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<DATE>2009-01-05</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Emma Leeson Huber</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch Z080714.pdcc.</ITEM>
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<IDG S="marc" R="OX" ID="A87051">
<STC T="W">H621</STC>
<STC T="T">E449_32</STC>
<BIBNO T="umi">99864484</BIBNO>
<VID>161875</VID>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
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<P>Colonel <HI>Hammond</HI>'s LETTER SENT To <HI>William Lenthal</HI> <ABBR>E&s;q</ABBR> Speaker of the Honorable Hou&s;e of <HI>Commons,</HI> CONCERNING Mr. <HI>Osborns</HI> late &s;candalizing the &s;aid Colonel, and the re&s;t of the Gentlemen now attending the KING: Which Letter was read in the Hou&s;e of Commons. <HI>Together with</HI> An ORDER of the Commons for the &s;aid <HI>O&s;born</HI> to appear within Forty days to make good his Allegation.</P>
<P>Publi&s;hed by Authority</P>
<P><HI>London,</HI> Printed for <HI>Edward Hu&s;band,</HI> Printer to the Honorable Hou&s;e of Commons. <HI>June</HI> 26. 1648.</P>
</DIV1>
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<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
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<HEAD>To the Honorable, <HI>William Lenthal</HI> <ABBR>E&s;q</ABBR> Speaker of the Honorable Hou&s;e of COMMONS.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Mr. Speaker,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>HAving lately received knowledge of the unparaleld wicked practices of M^r <HI>O&s;|born,</HI> from the Right Honorable the Lord <HI>Wharton,</HI> by a Letter which his Lord|&s;hip &s;ent me, directed to him from the &s;aid <HI>O&s;|born,</HI> who hath bin the chief in&s;trument, in con|triving and acting, as far as in him lay, the late De&s;ign of the Kings intended e&s;cape; wherein it appears, that failing in that his Treacherous purpo&s;e, and meeting now with new Councel|lors, he proceeds, though in a more abominable way, by &s;hameful and unheard of Lyes, as much as in him lieth, to abu&s;e and inflame the di&s;turb|ed mindes of the people in the&s;e di&s;tracted times, and mo&s;t unworthily to &s;candalize me, and the re&s;t of the Gentlemen, now attending the King; and in tho&s;e things wherein his own heart is a witne&s;s, that they are (of all other) mo&s;t contrary to truth. And being &s;ince fur|ther
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confirmed, That in pro&s;ecution of this his audacious villany, he hath written publique Letters to both Hou&s;es of Parliament, a&s;&s;erting &s;uch horrid fal&s;ities, that are hardly fit to be na|med, but by &s;uch a wretch, who&s;e principle be|ing fal&s;ene&s;s and treachery, knows no limits in wickedne&s;s. <HI>Sir,</HI> My &s;ence of the ill that in &s;uch times as the&s;e may accrue to the Kingdom by &s;uch Abu&s;es, cau&s;eth me to &s;end up this bearer Major <HI>Rolph</HI> (though through weakne&s;s he be very unapt for Travel) whom he avouches for his Author, that if you plea&s;e may be examined, who will &s;ufficiently inform you of the great untruths rai&s;ed by that unworthy per&s;on; whom I &s;hould let pa&s;s as not worthy the ta|king notice of, to Time, to Shame, as it hath tho&s;e other unworthy Reporters, who have &s;pread abroad the late fal&s;e Report of my Inhu|mane abu&s;ing the Per&s;on of the King, were not the Publique more then my &s;elf concerned in it; but the wi&s;dom of your Honorable Hou&s;e, doth, and I doubt not will more clearly di&s;cern, the De&s;ign driven at in &s;uch Reports, and will take care for a right under&s;tanding of tho&s;e who have been, or may yet be deceived by &s;uch abu|&s;es. For my own particular, had I not been thus
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occa&s;ioned by my duty to you and the King|dom, I &s;hould have left the clearing of my inte|grity (as formerly &s;o &s;till) to the righteous God, who if with patience men can wait upon, and tru&s;t in him, will certainly confound and de&s;troy that &s;tructure, who&s;e foundation is laid in lyes, with &s;hame and &s;orrow to it's wicked builders: <HI>Sir,</HI> I have not onely to &s;upport and bear me up again&s;t the&s;e calumnies, the te&s;timo|ny of a good con&s;cience; but to clear me a|mong&s;t men, it plea&s;eth God &s;o to order it, that upon all occa&s;ions given, and that before many witne&s;&s;es, the King is &s;o ju&s;t, as to vindicate me from all tho&s;e A&s;per&s;ions, and &s;o I doubt not will all others that have any &s;ence of honor or truth, who have been witne&s;&s;es to my actions and deportment, &s;ince His Maje&s;ties unexpect|ed coming to this place. <HI>Sir,</HI> I conclude with this profe&s;sion to you, as in the pre&s;ence of God the Searcher of hearts, That as all the good of this world could not have hired me to this Imployment, could I have avoided it, or would you have &s;een it fit otherwi&s;e better to have provided for it; &s;o, &s;eeing Providence hath ca&s;t me upon it, or rather it upon me, I have (and by the a&s;si&s;tance of God &s;hal &s;o continue) to the ut|mo&s;t
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of my power and knowledge, demeaned my &s;elf with all dutiful re&s;pect to His Maje&s;ties Per&s;on, with an equal eye to the duty I owe you and the Kingdom, in the great tru&s;t you have been plea&s;ed to place upon me: And this with that integrity and evenne&s;s, that I &s;tand ready to give an account to God and all men of my actions herein. This &s;atisfaction to you I finde upon all occa&s;ions, by con&s;tant te&s;timony of your favour to me, I need not now give you; yet being &s;en&s;ible a little at the wickedne&s;s of this mo&s;t ungrateful unworthy per&s;on, makes me thus trouble you, though I need not, Rea|&s;on it &s;elf will plead &s;ufficiently again&s;t him, that having attempted and failed in &s;uch a De|&s;ign, being &s;o principled as &s;uch a man mu&s;t be, that for his own intere&s;t he &s;hould proceed thus to colour his villany, as by his late Addre&s;|&s;es to both Hou&s;es. <HI>Sir,</HI> I &s;hall not further trou|ble you, but in mo&s;t earne&s;t expectation look|ing for a deliverance from my intollerable bur|then (which God and a good con&s;cience onely &s;upports a poor weak man to undergo) either by a removal of His Maje&s;ties Per&s;on from hence, when to your wi&s;doms it &s;hall &s;eem &s;afe and fit; or by better providing for it, by a per|&s;on
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or per&s;ons more able to undergo it, either of which, that which may be&s;t &s;ute with your affairs, is mo&s;t heartily de&s;ired, and that with &s;peed, if God &s;ee it good: Till when, in the &s;trength of that God who hath carryed me on hitherto, and as he &s;hall inable me (being &s;uffi|ciently guarded again&s;t the wor&s;t that Malice can throw upon me) in all con&s;tant integrity, I &s;hall indeavor to expre&s;s my &s;elf, <HI>Sir,</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED><HI>Your mo&s;t faithful and humble Servant,</HI> RO: HAMMOND.</SIGNED>
<DATELINE><HI>Carisbrook</HI>-Ca&s;tle, <DATE>June 21. 1648.</DATE></DATELINE><POSTSCRIPT>
<HEAD>POSTSCRIPT.</HEAD>
<P>Mr. <HI>Osborns</HI> Letter to my Lord <HI>Wharton,</HI> which his Lord&s;hip &s;ent me, I have enclo&s;ed in a Letter to the Committee of <HI>Derby</HI>-hou&s;e.</P>
<P>Since I ended this Letter, I have examined the three Soldiers, who were dealt with to have been a&s;si&s;ting in the Kings e&s;cape; but they all affirm, and are ready to make good upon Oath, That neither <HI>Osborn, Dowcet,</HI> nor any other, told them that the Kings life was in dan|ger: So that it &s;eems clear a Device of his own to in|flame the people.</P>
</POSTSCRIPT></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="order of Parliament">
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<OPENER><DATELINE><DATE>Die Martis, 20 Iunii, 1648.</DATE></DATELINE></OPENER>
<P>ORdered by the Commons a&s;&s;em|bled in Parliament, That the Let|ter of <HI>Richard Osborn</HI> of 10^t^h <HI>Junii,</HI> 1648. directed to the Speaker of the Hou&s;e of Commons; and the Letter inclo&s;ed from the &s;aid <HI>Richard Osborn</HI> of 1^o <HI>Junii,</HI> directed to the Lord <HI>Wharton,</HI> be com|municated to the Lords: And it is Or|dered, That the &s;aid <HI>Richard Osborn</HI> may have Forty days after the date hereof, to come with &s;afety to his per&s;on, to make good the Allegations mentioned in the &s;aid Letters, &s;o long as he &s;hall &s;tay here, for the Examination and proof of the bu&s;ine&s;s; And likewi&s;e &s;hall have free Liberty to depart without mole&s;tation, let or hinderance.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>H: El&s;ynge, Cler. Parl. D. Com.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
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