COMPLAINTS AND QUERIES VPON ENGLANDS Misery Acted Octob. 13 1659. BY SOME OFFICERS OF THE ARMY AGAINST The Parliament of the Common-wealth of ENGLAND By a true Lover of the LAWES and LIBERTIES of ENGLAND E. D. LONDON Printed by J. C. 1659. COMPLAINTS and QUERIES upon Englands Misery acted Octob. 13 1659. Complaint O How dolefully different is this day from this day sevennight when Parliament and Councel os State Lord Mayor Aldermen and Common-Council of the City of London with the Officers of the Army met at their sacred Solemn devotions of singing praying praysing and preaching the praises of God for the late deliverance from the Northwest Insurrection marching afterwards in great State with sound of Trumpets atrendance of Armed Souldiers and aspect of innumerable people to a most sumptious Dinner where they eat and drank of all choise varieties and rarities with great welcome and rare Musick and all interchangeable signs and significations of integrated unity and amity But now the Army hath they say dissolved the Parliament And is not this daies sorrow far greater then that daies joy sad enough to break more hearts then on that day were made merry Query Say ye the Parliament is dissolved How can that be when by an Act of the people in Parliament this Parliament was never to be dissolved without an Act of their own Nor did those Representatives of the the people of England ever consent to their dissolution So that let come never so many pretended Parliaments Conventions Forms pretending Supream Power yet will not the supremacy of this Parlliament still impend over them Will not the Authority of this Parliament be still in force to call all the said Pretentioners to an accompt and to stick in their sides when ever the free people of England continually watching their opportunitys shall bring them back to sit in Parliament Compl. However if the Army have not dissolved yet sure enough they have interrupted and put off the Parliament which is sad enough It being all one with not having a remedy as not to have Liberty to use it So that the cry of the good people is The Parliament is gone and we in probability for ever undone Quaere Whether we shall do well so to conclude For did they not so once afore in Olivers time some of them assisting him in that evil others of the Army afterwards strengthning him keeping out the Parliament till many of the Commander and some of the Souldiers troubled in Conscience left the Army and others so manifested their dissatisfaction that they were lifted out by Oliver And is not this last evil in this second interruption greater then the former And therefore like to cry lowder against their Consciences to cause them if God please to return I say I Query whether this second interruption be not greater then the former all things considered For did not the remaining Officets of the Army pretending to godliness refuse to take warning of treasuring up an evil Conscience by the trouble of Conscience that befel the others Did they not assist in the Proclaiming Richard Protector not knowing any sufficient ground And had they not the patience and connivance at least if not giving some assistance to the said Richads callin a Free Pauliament as they named it so free that besides through notorious patching and shuffling the most of them were English Cavelleers arch Royalists there were called in 60 Scottish and Irish Representatives against all Law Custome Ordinance or shew of Authority whatsoever to the dangerous prejudice of this Nation of England they being a third part more then the Quorum of an English Parliament able to make Lawes upon us without our consents if at any time 40 of ours should not be in the House And moreover did not the complexion of that Parliament as they call it appear as looking towards a Kings At least did not the Army suspect so much whereby they feared the reverting of Kings Queens Lands and Fee-FarmRents And did not the Officers of the Army upon these and the like considerations set forth in Print their repentance for all their aforesaid evils of May 6 1659. Saying The publick concernment of this Commonwealth being through a vicisitude of dangers and back-slidings of many brought into that state and posture wherein they now stand AND OUR SELVES also contributing thereunto by wandering divers wayes from righteous and equal paths and also observing to our great grief that the good SPIRIT which formerly appeared amongst us in the carrying on of this great work did daily decline so as the GOOD OLD CAUSE became a reproach c. And did not they and some of the former Commanders troubled in Conscience as aforesaid joyning with them earnestly intreat in the said Printed Declaration That this Parliament formerly interrupted by Oliver would return to the exercise and discharge of their trust promising them in the said Declaration that they would be ready in their places as becomes them to yield them their utmost assistance to sit in safety in setling and securing the peace and freedom of this Commonwealth And when this Parliament with much self-denial ventured themselves divers ways to sit and act and now the conscentious Officers that afore relinquished or were ejected out of Command are restored to their respective Commands did not the generallity of both sorts of the Officers aforesaid all pretending to godliness now again stop this Parliament from going to the House and therein seem to vomit up their repentance repenting of that repentance and to lick up that Vomit which formerly they had spewed out And did not the Same men herein fare worse then before not onely in transgressing against their former self-conviction former examples of Conscience former repentings former repentance of their indangering the whole Commonwealth but against the Sage Patriots of their Countrey and pious for the Generallity towards God and some of them brave Soldiers and that after they had sat half a year mainly doing their Drudgery getting Laws of Excise and Custom raising Taxes and paying Souldiers by Sea and Land Yea in the very Act of stopping the Speaker in Kings-street when a Lieut. Col. busling in the business was asked why he did these things Did he give any other answer but this That he had received a Command so to do And doth not such an answer as this make a considered man astonished what might be the GODLINESS so much cryed up of a Souldier that out of the business of War and resistance of the Supream Legislative Power obey an unrighteous command his Conscience being witness without dispute Compl. They were necessiated they say thus to stop the Parliament for self-preservation Quaery Is there any doubt but that self was mainly in it But is there any necessity Can there be any necessity if we believe that GOD Governs the World of sinning Or was there such a stress to be put upon Nine Mens losing their Commissions wherein were imbarked onely a little future ayry
honour and durty riches they having had enough already to make them of Low-men to live like Lords Or is not the truth of the storie that they brought themselves into that dammage if they count it so great a dammage as to tear up all rather then to fall into it For did not fourty Commanders of the North-West expedition presently after their compassing things about Chester subscribe a Petition or some such paper to have a Generall and generall Officers And when the Parliament having private notice of it Voted that the granting that request was Needless Chargeable and Dangerous to the Common-wealth did not 230 Officers anon after subscribe a Representation and Petition wherein besides many shrew'd reflexions on the Parliament hinted as it were of their ingratitude their oblique admonitions of the Army c desiring of the Parliament nine Proposals in the sixt and seventh whereof they Petition that no Officer might be put into the Army but by a Committe of Nomination nor put out of the Army without a due proceeding at their Court Martial and in the eigth they neatly couch that their Commander in cheife might be more fixed in his Commission then the condition of the Parliament it self was according to a certain Vote that they had formerly passed touching the length of their sitting And were not these Proposals obvious to be interpreted as some did interpret them That the Army cold better trust the said Committe of Nomination and Court Martial then the Parliament and looked more after their own Establishment then that of the Parliament And to graspe at a power to change the Complexion of the Army the Parliaments Servants as they the Officers should see cause without the Cognizance of the Parliament their Master Yet because in the said paper of Proposals they did so often mention themselves to be the Parliaments faithfull Servants which title did they make good did not the Parliament strein hard to squeese out so much out of the said paper as to give them thanks for the good expressions of their affections and faithfulness and to tell them they had already taken into consideration some of the particulars in the said Representation and that they would the rest on Saturday next And did not the Parliament keep their promise And within few dayes were come to the sixt Proposall afore-named But mean while did not nine of their Officers not staying for the Parliaments answer subscribe a Letter sending it about to the rest to subscribe it to be sen to the Army in Scotland and Ireland that the Officers in both these places might subscribe to the said Representation and Proposall which with the said Letter mentioned therein they accordingly sent the said Letter which attempt did it signifie less then that they were resolved here in England to adhere and to get the rest in Scotland and Ireland to adhere if they could to those Proposalls what ever answer the Parliament should give them This originall Letter with the said nine hands being brought by a Commander to whom it was sent to subscribe unto the Parliament was it not a sufficient cause to make the Parliament the same day it was brought in after long debate for they sat late to vote the Commissions of those nine Officers voyd And thereby to experience whether the Army or Parliament were in chiefe rule And whether the Parliament were not better to dye in honour then to live and loose their Authority Now doth this story merit such a self preservation as must be attained with an universall desolation of the safety of three Nations Are nine mens pomp and riches or rather only the continuance of addition of those two for there was nothing but parchment voted away from them balanceable against the peace and prosperity of three Nations If they say anon the Parliament might vote out nine more and nine c c Is this imaginably possible unless so many would be as disobedient as the first nine seeing the Parliament cannot be without an Army And could the Officers of the Army yea and some of the said ejected Officers brook it to be uncommissionated by Oliver or the other so dealt with from time to time for their faithfulness to the Parliament and are they now affraid to be voted out of Commission from time to time whilst they stand faithfull to the Parliament If they say as some of them did that Octob. 13. that they were forced so to rout or stop the Parliament that they might know whether they were to live or dye Is not this a strange Ceimaera phantisied meerly in the braine unbecomming men of valour that had so often boldly looked death in the face Had the Parliament had that in their hearts might they not as easily have voted them to be seised upon Did this Parliament execute the King without unkinging of him and could they not imprison or punish Commanders of an Army without first uncommissionating them Did not therefore these Officers in opposing the Parliaments sitting seek a self-preservation rather from their own jealousies then real dangers However may not any Malefactor as Lawfully if not more Lawfully offer violence to an Officer of the Magistate sent by authority to arrest or imprison that Malefactor alleadging he did it out of Self-preservation Compl. But they did put this cessation upon the Parliament as they say themselves for another reason viz because the voting out of nine Officers at once did put a disreputation upon the Army Que. Did not the Earl of Essex and hundreds of men of quality submit to the Parliament to be laid aside and took it not to heart as these men have done Were they not rather honoured for their self-deniall Que. Did not Oliver do neer as much at one time and much more at severall times to the value of an 100 Yet had they any courage on that juster occasion to extricate and deliver themselves Yea could this one act and but once acted since the Parliament sate in slightly punishing nine for disobedience to them put a disrepute on an Army of 5 or 6000 Did not they in their Address to Richard delivered the former convention sitting in Parliament as they called it importune that all Uuworthy men should be removed in what place soever they were whether among themselves or c and then ought it no disrepute to the Armie If they say but those they meant were indeed unworthy but not the said nine then the query will be whether the Parliament are meetest to be the judge of that or the Army yea those nine and that in their own case But the maine query touching this complaint of disreputation is whether the revenge or remedy they took in interrupting the Parliament of England called together this second time by their own intreaty were the right ready way to cure that their supposed disrepute Or rather was not a direct course to accumulate more and worse reproach upon themselves the longest day they have to live
in the eyes of all true English-men and to leave it on record when they are dead in the Chronicles of England Yea have not this supposed cure wounded the repute and hearts of all the sober Godly people of England that adhered to the Parliament by the taunts of Enemies at home crying to them where is now your Parliament and by the rejoycings of the Enemie abroad in all Nations round about us animated in all likelyhood hereby to invade us yea whether the Officers by this breaking off of Parliament have not rendered themselves a scorn to their own Soldiers whiles they now jeer saying every month or quarter they have a new Master Compl. Others say shall the Parliament Vote all the Godly out of the Army Querie Are those nine all your Godly ones Yea are those nine all Godly Cold we ever heare or learne so much touching some of them though it would have been joy to us to have heard it Is not he Godly that doth Godly Tit. 1. 11. 12 Or can true Godliness be seperated from Righteousness by the same place Or is he a Righteous man that doth not that which is Righteous 1 Joh. 3. 7 Or are these violences against the grand Government of a Nation the fruits of Godliness Jam. 3. 17 Is this to Learn meekness of Christ as we are commanded Math. 11. 29 Do Soldiers herein as becomes Godly ones obey the Command of God Luk. 3. 14 And John Baptist said to the Soldiers Do violence to no man neither accuse any falsly and be content with your wages Is this according to that rule Dearly beloved Avenge not your selves Rom. 12. 19 Can men be Godly according to the first Table whilst unrighteous according to the second Table Jam. 2. 10. Must these nine Godly ones if so be redressed at no cheaper a rate then by pulling up the Foundation of the ancient only supream Authority of this Nation to the great grief of thousands of Godly people to the stopping of the Trade of thousands of Tradesmen to the preventing the timely reliefe of thousands of poor Prisoners Orphans and Widdowes for whom the Parliament were preparing to relieve them Is this according to 1 Joh. 3. 16. to lay down our lives for the Godly Brethren Or in it not rather like Matchiavels Maxim Let our friends Perish so as our Enemies perish together with them If ye from thence call to mind and object your ventering your lives for the good people and Parliament of England the query is whether most of you did it not when ye had but little else to venter And whether the Parliament and many of the good people of England did not venter their lives and great Estates viz hanging up and Confiscation if the King had prevailed besides ventering their lives a many of them in battle receiving many honourable wounds And whether all the people of England have not well paid you ever since thousands becomming very poor to make you rich And whether they making you their Servants and thus daintily bringing you up ye have not most ingratefully made your selves their Masters Compl We will not say others of them serve the Parliament or any Forme contrary to the Common main interest viz Of Freedome as Men and Freedome as Christians Querie Touching Liberty as Christians that is Liberty of Conscience what signes or tokens were there of the Parliaments infringing this were there not many for one in the Parliament for large Liberty of Conscience Yea did they not manifest it in a Resolve at a Committe for that purpose and 't is in print for a larger allowance of Liberty of Conscience then the Army Petitioned for Let us set down both word for word and then see whose expressions for that thing are larger The humble Petition and Address of the Officers of the Army to the Parliament of the Commonwealth of England May 12. 1659. Proposall the sixt That all persons who profess Faith in God the Father and in Jesus Christ His Eternall Son the true God and in the holy Spirit God coequall with the Father and the Son one God blessed for ever and do acknowledge the Holy Scriptures 〈…〉 Testament to be the revealed or written word or will of God shall not be restrained from their profession but have due encouragement and equal protection in the profession of their Faith and exercise of Religion whilst they abuse not this liberty to the civil injuries of others or disturbance of others in their way of Worship So that this Liberty be not extended to Popery or Prelacy nor to such as shall practise or hold forth licentiousness or prophanness under the profession of Religion Thus the Army in their Address aforeâ—â—d The Committee of Parliament for Government October the 8th 1659. Resolved That the Supream deligated power is not intrusted to restrain the proâ—â—ssion of any person or persons who profess faith in God the Father and in Jesus â—hrist God manifested in the Flesh and in God the Holy Spirit God blessed for â—vermore And do acknowledge the holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaâ—ent to be the revealed or written word or will of God but ought to give due enâ—â—uragement and equal protection to them in the profession of their Faith and â—â—cercise of Religion whilst they abuse not this liberty to the civil injury of others 〈◊〉 disturbance of others in their way of VVorship Thus the Commttee of Pa 〈…〉 ment Now the Quaery is Whether the Committee doth not express themselves in â—â—ger and softer termes for Liberty of Conscience then the said Officers of the â—rmy And if any Reader cannot perceive it Whether if he as a Quaker or a â—ocinian to name no more though more might be named according to what hath â—een truly recited out of the said printed Copies Whether we had not rather â—ubscribe to that of the Committee then to that of the Officers of the Army Yea 't is quaeried further whether this were the way to secure Liberty of Conâ—cience to disperse the Parliament the only Legislative power to restrain the Adversaries of Liberty of Conscience by a Law to give way to the said Liberty Yea whether whilst we look on the present and former breaches made on Parliaments and invasion of worse things in their room ushered in commonly with 〈◊〉 cry for Liberty of Conscience do not render this cry very suspicious that it is used only as a Visard to palliat every ugly design 2. Touching Liberty as men that is of our persons that we be not unlawfully â—mprisoned and of our Purses and Estates that they be not drained by illegall â—awless Taxes and of our Familes that they be not molested with force and Free-quarter upon and in our Houses and upon which the Quaere is whether the way to attain this Liberty securely be to take off the Parliament the only Legal Assertor of that Liberty whilst there are 3 great Armies in England Scotland and Ireland that must or at least will be