<!DOCTYPE ETS PUBLIC "-//UMDLPS//DTD EEBOPROOF 2.0//EN">
<ETS>
<TEMPHEAD>
<REVDESCR>
<CHANGE>
<DATE>2007-04-26</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Jonathan Blaney</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>proofed text and revised markup</ITEM>
</CHANGE>
</REVDESCR>
</TEMPHEAD>
<EEBO>
<IDG S="marc" R="OX" ID="A86554">
<STC T="W">H2758</STC>
<STC T="T">E544_3</STC>
<BIBNO T="umi">99862797</BIBNO>
<VID>114973</VID>
</IDG>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>A
DECLARATION
Sent from the Right Honorable
RALPH Lord HOPTON,
To the GENTLEMEN and Inhabitants of <HI>Cornwall,</HI> and the
Counties adjacent.</P>
<P>Concerning his Ingagement for and in behalf of PRINCE
<HI>Charles,
Who now is</HI> King <HI>CHARLES the</HI> Second, <HI>King of</HI>
Great Brittayne, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>And De&s;iring their joynt A&s;&s;i&s;tance to &s;ettle Him in His Crowne
and Dignitie, as He is their Lawfull Soveraigne.</P>
<P>Printed in the Yeer 1649.</P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<PB REF="2">
<PB N="3" REF="2">
<HEAD>A Letter from Ralph Lord Hopton, to the Gentlemen and Inhabitants
of Cornwall and the Counties adjacent.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>GENTLEMEN,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_I Am confident there hath not been wanting
divers ill In&s;truments among&s;t you, who
probably (though I have better thoughts
of your Fidelity) may have drawn &s;ome of
you from your wonted Loyalty and Ale|giance
to your native Prince by Scanda|lous
fal&s;e and forged Reports again&s;t his
Integrity towards you, who are his Natu|rall
Liege <HI>People</HI> and Subjects, and ought
to obey him as your Lawfull King an Governor: And that they doe
or may indeavor to per&s;wade you&punc; That it was or is His intention
to en&s;lave you, and bring upon you a <HI>Tyrannicall Government,</HI> forced
by the &s;word of Forreigners, which fa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;e Lyes, feined Imputations
(to caluminate His good Intentions) peradven<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ure you may &s;ome
of you give credit to, as by &s;ad experience I finde many of the <HI>P<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ople</HI>
of <HI>England</HI> have been too ready to beleeve &s;uch fal&s;ityes foy&s;ted upon
our late Dread Soveraigne of ever Famous Memory, by which
meanes his Vertues were blemi&s;hed, and he rendred odious in the
eyes of the Vulgar, which can<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">d them &s;o Trayterou&s;ly and unju&s;t|ly
by &s;ilence to permit that inhumane murder perpretrated upon his
Sacred Per&s;on; They being &s;patiou&s;ly promis'd after his Death to
enjoy their Liberties, then which nothing is le&s;&s;e intended by the
promi&s;ers, neither is it in their power to performe, nor in Rea&s;on
for the <HI>People</HI> to beleeve, &s;o long as there is any of the blood Royal
left to lay claime to the Crown and Kingdom, which cannot be ea|&s;ily
extingui&s;h'd, or can there ever be any true grounds or hopes of
Peace whil&s;t there is forrein Ayde &s;ufficient to be obtained &s;till to
keep the Land in Gar-Broyles and Cumbu&s;tions, which will
<PB N="4" REF="3">
undoubtedly be attempted by all Chri&s;tian Princes, unle&s;&s;e you
unanimou&s;ly and joyntly with &s;peed doe endeavor to E&s;tabli<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="2 letters">
your King, (who now is CHARLES the <HI>Second</HI>) without <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 word">
Him to invite Forrein Ayde to His A&s;&s;i&s;tance, which he is un|willing
to doe, knowing that the impoveri&s;hing and de&s;troying of
His Subjects will be His lo&s;&s;e in the end.</P>
<P>But if you doe refu&s;e him your ayde, in this you mu&s;t excu&s;e him,
if he attempt by other hands to procure his owne. It is not un|known
to many (it not all) of you, how unju&s;t the &s;ufferings of
our late Soveraigne were and how reall an Endeavorer He ever
was of His Kingdoms Peace, and Subjects <HI>Liberty,</HI> yet It could not
formerly be beleeved, now His Actions have manife&s;ted <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 word">, He ha|ving
&s;ealed it with his blood, rather then to infringe His Oath, and
admit of any illegall Court (as that pretended Court of Ju&s;tice is,
which took away His life) which might de&s;troy <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 word"> in His
Subjects, or violate the Fundamentall Laws of the Land; you may
be plea&s;ed to remember how often, and with how much alacrity
He did offer to agree upon any termes (as may appear by <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 word"> Con|c<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;&s;ions
when he was in a Treaty with the two Hou&s;es of Parlia|ment
in the Ile of <HI>Wight</HI>) although &s;omething di&s;honourable and
in part to in&s;lave Him&s;elf and Po&s;terity for the good of His Three
Kingdoms, and a &s;ettlement of Peace among&s;t His Subjects; I will
not, I hope I need not to cite you former Precidents of His Integri|ty
to pre&s;erve the Lawes and Liberties of his Land and People,
which he of my knowledge (during the time he had the &s;word in
His hand) was ever carefull to keep inviolable; Let this &s;uffice for
a Pre&s;ident of the unju&s;t Sufferings of our late di&s;cea&s;ed Soveraigne;
And to make known to you the thing to which my Duty and Alle|giance
doth binde me concerning Prince <HI>Charles,</HI> by who&s;e Com|mi&s;&s;ion
and Authority I Act, and who is Heire aparent to the King|dome
of <HI>England,</HI> and all the Dominions which were His Fathers.
Although kept thence by the &s;ame Trayterous u&s;urped Power that
His Royall Father was murdered by: Now for, and in behalfe of
Him, as He is our Lawfu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">l King, His late Father being di&s;cea&s;ed: I
doe de&s;ire you to reflect upon your Oath of Allegiance, which I am
confident many of you have took, and according as by that Oath
you are bound to u&s;e the be&s;t meanes you may, and to the uttermo&s;t
of your Power endeavor an E&s;tabli&s;hment for Him in this King|dome,
<PB N="5" REF="3">
as His Predece&s;&s;ors King of <HI>England</HI> have had; and like
true Subjects that you will acknowledge Him for your King, and
His Royall Per&s;on De<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">end and protect again&s;t all Traytors and
Treacherous Attempts which &s;hall or may be made again&s;t Him by
any u&s;urped pretended <HI>Power</HI> of Parliament, or other which &s;hall
di&s;alow or di&s;avow His Government.</P>
<P><HI>Gentlemen,</HI></P>
<P>I Hope you can not chu&s;e but be &s;atisfyed in your Con&s;ciences of the
lawfulne&s;s of my Soveraigns Cau&s;e, and my Demands for him,
which is no other but for his owne Birthright. And I doubt not
but you are very &s;en&s;ible how weakly your <HI>Liberties</HI> and <HI>Lawes</HI> are
likely to be pre&s;erved by tho&s;e pretended u&s;urping Magi&s;trates in
who&s;e hands they now are, and how your promis'd <HI>Freedome</HI> is
turn'd to Slavery and Bondage by an Arbitrary Tyrannicall Go|vernment,
farre wor&s;e then ever the King could exerci&s;e upon you,
though he were the greate&s;t Tyrant, by rea&s;on he in &s;uch ca&s;es is li|mited
by the Known <HI>Lawes,</HI> which the&s;e are not, but onely their
Wills is Law to doe any thing maintained by the Sword, without
all colour of Law or Ju&s;tice.</P>
<P>I could inlarge my &s;elf further, and in&s;tance you many things
which might make you more &s;en&s;ible of your approaching Ruine, if
you doe not &s;uddenly Crowne and &s;ettle your Lawfull King, but I
&s;hall forbeare at pre&s;ent, by rea&s;on I doe not much doubt your Loy|alty,
having had pritty good experience of it formerly; I &s;hall one|ly
therefore publi&s;h to you this following <HI>Declaration,</HI> whereby to
manife&s;t the reallity of my Intentions to my King and Countries
Weale, and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 word"> happine&s;&s;e; And &s;o &s;hall leave you to the An|&s;wer,
which if it be done according to my Expectation and good
Opinion of your Fidelity, you &s;hall finde my faithfull and true A&s;&s;i|&s;tance
ready upon all Occa&s;ions to back your undertakings. Thus
much at pre&s;ent, hoping you will not faile to pro&s;ecute your Alegi|ance
and Loyalty,</P>
<CLOSER><HI>I remaine,</HI>
<SALUTE>Gentlemen,</SALUTE>
<SIGNED>Your Affectionate Friend, and
lover of the Kingdoms <HI>Peace,</HI>
and Subjects <HI>Liberty,</HI> R. H.</SIGNED>
<DATELINE>From the Navy Royall,
<DATE>this 8. <HI>of</HI> Febr. 1648.</DATE></DATELINE></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="declaration">
<PB N="6" REF="4">
<HEAD>The Declaration of the Honourable RALPH
Lord HOPTON.</HEAD>
<P>VVHereas there is a tyrannous, murthering, blood|thir&s;ty
and rebellious ARMY under the immedi|ate
Conduct of Generall Lord <HI>Fairfax,</HI> who have
cu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">d out from the late Hou&s;e of Commons a &s;e|lect
number of pernicious factious Rebels, men of very de&s;perate
principles with whom they are a&s;&s;ociated, and call them&s;elves the
Commons of <HI>England</HI> in Parliament a&s;&s;embled, and a&s;&s;ume the Le|gi&s;lative
power of the Kingdome to be in them, (a thing never
before heard of) by which they have di&s;abled the Lords for e|ver
having any voyce in Parliament, but as members of the Com|mons
Hou&s;e and have by their pretended power con&s;tituted a
Court of Ju&s;tice as they call it, only to mock ju&s;tice, and intro|duce
tyranny under a faire colour by pretence of doing ju&s;tice to
in&s;lave the Nation, and make all men to &s;ubmit unto their unheard
of Authority: by which illegall Court, they have traiterou&s;ly and
like unparaleld Regici is murdered their lawfull King to &s;atisfie
their libidinous blood-thir&s;ty appetites, which was never ful enough
gorg'd with the blood of &s;ubjects, but mu&s;t needs dip their hands
and dy their black &s;ouls &s;carlet with the innocent blood of the be&s;t
of kings to upold their wicked Democracy and Anarchical tyranny;
likewi&s;e they have manife&s;ted (&s;ince that wicked fact parpetrated
upon their Soveraign) by their mock-acts and proclamations; that
any one &s;hall be proceeded again&s;t as a traitor that doth proclaime
the Prince (who is now our lawful King by hereditory &s;ucce&s;&s;ion)
or any other to be King or chief Magi&s;trate, which the kingdome
<PB N="7" REF="4">
of <HI>England</HI> without their con&s;ent (which doubtle&s;&s;e &s;hall never be
obtained,) as may appear by all other circum&s;tances, probable con|&s;equences
of their actions.</P>
<P>All which are very plaine Te&s;timonies&punc; that they intend nothing
le&s;&s;e then to &s;ubvert the Auncient Lawes and Con&s;titutions of this
Kingdome; by which the People of <HI>England</HI> are made capable to en|joy
their E&s;tates, with more Propriety, of which each &s;ubject will
be ab&s;olutely di&s;poyled, and their E&s;tates Goods and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">ives laid open
to their fellow &s;ubjects (now more i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"> authority then Kings) wills;
all which foregoing ob&s;urdities and illegall Practi&s;es, but e&s;pecially
that horrid De&s;igne of murdering their King may be &s;ufficient mo|tives
to &s;tir up all m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ns hearts who have any &s;parks of g<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ace in
them to a&s;&s;i&s;t their King in &s;o ju&s;t a Quarrell as his is again&s;t &s;uch
de<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">perate Mon&s;ters, who&s;e delight is to be drunke with Blood:
and bring all good men into Bondage. Now if there be any a|mong&s;t
them who wi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"> (as it becomes their Loyalty and Alegiance)
leave the&s;e wicked <HI>Machiavel<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">s,</HI> and repayre to me, to &s;erve in be|half
of their KING, they &s;hall not onely be civilly entertained,
and receive pardon and Indempnity for what they have formerly
done, but they &s;hall al&s;o be accommodated and rewarded according
to their Degrees and Worth.</P>
<P>I could &s;p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ak of the Church Government, which was once a great
Pretence of their Quarrell, but now is lay'd a&s;ide as a thing imper|tinent,
and Religion become a confu&s;ed <HI>Chaos</HI> of Sects without all
forme or &s;hape. Really I &s;hould thinke, if they were not guilty of
any other crime but the abhorred murder of their King, it would be
enough to make <HI>Vengeance</HI> with thunder-clapps to ring Peals in their
eares from each part of the Compa&s;&s;e, as I am confident, ere long it
will give &s;hrill Alarms to their blood-&s;tained Con&s;ciences, rather
to give all People Satisfaction concerning my Ingagement, in pro|&s;ecution
of which I'am ready to hazzard that which is mo&s;t dear to
me, even my life and Fortune, as by my duty to God, and Alegiance
to my King, I am obliged;
(<HI>Viz.</HI>)</P>
<P><PB N="8" REF="5">
<LABEL>I.</LABEL>
To defend my lawfull King (<HI>Charles</HI> the &s;econd) from the vio|lence
of all his enemies, and to endeavour &s;o much as I may a
&s;etlement for him in his ju&s;t rights, Regall anthority, Kingly power
and dignity again&s;t all oppo&s;ers which &s;hall by any meanes impe|dite
and hinder His Royall Per&s;on from being King and chief Ma|gi&s;trate
on the realmes of England Scotland and Ireland, with
all other dominions which of light did belong to His Royall
Father.</P>
<P><LABEL>II.</LABEL>
I will endeavour to propogate and increa&s;e the true Prote&s;tant
Religion, the ju&s;t rights and priviledges of Parliament, and likewi&s;e
the ancient and fundamentall Lawes of the land e&s;tabli&s;hed by act
of King, Lords, and Commons.</P>
<P><LABEL>III.</LABEL>
I do declare that I have no intention to in&s;lave the Subjects,
nor never &s;hall con&s;ent or a&s;&s;ent to have any Tyrannicall power
exerci&s;ed upon them; but &s;hall maintain and defend their free|domes
and liberties in as ample manner, according to the Lawes
of the land, as I will the Per&s;on and power of my Soveraign Lord
and King, whom God pre&s;erve and make pro&s;perous as ever any
of his Predece&s;&s;ors were.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
<BACK>
<DIV1 TYPE="postscript">
<HEAD>POSTSCRIPT.</HEAD>
<P>THis may be a &s;ufficient pledge to you of my reallity, I hope
you do not doubt it; when I was among&s;t you, it is known I
did pre&s;erve you, and did Permit no injuries by any to be done to
you; and &s;o will ever do, if you willingly entertaine me in the name
of my Lord and King: in who&s;e commi&s;&s;ion I am the &s;ame I was in
His loyall Fathers dayes.</P>
</DIV1>
</BACK>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
