<!DOCTYPE ETS PUBLIC "-//UMDLPS//DTD EEBOPROOF 2.0//EN">
<ETS>
<TEMPHEAD>
<REVDESCR>
<CHANGE>
<DATE>2007-09-02</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Pip Willcox</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B070813.tech.</ITEM>
</CHANGE>
</REVDESCR>
</TEMPHEAD>
<EEBO>
<IDG S="marc" R="OX" ID="A89472">
<STC T="W">M422</STC>
<STC T="T">669.f.12[33]</STC>
<BIBNO T="umi">99869553</BIBNO>
<VID>162826</VID>
</IDG>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="manifest">
<PB REF="1" MS="y"><!-- PDF PAGE 10 -->
<HEAD>The MANIFEST of the County of KENT.</HEAD>
<P>_THat the <HI>innocency</HI> of our <HI>intentions,</HI> and <HI>ju&s;tice</HI> of all our <HI>undertakings,</HI> may more clearly
appear to all men of <HI>uncorrupt under&s;tandings,</HI> &amp; <HI>hearts</HI> not made <HI>too &s;ervile</HI> by the long &amp;
odious cu&s;tome <HI>of oppre&s;sion:</HI> VVe the <HI>Knights, Gentlemen, and Franchlins</HI> of the <HI>County
of Kent,</HI> the mo&s;t <HI>free people</HI> of this <HI>late flouri&s;hing Nation;</HI> by the <HI>wi&s;dome</HI> and <HI>valour</HI> of
our <HI>Ance&s;tors,</HI> delivered from the <HI>Laws</HI> of a <HI>Conquerour,</HI> and to the&s;e late daies of unhappy <HI>confu&s;i|on</HI>
and <HI>di&s;traction</HI> enjoying the &s;ame, through all the <HI>Reignes</HI> of the mo&s;t glorious and victorious
<HI>Kings</HI> and <HI>Princes</HI> of <HI>this Nation:</HI> Doe hereby declare and manife&s;t to all the world, That our
a&s;&s;embling and meeting together at this time, is no other then for a vindication of our &s;elves and
purpo&s;es, from the &s;candall, and a&s;per&s;ions of <HI>the Committee of this County;</HI> who upon occa&s;ion of a
<HI>Petition</HI> in behalf of <HI>the County of Kent,</HI> a&s;&s;ented and &s;ub&s;cribed to by <HI>the Grand Jurie</HI> at the <HI>Se&s;|&s;ions
of the Judges</HI> upon an e&s;peciall Commi&s;sion of <HI>Oyer and Terminer</HI> executed at the <HI>Ca&s;tle of
Canterbury</HI> the 11. of <HI>May</HI> la&s;t, for the &s;aid County; have not onely made <HI>Orders again&s;t</HI> the
&s;ame, and commanded them <HI>publickly</HI> to be <HI>read in all Churches,</HI> &s;entencing and condemning the
&s;aid <HI>Petition</HI> and all the <HI>Abettors</HI> thereof: and have &s;ummoned the <HI>Troups of Hor&s;e,</HI> and <HI>forces of
Foot</HI> of this <HI>County</HI> for <HI>&s;uppre&s;sion</HI> of the &s;aid <HI>Petition:</HI> which tends not only to the <HI>&s;uppre&s;sion</HI> of the
<HI>Liberty,</HI> even of the mo&s;t <HI>en&s;laved per&s;ons</HI> of the world; but al&s;o, as much as in them lies, &s;hew an
endeavour upon any cau&s;es what&s;oever, which &s;uits not with their humours, to over-awe the &s;en|&s;es
of other men, and upon oppo&s;ition therein think they have ground enough to take away the
<HI>lives</HI> and <HI>fortunes,</HI> or both, of their &s;aid oppo&s;ers.</P>
<P>In con&s;ideration of which, and that now the &s;aid <HI>Committee</HI> finding them&s;elves unable to in|volve
this <HI>County in bloud,</HI> have made their addre&s;&s;e to the <HI>Parliament,</HI> &amp; <HI>Army;</HI> and make &s;trange
and malicious repre&s;entations of our purpo&s;es, thereby di&s;covering nothing &s;o much as their own
pride &amp; malice. VVe the &s;aid <HI>Knights, Gentlemen,</HI> &amp; <HI>Free-Yeomen</HI> of the <HI>County of Kent</HI> do herein
appeale to all the world to judge, If it were not high time for us to put our &s;elves into <HI>a po&s;ture of
Defence;</HI> and doe further declare, that we will pro&s;ecute our &s;aid <HI>Petition</HI> with our <HI>lives and for|tunes,</HI>
not doubting of a fair <HI>reception</HI> from the <HI>two Hou&s;es of Parliament;</HI> whom we know to have
been in&s;tigated again&s;t us by the &s;aid <HI>Committee:</HI> And therefore &s;aving to our &s;elves the <HI>enlarging</HI>
of the &s;aid <HI>Petition,</HI> we have re&s;olved to charge the &s;aid Committee with encrea&s;ing the <HI>Taxes</HI> of
this County above the due proportions, and onely for maintaining their owne private luxury &amp;
pride; with u&s;urping a power over the E&s;tates &amp; fortunes of the <HI>Free-men</HI> of this County not
granted to them by any power of Parliament; with a <HI>tyrannicall</HI> &amp; imbitter'd &s;pirit naturally in|grafted
in them, and expre&s;&s;ed by words &amp; actions, all along the exerci&s;e of this power, (which
makes them unfit for rule) to the exa&s;perating of the peoples hearts into all animo&s;ity, &amp; over|throwing
of all love and peace in this County: which al&s;o hath been followed to that height of
per&s;ecution, That had not the <HI>two Hou&s;es</HI> given a &s;top to their <HI>exorbitant proceedings,</HI> we had &s;uf|fered
much more under the torment of the&s;e mens projected de&s;ignes: wherein we acknowledge
our &s;elves al&s;o to have been &s;ecured in the temper and moderation of the <HI>Hou&s;es.</HI> VVe have no
more to &s;ay or do, but to defend our &s;elves, till we <HI>can have a right under&s;tanding of our purpo&s;es and
actions before the Hou&s;es;</HI> In the mean time, <HI>we &s;hall looke upon all oppo&s;ition, as the provocation of a
con&s;cious &amp; enraged Committee:</HI> &amp; in re&s;pect of the <HI>Inva&s;ion</HI> lately made upon the <HI>per&s;ons</HI> of our <HI>neigh|bours,</HI>
we <HI>think fit</HI> not to lie at the mercy of Souldiers; but to have refuge to our Armes, from
which no <HI>threats,</HI> or face of Souldiery &s;hall drive us, knowing well the ju&s;tice of our cau&s;e,
and the temper of our owne <HI>hearts.</HI></P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
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