n 5. 17. E. 3. n. 2. 6. 18. E. 3. n. 1. 2. 5. c. â— R. 2. n. 1. 2. R. 2. n 1 3. R. 2. n. 1. 4 R. 2. n. 1. 5. R. 2. Parl 1. n. 1. Parl. 2. n. 1. 8 H. 4. n. 28. Sec. 21. R. 2. c. 12. 1. H. 4. c. 3. 31. H. 6. c. 1. 39 H. 6. c. 1. See the memorable Record 6. E. 3. Parl. apud Ebor. n. 1 2. dorso clauso 6 E. 3. m. 4. 6 E. 3. apud Westm ' Parl. 2. n. 1 13. E. 3. Parl. 2. n. 4. many more Rolls where Parliaments when any considerable number of Members of either House were absent refused to sit though under no force till the Houses were full 7. You have neither Law nor president for what you doe Edw. 2. Rich. 2. were forced by Mortimer and H. 4. to resigne their Crowns in a formall way one to his Sonne the other to his conquering Successor neither of them to the Parliament and at last Deposed by a subsequent Sentence of Parliament as unfit to Reigne without any formall Triall * 72. The Armies party in the H approve the matter of the Co of Officers accusatory Ans against the secured Memb vvithout hearing them See Mr. Io Grereâ—s Ans to that silly Sophister Io Goodvvin called Might overcomming right Ian. 11. 1648. The House read the Answer of the Generall Counsell of the Army concerning the secured secluded Members and as I have formerly said without hearing what the said Members could say for themselves approved the matter of it whereupon the secured and secluded Members 20. Ian. 1648. with much adoe got printed their Vindication against the Aspersions cast upon them in The humble Answer of the Generall Counsell of the Officers of the Army concerning the securing secluding of the said Members The summe whereof is as followeth By the Preamble of this Answer by the Proposals of the 6. Decemb. and the late Declaration and Remonstrance therein cited 73. The sec secl Mem. Defence aginst the scandalous An of the C of VV it appeares this designe to breake the House by force hath been long since plotted and contrived with action The Generall Councell of the Army in their said Answer say Is a course in it selfe irregular and not justifiable but by honest intentions and extraordinary necessity the weaknesse of which Answer we must examine but first must state the case between us They are an Army raised by Ordinance of Parliament of 15. Febr. 1644. for defence of King and Parliament the true Protestant Religion the Lawes and Liberties of the Kingdome and to be from time to time subject to such Orders and directions as they shall receive from both Houses of Parliament and to this end they stand Commissioned by them and receive pay from them to this day And besides this trust thus lying upon them they are under the obligation of a solemne Covenant sworn to God That they will in their place and callings with sincerity reality and constancy with their estates and lives preserve the Rights and Priviledges of the Parliament and the Liberties of the Kingdome and defend the Kings Person and Authority in defence of the true Religion and Liberties of the Kingdome they being under the said trusts and Oath march up to Westminster contrary to order in a hostile way forcibly secured secluded drove away many of the Members the Question is Whether this Action be Iustifiable upon pretence of Honest intentions and Necessity Their good intentions cannot be known but by their expressions and actions and they referre us to their Proposals Declarations and Remonstrances where we find their desires are 1. To take away the Kings life 2. To take away the lives of the Prince and the Duke of Yorke at least to dis-inherit both them and all the Kings Children 3. To put a period to this Parliament 4. To set up a new Representative of their owne which takes away all Parliaments 5. To have an Elective King if any These are their Honest intentioÌ„s for publique good which must come in to justice their waging warre against their Masters this Parliament To name them is to confute them as being apparently against the Lawes of God and the Land under which they live which they are engaged to maintaine we shall produce no other Witnesses to prove this but themselves On the 15. of Novemb. 1647. The Agreement of the People which is lower in demands than these which they call Honest intentions for publique good was condemned by the Army The promoting it in the Army judged mutinous and capitall Col Rainsborough and Major Scot complained of in the House for appearing in it and the Paper it self adjudged by the House destructive to Government and the being of Parliaments The second pretence or Principle is Extraordinary Necessity for the same end To this we say 1. The Army made the same plea of necessity in their Remonstrance Iune 23. 1647. upon quite contrary grounds to what they expresse now both to justifie the same violent proceedings against the Parliament then when the King was seized upon by a Party of the Army without Order from the House the Army advanced against the Parliament They say in their Letter to the House Iuly 8. 1647. There have been several Officers of the Army upon severall occasions sent to his Majesty the first to present to Him a Copy of the Representations and after that same others to tender Him a Copy of the Remonstrance upon both which the Officers sent were appointed to cleer the Sence and intentions of any thing in either Turne back to sect 2 and see my Aniadvers upon the Army 20. Nov 1648. p. 4 5 6 7. Paper whereupon His Majesty might make any Question There the Army Treated with the King yet now they offer violence to the Parliament for Treating with the King Then in their Remonstrance 25. Iune
the Houses formerly in their Ordinances presented to Him at New-castle did themselves thinke fit to settle it For the Sale of Bishops Lands upoÌ„ the Publique Faith we say Every cheating Saint of the Faction must have the Publique Faith exactly kept though he bought the Lands but at 2. or 3. yeares just value and vvith such monies as he thad formerly cheated the State off vvhen other men vvho have lost the best part of their Estates by and for the Parliament for compensation vvhereof they have the Publique Faith engaged by Ordinances are consumed by Taxes and repayed vvith reproaches onely That although the Purchagers might well have afforded to have given the same rates for their purchases which they now give if they might have had them assured by Act of Parliament for 99. yeares and such moderate Rents reserved as the King intimates in his Answer yet in His Answer He expresseth a farther satisfaction to be given them upon which we should have insisted notwithstanding the said Vote 5. Decemb. 1648. We farther alleage That the King having granted the rest of the Propositions and so much in these 2. Delinquents and the Church the Nationall Covenant doth not oblige us to make Warre upon this point nothing can make Presbytery nor the Purchasers of Bishops Lands more ordious nor endanger them more than to make them the sole obstacle of peace nor could any thing more worke the King to comply with our desires herein than for us to draw a little neerer Him The Considerations leading us to passe the said Vote 5. Dec. 1648. come next to be considered 1. The saving of Ireland 2. The Regaining the Revolted Navy and freedome of the Seas 3. The support of the Auncient Government of the Kingdome 4. The putting the people into a secure possession of their Laws and Liberties 5. The avoiding such evill consequences as were apparently to follow a Breach with the King Returne to sect 71. As 1. the Deposing the King if not the depriving Him of life whereupon flouds of misery will follow and schandall to the Protestant Religion which we from our hearts detest abhorre see the many Declarations of Parliament against it 2. The necessitating of the Prince to cast himselfe into the Armes of forreigne Popish Princes embrace Popish Allyances for his succour 3. It may beget a change of Government and a laying aside of Monarchy here and so a Breach with Scotland and this Kingdome being the more rich likely to be the Seate of the Warre 4. The vast Debts of this Kingdome upon the Publique Faith will never be paid in Warre but increased and multiplied multitudes of Sufferers by and for the Parliament like to be repayed onely with new sufferings every years Warre destroies more Families and makes more Malignants through discontenting pressures untill at last the Souldier seeing no hope of pay the People no hope of peace and case fall together into a generall and desperate tumultuousnesse the power of the Sword apparently thereatning a dissolution of Governement both in Church and Common-wealth To that scandalous Objection which saith The corrupt majority will not lend an eare to admit a thought towards the laying downe their owne power or rendring it back to the People from whom they received it We say this Objection is unreasonable from men who endeavour to perpetuate an Army upon the Kingdome nor is the continuance of this Parliament singly objected but that they will not render it back to the People viz To a new Representative invented and made by the Army that is We will not render our power into the hands of the Army Another Objection is That watsoever the King granted He might plead Force to breake it and spoyle us by policy This Objection might have been made against all our Treaties If there be any Force it is from the Army for spoyling us by policy The Kings of this Land could never encroach upon our good Lawes but by corrupt Iudges and Ministers who though they could not abrogate the Law made it speake against it selfe and the intended good of the People or else by the power of Courtiers stopping the course of justice at the Councell Table and in other Arbitrary Courts both which are taken away by the Kings Concessions 1. That the Nomination of Iudges and Officers be in the Parliament 2. That the King make no new Parliament Lords for the future to Vote there Another Objection is That they had intelligence that had they been suffered to meet all in the House once more For this you must take the faith of the mysty brayned Pen-man vvho had this as vvel as many other grosse Lies by Revelation The Army had had the King in their povver and had the Parliament adjourned the sole povver of the Kingdom had been left in the Army vvhich is a thing aymed at by them it was designed to have passed some higher resolutions to lay farther foundations of a new quarrell so as to carry therein the name and countenance of Parliamentary Authority together with the Kings upon an acceptable pretence of Peace to draw men in and then to have adjourned the Parliament for a long time excluding all remedy in this case but by another Warre To this we say the House immediatly upon passing the Vote 5. Decemb. Sent a Committee to the Generall to conferre with him and his Officers and keep a good correspondency with them To which the Generall promised his readinesse howsoever it was hindred afterwards And then they seized upon one of the Commissioners appointed to Treat affronted another and left no way free for a Conference which shewes they were resolved to doe what they had designed The last Obj. is That those Members that are yet detained in Custody are either such as have been formerly Impeached and in part judged by the House for Treason and other Crimes and never acquitted and against whom they can and very shortly will produce new matter of no lâ—sse crime or else such who have appeared most active and united in Councels with them against whom also they are preparing and shall shortly give matter of particular Impeachment To this we say that when it appeares what those crimes are and what persons are charged with them we doubt not but they will sufficiently acquit themselves if things may be Legally carried in a judiciall way by competent Judges not preingaged In the meane time we conclude That Souldiers whose advantages arise by Warre are not fit to judge of the Peace of the Nation 74. A DeclaratioÌ„ by Mr. VValker and Mr. Pryn. The 19. Ian. 1648. Mr. Pryn and Mr. Walker two of the secured Members published in print their Declaration and Protestation against the Actings and proceedings of the Army and their Faction now remaining in the House of Commons as followeth A Declaration and Protestation of Will Pryn and Clem Walker Esquires Members of the House of Commons Against the present Actings and Proceedings of the
have publique Slaughter-houses in terrorem as well as private ad poenam the nature of their Cause and their naturall conditions requiring it Oliver is a Bird of prey you may know by his Bloudy Beake so was his Prodromus that Type and figure of him Iohn of Leyden than whom this Fellow will shortly prove farre more bloudy you see this schismaticall remnant of one House have the impudence to usurp the Supreme Authority to themselves And then to tell you that the Votes of this petty Conventicle calling themselves the Commons are the Law nay the Reason of the Land thereby devesting us of those Lawes which shall distinguish us from Slaves denying us the use of our reason whereby we are differenced from Beasts and expecting an implicite faith blind obedience from us to all the Votes of this half quarter of a House of Commons so farre that they Vote obedience to the knowne Lawes in many cases to be Treason vvhat all our Lavves call Treason they Vote no Treason nay should they vote a Turd to be a Rose or Oliver's Nose a Ruby they vvould expect vve should svveare it and fight for it This legislative Den of Thieves erect new Courts of Justice neither founded upon Lavv nor prescription Theaters of illegall tyranny and oppression to take avvay mens lives Arbitrarily for actions vvhich no Lavv makes criminous nay for such acts as the Lavves command vvhere their proceedings are contrary to Magna Charta and all our knovvne Lavves and usages not per probos legales homines no Juries no svvorne Judges authentically chosen no Witnesses face to face no formall Indictment in vvhich a man may find errour and plead to the jurisdiction of the Court or vvhere the Court ought to be of Councell vvith the Prisoner but the same engaged and vovved Enemies are both Parties Prosecutors Witnesses Judges or Authorizers and Nominators of the Judges Actors of all parts upon that stage of Bloud The King pressed earnestly especially upon Monday 22. Ian. to have His Reasons against the Iurisdiction of the Court heard but vvas as often denied He intended then to give them in vvriting vvhich vvas likevvise rejected so they vvere sent to the presse A true Copie whereof followes His Majesties Reasons against the pretended Jurisdiction of the High Court of Justice which He intended to deliver in Writing on Monday Jan. 22. 1648. 86. His Majesties Reasons against the Iurisdiction of the high Court of Iustice published after His condemnation Faithfully transcribed out of the Originall Copie under the Kings owne Hand HAving already made my Protestations not only against the illegality of this pretended Court but also that no earthly power can justly call Me who am your King in question as a Delinquent I would not any more open My mouth upon this occasion more then to referre My selfe to what I have spoken vvere I alone in this case concerned But the duty I ovve to God in the preservation of the true Liberty of My People will not suffer Me at this time to be silent For how can any free-borne Subject of England call life or any thing he possesseth his owne if power without right daily make new abrogate the old fundamentall Law of the Land which I now take to bee the present case Wherefore when I came hither I expected that you would have indevoured to have satisfied Me concerning these grounds which hinder Me to Answer to your pretended Impeachment but since I see that nothing I can say will move you to it though Negatives are not so naturally proved as Affirmatives yet I will shew you the Reason why I am confident you cannot judge Me nor indeed the meanest man in England for I will not like you without shewing a reason seek to impose a beliefe upon My Subjects * * Hereabout I vvas stopt and not suffered to speak any more cōcerning Reasons There is no proceeding just against any man but what is warranted either by Gods Lawes or the municipall Lawes of the Country where he lives Now I am most confident that this daies proceeding cannot be warranted by Gods Law for on the contrary the authority of obedience unto Kings is clearly warranted and strictly commanded both in the Old and New Testament which if denied I am ready instantly to prove and for the question now in hand there it is said That where the word of a King is there is Power and who may say unto him what doest thou Eccles 8.4 Then for the Lawes of the Land I am no lesse confident that no learned Lawyer will affirme that an Impeachment can lie against the KING they all going in His name and one of their Maxims is That the King can doe no wrong Besides the Law upon which you ground your proceedings must either be old or new if old shew it if new tell what authority warranted by the fundamentall Lawes of the Land hath made it and when But how the House of Commons can erect a Court of Judicature which was never one it selfe as is well known to all Lawyers I leave to God and the World to judge And it were full as strange that they should pretend to make Lawes without King or Lords House to any that have heard speak of the Lawes of England And admitting but not granting that the People of Englands Commission could grant your pretended power I see nothing you can shew for that for certainly you never asked the question of the tenth man of the Kingdome and in this way you manifestly wrong even the poorest Plough-man if you demand not his free consent nor can you pretend any colour for this your pretended Commission without the consent at least of the major part of every man in England of whatsoever quality or condition which I am sure you never went about to seek so farre are you from having it Thus you see that I speake not for My owne right alone as I am your King but also for the true Liberty of all My Subjects which consists not in sharing the power of Government but in living under such Lawes such a Government as may give themselves the best assurance of their lives and propriety of their goods Nor in this must or doe I forget the Priviledges of both Houses of Parliament which this daies proceedings doth not onely violate but likewise occasion the greatest breach of their Publike Faith I believe ever was heard of with which I am farre from charging the two Houses for all the pretended Crimes laid against Me beare date long before this late Treaty at Newport in which I having concluded as much as in Me lay and hopefully expecting the two Houses agreement thereunto I was suddenly surprised and hurried from thence as a Prisoner upon which accompt I am against My will brought hither where since I am come I cannot but to My power defend the ancient Laws and Liberties of this Kingdome together with My owne just Right then for any
cunning The House passed an Act that the Oath underwritten 106. A new Oath for the Free-men of London and other Corporations and no other be administred to every Free-man of the City of London at his admission and of all other Cities Burroughs and Townes Corporate YOu shall sweare that you will be true and faithfull to the Common-weath of England and in order thereto you shall be obedient to the just and good Government of the City of London c. 107. An Act to repeal the Oaths of Allegiance Obedience and Supremacy They passed an Act also to repeale the severall Clauses in the Statutes 1. EliZ. 3. Iacob enjoyning the Oaths of Allegiance Obedience and Supremacy That the said Oathes and all other Oathes of the like nature shall be and are hereby wholly taken away the said Clauses in the said Acts be made void and null and shall not hereafter be administred to any Person neither shall any place or office be void hereafter by reason of the not taking of them or any of them any Law Custome or Statute to the contrary notwithstanding 108. Another Declaration and Protestation of the secured secluded Members In opposition to these tyrannous destructive illegall and trayterous proceedings of 40. or 50. cheating Schismaticks sitting nuder the force and promoting the Jnterests of will and power of the rebellious Councell of Officers in the Army The secured and secluded Members of the House of Commons Declared as followeth * A publike Declaration and Protestation of the secured secluded Members of the House of Commons Against the treasonable illegall late Acts proceedings of some few Confederate Members of that dead House since their forcible Exclusion 13. Febr. 1648. VVE the secured and secluded Members of the late House of Commons taking into our sad serious Considerations the late dangerous desperate and treasonable proceedings of some few Members of that House not amounting to a full eighth part of the House if divided into ten who confederating with the Officers and Generall Councell of the Army have forcibly detained and secluded us against the Honour Freedome and Priviledges of Parliament from sitting and voting freely with them for the better setling of the Kingdomes peace and contrary to their Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy their Protestation the Solemne League and Covenant and sundry Declarations and Remonstrances of both Houses to His late Murdered MAIESTY His Heires and Successors the whole Kingdomes of England Scotland and Ireland and to all foraigne States and Nations since our exclusion and forced absence from their Counsels by reason of the Armies force most presumptuously arrogated and usurped to themselves the Title of The Supreme Authority of this Kingdome and by colour and pretence thereof have wickedly and audaciously presumed without and against our privities or consents and against the unanimous Vote of the House of Peers to erect a High Court of Iustice as they terme it though never any Court themselves to Arraigne and Condemne His Majesty against the laws of God and the municipall Lawes of the Realme which Court consisting for the most part of such partiall and engaged Persons who had formerly vowed His Majesties destruction and sought His bloud most illegally unjustly refused to admit of His Majesties just Reasons and exceptions against their usurped Iurisdiction and without any lawfull Authority or proofe against Him or legall Triall presumed most trayterously and impiously to Condemne and Murder Him and since that have likewise presumed to Trie and Arraigne some Peers and others free Subjects of this Realme for their Lives contrary to Magna Charta the Petition of Right the Lawes of the Land and the Liberty of the Subjects to the great enslaving and endangering of the lives and liberties of all free People of England And whereas the said confederated Commons have likewise tyrannically and audaciously presumed contrary to their Oathes and Engagements aforesaid to take upon them to make Acts of Parliament as they terme them without our privity or assents or the joynt consent of the King and House of Lords contrary to the Use and Priviledges of Parliament and knowne Laws of the Land and by pretext thereof have trayterously and wickedly endeavoured to Dis-inherit the Illustrious CHARLES Prince of VVales next Heire to the Crowne and actuall KING of England Scotland France and Ireland immediately after His said Royall Fathers barbarous Murther by Right of Descent and proclaimed it Treason for any Person to Proclaime Him KING whereas it is high Treason in them thus to prohibit His proclaiming and have likewise trayterously and impudently encroached a tyrannical lawlesse power to themselves to Vote down our antient Kingly Monarchicall Government and the House of Peers and to make a new Great Seal of England without the Kings Portraicture or Stile and to alter the antient Regall and Legall stile of VVrits proceedings in the Courts of Iustice to create new Iudges and Commissioners of the Great Seale and to dispense with their Oathes of Supremacy and Allegiance and to prescribe new Oathes unto them contrary to Law though they have no Authority by any Law Statute or Custome to administer or injoyne an Oath to any man and thereby have trayterously attempted to alter the fundamentall Laws and Government of this Kingdome and to subvert the freedome priviledges and beeing of Parliaments for which Treasons Strafford and Canterbury though leste criminall lost their Heads this last Parliament by some of their owne prosecutions and the judgment of both Houses We in discharge of our respective duties and obligations both to God the King our owne Consciences our bleeding dying Kingdomes and the severall Counties Cities and Burroughs for which we serve doe by this present Writing in our own Names and in the Names of all the Counties Cities and Burroughs which We represented in Parliament publickly declare and solemnly protest before the all-seeing God the whole Kingdomes of England Scotland and Ireland and the world that We doe from the bottome of our hearts abominate renounce and disclaime all the said pretended Acts Votes and proceedings of the said confederate Members acted under the Armies power against our Consents as treasonable wicked illegall unparliamentary tyrannicall and pernitious both to the King Parliamt Kingdomes and all the free-borne People of this Realme extreamly disadvantagious and dishonourable to our Nation scandalous to our Religion and meer forcible Usurpations and Nullities void in Law to all intents and purposes which we and all the Freemen of this Kingdome and all the Kingdomes and Dominions thereto belonging are bound openly to disavow oppugne and resist as such with our purses armes lives to the last drop of our blouds and to which neither We nor any other can ought or dare to submit or assent in the least degree without incurring the guilt of High Treason and the highest perjury infamy and disloyalty And in case the said Confederates shall not speedily retract and desist
from those their treasonable practises and tyrannicall usurpations which We cordially desire and entreat them by all obligations of love and respect they have to God Religion their King Country and Posterity timely to doe We doe hereby denounce and declare them to be Traytors and publique Enemies both to the King and Kingdome and shall esteem and prosecute them with all their wilfull Adherents and voluntary Assistants as such and endeavour to bring them to speedy and condigne Punishment according to the Solemne League and Covenant wherein We trust the whole Kingdome all those for whom We serve and the Lord of Hosts himself to whom We have sworne and lifted up our hands hearts and fervent prayers will be aiding and assisting to us and all our Brethren of Scotland and Ireland who are united and conjoyned with us in Covenant to our GOD and Allegiance to our Soveraigne King CHARLES the Second who we trust will make good all His destroyed Fathers Concessions which really concerne our peace or safety and secure Us against all force and tyranny of our Fellow-subjects who now contrary to their Trusts and former Engagements endeavour by the meer power of that Sword which was purposely raised for the protection of our Persons Government Religion Laws Liberties the KING 's Royall Person and Posterity and the Priviledges of Perliament to Lord it over Us at their pleasure and enthrall and enslave Us to their armed violence and lawlesse martiall wills which we can no longer tolerate nor undergoe after so long fruitlesse and abused patience in hope of their repentance 109. A Paper entituled Foure true Positions c. About the same time came out another Paper entituled ⧠Foure true and considerable Positions for the sitting Menbers the new Cours of Iustice and new Iudges Sheriffs Officers Lawyers Iustices and others to ruminate upon 1. THat the whole House of Commons in no Age had any Power Right or Lawfull Authority to make any Valid or binding Act or Ordinance of Parliament or to impose any Tax Oath Forfeiture or capitall punishment upon any Person or Free-man of this Realme without the Lords or Kings concurrent assents much lesse then can a small remnant onely of the Members of that House doe it sitting under an armed force which nulls and vacates all their Votes and procedings as the Ordinance of 20. August 1647. declares whilst most of their Fellow-Members are forcibly detained and driven thence as Mr. St. Iohn proves in his Speech concerning Ship-mony p. 33. and in his Argument concerning the Earle of Strafford's Attainder p. 70. 71. 76. 77. 78. and Sir Edw. Coke in his 4. Instit c. 1. 2. That the few Members now sitting in and the House of Commons being no Court of Iustice of it selfe and having no power to heare and determine any civill or criminall Causes nor to give an Oath in any case whatsoever cannot by the Lawes and Statutes of the Realm nor by any pretext of authority whatsoever erect any new Court of Iustice nor give power or authority to any new Iudges Iustices or Commissioners to arraigne trie condemn or execute any Subject of meanest quality for any reall or pretended crime whatsoever much lesse their owne Soveraigne Lord the King or any Peers of this Realme who ought to be tried by their Peers and by the Law of the Land alone and not otherwise And that the condemning and executing the King or any Peere or other Subject by pretext of such an illegall Authority is no lesse than High Treason and wilfull Murther both in the Members the Commissioners Iudges or Iustices giving and executing Sentence of Death in any such arbitrary and lawlesse void Court or by vertue of any such void illegall Commissions 3. That the House of Commons and Members now sitting have no power nor authority to make or alter the Great Seale of England or grant any Commissions to any Commissioners Iudges Sheriffs Justices of the Peace or any other That all the Commissions granted by them under their New or any other Seale are meerly void illegall and all the new Writs and proceedings in Law or Equity before any Iudges Iustices Sheriffs or other Officers made by them meerly void in Law to all intents coram non judice 4. That the deniall of the KING's Title to the Crowne and plotting the meanes to deprive Him of it or to set it upon anothers Head is High Treason within the Stature of 25. Ed. 3. ch 2. And that the endeavouring to subvert the Fundamentall Lawes and Government of the Realme of England by King Lords and Commons and to introduce a tyrannicall or arbitrary Government against Law is High Treason at the Common Law especially in Iudges and Lawyers not taken away by any Statute Both which Mr St. Iohn in his Argument at Law concerning the Bil of attainder of high Treason of Tho E. of Strafford published by order of the Com House An. 1641. p. 8. 14. to 33. 64. to 78. And in his Speech at a Conference of both Houses of Parl concerning Ship mony An. 1640. hath proved very fully by many reasons and presidents and Coke in his 7. Report f. 10 11 12. 3. Instit c. 1. That the Commons now sitting in making a new Great Seale without the Kings Jmage or Style in granting new illegall Commissions to Iudges Justices of Peace Sheriffs and other Officers in the name of Custodes Angliae in the generall in omitting and altering the Kings Name Style and Title in Writs Processe Indictments and proceedings at the Common Law and thereby indeavouring to Dis-inherit the Prince now lawfull King by and since his Fathers bloody murther and to alter and subvert the Fundamentall Lawes and Government of the Realme by such Commissions and proceedings and by the power of an Army to enforce them and the Iudges Iustices Sheriffs and other Officers who accept of such Commissions and all those especially Lawyers who voluntarily assist consent and submit to such Commissions and Alterations by such usurped illegall Authority and the Commissioners sitting in the New Courts of Justice are most really guilty of both these high * Whereupon six Judges refused to accept any new Commissions or to act as Iudges Treasons in which there are no Accessories and lesse excusable than Strafford or Canterbury whom some of these new Iudges and sitting Members impeached and prosecuted to death for those very Treasons themselves now act in a more apparent and higher degree than they and in respect of their Oaths Covenant Callings and Places are more obliged to maintaine the Kings Title the Fundamentall Lawes and Government the Rights and Liberties of the Kingdome and Parliament then they and therefore if they persevere therein may justly expect the self-same capitall punishments they underwent if not farre worse especially since they attempt to reduce the antientest Kingdom of all Christendom into the puniest and most contemptible State in all the World and thereby to render us the
Gentlemen of the best quality vvere named vvhom they could not omit because they had sate vvith them and concurred in all their great debates although they had more confidence in those petty Fellovves vvho had or vvould sell their soules for gain to make themselves Gentlemen to debarre the said Gentlemen of quality therefore and make them forbeare they invented an expurgatory Oath or Shibeleth to be taken by every Member before his initiation vvhereby they should Declare That they approved of vvhat the House of Commons and their High Court of Iustice had done against the KING and of their abolishing of Kingly Government and of the House of Peers and that the Legislative and Supreme power was wholly in the House of Commons 22. Febr Cromwell Chair-man of that Committee of State reported to the Commons That according to the order of that House 19 of the said Members had subscribed to that forme of the Oath as it was originally penned but 22. of them scrupled it whereof all the Lords were part not but that they confessed except one The Commons of England to be the Supreme power of the Nation or that they would not live and die with them in what they shall doe for the future but could not confirme what they had done in relation to the King and Lords so it vvas referred to a Committee to consider of an expedient Cromwell having made use of the Levellers Assertors of publique Liberty to purge the House of Commons 115. Cromvvels usurped povver VVhen the House of Commons opposed Cromvvells and … on s designs they cried up the Liberty of the People and decried the Authority of Parliament untill they had made use of the Levellers to purge the House of Commons and make it subservient to their ends and abolish the House of Lords and then they cried up the Supreme Authority of their House of Commons and decried the Liberty of the People and the Levellers who upheld it So Charles the 5. first made use of the Popes Authority to subdue the Protestants of Germany and then used an Army of Protestants to subdue and imprison the Pope and abolish the Lords House doth novv endeavour to cast dovvne the Levellers once more finding himselfe raised to so great an height that he cannot endure to thinke of a levelling equality he oversvvaies the Councell of VVarre over-avves the House of Commons and is Chair-man and Ring-leader of the Councell of State so that he hath engrossed all the povver of England into his ovvne hands and is become the Triple King or Lord Paramount over all the Tyrants of England in opposition therefore to the Levelling party and for the upholding his ovvne more Lordly Interest he procured an expedient to Alter and Reforme the said Oath vvhich at last passed in this forme follovving February the 22. 1648. 116. The forme of the said reformed Oath I A.B. being nominated a Member of the Councell of State by this present Parliament doe testifie that I doe adhere to this present Parliament in the maintenance and defence of the publique liberty and freedome of this Nation as it is now Declared by this Parliament by whose Authority I am constituted a Member of the said Councell and in the maintenance and defence of their resolutions concerning the setling of the Government of this Nation for the future in way of a Republique without King or House of Peers and I doe promise in the sight of God that through his Grace I will be faithfull in performance of the trust committed to me as aforesaid and therein faithfully pursue the Instructions given to the said Councell by this present Parliament Here you see a curtaine drawn between the eys of the people the clandestine machinations and actings of this Councell and not reveale or disclose any thing in whole or in part directly or indirectly that shall be debated or resolved upon in the Councell without the command or direction of the Parliament or without the order or allowance of the major part of the Councell or of the major part of them that shall be present at such Debates or Resolutions In confirmation of the premises I have hereto subscribed my Name 117. The C of VVar debate to massacre the Kings party See Will Sedgvvicks Iustice upon the Armies Remonstrance About this time it vvas debated at the Councell of VVarre to Massacre and put to the Sword all the KING's Party The Question put vvas carried in the Negative but by tvvo Voices You see vvhat Furies pursue these sinfull VVretches and vvhat dangerous rocks they dash upon in order to that base and covvardly principle of Self-preservation 118. Schismaticall Petitions for 2. or 3. principall Gentlemen in each Country to be brought to justice The Army hath in every County of England packs of schismaticall Beagles vvhom they hollovv on to hunt in full crie by Petitions to the House after the bloud of such vvhom they design for slaughter Many Petitions have been lately presented That two or three principall Gentlemen of the KING's Party by name in each County might be sacrificed to Iustice whereby the Land might be freed from bloud-guiltinesse Divers Merchants have contracted to send forth severall Ships for the next Summers Fleet at their ovvne charge 119. Marchants arming Ships for this Summers Fleet. The prodigious High Court of Iustice vvas revived in order to the Triall of the Earle of Holland the Earle of Cambridge the Earl of Norwich the Lord Capel and Sir Iohn Owens 120. The High Court of Iustice revived the Commissioners vvere changed that they may engage as many men in arbitrary illegall tyranny and bloud-shed as they can Hamilton vvas exceedingly importuned by Cromwell vvho tooke a journey to VVindsor purposely to name such Members of Parliament and Citizens as had any hand in calling him in 121. The History of Hamiltons imprisonment and death See digitus Dei upon Duke Hamilton this he either could not or vvould not doe he had in order to his ovvn ambition first exasperated the Independent party against the KING and aftervvards sought their ruine by engaging for the KING and he doubted that to undertake so odious an office as to play the Devils part and be an Accuser of his Brethren vvould but set a glosse upon the Independents intended severity against him Being brought to St. Iames's in order to his Tryall Cromwell hoping to traine him to a confession caused all his Creatures to carry a favourable countenance to him Bradshaw smoothed him up vvith soft language at the Barre the Lord Gray of Grooby Col VVayte and Hugh Peters gave him hopes that they vvould not much obstruct his pretended Plea of Quarter from Lambert upon Articles Peters avouched Quarter so given by Lambert notvvithstanding Colonel VVayte vvhen he made Report to the House of Commons hovv he took him affirmed He yeilded at discretion and Lambert was not then neer him after this Peters gives Hamilton a Visit
clap Swords to their sides and come into the Army you see Souldiery is intended to be the chief Trade 131. An Act for Abolishing the Kingly Office c. March 17. 1648. The empty House of commons in farther prosecution of their said Designe and to please their Masters of the Army passed printed and published in the forme style of a Statute this Paper following entituled An Act for the Abolishing the Kingly Office in England Ireland and the Dominions thereto belonging WHereas Charles Stuart late King of England Ireland and the Territories and Dominions thereunto belonging hath by Authority derived from Parliament Since by the lavv the Crovvne cures all defects hovv can the King's bloud be attainted been and is hereby declared to be justly condemned adjudged to die and put to death for many treasons murthers and other hainous offences committed by him by which Judgement he stood and is hereby declared to be attainted of High Treason whereby his Issue and Posterity and all others pretending Title under him are become uncapable of the said Crowns or of being King or Queen of the said Kingdome or Dominions or either or any if them Bee it therefore Enacted and Ordained and it is Enacted VVe have svvorn saith Allegiance to K Charls the First His lavvfull Heyres Succ ssors and our Vovv is recorded in Heaven from vvhich no povver on earth can absolve us See the Oathes of Allegiance Obedience and Supremacy The Statute of Recognition 1. Iac. But the Commons are novv so Supreme as in imitation of the Pope to bring this Clause in practise Licet de jure non possumus tamen pro plenitudine potestatis nostrae volumus c. Ordained and Declared by this present Parliament and by Authority thereof That all the People of England and Ireland and the Dominions and Territories thereunto belonging of what degree or condition soever are discharged of all Fealty Homage and Allegiance which is or shall be pretended to be due unto any of the Issue and Posterity of the said late King or any claiming under him and that Charles Stuart eldest Sonne and James called Duke of Yorke second Sonne and all other the Issue and Posterity of him the said late King and all and every person and persons pretending Title from by or under him All our Lavves cut off by the non obstante of an eyght part of the House of Commons sitting under a force After almost 1000. years experience it novv found to be dangerous The English vvere never one half-quarter so much ens aved since VVilliam the Conquerour subdued them as they have been since Oliver the Brevver subjugated them are and be disabled to hold or enjoy the said Crown of England and Ireland and other the Dominions thereunto belonging or any of them or to have the Name Title Stile or Dignity of King or Queen of England and Ireland Prince of Wales or any of them or to have and enjoy the power and Dominion of the said Kingdoms and Dominions or any of them or the Honors Manors Lands Tenements Possessions and Hereditaments belonging or appertaining to the said Crowne of England and Ireland and other the Dominions aforesaid or to any of them or to the Principality of Wales Dutchy of Lancaster or Cornwall or any or either of them Any Law Statute Ordinance Vsage or Custome to the contrary hereof in any wise notwithstanding And whereas it is and hath been found by experience that the Office of a King in this Nation and Ireland and to have the power thereof in any single Person is unnecessary burthensome and dangerous to the liberty safety and publique interest of the people and that for the most part use hath been made of the Regall power and prerogative to oppresse impoverish and enslave the Subject and that usually and naturally any one person in such power makes it his interest to incroach upon the just freedome and liberty of the People and to promote the setting up of their owne Will and power above the Lawes that so they might enslave these Kingdoms to their owne Lust * * But in a Councell of State of forty Tyrants sitting under the protectioÌ„ and avve of Oliver Be it therefore Enacted and Ordained by this present Parliament and by Authority of the same That the Office of a King in this Nation shall not henceforth reside in or be exercised by any one single Person and that no one person whatsoever shall or may have or hold the Office Stile Dignity Power or Authority of King of the said Kingdoms and Dominions or any of them or of the Prince of Wales Any Law Statute Vsage or Custome to the contrary thereof in any wise notwithstanding And it is hereby Enacted That if any person or persons shall endeavour to attempt by force of Armes or otherwise or be ayding assisting comforting or abbetting unto any person or persons that shall by any waies or meanes whatsoever endeavour or attempt the reviving or setting up againe of any pretended Right of the said Charles eldest Sonne to the said late King James called Duke of Yorke or of any other the Issue and Posterity of the said late King or of any person or persons claiming under him or them to the said Regall Office Stile Dignity or Authority or to be Prince of Wales or the promoting of any one person whatsoever to the Name Stile Dignity Power Prerogative or Authority of King of England and Ireland High Treason is what these Legislative Thieves list to make it an Arbitrary or me notvvithstanding the Stâ—t 25 Ed 3. for limiting ascertaining of Treasons for security of the People Tiberius and Neâ—o's daies are falleÌ„ upon us of vvhich Tacitus lugeni crimen debitiae c mplementum omnium accusationem lasa majestat and Dominions aforesaid or any of them That then every such offence shall be deemed and adjudged High Treason the Offenders therein their Counsellors Procurers Ayders and Abettors being convicted of the said Offence or any of them shall be deemed adjudged Traytors against the Parliament and People of England and shall suffer lose and forfeit and have such like the same paines forfeitures judgements and execution as is used in case of High Treason And whereas by the abolition of the Kingly Office provided for in this Act a most happy way is made for this Nation if God see it good to returne to its just and antient right of being Governed by its owne Representatives or Nationall meetings in Councell * * VVhen vvas England governed by their ovvne Representative or had any other regliment then Kings But vvhat the Legislative Conventicle declares vve must believe though contrary to our knovvledge They vvill lead our faith and reason in a string or have our necks in a halter A period to this Parliament and leave the Supreme povver in the Councell of State a designe long since aâ—tempted See 1 and 2 part of
from Neighbour Princes to vvhom they let their Bloud to Hire and become Mercinaries many times to the extreame dammage and if their Country vvere vvorth subduing danger of the State For Venice it is an Aristocracy if not Olygarchy of many petty Kings so burdensome to all their Subjects upon Terra firma that they dare not trust them vvithout Citadals to keep them under they never conside in any of their number or Natives to be Comander in Chief of their Land Forces fearing to be tyrannized over by a Cromwell or an Ireton or by some property subordinate to them in all but Title The Morlachy and many Inhabitans of Dalmatia and Candia have lately preferred the Turkish Government before theirs As for the Low Countries their neerest example peruse Bernavelt's Apology and many good Histories For Rome from their Regifugium they vvere never free from Civill VVarres cecessious Tumults and changes of Government first to Patritian Consvlls Regia pote state then to promiscuous Consuls Plebeyans as vvell as Patritians vvith popular Tribunes to controule them then to Decemviri legibus Scribendis then to Tribuni militares consulari potestate Dictators upon all speciall occasions sometimes an Aristocrary sometimes a Democracy betvveen tvvo Factions Patritian and Plebeyan And never could that unhappy Idoll of the multitude Liberty find any time of setled rest and Government untill their giddy Republique vvas overthrovvne by Iulius Caesar and turned into a Monarchy by Augustus vvhich approved Cratippus saying See some Authorities cited verbatim in the first Page Vitiosum Reipub statum exigere Monarchiam and then and not till then Rome came to his height of Glory and Dominion and continued so a long time sometimes empayred by the vices of some Emperors and sometimes repaired by the virtues of others he that reads Liry and Tully's Orations vvith many other Authors shall find hovv infinite corrupt the People vvere both in making and executing Lavves in dispensing Iustice both Distributive and Commutative vvhat Complaints that their comitia vvere venalia vvhat Bulvvorks they vvere faine to erect against the ambition and covetousnesse of their Great men Leges Ambitus leges Repetundarum peculatus all to no purpose the great abuse of Solicitors and Vndertakers in every Trybesto contracte for suffrages the Domestick use of their Nomenclators their Prehensations Invitations Clientships their kissings and shaking hands even from the greatest Personages prostituted to every Cobler and Tinker their costly publique Shevves and spectacles to vvoe the Rabble he that reads observingly shall find that ambition and covetousnesse nurses of all corruption vvere the best part of the vvisdome and industry of that Republique untill it came to be a Monarchy and shall farther find that those corrupt manners and customes vvhich the People from the highest to the lovvest had contracted during the severall licentious Alterations of their Common-vvealth from one forme of Republique to another vvere like a second nature not to be corrected by the better discipline of a Monarchy and at last occasioned the ruine of that Monarchy together vvith the desolation of that Nation vvhich shevves that Monarchy vvith vvhich their Nation began was their naturall and genuine Government vvhen it could not be taken avvay sine interitu subjecti vvithout the ruine of the vvhole subject matter p. 11. It is said The Kings Revenue by a mediâ—m of 7 years was yearly 700000 l. It hath been lately computed that the Court purveyances notvvithstanding many good Lavves to the contrary cost the Country more in one yeare than their Assesments to the Army vvhat above 100000 l. a month vvhen the charge of the KING 's House-keeping came but to 500000 l. a yeare I speake not of VVages and Pensions I knovv not vvho should make this computation unlesse old Sr Henry Vane and his Man Cornelius Holland the latter of vvhich vvas turned out of his Office in the Green-cloth for abusing his Place not in vvhose time of employment unlesse their ovvne such prodigious abuses should happen p. 19. It is said The legall and justifiable Revenue of the Crowne fell short of 100000 l. per annum I perceive this is all the Account the Common-vvealth is likely to have from the Committee of the Kings Queens and Princes Revenue nor doe I knovv vvhat a pruning hooke that phrase legall Revenue may prove But I conceived all that Q. Elazabeth the Kings Father and Himself received had been His Revenue de jure I am sure it vvas de facto and the Parliament in their Declarations promised to settle a better Revenue upon Him than any of His Ancestors enjoyed neither did this nor any former Parliament complaine that His Purse was growne too full or His Revenue too fulsome and if the Committee of the Revenues had enjoyed no more but their ovvn legall and justifiable Revenue so many of the KING's Servants and Creditors had not starved forvvant of their ovvne p. 19. They very much aggravate Monopolies Patente and Projects I vvonder they suffer so many Men guilty in that kind to sit in their House old Sir Henry Vane Sir Henry Myldmay Sir Iohn Hypsley Cornelius Holland Laurence VVhytakers c. 2 Part of Englands New Chaines discovered c. and the Hunting the Foxes return to s 12â— p. 20. They speake against the Lords Negative Voice but not a vvord against the Councell of VVarres Negative Voice vvho march up in hostile manner against Parliament and City and secure seclude and drive avvay 250 Members at one time if they vote any thing contrary to their Interest They speak likevvise against the Lords Iuditiall power over Commoners but have forgot vvhat unjust and illegal use themselves attempted to make of the Lords jurisdiction against the 11 impeached Members the 4 Aldermen and Citizens 1 Part. sect 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54. p. 21. They excuse their receding from their Declaration of April 1646. they might have minded you of a Vote of a later Date had it made for their turne for Governing the Kingdome by King Lords and Commons To this it is said the King nor Lords could take no advantage thereof being a contract they never consented unto indeed it vvas never presented to them but I shall aske vvhether the people may not take advantage thereof for vvhose satisfaction this vvas Declared a generall grudge being then amongst them that the Parliament and Army would subvert the antient Fundamentall Government p. 22 23. They ansvver an Objection that these great matters ought to be determined in a full House not when many Members are excluded by force and the priviledges so highly broken and those who are permitted to sit doe act under a force To this is ansvvered hovv truly let any man that hath read our Histories tell That fevv Parliaments have Acted but some force or other hath been upon them I vvonder they did not argue thus for the silly Tumult of Apprentices for Breach of Priviledge of Parliament They Ansvver
of England as being too heavy for his shoulders to beare An audations ambitious and hypocriticall imitation of Moses It is now reported of him that he pretendeth to Inspirations and that when any great or weighty matter is propounded he usually retireth for a quarter or halfe an hower and then returneth and delivereth out the Oracles of the Spirit surely the Spirit of Iohn of Leyden will be doubled upon this Man 145. The last Retreat of the faction by H. Martius report About this time the Palsgrave tooke his leave of the Parliament being much courted and complemented by them and his 8000 l. per annum with all Arreares confirmed to him since his departure Harry Martyn in a jolly humour was heard to say If the worst hapned and that they should not be able to stand their ground in England yet the Palsgrave would afford them a place of retreat in the Palatinate the seeds of these Anarchicall Anabaptisticall humours upon the reducing of Munster spread themselves in England and now have a mind to returne into Germany to kindle a fire there 146. Io. Lilburne's third Booke called The Picture of the Councell of State About this time Iohn Lilburne and his Company set forth a Book called The Picture of the Councell of State c. wherein they set forth the illegall and violent proceedings of the said Councell against them in seizing upon them with armed Bands of Souldiers and interrogating them against themselves c. where they have these words The Faction of a trayterous Party of Officers of the Army hath twice rebelled against the Parliament and broke them in pieces and by force of Armes culled out whom they pleased and imprisoned divers of them and layed nothing to their charge and have left onely in a manner a few men besides 11 of themselves viz the Generall Cromwell Ireton Harrison Fleetwood Rich Ingolsby Haslerigge Constable Fennicke Walton and Allen Treasurer of their owne Faction behind them that will like Spaniel-dogs serve their lusts and wills yea some of the chiefest of them viz Ireton Harrison c. yea Mr. Holland himself styled them a Mock-Parliament a Mock power at Windsor yea it is yet their expressions at London And if this be true that they are a Mock-power and a Mock-Parliament then Quaere Wether in Law or Iustice especially considering they have fallen from all their many glorius promises and have not done any one action that tends to the universall good of the people can those Gentlemen sitting at West-minster in the House called the House of Commons be any other than a factious company of Men trayterously combined together with Cromwell Ireton and Harrison to subdue the Lawes Liberties and Freedomes of England for no one of them protests against the rest and to set up an absolute and perfect tyranny of the Sword will and pleasure and absolutely intend the destroying the Trade of the Nation and the absolute impoverishing the people thereof to fit them to be their Vassals Slaves And againe the three forementioned Men viz Cromwell Ireton and Harrison the Generall being but their stalking horse and a cypher and their trayterous faction having by their wills and Swords got all the Swords of England under their command and the disposing of all the great Places in England by Sea and Land and also the pretended Law-making power and the pretended Law-executing power by making among themselves contrary to the Lawes and Liberties of England all Iudges Iustices of Peace Sheriffs Bayliffs Committee-men c. to execute their wills and tyranny walking by no limits or bounds but their owne wills and pleasures and trayterously assume unto themselves a power to leavy upon the people what money they please and dispose of it as they please yea even to buy knives to cut the peoples throats that pay the money to them and to give no account for it till Doomes-day in the afternoone they having already in their wills and power to dispose of the Kings Queens Princes Dukes and the rest of the Childrens Revenue Deanes and Chapters Land Bishops Lands Sequestred Delinquents Lands Sequestred Papists Lands Compositions of all sorts amounting to Millions of money besides Excise and Customes yet this is not enough although if rightly husbanded it would constantly pay above one hundred thousand men and furnish an answerable Navy thereunto But the people must now after their Trades are lost and their Estates spent to procure their Liberties and Freedomes be cessed about 100000 l. a Month Master Boone a Member of the House lately a Tapster hath 6000 l. given him Sir Arth Haslerig 3 great Manours Bishops-Aukland Ever-wood and another Col. Backster the pitifull Thimble and Bodkin Gold-smith bought as much Bishops Lands as cost 10000 l. at two or three years purchase and hath already raised his money that so they may be able like so many Cheaters and State-thieves to give six eight ten twelve fourteen sixten thousand pounds a piece over again to one another as they have done already to divers of themselves to buy the Common-wealths Lands one of another contrary to the duty of Trustees who by Law nor equity can neither give nor sell to one another at two or three yeares purchase the true and valuable rate considered as they have already done and to give 4 or 5000 l. per annum over againe to King Cromwell as they have done already out of the Earle of Worcesters Estate c. besides about 4 or 5 l. a day he hath by his Places of Lieut. Generall and Colonel of Horse in the Army although he were at the beginning of this Parliament but a poor Man yea little better than a Beggar to what he is now as well as others of his Neighbours 147. A Petition in behalfe of Io Lylburne and his company 2. April 1649. A Petition subscribed by divers Persons in behalf of Iohn Lylburne and his company was presented to the Commons wherein amongst other things are contained these three just demands 1. That no man be censured condemned or molested but for the breach of some Law first made and published to the People whereby is avoided that uncertainty and howerly hazard that otherwise every man is subject to both in respect of his Estate Liberty and Life 2. That every crime have not onely its penalty annexed but together therewith the manner and methode of proceedings ascertained 3. That the execution of Lawes be referred to ordinary Magistrates and Officers by Law deputed thereto and that the Military power be not used but where the Civil is so resisted as that of its one strength it is deficient to enforce obedience 148. Itinerant Ministers an invention to undermine our Orthodox setled Ministers and infect the people with Schismes and Anarchicall principles sutable to the many-headed tyranny of the Grandees April 12. 1649. It was referred to a Committee to consider of a way how to raise Pensions and Allowances out of Deanes and Chapter
Lands to maintaine supernumerary Itinerant Ministers who should be Authorized to go up and downe compassing the earth and adulterate other Mens Pulpits and Congregations and put affronts and raise factions and scandals upon such orthodox and conscientious Ministers in order to their Sequestration as cannot frame their Doctrine to the damnable practises and Anarchicall principles of the times These wandering Apostles are to preach Antimonarchicall seditious doctrine to the people sutable to that they call the present Government to raise the raskall multitude and schismaticall rabble against all men of best quality in the Kingdome to draw them into Associations and Combinations with one another in every County and with the Army against all Lords Gentry Ministers Lawyers rich and peaceable men and all that are Lovers of the old Lawes and Government for the better rooting of them out that themselves alone may inhabite the earth and establish their new tyranny or Kingdome of the Saints upon the ruines of our antient Monarchy These men like Balaam shall blesse and curse for hire and vent State-news State-doctrine and poyson the people with such changeable and various principles as from time to time shall be dictated to them by those Pseudo-polititians as now sit at the Helme they shall cousen the people with pretended illuminations Revelations and Inspirations and powre out all the Vials of Gods wrath amongst them Cromwell and Ireton and their Faction 149. A fraudulent Reconciliation and uniting of Interests attempted with a Mock-fast for that purpose having formerly deluded all the Interests and Parties of this Kingdome were arrived to that highth of impudence as to endeavour to cheat them all over againe they had by murdering the King abolishing the House of Lords putting an execrable force upon the farre major part of the House of Commons making themselves and their Party a tyrannicall Councell of State to usurp the Supreme power and Government See a Paper called Arguments against all Accommodation between the City of London and the engaged Grandees of the Parl and Army And A seasonable Caution to the City of London printed at the latter end of Relation Observations Hist Pol. c. endeavouring a toleration of all Religions attempting to take away Tythes mocking and then tyrannizing over that part of the Army they please to miscall Levellers distracted and discontented all Parties within the Kingdom and stirred up all the Princes of Christendome to defend the common interest of Kings now controverted in England This cloud threatned to poure downe a new Warre upon them to provide a remedy therefore for this soare Cromwell moved in the House of Commons That the Presbyterian Government might be setled promising his endeuours thereto but whether he meant a Classicall or Congregationall Presbytery which differs little or nothing from Independency he did not declare and here lyeth the fallacy he likewise moved that the secured and secluded Members might againe be invited into the House they sent their Agents both Lay-men and Ministers amongst whom Mr. Marshall Nye Carrell Goodwin and Hugh Peters were chief to cajole and decoy the Ministers Citizens and the expulsed Members with discourses and propositions they told them The Presbyterians had differed from the King in point of civill Interest which was more irreconcilable than that interest of Church-Government whatsoever shew was made to the contrary They will not endure to heare of the KING 's exemplary patience and Christian charity to all nor of His precepts and strict injunctions to His Sonne of clemency and abstinency from revenge contained in His last Booke The Pourtraicture of His Majesty These things will both apologize for our young King and condemne our bloudy vindicative Saints That the Presbyterians as well as the Independents made Warre against the late King brought Him low and prepared Him to receive his late deadly Blow from the Independents and therefore the King would looke upon both Parties as equally guilty and was deeply engaged in point of interest to cut off both Parties Endevouring by these discourses to put the Presbyterians into despaire their own and Iudas's sinne and then to work upon that base and cowardly principle of self-preservation and invite them to joyne with them in point of civill Interest and common Defence But their kindness was but like that of a malitious Man who having plague-soars upon him embraceth his Friend rather to infect than cherish him they know that by sitting voting acting and complying with them whose actions the Laws of God and the Land have damned and anathematized with the highest condemnation they should contract the guilt of all their forepassed crimes and treasons in the meane time the Presbyterians should sit and act but as a suspected Party and should be baffled and turned out again when the danger is past the Independents keeping in their owne hands all the power profits and preferments of the Land and using the Presbyterian party but as Gibeonites Hewers of wood and Drawers of water under them they invited them therefore to share with them in their sinnes shames and punishments but would keep Achans Wedge and the Babylonish Carment the profit of their crimes to themselves And as if it were not sufficient to cousen Man without mocking God the House of Commons Ordered a strict Fast to be kept upon Thursday 19 April 1649. as a day of Humiliation to implore Gods forgivenesse for the ingratitude of the people who did not sufficiently acknowledge with thankefulnesse Gods great mercies upon this Land in freeing them from Monarchy and bestowing liberty upon them by changing Kingly Government into a Free-State or Republique The Faction knew that to partake with them in these prayers was to partake of their sinnes God deliver us from those deceitfull lips whose prayers are snares whose kisses prove curses and whose devotion leads to damnation Neuer was Fast injoyned with more severity nor neglected with more contempt and horror men shunning it like the sinnes of Rebellion and Witchcraft Besides their consciences told them that they never suffered the thousandth part of the oppressions they now groane under About this time it was debated to send Supplies for Ireland 150. The jugling designe of sending part of the Army for Ireland the predominant Grandees were desirous to purge the Army as they had done the House and send the Levellers Assertors of Liberty thether the Levellers were desirous to keep their ground here and send the more mercinary enslaving and enslaved part of the Army the better to colour the designe Cromwell undertooke to be Conductor of this expedition and light them the way into Ireland with his illuminated Nose having taken order before hand that his precious selfe should be recalled time enough to keep up his party in England from sinking by his longer absence and the better to accommodate the businesse Lots were severall times cast what Regiments should goe but the Lots not falling out to the minds of the Generall Councell of
the House and their Imprisonment vvithout Cause c. vvhich can no vvay be justified from the Guilt of the highest Treason but in the accomplishment of a righteous end viz The enjoyment of the benefit of our Lavves and Liberties vvhich vve hoped long ere this to have enjoyed from your hands Yet vvhen vve consider and herevvith compare many of your late carriages both tovvards the Souldiery and other Free People and principally your Cruell Exercise of Martiall Lavv even to the Sentence and Execution of Death upon such of your Soldiers as stand for the Rights of that Engagement c. And not onely so but against others not of the Army vve cannot but look upon your defection and Apostasie in such dealings as of most dangerous Consequence to all the Lavvs and Freedoms of the People And therefore although there had never been any such solemn Engagement by the Army as that of Iune 5. 1647. vvhich vvith your Excellency in point of duty ought not to be of the meanest obligation VVe do protest against your Exercise of Martial Lavv against any vvhomsoever in times of Peace vvhere all Courts of Iustice are open as the greatest encroachment upon our Lavves Liberties that can be acted against us and particularly against the Tryall of the Souldiers of Captaine Savages Troup yesterday by a Court Martiall upon the Articles of VVarre and sentencing of tvvo of them to death and for no other end as vve understand but for some dispute about their Pay And the reason of this our Protestation is from the Petition of Right made in the third yeare of the late King vvhich declareth That no person ought to be judged by Law Martiall except in times of VVarre And that all Commissions given to execute Martiall Law in time of Peace are contrary to the Lawes and Statutes of the Land And it vvas the Parliaments complaint That Martiall Lavv vvas then commanded to be executed upon Souldiers for Robbery Mutiny or Murder VVhich Petition of Right this present Parliament in their late Declarations of the 9. of February and the 17. of March 1648. commend as the most excellentest Lavv in England and there promise to preserve inviolably it and all other the Fundamentall Lavves and Liberties concerning the preservation of the Lives Properties and Liberties of the people vvith all things incident thereunto And the Exercise of Martiall Lavv in Ireland in time of Peace vvas one of the chiefest Articles for vvhich the E. of Strafford lost his Head The same by this present Parl. being judged High Treason And the Parliament it self neither by Act nor Ordinance can justly or vvarrantably destroy the Fundamentall Liberties and Principles of the Common Lavv of England It being a Maxim in Lavv and Reason both that all such Acts and Ordinances are ipso facto null and void in Lavv and binds not all but ought to be resisted stood against to the death And if the Supreme Authority may not presume to doe this much lesse may You or Your Officers presume thereupon For vvhere Remedy may be had by an ordinary course in Lavv the Party grieved shall never have his recourse to extraordinaries VVhence it is evident That it is the undoubted Right of every Englishman Souldier or other that he should be punishable onely in the ordinary Courts of Iustice according to the Lavvs and Statutes of the Realme in the times of Peace as novv it is and the extraordinary vvay by Courts Martiall in no vvise to be used Yea the Parliaments Oracle Sir Edward Cooke Declares in the third part of his Institutes Chap. of Murder That for a Generall or other Officers of an Army in time of Peace to put any man although a Souldier to death by colour of Martiall Law it is absolute murder in that Generall c. Therefore erecting of Martiall Lavv novv vvhen all Courts of justice are open stopping the free current of Lavv vvhich sufficiently provides for the punishment of Soldiers as vvel as others as appears by 18 H. 6. c. 19. 2 3 E. 6. c. 2. 4 5 P. M. c. 3. 5. l. 5. 5 Iam. 25. is an absolute destroying of our Fundamentall Liberties and the razing of the Foundation of the Common Lavv of England the vvhich out of Duty and Conscience to the Rights and Freedoms of this Nation vvhich vve value above our lives and to leave You and Your Councell vvithout all excuse vve vvere moved to represent unto Your Excellency Earnestly pressing You vvell to consider vvhat You doe before you proceed to the taking avvay the Lives of those men by Martiall Lavv least the bloud of the Innocent and so palpable Subversion of the Lavves and Liberties of England bring the revvard of just vengeance after it upon You as it did upon the Earle of Strafford For Innocent bloud God vvill not pardon and vvhat the people may doe in case of such violent Subversion of their Rights vve shall leave to Your Excellency to judge and remaine Sir Your Excellencies humble Servants IOHN LILBURNE RICH OVERTON From our Canslesse and unjust and Tyrannicall Captivity in the Tovver of London April 27. 1649. Notvvithstanding vvhich Letter and much other meanes made the said Lockier vvas Shot to Death in Saint Paul's Church-yard the same day to strike a terror and slavish feare into such other Souldiers as shall dare to take notice of their approaching slavery but his Christian and gallant deportment at his death vvith the honourable funerall pomp accompanying him to his Grave turned all the terror of his Tragedy into hatred and contempt of the Authors thereof 152. Arreares given to Col. A Popham H. Martin temptations put upon Lilburne and Ioyce About this time the House of Commons gave to Col. Alexander Popham all his Arreares and to Harry Martyn 3000 l. to put him on upon the holy Sisters and take him off from the Levellers And Cromwell is novv playing the Devils part shevving the Kingdomes of the earth and tempting Iohn Lilburne to fall dovvne and vvorship him to forsake his good principles and engagements and betray the liberties of the people but L. Col. Lilburne is higher seated in the good opinion of the people than to be suspected of so much basenesse vvho are confident he vvill as constantly resist false promises and vaine hopes as he hath vaine threats and terrors of Indictments and not cast avvay the hold he hath of immortality by hearking to such a Syren vvhose promises are but baits vvith a hooke hidden under them and his preferments but like Mahomets paradise he that hath cousened all the Interests of the Kingdome vvill not scruple to cheat his Enemy a free-spirited plaine meaning man This is to undermine and blovv up his credit vvith his party and make him liable to a revenge hereafter He that stoops to the lure of a knovvn Enemy is guilty of inexcusable folly and a Betrayer of himselfe especially having had so faire a Copie of Consâ—â—ncy set
of Commons nay this very Act denounceth slavery and bondage to the Nation and therefore is an Act of the highest tyranny and a snare 158. The Levellers Randezvous in Oxford-shire May 6. 1649. The honest Levellers of the Army for that is the Nick-name vvhich Cromwell falsly and unchristianly hath christned them vvithall Enemies to Arbitrary Government tyranny and oppression vvhether they find it in the Government of one or many vvhether in a Councel of Officers a Councel of State or a fag end of a House of Commons vvhether it vayle it selfe vvith the Title of a Supreme Authority or a Legislative povver drevv together to a Randezvouz about Banbury in Oxfordshire to the number of 4000 or 5000. others resorting to them dayly from other parts This gave an Alarme to our Grandees fearing the dovvnfall of their domination Cromwell not knovving vvhat Party to dravv out against them that vvould be stedfast to him shunned the danger and put his property the Generall upon it to oppose the Randezvouz and looking as vvan as the guilles of a sick Turkey-cock marched forth himselfe VVestvvard to intercept such as drevv to the Randezvouz In the meane time the said Levellers printed and published this ensuing Paper entituled Englands Standard advanced or A Declaration from Mr. VVill Thompson and the oppressed People of this Nation now under his conduct in Oxford-shire Dated at their Randezvouz May 6. 1649. WHereas it is notorious to the whole world that neither the Faith of the Parliament nor yet the Faith of the Army formerly made to the People of this Nation in behalf of their Common Right Freedome and Safety hath been at all observed or made good but both absolutely declined and broken and the People onely served with bare words and faire promising Papers and left utterly destitute of all helpe or delivery And that this hath principally been by the prevalency and treachery of some eminent Persons now domineering over the People is most evident The Solemne Engagement of the Army at New-market and Triploe-heaths by them destroyed the Councell of Agitators dissolved the blood of War shed in time of Peace Petitioners for Common Freedome suppressed by force of Arms and Petitioners abused and terrified the lawfull Triall by 12 sworn Men of the Neighbourhood subverted and denied bloody and tyrannicall Courts called an high Court of Justice and a Councell of State erected the power of the Sword advanced and set in the Seat of the Magistrates the Civill Lawes stopt and subverted and the Military introduced even to the hostile seizure imprisonment tryall sentence and execution of death upon divers of the Free People of this Nation leaving no visible Authority devolving all into a factious Juncto and Councell of State usurping and assuming the name stamp and Authority of Parliament to oppresse torment and vex the People whereby all the lives liberties and estates are all subdued to the Wills of those Men no Law no Justice no Right or Freedome no case of Grievances no removall of unjust barbarous Taxes no regard to the cries and groanes of the poore to be had while utter beggery and famine like a mighty torrent hath broke in upon us and already seized upon severall parts of the Nation Wherefore through an inavoidable necessity no other meanes left under Heaven we are enforced to betake our selves to the Law of Nature to defend and preserve our selves and Native Rights and therefore are resolved as one Man even to the hazard and expence of our lives and fortunes to indeavour the redemption of the Magistracy of England from under the force of the Sword to vindicate the Petition of Right to set the unjustly imprisoned free to relieve the poore and settle this Common-wealth upon the grounds of Common Right Freedome and Safety Be it therefore known to all the free People of England and to the whole world that chusing rather to die for Freedome than live as Slaves We are gathered and associated together upon the bare accompt of English-men with our Swords in our hands to redeem our selves and the Land of our Nativity from slavery and oppression to avenge the blood of War shed in the time of Peace to have justice for the blood of M. Arnold Schot to death at Ware and for the blood of M. Robert Lockyer and divers others who of late by Martiall Law were murthered at London And upon this our Engagement in behalf of the Common-wealth We doe solemnly agree and protest That we will faithfully laying all self respects aside endeavour the actuall reliefe setlement of this distressed Nation And that all the world may know particularly what wee intend and wherein particularly to center and acquiesce for ever not to recede or exceed the least punctilio We do declare from the integrity of our hearts that by the help might of God we will endeavour the absolute setlement of this distracted Nation upon that forme and Method by way of an Agreement of the People tendered as a Peace-offering by Lieut. Colonel John Lilburne Mr. Will Walwyn Mr. Thomas Prince Mr. Rich Overton bearing date May 1. 1649. the which we have annexed to this our Declaration as the Standard of our Engagement thereby owning every part and particular of the Premises of the Agreement promising and resolving to the utmost hazard of our Lives and Abilities to pursue the speedy and full Accomplishment thereof and to our power to protect and defend all such as shall Assent or Adhere thereunto And particularly for the Preservation Deliverance of L. Col. John Lilburne M. Will Walwyn Mr. Thomas Prince Mr. Richard Overton Captaine Bray and Mr. William Sawyer from their barbarous and illegall Imprisonments And wee Declare That if a haire of their heads perish in the hands of those Tyrants that restraine them That if God shall enable us we will avenge it seventy times seven fold upon the heads of the Tyrants themselves and their Creatures And that till such time as by Gods Assistance we have procured to this Nation the Declared purpose of this our Engagement we will not Divide nor Disband nor suffer our selves to be Divided or Disbanded resolving with sobernesse and civility to behave our selves to the Country to wrong nor abuse any man to protect all to our power from violence and oppression in all places where we come resolving to stop the payment of all Taxes or Sessements whatsoever as of Excise Tythes and the Tax of Ninety thousand pounds per mensem And having once obtained a New Representative according to the said Agreement upon such Terms and Limitations therein expressed We shall then freely lay down our Armes and returne to our severall Habitations and Callings And concernings the equity necessity justice of our undertaking We appeale to the judgement of the oppressed betwixt their Destroyers and Vs Whether by the law of God of Nature and Nations it be not equally justifiable in us to engage for the Safety and Deliverance of
but without that of the Person dis-inherited after the Fine paid in three yeares to pay the costs of building of it in six yeares or receive a reasonable exchange in Land 13. Such of the Lay as apparently drew any to the part of the Earle of Leicester to pay two yeares Revenue 14. The Buyers of other mens goods wittingly to restore the value of that they have bought and be at the Kings mercy because that they did was against justice 15. Those that at the Earls command entered Northampton yet fought not but entered the Church 16. Such as held not of the Earle yet at his command entered to the action with him to pay half one years Revenue 17. Such as held of the Earle to be onely at the Kings mercy 18. Impotent Persons and such as did nothing to be restored to their Possessions and by justice recover their damages their Accusers punisht by Law yet without losse of life or limb 19. Malitiously accused to have their Estates immediately restored 20. Women to have their owne Lands and what they had of their first Husbands if their late Husbands were against the King to be restored according to Law or Fined 21. None to be fined but such as were against the King 22. Such as have been Pardoned to remaine so 23. Those that are fined to answer no Losse done to any but all damages to be remitted on every side except those that intermedled not and of the Church whose actions are saved 24. The King by reasonable Exchange to receive the Castles of Erdsley-Bishop and Chartley it seeming dangerous to leave Forts in their hands who have carried themselves ill towards the King 25. Those that in the future shall commit any outrages to be punished by Law 26. An Oath to be taken where it shall be held convenient not to pursue each other with revenge and if any shall attempt the contrary to be punished according to Law 27. The Church to be satisfied by those that injured it 28. Such of the Dis-inherited as refuse this Composition to have no Title to their Estates and to be esteemed publique Enemies to the King and Kingdome 29. Prisoners to be freed by the advice of the King and Legate 30. No Person to be Dis-inherited by reason of these Trouble sby any to whom he ought to Succeed You see what great care was here taken to prevent spoyle and waste of Woods c. whereas in this latter Age the first thing taken into consideration is how to raise ready Money by destruction of Woods Housing and selling of the Stock to lay the Lands waste and decay Husbandry to the endangering of a Famine for the present and the Dis-inheriting our innocent Posterity for the future so little care is taken to Keep that well which is so ill and illegally gotten And how much regard was had to preserve innocent Persons from suffering wrong in any just claim or Title they could make to any Land possessed by a guilty Person whether they claimed by Dower Joynture Title or Estate in Reversion or Remainder or otherwise I wish the like justice were now observed Monday night 4. Iune 178. The losse of Ships at Kingsale suppressed and misreported in the House and why 1649. that third part of a Lord Admirall Col. Edw. Popham came to Westminster and presently made his Addresses to the high and mighty Estates in White-hall giving them a dismall Relation of his ill successe in tampering with the Governour of Kingsale in Ireland who proving honester than rhe Saints expected tooke a summe of money of him to betray the Towne Forts and Ships in the Road but when Popham came in to the Haven to take possession of his new purchase gave him such a Gun-powder welcome that he lost most of his Men landed to take livory and seasin and divers Ships he was commanded to conceale this Ill newes lest it discouraged the City to engage so farre with them as to entertaine them in the condition of a Free-State and surrender the Sword to them and so spoile the Designe of their Thanksgiving Devotions and Dinner to be celebrated together in and with the City upon Thursday ensuing the 7. of Iune and lest it should dishearten more secluded Members from comming to sit in the House with them againe knowing tbat Tyrants are followed for their fortunes not for themselves wherefore upon Tuesday following being the 5. Iune Popham made another kind of Report to the Plebeians of the Commons House who must not be trusted with the truth of State-mysteries but like Wood-cocks must be led in a mist Thvt he had left Kingsale blocked up with ten Ships and the Seas secured in peace and quietnesse and the better to adorne the fable and suppresse the truth from approaching the ears of the people the House that day 5. Iune passed an Order That for this remarkable additionall mercy bestowed upon them in the prosperous successe given to their Fleet at Sea upon Thursday next 7. Iune the day set apart for publique Thanksgiving the Ministers should praise God Lord since these audacious Saints are so thankfull to thee for one beating bestow many more beatings upon them for they stand in need of all thy corrections The like attempt hath been upon Scilly with the like successe since which time forty sayle of Ships are pressed in the Thames to recruit their shattered Navie Scout from Iune the 8. to 15. 1649. given forth to be a Winter Guard at Midsomer 179. Gifts given amongst the Faction Iohn Blackiston is packed away to the other world and the House upon 6. Iune voted to his Wife and Children 3000 l. out of the Earle of Newcastle's and Lord Wytherington's Estates in compensation of the losse of his pedlery Ware in his Shop at Newcastle he had formerly given to him 14000 l. you see the insatiate hunger of Gold and Silver survives in the very Ghost of a Saint after he is dead 500 l. more was given to Iohns Brother an Estate out of the Rectory and Demesnes of Burford was setled upon the Speaker 4000 l. per ann Lands are to besetled upon the Generall out of the Duke of Buckinghams and his Brother the Lord Francis Villers Estates 400 l. per ann out of Claringdon-Parke upon the Earle of Pembroke 1000 l. was bestowed upon an eminent Member of Parliament for his many good Services 4868 l. to the Lord Lisle out of the Monthly Assessment for Ireland for his penny-worth of good service done there you see to what purpose we pay Taxes 2000 l. Land per an and 1000 l. Money given to Bradshaw the price of Bloud And 400 l. more given to the Poor of the City to stop their mouths from cursing upon the Thanksgiving-day out of the 2000 l. Fine set upon the Lord Mayor Reynoldson for not proclaiming the Act for abolishing Kingly Government this is according to the Spanish Proverb To steale a Sheep and give away the Trotters for Gods sake You
come forth a Booke of Iohn Meltons a Libertine that thinketh his Wife a Manacle 184. Meltons Booke The tenure of Kings and Magistrates c. and his very Garters to be Shackles and Fetters to him one that after the Independent fashion will be tied by no obligation to God or Man wherein he undertaketh to prove That it is lawfull for any that have power to call to account Depose and put to Death wicked Kings and Tyrants after due conviction if the ordinary Magistrate neglect it I hope then it is lawful to put to death wicked Cromwells Councels of State corrupt Factions in Parliament for I know no prerogative that usurpation can bestow upon them He likewise asserteth That those who of late so much blame Deposing are the men that did it themselves meaning the Presbyterians I shall invite some man of more leisure and abilities than my selfe to Answer these two Paradoxes But shall first give him these cautions 1. That for the Polemick part he turne all his Arguments into Syllogismes and then he will find them to be all Fallacies the froth of wit and fancy not the Dictates of true and solid Reason 2. That for the Historicall or narative part he would throughly examine them and he will find few of them consonant to the plumbline of truth 3. That he would consider that from the beginning of this Parliament there were three Parties or Factions in it 1. The Royalists 2. The Presbyterians 3. The Independents For though they were not then notorious by that name yet the Persons confederated were then extant and active being a complication of all Antimonarchicall Anarchicall heresies and schismes Anabaptists Brownists Barrowists Adamites Familists Libertines of all sorts the true Heyres and Successors of Iohn of Leyden and Knipperdalling in all their principles and practises united under the generall Title of Independent and these were originally the men that by their close insinuations solicitations and actings began and carried on the Warre against the KING with an intent from the beginning to pull down Monarchy and set up Anarchy See the Mystery of the 2. Iunto's Presbyterian and Independent notwithstanding the many Declarations Remonstrances abortive Treaties Protestations and Covenants to the contrary which were Obligations from time to time extorted from them by the Presbyterians although not strong enough to hold such subtile Sampsons whose strengths to break such Wythes lay not in their Bushes of Hair but in the Ambushes of their Hearts wherein there alwaies lay hid some evasion equivocation or mentall reservation which like a back-dore gave them leave to make an escape In the beginning almost of this Parl. the Independents that is the Schismaticks in the Parliament insisted openly upon it to have the Papists in Ireland rooted out and their Lands sold to Adventurers and passing an Act to that purpose necéssitated the Irish Papists to massacre the English Protestants which was purposely done by the Independents that both Papists and Protestants might destroy one another there that they might the better subvert Protestancy in England which is now in hand And though it be true that the first Generall the Earle of Essex was a Presbyterian yet he was acted by Independents as the L. Say and others of the like stamp and had a clause in his Commission to forbeare the KING'S Person which clause upon the Independents new Modelling the Army under Fairfax was omitted at their especiall instance Monday 18. Iune 185. L. C. Lilburnes Booke The Legall fundamentall Liberties of the People c. 1649. came forth that most usefull Booke of Iohn Lilburnes called The Legall fundamentall Liberties of the People of England Revived c. wherein he excellently well sets forth the new usurped tyranny of that Hydra of Nimrods now subverting our Lawes Liberties and Property consuming us with illegall Taxes Excise Free quarter Monopolies and sharing Land Money Goods and Offices amongst themselves perpetuating an Army to enslave us and overthrow the fundamentall Government of this Nation in order to which they have complyed with and cheated all Interests broken all their Obligations to God and Man violated all the Lawes of this Land their owne Protestations Covenants the Oathes of Allegiance Supremacy which themselves caused the People to take and their owne Votes Declarations c. The illegality of their late erected High Court of Iustice and their unjust proceedings therein the tyranny and usurpation of the Councell of State and Officers of the Army And proveth that Col Prides new purged new packed House is neither a House of Commons nor Parliament their usurped Supreme Authority to be a meer nullity or fiction and especially That this Parlioment is cleerly dissolved and ended which he proveth by the Death of the King and by many other solid Arguments and therefore all their Actings to be void and null with many other considerable passages where he ingeniously confesseth that being the Kings Prisoner at Oxford with many other of the Parliament Party the King did strictly observe the Lawes of the Land in His proceedings against them which this Parliament doth not doe in any their most legall proceedings for all their pretended Engagements Declarations Votes Protestations and Covenants to maintaine and defend the Lawes and Liberties of the People Ergo the King really the Faction in Parliament but pretendedly fought for our Lawes and Liberties The Faction are now contriving to seize all the Tythes of the Kingdome into their owne hands 186. Tythes to be Sequestred for the State yet they are the Ministers Free-hold and to make all the Ministers their stipendary Lecturers that they may preach and teach onely such Doctrine to the people as may bring them under a blind and slavish obedience to our forty Tyrants of the new Councell of State presuming that all our Ministers carry their Consciences in their purses because the Independents doe so Looke to your waies Christian Brethren you are likely hereafter to have Oracles of State obtruded upon you instead of the Oracles of God If the Ministers will not parret forth the new States Do trine to you they shall be starved out of their Pulpits 187. An Adjournment of this pretended Parliament considered of The thing called a Parliament is now likely to have so generall a purge as will leave neither life nor soule dung nor guts in the belly of it K. Oliver unwilling to go for Ireland and leave them sitting who may unvote all he hath compelled them to vote hath commanded his Iourney-men to think of an Adjournment for some good time that they may take the ayre and grow wholsome againe and then without some dire mischance they never meet more but this Supreme thing hath learned to use so much modesty to their Superiors as to referre it to the Hogens Mogens or Councell of State to consider what Votes and Acts they shall passe beforehand for establishing their Highnesses in their new Dominion And when out of their usurped
Supreme Authority they have conferred as much upon the Councell of State as their ambitions ayme at they good Boyes shall have leave to breake up Schoole and go into the Countrey to see their Friends and visit their Foes that is all such as have full purses to be squeezed Thus you see the method of Divine vengeance observes a Degradation 1. Downe went the King and His Authority lapsed into the two Houses 2. Downe went the Peers House and all Authority fell downe into the Commons House 3. Downe goes the House of Commons and the Supreme Authority translates it selfe into a Councell of State And if my conjecture faile me not 4. Downe will go the Councell of State and all Authority be grasped into the iron hands of Campson Gaurus and his Mamaluchy his Councell of Warre when they shall think fit to Act bare-faced without using a packt pecce of a Parliament or Councell of State as a screen or vizard to cozen and befoole the people In order to which Government by the Sword 188. Cromwell voted for Ireland with ful power Civill and Military Cromwell is voted to go into Ireland with his owne confiding Officers and Army with all power Civill and Military for 3 yeares what doth this import lesse than that he is to be K. of Ireland there to practise the first rudiments of Kings-craft and when he hath inured those Semi-barbarians to a Military Government he shall returne with his Ianisaries and subdue the English to the like obedience In the meane time his proporty Fairfax shall be under the observation of the Councell af State here and be beleaguered both in his owne house and Army with Olivers Creatures and in this dishonourable fickle condition he shall have the vaine honour to keep Olivers Regalia the Crowne sitting upon one side like a Fooles Cap upon his Head untill he returne and shall then be called to account for all odious unfortunate accidents that shall happen for it is not for the Majesty of Oliver to beare the blame although they fall out by Cromwell's owne oversights or Gods anger upon him thus Cromwell's shadow being removed himselfe may take substantiall and actuall possession of the Throne which he already enjoyes in all things but the Title And then let all true Saints and Subjects crie out with me God save K. Oliver and his brewing Vessels The Iunto of Tituler Supremists at Westminster especially so many as have not packt themselves into the Councell of State are very unwilling to quit their long-held Dominion 189. 13 Bills injoyned to be passed by the Commons before Adjournment and submit to their owne Bastard brood The Lords States at White-hall but there is no remedy Oliver is resolved to unyoke his Cattle and turne them to grasse he knowes they may unvote all they have voted at his command if during his absence in Ireland or Scotland rather a new emergent power should overawe them the present feare being alwaies most terrible to Cowards But the Councell of State hath set them their taske which they must speedily performe before they Adjourne consisting of 13. Poynts 1. That all Acts concerning the Loans of Moneys Excise Sequestrations Goldsmiths-hall Haberdashers-hall Assesments for England and Ireland be passed These reprobate Saints will sooner forget their God then their Mammon money You see they meane to perpetuate our burdens as well as their owne Army and domineer over us with an arbitrary military tyranny for ever 2. That an Act be passed for setling the Militia of the Nation This amounts to a new invented Commission of Array lawfull for usurping Saints though not for a lawfull King by vertue of which the scum and dregs of the people base enough to associate with the Army shall be Armed and all men of quality fortunes unlesse such as owe their fortunes to their crimes dis-armed 3. Against exporting Wooll and Fullers Earth Unlesse it be for the benefit of the Saints 4. To prohibite exportation of Gold and Silver The Saints have exported all our Gold already and most of our Silver and will never give over the Trade themselves though they prohibite others But Gold and Silver are drawne out of Mines Royall and belong to the Saints by their prerogative 5. An Act to be passed for punishment of Revolted Sea men and Mariners None against trayterous tyrannous thievish Saints 6. An Act for relief of wel-affected Tenants against Malignant Land-lords who having compounded for their Estates rack their Tenants Rents or turne them out of dores This is a device First to make worke for such Members as not being of the Councell of State would become as contemptible as they are hatefull being devested of all power to play the Tyrants after Adjournment And secondly to stirre up all the Tenants of England especially Schismaticks to combine with them against their Land-lords and deprive them of the legall use of their Estates and the benefit of their Compositions for to what purpose shall Gentlemen compound for their Estates when they must let and set them at the discretion of domineering Committees or Commissioners conspiring with the high Shoos to oppresse make a prey of enslave and unspirit all the Nobility and Gentry of England here aymed at under the generall Title of Malignants oh persidious Tyrants keep your money Gentlemen or turne it into iron and gun-powder 7. An Act to suppresse Malignant Pamphlets aspersing the present proceedings of the Parliament Councell of State and the Army and prevent Printing as much as may be This is to set Truth in the pillory whilst her counterfsit impudent lying and slandering sits in state in Parliament Councell of State and Councell of Officers and rides trimphantly Coached into the City to Thanksgiving Devotions and Dinners 8. That the Pulpits being as scandalous as the Presse against their proceeding they enjoyne that a more strict course be taken to stop the mouthes of the Preachers hereafter 1 King 18.17 You see how Ahab-like these Subverters of Church and Common-wealth accuse our Prophets for troubling our Israel being their owne sinne and seek occasion to bring a spirituall as well as a corporall famine upon the Land cutting off the staffe of bread as well from our soules as bodies by stopping the mouthes of Gods Messengers But I hope they will remember the duty they owe to the honour of him that sent them upon his Embassage to his people and fearing God more than Man every Man crie out to his owne soule and conscience with S. Paul 1 Cor. 9.16 Vae mihi si non praedicavero Woe be to me if I doe not Preach 9. That an Act be passed that that clause of the Stat. 23 Eliz. 25 Eliz. 1 Iac. against Sectaries sbould be repealed that none may be questioned thereby in the vacancy of Parl. What is this but to pray in ayde of Turks Jewes Anabaptists of Munster nay the Devill himselfe to joyne with them as they have already joyned with Owen Roe
Oneale and his bloudy massacring Irish Papists against the Protestant Religion which was part of the designe of the schismatical Party in Parliament in waging war against the King from the beginning See § 184. the Marginall Notes there This impious Liberty of Conscience to destroy the Protestant Religion is all the liberty we are like to enjoy under the kingdome of these bloudy cheating Saints in all things else we are meer and absolute Slaves 10. That an Act for a Generall Pardon be passed to all Persons except such as are particularly named therein and declaring no Pardon to any that shall for the future raise Warre in this Nation against the present Authority thereof This is a project 1. To pardon themselves and their Party for their transcendent villinies and to stop the mouthes of the Countrey from complaining of them after their Adjournment and this shall be effectually done 2. To befoole silly weak spirited People with general words of a Pardon which shall be made ineffectuall by many exceptions and limitations 3. This is principally intended to fright men from attempting any thing against the usurped Supremacy and Tyranny of the Councell of State and therefore all Pardons to such Attemptors are before-hand declared against This with them as a sinne against the Holy Ghost unpardonable to deny their Supreme arbitrary Authority 11. That the Act for reliefe of poore Prisoners for Debt may be passed Though I can with as much Charity as any Man wish a reliefe to them yet I like not that Charity should be made a cloak to ambitious Knavery and all the Creditors of the Kingdome be made liable to the vexation of a covetous Committee who under colour of Charity shall raise up all the indebted Men of the Kingdom against all the monied Men if they will not sacrifice their purses to the Ech-Gods of the new State and be bountifull to the Committee which is the full scope of this Proposition 12. That the Souldiers may be secured their Arreares out of the late Kings Lands This is to tie all the Souldiery by the purse-strings which is Saints Tenure to make good that horrid trayterous Murther 13. That an Act be passed for Probate of Wills Granting Administrations and Investing of Ministers presented These lunatique Saints should have thought upon a new way to be set up before they throw downe the old one and not have left men in an uncertainty how to dispose of their Estates and a Iustititum a vacancy of Iustice upon the Kingdom you see what Mountebanks our new State-Iuglers are The good Boyes began to learne these Lessons upon Monday 25. Iune 190. Things undertaken by the Councell of State during the Recesse The Councell of State likewise reported to their said Free-Shoole of Commons severall things which they in order to their future greatnesse would put into a way during the Recesse against the Houses next meeting when two Sundaies come together 1. That Commissioners be appointed in every County to make an estimate of all Tythes to the end they may be taken away for the future and some other provision designed for Ministers This is a Whip and a Bell to lash Ministers to Preach State-Divinity 2. That the Councell of State consider of setling future Parliaments and the constant time of their calling sitting and ending after this Parliament shall thinke fit to dissolve themselves If they are not dissolved already which is the constant opinion of many great learned Lawyers wel-affected to the Parl. they will never be dissolved without the help of a Hangman But I would gladly know by what Authority a Pack of forty Knaves calling themselves a Councell of State and usurping Regall power shall take upon them to abolish our antient forme of Parliaments contrary to the fundamentall Lawes of the Land their own Declarations Protestations and Covenants and to pack and shuffle new Parliaments to dispose of our Religion Lawes Liberties Lives and Estates against the consent of the farre major part of the people 3. That they shall consider of an Act for regulating Proceedings in Law and prevent tediousnesse of Suites There are too many Lawyers in the Councell of State to doe any thing effectuall that way but it may be they will consider how to make the Lawes of the Land more sutable to an Olygarchicall tyranny and lesse agreeing with Monarchy 4. That they will consider what Lawes are fit to be repealed That is all Lawes enjoyning uniformity in Gods Worship all Monarchicall Lawes and all Lawes allowing more civill Liberty and Priviledges to the People and to severall Degrees of men than squares with the Designes of our new upstart State So many men have been cheated with Publique Faith 191. Deane and Chapters Lands purchased by the Godly Irish Adventures and Bishops Lands that the Market is spoyled for sale of Deane and Chapters Lands wherefore the Saints being the onely monied men left in the Kingdome have now agreed to buy them themselves considering that since they hold their Heads and all that they have in Capite of their Lords Paramount the Councell of Officers they may as well buy dog-cheap and hold Bishops Lands by the same Tenure For which purpose they have their Broakers abroad to buy in Souldiers and Officers Debentures for Arreares at 5 s. and 6 s. in the pound though they are allowed the whole summs of the Debentures in the Purchase which doubling in ready money they purchase upon such easie particulars as brings it downe from ten yeares purchase to two or three years purchase They are not seen in the businesse themselves but buy them in other mens names and to the secret use of their Wives and Children The Lord Munson Humphry Edwards and Sir Greg Norton who hath sold his owne Land to purchase now upon this Title and many other Saints have lately trod this obscure path 192. Souldiers insolencies remedilesse Great complaints are made by the Countrey of the Souldiers insolency amongst many other things in putting their Horses into mowing Grasse The Generall hath ordered the next Officer in chief to cause double damages to be given by the Soldier and if the said Officer neglect he is to answer it at a Councell of Warre at the Head Quarters This remedy is worse than the disease and as meer a gullery as the Act for taking off Free-quarter The chief Officer will laugh at the Complainant the Head Quarters are farre off and the Councell of Warre will tyre him with delaies and expose him to more injuries of the angry Souldiers The Officers will not nor dare not keep a strict discipline 193. The Earle of Denbigh and Henry Martin referred to Committees The Earl of Denbigh referred to the Committee of the Revenue to consider the Arreares of his Ambassie in Italy and of his 1000 Marks per ann pension bestowed upon him by the late King If his deserts had been better his Reward had been worse and worse paid Also Henry Martius
be done by the King if by those Words things done or to be done for the dissolving c. they shall say they related to the Kings Naturall Death Natural Death is the Act of God which these Saints cannot make voide if they related to His violent Death it could not then be said a thing done or to be done for the unlawfulness and injustice of it This Act passed long before any War or Bloud shed The onely pretence they have since found out for the Kings Murder 2. If this Parliament were not Dissolved by the Kings Death Yet the House of Peeres formerly Voted downe by the Commons gave no consent the passing this Act Entituled An Act of the House of Commons who without the concurring Assent of the Lords and the Kings Royall Assent have no power to passe any Act Make or Declare any Law or impose any Tax as appeares by the fore-recited Acts The Petition of Right The Act for the Trienniall Parliament and this very Act against Dissolving Proroguing c. with all our Printed Statutes Parliament Rolls and Law-Bookes The Commons being so farre from claiming the sole Legislative Power heretofore as that they were not Summoned to our Ancient Parliaments which consisted onely of King Lords Temporall and Spirituall untill 45 Hen. 3. nor had they so much as a House of Commons or Speaker untill the Reigne of Edw. 3. nor never tendred any Acts or Bills to the King but Petitions onely of Grievances untill long after Rich. 2. time See the Printed Prologues to the Stat. 1 4. 5 9 10. 20. 23. 36. 37. 50. Edw. 3. 1 Ric. 2. 1. 2. 4. 5. 7. 9. 11. 13 Hen. 4. 1. 2. 3. 4. 8. 9 Hen. 5. 1 2 3 4 6 8 9 10 11 14 15. 28 29 39 Hen. 6. 1 4 7 8 12 17 22 Edw. 4. 1 Rich. 3. 3. But suppose the Commons alone had power to impose Taxes yet it must be in a full and free House whereas when this Act for 90000 l. a Moneth passed the House was neither Full nor Free The Major part of the House who by Law are the House to wit 8. parts of 10. at the least being Secured or Secluded by Col. Pride and his Souldiers by Confederacy with those 40. or 50. then sitting when this Act passed and acting the Wills of the Councell of Officers to the subversion of Parliaments and the great wrong of those Counties and Burroughs for which they served Object If it be objected that by usage of Parliament 40. Members make a House of Commons Answ 1. I Answer not to all intents and purposes Not to grant Subsidies nor passe Lawes or matters of greatest moment Modus tenendi Parl. Cookes 4. Instit pag. 1. 2. 26. 35. 36. Cromptons Iurisd of Couts fol. 1. 39 Edw. 3. 7. Brook Parl. 27. 1. Iac. c. 1. 2. 40 Members make not a House when the rest are Excluded by force without Dores and fraud of their Fellow-members within Dores on purpose that being the Major number they may not over-vote them The Commons not having power to expell any of their Members without consent of King and Lords in whom onely the Iudiciall power Paribus in Pares non est Potestas Claus Dors 7 Rich. 2. M. 27 Seldens Title of Honour pag. 737. Baron Camoyes case discharged by the Kings Writ and Iudgement from serving amongst the Commons because a Peer of the Realm The practice for Members to Expell and Sequester their Fellow-members being a late dangerous innovation to pack a Factious Conventicle instead of a Parliament If the King should send forth no more Writs then would Summon 40. or 50. Commons it were no House Added by the Abridger So M. Pryn concludes That if he should voluntarily submit to pay this Tax by virtue of the said pretended Act of Parliament Dated 7. Aprill 1649. made by those now sitting some of whose Elections have been Voted void others of them Elected by new Illegall Writs under a new kind of Seal since the Kings Beheading as the Earl of Pembroke and Lord Edward Howard uncapable of being Knights or Burgesses by the Common Law because Peeres of the Realm as was adjudged in the Lord Camoyes case Claus Dors 7 Rich. 2. M. 32. and asserted by Mr. Seldens Titles of Honour Part 2. chap. 5. pag. 735. Seconded by Cookes 4. Instit pag. 1. 4. 5. 46. 47. 49. As he should admit those to be lawfull Members so he should assent to ex post facto some particulars against his Knowledge and against the Oathes of Allegeance Supremacy Protestation Solemn League and Covenant taken in the presence of God with a sincere heart and reall intention to performe the same and persevere therein all the dayes of his life without suffering himself directly or indirectly by whatsoever Combination Perswasion or Terrour to be withdrawn therefrom As for example he should thereby acknowledge contrary to his knowledge and the said Oathes and Covenant 1. That there may be and now is a lawfull Parliament of England actually in being and legally continuing after the Kings Death consisting onely of a few late Members of the Commons House without either King Lords or most of their fellow Members 2. That this Parliament sitting under a force and so unduly Constituted and packed by power of an Army combining with them hath just and lawfull Authority 1. To Violate the Priviledges Rights Freedomes Customes and alter the Constitution of our Parliaments themselves 2. To Imprison Seclude and Expell most of their fellow Members the farre Major part of the House for Voting according to their Consciencies in favour of Peace and settlement of the Common-wealth 3. To Repeal all Votes Ordinances and Acts of Parliament they please 4. To Erect new Arbitrary Courts of Warre and Iustice 5. To Arraign Condemne and Execute the King himself with the Peeres and Commons of this Realm by a new kind of Martiall Law contrary to Magna Charta The Petition of Right 3. Car. and the known Lawes of the Land 6. To Dis-inherit the Kings Posterity of the Crown 7. To éxtirpate Monarchy and the whole House of Peers 8. To Change and Subvert the Ancient Government Seales Lawes Writs Legall proceedings Courts and Coyne of the Kingdome 9. To Sell and Dispose of all the Lands Revenues Iewels Goods of the Crowne with the Lands of Deans and Chapters for their own advantage not the easing of the People from Taxes 10. To absolve themselves by a Papall kind of Power and all the Subjects of England and Ireland from all the Oaths and Engagements they have made to the Kings Majesty His Heires and Successours yea from the very Oath of Allegeance notwithstanding this expresse Clause in it fit to be laid to Heart by all Conscientious Christians I doe believe and in Conscience am resolved That neither the Pope nor any Person whatsoever hath power to absolve me of this Oath or any part thereof which I acknowledge by good and full Authority to be lawfully
Minstred to me and doe renounce all Pardons and Dispensations to the contrary 11. To dispence with our Protestation and Covenant so Zealously enjoyned by both Houses on all sorts of People 12. To dispose of the Forts Ships Forces Offices and places of Honour Power Trust or Profit to whom they please to their own Party 13. To Displace and Remove whom they please from their Offices Trusts Pensions Callings and Franchises at their pleasures without any Legall cause or Tryall 14. To make what New Acts Lawes and Reverse what Old ones they think meet to ensnare and inthrall our Consciences Estates Liberties and Lives 15. To create new monstrous Treasons never heard of before and to declare Reall Treasons against the King Kingdome and Parliament to be no Treasons and Loyalty Allegeance due obedience to our known Lawes and a Conscientious observing our Oathes of Allegance and Supremacy and the Covenant to be no lesse then High Treason for which they may take away our Lives and confiscate our Estates to their new Exchequer Thereby at once repealing Magna Charta c. 29. 5 Edw 3. c. 6. 25 Edw. 3. c. 4. 28 Edw. 3. c. 3. 37 Edw. 3. c. 18. 42 Edw. 3. c. 3. 25. Edw. 3. c. 2. 11 Rich. 2. c. 4. 1 Hen. 4. c. 10. 2 Hen. 4. Rot. Parl. 11. n. 60. 1 Edw. 6. c. 12. 1. M. c. 1. The Petition of Right 3 Car. So much commended this Parliament and laying all our Lawes Liberties Estates and Lives waste after they have drawne so much Bloud and Treasure from us in defence of them 16. To raise and keep up what forces by Land and Sea they please and impose what Taxes they please and renew increase and perpetuate them to support their more then Regall or Parliamentary power 17. To pack and shuffle themselves into a Councell of Lords This 17. is added by the Abridger States Generall without any provinciall States 40. Hogens Mogens with Supream Regall and Arbitrary power in absence of Parliaments which are Abolished by these Usurpations as well as Monarchy 4. The principall ends proposed in the pretend Act for imposing this 90000 l. a moneths Tax oblige all men not to pay it viz. The keeping up this Army under the Lord Fairfax 1. Because this Army by Rebelling against their Masters the Parliament and waging Warre upon them and by conspiring with their owe party of the sitting Commons have occasioned all the Mischiefs last mentioned to the ruine of King Parliament and Kingdome Religion Lawes Liberty and Property and daily threaten an utter dissolution both in their Deeds and Words Both Officers and Souldiers Boasting That the whole Kingdome and all we have is theirs by Conquests Tbat we are but their Conquered Slaves and Vassals and they Lords of the Kingdome That our Lives are at their Mercy and Courtesie That when they have gotten all we have from us by Taxes and Free-quarter they will seize our Lands and turne Vs and our Families out of Dores That there is no Law in England but the Sword as Hugh Peters the Rebels Apostle saith The present power must be obeyed saith parasiticall Iohn Goodwin that is the power of the Sword still More hath been raised by Taxes these last eight years then in all the Kings Raignes since the Conquest and no account given 2. No Tax ought to be imposed but upon necessity for good of the People 25 Edw. 1. chap. 6 Cookes 2. Instit pag. 528. But the keeping up this Army is the Bane of the People 1. Because they are already exhausted with Warre Plunder Taxes Free-quarter c. 2. Because the Souldiers have decayed Trade and brought a Dearth upon the Land 3. This Tax of 90000 l. a Moneth destroyed Trade by Forestalling and Engrossing most of the Money now left in the Kingdome 4. There is no Enemy in the Kingdome visible nor no fear of any if we will believe our Grandees 5. When the King had two Armies in the Field and many Garrisons this whole Army consisted but of 22000. Men and had an Established pay but of 45000 l. a Moneth See Ordinances 15. Feb. 1644. and 6. Aprill 1646. Exact Collect. pag. 599. 876. But when the Army by confederacy with their Party in the House took the boldnesse to encrease their number without Order 60000 l. a Moneth was thought abundantly sufficient to pay the Army and take off Free-quarter and why this Tax should now be raised to 90000 l. a Moneth when sundry Regiments of it are Assigned for Ireland and yet Free-quarter continued is a mystery of Iniquity which fills the Saints Pockets with Money and all the World with Wonder 6. The Counties Militia so much contended for with the King would better defend the Kingdome from Forraign Invasions then a Mercinary Army Therefore there is neither necessity nor publique utility in keeping up this Army or raising Taxes to maintaine them or pay their pretended Arreares The Free-quarter they have taken in kind and leavyed in Money will treble their Arreeres and make them much indebted to the Country Thus farre and much farther Master Pryn whose whole Booke at large I commend to all mens serious perusall The Marquesse of Ormonds happy atchievements in Ireland beginning to look formidably 204. Cromwell sets sayle for Ireland had cooled the hcat of K. Olivers courage though not of his Liver insomuch that he and his intimate Friends began to project how without losse of reputation to take him off from so desperate an Engagement as at that time that seemed to be unnecessary delaies were used in Shipping his Men. Hasterigge and his Party reported great terrours from Scotland Oliver and his Bloud-hounds of the Faction made a shift to smell out a silly Plot in Dorset-shire for surprisall of Weymouth and Portland for the KING now laughed at and exploded by their owne New-books And the tender-conscienced Brethren were prompted to apprehend their owne dangers and put into a Petitioning posture That such a Worthy of Israel such a chosen Instrument of Gods mercy might not in a time of danger leave the Land of his Nativity the Habitation of the Saints to seeke foraigne adventures in a Heathen Land Whilst these preparations were making to withdraw Olivers stake he appeared not openly in them but making more shew of the Lyons skin than the Foxes had written to Col. Iones how heartlesse his Souldiers were and that unlesse Iones did by some successfull Sally lessen their terrour he should not be able to get them on Ship-board This was like the Monkey to rake Chesse-nuts out of the fire with the Catts foot to take a presage of his owne successe at Col. Iones hazard Iones makes an attempt with better luck than he expected though not with half so good successe as was reported Saturday 12. August when the newes first came to Towne the Lyon is not so terrible as he is painted it is a peculiar priviledge of the Saints to lie without sinne or at least without
their Persons and Possessions yet it cannot be denied but this Kingdome had still many moderate-minded Men that loathed their Country-mens barbarity and could never be drawne to adhere to their Party in their least consent Now for the Parliament Agents to gather up these Men and these onely that have been drunke with the blood of their Brethren and to fortifie them with Armes Councels and conjunction of Forces that thereby they may preserve to themselves the Triumphs of their Cruelty and Treachery and to lap them up in their affections with promises of reward if they will persevere to act with the ruine of the KING and Monarchy the destruction of the remnant of the English Protestants and the antient Irish who have now declared their Loyalty and submitted to and consociated with them are things that I much loathe and can no way imbrace Besides if you consider the passages of the Treaty you will easily be drawne I suppose to cast away your former entertained scruples and not condemne me for being out of love with mine 1. For first The Title to Owen Roes Propositions excludes all other of his Nation but such as will joyne with him though they be farre more capable of Peace and Pardon than himself or his Party 2. He and his Party who in a late Paper of theirs stiled the Parliament of England Monstrosum Parliamentum the monstrous Parliament when as then it had not besmeared it selfe with Royall Sacred and Noble Blood as since it hath done yet now where he sees them act like himselfe he hath taught his tongue to quaver and calls them The most Honourable and potent Parliament when all Honour is persecuted by them and no power exercised by them but brutish violence and extreame tyranny 3. In the second Proposition That an Act of Oblivion be passed to extend to all and every of Owen O Neales Party for all things done since the Yeare 1641. You shall find that Monke approves of it totally without the least reserve of punishment to any the most bloody Plotters and Murtherers whatsoever that are in that Crew which makes me more in love with my Lord of Ormonds peace than I was before 4. 'T is propounded by Owen Roe and approved by Monke That he shall have a Sea-port to himselfe to make use of for the perfecting of his designes when as we heare the least Traffick will not be allowed to you in Munster 5. Although Col. Munke doe a little pare his Propositions concerning the Repealing of Statutes against Roman Catholiques since Hen. 8. lest he should offend the People And though he doe not absolutely undertake to grant him all his Ancestors Lands which when he is once stiled O Neale he will challenge to be the six escheated Counties yet by Monkes Letter he is assured that he shall not receive the least disadvantage thereby All which directions Councels and assurances I am confident Col. Monke would not have used towards him if he had not had a Parliament-foundation to warrant it Thus you see these Men who lately were utter Enemies have confederated together to ruine Monarchy and the Protestant Religion meerly to raise themselves and support their owne Faction They will not here allow the KING to make use of His owne Subjects to revenge His Fathers blood to Re-inthrone Himselfe to re-establish Religion and the Lawes and the just Liberties and yet they allow themselves a latitude of calling in any Party though the most blody and inhumane to assist them in the carrying on their wicked Designes We have seen Col. Iones his Letters censuring the Lord of Ormond for joyning the Irish to his Party though the best and least culpable of them and yet the same Iones whose head and hand is in this Treaty and Conclusion thinks it allowable in himselfe to close with the worst and that upon his owne termes And though Col. Monkes hypocrisie in Correcting Owen O Neales 7. Article will not allow that unity and amity shall be publickly proclaimed between them yet he is willing it shall be practised and they shall mutually assist one another against all Opposers whatsoever that is the KING and all in Authority under Him The consideration of these things hath left such an impression upon my soule that I am resolved to make speed to you no way desiring to live under their Commands whose actions increase in horror and beget new afflictions to all honest English hearts So praying you to forbeare further writting to me because I meane speedily to see you I rest Dundalke May 20. 1649. Your assured Friend and Servant Upon which Propositions so corrected by Monke the close carriage of this businesse I shall trouble my Reader with these following Observations 1. Article You see the Counterfeit Alchymy Saints are content to joyne covertly with Massacring Irish Papists to carry on their Antimonarchicall Designes and to make a false Religion and corrupt worship of God the wages hyre of righteousnesse 2. Article You see those Men that are so bloodily zealous to bring Protestant Delinquents nay the KING Himselfe under the notion of the Grand Delinquent the Man of Blood to punishment and pretend themselves engaged by Oath so to doe can dispense with the Massacre of two hundred thousand English Protestants barbarously and inhumanely slaughtered in Ireland in time of full peace and can grand an Act of Oblivion to whole Armies of their Murderers thereby at once making their Antimonarchicall interest the price for which they sell the innocent blood of their Brethren and defrauding the Irish Adventuers of that Money which the Parliament perswaded them to lay forth to purchase Rebells Lands in Ireland for which they have an Act of this Sessions of Parliament The like may be said of the 4. 7. Articles whereby Rebels attainded and convict are restored to their confiscated Lands the English Protestant Planters that purchased them of the Crowne are expelled out of their Inheritance what is this but a designe to root out Protestancy as well as Monarchy 5. Article Taketh off all Incapacity Inhability and distrust from O Neale and his Party at that very time when with much counterfeit zeale they pretend great severity against the English Papists I think because they are not so very Rebels as the Schismaticks According to their usuall custome to accuse other Men of their owne Crimes they charged King CHARLES the First upon light surmises with complying with the bloody Irish Papists doe themselves actually combine with them to root out Monarchy Protestancy giving them a Toleration of their Religion the possession of the English Protestants Estates for their Hyre And it now appeares by Letters newly come to London the 24. August notwithstanding the said Votes of the Commons against all association with the Irish Murderers That Sir Charles Coote See The Perfect Occurrences nu 138. from Aug. 17 to the 24. 1649. and O Neale are associated and that the Siege from Londonderry was raised
best to his most holy will and it is therefore good holy just because he willeth it His Divine pleasure being the rule and standard of goodnesse holinesse justice Mistake me not I doe not meane his bare providence or permissive will which no man can take notice of and Traytors Tyrants Thieves and Reprobate Saints execute and boast of to their owne assured damnation Therefore Gods employing wicked Instruments can be no president for our Alchimy Saints to doe the like unlesse Cromwells * Councell of Officiers of State and Parliament three Iuntoes and faction will usurp Gods prerogative as they have done the Kings 5. The 15. August the Letter saith that Coote called a Councell of Warre who resolved It was better to accept of the assistance of those who proclaimed themselves Friends to us and the Interest we fight for c. Here you see O Neale's bloody Party those Parliament Champions united and friendly conspiring to uphold one Common Interest which can be nothing but the downfall of Monarchy and Protestancy 6. The 15. August the Letter further saith that we Coote and his Councell of Warre added to the Articles this wary Proviso not to use their assistance longer then the approbation of the State of England should go a long with us therein c. It should seem by this warinesse that for the time they had used their help which was ever since the 22. of May last the approbation of the said State as they call it hath gone along therewith And for the time they meane to use their assistance hereafter it is left indefinite no longer then the approbation of the State shall goe along with us therein which may happily be untill Domes-day notwithstanding the Order Dated the 24. August 1649. voting That their Vote of the 10. August in the Case of Col. Monke be communicated to Sir Ch Coote as the Resolution of the House c. For who knowes whether the Copies of that Vote may miscarry or be stayed by the way either accidentally or purposely 7. The 14. August the Letter saith See Monke's Letter of Answer to Oneale Dated 26. April 1649. from Dondalke contained in the last foregoing Section but one See the said Paper entituled The Propositions of Owen Roe O Neale sent to C. Monk c. printed at Corke 1649. O Neale was pleased to communicate to him certaine Proposalls which he saith were long since transmitted into England to the Parliament by C. Monke and though for his owne part and the prime Officers with him these are privie to the secret carriage of the businesse and therefore may well be satisfied with what is done already they do not doubt but the Proposalls are already yeilded to by the State yet in regard their Army and Party in all other parts of the Kingdome these are ignorant of the juggle and causes thereof cannot be satisfied therewith untill the Parliament be pleased to declare themselves more publiquely therein it should seem they have done it privately already for satisfaction of O Neale and his said prime Officers he hath therefore desired me humbly to intreat your Lordships to declare your Resolution therein with as much speed as may be Here you see O Neale and his prime Officers who know the juggle satisfied already with a private confirmation of the Articles But to satisfie the rest of his Army and Party to whom this mystery is not yet revealed a publique Declaration thereof is desired that they may Vnanimously and cheerfully endeavour the preservation of the Parliaments Interest The Articles of Agreement between O Neale and Coote conclude clearly a League or Warre Offensive and Defensive against the Enemies of both or either untill a more absolute Agreement be made and condiscended unto by the Parliament of England This more absolute Agreement is now in agitation and private Directions sent to Coote how to behave himselfe in the Transaction thereof See the 1. Vote die veneris 24. August 1649. See the Relation of the Transactions between Sir Charles Coote and Own Roe O Neale printed by Order 28. Aug. 1649. The Votes upon these Letters and Articles were two Upon part in the first Vote I have observed something already in the 6. branch of this Section viz. that their Votes of the 10. Aug. in Case of Col. Monke be communicated to Coote and a Direction for him how to behave himselfe in the Transaction between him and Own Roe O Neale this Transaction is called in the Articles ut supra a more absolute Agreement These Letters Articles and Votes being Apologetically published for satisfaction of the Souldiery and People it had been fit to have communicated the said Directions also to their Trustors and Soveraigne Lords the People that they might have seen faire play above board and not to have sent clandestine Directions to Coote in so suspitious a busines how to behave himself in the Transaction with O Neale which implies the said Transaction shal be continued and may be compleated the rather for that their second Vote saith The House is well satisfied of the diligence faithfulnesse and integrity of Sir Charles Coote in preserving the Garrison of London Derry now it was preserved by his said Conjunction with O Neale who raised the Siege About this time came forth a Booke called 208. The Levellors vindicated or The Case of the twelve Troops c. The Levellors vindicated or The Case of the 12. Troops which by Treachery in a Treaty were lately surprized at Burford Subscribed by Six Officers in the name of many more Wherein p. 2. they say That under colour of the Armies solemne Engagement at New-market and Triplo-heath Iune 5. 1647. and many other their Declarations Promises and Protestations in pursuance thereof which Engagement they affirme against their Preaching Coronet Denne was never retracted by any Generall Councell of the Army nor upon any Petition of the Souldiers nor their Agitators ever by them recalled or dismissed The whole fabrik of this Common-wealth is fallen into the grossest and vilest Tyranny that ever English-men groaned under all their Laws Rights Lives Liberties and Proporties wholly subdued to the boundlesse wills of some deceitfull Persons having devolved the whole Magistracy of England into their Martiall Domination c. Pag. 7. They say That the Souldiers Paper-Debentures are good for nothing but to sell to Parliament-men for 3. or 4. in the pound which they are forced to sell them for to keep them from starving because they will not pay one penny Arreares to such as they put out of the Army any other waies that so they may rob the Souldiers of their Seven yeares Servìce and make themselves and their Adherents Purchasers of the Kings Lands for little or nothing and for ought appeares the Money they buy these Debentures with is the Money the Nation can have no Account of That they have dealt as basely with other Soldiers who never resisted their Commands 1. They turned them off with
Councell of State 3. Parliament and left her in a Military posture with a Sword to strike but no scales to weigh withall Our licenced News-Books like Ill-Boading-Birds fore-told and fore-judged Morrice's death a Month before He died resolutely Observe the thing aimed at in this new forme of Endictment of High Treason for leavying warre against the King and Parliament is first that the word King may hold in the Edictment which otherwise would be found to have errour in it and though the word for Leavying Warre against the Parliament be a vaine surplusage signifying nothing yet at last by help of their owne Iudges new-made presidents to leavy warre against the Parliament shall stand alone be the onely Significator and take up the whole roome in the Edictment and thrust the word King out of dores and then Treason shall be as frequent as Malignancy is now Morrice had moved he might be Tryed like a Soldier by a Councell of Warre alleaging the inconvenience of such a president if the Kings Party should retaliate it which would not be granted yet Col. Bethel writ to the Generall and his Councell of Warre desiring he might be reprieved but Col. Pride opposed it urging That it would not stand with the justice of the Army you see now who is the fountaine of Iustice nor the safety of the Common-wealth to let such Enemies live the Parliament having adjudged him worthy of death without hearing and given instructions to the Iudges accordingly O serviceable Iudges so the Generall was overborne by this Dray-man This fellow sitteth frequently at the Sessions-house in the Old Bayly where the weight of his Slings turneth the scale of Iustice which way he pleaseth Col. Prides's Dray-horses 210. Capt. Plunkett and the Marquesse of Ormonds Brother voted to be Tryed the Commons in Parliament assembled not yet satisfied with Blood because they are out of danger of bleeding themselves have Voted that Capt. Plunkett and the Marquesse of of Ormond's Brother Prisoners in Ireland shall be brought to Tryall If the King's Party in imitation of their Cruelty shall put to death the Prisoners they have taken the Parliament will save their Arreares for their owne privy purse These two cases are examples of the greatest danger and the highest contempt of Souldiers that ever were set on foot in any Age or Nation 29. August 1649. came forth a Booke called 211. An Our crie of the young Men and Apprentises London concurring with those fasly called Levellors An outcrie of the young Men and Apprentises of London Or An Inquisition after the lost fundamentall Lawes and Liberties of England truly Pathetically setting forth the slavery misery danger of the Common Souldiery People of this Nation and the causes thereof well worth the reading About this time came forth an Act for sooth for the speedy raising and leavying money upon the Excite 212. Excise that is as the Act telleth you upon all and every Commodities Merchandizes Manufactures as well imported or exported as made or growing and put to sale or consumed c. That is to lay impositions upon all we eate drinke weare or use as well in private houses as victualling houses ware-houses cellars shops c. as well what the Souldier devoures in Free-quarter upon us as otherwise under unheard-of penalties both pecuniary and personall to be paid and leavied with rigor And to make every mans house lie open to be searched by every prowling Rascall as often as he or they please 213. Foraigne Plantations The Traytors Tyrants and Thieves the Commons in Colonel Prides Parliament assembled are now againe frighted into a consideration of Foraigne Plantations And passing Acts That they shall all be subject to the new Babel or State of England for which purpose they are very busie to undermine devide and subject the old and first Planters that if need be these reprobate Saints may come in upon their labors the better to accommodate themselves there In the Act for sale of the Kings Queens and Princes personall Estate they have given leave to their Agents the Commissioners to transport beyond sea that is to say to their owne Plantations under pretence of sale the rarest and choicest of the Kings Gods they heap up abundance of wealth by Excise Taxes Goldsmiths-hall Haberdashers-hall Sequestrations cousening the Souldiers c. That they may transport the whole wealth of the Land with them and leave England naked disarmed and oppressed with famine and disabled to pursue them for revenge or recovery of their losses 214. More Guifts to the Faction The said Commons are never wearied with exercising their bounty amongst their owne Faction out of the publique purse about 1300 l. to Col. Fielder to Scobell their Clerke heretofore a poore under-Clerke in the Chauncery who writ for 2d. a sheet besides an employment he hath already in the sale of publique Lands worth 1000 l. a yeare a Pension of 500 l. a yeare and a Noble Fee for every Copie of an Order taken forth toties quoties although most of their Orders containe not above three or four lines an extortion farre surmounting the Starre Chamber or Councell Table of which themselves so much complained the Diurnall tells you Numb 319. from Monday Sept. 3. to Monday Sept. 10. an Act was read for satisfying the sufferings of two Members who have been in the late Warre damnified many thousands these I conceive to be Sir Tho Iervys and Mr. Robert Wallope this satisfaction must be made out of the publique purse which must be filled by Taxes againe out of their private purses who have lost as well as they without satisfaction or hopes of satisfaction notwithstanding many Votes that all should be satisfied O Cromwell hath reduced the Officers in Col. Jones his Regiment and other Dublin Regiments 215. O Cromwell reduceth Iones own Regiment and other Regiments in Dublin Let Sir C. Coote and his Regiment in London-derry expect the like notwithstanding their valour fidelity shewne in raising the Siege of Dublin you see he will trust none but his owne immediate Creatures this Faction casts out all other men as Quicksilver spues out all other mettals Gold excepted so that by this and many other examples they may see that all their faithfull services and bloodshed are poured into the bottomlesse tub of oblivion as their Arreares are cast into the bottomlesse bagge of the Publique faith Sunday 9. Sept. 1649. 216. A violent irruption of the Parl Ianisaries upon the Protestants at Church in St. Peters Pauls-wharfe Sunday morne 9. Sept. 1649. At the Church of Saint Peters Pauls-wharfe Master Williams reading Morning Service out of the Booke of Common-prayer and having prayed for the KING as in that Liturgy established by Act of Parliament he is enjoyned Six Souldiers from Saint Pauls Church where they quarter came with Swords and Pistols cocked into the Church commanding him to come downe out of the Pulpit which Williams immediately did
him and give an ill example to other Women to the prejudice of our other New States-men their New erected Sodomes and Spintries at the Mulbury-garden at Saint Jame's 220. Felons fetched out of New-gate to informe against Merchants for not paying Customes Master Gybs Master of a Ship having caused three Fellowes to be committed to New-gate upon Felony for Robbing him These Fellowes sent to Col. Harvey That if he would procure their Liberty they would discover to him severall Merchants who had lately stolne Customes Whereupon Harvey sends for those Rogues out of New-gate heares their Accusation approves it prosecutes the Merchants upon the Information of those Villaines discharges them of their Imprisonment by his own power and recommends them to Col. Deane to be employed in the Navie And one Master Lovell a Silk-man in Saint Lawrence-lane is committed to the Gate-house Prisoner because he refuseth to Sweare how many Bayles of Silke he hath come over if the First yeare of our Liberty make such presidents what Monsters will the Sixt and Seventh yeare produce All Princes begin with moderation the Elders gave good Counsell to Rehoboam Serve the People one day and they will serve thee for ever hereafter Nero had a commendable Quinquennium but our Novice Statists are Tyrants ab incunabilis Oppressors with shells upon their heads from the Nest before they are fledged what will they be hereafter 221. Sommer-hill given to Bradshaw A sop for Cerberus Sommer-hill a pleasant Seat worth 1000 l. a yeare belonging to the Earle of Saint Albans is given by the Iunto to their Bloud-hound Bradshaw so he hath warned the Countesse of Leicester who formerly had it in possession to raise a Debt of 3000 l. pretended due to her from the said Earle which she hath already raised fower-fold to quit the possession against our Lady-day next THE END An Exhortatory Conclusion to the English Nation TO conclude the series of Affaires and Action on both Parties especially of late rightly compared Compare the Date of the K. Commissions with those of the Parliament and their Declarations on both sides it appeareth by the sequell That KING CHARLES the First from the beginning took up Defensive Armes to maintaine Religion Lawes Liberties and the Antient fundamentall being of Parliaments and this Kingdome and that there alwaies was and now especially is a predominant Faction in Parliament notwithstanding their frequent Declarations Remonstrances Petitions Protestations Covenant and votes to the contrary conspiring with a Party especially of Commissioned Officers of the Army without the Houses to Change the Fundamentall Lawes and Government of the Church and Common-wealth to usurp into a few hands the Supreme Authority to enslave the People with an Oligarchicall Military and Arbitrary Government to raise what illegall Taxes they please to establish their tyranny and enrich themselves and their Party to oppresse consume and devoure all Men of a judgement contrary to their Interest to Murder them by new-declared arbitrary Treasons contrary to the Stat. 25. Edw. 3. for ascertaining Treasons to Disfranchise them of their Birth-rights and make them Adscriptios Glebae Villaines Regardante to their owne Lands which the Nobility Gentry and Yeomanry plough sowe and reap whilst Brewers Draymen Coblers eate drinke and play upon the sweat of their labours and are the Usufructuaries of their Estates All which they have lately brought to passe wherefore let all true English-men as becomes good Christians good Patriots and gallant Men claime their Birth-rights and with one voice crie out 1. We will not Change our Antient setled and well approved Lawes to which we are sworne 2. We will not Change our Antient and well-tempered Monarchy to which we are Sworne 3. We will not Change our old Religion for New Lights and inventions 4. We will not subject our selves to an eight part of one Estate or House of Parliament sitting under a force and having expelled two hundred and fifty of their Fellowes more Righteous then themselves by force and usurping to themselves the Supreme Authority 5. We will not be subjected to a new Supreme Authority usurped by forty ambitious covetous Tyrants arrogating to themselves to be a Councell of State and designed to supply the roome of Parliaments under what name or title soever they shall maske themselves 6. We will not submit our selves to a Military Government or Councell of Officers See the Stat of Recognition 1. Iac. and the Oathes of Allegiance Obedence and Supremacy 7. We must and will have A KING and The KING whom the Lawes of God and this Land have Designed to us we being by the Oathes of Allegiance Obedience and Supremacy sworne to beare faith and true Allegiance to KING CHARLES the First his lawfull Heyres and Successors Hic telum infigam moriarque in vulnere POSTSCRIPT REader at the latter end of my First part of The History of Independency I have presented to thy consideration some Generall Conclusions arising out of the Premises the same Conclusions doe as naturally arise out of the Premises of this Second part of the History and doe as aptly serve to illustrate this Second as that First part wherefore to that First part I send thee for opening thy understanding When our old Lawes run againe into their Antient Channell and the Sword of Murder is sheathed and the Sword of Justice drawne the Author engageth to publish his Name Apologie and shew what he hath done and suffered for the Parliament and Kingdome THE END