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<NAME>TCP Staff (Michigan)</NAME>
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<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>Severall LETTERS TO THE HONOURABLE <HI>William Lenthall,</HI> E&s;quire, Speaker of the Hou&s;e of Commons; And to the Committee of both Kingdoms, concerning the State of Sir <HI>Tho. Fairfax</HI> Army.</P>
<P>Shewing the obedience of the Souldiers, which were Mutiniers to the Commands of the Parliament, and their readine&s;&s;e to &s;erve the State, under the Command of Sir <HI>Thomas Fairfax.</HI></P>
<P>Together with Sergeant-Major&punc; Generall <HI>Skippons</HI> SPEECH, to all the Officers and Souldiers, and their concurrence thereunto.</P>
<P>With a Letter of Serjeant-Major <HI>Skippons,</HI> &s;hewing the readine&s;&s;e of the Souldiers, to go on in this expedition.</P>
<P>ORdered by the Commons A&s;&s;embled in Parliament, that the&s;e Letters be forthwith Printed and Publi&s;hed.</P>
<P><HI>H: El&s;ynge, Cler. Parl. D. Com.</HI></P>
<P>London, Printed for <HI>Edward Husbands.</HI> 1645.</P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<PB REF="2">
<PB N="1" REF="2">
<HEAD><HI>To the Right Wor&s;hipfull, Sir</HI> John Evelyn, <HI>Sir</HI> Henry Vane&punc; <HI>junior; Ma&s;ter</HI> Sollicitor, <HI>or either of them.</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Honoured Sir,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_VVE being de&s;ired to further the &s;ervice of the State; And having &s;een very much of Gods over-ruling-Providence upon the Spirits both of Commanders, and Souldiers, in our entrance upon that great work at <HI>Reading,</HI> where our pre&s;ence and a&s;&s;i&s;tance was de|&s;ired by the Major&punc; Generall; who on Friday night, &s;o &s;oon as ever we came into the Garri&s;on, gave order to draw out the five Regiments, formerly under the Command of his Excellencie, the Earl of <HI>E&s;&s;ex&punc;</HI> and five Companies of my Lord <HI>Roberts,</HI> into the field on the next morning: We thought it our duty to acquaint you with the proceedings at that meeting. The Regiments and Companies afore&s;aid, being drawn up according to Order; The M<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">jor Generall marched in the head of all the Regiments, being accompa|nied with us, and the Commi&s;&s;ioners in the Army, who were received with a generall &s;hout and acclamation of the &s;ouldiers: The complement of the field being over, each Regiment was drawn apa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">t; And then the Major-Generall applied him&s;elf, Fir&s;t, to his Excellencies regiment, &amp; there commanded all the Officers to draw together to the head of the Regiment, and the<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e expre&s;t him&s;elf with much gra|vity, and &s;weetne&s;&s;e of &s;pirit, to the Officers and Souldiers of that Regiment, to this effect: (I think we may &s;ay <HI>ver|batim</HI>) as is expre&s;&s;ed in the inclo&s;ed: The like to all the re&s;t with &s;ome little variations: Upon the clo&s;e of his Speech to each Regiment, both the Officers to be co<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ti|nued,
<PB N="2" REF="3"> and tho&s;e that were to be di&s;mi&s;&s;ed, did witne&s;&s;e much readine&s;&s;e to obey the Commands of Parliament; and likewi&s;e very much civility to the Major&punc; Generall: And the Souldiers they generally expre&s;t their joy at the clo&s;e of every Speech, without any reluctancie in any of them; declaring, that now they hoped (ere long) they &s;hould be in action. And farther, Whereas divers Inferi|our Officers went off upon the Reducement, they have li|&s;ted them&s;elves as common Souldiers: So that we tru&s;t, you will have &s;uch an account of this bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, as that you could not de&s;ire a better. The inhabitants of this&punc; Garri|&s;on, who have been witne&s;&s;es of their former mutinous di&s;po&s;itions, do very much wonder at &s;o great a change in the &s;ame; and truly, the mighty hand of God was very vi|&s;ible in the work. We are &s;orry that we have troubled you with &s;o long a Scrible, the rather becau&s;e we have an inti|mation, that the Commi&s;&s;ioners here have written to Ma|&s;ter <HI>Speaker,</HI> touching the&s;e Affairs: however, le&s;t they &s;hould omit what to our apprehen&s;ions was mo&s;t remarka|ble, we have taken the boldne&s;&s;e to give you this trouble: From,</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE><HI>Reading,</HI> <DATE>this 6. of <HI>April.</HI> 1645.</DATE></DATELINE>
<SALUTE>Sir,</SALUTE>
<SIGNED> Your mo&s;t humble Servants,<LIST>
<ITEM><HI>Francis Allein.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>John Dethick.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="speech">
<PB N="3" REF="3">
<HEAD><HI>The inclo&s;ed Speech of Serjeant-Maior-Generall</HI> Skippon.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Gentlemen, and fellow Souldiers all,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>I am now to acquaint you with the Commands of Parliament; to which in con&s;cience to God, and love to our Country, we are bound to give all ready and cheerfull obedience. There is a nece&s;|&s;ity lies upon us (&s;ince three Armies are to be reduced into one) that &s;ome Commanders and Officers mu&s;t go out of their Imployments, wherein they now are. It is not out of any per&s;onall di&s;-re&s;pect to any of you that &s;hall now go off; Therefore I hope you will behave your &s;elves accordingly. I have received Order from the Hou&s;e of Commons, to take notice what the comportment &s;h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ll be of tho&s;e who mu&s;t now go off; and to certifie it unto them. I know you will behave your &s;elves like men of Honour and hone&s;ty (as indeed you are) and that I &s;hall have no cau&s;e, but to make a good report of you; which I &s;hall do, according to your carriage in this Re|ducement, both to the Speaker of the Honourable Hou&s;e of Com|mons, and to the Committee of both Kingdoms, and that particular Committee which are appointed to take you into con&s;ideration, and to take in your Accompts, and pay you part of your Arreares at pre|&s;ent, and for the re&s;t, you are to have a Debenter upon the Publique-Faith of the Kingdom. But if there &s;hall be any among you, who out of any per&s;onall re&s;pect, or private di&s;content, &s;hall make any di&s;turbance in this Reducement; &s;o as to ob&s;truct or hinder a work of &s;o Publique concernment; I &s;hall not fail to give him his true Character to the State, without per&s;onall re&s;pect to any. And there|fore let no man deceive him&s;elf; for although he may perhaps occa|&s;ion &s;ome trouble in the pre&s;ent bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, yet in the I&s;&s;ue, the great|e&s;t mi&s;chief will fall upon him&s;elf: But I hope I &s;hall finde none &s;uch here. There is (at pre&s;ent) a fortnights pay to be paid to &s;uch Officers as &s;hall go off; which they &s;hall pre&s;ently have upon their Mu&s;ter: And as for the Officers, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">nd Souldiers that are continued, (as &s;oon as they &s;hall be Mu&s;tered and Li&s;ted) they al&s;o &s;hall h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ve a fortnights pay; and there are Clothes come down for the Souldi|ers already in part; and I a&s;&s;ure you, That upon my Life and Ho|nour, there are more providing, and you &s;hall be all furni&s;hed with Coats, Breeches, Shirts, Stockins, Shooes, and &s;uch Armes as you &s;hall &s;tand in need of; with all good u&s;age and con&s;tant pay. And
<PB N="4" REF="4"> that as I have been with you hitherto, &s;o upon all occa&s;ions of &s;ervice to my God and Country, I &s;hall by the help of God, be willing to live, and dye with you.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<HEAD><HI>To the Honourable</HI> William Lenthall <HI>E&s;quire, Spea|ker of the Commons Hou&s;e of Parliament, A&s;&s;embled at Westminster.</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Right Worthily Honoured Sir,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>YE&s;terday by Gods e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">peciall bl<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;&s;ing upon my poor endeavours, the work of Reducement here, is quietly, and (I hope) through|ly &s;ettled, both Officers and Souldiers demeaning them&s;elves with all ready obedi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">nce to the Commands of Parliament. As &s;oon as I can ge<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> an exact li&s;t of the officers that are gone off, I &s;hal<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> (God willing) wi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">h all humblen<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">, &s;end the &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">me to this Honourable Hou&s;e; that (as &s;hall &s;eem be&s;t unto you) they may be taken into your further con&s;ideration. I in<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">end (by Gods a&s;&s;i&s;tance) to pro&s;ecu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e this bu|&s;ine&s;&s;e of Reducing the re&s;t in other places, with all po&s;&s;ible dili|gence and faithfulne&s;&s;e; hoping by Gods further favour, in a &s;hort time to bring the &s;ame to a wi&s;hed <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;&s;ue; whereof I &s;hall (by Gods help) from time to time give you a true accompt. Onely I mo&s;t hum|bly be&s;eech you, that Cloathes and Armes may be &s;uddenly &s;ent to <HI>Wind&s;or,</HI> for their further &s;upply and encouragement: as al&s;o for the &s;pe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">dier fi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ting them for the publique &s;ervice, the advancement whereof we heartily long af<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">er; and I hope in the &s;trength of the Almighty &s;hall with the uttermo&s;t hazard of our lives endeavour: may it plea&s;e you (if it be not done already) to take &s;ome &s;peedy&punc; and certain cour&s;e for money to pay tho&s;e Hor&s;e that were of His Excellencies and Sir <HI>William Balfores</HI> Regiments, equall with the re&s;t of the Hor&s;e that were of His Excellencies Army, that the Re|ducing of them may not be hindered or prejudiced. Mr. <HI>Allein.</HI> and Mr. <HI>Det<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ick,</HI> now the pre&s;ent Trea&s;urers of the Army here; as al&s;o th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Commi&s;&s;ioners appointed by Parliament, have with all love, care and indu&s;try, furthered this great work: which let it plea&s;e you to take notice of, being a very good and &s;ea&s;onable &s;ervice to the State. I humbly crave pardon for my great boldne&s;&s;e, and ever remain,</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE>Reading, <DATE><HI>the 6. of Aprill, 1645. 11. at Night.</HI></DATE></DATELINE>
<SALUTE>Honoured Sir, </SALUTE>
<SIGNED>Your Obliged Faith|full Servant,Ph: Skippon.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<PB N="5" REF="4">
<HEAD><HI>To the Honourable,</HI> William Lenthall, <HI>E&s;quire,</HI> Speaker <HI>to the Hou&s;e of Commons.</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Honourable Sir,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>HAving lately pre&s;t upon the di&s;temperatures of this Garri&s;on (occa&s;ioned principally from the tottering condition of &s;uch Officers as were to be reduced, whence undoubtedly grew their di&s;contents, and by who&s;e influ|ence, the Mutinies of the Souldier took ri&s;e, as appeared to us from more then common ob&s;ervation, which accor|ding to our duty (though to our hazard) we have both la|boured to &s;uppre&s;&s;e, to qualifie at lea&s;t, and to pre&s;ent you the Intelligence:) We proceed to acqu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">int you; Th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">t upon the happy coming down of Serjeant Major Generall <HI>Skip|pon,</HI> the work we &s;o long &s;o earne&s;tly de&s;ired, and &s;o much feared, was ye&s;terday by the great ble&s;&s;ing of God happi|ly accompli&s;hed. Upon Friday, towards night, Major-Generall was welcomed here, with acclamations of joy, &s;erving as a good Omen, and incouragement, to the next dayes bu&s;ine&s;&s;e. That night the Officers coming to wel|come him, received much &s;atisfaction, b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> under&s;tanding from him the providentiall care the Parliament had of them, by ordering a Committee to receive the Major-Ge|neralls Character, touching the merit, or demerit, of &s;uch as were de&s;igned to be laid a&s;ide, ti<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">l &s;ome other opportu|nity for imployment; as al&s;o, to order the auditing their Debenters&punc; promoting &s;ome part of their Arrer<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">s, and pro|mi&s;ing Publique-Faith for the re&s;t. This not only calmed them for that night, brought them in due time next day to ob&s;erve their Orders for drawing the five Regiments into the Forebury, but won them (after his publique &s;ignifica|tion in the head of every Regiment, touching the Parlia|ments re&s;pects to the reduc'd Officers, as al&s;o their extra|ordinary provi&s;ions of Pay and Apparell for the Private Souldiers, who had liberty offered to chu&s;e their Com|manders,
<PB N="6" REF="5"> after the four &s;tanding Captains of his Excellen|lencies Regiment were recruited) to deliver up their men to &s;uch as &s;tood, in &s;uch a method, and with &s;uch di&s;cretion and obedience to your Commands, that not a di&s;&s;enting &s;ouldier, nor di&s;contented countenance, could well be di&s;|covered; &s;o as they orderly marcht thence in three reduc'd Regiments, cheerfully into three Churches, where we forthwith inrolled every Officer and &s;ouldier, as they en|tred the new Li&s;t, clo&s;ed the Books that evening, and with like diligence &s;ee the Private Souldier paid, and mo&s;t of the reduc'd Officers. In this action (though the work &s;peak it, yet) cannot we pa&s;&s;e by the Major-Generals great pains, and excellent way of invitation, without a de&s;erved Em|pha&s;is, and Commemoration. To morrow (by Gods a&s;&s;i|&s;tance) we &s;hall fini&s;h the re&s;t: That done, proceed to the Reducement el&s;ewhere, and what other Rules the Major-Generall &s;hall give us to walk by&punc; Neverthele&s;&s;e, clothing, and compleat arming, requires &s;peedy accompli&s;hment, the &s;ea&s;on inviting, and Major-Generall having by promi&s;e in|gaged him&s;elf to them, unto that purpo&s;e. In the&s;e Affairs (if with mode&s;ty we may &s;peak it) we have expre&s;t what might with advantage conduce to make the work pro&s;pe|rous, and go on with &s;uch alacrity, and caution, as may worthily render us &s;erviceable, and an&s;werable to the tru&s;t repo&s;ed in us: which e&s;pecially adds the intere&s;t of being</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE>Reading <DATE>6. A|pril. 1645.</DATE></DATELINE>
<SALUTE>Sir, </SALUTE>
<SIGNED>Your Honours mo&s;t faithfull and obedient Servants,<LIST>
<ITEM><HI>Martin Pyndar.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>H. Leighton.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Tho. Herbert.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Jo. Potter.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></SIGNED></CLOSER>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
<PB REF="5">
</DIV1>
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