<!DOCTYPE ETS PUBLIC "-//UMDLPS//DTD EEBOPROOF 2.0//EN">
<ETS>
<TEMPHEAD>
<REVDESCR>
<CHANGE>
<DATE>03-09-07</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Mona Logarbo</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>*Added TEMPHEAD, checked ID, and added TYPEs to DIVs in order to validate.  
*Checked for GROUP tags. 
*Proofed title page(s). 
--Added FIGDESC and L to title page.
*Checked ^s.  
*Checked I / J.
*Checked oe for ae ligatures#.
*Reviewed structure. 
--Replaced a number of DIV2s with DIV1s.
*Checked placement and completeness of PBs.  
*Checked for duplicate pages. 
*Checked for missing pages. 
*Checked spacing of foreign GAPs.
*Checked for damage GAPs, #s, @s,  --s, mdash;, q;s, Esabque;, frac;, and UNCLEARs. 
*Corrected $s by inserting the appropriate character(s) and / or GAP DESC(s). 
*Checked for amp;cs with incorrect spacing. 
*Checked for OPENERs, SALUTEs, CLOSERs, DATEs, DATELINEs, SIGNEDs, TRAILERs, BYLINEs, ARGUMENTs, EPIGRAPHs, etc.
--Restructured a number of CLOSERs.
*Checked for TABLEs and LISTs.
*Checked for LBs. 
*Checked for startqs, endqs and Qs.
--Replaced Qs in BODY with proper tags.
*Checked proofsheets and made corrections. 
DONE 03-09-07.</ITEM>
</CHANGE>
</REVDESCR>
</TEMPHEAD>
<EEBO>
<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="A85018">
<STC T="W">F2437</STC>
<STC T="T">E1021_17</STC>
<BIBNO T="umi">99867418</BIBNO>
<VID>119729</VID>
</IDG>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>A Happy Handfull, OR Green Hopes in the <HI>BLADE;</HI> In order to a HARVEST, OF THE Several <HI>SHIRES,</HI> humbly Petitioning, or heartily Declaring for Peace.</P>
<P><FIGURE>
<FIGDESC>diadem</FIGDESC>
</FIGURE></P>
<BIBL>P&s;al. 34. 14.</BIBL>
<Q><L>Seek Peace, and follow after it.</L></Q>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed for <HI>John Williams</HI> at the Sign of the Crown in St. <HI>Pauls</HI> Church-yard, 1660.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>TO His Highne&s;s The Lord General MONCK.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>MY LORD,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>WHat formerly was in <HI>&s;ingle Arrows,</HI> is here bound in a Sheaf, I conceive it good that by &s;uch conjunction, they might mutually reflect light one on another. Po&s;terity will probably be plea&s;ed to look back on &s;uch pa&s;&s;ages. Some love to &s;ee the little coats they then did wear when children. Alas, the&s;e all were the E&s;&s;ayes in the <HI>Infancy</HI> of our Li|berty, now grown a &s;tripling, God &s;end it to be a Man! yet they differ rather in <HI>Sound</HI> than in <HI>Sen&s;e,</HI> variou&s;ly expre&s;&s;ing the &s;ame matter. So <HI>many men,</HI> and <HI>but one minde,</HI> is admirable; prompted certainly by the Spirit of unity inditing them. Factious Petitions, gave the beginning, and <HI>Loyal Declarations</HI> mu&s;t give the end to our
<PB REF="3">
Mi&s;eries. But here is the difference, the fir&s;t were made by the <HI>Scum,</HI> the&s;e by the <HI>Cream</HI> of the Na|tion. <HI>Aeneas</HI> did beg the Boon of the <HI>Sybil,</HI> that &s;he would not write her Oracles (according to her u&s;ual cour&s;e) in leaves of Trees blown away with every wind.</P>
<P>The&s;e <HI>Declarations</HI> formerly were printed in <HI>Leaves</HI> or <HI>&s;ingle Papers,</HI> which are &s;oon lo&s;t, not to &s;ay, The be&s;t of Papers &s;o printed, are oft con|&s;igned to the <HI>wor&s;t of u&s;es.</HI> This is a way to pre|&s;erve, and to propagate them. I remember the Ver&s;e of the Poet,</P>
<LG>
<L><HI>Singula cum valeant &s;unt meliora &s;imul,</HI></L>
<L>Take each of them a&s;under, good as either,</L>
</LG>
<P>Then needs they mu&s;t be be&s;t, all put together. What (as &s;ingle Stars) was good, mu&s;t be be&s;t in a Con&s;tellation.</P>
<P><HI>God happily perfect what is &s;o hopefully be|gun by your Honour, though my voice is too weak to be the Eccho to the &s;ound of the whole Nation:</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your Honours mo&s;t humble Servant,
JOHN WILLIAMS.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<PB N="1" REF="3">
<HEAD>AN EXPRESS FROM THE KNIGHTS and GENTLEMEN OF CHESHIRE, Now Engaged with Sir George Booth: To the City and Citizens of <HI>London,</HI> and all other Free-men of <HI>England.</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Worthy Citizens, and all other our Engli&s;h Free-men and Brethren,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_AS we are <HI>Engli&s;h-men</HI> we are all incorporated into one Body, and though di&s;tinct and different Families, Fortunes, and Qualities, yet <HI>fellow Members</HI> and <HI>Coheirs</HI> of one and the &s;ame <HI>Birth|right;</HI> not onely by <HI>nature,</HI> as we are the Sons of men (nature obliging all in one common and equal Bond of Freedom and Unity,) but by certain <HI>&s;acred Laws and Cu&s;toms</HI> of peculiar and inherent Right to this Nation; <HI>general, equal, and impartial to all,</HI> with|out re&s;pect of per&s;ons, rank, quality, or degree, derived through all &s;ucce&s;&s;ions of Ages, by the Blood, Ju&s;tice, and Prudence of our <HI>Fore-fathers</HI> to us their Po&s;terity, as <HI>ours,</HI> and the <HI>Right</HI> of
<PB N="2" REF="4">
our <HI>Children after us,</HI> not di&s;-inheritable: though this Age were wholly made up of Apo&s;tates and Traytors to Common Ju&s;tice and Freedom, and &s;hould make &s;ale of, and deliver up their Children as &s;laves and Va&s;&s;als, yet <HI>Engli&s;h Right abideth,</HI> to wit, <HI>our ju&s;t Laws and Liberties,</HI> and may ju&s;tly be re-inforced as op|portunity may pre&s;ent; <HI>Sometimes they &s;leep, but never die,</HI> their <HI>total Extingui&s;hment</HI> is not to be imagined, &s;o long as any <HI>Engli&s;h|man,</HI> or <HI>Engli&s;h blood</HI> abideth: and whoever undertaketh (though by Arms or otherwi&s;e) their recovery and redemption is ju&s;ti|fied in that very Action by the Laws of God, of Nations, Nature, Rea&s;on, and by the Laws of the Land; and within the Bowels of our Nation among&s;t our &s;elves no War can be ju&s;tified, but upon <HI>that &s;core,</HI> the contrary is Sedition, Murde<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="blotted" EXTENT="1 letter"> Trea&s;on, Ty|ranny and what not, and the In&s;truments thereof no other in the Eye of <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> Freedom and Right, but as Bears, Wolves, and other Bea&s;ts of prey.</P>
<P>Now right worthy and noble Citizens, and all other our <HI>En|gli&s;h</HI> Brethren, let us con&s;ider and lay to heart the &s;ad and de|plorable condition of our native Countrey: Oppre&s;&s;ion, Inju|&s;tice, and Tyranny reigneth; divi&s;ion, di&s;cord, and di&s;timulation fomented and fo&s;tered; Trade and indu&s;try di&s;couraged, our Land rent into Parties and Factions, and the common Band of Unity Cancell'd, our fundamental Laws &s;upplanted, High Courts of Ju&s;tice introduced, the blood of War &s;h<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">d in times of Peace; Arbitrary and illegal impri&s;onments, Patents, Mo|nopolies, Exci&s;e, and other payments brought upon us, and continued contrary to <HI>Magna Charta,</HI> and the Petition of Right; no form or face of Government of <HI>Engli&s;h Con&s;titution</HI> among&s;t us; the Name and Athority of the People in Parliament u&s;ur|ped and abu&s;ed, and the &s;tamp thereof put upon &s;trange and prodigious Actions, vexing and oppre&s;&s;ing the People with dayly Changes and Alterations in government, as the Intere&s;t of &s;ome few ambitious Grandees alter and change, or get ad|vantages one of another, and all under the <HI>Name of a Common|wealth,</HI> when as the <HI>Nature</HI> is not practi&s;ed or intended at all, it being utterly incon&s;i&s;tent with their very temper and intere&s;t; they are wrapt up and compounded of nothing but guilt-blood, and Tyranny; and equal and common Ju&s;tice (the e&s;&s;ence of
<PB N="3" REF="4">
a Common-wealth) are utterly repugnant thereto; and what|&s;oever they can do mu&s;t be planted and maintained by Sword and violence again&s;t the very Heart and Sence of the Nation; and they know not where or how to centre an Oligarchy, or &s;omething they would have to be Ma&s;ters of the People, and perpetuate their power and Tyranny, and therefore would amaze and confound us with their New Debares of a <HI>Coordinate Power,</HI> or <HI>Senate for Life,</HI> &s;uch as our <HI>Engli&s;h,</HI> Laws and Liber|ties know not of, and of pernicious con&s;equence to this Nation; &s;o that from the&s;e men that thus handle the Stern at <HI>Westmin|&s;ter,</HI> there is no expectation of any ju&s;t &s;ettlement of Peace, or Freedom from Oppre&s;&s;ion; e&s;pecially con&s;idering the Apo&s;tacy, Hypocracy, Deceipt, and perjury of tho&s;e men, their manifold &s;olemn Engagements, Oaths, Vows, Prote&s;tations, Appeals un|to Heaven; Promi&s;es, Remon&s;trances, Declarations, all by them broken again and again, never keeping Faith, Truce, or Oath, being unbounded, unlimited, certain to nothing, not to be held either by the Law of God or Man, of Con&s;cience or Rea&s;on; <HI>And from &s;uch Per&s;ons in Government, Good Lord deliver us,</HI> and all the good People of <HI>England;</HI> and that all this is true of them, your Con&s;ciences (Noble Citizens, and all other the Free-People of <HI>England</HI>) can witne&s;s, there is no tongue, no pen is able to vindicate them in this point; it is known of all, owned by all, and can be denied by none; how then can any hone&s;t or ju&s;t man &s;hed any blood in their Quarrel, or lend them a&s;&s;i&s;tance? &s;urely that blood will be required at their hands, and we doubt not but you will be carefull what you do.</P>
<P>And therefore from tho&s;e Con&s;iderations and ju&s;t provoca|tions, that we have taken up Arms in pur&s;uance of, and Inqui|&s;ition after our Government, Laws, and Liberties, that every <HI>Engli&s;h-man</HI> may be protected and &s;ecured in his Religion, Li|berty, and Property; and though it may be &s;ugge&s;ted, that we intend to introduce <HI>Pro&s;ecution for Con&s;cience</HI> into the Land a|gain, we do hereby (in the pre&s;ence of Almighty God) prote&s;t and Declare <HI>against all Coercive power in matters of Religion,</HI> and that to the utmo&s;t of our &s;trength (through Gods a&s;&s;i&s;tance) we will endeavour, to the hazzard of our Blood and Fortunes, the
<PB N="4" REF="5">
Freedom and Protection of all vertuous and religious People, by what Name &s;oever differenced from us, equal with our &s;elves: and that no forreign, or other Authority, &s;ave only the Civil be exerci&s;ed in <HI>England:</HI> That the Practi&s;e of the Law be reformed; all corrupt Statutes repealed; Annual Elections of all Officers and Magi&s;trates, with the con&s;tant Succe&s;&s;ion of Parliaments re&s;tored; our fundamental Laws cleared and a&s;&s;er|ted; and whatever is contrary there to be aboli&s;hed: That no Trials be admitted in <HI>England</HI> for Life, Limb, Liberty or E&s;tate, but by the good old way of <HI>Juries;</HI> and that they be re&s;tored to their original power and purity: That all Extrajudicial and Illegal proceedings by High-Courts of Ju&s;tice, or otherwi&s;e, with all Illegal and Arbitrary Committees, be &s;trictly provided again&s;t: that the Exci&s;e, and all other Payments and Taxes, (&s;uch as our Ance&s;tors never knew of) together with all Mono|polies and Patents de&s;tructive to Trade and the Common good of the Nation be al&s;o aboli&s;hed; And, that our Parliaments and Magi&s;trates be &s;ecured from all Force and Violence; and utterly cleared from all boundle&s;&s;e Prerogative, and unlimited Priviledge: That the Right of the Poor in the Commons of <HI>England,</HI> all Donations for Charitable U&s;es, and all Lands formerly belonging to the People, be re&s;tor'd again: And that Mercy and Ju&s;tice be truly e&s;tabli&s;hed among&s;t us. And for the&s;e ends, and what el&s;e may be of publick good to the Nation, we do de&s;ire, and indeed challenge, as of <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> Right, the &s;peedy Election of a <HI>New Free Parliament.</HI></P>
<P>And thus, mo&s;t Noble Citizens, Brethren and fellow Free|men of <HI>England,</HI> we have dealt truly and plainly with you, and given you the real Grounds and Rea&s;ons of our taking up Arms; looking upon you as the mo&s;t concern'd in the Nation, and therefore hold our &s;elves the more obliged to give you this <HI>Early Advice</HI> of our Candid and ju&s;t Intentions in this under|taking, that you may not be deluded or frighted (though fal&s;ly) into any &s;trange opinion of us, either through your own mi&s;take, or by the pollicy of tho&s;e men who will leave no means unat|tempted to render us as publick Enemies, Rebels and Traitors, Plunderers, Tyrants and Per&s;ecutors, or whatever is odious and mon&s;trous, to engage you in Blood.</P>
<P><PB N="5" REF="5">Believe us, right worthy Citizens, and Free-born Engli&s;h Brethren, we have no De&s;ign of <HI>Fire or Sword,</HI> or of Evil to|ward you or your City, or any part of the Nation, or any Per&s;on in it: We know there are thou&s;ands among&s;t you that are &s;atisfied in us; it may be indeed that many or mo&s;t of the Gathered &s;eparate Churches may be fearfull and jealous of us, and &s;o may be induced to Arms again&s;t us; but we do again and again prote&s;t before Almighty God, and the whole World, that we have no other purpo&s;e towards them, but that they with us, and we with them, may be bound up as Friends and Brethren in the Common Cau&s;e of our Countrey, that every <HI>Engli&s;h-man</HI> may have <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> Freedom and Right; and we do not de&s;ire to wrong Man, Woman, or Childe the worth of a Shoo-latchet: Therefore we hope you will fir&s;t well advi&s;e be|fore you proceed in a new War, le&s;t you bring not only your own, but others blood on your heads, (for we are re&s;olved to pre&s;ecute this to the la&s;t drop of our blood.) The <HI>Ca&s;e of En|gland is laid before you, our Laws and Liberties,</HI> they are yours as well as ours, and for which we have all engaged in the fir&s;t War, and not to be &s;o &s;lightly valued as to be &s;et at &s;take again&s;t the private ends of &s;ome ambitious and corrupt per&s;ons: <HI>Salus Po|puli, Suprema Lex;</HI> let the People live, and their Enemies pe|ri&s;h.</P>
<P>Therefore we be&s;eech you, we conjure you as <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> men, to &s;tand by your <HI>Native</HI> Countrey, and your Countrey's Cau&s;e: Our Voice is, and it is no other than the Con&s;ent and Voice of the People, <HI>A new free Parliament, A new free Parliament;</HI> it is the <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> man's <HI>main Birth-right,</HI> which we are re&s;olved to put the People in po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of, or to peri&s;h with our Swords in our hands. But if you will not joyn, but degenerate, we hope notwith&s;tanding (by Gods ble&s;&s;ing) to carry on this Work: Yet to that ju&s;t and glorious Work we may challenge your con|currence, it being your duty as well as ours to endeavour the procurement thereof? And therefore to you make it our Pro|po&s;al, to your <HI>Militia,</HI> to the Army, and the whole People, for the prevention of a New War, and the effu&s;ion of Engli&s;h blood, that you would be in&s;trumental with us for the &s;peedy Election of a <HI>New Free Parliament,</HI> for the ends afore&s;aid; and
<PB N="6" REF="6">
in the <HI>interim</HI> all ho&s;tility to be forborn; and that a day may be appointed, and the People &s;uffered to go to their free Elections, and we &s;hall quietly &s;ubmit to their Authority; heartily de&s;i|ring, that all revenge, divi&s;ion, rancor, and animo&s;ity of &s;pirit may be for ever buried in one General <HI>Act of Oblivion;</HI> And that all Parties, Sects, and &s;orts, (now jarring and making up intere&s;ts one again&s;t another) may reconcile, cement, and concenter in the common Brotherhood of <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> Freedom and Right; in, and for which we are.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<HEAD>Sir <HI>George Booth</HI> to a Friend of his in <HI>London.</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>SIR,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>MY la&s;t to you of the &s;econd in&s;tant, I under&s;tand you have committed to open view, the Publica|tion whereof was of general Satisfaction to your Friends here, and for which we all hold our &s;elves obliged. I have &s;ent you here inclo&s;ed an <HI>Expre&s;s</HI> from the Knights and Gentlemen engaged with me, and beg this further addition to your former many Favours, that you would plea&s;e to take the care upon you, to get the &s;ame Prin|ted and publi&s;hed, for the undeceiving of tho&s;e among&s;t you, and all other that are yet doubtfull or un&s;atisfied in us. The Me&s;&s;enger will inform you of the pre&s;ent State and condition of Affairs with us, to whom I refer you. In ha&s;te I re&s;t,</P>
<CLOSER><SALUTE>Sir,</SALUTE> <SIGNED><HI>Your mo&s;t affectionate Friend and Servant,</HI> George Booth.</SIGNED>
<DATELINE>Manchester <DATE>Aug. 9. 1659.</DATE></DATELINE></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="statement">
<PB N="7" REF="6">
<HEAD>Alleyn Mayor.</HEAD>
<OPENER><DATELINE>At a Common-Council holden in the Guildhall, <HI>LONDON,</HI> <DATE>On Tue&s;day the 20. of December, 1659.</DATE></DATELINE></OPENER>
<P>THis Court having taken notice of divers Affronts put upon the Right Honorable <HI>Thomas Alleyn,</HI> the pre&s;ent Lord Mayor of this City, with many fal&s;e and &s;canda|lous A&s;per&s;ions ca&s;t upon his Lord&s;hip, and the Committee ap|pointed by this Court to confer with the Lord <HI>Fleetwood</HI> touch|ing the Peace and Safety of this City: as if they had de&s;erted their Tru&s;t, or betrayed the Rights and Liberties of this City. And in particular, that the &s;aid Committee &s;eemed &s;atisfied with the Limitations of Parliament, called <HI>The Seven Principles, or unalterable Fundamentals,</HI> printed in a late &s;candalous Pam|phlet &s;tiled, <HI>The Publick Intelligencer.</HI> The &s;aid Committee here openly declaring; that they never heard the &s;aid Principles, or had them any way communicated to them, much le&s;&s;e ever con|&s;ented to the &s;ame, or any of them.</P>
<P>This Court being deeply &s;en&s;ible of the&s;e great Indignities, doth declare, That the &s;aid Lord Mayor is &s;o far from de&s;erving any of the &s;aid Affronts or A&s;per&s;ions, that he hath highly merited the great Honour and E&s;teem of this Court and the whole City, having in all things demeaned him&s;elf with much Prudence and faithfull Integrity to this City and Court, which doth therefore return his Lord&s;hip their mo&s;t hearty thanks.</P>
<P><PB N="8" REF="7">And that the &s;aid Committee in all their Tran&s;actions, touch|ing the Peace and &s;afety of this City, have al&s;o di&s;creetly and faithfully di&s;charged their Tru&s;t, to their own trouble, and great &s;atisfaction of this Court.</P>
<P>And whereas this Court and City hath been lately repre&s;en|ted by &s;ome, as having de&s;erted their fir&s;t Cau&s;e and Declara|tions in the u&s;e of all lawfull means for the maintenance of the true reformed Prote&s;tant Religion according to the Scriptures; The &s;upport and maintenance of a &s;ettled lawfull Magi&s;tracy, a learned pious Mini&s;tery, and publick Univer&s;ities, with the ancient fundamental Laws of the Nation, Ju&s;t Rights, Proper|ties and Liberties of all Per&s;ons: And for the&s;e ends will en|deavour, all they lawfully may, the &s;peedy convening of a Free Parliament to &s;it and Act without Interruption or Mole&s;tation, by any per&s;ons what&s;oever.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Sadler.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="statement">
<HEAD>To the Right Honorable, our worthy and grave Senators, the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and Comonalty of the City of <HI>London,</HI> in Common Council a&s;&s;embled.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">The humble Petition and Addre&s;s of divers Young Men, on the behalf of them&s;elves and the <HI>APPRENTICES</HI> in and about this honorable City.</HEAD>
<OPENER>Mo&s;t humbly &s;heweth,</OPENER>
<P>IT hath plea&s;ed the good and only wi&s;e God, for our and the Nations crying &s;ins, to manife&s;t his di&s;plea&s;ure for many years together again&s;t the&s;e our flouri&s;hing, now &s;adly divided, di|&s;tracted
<PB N="9" REF="7">
and almo&s;t ruined Nations: and yet ble&s;&s;ed be God, this honorable City hitherto hath been no proportionable &s;ha|rer in the Calamities which our Brethren in other parts of the&s;e now mi&s;erable Nations have &s;uffered, which are now aggrava|ted by our Divi&s;ions, and &s;uch a general decay of trading, as doth exceed the wor&s;t of former times; all which we look upon as a mo&s;t &s;ad pre&s;age of &s;ome art, and di&s;mal judgement very near at hand, if not our &s;udden ruine; together with the de|&s;truction and utter di&s;&s;olation both of Church and State, which will inevitably en&s;ue as a ju&s;t reward upon our multiplied pro|vocations, under the mo&s;t &s;ignal manife&s;tations of Gods mo&s;t gracious pre&s;ence, and the mo&s;t engaging Mercies that ever People did enjoy (unle&s;&s;e it plea&s;e our mo&s;t gracious God who&s;e Name hath been exceedingly di&s;honored, by the violation of many &s;acred and &s;olemn Oaths) among&s;t us to work our delive|rance out of this contexture of dangerous mi&s;chiefs, into which we have already wound our &s;elvs: or which as the innundations of mighty Waters may &s;uddenly break in upon us: and being &s;adly &s;en&s;ible of the Calamities under which the three Nations groan, for want of a well-ordered and e&s;tabli&s;hed Government. We being members in the &s;ame pollitical Body, cannot but &s;ympathize with the re&s;t of our Brethren: and fora&s;much as our endeavours may contribute very much thereto, and the well or ill management of your talents in the di&s;charge of your Tru&s;ts may now make the&s;e Nations happy, or el&s;e make them irrecoverably mi&s;erable. We hold our &s;elves obliged in con|&s;cience to God and our Countrey, both by the Laws of God and the Land, in the behalf of our &s;elves, and all good and peaceable People in the Land, and the many thou&s;ands that know not their right hand from their left; and in the behalf of the Children unborn, who in time to come may have cau&s;e to ble&s;&s;e or cur&s;e the day of their birth for your &s;akes, do make this humble Addre&s;&s;e to you, as the only means under God now left us to redre&s;&s;e the&s;e growing mi&s;chiefs which make us and the three Nations in the&s;e times of our great trouble cry unto you (as tho&s;e of <HI>Macedonia</HI> did in the Apo&s;tles Vi&s;ion) <HI>Come and help us.</HI> And we be&s;eech you, our mo&s;t grave and worthy <HI>Senators,</HI> as you tender the welfare of the&s;e bleeding Nations, to &s;tand in
<PB N="10" REF="8">
the wide gap of our breaches, with your Prayers, improving your Councils, and every Talent (which God hath repo&s;ed in you) for the honour of God, and the peace of his Church, by a reall reformation, and we que&s;tion not but our mo&s;t gracious God will then break through the thick Clouds of the&s;e black and dark providences, and return unto us <HI>our Judges as at the fir&s;t, and our Coun&s;elors as at the beginning,</HI> with the abundance of the ble&s;&s;ings of peace, that <HI>Judgement may run down our &s;treets, and Righteou&s;ne&s;s as a mighty &s;tream.</HI> And we humbly de|&s;ire the two great Pillars of the Land, <HI>Magistracy</HI> and <HI>Mini&s;try</HI> may be a&s;&s;erted and encouraged: in order unto which, we humbly pre&s;ent unto your grave and &s;erious con&s;idera|cions.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, the Priviledges of the Go&s;pel which we do enjoy at this day, in the faithfull preaching and di&s;pen&s;ing of Gods holy Word and Sacraments, together with the labours of &s;o many of his faithfull Servants in the Mini&s;try, and the liberty of the&s;e &s;acred Ordinances, being the be&s;t and choice&s;t of our National ble&s;&s;ings; in re&s;pect of which, we may well &s;ay (with holy <HI>Da|vid) God hath not dealt &s;o with any Nation:</HI> which with thank|fulne&s;&s;e we de&s;ire to ackowledge as a great mercy to this Land: And &s;hould the Lord remove this Candle&s;tick out of its place, as we have ju&s;t cau&s;e to fear he will, unle&s;&s;e we do repent) Then may we indeed complain with <HI>Phineas</HI> his Wife, <HI>the glory is departed from</HI> our <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> and a dark and di&s;mal night of black and gloomy Ignorance, Error and Prophanene&s;&s;e will envelope our Valley of Vi&s;ion. And to the end that this choice Ble&s;&s;ing (which we account more precious than our lives) may be con|veyed to Po&s;terity, we mo&s;t humbly de&s;ire the Mini&s;try may be Countenanced and encouraged, the Univer&s;ities upheld and maintained, which have nur&s;ed many famous Preachers for Pie|ty and Learning in this and former Ages, and your Authority u&s;ed for the terror of evil doers, but the prai&s;e of them that do well.</P>
<P>Secondly we e&s;teem and a&s;&s;ert, as our undoubted birth-right, the Freedom and Priviledges of our Parliaments, as being the great Charter of the people of <HI>England,</HI> which we account equally dear with our lives; in the enjoyment of which we yet
<PB N="11" REF="8">
hope, under God, to &s;ee a happy and la&s;ting &s;ettlement both in Church and Scate. Therefore we mo&s;t humbly de&s;ire, that a new Election may be made, or el&s;e that tho&s;e worthy Gentle|men cho&s;en to &s;erve as Members in the late free Parliament, may be re&s;tored to their priviledges, and &s;it without di&s;turbance or force from the Army, that they may con&s;ider in this evil time, what <HI>England, Scotland,</HI> and <HI>Ireland</HI> ought to do, which (with &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion to your grave judgements) we humbly conceive to be the mo&s;t probable means under God to e&s;tabli&s;h the true Prote&s;tant Religion, reform the Laws, &s;ecure our Liberties and pre&s;erve our lives and outward concernments, to promote Learning end encourage Vertue, whereby peace with our neighbour Nations may be renewed and e&s;tabli&s;hed, the Army &s;atisfied, their Arrears paid, and Trading re&s;tored. In all which, mo&s;t grave and worthy <HI>Senators,</HI> your own concern|ments (as well as ours) are &s;o deeply engaged, that we per&s;wade our &s;elves you will be in&s;tumental to further our de&s;ires, by all peaceable and lawfull means, and we hope it will put an end to our Divi&s;ions, which (if God in mercy prevent not) may &s;oon break out into another civil War, and render us as a prey to a forreign enemy, For <HI>a Kingdom divided again&s;t it &s;elf cannot &s;tand.</HI></P>
<P>Now we leave it unto you our mo&s;t grave and worthy Sena|tors, duly to con&s;ider, if you part with the&s;e our great Na|tional Ble&s;&s;ings, whether you will not di&s;cover a palpable breach of tru&s;t, and leave your names for a reproach to the generations following, who will in the Ages to come ri&s;e up and call you ble&s;&s;ed, if you be carefull to pre&s;erve them now, and convey them to Po&s;terity: And now we be&s;eech the Lord to &s;trengthen both your hearts and hands, and give you wi&s;dom from on high to direct you in all your Con|&s;ultations, as may be mo&s;t for the honour of God, the peace of his Church throughout the world, and the &s;ettlement, &s;afety and happine&s;&s;e of the&s;e poor Nations: And by his a&s;&s;i&s;tance we re&s;olve to &s;tand by you and with you, to the utmo&s;t hazzard of our lives and all that is deare unto us, to promote the &s;ame.</P>
<DIV2 TYPE="response">
<PB N="12" REF="9">
<OPENER><DATELINE><DATE>Munday 5. <HI>December.</HI></DATE></DATELINE></OPENER>
<P>This day the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and Common Council being a&s;&s;embled, the fore-recited Pitition was pre&s;ented by &s;everal Young-men and Apprentices, in be|halfe of them&s;elves and &s;everal thou&s;ands which have &s;ub&s;cribed the &s;ame; the which being received, was or|dered to be read, and thereupon a Committee cho&s;en to con&s;ider thereof, and to give their &s;peedy Report unto the next Court concerning the &s;ame.</P>
<P>At the &s;ame Court it was likewi&s;e Ordered, that the Lord General <HI>Fleetwood</HI> &s;hould be de&s;ired to draw off the Soldiers, unto their &s;everal Quarters; it being then al&s;o Ordered, that every <HI>Common Council man</HI> in his &s;everal Precinct, &s;hould give notice to the Hou&s;e-keepers within the &s;ame, that they &s;hould keep their Servants and Apprentices at home, thereby to pre&s;erve the peace of the City.</P>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="statement">
<HEAD>To his Excellency the Lord General <HI>MONCK.</HI></HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">The &V;nanimous Repre&s;entation of the <HI>APPRENTICES</HI> and Young-men inhabiting in the City of <HI>LONDON.</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER>Humbly &s;heweth,</OPENER>
<P>THat the Glory of our Nation, and the greate&s;t Comfort of our Lives in our Civil Intere&s;ts, con&s;i&s;ts in the Privi|ledges and Liberties to which we were born, and which
<PB N="13" REF="9">
are the undoubted Inheritance of all the free people of <HI>England,</HI> among which the grand and e&s;&s;ential Priviledges which di&s;cri|minates Free-men from Slaves, is the Intere&s;t which every man hath in the Legi&s;lative power of the Nation, by their Repre&s;en|tatives a&s;&s;embled in Parliament: without which, however we may flatter our &s;elves, or be flatter'd by others, we are truly no better than Va&s;&s;als govern'd by the will and plea&s;ure of tho&s;e who have no relation to us, or our common Intere&s;t.</P>
<P>Now how much this dear Priviledge of the People hath been a&s;&s;aulted by the open violence of &s;ome, and &s;ecret artifice of others, and to what a deplorable condition we are brought at this pre&s;ent period, when heavy Taxes are impo&s;ing upon mens E&s;tates, and new Laws upon our Per&s;ons, without any con&s;ent of the People had in a free Parliament, and how gene|rally, through the &s;aid di&s;tractions in Government, Trading is decayed, and how much we are likely to &s;uffer thereby in our times and places, we cannot but remon&s;trate to your Excel|lency, con&s;train'd through the &s;en&s;e of our pre&s;ent &s;ufferings, and apprehen&s;ions of greater, to implore your a&s;&s;i&s;tance, mo&s;t humbly be&s;eeching your Excellency, by that ancient love you have born to your Native Countrey, zeal to our Liberties, by that great Renown you have lately gain'd in oppo&s;ing the cruel raging of the Sword, by the common Cries of the People, and by the hopes and cheerful expectation of all <HI>England</HI> now fix'd upon you; and la&s;tly, by your own Per&s;onal Concern in the &s;ame common Cau&s;e as a free-born Engli&s;h man, that you would be plea&s;ed to u&s;e tho&s;e great advantages Divine Provi|dence hath now put into your hands, to the &s;ecuring your Na|tive Countrey from tho&s;e dangerous u&s;urpations, and pre&s;er|ving us in tho&s;e Liberties to which we were born. That no Tax may be impo&s;ed, nor new Law made, nor old aboli&s;ht, but with the con&s;ents of the People had by their Repre&s;enta|tives in Parliament, freely to be cho&s;en without terror or limi|tations, and freely to &s;it without any Oath or Engagement previous to their entrance, without which &s;pecial Liberties the Parliament cannot in any con&s;truction be e&s;teemed the free A&s;&s;embly of the People; and by your Excellency's a&s;&s;erting of tho&s;e our undoubted Rights in your pre&s;ent advantages, you
<PB N="14" REF="10">
will certainly, by the ble&s;&s;ing of God, and unanimous concur|rence of the People, accompli&s;h our ends, and will thereby gain the hearts and hands of the whole Nation, and the City in particular, and purcha&s;e to your &s;elf a Name that &s;hall make every true Engli&s;h man call you ble&s;&s;ed, and Po&s;terity &s;hall hereafter delight to recount the famous Acts of their worthy Patriot.</P>
<CLOSER><POSTSCRIPT>
<P>This was delivered to his Excellency at S. <HI>Albans,</HI> on <DATE><HI>Thur&s;day Febr. 2. 1659.</HI></DATE> by per&s;ons elected for that purpo&s;e, and had a very cheerfull Reception.</P>
</POSTSCRIPT></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="statement">
<HEAD>THE DECLARATION <HI>Of the Nobility, Gentry, Ministry, and Commonalty of the County of</HI> KENT.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Together with the City and County of Canterbury, the City of <HI>Roche&s;ter,</HI> and the Ports within the &s;aid County.</HEAD>
<P>HAving with &s;adne&s;&s;e weighed the multiplied calamities wherein we are at pre&s;ent involved, how friendle&s;&s;e we are abroad, and how divided at home; the loud and heart-piercing cries of the poor, and the di&s;ability of the better &s;ort to relieve them; the total decay and &s;ubver&s;ion of Trade, together with the forfeiture and lo&s;&s;e of the Honour and Repu|tation of the Nation (what is more dear to us than all the&s;e) the apparent hazzard of the Go&s;pel, through the prodigious
<PB N="15" REF="10">
growth of Bla&s;phemies, Here&s;ies and Schi&s;m, all which own their birth to the in&s;tability of our Governors, and the un&s;ettlement of our Government. La&s;tly, how in all the&s;e an univer&s;al ruine threatneth us, and will (if not timely prevented) doubtle&s;&s;e overwhelm us. We thought it our bounden duties, both as Chri&s;tians, out of tenderne&s;&s;e to our Religion; as Engli&s;h men, to our Countrey; and as Friends, to our &s;elves and our Rela|tions, to repre&s;ent and publi&s;h to the world our ju&s;t griefs for, and our lively re&s;entments of this our deplorable condition, and to &s;eek all lawfull and probable means to remedy and redre&s;&s;e the &s;ame.</P>
<P>Wherefore having the leading Examples of the renowned Ci|ties of <HI>London</HI> and <HI>Exeter,</HI> together with the Counties of the We&s;t, before our eyes; and the clamors and out-cries of the People always in our ears, (whereof the one encourageth, and the other enforceth us to this our Declaration) we thought that we would not be &s;ilent at &s;uch a time, when our &s;ilence would &s;peak us to be A&s;&s;entors to our own ruine, or Abettors of &s;uch proceedings as have neither Law nor Equity to &s;upport them.</P>
<P>We therefore the <HI>Nobility, Gentry, Mini&s;try,</HI> and <HI>Commonalty</HI> of the County of <HI>KENT,</HI> together with the City and County of <HI>Canterbury,</HI> the City of <HI>Rochester,</HI> and the Ports within the &s;aid County, do by the&s;e Pre&s;ents unanimou&s;ly declare, That our de&s;ires are for a Full and Free <HI>Parliament,</HI> as the only pro|bable means, under God, to lead us out of this Maze and La|byrinth of confu&s;ions in which we are at pre&s;ent engag'd; that is, that the old &s;ecluded Members, &s;o many of them as are &s;ur|viving, may be re-admitted into the Hou&s;e, and that there may be a free Election of others to &s;upply the places of tho&s;e who are dead, without any Oath or Engagement previous to their entrance; the&s;e we &s;hall own as the true Repre&s;entatives of the People; the&s;e we &s;hall with our Lives and Fortunes, to the uttermo&s;t of our power, a&s;&s;i&s;t, and with all cheerfulne&s;&s;e &s;ubmit to, and acquie&s;ce in what&s;oever they &s;hall Enact or Or|dain.</P>
<P>Thus concluding, that all publick &s;pirited men, and good Patriots, will with all readine&s;&s;e joyn and concur with us in a
<PB N="16" REF="11">
matter of &s;o univer&s;al concernment, and that we &s;hall finde oppo&s;ition from none, but &s;uch as prefer their own private In|tere&s;ts, and temporal re&s;pects, to their Religion, and Laws of the Land; we &s;hall as bodily &s;ub&s;cribe our Names, as we do heartily declare our De&s;ires.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="notice">
<HEAD>ADVERTISEMENT.</HEAD>
<P>THe forward zeal of &s;ome wel-di&s;po&s;ed per&s;ons, to expre&s;se their cordial and unanimous concurrence with their Countrey-men of the &s;everal Counties and Ci|ties of <HI>England,</HI> having cau&s;ed a Declaration, imperfect in a very weighty and material Clau&s;e thereof, to be prin|ted and publi&s;hed, in the Name of the County of <HI>Kent,</HI> &amp;c. It was thought fit that the genuine and true Copy of the &s;aid Declaration &s;hould be &s;et forth, as it was intended to be pre&s;ented to the <HI>Speaker,</HI> and to the pre&s;ent great <HI>Arbitrator</HI> of the Nations peace and happine&s;&s;e, <HI>General MONCK;</HI> but through the mi&s;-informations of &s;ome unquiet &s;pirits, (who while they may have leave to accu&s;e, will leave no man innocent, nor the State without trouble) the per&s;ons of many Gentlemen are &s;ecured, and others threatned, by a great force march'd into the Countrey, the Pre&s;entation was nece&s;&s;arily omitted, and the Names and &s;ub&s;criptions not expo&s;ed to publick view, for rea|&s;ons very obvious and evident.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="statement">
<PB N="17" REF="11">
<HEAD>A NARRATIVE Of the meeting of &s;ome Gentlemen, Mini&s;ters and Citizens at the Town-Hall in Canterbury.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Together with their Declaration pre&s;ented to the Mayor at the common <HI>Burghmoote.</HI></HEAD>
<P>UNder&s;tanding that the late procedure of &s;ome of the principal Gentlemen and Citizens, Inhabitants of the City of <HI>Canterbury</HI> hath been repre&s;ented above as a Malignant De&s;ign, tending to Tumult and Sedition; We thought fit to publi&s;h to the World a brief Narrative of the &s;ame, together with the Declaration it &s;elf, that both the one and the other being cleared from the malicious a&s;per&s;ions and calumnies of our Adver&s;aries; the whole Nation may judge between them and us, and &s;o give &s;entence according to the merit of the cau&s;e.</P>
<P>Whereas &s;ome peaceable and well-minded Gentlemen with &s;ome godly and &s;ober Mini&s;ters, perceiving the people generally bent for a free Parliament (as in the following <HI>Declaration</HI> is expre&s;&s;ed) and hearing that the Cities of <HI>London</HI> and <HI>Exeter</HI> had lately declared for the &s;ame, thought it neither unmeet to
<PB N="18" REF="12">
follow &s;o leading Pre&s;idents, not un&s;ea&s;onable to joyn their Votes with the general de&s;ires of the whole Nation; to which end it was re&s;olved to pre&s;ent this following draught to the Common <HI>Burghmoote,</HI> and to de&s;ire their concurrence therein. Thus in an orderly manner, without tumult or noi&s;e, without Arms in their hands or thoughts, or without Anger or Threats in their looks; divers Gentlemen, Mini&s;ters and Citizens went to the Town-hall on <HI>Jan.</HI> 24. the Mayor, Aldermen and Com|mon Councel then &s;itting, and pre&s;ented the Declaration at the door, de&s;iring that after a &s;erious peru&s;al thereof, they would be plea&s;ed to joyn with them, in a bu&s;ine&s;s which they judged agreeable, not only to the &s;en&s;e of that Court, but al&s;o of the whole County and Nation: But when it was men|tioned to be put to the Vote, whether the paper &s;hould be read or not; &s;ome of the Bench prote&s;ted again&s;t it, although they knew nothing of its contents; and in conclu&s;ion (having a long time rather wrangled than debated) the Di&s;&s;enters (being but &s;even of twenty four) quitted the Court, not leaving e|nough to make a <HI>Burghmoote Quorum;</HI> whereupon, the Gentle|men (who though rudely treated, had quietly attended) with|drew <HI>Re infecta,</HI> and returned home with as little tumult as at fir&s;t they came: Thus was there nothing done to &s;urpri&s;e or di&s;turb the Court, nothing to rai&s;e a tumult, nothing to cau&s;e a &s;econd Kenti&s;h In&s;urrection, as our Adver&s;aries give it out: No, the de&s;ign was not Arms, but Peace; not tumult, but &s;ettle|ment; not to &s;urprize and di&s;turb the Court, but to de&s;ire an amiable corre&s;pondence with the &s;ame, to the end that the in|tended Declaration might be made the more authentick by the formal intervention and a&s;&s;ent in open Court, of the Magi&s;tracy of &s;o con&s;iderable a Corporation; and that the Declarers them|&s;elves might not be thought to tread in any oblique Paths, or to proceed in a Clande&s;tine manner: But being di&s;appointed (as you &s;ee), herein, it was thought fit to &s;trengthen and confirm our <HI>Declaration,</HI> and to make good the Title it bears, by private &s;ub&s;criptions, as well through the whole County as this City; wherein we had, in three dayes time, proceeded &s;o far, that many thou&s;ands were then collected; whereupon, &s;ome Gentle|men (from the &s;lie in&s;inuations and fal&s;e repre&s;entations of
<PB N="19" REF="12">
our Aver&s;aries) were &s;ecured in &s;everal pri&s;ons, to the di&s;cou|ragement of well-begun, and well-meant undertaking; neither can the Gentlemen under&s;tand wherein they have offended, or how they &s;hould merit impri&s;onment, &s;ince there was no order, nor prohibition to the contrary: Although they conceive, that had they proceeded therein, they had not trangre&s;&s;ed any known Laws of the Land; it being the Subjects Birth-right mo|de&s;tly to repre&s;ent their grievances by way of Petition, Re|mon&s;trance or Declaration. Wherefore le&s;t (through our &s;ilence, and the pre&s;ent &s;uppre&s;&s;ion of our Declaration) the a&s;per&s;ions of our Adver&s;aries might be thought de&s;ervedly ca&s;t upon us; we thought fit to publi&s;h the &s;ame, together with this Narrative, deeming that as we have done nothing herein worthy the pre|&s;ent &s;everity, &s;o the impartial Reader will in his private judge|ment, ab&s;olve us from all guilt or demerit. Neither &s;hall we an&s;wer our Adver&s;aries by way of recrimination, nor (al|though we can by undoubted te&s;timonies &s;ufficiently prove it) &s;ay, that the &s;ame men who now appear &s;o zealous a&s;&s;ertors of the Parliaments intere&s;ts and proceedings, did as eagerly joyn with the Army, crying them up as much, with whom they would live and dye, as they decryed this pre&s;ent Power in their late interruption, as not con&s;i&s;ting with the intere&s;t of the Na|tion. No, though this might &s;erve to invalidate their Te&s;timo|ny, we &s;hall enlarge no further, but refer to the Declaration it &s;elf.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="statement">
<PB N="20" REF="13">
<HEAD>To the Right Honourable WILL LENTHAL Speaker to the PARLIAMENT.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">By him to be Communicated to the MEMBERS &s;itting at <HI>We&s;tmin&s;ter.</HI></HEAD>
<P>WHereas We the Gentlemen and Freeholders of this County of <HI>Berks,</HI> were generally met together at <HI>Abingdon,</HI> upon &s;ome intimation of an Election of a <HI>Knight</HI> of the <HI>Shire,</HI> in pur&s;uance of your Order, for the <HI>filling up of this Parliament;</HI> and that &s;ome &s;olicitations were u&s;ed throughout the County for <HI>Voyces,</HI> and being jealous to be &s;urpri&s;ed therein by any Clande&s;tine carriage of the <HI>Writ:</HI> And whereas at this Meeting it was further taken into con&s;ide|ration, that this <HI>County</HI> have with the re&s;t of this <HI>Nation</HI> been deeply &s;en&s;ible of many <HI>in&s;upportable grievances</HI> and <HI>oppre&s;&s;ions</HI> of late dayes, occa&s;ioned through the want of a <HI>real, &s;etled,</HI> and <HI>regular Government;</HI> and in particular, that the <HI>Commi&s;&s;io|ners for the Militia</HI> having formerly charged the Country to provide <HI>Arms,</HI> which was done accordingly, the &s;aid <HI>Commi&s;&s;io|oners</HI> do yet direct their Warrants for the bringing in of <HI>Twenty &s;hillings for every Foot Arms;</HI> which we are very confident is be|&s;ides the intent of the Act which impowers them, and are igno|rant otherwi&s;e by what Authority they proceed therein; That therefore having &s;eriou&s;ly con&s;ulted the Remedies which might be proper for the&s;e and the like Inconveniences for the future, and by Gods ble&s;&s;ing reduce us unto a <HI>firm, free, and le|gal &s;ettlement</HI> of our Rights, Civil and Religious: Wee con|ceived it to be our duty towards God and our <HI>Country,</HI> without
<PB N="21" REF="13">
any private ends what&s;oever, to declare our &s;elves in this &s;en&s;e, <HI>That we take it the most &s;atisfactory expedient for it,</HI> will be <HI>the re|calling of all tho&s;e members that were &s;ecluded in</HI> 1648. And <HI>that before the fir&s;t force upon the Parliament.</HI> And, <HI>that in the Elections which &s;hall bee of any other Members in the vacant places,</HI> &s;uch due cour&s;e may <HI>be taken,</HI> as that the <HI>Country may not any way be &s;ur|pri&s;ed, or over-awed therein:</HI> And <HI>that the &s;ecluded Members may be admitted to Sit without any Oath or Engagement to re&s;train their Freedome in the lea&s;t;</HI> Wherein we &s;hall be ready to <HI>defend You and Them</HI> with what&s;oever is deare&s;t unto us, <HI>again&s;t all oppo&s;ition:</HI> And pray unto Almighty God for his a&s;&s;i&s;tance to the happy <HI>ac|compli&s;hment of what may be&s;t conduce to the Peace and Safety of this Nation.</HI></P>
<TAILNOTE>
<P>[This is &s;ub&s;cribed by mo&s;t of the chief Gentle|men and Freeholders of the County of <HI>Berks.</HI>]</P>
</TAILNOTE>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="statement">
<HEAD>A Concurrent Declaration of the Inhabi|tants of the City and Liberties of WESTMINSTER: With the Declaration of the People of <HI>England</HI> for a <HI>Free Parliament.</HI></HEAD>
<P>WHereas by a wonderful Revolution of the Divine Providence, tho&s;e Members of the long Parliament which were &s;trangely brought in by the Army (<HI>May</HI> the 7. 1659.) and as &s;trangely outed by them (<HI>Octob.</HI> the 13. 1659.) are now &s;trangely returned to &s;it in the Hou&s;e as before, we judge it our concernment to call to minde the Act by them made and publi&s;hed, immediately before their forcible Inter|ruption, intituled, <HI>An Act again&s;t rai&s;ing of money upon the people</HI>
<PB N="22" REF="14">
<HI>out their con&s;ent in Parliament:</HI> Which Act of theirs proceeds in the&s;e words, <HI>And be it further enacted, that no Per&s;on or Per&s;ons &s;hall after the 11. of</HI> October, 1659. <HI>A&s;&s;e&s;s, Levy, Collect, Gather or Receive any Cu&s;tome, Impo&s;ts, Exci&s;e, A&s;&s;e&s;ment, Contribution, Tax, Tallage, or any &s;um or &s;ums of Money, or other Impo&s;itions what&s;oever, upon the people of this Commonwealth, without their con|&s;ent in Parliament, or as by Law might have been done before the 3. of</HI> November, 1640. <HI>And be it further enacted and declared, that every per&s;on offending again&s;t this Act &s;hall be, and is hereby ad|judged to be guilty of High Trea&s;on, and &s;hall forfeit and &s;uffer as in ca&s;e of High Trea&s;on.</HI> Hereupon we judged it meet and equitable to make this following Declaration.</P>
<P>We do therefore declare that we do freely, cordially, and unanimou&s;ly a&s;&s;ent to the equity of this Act, as con&s;onant to the fundamental Laws of our Nation, the benefit whereof we doubt not but we may ju&s;tly claim, as our birth-priviledge in all &s;uch ca&s;es and concernments.</P>
<P>And accordingly we do declare that we are ready and wil|ling, as &s;oon as an opportunity is given us, to make choice of &s;uch Per&s;ons as may Declare our con&s;ent in Parliament, for the rai&s;ing of &s;uch &s;ums of Money, as by them &s;hall be thought ne|ce&s;&s;ary to defray the publick charges, and manage the publick concerns of the Nation, &s;eeing mo&s;t of tho&s;e per&s;ons that were formerly cho&s;en by us for this purpo&s;e, are either taken away by death, or by &s;eclu&s;ion debarred from &s;itting in the Hou&s;e.</P>
<P>And we do hereby declare further, that we neither do, nor &s;hall ever give our con&s;ent, that any A&s;&s;e&s;ment &s;hould be made, or impo&s;ition laid upon us by any per&s;on or per&s;ons what&s;o|ever, until our con&s;ent be &s;o declared by per&s;ons thus cho&s;en and intru&s;ted by us for this end and purpo&s;e.</P>
<P>And therefore if any per&s;on or per&s;ons what&s;oever &s;hall con|trary to the forementioned Act, and the Fundamental Laws of this Nation, lay any A&s;&s;e&s;ment or Impo&s;ition upon us before our con&s;ent is thus declared, under what pretence or colour &s;oever of authority or nece&s;&s;ity it &s;hall be done, we do hereby declare to the World, that we are under manife&s;t con&s;traint and force, and our Goods and E&s;tates are violently extorted from us, con|trary
<PB N="23" REF="14">
to Law and Ju&s;tice, which injuries we &s;hall no longer bear than an opportunity &s;hall be offered us to right our &s;elves, and repo&s;&s;e&s;s tho&s;e priviledges that pertain to us by the Laws of our Nation.</P>
<P>And hereunto &s;o univer&s;al and unanimous is our Concur|rence, that it would be endle&s;s for us to &s;ub&s;cribe our Names (which neither this, nor any &s;uch papers could contain) but yet if any doubt or mi&s;tru&s;t of the truth of the matter hereby declared &s;hould be conceived or pretended by any, and the Members of Parliament now (whom we conceive it doth in a &s;pecial manner concern) &s;hall de&s;ire a vi&s;ible Te&s;timony here|unto, for their further &s;atisfaction and more full a&s;&s;urance of the truth and realty hereof, we &s;hall be ready upon the lea&s;t inti|mation thereof by them given us, in the &s;everal Cities and Counties of the Land, to own and &s;ub&s;cribe to what is hereby declared, and act accordingly.</P>
<P>For &s;ome proof of the premi&s;es, We the Inhabitants of the City and Liberty of <HI>We&s;tminster,</HI> capable of the choice of two Burge&s;&s;es to &s;erve in Parliament, have to this pre&s;ent Delara|tion &s;ub&s;cribed our hands, and &s;o much the rather that we might hereby take occa&s;ion to &s;ignifie to the whole Nation our cordial concurrence with the Common Councel of <HI>London,</HI> in what was done by that Honourable Court, in the behalf of the City of <HI>London</HI> in their Declaration of 20. <HI>Decemb.</HI> for a Free Parliament.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="statement">
<PB N="24" REF="15">
<HEAD>The humble de&s;ires of the Kinghts, Gentle|men, Mini&s;ters, Freeholders and Inhabitants of the County and Burrough of LEICESTER.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Delivered to His Excellency, the Lord General <HI>MONK,</HI> At St. <HI>Albans</HI> <DATE>the Thirtieth of <HI>January,</HI> 1659.</DATE> by <HI>George Fawnt</HI> E&s;quire, High Sheriffe of the &s;aid County, <HI>Willam Boothby, Richard Orton,</HI> and <HI>Richard Halford</HI> E&s;quires, entru&s;ted for that purpo&s;e by the whole County.</HEAD>
<P>WE the Knights, Gentlemen, Mini&s;ters, Free-holders, and Inhabitants of the County of <HI>Leice&s;ter,</HI> humbly conceiving, that the fir&s;t Force put upon the <HI>Parlia|ment,</HI> hath been an encouragement and occa&s;ion to all the re&s;t: And finding that your Excellency (under God) hath been the principal means, for repairing the la&s;t interruption, are the more encouraged to de&s;ire your a&s;&s;i&s;tance, in the promoting of the&s;e our ju&s;t de&s;ires as a vi&s;ible means of an happy Peace and Settle|ment of the&s;e Nations. And whereas every free-born per&s;on of <HI>England</HI> is &s;uppo&s;ed to be pre&s;ent in <HI>Parliament,</HI> by the Knights and Burge&s;&s;es of the place where he liveth, and thereby is pre|&s;umed to give his con&s;ent in all things that pa&s;s in <HI>Parliament;</HI> There is not (as we are credibly informed) one Knight for all the Counties in <HI>Wales,</HI> nor for divers Counties in <HI>England,</HI> and &s;ome of them the greate&s;t in <HI>England,</HI> as that of <HI>York&s;hire.</HI> We therefore de&s;ire, that all vacant places be &s;upplied, whether
<PB N="25" REF="15">
they became vacant by death, or judgment of <HI>Parliament:</HI> And that tho&s;e that were &s;ecluded by force in the year 1648. may &s;it again. And that no previous Oath or Engagement be put upon any, that is cho&s;en by his Countrey to &s;it and vote freely in <HI>Parliament.</HI></P>
<P>That the fundamental Laws of <HI>England,</HI> the Priviledges of <HI>Parliament,</HI> the Liberties of the People, and the Property of Goods, may be a&s;&s;erted and defended, according to the fir&s;t Declaration of Parliament, when they undertook the War; and no Taxes or Free-quarter impo&s;ed upon any, without Au|thority of Parliament.</P>
<P>That the true Prote&s;tant Religion may be profe&s;&s;ed and de|fended, all Here&s;ies, Sects and Schi&s;ms di&s;countenanced and &s;uppre&s;&s;ed; a lawfull &s;ucce&s;&s;ion of Godly and able Mini&s;ters continued and encouraged; and the two Univer&s;ities, and all Colledges in both of them, pre&s;erved and countenan|ced.</P>
<P>That a fitting and &s;peedy cour&s;e be taken, for the paying and di&s;charging the Arrears of &s;uch Officers and Soldiers as &s;ubmit to Authority of Parliament, and that they may be &s;pee|dily reduced to a le&s;&s;er number, for the ea&s;ing of the great Taxes and Burthens of the&s;e Nations.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="statement">
<PB N="26" REF="16">
<HEAD>The humble Addre&s;s, and hearty de&s;ires of the Gentlemen, Mini&s;ters, and Free-holders of the County of Northampton.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Pre&s;ented to his Excellency the Lord General <HI>Monck,</HI> at his arrival at <HI>Northampton,</HI> <DATE>January 24. 1659.</DATE></HEAD>
<P>WE the Gentlemen, Mini&s;ters, and Free-holders of the County of <HI>Northampton,</HI> humbly conceiving, that the fir&s;t force put upon the Parliament hath been an en|couragement to open the way to all the re&s;t; and finding that your Excellency under God hath been the principal means for the repairing of the la&s;t Interruption, are the more encouraged, and (having the conveniency of your pre&s;ence now among&s;t us) to de&s;ire your a&s;&s;i&s;tance in the procuring the&s;e our ju&s;t de&s;ires, as the vi&s;ible means of a happy Peace and Settlement of the&s;e Nations.</P>
<P N="1">1. That whereas every free-born Subject of <HI>England</HI> is &s;up|po&s;ed to be pre&s;ent in Parliament by the Knights and Burge&s;&s;es of the place where he liveth, and thereby is pre&s;umed to con|&s;ent to all things that pa&s;&s;e in Parliament: So it is now, that there is not one Knight for all the Counties in <HI>Wales,</HI> nor for divers Counties in <HI>England,</HI> and &s;ome of them the large&s;t in <HI>England,</HI> as that of <HI>Yorke&s;hire.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. That no free-born Subject of <HI>England</HI> may have any Taxes levied upon him, without his con&s;ent in Parliament.</P>
<P N="3"><PB N="27" REF="16">3. To that end, That all vacant places may be &s;upplied, whe|ther they became vacant by Death or Seclu&s;ion; and that tho&s;e that were &s;ecluded by force in the year 1648 may &s;it again; and that no previous Oath or Engagement may be put upon any that is cho&s;en by his Countrey to &s;it and vote freely in Parlia|ment.</P>
<P N="4">4. That the fundamental Lawes of <HI>England,</HI> the Priviledges of Parliament, the Liberty of the Subject, and the Property of Goods, may be a&s;&s;erted and defended, according to the fir&s;t Declarations of the Parliament, when they undertook the War.</P>
<P N="5">5. That the true Prote&s;tant Religion may be profe&s;&s;ed and defended, all Here&s;ies, Sects and Schi&s;ms di&s;countenanced and &s;uppre&s;&s;ed, a lawfull &s;ucce&s;&s;ion of Godly and able Mini&s;ters continued and incouraged, and the two Univer&s;ities, and all Colledges in both of them, may be pre&s;erved and counte|nanced.</P>
<P N="6">6. That all the Soldiery that will acquie&s;ce in the Judgment of a free and full Parliament, in the promoting and &s;etling a happy Peace upon tho&s;e foundations, may have their Arrears paid, and as many of them as the Parliament &s;hall think nece&s;|&s;ary, may be continued in the publick &s;ervice; and that as many of them as have been Purcha&s;ers of Lands from the Par|liament, may either enjoy their Bargains, or their Money paid back with Intere&s;t, and &s;ome con&s;iderable advantage over and above, for their &s;atisfactions, as the Parliament &s;hall judge ex|pedient for the publick good of the Nation.</P>
<TAILNOTE>
<P>This Addre&s;s was prepared by the Gentlemen, &amp;c. above&s;aid, to be pre&s;ented to General <HI>Monck,</HI> at his entrance into <HI>Northampton.</HI></P>
</TAILNOTE>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="statement">
<PB N="28" REF="17">
<HEAD>To his Excellency the Lord General <HI>MONCK.</HI></HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">The Congratulation and Addre&s;&s;e of us the Knights, Divines, Free-holders, and others of the County of <HI>BUCKS.</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER>Humbly &s;heweth,</OPENER>
<P>THat with all po&s;&s;ible Gratitude we admire the wi&s;e and gracious di&s;pen&s;ation of things by Almighty God, who hath moved your &s;elf, and other the worthy Officers with you to &s;uch ju&s;t and honorable Re&s;olutions, as to put your &s;elves into the breach then, when Tyranny, Irreligion, and all Confu&s;ion, like a mighty Flood were ready to break in upon us. An occa&s;ion in which, whether the noblene&s;&s;e of the Attempts, or the Happine&s;&s;e of the Succe&s;&s;e were more con&s;iderable, after times will take plea&s;ure to di&s;cour&s;e: and we at pre&s;ent con|gratulate the&s;e your Sentiments of Honour and Con&s;cience. <HI>Sir,</HI> Our credit abroad is impaired, our Trade at home is de|cayed, our Fundamental Laws are violated, our primitive A|po&s;tolick Religion endangered: The cau&s;e of all which we hum|bly conceive is the force and violence put upon the Parliament in the year 1648. and &s;ince to obviate all which evils we reque&s;t the total removal of that force, and that all &s;urviving Members &s;o &s;ecluded, be re&s;tored to the di&s;charge of their Tru&s;t Vacan|cies be &s;upplied by free Elections according to Law, that no previous Oaths or Engagements be put upon any of them that &s;hall be cho&s;en to &s;it and Vote in Parliament. <HI>Sir,</HI> this is our
<PB N="29" REF="17">
de&s;ire, and as we ob&s;erve 'tis the voice of the whole People, and that is the voice of God; we doubt not but that you have been re&s;erved for &s;uch a time as this: in pur&s;uance of which we are ready to hazard our Lives and E&s;tates.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="statement">
<HEAD>A DECLARATION Of the CITY and COUNTY of Glouce&s;ter.</HEAD>
<P>BEing deeply affected, and mo&s;t &s;adly &s;en&s;ible of the pre|&s;ent Mi&s;eries, which both our &s;elves and the whole Na|tion lie under: We cannot be altogether &s;ilent in the expre&s;&s;ions of our Griefs, and Declaration of our De&s;ires and Thoughts of the mo&s;t probable means (by Gods a&s;&s;i&s;tance) to give &s;ome remedy to our pre&s;ent Sufferings, and prevention of our yet greater Calamities, which threaten our &s;peedy ruine: The cau&s;e of all proceeding (as we conceive) is from that un|happy Di&s;order in that great Wheel of Government. And that after all our great Sufferings and Trials, the va&s;t expence of Trea&s;ure and Blood for our Rights, Liberties, and Priviledges of Parliament, (which we take to be the <HI>Good old Cau&s;e</HI>) &s;uch per&s;ons in whom we have already lodged our Tru&s;ts, and who have &s;ufficiently manife&s;ted their endeavours to perform the &s;ame, namely, <HI>Nathaniel Stephens,</HI> <ABBR>E&s;q</ABBR> Sir <HI>John Seymore,</HI> Kt. <HI>Edward Steephens,</HI> <ABBR>E&s;q</ABBR> <HI>John Steephens,</HI> <ABBR>E&s;q</ABBR> and the Right Ho|norable <HI>Thomas</HI> Lord <HI>Fairfax,</HI> have been &s;ince <HI>December</HI> 1648. and &s;till are denied the freedom of &s;itting, and voting in Par|liament.</P>
<P>The Re&s;tauration of which Members we de&s;ire with all free|dom to their former Capacities.</P>
<P><PB N="30" REF="18">And Declare we &s;hall not otherwi&s;e con&s;ent to pay <HI>Tax,</HI> or other <HI>Impo&s;itions,</HI> or hold our &s;elves bound by any Law to be made, without a Re&s;titution of the&s;e our Repre&s;entatives, with a &s;upply of all <HI>Vacancies,</HI> by a free Election, according to the Fundamental Laws and Con&s;titutions of this Nation, it being the undoubted birth-right of all the Free-born people of <HI>Eng|land,</HI> that no Tax or other Impo&s;ition be exacted from them, or any new Law impo&s;ed upon them, but by their con&s;ents had by their Repre&s;entatives, in a full and free Parliament.</P>
<P>And we further declare our hearty de&s;ires, for the burying all former Animo&s;ities and Differences, by a full and general <HI>Act</HI> of <HI>Oblivion</HI> and <HI>Indempnity,</HI> with &s;atisfaction to be given to Purcha&s;ers, under any Act of Sale; as by Parliament &s;hall be thought fit.</P>
<P>And that no Officer or Soldier, that hath ventured his life for the freedom of his Countrey, and &s;hall continue faithfull to tho&s;e Principles, may hereby receive any Di&s;couragement.</P>
<P>We al&s;o declare, That we &s;hall freely and willingly con&s;ent, that all &s;uch &s;hall receive their Arrears, and be continued &s;o long as the Parliament &s;hall think fit, in order to the &s;afety and pre&s;ervation of the Nation, and that &s;uch liberty be allow|ed to tender Con&s;ciences, as is not oppo&s;ite to the Scriptures, or the e&s;tabli&s;hed Laws of this Nation.</P>
<P>We al&s;o Declare, That in pur&s;uance of the&s;e our ju&s;t De&s;ires, we &s;hall not be wanting to the uttermo&s;t of our powers, to en|gage our &s;elves by all lawful ways and means, with our Fel|low Brethren, in the ju&s;t Vindication of our Liberties, and &s;hall neither count our Lives or Fortunes too dear to hazard for the Redemption thereof, and herein we &s;hall not doubt the ready Concurrence of all tho&s;e in the three Nations, who&s;e Peace, Pro&s;perity and Safety is equally concerned with ours.</P>
<CLOSER><POSTSCRIPT>
<P>This Declaration being &s;ub&s;cribed by great numbers of con&s;iderable per&s;ons of that County, was to have been pre&s;ented to the Speaker by &s;ome of them; but con&s;idering how Sir <HI>Robert Pye,</HI> and Major <HI>Fin|chers</HI> hand&s;ome behaviour was unhand&s;omly re|warded
<PB N="31" REF="18">
with impri&s;onment, for a particular of the &s;ame nature, it was thought more proper to pre&s;erve the liberty of Per&s;onages of &s;o much worth til a bet|ter opportunity, and therefore it is thought fit thus to communicate this, for the vindication of this County and &s;atisfaction of the whole Nation.</P>
</POSTSCRIPT></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="statement">
<HEAD><HI>THE REMONSTRANCE</HI> Of the Knights, Gentlemen, and Free|holders of the County of <HI>GLOUCESTER.</HI></HEAD>
<P>WE do claim and avow it to be our undoubted Birth|right and Liberty, That no new Laws, much le&s;&s;e any new Government, can or ought to be impo&s;ed upon us; nor any Taxes, Contributions, or Free-quarter ta|ken of us without <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="blotted" EXTENT="1 letter">he con&s;ent of the People of this Nation in a Free-Parliament A&s;&s;embled; which Liberties have been often confirmed to us by the great Charter, the Petition of Right, and many other Statutes: And Parliaments being the only Bulwarks and Defence of our Liberties, as men and Chri&s;tians ought to be, freely elected, and to &s;it and Vote without inter|ruption or oppo&s;ition by any per&s;ons what&s;oever: The Privi|ledges whereof we are all bound to maintain and defend, and to a&s;&s;i&s;t and maintain each other in the defence thereof. And therefore we re&s;olve, according to our bounden duty, to joyn with the Lord Mayor and Common-Councel of the City of <HI>Lon|don,</HI> and all other Counties in <HI>England</HI> in pur&s;uance thereof. And we do not doubt but all true hearted Engli&s;h men who love their own Liberties, and are not willing to be made &s;laves, or to en&s;lave their Brethren, will joyn with us herein.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="statement">
<PB N="32" REF="19">
<HEAD>A Letter agreed unto and &s;ub&s;cribed by the Gentlemen, Mini&s;ters, Free-holders and Sea-men of the County of <HI>SUFFOLK.</HI></HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Pre&s;ented to the Right Honorable, the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and Common-Councel of the City of <HI>Lon|don,</HI> A&s;&s;embled <DATE><HI>January 30. 1659.</HI></DATE></HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Right Honorable,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>PLea&s;e you to accept this Paper as a te&s;timony, that we are highly and gratefully &s;en&s;ible of tho&s;e breathings and E&s;&s;ayes towards peace, which your renowned City hath lately declared to the World: As we earne&s;tly wi&s;h, that our &s;erious and unanimous concurrence may ripen them to a perfect Accompli&s;hment. We are willing to con&s;ider it as an <HI>Omen</HI> of Mercy, when we ob&s;erve the Nation in general, lift|ing up its Vows to Heaven for a free and full Parliament; 'tis that alone in its genuine &s;en&s;e which our Laws pre&s;cribe and pre&s;ent to us, as the great Patron and Guardian of our Per&s;ons, Liberties, and Properties, and what&s;oever el&s;e is ju&s;tly pre|cious to us. And if God &s;hall by your hand, lead us to &s;uch an obtainment, after-Ages &s;hall ble&s;&s;e your memory. 'Tis &s;uper|fluous to &s;pread before you, your Merchandi&s;e decay'd, your Trade declin'd, your E&s;tates wither'd. Are there not many within your Walls, or near them, that in your ears deplore &s;uch mi&s;eries as ehe&s;e? Your Lord&s;hip may believe, that our prayers and per&s;ons &s;hall gladly promote all lawfull means for our Re|covery. And we entreat, that this cheerful &s;uffrage of ours may be annex'd as a Label to your Honorable intendments.</P>
<TAILNOTE>
<P><HI>This Letter was delivered according to its Super&s;cription, by</HI> Robert Broke, Philip Parker, <HI>and</HI> Thomas Bacon, <HI>E&s;quires.</HI></P>
</TAILNOTE>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="statement">
<PB N="33" REF="19">
<HEAD>THE Declaration of the Gentry of the County of NORFOLK, And of the County and City of NORWICH.</HEAD>
<P>WE the Gentry of the County of <HI>Norfolke,</HI> and County and City of <HI>Norwich,</HI> being deeply affected with the &s;en&s;e of our &s;ad Di&s;tractions and Divi&s;ions, both in Church and State, and wearied with the mi&s;eries of an unnatu|ral Civil War, the too Frequent Interruptions of Government, the Impo&s;ition of &s;everal heavy Taxes, and the loud Out-cries of multitudes of undone, and almo&s;t Fami&s;hed people, occa&s;io|ned by the general decay of Trade, which hath &s;pread it &s;elf throughout the whole Nation, and the&s;e Counties in particular; and having met together, and con&s;ulted what may be&s;t re|medy, and remove our, and the Nations pre&s;ent Grievances and Di&s;tractions, Do humbly conceive, that the chief Expedi|ent will be, the recalling of tho&s;e Members that were &s;ecluded in 1648, and &s;ate before the Force put upon the Parliament, (We of the County of <HI>Norfolk</HI>) being by &s;uch Seclu&s;ion, de|prived of any Per&s;on to repre&s;ent us in Parliament) and al&s;o by filling up the Vacant places thereof, and all to be admitted without any Oath or Engagement, previous to their Entrance; which being done, We &s;hall be ready to acquie&s;ce, and &s;ubmit in all things, to the Judgement and Authority of Parliament, without which Authority, the People of <HI>England</HI> cannot be obliged to pay any Taxes.</P>
<P><PB N="34" REF="20"><HI>This Declaration, &s;ub&s;cribed by three hundred Gentlemen, was de|livered to the Honourable</HI> Will. Lenthall, <HI>Speaker of the Parlia|ment, on Saturday the</HI> 28. <HI>of</HI> Jan. 1659. <HI>By the Lord</HI> Richard&s;on, <HI>Sir</HI> John Hobart, <HI>and Sir</HI> Horatio Toun&s;end, <HI>Baronets.</HI></P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="statement">
<HEAD>A Declaration of the Gentry of the County of DEVON, Met at the General Quarter Se&s;&s;ions at <HI>Exeter,</HI> for a Free Parliament: Together with a Letter From <HI>EXETER.</HI></HEAD>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>To the Right Honourable <HI>William Lenthall</HI> Speaker of the <HI>PARLIAMENT.</HI></HEAD>
<P>WE the Gentry of the County of <HI>Devon,</HI> finding our &s;elves without a Regular Government, after your la&s;t interruption de&s;igned a publick Meeting, to con&s;ult Remedies, which we could not &s;o conveniently effect till this Week, at our <HI>General Quarter Se&s;&s;ions</HI> at <HI>Exon:</HI> Where we finde divers of the inhabitants groaning under high Op|pre&s;&s;ions, and a general defect of Trade, to the utter ruine of many, and fear of the like to others, which is as vi&s;ible in the whole County, that occa&s;ioned &s;uch di&s;orders, that were no &s;mall trouble and di&s;turbance to us; which, by Gods ble&s;&s;ing upon our endeavours, were &s;oon &s;uppre&s;t and quieted, without Blood. And though we finde, &s;ince our fir&s;t purpo&s;es, an alte|ration in the &s;tate of Affairs, by your Re-a&s;&s;embling at the Helm of Government, yet conceive, that we are but in part Redre&s;t of our Grievances; and that the chief Expedient for it will be the recalling of all tho&s;e Members that were &s;ecluded in 1648. and &s;ate before the fir&s;t Force upon the <HI>Parliament.</HI> And
<PB N="35" REF="20">
al&s;o by filling up the vacant places. And all to be admitted, without any Oath and Engagement, previous to their En|trance. For which things, if you plea&s;e to take a &s;peedy cour&s;e, we &s;hall defend you again&s;t all Oppo&s;ers, and future Interrupters, with our Lives and Fortunes. For the Accom|pli&s;hment whereof, we &s;hall u&s;e all Lawful Means, which we humbly conceive may be&s;t conduce to the Peace and Safety of this Nation.</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE><HI>Exon</HI> <DATE>14. of <HI>Jan.</HI> 1659.</DATE></DATELINE></CLOSER>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<OPENER><SALUTE>SIR,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>THE Inclo&s;ed Copy of what this <HI>Grand Meeting,</HI> to which the mo&s;t Con&s;iderable of the Gentry have Sub&s;cribed. Mr. <HI>Bamp|field,</HI> Recorder of <HI>Exon,</HI> is gone this night Po&s;t to deliver it to the Speaker. That the <HI>Corni&s;h men</HI> have done more, is no News.</P>
<P>This City in very great numbers, Lordly expre&s;t their de&s;ires for a <HI>Free Parliament.</HI> The Apprentices and Young men of the City, got the Keys of the Gates, and keep them lockt, without taking notice of the Magi&s;trates, and le&s;s of the Souldiers.</P>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="statement">
<PB N="36" REF="21">
<HEAD>A Letter and Declaration of the Lords, Knights, Gentlemen, and Mini&s;ters of the County of YORK, And of the Lord Mayor, Aldermen and Com|mon-Councel of the Gity of <HI>YORK.</HI></HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Pre&s;ented to General <HI>Monck</HI> <DATE>Feb. 17. 1659.</DATE> at His Quarters at <HI>Drapers-hall London,</HI> by Sir <HI>Thomas Wharton</HI> Knight, Brother to the Lord <HI>Wharton, John Dawney, Thomas Harri&s;on,</HI> and <HI>John Legard</HI> E&s;quires.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">As al&s;o a Letter, with the &s;aid Declaration inclo&s;ed, delivered by the &s;aid Gentlemen to the Lord Mayor directed to him, and to the Common-Councel of the City of <HI>LONDON.</HI></HEAD>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>To His Excellency the Lord General <HI>MONCK.</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>My Lord,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>WE finde our &s;elves con&s;trained by writing to &s;upply the Omi&s;&s;ion of acquainting your Lord|&s;hip with our thoughts and de&s;ires when you pa&s;&s;ed through our County, which we had then done, if upon &s;o &s;hort notice we could have met for a mutual &V;n|der&s;tanding; Your Lord&s;hip will finde in the Inclo&s;ed Declaration the &s;um of our Apprehen&s;ions. We thought it not nece&s;&s;ary to multiply particulars, but leave all
<PB N="37" REF="21">
other things to a duly con&s;tituted Parliament; neither have we been &s;ollicitous to multiply Sub&s;criptions, tru&s;ting more to the weight of the Propo&s;als, than to the number of Sub&s;cribers; yet we may &s;afely affirm this to be the &s;en&s;e of the Generality of the County and City, as your Lord&s;hip &s;ees it is of others. We have onely to add our earne&s;t de&s;ires to your Lord&s;hip, that you would be plea&s;ed to further the Accompli&s;hment of what we have repre&s;ented with &s;uch &s;ea&s;onable &s;peed, as that the fear of Friends, and the hopes of Enemies concerning a dangerous Confu&s;ion among&s;t us, may be prevented.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your Lord&s;hips very humble &s;ervants,
<LIST>
<ITEM>Thomas Fairfax,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Faulconberge,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Bar. Bouchier,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Vicecomes.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Chri&s;topher Topham,</HI> Mayor, &amp;c.</ITEM>
</LIST></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="text of statement">
<HEAD>The Declaration.</HEAD>
<P>WE being deeply &s;en&s;ible of the grievous Pre&s;&s;ures un|der which we lye, and the extream dangers we are expo&s;ed to at this time, through the violent altera|tion of our Government, the Mutilation and Interruption of Parliaments: And having no Repre&s;entatives to expre&s;s or remedy our grievances, have thought it meet (according to the example of other Counties) to Declare and De&s;ire, That if the Parliament begun <HI>November</HI> 3. 1640. be yet continued, The Members that were &s;ecluded in the year 1648. be forthwith re|&s;tored to the Exerci&s;e of their Tru&s;t, and all Vacancies filled up, that right may be done to their Per&s;ons, to Parliaments, and the People that have cho&s;en them. If otherwi&s;e, That a Parliament may be pre&s;ently called without impo&s;ing of Oaths or Engagements (the greate&s;t prejudice to Civil or Chri&s;tian Liberty) or requiring any Quallifications, &s;ave what by Law or
<PB N="38" REF="22">
Ordinance of Parliament before the Force in 1648. are already e&s;tabli&s;hed. And untill this, or One of the&s;e be done, We can|not hold our &s;elves obliged to pay the Taxes that are or &s;hall be impo&s;ed. We not enjoying the Fundamental Right of this Nation to con&s;ent to our own Laws by equal Repre&s;entatives.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Sub&s;cribed by
<LIST>
<HEAD>E&s;quires</HEAD>
<ITEM>Thomas <HI>Lord</HI> Fairfax,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Tho. <HI>Lord Vi&s;count</HI> Fauconberge,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Barrington Bourchier <HI>E&s;q. High Sheriff,</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Chri&s;t. Topham, <HI>Mayor,</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> Thomas Wharton, <HI>Knight of the Bath.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> Christ. Wivel <HI>Bar.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> John Hotham, <HI>Bar.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> Tho Slingsby, <HI>Bar.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> Wil. Cholmly, <HI>Bar.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> Fran. Boynton, <HI>Bar.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> Roger Langly, <HI>Bar.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> Hen. Cholmly, <HI>Kt.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> Tho. Remington, <HI>Kt.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>John Dawney,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Henry Fairfax,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Tho. Harri&s;on,</ITEM>
<ITEM>John Legard,</ITEM>
<ITEM>William Fairfax,</ITEM>
<ITEM>William Gee,</ITEM>
<ITEM>William Osbal&s;ton,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Robert Wivel,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Thomas Hutton,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Gu&s;tavus Boynton,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Henry Bethel,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Metcalf Robin&s;on,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Henry Stapleton,</ITEM>
<ITEM>George Marwood,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Robert Redman,</ITEM>
<ITEM>William Adams,</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Col.</HI> Lancelot Par&s;ons</ITEM>
<ITEM>William Daulton,</ITEM>
<ITEM>James Moy&s;er,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Robert Belt,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Henry Marwood,</ITEM>
<ITEM>John Vava&s;our,</ITEM>
<ITEM>John Gib&s;on,</ITEM>
<ITEM>John Micklethwait,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Bryan Fairfax,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Bryan Layton,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Thomas Lovel,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Wil. Rooksby, <HI>Capt.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Nicholas Bethel,</ITEM>
<ITEM>John Jack&s;on,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Thomas Yarborough,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Walter Bethel,</ITEM>
<ITEM>John Riccard,</ITEM>
<ITEM>John Adams,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Richard Levie,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Cregory Crake,</ITEM>
<ITEM>James Driffeild, &amp;c.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<HEAD>Mini&s;ters.</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Mr.</HI> Edward Bowles,</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Mr.</HI> Nath. Jack&s;on,</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Mr.</HI> Witton,</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Mr.</HI> Waterhou&s;e,</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Mr.</HI> Bentley,</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Mr.</HI> Na&s;ebit, &amp;c.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<HI>The &s;aid Declaration was al&s;o &s;ub&s;cribed by the Alder|men and Common-Councel of the City of</HI> York.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="statement">
<PB N="39" REF="22">
<HEAD>To the Right Honourable, the Lord Mayor and Common-Councel of the City of <HI>London.</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>My Lord and Gentlemen,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>HAving taken notice of &s;ome vigorous inclinations of your Lord&s;hip and the City, towards the a&s;&s;erting your common Freedomes as Engli&s;h men, too much of late violated, and be|ing now al&s;o our &s;elves con&s;trained, from a like &s;en&s;e, to ma|nife&s;t our Re&s;olutions to the &s;ame effect, in a Declaration &s;ent to General <HI>Monke,</HI> whereof the Inclo&s;ed is a Copy; We have thought good to give your Lord&s;hip an account of our inten|tions, as that to which we are mo&s;t firmly re&s;olved to adhere, wi&s;hing it may effect the end by our &s;elves, and (as we are per|&s;waded) by your Lord&s;hip, and all good people of that City in|tended. We remain,</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE>York <DATE>Feb. 10. 1659.</DATE></DATELINE>
<SIGNED>Your Lord&s;hip's very humble Servants,
<LIST>
<ITEM>Thomas Fairfax</ITEM>
<ITEM>Faulconberge,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Bar. Bouchier, <HI>Vicecomes.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Chri&s;topher Topham, <HI>Mayor, &amp;c.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></SIGNED></CLOSER>
<TAILNOTE>
<P>Which Letter, with the Declaration therein inclo&s;ed, was al&s;o the &s;ame day delivered by Sir <HI>Thomas Wharton,</HI> and the re&s;t of the &s;aid Gentlemen, to the Lord Mayor of <HI>London,</HI> de&s;iring it might be communicated to the Common-Councel, according as by the Letter it was de&s;ired.</P>
<P>The &s;ame day al&s;o a particular letter was pre&s;ented to the Lord General <HI>Monke</HI> from the Lord <HI>Fairfax,</HI> dated <HI>Feb.</HI> 14. in confirmation of the &s;aid Declaration, which was delivered by Mr. <HI>Bryan Fairfax,</HI> who was &s;ent up on purpo&s;e with the &s;aid Letter.</P>
</TAILNOTE>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="statement">
<PB N="40" REF="23">
<HEAD>THE DECLARATION OF THE Gentry, Mini&s;ters, Free-holders of the County and City of LINCOLNE.</HEAD>
<P>WE the Gentry, Mini&s;ters, and Free-holders of the County and City of <HI>Lincolne,</HI> being truly &s;en&s;ible of our Mi&s;eries and Grievances, namely the &s;ad con|&s;equents of Inte&s;tine War, the fear of <HI>Inva&s;ion</HI> from abroad, at this time of our Di&s;tractions and Divi&s;ions both in Church and State, the violent alteration of Government, the heavy impo|&s;ition of unheard of Taxes; All which of late years hath ruined our Trade, and impoveri&s;hed the whole Nation, and are all occa&s;ioned by rea&s;on of the many Violences and Breaches made upon our known e&s;tabli&s;hed Laws and fundamental Li|berties, Do therefore humbly propo&s;e and declare (having fir&s;t met and con&s;ulted, as other Countries have done) that the onely remedy for our &s;aid Grievances, will be for a Free, Full Parliament, &s;peedily to be called and a&s;&s;embled, to &s;it accord|ing to our &s;aid known e&s;tabli&s;hed Laws, wherein the Free Votes of all Free People of this Nation might be included, &s;ince that &s;uch onely have a legal capacity to enact Laws and Statutes that may equally binde all the Free people of this Nation; And therefore if any per&s;ons (how ever impowred) not having the Authority of &s;uch a Parliament, &s;hall take upon them to lay im|po&s;itions upon the Free people of this Commonwealth, or to pre&s;cribe or enjoyn any Limitations, Re&s;trictions, or Quallifi|cations what&s;oever, not formerly agreed upon in full Parlia|ment. We do declare our &s;elves not obliged thereto, as being de&s;tructive to the freedome and undoubted Priviledges of Par|liament.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="statement">
<PB N="41" REF="23">
<HEAD>A DECLARATION Of all the WATERMEN In about the City of <HI>LONDON,</HI> be|tween <HI>GRAVESEND</HI> and <HI>STANES.</HI> OR, A Hue and Cry after Col. <HI>WHITTON</HI> and his Decoys.</HEAD>
<P>WHereas it hath been <HI>&s;eemingly</HI> by the in&s;inuatious of &s;ome <HI>few</HI> of us, ca&s;t on our <HI>whole</HI> Company, that we would lay our &s;houlders, and &s;tretch out our helping hands, for the upholding of &s;omething, which to our &s;elves is both unknown and uncertain, and may likewi&s;e in probability be a cau&s;e of di&s;turbance, if not breaking the peace of the Na|tion: <HI>We,</HI> to manife&s;t <HI>Our</HI> innocency in the one particular, and vindicate our &s;elves from the <HI>&s;candal</HI> thereof, as al&s;o to &s;hew our real and hearty concordance with all other, <HI>Noblemen, Gentlemen, Citizens and others,</HI> of the &s;everal Counties of <HI>Eng|land,</HI> who&s;e Declarations are expo&s;ed to the publick view, doe <HI>cordially, unanimou&s;ly, and freely</HI> declare.</P>
<P>That the <HI>Li&s;t</HI> annexed of our names to a Petition <HI>pretended</HI> by our con&s;ent to be pre&s;ented to the <HI>Members &s;itting at We&s;tmin|&s;ter,</HI> is not at all by us owned, neither doe we know any other Authors or Abettors thereof, than &s;ome <HI>few here under-mention|ed</HI> our names in truth being gained by Colonol <HI>Whitton,</HI> under the pretence to put down <HI>Hackny Coachmen;</HI> but by him con|verted to another u&s;e, and that &s;o contrary to our thoughts and intentions, that we would &s;ooner have quitted our near|e&s;t
<PB N="42" REF="24">
relations, than have con&s;ented to &s;uch <HI>ebulliences.</HI> For the undeceiving therefore of the <HI>Gentry</HI> of this Nation, to whom many, yea, mo&s;t of us are obliged, and con&s;equently not un|known; for the rectifying the judgments of &s;uch as know us not, and for the &s;atisfaction of the whole <HI>Free-born</HI> Subjects of <HI>England</HI> who with us claim a birth-right in <HI>Magna Charta, and the Petition of Right,</HI> we doe further, with <HI>one Con&s;ent,</HI> de|clare.</P>
<P>That we conceive it fitting, for the <HI>redre&s;&s;ing</HI> the grievous wants and pre&s;&s;ures that lie upon all the good people of this Nation, that according to <HI>Fundamental Right,</HI> the People in <HI>Parliament</HI> may have their <HI>Repre&s;entatives,</HI> who may receive their grievances, and pre&s;ent them in their behalf, whereby to obtain a remedy.</P>
<P>And becau&s;e <HI>Faction</HI> and <HI>Schi&s;m</HI> hath already too great a root, that <HI>hone&s;t and prudential men</HI> may be Elected, who&s;e <HI>E&s;tates</HI> (as to Temporals) and <HI>Religion</HI> (as to Spirituals) may ob|lige them &s;incerely to endeavour a Settlement both in <HI>Church</HI> and <HI>State.</HI></P>
<P>The onely meanes for attaining of which ends, we conceive by the ble&s;&s;ing of God, to be a <HI>full and free Parliament,</HI> which as we know the Nation groans for, &s;o we cordially de&s;ire, and we &s;hall not acquie&s;ce, till we have regained that our <HI>undoubted Right,</HI> hitherto <HI>unque&s;tioned Priviledge,</HI> and never to be de|nied <HI>Lawful Demand.</HI> In the defence whereof we &s;hall ac|count nothing too dear to lo&s;e, being ready to quit not one|ly our <HI>Employments,</HI> but to lay a&s;ide our relations, and lay our lives at &s;take.</P>
<P>This Repre&s;entation is owned by <HI>Ten Thou&s;and of us</HI> (which if de&s;ired) &s;hall be acknowledged both with our hands and hearts, again&s;t all the malicious underminings of Col. <HI>Whitton</HI> the Painter, and his Decoys: Who upon the tendring that for|ged Petition to the Watermens Hall, being con&s;cious that the rankne&s;s of the Trepan would be pre&s;ently &s;ented, addre&s;t them|&s;elves to Mr. <HI>Pryn,</HI> to en their Prote&s;t again&s;t it, their names are hereunto annexed.</P>
<CLOSER><PB N="43" REF="24">
<SIGNED>Viz.
<LIST>
<ITEM>Wil. Lemond.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Jo&s;ias Smith.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Wil. Crop.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Wil. Goodale.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Thomas Slator.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Tho. Wasborn.</ITEM>
<ITEM>John Howard.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Wil. Bugby.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Robert Crop.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Tho. Vincent.</ITEM>
<ITEM>John Fo&s;ter.</ITEM>
<ITEM>John Lee.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Wil. Sound.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Jacob Meade.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Wil. Clerk.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Martin Craul.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Roger Phillips.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Fran. Borrick.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Richard Thu&s;ee.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Wil. Butler.</ITEM>
</LIST></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="statement">
<HEAD>The Remon&s;trance of the Noblemen, Knights, Gen|tlemen, Clergy-men, Free-holders, Citizens, Bur|ge&s;&s;es, &amp; Commons <HI>of the late</HI> Ea&s;tern, Southern, &amp; We&s;tern A&s;&s;ociations, <HI>who de&s;ire to &s;hew them|&s;elves</HI> Faithful <HI>and</HI> Con&s;tant <HI>to the</HI> Good Old Cau&s;e, <HI>the</HI> Priviledges and Freedom of Parli|ament, <HI>the</HI> Liberty <HI>and</HI> Property of the Subjects, Laws of the Land, and true Reformed Religi|on, <HI>which they were formerly called forth and engaged to defend by</HI> Declarations of Parlia|ment, <HI>the</HI> Prote&s;tation, <HI>and</HI> Solemn National League <HI>and</HI> Covenant.</HEAD>
<P>WE the Noblemen, Knights, Gentlemen, Clergy|men, Freeholders, Citizens, Burge&s;&s;es and Commons of the late <HI>Ea&s;tern, Southern,</HI> and <HI>We&s;tern A&s;&s;ociations</HI> of <HI>England,</HI> who&s;e names are hereunto &s;ub&s;cribed, having for a long &s;ea&s;on with bleeding hearts, perplexed &s;pirits, weeping eyes, and over-much patience and &s;ilence, beheld the mi&s;erable publick Di&s;tractions, intollerable Oppre&s;&s;ions, various Revolu|tions, great Tumults, and de&s;tructive Confu&s;ions, wherewith our former mo&s;t glorious, flouri&s;hing Churches and Nations
<PB N="44" REF="25">
(for want of a &s;etled Government, and Free Parliament) have many years by-pa&s;t been violently rent in pieces, wa&s;ted, con|&s;umed, made the very hi&s;&s;ing, &s;corn, laughing-&s;tock of all Neighbour Countries, whether Friends or Foes, Chri&s;tians or Infidels; and thereby expo&s;ed to the ju&s;tly dreaded ho&s;tile In|va&s;ions of combined forraign Romi&s;h Adver&s;aries, who&s;e Emi&s;|&s;aries have been very active, in&s;trumental in our late Combu&s;ti|ons and Changes; being now deeply &s;en&s;ible of the deplora|ble, de&s;perate condition and imminent ruine, not onely of our own Per&s;ons, Families, Po&s;terities, but of our deare&s;t, exhau|&s;ted, enthralled, dying Native Country, and Prote&s;tant Religi|on too, far dearer to us than our <HI>Lives</HI> or private Intere&s;ts, the pre&s;ervation whereof is the <HI>Supreame&s;t Law;</HI> and calling to our minds the fir&s;t publick ends and cau&s;es for which we took up arms (&s;ince totally perverted, &s;ubverted, oppugned by ambiti|ous, &s;elf-advancing Commanders, Officers of the Army, and others contrary to their Tru&s;ts and Commi&s;&s;ions) with the ma|nifold Oaths, Prote&s;tations, Vowes, Solemn League and Cove|nant, and other Sacred as well as Civil Obligations lying upon our Con&s;ciences, engaging us all in our &s;everal places and cal|lings in this day of <HI>Englands trouble,</HI> and extream danger, to put our helping hands and be&s;t advice to obviate tho&s;e Perils, and remove tho&s;e Di&s;orders, Grievances, Confu&s;ions, which me|nace utter de&s;olation both to her and us, if we &s;hould any lon|ger fit &s;tupidly &s;ilent, or unactive in our &s;pheres, like per&s;ons altogether unintere&s;ted or unconcerned in the&s;e perillous times of unprefidented exorbitancies, u&s;urpations, tyrannies over our Per&s;ns, E&s;tates, Lawes, Liberties, and Parliaments them|&s;elves, by ambitious, turbulent Self-&s;eekers and Incendiaries, and of univer&s;al decay of trade by Sea and Land; Have there|upon conceived it our nece&s;&s;ary bounden duties in this &s;ad po|&s;ture of our Sacred and Civil Concernments both as Chri&s;tians and Engli&s;h Freemen, by this our joynt REMONSTRANCE to tender to the re&s;t of our Engli&s;h Brethren throughout the whole Nation, of what rank, calling, or condition &s;oever; &s;uch ju&s;t, legal, &s;afe, rational, hone&s;t and Chri&s;tian Propo&s;als, as through Gods ble&s;&s;ing upon our and their unanimous, vigo|rous pro&s;ecution of them again&s;t all &s;elf-ended Opponents,
<PB N="45" REF="25">
may redeem us from our pre&s;ent Bondage, Dangers, Schi&s;ms, Confu&s;ions, frequent Rotations of publick Government, and re&s;tore our tottering Church, State, Kingdoms, Religion, to their pri&s;tine Unity, Tranquillity, Purity, Stability, Dignity, Feli|city, and &s;ecure them again&s;t all future Concu&s;&s;ions and Con|vul&s;ions.</P>
<P>For which end we all pa&s;&s;ionately de&s;ire, and &s;hall unani|mou&s;ly and cordially endeavour by all lawful meanes within our Orbs,</P>
<P N="1">1. That a legal, full and free Parliament of <HI>England</HI> may be &s;peedily &s;ummoned, according to the pre&s;cription of 16 <HI>Caroli,</HI> c. 1. enacted for this purpo&s;e, not hitherto put in execution; and that free Elections of able Knights, Citizens and Burge&s;&s;es, by and of all well-affected per&s;ons to Peace, and the old Par|liaments good Cau&s;e, to repre&s;ent them therein, may be no wayes di&s;turbed, nor re&s;trained by force of Armes or other|wi&s;e.</P>
<P N="2">2. That the &s;aid Parliament may &s;afely, freely meet at <HI>We&s;t|minster</HI> on the third Monday in <HI>January</HI> next, to con&s;ult of, vote, and &s;ettle the Peace, Government of our di&s;tracted Chur|ches and Nations, without the interruption, di&s;turbance, force or di&s;&s;olution of any Commanders, Officers or Souldiers of the Army, or other tumultuous per&s;ons what&s;oever, under pain of being declared, pro&s;ecuted, executed as Traitors and Enemies to the Publique.</P>
<P N="3">3. That the full power of the Militia both by Sea and Land be delivered up to this Parliament, on the fir&s;t day of their Convention therein, for the better a&s;&s;urance of their free and peaceable Se&s;&s;ion, and not continued as a di&s;tinct body or inte|re&s;t in oppo&s;ition, contradi&s;tinction, or &s;uper-in&s;pection, but in real &s;ubordination to the Parliament and people.</P>
<P N="4">4. That the whole frame and &s;ettlement of the Government of our Nations be entirely referred to the Parliaments unan|ticipated con&s;ideration, the proper Judges thereof, without any antecedent re&s;trictions, pre&s;ciptions, or impo&s;itions, by the Ar|my-Officers, or any others.</P>
<P N="5">5. That the Supreme&punc; Management of all Civil, Politique, Military Affairs, and appointment of all great Officers of State,
<PB N="49" REF="26">
and Mini&s;ters of Ju&s;tice, &s;hall be in all the &s;urviving Members of the long Parliament, without &s;ecluding any, as in a Ge|neral Council of State and Safety only (who are all de&s;ired to meet for that purpo&s;e) till the New Free Parliament &s;hall a&s;&s;em|ble, and no longer.</P>
<P N="6">6. That the pre&s;ervation of the Peace, Government of each County, &s;hall be in the hands of &s;uch Sheriffs, Con&s;ervators of the Peace, and other antient Officers, as the Free-holders of every County, &s;hall publickly elect in their County-Court, accord|ing to their antient Rights and Liberties; and of every City and Corporation in the Mayors, Sheriffs, Bailiffs, and other Of|ficers elected by them, according to their Charters, Cu&s;toms, and in none other Officers impo&s;ed on them, till the Parliament &s;hall take further Order therein.</P>
<P N="7">7. That no Taxes, Contributions, Exci&s;es, Impo&s;ts, New Cu|&s;toms, Militiaes, or other Payments what&s;oevet, &s;hall be hence|forth impo&s;ed, a&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed, levied upon, or paid by the people, but by their common grant and con&s;ent in free and full Parliament, by Act of Parl. under pain of High Trea&s;on in the Impo&s;ers, A&s;&s;e&s;|&s;ors, Collectors, and voluntary payers thereof; this being the peo|ples indubitable Birth right, acknowledged, declared, confirmed by manifold Acts and Declarations old and new.</P>
<P N="8">8. That &s;uch an Act of Indempnity may be agreed on and a&s;&s;ented to in this Parliament by common con&s;ent, as may &s;e|cure and indempnifie all per&s;ons, who&s;e future peaceable de|portment till this Act pa&s;&s;ed &s;hall demerit it.</P>
<P N="9">9. That care may be therein taken for the &s;peedy &s;atisfaction of all ju&s;t arrears of all Officers and Souldiers, duly li&s;ted before the 7. of <HI>May</HI> la&s;t, who &s;hall peaceably and dutifully &s;ubmit to the free convening and &s;afe &s;itting of this de&s;ired Parliament. That all others who &s;hall tumultuou&s;ly oppo&s;e or interrupt the Summoning, A&s;&s;embling, or Sitting thereof, &s;hall forfeit all their Commands, Arrears, Indempnity, and incur the penal|ty of Traitors and publick Enemies to the Parliament and Na|tion.</P>
<P N="10">10. That an effectual cour&s;e may be taken for the &s;etled old maintenance, &s;ucce&s;&s;ion, protection and encouragement of a godly, learned, painful Orthodox Preaching Mini&s;try&punc; through|out the three Nations.</P>
<P N="11"><PB N="47" REF="26">11. That due care and order may be taken for the &s;peedy detection, bani&s;hment, and execution of the Lawes again&s;t all Je&s;uits, Seminary Prie&s;ts, Freers, and other <HI>Romi&s;h</HI> Emi&s;|&s;aries, or Seducers what&s;oever, employed to divide, corrupt, &s;educe the people; and the Oath of Abjuration duly tender|ed by Ju&s;tices of Peace and other Officers, to all per&s;ons who &s;hall be accu&s;ed and ju&s;tly &s;u&s;pected to be &s;uch, for their bet|ter detection.</P>
<P N="12">12. That the cau&s;es of the great extraordinary decay of all &s;orts of Trade, Merchandi&s;e, Shipping, Scarcity of Bullion, Coin, with all frauds and abu&s;es in Manufactures, dilatory vex|atious proceedings, extortions in Courts of Law and Equity, may be diligently enquired into, redre&s;&s;ed, puni&s;hed, and the great de&s;truction and wa&s;te of Timber in all parts inhibited under &s;e|vere penalties.</P>
<P N="13">13. That all Trea&s;urers, Receivers, Collectors, Farmers of any Monies, Cu&s;tomes, Exci&s;es, Rents, Revenues, Taxes, Im|po&s;ts, Seque&s;trations, or other goods, profits what&s;oever to the u&s;e of the publick, may be &s;peedily called to account in each County, by fitting unaccountable per&s;ons appointed for that end, and all their frauds and abu&s;es therein enquired of, and condignly puni&s;hed.</P>
<P N="14">14. That all good Laws formerly enacted for the pre&s;ervati|on and defence of the Per&s;ons, Lives, Liberties, Properties of the Subjects, again&s;t illegal Impri&s;onments, Bani&s;hments, Re|&s;traints, Confinements, corporal puni&s;hments, execution by a|ny Per&s;on or Per&s;ons, Powers, Committees, Council of State, Military, Civil Officers, or Judicatures what&s;oever, and again&s;t all unju&s;t Taxes, Confi&s;cations, Seque&s;trations, Rapines, Plun|ders, may be ratified; and the late and future violations of them exemplarily puni&s;hed.</P>
<P N="15">15. That every per&s;on who &s;hall from henceforth Canvas for voices to make him&s;elf a Knight, Citizen, Burge&s;s or Baron of the Ports, in the next, or any en&s;uing Parliament, either by Letters of Recommendation from Great men, fea&s;ting the Ele|ctors before, at, or after Elections, Gifts, Bribes, or otherwi&s;e, &s;hall upon due proof thereof, be made uncapable to &s;it or &s;erve in Parliament.</P>
<P N="16"><PB N="48" REF="27">16. That all Members of Parliament, Officers of State, Ju|&s;tices, Sheriffs, Mayors, Recorders, &s;hall henceforth take a Corporal Oath, to the be&s;t of their knowledge, skill, power, inviolably to pre&s;erve the Fundamental Laws, Liberties, Fran|chi&s;es of the Free-men of <HI>England,</HI> and to give all Lawes for the defence of them in charge to the Grand Jury, in their re|&s;pective A&s;&s;izes, and General Se&s;&s;ions of the Peace, that they may enquire and pre&s;ent all offences again&s;t, and violations of them, to be condignly puni&s;hed according to Law.</P>
<P N="17">17. That all unnece&s;&s;ary Garri&s;ons, Supernumerary Souldi|ers, and Sea-men, may be &s;peedily paid off, di&s;mantled, di&s;|banded, and all &s;uperfluous Officers, exce&s;&s;ive Fees, and extor|tions what&s;oever, taken away, for the impoveri&s;hed peoples ea&s;e: and the manifold extortions, abu&s;es of Gaolers, Mar&s;hals, Me&s;&s;engers, and other detainers of Pri&s;oners, puni&s;hed and re|dre&s;&s;ed.</P>
<P N="18">18. That Able, Faithful Con&s;ciencious, fitting Per&s;ons, fear|ing God and hating covetou&s;ne&s;&s;e, may be preferred to all Of|fices, Places of publick Tru&s;t, and Admini&s;tration of Ju&s;tice; and <HI>detur digniori,</HI> made the only rule in all Elections and Pre|ferments what&s;oever.</P>
<P N="19">19. That all Univer&s;ities, Colleges, Schools of Learning in our three Nations, with all Lands, Rents, Annuities, Gifts, Revenues, for their &s;upport, may be con&s;tantly maintained, pre&s;erved from rapine, and all mi&s;-imployments, &s;ub&s;tractions of them, and of any Lands, Rents, Ann uities, Monies, Gifts, Legacies to them, or any other publick or charitable u&s;e what&s;oever, diligently enquired after and reformed.</P>
<P>All which Propo&s;als we are re&s;olved by Gods gracious a&s;&s;i|&s;tance with unanimity, con&s;tancy, and activity, in our &s;everal &s;tations, with our lives and fortunes, to pro&s;ecute and accom|pli&s;h, to our powers, by all ju&s;t and legal wayes, with what e|ver el&s;e may conduce to the Peace, Safety, Unitie, Wealth, Pro&s;perity of our Lacerated, Macerated, Naufragated Church and State; wherein as we &s;hall con&s;tantly pray for Gods Di|vine a&s;&s;i&s;tance and ble&s;&s;ing upon our weak endeavours, without which they will be altogether &s;ucce&s;le&s;&s;e: So we cannot but confidently expect, and &s;hall importunately de&s;ire the cordial
<PB N="49" REF="27">
concurrence, a&s;&s;i&s;tance, prayers of all other Noblemen, Knights, Gentlemen, Clergy-men, Free-holders, Citizens, Burge&s;&s;es, and Engli&s;h Freemen, without the &s;malle&s;t oppo&s;ition, that fo <HI>Righ|teou&s;ne&s;s and Peace may ki&s;s each other, and glory once more dwell within our Land,</HI> wherein they have been &s;trangers over-long: <HI>And let all the People</HI> (by their joynt &s;ub&s;criptions) <HI>&s;ay, Amen, Amen,</HI></P>
<CLOSER>Amen.</CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="statement">
<HEAD>THE DECLARATION Of the Gentlemen, Free-holders, and Inhabi|tants of the County of BEDFORD.</HEAD>
<P>WE the Gentlemen, Free-holders, and Inhabitants of the County of <HI>BEDFORD,</HI> being truly &s;en&s;ible of the heavy pre&s;&s;ures that we lie under, having all our Civil and Religious Rights and Liberties daily inva|ded, cannot in this common day of Calamity, be &s;ilent, but with the re&s;t of the Nation, make &s;ome enquiry after the way of Peace and Settlement: And having met, and con&s;idered, thereof, doe humbly Propo&s;e, as the mo&s;t probable meanes, under God, to compo&s;e all our Differences, and cement all our Breaches both in Church and State, the A&s;&s;embling of a Full and Free <HI>PARLIAMENT,</HI> without any previous Oaths, or Engagements, or Qualifications what&s;oever (&s;aving what was in the year 1648. before the Force put upon the <HI>Parliament.</HI>) Or the re-admitting of the Secluded Members to the Execution of their Tru&s;ts, with a full and free Supply of their Vacancies by Death. And until one of the&s;e be done, we do declare, We &s;hall not hold our &s;elves engaged to pay the Taxes impo&s;ed upon us, without our Con&s;ents &s;o fir&s;t had in <HI>Parliament.</HI></P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="statement">
<PB N="50" REF="28">
<HEAD>THE DECLARATION OF THE Gentry, Clergy, and Commonalty of the County of ESSEX.</HEAD>
<P>WEre it not that our former too unhappy Zeal (in Idolizing tho&s;e per&s;ons who are now become, by far more oppre&s;&s;ing than the <HI>Egyptian</HI> Task-ma&s;ters) at this time &s;econded with &s;ilence, would be&s;peak us &s;tupid and in&s;en&s;ible; we needed not to repeat the Sighs and Groans of an Oppre&s;&s;ed and almo&s;t Ruined <HI>Kingdome:</HI> But le&s;t a <HI>tacit</HI> &s;ilence &s;hould render us complaint with <HI>Their</HI> Sacrilegious and Regicidious Proceedings, we are nece&s;&s;itated to declare our pre&s;ent Thoughts and future Re&s;olutions. We cannot look up|on our pre&s;ent Rulers without ca&s;ting an Eye upon a <HI>Militant Church,</HI> and there we finde them converting a <HI>Hou&s;e of Prayer</HI> into a <HI>Den of Thieves;</HI> an <HI>Orthodox, Learned and Reverend Clergy,</HI> by them reduced to the extreme&s;t want, under pretence of <HI>pro|pagating the Go&s;pel;</HI> and tho&s;e (who are yet permitted to exer|ci&s;e their <HI>Eccle&s;ia&s;tical Function</HI>) treatned to be deprived of <HI>Gods Allowance,</HI> except in effect, they will for&s;ake <HI>Him,</HI> and fall down to their <HI>Baal.</HI> We cannot look into our Cloathing Towns, but we behold <HI>Famine</HI> ready to a&s;&s;ault them, the poor and diligent Labourer, for want of work, not able to buy him bread, &s;o that tho&s;e, who before wrought with their hands at home, are now forced to wander abroad, and work with their tongues to beg life, whil&s;t we, who although willing, are hardly able (through the Oppre&s;&s;ion which lyes upon us) to relieve them: And when we look upon the In&s;truments of the&s;e our
<PB N="51" REF="28">
Mie&s;ries, and con&s;ider their Per&s;ons and Qualifications, we cannot finde one publick Spirit (not <HI>one wi&s;e man</HI>) among them; Their number is incon&s;i&s;tent with our Laws, and a large part of that &s;mall number are reputed Relatives to <HI>Gaoles and Brothil-hou&s;es:</HI> Per&s;ons who outwardly profe&s;s <HI>God,</HI> but in their lives and actions utterly deny him, who <HI>through their mo&s;t perfi|dious Treacheries, and reiterated Perjuries, have bla&s;ted the honour of our Nation, and rendred our Religion contemptible to all our Enemies;</HI> Who (while they pretend to &s;trive for <HI>Religion and Liberties of the people</HI>) have no other Cau&s;e but <HI>Cains,</HI> thinking their Sins greater than can be forgiven; and therefore <HI>per fas, aut nefas,</HI> they endeavour to lay a foundation for their own Security, although in <HI>the Church and Kingdomes de&s;olation.</HI> The&s;e Premi&s;es con&s;idered, we conceive our &s;elves obliged, and therefore readily and unanimou&s;ly we do declare, <HI>That with our Lives and Fortunes we will protect, abet, and a&s;&s;ist all tho e worthy Remon&s;trators of the mo&s;t Renowned City of</HI> London, <HI>an&s;d the &s;everal Counties of this Kingdome, in the pur&s;uance of their &s;e|veral Declarations for a Full and Free Parliament;</HI> which is the onely means (under God) to bring us out of this mi&s;erable Confu&s;ion, in which at pre&s;ent we are plunged. And we further declare, <HI>That we will pay no Tax, or other Impo&s;ition what&s;oever, but by Authority from our Repre&s;entatives in a Full and Free Parlia|ment:</HI> Into who&s;e hands we &s;hall commit our Lives and For|tunes, and into who&s;e Re&s;ults we will ever acquie&s;ce.</P>
<P>Our eyes are up unto our God for Help, and thence our Hopes are fixed on General <HI>Monke,</HI> that God hath called him forth to be the &V;mpier and Determiner of our Divi&s;ions and Oppre&s;&s;ions, by whom he will lead us through the Wilderne&s;s of our pre&s;ent Confu&s;ion, and bring us to our de&s;ired <HI>Canaan.</HI> In this Confi|dence we pray to God to <HI>Ble&s;s, Direct, and Keep Him.</HI></P>
<DIV2 TYPE="notice">
<HEAD>Adverti&s;ement.</HEAD>
<P>THis our Declaration had came forth a week &s;ince, had not the Trappanning Diligence of an unworthy Member of our Country endeavoured the &s;urprizal of it and us: Let not three
<PB N="52" REF="29" MS="y">
hundred and thirty hands (an incon&s;iderable number for &s;o great a County) be&s;peak this Declaration forged, we being forced to do in one day the work we had cut out for &s;even; had we had time, we had brought ten thou&s;and hands, &s;uch as upon a good occa&s;ion, will bring hearts &s;uitable to the merits of their Cau&s;e.</P>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="statement">
<HEAD>THE Declaration of the Gentry of the County of NOTTINGHAM.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">And of the Town of <HI>Nottingham,</HI> pre&s;ented by way of Addre&s;s to his Excellency the Lord Gene|ral <HI>MONCK,</HI> <DATE>the 28. of <HI>February,</HI></DATE> With a Let|ter to his Excellency, and another to the Speaker of the PARLIAMENT.</HEAD>
<P>WHat the people of this Land have &s;uffered in their greate&s;t Concernments, both Religious and Civil, by the late Di&s;orders, and frequent change of Go|vernment, hath for a long time been the Argument of a gene|ral and &s;ad complaint both to God and Man: What the mo&s;t publick &s;en&s;e of the Nation is, as to the means of &s;etling it in the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of its antient and native Liberties, is &s;ufficiently known by the &s;everal Declarations of &s;o many Counties al|ready pre&s;ented and publi&s;hed: What God in great mercy hath done by your Excellencies means, as his cho&s;en In&s;tru|ment, to revive our dying hopes, in plucking us as a brand out of the fire, and that with &s;o gentle a hand, is the wonder and rejoycing of our &s;ouls.</P>
<P>In te&s;timony therefore of our thankfulne&s;s to God, and our grateful &s;en&s;e of your Excellencies mo&s;t valiant and wi&s;e man|agement of the Power he hath intru&s;ted you with: As al&s;o to
<PB N="53" REF="29">
evidence as Fellow-members our concurrence and &s;ympath, with tho&s;e other parts of this great Body: We the Nobility Gentry, Mini&s;try and Commonalty of the County of <HI>Not|tingham,</HI> and of the County of the Town of <HI>Nottingham</HI> do Declare,</P>
<P>That as it is our Judgement that the Nation ought, &s;o it is our earne&s;t de&s;ire, and &s;hall be our endeavour by the u&s;e of all lawful means that it may be free in its Members in Parliament, deputed from all parts, impowred by antient and undoubted right to elect, the be&s;t Expedient whereto, at pre&s;ent, we con|ceive to be either an admi&s;&s;ion of the Members &s;ecluded in 1648. and a filling up of Vacancies by new Elections, or the &s;peedy calling of another Parliament with &s;uch Qualifications as were then agreed on before there as a force upon the Hou&s;e.</P>
<P>We al&s;o claim it with the re&s;t of the Nation as our unique|&s;tionable right, That nothing be impo&s;ed upon us by way of Tax, or otherwi&s;e, but by our con&s;ents fir&s;t given and declared in a Full and Free Parliament.</P>
<P>And now, con&s;idering how great things in pro&s;ecution of the&s;e ju&s;t ends are already done for us, as we do in mo&s;t humble manner ble&s;s and prai&s;e his glorious name that hath thus far an&s;wered our de&s;ires, &s;o we do mo&s;t earne&s;tly be&s;eech him to perfect in his due time what is &s;o happily begun, and in order thereto to ble&s;s and conduct your Excellency through all the remaining difficulties that may ob&s;truct our pre&s;ent nece&s;&s;ary Settlement upon the true la&s;ting foundation of our known Laws and Priviledges.</P>
<P>In the vindication whereof we be&s;eech your Excellency to be confident, not only of our be&s;t wi&s;hes and thanks, but al&s;o of our utmo&s;t a&s;&s;i&s;tance to the hazard of our lives and fortunes.</P>
<DIV2 TYPE="postscript">
<OPENER><SALUTE>My Lord,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>THis enclo&s;ed was intended to be pre&s;ented to your Excellencies before we had notice of your Excellencies happy removal of all Force, excluding Members from &s;itting in Parliament wherein though our de&s;ires are thereby granted, yet we can|not but addre&s;s the &s;ame to you, that it may appear what your Excellency hath done therein is according to our &s;en&s;e and de&s;ire, as
<PB N="54" REF="30">
well as tho&s;e of other Counties that have gone before us in time, though not in affection, and that we &s;hall in our places and callings be ready to make good what we have publickly declared for, as the Parliament and your Excellency &s;hall command us, and remain</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE>Nottingham, <DATE><HI>Feb.</HI> 23. 1650.</DATE></DATELINE>
<SALUTE>My Lord,</SALUTE> <SIGNED>your Excellencies mo&s;t humble and faithful &s;ervants.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="response">
<OPENER><SALUTE>Mr. Speaker,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>WE being de&s;irous among&s;t other Counties to expre&s;s our thanks to the Lord General <HI>Monke,</HI> for his endeavours in our re&s;ti|tution to Peace and Settlement, and to manife&s;t our adherence to him, and tho&s;e under his command, in the further pro&s;ecution of tho&s;e good ends mentioned in our Addre&s;s to him, after we had &s;ub|&s;cribed and ordered the&s;e Gentlemen to wait upon him with the &s;ame, We received the joyful news, that all force was removed, and a free admi&s;&s;ion given to all Members to &s;it in Parliament, whereby our de|&s;ires are &s;o far accompli&s;hed, that we might have acquie&s;&s;ed therein, but only that we would not have our intentions and de&s;ires, though obtained, buried in oblivion, We thought fit to pre&s;ent that Addre&s;s to the Lord General, and judge it our duties to expre&s;s our thank|fulne&s;s to God for your re-admi&s;&s;ion, and our readine&s;s in our places and callings, to a&s;&s;i&s;t you in what you have &s;o happily begun, and humbly de&s;ire that by your Authority our Militia may be &s;o &s;etled that we may be &s;erviceable to your Commands, and capa|citated to defend our &s;elves again&s;t any di&s;contented per&s;ons that may upon this change endeavour a di&s;turbance of the publick Peace, or de|ny your Authority.</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE>Nottingham, <DATE><HI>Feb.</HI> 23. 1659.</DATE></DATELINE>
<SALUTE>Sir,</SALUTE> <SIGNED>Your humble and faithful &s;ervants.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="statement">
<PB REF="30">
<HEAD>THE DECLARATION OF Sir Charles Coot Knight and Baronet, Lord Pre&s;ident of the Province of <HI>CONNA&V;GHT:</HI> And the re&s;t of the Council of <HI>Officers</HI> of the Army in IRELAND.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Pre&s;ent at DUBLIN <HI>Concerning the Re-admi&s;&s;ion of the</HI> Suclu|ded Members.</HEAD>
<P>SInce the Authority of Parliament became openly violated, and that by their own waged &s;ervants of the Army in <HI>England,</HI> by whom 41. of the Members of Parliament were torn from the Parliament Hou&s;e in <HI>Dec.</HI> 1648. and impri&s;oned, and a 160. other Members denied entrance into the Hou&s;e, and about fifty more voluntarily withdrew them&s;elves to avoid vio|lence, making in all of &s;ecluded Members about two hundred and fifty, when the remaining Members charged the Army
<PB N="56" REF="31">
with the guilt of that force, and &s;ent to the then General of the Army for the re&s;titution of tho&s;e excluded Members which was denied them, how many and manifold have been the mi|&s;eries and calamities under which the&s;e Nations have laboured, and do &s;til labour, is evident to all equal minded men. The godly Mini&s;ters of the Go&s;pel de&s;pi&s;ed: The Mini&s;try it &s;elf villified: Tythes, and other means of their maintenance (particularly in <HI>Ireland</HI>) taken from them, and mi&s;-applied; the Prote&s;tant Religion &s;haken, and almo&s;t overturned; Anabapti&s;ts, Quakers, and other Sectaries &s;et up and countenanced; Here&s;ies and Schi&s;ms increa&s;ed; The fundamental Laws of the Land tram|pled upon, and an Arbitrary Government endeavoured to be introduced; The Civil Rights, Properties and Liberties of the people in their per&s;ons and e&s;tates broken in pieces; Impo&s;itions and Taxes on the people without example laid and increa&s;ed in an exce&s;&s;ive manner and mea&s;ure, whereby thou&s;ands of Families have been ruined, and enforced to beg their bread; Manufacture at home di&s;couraged, publick Trade and Commerce abroad interrupted; The Nations become deeply indebted, and generally impoveri&s;hed; the reformed Prote&s;tant Churches abroad expo&s;ed to great danger, wanting the wonted &s;upport of <HI>England,</HI> which (under God) was the Bulwark and chief &s;trength of the Prote&s;tant Religion throughout all Chri&s;ten|dome, and finally the Engli&s;h Nation (which was alwayes de|&s;ervedly) in &s;o high honour and e&s;timation at home and a|broad, as it was a bridle and terrour to their Enemies, and a countenance and &s;upport to their Friends, and Allies, is now become (we tremble and grieve to have &s;o ju&s;t cau&s;e to &s;peak it) a &s;corn and der&s;ion to all Nations round about us; and all this is brought to pa&s;s to &s;atisfie the Avarice, Ambition, Lu&s;ts, and fears of a few incon&s;iderable per&s;ons of Anabapti&s;tical and o|ther Fanatique &s;pirits, who have made it their bu&s;ine&s;s to oc|ca&s;ion &s;till one trouble on the neck of another, &s;o to imbroil and continue the Nations in Divi&s;ion, War, and bloody con|fu&s;ion, that &s;ober men might not have time or lei&s;ure (with maturity of judgement or coun&s;el) to look into the inwards of their de&s;igns or actings; And after we had beheld all this with bleeding hearts, and calling to minde that when in <HI>December</HI>
<PB N="57" REF="31">
1648. the &s;aid force was put upon the Parliament, the then re|maining Members &s;ent &s;undry times to the General to know why he impri&s;oned their Members, and de&s;ired him to &s;et them at liberty, which was not done; and we gathering from all this, that if the Hou&s;e were once freed from the force of an Army, and they again re&s;tored to Freedome and Liberty of &s;itting and and acting, they would then upon the firmer grounds (in con|&s;cience of their duties to God and their Country, and in te|&s;timony of their high re&s;entment of that breach of priviledges of the Parliament, have taken into the Hou&s;e tho&s;e excluded Members, and filled vacant places by due and orderly Elections of the People (and after &s;o many years unhappy interruption unite again in a full and free Parliament, and there a&s;&s;ert the Rights and Priviledges of Parliament, and Liberties of the people, which from the very beginning of the War of <HI>England</HI> have been not the lea&s;t ground of their conte&s;t with the late King, and ever &s;ince, and joyn their coun&s;els and endeavours for re&s;toring the&s;e Nations to peace and tranquillity.</P>
<P>And thence it was, that on the 14. day of <HI>December</HI> 1659. &s;e|veral Officers of the Army here, on the behalf of them&s;elves, and tho&s;e under their Commands, by their joynt Declaration, declared and publi&s;hed their &s;tedfa&s;t re&s;olutions to adhere to the Parliament in defence of its Priviledges, and the ju&s;t Rights and Liberties of the people of the&s;e Nations as Men and Chri|&s;tians; In which Declaration afterwards concurred the whole Army of <HI>Ireland,</HI> but now finding much contrary to our ex|pectations, that when the Members of Parliament now a&s;&s;em|bled at <HI>We&s;tmin&s;ter,</HI> were in <HI>Decemb.</HI> 1659. (by an extraordinary providence) re&s;tored to their Freedome and Liberty of &s;itting and acting as in Parliament; and that divers of tho&s;e formerly excluded Members of Parliament on the 27. of <HI>Decem.</HI> 1659. (as they had formerly done in <HI>May</HI> 1659.) offered them&s;elves to di&s;charge their Tru&s;ts for the &s;everal Counties and places for which they were Elected, and formerly &s;erved tho&s;e their Fellow-members a&s;&s;embled at <HI>We&s;tmin&s;ter,</HI> did not onely deny them admittance, but al&s;o voted and ordered the utter ex|clu&s;ion of all the excluded Members with this further addition, that none of them &s;hould be cho&s;en in future Elections to &s;it in
<PB N="58" REF="32">
this Parliament, whereby they have a more unnatural vio|lence taken away from above the one half of the people of <HI>England,</HI> their Repre&s;entatives in Parliament, and limited and abridged in a high degree the Liberty and freedome of the people in further Elections, which denial and order of theirs in a time when they were under no force, is &s;o much the more &s;trange, in regard that in <HI>December</HI> 1648. when they were under a force, they transferred that guilt for them&s;elves to the Army, and pretended a willingne&s;s to re-admit tho&s;e Members if it were in their power, as is formerly mentioned.</P>
<P>And whereas Lieut. Gen. <HI>Ludlow</HI> had placed in <HI>Ireland</HI> &s;everal Officers who are Anabapti&s;ts, and per&s;ons of the like fanatique &s;pirits, (many of whom had been very active in the late con|&s;piracies and actings of the factious part of the Army in <HI>Eng|land,</HI> even again&s;t tho&s;e Members of Parliament now &s;itting at <HI>We&s;tminster;</HI> of which Officers &s;o placed by Lieut. Gen. <HI>Ludlow,</HI> it was found nece&s;&s;ary to purge the Army, and to put in their places per&s;ons more &s;oberly minded and well affected to the Parliament; yet after all that done, and after Lieut. Gen. <HI>Ludlow</HI> &s;tood ju&s;tly de&s;ervedly charged with High Trea&s;on, the &s;aid Lieut. Gen. <HI>Ludlow</HI> him&s;elf, and &s;ome others of the like prin|ciples with him, were by a report from the Councel of State propo&s;ed to be appointed to governe not onely the Army, but al&s;o the whole Nation of <HI>Ireland,</HI> to the a&s;toni&s;hment of the people and Army here, to the un&s;etling of tho&s;e per&s;ons &s;o well de&s;erving, to the hazard of the peace of the Nation and Army (and which is above all) to the en|dangering even of Religion it &s;elfe. And here it is ob&s;ervable, that tho&s;e Members now &s;itting at <HI>We&s;tmin&s;ter,</HI> by their Decla|ration of 23. of <HI>January</HI> 1659. &s;ince their re&s;titution to their pre&s;ent liberty of &s;itting) have publi&s;hed that extravagant Councels and actions, have engaged the Nations in a great debt and charge, which it &s;eems nece&s;&s;itates their laying a new in|crea&s;e of charge on the Nations, and yet &s;o indulgent they are to tho&s;e per&s;ons, that in a high degree created that nece&s;&s;ity of &s;o unrea&s;onably charging the people, and who&s;e e&s;tates might well bear a great part of that burden, as without &s;o much as any &s;uit made to them by tho&s;e Delinquents, they granted them in|dempnity
<PB N="59" REF="32">
for their per&s;ons and e&s;tates, whereby it &s;eems the &s;aid Members now &s;itting at <HI>We&s;tmin&s;ter,</HI> hold it fit, that tho&s;e who are of &s;ober &s;pirits, and offended not the Parliament, &s;hould out of their e&s;tates pay for tho&s;e extravagant mens De|linquency, rather than the Delinquents them&s;elves. And al|though the &s;aid Lieut. Gen. <HI>Ludlow,</HI> and <HI>Miles Corbet</HI> E&s;q. together with Col. <HI>John Jones,</HI> and Col. <HI>Mat. Tomlin&s;on,</HI> &s;tand impeached from hence mo&s;t ju&s;tly of High Trea&s;on, and that charge again&s;t them, being known to the Hou&s;e, and there re|maing, yet they have admitted two of tho&s;e per&s;ons, namely the &s;aid Lieut Gen. <HI>Ludlow,</HI> and <HI>Miles Corbet</HI> actually to &s;it in the &s;aid Hou&s;e.</P>
<P>And now the greatne&s;s of tho&s;e mi&s;eries which have befaln the&s;e three Nations in General, by &s;uch late actings in <HI>Eng|land,</HI> and tho&s;e heightned with many aggravations in the cir|cum&s;tances of them (too many and too long to be repeated) as it hath begotten in us, and in all good men in the three Nati|ons deep impre&s;&s;ion of a&s;toni&s;hment and horror, &s;o it is evident, that if it be any longer continued, it will perpetually nouri&s;h di&s;honour to God, grief to all god men, and (we doubt and fear) utter infamy and de&s;truction to the three Nations.</P>
<P>In contemplation whereof, and con&s;idering how God hath in his ju&s;tice bla&s;ted all attempts that &s;ince the year 1648. have been made for re-&s;etling of the&s;e Nations in peace and tran|quillity, and that after all the trials and various changes of Government which we have in all that time with much long|&s;uffering and patience endured, there is no way vi&s;ible to us under Heaven whence deliverance may be probably wrought or expected, but from the care and wi&s;dome of a Free and full Parliament in <HI>England,</HI> which (by the experience of all former ages hath been found the be&s;t and only expedient for providing remedies to be applied to &s;o great and general mi&s;chiefs ari&s;ing in Church or State. And con&s;idering al&s;o that the marks of the true Reformed Religion according to the Word of God, and of the fundamental Laws of the Land, and of our now dying Liberties and Freedome, are not yet &s;o utterly razed and de|faced, but that &s;ome foot&s;teps of them do yet remain, &s;o as (by the wi&s;dome of a full and Free Parliament) they may be
<PB N="60" REF="33">
again renewed and firmly re-e&s;tabli&s;hed; and con&s;idering like|wi&s;e that our hopes of having the &s;aid excluded Members re|&s;tored, and of new Elections to be made for vacant places, whereby there might be a full and free Parliament, as there was on <HI>Decem.</HI> 5. 1648. and the antient and long conte&s;ted Li|berties of the people might be a&s;&s;erted, are much contrary to our expectations, and contrary to the fundamental Laws of the Land, and indeed contrary to all ju&s;tice and become fru|&s;trated; and con&s;idering further how unju&s;t and unrea&s;onable a thing it is, that of above five hundred Members, whereof the Commons Hou&s;e of Parliament u&s;ually con&s;i&s;ted, there were but four and forty or thereabouts, when that fatal Vote pa&s;&s;ed for the keeping out the afore&s;aid excluded Members by the pre|valency of a major part of the &s;aid 44. per&s;ons (not much ex|ceeding tho&s;e who voted then on the contrary &s;ide) which a&s;|&s;umes to it &s;elf the Supreme Authority, not onely of <HI>England,</HI> but al&s;o of the three Nations, without pre&s;ident or example of any former age, there being above two hundred and fifty which &s;tand eleven years excluded, without &s;o much as the lea&s;t offer of an Impeachment again&s;t them in all that time; which unexampled and unparallel'd a&s;&s;umption in tho&s;e men is not po&s;&s;ible to continue but by the force of an Army poi&s;oned with Anabapti&s;tical and corrupted principles, to the continual grief and un&s;upportable burden and charge of the three Nati|ons.</P>
<P>And be&s;ides that act of the afore&s;aid per&s;ons cha&s;ing away (for &s;o it now appears) about two hundred and fifty Members, of above five hundred cho&s;en by all the &s;everal parts of <HI>England,</HI> according to the known Laws of the Land, to repre&s;ent the whole Nation in Parliament; and after the forcible exclu&s;ion of &s;o many, that the four and forty per&s;ons remaining (among&s;t whom we believe there are &s;ome worthy Patriots who are not &s;o fully concurring in the actings of the re&s;t of their number, as violently over-voted them, which is a further aggravation of the others guilt) &s;hould dare to u&s;urp to them&s;elves as is for|merly mentioned, contrary to all the Laws, the Supreme power not only of <HI>England,</HI> but al&s;o of <HI>Ireland</HI> and <HI>Scotland,</HI> is a thing which none but Conquerors or Tyrants would attempt, and in
<PB N="61" REF="33">
all circum&s;tances is &s;o hideous and mon&s;trous to be endured by a Free people, formerly famous to all the world for wi&s;dome and valour, as the Engli&s;h Nation have been, as it will be incre|dible to all po&s;terity</P>
<P>And la&s;tly con&s;idering, that as in all Ages, and more particu|larly &s;ince the beginning of the late horrid Rebellion in <HI>Ire|land,</HI> our Brethren in <HI>England</HI> have abundantly manife&s;ted a tender and compa&s;&s;ionate &s;en&s;e of the condition in <HI>Ireland,</HI> and were careful to relieve us in our lowe&s;t e&s;tate, as bone of their bone, and fle&s;h of their fle&s;h; which we do, and &s;hal ever ac|knowledge with humble thankfulne&s;&s;e, and (as a debt which we well know to be due from us to them above all people in the world) &s;hall be for ever as tender of their happine&s;&s;e and welfare, as of our own, which indeed is involved in theirs, and without whom <HI>Ireland</HI> cannot be happy. We therefore remaining con&s;tant in the rea&s;ons of our &s;aid Declaration of <HI>Dec.</HI> 14. 1659. for adhering to the Parliament in defence of its Priviledges, and the ju&s;t Rights and Liberties of the&s;e Na|tions; all which we &s;ee now are apparently more and more vi|olated by the&punc; not admi&s;&s;ion of the &s;aid excluded Members, and by not filling the vacant Places, whereby the Hou&s;e might be full; and being freed from force, might uninterrupted|ly Act according to their Judgements and Con&s;ciences, to|wards re-&s;etling the peace of the&s;e Nations, which otherwi&s;e in all humane probability can never be re&s;tored to Peace and Tranquillity.</P>
<P>We do therefore declare for a full and free Parliament in <HI>England,</HI> con&s;i&s;ting not only of tho&s;e that &s;ate on <HI>Oct.</HI> 11. 1659. but al&s;o of all &s;uch of the Members of Parliament impri&s;on|ed, excluded, or withdrawn in <HI>December</HI> 1648. as are yet li|ving, whom we de&s;ire may be re&s;tored to the freedome and li|berty of &s;itting, and acting according to the Tru&s;t committed to them by the &s;everal Counties and places which did chu&s;e them, that &s;o they may be no longer debarred from di&s;charg|ing their &s;aid Tru&s;t, and that vacant places may be &s;peedily &s;upplied by free and due Elections of the people, yet &s;o as none of the per&s;ons to be Admitted or Elected, be any of tho&s;e who have been in Arms, or otherwi&s;e aiding, abetting, or a&s;&s;i&s;ting
<PB N="62" REF="34">
the late King or his Son in the late War again&s;t the Parliament, and that the Hou&s;e being &s;o filled, may proceed unanimou&s;ly to con&s;ult the be&s;t meanes for re-&s;etling the Peace of the Nati|ons, the re-e&s;tabli&s;hment of true Religion (the &s;ure&s;t founda|on, as of all righteous Government, &s;o of all the happine&s;&s;e of a Nation;) the fundamental Lawes of the Land (whereby all mens rights and properties are pre&s;erved) and the liberties and freedom of the people which are &s;upported by tho&s;e Lawes.</P>
<P>And for tho&s;e ends, and in di&s;charge of our duty to God, and to our Country, We do re&s;olve, by the ble&s;&s;ing of Almigh|ty God) to joyn with our Brethren in <HI>England, Ireland,</HI> and <HI>Scotland,</HI> who have or &s;hall joyn with us for the ends afore&s;aid; and do re&s;olve, for the maintenance and pre&s;ervation thereof, to hazard our Lives and E&s;tates, and all that is dear to us: And we doubt not but all our Brethren in the &s;aid Nations, who di&s;dain to be made Slaves, will joyn with us herein, as being with wi&s;edom and rea&s;on de&s;irous to deliver over to their Po&s;te|rity that Liberty and Freedom which was conveyed to them at &s;o dear a rate by our Ance&s;tors. And then we tru&s;t, that by the great mercy of God, will &s;peedily follow a happy &s;ettle|ment of the&s;e yet mi&s;erable and di&s;tracted Nations; and con&s;e|quently that the true Prote&s;tant Religion, in the power and pu|rity thereof, may be e&s;tabli&s;hed; the Godly, Learned, and Or|thodox Mini&s;ters of the Go&s;pel maintained by their Tythes, and other their accu&s;tomed rights; their per&s;ons &s;upported and countenanced; the Univer&s;ities and all other Seminaries of Lear|ning cheri&s;hed; Here&s;ies and Schi&s;ms &s;uppre&s;&s;ed, needle&s;s Im|po&s;itions and Taxes on the people removed, and no charge to be laid on any of the Nations, without their own free con|&s;ents, given by their Repre&s;entatives, in their &s;everal and re|&s;pective Parliaments; Manufactures, and Publique Trade and Commerce, at home and abroad advanced; Ju&s;tice in its due and wonted cour&s;e admini&s;tred; the ju&s;t debts of the Nation &s;atisfied; the Trea&s;ure and Revenues thereof pre&s;erved, and returned to their right and proper Channels; the Arreares of the Army, and other publique debts duly &s;atisfied; the Armies and Forces continued in due obedience to the Supreme Au|thority, and not pre&s;ume as &s;ome have done, to give Lawes
<PB N="63" REF="34">
thereunto, which hath been the root of a great part of our mi|&s;eries; the Nations enriched, united and &s;trengthened; the Re|formed Prote&s;tant Chuches abroad &s;upported and countenan|ced; the honour of the Engli&s;h Nation re&s;tored, to the com|fort of Friends, and terror of Enemies; the Plantation of <HI>Ire|land</HI> in the hands of Adventurers and Souldiers, and other Engli&s;h and Prote&s;tants advanced, as a farther acce&s;&s;ion of ho|nour and greatne&s;s to the Engli&s;h Nation: and &s;o by the ble&s;|&s;ing of God, all will &s;hortly terminate in the glory of God, the Peace and Tranquillity of the&s;e Nations, the &s;trengthening of them again&s;t forreign Inva&s;ion, and inte&s;tine Rebellion, and the comfort, contentment of all the good People in the&s;e Na|tions, <HI>Which the Lord of his mercy grant.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE><HI>Dated at</HI> Dublin, <DATE>Febr. 16. 1659.</DATE></DATELINE>
<SIGNED><LIST>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> Charls Coote</ITEM>
<ITEM>William <HI>L.</HI> Cawfield</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> Theo. Jones</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> Oliver St. Ceorge</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> Hen. Ingoldsby</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> John King</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Col.</HI> Chidley Coote</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Col.</HI> John Cole</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Col.</HI> Will. Warden</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Col.</HI> Richard Coote</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Col.</HI> John Georges</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Col.</HI> Hen. Owen</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Lt. Col.</HI> Tho. Scot</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Lt. Col.</HI> W. Purefoy</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Lt. Col.</HI> Oliver Jones</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Maj.</HI> Tho. Barrington</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Maj.</HI> Alex. Staples</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Maj.</HI> Rich. Bingley</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Maj.</HI> George Pepper</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Lt. Col.</HI> H. Smithwick</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Capt.</HI> Henry Baker</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Cap.</HI> Rob. fitz Gerald</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Cap.</HI> Cha. Wenman.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Cap.</HI> Adam Molineux</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Col.</HI> Hum. Barrow</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Cap.</HI> Sam. Foley</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Cap.</HI> John Salt</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Cap.</HI> Simon Gar&s;tin</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Col.</HI> Cha. Blunt</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Col.</HI> Hen. Slade</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Cap.</HI> Ant. Stamp</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Cap.</HI> Art. Purefoy</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Cap.</HI> George S&punc; George</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Cap.</HI> Peter Purefoy</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Cap.</HI> Thomas Curd</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Cap.</HI> Tho. Newcomen</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Cap.</HI> Tho. Newburgh</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Cap.</HI> Hen. Thrimpton</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Lt.</HI> Hugh Clotworthy</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Lt.</HI> Peter Flower</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Lt.</HI> Her. Langri&s;h</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Lt.</HI> Rich. Morrick</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Lt.</HI> Brian Jaques</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Lt.</HI> Richard Butler</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Lt.</HI> John Ottway</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Lt.</HI> John Evelin</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Lt.</HI> Tho. Flint</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Lt.</HI> Edw. Harrington</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Corn.</HI> Art. &V;&s;her</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Corn.</HI> Donw. Prothers</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Corn.</HI> W. Pin&s;ent</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>En&s;ign</HI> John Hiad</ITEM>
<ITEM>Tho. Sheppard. <HI>Mar.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Quarter-Ma&s;ter</HI> W. F.</ITEM>
<ITEM>John Payn <HI>Comptr.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="statement">
<PB N="64" REF="35">
<HEAD>A DECLARATION Of the GENTRY of Somer&s;et-&s;hire, Who were of the late KINGS Party.</HEAD>
<P>WHereas God by many gracious Appearances ha<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">h rai&s;ed the hearts of this Nation to a great confi|dence, that their tottering condition draws near to an E&s;tabli&s;hment, by the Re-&s;ettlement of their antient, ju&s;t, and &s;olid Foundations; We doe Declare, That in thankful|ne&s;s to our great and good God, we hold our &s;elves bound to look upon, and with humble longings; to wait for the accom|pli&s;hment of this great Work, as the large&s;t National ble&s;&s;ing we are capable of (being pre&s;ented to our hope without blood and ruine.) And likewi&s;e that we &s;et up Pillars in every of our hearts to the honour of his Excellency the Lord General <HI>Monck,</HI> who hath not as others, either feared or affected the Tyrannical greatne&s;s of our Oppre&s;&s;ors; but as he undertook the Redemption of his Countrey with &s;ingular Re&s;olution, and hath carried it on hitherto with unparallel'd prudence, &s;o we doe not in the lea&s;t doubt, but that by the good hand of God he will perfect it with &s;hining and glorious &s;incerity.</P>
<P>And becau&s;e we finde (as we hope) the la&s;t Engine of the Enemies of our Peace now &s;et on work for the embroiling of the &s;pirits of the well-meaning people of <HI>England,</HI> by &s;ugge&s;t|ing an unchri&s;tian inclination remaining in us, of waiting op|portunities of Revenge: We do here in the &s;ight of God, and
<PB N="65" REF="35">
to all the world, di&s;own and abhor all Animo&s;ity and Revenge|ful remembrance of Sides and Parties in the late War: And do promi&s;e and re&s;olve to co-operate within our Sphere to|wards the publique Settlement, with &s;uch faithfulne&s;s and con|&s;tancy, as neither to occa&s;ion or entertain the lea&s;t jealou&s;ie up|on the account of any pa&s;t difference what&s;oever, fully re&s;ol|ving to &s;ubmit to the Determinations of the <HI>Parliament</HI> both in Eccle&s;ia&s;tical and Civil Affairs, which we hope will remove all occa&s;ion of Jealou&s;ie and Di&s;tinction for the future.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED><LIST>
<ITEM>John <HI>Lord</HI> Paulett.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> Francis Paulett.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> Amos Paulett.</ITEM>
<ITEM>William Paulett <HI>E&s;q.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Edward Phillips.</ITEM>
<ITEM>William Helliar.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Peregrine Palmer</ITEM>
<ITEM>Henry Barkley.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Charles Berkley.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Thomas Warr.</ITEM>
<ITEM>John Brice.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Robert Hawly.</ITEM>
<ITEM>John Bonvile.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Francis Windham.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Thomas Pigott.</ITEM>
<ITEM>William Wandrond.</ITEM>
<ITEM>George Waldrond.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Edward Berkley.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Francis Hawly.</ITEM>
<ITEM>George Speake.</ITEM>
<ITEM>John Tynt.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Sam. Gorges.</ITEM>
<ITEM>George Syddenham.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Francis Harvey, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="statement">
<PB N="66" REF="36">
<HEAD>AN ALARUM TO THE COUNTIES OF ENGLAND AND WALES.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">With the Ab-renunciatiation of the OATH.</HEAD>
<BYLINE>By <HI>Tho. Fuller,</HI> B. D.</BYLINE>
<P>OUr Nation, which long &s;ince hath lo&s;t the <HI>Lu&s;tre</HI> and <HI>Well-being,</HI> now at la&s;t-&s;trugleth for the <HI>Life</HI> and <HI>Be|ing</HI> thereof. Our many [<HI>temporal</HI>] mi&s;eries are reduci|ble to two principal Heads.</P>
<LIST>
<HEAD>Daily</HEAD>
<ITEM>1. <HI>Decrea&s;e</HI> of <HI>Trading.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>2. <HI>Increa&s;e</HI> of <HI>Taxes:</HI> So that every hour the <HI>Burden</HI> groweth <HI>weightier,</HI> and the <HI>Back</HI> of our Nation weaker to &s;upport it.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P N="2"><PB N="67" REF="36">2. 'Tis &s;ad to &s;ee, in Cloathing Countreys, what &s;warms there are of poor people, the true objects of Charity; if any were as <HI>able</HI> to <HI>give,</HI> as they worthy to receive <HI>relief:</HI> for they <HI>would</HI> work, and <HI>can</HI> work, yet <HI>cannot</HI> work, becau&s;e there are none to employ them.</P>
<P N="3">3. As for the Sea (which is the <HI>Land</HI> of <HI>Port-Towns</HI>) it returneth &s;mall benefit; for &s;ince <HI>Dunkirk</HI> was ours (more to the <HI>credit</HI> than <HI>benefit</HI> of our Nation) the fire of <HI>Sea|robberies</HI> is removed out of the <HI>Chimney,</HI> and &s;catter|ed about the <HI>Hou&s;e,</HI> not le&s;&s;e <HI>de&s;tructive,</HI> but more <HI>diffu|&s;ive:</HI> So that our Merchants could better guard them|&s;elves again&s;t that <HI>Single Staple of Pirates,</HI> than many le&s;&s;er ones &s;prung &s;ince every where, the cau&s;e why rich men will not (as poor cannot) adventure.</P>
<P N="4">4. Our &s;econd <HI>mi&s;ery</HI> is, increa&s;e, yea, <HI>&s;uperfetation</HI> of Taxes, &s;o long as &s;o numerous an Army is maintained: For though &s;ome of their Souldiers will preach <HI>gratis</HI> (con&s;cientious to take nothing for that which they know is worth nothing) yet none will fight at &s;o cheap a rate.</P>
<P N="5">5. Some will &s;ay, that what the Souldier receiveth with one hand, he returneth with another, expending his pay in Victuals, Cloaths, &amp;c. whereby Coin, by <HI>circulation,</HI> is con|tinued in our Country. This I deny; for &s;ome Grandees greatned by the Times, have made their Monies over in <HI>Banks</HI> beyond the Seas, which are put into <HI>MORTMAIN,</HI> or a <HI>Dead hand,</HI> whereby no profit accreweth to our Com|monwealth. Others having gotten the E&s;tates of <HI>Lords,</HI> live after the rate <HI>Yoomen,</HI> who&s;e di&s;cretion therein is to be commended, for proportioning their expences (for fear of <HI>afterclaps</HI>) rather according to their original, than pre&s;ent condition.</P>
<P N="6">6. The increa&s;e of <HI>Taxes</HI> mu&s;t inevitably cau&s;e the ruine of our Nation: For though &s;till there be wealthy men left
<PB N="68" REF="37">
(as they &s;hew it in their <HI>cowardi&s;e,</HI> and fear to engage for the general good) yet they grow thinner every day whil&s;t &s;uch as are left no root of their own, rather than they will <HI>wither</HI> will turn <HI>Suckers</HI> on the <HI>Stock</HI> of others. So that the greate&s;t happine&s;s rich men can promi&s;e to them&s;elves, is only to be <HI>la&s;t</HI> devoured, though the comfort of the latene&s;s will not countervail the &s;adne&s;s for the certainty of their de&s;truction. Indeed it is miraculous that our Nation hath &s;ub&s;i&s;ted &s;o long, and few there are that would believe that the whole <HI>Candle</HI> of our Engli&s;h wealth could la&s;t &s;o long, as we have beheld it <HI>burning</HI> in the <HI>Socket,</HI> but now giving the la&s;t blaze, if God be not merciful, and men di&s;creet to prevent it.</P>
<P N="7">7. Pa&s;s we from the &s;ad Malady, to the &s;ole Remedy thereof, I &s;ay <HI>&s;ole,</HI> not exclu&s;ively of divine miraculous power, but according to humane apprehen&s;ion, this is a <HI>Free</HI> and <HI>full Parliament.</HI> Indeed <HI>Free-Parliament</HI> is a <HI>Tau|tology,</HI> like a <HI>Rea&s;onable-man,</HI> who, if not <HI>rea&s;onable,</HI> is no <HI>man;</HI> as the other, if not <HI>free,</HI> no <HI>Parliament.</HI> But the late frequent forces put on <HI>Parliaments</HI> hath made the needle&s;s <HI>Epethite</HI> become <HI>nece&s;&s;ary,</HI> to expre&s;s what kinde of Parlia|ments we de&s;ire. Not &s;uch in which every word mu&s;t be &s;poken under <HI>correction of the Sword,</HI> but wherein every Member, without fear of violence (to interrupt or di&s;&s;olve them) may follow the dictates of their own judge|ment.</P>
<P N="8">8. Nor ought a <HI>Parliament</HI> onely bee <HI>free</HI> from Force, but al&s;o from any <HI>Abjurations,</HI> or previous Engagements. Let them take heed of renouncing any thing, &s;ave what is &s;imply &s;inful in it &s;elf, as the for&s;aking of the <HI>World, Fle&s;h,</HI> and <HI>Devil,</HI> as was &s;olemnly promi&s;ed for them in their Bapti&s;m. But it is bad to bee bu&s;ie with other <HI>Ab-renuncia|tions,</HI> e&s;pecially of the <HI>Royal Family.</HI></P>
<P N="9"><PB N="69" REF="37">9. Look backward, and we may &s;ay with <HI>David, The Vows of the Lord are upon us;</HI> I mean on &s;o many of us as are of fifty years of age. The Oath of <HI>Supremacy</HI> (not to mention the <HI>Covenant</HI>) is the elde&s;t Brother, to whom the inheritance of our Con&s;ciences do belong.</P>
<P N="10">10. Look forwards, it <HI>limiteth Gods Providence,</HI> which is an hainous offence; wee know not what a day, month, year, &amp;c. may bring forth. This Age hath the lea&s;t rea&s;on of any to meddle with the edge-tools of &s;uch Oathes which in a <HI>&s;hort</HI> (but <HI>&s;trict</HI>) time hath &s;een &s;o many &s;trange things, that now nothing is &s;trange unto us. Have wee not &s;een <HI>O. Cromwell</HI> from a private Gentleman <HI>gradatim</HI> a&s;cend to bee Protector of three Nations, and by his Cou|rage and Wi&s;dome rather than any right) a more ab&s;o|lute Power po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed by, and larger Tribute paid unto him than to any King in <HI>England.</HI> His Son and Succe&s;&s;our (counted bad by many for his goodne&s;s and milde &s;pirit) for eighth months was congratulated by the mo&s;t con|&s;iderable Per&s;ons of our Nation. Now if &s;ome twenty years &s;ince an Oath had been tendred unto us to abjure the Fa|mily of <HI>Cromwels</HI> from ever having the Supream Magi&s;tra|ey in our Nation; &s;uch an Oath would have &s;eemed &s;afe, but yet it was not lawful to take it, becau&s;e none knew what was in the <HI>Womb of Teeming</HI> Time, though utterly im|probable to our belief.</P>
<P N="11">11. Be&s;ides, the Impo&s;ers of this Oath may mi&s;s the mark they propound to them&s;elves, <HI>viz.</HI> a&s;&s;urance of their own, and di&s;covery of the oppo&s;ite Party; for many now pa&s;s not for the taking or breaking of any Oath, and a&s;&s;urance of &s;uch is hard in keeping, and indeed not worth the having. Other will behold the Oath as temporary, and expiring with the power of the Impo&s;ers. As for the con&s;cientious indeed, E&s;fu&s;ing it out of pure principles of piety, it is a barbarous act for per&s;ons in power, to turn
<PB N="70" REF="38">
Executioners to &s;trangle tender Con&s;ciences, who&s;e cordial fear of an Oath &s;hould be encouraged.</P>
<P N="12">12. As the <HI>Parliament</HI> mu&s;t be <HI>free,</HI> no <HI>Va&s;&s;al,</HI> but enfran|chi&s;ed from the Sword, &s;o mu&s;t it bee <HI>full,</HI> no <HI>Cripple,</HI> but entire and compleat in all the Members thereof. Our Land hath lately groaned under the mo&s;t grievous <HI>Monopoly</HI> as ever was, or can be, when a handful of men have gra&s;ped to them&s;elves the <HI>repre&s;enting</HI> of a whole (not to &s;ay three) Nation, mo&s;t of them being but <HI>Burge&s;&s;es,</HI> who though equal in <HI>Votes,</HI> are not equal in their <HI>Repre&s;entation</HI> with the Knights of the Shires. If they pre&s;ume that the re&s;t <HI>excluded</HI> by them (far more con&s;iderable for Birth, E&s;tates, Num|ber, Love of the People, and what not?) are vertually <HI>included</HI> in them, it is an intollerable PRESUMPTION. That what pertaineth to all &s;hould be handled by all, is a Truth &s;o clear and &s;trong, that they mu&s;t offer a <HI>Rape</HI> to their own <HI>Rea&s;on</HI> that deny it. Such al&s;o is this Maxim, <HI>&V;nrepre&s;ented, &V;nconcluded:</HI> So that if &s;o few have in them the <HI>notion</HI> of a Parliament, it is a bare <HI>Notion</HI> in|deed, e&s;pecially &s;eeing this handful of men were (&s;ay the Cavaliers) <HI>di&s;&s;olved</HI> by the death of the King; <HI>di&s;&s;olved</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Cromwell</HI>) by his Sword; <HI>di&s;&s;olved</HI> (&s;ay &s;ome <HI>Great ones</HI>) by an Act of their own (entred into the <HI>Journall</HI> Book of the <HI>Parliament) di&s;&s;olved</HI> mu&s;t their own <HI>Con&s;ciences</HI> &s;ay, by their voluntary accepting of Elections in later <HI>Parlia|ments.</HI></P>
<P N="13">13. Now the Members of a <HI>Free</HI> and <HI>full Parliament</HI> (the onely Hope of Humane help) ought thus to be quali|fied:</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. Let them be <HI>Godly,</HI> and <HI>Well-affected</HI> in|deed, and not in the <HI>canting language</HI> of the Times.</ITEM>
<ITEM><PB N="71" REF="38">2. Men of E&s;tates, who will be tender in taxing others, as &s;triking them thorough them&s;elves, whil&s;t &s;uch who <HI>bear</HI> nothing care not how much they burthen others, as if paying were as ea&s;ie as voting, and Money as free as words.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. Men of &s;pirits, no dull Souls, all the &s;parks of who&s;e activity are quenched in their own flegm.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. No Gainers by the continnance of the Army. <HI>Demetrius</HI> the Silver-&s;mith was no fool (what ever el&s;e he was) &s;o &s;ticking for the &s;hrine of <HI>Diana,</HI> by which Craft he got his Gain.</ITEM>
<ITEM>5. Men of <HI>Moderation,</HI> a quality not oppo&s;ed to <HI>Diligence,</HI> but to <HI>Violence,</HI> not unactiving men, but regulating their Activity.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P N="14">14. This their Moderation mu&s;t appear in con&s;ider|ing all <HI>Intere&s;ts,</HI> &s;eeing there be no two <HI>Intere&s;ts</HI> in the Nation &s;o <HI>contemptible,</HI> which if united, and twi&s;ting their di&s;contents together, cannot draw trouble on all the re&s;t: E&s;pecially the <HI>Sectarian</HI> (though pre&s;ented I beleeve by their party, through a multipling Gla&s;s) are con&s;iderable on a politick &s;core of their numbers and pious account of their con&s;cience; for, though many of them carry the latter in their <HI>Pur&s;es,</HI> who when they finde the <HI>moi&s;ture</HI> of Profit to fail them, will fall off like <HI>leaves in Au|tumn;</HI> yet can I not be &s;o uncharitable, but to beleeve that many of them (having the <HI>heat</HI> of their <HI>affections</HI> above the <HI>light</HI> of their <HI>judgements</HI>) follow erroneous Con&s;ciences; Be&s;ides, having gone loo&s;e &s;o long, they mu&s;t needs <HI>&s;well,</HI> if hardly <HI>girded</HI> on a &s;udden.</P>
<P N="15"><PB N="72" REF="39">15. This <HI>moderation</HI> al&s;o mu&s;t be u&s;ed by all other Per|&s;ons, to work them&s;elves to be (if not <HI>plea&s;ed</HI>) contented with the deci&s;ions of a <HI>free Parliament.</HI> All mu&s;t &s;it down <HI>Lo&s;ers</HI> &s;ave &s;uch alone, who can plead, that they have been no <HI>Sinners</HI> in our Nation. The Grand de&s;ign mu&s;t be to have <HI>none,</HI> or, (if that be impo&s;&s;ible) <HI>as few as may be,</HI> utterly ruined. I confe&s;s <HI>two hungry meals makes a third a Clutton,</HI> and &s;uch who have long <HI>fa&s;ted</HI> from their detained E&s;tates, will be not onely <HI>greedy</HI> but <HI>ravenous</HI> to recover them. Yea, &s;uch will &s;hrewdly plead, that they now expect <HI>moderation</HI> from them, who never u&s;ed <HI>moderation</HI> to them. However, in &s;uch a general danger, men mu&s;t depo&s;e their animo|&s;ities, labouring, fir&s;t, to reconcile their <HI>&s;pirits,</HI> then, their <HI>per&s;wa&s;ions,</HI> the <HI>later</HI> being at le&s;s di&s;tance than the <HI>former.</HI> And men mu&s;t divide, where they cannot get the whole, &s;eeing few will pity his &s;tarving who will eat no bread at all, becau&s;e he can recover but half of his own loaf.</P>
<P N="16">16. It will be objected that &s;uch a <HI>full P.</HI> is &s;till but an <HI>empty Parliament,</HI> having no <HI>Hou&s;e of Lords</HI> therein: But know, if both hands of a man be bound, no hope of liber|ty from him&s;elf; but if one be untied, it may do the bro|therly office to unloo&s;e the other: Let us be content to row in a <HI>Sculler</HI> till we can get a pair of <HI>Oars.</HI> And &s;uch &s;urely is the Ingenuity and publick &s;piritne&s;s of the <HI>Peers,</HI> that laying a&s;ide per&s;onal Intere&s;t (which upon debate may appear more) they will &s;u&s;pend their <HI>Rights, Immunities,</HI> and <HI>priviledges,</HI> and &s;ubmit all to the determination of a <HI>Free Parliament</HI> to acquie&s;ce therein.</P>
<P N="17">17. God give our Nation &s;ea&s;onably to under&s;tand their own &s;trength, that the Wars begun may be ended among&s;t our &s;elves before Forreigners become the <HI>Arbitrators</HI> of our differences, who will demand great <HI>wages</HI> for little <HI>work,</HI> yea and turn their owne <HI>Payma&s;ters</HI> thereof. And may that <HI>great General</HI> (who&s;e <HI>Intentions</HI> long have <HI>&s;tood in the dark</HI> to our Nation, whil&s;t our Nations <HI>de&s;ires</HI> were all the while in
<PB N="73" REF="39">
light to him, under&s;tand that <HI>Vox Populi</HI> is <HI>Vox Dei,</HI> and interpret, that God calleth unto him by the <HI>Declarations</HI> of all <HI>Counties,</HI> to be chiefly in&s;trumental in a&s;&s;erting our Li|berties, and we &s;hall have cau&s;e for ever to ble&s;s the day of his Nativity.</P>
<P N="18">18. Indeed had Providence fixed our Nativities under the Duke of <HI>Mu&s;covy,</HI> who&s;e <HI>Li&s;t</HI> is his Subjects <HI>Law,</HI> we would (becau&s;e we <HI>mu&s;t</HI>) work our &s;elves patiently to the obedience of his power. But &s;eeing God hath given us, with St. <HI>Paul,</HI> to be <HI>free-born, Acts</HI> 22. 28. (though al|&s;o, with the <HI>Centurion,</HI> we have <HI>given great &s;umms, not to obtain, but contrive this freedome</HI>) let us not tamely lo&s;e our Birth-right, and vigorou&s;ly endeavour their pre&s;ervation.</P>
<P N="19">19. The Story is well known of the old Woman, who having but a &s;mall parcel of Wood, would lea&s;urably roa&s;t her Goo&s;e&punc;&s;tick by &s;tick, till her wood was all burnt, and her Goo&s;e &s;till raw. If the &s;everal Counties &s;ingly engage one after another, all will be overthrown, and nothing effected as to our relief. Let the two and fifty Shires of <HI>ENGLAND</HI> and <HI>WALES</HI> (with the Ci|ty of <HI>LONDON,</HI> which eminently is two and fifty more) be all as one, and unanimou&s;ly advance the Work, and not doe as they dealt with poor <HI>CHESHIRE,</HI> u&s;ing it as <HI>Joab</HI> u&s;ed <HI>&V;riah,</HI> putting him forward on a|ction, then fal&s;ly ret, eating from him, and leaving him a prey to his enemies. But I hope our old <HI>Shipwracks</HI> will be new <HI>Sea-marks</HI> to us, documented by former nocu|ments, to &s;teer a cour&s;e for the general good.</P>
<P N="20">20. There is &s;o Engli&s;hman &s;o incon&s;iderable, but he may, at the lea&s;t in a &s;ingle capacity, be <HI>contributive</HI> to the happine&s;s of his <HI>Native Country,</HI> the <HI>Wi&s;e</HI> with their <HI>Brains,</HI> the <HI>Rich</HI> with their <HI>Pur&s;es,</HI> the <HI>Learned</HI> with their <HI>Pens,</HI> the <HI>Strong</HI> with their <HI>Per&s;ons,</HI> all with their <HI>Prayers.</HI> And if now they &s;uffer this opportunity which God puts into their <HI>hands,</HI> to &s;lip through their <HI>fingers,</HI> they may hereafter have more <HI>years</HI> to <HI>bemoan</HI> their <HI>folly,</HI> than <HI>minutes</HI> to amend their <HI>mi&s;ery;</HI> it being better now to &s;ay, <HI>We will not,</HI> than three years hence to &s;ay, <HI>We cannot</HI> pay our <HI>Taxes.</HI></P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="statement">
<PB N="74" REF="40">
<HEAD>THE DECLARATION AND ADDRESS <HI>Of the GENTRY of the County of</HI> ESSEX, <HI>who have adhered to the</HI> KING, <HI>and &s;uffered</HI> Impri&s;onment <HI>or</HI> Seque&s;tration, <HI>during the late Troubles.</HI></HEAD>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<OPENER><SALUTE>May it plea&s;e your Excellency,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>WE the Gentlemen of the County of <HI>ESSEX,</HI> taking notice how indu&s;trious &s;ome pernicious and de&s;perate per&s;ons have been to rai&s;e a jea|lou&s;ie, that all who adhered to the KING have &s;uch a a Settlement of rancour and revenge in their hearts, a|gain&s;t tho&s;e who were of a different party, that the ble&s;|&s;ing of a firm and la&s;ting PEACE, &s;o long wi&s;ht for, and now hoped to be in a near Propinquity, is not likely to take its due and de&s;ired effect, have thought fit to expre&s;s the true &s;en&s;e of our hearts, in a <HI>Declaration</HI> which we have enclo&s;ed herein, Conceiving it very fitting, not to make the &s;ame more publick, till it hath fir&s;t arrived at the view of your Excellency, whom God hath been plea|&s;ed to make &s;o &s;ignally eminent in the delivering of this Nation from tho&s;e pre&s;&s;ing mi&s;eries it hath &s;o long lay panting and groaning under; and for which, as we can
<PB N="75" REF="40">
never enough magnifie his mercy, &s;o can we not &s;uffici|ently expre&s;s that high Honour and Re&s;pect which we re|tain in our hearts towards your <HI>Excellency,</HI> the great and worthy in&s;trument he hath been plea&s;ed to make u&s;e of therein.</P>
<CLOSER><SALUTE>MY LORD,</SALUTE> <SIGNED>We &s;ub&s;cribe our &s;elves, Your Excellencies mo&s;t Humble and Devo|ted Servants.</SIGNED>
<DATELINE><HI>Chelmesford,</HI> <DATE>April 17. 1660.</DATE></DATELINE></CLOSER>
<TAILNOTE>
<P><HI>This was &s;ub&s;cribed by the Gentry, who&s;e names are expre&s;&s;ed under the &s;ub&s;equent Declaration, and &s;uper&s;cribed</HI>
To his Excellency the Lord General MONCK.</P>
</TAILNOTE>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="text of statement">
<HEAD>The <HI>DECLARATION.</HI></HEAD>
<P>WHereas Almighty God hath rai&s;ed this di&s;tra|cted Nation to &s;ome hopes of Re-&s;ettlement on Ju&s;t, Known, and la&s;ting Foundations: We magnifie his mercy from the bottom of our hearts, and &s;hall ever pay a mo&s;t grateful Acknowledgment to his <HI>Ex|cellency</HI> the Lord Gen. <HI>MONCK</HI> as the &s;ignal In&s;trument of &s;o great a Deliverance.</P>
<P>And whereas &s;ome pernicious and de&s;perate per&s;ons have laboured to rai&s;e a Jealou&s;ie, that tho&s;e who adhered to the KING doe &s;till in their hearts detain Revenge again&s;t &s;uch as were of a different Party: We think our &s;elves bound to declare to all the World (in the pre&s;ence of God) that we dete&s;t and abhor all thoughts of Animo&s;ity or re|venge again&s;t any Party or Per&s;ons what&s;oever. For as
<PB N="76" REF="41">
we could wi&s;h the late Divi&s;ions had never been <HI>begotten,</HI> &s;o we de&s;ire they may for ever be <HI>buried,</HI> and &s;hall think tho&s;e Per&s;ons the greate&s;t and common Enemies of our Country who &s;hall offer to <HI>revive</HI> them. And we al&s;o de|clare, That we will thankfully &s;ubmit and attend the Re|&s;olutions of the next en&s;uing <HI>Parliament,</HI> for a ju&s;t and hap|py Settlement of <HI>Church</HI> and <HI>State,</HI> that &s;o at la&s;t (by Cods ble&s;&s;ing) that &s;o tho&s;e odious marks of Sides and Parties may for ever be blotted out, and a perfect Union may a|gain be re&s;tored to this di&s;tre&s;&s;ed Nation.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED><LIST>
<ITEM>Edward Ru&s;&s;el, <HI>E&s;q.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> Henry Appleton, <HI>Baronet.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> Benjamin Ayloff, <HI>Baronet.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> Denner Strutt, <HI>Baronet.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> Humfrey Mildemay, <HI>Knight</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> John Tirell, <HI>Knight</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> Granmer Herris, <HI>Knight</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> Edmund Peirce, <HI>Knight</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> Henry Wroth, <HI>Knight</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>William Ayloff, <HI>F&s;q.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>James Altham, <HI>E&s;q.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Gamaliel Capel, <HI>E&s;q.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Anthony Browne, <HI>E&s;q.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Charles Fytche, <HI>E&s;q.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Thomas Argal, <HI>E&s;q.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Stephen Smith, <HI>E&s;q.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Salter Herris, <HI>E&s;q.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Henry Pert, <HI>E&s;q.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>John Fan&s;haw, <HI>E&s;q.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Thomas Roberts, <HI>E&s;q.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Richard Humphrey, <HI>E&s;q.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>John Lynn, <HI>E&s;q.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Dr.</HI> John Michael&s;on,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Richard Symons, <HI>E&s;q.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Anthony Kemp&s;on, <HI>E&s;q.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>William Herris, <HI>E&s;q.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>William Bram&s;ton, <HI>E&s;q.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>John Brown, <HI>Gent.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Nicholas Serle</ITEM>
<ITEM>John Vava&s;our, <HI>Gent.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>John Green, <HI>Gent.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>James Cook&s;on, <HI>Gent.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Fdmund Coole, <HI>Gent.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></SIGNED>
<POSTSCRIPT>
<P><HI>This</HI> Declaration <HI>and</HI> Addre&s;s <HI>was agreed upon by the Sub|&s;cribers at a General Meeting, at</HI> Chelmesford <HI>in</HI> E&s;&s;ex,
<HI>April 17. 1660. Sir</HI> Benjamin Ayloffe, <HI>and Sir</HI> Edmond Peirce <HI>being then appointed and de&s;ired to pre&s;ent them to his</HI> Excellency, <HI>which was done accordingly at St.</HI> James's <HI>the 19th. of the &s;ame Moneth.</HI></P>
</POSTSCRIPT></CLOSER>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="statement">
<PB N="77" REF="41">
<HEAD>A DECLARATION OF THE KNIGHTS and GENTRY In the County of DORSET, Who were in His Late <HI>MAJESTIES</HI> ARMY.</HEAD>
<P>UPon a due con&s;ideration of the dangerous jea|lou&s;ies which are promoted; partly, by the <HI>cunning</HI> of a clo&s;e, and malicious Faction of <HI>Separati&s;ts,</HI> and partly, by the unwarranted Liberties of an heady and intemperate &s;ort of People, which fal&s;ely tearm them|&s;elves <HI>Royalli&s;ts:</HI>&mdash;to the great di&s;&s;ettlement of Sober and well-minded per&s;ons, and &s;ufficient to bla&s;t the hopes we have of returning to our Antient Freedomes, without a more than ordinary appearance of Divine aid, to &s;up|port, and re-unite us in this our Critical nece&s;&s;ity.</P>
<P>We have thought it highly expedient to declare our Seu&s;e, and Re&s;olves, in the particular of adherence to the large&s;t A&s;&s;urances of Amicable Agreement, and Corre&s;|pondence Imaginable: Looking upon our &s;elves as Obli|ged by an Indi&s;pen&s;ible Tye of Religious Charity, to com|pa&s;&s;ionate and forgive one another, as we expect to be for|given: And we do further Declare, that we are &s;o far from ju&s;tifying tho&s;e Unchri&s;tian Animo&s;ities, which reign in di|vers
<PB N="78" REF="42">
turbulent Spirits, even of our own Party (by Repu|tation at lea&s;t) that we di&s;claim any Society with men of tho&s;e wilde Principles; and that to all hone&s;t purpo&s;es, we will never put any difference, betwixt &s;uch as &s;hall now unite with us, in Order to the Publick Peace, and tho&s;e who fir&s;t engaged in the &s;ame per&s;wa&s;ion with our &s;elves, Submitting all to the Re&s;olves of Parliament, upon who&s;e Determinations we be&s;eech God to be&s;tow his Bene|diction.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED><LIST>
<ITEM>Sir <HI>Hugh Windham,</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Sir <HI>Gerard Naper,</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Sir <HI>John Strangwayes,</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Giles Strangwayes,</ITEM>
<ITEM>John Hardy,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Henry Coker,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Edward Hull,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Henry Butler,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Maximilian Mohune,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Robert Mohune,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Henry Hoskins,</ITEM>
<ITEM>James Hoskins,</ITEM>
<ITEM>George Strangwayes,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Nicholas Strangwayes,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Robert Lawrence,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Bruen Lawrence,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Arthur Fookes,</ITEM>
<ITEM>George Brown,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Major &V;dvehall,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Rob. Chamberlain,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Rob. Strode,</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Jo. Strode</HI> of <HI>Slape,</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Humphrey Bi&s;hop,</ITEM>
<ITEM>John Bi&s;hop,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Robert Culliford,</ITEM>
<ITEM>George Cary,</ITEM>
<ITEM>George Penny,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Tho. Turbervile,</ITEM>
<ITEM>George Tubervile,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Tho. Paulet,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Cap. Hoare,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Major Dolline,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Hugh Hodges,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Rich. Willoughby,</ITEM>
<ITEM>John Pe&s;ing,</ITEM>
<ITEM>John Gillin<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">ham&punc;</ITEM>
<ITEM>William El&s;ing,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Robert Ern&s;ly,</ITEM>
<ITEM>John Dawe,</ITEM>
<ITEM>John Fi&s;her,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Ellis Collins.</ITEM>
</LIST></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="statement">
<PB N="79" REF="42">
<HEAD>THE DECLARATION OF THE GENTRY of the County of KENT, Who have adhered to the King, and &s;uffered <HI>Impri&s;onment</HI> or <HI>Seque&s;tration</HI> during the late Troubles.</HEAD>
<P>WHereas it hath plea&s;ed Almighty God, after &s;o many Trialls, and &s;o long Di&s;traction, to rai&s;e us to large hopes of Re&s;ettlement of this Nation upon Ju&s;t, Known, and la&s;ting Foundations; Wee there|fore de&s;ire from our Hearts to render to God the glory of his Mercies, and a full tribute of Honour to his Excellency the Lord General <HI>Monck,</HI> who hath been &s;o eminently In|&s;trumental in the&s;e beginnings of Deliverance.</P>
<P>And fora&s;much as we under&s;tand that &s;ome malicious and de&s;perate per&s;ons (regarding neither the mercies of God, nor the mi&s;eries of their Country) have endeavoured to beget a pernicious Jealou&s;ie, <HI>That tho&s;e who adhered to the King, do &s;till retain a &s;pirit of Revenge again&s;t all that were of a contrary Party:</HI> We do therefore declare in the pre&s;ence of God, that we utterly abhor all Revengeful Thoughts and Actions again&s;t any Party or Per&s;ons what&s;oever. And as we have great rea&s;on to wi&s;h tho&s;e Divi&s;ions had never been <HI>born,</HI> &s;o we hope, and will do our utmo&s;t they may never be <HI>remembred,</HI> and &s;hall look on all per&s;ons as the wor&s;t and
<PB N="80" REF="43">
Common Enemies of this Nation that &s;hall offer to <HI>revive</HI> them. In pur&s;uance whereof we further Declare (as his <HI>Excellencies</HI> Army hath given us a noble Example) that we will thankfully acqui&s;ce in the Re&s;olutions of the next en|&s;uing Parliament for a due and ju&s;t &s;ettlement of <HI>Church</HI> and <HI>State.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED><LIST>
<ITEM><HI>Col.</HI> Richard Spencer, <HI>E&s;quire,</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Thomas Lennard, <HI>E&s;quire,</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Thom. Peyton, <HI>Kt. and Baronet,</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Roger Twy&s;den, <HI>Kt. and Bar.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Edward Hales, <HI>Baronet,</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Richard Hardre&s;s, <HI>Baronet,</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>William Man, <HI>Knight,</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Stephen Lennard, <HI>Knight,</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>John Boys, <HI>Knight,</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Col.</HI> Thomas Colpepper,</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Col.</HI> Edward Wilsford,</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Col.</HI> George Newman,</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Col.</HI> Henry Norwood,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Robert Barnham, <HI>E&s;quire,</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Daniel Tre&s;wel, <HI>E&s;quire,</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Thomas Collepepper, <HI>E&s;quire,</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Thomas Herlackenden, <HI>E&s;q.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Francis Twy&s;den, <HI>E&s;q.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>John Be&s;t, <HI>E&s;q.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Edward Barham, <HI>E&s;q.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Rich. Ma&s;ter <HI>E&s;q.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Francis Clerk, <HI>E&s;q.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Edward Darell, <HI>E&s;q.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>William Rook <HI>E&s;q.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Joh. Boys <HI>of</HI> H<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">ad, <HI>E&s;q.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Wi<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">liam King&s;ley, <HI>E&s;q.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Richard Hul&s;e, <HI>E&s;q.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>James Newman, <HI>E&s;q.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>John Pownoll, <HI>Gent.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>William Somner, <HI>Gen<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="statement">
<PB N="81" REF="43">
<HEAD>A DECLARATION OF THE NOBILITY and GENTRY that adhered to the late KING, in and about the City of LONDON.</HEAD>
<P>AFter the mi&s;eries of a Civil War, and the many vain and fruitle&s;s Attempts toward Settlement up|on &s;everal Intere&s;ts and Imaginary Forms of Go|vernment, It having plea&s;ed Almighty God by unexpe|cted and wonderful meanes to give the&s;e Nations a Pro|bable hope of being re&s;tored to tho&s;e Lawes and Privi|ledges which have been tran&s;mitted to them from their Ance&s;tors.</P>
<P>We doe Declare, That we think our &s;elves obliged, next to Divine Providence to attribute this Glorious Work to his Excellency the Lord General MONCK, who as he had the Courage to a&s;&s;ert the Publick Liberty, And the Prudence to carry it on again&s;t &s;o many difficulties, has al&s;o had the happine&s;&s;e to lead us thus far through the Wilderne&s;s of Confu&s;ion, without Pa&s;&s;ing the Red Sea of Blood.</P>
<P>And becau&s;e the Enemies of the Publick Peace have en|deavoured to repre&s;ent tho&s;e of the KING'S Party as men implacable, and &s;uch as would &s;acrifice the common Good as their private Pa&s;&s;ions. We doe &s;incerely profe&s;s that we doe reflect upon our pa&s;t Sufferings from the hand of
<PB N="82" REF="44">
God, and therefore doe not cheri&s;h any violent Thoughts or Inclinations to have been any way In&s;trumental in them; And if the indi&s;cretion of any Spirited Per&s;ons tran&s;ports them to Expre&s;&s;ions contrary to this our Sen&s;e, we utterly di&s;claim them, And de&s;ire that the imputation may extend no farther than the folly of the offenders.</P>
<P>And we farther declare, that we intend by our Quiet and Peaceable behaviour to te&s;tifie our Submi&s;&s;ion to the pre&s;ent Power, as it now re&s;ides in the Council of State in expectation of the Future Parliament, upon who&s;e Wi&s;edome and Determinations, we tru&s;t God will give &s;uch a Ble&s;&s;ing, as may produce a perfect Settlement both in Church and State.</P>
<P>And as his Excellency hath not cho&s;en the Sandy Founda|tion of Self-concernment, but the firm Rock of National Intere&s;t, whereon to frame our Settlement: It is our Hope and Prayer that when the Building comes to be rai&s;ed, it may not like <HI>Rome</HI> have its beginning in the Blood of Brethren, nor like <HI>Babel</HI> be interrupted by the Confu&s;i|on of Tongues. but that we may all &s;peak one Language, and be of one name, That all mention of Parties and Fa|ctions, and all Rancour and Animo&s;ities may be thrown in and buried like rubbi&s;h under the Foundation.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Sub&s;cribed by
<LIST>
<ITEM><HI>The Marqui&s;s of</HI> Dorche&s;ter</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>The Earl of</HI> Northampton</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>The Earl of</HI> Devon&s;hire</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>The Earl of</HI> Bark&s;hire</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>The Earl of</HI> Dover</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>The Earl of</HI> Peterborough</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>The Earl of</HI> Norwich</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>The Earl of</HI> Corke</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>The Earl of</HI> Carbery</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>The Earl of</HI> De&s;mond</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>The Vi&s;count</HI> Ogle</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>The Vi&s;count</HI> Grandi&s;on</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>The Vi&s;count</HI> Lumley</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>The Vi&s;count</HI> Brounker</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>The Lord</HI> Lucas</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>The Lord</HI> Bella&s;is</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>The Lord</HI> Loughborough</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>The Lord</HI> Lexinton</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>The Lord</HI> Brereton</ITEM>
<ITEM>Tho. Fuller <HI>Bp. of</HI> Kerry</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> William Compton</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> Francis Vane</ITEM>
<ITEM><PB N="83" REF="44">John Ru&s;&s;el</ITEM>
<ITEM>Wil. A&s;hburnham</ITEM>
<ITEM>Edward Villers</ITEM>
<ITEM>Thomas Howard</ITEM>
<ITEM>Will. Howard</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> Jarvis Clifton <HI>Knight and Baronet</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> Tho. Corbet <HI>Bar.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> Tho. Littleton <HI>Bar.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> John Greenvil <HI>Knight and Baronet</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> Wil. Thorold <HI>Bar.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> Tho. Pre&s;twich <HI>Bar.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> Orlando Bridgman</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> Ed. Pie</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> Lewis Kirke</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> Tho. Smith</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> Rob. Stapleton</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> Wil. Coney</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> Nich. Cri&s;p</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> Hugh Cartwright</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> Sutton Cony</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> Henry Chichley</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> Wil. Morton</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> Ed. Savage</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> Tho. Arm&s;trong</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> John Stephens</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> Humph. Bennet</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> Wil. Howard</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> Hen. Wroth</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> Wil. Dacres</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> Rich. Malevory</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> Arthur Gorge</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> Anthony Jack&s;on</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sir</HI> Robert Bolles</ITEM>
<ITEM>George Morley <HI>D. D.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Tho. Warm&s;try <HI>D. D.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Jer. Taylor <HI>D. D.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Phil. King <HI>D. D.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>E. Penrodock</ITEM>
<ITEM>Will. Legg</ITEM>
<ITEM>George Penrodock</ITEM>
<ITEM>Tho. Lower</ITEM>
<ITEM>Herbert Price</ITEM>
<ITEM>Tho. Panton</ITEM>
<ITEM>Robert Ruthen</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Coll.</HI> Fret&s;wel</ITEM>
<ITEM>John Jeffryes</ITEM>
<ITEM>Adrian Scrope</ITEM>
<ITEM>Wil. Burgh</ITEM>
<ITEM>John Mayard</ITEM>
<ITEM>Ed. Ro&s;ecarack</ITEM>
</LIST>
And many others.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
