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<DATE>2012-03-21</DATE>
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<NAME>Colm MacCrossan</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed.</ITEM>
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<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>THE CASE OF THE ARMIE Truly &s;tated, together with the mi&s;chiefes and dangers that are imminent, and &s;ome &s;utable remedies, Humbly propo&s;ed by the Agents of five Regiments of Hor&s;e, to their re&s;pective Regiments, and the whole Army. As it was pre&s;ented by Mr. <HI>Edmond Bear,</HI> and Mr. <HI>William Ru&s;&s;ell,</HI> October 15. 1647. unto his Excellency, <HI>Sir Thomas Fairfax.</HI> Enclo&s;ed in a Letter from the &s;aid Agents: Al&s;o his Excellencies Honourable An&s;wer thereunto.</P>
<Q><BIBL><HI>Deut. 20.8.</HI></BIBL>
<P>What man is there that is fearefull and faint hearted? let him go and returne unto his Hou&s;e, lea&s;t his brethrens heart faint as well as his heart.</P></Q>
<Q><BIBL><HI>Judg. 7.7.</HI></BIBL>
<P>And the Lord &s;aid unto <HI>Gideon,</HI> by the three hundred men that lapped, will I &s;ave you, and deliver the <HI>Midianites</HI> into thine hand, and let all the other people go, every man unto his place.</P></Q>
<P>LONDON Printed in the Yeare, 1647.</P>
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<DIV1 TYPE="text">
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<PB N="1" REF="2" MS="y">
<HEAD>The Ca&s;e of the Army truly &s;tated, toge|gether with the mi&s;chiefes and dangers that are imminent, and &s;ome &s;utable remedies, Humbly propo&s;ed by the Agents of five Regiments of Hor&s;e, to the re&s;pective Regiments and the whole Army.</HEAD>
<P>_WHereas the grievances, di&s;&s;atisfactions, and de&s;ires of the Army, both as Com|moners and Soldiers, hath been many months &s;ince repre&s;ented to the Parli|ament; and the Army hath waited with much patience, to &s;ee their common grievances redre&s;&s;ed and the rights and freedomes of the Nation cleared and &s;ecured; yet, upon a mo&s;t &s;erious and con&s;cientious view of our Narratives, Repre&s;entations, Ingage|ment, Declarations, Remon&s;trances, and compairing with tho&s;e the pre&s;ent &s;tate of the Army and Kingdome, and the pre&s;ent manner of actings of many at the Head Quarters, we not only apprehend nothing to have been done effectually, either for the Army or the poore oppre&s;&s;ed people of the nation, but we al&s;o conceive, that there is little probabillitie of any good, without &s;ome more &s;peedy and vigorous actings.</P>
<P>In re&s;pect of the Army,* there hath been hitherto no publique vindication thereof, about their fir&s;t Petition, an&s;werable to the Ignominie, by declaring them enemies to the State, &amp; di&s;turbers of the peace: No publike clearing nor repairing of the credit of the Officers, &s;ent for about that petition as Delinquents: No provi&s;ion for Apprentizes Widowes, Orphans, or mained Souldiers an|&s;werable to our rea&s;onable addre&s;&s;es propounded in their behalf: No &s;uch Indempnitie, as provideth &s;ecurity, for the quiet, ea&s;e, or &s;afety of the Soldiers, disbanded or to be disbanded. No &s;ecuritie
<PB N="2" REF="3">for our Arreers, or provi&s;ion for pre&s;ent pay to inable the Army to &s;ub&s;i&s;t, without burthening the di&s;tre&s;&s;ed Country. And in re&s;pect to the rights and freedomes of our &s;elves and the people, that we declared we would in&s;i&s;t upon, we conceive there is no kind or degree of &s;atisfaction given:<NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg"><HI>Viz.</HI> The copy of the grievan|ces pre&s;enteD to the Parlia|ments Com|mi&s;&s;ioners at <HI>Saffron Wal|den.</HI></NOTE> there is no determinate period of time &s;et when the Parliament &s;hall certainly end: The hou&s;e is in no mea&s;ure purged, either from per&s;ons unduly elected, or from Delinquents,<NOTE N="d" PLACE="marg"><P><HI>Viz.</HI> the Re mon&s;t, of <HI>Iun.</HI> 23. pag. 6 7. Its mentioned as one of the di&s;atisfactions, that cau&s;ed the march to Lon|don.</P>
<P>See al&s;o the di&s;atisfactions of the Armie annexed to the Engagement. pag. 19, 20.</P></NOTE> that appeared to be &s;uch at the Armies la&s;t in&s;i&s;ting upon their rights, or &s;ince; the<NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg"><HI>Viz.</HI> the Re|pre&s;entation of the Armice dis&s;atisfacti|ons, agreed on upon <HI>Iune</HI> 4. &amp; 5. pag. 17, 18, 19, 20, 21. where the&s;e were repre&s;en|ted as the ground of the filoma En|gagement.</NOTE> honour of the Parliamentary au|thority <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 word"> cleared, and vindicated from the mo&s;t horrid inju|&s;tice of that Declaration again&s;t the Army for petitioning nor of &s;uppre&s;&s;ing and burning Petitions, abu&s;ing and impri&s;oning Pe|titioners: But tho&s;e &s;trange pre&s;idents remaine upon Record, to the imfamy of Parliamentary authority; and the danger of our own and the peoples freedomes: The people are not righted, nor &s;atisfied in point of accompts, for the va&s;t &s;ummes of money di&s;|bur&s;ed by them: None of the publique burthens, or oppre&s;&s;ions, by arbitrary Committees,<NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg"><HI>Viz.</HI> the de|claration of <HI>Iu.</HI> 14 p 6.9.</NOTE> iniu&s;tice in the Law, Tythes, Mono|polies, and re&s;traint of free trade, but then &s;ome Oathes, inc qual|litie of A&s;&s;e&s;&s;ements, Excize, and otherwi&s;e are removed or lightned, the rights of the people in their Parliaments, concerning the nature and extent of that power, are not cleared and declared. So that we apprehend our own &amp; the peoples ca&s;e, little (if in any mea&s;ure) better, &s;ince the Army la&s;t hazarded them&s;elves for their own and the peoples rights and freedomes. Nay, to the griefe of our hearts, we mu&s;t declare, that we conceive, the peo|ple and the Armies ca&s;e much impaired, &s;ince the fir&s;t Randez|vouz at <HI>New Market,</HI> when that &s;olemne ingagement was entred into: And that from the con&s;ideration.</P>
<P>That the Armies Engagement, Repre&s;entations, Declarati|ons, and Remon&s;trances, and promi&s;es in them contained, are declined, and more and more dayly broken, and not only in &s;ome &s;maller matters, wherein the Armie and the Kingdome are not &s;o neerly concerned, but in divers particulars of dangerous con&s;e|quence to the Army and the whole Nation. As,</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, In the Engagement, pag. the 5. the Armie promi&s;ed eve|ry Member thereof each to other, and to the Parliament and Kingdome, that they would neither disband nor divide, nor &s;uf|fer
<PB N="3" REF="3">them&s;elves to be disbanded or divided untill &s;atisfaction &s;hould be given to the Army in relation to their grievances, and de&s;ires; and &s;ecuritie that neither the Army nor the free borne people of <HI>England,</HI> &s;hould remaine &s;ubiect to &s;uch injuries, oppre&s;&s;ion, and abu&s;e, as the corrupt party in the Parliament then had attempted again&s;t them.</P>
<P>Secondly, The Traine of Artillery is now to be disbanded, before &s;atisfaction or &s;ecuritie is given to the whole Army in re|lation to them&s;elves, or other the free borne people, either in re|&s;pect to their grievances or de&s;ires. And when the &s;trength or &s;inewes of the Army be broken, what effectuall good can be &s;e|cured for them&s;elves or the people in ca&s;e of oppo&s;ition?</P>
<P>Thirdly, The Army is divided into quarters &s;o farre di&s;tant, that one part is in no capabilitie to give timely a&s;&s;i&s;tance to ano|ther, if any de&s;igne &s;hould be to disband any part by violence &s;o|dainly, although neither our grievances nor de&s;ires as Soldiers or Commoners are redre&s;&s;ed or an&s;wered. And as we conceive this dividing of the Army before &s;atisfaction or &s;ecuritie as afore|&s;aid, to be contrary to the Armies intention in their Engagement, at the &s;aid Randezvouz, &s;o we conceive it hath from that time given all the advantage to the enemies, to band and de&s;igne a|gain&s;t the Armie, whereby not only pay hath been kept from the Soldiers, and &s;ecuritie for arreers prevented, but the kingdom was indangered to have been imbroyled in blood, and the &s;ettlement of the peace and freedome of the Nation, hath been thus long de|layed.</P>
<P>The whole intent of the Engagement,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Viz.</HI> His Ex|cellencies let|ter to the City &s;ent from <HI>Roy|&s;ton, Iune</HI> 16.</NOTE> and the equitable &s;en&s;e of it, hath been perverted openly, by affirming, and by &s;ini|&s;ter meanes making &s;eeming determinations in the Coun&s;ell, that the Army was not to in&s;i&s;t upon or demand any &s;ecuritie, for any of their own or other the free borne peoples freedoms or rights, though they might propound any thing to the Parlia|ments con&s;ideration; and according to that high breach of their Engagement, their actions have been regulated, and nothing that was declared formerly, to be in&s;i&s;ted upon, hath been re&s;olvedly adhered to, or claimed as the Armies or the peoples due, and we conceive it hath been by this meanes, that the Soldier hath had no pay con&s;tantly provided, nor any &s;ecuritie for Ar|reers
<PB N="4" REF="4">given them, &amp; that hitherto they could not obtain &s;o much, as to be paid up equally with tho&s;e that did de&s;ert the Army,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The pay &s;ince received hath not been &s;o much as &s;ince accrued to be due in cour&s;e, and therefore that an&s;wers not the three moneths Ar|reers that was paid to the de|&s;erters of the Armie.</NOTE> it not being po&s;&s;itively in&s;i&s;ted upon although in the Remon&s;trance of <HI>Iune,</HI> 23. pag. 11. It was declared, that it &s;hould be in&s;i&s;ted up|on re&s;olvedly, to be done before the <HI>Thur&s;day</HI> night after the &s;end|ing that Remon&s;trance, and its now many moneths &s;ince.</P>
<P>Fourthly, In the pro&s;ecution of this breach, there hath been many di&s;couragements of the Agitators of the Regiments, in con&s;ulting about: the mo&s;t effectuall meanes, for procuring the &s;peedy redre&s;&s;e of the peoples grievances, and clearing and &s;e|curing the native rights of the Army, and all others the free Commons.</P>
<P>It hath been in&s;tilled into them, that they ought not to inter|meddle with tho&s;e matters, thereby to induce them, to betray the tru&s;t the Regiments repo&s;ed in them; and for that purpo&s;e, the endeavours of &s;ome hath been to per&s;wade the Soldiery, that their Agitators have medled with more, then concerned them. In the Declaration of <HI>Iune</HI> 14. pag. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 word"> It was declared that the Ar|my would adheare to their de&s;ires of full and equall &s;atisfaction to the whole Soldiery of the Kingdome in Arreers, Indempnity, and all othre things mentioned in the papers, that contained *<NOTE PLACE="marg">It was decla|red to be one of the chiefe grounds of di&s;content, if any part of the Armie &s;hould be di&s;|banded before &s;atisfaction was given to the whole, See the Engage|ment pag. 3. and the Ar|mies fir&s;t grie|vances, and are not all that concurred with the Armie in the &s;ame conditi|on?</NOTE> the grievances, di&s;atisfactions and de&s;ires who did then, or &s;hould afterward concurre with this Army in the&s;e de&s;ires.</P>
<P>But many thou&s;ands who have concurred with this Army, are now to be &s;ent for <HI>Ireland,</HI> or to be disbanded with two moneths pay, before any &s;ecuritie for Arrears, or &s;ufficient Indempnitie, or any &s;atisfaction to any de&s;ires as Soldiers or Commoners, then propounded; &s;o now our Declaration is forgotten, and the faith of the Army, and his Excellency broken, for it may be remem|bred, that his excellency often promi&s;ed, that the &s;ame care &s;hould be taken for tho&s;e, that concurred, that &s;hould be for this Army, therefore if this cour&s;e be driven on, what better can wee expect for our &s;elves in the end?</P>
<P>Sixtly, In the &s;ame Declaration, <HI>June</HI> 14. pag. 6. it is declared that the Army took up Armes, in judgement and con&s;cience, for the peoples ju&s;t rights and liberties, and not as mercenary Soul|diers, hired to &s;erve an arbitrary power of the State, and that
<PB N="5" REF="4">in the &s;ame manner it continued in armes at that time, and pag. 7. of the &s;ame Declaration, it was declared that they proceeded up|on the principles of right and freedome, and upon the law of na|ture and Nations, But the &s;trength of the endeavours of many hath been, and are now, &s;pent to per&s;wade the Soldiers and Agi|tators, that they &s;tand as Soldiers only to &s;erve the State, and may not as free Commons claime their right and freedome as due to them, as tho&s;e ends for which they have hazzarded their lives, and that the ground of their re&s;u&s;ing to disband, was only the want of Arrears and Indempnitie.</P>
<P>Seventhly, In the Remon&s;trance <HI>June</HI> 23. pag. 14. compared with pag. 15. it was declared, that &s;uch extraordinary cour&s;es &s;hould be taken as God &s;hould direct &amp; enable them thereunto, to put things to a &s;peedy i&s;&s;ue, unles by the <HI>Thur&s;day</HI> then imediately following, a&s;&s;urance and &s;ecuritie were given to the Army and Kingdome, that the things de&s;ired in the Declaration, <HI>Iune</HI> the 14. &s;hould be &s;peedily granted and &s;etled.</P>
<P>But there hath been ever &s;ince, a totall neglect of in&s;i&s;ting po&s;|&s;itively upon the redre&s;&s;e of tho&s;e grievances, or granting tho&s;e de&s;ires of the Army as Soldiers. That the Declaration of <HI>June</HI> the 14. pag. the 3. refers unto, as formerly expre&s;&s;ed, and not &s;o much as one of tho&s;e de&s;ires, as Commoners of <HI>England</HI> in the behalfe of them&s;elves and others, (propounded in the &s;ame Declaration, pag. 6.9, 10, 11.) hath been in&s;i&s;ted upon po&s;&s;itively; neither &s;et|ting a determinate period, wherein the Parliament &s;hall certain|ly end, nor purging the Hou&s;e, nor clearing the rights of the peo|ple, in petitioning nor the righting of them in accounts, &amp;c. &s;o that by the&s;e declinings of the Army,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Viz.</HI> declara|tion <HI>Iune</HI> 14. pag. 4.</NOTE> from in&s;i&s;ting re&s;olvedly upon the peoples, and the Armies own rights, both are after long expectations, as farre from right and freedome, as though there had been no man to plead <HI>p</HI> their cau&s;e. And herein it is to be ob|&s;erved, that the neglect of in&s;i&s;ting upon our mo&s;t ju&s;t de&s;ites, hath given enemies &s;uch &s;ecret incouragement, that they &s;hufle off any de&s;ires, though propounded; as to be in&s;i&s;ted upon,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Viz.</HI> the Ar|mies repre&s;en|tation of di&s;ae tisfaction <HI>Iun.</HI> 4.5. page 19.</NOTE> as may be men|tioned in that our ju&s;t de&s;ire, of recalling publikely the Declarati|on, inviting al to de&s;ert the Army, &amp; profe&s;&s;ed to be in&s;i&s;ted upon, in the &s;ame Declaration, <HI>June</HI> 23. pag. 11. which notwit&s;tanding to this day was never publiquely recalled; &s;o likewi&s;e the de&s;ire
<PB N="6" REF="5">of vindicating the Parliaments honour, in relation to a publique di&s;owning the order to &s;uppre&s;&s;e our fir&s;t Petition, and many others.<NOTE PLACE="marg">The parlia|ment &amp; <HI>Scots</HI> Commi&s;&s;io|ners long &s;ince re&s;olved that &s;atisfaction and &s;ecuritie was to be gi|ven to the people in rela|tion to tho&s;e publike ends for which they expended &s;o much trea&s;ure and blood, before the King &s;hould be provided for this is hinted in the Remon|&s;trance &s;igned <HI>King &s;tone,</HI> page 11.</NOTE></P>
<P>Eightly, In the declaration of <HI>Iune</HI> 14. pag. 10. as in all other Remon&s;trances and Declarations, it was de&s;ired, that the rights and liberties of the people might be &s;ecured, before the Kings bu|&s;inc&s;&s;e &s;hould be con&s;idered. But now the grievances of the peo|ple are propounded to be con&s;idered after the re&s;toring him to the regall power, and that in &s;uch a way according to the propo&s;als <HI>viz.</HI> with a negative voice, that the people that have purcha&s;ed by blood what was their right, of which the King endeavoured to deprive them, &s;hould yet &s;olely depend on his will, for their re|liefe in their grievances and oppre&s;&s;ions; and in like manner the &s;ecuritie for the Armies Arrears is propo&s;ed, to be con&s;idered after the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of the King be determined, &s;o that there is a totall declen&s;ion &s;ince the method formerly de&s;ired, in the &s;etling the peace of the Nation.</P>
<P>Ninthly, It hath been alwayes profe&s;&s;ed and declared, that the Army was called forth and conjured by the Par&s;iaments Decla|rations, for defence of the peoples rights, again&s;t the forces rai&s;ed by the King, and for delivering the King from his evill Councell, who &s;educed him to rai&s;e the war, and bringing Delinqueuts to condigne puni&s;hment, But now through the Armies countenance and indulgence, tho&s;e conquered enemies, that were the Kings forces, abu&s;e, reproach, and againe in&s;ult over the people, who&s;e freedome was the grounds of the Armies engagement, yea, the Kings evill Councellors, that concurred in de&s;igning all the mi&s;|chiefes in the Kings late warre again&s;t the people, are againe re|&s;tored to him, and are admitted free acce&s;&s;e without check into all the Armies quatters, whereby they are re&s;tored to a capacitie of plotting and de&s;igning mi&s;chiefe again&s;t the Armie and king|dome.</P>
<P>Tenthly, When imminent ruine, to the whole nation was ap|prehended, by meanes of the multitudes of corrupted Members in Parliament, diverting and ob&s;tructing all good proccedings; then the purging of the Hou&s;e in part, from one kind of Delin|quents, was againe in&s;i&s;ted upon, and a &s;olemn Prote&s;tation was pa&s;&s;ed in the remon&s;trance from <HI>King&s;tone,</HI> pag. 21. That the
<PB N="7" REF="5">Armie would not permit tho&s;e to &s;it in the Hou&s;e, that u&s;urped the name and power of Parliamentary authoritie, when the Par|liament was by violence &s;u&s;pended, and endeavoured to rai&s;e a warre to di&s;troy the Parliament and Army, but that they would take &s;ome effectuall cour&s;e to re&s;traine them from &s;itting there, that the people might be concluded only by tho&s;e Members that are free from &s;uch apparant treacherous breaches of their tru&s;t.</P>
<P>But hitherto this Engagement for purging the Hou&s;e from tho&s;e Delinquents, (who&s;e intere&s;t ingages them to be de&s;igning mi&s;chiefe again&s;t the people and Army) is declined and broken, to the black reproach and foule&s;t infamie of the Army; and now the&s;e &s;trong cords are cut in &s;under and &s;o forgotten, that there are no vi&s;ible endeavours or intentions, to pre&s;erve the honour of the Armie, in its faithfullne&s;&s;e to its Engagement and Prote&s;ta|tion.</P>
<P>Thus all promi&s;es of the Armie to the people that Petitioned his Excellencie and the Army to &s;tand for the National intere&s;t, free|domes and rights, are hitherto wholly declined, and the law of na|ture and nations now refu&s;ed by many to be the rule by which their proceedings &s;hould be regulated; they now &s;trip them&s;elves of the intere&s;t of Engli&s;h men,<NOTE PLACE="marg">See his Excel|lencies letter to the City, dated <HI>Iu.</HI> 10. pag. 4.</NOTE> which was &s;o ill re&s;ented when it was attempted by the mallice of the enemies.* And thus the peo|ples expectations that were much greatned, and their hopes of re|liefe in their mi&s;eries and oppre&s;&s;ions which were &s;o much height|ned are like to be fru&s;trate, and while you looke for peace and free|dome, the flood-gates of &s;laverie, oppre&s;&s;ion and mi&s;erie are o|pened upon the Nation, as may appeare by the pre&s;ent mani|fold dangers that incompa&s;&s;e about the Army and the whole Nation.</P>
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<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB N="8" REF="6">
<HEAD>The mi&s;chiefes, evills, and dangers, which are and will be the nece&s;&s;ar con&s;equence of the Armies declining or delaying the effectuall ful|filling of its fir&s;t Engagement, Promi&s;es and Declarations or of its neglect to in&s;i&s;t po&s;&s;itively upon its fir&s;t prin|ciples of common right and freedome.</HEAD>
<P>VVHereas its now many moneths &s;ince the Army declared (In an&s;wer to the Petitions of divers Counties, and from the &s;en&s;e of an ab&s;olute nece&s;&s;itie thereof,) that they would in&s;i&s;t upon the peoples intere&s;t; as in the Declaration of <HI>Iune</HI> 14 pag. 13. And yet no reliefe for the people in any of their oppre&s;&s;ions,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Then al&s;o they profe&s;&s;ed that they hoped God would cleare it, that they have acted the kingdomes and every hone&s;t mans intere&s;t. <HI>viz.</HI> the Re|mon&s;trance from <HI>King&s;tone</HI> pag. 12.</NOTE> by arbitrary powers, Monopolies, in|iu&s;tice in the proceeding at Law, Tythes, Excize, &amp;c. is effectu|ally procured; nor any greater probabillitie of future helpe is vi&s;ible then was before; no foundations of freedome being yet laid; and yet the Soldiery burthening the country with free quarters and occa&s;ioning greater taxes. The&s;e five mi&s;chiefes and dangers en&s;ue inevitably.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, The love and affection of the people to the Armie, which is (an armies greate&s;t &s;trength) is decayed, cooled, and neere lo&s;t; its already the common voice of the people, what good hath our new Saviours done for us? What grievances have they procured to be redre&s;&s;ed? Wherein is our condition bettered? or how are we more free then before?</P>
<P>Secondly, Not only &s;o, but the Army is rendred as an heavie burthen to the people, in regard more pay is exacted dayly for them, and the people find no good procured by them, thats an|&s;werable or equivolent to the charge, &s;o that now the people begin to cry lowder for disbanding the Army then they did formerly for keeping us in Armes, bcau&s;e they &s;ee no benefit accruing, they &s;ay they are as likely to be oppre&s;&s;ed and in&s;laved both by King and Parliament, as they were before the Armie engaged profe&s;|&s;edly to &s;ee their freedomes cleared and &s;ecured.</P>
<P>Thirdly, whil&s;t the peoples old oppre&s;&s;ions are continued, and more taxes al&s;o are impo&s;ed for pay for the Army, they are di&s;a|bled dayly more &amp; more for the mantaining of an Army for their pre&s;ervation, for they beginne to &s;ay, they can but be di&s;troyed by
<PB N="9" REF="6">oppre&s;&s;ion, and its all one to them, whether it be by pretended friends or profe&s;&s;ed Enemies, it were as good, &s;ay they, that the King &s;hould rule againe by prerogative; we were &s;laves then to his will, and we are now no better; we had rather have one tyrant then hundreds.</P>
<P>Fourthly, By this meanes, di&s;tractions divi&s;ions heart burnings and jealou&s;ies are increa&s;ed to the imminent danger of ruine to the Army and kingdome; the people are inclined to tumults, cry|ing out, will none procure relie&s;e for us! &s;hall we alwayes be de|luded with faire words, and be devoured by oppre&s;&s;ors? we mu&s;t ere long ri&s;e up in armes, and every one catch what he can: thus confu&s;ion is threatned.</P>
<P>Fiftly, The Army is expo&s;ed to contempt and &s;candall, and the mo&s;t black reproaches, and infomies are ca&s;t upon them; the peo|ple &s;ay, that their re&s;olutions not to disband were, becau&s;e they would live idlly on the peoples labours; and when the Soldiers are con&s;trained to take free quarters, <HI>this</HI> (&s;aith the people) is for freedome, and right, to cate the bread out of our childrens mouths: &s;o that many Soldiers are a&s;hamed of them&s;elves, and feare that the people &s;hould ri&s;e to di&s;troy them: you will doe no|thing for us (&s;ay they) we are vexed by malignant Iudges, for con&s;cience &s;ake, by arbitrary Committees in the Country, and at Parliament ordering one thing this day, and recalling it the next to out intollerable vexation; inju&s;tice in the &s;aw is the &s;ame, and we buy our right at as deare a rate as ever, Tythes are infor|ced from us double and threble Excize continues, we can have no accompts of all our moneys disbur&s;ed for the publike, more is dayly required, and we know not what is become of all we have paid already, the Soldiers have little pay, and the maimed Soldiers, Widowes, and Orphans, are thru&s;t upon us to be parri&s;h charges.</P>
<P N="2">2ly. Whereas the Engagement is broken, and the fir&s;t princi|ples de&s;erted or neglected,<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">They for|merly prevail|ed and pro|ceeded in that way viz Dcl. offered to the Commi&s;&s;ioners at <HI>Saffron Wal|den.</HI></NOTE> the&s;e mi&s;chiefes and dangers have ca&s;ued.</P>
<P N="1">1. The enemies are incouraged and imboldned to proceed in prejudice to the people &amp; the Army as formerly: they may receive hopes upon the armies own words in their general Councels, that the army will not oppo&s;e or di&s;turbe them in their proceedings, to
<PB N="10" REF="7">deprive the Armie and people of their native rights; for if they can abu&s;e the Parliament, or &s;urprize them as formerly, they may &s;ay for them&s;elves, the Armie hath declared, that they &s;tand on|ly as Soldiers, and will not in&s;i&s;t upon any po&s;&s;itive demand of their own and the Nations freedomes, and was it not this that imboldned the enemies formerly to &s;uppre&s;&s;e our fir&s;t petition, and declare us enemies, for petitioning? they thought we would have &s;tood only as mercenary Soldiers, hired to &s;erve their ar|bitrary power; and not remembred that we by, their invitation took up armes in judgement and con&s;cience, to pre&s;erve the na|tion from tyrannie and oppre&s;&s;ion, and therefore were obleiged to in&s;i&s;t upon our rights and freedomes as Commoners, and &s;urely it hath been upon this ground, that they kept us without money &s;o long, thinking we would not or dur&s;t not in&s;i&s;t upon our de|mands of that which is due to us; and upon this ground we judge the Parliament hath proceeded of late to increa&s;e the peoples op|pre&s;&s;ions, by an Ordinance for trible dammages, to be paid by all that refu&s;e, (though for con&s;cience &s;ake) to pay Tythes, and an Ordinance to lock up the printing pre&s;&s;es again&s;t whom they plea&s;e, which was in the Bi&s;hops time complained of, as one of the great oppre&s;&s;ions, and have flighted ju&s;t petitions, and negle|cted to con&s;ider and redre&s;&s;e the pri&s;oners grievances and op|pre&s;&s;ions, and the &s;ufferings of con&s;cientious per&s;ons, by the un|ju&s;t &s;tatutes again&s;t Convinticles &s;o &s;tiled, and &s;tatutes for Common prayer Book, and enforcing all to come to Church, and all other the peoples grievances.</P>
<P N="2">2. From the Armies declining their fir&s;t principles, the &s;ame corrupt Members remaine in Parliament that cau&s;ed the Army to be proclaimed enemies for petitioning, and its to be ob&s;erved that through the influence of tho&s;e in the Hou&s;e, there was never any publike vindication of the Armys honour, and of the ju&s;tice of their petitioning at that time; and can the Armie be &s;afe, &s;o long as its old declared enemies are in power, and doe but watch the fitte&s;t opportunitie to worke any mi&s;chiefe, but not only tho&s;e enemies remain in power,<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">viz. the Re+mon&s;trance from <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters">ng&s;ton Augu&s;t</HI> 18, pag. 21.</NOTE> and watch to di&s;troy you, but 65. at lea&s;t that lately voted and endeavoured to rai&s;e a new war, to di&s;troy the Army, are &s;uffered to vote in the Parliament, though the Army hath prote&s;ted &s;olemnly, they would not &s;uffer tho&s;e
<PB N="11" REF="7">u&s;urpers to &s;it there, or that they would be concluded by tho&s;e that were coactors in &s;uch trea&s;onable breaches of their tru&s;t.</P>
<P N="3">3. Through the Armies dividing contrary to the Engagement, and neglecting to in&s;i&s;t upon the fir&s;t declaration, the enemies have had power and opportunitie, to prevent them of their con|&s;tant pay, and ob&s;truct all proceedings to &s;ecuritie for arreers, whereas otherwi&s;e the enemies would not have dared to pre&s;ume to ob&s;truct good proceedings, and to pro&s;ecute their de&s;ignes a|gain&s;t the armie.</P>
<P N="4">4. Through the armies back-&s;liding from the Remon&s;trance, and Prote&s;tation from <HI>King&s;tone, Augu&s;t.</HI> 18. tho&s;e that lately en|deavoured to rai&s;e a warre again&s;t the Parliament and Army, con|tinue in the Hou&s;e, and have pa&s;&s;ed an Ordinance,<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">viz. Dec. &s;hewing the rea&s;ons of their la&s;t march unto London pag. 9.</NOTE> wherein tho&s;e bettayers of their tru&s;t are acknowledged to have been a Hou&s;e of Parliament, when the Parliament was forced away and &s;u&s;|pended, and the Armie having declared them to be no Parlia|ment, and his Excellencie &s;lighted their command, at <HI>Colebrooke</HI> profe&s;&s;ing he knew no Parliament, to which he &s;hould &s;end, are by this made guilty of the highe&s;t trea&s;on, and &s;o a &s;nare is laid for his Excellencie and the Army, that when the enemies &s;hall have the advantage, they may be declared traytors, for declaring again&s;t the Parliament, and di&s;owning their authoritie, &s;o that if &s;ome &s;peedy remedie be not applyed, no man knowes how &s;oon the enemie may prevaile to di&s;troy his Excellency, the Armie and kingdome by this meanes: and the pollicie of the enemie <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 word"> to be ob&s;erved, that they would never &s;uffer that Declaration to be debated in the Hou&s;e, that was publi&s;hed at the Armies mar|ching towards London, wherein tho&s;e that u&s;urped the power of a Parliament, when the Parliament was &s;u&s;pended, were declared to be no legall Parliament: but the Declaration and Remon|&s;trance of <HI>Augu&s;t</HI> 18, wherein the Armie prote&s;ted again&s;t the &s;it|ting of tho&s;e u&s;urpers in the Hou&s;e, may together be made the ground of their declaring us Traytors upon any advantage, for di&s;owning, and declaring again&s;t the &s;upreame authoritie of the Nation, in ca&s;e tho&s;e u&s;urpers &s;hall continue to be acknow|ledged a hou&s;e of Parliament, sit remaines at pre&s;ent by the late Ordinance of <HI>Augu&s;t</HI> 20. procured to be pa&s;&s;ed by tho&s;e V&s;urpers them&s;elves fitting Iudges of their own ca&s;e.</P>
<PB N="12" REF="8">
<P N="5">5 By this neglect and declining of the Army, The Parliament is returned to their old delatory way of proceeding, neither in&s;i&s;t|ing upon the relieving the people &s;peedily and effectually in any of their grievances, nor providing con&s;tain pay for the Army, nor &s;ecuritie for arreers; &s;o that the delayes that are occa&s;ioned through the Armies declining their fir&s;t principles are as di|&s;tructive to the Armie and Kingdome as if there were direct a|ctings by the Army again&s;t the Kingdomes peace.</P>
<P N="6">6 Through the &s;ame declen&s;ion of the Armies fir&s;t principles, and the good and nece&s;&s;ary method propounded for &s;etling the nation in peace and freedome before the kings bu&s;ine&s;&s;e be con|&s;idered, the King is likely to recover his old capacity, before the peoples freedomes (which they have redeemed out of the hands of him &amp; his forces by blood) be cleared and e&s;tabli&s;hed &s;e|curely, &amp; likewi&s;e before any &s;ecurity be given for arreers; &amp; then what probabilitie there is that then there &s;hould be any good &s;e|curitie of pay obtained for the armie that conquered him, &amp; for the freedomes of the&s;e that a&s;&s;i&s;ted them, let any rational man iudget It may more certainly be expected, that he will provide for the pay and Airers of his own Soldiery rather then of ours. And likewi&s;e by the &s;ame meanes, the armies and their a&s;&s;i&s;tants indempnitie, is propounded to receive its &s;trength from the Kings con&s;ent; whereas not only his &s;igning of, or con&s;ent to any act is wholly null and void in law, becau&s;e he is under re&s;traint, and &s;o our indempnitie, will be in&s;ufficient, if it &s;hall depend in the lea&s;t, on his confirmation. But al&s;o its the highe&s;t di&s;paragement to the &s;upream authority of this Nation, the Parliament, that when they have commanded an armie upon &s;ervice again&s;t the King, they &s;hould not have &s;ufficient power to &s;ave them harmele&s;&s;e for obedience to their commands, and al&s;o its the highe&s;t di&s;honour to the armie, that they &s;hould &s;eeke to the conquered enemie to &s;ave them harmele&s;&s;e for fighting again&s;t them, which is to aske him pardon, &amp; &s;o will remain as a perpetual reproach upon them.</P>
<P N="7">7. Through the armies declining its fir&s;t principles, to in&s;i&s;t upon &s;atisfaction and &s;ecuritie as Soldiers &amp; Commoners before disbanding or dividing the armie, is it now likely to be &s;o far &s;cat|tered into &s;everall quarters, that it &s;hall be in no capacitie, to in|&s;i&s;t upon &s;ecuritie for arreers, &s;ufficient indempnitie or upon any its own or the nations rights, in ca&s;e they &s;hall be &s;till denyed them.</P>
<PB N="13" REF="8">
<P N="8">8. It is to be con&s;idered that the enemies on the one hand, and the other increa&s;e dayly in their boldne&s;&s;e, confidence, and &s;trength, while&s;t &s;ecuritie for the armies arreers, and con&s;tant fu|ture pay (&s;o long as it &s;hall be continued) are not provided, and and the rights and freedomes of the people are not cleared and &s;e|cured, &amp; the armie may divide in ca&s;e one part &s;hould in&s;i&s;t upon the fir&s;t ju&s;t principles, and be faithfull thereunto, and another part &s;hould by flatteries, preferments, feare or negligence decline or de&s;ert them, and let it be con&s;idered what &s;trength that would adds to the enemies, and how far it will indanger the ruine of the armie and kingdome.</P>
<P>Now we cannot but declare, that the&s;e &s;ad apprehen&s;ions of mi&s;chiefes, dangers and confu&s;ion gaping to devoure the armie hath filled our hearts with troubles, that we never did, nor doe regard the wor&s;t of evills or mi&s;chiefes that can befall our &s;elves in compari&s;on to the con&s;equence of them to the poore Nation, or to the &s;ecurity of common right and freedom, we could not but in (reall not formall fained) trouble of heart for the poore Nation and oppre&s;&s;ed people, breake forth and cry, O our bowels! our bowels! we are troubled at the very heart to heare the peoples dol|full groanes, and yet their expected deliverers will not heare or confider, they have run to and fro, and &s;ighed or even wept forth forth their &s;orrowes and mi&s;eries, in petitions, fir&s;t to the King then to the Parliament, and then to the armie, yet they have all been like broken reeds, even the armie it &s;elfe upon whom they leaned have pierced their hands, their eyes even faile with looking for peace and freedome, but behold nothing but di&s;traction, op|pre&s;&s;ion and trouble, and could we hope that helpe is intended, yet the people peri&s;h by delayes, we wi&s;h therefore that the bow|ells of compa&s;&s;ion in the whole armie might yearne towards their di&s;tre&s;&s;ed brethren, and that they might with one con&s;ent &s;ay each to other, come let us joyne together &s;peedily to demand pre|&s;ent redre&s;&s;e for the peoples grievances, and &s;ecuritie for all their and our own rights and freedomes as Soldiers and Commoners. Let us never divide each from other till tho&s;e ju&s;t demands be an|&s;wered really and effectually, that &s;o for the peoples ca&s;e as many forces as are not ab&s;olutely nece&s;&s;ary may be &s;peedily disbanded and our honour may be pre&s;erved un&s;potted, when they &s;hall &s;ee,
<PB N="14" REF="9">that we minded not our own intere&s;t, but the good, freedome, and welfare of the whole Nation. Now to all that &s;hall thus appeare we propound.</P>
<P>That what&s;oever was propo&s;ed to be in&s;i&s;ted on either, in the the Declaration of <HI>June</HI> the 14. or the Remon&s;trance <HI>Iune</HI> 23 and in the Remon. from <HI>King&s;tone, Augu&s;t</HI> 18. be adhered to re&s;ol|vedly, &s;o as not to reced from tho&s;e de&s;ires, untill they be throughly and effectually an&s;wered: more particularly that whereas it appeares by po&s;&s;itive lawes and antient ju&s;t cu&s;tomes, that the people have right to new &s;ucce&s;&s;ive elections for Parlia|ments at certain periods of time, and that it ought not to be deny|ed them, being &s;o e&s;&s;entiall to their freedome, that without it they are no better then &s;laves, the nature of that legi&s;lative power, being arbitrary and that therefore it be in&s;i&s;ted on &s;o po&s;&s;itively, and re&s;olvedly, as not to recede from it.</P>
<P N="1">1. That a determined period of time, be forthwith &s;et, wherein this Parliament &s;hall certainly be de&s;olved, provided al&s;o that the &s;aid period be within 9. or 10. moneths, next en&s;uing, that &s;o there may be &s;ufficient time for &s;etling of peace and freedome.</P>
<P N="2">2. Whereas all good is ob&s;tructed and diverted by the power &amp; influence of Delinquents the late u&s;urpers, &amp; undu elected ones in the Parliament, that therfore it be po&s;&s;itively &amp; re&s;olvedly in&s;i|fled on; that the hou&s;e be forth with purged, from al that have &s;or|fited their tru&s;t or were unduly elected, but e&s;pecially that an or|der be pa&s;&s;ed forthwith, for the expelling all tho&s;e from the hou&s;e, who &s;ate in the late pretended Parliament, &amp; that likewi&s;e a &s;evere penalty be ordered to be impo&s;ed on every of tho&s;e u&s;urpers that &s;hall pre&s;ume to &s;it in the Hou&s;e, for the pa&s;&s;ing of &s;uch an order, before they &s;hall have given &s;ufficient evidence, that they neither voted for a new warre, or for the Kings comming to London up|on his own tearmes.</P>
<P N="3">3. Wheras his Excellencie &amp; the whole armie, were guilty of the highe&s;t trea&s;on if the pretended Parliament had been a legall Par|liament, and its apparent that they were no legall Parliament, that therefore it be po&s;&s;itively and re&s;olvedly in&s;i&s;ted upon, that the Declaration of the army upon their la&s;t march up to London be forthwith publikely owned, and approved of by the Parliament, and that the &s;ame publique approbation be Pa&s;&s;ed upon the Re|mon, and prote&s;t &s;ent from <HI>King&s;tone Augu&s;t</HI> 18.</P>
<PB N="15" REF="9">
<P N="5">5. Whereas Parliaments rightly con&s;tituted are the foundation of hopes of right and freedome to this people, and whereas the people have been prevented of Parliaments, though many po&s;&s;itive lawes have been made for a con&s;tant &s;ucce&s;&s;ion of Parliaments, that the be|fore it be po&s;&s;itively and re&s;olvedly in&s;i&s;ted upon, that a law peramount be made, enacting it, to be unalterable by Parliaments that the peo|ple &s;hall of cour&s;e meet without any warrants or wries once in every two yeares upon an appointed day in their re&s;pective Countryes, for the election of the repre&s;entors in Parliament, and that all the freeborn at the age of 21. yeares and upwards, be the electors, excepting tho&s;e that have or &s;hall deprive them&s;elves of that their freedome, either for &s;ome yeares, or wholly by delinquency, and that the Parliament &s;o e|lected and called, may have a certaine period of time &s;et, wherein they &s;hall of cour&s;e determine, and that before the &s;ame period they may not be adjurnable and di&s;olvable by the King, or any other ex|cept them&s;elves.</P>
<P>Whereas all power is originally and e&s;&s;entially in the whole body of the people of this Nation, and whereas their free choice or con&s;ent by their Repre&s;entors is the only originall or foundation of all ju&s;t government, and the rea&s;on and end of the choice of all ju&s;t Gover|nors what&s;oever is their apprehen&s;ion of &s;afety and good by them, that it be in&s;i&s;ted upon po&s;&s;itively. That the &s;upreame power of the peoples repre&s;entors or Commons a&s;&s;embled in Parliament be forth|with clearly declared as their power to make lawes, or reveale lawes, (which are not or ought not to be unalterable) as al&s;o their power to call to an account all officers in this Nation what&s;oever, for their neg|lect or treacheries in their tru&s;t for the peoples good, and to continue or di&s;place and remove them from their offices, dignities or tru&s;t ac|cording to their demerrits, by their faithfulne&s;&s;e or treacherie in the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e or matters where with they are intru&s;ted and further that this power to con&s;titute any kind of governors or officers, that they &s;hall judge to be for the peoples good, be declared, and that upon the afore&s;aid con&s;iderations it be in&s;i&s;ted upon, that all ob&s;tructions to the freedome and equallitie of the peoples choice of their Repre&s;entors, either by Patients, Charters or u&s;urpations, by pretended cu&s;tomes, be removed by the&s;e pre&s;ent Commons in Parliament, and that &s;uch a freedome of choice be provided for, as the people may be equally re|pre&s;ented. This power of Commons in Parliament, is the thing a|gain&s;t which the King hath contended, and the people have defended
<PB N="16" REF="10">with their lives, and therefore ought now to be demanded as the price of their blood.</P>
<P>That all the oppre&s;&s;ions of the poore by Excize upon Beare, Cloath, Stuffes, and all manufacturies, and Engli&s;h commodities; be forth|with taken off, and that all Excize be better regulated, and impo&s;ed upon forraign commodities, and a time &s;et wherein it &s;hall certainly end, if there be a nece&s;&s;ity of its pre&s;ent continuance on &s;uch commo|dities.</P>
<P N="3">3. Whereas the people have disbur&s;ed &s;uch va&s;t &s;ums of money, by Pole-money, Sub&s;idies, propo&s;ition money, Contribution, the five and twentieth part, viewes and reviewes of the &s;ame monethly a&s;&s;e&s;&s;e|ments, Excize, and other wayes, and &s;uch va&s;t &s;ums have been colle|cted and enforced by Seque&s;trations, Compo&s;itions, &s;ale of Bi&s;hops lands, and other wayes, that the whole charge of the forces by &s;ea and land might have been defrayed to the utmo&s;t farthing, and yet many millions of money remained of all that have been disbur&s;ed freely, or enforced had been faithfully brought into the publike trea&s;ury, and im|proved for the publique u&s;e, only therefore that in re&s;pect to the peo|ples right, and for their ea&s;e, and for better and more ea&s;ie provi&s;ion of money for the Soldiery, that it be in&s;i&s;ted upon po&s;&s;itively, that faith|full per&s;ons be cho&s;en to receive accounts in every part of the king|dome, e&s;pecially con&s;idering that former Committees for accounts were con&s;tituted in a time when corrupt men over poured the Parlia|ment, and yet they have done no &s;ervice in di&s;covering moneys &s;ince their con&s;titution, and herein its to be in&s;i&s;ted on, that all without di|&s;tinction, as well parliament men as others, may be equally accounta|ble to per&s;ons cho&s;en for that purpo&s;e.</P>
<P>Now herein its further to be in&s;i&s;ted on, that whereas the time was wholly corrupt when per&s;ons were appointed to make &s;ale of Bi&s;hops lands, and whereas Parliament men, Committee men, and their kin&s;|folkes were the only buyers, and much is &s;old, and yet its pretended, that little or no money is received, and whereas Lords, Parliament|men, and &s;ome other rich men, have va&s;t &s;ums of arreers allowed them in their purcha&s;e, and all their moneys lent to the &s;tate paid them, while others are left in nece&s;&s;itie, to whom the &s;tate is much indebted, and &s;o pre&s;ent money that might be for the equall advantage of all, is not brought into the publique Trea&s;ury by tho&s;e &s;ales. Its therefore to be in&s;i&s;ted on, that the &s;ale of Bi&s;hops lands be received, and that they may be &s;old io their worth, and for pre&s;ent moneys, for the publike
<PB N="17" REF="10">u&s;e, and yet the &s;ale of all &s;uch be recalled, as have not been &s;old to their worth, or for pre&s;ent moneys.</P>
<P>And it is further offered in con&s;ideration that the Court have occa|&s;ioned the late warre, and reduced the &s;tate to &s;uch nece&s;&s;ity, by cau&s;|ing &s;uch va&s;t expence of trea&s;ure, that therefore whereas the many op|pre&s;&s;ions of the people, and the danger of ab&s;olute tyrany, were the occa&s;ion of the expence of &s;o much blood, and whereas the people have bought their rights and freedomes, by the price of blood, and have in vaine wa&s;ted long &s;ince, the common enemie, hath been &s;ub|dued for the redre&s;&s;e of their grievances and oppre&s;&s;ions, that there|fore it be demanded as the peoples due, which ought not to denyed to the Army or to them yet &s;eeing the King hath his Court and lives in honour, yet before his bu&s;ine&s;&s;e be further con&s;idered, becau&s;e the peo|ple are under much oppre&s;&s;ion and mi&s;ery, it be forthwith the whole worke of the Parliament, to heare con&s;ider of, and &s;tudy effectually re|dre&s;&s;e for all common grievances and oppre&s;&s;ions, and for the &s;ecuring all other the peoples rights and freedomes, be&s;ides all the&s;e afore men|tioned, and in particuler.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, that all the orders, votes, ordinances or declarations, that have pa&s;&s;ed either to di&s;countenance petitions, &s;uppre&s;&s;e, prevent or burne petitions, impri&s;on or declare again&s;t petitioners, being dangerous pre&s;idents again&s;t the freedom of the people, may be forthwith expung|ed out of the Journall books, &amp; the inju&s;tice of them clearly declared to all the people, and that in &s;uch a declaration the &s;oldiery be vindicated, as to the right and equity of their fir&s;t petition, all tho&s;e large &s;ummes of money that were allowed to needle&s;&s;e pretended Officers of the Court which did but increa&s;e wickedne&s;&s;e and prophanene&s;&s;e, may be re&s;erved for a publiqve trea&s;ure to be extended in paying tho&s;e Lords that mu&s;t be maintained, for the peoples &s;afety, and whereas there is now 50. l. <HI>perdiem:</HI> allowed for the court, who offered that there might be 300 l. <HI>perdiem:</HI> allowed for the court, to be paid out of the publique trea&s;ury, through a good and faithfull improvement of al the Lands pertaining to the Court, there mu&s;t be as much re&s;erved for leaving publique charges, and ea&s;ing the people.</P>
<P>And its further offered, that whereas millions of money, have been kept in deads &s;tock in the City of <HI>Lonndon</HI> the Hals and Companies, and the free men of the City could never obtaine any account thereof, ac|cording to their right. That therefore a ju&s;t and &s;trict account may be fhorthwith given to all the free men of any tho&s;e dead &s;tocks, and yet
<PB N="18" REF="11">whereas there hath been nothing paid out of tho&s;e, nor for the lands pertaining to the City, whiles the e&s;tates of others have been much wa&s;ted, by continuall payments, that therefore proportionable &s;umms to what other e&s;tates have payd, may be taken out of tho&s;e dead &s;tocks, and lands which would amount to &s;uch va&s;t &s;ums, as would pay much of the &s;oldiers arreares, without ou<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">hening the oppre&s;&s;ed people.</P>
<P>And its further offered, that forre&s;t lands, and Deanes and Chapters lands, be immediately <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 span"> part for the arrears of the Army, and that the revenue of the&s;e and the re&s;idue of Bi&s;hops lands unfold till the time of &s;ale may be forthwith appoynted to be paid unto our Trea|&s;ury, to be re&s;erved for the &s;oldiers con&s;tant pay. And its to be wi&s;hed that only &s;uch part of the afore&s;aid lands be &s;old as nece&s;&s;ity requires, to &s;atisfie the &s;oldiery for arreares, and that the re&s;edue be re&s;erved and improved for a con&s;tant revenue for the State that the people may not be burthened, and that out of the revenues publique debts may be paid, and not fir&s;t taken out of their own pur&s;est to be repayed to them.</P>
<P>And its further offered for the peoples ea&s;e, that the arreers of all for|mer a&s;&s;e&s;&s;ements be duly collected from tho&s;e who have &s;ufficient e&s;tates, and have not been impoveri&s;hed by the warre.</P>
<P>And whereas its conceived that the fees of receivers of cu&s;tomes and Excize if they were ju&s;tly computed, would amount to neere as much at the Armies pay, its therefore offered that &s;peedy con&s;ideration be had of the multitude of tho&s;e officers and their exce&s;&s;ive fees, and profits, as 500. 600. 1000. 1200. l. <HI>per annum.</HI> As al&s;o that many Excize men appoint whom they plea&s;e as their &s;ub&s;titute, and alow what they plea&s;e for their pay, that the officers may be few, and con&s;tant &s;tipends allowed them none ex|ceeding 200. l. <HI>per annum,</HI> that &s;o more moneys may be brought into the publ<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="3 letters"> trea&s;ury.</P>
<P>And for the ea&s;e and &s;ati&s;faction of the people, its further to be in&s;i&s;ted on, that the charge of all the forces to be kept up in the kingdome by &s;ea or land, be particularly computed and publi&s;hed, and that all taxes that &s;hall be nece&s;&s;ary, may be wholly pro|portioned, according to that charge; and that there be an equall rate propounded throughout the kingdome in all a&s;&s;e&s;&s;ements, that &s;o one town may not beare double the proportion of another of the &s;ame value.</P>
<P N="4">4. That all Monopolyes be forthwith removed, and no per&s;ons what&s;oever may be permitted to re&s;traine others from free trade.</P>
<P N="5">5. That the ma&s;t &s;ad oppre&s;&s;ions of pri&s;oners be forth with ea&s;ed and removed, and that no per&s;on that hath no e&s;tate reall or per&s;onall, nor any per&s;on that &s;hall willingly yeeld up his e&s;tate to &s;atisfie his creditors may be detained in pri&s;on to the ruine of their per&s;ons and families, and likewi&s;e, that no per&s;on impri&s;oned in a criminall cau&s;e, may be detained from his legall tryall any longer then the next rear me.</P>
<P N="6">6. That all Statutes, for the Common prayer book, and for enforcing all to come to
<PB N="19" REF="11">Church, whereby many religious and con&s;cientious people are dayly vexed and oppre&s;|&s;ed be forthwith repealed and nulled. As al&s;o that all Statutes again&s;t Convinticles, under the pretence of which, religious people are vexed for private meetings about the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"> may be likewi&s;e repealed and nulled.</P>
<P N="7">7. That all the oppre&s;&s;ive, &s;tatutes, enforcing all per&s;ons though again&s;t their con&s;ci|ence, to pay T<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">thes, whereby the husbandman cannot eate the fruit of his labour, may be forthwith repealed and nulled.</P>
<P N="8">8. That all &s;tatutes enforcing the taking of oaths, as in townes corporate, the oath of Supreamacy, &amp;c. Wherein either the whole oaths, or &s;ome clau&s;es in them, are bur|thens, and &s;nares to con&s;cientious people may be repealed and nulled.</P>
<P N="9">9. That it be declared that no per&s;on or Court &s;hall have power or be permitted to enforce any per&s;on to make oath, or an&s;wer to any Interrogatories concerning him&s;elf, in any criminall ca&s;e.</P>
<P N="10">10. That a Committee of con&s;cientious per&s;ons be forthwith &s;elected to con&s;ider of the mo&s;t intollerable oppre&s;&s;ions by unju&s;t proceedings in the law, that with all the lawes might be reduced to a &s;maller number, to be comprized in one volume in the the Engli&s;h tongue, that every free Commoner might under&s;tand his own procee|dings, that Courts might be in the re&s;pective Counties or Hundreds, that proceedings might become &s;hort and &s;peedy, and that the numberle&s;&s;e grievances in the law and Lawyers, might be redre&s;&s;ed as &s;oone as po&s;&s;ible.</P>
<P N="11">11. That all priviledges and protections above the law, whereby &s;ome per&s;ons are ex|empted from the force and power thereof, to the in&s;ufferable vexation and ruine of multitudes of di&s;tre&s;&s;ed people. may be forthwith abbrogated.</P>
<P N="12">12 That all the antient rights and donations belonging to the poore, now imbez|led and converted to other u&s;es, as inclo&s;ed Commons, Alms hou&s;es, &amp;c. throughout all parts of the land, may be forthwith re&s;tored to the antient publique u&s;e and &s;ervice of the poore, in who&s;e hands &s;oever they be detained.</P>
<P>Many other grievances are and ought to be redre&s;&s;ed, but the&s;e as they are propoun|ded, we conceive might be in a very &s;hort time redre&s;&s;ed to the reliefe of many di&s;tre&s;&s;ed ones, and to a generall ea&s;e; or at lea&s;t, put into a way, wherein there might be vi&s;ible hopes of remedie, and therefore the&s;e might be demanded as due to the people, though we de&s;ire the Counties might be encouraged to repre&s;ent all their other grievances al&s;o for &s;peedy redre&s;&s;e.</P>
<P N="7">7. Generall head. That it be in&s;i&s;ted on, that &s;uch Indempnitie be forthwith given both for the Soldiery and all that gave them a&s;&s;i&s;tance, and &s;hall provide &s;ecurely for their quiet, ea&s;e and &s;afety, and prevent all chargeable journeys to London, to &s;eek af|ter and waite upon Committees.</P>
<P N="8">8. That in &s;ome of the fore mentioned wayes, &s;ecurity be given for arreers forth|with, that as &s;oone as the rights and freedomes of the people be &s;ecured according as its hereupon propounded, and the other de&s;ires of the Army in relation to their particular freedome from pre&s;&s;ing: and provi&s;ion to be made in a certaine and no di&s;ho|nourable way for maimed Soldiers, Widowes, and Orphans, that &s;hall continue during their lives, then the Armes may be di&s;po&s;ed into the hands of the faithfull well affected of the Nation, which may be &s;o formed into a mi|litary po&s;ture, as to be ready on all occa&s;ions of &s;ervice, and as many of the forces that
<PB N="20" REF="12">are kept in con&s;tant pay, as &s;hall not be ab&s;olutely nece&s;&s;ary for the pre&s;ervation and &s;afety of the people, may be as &s;peedily as po&s;&s;ible disbanded, that they may not be a burthen to the Nation.</P>
<P N="9">9. Whereas mercy and ju&s;tice are the foundations of a la&s;ting peace, its nece&s;&s;ary to be in&s;i&s;ted on (for the healing differences as far as po&s;&s;ible,) That all tho&s;e who&s;e e&s;tates have been &s;eque&s;tered, and yet were not in armes for the King, or gave any actuall a&s;&s;i&s;tance to him in men, money, or armes, plate, hor&s;e, &amp;c. in the late warre, that all &s;uch be di&s;charged forthwith from their &s;eque&s;trations: and that all &s;uch as have com|pounded, may not be enforced, to pay the five or twenteth part, &s;eeing their whole e&s;tates were &s;o long under &s;eque&s;tration: and that all tho&s;e that have not compounded, who were in Armes for the King, may be compelled forthwith to compound, provided, that their Compo&s;itions be &s;o moderate, as none may exceed two yeares revenue, that their families be not ruined, and they put upon de&s;perate attempts again&s;t the peace of the Nation to pre&s;erve them&s;elves.</P>
<P>The&s;e things propounded are no more then what we conceived, &s;hould have been tho|roughly done long &s;ince, being as to the principall of them but this &s;ub&s;tance and equitable &s;en&s;e of the former declarations, Remon&s;trances? and repre&s;entations, and therefore though our re&s;tle&s;&s;e de&s;ires of the peoples good, and of the welfare of the Ar|my, have con&s;trained us thus publiquely to &s;tate our ca&s;e, and the remedie according to the be&s;t improvement of the &s;mall Tallent of under&s;tanding that God hath given freely to us. Yet let not the matter be prejudged becau&s;e of the unworthy Authors, nei|ther let it be thought pre&s;umption. It may be remembred that the Fathers danger made a dumb child to &s;peake, and the Armys yea all the peoples dangers and mi&s;eryes have wre&s;ted open our mouthes, who had otherwi&s;e been &s;ilent in this kinde to the grave, and let it not be thought that we intend the divi&s;ion of the Army, we profe&s;&s;e we are deeply &s;en&s;ible and de&s;ire all our fellow &s;oldiers to con&s;ider it.</P>
<P>In ca&s;e the union of the Army &s;hould be broken, (which the enemie waite for,) ruine and de&s;truction will breake in upon us like a roaring &s;ea, but we are much confident that the adhearing to tho&s;e de&s;ires and to that &s;peedy way of attaining our ju&s;t ends for which we fir&s;t ingaged, cannot be interpreted to be a de&s;ire of divi&s;ion, but the &s;trong|e&s;t vigorous endeavours after union, and though many whom we did bettu&s;t have been guilty of mo&s;t &s;apine negligence, yet we expect that the &s;ame in&s;truction of judgement and con&s;cience, that we have all profe&s;&s;ed, did command us forth at fir&s;t for the peoples Freedome will be againe &s;o effectuall, that all will unannimu&s;ly concurre with us &s;o that a demand of the peoples and Armyes rights &s;hall be made by the whole Army as by one man, that then all the enemies to, or ob&s;tructors of the happy &s;ettlement of com|mon right, peace and freedome, may heare of our union and re&s;olution, and their hands may be weake, and their hearts may fayle them, and &s;o this Army that God hath cloath|ed with honour in &s;ubduing the common enemie, may yet be more honourable in the peoples eyes, when they &s;hall be called the Repayters of their breaches, and the re&s;tor|ers of their peace, right, and freedome.</P>
<P>And this is the prayer, and &s;hall alwayes be the earne&s;t endeavours of.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED><HI>The Armie and all the peoples mo&s;t faithfull &s;ervants.</HI>
<LIST>
<ITEM><LIST>
<HEAD>Lievt. Gen.</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Robert Everard.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>George Sadler.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<HEAD>Com. Gen. </HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>George Garret.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Thomas Beverly.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<HEAD>Col Fleetwood. </HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>William Priar.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Bryan.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<HEAD>Col. Whalyes. </HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Matthew Wealy.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Ru&s;&s;ell.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Richard Seale.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<HEAD>C. Riches. </HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Iohn Dober.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Hud&s;on.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Agitators.</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
</LIST></SIGNED>
<DATELINE><HI>Gilford.</HI> <DATE><HI>October</HI> 9, 1647.</DATE></DATELINE></CLOSER>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
<BACK>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<PB N="21" REF="12">
<HEAD>A Copy of a letter from the Agents of the afore&s;aid five Regiments of Hor&s;e, unto His Excellencie, Sir <HI>Thomas Fairfax.</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>May it plea&s;e your Excellencie,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>FRom the deep &s;en&s;e of out duty to God, to our native Country, to your Excellency, to this armie, and to our &s;elves, &amp; to po&s;terities to come, we find &s;uch obli|gations upon our con&s;ciences, written naturally by the finger of God in our hearts, that we cannot behold the honour of God to be impaired, the workes of his hands the land of our Nativity, your Excellency, this army, our &s;elves, or po&s;terities, ready to be &s;wallowed and devoured up in confu&s;ion, thraldome and ruine, and to &s;it &s;till, and not ari&s;e in the &s;trength of his might, to contribute our be&s;t endeavours for the prevention thereof; for, God hath given no man a talent to be wrapt up in a Napkin and not improved, but the meane&s;t va&s;&s;ell in the eye of the world is equally obleiged and accomptable to God with the grea|te&s;t Prince or Commander under the Sun, in and for the u&s;e of that talent betru&s;ted unto him: and therefore we pre&s;ume that your Excellencie (who does acknowledge your &s;elfe a creature of, and &s;ervant to the &s;ame God) will not thinke it &s;trange, or judge us di&s;obedient or refractoy, that we &s;hould, as we have pre&s;umed, to &s;tate the ca&s;e of the army, how declined from its fir&s;t principles of &s;afety, what mi&s;chiefes are threatned thereby, and what remedies are &s;utable for prevention, which herewith we doe humbly pre&s;ent and offer unto your Excellencie; for, Sir &s;hould you, yea, &s;hould the whole Parliament or Kingdome exempt us from this &s;ervice, or &s;hould command our &s;ilence and forbearance, yet could not they nor you di&s;charge us of our duties to God, or to our own na|tures,
<PB N="22" REF="13">for we mu&s;t be accomptable, and judgement will come for the deeds done in our fle&s;h, whether good or evill; and he that hath not improved and put forth his talent to u&s;e, &s;hall be bound hand and foot, and ca&s;t into the lake of eternall vengeance: So that we are bold from our &s;en&s;e of your Excellencies piety hone&s;ty and up|rightne&s;&s;e to God and to your Country, that in this our di&s;charge of our duties to both, we &s;hall not ineurre your di&s;plea&s;ure or di&s;|countenance, but that you will freely commit us and the i&s;&s;ue of our endeavours to God, and if it be of him it will &s;tand, and from our con&s;ciences we atte&s;t, and prote&s;t in the pre&s;ence of his all &s;ee|ing diety, as we de&s;ire &s;afety in this life, or in that which is to come, we have no other then cordiall and fathfull intents and re&s;olutions to the undoubted &s;afety and weale of our native country, to Par|liaments your Excellency, &amp; this army in this bu&s;ine&s;&s;e repre&s;ented in the&s;e inclo&s;ed papers, &amp; we do utterly abhor &amp; renounce al &s;ecret or private de&s;igns or intere&s;t under the &s;ame, together with all that is contrary to the plain and vulgar &s;en&s;e, expre&s;&s;ed in the premi&s;es therof. And if by any one your Excellencie &s;halbe &s;uborned, that we are tran&s;gre&s;&s;ors of all order and forme, and in that &s;en&s;e only to looke upon us. We de&s;ire to mind your Excellencie, that the law of nature and nations atte&s;ted in our own publique Declarations and papers may be an an&s;wer to &s;uch for the ju&s;t fication of our pre&s;ent expedient, for all formes are but as &s;hadowes and &s;ubject to the end, and the &s;afety of the people is above all formes, cu&s;tomes, &amp;c. and the equity of popular &s;afety, is the thing which ju&s;tifi|eth all formes or the change of formes for the accompli&s;hment thereof; and no formes are lawfull longer then they pre&s;erve or accompli&s;h the &s;ame. If our duties bind us when we &s;ee our neighbours hou&s;e on fire, to wave all formes, ceremonies or com|plements, and forthwith (not waiting for order or leave) to at|tempt the quenching thereof without further &s;cruple, as thereunto called of God, we &s;ay if we be &s;o oblieged and called in the ca&s;e of a particular, then much more are we obleiged and called, when we behold the <HI>Great Mantion hou&s;e</HI> of this <HI>Common wealth,</HI> and of this <HI>Armie</HI> (wherein all the families of the Nation are contained) <HI>on fire,</HI> all ready to be devoured with &s;lavery, confu&s;ion and ruine, and
<PB N="23" REF="13">their nationall native freedome (the price of their trea&s;ure and blood) wre&s;ted out of their hands, as at this pre&s;ent appeareth to our be&s;t under&s;tandings: And therefore in this exigencie and &s;traight of extremity, we from the very dictates of Divinity, Nature and Rea&s;on ingraven in our hearts could not otherwi&s;e chu&s;e (with quiet and peace to our con&s;ciences, (which no mortall man can take from us or &s;uppre&s;&s;e the overpouring motives thereof) but con&s;i|der with our &s;elves, what we &s;hould doe to award tho&s;e threatnning mi&s;chiefes from this nation and army &amp; to that end we find nothing more effectuall then to knit our &s;elves together with this fixed re|&s;olution, to part with our lives and all that is neare and deare unto us, before we part with our freedomes; and in relation thereunto we the Agents to five Regiments of your Hor&s;e, have after our weak manner in this our Repre&s;entatation directed to our re&s;pe|ctive Regiments and to the whole Army, di&s;charged our duties; And we pre&s;ume we haue not erred from the equitable &s;en&s;e of our &s;olemn Engagement, or from the ju&s;t maximes and matters contained in our Declarations. Remon&s;trances, &amp;c. from the which we are re&s;olved not to receed. Thus humbly craving your Excellencies favourable con&s;truction in our innocent intentions and endeavours, we (as we alwayes have been) cordially remaine.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your Excellencies, and this Nations faithfull Servants and Soldiers, to &s;tand or fall with you and it, for common Right and Freedome.
<LIST>
<ITEM><LIST>
<HEAD>Lievt. Gen.</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Edward Trevers.</HI> </ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Edmon Bear.</HI></ITEM>
<PB N="24" REF="14">
<ITEM><HI>Edward Trevers.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Edmon Bear.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<HEAD>Com Gen.</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>George Garret.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Jeremiah Cole.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<HEAD>Col. Fleetwood.</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>William Prior.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Bryan.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>John Fletcher.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<HEAD>Col. Riches.</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Iohn Dober.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Hud&s;on.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<HEAD>Col. Whaleys.</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Matth. Wealey.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Ru&s;&s;ell..</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
</LIST></SIGNED>
<DATELINE>Ham&s;tead, <DATE><HI>October</HI> 15. 1647.</DATE></DATELINE>
<POSTSCRIPT>
<P>Wee appoint <HI>Edmond Bear,</HI> and <HI>William Ru&s;&s;ell</HI> above&s;aid, in our names to pre&s;ent this Letter toge|ther with our Repre&s;entation intituled, The ca&s;e of the Army, &amp;c. to his Excellency Sir <HI>Thomas Fairfax.</HI></P>
</POSTSCRIPT></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</BACK>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
