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<NAME>Megan Marion</NAME>
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<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>THE DECLARATION Of the Officers of The Garri&s;on of Hull: In order to the Peace and Settlement of the KINGDOME.</P>
<P>Pre&s;ented to his Excellency the Lord Generall, and the Generall Councell.</P>
<P>Al&s;o a PETITION, pre&s;ented to the <HI>Parliament of England,</HI> By the Officers and Souldiers of his Excellency the Lord Generalls Regiment of Hor&s;e, For the &s;peedy calling of all publike Trea&s;urers to an Ac|compt, and for the &s;peedy taking away of that heavy burden of FREE-QUARTER.</P>
<P>With the Re&s;ult of the Generall Councell upon the &s;ame.</P>
<LICENSE LANG="eng">
<P>By the Appointment of the Officers at a generall meeting,</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Signed, <HI>Jo. Hemingway.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LICENSE>
<P><HI>London,</HI> Printed for <HI>John Playford,</HI> and are to be &s;old at his &s;hop in the <HI>Inner Temple.</HI> March 1. 1649.</P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<PB REF="2">
<PB N="1" REF="2">
<HEAD>For his Excellency the Lord <HI>Fairfax</HI> at his Head-Quarters in London, The&s;e.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>My Lord,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>AMong&s;t others, we are not the lea&s;t nor la&s;t in our rejoycings, to &s;ee your Excellencies &amp; your Armies unanimous moving (by &s;erious con&s;iderations and reall actings) towards the di&s;charge of that great ingagement which lyes upon us all for the &s;ettlement of the Affaires of our Nation, the promotion whereof we have &s;o &s;o|lemnly covenanted to a&s;&s;ert, in order to tho&s;e ends of Ju&s;tice and Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, now no longer to be left to the fruitle&s;&s;e and inef|fectuall proceedings of a private and prevailing party in the Par|liament, who had they proceeded to act, or your Excellency to for|bear, all our former endeavours for Freedome had but <HI>in-fine</HI> effe|ctuated our mi&s;ery or &s;ervitude, and with fuller force then ever crowned the Temples of a conquered King, giving our Children after us cau&s;e to cur&s;e our bones for betraying their Birth-Rights: and leaving us like &s;o many guilty Felons with ropes about out necks, to receive the reward of wickedne&s;&s;e at their hands, who could have been content to &s;acrifice our Carka&s;&s;es to the Foules of the Aire, our E&s;tates to Tyranny, and our Con&s;ciences to Tur|ci&s;me.</P>
<P>The con&s;ideration hereof (&s;ome few weekes &s;ince) drew us of this Garri&s;on by a Letter to your Lord&s;hip, and a Petition to the hone&s;t party in the Parliament, to devote (as now to declare) our re&s;olution to live and die with your Excellencie, &amp; your Army in what you have &s;o mutually remon&s;trated, or &s;hall proceed upon in oppo&s;ition to all tho&s;e actings which we have hitherto found too narrow to comprehend, and too weak to conforme tho&s;e Free|domes which we &s;till pur&s;ue.</P>
<P>But it may be objected, that Coun&s;ell in the &s;ettlement of the Affaires of a State, is a work belonging rather to the long Robe then the &s;hort; few Armies having ever been trafted with &s;uch un|dertakings;
<PB N="2" REF="3">yet if providence hath put us upon it, I tru&s;t it would better become us to &s;tand like &s;tedfa&s;t Rocks for defence of Com|mon Freedome, then after all our endeavours to digre&s;&s;e for ba&s;e and by-ends, to follow fortune (in her fickle flatteries) who lends her &s;miles, as Exactors do money, to undoe the Debter.</P>
<P>But I tru&s;t we &s;hall no longer agre&s;&s;e into reluctuall and turbu|lent times; Con&s;cience and a good cau&s;e will keep up the depre&s;|&s;ed &s;cale in every condition; In the Interim, we cannot over-in|dulge the care of our Country, while&s;t no other Law is left, but blotted and corrupt Commons, made forth by men of private &s;pi|rits, who eye our be&s;t actions by mi&s;repre&s;enting pro&s;pectives. The&s;e &s;hadowes (as we may call them) have at the noontide of our di&s;tre&s;&s;e crept behind like Dwarfes, in the evening &s;talked by us like Gyants, and (in&s;tead of helping) have hunted our hone&s;t endeavours to a &s;un-&s;et.</P>
<P>Yet &s;ome may &s;ay: who &s;tops the high attempts of State, lets loo&s;e the reines of Government; but to me my Lord it &s;eems much better to peri&s;h in a good performance, then ba&s;ely to pro|&s;titute the well-being of a Nation to tho&s;e principles of abu&s;ed Power, in the darkne&s;&s;e of who&s;e deeds &s;ecret accu&s;ations will &s;ugge&s;t &s;ad and &s;olitary con&s;iderations.</P>
<P>I could therefore wi&s;h that the great Tru&s;tees of our times would rather incircle them&s;elves in a Character not commacculate with the de&s;erved da&s;hes of di&s;grace, then &s;pend their envy upon tho&s;e faithfull Agents for Common Freedome; but if otherwi&s;e, your Excellencie may a&s;&s;ure your &s;elf the great &amp; high God wil not alwaies allow the crafty cunning of contriving bo&s;omes to deve&s;t this Army of that honor it hath bought with the blood of &s;o many Princely Spirits.</P>
<P>I &s;peak not this, my Lord, to arrogate any thing to your own or your Armies actions, for we have &s;een enough to make us for&s;ake our&s;elves in our &s;tronge&s;t valuations; all &s;ucce&s;&s;es are un&s;ancti|fied where ambitions boa&s;t a merit; therefore in this la&s;t act of our Age, let us not as men (my Lord) but as Chri&s;tians, relate our re&s;olutions to the goodne&s;&s;e of our cau&s;e, not the greatne&s;&s;e of our courage. Thus let us &s;tand (though fatally re&s;olute) to fall under, or fini&s;h that Freedome for which your Excellencie dares to be &s;o good in the&s;e bad times, or to re&s;olve rather to peri&s;h with
<PB N="3" REF="3">your hone&s;t Officers and &s;ouldiers, then otherwi&s;e to enjoy the Genius of a temporall happine&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>We have hitherto experienced, the power and policy of the greate&s;t Potentates cannot divert the decrees of God again&s;t the Inju&s;tice of their actions; all concurrences fall forth to the fur|therance of tho&s;e fatall commutations, for the effectuating where|of, the piety of our natures are pricked forward, and the coun&s;ell of our Adver&s;aries (like <HI>Achittophels</HI>) infatuated and confoun|ded. Yet &s;uch is the pride of many &s;pirits, that they will &s;till &s;trive to ca&s;t &s;o much malice upon the &s;tory of our times, as cannot con|&s;i&s;t with the &s;tile of a mode&s;t pen to reply upon, as if they intended not to forget us in their graves, or to be equally cruell to our me|mories: Therefore all our be&s;t actions or intentions are by their malicious Alchymy &s;ub&s;tracted into Crimes, or where (they &s;hould be honourably mentioned) either &s;cornfully tran&s;mitted, or by injurious con&s;tructions perverted; but if hereafter their inju&s;tice &s;uffer under a more de&s;erved Doom, they may &s;ay, this ob&s;ervation hath the vertue of an Oracle in it. In the Interim, I &s;hall leave them to their own delu&s;ions; becau&s;e no argument hath vertue, nor ver|tue argument enough to avoid them.</P>
<P>Pardon my Lord, that I have deviated from my more immedi|ate in&s;truments and intentions; in pur&s;uance whereof Major <HI>Waterhou&s;e</HI> (as the repre&s;entative of this Regiment and Garri&s;on) is appointed to pre&s;ent your Excellencie &amp; your General Councell with our particular concernments, and mutuall concurrences, as al|&s;o that by admi&s;&s;ion to your Councells, he may admini&s;ter his a&s;&s;i|&s;tance towards the accompli&s;hment of tho&s;e remon&s;trated princi|ple, whereunto we not only pray your Excellencie &s;peedily to pro|ceed, but al&s;o (as we have accordingly declared) promi&s;e to at|tend tho&s;e ends, which will not onely render you the full honor of your Armes, but (even in the&s;e wor&s;t times) give you Chara|cters among&s;t the miracles of worthye&s;t men; in the Interim it &s;hall be my honor to remain,</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE><HI>Hull</HI> <DATE>January 9. 1648.</DATE></DATELINE>
<SIGNED>Your Lord&s;hips mo&s;t obedient and Faithfull Servant, <HI>R. Overton.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<PB N="4" REF="4">
<HEAD>From your Excellencies Garri&s;on of Kingston upon Hull, <HI>1648.</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>SIR,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>YOu owe not more to us then to your own vertue, that we make bold to reque&s;t your acceptance of our compliance with your Remon&s;trance, as to pre&s;ent our Petitionary Appeale to the Parliament: in publike pur&s;uances, none are to be omitted but you in &s;o particular a concernment (on our parts) e&s;pecially to be &s;ought unto, for that our actions have hitherto pro&s;pered under your unequalled Conduct: And (which is more) that you appea|ring a fir&s;t mover to what we have approved and comported with, it lieth, we hope, in your power not only to accept our &s;ervice, and therein to pardon our &s;lowne&s;&s;e, but through the goodne&s;&s;e of Almighty God, to make this Kingdome and all Europes Prote|&s;tant party happy: If to your other Excellencies which have drawne a &s;hade over the actions of greate&s;t Princes, you be plea&s;ed but to adde an unwearied per&s;everance towards the attaining of tho&s;e ends, without which we had better when we &s;truck our Eno|mies, have turned our &s;words upon our own throats; We can|not in the limits of a Letter make rehear&s;all of the particulars expre&s;&s;ed in your Lord&s;hips late Remon&s;trance, with every tittle whereof we totally comply; neither is it needfull herein to denote how or by whom they have hitherto been made fru&s;trate unto us and the Kingdome. We do now mo&s;t cordially agree to what we could &s;ooner have received, but we hope, what was formerly fore|&s;een and fore-thought, is now more &s;ea&s;onably and &s;ucce&s;&s;efully &s;ought. We re&s;t confident the Remon&s;trance will both &s;atisfie the world, and convince our Adver&s;aries of the Ju&s;tice and nece&s;&s;ity of our pre&s;ent undertakings, to which if the &s;earcher of all hearts vonch&s;afe his accu&s;tomed directions, your Excellency need not doubt but by his ble&s;&s;ing on our loyall hearts, to atte&s;t unto the world your willingne&s;&s;e to put a period to the mi&s;eries, &amp; to per|fect the peace of your oppre&s;&s;ed Countrey-men: And &s;eeing your Lord&s;hip hath dared to be good in bad times, we are confident you will not leave us when they grow wor&s;e; and though with your Lord&s;hips leave we might in this place with folded hands &s;it down with as much probable &s;ecurity as others, yet we cannot imitate
<PB N="5" REF="4">tho&s;e unworthy Champions who hoped their fi&s;h &s;hould &s;wim f<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters">e when the Republike &s;unk. Your Excellency knowes well how much herein our con&s;ciences, honours and &s;afeties are concerned, to manife&s;t the ju&s;tice we a&s;&s;ert, which we can never do while&s;t we leave greater Mon&s;ters unquelled then as yet we ever grapled with, from whom without any breach of Prerogative or Priviledge, we may borrow or u&s;e that expre&s;&s;ion unfainedly which they did hypocritically, that if men faile us herein we expect our reward in heaven. And to this end we be&s;eech the God of Lights &s;o to o|pen our eyes, that in this our day of vi&s;itation we may truly under&s;tand what belongeth to our peace, &s;ince it is &s;o much indea|voured to be hid from our eyes, and to the God of peace we re|commend your Excellency, with an ab&s;olute tender of our utmo&s;t endeavours towards the re&s;tauration of this dejected, bleeding, dy|ing State, that for the future feare may wait clo&s;e on all the plot|ters of mi&s;chiefe, and that comfort may be confirmed to afflicted vertue.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Sir, we are Your Excellencies obedient, faithfull Servants and Souldiers, &amp;c.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="declaration">
<PB N="6" REF="5">
<HEAD>The Declaration of the Officers belong|ing to the Garri&s;on of Hull.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Pre&s;ented to his Excellency the Lord Generall <HI>Fairfax,</HI> and his General Councell, in order to the Peace and &s;ettlement of the Kingdome.</HEAD>
<P>VVE doubt not but the un&s;atisfied party of this a|bu&s;ed Kingdome will wonder that we &s;till re|new our reiterated Declarations, as if we inten|ded to turne State Reformers in their &s;teads who have therewith hitherto been intru&s;ted. It is true, we never ex|pected to be put upon &s;uch imployments; nor find we any felicity therein: but having by all means &s;ubmi&s;&s;ively &s;hewed our confor|mity to the old rule of <HI>Cuncta prius tentanda,</HI> &amp;c. yet in&s;tead of re|dre&s;&s;e, finding nothing but delay, we are con&s;trained to &s;earch into the ground of this ingratitude, and to expo&s;e or di&s;play it to the view of the world.</P>
<P>Herein we conceive our &s;elves &s;ufficiently authorized by the practice of the be&s;t State, and the precept of the be&s;t of Oratours, who in his Oration again&s;t <HI>Verres,</HI> hath taught us, that <HI>in publice crimine quilibet non debet non e&s;&s;e accu&s;ator,</HI> and where &s;uch practices &s;hall appear incon&s;i&s;tent with the welfare of a Nation, oppor|tunity to check them and provide for a remedy.</P>
<P>Nor can we any waies doubt of a &s;ucce&s;&s;e &s;utable to the re&s;t of our undertakings, being a&s;&s;ured, that our pro&s;perous Armies were never &s;upported by a better Cau&s;e; and therefore that you be no longer held in &s;u&s;pence, what it is that we (as well as others) declare again&s;t, or do de&s;ire, be plea&s;ed in the fir&s;t place &s;eriou&s;ly to con&s;ider your condition before the&s;e Warrs; &s;econdly, The rea|&s;on of our ingaging in them; thirdly, The promi&s;es of our Pub|lique Tru&s;tees in ca&s;e our &s;ucce&s;&s;es enabled them to a performance; and la&s;tly we having rendred them &s;uch as they de&s;ire to be, how well they have acquitted them&s;elves of their promi&s;es and tru&s;t.</P>
<P>In &s;everall Declarations, e&s;pecially in that of December, 1640.
<PB N="7" REF="5">they have repre&s;ented to us the &s;tate of this Kingdome, groaning under the arbitrary pre&s;&s;ures of an unlimited Soveraignty by Ship-moneys, Monopolies, innovations of Prelates in Church-Di&s;ci|pline, interruptions of Parliamentary proceedings by the Regall di&s;&s;olving Vote, with the other illegall Tazes and tyrannies, which we only point at in this place.</P>
<P>For the&s;e no cure was held out &s;o catholique as a Parliament, though even Generall Councells have foully erred in matters of Faith, and that of the highe&s;t nature, yet we hoped better things from our Nationall Convention, in&s;omuch that never any people &s;o thir&s;ted for a free Parliament as we; never any people &s;o a&s;&s;i&s;t|ed a Parliament in theirs and the publike nece&s;&s;ity. Have we not rendred their Councells &s;ucce&s;&s;efull, and (through Gods a&s;&s;i&s;tance) inabled them to re&s;tore us to all tho&s;e bene<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="3 letters">s of &s;afety in per&s;on, propriety in goods, and purity in profe&s;&s;ion, which they &s;o fre|quently declared to a&s;&s;ert?</P>
<P>And though we are not ignorant how remote our condition is from tho&s;e ends, or how little our pre&s;&s;ures are abated, yet can they not deny but that we have di&s;charged our parts in the field; which if gain&s;aid, Pulpits and printed Gratulations would con|vince them: Had they in their &s;edentary devoirs been &s;o &s;ucce&s;&s;e|full in the &s;ervice of the State, by who&s;e authority they act, out pre&s;&s;ures had by this time been abated, reformation &s;etled, debts payed, <HI>Ireland</HI> relieved, and the &s;treame of the publike disbur&s;e|ments reduced to its proper and ancient channell.</P>
<P>But on the contrary, to our great grief we &s;ee, our di&s;tractions grow greater, and our wounds wider, by the unre&s;trained appe|tites of &s;elf-&s;eeking parties both in Church and State, as if the ene|my of mankind did de&s;paire to accompli&s;h his de&s;ignes again&s;t Chri&s;tianity by the Romi&s;h Je&s;uite, without a Prote&s;tant Prie&s;t and pe&s;tilentiall Politician; the little fingers of who&s;e in&s;olency and avarice are grown heavi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">hen the loynes of Soveraignty or Epi&s;copacy. For, be&s;ides what our State-mongers have perverted to private ends, &s;ome of the Long Robe, who have preached a|gain&s;t Pluralities, have annual &s;alaries amounting almo&s;t to 1000. l. <HI>per annum.</HI> If we inquire what their imployments are to an&s;wer &s;uch in-comes, we &s;hall finde among&s;t many little be&s;ides the preaching of them&s;elves and their owne authority over their
<PB N="8" REF="6">fleeced flocks: yet what&s;oever &s;ome of them decree in the Church, or the Parliament in the State; mu&s;t (as if infallible) be recei|ved with an implicite obedience, no di&s;pute, no Petition, no Re|mon&s;trance, unle&s;&s;e it &s;peak the &s;ence of a prevailing party in the Parliament, and be u&s;hered in by a totall re&s;ignation of our &s;elves, can be accepted.</P>
<P>To this tamene&s;&s;e have we &s;uffered our &s;elves to be brought, and might &s;o perhaps have continued, had not the late actings of our Tru&s;tees &s;ufficiently informed us, that warr cannot be too much &s;u&s;pected which is obtruded upon termes not to be looked into. And therefore if the attempts of &s;uch lawle&s;&s;e u&s;urpers run &s;o high while&s;t we have a faithfull Army on foot, what will they do when we are disbanded, and they backt with an indi&s;putable power! If they once dare to declare us enemies for but intending to Petition for due pay and de&s;erved indempnity, how boundle&s;&s;e would they be (if under private and popular Notions) they could without controule pur&s;ue their own intere&s;ts and appetites!</P>
<P>Is not therefore the pre&s;ent actings of our Officers and Army proper to &s;ettle Peace, as to di&s;appoint the pur&s;uances and plots of private &s;pirits? would it not better become us to die with our &s;words in our hands, then (after we have vindicated the publique Liberty again&s;t the power and pride of Princes) to &s;uccumb un|der the &s;ervitude of our fellow-&s;ubjects, how great &s;oever? for which of our good deeds do we de&s;erve to be de&s;troyed? are they angry becau&s;e we are about to expedite the peoples Peace and pre|&s;ervation? are we not therefore properly provoked to &s;natch the wreath from off their brows, which (by the mercies of the Al|mighty) our late conquering &s;words have crowned them with! is this the requitall and income of all our difficulties undergone, perills pa&s;t, lives lo&s;t? Is this the fruit of our victory acquired? have we for this &s;o frequently removed their foes and feares, &s;ecu|red their &s;afety, or rendred them capable of the full execution of due, but deferred Ju&s;tice? Was it not for this cau&s;e we covenanted, hazarding our lives ao pre&s;erve our Liberties? yet after all mu&s;t we &s;it &s;till to &s;ee oppre&s;&s;ions un&s;uppre&s;t, Ju&s;tcie perverted, grie|vances augmented, and Tyranny Re-inthroned?</P>
<P>In this &s;o &s;ad a condition may we not with <HI>Adrian</HI> the Empe|rour cry out, <HI>Multitudo Medicorum me perdidit?</HI> may it not pro|perly be applyed to the late prevailing party in our pre&s;ent Parlia|ment,
<PB N="9" REF="6">who&s;e apparent declinations from their honoured underta|kings (whether we eye their private letere&s;ts, or unparliamentary proceedings) looke with &s;o foule a face upon us, as we may ju&s;t|ly que&s;tion, whether there be not as great a nece&s;&s;ity of transfer|ring that Tru&s;t from its abu&s;ers, as er&s;t to make u&s;e of their un|dertakings? Nay, we may boldly a&s;&s;ert their carryings on for pre|tended pre&s;ervations, have been &s;o co&s;tly to us, and &s;o commodi|ous to them&s;elves, that there is no capacity &s;o weak, but too aptly apprehends it for a truth, that it is better to be &s;tung with one Hornet, then a whole ne&s;t; better one Pope, or one Tyrant then a multitude: may never &s;o malignant a Genius po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e a Parlia|ment as to render our endeavours to regaine true liberty u&s;ele&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>Yet how is the State of England altered, and from the pity of its enemies become the envy of her fal&s;e and feigned friends, for whom our care and con&s;cience gave us courage to ingage; our courage begot their pre&s;ent power, their power our &s;ervitude and calamity. A &s;trange kind of requitall &s;ome will &s;ay, that tho&s;e heads &s;hould cut off the&s;e hands, by which they have climbed to that dezelling greatne&s;&s;e, from whence they but giddily di&s;cern either them&s;elves or us, whom they &s;till &s;trive to thru&s;t even with the hazzard of the Nation and their owne ruine, beneath the honour of our Armes into a condition of &s;ervitude, beggery and ba&s;ene&s;&s;e; witne&s;&s;e the contemptible price of blood paid to &s;ome, while&s;t o|ther impoveri&s;hed Petitioners are con&s;trained to &s;tand perpetuall Centinells to want and wrong, while&s;t &s;ome of their own indeered darlings lie &s;towed in plenty and &s;ecure repo&s;es, being in as deep Arrears for &s;ervice to be done, as others are for pay that's due.</P>
<P>Certainly, the free and faithfull Commoners of England did not intru&s;t them thus to act their own ends, or to accumalate and divide &s;uch va&s;t proportions of trea&s;ure among&s;t them&s;elves and Sycophants, while&s;t worthier Members, and more publike &s;pirited per&s;ons are fami&s;hed and defrauded: this is &s;o cleare a truth, as he that runs may read. Have we any thing de&s;irable here more then the care of our con&s;ciences, the freedome of our per&s;ons, community of friends, and propriety of goods? In all which &s;hould we declare how much both our Countrey and we have &s;uf|fered in a patient expectance of a happy i&s;&s;ue, we &s;hould adde to our calamities one vexation more then ever our Tru&s;tees intended
<PB N="10" REF="7">us; for had they believed that any dur&s;t have been &s;o bold us to arraigne their actions, we may charitably think they would have been more wary in di&s;obliging tho&s;e for whom they are and ought to act.</P>
<P>For tho&s;e la&s;t &s;ix yeares, what hath been the con&s;tant cry of the prime Potentiaties in our great Councell, but the Liberty of the Subject, and the Priviledge of Parliament; the former whereof we now &s;ee is almo&s;t &s;wallowed up of the latter, witne&s;&s;e the Goale-books of Newgate, the Tower, the Gatehou&s;e, and other places of Purgatory, where publike &s;pirited per&s;ons lie impove|ri&s;hed and impri&s;oned in a hopele&s;&s;e and helple&s;&s;e condition, lan|gui&s;hing after a legall tryall: Be a&s;&s;ured all ye native noble En|gli&s;h, that the &s;ame contrivance which provides mannacles for their hands, would in time &s;ee that no fetters &s;hould be wanting for your feet.</P>
<P>But mu&s;t the Medium whereby we are conveyed into this pre|tended ble&s;&s;edne&s;&s;e, and by which &s;o many millions have been &s;erewed forth of &s;educed pur&s;es, be no other then that old and ancient Qualepipe, publike nece&s;&s;ity; Oh invincible argument! endle&s;&s;e nece&s;&s;ity, which perhaps our abu&s;ers did never re&s;olve to have done withall while&s;t we had either juice to &s;queeze, or tame|ne&s;&s;e to &s;uffer it: Is any Art either ancient or moderne omitted to exhau&s;t the trea&s;ure of the&s;e times? witne&s;&s;e the reported di|vidend of &s;ome hundred thou&s;and pounds among&s;t &s;ome &s;elect Members, to recruit not &s;o much perhaps their pretended lo&s;&s;es, as their crack'd e&s;tates, whil&s;t the publike debts of the Kingdome with our dearly earned Arrears, are throwne in among&s;t things mo&s;t fit to be forgotten.</P>
<P>Surely &s;trangers might think the Parliamentary Revenues were at a low ebbe, when they are &s;een, and &s;eem compelled to &s;huffle off their friends and the peoples &s;upporters; but were &s;ome of the Receipts accounted for, it would happily &s;trike amazement into all that have but &s;leightly con&s;idered it; for &s;etting a&s;ide all the rooking Committees both in City and Countrey, who&s;e names and natures might almo&s;t call the profe&s;&s;ion of Chri&s;tianity it &s;elfe in que&s;tion, do but con&s;ider the va&s;t Contributions of A&s;&s;oci|ated and reduced Counties, Deanes and Chapter Lands, Pole-mo|neyes, Seque&s;trations, old and new loanes on Publike Faith, Sei|zures
<PB N="11" REF="7">on the whole Revenue of the Crowne and Miter, fifty Sub|fidies at once, fifth and twentieth part, Adventures, free gifts, Taxes for Briti&s;h moneyes for almo&s;t ruinated, and (if &s;ome &s;ay true) cheated Ireland, be&s;ides the va&s;t accumulations of trea&s;ure by Compo&s;itions and Pardons, there being, as we are informed, at the end of the fir&s;t Warre about or above 8000. Compounders, who&s;e Compo&s;itions if computed but at 200. l. a man one with an|other, which in the generall is much undervalued, and their par|dons at 36. l. a piece, the totall when levied, which undoubtedly was long &s;ince done, according to the exacte&s;t Computation, would almo&s;t amount to eighteen Millions, to which the Cu&s;tomes and Excize throughout the Kingdome addes many thou&s;ands more weekly: And yet &s;ome of our Stewards have been plea&s;ed to put on &s;uch a vizard of poverty, that two hundred thou&s;and pounds could not be paid to our Brethren the Scots, without the &s;ale of Bi&s;hops Lands; thus a new device and tax mu&s;t alwaies do the worke in hand, &s;till to &s;ecure and increa&s;e the &s;acred heap; a bank doubtle&s;&s;e were it brought together into one bulke, which &s;ome of them have courteou&s;ly carved to one another, would vie the trea&s;ure af all the Jews in Spain or Italy.</P>
<P>Can we then believe that the&s;e our friendly Feoffees after the contraction of &s;o much guilt would ever patiently return to their private fortunes? or give up their accompts to their fellow-Com|moners of England, who&s;e Stewards they are, and er&s;t had the mode&s;ty to acknowledge, that the power was ours by which they acted? which if true, as undoubtedly it is then are we certaine that the la&s;t appeale and re&s;olution mu&s;t be to and from us. Not|with&s;tanding this they would become our gront Lords, &s;ome of them having be&s;ides the corrupt acquiring of their Burge&s;&s;e&s;hips, &s;ate &s;o long as to bring in their children to &s;it at the Sterne of State, meaning no doubt to tran&s;mit this new principality from Gene|ration to Generation. But have we in the interim any a&s;&s;urance of either Law or Liberty, &s;ave what proceeds from their arbitrary breathings? What did ever any Nation undergo by a forraigne conque&s;t, which hath not in this la&s;t eight yeares been practi&s;ed upon this?</P>
<P><HI>Tacitus</HI> the wi&s;e&s;t of the Romane Hi&s;torians &s;ew forth, that the times were &s;o ba&s;e and bad under <HI>Nero</HI> and <HI>Domitian,</HI> that none
<PB N="12" REF="8">dur&s;t complain of them, the people being grown &s;o tame with &s;uf|ferance, that they had almo&s;t lo&s;t their memories. But it may be objected, there was never any Government which plea&s;ed all, or hath not upon tryall and experience had its inconveniences. The &s;everall States of Sparta, Athens, and Rome it &s;elf, thought they had well provided again&s;t the Tyranny of their Princes by their <HI>E|phori, Decemviri,</HI> &amp;c. yet the&s;e found &s;uch a venery in exerci&s;ing their &s;everall powers on tho&s;e that gave them, as in fine a new publique nece&s;&s;ity was di&s;covered which way to put tho&s;e down, who had de&s;erved no better while&s;t they were up.</P>
<P>We might draw the Parallel nearer to our times, &s;hould we ex|amine whether &s;ome of our Repre&s;entators have not tran&s;cen|ded in their tyrannies, what&s;oever hath been acted by tho&s;e fore|mentioned names of infamy: or &s;econdly, whether the injured Free|men of England may not ju&s;tly rea&s;&s;ume their mi&s;imployed power, and call the Authors to account for acting contrary to common tru&s;t, &s;afety, and &s;atisfaction: but it will be more benificiall to pitch upon expedients for Peace and Freedome, or for the future to &s;ecure our &s;elves again&s;t all arbitrary Powers, whether Regall or Parliamentary.</P>
<P>But by the way, peradventure &s;ome may object and &s;ay, &s;uppo&s;e this ill compacted body of Parliamentary power, be by the pre&s;ent moving of the Army either extingui&s;hed or reduced to a better temper, and that the di&s;po&s;all of the Supreme Power &s;uffer under the Sword, what a&s;&s;urance is there that the &s;ouldier will not mi&s;|imploy the power which we have intru&s;ted with tho&s;e whom you are about to take it from?</P>
<P>This is <HI>Argumentum ad hominem,</HI> and &s;eeing that the intentions of men cannot be looked into, our be&s;t conjecturall light mu&s;t a|ri&s;e from precedent actions, and in this particular we dare &s;tand the atte&s;t of our mo&s;t crying adver&s;aries; we neither have nor de|&s;ire better witne&s;&s;es touching our deportment, then your &s;elves, we wanted neither pre&s;idents nor opportunities to have inriched our &s;elves by &s;ecret fraud or open violence ever after our Army appeared &s;o con&s;iderable at Na&s;eby; what might we not have done when we marched from New-market through London, or what can hinder us now that we are in it from making our &s;elves Ma&s;ters of that whereby others become both wretched and mi&s;erable?
<PB N="13" REF="8">but we tru&s;t, that power which hath hither to given us &s;o many te|&s;timonies of Mercy, will to the end actompany us in all our de|portments, which if compared with the tyrannicall fleecings of &s;e|verall Tru&s;tees or their &s;ub&s;tituted Committees, we doubt not but rea&s;on will promp you rather to embrace a protection from tho&s;e for the pre&s;ent, who&s;e civilties have oredone expectation, then longer to lye under their in&s;ultings which have hitherto &s;o fouly fal&s;ified.</P>
<P>Be&s;ides, if we had been &s;o ba&s;e as to chaffer for your Freedome, temptations to take us off have not been wanting, even by &s;ome of tho&s;e who have formerly been fo fierce again&s;t us; we &s;peak not this to kindle a fire-brand to tye <HI>Samp&s;on's</HI> foxes together by the tailes; but rather to &s;tirre you up to take notice in time what danger you are in to be undone: let We&s;tmimter witne&s;&s;e it by the many red eyes and wet handkerchiefs of poor Widdowes wai|ting for the wages of their decea&s;ed husbands, be&s;ides halfe-&s;tarved Officers attending the Returnes to their Petitions, with charges great as the &s;ucce&s;&s;e is little, while&s;t kindred and creatures have their &s;ugge&s;ted &s;ervices rewarded, and their pretended lo&s;&s;es plen|tifully repay'd; the account whereof is frequently ca&s;t up fal&s;e by kindred, airy Courtiers, and oyly mouths, and formall flatterers; yet in the mean time tho&s;e of more weighty and &s;ub&s;tantiall worth have neither Oratours nor Advocates to mention their me|rits, or to write Narratives of their neglected nece&s;&s;ities.</P>
<P>Oh! whether is <HI>A&s;trea</HI> fled? what is become of Common Ju|&s;tice, that mo&s;t e&s;&s;entiall part of Magi&s;tracy! have our politique Bo|dies lo&s;t all the life-bloud of Love? can the&s;e Phili&s;tines put forth <HI>Samp&s;on's</HI> eyes, and not expect that a free people inraged by the le&s;&s;e of their dear purcha&s;ed Liberties &s;hould pull down the Pillars of their abu&s;ed power? When Magi&s;tracy degenerates into Ty|ranny, are we not di&s;obliged from our obedience, and put upon the freedome of naturall indeavours for pre&s;ervation? Surely the Sword of Ju&s;tice was not committed to their keeping to cut our throats: He is highly ignorant and blind, who thinks humane obedience binds us to &s;leight a publique pre&s;ervation. In this re|&s;pect a free people never want a full power. Tyranny is Tyranny in whom&s;oever, and where&s;oever re&s;i&s;table. Nature in the inferiour creatures fortifies her &s;elf defen&s;ively, and hath her nobler peace of wonder a le&s;&s;e priviledge?</P>
<PB N="14" REF="9">
<P>Their own Deciarations have taught us, that all power <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 span"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2+ letters">+&s;tive and conditionall on our part; therefore King <HI>Jan<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters">s</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 span"> he had as great an itch of Monarchy upon him as other <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> pro|claimed in open Parliament, that, <HI>Nihil aliud pate&s;t Rex qu&aacute;m quad Iure pote&s;t.</HI> And <HI>Bracton de Corona</HI> tells us, <HI>Quande Rex <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> per Legem r<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">git, non ampli&ugrave;s Rex e&s;t, &s;ed Tyrannus.</HI> The be&s;t of Primces ever kept their bounds, acting to Gods greate&s;t glory, knowing the Soveraig<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters"> power to be the Peoples, from whence they derive their Principalities, next that great Law-giver, who a&s;&s;ures u<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">&punc; That the &s;ervice due from man to man is not coercive, or di&s;tingui&s;hed from equall nature, &s;ave for &s;afety &s;ake. It is but the overflowings of Fancy, or an Optique mi&s;take that lets loo&s;e the reines to the &s;ence of a lawle&s;&s;e Soveraignty, provoking Princes to &s;uppo&s;e them&s;elves greater then their Maker ever meant. Surely Parlia|ments cea&s;e to be Parliaments, when they cea&s;e to be ju&s;t Powers; as Kings cea&s;e to be Kings, when by over&s;tretching the reints of Government, they forget to be good and ju&s;t: therefore Ju&s;tice defines Magi&s;tracy, as law le&s;ne&s;&s;e doth tyranny and arbitrary u&s;ur|pation.</P>
<P>How much then are we concerned to oppo&s;e all illegall pro|ceedings? how much more as Souldiers obliged, who have been more de&s;perately ingaged, and (for ought we yet find) &s;o dange|rou&s;ly deluded, in being made the unhappy in&s;truments of advan|cing private intere&s;ts with publike &s;pirits. Seeing therfore we have hitherto been perverted, as to promote their private projects, who care not if we died like dogs, &s;o they might live like Prinees, who give us cau&s;e to de&s;paire of any good ever to proceed from them. And in as much as none can merit the title of true Patriot, who in|deavour not to deliver their countrey from all her calamities; we do therefore &s;ee how nece&s;&s;ary it is we be no longer blinded in our obedience, or &s;hackled by our Fellow-&s;ubjects, in &s;ubordination to their lawle&s;&s;e lu&s;ts, who in the nature of their imployments are the Kingdoms Servants to mannage its Intere&s;t, not their own, further then conjoyned with ours, which they have hitherto too much contemned or trampled upon.</P>
<P>Since therefore to their Papall predominance, they would have added a Popi&s;h infallibility, who&s;e Decrees admit no di&s;pute or
<PB N="15" REF="9">rejection, but re&s;olved so remain the everla&s;ting Land Marks of out dre<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">d, in reference to their own <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="6 letters">eries and our blind obedience. It will behove us now at la&s;t to pray Almighty God to re&s;tore us to our wits, for if he make us wi&s;e (through his goodne&s;s and merey) we may make our &s;elves happy.</P>
<P>Now that the world may know we &s;trike only at the per&s;om of offendors, not at the Parliament, but the corrupted party in it; we do therefore in the pre&s;ence of Almighty God who&s;e pre&s;ence we expect, according to the &s;incerity of our &s;ouls) publi&s;h and declare to the whole Kingdom, That upon &s;erious thonghts and due can mina|tion, we have found and do believe a prevailing party in the Patlia|ment to be the propagators of many mi&s;eries and calumities which now &s;it heavy on this Kingdum, and that their long continuance in this u&s;urped Soveraignty is litterly incon&s;i&s;tent with all our &s;ufeties; not that we are ignorant of, or unwilling to acknowledg the &s;pecial power of Parliaments, or that we believe all the Members to have de|&s;erved this &s;o &s;evere a centure, for we are confident of the contrary: Yet ina&s;much as it is rather frequency of Parliaments then perpentity, that mu&s;t make us happy, the latter being too great a temptation to Tyranny; we with the re&s;t of our fellow &s;ubjects and foldiers (who by the confe&s;&s;ion of our Tru&s;tees, have within our &s;elves the &s;upream and original power to provide for the Common Safety, when we find, as now we do, our tru&s;t abu&s;ed and betrayed,) do therefore declare;</P>
<P N="1">1. That, together with the King and his Capital Creatures, the e|vil Members of both Hou&s;es have ju&s;tly forfeited their Power and Priviledg; and to the end therefore that others who &s;hall &s;ucceed in the managements of this Tru&s;t, may know that they act not only their own bu&s;ine&s;s, but ours; therefore that this Kingdom may at la&s;t acquire its bani&s;hed peace and welfare, we do in the fir&s;t place, with the re&s;t of the Army, de&s;ire the &s;peedy execution of due and di&s;tributive Ju&s;tice to all and every Capital Offendor.</P>
<P N="2">2. That all inferior Delinquents do &s;ubmit to the pre&s;ent judicial Power.</P>
<P N="3">3. That a &s;peedy period be put to this pre&s;ent Parliament, and a new Election of faithful Members made.</P>
<P N="4">4. That there be a &s;ucce&s;&s;ion of free and future Parliaments, with &s;ecure provi&s;&s;ions for their meeting, &s;itting and ending; &s;uch neither electing, not to be elected, as were in Arms or other ways pre-engaged again&s;t us.</P>
<PB N="16" REF="10">
<P N="5">5. That &s;o many of the old Members as have not crept in by cor|ruption, (and again&s;t whom there &s;hall not appear crimes &s;ufficiently &s;candalous to make them incapable,) may be incouraged and conti|nued, until the di&s;&s;olution of this pre&s;ent Parliament.</P>
<P N="6">6. That all Elections may be according to due and equal di&s;tribu|tions.</P>
<P N="7">7. That by an univer&s;al and mutual Agreement, it be enacted and decreed, <HI>in perpetuam rei memoriam,</HI> that the power of all future Repre&s;entatives may be inferior only to that of the people, in order to the pre&s;ervation of them in their ju&s;t and proper Rights, and that the ob&s;ervation thereof be added to the oath admini&s;tred to every Member upon his admi&s;&s;ion into the Parliament.</P>
<P N="8">8. That henceforth the things of Common Right and Ju&s;tice be left to the Laws well Regulated, and proper Officers being appointed for ordinary matters, a Councel of State may more aptly apply them|&s;elves to tho&s;e extraordinary admini&s;trations of Parliamentary Power.</P>
<P N="9">9. That the publique Petitions of the people may be more &s;ea&s;ona|bly con&s;idered, and &s;peedily di&s;patched (as is forementioned in the large Remon&s;trance) it will be requi&s;ite to afford Liberty of en|tring di&s;&s;ents again&s;t &s;uch Repre&s;entatives as appear either unfaithful or unpliant to the Tru&s;t of the People.</P>
<P N="10">10. That all future Kings be hereafter elected by the Peoples Re|pre&s;entatives upon conditional tru&s;t, or without claiming any nega|tive voyce again&s;t, or beyond the power of <HI>Parliaments.</HI></P>
<P N="11">11. That the &s;ucceeding <HI>Parliament</HI> may remember the &s;elf-de|ing Ordinance, and &s;peedily pur&s;ue an impartial account of the King|doms imbezelled trea&s;ure, which being di&s;covered we doubt not but &s;ufficient will be found to di&s;charge the publique debts of the King|dom, and &s;peedily to make <HI>Ireland</HI> pay the price of that blood which it hath &s;o inhumanly &s;hed.</P>
<P N="12">12. That the matters of general Settlement be propo&s;ed by the <HI>Parliament,</HI> and agreed unto with the &s;ub&s;criptions of the People, the like Award may be made, and in the &s;ame ca&s;e required to be perfor|med by all &s;ucceeding Kings, and other publique Officers of State or Tru&s;t.</P>
<P N="13">13. That no future Convention of <HI>Parliamentary Power</HI> be a|bove Biennial, or do henceforth pre&s;ume to exempt their per&s;ons
<PB N="17" REF="10">from being liable to di&s;charge their debts, or to &s;atisfie their Credi|tors by this means. if hereafter we &s;hould be &s;o unhappy as not to be acquainted with <HI>Parliamentary Ju&s;tice,</HI> or if future <HI>Parliaments</HI> &s;hould prove like this, yet their domination being circum&s;cribed within a limited time, they will (as it is well ob&s;erved) be afraid to commit tho&s;e in&s;olencies, which will be avenged them at their return into a private condition.</P>
<P N="14">14. And fore&s;eeing the di&s;-joynedne&s;s of the times, and the op|po&s;ition we &s;tand in to <HI>Ireland,</HI> and other dome&s;tique and forraign enemies; it will be requi&s;ite that a &s;tanding Militia be continued in experienced and approved hands.</P>
<P N="15">15. That in order to the removal of jealou&s;ies and fears, it is fur|ther by us de&s;ired, (as more conducing to a &s;peedy and perfect <HI>Peace</HI>) that an Act of Oblivion may be pa&s;t for inferior offendors, from the benefit whereof we only exclude tho&s;e who&s;e Crimes are Capital, of which number we put in the forefront the corrupt Members of this pre&s;ent <HI>Parliament,</HI> with their deputed Creatures and Committees, who either cannot or wil not give account of the publique trea&s;ure by them purloined; the&s;e in the fir&s;t pla<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">e we de&s;ire may be driven to Re&s;titution, or to make their per&s;ons &s;atisfie, if they &s;hall not di&s;cover upon their own oaths, or of any other whom they &s;hall be required to bring in for the further di&s;covery of their e&s;tates, in order to the intended &s;atisfaction: though our profe&s;sions do not qualifie us to new-mold a State, yet nece&s;sity having ca&s;t it upon our care, provi|dence puts us to point at the&s;e general conducements towards &s;o ne|ce&s;&s;ary a work, which we ca&s;t in as our mite with the more full and effectual Remon&s;trance of the Army.</P>
<P N="16">16. That &s;uch of the A&s;&s;embly as claim their Authority in the A&s;&s;embly <HI>Jure Divino,</HI> may be &s;peedily abrogated <HI>Jure Humano,</HI> un|le&s;s they can make it appear they have not illegally intruded upon their place and power; And that we may hereafter (by all their great expence of time and trea&s;ure) be as much &s;atisfied as them|&s;elves. Among&s;t &s;ome of whom the Church Revenues have been parcel'd forth into &s;uch large portions as might enable them to main|tain the pride and luxury of Cardinals, while&s;t their for&s;aken and fleeced Flocks are forced to attend the Alms of others, perhaps more precious for parts and piety, and yet but pen&s;ioners to their pride and pluralities, though exceeding them as far in grace as they do others in good livings: Such Lackwings are the Cankerworms of our &s;ouls,
<PB N="18" REF="11">as corrupt Committees are the Hor&s;leeches of our E&s;tates, the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> devours our goods, the other our good names: The <HI>Tenents</HI> of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> one (in matter of Regal Supremacy) are incon&s;i&s;tent with the known Laws of the Land, and the other, in point of traiterous practices, for profits &s;ake, are perfectly principled again&s;t them.</P>
<P N="17">17. Now, to the end we may live at unity among&s;t our &s;elves, the &s;tronger not in&s;ulting over, but bearing with the weaker, and both glorifying God by an unblameable conver&s;ation; there is ano|ther &s;ort of publique per&s;ons that de&s;erve to pa&s;s under as &s;trict a Reformation as any we have yet had to do with, they are &s;uch as re|ceive their name from the Law, which they make a no&s;e of wax; the&s;e are the great and clo&s;e &s;uckers of our State, and &s;uch as have contributed &s;o much to the honor of Chri&s;tianity; that the pens of men of honor and quality have delivered to the world, that the grand Signior of <HI>Con&s;tantinople</HI> hath more Ju&s;tice done his Subjects in one moneths time, then all the Chri&s;tian Princes in &s;even years: The&s;e are the men for whom (if they may be &s;uffered) our &s;words have cut out pleading work for generation to come. And therefore &s;ince their ab&s;tru&s;e &s;ence in a barbarous Dialect, which they expound as they li&s;t, carries with it the monumental badg of our Normane &s;ervitude, and the profit the Kingdom receives by it, no way countervails the mi&s;chief that is doth enact: It is our earne&s;t de&s;ire, that all the Con|&s;titutions of this Kingdom, both penal and others be abreviated, and clad in the home-&s;pun language of our native Nation, that every man might in &s;ome &s;ort be able to under&s;tand and plead his own Cau&s;e.</P>
<P N="18">18. That &s;ome &s;trict cour&s;e may be taken for preventing that horrid practice of Attorneys in putting men out of the protection of the Law, by out-lawing, before notice be given them of the Suite, though never &s;o cau&s;le&s;s: And that all &s;uch undue proceedings may make the Suite null, &amp;c. that the Remedy be not wor&s;e then the Di&s;ea&s;e.</P>
<P N="19">19. That to avoyd corruption of Lawyers or their adherents, and to take off mens mindes from litigious contentions, &s;ome Expedient of determination of differences may be provided, by the appointment of men of known integrity; and parties authorized in every con&s;ider|able Town or Hundred to decide ordinary Controver&s;ies, &s;o that no man be admitted to commence a Suite (&s;ave in grand Cau&s;es) with|out their conce&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P N="20">20. As al&s;o that both Judges and Pleaders may have their re&s;pective
<PB N="19" REF="11">Salleries from the Publique, upon penalty of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> all b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="3 letters">es o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> un|der&s;tand obligations Whereupon that example of <HI>Cambices</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> happily be renewed, and put into execution: We need not doubt then but every Tribunal in <HI>England</HI> will have &s;omething to hang o|ver it, that &s;hall better in&s;truct its &s;everal Judges then all the Letters of Princes or Potentates, or all the Dividends betwixt them and their pur&s;e-bearing Broakers at the end of the Term.</P>
<P>But in ca&s;e we now are in, what Ju&s;tice can we expect from any civil Judicature, where the Members of <HI>Parliament,</HI> who &s;hould be Law-makers, de&s;cend for gain &s;o far as to be Pleaders in eath com|mon Court? and &s;eeing no Judg &s;tandeth but by their Vote, what dares any of them do in a&s;&s;erting the old known Laws, when upon every Appeal to the Parliament their <HI>Pleaders</HI> become their <HI>Judges?</HI> And how valiant &s;uch Ju&s;tices have been in acqui<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters">ing them&s;elves whe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">e they feared their &s;itting be&s;ides their Cu&s;hions, their behavior in the ca&s;e of Ship-mony &s;ufficiently ded<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="3 letters">. The &s;everal abu&s;es throughout the Kingdom for want of faithful Magistrates and for lack of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> exe|cution of Ju&s;tice and Judgment, doth not only di&s;tru&s;t the Army, but al&s;o very much di&s;courage and di&s;aff<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ct our be&s;t friends; for <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="4 letters">by differences are undecided, becau&s;e good and godly County-Commi&s;|&s;ioners are not cho&s;en, nor according to our legal Cu&s;tome and Con|&s;titutions impowered to impeach per&s;ons pecc<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">nt, of to pre&s;ent the <HI>Parliament</HI> with the occa&s;ions of their County. Wherein, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> Courts of Judicature were e&s;tabli&s;hed throughout the &s;everal Hundreds, and Lawyers appointed to plead at a &s;et allowance, Cau&s;es might be <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> ju&s;tly and &s;peedily determined, and all opp<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;itions <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> le&s;&s;ened or prevented.</P>
<P>We might in this &s;ence enlarge our &s;elves in &s;everal re&s;pects, wherein the condition of this Kingdom is &s;o un<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="3 letters">fortable: But, though we take no plea&s;ure to take in the kennel of &s;o much confu&s;i|on, yet would we take the pains to clear and clean&s;e it, that at the la&s;t we may attain the true eaj<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2+ letters"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2+ letters">nt of what we have purcha&s;ed at &s;o dear a price; that &s;o the Authors of our Calamities may re|ceive their wages according to that Ju&s;tice which their Actions do make them fear. But we hope, by what hath been already &s;aid a|gain&s;t others, that we have innocence in our hearts and hands to|wards the Peace of this Nation, for who&s;e freedom we will both fight and pray. We intend not in any kinde to continue our Coun|taies Mi&s;ery, but to pur&s;ue its Peace and pre&s;ervation, in prevention
<PB N="20" REF="12">of tho&s;e oppre&s;&s;ions &s;it to be repealed, in regard of tho&s;e great En|gagements which are given by us all, rather to make good the happy i&s;&s;ue of the old, then the beginnings of another new and wa&s;teful War.</P>
<P>We have fought for Ju&s;tice and Freedom, the inheritance left us from our forefathers, and it is now become our purcha&s;e and price of our blood, &s;pilt in oppo&s;ition of tyrannical attempts, wherein &s;u|premacy of power cannot legitimate &s;corn or cruelty. And though greatne&s;s may make injuries more great, <HI>Power</HI> too much improved &s;ometimes provokes the <HI>Pea&s;ant</HI> to brave the <HI>Prince.</HI> Indeed it is ca&s;ie for boundle&s;s ambition to a&s;pire, but not ever to continue upper|mo&s;t. Love and Ju&s;tice are the la&s;ting Conquerors, the true&s;t Sup|porters of a State, without which the mo&s;t tran&s;cendent Acts of Magi&s;tracy &s;tand tottering, and do either by the wounds of &s;epara|tion bleed to death, or very rarely perpetuate a power to po&s;terity. But if, by Gods ble&s;&s;ing upon our loyal hearts and endeavors, this Kingdom &s;hall receive its wonted <HI>Peace</HI> and Vigor in the condign puni&s;hment and &s;uppre&s;&s;ion of all our oppo&s;ers, and the Arch ene|mies of our common Safety; we &s;hall no &s;ooner &s;ee <HI>Peace</HI> and <HI>Truth</HI> e&s;tabli&s;hed, the Liberty of our Con&s;ciences, according to the Word of God, in Doctrine and Di&s;cipline, &s;ecured (for we abhor an uni|ver&s;al <HI>Teleration:</HI>) but we &s;hall be willing immediately to acquit the happy Management of our hitherto &s;ucce&s;sful Arms, and betake us to &s;uch other employments as the great Creator &s;hall call us to.</P>
<P>All we &s;hall in the <HI>Interim</HI> de&s;ire, is, That the great and wi&s;e God may be ever more glorified, for working the deliverance of his people by &s;uch poor de&s;pi&s;ed per&s;ons; and that they my receive &s;uch fair ac|ceptance and acknowledgment, for all their faithful performances, that no age hereafter (looking over their neglects) receive di&s;cou|ragement to &s;acrifice their lives in vindication of the publique Li|berty.</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE><HI>H&V;LL,</HI> <DATE><HI>January 1648.</HI></DATE></DATELINE>
<SIGNED><HI>By the Appointment of the Officers at a General Meeting.</HI> Signed, JO: HAMINGWAY.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<DIV2 TYPE="petition">
<PB N="21" REF="12">
<HEAD>To the Right Honorable the Su|pream Authority of the Nation, the Com|mons a&s;&s;embled in Parliament. The humble Petition of the Officers and Souldiers of his Excellencies Regiment of Hor&s;e.</HEAD>
<OPENER>Humbly &s;heweth,</OPENER>
<P>THat your <HI>Petitioners,</HI> out of a tender re&s;pect to the work, they have been employed in, and ever &s;ince this War intru&s;ted with|all, (by Authority derived from you) have been very cautious of of|fering any thing that might have the lea&s;t appearance of &s;eeking out &s;elves (though &s;ufficiently known to be our rights) by &s;everal En|gagements, Promi&s;es and Declarations of this Honorable Hou&s;e, fearing lea&s;t by that means we &s;hould impead that &s;ervice, (the pre|&s;ervation whereof was more dear to us then our lives,) upon which con&s;ideration we have waded through all difficulties and dangers we have met withal, re&s;olving, that what&s;oever might &s;eem of neare&s;t relation to our &s;elves, &s;hould bring up the rear of our de&s;ires to your honors, nor &s;hould we at this pre&s;ent have troubled you, had we not been con&s;cions that the neglect thereof would have been of very ill confequence. And now &s;eeing it hath plea&s;ed God &s;o to own our endeavors, (with the re&s;t of the Army,) giving te&s;timony thereunto by many wonderful &s;ucce&s;&s;es, bringing down all power what&s;oever that lifted up it &s;elf again&s;t tho&s;e ju&s;t and righteous things you de|clared for; and that you, being the &s;upream Authority, having now a &s;ea&s;onable opportunity put into your hands, to an&s;wer our expecta|tions more fully, although we cannot but acknowledg that God hath inclined your hearts to accompli&s;h many of tho&s;e ju&s;t things which we have long time waited for, &s;ome things yet retraining undone, which we humbly take boldne&s;s to be your <HI>Petitioners</HI> for.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM><HI>1.</HI> That all per&s;ons that have been imployed in publique Trea&s;u|ries may be &s;peedily brought to an account, and that approved per&s;ons may be impowered for that purpo&s;e.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>2.</HI> That our Accounts, in the &s;everal Commands we have been under, may be pre&s;ently &s;tated, and debenters given us, which debent|ers
<PB N="22" REF="13">may be allowed of as others that have lent many upon the Pub|lique Faith of the Kingdom.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>3.</HI> That our Accounts &s;o &s;tated, vi&s;ible &s;ecurity may be &s;peedily given out of Deans and Chapters Lands, or otherways.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>4.</HI> That where as divers Souldiers have, through the tediou&s;ne&s;s of the late Services, lo&s;t and &s;poiled their hor&s;es, that therefore care may be taken for their &s;atisfaction; &s;ome having di&s;hur&s;t more ma|ny in buying hor&s;es to &s;erve the State in this la&s;t Expedition, then their pay hath amounted to, and that there may be provi&s;ion made for their future &s;upply with hor&s;es.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>5.</HI> That Free Quarter may be wholly taken off, and that <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> ef|fectual cour&s;e may be taken for a con&s;tant &s;upply of pay to enable us to di&s;charge our Quarters, and that the intelerable abu&s;es we &s;uffer in clips mony may be prevented.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>The Premi&s;es we earne&s;tly de&s;ire may be tak<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">n into your &s;peedy and &s;erious Con&s;ideration, and effectual care had for our &s;atis|faction herein.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>And your Petitioners &s;hall pray, &amp;c.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="postscript">
<P>THis Petition was pre&s;ented to the General Councal of the Ar|my, &s;itting at Whitehall on Thur&s;day the <HI>22.</HI> in&s;tant, (his Ex|cellency the Lord <HI>Fairfax</HI> pre&s;ent,) read and approval of by the whole Councel, and it was agreed, That &s;everal Officers &s;hould con&s;i|der of the particulars of the &s;aid Petition, and prepare a Draught again&s;t next Councel of &s;uch things as might be pre&s;ented from them to the Parliament, both for ea&s;ing the burdens of the Common|wealth, as to Free Quarter, &amp;c. and for provi&s;ion of &s;uch things as are due to the Army.</P>
<P>Some Officers were al&s;o appointed to de&s;ire &s;uch others as were Members of the Parliament to pre&s;ent an Act which is drawn for taking the Accounts of the Common-wealth, and that it may pa&s;s the Parliament as &s;oon as may be, in re&s;pect of the great con&s;equence of it, and the many Expectations that are upon it: And be&s;ides, that it will rai&s;e &s;everal &s;ums of mony hither to concealed or not ac|compted for.</P>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
