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<DATE>2014-05-21</DATE>
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<NAME>Mona Logarbo</NAME>
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<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>A DECLARATION OF THE COMMONS OF <HI>ENGLAND</HI> A&s;&s;embled in PARLIAMENT, OF Their true Intentions concerning the An|cient and Fundamental Government of the King|dom, The Government of the Church, The pre|&s;ent Peace; Securing the People again&s;t all Arbi|trary Government, and maintaining a right un|der &s;tanding between the Two Kingdoms of <HI>England</HI> and <HI>Scotland,</HI> according to the Covenant and Treaties.</P>
<P><TEXT LANG="eng">
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="license">
<P>ORdered by the Commons a&s;&s;embled in Parliament, That this <HI>Declaration</HI> be forthwith Printed and Publi&s;hed.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>H: El&s;ynge, Cler. Parl D. Com.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
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</TEXT></P>
<P>Printed for <HI>Edward Husband,</HI> Printer to the Honorable Hou&s;e of Com|mons, dwelling in Fleet&s;treet at the &s;ign of the Golden Dragon.</P>
<P>April 18. 1646.</P>
</DIV1>
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<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="license">
<PB N="2" REF="2">
<OPENER><DATELINE><DATE>Die Veneris, 17. April. 1646.</DATE></DATELINE></OPENER>
<P>ORdered, That four thou&s;and of the&s;e Declarations be Printed for the u&s;e of the Parliament, and that the Knights and Burge&s;&s;es of the &s;everal Counties, do take care they be forthwith &s;ent down and publi&s;hed in the re|spective Counties and places for which they &s;erve.</P>
<P>Ordered, That it be referred to Sir <HI>Arthur Ha&s;lerig,</HI> Sir <HI>John Evelin,</HI> Mr. <HI>Allen,</HI> and Mr. <HI>Ball,</HI> or any two of them, to di&s;tribute the &s;aid Declarations to the Me&s;&s;engers that are to be &s;ent into the &s;everal Counties; and that fewer then one hundred be not &s;ent to one County, and as many more as they &s;hall &s;ee cau&s;e; and are likewi&s;e to take care, that they may be publi&s;hed, &s;et up and fixed in every Pari&s;h Church, by the Church Wardens, or other Officers of the &s;aid Pari&s;h, which the &s;aid Church Wardens are hereby re|quired and enjoyned to &s;ee publi&s;hed, &s;et up and fixed in the &s;aid Pari&s;h Churches accordingly.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Hen. El&s;ynge, Cler. Parl. D. Com.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="Parliamentary declaration">
<PB N="3" REF="2">
<OPENER><DATELINE><DATE>Die Veneris, 17. April. 1646.</DATE></DATELINE></OPENER>
<P>_VVE the <HI>Commons</HI> in Parliament a&s;&s;embled, well remembring that in the beginning of this War, divers Prote&s;tations, Declarations and Sugge&s;tions were &s;pred abroad by the King, and tho&s;e that did adhere unto him, where|by our &s;incere Intentions for the publike good were mi&s;repre&s;ented, and the mindes of many po&s;&s;e&s;|&s;ed with a beleef, that our Re&s;olutions and proceedings were grounded upon needle&s;&s;e fears and jealou&s;ies, and that there was no nece&s;&s;ary and ju&s;t cau&s;e of the pre&s;ent War; the un|truth and deceitfulne&s;&s;e whereof, by the good hand of God miraculou&s;ly di&s;covering the &s;ecrets of our Enemies, di&s;|po&s;ing and ble&s;&s;ing our Affairs, time and experience have &s;ince fully manife&s;ted, to the undeceiving of tho&s;e that were &s;educed thereby; which mi&s;takes of the people by this artifice and cunning of the Enemy, for &s;ome time much blemi&s;hed the Ju&s;tice of this Cau&s;e, and not onely prolong|ed the War, but hazarded the &s;ucce&s;&s;e thereof: And if the Enemy by the&s;e means had prevailed, how dangerous the Con&s;equences would have been is mo&s;t apparent.</P>
<P>And now ob&s;erving, that when it hath plea&s;ed God &s;o to ble&s;&s;e our Endeavours, and the Actions of our Forces and Armies, as that the Enemy is in di&s;pair to accompli&s;h his de&s;ignes by War; and we are brought into good hopes of attaining and enjoying that which with &s;o much expence of blood and trea&s;ure we have contended for: There are &s;till the &s;ame &s;pirits &s;tirring, and humors working as in the begin|ning, though under other di&s;gui&s;es, and upon other grounds&punc; putting fal&s;e con&s;tructions as well upon what hath already
<PB N="4" REF="3"> pa&s;&s;ed the Hou&s;es, <HI>as upon the things under pre&s;ent debate,</HI> and mi&s;repre&s;enting our Intentions in the u&s;e we de&s;ire to make of this great &s;ucce&s;&s;e which God hath given us, and the happy opportunity to &s;etle Peace and Truth in the three Kingdoms, not cea&s;ing, as well in Print as otherwi&s;e, to beget a beleef that we now de&s;ire to exceed or &s;werve from our fir&s;t Ayms and Principles i<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> the undertaking this War, and to recede from the &s;olemn League and Covenant, and Treaties between the two Kingdoms; and that we would prolong the&s;e uncomfortable troubles and bleeding di&s;tra|ctions, in order to alter the Fundamental Con&s;titution and Frame of this Kingdom, to leave all Government in the Church loo&s;e and un&s;etled, and our &s;elves to exerci&s;e the &s;ame Arbitrary power over the per&s;ons and e&s;tates of the Subjects, which this pre&s;ent Parliament hath thought fit to aboli&s;h, by taking away the <HI>Star&punc;Chamber, High Commi&s;sion, and other Arbitrary Courts, and the Exorbitant Power of the Councel Table.</HI></P>
<P>All which being &s;eriou&s;ly con&s;idered by us, although our Actions and Proceedings from time to time, &s;ince the beginning of this Parliament, and particularly in the man|aging this great Cau&s;e, are the be&s;t Demon&s;trations of our &s;incerity and faithfulne&s;&s;e to the Publique; yet fore&s;eeing, that if credit be given to &s;uch dangerous in&s;inuations and fal&s;e &s;urmi&s;es, the &s;ame will not onely continue the pre&s;ent calamities, and involve us into new and unexpected imbroil|ments; but likewi&s;e, inevitably endanger the happy i&s;&s;ue and &s;ucce&s;&s;e of our Endeavours, which by Gods ble&s;&s;ing we may otherwi&s;e hope for.</P>
<P>We do Declare, That our true and real Intentions are, and our Endeavours &s;hall be to &s;etle Religion in the Purity thereof, according to the Covenant, to maintain the ancient and fundamental Government of this Kingdom, to pre&s;erve the Rights and Liberties of the Subject, to lay hold on the fir&s;t opportunity of procuring a &s;afe and well grounded
<PB N="5" REF="3"> Peace in the three Kingdoms, and to keep a good under|&s;tanding between the two Kingdoms of <HI>England</HI> and <HI>Scot|land,</HI> according to the grounds expre&s;&s;ed in the &s;olemn League and Covenant and Treaties; which we de&s;ire may be inviolably ob&s;erved on both parts.</P>
<P>And, lea&s;t the&s;e generals &s;hould not give a &s;ufficient &s;atis|faction, we have thought fit, to the end men may be no longer abu&s;ed into a misbeleef of our Intentions, or a mi&s;|under&s;tanding of our Actions, to make this further enlarge|ment upon the particulars</P>
<P>And fir&s;t concerning Church-Government, we having &s;o fully declared for a Presbyterial Government, having &s;pent &s;o much time, taken &s;o much pains for the &s;etling of it, pa&s;&s;ed mo&s;t of the particulars brought to us from the A&s;&s;embly of Divines (called onely to Advi&s;e of &s;uch things as &s;hall be required of them by both or either of the Hou&s;es of Parlia|ment) without any material alteration, <HI>&s;aving in the point of Commi&s;sioners;</HI> and having publi&s;hed &s;everal Ordinances for putting the &s;ame in execution, becau&s;e we cannot con&s;ent to the granting of an Arbitrary and unlimited Power and Ju|ri&s;diction to near Ten thou&s;and Judicatories to be erected within this Kingdom, and this demanded in &s;uch a way as is not con&s;i&s;tent with the Fundamental Laws and Government of the &s;ame, and by nece&s;&s;ary con&s;equence excluding the Power of the Parliament of <HI>England</HI> in the exerci&s;e of that Juri&s;diction, and whereof we have received no &s;atisfaction in point of Con&s;cience or Prudence; nor have we yet re&s;ol|ved how a due regard may be had, that tender Con&s;ciences, <HI>which differ not in any Fundamentals of Religion,</HI> may be &s;o provided for, as may &s;tand with the Word of God, and the Peace of the Kingdom.</P>
<P>It mu&s;t therefore &s;eem very &s;trange to us, if any &s;ober and mode&s;t man &s;hould entertain a thought, that we &s;hould &s;ettle no Government in the Church, when our unwillingne&s;&s;e to &s;ubject our &s;elves and the people of this Land to this va&s;t
<PB N="6" REF="4"> Power, hath been a great cau&s;e that the Government hath not been long &s;ince e&s;tabli&s;hed: And we de&s;ire it may be ob&s;erved, that we have had the more rea&s;on, by no means to part with this Power out of the hands of the Civil Magi|&s;trate, &s;ince the experience of all Ages will manife&s;t, That the Reformation and purity of Religion, and the pre&s;erva|tion and protection of the people of God in this Kingdom, hath, under God, been by the Parliaments and their exerci&s;e of this Power: And our full Re&s;olutions &s;till are, &s;incerely, really and con&s;tantly, through the grace of God, to endea|vour the Reformation of Religion in the Kingdoms of <HI>Eng|land</HI> and <HI>Ireland, in Doctrine, Wor&s;hip, Di&s;cipline and Govern|ment, according to the Word of God, and the Example of the be&s;t Reformed Churches, and according to our Covenant.</HI></P>
<P>Whence it may appear to all men, That tho&s;e Rumours and A&s;per&s;ions whereby the mindes of men are &s;o di&s;turbed for want of the pre&s;ent &s;etling of Church-Government, are to be applyed to tho&s;e, <HI>who</HI> (having a &s;ufficient Power and Direction from the Hou&s;es on that behalf) <HI>have not as yet put the &s;ame in execution.</HI></P>
<P>And whereas a &s;afe and good Peace is the right end of a ju&s;t War, there is nothing we have more earne&s;tly de&s;ired, nor more con&s;tantly laboured after, and to that purpo&s;e, <HI>both Hou&s;es of Parliament have framed &s;everal Propo&s;itions to be &s;ent to the King, &s;uch as they hold nece&s;&s;ary for the pre&s;ent and future &s;afety and good of this Kingdom; &s;ome of which are tran&s;mit|ted from both Hou&s;es, to our Brethren of</HI> Scotland, <HI>where they now remain; Who&s;e con&s;ent, that they may &s;peedily be &s;ent to the King, we &s;hall not doubt to obtain, &s;ince the Parliament of</HI> England <HI>is and ought to be &s;ole and proper Judge of what may be for the good of this Kingdom:</HI> The &s;ame liberty having been alwayes by us admitted to the Kingdom of <HI>Scotland</HI> in all things that concern that Kingdom; wherein we are &s;o far from altering the fundamental Con&s;titution and Government of this Kingdom, <HI>by King, Lords and Commons,</HI> that we have onely
<PB N="7" REF="4"> de&s;ired, that with the con&s;ent of the King &s;uch powers may be &s;etled in the two Hou&s;es, without which we can have no a&s;&s;urance, but that the like or greater mi&s;chiefs then the&s;e which God hath hitherto delivered us from, may break out again, and engage us in a &s;econd and more de&s;tructive War.</P>
<P>Whereby it plainly appears, our intentions are not to change the ancient frame of Government within this King|dom, but to obtain the end of the Primitive In&s;titution of all Government, <HI>the &s;afety and weal of the people,</HI> not judging it wi&s;e or &s;afe, after &s;o bitter experience of the bloody con|&s;equences <HI>of a pretended Power of the Militia in the King,</HI> to leave any colourable Authority in the &s;ame for the future attempts of introducing an Arbitrary Government over this Nation, and protecting Delinquents, Enemies of our Religion and Liberties, by force from the Ju&s;tice of Parlia|ment, the fir&s;t and chiefe&s;t grounds of the Parliaments ta|king up Arms in this Cau&s;e.</P>
<P>And although the nece&s;&s;ity of War hath given &s;ome di|&s;turbance to Legal proceedings, &s;topped the u&s;ual cour&s;e of Iu&s;tice, enforced the Parliament, for the pre&s;ervation of this State, to impo&s;e and require many great and unu&s;ual pay|ments from the good Subjects of this Kingdom, and to take extraordinary wayes for procuring of Moneys for their many pre&s;&s;ing occa&s;ions; It having plea&s;ed God to reduce our Affairs into a more hopeful condition then heretofore: We do Declare, That we will not, nor any by colour of any Authority derived from us, &s;hall interrupt the ordi|nary cour&s;e of Ju&s;tice in the &s;everal Courts and Judica|tories of this Kingdom, nor i<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="2 letters">ermeddle in ca&s;es of pri|vate Intere&s;t otherwhere determinable, unle&s;&s;e it be in ca&s;e of Male-Admini&s;tration of Ju&s;tice, wherein we &s;hall &s;ee and provide, that right be done, and puni&s;hment inflicted as there &s;hall be occa&s;ion, according to the Laws of the Kingdom, and the tru&s;t repo&s;ed in us. And as both Hou&s;es have already, for the ca&s;e and benefit of the people,
<PB N="8" REF="5"> taken away the Court of Wards and Liveries, with all Tenures <HI>in Capite,</HI> and by <HI>Knight Service,</HI> &s;o we will take e&s;pecial care, that as &s;peedy and as great ea&s;e may be had in future levies of Money, by reducing of Garri&s;ons, and otherwayes, as the pre&s;&s;ing occa&s;ions of the Kingdom can po&s;&s;ibly admit, and will provide by bringing Delinquents to due puni&s;hment (who have unnaturally fomented and maintained this pre&s;ent War again&s;t the Parliament and Kingdom) <HI>That there may be a fair po&s;sibility of &s;atisfying the disbur&s;ements, clearing the engagements, and repairing the lo&s;&s;es of tho&s;e who have faithfully and cheerfully laid out them&s;elves, and &s;uffered for the Publike Service,</HI> unle&s;&s;e by too great cre|dulity, given to fal&s;e Sugge&s;tions, we &s;hall be di&s;abled from effecting what we de&s;ire.</P>
<P>La&s;tly, whereas both Nations have entred into a Solemn League and Covenant, and Treaties have been made and concluded between the two Kingdoms of <HI>England</HI> and <HI>Scot|land,</HI> we have had an e&s;pecial regard of the Treaties, and have not (to our be&s;t judgements) failed of the performance of any thing which was on our part to be performed. And for the Covenant, we have been and ever &s;hall be very care|ful duly to ob&s;erve the &s;ame, that as nothing hath been done, &s;o nothing &s;hall be done by us, repugnant to the true mean|ing and intention thereof, and do pre&s;ume, no interpretation of it (&s;o far as it &s;hall concern the Kingdom of <HI>England)</HI> &s;hall by any be endeavoured to be impo&s;ed on us, other then we our &s;elves do know to be &s;utable to the fir&s;t ju&s;t ends for which it was agreed; and we do expect, That the people of <HI>England</HI> &s;hould not receive impre&s;&s;ions of any forced con|&s;tructions of that Covenant, which in ca&s;e of any doubt ari&s;ing, is onely to be expounded by them by who&s;e Au|thority it was E&s;tabli&s;hed in this Kingdom, who will not depart from tho&s;e grounds and principles upon which it was framed and founded.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
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