the Commands of Princes or of taking up Arms do not in that controversie of Defensive Arms grant it lawfull in this case of having Forts Castles Militia given them for defence to keep them as the Protestants of France in the case of Rochel and if this be so whether is it not much more lawfull for the City to keep their Militia now for the time according to the grant of Parliament 8. Whether or no many learned Divines beyond the Seas as Pareus c. who are for Subjects Defensive Arms and others at home as Bishop Bilson Bishop Abbot Bishop Beadles Doctor Willet c. though they hold it unlawfull for private persons who are not Magistrates nor have no part in the Civill Government to take up Arms against the higher Powers do they not hold it lawfull in some cases after Petitioning and using all other means and remedies for inferiour Magistrates the next in Power and Interest to the Supreme to take up Arms to defend themselves and the People in their rights against certain ruine which if it be so then certainly the Magistracie of the City of London the Lord Mayor and Court of Common Councell being the greatest Power next the King and both Houses of Parliament and having next the King and the Houses the greatest Interest in the Kingdom and being the most considerable part of any City or County in the Kingdom for the safetie of the whole may lawfully when the King is seised on by an Army and kept against his will the Parliament over-awed and the whole Kingdom in danger of ruine keep the Power of the Militia setled upon them in their hands for the preserving of the King Parliament themselves and the Kingdom 9. Whether or no if a Father Master or a Friend should give his son servant or friend a sword into either of their hands to defend Father and himself if another servant should come with a sword to the Master and by holding the sword over him and by threats work him to command the other to lay down his sword and to give it to him whereby either to kill both Master and servant or else to put upon them what conditions he pleases may not the son or the servant in such a case lawfully refuse such a command and keep the sword both to preserve his own life and his Fathers And if so whether this be not the case now of the Armies demanding of the Parliament the Sword they gave to the City and of the Cities humble desire to keep it for the safetie of Parliament and themselves 10. Whether if that this Power of the Cities choosing and having their Militia in their own hands being one of the Propositions upon long and mature deliberation passed by both Houses and agreed on by the Commissioners of the Kingdom of Scotland to be presented to the King to be confirmed should be thus taken away by the Parliament presently after passed by an Ordinance may it not give an occasion and ground to the King to break this and other Propositions after signing them saying the Parliament more engaged to the City for their adhering to them then I was to the Parliament or City broke with the City and that in the principall the Militia and and why may not I then break with the City 11. Whether or no may not the City of London justly alledge for their keeping the Militia and not giving it up upon the desires of the Army a true reall necessity of self preservation and not onely a pretended necessity as the Army did for not disbanding as also the liberty and freedom of the Subject the solemn League and Covenant for Reformation c. which the Army in all their Remonstrances Declarations c. never so much as once took notice of or so much as pretended as indeed intending to destroy it and revoke it as appears by their last Proposall of revoking all the penall Statutes for matters of Religion and full freedome for all private meetings for religious Exercises 12. Whether the City of London in their humble refusall of giving up their Militia in this juncture of time to the will of the Army do not perform an high act of faithfulnesse to His Majesties Person Crown and Posterity And whether the delivering it up were not putting a sword into the hands of mad men to destroy the King and his Posteritie with 13. Whether if the City of London should part with their Militia at this time they do not in as much as in them lyes betray and give up Religion the King and his Posterity the Parliament Laws liberties the whole Kingdom yea the three Kingdoms to the wills lusts and Revelations of an unreasonable bruitish Anabaptisticall Army And are they not guilty of fearfull breach of Covenant and of putting a sword into such hands to destroy all with 14. Whether or no considering all the Demands hitherto of Sir Thomas Fairfax and the Army under his I would say Cromwels Command as to have the command of all Forces Garrisons c. in England Ireland as to have all Statutes for Religion repealed c. and in this now of asking for the Militia of London may it not be said as Solomon of Adonijah And why does Sir Thomas ask the Militia of London let him ask the Kingdom also 15. Whether or no so soon as the City shall have parted with their Militia according to the desire of the Army and the Armies Deputies Titchburne Estwick c. shall be a little in possession shall not a good part of the Army come into the City to guard the Parliament keep the Works put out the Reformadoes suppresse tumults and all to prevent a new Warre and make an happie Peace 16. Whether after the City have quitted their Militia shall not London be the head quarter for Sir Thomas Fairfax Cromwell and the other great Officers the generall Rendezvous for all to come to And whether must not the Aldermens Houses the great Merchants and rich Tradesmen be for quarter for them their wives and children and especially for the great Collonels Huson Pride Okey c. who have no houses of their own fit for their Honors to dwell in 17. When London's Militia is in the power of the Army who shall pay this meritorious glorious Army of Saints all their Arrears some behinde 50. weeks some 30. weeks And who shall maintain them for the time to come shall not London be forced to it and shall not whoever refuses to pay the great summes laid upon them of thousands and hundreds be plundered sequestred judged Malignants enemies to the Saints that will not contribute to them who have saved the Kingdom from Tyrannie and by whose means alone they enjoy all they have 18. When the Army hath possession of the Militia of London whether or no may any Presbyterian or ill-affected person keep a sword gun or any weapon in his house for fear of raising a new war 19. Whether may any Citizen of
London whatever his sufferings shall be once dare to speak a word against or complain of the godly Army And if they do shall they not be tried by a Councell of War and the Gentlemen Agitators for their lives can any thing lesse then this be expected seeing divers Sectaries here in London before the Army hath the Militia have threatned divers well affected persons for but questioning some of the Armies proceedings that they will complain to the Army of them and that they shall be fetched away with a Troop of Horse and such like 20. Whether if once the Army have the Power of the Militia of London ☜ shall not the Lord Mayor Aldermen and Common Councell be all put in by the Army and all or most of the old ones be put out And whether we must not have a Court of Aldermen and Common Councell all of the Armies Saints and gifted Brethren Alderman Stasemore the old Brownist Alderman Kiffin the yong Anabaptist Alderman Clement Wrighter the Antiscripturist Alderman Overton the Seeker Sir John Lilbugne Lord Mayor and in case any prophane Presbyter should be in that number shall there not be a charge from the Army to put them out 21. Whether all the Demands of the Army hitherto both to Parliament and City of not listing putting out Reformadoes disbanding those Companies that came from the Army of requiting all the Forces of England and Ireland under oue Command of the Cities Militia to be changed with all their actions and proceedings of entertaining into their Army all sorts of seizing on Ammunition of sending of Agitators into all parts of the Kingdom to draw the Souldery Navy and all Countreys into combination with them can tend to any thing else but the getting of all power into their hands and leaving Kingdom Parliament City naked of all help that so all lying at their mercy and every mans head being on the block they might either submit to their conditions whatsoever they be or else have their heads presently chopt off 22. Whether when the City hath parted with their Militia and the Army be in possession how long shall the City enjoy their Orthodox Preachers shall they not be quickly turned out or else daily affronted in the discharge of their Ministery by every rude Souldier and Mechanick standing up in the time of Preaching Prayer as they have done in other places Bristow c. shall they go quietly in the streets for them shall not every Pulpit be filled with Troopers and all sorts of ignorant Mechanicks and will not this City instead of sound Doctrine have all kinde of heresie blasphemie and error broached in Pulpits and every street Will not all the frogs and rabble of Sectaries from all parts of the Kingdom come up hither and London become the fink of all errors and confusion And shall they not all by the power of the Army have free quarter ☞ and be maintained of the rich mens estates for preaching to them O London thy glory will depart from thee as soon as the Army hath thy Militia and thou must bid adieu to the Gospel and thy faithfull Ministers Mr. Caelamie Mr. Roberts Mr. Cauton Mr. Case c. 23. Whether for this last six weeks a Councell of War consisting for the most part of Officers illeterate Mechanicks and broken fortuned and of Agitators common Troopers and Souldiers hath not been the supreame Judicatory of this Kingdom putting conditions and Laws on King Parliament City and Kingdom Nay whether have not King Parliament City and Kingdom been all true and honest Prisoners to the Army And whether hath any thing been done in Parliament or City unlesse within these few dayes but to confirm and execute the Votes and Acts of the Councell of War 24. Whether or no this City of London and the Magistrates thereof have not just cause when once their Militia is gone and the Army hath power of the City to expect their case and condition will be as the City of Munster was when possessed by the Anabaptists or rather worse Read but the story of the Anabaptists at Munster as 't is in Sleidan and as the History of them was written in English in the first yeer of this Parliament and the Citizens will see what to trust to if ever this Army be Misters of London Whether shall they not be ruled by Revelations whether the great wicked men must not be turned out of all that the Saints may inhabite the City Whether will not Mr. Peters preach then as he hath done lately in the Army that the beginning of Christs personall reign is come and that he will put his Kingdom into the hands of his Saints Dan. 7.18 25. Whether can any wise understanding man when the Army is possessed of the Militia of London and the Navy but look for strange things to be moved and acted which yet they forbear out of Policy Whether will they not then quite put down the House of Peers according to the many books they have printed and speeches they have spoken to that purpose Whether shall any Member of the House of Commons who is Presbyterian and for the publick sit there any more How long shall the Kings Majestie be uncharged and unproceeded against by the Army and the House of Commons of their new modelling what shall become of His royall Posterity Whether shall we not have Revelations of William Sedgwicks Saltmarshes Dells that the day of Judgement to the wicked is begun and that new Jerusalem the glorious state of the Church is come wherein Cromwell must be the King of Nations And after this Army hath subdued all the wicked great Men King Nobles Gentlemen rich Citizens c. then he must go with this Army to the gates of Constantinople and conquer the great Turk and his Councell of State of 21. must be Lilburn Overton Heuson Paul Hobson Pride Okey Joyce with so many of the Agitators as will fill up that number 26. Whether doth this City of London yet sufficiently confider and foresee the infinite dangerous consequences that must and will necessarily follow upon their giving up the Militia what it is to be at the mercy and in the power of an Army whose Commanders are generally men of mean parentage breeding estate an Army not ruled by principles of war their Generall and Commanders but by Agitators chosen by the common Souldiers and accountable to them an Army that contrary to all their Oathes Covenants Protestations have betrayed their trust and turned head against their Masters an Army that keeps to no principles nor rules but their will and lusts an Army whose principles for Religion Civill Government libertie propertie are prodigious that change all their principles according to their fancies and advantages an Army that hates this City to the death for their Remonstrance Petitions for Presbyteriall Government change of the Militia c. are these men fit to be trusted with the lives estates liberties of this City yea of three Kingdoms and they having gotten the power by tyrannie force and treacherie will they not as Tyrants sine Titulo as guilty persons and cowards maintain their power by tyrannie force till they have taken all persons and things out of the way they fear may do them hurt will they not plead for all necessitie self preservation preventing of a new war the peace of the Kingdom FINIS
SOME QUERIES Propounded to the Common-Councell and Citizens of LONDON concerning the Armies Demand of having the Militia of London of the 4th of May changed Wherein the unreasonablenesse and great danger of that Proposall and the Justifiablenesse of the Cities refusall both in Law and Conscience are fully demonstrated 1 Sam. 13. 19. Now there was no Smith found throughout all the land of Israel for the Philistines said Lest the Hebrews make them swords or speares 20 But all the Israelites went down to the Philistines to sharpen every man his share and his coulter and his ax and his mattock 22 So it came to passe in the day of battell that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that were with Saul and Jonathan 1 King 21. 3. And Naboth said to Ahab The Lord forbid it me that I should give the INHERITANCE OF MY FATHERS VNTO THEE 1 King 2. 22. And why doest thou ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah ASK FOR HIM THE KINGDOM ALSO Prov. 30. 21 22. For three things the earth is disquieted and for four which it cannot bear For a SERVANT when he reigneth and a FOOL when he is filled Nulli deterius dominantur quam servi LONDON Printed in the Yeer 1647. O Foolish Citizens of London who hath bewitched you what spirit of madnesse hath possessed you that you should beleeve any of the lying and fained words of the Army and not see slavery and destruction coming upon your selves and posteritie as travail upon a woman with childe which you cannot escape if once you give up your Militiae upon the Demand of the Army O London London thou hast befooled thy self already almost irrecoverably by thy compliances and Treaties with the Army by thy interposing for the Army with the Parliament to grant severall things as that all Listings might be forborn that the Reformadoes might be put out of the Line of Communication with divens other things whereby that wicked party in the Army that rules all Cromwell and his Fellows have forced by their threatnings the 11. Members to withdraw from the House many others to go to their own homes and so all things whatsoever are carried according to the will and pleasure of that Sectarian faction in the Army and in the House of Commons both joyned together to destroy Religion Laws Liberties and to enslave this Kingdom by bringing it into the condition of the Turkish Empire to rule all at pleasure by an Army Cromwell being turned Turke the Sectarian faction must be as the Janizaries to uphold him The strange daily and endlesse Proposals from the Army of having all the Forces of the Kingdom in the hand of Sir Thomas Fairfax of having all the Laws of the Land concerning Religion taken away of releasing Lilburne Overton out of prison and all persons whatsoever for matters of conscience unlesse proved Papists though Antiscripturists Antitrinitarians Blasphemers with the demand of changing the Militia of London are clear and evident proofs of full intentions to destroy Religion Liberty Property and to rule all by the Sword and a Councell of War O London London would to God thou knewest even at least in this thy day the things whïch belong unto thy peace Behold now is the accepted time behold now is the day of salvation preserve thy Militia from being changed shew thy self this once to stand upon thy rights and liberties and thou mayest yet break the neck of all the cursed designes on foot and be the Saviour of the King Parliament and Kingdom and shall be called The Repaiter of the breach the Restorer of paths to dwell in But suffer thy Militia to be thus taken away and now altogether hold thy peace sitting down and loosing the present opportunitie and thou art lost for even according to humane help and thou shalt find that verified of thee Time was Time is Time is past and thou shalt repent when 't is too late And O thou London and thou Kingdom of England to make you sensible and to stir in time know assuredly the work now on foot by chief Agents in the Army and some of the House of Commons is not of yesterday nor a businesse of not disbanding till full Arrears and an Act of Indempnity for the Souldiery however these have been held out as pretences and made use of to draw the Souldiery in to carrie on their designes long before layed but 't is a Designe and Plot that hath been layed these foure yeers last past by force of Arms ☞ an Army of the Sectaries modelling to bring into this Kingdom a Generall Toleration of all Religions to destroy the Civill Government in the fundamentall constitution of King Lords and Commons and to bring King Charles to Justice so they call it as the grand Delinquent in all the three Kingdoms the Common Law and Statutes of this Kingdom the Ministery the Reformed Churches to possesse themselves of and be Masters of the City of London to get to themselves and their party all the estates riches and great places of the Kingdom and to rule all by an Arbitrary new modelled Government of their own setting up and by a perpetuall Army for the full Demonstration of which besides that their daily actions and Proposals of getting all Power into their hands speak as much there are two Books already Printed called The totall and finall Demands of the Army and Works of Darknesse brought to light that give a great deal of light in divers of these particulars and there are two other Discourses ready for the Presse written by Authors that have observed and layed all things together both in the Army and the House of Commons by that Partie that will more fully prove every part of this Designe by laying down all the Preparations to it and all the Proceedings in it and how there is nothing wanting to the perfecting and compleating of it but to have the full power upon the City of London ☜ and the Navy in their hands Onely in the interim till those Gentlemens Books can be Printed I will give two or three proofes of the Designe of the Sectarian Partie to bring the King to Justice as they phrase it and to take off his head To say nothing of the many speeches spoken by some of that Party both in the Army House of Commons and City of bringing the King to Justice nor of the many wicked passages printed to that purpose I will onely relate three passages that have come lately to my knowledge The first that presently after the King was seized on by the Army two persons here in London one a great Agent of Cromwels and very intimate wich him the other a great Agent of Rainsboroughs told an understanding Citizen that the Designe of taking the King was not to joyn with him against the Parliament however they held fair with the King and his Party but to bring him to Justice for if he ever came in