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<DATE>2012-01-02</DATE>
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<NAME>Mona Logarbo</NAME>
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<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>A PLEA FOR MODERATION IN THE Tran&s;actions of the Army: OR, VVeighty Ob&s;ervations upon the late Pro|po&s;alls for Peace, pre&s;ented by the <HI>Honourable City of LONDON,</HI> To Commi&s;&s;ary-Generall IRETON, for concur|rence of the Generall Councell.</P>
<P>Humbly offered unto the con&s;ideration of the Officers of the ARMY;</P>
<P>By <HI>Veritie Victor</HI> Gent.</P>
<P>Printed for <HI>John Hanes,</HI> 1648.</P>
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<HEAD>A Plea for Moderation in the Armies Tran&s;actions.</HEAD>
<P>UPon reading of that Paper called Propo&s;als for Peace and Free|dome offered to Commi&s;&s;ary Generall <HI>Ireton,</HI> for the concur|rence of the Army by divers worthy Citizens of the Common Councell, and others, and upon much weighing the matter, I di&s;co|ver &s;omthing of the &s;ub&s;tance thereof, and in regard of the &s;trength of rea&s;on, even in all things therein touching the pre&s;ent condition of the &s;tate of things now with us, (it being the onely wi&s;dome to looke at what be&s;t may be, and not at the narrow de&s;ires that every mans will coveteth) and as to the hone&s;ty thereof; I conceive no rea&s;onable man of what party &s;oever, unle&s;&s;e the prodigall, or &s;uch as de&s;ires to live by the ruine of others, can &s;ay that there is any thing which tends to any other then the &s;ure contrivance for the &s;ettle|ment of a happy peace, and the maintenance of the due and equall propriety and freedome of all men: wherefore I have thought meet to ob&s;erve, that fir&s;t they conclude the King to be the per|&s;on that hath brought this woe, mi&s;ery, and lamentable di&s;traction upon the three Kingdomes. Secondly, that they conclude into that true Maxime of the Law, that what&s;oever is not ju&s;t in the begin|ning, cannot be made ju&s;t by any Cu&s;tome of the longe&s;t continuane what&s;oever; and therefore do fir&s;t adjudge him guilty of all the blood and ruine of England and Ireland. Secondly, that they are de&s;irous that all u&s;urpations and incroachments upon the peoples Liberties what&s;oever, may be immediately taken away: and per|haps may believe with me, that Kings Courts are the fountaines from whence the &s;treames of exce&s;&s;e doe flow, and (that Kings are the Bea&s;ts &s;poken of in the Revelation of <HI>John</HI>) that thereby de|voure the people, and thither al&s;o do the &s;ubtille&s;t &s;erpents re|&s;ort, and by their &s;upreme power &s;ting (even unto death) the re&s;t of the &s;illy bea&s;ts of the mountaines, and it is they that turn the grace of God into wantonne&s;&s;e and a lie, exalting with the horn of honour the covetous, the Extortioner, the Damner, Swearer, Who|rer, Game&s;ter, Cheater, Liar, and la&s;civious Prodigalls, to the ba|ni&s;hment of godline&s;&s;e and true vertue, and all &s;uch as (according to the only end for which they were borne) endeavoure righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e
<PB REF="3">for the good of their generation. But con&s;idering the great dubiou&s;ne&s;&s;e of the be&s;t of men, and that three Kingdomes concen|tereth in one Crowne, and that through the union thereby &s;ince King <HI>James</HI> came fir&s;t into England, their Riches as well in Trade as Revenue were (before the warre) increa&s;ed not le&s;&s;e then fourfold. Secondly, that none of the three can be highly happy without peace in all. Thirdly, that our old foundations of Government in refe|rence as afore&s;aid, cannot be mended, except in the free and more equall choice of the Repre&s;entative. Fourthly, that &s;ince it hath plea&s;ed God that a &s;olemne Nationall Covenant hath been made and remaineth between Scotland and us, whereby that Nation re|quireth mercy on the behalfe of the King as due thereby. Fifthly, for that God is a God of mercy, and not of puni&s;hment, unle&s;&s;e as they &s;ay, it will in rea&s;on convert into mercy. Sixtly, for that their provi&s;ions for peace and freedome again&s;t all Tyranny is in rea&s;on unviolable through a generall agreement to be founded by this great and honourable City (out of Arms) upon as certaine provi&s;i|ons therein as can be laid down. Seventhly, that the union between the Scots and us may be pre&s;erved, and their peace &s;etled as well as ours. Eightly the &s;udden reducement of Ireland. Ninthly, the con|viction of all the particular parties of the pure Parliament Inte|re&s;t, together againe. Tenthly, although it cannot be imagined that godly States-men will intend the alteration of a Government for the wor&s;e, for that is not to be expected at the hands of the mo&s;t e|vill Machivillians, for by the goodne&s;&s;e of the things laid downe mu&s;t their &s;upportation in &s;trength, honour, and fame be. But ne|ce&s;&s;ity hath ever been ob&s;erved to force the faire&s;t promi&s;ing States|men upon alterations of the Government of Nations into the height of Tyranny and cruelty, e&s;pecially where a new Govern|ment is u&s;hered in by feare, that oppo&s;ite to love and freedome, nor can the accompli&s;hment thereof be expected by this generati|on. And though extreme warrs could be avoided, yet cannot im|pri&s;onment, hanging, heading, hunger-pining of thou&s;ands, nay likely ten thou&s;ands, and in the end may the worke come into as evill hands as this Tyrant, at large, our pre&s;ent King; but in the Cities way there is nothing but certainties in rea&s;on, for binding their Kings with chaines, and their Nobles with links of iron, yet by a &s;weet yoke, and plea&s;ant bonds to the producement of their greatne&s;&s;e peace and honour, as well as the peoples. Eleventhly, I further ob&s;erve, that the King de&s;erved death even long before the warres through the violations of our Lawes, his Oath and Covenant (be&s;ides that of his Father) but more e&s;pecially for all the evill done
<PB REF="3">in the fir&s;t war, untill Augu&s;t and September, 1647. when notwith|&s;tanding he was concluded to be the &s;ame in re&s;olution, touching the evill of his heart, as at fir&s;t, when notwith&s;tanding &s;o great tender|ne&s;&s;e was had not onely of his life, but to his Negative voice al&s;o. And wherefore now if more could not be fought for, or expected as to freedom, then may be had by the continuance of his life, much better then by his death, as if mentioned by all the foregoing rea&s;ons, why then may not mercy be afforded him, &amp; not to run the hazard of de&s;truction &amp; confu&s;ion to the whole three Nations. And again for that the Prince and Duke of <HI>York</HI> are both abroad, therefore mu&s;t we not only expect pre&s;ent conte&s;ts and Warres with Scotland and Ireland, but with mo&s;t of the Adjacent Princes in Europe, which cannot but immediately de&s;troy our old and famous Trade of Mer|chandize; For which con&s;iderations, as al&s;o for the &s;upportation of tho&s;e hundreds of thou&s;ands of People of this City, and likewi&s;e for the mainenance of the manufactory of the whole Kingdome, mu&s;t the Citizens be for ever reputed both pious, moderate and wi&s;e, if againe they pre&s;&s;e forward herein. In their Paper I further ob|&s;erve, that they would have the King di&s;armed of tho&s;e two poy|&s;oning &s;words of de&s;truction, whereby all Princes (together with their &s;erpents about them) de&s;troy the Nations, <HI>viz.</HI> the power of dignifying with Offices, and al&s;o with Titles of honor, whom&s;oe|ver be&s;t &s;erveth their lu&s;ts; and indeed &s;hould he have been brought in naked, the&s;e two excepted, if the Parliament &s;hould have con|tinued but a few yeares longer, it would not have been difficult and hard unto him (by tho&s;e two baites of honor) to have drawn the Angells of heavenly knowledge and &s;tarrs of great light unto the earth againe, when having courted in the idoliz'd &amp; dei&s;i'd heads of the particular parties, the re&s;t following of cour&s;e, would thus have made the Nation &s;laves of what degree &s;oever he had plea&s;ed: Is any thing for Nations freedom like bonds to Ambition? And were it but the fa&s;hion for Kings to di&s;countenance vice, and dignifie vertue, they would then merit their Crownes, for which onely end they fir&s;t had them; for then would righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e and vertue &s;hine forth in the Nation, as the fa&s;hionable things; and debauchery and exce&s;&s;e fall to di&s;daine. They al&s;o in their Paper have &s;ufficiently provided for a godly preaching Mini&s;tery, with an augmentation of more then one third of that of old, by avoiding the Mini&s;ters ac|cu&s;tomed charge of gathering and converting Tythes, as the avoi|ding of &s;uite, trouble and contention thereupon, be&s;ides the more equall con&s;ideration for the labors and paines of tho&s;e that &s;hall be appointed thereto, which although not the &s;ame with the Scots,
<PB REF="4">yet for that it wholly thwarteth not the Covenant (not admit|ting the civill Magi&s;trate a Judge in point of con&s;cience) is well reli|&s;hed by them, notwith&s;tanding a generall Liberty of Con&s;cience to all godly con&s;cientious walkers; prote&s;ting again&s;t the State-de|&s;troying Tenents as to peace and freedome not only of Popery, E|pi&s;copacie, and all Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall Juri&s;diction, by Courrs and Offices to that purpo&s;e. And did they think that the punitive power men|tioned by them in their Remon&s;trance of June 1647. in point of Con&s;cience, had even ju&s;tly brought the&s;e great evills upon them and the Nation, but not find that is not the thing, as witne&s;&s;e the judgment of &s;ome powerfull per&s;ons in debate, and yeilding the thing, if it would have been accepted on in another (though a wor&s;er) manner. Their Noble care that the &s;ouldiery in generall may be payed all their Arreares due unto them, and &s;o as cannot but be to the great advantage of the State by improvement of that wilfull wa&s;t formerly made, as may &s;oone be &s;ome millions to the benefit of the State; as al&s;o to the well plea&s;ing both of Lord and Tenant, and the gladding and making joyfull of the hearts of many thou&s;ands of the poore that are now ready (even daily) to peri&s;h with want, and are not onely contented that the renowned Army &s;hould be pre&s;ently &s;atisfied, and by lands payed as followeth, viz. for every yeare that every Trooper is in arreare, or proportionable in time thereunto, the &s;umme of foure pounds du|ring his life, without defalcation of free-quarter; and that every Foot-Souldier that is in arreare, may have fifty &s;hillings a yeere for every yeere due unto him, during his life, with proportion to time as to the Hor&s;e afore&s;aid; and without defalcation for free-quarter al&s;o; and that tho&s;e which &s;halbe thought meet by the general Coun|cel of the Army to be di&s;mi&s;&s;ed for Ireland, have the Fee-&s;imple ther|of to them and their heirs for ever. And it is now commonly &s;poken in the City, they are further content, that what was formerly a&s;&s;igned to the Souldiery for term of life, may be conferred upon them for ever: And that tho&s;e that &s;hall be di&s;mi&s;&s;ed to Ireland, as afore&s;aid, may have their proportions increa&s;ed to one fourth part more then is now a&s;&s;igned; and will al&s;o upon &s;ecurity of the intended lands for that purpo&s;e, if the generall Councell &s;hall think meet, pay in ready money all &s;uch arreares as &s;hall be due either to any Officer or &s;ouldier, by order from the generall Councell afore&s;aid: And fur|ther, I conceive, greater indeavours for the pre&s;ervation of the Ar|mies honour and intere&s;t, both in England and Ireland, cannot be ex|pected, beyond what is laid down in the Cities paper of Propo&s;alls: and do they expect their chiefe&s;t &s;afety to be concerned in them, as
<PB REF="4">further appeareth by that power repo&s;ed in that excellet and ho|norable Committee for the di&s;po&s;e of all Offices, degrading, and dignifying with titles of honor all &s;uch as plea&s;eth that Committee: But if what is de&s;ired by the honourable Citizens may not be per|mitted, but that wars mu&s;t &s;till be our portion, or a &s;ettlement by the Sword onely, we cannot expect better then in all the world be&s;ides, viz. that how ju&s;t &s;oever the Government is chalked out and inten|ded to be, yet mu&s;t we have no more thereof meted unto us, then the leading per&s;ons of State will in the future be plea&s;ed to afford us: and may it be our portion with Germany, where the People have by right of Agreement, not only the choice of their Emperor, and many of their Kings and Princes, but of their Lawes al&s;o, yet may not according to truth have choice in either, but are lamen|table &s;laves; for it is not as Lawes are made, but as the Power plea|&s;eth, that putteth them in execution, whether to call truth fal&s;e|hood, or fal&s;ehood truth, as witne&s;&s;e our introachments and u&s;ir|pations by fal&s;e Judges that have brought forth all the&s;e our di&s;trac|tions, to obtain honour from the Bea&s;t: And in this, and this only re&s;teth, and wholly dependeth our Freedome; viz. to indeavour and obtain the avoiding of all force and Warres, whereby we may without delay put our now knowne Rights in execution, to the pre&s;ent commanding of King, Lords, and People to an immediate obedience upon the pre&s;ent incurment of the &s;tricte&s;t penalty of the Law, and when wee be at Peace: then will the &s;everity of puni&s;h|ing the breakers of the Nationall Law (for the pre&s;ervation of the publique Peace) convert into mercie. But when commotions are, and (that there be many parties in a Nation, and not any one of which, were they uppermo&s;t, but would de&s;troy the re&s;t (or &s;o ma|ny of the re&s;t as &s;hould be&s;t plea&s;e) even by a Law, and be cryed up too (by their party) for pure Ju&s;tice, in this ca&s;e ought the mo|tion of the di&s;tempered waters, I mean the People, to be truly ob|&s;erved, and for them that will profe&s;&s;e Chri&s;t, to indeavour as medi|ators to lay the di&s;tempers, and if they in rea&s;on &s;ee that advan|tage to a happy peace maybe obtained by &s;paring of one or more of the leaders of one party, (and the like of another) after whom God hath been plea&s;ed to &s;uffer the hearts perhaps of thou&s;ands, 10. thou&s;ands, or millions of people to be drawne out after, (though by a delu&s;ion or a lye as &s;ome may call it, yet as they or &s;ome of them may conceive truth) and that thereby the boy&s;terous falt waves may cea&s;e further to &s;well, untill a conjunction by fre&s;h-wa|ters
<PB REF="5">may in time happily refine them; this rule of Chri&s;tianity and rea&s;on. And through the freedome and frequentne&s;&s;e of Parliaments, will all, not only all old and bea&s;tly cu&s;tomes be avoided, and evill Lawes repealed, but what is be&s;t and mo&s;t &s;ea&s;onable for a generall good, be provided for; as al&s;o if hone&s;t men be cho&s;en for Mem|bers thereof, (perhaps) they may act hone&s;t things for 5. or 6. moneths for Gods &s;ake, If knaves (for the Peoples) for Populari|ty &s;ake, nor will any have opportunity to act much evill in &s;o &s;hort a time; and what is not well done in one Parliament, will be mended in the next: for by the frequentne&s;&s;e thereof, will all men be acquainted with what is freedome, and what is &s;lavery, and where the Breach is, which by long &s;itting of Parliaments, or the long vacations thereof, (as wofull experience teacheth the Nation) a forced ignorance to the di&s;truction of Freedome mu&s;t follow.</P>
<P>This I thought nece&s;&s;ary to &s;peak touching &s;ome few particulars, of the Paper of the Citizens Propo&s;alls, and could I earne&s;tly de&s;ire that the godly Officers of the Army and &s;ouldiers al&s;o would view them well, e&s;pecially all &s;uch as look not a&s;quint (as the floating Courtyer u&s;ed to do that neither look't back to his Father, or on the right or left hand to his Brothers, Si&s;ters, Kinsfolk and acquaintance: Or to what may en&s;ue to his Childrens Children, and others of the Generations to come) and would &s;hew what is wanting therein to the &s;ettlement of the pre&s;ent peace with the maintenance of all due and equall propriety, and unalterable Freedome, to all in&s;uing Po|&s;terities (theirs and the private &s;ouldiers Honourable and great re|ward with more certainties then otherwi&s;e them&s;elves can propo&s;e) but if the matters propo&s;ed be unan&s;werable in rea&s;on, that then they would endeavour the acceptance thereof.</P>
<P>Friends, it is my burthen, that the actions of Chri&s;t have been &s;o much neglected by &s;ome who&s;e name is &s;o precious in their mouths, that their righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e &amp; humility &s;hines not forth after that man|ner, as the Beams therof might melt the name of all other Kings, and whereby I am forc'd to be an Advocate for the Title of a King, who&s;e name I abhorre as they are the &s;tandards of Ambition, and Fountaines of exce&s;&s;e, to the di&s;truction of the Nations: But of two evills the le&s;&s;er is to be cho&s;en; and when ye&s;terday cannot be cal|led againe, let the be&s;t be made of the day pre&s;ent: and it is more &s;afe to have to doe with a mu&s;led Lion, then a tame &s;erpent.</P>
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