Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	king_n	liberty_n	parliament_n	2,621	5	6.9289	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A63469	The True copys of several letters from Portsmouth directed by Col. Sir Arthur Haslerig, Col. Herbert Morley, Col. Valentine Walton, commissioners by act of Parliament for governing the armies, to the Lord Fleetwood at Wallingford-house, with the Lord Fleetwoods answers thereunto : also, their several letters to ... the Lord Mayor, alderman and common-council of the city of London together with their letters from Portsmouth, to the several militia's appointed by act of Parliament, for the cities of London, Westminster and Borrough of Southwark and their answers there unto.	Hesilrige, Arthur, Sir, d. 1661.; Morley, Herbert, 1616-1667.; Walton, Valentine, d. 1661?; Fleetwood, Charles, d. 1692.	1659 (1659)	Wing T2609; ESTC R21262	11,119	16

THE TRUE COPYS OF SEVERAL LETTERS FROM PORTSMOVTH Directed By Col. Sir ARTHUR HASLERIG Col. HERBERT MORLEY Col. VALENTINE WALTON Commissioners by Act of Parliament for governing the Armies To the Lord Fleetwood at VVallingford-house With the Lord Fleetwoods Answers thereunto Also Their several Letters to the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor Aldermen and Common-Council of the City of London Together with their Letters from Portsmouth to the several Militia's appointed by Act of Parliament for the Cities of London Westminster and Borrough of Southwark And their Answers thereunto LONDON Printed by John Clowes and Published by special Command 1659. A Letter to the Lord Fleetvvood from Sir Arthur Haslerigg Col. Morley and Col. Walton Commissioners of the Army by Act of PARLIAMENT for the Governing the Armys of England Scotland and Ireland My Lord SInce the sad and wofull day when your self that the Parliament so much trusted and beleived brought their own forces and besieged the House we have been silent The Act was so horrid it could not but amaze to our best understandings we observing your steps ever since it appeares That your wayes are not the Nations settlement but that confusion and the greatest of miseries and sorrows will unavoydably overflow these Islands And we are thereby made a shame and reproach not only at home but throughout the Christian World where England is named We are told we shalI have our Liberties How can that be when the Foundation of all our Liberties is in the Parliament that being the Representative of the people in whom is the Originall of all just Power And is not the Parliament the Foundation of successive Parliaments destroyed so farr as you can do it can you imagine that we and many thousands that have hazarded our lives and spilt our blood for our Libertyes and Religion will now yeild up the Cause so long and sharply contended for and that God so miraculously owned And suffer Parliaments to be imposed upon and the people to be compell'd to Governments not made by their own Representatives in Parliament Doth not God command that one should do to another as he would be done unto Is not this a General Command given to all mankind Wo therefore to Kings and every other person that assume power over man and walk not according to that Scripture Rule can you oppress can you impose can you restraine Liberty can you take away propriety and above all can you overthrow your Governours and destroy Parliaments and not break this rule Is not the Cause we contended for the enjoyment of our Liberties and Religion We are sure God would have man to be free and not oppressed we only desire the maintenance of our Good Old Cause which our gracious God so signally owned when our potent Enemies at Sea and at the same time those in England Scotland and Ireland rose up to oppose where is the humble self-denying Spirit to be found We have most seriously considered the great trust reposed in us by the Parliament and desire to find out what is the duty incumbent upon us And we cannot satisfie our selves but that we are justly by Parliament not only to be questioned but censured If we own not the Parliament in this time of so great defection and endeavour not now to our utmost the preservation of it The great and good God by his providence brought us most seasonably to this Towne where we found Captaine Browne sent down by you endeavouring to withdraw the Officers of this Garrison from the Parliament perswading them to betray and falsifie their trust and to Act contrary to their Commissions When a person becomes false it follows he would have all others like himself we heare he brought severall Commissions of yours we cannot but trouble you in this particular do you think it a light matter to murther men Hath not God given man power over the lives of all other Creatures and only reserved the life of man to himself Sacred Writt holds it forth That he that spils mans blood by men shall his blood be spilt From whom comes your power to give Commissions to kill men it is not to be found in Scripture If it came from man we wish it could be made clear to the world and your own Conscience that you have a lawfull Authority could you gaine all the power and wealth of these Nations it would do you but little good if thousands murthered by your Commissions rise up at the day of Judgment against you We have no particular ends of our own that we aime at we only desire the restoring of the Parliament and the speedy settlement of the Commonwealth so that we may enjoy our Religion Liberties and properties Here lies in this Port many Ships not paid off which is great expence to the publick And had not the Parliament been lately interrupted by you they had not been now to pay The Marriners are ready to goe to Forraign parts for imployment having spent their Arreares in attendance and are not able to expect longer Thus the great debt of the Nation increaseth The Spring of the year approaches Dangerous Enemies from abroad threaten us there is nothing but Confusion and general discontent at home If you take not some speedy course to give satisfaction to those that have been and we hope yet may be your Friends it will be too late and destruction must needs follow we wish if misery do come that those who stated this our Cause destroying quarrell upon personall accompts may only feel it And that our mercifull God will find out some extraordinary waies to preserve our Liberties and Religion to posterity We think fit to acquaint you that we find this Garrison of Portsmouth very faithfull to the Parliament and resolved to performe their dutyes and trusts according to their Commissions we incourage them what we can and we hope your Lordships may do the like And we shall be ready to assist you in any thing wherein we are equally intrusted by the Parliament we hope that infinite Wisdome and power will yet so order our affairs that the Good Old Cause shall be preserved The Declarations of Generall Monck are both sober and Religious We own them and exceedingly rejoyce in his faithfullness and constancy to the Parliament He is a Souldier of true honour and worth and abhorrs falsness to his trust We and all well affected to the Nations Libertyes have cause to bless God for him as the great Assertor of our Parliaments Cause and this we hold forth to your self and all well wishers to publick interest We are Portsmouth Decemb. 7. 1659. My Lord Your Lordships humble Servants Arthur Haslerigg Herbert Morley Valentine Walton For the Lord Fleetwood at Wallingford-House The Lord Fleetwoods Letter in Answer to the Commissioners first Letter Honorable Gentlemen IN Answer unto yours from Portsmouth I shall exercise that Freedome which I hope the present state of our Affairs will give me liberty to do You are pleased to

You pretend good intentions to the Nations settlement We are sure our hearts thirst after it and that we are not guilty of any Hostility in this place In the interim we resolve by Gods blessing to defend the same for the Parliament If what you are doing might satisfie all the Parliaments party and secure Parliamentary Authority the Rights Liberties Properties of the people and Religion which is the Good Old Cause so much owned by God and valued by all goodmen we should really rejoyce and bless God for it and readily return to our former friendship it being the desire of our hearts that all misunde standings may be removed the Parliament restored old friends reconciled the Commonwealth settled upon righteous lasting Foundations And if you are as peaceably minded as we you may make it appear by directing the withdrawing of the Forces you sent toward this place that so esfusion of blood may be prevented If otherwise we cannot believe you in●end Peace We are Portsmouth Decemb. 14. 1659. My Lord Your Lordships Servants Arth. Haslerig Hetb Morley Val. Walton For the Honourable Sir Arthur Haslerig Col. Walton and Col. Morley at Portsmouth Honourable Gentlemen I Have received yours and finding that our personal reflections doth but provoak each other and therefore I shall rather desire to commit my case unto the Lord then to argue it with man not doubring but that he will plead my innocency for me and convince me wherein I may be found guilty being desirous to bow before him in any thing wherein I may be found faulty and take the shame unto my self rather than be a reproach unto his name by any action of mine the Lord grant that this may be more and more yours and my frame whatsoever our contests are yet I am sure of this by reason thereof the Common enemy is like to have the advantage and which of us may have the Conquest We shall none of us be but loosers I wish ir be not found that whilst you dispute the form you destroy the end and though I may with others so much justifie our selves yet that old friends that have but one interest should engage as enemies is that which we have cause to take up as a lamentation and let us take heed that Saints blood be not layd to our Charge it is a strange hand of God upon us that there should not be found a wise man amongst us who might direct some Medium to make up these Breaches Your actions have greatly widened our Breach I have that comfort that I have no personal design of my own but that this Common Cause and Interest wherein we are all concerned may prosper is my design and whatsoever you may satisfie your selves in the treachery and falsness of some persons who after assurances given of their faithfulness have lately forfeited the same Be confident the Lord will not prosper such practises It is very vvell known I am no enemy to Parliamentary Authority and vvha●soever you may charge me vvith therein Yet I hopeing actions shall manifest the contrary And as for the Forces which are before Portsmouth if you will engage that the Nations Peace shall not be disturbed by your endeavours to raise Forces against us We shall easily be perswaded to withdraw ours and in any thing with a Saving to this Cause shall be ready to expresse the respects which I have had formerly for you and being in some haste I have only this to desire further of you that would release one M. Jennyns and Mr. Lucas who though they are strangers to me yet hearing they are vnder restraint upon our account I desire their Liberty And shall give the same return of friendship as their occasion offered to Your humble servant Charles Fleetwood VVallingford house 17. Dec. 1659. For the Right Honourable the Lord Fleetwood My Lord HAving received and read your Letter dated the 17th instant we find the expressions to be so mild and to savour so much of godliness and self-denial that we cannot but speedily return you this hoping that if the Lord be pleased to give you a heart really to act what you write the Nations may yet be made happy We shall not labour to convince you of your being faulty because you appeale unto God who only is able to make you bow down before him And for our parts we have examined our heatts and we find joy and comfort believing our selves to be in the way that God commands We begun no contest we waited two Moneths and nothing was brought forth but confusion We believe the Common enemy may gain great advantage by our divisions But who gave the occasion we are innocent and we know for either of us to conquer the other is no gain to our Cause If you look upon the Parliament but as a Form and disputing for that but disputing for a Form we differ from you and take it to be the Foundation upon which our Liberties are upheld and our Religion under God to be preserved That we old friends should engage as enemies 't is indeed great cause of lamentation and we are not only sensible of it but those that truly fear God sigh and mourne in secret for the great shame and reproach that the Authors the●eby have brought upon the professors of godliness We have been tender of Saints blood and very careful that poor innocent Souldiers should not be destroyed being sent by your Commands to oppose the Authority of Parliament but we have waited their coming in to us and they have not as yet received any hurt from us If the great providences of God working contrary to your expectation and the wonderful confusions and distractions may work upon you and stir you up to be that wise man to make up these breaches while you have time we shall have cause to blesse God for it VVe hear Vice-Admiral Lawson declares for the restoring thu Parliament and is in the Thames with the Fleet in Order to it His Declaration is sober General Monck desires the like we believe thousands will joyn with them Why should we divide upon this point We have seen a Paper for a Parliament to sit down the 24 of January we cannot think the people will choose upon that Authority we are sure no Qualifications can be made without Parliament so that the time will either be lost or the Cause hazarded by such proceedings We cannot but grieve to see the delay in restoring the Parliament We believe God will again restore it and those that contest against it will in Conclusion be found fighters against that which God hath owned and will yet make instrumental for his glory and the Nations good For our own parts We are most ready and willing to lay down all or any of our imployments for the publick Peace neither do we desire to hurt the persons or Estates of any of those that have formerly been instrumental in the Parliaaments service We desire to be not mistaken we

by the next The Lord perswade your hearts to resolutions of peace and that these sad breaches may be healed is the desire of Your Humble Servant Charles Fleetwood VVallingford-House Decemb. 10. 1659. If we must be looked upon as Enemies I shall desire you will release Cap. Brown Cap. Peacock and Cap. Hopgood I will release Col. Markham and Col. Atkins whose offence I am sure was much greater then any you can charge them with and are persons much more Considerable For the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor Aldermen and Common-Council of the City of LONDON My Lord and Gentlemen WE conceive it is not unknown to you the Trust the Parliament reposed in us before theit late interruption We have waited ever since expecting that the force would have been removed from the Parliament House at Westminster that the Members might have returned to their Duties but finding confusions and discontents to increase we came to this Town of Portsmouth which is of great concernment to the City and Publick The Governour and this Garrison have declared their faithfulness to the Parliament there are many Ships not paid off and Marriners ready for want of pay to go into Forreign parts for employment there must some speedy course be taken for preventing the great mischiefs which will otherwise follow We cannot but approve of General Monks Declarations and concurr with him fot the restoring of the Parliament We hope you do the like and intreat you that no time may be delayed but all endeavours may be used that the Parliament doors may be forthwith opened and the Speaker desired forthwith to send Letters to the several Members to perform their Trust in Parliament We know no other way under God to preserve your City and the Nations from inevitable ruin and to deliver us out of these miserable and woful confusions we are now in We beseech you move speedily in this for our Cause and the safety of the whole lyes bleeding We entreat to hear a word of your intentions Our affections as you well know being very great for the welfare and prosperity of the City and we find such absolute necessity of the Parliaments meeting though but in Order to the settlement of future Parliaments that if you cannot prevaile that they may sit quietly at VVestminster we shall write to the Speaker that he would be pleased to meet at Portsmouth where we doubt not through the mercy and goodness of God they may sit with honour and safety and Act freely for the good and preservation of the your City Nations We present our humble services to your Lotdship the Aldermen and Common-Council We are Portsmouth 7. Decemb. 1659. My Lord and Gentlemen Your most faithful and humblest servants Arth. Haslerig Herb. Morley Val. Walton For our Honourable friends the Commissioners of the Militia of the City of London appointed by Act of Parliament Gentlemen YOu know very well that we have the chief Command of all the Forces in England and Scotland by Act of Parliament We are now at Portsmouth a place of great concernment We hope you believe that we desire Peace and settlement not a new VVar we have no perticular design we apprehend there is no other means for the preservation of our Cause the City and Nations and deliver us out of the woful Confusions that we are now in but the opening the Parliament doors that the Members may return and perform their trusts VVe desire you to act your parts in pursuance of the trust reposed in you by the Parliament for removing the force from the Parliament we shall assist you to the utmost of our power and remain Gent. Portsmouth Decemb. 7. 1659. Your affectionate Friends and Servants Arth. Haslerig Herb Morley Val. VValton The same Letter was sent to the Militias at VVestminster and Southwark For the Right Honourable the Lord Fleetwood at VVallingford house My Lord WE shall not trouble you with any tedious reply to your Letter but this we must affirm That neither joyntly nor seperately did we or any of us either to your self or any other person passe our Engagements to do otherwise then we have done And if you had given any of us a perticular Charge we should readily have vindicated our selves Neither did we endeavour to remove the Parliaments good opinion from you though we well perceived your coldness in their service else the Paper sent from the Northern Brigade had never produced the sad consequences that since have ensued And if it was against your Conscience to act as one of the seven Commissioners appointed by Act of Parliament to govern the Army we marvel with what satisfaction you can now act by the Call of private men without any publick Authority and yet pretend you desire retyrement Whether you have not been instrumental to destroy the Parliamentary Authority and how farr we have been instrumentall to any such ends we leave it to the Lord and all indifferent men to judge Neither shall we dispute the necessity that induced the Officers to interrupt the the Parliament for if you and they say it was necessary no man must dare to say otherwise It is an easie matter to pretend to good things for the Nation Oliver did the like but the sequell manifested h●s own advancement to be at the bottom And it is well known when you remove us from our Foundations you may carry us whether you please We all deny to have been instrumentall in any breaches made upon the Parliament but if we had we should not be ashamed to ask God and the world forgiveness and resolve by our future deportments to repair such breaches Concerning oppression imposing restraining Liberty taking away property Governments and Authority we shall only say That whosoever takes away our Parliaments takes the ready course to let them all in like a floud upon us neither do we think the Council of Officers competent per sons to Judg of Government and to break Parliaments and put new fancies of their own instead thereof as they please How far your actings against the Parliament or outs in persuance of the PARLIAMENTS Commands have given encouragement to the Common enemy we leave to your own consideration or because the Parliament will not Act what some Officers of the Army please they must be inte●●upted And if any prove faithful to discharge the Trust reposed in them they are the only troublers of the Nation and give advantage to the Common enemy We are not ambitious of Commands having more given us by the Parliament then we desired but conceive we have more Authority to gran● Commissions in Order to the Parliaments restitution then you can have from the Call of any private persons to continue their interruption You say The Marriners had been paid if we had not been here We suppose some of them are gone to London for their pay and if money were sent to discharge the rest we should be far from hindering their payment or diverting the money

write not this as being under any fear of the place wherein we are for if ten thousand should come against us our good God being with us who hath furnished us with men and Provisions sufficient we need not too be afraid Only our sence of poor England's misery and having earnest bowels after a speedy removall of our wofull distractions moves us to presse you to take off the Force from the Parliament doors that the Members may return to the exercise of their Trust without which we cannot expect Peace or settlement and what you do do quickly for we know not what mischief a day may bring forth and the sad consequences that may follow thereupon and then you may repent when it will be too late We are My Lord Your Lordships humble Servants Arth. Haslerig Herb. Morley Valentine Walton For the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor Aldermen and Common Counsell of the City of LONDON My Lords and Gentlemen UPon our first comming to this Garrison we writ to your Lordship the Aldermen and Common Counsell but fear it never came to your hands We now understand that Vice Admiral Lawson hath declared for restoring the Parliament and in order to that hath brought the Fleet into the Thames we hope you will joyne with us and cause the force to be withdrawn from the Parliament doors that so there may be an Authoritie which the Nations will own that may heale the breaches and remove Confusions which otherwise may suddenlie destroy us we have seen a paper that mentions a Parliament the 24th of January next we conceive that Authority will not be owned neither can any quallifications be made but by Parliament so that the losse of time may prove our ruen the interrupted Parliament is ready and know their work and must lay the Foundation for future Parliaments what hath caused all our miseries but the first interruption of the Parliament all things done since by other Conventions being voyde and Null as you desire peace and settlement we intreate your best assistance for the safety of the City and Nations which are highly concerned in the speedy sitting down of the Parliament We are My Lords and Gentlemen Your most faithfull and Humble Servants Arthur Haslerigg Herbert Morley Valentine VValton Portsmouth Decemb. 20. 1659. December 22 1659. THe Lord Mayor Aldermen and Common Council of the City of London in Common Counc●l Assembled read two letters from Portsmouth dated the 27th instant sent by Col. Sir Arther Haslerig Col. Herbert Morley Col. Valeutine VValton Commissioners appointed by Act of Parliament for governing the Army and ordered that the thanks of that Court should be given to them and appointed three Commissioners Alde man VVilliam Thomson Col. Edward Brumfield Mr. Richard Foord to go to Portsmouth to signifie so much to them and to confe● with them about the peace and safety of the Commonwealth of this City Right Honourable AT our general meeting this day your Lords hip received of the 7th instant were communicated to us and taken into our most serious consideration and thereupon in performance of your desire and the discharge of our own duty in order to the preservation of the Cause of God these Nations and this City VVe resolved to use our indeavours for composing the late unhappy diffetences between the Parliament and Army and that the Parliamene may spedily be restored to the exercise of their Trust and accordingly appointed a Committee to signifie the same as our opinion unto the Councel of Officers which we thought meet to certifie in answer to your Honours above-mentioned letter and that we are Guildhall London 22th December 1659. Your Honours and the Commonmonwealths most affectionate and falthfull servants The Committee of the Militia appointed by Act of Parliament for the City of LONDON These for the Right Honourable Sir Arther Haslerig Barronet Col. Morley and Col. VValten at Portsmouth present The Committee of Militia for Westminster acted very readily and raised all their Forces for the defence of the Parliament FINIS