the Parliament THat the Gates of the City of London and the Portcullises thereof be forthwith destroyed and that the Commissioners for the Army do take Order that the same be done accordingly Tho. St. Nicholas Clerk to the Parliament A LETTER FROM His Excellencie THE LORD General Monck AND The Officers under His Command to the Parliament In the Name of themselves and the Souldiers under them Dated the 11. of February 1659. With the Parliaments ANSWER thereunto Mr. Speaker VVE cannot but with thankfulness acknowledge the wonderful goodness of God to You in Your return to the discharge of Your remaining Trust and Your Forces under our commands after some difficulties in bringing of Us by a tedious March in such safety to this place to wait upon You in asserting the Freedoms of our Native Countrey and being here as we have to our utmost Hazard and Power been instrumental in your return so we shall be still ready to pursue your Commands so far as possibly we may To evidence which we have observed and executed your late Orders in relation to the Chains Posts and Gates of the City which was some hing grievous to us and to the Officers and Souldiers under out Commands and that because we do not remember any such thing that was acted upon this City in all these Wars and we fear that many sober people are much grieved at it apprehend farther force to be offered to them while they seem principally to desire the speedy filling up of the House which you have declared for as well as we have express'd our just desires of and are apt to doubt left what we have done may be so far from answering the expected end as that it may encrease the discomposure of mens spirits in the Nation Upon this occasion it comes fresh into our minds that when by the treachery of some Officers of the Army you were interrupted we declared to the world That the ground of our undertaking was not only your return to your Trust but also the Vindication of the Liberties of the People and the preservation of the Right of our Countrey the protection and encouragement of the godly and faithfull therein as the establishment of the Peace of these Nations Which declarations maâ—e before the Lord Angels and men in the day of our extremity we as we expect the blessing of the Lord upon our future undertakings cannot but still own and stand by We find that the asserting of the just Liberties of the people is that which the generality of the Nation is much in expectation of and that many sober people together with our selves are under fears left this great price that God hath put into your and our hands as your Servants should not be improved but that we shall run in confusion again Therefore we humbly crave leave to present before you some grounds of our fears we are affraid that the late wonderfull and unparallell'd deliverance is not so publickly and solemnly acknowledged as it might be that the Lord who wrought so stupendiously may have the glory of all we are troubled that some as yet do sit in the House who are impeached of Treason we cannot but observe that divers Members of your House who contrary to their trust acted in that Illegal and Tirannical Committee of Safety are not actually disabled from sitting there Notwithstanding Colonel Lambert hath onely the Vote of Indemnity to secure him from as high Crimes as have been Committed in this Nation and is not obedient to your Orders yet he seemeth to be winked at We understand that Sir Henry Vane upon bare pretence is permitted to stay about the City to the great dissatisfaction of your best Friends that there are dangerous Consultations and that of those who had a chief hand in your late Interruption and the hazzarding of the whole Nations contrary to our expectation We find continued in the Army some persons of dangerous Principles and such who were active enough in the late Defection Though we are far from wishing the ruine of any yet we could desire that your signal Indulgence to late Notorious Offenders did meet with that Candid Reception from them as to be so much the more ingenuous in their professed Repentance but we observe that many of them do seek to justifie themselves and are not without their Agents in print to palliate their foul Enormities which maketh us yet to suspect that we are in some danger of returning into the late distempers that you and the Nation are but newly delivered from We are not ignorant that there are those who lately struck at the Root of English Parliaments in practice and Design thereby have inflamed the Nation and given great advantage to the Common Enemy yet they are not without a strange confidence to precipitate men into a belief that they are not only Persons against the one and for the other With grief of heart we do remember and would lament over the too palpable breach of Engagements in this Nation Therefore we should think it a duty rather to mourn over the same then to promote any new Oath to be taken at this time Yet we perceive that there is a design to provoke the Parliament to enforce an Oath upon the Nation and to take notice that amongst others there are some who are most forward to promote the said design who have made the least if any conscience in keeping Engagements already taken Here we must not silence our deep resentment of a bold Petition and of dangerous consequence which was lately presented to you the consequence whereof if you should answer their desires would be to exclude many of the most conscientious and sober sort of men from serving under you in Civil and Military imployments who have and would prove themselves most faithfull and a doore would be opened in design to retrive the Interest of those who have by the just hand of our gracious God made themselves so apparently obnoxious Moreover which is not the least part of the venome of that Petition we clearly see the same spirit which of late would have pull'd away the by-you-declared-just maintenance from Ministers would now provoke you by an Oath to endanger the forcing away of many of the most godly from their maintenance In urging our fears from the premises that concerns some of different principles from us we would not be thought to as we do not design any thing that may incurre the censure of unjust rigidity We freely profess our desires that tenderness of conscience may have its full just liberty but we cannot in judgement account that tenderness of conscience which will not scruple at treachery it self or any unrighteousness to carrey on corrupt designes Having presented you with our fears we shall adde our Resolutions that by the help of God we shall stand by you in the pursuance of what we have declared for And therefore do make this humble request to you we could desire that whilst
continued in the Army some Persons of dangerous Principles and such who were active enough in the late Defection Though we are far from wishing the ruine of any yet we could desire that your signal indulgence to late notorious Offenders did meet with that candid reception from them as to be so much the more ingenuous in their professed repentance But we observe that many of them do seek to justifie themselves and are not without their Agents in print to palliate their soul Enormities which maketh us yet to suspect that we are in some danger of returning to the late distempers that You and the Nation are but newly delivered from We are not ignorant that there are those who lately struck at the Root of English Parliaments in Practice and Design thereby have inflamed the Nation and given great advantage to the Common Enemy yet they are not without a strange confidence to precipitate men into a belief that they are the onely Persons against the one and for the other With grief of heart we do remember and would lament over the too palpable Breach of Engagements in this Nation Therefore we should think it a duty rather to mourn over the same then to promote any new Oath to be taken at this time Yet we perceive that there is a designe to provoke the Parliament to enforce an Oath upon the Nation and do take notice that amongst others there are some who are most forward to promote the said design who have made the least if any Conscience in keeping Engagements already taken Here we must not silence our first resentment of a bold Petition and of dangerous consequence which was lately presented to you the consequence whereof if you should answer their desires would be to exclude many of the most conscientious and sober sort of men from serving under you in Civil and Military Imployments who have and will prove themselves most faithful and a Door would be opened in designe to retrive the Interâ—st of those who have by the just Hand of our Gracious God made themselves to apparently obnoxious Moreover which is not the least part of the venome of that Petition we clearly see the same spirit which of late would have pull'd away the by you declared just Maintenance from Ministers would now provoke you by an Oath to endanger the forcing away of many of the most Godly from their Maintenance In urging our fears from the premises that concerns some of different Principles from us we would not be thought to as we do not design any thing that may incur the censure of unjust rigidity We freely professe our desires that tendernâ—sse of Conscience may have its full just liberty but we cannot in judgment count that tendernesse of Conscience which will not scruple at treachery it self or any unrighteousnesse to carry on corrupt designes Having presented You with our fears we shall adde our Resolution That by the help of God we shall stand by you in the pursuance of what we have declared for And therefore do make this humble request to You. We could desire That whilst you sit your utmost endeavours may be to manifest your affectionate desires for the Publick Good of these Nations Our further desires is That those Regiments under your consideration whose Officers who are not may be speedily passed And in regard we find that the Grand Cause of the present Heats and Dis-satisfactions in the Nation is because they are not fully Represented in Parliament and seeing no other probable expedient whereby to keep the Nation in peace then by filling up your number We must therefore make this our main desire upon which we cannot but insiâ—t that you would proceed to Issue forth Writs in Order to Erections For the better effecting whereof we entreat That you would conclude upon due and full Qualifications that not onely those who have been actually in Arms against the Parliament may be excluded but also such who in the late Wars betwixt King and Parliament have Declared their Disaffection to the Parliament And because the distracted condition of this Nâ—tion is at this hour so evident and pressing we are constrained for the just maintenance of your Authority and the satisfaction of all true English-Men earnestly to desire That all the Writs may be issued forth by Friday next returnable at the usual and legal time For we think it convenient to acquaint you that to pacific the minds of this great City in the prosecution of your late Commands the Chief of Us did give an assurance thereof And we must not forget to rememeber you that the time hastens wherein you have Declared your intended Dissolution which the people and our selves desire you would be punctual in Hereby the Suspition of your perpetuation will be taken away and the People will have assurance that they shall have a Succession of Parliaments of their own Election which is the undoubted Right of the English Nation you have promised and Declared no lesse Both the People and your Armies do live in the hope and expectation of it That we may the better wait for your full and free concurrence to these just Desires on the Nations behalf upon Mature Deliberation we have thought it our duty as to continue the usual Guards for the safety of your sitting so for the present to draw the rest of the Forces under our Command into the City that we may have the better opportunity to compose Spirits and beget a good understanding in that great City formerly renowned for their resolute adhering to the Parliamentary Authority and we hope that the same Spirit will be found still to breath amongst the best most considerable and and interessed Persons there This Action of ours as we hope it will receive your favourable interpretation so we do believe it will through the blessing of God be of good use for the present Peace acd future settlement of these Nations These are our thoughts which we communicate to you in the Names of our selves and the Officers and Soulders under our Commands We are Your Honours most Humble Servants GEORGE MONCK Colonels Tho. Sanders Leon Litcot Jo. Clobery Jo. Hubblethorne Tho. Read Ra. Knight Dan. Redman Ethelbert Morgan Lieut. Col. Nathaniel Barton Major Majors Tho Johnson Jer. Smith Phil. Pryme Fra. Nichols Peter Banister White Hall Feb. 11. 1659. A LETTER From the Lord General MONCK And the Officers here to the several and respective Regiments and other Forces in England Scotland and Ireland Dear Brethren and Fellow-Souldiers YOU cannot be ignorant of the many endeavours and earnest Desires of many good men in these Nations to bring us to a Settlement which it hath pleased God to dis-appoint unto this day and leave us as a broken and divided people ready to run into Blood and confusion which that we might prevent so great Calamities impending after our earnest seeking God for his Direction and Assistance we find no Expedient so likely for the satisfaction of the good
be expected and for the future it will ingage them to be as ready to serve your Majesty as they were to serve your enemies for the time past And moreover I conceive it will be a great incouragment to them to joyn with me in this design I shall trouble your Majesty with little more at present But to let you know that my hopes are that you would be pleased to have that confidence in me as not to credit any rumours or reports that may seemingly contradict what I have herein proposed for as for that I would have your Majesty to be confident that I shall not value neither the ill will or yet look upon the favour of any who shall yet appear in opposition to a thing that I have so really purposed so long as God and my Conscience perswades me that in so doing I shall accomplish a good Work both for his glory and my Countries good and yet I think fit to carry as fair a correspondency as I can with those that have taken upon them the Authority in England To that end I have thoughts of going to London very suddenly that I may see their actings and order things there somewhat for my advantage I humbly beg your Majesties speedy Answer touching these Proposals So with all submissiveness I crave your Majesties favour in giving me leave to subscribe my self Your Majesties for ever faithful and Loyal Subject GEORGE MONCK Edenborough Decem. 30. 1659. SEVERAL LETTERS From the Lord Generall Monck Commander in Chief of the forces in Scotland and one of the Commissioners by Act of Parliament for the Government of this Common-wealth VIZ. To Mr. SPEAKER To the Lord FLEETWOOD To the Lord LAMBERT Printed Anno 1660. TO THE SPEAKER Right honourable HAving received notice that there was a force put upon the Parliament on the twelfth of this instant I have sent this Messenger to your Lordship to know whether that force doth continue for I am resolved by the Grace and Assistance of GOD as a true English-man to stand to and assert the Liberty and Authority of PARLIAMENT And the Army here praised be God is very couragious and unanimous and I doubt not but to give a good accompt of this action to You. I have according to your Act of the 11th instant being constituted a Commissioner for the government of the Army put out such persons as would not act according to your Commission I do call GOD to witness That the Asserting of a Common-wealth is the only intent of my heart and I desire if possibl e to avoid the shedding of blood and therefore entreat you that there may be a good understanding between Parliament and Army But if they will not obey Your Commands I will not desert You according to my Duty and Promise Which is all at present from Your humble and faithful Servant GEORGE MONCK Edinburgh Octob. 20. 1659. To the Lord FLEETVVOOD Right honourable I Have sent this Messenger to your Lordship to let you know that we have received notice that a part of the Army have put force upon the Parliament which they so lately called together and owned with the greatest I estimonies of Obedience and Repentance for their former Apostacy from them I hope your Lordship will not abet an Action of such a dangerous and destructive Consequence I know that you love the Liberty and Peace of England so well That you will use your best Care That Attempts of this nature be suppressed I do therefore humbly intreat you that the Parliament may be speedily restored to that Freedom which they enjoyed on the 11th of this instant Otherwise I am resolved by the Assistance of God with this Army under my Command to declare for them and to prosecute this just Cause to the last drop of my Blood I bless the Lord that the Officers here are very unanimons and for such whose hearts fail them orwhich will not act according to their Commissions from the Parliament I having Authority as one of the Seven Commissioners appointed by Act of Parliament do constitute such as are chearful for this Good Old Cause till the Parliaments pleasure be further known And I do plainly assure your Lordship that I was never better satisfied in the sustict of any Engagement than in this You cannot but remember that God hath already shewed Himself glorious in it and determined the quarrel on this side against Arbitrary power of raising Money without the Peoples consent first had and the management of the Militia by any other then the Parliament I desire your Lordship not to be deluded by the specious pretences of aâ—y ambitious person whatâ—oever aâ—d do not briâ—g all the blood that will be shed upon your own head My Lord consiâ—er how you will answer to the dreadful God for the ruine of three Nations for to serve a lust or to gratifie a passion For my particular I am ashamed of these confusions and Changes that we have maâ—e that we are now become a scorn anâ— a reproach to our very friends and designed to ruine by all our Neighbours I take God to witnesse that I have no further ends then the establishing of Parliamentary Authority and those good Laws that our Ancestors have purchased with so much blood the setling the Nations in a free Common-wealth and the defence of godliness and godly men though of different Judgment And I take my self so far obliged being in the Parliaments Service to stand though alone in this Quarrell And I doubt not but your Lordship having the fear of God in your heart will carefully consider of this matter which is all at present from Your Excellencies humble servant GEORGE MONCK Edinb. Octob. 20. 1659. To the Lord LAMBERT Right honourable HAving notice that a part of the Army under the Parliaments Command have contrary to their duty put force upon them I have therefore sent this Messenger to your Lordship to intreat you to be an instrument of Peace and good understanding between Parliament and Army for if they shall continue this Force I am resolved with the assistance of God and that part of the Army under my Command to stand by them and assert their lawful Authority For Sir the Nation of England will not endure any Arbitrary Power neither will any true English-man in the Army so that such a design will be ruinous and destructive Therefore I do earnestly intreat you that we may not be a scorne to all the world and a Preâ— to our enemies that the Parliament may be speedily restored to their Freedom which they enjoyed on the 11th of this instant which is all at present from Your Lordships humble servant GEORGE MONCK A LETTER OF THE OFFICERS of the ARMY in SCOTLAND under the Commander in Chief there To the OFFICERS of the Army in ENGLAND Dear Brethren and Friends THis is of all the dayes of Trouble God hath brought upon us the saddest that ever our Eyes saw in these poor Nations We have had
I make of the Parliaments Authority but the tie of duty to which I am in my Conscience obliged and I shall be heartily sorry if your Lordship makes any other Interpretation of it for your Lordship knows my Command has been offered often up to those that had power to place it better We are all I bless the Lord very unanimous here and I am confident when the Gentlemen we send from hence have given your Lordship a true understanding of our actions you will not have so severe an opinion of them as you seem to have in your late Letters The persons names are Col. Wilkes Lieut. Col. Clobery and Major Knight all well known to your Lordship to whom I beseech your Lordship to give credit in what they shall propose from the Army here and I beseech you to believe I am still with a sincere heart My Lord Your Lordships very humble servant GEORGE MONCK A Letter sent by General MONCK to Vice Admiral GOODSON to be communicated to the rest of the Officers of the Fleet in answer to a Letter with some Proposals lately sent to him from Them Dear Country-men and Commanders I Am glad that you have not forgotten your old friend and that by this occasion I have such advantage to hear of your hearty affections to me and kind remembrance of me and that you have such a deep sence of the divisions amongst us and the miserable consequence thereof but I am very much sadded that you have entertained such mistakes and misapprehensions of our proceedings These enclosed Papers will fully satisfie you that we have just grounds of dissatisfaction and that we cannot comply with such violent and unwarrantable undertakings both against our reason as men and against our Consciences as Christians that you and we should take our Commissions and pay from the Parliament and yet to violate their Authority after such solemn assurances of obedience and faithfulness contrary to the expressed word of God and our own late Addresses I hope I am so well known to some of you that I am none of those that seek great things to my self or delight in the shedding the blood of English men much lesse of Christian Brethren but to preserve the name of God from Blasphemy and Reproach which our actings I wish I could not call them treacheâ—ousness and perfidiousness have occasioned whereby Jesus Christ and his truth have been evil spoken of which makes our very lives bitter to us and to assert the integrity and honour of this Army which is very dear to me I have been forced with the Parliaments Army under my command though with much grief of heart to beat our Testimony against the late violence of the Army and the reasons thereof you will find in our printed papers and our endeavours to perswade them in England to remove that force which they have put upon the Parliament As to your Proposals I beseech you seriously to consider and lay to heart these following Answers 1. To the first you are pleased to intimate the joy of the Cavaliers that they see us stand to our Declaration but I believe that this violent interruption of the Parliament was the greatest courtesie to gratefie that Family and Interest that could be imagined in the World and I could wish it were not designed I should be very sad to strengthen the hands of the Wicked but let me assure you this ariseth from the slanders and calumnies which men cast upon us in England as if we that assert the Authority of those that brought the late King to the Block are for introducing that Family which I take God to witness we in our very thoughts abhor and shall spend our blood in opposition to any Single person whatsoe ver. 2. You are pleased to compare our present differences to that of the Israelites with the two Tribes of Reuben Gad and halfe the Tribe of Manasses and I earnestly pray that there may be the same issue for if they will restore these persons to their lawfull Authority which have been established by many successes and for the difference of which they so lately hazarded to blood we shall quietly sit down and wait upon the Providences of God in our places and Stations and to this end we have sent Commissioners into England men faithfull and approved What you are pleased to instance concerning my satisfaction in the year 1653. When this Parliament was interrupted formerly I shall answer you to that it was never in my Conscience to go out of Gods way under the pretence of doing Gods work and you know the variety of times doth much vary the nature of affaires and what might then patiently be submitted unto we being engaged with a forraign Enemy in a bloody War cannot be drawn into a president at this time after our Repentance and assurance of Loyalty and Constancy you may be pleased to remember that the consequence of the former Interruptions was the Introduction of a single person and a manifest breach of all our promises and engagements so that if God blessed me with success then I do much more through mercy expect it now when I put all to hazzard for the Glory of God and the good of his people 3. I do acknowledge that the Army hath been in the hand of God and instruments of good to these Nations yet if they shall apostate from the Cause of God and his people in exposing them to Arbitrary Power and the wills of men in taking upon them to Abollish Lawes raise money without consent of the people destroy Ministery and property and force Parliaments I cannot but witness against such proceedings as unwarrantable not suited to any rule either from God or man 4. I have taken care by Garrisons in this Country and assurance from the whole body of the Nation that they will not own the interest of Charles Stewart and that they will preserve the peace of the Commonwealth in obedience to the parliament So that if that part of the Army in England will set up a distinct interest in the Nation in deserting that Cause that hath been so precious to us and cost so much blood and treasure for to establish their own Interest and greatness I do declare in the presence of the Great God I cannot own you nor Ioyn with them Now having opened my heart to you and as you know my plainness and sincerity that I am none of those that dare assert any thing against my Conscience from that experience ye have had of me I heartily begg your belief and credit that I shall keep in the way of duty and endeavour to do the Lords work in my Generation and shall not own any corrupt interest whatsoever and do desire of God his blessing according to my Integrity in this undertaking having this good Testimony in my own Spirit that I have nothing but publick and Righteous ends upon my heart and by all these respects and kindnesses that I have received from you