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<NAME>Alexis Jakobson</NAME>
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<P><HI>The &s;econd Part</HI> OF ENGLANDS New-Chaines DISCOVERED:</P>
<P>Or a &s;ad Repre&s;entation of the uncertain and dangerous condition of the COMMON-WEALTH:</P>
<P>DIRECTED To the Supreme Authority of <HI>England,</HI> the Repre&s;entors of the People in Parliament a&s;&s;embled.</P>
<P>By &s;everall wel-affected per&s;ons inhabiting the City of <HI>London, We&s;tminster,</HI> the Borough of <HI>Southwark, Hamblets,</HI> and places adjacent, pre&s;enters and approvers of the late large Petition of the Eleventh of <HI>September.</HI> 1648.</P>
<P>And as it is avowed by Lievtenant Colonel <HI>John Lilburn,</HI> Mr. <HI>Richard Overton,</HI> and Mr. <HI>Tho-Prince,</HI> upon perill of their lives; and for which they are now committed to the Tower as <HI>Traytors.</HI></P>
<P><HI>London,</HI> Printed in the Year, 1649.</P>
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<HEAD>To the Supreme Authority of <HI>ENGLAND,</HI> the Repre&s;entors of the People, in Parliament A&s;&s;embled.</HEAD>
<HEAD>THE Sad Repre&s;entation <HI>of the uncertain and dangerous Conditi|on of the Common-wealth: By the Pre&s;enters and Approvers of the Large</HI> Petition <HI>of the</HI> 11. <HI>of</HI> September, 1648.</HEAD>
<P>IF our hearts were not over-charged with the &s;en&s;e of the pre|&s;ent mi&s;eries and approching dangers of the Nation, your &s;mal regard to our late &s;erious Apprehen&s;ions, would have kept us &s;ilent; but the mi&s;ery, danger, and bondage threatned is &s;o great, imminent, and apparent, that whil&s;t we have breath, and are not violently re&s;trained, we cannot but &s;peak, and even cry aloud, until you hear us, or God be plea&s;ed otherwaies to relieve us.</P>
<P>Nor &s;hould you in rea&s;on be with-held from con&s;idering what we pre&s;ent you withal, through any &s;trangene&s;s that appeareth there in; For what was more incredible, than that a Parliament tru&s;ted by the people to deliver them from all kinds of oppre&s;&s;i|on, and who made &s;o liberal effu&s;ion of their bloud, and wa&s;te, of their e&s;tates (upon preten&s;e of doing thereof) &s;hould yet &s;o &s;oon as they were in power, oppre&s;s with the &s;ame kind of oppre&s;&s;ions, which yet was true in the times of <HI>Hollis</HI> and <HI>Stapletons</HI> faction, and who, (as the King and Bi&s;hops had done before) laboured for an Army to back and perpetuate them therein.</P>
<P>Nor were our Petitions then pre&s;ented (wherein we ju&s;tly com|plained of tho&s;e oppre&s;&s;ions, and fore-warned them of the dan|ger
<PB N="2" REF="3">
en&s;uing) the le&s;s con&s;iderable for their burning them by the hand of the common hangman; Nor the Petitioners the more blame-worthy for being reproched with the names of Athei&s;ts, Hereticks, and &s;editious Sectaries (as now with Je&s;uite, and Le|velier) A&s;per&s;ions being the known marks of corrupt State&s;-men, and u&s;ually working no other effect, but the di&s;credit of the A&s;|per&s;ers. Yet were there then many who believed their reports of us, and they were as impatient with us, for our taxing them with their wicked and pernicious de&s;igns, as others are now for our pre&s;uming to detect them, who are &s;o high in pre&s;ent power and repuration: But it is now evident, that it is po&s;&s;ible for our Phy&s;itians to bring us into a more dangerous condition than they found us.</P>
<P>And though experience hath made us wofully &s;en&s;ible, that no|thing is more dangerous to any people than their bearing with unju&s;t, covertous, or ambitions practi&s;es in tho&s;e they tru&s;t; Yet did we forbear to interpo&s;e our judgements, or to oppo&s;e tho&s;e mens de&s;igns, until they had made a large progre&s;s toward our bondage, and endeavoured to gra&s;p the power of the Army into their hands, thereby to enforce their Tyrannie upon us; in&s;omuch that it was almo&s;t too late to give check to their wicked intenti|ons: &s;o unwilling were we to believe it po&s;&s;ible for men who all along pretended liberty and redre&s;s of grievances, to degenerate &s;o &s;oon into the gro&s;&s;e&s;t Principles and practi&s;es of long &s;etled Tyrannies.</P>
<P>And much more do our Con&s;ciences bear us witne&s;s of our backwardne&s;s to believe any evil intentions in tho&s;e who not on|ly were mo&s;t vigorous and &s;ucce&s;sful again&s;t the common enemy, but &s;eemed &s;o &s;en&s;ible of the inju&s;tice and trechery of that preva|lent faction in Parliament, as to engage with the utmo&s;t of their might, as if they had really intended to deliver the Nation from that dangerous thraldom, &s;o that we both dur&s;t, and did many of as, venture our lives upon their fidelity; Yea &s;o powerful, per&s;wa|&s;ive, and contentful were their fir&s;t Engagements, Papers, and Remon&s;trances, to fraught with &s;elf-denying Doctrines, tender re|gard to the peace of the Nation, and &s;atisfaction to all intere&s;ts; as even lulled all peaceable People into a &s;ound &s;leep of &s;ecurity, ca|&s;ting all their care upon the General Councel of the Army, as up|on a People they thought could never have the face to decline ei|ther tho&s;e principles, or to neglect the performance of &s;o many en|gagements,
<PB N="3" REF="3">
promi&s;es, and prote&s;tations, made as in the pre&s;ence of the all-&s;eeing God, frequently calling upon him, the &s;earcher of all hearts, to bear witne&s;s to their integrity and &s;incerity therein: In&s;o|much that we (who alwaies with &s;ome warine&s;&s;e ob&s;erved them) many times denyed our own under&s;tandings rather than we would draw ha&s;ty conclu&s;ions from evident te&s;timonies of their defection.</P>
<P>But when after they had once &s;leighted the Agitators. and di&s;|countenanced tho&s;e Officers and Souldiers, who fir&s;t engaged a|gain&s;t the de&s;tructive Votes of Parliament; &s;uch as &s;tood firm to their engagements at New-market, and Triploe Heath: when we &s;aw they not only neglected them, but adhered to per&s;ons &s;ent from Parliament and City, in tho&s;e corrupted times, and fell im|mediately to plead for Negative Voyces in the King, and Lords; checking and controuling th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;e that oppo&s;ed: When we under|&s;tood their General Councels (which according to their engage|ments ought to have con&s;i&s;ted only of two &s;elect Commi&s;&s;ion Officers, and two private Souldiers, cho&s;en by every Regiment, with &s;uch General Officers as a&s;&s;ented to the Engagement, and no other) were neverthele&s;&s;e overgrown with Collonels, Lieut. Collonels, Majors, and others, not cho&s;en; and many of them di&s;&s;en<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ers from the &s;aid Engagement; and that &s;ome few emi|nent per&s;ons pre&s;um'd above mea&s;ure therein, and in effect over|awed and controuled tho&s;e Councels: and that the contrivance of a Coun&s;el of State, was the great engine which tho&s;e Councels la|boured to bring about: when we found them not only to Court the King, by ki&s;&s;ing his hand, and the like, and that a corre&s;pon|dency was held between him and the General Officers, and A|gents &s;ent to and fro continually, whereby they came to &s;o neer a clo&s;e, as that their Propo&s;als were not only received, but corrected and amended by the King, before they were &s;ent to the Hou&s;e, till they became very con&s;i&s;tent with his ends and Prerogative: and tho&s;e Officers &s;o engaged thereby, as to be moved to impatience towards any that &s;pake a &s;illable again&s;t this their trafique and in|tercour&s;e with him: upon which likewi&s;e, they concluded an Agreement with the oppo&s;ing Cittizens of London, without &s;o muc<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> as calling the Agitators to advize thereupon. Seeing, Hearing, and Vnder&s;tanding the&s;e things, no marvel if we were &s;taggered in our Belee&s;e of their integrity.</P>
<P>But that a per&s;on &s;o deeply charged as the Earl of Manche&s;ter, and other grand &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">lf-&s;eekers of this Hou&s;e &s;hould be entertained with &s;o great re&s;pect, and guarded to their places in Parliament,
<PB N="4" REF="4">
and that notwith&s;tanding the prevailing power of the Army, tho&s;e who had u&s;urped the Authority of the Hou&s;e, and Voted a new warre, were neverthele&s;&s;e permitted to &s;it and Vote there, and that contrary to the importunate de&s;ires of the Agitators, and the Remon&s;trance of the Army: and then one of the fir&s;t fruits of this their conjunction was the pa&s;&s;ing of an Ordinance for Tythes, upon trebble dammages, which the corrupt Clergy had pre&s;en|ted (in the ab&s;ence of the Speaker) to <HI>Pelhams</HI> Parliament; and the burning of Mr <HI>Biddles</HI> Book, by the Common Hangman; and impri&s;oning his per&s;on: and that notwith&s;tanding their glorious March through London, the prerogative Pri&s;oners in the Tower, New-gate, and el&s;e where, were utterly neglected, and the Councel of tho&s;e friends &s;leighted, who had been in&s;trumental, e|ven to the lo&s;&s;e of &s;ome, and the hazard of all their lives, to make an ea&s;ie and unbloudy pa&s;&s;age for the Army into Southwark and the City. Vpon ob&s;ervation of the&s;e and abundant more particu|lars, which we could enumerate, we concluded, that the Councels of the Army were not &s;teered as at their fir&s;t engagement, by the &s;elect per&s;ons cho&s;en thereunto, nor for the ends in that engage|ment expre&s;&s;ed; but by &s;ome other powerfull and; over-ruling in|fluences, that intended other matters then were pretended, a d|that laboured by all po&s;&s;ible means to convert the hone&s;t endea|vours of good men in the Army, and el&s;e-where, and the happy &s;ucce&s;&s; God had ble&s;&s;ed them withall, to the advantage of their Lu&s;ts, Pride, and Domination: And as time came on, it more and more appeared, that they intended meerly the e&s;tabli&s;hment of them&s;elves in power and greatne&s;&s;e, without: any regard at all to the peformance of their promi&s;es and engagements, or any re|&s;pect to the faith and credit of the Army, or to the peace and pro|&s;perity of the Common wealth, and that they walked by no rules or principles either of hone&s;ty or con&s;cience; but (as meer polli|titians, were governed altogether by acca&s;ion, and as they &s;aw a po&s;&s;ibility of making progre&s;s to their de&s;igns, which cour&s;e of theirs they ever termed a waiting upon providence, that with co|lour of Religion they might deceive the more &s;ecurely.</P>
<P>Now that this may appear no &s;lander, we entreat that without partiality, their after proceedings may be throughly &s;can'd: as fir&s;t, at <HI>King&s;ton</HI> it was propo&s;ed by the Agitators, friends of <HI>London, Southwark,</HI> and the places adjacent, that the Tower, City, and
<PB N="5" REF="4">
Borough, might be &s;ecured by the well-affected Inhabitants, and not by Souldiers, that &s;o trade and traffique might be pre&s;erved, which otherwi&s;e would be driven away (as it &s;oon after proved) And that it was hoped they intended not to &s;ecure any place by Souldiers, when the wel-affected Inhabitants were able to &s;ecure it. Which advi&s;e proceeded as well from ourre&s;pects to the City and neighbour places, as upon fears of what we know to be the pra|cti&s;e of other Tyrants (and therefore doubted would be exerci&s;ed by tho&s;e) namely, the gari&s;oning great Towns, thereby to keep the people, as well in poverty, as in continual aw and &s;ubjection.</P>
<P>Which advi&s;e, though a&s;&s;ented unto by the Agitators, was yet re|jected by the grand Officers, and a new Regiment rai&s;ed, to the further charge of the Common-wealth; the Propo&s;ers them&s;elves being di&s;mi&s;&s;ed with reproches, and the Agitators thru&s;t out, and not permitted to ob&s;erve how they were dealt withal.</P>
<P>At which time al&s;o its very remarkable with how much height of State they ob&s;erved the King at <HI>Hampton</HI> Court, vi&s;iting him them&s;elves, and permiting thou&s;ands of people dayly to vi&s;it him, to ki&s;s his hand, and to be healed by him, whereby his party in the City, and every where, were exceedingly animated, his Agents be|ing as familiar at the head-quarters, as at the Court. Then on a &s;ud|den, when the Hou&s;e complyed not with their purpo&s;es, in all ha&s;t it was to be purged, and thereupon they publi&s;h a large Remon|&s;trance, <HI>Aug.</HI> 18. &s;tuffed with publike rea&s;ons, to &s;hew the ju&s;tne&s;s and nece&s;&s;ity thereof: but the Hou&s;e again complying, through the &s;ight of their Remon&s;trance, though no whit changed in re&s;pect of its corruption; &amp; they finding, if it were purged, it would not be for their de&s;ign; they make nothing of their former re&s;olution, but continue it in its corrupt condition, and &s;it with them them&s;elves.</P>
<P>Then they fall to work again about the King and &s;end the pro|po&s;itions of <HI>New-ca&s;tle</HI> to him, which they knew, and were a|greed he &s;hould not &s;ign; in the mean time, they &s;o wrought the King by deep promi&s;es, and hopes of re&s;tauration, as that <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> incli|ned much to countenance the Army, gave out words in t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">eir fa|vour, and in his an&s;wer to the Hou&s;e, prefer<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">d their Prop<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;als, be|fore the Parliaments Propo&s;itions; in lieu thereof, the great ones of the Army them&s;elves, endeavoured the revival of a Tre<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">y and &s;ome of them in the Hou&s;e, were very violent again&s;t <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> no more Addre&s;s, and expre&s;&s;ed it wa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> the &s;en<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e of the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> further Addre&s;s &s;hould be made, and that except they <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">
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Addre&s;&s;es of another nature to the King, they could not promi&s;e them the a&s;&s;i&s;tance of the Army; and according they take pains to work every man at the head-quarters; upon which, petitions were attempted in the Army, in favour of a Treaty, and &s;ome con|&s;cientious, but weak people, were drawn to &s;econd their de&s;ign, with a Petition for a Per&s;onal Treaty, which they had ready at the Hou&s;e dore.</P>
<P>The&s;e &s;trange and my&s;terious proceedings occa&s;ion'd a new face of things in the Army, many of the Officers being much di&s;ta&s;ted thereat, &amp; whole Regiments chu&s;ing new Agents to look after the publike, as fearing things were runing head-long into a mo&s;t dan|gerous condition: The far greater number of the Officers, would not by any means indure to hear of the Armies complaince with the King, and the Agents finding all former engagements, promi|&s;es, and declarations broken, and utterly neglected, and the Com|mon wealth in danger of utter di&s;&s;olution, produce an <HI>Agreement of the People, upon grounds of Common Right, for uniting of all un|prejudiced people therein;</HI> the great Officers very much oppo&s;e it a while, as having &s;et up another Intere&s;t: but &s;eing the &s;ame take with the Army, profe&s;s <HI>though at pre&s;ent their judgements could not &s;o far clo&s;e with it as to act for it, yet they would never oppo&s;e it.</HI> Hereupon the whole frame of the de&s;ign alters, and the matters in projection with them, were how to di&s;-ingage them&s;elves, and be rid of the King, and how likewi&s;e to di&s;countenance and keep un|der the di&s;cerning party in the Army. In order to the fir&s;t, they ca&s;t about how to get the King into the I&s;le of <HI>Wight,</HI> where they might both ea&s;ier keep others from him, and the more entirely po&s;&s;e&s;s him them&s;elves; and that he might with willingne&s;s be hurried thither, they work upon his fear; &s;ugge&s;ting to him, that there was an intention in &s;ome violent per&s;ons to murder him, and per&s;wade him to leave that in a letter, as the cau&s;e of his remove. To make which the more credible, they wrought L. Col. <HI>Hen. Lil|burn</HI> to a&s;per&s;e his brother <HI>John</HI> (who then &s;tood in the way of the great men of the Army) with a ba&s;e &amp; abhorrid re&s;olution of being one that intended to murder the King; to the proof whereof they would never &s;uffer the A&s;per&s;er to be brought (though &s;olicited thereunto by a Petition from divers well-affected per&s;ons) but in|&s;teed thereof, for that perfideous &s;ervice, they advanced him to the government of <HI>Tinmouth</HI> Ca&s;tle, above his brother <HI>Robert,</HI> where
<PB N="7" REF="5">
retaining the leven of his Apo&s;tacy, which the Gen. Officers had laid in him, he u&s;&s;ered the de&s;erved reward of a perfidious traytor.</P>
<P>And though the General Officers enclined him to this revolt them&s;elves, as well by their example, as by countenancing him in the beginning hereof; and though for the &s;ame he incurred the extreme di&s;plea&s;ure of his Father, and Kindred, yet are both his Father and Kindred by the Officers them&s;elves and their A&s;&s;oci|ates a&s;per&s;ed with the fact, as if tainted with guilt and contammi|nation thereof.</P>
<P>Thus did they kill two birds with one &s;tone, framing a Name for them which of all others is mo&s;t di&s;ta&s;tefull to the People, and was therefore mo&s;t likely to beget a beleef of the pretended a&s;&s;a&s;|&s;ination.</P>
<P>Where (by the way) we de&s;ire it may be ob&s;erved, that not|with&s;tanding the word <HI>Leveller</HI> was framed and ca&s;t upon all tho&s;e in the Army (or el&s;ewhere) who are again&s;t any kind of Tyranny, whether in King, Parliament, Army, Councel of State, &amp;c. And though it was not &s;o much as beleeved to concern tho&s;e upon whom they ca&s;t it, the inventers having often profe&s;&s;ed as much, yet have they both them&s;elves and by their In&s;truments in|du&s;triou&s;ly propagated the &s;ame, and in&s;inuated both this and o|ther &s;landers of us into the hearts of all the ea&s;y and credulous people they could meet withall.</P>
<P>But to returne, The King thus removed, they judge them&s;elves at good lei&s;ure to deal with the Agreers for the People, and &s;o &s;uddainly violent they became in that work, that at the fir&s;t Ran|dezvous neer Ware, they &s;hot a Souldier to death, for pur&s;uing the ends of the Engagement at New-market, and for in&s;i&s;ting upon the Agreement for the People: unworthily abu&s;ed Major <HI>Skott,</HI> a Member of this Hou&s;e, &s;ent him up a pri&s;oner, and accu&s;ed him and Col. <HI>Rains borough</HI> for appearing in behalf of the Agreement, and there withall &s;ent Col. <HI>Ayres,</HI> Major <HI>Cobbet,</HI> Capt. <HI>Bray,</HI> and many others after them pri&s;oners to Wind&s;or, where, as Parties, Judges, and Juries, the Officers did what they would again&s;t them, &s;entencing &s;ome to deata, others to di&s;gracefull puni&s;h|ments, re&s;training and relea&s;ing at plea&s;ure, and with as much Ar|birrarine&s;&s;e as ever was in the world, and could not be di&s;waded though Mr <HI>Saltmar&s;h</HI> and others bore full re&s;timony again&s;t the cruelty and inju&s;tice thereof. Hereupon at the Hou&s;e they pro|cured at once the impri&s;onment of five cordial Citizens, for ju&s;ti|fying
<PB N="8" REF="6">
the Agreement of the People, and requiring Ju&s;tice for the blood of the Souldier that was &s;hot at Ware, disfranchized them, and under the notion of London Agents forbad their meetings. And when now they thought they had moulded and qualified the Army to their own bent, and had gratified their complying Offi|cers, with the cruelty upon the Levellers, (for &s;o they have &s;tiled all who have manife&s;ted any &s;ence of Common Right) and had found that they could be nothing &s;o great, rich, and potent, upon a clo&s;e with the King, and that it would be impo&s;&s;ible for them to hold either Officer or Souldier firm to them, in ca&s;e of &s;uch com|po&s;ure. Hereupon uterly to fru&s;trate his hopes that way, they pre|vail with the Hou&s;e to Vote no more Addre&s;&s;es; and &s;o vani&s;ht away all their glorious flattery of the King and his Party, and their notorious di&s;&s;imulation appeared, abu&s;ing thereby the Faith of the Army, and making it cleer to all di&s;cerning men, that &s;uch as could &s;o break with one &s;ort of men, will make no Con&s;cience of keeping faith with any.</P>
<P>Their next work was to new-mould the City, and make it theirs, for which purpo&s;e they brought &s;ome Regiments of Hor&s;e and Foot, to White Hall and the Mu&s;e, to the extreme di&s;content of the City, and provoke them further by keeping their Lord Mayor, and &s;ome of their Aldermen in the Tower, without ad|mitting them to a Legal Tryal, though upon Petitions and ear|ne&s;t De&s;ires: at la&s;t they were referred to be tryed by the Lords, contrary to the known Law of the Land; but their juri&s;diction being di&s;claimed, after a while they were relea&s;ed without any Tryal at all, their end being accompli&s;ht, which was the terror of the City, and changing the Magi&s;trates thereof, &s;o as &s;hould be&s;t &s;erve their de&s;ignes.</P>
<P>About this time al&s;o they began to exerci&s;e their Mar&s;hal pow|er over per&s;ons not of the Army, and did &s;entence Mr <HI>William Thom&s;on</HI> to death at White Hall. And then al&s;o they began to new moddel the Army, and for that end, (though the new rai&s;ed Regiment for the Tower was thought no burthen, yet upon pre|tence of ea&s;ing the charge of the Common wealth, the Life-Guard mu&s;t be disbanded, becau&s;e con&s;i&s;ting of di&s;cerning men, faithfull to their Country and former promi&s;es, and many others of like principles were pickt out of every Regiment; the de&s;igne being by weeding the choi&s;e&s;t and be&s;t re&s;olved men, to make the Army wholy mercenary, &s;lavi&s;h, and the Executioners of a few mens lu&s;ts and lawle&s;&s;e Plea&s;ures.</P>
<P><PB N="9" REF="6">
All which tho&s;e good men perceiving and re&s;olving thereupon not to be disbanded, according to the Agreement at <HI>New market,</HI> till the ends therein expre&s;&s;ed were fully gained, they were en|forced there nto by <HI>Tyrannicall &s;entences</HI> of <HI>Imprsonment</HI> and Death (though the Officers them&s;elves had formerly refu&s;ed to disband upon command of <HI>Parliament</HI> upon the &s;ame grounds and &s;trength of the &s;ame engagement:) By all which 'tis evident, that acording to the <HI>maxime</HI> of <HI>Polititions,</HI> they judge them&s;elves loo&s;e, where other men are bound; and that <HI>all Obligations</HI> are to them <HI>Tran&s;itory</HI> and <HI>Ceremoniall,</HI> and that indeed every thing is good and ju&s;t only, as <HI>it is conducting to their corrupt and ambitious Intere&s;ts.</HI></P>
<P>And thus the mo&s;t hopefull opportunity that ever <HI>England</HI> had for recovery of our <HI>Freedom,</HI> was &s;pent and con&s;umed, in &s;uch their uncertaine, &s;taggeringmotions, and <HI>Arbitrary, irrationa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">l Proceedings,</HI> whereby all partyes became extreamly exa&s;perated, as people that had been meerly mock'd and cheated by fair pro|mi&s;es and under the mo&s;t religious <HI>pretences</HI> &amp;c. Hereby the <HI>Ar|my,</HI> that but few <HI>momenths before,</HI> had been the joy and <HI>hope</HI> of all &s;orts of <HI>Rationall People,</HI> was made a <HI>by-word,</HI> a <HI>hi&s;sing,</HI> and a <HI>re|proach</HI> to the whole <HI>Nation:</HI> in&s;omuch that tho&s;e (in hope of their large <HI>good Promi&s;es,</HI> and <HI>prote&s;t</HI> in their <HI>Declarations,)</HI> who thought nothing <HI>too precious</HI> for them, now grudged them bread, and were ready to &s;tone <HI>them</HI> in all places where they came; Trade fled, Poverty increa&s;ed, and dicontents abounded, till at length broke out &s;uch a <HI>flane,</HI> as no time had ever &s;een before; and no doubt, was the <HI>proper i&s;&s;ue</HI> of &s;uch <HI>horrid delu&s;ions,</HI> mini|&s;tring &s;uch <HI>matter</HI> for a <HI>generall Ri&s;ing</HI> and <HI>Revels,</HI> as all former <HI>Policies</HI> could never attain to, and more threatning the ruine of <HI>the Nation</HI> then all the <HI>former forces</HI> and Stratagems of the Ene|mies; and which is rightly to be imputed to the unju&s;t, partiall and <HI>per&s;idsous dealings of the&s;e men.</HI></P>
<P>But when they &s;aw what a &s;trange <HI>predicament</HI> they had brought them&s;elves into, and which thye would never beleeve, till it was come upon them (no more then now they will) they had before manife&s;ted a greater <HI>Ob&s;tinacy,</HI> then now they did a &s;erious Re|pentance <HI>(which yet as the &s;equell proves, was but counierfeit)</HI> though <HI>(as God knoweth)</HI> we were overjoyed to beleeve it reall: Ac|knowledging, with the greate&s;t expre&s;&s;ions of &s;orrow, that
<PB N="10" REF="7">
they had walked by <HI>corrupt Pollitick Principles;</HI> That they had been to blame in Actings again&s;t hone&s;t men; That the name of <HI>Level|ier, Je&s;uite</HI> or the like reproaches, &s;hould never be more heard among&s;t them, that if ever the Nation be happy, it mu&s;t be by a conjunction in the <HI>Levellers</HI> Principles, calling upon all, to lay by all <HI>Di&s;contents,</HI> to forget and forgive, and to unite all again&s;t the <HI>Common enemy,</HI> and promi&s;ing with greate&s;t a&s;&s;everations, That if God, upon our joynt endeavors, &s;hould be plea&s;ed to deliver us out of this Sea of <HI>danger,</HI> that they would never divide from ju&s;t <HI>Principles,</HI> nor in the lea&s;t di&s;councenance hone&s;t men as they had done, nor endeavor to &s;et up a party, but ca&s;t them&s;elves upon an <HI>agreement of the People</HI> for the future &s;ettlement of the <HI>Peace of the Nation:</HI> but how and what performance they have made, that we &s;hall intreat, may be impartially ob&s;erved in the en&s;uing &s;tory; And for a full and timely proofe of their <HI>Relap&s;e,</HI> &amp; Di&s;covery of their di&s;&s;imilation; No &s;ooner had they (through Gods ble&s;&s;ing and the a&s;&s;i&s;tance of their reconciled friends) fini|&s;hed their worke at <HI>Coleche&s;ter,</HI> but pre&s;ently they call to que&s;tion certaine Per&s;ons, that had appeared at St. <HI>Athanes</HI> in behalf of Captaine <HI>Reynald:</HI> chu&s;ing rather to for&s;ake the <HI>Service,</HI> then to be commanded by Captaines, that had been violent again&s;t them, that had drunke the Kings <HI>Health</HI> upon their knees, and profe&s;t they could rather &s;ight again&s;t the <HI>Levellers</HI> then <HI>Cavaliers,</HI> and the&s;e (according to their old wont) they <HI>&s;entenc'd to Death,</HI> and &s;oon after relea&s;t them, as finding or &s;uppo&s;ing this kinde of Di&s;|cipline mo&s;t effectuall, to the breaking and deba&s;ing the &s;pirits of the <HI>Engli&s;h.</HI></P>
<P>And becau&s;e Col. <HI>Rainsborough</HI> had <HI>ever oppo&s;ed their unju&s;t Pro|ceedings,</HI> they withdraw him from the <HI>Army,</HI> by a plau&s;ible, but onely a <HI>Tittular command at &s;ea,</HI> where by the &s;traitne&s;s of his Com|mi&s;&s;ion; he not having thereby the command of the Shippes or Officers, he could neither re&s;train their Revolt, nor pre&s;erve him&s;elf from being expu&s;&s;ed at the Seamans plea&s;ure out of that employment.</P>
<P>Then upon his return, the <HI>ruling Officers</HI> finding him as inflexi|ble to their ends as formerly, they put him upon that dangerous and unhappy Service before <HI>Pomfre<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"></HI> (notwith&s;tanding a Com|mander had been appointed thereunto by the <HI>Committee</HI> of <HI>Yorke)</HI> whether he went with much Reluctancy and di&s;content, as won|dering
<PB N="11" REF="7">
at the <HI>Cau&s;e of his being De&s;ign'd thither,</HI> and expre&s;&s;ing as much to his <HI>Friends, his &s;ad &s;oul pre&s;aging the misfortune, which after befell him.</HI> But that which gives greate&s;t cau&s;e of <HI>grief</HI> and <HI>&s;u&s;pect</HI> to his friends, is, that his <HI>Brother</HI> receives no furtherance, but rather, all di&s;couragement that may be in &s;earching after, and pro&s;ecu|ting the cau&s;ers of that &s;o bloody and inhumane a <HI>Butchery.</HI></P>
<P>In the <HI>North,</HI> though during the <HI>Service</HI> and Nece&s;&s;ities of the <HI>Army,</HI> the <HI>Levellers</HI> (as they are call'd) were countenanc'd, and taken into the <HI>Boo&s;me,</HI> who thereupon (forgetting all former af|fronts and di&s;re&s;pects) did liberally hazzard their lives, without &s;u&s;pition of <HI>fraud</HI> and <HI>delu&s;ion;</HI> Yet the <HI>Nece&s;sities</HI> being over; and the enemies &s;ubdued, they renew fre&s;h di&s;graces, and fall into a greater <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">,</HI> and contempt then ever.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, <HI>divers-Souldiers</HI> for Petitioning in the behalfe of Major <HI>Reynolds,</HI> that he might &s;erve in the room of Major <HI>Huntington,</HI> were therefore rated, and threatned to have their skilles cutt, and &s;ome of them &s;truck for &s;o Petitioning; Major <HI>Iohn Cobit,</HI> who <HI>with the extreame&s;t hazard had regain'd</HI> Tinmouth Ca&s;tle, <HI>where his Superiour Commander had through the dangers thereof refu&s;ed, was not with&s;tanding rejected, and a Member of Parliament taken from his duty there,</HI> &amp; <HI>contrary to the</HI> &s;elf denying Ordinance, made Governor <HI>thereof,</HI> Major White, <HI>who in all the desperate &s;ervices in the</HI> North, <HI>had performed the duty of Lieutinant Colonel and Major both in the Ge|neralls Regiment, yet becau&s;e a con&s;tant man to his</HI> Promi&s;es <HI>and</HI> Prin|ciples, <HI>was refu&s;ed the</HI> Lieftenant Colonel&s;hip, <HI>and a man of a more complying Spirit fetch'd from another Regiment to officiate therein.</HI></P>
<P><HI>And this was the u&s;age not onely to the&s;e Gentlemen, but to all others whether Officers, or &s;ouldiers in</HI> North <HI>or</HI> South <HI>(for their Coun&s;ells were one in both) that did retaine a &s;en&s;e and Re&s;olution to pro&s;ecute tho&s;e good things intimated in their former Ingagements.</HI></P>
<P><HI>And as before, upon their fir&s;t great Succe&s;&s;e again&s;t the City, when now again it ju&s;tly was expected they &s;hould have made u&s;e of &s;o notable and un|expected Ble&s;sings to the benefit</HI> &amp; <HI>advantage of the Common-wealth, (as their late repentances, promi&s;es and Pretences gave men cau&s;e to hope) the event proved, they intended another u&s;e thereof, for (having now &s;ubdued all their enemies, they proceed with greater confidence to their former purpo&s;es, of making them&s;elves ab&s;olute ma&s;ters over the Common-wealth, wherein there yet appeared one main ob&s;tacle, and that was an unanimous and uni|ver&s;all Re&s;olution in all Well-minded People (e&s;pecially in that nu|merous PEOPLE that concurred in the PETITION</HI>
<PB N="12" REF="8">
of the <HI>Eleventh</HI> of <HI>September</HI> to center in an <HI>Agreement of the</HI> Peo|ple, <HI>which if not evaded,</HI> it would be impo&s;&s;ible for them) to goe <HI>through</HI> with their Worke: Hereupon againe they cry out for Union, and imploy their <HI>Agents,</HI> to get <HI>meetings,</HI> and <HI>Treaties</HI> with <HI>tho&s;e</HI> that were mo&s;t forward for an <HI>Agreement</HI> and contract with them to center in an <HI>Agreement,</HI> and that the matter of <HI>the</HI> Petition of <HI>the Eleventh of September</HI> (as was de&s;ired) &s;hould be the &s;ub&s;tance of that <HI>Agreement:</HI> there being no other way then by this yeelding in &s;hew, to amaze this bu&s;ie watchfull Party, and to keep them quiet, whil&s;t they went on with other pieces of their worke.</P>
<P>For what el&s;e hath all the time &s;pent thereabouts produced, but a meere amu&s;ing, blinding and deluding all that cordially de|&s;ired the &s;ame, it being (before they left it) &s;o ob&s;cur'd and per|plext in the &s;en&s;e thereof, &s;o &s;hort of what was intended, and &s;o corrupted in many particulars, that tho&s;e mo&s;t loath'd it, that mo&s;t de&s;ired it; In the meane time, whil&s;t they had fixt good Mens eyes and thoughts upon that Worke, they &s;ecretly and &s;wiftly pro&s;ecute their other De&s;ignes, as principall in their purpo&s;es, wherein que&s;tionle&s;&s;e they had not had the A&s;&s;i&s;tance of good men, but that it was verily beleeved in &s;hew of driving on their owne De&s;igne; they were really and cordially producing a perfect and complete <HI>Agreement of the People,</HI> as large both in grounds of <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="4 letters">dome,</HI> and redre&s;&s;e of grievances, as the <HI>petition</HI> of the E|leventh of <HI>September,</HI> in the uttermo&s;t extent thereof did im|port.</P>
<P>Many of which Petitioners were not &s;atisfyed but that &s;uch an <HI>Agreement of the People</HI> might then have been obtained without any of tho&s;e extraordinary &s;udden and violent Cour&s;es lately ta|ken, neither in bringing the <HI>Army</HI> to the City, breaking the Hou&s;e in pieces, or removing the <HI>King</HI> by &s;uch an extra-juditiall Procee|dings &amp; Court of Ju&s;tice, as had no place in the <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> Govern|ment; and did really fore&s;ee there would be nothing but abu&s;e in their pretence of an <HI>Agreement of the people:</HI> and that their owne domination, in and by a <HI>Coun&s;el of State,</HI> was the maine thing aimed at, and intended.</P>
<P>The Removing the <HI>King,</HI> the <HI>taking away the Hou&s;e of Lords</HI> the over-awing the Hou&s;e, and reducing it to that pa&s;&s;e, that it is become but the Channell, through which is conveyed all the De|crees and Determinations of a private Coun&s;ell of &s;ome few Of|ficers,
<PB N="13" REF="8">
the erecting of their <HI>Court of Iu&s;tice,</HI> and their <HI>Coun&s;ell of State, The voting of the</HI> People <HI>the &s;upreame Power,</HI> and this Hou&s;e the <HI>Supreame Authority:</HI> all the&s;e Particulars, (though ma|ny of them in order to <HI>good ends,</HI> have been de&s;ired by <HI>We<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">l-affected</HI> People) are yet become <HI>(as they have managed them)</HI> of &s;ole conducement to their ends, and Intents, either by removing &s;uch as &s;tood in the way between them and <HI>the power, wealth</HI> or command of the <HI>Common-wealth;</HI> or <HI>by actually po&s;&s;e&s;sing and in|ve&s;ting them in the &s;ame.</HI></P>
<P>And though all <HI>this was fore&s;een by us,</HI> yet &s;o <HI>per&s;wa&s;ive</HI> were their <HI>in&s;inuations</HI> in <HI>the ears</HI> of many good and <HI>well-di&s;po&s;ed</HI> Peo|ple, <HI>both Souldiers</HI> and <HI>others,</HI> that they <HI>have been really carryed a|way with belief of them, and reliance upon them, and have thought they could not better imploy their time and abilities, them in affording them all furtherance, and a&s;si&s;tance that might be.</HI></P>
<P>So that their onely <HI>fears</HI> remain upon our <HI>Di&s;coveries,</HI> to <HI>pre|vent which, they u&s;e means, that either we might not have opportunity to lay open their Treacheries,</HI> and <HI>Hypocri&s;ies, or not be beleeved if we did it.</HI></P>
<P>In order to the fir&s;t, They &s;trictly <HI>&s;top the</HI> Pre&s;&s;e; In order to the &s;econd; <HI>They bla&s;t us with all the Scandalls,</HI> &amp; <HI>fal&s;e Reports their</HI> Witt <HI>or</HI> Malice <HI>could invent again&s;t us; and &s;o mon&s;trou&s;ly wicked have they been in this particular, That they have pry'd into all our</HI> Actions, <HI>made u&s;e of all our</HI> Acquaintances, &amp; <HI>friendly</HI> Intimacies, <HI>and in conclu&s;ion, have onely produced &s;uch</HI> Scandalls, <HI>as have been cu&s;tomarily u&s;ed by former States-men, and &s;uch, when &s;can'd and examined, containe both contrariety in them&s;elves, and have not the least ground of Truth, as concerning us.</HI></P>
<P>By the&s;e <HI>Arts</HI> are they new fa&s;tened in their Power, till ei|ther by oppo&s;ition from the <HI>enemy,</HI> which they may well expect God will rai&s;e again&s;t them, as the de&s;erved Recompence of their vile Apo&s;tacy; or by the weight and Violence of their <HI>ma|ny Inju&s;tices</HI> (which in the wicked cour&s;e they are in) mu&s;t every day be multiplyed, till they be thrown down from their u&s;ur|ped greatne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>They have already lo&s;t the Affections of all People, and are onely &s;upported by <HI>their pre&s;ent &s;trength;</HI> but when once tho&s;e good men that hold them up, &s;hall perceive how In&s;trument all they are made, contrary to their intentions, in advancing a few
<PB N="14" REF="9">
lo&s;ty and imperious mens <HI>de&s;ignes;</HI> and how ea&s;y it is for them to convert their <HI>abilities</HI> &amp; <HI>power</HI> to better, and more <HI>common ends</HI> ex|pre&s;t in their former engagements, and which the <HI>complaints of the <HI>agrieved people,</HI> and their owne <HI>under&s;tandings</HI> can furni&s;h them withall, they will then lament that they have &s;o long been out of the way, and &s;et them&s;elves with the utmo&s;t courage &amp; re&s;olution to <HI>free their di&s;tre&s;&s;ed Country</HI> from the <HI>fears</HI> and <HI>captivity</HI> it now groans under. They may talk of <HI>freedom,</HI> but what <HI>freedom</HI> indeed is there, &s;o long as they &s;top the Pre&s;&s;e, which is indeed, and hath been &s;o accounted in all <HI>free Nations,</HI> the mo&s;t e&s;&s;entiall part there|of, imploying an <HI>Apostate Iudas</HI> for <HI>executioner</HI> therein, who hath been twice burnt in the hand, a wretched fellow, that even the Bi&s;hops</HI> and <HI>Star-chamber</HI> would have &s;ham'd to own. What <HI>free|dom</HI> is there left, when hone&s;t &amp; <HI>worthy Souldiers</HI> are &s;entenc'd and enforc'd to <HI>ryde the hor&s;e</HI> with their faces rever&s;t, and <HI>their &s;words broken overtheir heads</HI> for but Petitioning and pre&s;enting a Letter in <HI>ju&s;tification of their Liberty therein:</HI> if this be not a new way of breaking the &s;pirits of the <HI>Engli&s;h,</HI> which <HI>Strafford</HI> and <HI>Canterbury</HI> never dreampt of; we know no difference of things. A ta&s;te al&s;o of <HI>Liberty of Con&s;cience</HI> they have given us in the <HI>Ca&s;e</HI> of a worthy <HI>Member</HI> of your Hou&s;e; &s;o as we may well judge what is like to follow, if their <HI>Reigne continue.</HI> And as for <HI>Peace,</HI> whil&s;t the <HI>&s;u|pream Officers of the Army</HI> are &s;upream in your <HI>Hou&s;e,</HI> in the <HI>Councel</HI> of <HI>State,</HI> and all in all in the <HI>generall Coun&s;ell of the Army,</HI> when the <HI>murtiall power</HI> is indeed <HI>&s;upream</HI> to the <HI>Civill Authority,</HI> what <HI>Peace</HI> can be expected; we profe&s;&s;e we &s;ee no <HI>councells</HI> tending to it, but hereof mighty and va&s;t &s;ums of money to be taxed upon the Peo|ple <HI>per men&s;em,</HI> as if <HI>warre</HI> were become the only <HI>trade,</HI> or as if the <HI>people</HI> were bound to <HI>maintain Armyes</HI> whether they have trade or no; yea, whether they have bread or no.</P>
<P>And as for <HI>the prosperity of the Nation;</HI> what one thing hath been done that tendeth to it? Nay, hath apy thing been done &s;ince they were in <HI>power?</HI> but what increa&s;eth the rancor, hatred, and ma|lice, which our late <HI>unhappy differences</HI> have begotten among&s;t us, as if they had placed their happine&s;s and &s;ecurity in the <HI>totall devi|&s;ion of the People,</HI> nothing being offered by them, that hath any face of <HI>reconcitement</HI> in it, nothing of cheerfulne&s;&s;e or <HI>generall &s;atisfacti|on,</HI> the mother of <HI>trade</HI> &amp; <HI>plenty,</HI> that might take away the private <HI>remembrances and de&s;tinctions of partyes,</HI> nothing indeed, but what tendeth to implacable <HI>bitterne&s;&s;e of &s;pirit,</HI> the mother of confu&s;ion penury, and beggery.</P>
<P><PB N="15" REF="9">
Nay what &s;en&s;e <HI>of the heavy burden of the people</HI> have they mani|fe&s;ted of late? hath it not been by their procurement that the Judges their Creatures have a thou&s;and a yeer allow'd to every one of them above the ordinary fees, which were ever e&s;teem'd a heavy <HI>op|pre&s;&s;ion</HI> in them&s;elves? is there any abridgement of the Charge, or length of <HI>time</HI> in <HI>triall</HI> of Cau&s;es? are they touch'd with the general <HI>burden</HI> of Tithes, that <HI>cankier</HI> of <HI>indu&s;try &amp;</HI> Tillage? or with that of <HI>exize,</HI> which out of the bowels of labourers &amp; poor people enriches the U&s;erers, &amp; other Catterpillars of the Comon-wealth: or what have they done to free <HI>trade</HI> from the <HI>intolerable burden of</HI> Cu&s;toms, except the &s;etting fre&s;h hungry flies upon the <HI>old</HI> &s;ores of the <HI>people?</HI> what one matterial thing did they offer unto you in their late Pe|tition, which you gave them &s;o many thanks for? terming their De|&s;ires mode&s;t &amp; di&s;creet; when it's evident by the <HI>contents,</HI> they did it only to &s;top the mouthes of their Souldiers, &amp; to amuze them in|to a plea&s;ing <HI>dream,</HI> whil&s;t they goe on in their De&s;igne of ab&s;olute <HI>domination,</HI> &amp; which &s;hould you in the lea&s;t <HI>oppo&s;e,</HI> you would finde their mode&s;ty no more towards you, then towards your <HI>excluded</HI> Members: In the mean time, where is their Charge again&s;t tho&s;e Members? or why finde they not who among&s;t them have conferr'd <HI>offices</HI> upon each other &amp; upon their Creatures &amp; relations? or who they were that gave &s;o large Donations of thou&s;ands &amp; hundreds <HI>per an.</HI> whil&s;t the <HI>publick faith</HI> is broken, and Families are ready to &s;tarve for emptying them&s;elves to &s;erve the publick nece&s;&s;ities; or why di&s;countenance not they al tho&s;e who have betrayed the <HI>tru&s;t</HI> of <HI>feoffes</HI> for Bi&s;hops &amp; Delinquents lands &amp; are purcha&s;ers them|&s;elves of great E&s;tates for few yeers purcha&s;es, the due <HI>value</HI> right|ly con&s;idered; or why blame they not the L. <HI>chief Iu&s;tice,</HI> and L. <HI>chief Baron</HI> for keeping their places, which were conferred on them (and the like on others) by this Hou&s;e, when tho&s;e <HI>members</HI> &s;ate there, they have excluded? or why finde they not out tho&s;e <HI>perfidious per|&s;ous</HI> that have made no Con&s;cience of breaking the <HI>&s;elf-denying Or|dinance</HI> and per&s;i&s;t therein? or is the rea&s;on vi&s;ible why they have nothing to &s;ay again&s;t tho&s;e &s;orts of men namely, becau&s;e the&s;e are their own, and their creatures ca&s;es? Oh wretched <HI>England;</HI> that &s;eeth, and yet &s;uffereth &s;uch <HI>intollerable Masters.</HI> What can be ex|pected from &s;uch <HI>Officers,</HI> who frequently manife&s;t a thir&s;t after the blood of &s;uch <HI>People,</HI> and <HI>Souldiers,</HI> as are mo&s;t active for the com|mon <HI>freedom, peace</HI> &amp; pro&s;perity of the Common wealth, &amp; again&s;t whom they have nothing el&s;e to object: or what can be expected from &s;uch a <HI>coun&s;ell</HI> in <HI>the Army,</HI> as &s;hall agree <HI>that the &s;upream Au+thority</HI>
<PB N="16" REF="10">
&s;hould be moved to make a <HI>Law,</HI> That <HI>that Coun&s;ell of Of|ficers</HI> may have <HI>power</HI> to hang all &s;uch <HI>Per&s;ons</HI> (though not of the <HI>Army)</HI> as they &s;hould judge, were di&s;turbers of the <HI>Army.</HI></P>
<P>Certainly the&s;e things cannot but manife&s;t unto you their very hearts, their inward purpo&s;es and Intentions repre&s;enting vi&s;ibly before you and all the World, the mo&s;t dangerous condition, that ever yet this <HI>Nation</HI> hath been in: And if there be any Con|&s;cience towards God or man to be found among&s;t you, the whol &s;eries &amp; Progre&s;s of this our &s;ad <HI>Repre&s;entation</HI> is &s;o fully known, and fre&s;h in memory, that it is impo&s;&s;ible, but it mu&s;t work up|upon all among&s;t you that are not Co-partners with them in their <HI>De&s;igne,</HI> or are not ingaged (as the Lawyers are) in &s;ome corrupt Intere&s;t.</P>
<P>But though this long betrayed and mi&s;erable Nation &s;hould prove &s;o unhappy as that there &s;hould not be one found among&s;t you, to own the&s;e known <HI>Truths,</HI> which yet ring in every mans ears, throughout the Land; but through feare, or other vile re|&s;pects, &s;hould &s;hut your eyes again&s;t the <HI>light:</HI> it &s;hall be &s;o farre from inducing us to repent of what we have herein (or in our late Apprehen&s;ions) expre&s;&s;ed, and &s;et before you, that we &s;hall rejoyce above mea&s;ure, that we have witne&s;&s;ed to the <HI>Trueth;</HI> and again&s;t all tho&s;e Delu&s;ions and perfidious Stratagems lay'd by tho&s;e men to betray and en&s;lave the Common-wealth, to their owne Pride Ambition, Lu&s;ts, Covetou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and Domi|nation if not Duke&s;hip, or King&s;hip; their Creatures di&s;cour|&s;ing of late, <HI>That the Power mu&s;t be reduced to One:</HI> What their meaning is, time <HI>(if they be not hindred)</HI> will manife&s;t: but the Premi&s;es duly weighed, doth evidence, what ere it be, it will be as bad, as bad po&s;&s;ibly can be.</P>
<P>And as we &s;hall not altogether doubt of the appearance of &s;ome, in this <HI>Honorable Hou&s;e,</HI> that will con&s;cionably performe that <HI>Supream Tru&s;t</HI> which is really and e&s;&s;entially re&s;ident in your integrity; what ever may be &s;ugge&s;ted to the contrary: (it being not others treachery, nor anyes violence, that can dive&s;t you of that Authority: but if you all &s;hould fayl therein, as God forbid yet we &s;hall not doubt, but that what we have here pre|&s;ented, and publi&s;hed, will open the eyes, and rai&s;e the hearts of &s;o con&s;iderable a number of the <HI>Souldiary</HI> and <HI>People</HI> in all places, and make them &s;o &s;en&s;ible of the bondage and danger threatned, as that the&s;e men, this Faction of Officers, &s;hall never be able to goe through with their wicked intentions.</P>
<P><PB REF="10">
It being an infinite &s;hame that they &s;hould be &s;uffered to pro|ceed &s;o farre therein, as they have done, there having beene no party hitherto &s;o inexcu&s;able for it is po&s;&s;ible, if not probable|that the King and his party might at fir&s;t be induced to offend through error of breeding, long cu&s;tome, and &s;way of times, (although that excu&s;e neither him nor them) That <HI>Hollis,</HI> and that party, might at fir&s;t be drawne into their violence, again&s;t people faithfull to the Common wealth through an erronious zeale again&s;t &s;uppo&s;ed Sectaries, and for uniformity in Presby|tery (though that al&s;o but little extenuates their offence) but neither the one nor the other can be imagined to have tran&s;|gre&s;&s;ed again&s;t &s;o evident light. nor again&s;t &s;o many and great obligations of love, and great re&s;pects from the people as this party hath done; So that the in entions, and endeavours of the&s;e men, to en&s;lave the Common-wealth or their continuing of burthens, without any remor&s;e at the dearne&s;&s;e of food, and and utter lo&s;&s;e of trade, exceeds in the nature and mea&s;ure of it, all the wickedne&s;&s;e of both the other parties put together.</P>
<P>And therefore upon due con&s;ideration of the premi&s;es, and in utter dete&s;tation of their mo&s;t perfidious and treacherous dealing with the Army, Parliament and Common-wealth; we do in behalf of our &s;elves and all wel-minded people, here be|fore this Honourable Hou&s;e, as in the pre&s;ence of Almighty God, prote&s;t again&s;t their breaking the &s;aith of the Army with all parties, their di&s;&s;olving the Councel of the <HI>Agitators,</HI> and u&s;ur|ping a power of giving forth the &s;ence of the Army to the Par|liament and people al&s;o again&s;t the &s;hooting of the Souldier to death at <HI>Ware,</HI> and their cruelties exerci&s;ed on other per&s;ons, to the deba&s;ing of their &s;pirits, and thereby new moulding of the Army to their owne de&s;ignes, then playing fa&s;t and loo&s;e with the King and his party, till they brought a new and dange|rous Warre upon the Nation.</P>
<P>We al&s;o prote&s;t again&s;t their di&s;&s;embled repentances, as in no mea&s;ure &s;atisfactory for &s;o abominable offences: we al&s;o prote&s;t again&s;t all their late extraordinary Proceedings, in bringing the Army upon the City, (to the ruine of trade) there breaking the Hou&s;e in pieces without charging the Members particularly: And then judging and taking away of mens lives in an extraordinary way, as done for no other end, but to make way for their owne ab&s;olute domination: we al&s;o prote&s;t a|gain&s;t the Election and E&s;tabli&s;hment of tho&s;e High-Courts of
<PB REF="11">
Ju&s;tice, as unju&s;t in them&s;elves, and of dangerous Pre&s;idence in time to come: as likewi&s;e again&s;t the Councell of State, and putting &s;ome of them&s;elves therein contrary to their owne A|greement: we al&s;o prote&s;t again&s;t all other the like meetings of tho&s;e officers, that on <HI>Thur&s;day</HI> the 22. of <HI>February</HI> la&s;t, vo|ted for &s;o bloody a Law, as to hang whom they &s;hould judge, di&s;turbed the Army, (as having no power either by &s;uch Coun|cels, either to give the &s;ence of the Army, or to judge any Per|&s;on not of the Army, or to do any thing in reference to the Common-wealth, more then what any, &s;o many fifty Souldiers or per&s;ons not of the Army have power and may lawfully do: though all the Generall officers were continually pre&s;ent:) the&s;e we prote&s;t again&s;t, as things unju&s;t abominable and dangerous and declare that our pre&s;ent not &s;eeking for Ju&s;tice or reliefe therein, &s;hall be no bar again&s;t us for the future, when we &s;hall &s;ee cau&s;e to &s;eek for Ju&s;tice and reliefe therein.</P>
<P><HI>And</HI> for the truth of our Judgements herein: we &s;hould with gladne&s;&s;e &s;ubmit unto the determinations of this <HI>Honour|able</HI> Hou&s;e, were not their High hand as yet held over you. <HI>And</HI> therefore we are enforced to appeale to a new Repre&s;en|tive, equally cho&s;en in &s;uch like manner, as is expre&s;t in our &s;eri|ous apprehen&s;ions lately pre&s;ented unto you, and do likewi&s;e de&s;ire that you would encourage the <HI>Army</HI> in chu&s;ing a Repre|&s;entative, con&s;i&s;ting of &s;elect Per&s;ons, cho&s;en by every Regi|ment of the <HI>Army,</HI> as at the fir&s;t at <HI>New-market:</HI> and &s;hall humbly pray that you will not any more receive the re&s;ult of a few officers, as the &s;ence of the <HI>Army:</HI> the officers of an <HI>Ar|my</HI> having no more power to make Laws for an <HI>Army,</HI> then the officers of the Common Wealth to make Laws for the Peo|ple; both of them being con&s;tituted only for the Di&s;cipline, and Government thereof. We hope you will proceed to further an <HI>Agreement</HI> of the People; according to our late de&s;ires in our &s;erious <HI>Apprehen&s;ions,</HI> and al&s;o &s;peedily take in hand and effect tho&s;e other things therein de&s;ired, tending very much to the abrogation of the bondage intended.</P>
<P>Thus have we once more unburdened our hearts before you, and faithfully di&s;charged our duties to our Country, giving timely warning of the mo&s;t dangerous thraldom and mi&s;ery that ever threatned this much wa&s;ted Nati|on, and much we doubt not, wil, by wi&s;dom mixt with &s;om hone&s;t re&s;oluti|ons, be timely prevented: which we &s;hall exceedingly rejoyce to &s;ee, that &s;o after &s;o many yeers of &s;orrow, the people may at length be comforted, and the Land enjoy her re&s;t; and that all the world may be enforced to confe&s;s, That <HI>There is a reward for the righteous,</HI> and <HI>that there is a God that judgeth the earth.</HI></P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
