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<DATE>2008-06-02</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>John Pas</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B080510.pdcc.</ITEM>
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<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="A78679">
<STC T="W">C2165</STC>
<STC T="T">669.f.12[95]</STC>
<BIBNO T="umi">99869744</BIBNO>
<VID>162886</VID>
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<TEXT>
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<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<PB REF="1" MS="y"><!-- PDF PAGE 17 -->
<HEAD><HI>A COPY</HI> Of an intercepted Letter from His Maje&s;ty, To the Lords and Gen|tenlemen, Committees of the <HI>Scots</HI> Parliament, together <HI>with the officers of that</HI> Army.</HEAD>
<P>MY Lords and Gentlemen: It is no &s;mall comfort to me, that my Native Country hath &s;o true a &s;en&s;e of my pre&s;ent Condition, as I find expre&s;&s;ed by your Letter of the eight of this Month, and your Declaration, both which I received upon Friday la&s;t, and the &s;ame rea&s;on which makes you Di&s;creetly and Generou&s;ly at this time, forbear to pre&s;&s;e any thing to me, hinders me likewi&s;e to make any particular Profe&s;&s;ions unto you, left it may be imagined that de&s;ire of liberty &s;hould now be the only Secretary to my thoughts: Yet thus much I cannot but &s;ay; that, as in all humane Rea&s;on, nothing but a <HI>free Pre|&s;onall Treaty</HI> with me, can &s;ettle the unhappy Di&s;tractions of the&s;e di&s;tre&s;&s;ed Kingdomes: So, if that could once be had, I would not doubt, but, that (by the grace of God) a happy Peace would &s;oon follow. Such force (I believe) true Rea&s;on has in the hearts of all Men, when it may be clearly and calmly heard; and I am not a&s;hamed, at all times, to profe&s;&s;e, that it hath, and &s;o &s;hall be alwayes want of under&s;tanding, not of will, if I do not yeeld to Rea&s;on when&s;oever, and from whom&s;oever I hear it; and it were a &s;trange thing, if Rea&s;on &s;hould be le&s;&s;e e&s;teemed becau&s;e it comes from me, which (truly) I doe not expect from you: your Declaration &s;eeming to me, (and I hope your Acti|ons will prove that I am not deceived) to be &s;o well grounded upon <HI>Honour</HI> and <HI>Ju&s;tice;</HI> that albeit by way of opinion, I can|not give a <HI>Placet</HI> to every Clau&s;e in it: Yet I am confident, upon a calme and friendly Debate, we &s;hall very well agree. To con|clude; I cannot (for the pre&s;ent) better &s;hew my thankfulne&s;&s;e to you, for the Generous and Loyall expre&s;&s;ions of your Af|fections to me, then by giving you my hone&s;t and &s;incere Ad|vice; which is, Really and Con&s;tan&s;tly, without &s;eeking private Ends, to pur&s;ue the Publicke profe&s;&s;ions in your Declaration, as &s;incere Chri&s;tians &amp; good Subjects ought to do, alwaies remem|bring, that as the be&s;t foundation of Loyalty is Chri&s;tianity; So true Chri&s;tianity teaches perfect Loyalty, for without this Reci|procation, neither is truely what they pretend to be: But I am both confident that needs not to you, as likewi&s;e that you will rightly under&s;tand this, which is affectionatly intended by</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE><HI>Carisbrook,</HI> Munday <DATE>31 <HI>July,</HI> 1648.</DATE></DATELINE>
<SIGNED>YOUR <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 span"></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
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