been so kept off Field action All which hath not onely done prejudice to the publike Service but hath brought things to great hazard yea almost to the undoing of all But God in his mercy hath turned the balance no thank to your remissenesse wherein God sheweth although men will not do what they ought and can do for his Service upon I cannot tell what consideration he will do the work of men by no men When I think on John Knox and George Buchanan how freely they spoke and writ at all times and upon all occasions when the Church and State were concerned without fear of any man or Assembly whatsoever having nothing before their eyes but the glory of God and the good of his people They were weak and infirm men as we are all but their stout zeal to the publike was admirable and is ever to be remembred by us not onely to their praise but also to spur us up to imitate them in this heroike vertue For me I value the zeal and stoutnesse of these two Champions of the Truth more than all their other vertues howsoever eminent they were But you will say It is now another age and consequently another way of carriage of things is required It is true we live now in another age which is worse than that of these men Wherefore we must then strive with greater zeal and vertue to oppose the wickednesse of this time For although by a prudentiall preventing and declining by clear-seeing men many plots and devises of the wicked may be for a time shunned Yet there is no way to make the wicked leave or weary of resisting and oppressing goodnesse but by a vigorous and stout opposing of them Besides although the Cards be new we play with all yet it is the same very Game that our Fathers had in Scotland and our Neighbours had lately in our dayes in France Where and when nothing did prevaile or do good unto the Cause but resolution and zeal in carrying on the things not onely against the Common Enemy but also against the false Friends and they that walked then any other way betrayed the Cause and purchased unto themselves the title of silly inconsiderable men of whatsoever rank or degree they were To say nothing of the judgement of God that fell upon them and to this day hangs upon them and theirs I shun examples in this case for I love to reprove faults and spare mens persons Moreover since the Malignants every where are so busie running to and fro like so many Bees with great care and heat and so bold to forge and invent lyes by word and writing to abuse the World and so wrong treacherously the publike Service Why should not then faithfull men be diligent and stout in all freedom to make known the truth of things for the confirming of the well-affected and for stopping of the mouth of the wicked and so consequently for the better carrying on of the work now in hand Now being thus friendly and freely admonished by one who wisheth well to the Common Cause you now serve with his whole heart and unto your selves in particular in so far as you are faithfull and earnest zealous and stout in this Cause of God and his people laying aside all humane prudence which is not subservient to zeal and stoutnesse as well as to faithfulnesse and earnestnesse I hope you will take care to minde this slip by giving unto the publike a true and free relation of all things from time to time as the occasion shall require and in your meetings about Church and State to be stout and free for the advancing of the publike Service to the glory of God to the good of his people and to the contentment and satisfaction of well-affected men in despite of malignancy In the interim till you perform this duty give me leave in this place plainly and homely to put unto the view of the World the relation of some things of speciall note hardly well known to many at least taken notice of but by a few concerning the carriage of the Scots ever since the very first beginning of these unhappy troubles to this day the knowledge whereof will do good I am sure to the publike Service and will help to right in some measure men both faithfull and constant in the Work Yea the commemoration of these things although known I am perswaded will give content to all honest and well-meaning men unto whom the publike good is dearer than the interest of any particular man whatsoever with whom they ought to go along no further than the particular man goeth on with the publike of Church and State laying aside all other relation As for other men I value them no more than the open declared enemies who preferre the pleasure of one abused Prince under pretext of obligation they have to him unto the good of Church and State And thus I begin The Common Enemy having designe to bring these Dominions under spirituall and temporall slavery all things disposed for his ends according to his mind thinks fit for his purpose to begin this great work in Scotland promising unto himself to find least opposition there for reasons which hitherto by Gods mercy hath deceived him The Scots being pressed to receive the corrupt Liturgy to say nothing in this place of what was before put upon them fairly decline it by iterate supplications and humble remonstrances unto the King But nothing will do the turn they must receive the Prelats Master-Peece and Romes essay the Nove-Antic-Service-Book either by fair play or foul The Scots on the other side constant to their principles refuse to receive the Book for which they are published by the Prelats and the Court to be refractaries and rude fellows without God or Religion Which gave occasion to the Scots to make known not onely unto their own people at home but to all men abroad namely to their Brethren of England by a publike Declaration their condition how they were wronged the equity of their Cause their lawfull proceedings and their good intentions by this means their friends good will is confirmed unto them and their enemies designe in some measure is broken who did intend by lyes to steal from them the good affection of their friends Next The Scots being constrained to have recourse to the Sword for their just defence all other means tryed failing were back-bitten as mutinous taking Arms for poverty with intention to cast off the just Authority of their Native and lawfull Prince and to invade England for the spoile thereof To these most pernicious calumnies the Scots replyeth by another Declaration particularly addressed unto England whereby they made known the absolute necessity of their taking up Arms with their honest intentions therein All which they made good thereafter in due time by reall performance For so soon as they had occasion to shew their respect to the King they did it with all readinesse and submission and when they
present in the Houses at the reading of your papers are carried of their attention unto you by divers distractions and so receive but small knowledge by them Far lesse can the Houses take leasure to publish your affaires unto the world yea I know not if in rigour they are tyed to do it Although I confesse it would be a good turn for the publike and a brotherly office if they would take the pains to do or cause do it howsoever I am sure the Houses are not so obliged to this duty as your selves are neither although they were can they do it so fully as you not being so particularly acquainted with things In a word in duty you ought to make known unto the publike your own proceedings and these of your Countrey-men employed in the service of the Common Cause that it may be made manifest what good you have done alone either by counsell in the Houses or by action in the Field what you have been assistants in and what you ever have been willing to do and are still minded to do providing you be not stopped and if you have been stopped let it be declared where the fault lieth and not you bear the burden of other mens mistakes and errors Next is it not fit that it be published what you have done for such vast summes of money raised upon the publike for your use as is given out and how much you have received of it that if you have received all you may make known what you have done for all and if you have received more then your due you are in conscience and honour to do the publike the service you are pay'd for beforehand as likewise if you have not received all which is raised for you that it may be known how much of it is wanting and enquiry may be made what is become of the rest and so if you make it appear unto the world that there is much still due unto you of your pay far above what you have received then all honest people being truely informed of things will approve your faithfull and fair carriage acknowledge your love and kindnesse thank God for your help and assistance at such an exigence and be heartily civill unto you till God enable them to recompence you for your faithfull pains according to your just deserts and their earnest desires and so things will redound to your credit and advantage You may know and feel all this what I have been saying unto you to be true according to sense and reason by one seule instance to lay aside all others at this time And it is this of the papers you gave into the Houses about the latter end of May last upon occasion of high murmurings against you in and about the Houses by information of Malignants which gave abundant satisfaction to so many of both Houses as either heard it them read as is well known or read them themselves with attention But others of the Houses who are not acquainted with your papers partly not hearing them although present when perhaps they are delivered in by reason of their other thoughts partly being absent at that time remained still ignorant of your affaires and possessed with calumnies against you Far more the rest of the Kingdom After some dayes one Copy of these your papers having fallen by chance in the hands of a well-wisher to the Cause and no enemy of yours was published under the name of the Scots Manifest without your knowledge which hath done more despite to the Enemies of the Truth than any thing you have done this long time and more right unto you then you looked for yea nor your silence deserved yet not so much as is needfull for you and your friends for it did stop the mouths of the wicked calumniators and inform many well-meaning men and divers Members of the Houses there were who had not heard of such a thing before it was printed to say nothing of the generality of the people every where Yea I am told it went beyond Sea and there stopped the mouths of Malignants and gained those who were indifferent and confirmed your friends But what you will say Must the hid things or Mysteries of State be divulged No I do not mean it nor do I say it For I leave the Mysteries of State to the Mystes thereof Onely my simple meaning and honest desire is that these things which are not and ought to be made known to all be not kept in a mist by a mysterious prudency but communicated to the publike such are the things de facto and of reason wherein all are concerned and these are the things I spake of Besides you must think there be many men not particularly employed in the publike Service who have both hearts and brains to serve the Common Cause but cannot do it while all is thus kept in a cloud as in the Romish Church where the Mystes think all men idiots but themselves and keep from the people the things of God Then you will say to tell plainly and openly The Truth perhaps will not be pleasing to all yea perchance not to some of our fellow-Labourers My advice is not that you say or write any thing in intention to displease the least of men far lesse to displease these your Fellow-Labourers But let Truth be said above all things when the publike requires it for its service and we our selves are bound upon our own credit to do it Be angry who will God keep me from neglect and contempt for lying or suppressing the Truth I fear not anger for any publishing of Truth He that is not bold to publish the Truth for timorousnesse belyeth his own knowledge and I dare say betrayeth the Truth You that are trusted with the carriage of things in Truth and for the Truth are not onely bound to make known the truth of what you do and say to the world as it hath been said but further you are obliged in conscience and the publike expects it of you that you presse home the Truth with vigour resolution in all freedom down-right in all places and at all occasions where you meet for consultation deliberation debate and conclusion of things concerning Church or State in Politike and Ecclesiastike Assemblies and in so doing you will gain the price having all honest men to stand to you and will put such a terrour in Malignants that their malice will be much abated Surely I am perswaded had you been stouter in the Synode these strong heads and factious few ones who hitherto have troubled the setling of Church-affaires and are likely to trouble the State if it be not well looked to and neerly had long ere now been quashed and so if you had not been so meal-mouthed with the sollicisme in reason of the time and place I humbly conceive you had not met with so many rubs in your publike meetings nor had your wholsome counsels found such opposition nor your men of war
papers to the Presse which the Printer intitles The Scots Manifest This being published opened the eyes of many men to see the truth of things which formerly had been kept in a cloud The publishing of this Manifest did much vex the Malignants but they then were more grieved to see it so well received and the truth therein contained so greedily laid hold on by the people whom they hitherto had so grosly abused by their malicious lyes Upon this these lye-inventers bethink themselves of another shift to cozen the World in this same businesse and they go this way to work seeing they could not hinder the printing of the Manifest they resolve to know whether or no the thing had been done by Order from the Commissioners who being enquired if they had caused print the Manifest they answered no and so it was for without their knowledge the thing was done because that those who had a care of the printing of it knew very well that the Commissioners going on in their ordinary course upon I know what prudentiall scrupulosity do make known nothing of that they acquaint the Houses with fearing to offend howsoever needfull to be opened for the publike Service and their own credit but if there be any thing to be said against them although without ground they must hear of it on the deaf-side of their ear and it must be in every bodies mouth Then the forgers and publishers of lyes gave out that the Manifest was a false and supposed thing since the Commissioners did not own it when as they onely did say that they had no hand in the printing of it although they ayouch the thing to be in it self most true Thus in this place I have set down a full relation of the publishing of the Manifest whereof I touched somewhat before upon another occasion to make more known unto the World with what cunning and crafty malice the Malignants of all kindes do oppose the truth upon all occasions and how they study to hide it from those whom it doth concern to the end they may feed them with lyes more easily the truth being kept from them After that the Commissioners had sent as we have said to the Army two severall dispatches the House of Commons think it fit likewise to send some of their number to the Scotish Army to see how things went in the said Army and to hasten it South-ward who met the Army about Rippon and come along with it no Nattingham where those Gentle-men leave the Army and come back to the Houses whom they acquainted with the truth of all things as namely of the good condition of the Army consisting in a fair number of brave Commanders and lusty Souldiers of their ability and readinesse to do Service Which relation as it did content and please honest men so it did gal and vexe the Malignants of all kindes But with what difficulties of want of provisions and of carriage the Army had to struggle with in this march and hath had formerly yea hath to this day for any thing I know except things be mended of late as now I hope they are or at least will be shortly is beyond expression partly through the neglect of some partly through the malice of others and that not of the meaner sort who make their study not onely to furnish no encouragement to these who are come for their help but also give them all the distaste they can to make them weary of the Service yea to make them do things by the Law of necessity to keep themselves from starving which otherwayes they would not and so make them odious to those for whose good they are come into this Countrey If this were done by an open Enemy yea by those who declare themselves to be indifferent it were to be in some kinde digested but it is done by those who would make men beleeve that they are not onely most addicted to the good Cause but also that they are advancers of the Service whereas they make onely the Cause serve for a cloke to their ambition and avarice in their heart caring for nothing howsoever they make a shew otherwayes but to compasse their own ends whereunto a shew of affection to the good Cause doth contribute namely where they have any credit But to leave off complaining of those who are neither faithfull nor honest to the Cause in thus useing the Scots I going on in my Discourse will say a word or two in this place to the clearing of three things whereof the first is concerning the moneys received by the Scots for their pay since their first undertaking either in Ireland or in England unto this day The next is how and what provisions they have had for their going on with the Service either here or in Ireland The third is of the disorders committed by the Scots in their Armies either in England or in Ireland First I assure you in the name of the Scots that their earnest desire is that all these things in particular be exactly tryed by the Law of Arms and in equity judged where the failings are and by whom and how to the end that every one may have his due of praise or of shame of thanks or of blame of recompense or of punishment of remembrance or of oblivion according as the cause shall require and the sooner this be done the better it will for the Service of the publike and the encouragement of honesty and the repressing of wickednesse In the mean time I will tell you in generall that what money is received by the Scots is far short of what they ought to have and that they could wish their Armies in England to say nothing of their Forces in Ireland had as much money for six weeks as the other Forces employed in the Service with them have in two weeks and this without jealousie or envie that others are lookâ—d and cared for yet there is no reason why they should be neglected since they are constantly following the publike Service with activity and faithfulnesse There is a great stir of sending money to them and far greater of raising it for them although they receive but a very small proportion in regard either of what is allowed for them and lesse of what is due unto them and least of all what is said to be levied for them Wherefore I say again they are most desirous of fair reckonings among Friends let the payment come when it may the most pressing necessity being supplied Next For provisions besides the smalnesse of them they come so slowly I must say again that when they are upon their march they are constrained to stay three dayes in one place against their will for one dayes provision and draughts can hardly be had for their march as it hath been in their march so it is in their abode witnesse their being ten dayes before Hereford not seeing bread but one day all the rest liying upon Beanes green Corn and
their Armies compleat to their mind of their own men So the Scots were employed in chief and prime places of command on both sides hence divers men indifferent not as yet engaged by affection to either party conceiving that neither party could have known how to manage or go on with the War without the Scots Commanders wished them many miles beyond Sâ—n To the King went and took Service of him not onely divers who had been Malignants from the first beginning but also some superficiall Covenanters who not diving in businesses did make small scrupule to serve the King in this War it not being against the Letter of their Covenant as they conceived for the King protesting from day to day that he would stand firm to the true Religion and maintain it his intention in taking up Arms being onely to represse some factinus persons who had affronted him and the Parliament not then making it so clear to every one by their expressions that the main quarell the adversary had was the subversion of Religion made some not to discern things so clearly as otherwayes they had done if things had been more plainly set down To the Service of Parliament come divers in good affection being perswaded that the quarrell of England was one and the same with that in Scotland howsoever by the cunning of the adversary disguised and although not then so cleared by the Parliament as was need The Enemy seeing that sundry Scots Officers and Commanders were undertaking Service under the Parliament by his Emissaries up and down doeth what he can to draw them on his side or at least to make them keep off from serving the Parliament In this he did prevaile with some who will have their just reward in due time Then after the War began and some Fieldactions being done the Enemy perceiving how that divers Scots Officers had carried themselves gallantly in the Service of the Parliament returns again to his former courses and deales by his Instruments and Agents here to corrupt and debauche those men of Command upon whom the eyes of many were the Agents of the Enemy go craftily to work to compasse their ends upon those men for first by cunning insinuations they enter in privacy with them Next they make them fair promises with specious words of the Kings good intentions towards the publike good of both Church and State and of the esteem he had of their worth and deserts Then those good Agents for the Enemy under-hand cause give distaste to the Scots Officers by neglecting of them and otherwayes yea by some Boutefeux there were of them quarelled in Westminster-Hall with reproch that they took the Meat out of the English months who could manage and pursue the War as well atleast as they If this quarell had not been timely taken up by the Wisdom of the Parliament it had grown to a great hight according to the designe and desire of the Enemy This crafty dealing of the adversary by his Agents did prevaile so far that some of the Scots Officers not so touched with the interest of the good Cause as they ought to have been nor as they outwardly professed left off the Service of the Parliament for a time upon I know not what foolish excuse and thereafter upon a change fell to the Work again Next there were others so far perswaded as to lay down their Commissions and go to the Enemy and serve him for a while and thereafter leaving him returned hither again The Scots Officers with the Enemy were in high esteem and in good respect among those they did serve till the State of Scotland joyned with the Parliament of England in action for the Common Cause from thence by little and little the Scots with the Enemy became so to be neglected and ill thought of that there were many of them constrained to go away and others have been taken and killed by this side so that for the present there be very few at least of any note with the Enemy On this side likewise the Scots Officers notwithstanding the State of Scotland was now interessed and joyned with the Parliament by degrees came to be littler regarded neglected and divers of them laid aside after that sundry of them had lost their lives fighting valiantly for the Cause others had loosed their blood and others suffered imprisonment at last the Moulders of the new Modell cashier at one dash above two hundred of them brave fellows who constantly had carried themselves with honesty and gallantry without giving them any satisfaction or at least very little for what is justly due unto them and had cost some of them very dear The reason given out against them was That it was to be feared they would not be so earnest and so forward as was required in this new frame Then those cashiered Scots Commanders having danced attendance a long time to small purpose in pursuance of their just demands constant to their grounds although they were thus harshly used they would not abandon the Service of the Common Cause so they resolve to go to the Forces of their Countrey-men and serve with them in the same Cause and sends some of them accompanied with a number of good fellows before towards the Scots Army till the rest were ready Those Scots who went away first towards their Countrey-men being upon their journey they chanced to be at and neer Leicester when the Enemy made his approches to that place The Scots in meer kindnesse and love to those who were engaged with them in the Common Cause without any Commission from the Parliament or from the Scots Generall stay and help their Friends and how manfully their carriage was in the assistance of their Brethren is so known that it will never be forgotten when there is any mention of Leicester-businesse In generall I will say this of them That if they had been seconded the Town of Leicester had not been taken by the Enemy but having expected assistance from those whom they came to help after divers had prodagalized their blood and that some were killed with the losse of their Liberty and of all they had they were constrained to yeeld to force not without being admired by the vainquors for their valour Thereafter those that were taken prisoners finding their opportunity lays hold on it at the first and they carry the businesse so that they not onely gaine their own freedom but make themselves Masters of those in whose hands they were If those things had been done by some other men all the Pamphlets about the City of London should have been full of them In this businesse albeit the Scots did expresse their kindnesse really to their Friends and made known their valour to all Yet here I must tell you they did not shew their prudence for if the Enemy had known them to have no Commission as they had none by Law of Arms he had given them no quarter On the one side the ignorance of the
Enemy did hinder him to deal with the Scots being in his power according to the rigour of the Law of Arms On the other side their valour and kindnesse did prevaile little for thanks or recompense from those for whose Service they had undergone such hazard When the Framers of the new Modell cashiered the Scots Officers we have been speaking of they named four Generall Officers of the Scots to be kept in the new Army which some did for the good opinion they had of the worth and usefulnesse of those men for the Service Others did it lest the people should enquire why all the Scots at one time should be thus put out of Service whose faithfulnesse and forwardnesse was known being free of the guilt of the late miscarriage of things in the Fields Those few Officers although they were named to be kept in the new Modell they did conceive that they had tacitcly their Quienis est first by cashiering their Countrey-men who were known to be well deserving and faithfull men unto the Covenant which is the Rule of that we fight for and by naming them to inferior employments in this new Modell to what they had come to be prefered to by their own vertue Next by bringing in new men not acquainted with War in equall command with them and under them and some of these professed not to favour the Covenant unto which the Scots were resolved to stick to So they thought sit to take the course of their other Countrey-men and to lay down their Commissions for fear of further inconvenience namely if any mischance should fall out apprehending the blame should be cast upon them and then they could not expect true fellowship not obeying to Orders in the Service of those men who had another-mind then theirs which is expressed in the Covenant The disobedience thereafter of some in the new Modell to the expresse Ordinances of Parliament made this apprehension good Upon this there is a great cry given out against those few Scots who had abandonned the Service at such a time of need but never a word how that two hundred Scots had been put of the Service Here it may be asked Whether those few Scots were more in the wrong to the publike Service by laying down their Commissions serving still the same Cause with those who are constant to their principles with them then those who put off the Service at one time two hundred valiant and well deserving men I could have wished for my part that those few men had laid aside all consideration and apprehension howsoever just and continued in the Modell leaving the event of things to God Now it is said that God hath blessed the honesty and piety of some men extraordinarily in the new Army so that great things are done by it I acknowledge with a thankfull heart to God that he in his Mercy hath done great things of late by that Army but no thank to the honesty and piety of some men for I do not find piety more really in them to speak with modesty then in other men Howsoever their externall profession is let their carriage towards God and Man speak for them and not profession onely for profession oftentimes is a clock of knavery and faction Then howsoever God in his good Providence doth great things by weak and inconsiderable men yet I am certain it is the surest way to employ men of skill and of experience in any work we are going about and surely we cannot look for a good successe of any businesse whatsoever when we neglect to employ those whom God hath fitted with ability for the work if we can have such I know God is above all rule but this is the ordinary course both with God and among men the examples are so clear in all businesses among the Sons of men that it is idle to alleadge any onely I shall say that there is more of this choice of fit men to be remarked in the War then in any other thing among men as it hath been observed of old by judicious men Yet God in War more then in any thing else sheweth his over-ruling power and that he is above the ordinary course of things But to put God to shew here his over-ruling hand in a extraordinary way without need is a kinde of tempting of him for since he hath in his wise Dispensation ordained an ordinary course for doing of businesses to be used by men fitted by him for the work he promised tacitely his blessing thereunto providing alwayes that we rely more upon him then the second causes More in all this successe there was never more seen of God and lesse of men and those men who would make men beleeve that their honesty and piety shines above others have but small share in action for any thing I can yet hear A word more It was not without a mystery that so many gallant Officers of both Nations were cashiered under pretext of want of piety and honesty being free of any guilt of the former miscarriages and yet the ordinary Souldiers kept still in the Service whose piety is known to be lesse as men of little and small breeding and so of lesse knowledge of God and of themselves and consequently not so given to the practice of goodnesse and so abstract from evil having but small light they cannot do so well as others who have better breeding then they and upon mistake they may more easily be brought over to do what is amisse for themselves and for others yea for the publike Service of Church and State and so become a prey to abusers and deceivers Moreover there is a great stir about Carlile now in the hands of the Scots for the Service of the Parliament For the better understanding of things we shall take them at a further rise So long as these two Kingdoms were under two severall Princes Carlile and Berwick were two Garison-Towns upon the Frontiers but so soon as these Kingdoms did come unto one Princes hands those places were ordered to be forsaken and their fortifications rased and to be no more a partition-wall which was done accordingly and so they remained for many yeers till of late that is till the beginning of the first troubles of the Scots with the abused King who caused then repair those places in some kinde and put Garrisons in them Thereafter at the first pacification upon the Frontiers betwixt the King and the Scots those places were to be relinquished as they had been formerly By the Articles of agreement at the second pacification the same was confirmed and that by the Authority of this same Parliament now sitting gathered together continued and preserved by the help and aid of the Scots The King beginning his barbarous War against the Parliament makes Carlile sure which by degrees insensibly he furnisheth with a strong Garison Munition accordingly as a place fit for his purpose for vexing of the Scots upon occasion whom he did foresee