clap Swords to their sides and come into the Army you see Souldiery is intended to be the chief Trade 131. An Act for Abolishing the Kingly Office c. March 17. 1648. The empty House of commons in farther prosecution of their said Designe and to please their Masters of the Army passed printed and published in the forme style of a Statute this Paper following entituled An Act for the Abolishing the Kingly Office in England Ireland and the Dominions thereto belonging WHereas Charles Stuart late King of England Ireland and the Territories and Dominions thereunto belonging hath by Authority derived from Parliament Since by the lavv the Crovvne cures all defects hovv can the King's bloud be attainted been and is hereby declared to be justly condemned adjudged to die and put to death for many treasons murthers and other hainous offences committed by him by which Judgement he stood and is hereby declared to be attainted of High Treason whereby his Issue and Posterity and all others pretending Title under him are become uncapable of the said Crowns or of being King or Queen of the said Kingdome or Dominions or either or any if them Bee it therefore Enacted and Ordained and it is Enacted VVe have svvorn saith Allegiance to K Charls the First His lavvfull Heyres Succ ssors and our Vovv is recorded in Heaven from vvhich no povver on earth can absolve us See the Oathes of Allegiance Obedience and Supremacy The Statute of Recognition 1. Iac. But the Commons are novv so Supreme as in imitation of the Pope to bring this Clause in practise Licet de jure non possumus tamen pro plenitudine potestatis nostrae volumus c. Ordained and Declared by this present Parliament and by Authority thereof That all the People of England and Ireland and the Dominions and Territories thereunto belonging of what degree or condition soever are discharged of all Fealty Homage and Allegiance which is or shall be pretended to be due unto any of the Issue and Posterity of the said late King or any claiming under him and that Charles Stuart eldest Sonne and James called Duke of Yorke second Sonne and all other the Issue and Posterity of him the said late King and all and every person and persons pretending Title from by or under him All our Lavves cut off by the non obstante of an eyght part of the House of Commons sitting under a force After almost 1000. years experience it novv found to be dangerous The English vvere never one half-quarter so much ens aved since VVilliam the Conquerour subdued them as they have been since Oliver the Brevver subjugated them are and be disabled to hold or enjoy the said Crown of England and Ireland and other the Dominions thereunto belonging or any of them or to have the Name Title Stile or Dignity of King or Queen of England and Ireland Prince of Wales or any of them or to have and enjoy the power and Dominion of the said Kingdoms and Dominions or any of them or the Honors Manors Lands Tenements Possessions and Hereditaments belonging or appertaining to the said Crowne of England and Ireland and other the Dominions aforesaid or to any of them or to the Principality of Wales Dutchy of Lancaster or Cornwall or any or either of them Any Law Statute Ordinance Vsage or Custome to the contrary hereof in any wise notwithstanding And whereas it is and hath been found by experience that the Office of a King in this Nation and Ireland and to have the power thereof in any single Person is unnecessary burthensome and dangerous to the liberty safety and publique interest of the people and that for the most part use hath been made of the Regall power and prerogative to oppresse impoverish and enslave the Subject and that usually and naturally any one person in such power makes it his interest to incroach upon the just freedome and liberty of the People and to promote the setting up of their owne Will and power above the Lawes that so they might enslave these Kingdoms to their owne Lust * * But in a Councell of State of forty Tyrants sitting under the protectioÌ„ and avve of Oliver Be it therefore Enacted and Ordained by this present Parliament and by Authority of the same That the Office of a King in this Nation shall not henceforth reside in or be exercised by any one single Person and that no one person whatsoever shall or may have or hold the Office Stile Dignity Power or Authority of King of the said Kingdoms and Dominions or any of them or of the Prince of Wales Any Law Statute Vsage or Custome to the contrary thereof in any wise notwithstanding And it is hereby Enacted That if any person or persons shall endeavour to attempt by force of Armes or otherwise or be ayding assisting comforting or abbetting unto any person or persons that shall by any waies or meanes whatsoever endeavour or attempt the reviving or setting up againe of any pretended Right of the said Charles eldest Sonne to the said late King James called Duke of Yorke or of any other the Issue and Posterity of the said late King or of any person or persons claiming under him or them to the said Regall Office Stile Dignity or Authority or to be Prince of Wales or the promoting of any one person whatsoever to the Name Stile Dignity Power Prerogative or Authority of King of England and Ireland High Treason is what these Legislative Thieves list to make it an Arbitrary or me notvvithstanding the Stâ—t 25 Ed 3. for limiting ascertaining of Treasons for security of the People Tiberius and Neâ—o's daies are falleÌ„ upon us of vvhich Tacitus lugeni crimen debitiae c mplementum omnium accusationem lasa majestat and Dominions aforesaid or any of them That then every such offence shall be deemed and adjudged High Treason the Offenders therein their Counsellors Procurers Ayders and Abettors being convicted of the said Offence or any of them shall be deemed adjudged Traytors against the Parliament and People of England and shall suffer lose and forfeit and have such like the same paines forfeitures judgements and execution as is used in case of High Treason And whereas by the abolition of the Kingly Office provided for in this Act a most happy way is made for this Nation if God see it good to returne to its just and antient right of being Governed by its owne Representatives or Nationall meetings in Councell * * VVhen vvas England governed by their ovvne Representative or had any other regliment then Kings But vvhat the Legislative Conventicle declares vve must believe though contrary to our knovvledge They vvill lead our faith and reason in a string or have our necks in a halter A period to this Parliament and leave the Supreme povver in the Councell of State a designe long since aâ—tempted See 1 and 2 part of
for a bare Cessation or Truce 4. Who can believe that any subordinate Officer commissionated to prosecute a Warre against Owen Roe and the rest in Armes in that Kingdome should dare to Treat and conclude an Agreement and conjunction with that very Enemy he had Commission to fight against without the knowledge and Directions publique or private of those from or under whom he hath his Authority and should be so bold when he had done to come over and justifie his said doings notwithstanding they proved unprosperous Col. Monke being so much a Souldier as to know That all the world over to exceed the bounds of his Commission much more to act against his Commission as in this case is assured death without mercy both by the Law Martiall without which Military Discipline will perish and by the Lawes of our Land See the said Letter printed at the latter end of a Relation of the securing and secluding of the Members by the Army 5. Wherefore was Sir Iohn Winter and Sir Kenelme Digby sent for over as was foretold by an intercepted Letter where of I have formerly spoken and O Realy the Popes Irish Agent and another Agent from Owen Roe O Neale privately entertained in England as I have formerly hinted but to drive on Treaties and Associations of this nature insomuch that long since it was whispered amongst Cromwels party in England to uphold their Spirits That upon his shewing himselfe in Armes in Ireland Ormonds Catholique Irish party would all forsake him and go over to O Neale who maintained the Popes Interest in that Kingdome The aforesaid Paper printed by Authority and stiled The true State of the Tronsactions c. besides the said Articles of Cessation Nota. setteth downe other Articles called The PROPOSITIONS of Generall Owen O Noale the Lords Gentry and Commons of the confederate Catholicks of VLSTER To the most High and most Honourable The PARLIAMENT of ENGLAND 1. INprimis That such as are already joyned or shall within the space of three Months joyne with Generall Owen O Neale within the space of three Months is not in the said Copie printed at Corke in the service of the Parliament of England in this Kingdome as well Clergy as others may have all Lawes and Penalties against their Religion and its Professors taken off by Act of Parliament and that Act to extend to the said Parties their Heires and Successors for ever while they Loyally serve the Parliament of England 2. The said Generall O Neale desireth an Act of Oblivion to be passed to extend to all and every of his Party for all things done since the beginning of the Yeare 1641. 3. They desire that Generall Owen O Neale be provided with a Competent Command in the Army befitting his worth and quality 4. They desire that they may enjoy all the Lands that were or ought to be in their or their Ancestors possession 5. That all incapacity inability and distrust hitherto by Act of State or otherwise against the said Party be taken off 6. That on both sides all jealousies hate and aversion be laid aside Vnity love and amity be renewed and practised between both Parties 7. That Generall Owen O Neale may be restored and put in possession of his a a Ancestors not Successours a fault of the Printers Successors Estates or some Estates equivalent to it in the Counties of Tyrone Ardmarch or Londondery in regard of his merit and the good service that he shall performe in the Parliament of Englands Service in the preservation of their interest in this Kingdome 8. That the Army belonging to Generall Owen O Neale and his Party be provided for in all points as the rest of the Army shall be 9. That the said Party be provided with and possessed of a convenient Sea-port in the Province of Ulster I doe upon receiving a confirmation of these Propositions forthwith undertake and promise in behalfe of my selfe and the whole Party under my Command faithfully and firmely adhere to the Service of the Parliament of England in this Kingdome and maintaine their Interest hereafter with the hazard of our lives and fortunes In witnesse whereof I have hereunto put my Hand and Seale this 8. day of May An. Dom. 1649. Signed Owen O Neale Thus farre the said Paper stild The true State c. goes on with the Relation of the said Treaty and Agreement but conceales what farther Transactions passed between Monke and O Neale upon the last recited Propositions Wherefore I shall be bold to continue the Story out of a Paper entituled The Propositions of Owen Roe O Neale sent to Col. Monke The Story of the farther Transactions between O Neale and Monke continued and enlarged out of the Propositions printed at Corke and a Cessation for three Months concluded between them Together with a Letter thereupon sent by a Gentleman at Dundalke to his Friend at Corke Printed at Corke 1649. The last recited Propositions were sent to Monke 25. day of April 1649. who perused them and made some inconsiderable alterations in them as appears by Monkes Letter of Answer thereupon to Owen O Neale dated from Dundalke 26. April 1649. as I find it in the said Paper printed at Corke in these words SIR I Have received your of the 25. April and I have seen your Order given to Captain Hugh Mac Patricke Mac Mahon to Treat and Conclude a Peace with me in the behalfe of your selfe and the Forces under your Command I have perused your Propositions and conceiving there are some particulars in them which at first view the Parliament of England may scruple to grant I have made a small alteration in some of them being well assured by it you will not receive the least disadvantage but it will rather prove a meanes to beget an increase of their good opinion towards you and your Patry which I believe your reality fidelity and action in their Service will sufficiently merit and in case you approve of them as I have revised and altered them I desire you to send them to me Signed and Sealed by you that I may present them to the Parliament of England to obtaine their favourable Answer in returne of them And in the meane time I desire that according to this inclosed Paper three Months Cessation between us be condiscended unto and inviolably kept between our Forces during the same time Dundalke 26. April 1649. Gorge Monke 1. Observations upon Monkes Letter 1. Col. Monke in his said Letter to O Neale 26. April answereth him 1. That he had perused his Proposition and conceiving there are some Particulars which at first view the Parliament of England may scruple to grant c. A gentle Phrase to nourish hopes in O Neale even of obtaining all his Demands if need be upon debate and deliberation though not at first view That he hath made a small Alteration in some of them I confess very small being will assured be should not receive
Int rest and Party The more subtile Independent knevv the King vvould not nor could not take it and therefore complied vvith the Presbyterians in obtruding it upon him to breake off the Treaty many things in the Covenant vvere vaine in the Person of His Majesty as that He should sweare to maintain His owne Person c. vvhich the lavv of nature binds him to vvithout an Oath vvhich in this case is idle and a prophaning of Gods name some things in the Oath vvere contradictory to vvhat the Parliaments Propositions desired of him as to maintaine His owne Authority in defence of Religon Lawes and Liberties vvhich vvas impossible for Him to doe unlesse he kept the Militia in his ovvne hands and his Negative Voice also vvhich that clause in the Bill of Militia That all Bills for leavying Forces should have the povver of Acts of Parliament without the Royall Assent c. vvould have deprived him of by making their Ordinances Acts of Parliament in effect binding to the Persons and Estates of the People in an Arbitrary vvay to their utter enslaving To sweare to Abolish Bishops c. vvas against his Coronation Oath To sweare to extirpate Heresies Schismes c. is more then the Independents vvould permit To sweare to maintaine the Vnion between the two Nations vvhich the Parliament declare already to be broken by the Scots Invasion is vaine besides hovv unjust a thing vvas it to impose that Oath upon the King vvhen most Members of the Parliament Army and others are left at large not to take it The Parliaments Demands That the King should declare against the Marquesse of Ormonds proceedings to unite all the Interests of Ireland for the service of his Majesty vvas no part of the Propositions upon vvhich the Treaty vvas begun but a subsequent request upon an emergent occasion and therefore I see no reason vvhy the King should have given any Ansvver to it but onely have held himselfe to the originall Propositions yet he did Ansvver That the whole businesse of Ireland was included in the Treaty and therefore a happy Agreement thereupon would set an end to all differences there vvhich being voted unsatisfactory and moved that a new Declaration might be published against him the King vvas inforced to put a stand to the Marquesses proceedings by his Letter to his great prejudice yet these Declarers against him do novv comply vvith Ovven Roe Oneale and have entertained O Realy the Popes Irish-Vicar-generall in England to negotiate for the Irish massacring Rebels vvith the Parliament These things considered prove vvhat I find in our late King Charles the 1. most excellent Booke Chap. 18. That it is a Maxime to those that are Enemies to peace to aske something which in Reason and Honour must be denied that they might have some colour to refuse all the rest that is granted More observations upon this unlucky Treaty I vvill not trouble my Reader vvith these being enough to shevv the vanity of those Propositions by these he may take a scantling of the rest ex pede Herculem I cannot but blame the indiscretion if not the indisposition of those Commissioners vvho cavilled avvay so much time in the Treaty 17. Iones complaines by Letters that Ireland was like to be lost untill Cromwell had done his vvorke in the North and marched up to Tovvne to make the Treaty ineffectuall About the latter end of Octob. 1648. Col. Iones sent vvhining Letters from Dublin to the Steers-men at Darby-house complaining that all Ireland vvas like to unite and prosecute the Kings Interest and therefore he cried for help but neither the said Committee in their consultations nor the Army in execution of vvhat vvas resolved could agree amongst themselves the Engrossers and Monopolizers of Olygarchy into a fevv hands desiring to make themselves a corporation of Tyrants suspect an opposition from the Levellers and vvould faine turne them out of the Kingdome into Ireland to seek their fortunes and practice their Levelling Principles in a strange Land The Levellers more numerous in the Army though lesse numerous in the said Committee straine courtesie vvith their Betters and vvould have them goe first thinking the seeds of liberty and equality vvill prosper better in the soyle and ayre of England VVhile they vvere disputing if Marquesse Ormond had been acting as he had been had not the King been necessitated to retard him by his said Letters sent from the Isle of VVight during the Treaty the King had recovered that Kingdome intirely to himselfe vvhich had been of great advantage to him The 20. Novemb. 1648. Col. Evvers 18. The Remonst of the Army to he House of Commons Nov. 20 1648. vvith seven or eight Officers more presented at the House of Commons Barre a thing called by those that use to miscall things An humble Remonstrance of the Army it is founded upon these five Anarchicall Principles 1. That themselves and their faction onely vvhom they call exclusively the VVel-affected Godly Honest Party the Saints are the People of England all the rest but Philistins Amorites or at the best but Gibeonites 2. That their Interest onely is the publique Interest of the People 3. That thè People that is themselves are the onely competent Iudges of the Peoples safety contrary to the Lavves and practice of all Nations vvhich bestovv that prerogative onely upon the Supreme Magistrate but it may be here lies hid another subsequent principle That they are the Supreme Magistrate armed vvith Supreme Authority as vvell as vvith their Svvords and hereupon they as good as tell the House That if their supposed dangers be not removed and those remedies vvhich they Remonstrate admitted they shall make such appeale to God that is their Svvord as formerly they have done 4. Principle is consequentiall to the 3. That they may drive on their Designe upon pretence of necessity self-preservation honest intentions providence or revelation against all Powers Formes of Government and Lawes what soever under colour of that much abused Maxime Salus Populi Supremae Lex esto the safety of the People is the Supreme Lavv vvhich hath been the fruitfull Mother of many Rebellions in all Ages to serve the corrupt ends of ambitious Persons vvho usually fish in troubled vvaters to attaine to those ends vvhich they could never arrive at in setled Governments This is a Principle or nevv light discovered by Maior Huntington That it is lawfull to passe through any formes of Government for accomplishment of their ends and therefore either to purge the Houses and support the remaining Party by power everlastingly or put a period to them by force and themselves imply as much in this Remonstrance p. 45 saying It cannot be safe to accommodtae vvith the King because if He returne and this Parliament continue long and unlimited He vvill make a Party amongst them He hath bid faire for it among the Commons already and the Lords are his ovvne out of Question and therefore vve dare not trust
the Commons and the Commissioners Names inserted consisting of diverse Lords Commons Aldermen Citizens Country Gentlemen and Souldiers that the more persons of all sorts might be engaged in so damnable and treasonable a designe and because this Ordinance and the proceedings thereupon had no foundation in Divinity Law reason nor practice The Commons to give it a foundation and ground from the authority of their Votes declared as followeth Resolved Diurnall from 1. Ian. to the 8. of Ian. 1648. Numb 286. c. That the Lords and Commons assembled in Parliament doe declare and adjudge That by the fundamentall Lawes of the Realme it is Treason in the King of England for the time to come to levie War against the Parliament and Kingdome of England So together with this declaratory Vote the said Ordinance was carried up to the Lords by that Renegado Lord Gray of Grooby Ian 2. 1648. 55. And sent up to the Lords The Lords met that day farre more than ordinary 16. in number and promising to send an Answer by Messengers of their owne The first Question started by some Lords who had rather have had a thinner House was 56. and Debated Whether it should be presently debated which passed Affirmatively The first Debate was upon the said Declaratory Vote The Earle of Manchester told them The Parliament of England by the fundamentall Laws of England consisted of three Estates 1. King 2. Lords 3. Commons the King is the first and chief Estate He calls and dissolves Parliaments and confirmes all their Acts and without him there can be no Parliament therefore it is absurd to say The King can be a Traytour against the Parliament The Earle of Northumberland said The greatest part at least twenty to one of the People of England were not yet satisfied whether the King levied war first against the Houses or the Houses against Him 57. The Zealots of the H. of Com offended with the Lords for casting forth the Ordin for Triall of the King And if the King did leavie Warre first against the Houses we have no Law to make it Treason in Him so to doe And for us to declare Treson by an Ordinance when the matter of fact is not yet proved nor any Law extant to judge it by is very unreasonable so the Lords cast off the Debate and cast out the Ordinance and adjourned for seven daies Ian. 3. The Zealots of the Commons were very angry at the Lords and threatned to clap a Pad-lock on the Dore of their House but at last they sent up some of their Members to examine the Lords Book and see what they had done who brought word back that their Lordships had passed 2. Votes 1. That they doe not concurre to the said Declaratory Vote 2 That they had rejected the Ordinance for Triall of the King 58. Votes passed by them thereupon Hereupon the Commons resolved to rid their hands of King and Lords together and presently they voted That all Members of the House of Commons and others appointed by order of that House or Ordinances of both Houses of Parliament to act in any Ordinance wherein the Lords are joyned shall be empowred and enjoyned to sit and act and execute in the said severall Committees of themselves notwithstanding the House of Peers joyne not with them therein Upon the debate many hot-brain'd men insisted upon it That the Lords who rejected the Ordinance should be themselves Impeached for favouring the grand Delinquent of England you see the King was likely to have much justice when his Iudges must either condemne Him or be condemned others thought it more prudence to touch their Priviledges and let alone their Persons Die Iovis 4. Ian. 1648. The Commons passed these 3. Votes A question in Divinity voted in Parliament never agreed to by Divines This we find de facto in the subversion of our Religion Lawes Liberties and Properties though not de jure You see that since both Houses ravish'd the Supremacy from the King and a petty Faction from the Houses our Lawes are first shrunke into arbitrary Ordinances of both Houses and now into Orders of a remaining Faction of one House 1. That the People that is their owne faction according to their said Principle are under God the originall of all just power 2. That the Commons of England in Parliament assembled being chosen by and representing the People have the Supreme power of this Nation 3. That whatsoever is enacted or declared for Law by the House of Commons assembled in Parliament hath the force of Law and all the People of this Nation are concluded thereby although the consent or concurrence of the King or House of Peers be not had thereunto This chain-shot sweeps away King Lords Laws Liberties property and fundamentall Government of this Nation at once and deposites all that is or can be neer or deare unto us in scrinio pectoris in the bosomes and consciences of 50. or 60. factious covetous Saints the dregs and lees of the House of Commons sitting and acting under the power of an Army and yet the House of Commons never had any Power of Iudicature nor can legally administer an Oath but this in pursuance of their aforesaid Principle That they may passe through any forme of Government to carry on their Designe The Diurnall tells you there was not a Negative Voice this shevves under vvhat a terror they sit vvhen in things so apparently untrue no man durst say No so the said Declaratory Vote and Ordinance for Triall of His Majesty by a Court Martiall if the Diurnall speake true and yet the King no Prisoner of VVar vvas passed onely in the name and by the Authority of the Commons Notvvithstanding the Order of the House That the Clerke should not deliver a Copy of the said Ordinance to any man I here present the Reader vvith a Copie thereof 59. The Act for Triall of the King An Act of Parliament of the House of Commons for Tryall of Charles Stuart King of England WHereas it is notorious that Charles Stuart the now King of England was not content with the many incroachments which his Predecessors had made upon the People in their Rights and Freedome hath had a wicked Designe to subvert the antient and fundamentall Lawes and Liberties of this Nation and in their place to introduce an Arbytrary and Tyrannicall Government and that besides all evill waies to bring His Design to passe He hath prosecuted it with fire and sword Quaere VVhether the Faction doe not translate these Crimes from themselves to the King with many others leavied and maintained a Civill VVarre in the Land against the Parliament and Kingdome whereby this Country hath been miserably wasted the publique Treasure exhausted Trade decayed thousands of People murdered and infinite of other mischiefs committed sor all which high offences the said Charles Stuart might long since have been brought to exemplary and condigne punishment VVhereas also
the least disadvantage by it c. From whom had Monke this Assurance unlesse from those Men by whose Authority and Directions private or publique he presumed to Treat with that Enemy he was Commissioned to fight with and whose Names he doth conceale That it yeilding to Monks amendments would rather prove a meanes to beget an encrease of their the Parliaments good opinion of Owen Roe O Neale and his Party c. It should seem then the Parliament had entertained a good opinion of O Neale and his Party before hand for every thing must have a being before it can have an encrease of being In case you approve of them the amended Articles I desire you to send them to me Signed and Sealed by you that I may present them to the Parliament of England to obtain their favourable Answer in returne of them c. You see all Monke did was in reference to the Parliaments ratification and therefore reason tells us the Parliament was originally privie to the Treaty It is not likely Monke should Treat upon his owne head and abruptly send the result of the Treaty to be confirmed by the Parliament without any warning foregoing to prepare them 2. Observations upon the Propositions amended See the said Paper printed at Cork especially Monkes Letter O Neale sent his Letter and Propositions to Monke Dated 25. April 1649. Monke answered his Letter and corrected O Neales Propositions the day after being the 26. April And the last mentioned Propositions of Gen Owen O Neale the Lords Gentry and Commons of the Confederate Catholiques of Vlster c. as well as the first mentioned Articles for 3. Months Cessation c. beare Date 8. May. 1649. which I conceive to be the Date given them when they were ratified by the Parliament or Councell of State See the said Paper The true state of the Transactions c. Then followes A second Copie of Owen Roe Oneales Propositions as they were Corrected by Col. Monke Paper printed at Corke and sent to Oneale to be subscribed And then sent by Monke to the PARLIAMENT to be granted as followeth verbatim 1. INprimis That such as shall joyne with Generall O Neale in the Service of the Parliament of England in this Kingdome may have Liberty of Conscience for themselves and their Issue 2. The said Generall O Neale desireth an Act of Oblivion be passed to extend to all and every of his Party for all things done since the beginning of the Yeare 1641. 3. They desire that generall O Neale be provided for a competent Command in the Army befitting his worth place and quality 4. They desire that they may enjoy all those Lands that were in their possession at the beginning of this Warre for themselves and Heyres during their fidelity to the Interest of England 5. That all incapacity inhability distrust hitherto by Act of State or otherwise against the said Party be taken off 6. That on both sides all Iealousies hate and aversion be laid aside unity love and amity renewed and practised between both Parties 7. That Gen. O Neale may be restored and put in possession of his Ancestors Estate or some other Estate equivalent to it in regard of his merit and the good Service that he shall performe in the Parliament of Englands Service in the preservation of their Interest in this Kingdome 8. That the Army belonging to the Gen. O Neale and his Party be provided for in all poynts as the rest of the Army shall be 9. That the said Party be provided with and possessed of a convenient Sea-port in the Province of Vlster See the Date in The true state of Transactions c. It seems to be 8. May 1649. And I doe upon receiving a Confirmation of those Desires undertake and promise in the behalf of my selfe and the Whole Party under my Command faithfully and firmly to adhere to the Parliament of Englands Service in this Kingdome and to maintaine their Interest hereafter with the hazard of our Lives Estates against all Opposers whatsoever Given under my Hand and Seale In the said Paper printed at Corke is also contained A Letter from a Gentleman in Dundalke dated 20. May 1649. which take here verbatim that you may see what opinion Men there upon the place had of that businesse at Corke in Munster To my Worthy Friend SIR YOu may wonder my Obligations being so great towards you that my returnes of acknowledgment should be so seldome as they have been but you must know there is no defect in my desires to be at your eares often 't is onely the preservation of my Liberty and Safety in these parts that makes me forberare the frequency of such intercourses I am confident these Letters this Messenger and the inclosed Papers which I here send you containing a true Copie of the Propositions and Letters of Agreement between Owen Roe O Neale and Col. George Monke will be able to give you some accompt of the passages in these parts and will make you assured that I doe not forget the respects I owe unto you I must confesse to you that as you ever conceived I never could imagine that the Parliament proceedings would have advanced to so high a degree of rage and wickednesse as I see they are now come to and are resolved to act by but being amazed at the KING'S Murther and seeing the Gangrene doth so cruelly spread I will impart to you my resolution That I am resolved to get into your parts with the first conveniency and adhere to you there whose actions are more conducing to the preservation of our Religion Law and Common Interest than any where else that I can find But that this my so sudden resolution may not be conceived the fruit of some vaine feare miscarriage in my self or light desires to abandon my former principles I shall give you a right understanding of all the motions and passages of my soule since I was acquainted with this late Treaty between Col. Monke and Owen Roe O Neale that thereby you may judge of the ground of these my Designes and distasts and my resolutions taken thereupon And before I consider the particulars of the Treaty the thing it selfe is so odious unto me that if they could have made the best bragaine to be imagined for the English Safety the manner of it would have appeared to me very unsavory For although it cannot be denied that almost the whole Irish Party in regard of their Confederacies and Combinations have not been innocent in all particulars of that vast Ocean of English Blood that hath been shed yet it is most cleer that the Plotters and Contrivers of this Treason and the unnaturall and butcherly Executioners thereof are that Party principally which are now Headed by Owen O Neale for although many of the pale with others of Conaught Leinster and Munster entertained the Design when they saw it was so far spread and the English so much weakned in
it is eleven or tvvelve of the clock before they can get forty Members together to make a House of vvhich number they sometimes faile one time the Members vvould have had the Speaker go on upon businesses vvith a lesse number than forty but he knovving all so done to be illegall and void refused and yet to piece up the House they permit Mr. Blagrave Mr. Frye and Humphry Edwards to sit as Members notvvithstanding their Elections are Voted void by the Committee of Elections and one day an Officer of the Army having taken some Members going to the House and secured them in the Tobacco Roome under Guard The Speaker not being able to muster enough to make a House vvas faine to send to the said Officer to lend him his said Prisoners to make up a Free Parliament This disgrace put upon the Imprisoned Members is purposely intended as an Invitation to all their Enemies to come in and accuse them nay it can be proved that meanes hath been used to suborne VVitnesses against them besides vvhich the faction have made a strict inquisition into their lives and conversations and have hitherto met vvith nothing 25. The day after the House purged in comes Dr. Cromvvell Hen Martyn his Apothecary Thus the House being throughly purged the next day in comes the Doctor Oliver Cromwell out of the Country bringing in under his protection that sanctified Member Henry Martyn vvho had spent much time in plundering the Country had often baffled the House and disobeyed many of their Orders sufficient to have made an honest man a Malignant liable to Sequestration But great is the priviledge of the Saints It fortuned that day the case of the secured Members vvas reported to the House vvhich Harry interrupting desired them to take into consideration the deserts of the Lieutenant Generall vvhich vvith all slavish diligence vvas presently done And the Speaker moved that to morrow might be a day of Humaliation to be kept in the House to humble the Spirits of the Godly much overleavened vvith the Scotish Victory That you may the better understand hovv farre they meane to be humbled Hugh Peters the Pulpit-Buffon vvas one of their Chaplaines vvho in stead of delivering the Oracles of God delivered the Oracles of the Councell of VVarre to them talking obscurely of Accommodation and Moderation and advising them to adjourne till Monday or Tuesday I think that the Army might cut out vvork for these Iourney-men of theirs and might vvorke their vvills upon the City in the meane time vvhen no House should be sitting for the Citizens to addresse their Complaints to for in the interim they Garrisoned Black Fryars and S. Pauls reforming it from the Church of God to a Den of Thieves Stable of Horses and Brothell of VVhores and Robbed diverse Halls in London of vast summes of money by the prerogative royall of the Saints The 11. day of Decemb. 1648. 26. A Declaration of the seâ—ured and secluded Members against the violence of the Army the said secured Members published a printed Paper as follovveth A solemne Protestation of the imprisoned and secluded Members of the Commons House Against the horrid force and violence of the Officers and Souldiers of the Army on VVednesday and Thursday last the 6. 7. of Decemb. 1648. WE the Knights Citizens and Burgesses of the Commons House of Parliament above one hundred in number forcibly seized upon violently kept out of the House by the Officers and Souldiers of the Army under Thomas Lord Fairfax comming thither to discharge our duties on VVednesday and Thursday last being the 6. and 7. of this instant December doe hereby in our Names and in the Names of the respective Counties Cities and Burroughs for vvhich we serve and of all the Commons of England solemnly protest and declare to the whole Kingdome That this execrable force and open violence upon our Persons and the whole House of Commons by the Officers and Army under their command in marching up against their command and placing strong armed Guards of Horse and Foot upon them without and against their Order is the highest and most detestable force and breach of Priviledge and Freedome ever offered to any Parliament of England and that all Acts Ordinances Votes and proceedings of the said House made since the 6. of Decemb. aforesaid or hereafter to be made during our restraint and forcible seclusion from the House and the continuance of the Armies force upon it are no way obligatori but void and null to all intents and purposes And that all Contrivers of Actors in and Assistants to this unparalell'd force and treasonable armed violence are open Enemies to and professed Subverters of the Priviledges Rights and Freedome of Parliament and Disturbers of the peace and setlement of the Kingdome and ought to be proceeded against as such and that all Members of Parliament and Commoners of England by their solemne Covenant and duty under paine of deepest perjury and eternall infamy are obliged unanimously to oppose and endevour to their utmost power to bring them to exemplary and condigne punishment for this transcendent offence tending to the dissolution of the present and subversion of all future Parliaments and of the fundamentall Governement and Lawes of this Realme All which we held it our duties to declare and publish to the world for feare our stupid silence should give any tacit consent or approbation to this most detestable crime and make us guilty of betraying the Priviledges Freedome and Honour of this Parliament to our perpetuall reproach and the prejudice off all succeeding Parliaments Dated at VVestminster Decemb. 11. 1648. 27. The tame Lords and insolent Commons passe and print a Declaration against the said Declaration The said solemne Protestation of the secured Members being complained of vvas sufficiently barked at in the House of Commons and the Lords fell a barking at it too for company and at last that they might confute it vvith Authority instead of Reason both Houses passed this follovving Declaration against it The Declaration of the Lords and Commons Against the first Declaration of the secured and secluded Members THe Lords and Commons assembled in Parliament talking into their consideration a printed Paper entituled A solemne Protestation of the Imprisoned and secluded Members c. wherein amongst other things it is Declared That all Acts Ordinances Votes and procedings of the House of Commons made since the 6. of this instant Decemb. or hereafter to be made during their restraint and forcible seclusion from the House and the continuance of the Armies force upon it are no vvay obligatory but void and null to all intents and purposes The present visible Government is the Power of the Sword in the hands of Rebels The fundamentall Government of this Kingdome is destroyed by the remaining faction in the Ho. of Commons by their Acts For abolishing Kingly-Government The House of Peers their putâ—ing dovvne Trials by Iury of 12 mâ—n and setting
Representative have so unstable an authority vvhat shall the subordinate Magistrate acting under them have 7. It smels so much of the Iesuite that it tolerateth Popery in private Houses contrary to the knovvne Lavves of the Land Popery like the old Serpent if it once get in the head vvill soon insinuate the vvhole body being so vvell backed by potent Princes and Councels from beyond Sea And truly I knovv not vvhat to say against Popery vvhere Heresie Schisme Atheisme and Blasphemie are openly tolerated and exempted from the povver of the civill Magistrate as in this Agreement 8. It vvill lose Ireland the managing of the VVarre there being legally in this Parliament by Act passed not in this nevvfangled Representative 9. It divides us from Scotland 10. It destroyes the Cause for vvhich the Parliament so often Declared Voted Protested and Convenanted that they fought viz. Defence of Parliaments Religion Lawes and Liberties and bestovves the Cause upon the King as if He onely from the beginning had fought for them vvhich all men have reason to believe vvhen they shall see the Parliament make such ill use of their Victory as to root them all up And this and all other Parliament Armies vvere Commissioned to preserve this Parliament by this Authority they have their Pay and Indemnity vvithout vvhich they are Thieves Rebels and Murderers 11. It demands that there be no Lavvyers nor Lavves but nevv Rules in English to be made from time to time by the nevv Representative vvho are to be chosen and trusted onely by a small faction of Subscribers as hath been said according to vvhich justice shall be administred not by Mayors Sheriffs Iustices of the peace Officers alvvaies ready but by Hundred Courts vvho are to supply the roome off all the Iudges and Lavvyers of the Kingdome and all this to lie in the brests of 12 Men in every Hundred of the Tribe of the Godly be sure vvho peradventure can neither vvritte nor read nor have responsible Estates to satisfie vvrongs done these shall doe justice by providence and revelation 12. It destroyeth all great and publique Interests and therefore cannot stand Kings Lords Souldiers Magistrates Parliaments Lavvyers Ministers vvho vvill oppose it becaâ—se it confounds and destroies Religion and depriveth the Ministery of its lot Tythes stopping their mouthes vvith famine purposely to cast them off and generally all men of quality and discretion vvill vvithstand it because it gives no security for enjoyment of liberty and property nor for increase of learning civility and piety vvho then are left to ovvne and subscribe it but desperate forlorne Persons vvho because they cannot bring their actions under the protection of our present Lavvs and Government vvill bring the Lavvs and Government to their ovvn corrupt vvills and interests and therefore vvill signe this Agreement no obedience being given to this Representative but upon condition that they kept this Agreement and there being no other Iudges of their keeping it but the Subscribers vvho in the result of all have the Lavv in their ovvne VVills 36. This Agreement of the People was condemned by the House of Commons 9. Nov. 1647. This Agreement of the People is the same vvhich vvas subscribed by 9. Regiments of Horse and 7 of Foot and presented vvith a Petition to the House of Commons Novemb. 5. 1647. by the Agitators Gifforde the Iesuite being then in the Lobby vvith them and very active therein Vpon reading and debate hereof the House then declared their judgements against it by passing these Votes Die Martis 9. Nov. 1647. A Paper directed to the Supreme Authority of the Nation the Commons in Parliament assembled The just and earnest Petition of those whose Names are subscribed in behalfe of themselves and all the Free-borne people of England Together vvith a Paper annexed intituled An Agreement of the People for present and future peace upon grounds of Common Right avowed Hovv these Papers come novv to be ovvned those that opposed them violently secured by the Army by the connivence at least of the dregs of the House novv sitting let the Saints novv voting in the House examine their pockets for I am confident their consciences had no hand in the businesse Resolved c. That the matters contained in these Papers are destructive to the beings of Parliaments and to the fundamentall Government of the Kingdome Resolved c. That a Letter should be sent to the Generall and those Papers inclosed together with the Vote of this House upon them and that he be desired to examine the proceedings of this businesse in the Army and returne an Account thereof to this House The Generall and Councell of VVarre in pursuance of this Vote condemned one of the Agitators vvho promoted it 37. The said Agreement damned by the General Councell of VVarre and a Souldier shot by sentence for promoting it and shot him to death at VVare you see vvhat it is to doe a thing unseasonably this Designe of the Army and their Party vvas not yet ripe vvherevvith they acquainted the House yet they kept in the same fire in the City still vvhere some of their Confederates 23. of the same Novem. sent the same Agreement c. inclosed in a Letter vvith a Petition into the House of Commons vvhere-upon the House giving thanks to the Generall for the execution done at VVare and desiring him to examine that businesse to the bottome unanimously passed these Votes Die Martis 23. Nov. 1647. A Petition directed to the Supreme Authority of England 38. The said Agreement condemned by the House a second time 23. Novemb 1647. the Commons in Parliament assembled and entituled The humble Petition of many Free-borne People of England sent in a Letter directed to Mr. Speaker and opened by a Committee thereunto appointed vvas read the first and second time Resolved c. That this Petition is a seditious and contemptuous avowing and prosecution of a former Petition and Paper annexed stiled An Agreement of the People formerly adjudged by this House to be destructive to the being of Parliaments and fundamentall Government of the Kingdome c. Resolved c. That Tho Prince Cheese monger and Sam Chidley be forthwith committed Prisoners to the Prison of the Gate-house there to remaine Prisoners during the pleasure of this House for a seditious and contemptuous avowing and prosecution of a former Petition and Paper annexed stiled An Agreement of the People formerly adjudged by this House destructive to the being of Parliaments and fundamentall Government of the Kingdome Resolved c. That Ieremy Ives Tho Taylor and VVill Larner be forthvvith committed Prisoners to the Prison at Nevv-gate c. as last aforesaid in Terminis Aftervvards by an Ordinance Decemb. 17. 1647. for Electing Common-Councel-men and other Officers in London they expresly ordained That no Person vvho hath contrived abetted persvvaded or entred into that Engagement entituled The Agreement of the People declared to be destructive to the being of Parliaments
by the Parliament intrusted and employed for the safety of the Nation being by Him or is Agents corrupted to the betraying of their Trust and revolting from the Parliament have had entertainement and commission for the continuing and renewing of Warre and Hostility against the said Parliament and People as aforesaid By which cruell and unnaturall Warres by Him the said Charles Stuart levyed continued and renewed as aforesaid much Innocent bloud of the Free-pople of this Nation hath been spilt many Families have been undone the Publique Treasury wasted and exhausted Trade obstructed and miserably decayed vast expence and damage to the Nation incurred and many parts of the Land spoyled some of them even to desolation And for further prosecution of His said evill Designes He the said Charles Stuart doth still continue his Commissions to the said Prince and other Rebels and Revolters both English and Forraigners and to the Earle of Ormond and to the Irish Rebels and Revolters associated with him from whom further Invasions upon this Land are threatned upon the procurement and on the behalf of the said Charles Stuart All which wicked Designes Warres and evill practises of Him the said Charles Stuart have been and are carried on for the advancing and upholding of the Personall Interest of Will and Power and pretended Prerogative to Himself and his Family against the publique Interest Common Right Liberty Justice and Peace of the People of this Nation by and for whom He was entrusted as aforesaid By all which it appeareth that He the said Charles Stuart hath been and is the Occasioner Author and Contriver of the said unnaturall cruell and bloudy Warres and therein guilty of all the treasons murthers rapines burnings spoiles desolations damage and mischiefe to this Nation acted or committed in the said Warres or occasioned thereby And the said Iohn Cooke by Protestation saving on the behalf of the People of England the liberty of Exhibiting at any time hereafter any other Charge against the said Charles Stuart and also of replying to the Answers which the said Charles Stuart shall make to the premises or any of them or any other Charge that shall be so exhibited doth for the said treasons crimes on the behalfe of the said People of England Impeach the said Charles Stuart as a Tyrant Traytor Murtherer and a publique and implacable Enemy to the Common-wealth of England And pray That the said Charles Stuart King of England may be put to answer all every the premises That such Proceedings Examinations Tryals Sentence and Judgement may be thereupon had or shall be agreeable to Justice The King smiled often during the reading of the Charge especially at these words Tyrant Traytor Murderer and publique Enemy of the Common-wealth President Sir you have now heard your Charge you find that in the close of it it is prayed to the Court in the behalfe of the Commons of England that you answer to your Charge which the Court expects King I would know by what power I am called hither I was not long agoe in the Isle of Wight how I came there is a longer story than I thinke fit at this time for Me to speake But there I entered into a Treaty with both Houses of Parliament with as much faith as is possible to be had of any People in the world I Treated there with a number of Honourable Lords and Gentlemen an treated honestly and uprightly I cannot say but they did very nobly with Me We were upon a Conclusion of the Treaty Now I would know by what lawfull Authority there are many unlawfull Authorities Thieves and Robbers on the Highway I was brought from thence and carried from place to place and I know not what and when I knew by what lawfull Authority I shall Answer Remember I am your King your lawfull King and what sinnes you bring upon your owne heads and the judgment of God upon this Land think well upon it thinke well upon it I say before you go on from one sinne to a greater therefore let Me know by what lawfull Authority I am seated here and I shall not be unwilling to Answer In the meane time I shall not betray My trust I have a trust committed to Me by God by old and lawfull discent I will not betray it to Answer to a new unlawfull Authority Bradshaw Pres If you had been pleased to have observed what was hinted to you by the Court at your first coming hither you would have knowne by what Authority which Authority requires you in the name of the People of England of whom you are Elected KING to answer them King I deny that Bradsh If you acknowledge not the Authority of the Court they must proceed King I doe tell them so England was never an Elective Kingdome but an Hereditary Kingdome for neer these thousand yeares Therefore let Me know by what lawfull Authority I am called hither I doe stand more for the Liberty of My People then any here that come to be My pretended Iudges and therefore let Me know by what lawfull Authority and I will Answer otherwise I will not Answer Brash Sir How really you have managed your trust is known your way of Answer is to interrogate the Court which beseemes not you in this condition you have been told of it twice or thrice King Here is Lieut. Colonell Cobbet aske him if he did not bring Me from the Isle of Wight by force I doe not come here as submitting to the Court I will stand as much for the Priviledge of the House of Commons rightly understood as any man here whatsoever I see no House of Lords here that may constitute a Parliament and the King too should have been Is this the bringing the King to His Parliament Is this the bringing an end to the Treaty on the publique Faith Let Me see a Lawfull Authority warranted by the Word of God the Scriptures or by the Constitutions of the Kingdome I will not betray My Trust nor the Liberties of the People I am sworne to keep the Peace by that duty I owe to God and My Country and I will doe it to the last breath in My body As it is a sinne to with stand Lawfull Authority so it is to submit to a Tyrannicall or any otherwise unlawfull Authority Bradsh Brutish The Court expects your finall Answer and will adjourne till Munday next we are satisfied with our Authority that are your Iudges and it is upon Gods Authority and the Kingdomes and that peace you spake of will be kept in doing Iustice and that 's our present work Note So the Court Adjourned and the King was conducted back They had so contrived it that diverse Schismaticall Souldiers and Fellowes were placed round about the Court to cry Iustice Iustice when the King was remanded thinking all the rest of the People would have bleated to the same tune but they almost all cryed God blesse Him and were some of them well cudgelled
cunning The House passed an Act that the Oath underwritten 106. A new Oath for the Free-men of London and other Corporations and no other be administred to every Free-man of the City of London at his admission and of all other Cities Burroughs and Townes Corporate YOu shall sweare that you will be true and faithfull to the Common-weath of England and in order thereto you shall be obedient to the just and good Government of the City of London c. 107. An Act to repeal the Oaths of Allegiance Obedience and Supremacy They passed an Act also to repeale the severall Clauses in the Statutes 1. EliZ. 3. Iacob enjoyning the Oaths of Allegiance Obedience and Supremacy That the said Oathes and all other Oathes of the like nature shall be and are hereby wholly taken away the said Clauses in the said Acts be made void and null and shall not hereafter be administred to any Person neither shall any place or office be void hereafter by reason of the not taking of them or any of them any Law Custome or Statute to the contrary notwithstanding 108. Another Declaration and Protestation of the secured secluded Members In opposition to these tyrannous destructive illegall and trayterous proceedings of 40. or 50. cheating Schismaticks sitting nuder the force and promoting the Jnterests of will and power of the rebellious Councell of Officers in the Army The secured and secluded Members of the House of Commons Declared as followeth * A publike Declaration and Protestation of the secured secluded Members of the House of Commons Against the treasonable illegall late Acts proceedings of some few Confederate Members of that dead House since their forcible Exclusion 13. Febr. 1648. VVE the secured and secluded Members of the late House of Commons taking into our sad serious Considerations the late dangerous desperate and treasonable proceedings of some few Members of that House not amounting to a full eighth part of the House if divided into ten who confederating with the Officers and Generall Councell of the Army have forcibly detained and secluded us against the Honour Freedome and Priviledges of Parliament from sitting and voting freely with them for the better setling of the Kingdomes peace and contrary to their Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy their Protestation the Solemne League and Covenant and sundry Declarations and Remonstrances of both Houses to His late Murdered MAIESTY His Heires and Successors the whole Kingdomes of England Scotland and Ireland and to all foraigne States and Nations since our exclusion and forced absence from their Counsels by reason of the Armies force most presumptuously arrogated and usurped to themselves the Title of The Supreme Authority of this Kingdome and by colour and pretence thereof have wickedly and audaciously presumed without and against our privities or consents and against the unanimous Vote of the House of Peers to erect a High Court of Iustice as they terme it though never any Court themselves to Arraigne and Condemne His Majesty against the laws of God and the municipall Lawes of the Realme which Court consisting for the most part of such partiall and engaged Persons who had formerly vowed His Majesties destruction and sought His bloud most illegally unjustly refused to admit of His Majesties just Reasons and exceptions against their usurped Iurisdiction and without any lawfull Authority or proofe against Him or legall Triall presumed most trayterously and impiously to Condemne and Murder Him and since that have likewise presumed to Trie and Arraigne some Peers and others free Subjects of this Realme for their Lives contrary to Magna Charta the Petition of Right the Lawes of the Land and the Liberty of the Subjects to the great enslaving and endangering of the lives and liberties of all free People of England And whereas the said confederated Commons have likewise tyrannically and audaciously presumed contrary to their Oathes and Engagements aforesaid to take upon them to make Acts of Parliament as they terme them without our privity or assents or the joynt consent of the King and House of Lords contrary to the Use and Priviledges of Parliament and knowne Laws of the Land and by pretext thereof have trayterously and wickedly endeavoured to Dis-inherit the Illustrious CHARLES Prince of VVales next Heire to the Crowne and actuall KING of England Scotland France and Ireland immediately after His said Royall Fathers barbarous Murther by Right of Descent and proclaimed it Treason for any Person to Proclaime Him KING whereas it is high Treason in them thus to prohibit His proclaiming and have likewise trayterously and impudently encroached a tyrannical lawlesse power to themselves to Vote down our antient Kingly Monarchicall Government and the House of Peers and to make a new Great Seal of England without the Kings Portraicture or Stile and to alter the antient Regall and Legall stile of VVrits proceedings in the Courts of Iustice to create new Iudges and Commissioners of the Great Seale and to dispense with their Oathes of Supremacy and Allegiance and to prescribe new Oathes unto them contrary to Law though they have no Authority by any Law Statute or Custome to administer or injoyne an Oath to any man and thereby have trayterously attempted to alter the fundamentall Laws and Government of this Kingdome and to subvert the freedome priviledges and beeing of Parliaments for which Treasons Strafford and Canterbury though leste criminall lost their Heads this last Parliament by some of their owne prosecutions and the judgment of both Houses We in discharge of our respective duties and obligations both to God the King our owne Consciences our bleeding dying Kingdomes and the severall Counties Cities and Burroughs for which we serve doe by this present Writing in our own Names and in the Names of all the Counties Cities and Burroughs which We represented in Parliament publickly declare and solemnly protest before the all-seeing God the whole Kingdomes of England Scotland and Ireland and the world that We doe from the bottome of our hearts abominate renounce and disclaime all the said pretended Acts Votes and proceedings of the said confederate Members acted under the Armies power against our Consents as treasonable wicked illegall unparliamentary tyrannicall and pernitious both to the King Parliamt Kingdomes and all the free-borne People of this Realme extreamly disadvantagious and dishonourable to our Nation scandalous to our Religion and meer forcible Usurpations and Nullities void in Law to all intents and purposes which we and all the Freemen of this Kingdome and all the Kingdomes and Dominions thereto belonging are bound openly to disavow oppugne and resist as such with our purses armes lives to the last drop of our blouds and to which neither We nor any other can ought or dare to submit or assent in the least degree without incurring the guilt of High Treason and the highest perjury infamy and disloyalty And in case the said Confederates shall not speedily retract and desist
Gentlemen of the best quality vvere named vvhom they could not omit because they had sate vvith them and concurred in all their great debates although they had more confidence in those petty Fellovves vvho had or vvould sell their soules for gain to make themselves Gentlemen to debarre the said Gentlemen of quality therefore and make them forbeare they invented an expurgatory Oath or Shibeleth to be taken by every Member before his initiation vvhereby they should Declare That they approved of vvhat the House of Commons and their High Court of Iustice had done against the KING and of their abolishing of Kingly Government and of the House of Peers and that the Legislative and Supreme power was wholly in the House of Commons 22. Febr Cromwell Chair-man of that Committee of State reported to the Commons That according to the order of that House 19 of the said Members had subscribed to that forme of the Oath as it was originally penned but 22. of them scrupled it whereof all the Lords were part not but that they confessed except one The Commons of England to be the Supreme power of the Nation or that they would not live and die with them in what they shall doe for the future but could not confirme what they had done in relation to the King and Lords so it vvas referred to a Committee to consider of an expedient Cromwell having made use of the Levellers Assertors of publique Liberty to purge the House of Commons 115. Cromvvels usurped povver VVhen the House of Commons opposed Cromvvells and … on s designs they cried up the Liberty of the People and decried the Authority of Parliament untill they had made use of the Levellers to purge the House of Commons and make it subservient to their ends and abolish the House of Lords and then they cried up the Supreme Authority of their House of Commons and decried the Liberty of the People and the Levellers who upheld it So Charles the 5. first made use of the Popes Authority to subdue the Protestants of Germany and then used an Army of Protestants to subdue and imprison the Pope and abolish the Lords House doth novv endeavour to cast dovvne the Levellers once more finding himselfe raised to so great an height that he cannot endure to thinke of a levelling equality he oversvvaies the Councell of VVarre over-avves the House of Commons and is Chair-man and Ring-leader of the Councell of State so that he hath engrossed all the povver of England into his ovvne hands and is become the Triple King or Lord Paramount over all the Tyrants of England in opposition therefore to the Levelling party and for the upholding his ovvne more Lordly Interest he procured an expedient to Alter and Reforme the said Oath vvhich at last passed in this forme follovving February the 22. 1648. 116. The forme of the said reformed Oath I A.B. being nominated a Member of the Councell of State by this present Parliament doe testifie that I doe adhere to this present Parliament in the maintenance and defence of the publique liberty and freedome of this Nation as it is now Declared by this Parliament by whose Authority I am constituted a Member of the said Councell and in the maintenance and defence of their resolutions concerning the setling of the Government of this Nation for the future in way of a Republique without King or House of Peers and I doe promise in the sight of God that through his Grace I will be faithfull in performance of the trust committed to me as aforesaid and therein faithfully pursue the Instructions given to the said Councell by this present Parliament Here you see a curtaine drawn between the eys of the people the clandestine machinations and actings of this Councell and not reveale or disclose any thing in whole or in part directly or indirectly that shall be debated or resolved upon in the Councell without the command or direction of the Parliament or without the order or allowance of the major part of the Councell or of the major part of them that shall be present at such Debates or Resolutions In confirmation of the premises I have hereto subscribed my Name 117. The C of VVar debate to massacre the Kings party See Will Sedgvvicks Iustice upon the Armies Remonstrance About this time it vvas debated at the Councell of VVarre to Massacre and put to the Sword all the KING's Party The Question put vvas carried in the Negative but by tvvo Voices You see vvhat Furies pursue these sinfull VVretches and vvhat dangerous rocks they dash upon in order to that base and covvardly principle of Self-preservation 118. Schismaticall Petitions for 2. or 3. principall Gentlemen in each Country to be brought to justice The Army hath in every County of England packs of schismaticall Beagles vvhom they hollovv on to hunt in full crie by Petitions to the House after the bloud of such vvhom they design for slaughter Many Petitions have been lately presented That two or three principall Gentlemen of the KING's Party by name in each County might be sacrificed to Iustice whereby the Land might be freed from bloud-guiltinesse Divers Merchants have contracted to send forth severall Ships for the next Summers Fleet at their ovvne charge 119. Marchants arming Ships for this Summers Fleet. The prodigious High Court of Iustice vvas revived in order to the Triall of the Earle of Holland the Earle of Cambridge the Earl of Norwich the Lord Capel and Sir Iohn Owens 120. The High Court of Iustice revived the Commissioners vvere changed that they may engage as many men in arbitrary illegall tyranny and bloud-shed as they can Hamilton vvas exceedingly importuned by Cromwell vvho tooke a journey to VVindsor purposely to name such Members of Parliament and Citizens as had any hand in calling him in 121. The History of Hamiltons imprisonment and death See digitus Dei upon Duke Hamilton this he either could not or vvould not doe he had in order to his ovvn ambition first exasperated the Independent party against the KING and aftervvards sought their ruine by engaging for the KING and he doubted that to undertake so odious an office as to play the Devils part and be an Accuser of his Brethren vvould but set a glosse upon the Independents intended severity against him Being brought to St. Iames's in order to his Tryall Cromwell hoping to traine him to a confession caused all his Creatures to carry a favourable countenance to him Bradshaw smoothed him up vvith soft language at the Barre the Lord Gray of Grooby Col VVayte and Hugh Peters gave him hopes that they vvould not much obstruct his pretended Plea of Quarter from Lambert upon Articles Peters avouched Quarter so given by Lambert notvvithstanding Colonel VVayte vvhen he made Report to the House of Commons hovv he took him affirmed He yeilded at discretion and Lambert was not then neer him after this Peters gives Hamilton a Visit
him by Coronet Ioyce vvho hath vvith much faithfulnesse resisted the like allurements and so foule a Copie of Inconstancy by Reynolds The Commons have ordered 153. The designe of making Members of Parliament liable to Arrests That upon Complaint made to any Iudge of the three Benches the Iudges shall send a Letter of Summons to such Member of their House as shall be complained of to give an appearance and submit to legall proceedingâ— otherwise his person to be liable to Arrests But our present Iudges are Creatures to the House of Commons and knovv beforehand vvhat Members are Babes of Grace in favour and must be priviledged and vvho are out of favour and must not be priviledged they have an Index tells them vvhen to grant and vvhen to deny Sinners must not be partakers of the same Lavves with Saints This is a VVhip and a Bell to drive such dogged Members out of the Hall as vvill not hunt in pack vvith the Grandees in pursuit of their designe and are quick-sented enough to smell out their knavery if they come too neer their dore It is thought the tyrannicall Hocas Pocasses had an ayme hereby to lash Harry Martyn off from the Levellers and make him come in to them 154. VVomen Petition the House for L Col. Lilburne and his Company About this time some thousands of vvelaffected VVomen of London VVestminster Southwarke and the Hamlets stormed the House of Commons vvith tvvo Petitions in behalf of Io Lilburne and his Company They complaine of the Councell of States violent and illegall proceedings against them in seizing them in the night by Souldiers of Lockiers being shot to death by Martiall Law of their Arbitrary Government Second part of Englands New Chaines discovered Taxes Excise Monopolies c. That there was a Designe to fetch Lilburne and his Fellowe Prisoners out of the Tower at midnigbt to VVhite-hall and there murder them That the House by Declaring the Abettors of the Booke laid to those Prisoners charge Traytors have layd a snare for people when as hardly any discourse can be touching the affaires of the present times but falls within the compasse of that Booke so that all liberty of discourse is there by utterly taken away then which there can be no greater slavery They received not so good Ansvvers to these Petitions as they vvere vvont to receive vvhen they had Money Plate Rings Bodkins and Thymbles to sacrifice to these Legislative Idols they vvere bid Goe home and wash their Dishes to vvhich some replied They had neither Dishes nor Meat left Note that the Commons have returned ansvver to some Petitioners 155. Observations upon the Commons Answer to those that petitioned for Lilburne c. that Lilburne shall be Legally Tried by Laws preceding the fact and yet by their Order 11. April 1649. it is Ordered That the Attourney Generall be required to take speedy course for prosecution of Lieu. Col. Io Lilburne c. in the Vpper Bench this Terme upon the Declaration of this House touching the Booke entituled The second part of Englands new Chaines discovered if this Order be not a Lavv and preceding the fact too then our supreme Saints have told a Legislative Lie In the latter end of the said Ansvver they are angry the Petitioners should discover so much of their basenesse That Cromwell Ireton rides them and therefore contrary to all mens knovvledge and their ovvne Consciences they terme those Intimations seditious Suggestions and Ordered that Cromwell and Ireton should dravv up a Declaration to prevent the people from being mis-led by Sovvers of sedition Humiliter servivunt aut superbe dominantur such are the degenerous Spirits of under-Tyrants vvho are Asses to their Superiors and Lyons to their Inferiors Cromwell and Ireton that have subverted all civill Authority Murdered the KING possessed themselves of vvhat they please and enslaved the Kingdome vvith a Military tyranny must dravv up a Declaration according to their fancy for their ovvne vindication and the Commons must Father the Bastard and set the stamp of their Authority and priviledge upon it lest any man should confute it and beat back the Authors lies into their throats But this is no nevv invention for formerly vvhen the Councell of Officers set forth their Ansvver to the House of Commons Demands concerning their secured Members Ireton penned this scandalous Answer of the said Officers Cromwell and Ireton caused their Iourney-men of that Conventicle to Vote That the House did approve the matter of the said Answer thereby ovvning all the grosse lies therein contained to deterre the imprisoned Members from replying to it and so by a tacite confession to acknovvledge themselves guilty About this time appeared out of the East a Nevv Light in our Horizon 156. The Turkish Alchoran taught to speak English the Alchoran of Mahomet Predecessor to Cromwell and of Sergius forerunner of Hugh Peters naturalized and turned English Novv the Ievves Professed Enemies to Christ vvhich Mahomet is not are accepted off it is believed that their Thalmude and Caball vvill shortly be made English too that this Island may be rendered a compleat Pantheon a Temple and Oracle for all Gods and all Religions our light-headed innovating People being like Reeds as apt to be shaken by and bend unto every vvind every breath of pretended Inspiration as the antient Arabians vvere May 1. 1649. 157. New-declared Treasons to defend tyranny and usurpation and ensnare the People The frighted Conventicle of Commons considered of an Act forsooth to fortifie themselves and their usurpations vvith a Scar-crovv of nevv-declared Treasons to the purpose follovving 1 If anyman shall malitiously this is a vvord of qualification a back-dore to let out such as they shall thinke fit Affirme the present Government to be tyrannicall usurped or unlawfull or that the Commons in Parliament are not the supreme Authority of the Nation or endeavour to alter the present Government 2. If any affirme the Councell of State or Parliament to be Tyrannicall or unlawfull or endeavour to subvert them or stirre up sedition against them For Souldiers of the Army to contrive the death of the Generall or Lieutenant Generall or endeavour to raise mutinies in the Army Quaere whether Cromvvell be Lieutenant Generall or no or to leavy VVarre against the Parliament to joyne with any to invade England or Ireland counterfeit the Great Seale kill any Member of Parliament or Iudge or Minister of Iustice in their duty All these severall cases to be Declared Treason You see the terrors of Caine pursue these guilty Covvards This Fools Boit is chiefly aymed at the honest Levellers this Iunto of Commons have made themselves legall Traytors already and vvould novv make all the Kingdome legislative Traytors but I hope none of those that arrogate the Reverend Title of Iudges of the Law although against Lavv vvill be so lavvlesse as to give Sentence of Death upon any such illegall Act of the House
this Nation as it was with the Netherlanders and other People for theirs and that upon the same Principles that the Army engaged at New-market and Triploe-heaths both Parliament and Army declaring That it is no resistance of Magistracy to side with just Principles Law of Nature and Nations And that the Souldiery may Lawfully hold the hands of that Generall who will turn his Cannon against his Army on purpose to destroy them The Sea-men the hands of that Pilot who wilfully runs his Ship upon a Rock And therefore the condition of this Commom-wealth considered we cannot see how it can be otherwise esteemed in us And upon that account we Declare that we doe owne and are resolved to owne all such Persons either of the Army or Countries that have already or shall hereafter rise up and stand for the Liberties of England according to the said Agreement of the People And in particular We doe owne avow the late proceedings in Colonel Scroops Col. Harrisons and Major General Skippons Regiments declared in their Resolutions published in print As One Man Resolving to live and die with them in their our just and mutuall defence And we doe implore and invite all such as have any sense of the Bonds and Miseries upon the People any Bowels of Compassion in them any Piety Justice Honour or Courage in their Brests any Affections to the Freedomes of England any love to his Neighbour or Native Country to rise up and come in to help a distressed miserable Nation to breake the Bands of Cruelty Tyranny and Oppression and set the People Free In which Servise Trusting to the undoubted goodnesse of a just and righteous Cause We shall faithfully discharge the utmost of our Endeavours Not sparing the venture of all hardships and hazards whatsoever and leave the Successe to God Signed by me WILLIAM THOMPSON at our Randezvouz in Oxford-shire neer Banbury in behalf of my Self and the Rest Engaged with me May 6. 1649. For a New Parliament By the Agreement of the People About this time Doctor Dorislaus a Civill Lawyer 159. Doct Dorislaus stabbed to death in Holland sometimes Judge Advocate to the Earle of Essex and Lord Fairfax and lately one of the Councell in the High Court of Justice against the KING and the 4. Lords was sent from the Parliament Agent into Holland where about 18. Scots-men repayring to his Lodging 6. of them went up the stayres to his Chamber whilst 12. of them made good the stayre-foot they stabb'd him to death and escaped About the 14. day of May 1649. 160. Hasleriggs barbarous motion to murder ix Royalists of the best quality in revenge of Dorislaus Report was made from the Councell of State to the House of the examination of 3. Servāts of Doctor Dorislaus concerning the Death of their Master what allowances were fit to be given to his Children out of the Kings Revenue thereby to lay an aspertion upon the King as if He having had an influence upon that Fact His Estate must make the recompence notwithstanding Scotish men did the deed in revenge of Hamiltons death Dorislaus had been a poor Schoolmaster in the Low Countries formerly from whence he was translated to read the Histori Lecture at Oxford where he decried Monarchy in his first Lecture was complained of and forgiven by the benignity of the King Then he became Judge Advocate in the Kings Army in his expedition against the Scots afterwards he had the like imployment under the Earle of Essex and lastly under Sir Tho Fairfax a great Gainer by his employments but withall a great Antimonarchist a Saint in Cromwells Rubrick therefore had a magnetique virtue both living and dead to draw money to him in abundance Upon occasion of this Debate Haslerigge moved That 6 Gentlemen of the best quality Royalists might be put to Death as a revenge for Dorislaus and to deterre men from the like attempts hereafter That you may the better see of what Spirit Haslerigge is knowne That some Northerne Counties having petitioned the Commons for reliefe against the miserable famine raging there Haslerigge opposed their request saying That want of food would best defend these Counties from Scotish Invasions What man that had any sense of Christianity Courage Honesty or Justice would have been the Authour of so barbarous and unjust a motion That 6. Gentlemen no way conscious nor privie to the fact should be offered up a sacrifice to revenge malice nay to guilty feares and base cowardize to keep off the like attempts from Haslerigge and his Party I wish this Gentleman would read the Alchoran or new Independent Bible of the new Translation and from thence gather precepts of more Humanity Justice Honesty and Courage since he hath Read the Old New Testament of Moses and Christ to so little purpose Yet the House 18. May passed a Declaration That if more Acts of the like nature happened hereafter it should be retaliated upon such Gentlemen of the Kings Party as had not yet Compounded But this is but a devise to fright them to Compound unlesse it be a forerunner to a Massacre heretofore taken into consideration at a Councell of Warre See § 161. An Act declaring more nevv Treasons About this time came forth that prodigious Act declaring 4. new Treasons with many cōplicated Treasons in their bellies the like never heard of before in our Law nor in any Kingdome or Republike of Christendō Because I have formerly spokē of it the Act it self printed publisht dreadfully notorious throughout the whole Kingdō I wil refer you to the printed Copie only one clause formerly debated was omitted in the Act viz. That to kill the Generall Lieu. Gen any Members of this present Parl or Councel of State to be declared Treason this would have discovered their guilty cowardize so much they were ashamed of it besides it was thought fit to make the People take a new Oath of Allegiance to the new State First I wil only give you some few Observations thereupon This Act declares to be Treason unto death and confiscation of Lands all Deeds Plots Words 1. Against this present fagge end of a Parliament against their never-before heard-of Supreme Authority and Government for when was this Kingdome ever governed by a Parliament or by any power constituted by them 2. All endeavours to subvert the Keepers of the Liberties of England and Councell of State constituted and to be from time to time constituted by Authority of Parliament who are to be under the said Representatives in Parliament if they please not otherwise for the Sword and the Purse is trusted in the power of the Councell of State yet the Keepers of the Liberties of England and the Councell of State of England to be hereafter constituted by Parliament are Individua vaga ayrie notions not yet named nor known when they are known we owe them no Allegiance without which no Treason by the
Warre against our lawfull Soveraigne under pretence of defending our Lawes and Liberties and the Priviledges of Parliament which themselves onely with a concurring faction in the House have now openly and in the face of the Sunne pulled up by the roots and now they stop our mouths and silence our just complaints with horrid Sect. 162. illegall and bloudy Acts Declaring words and deeds against their usurpations and tyranny to be High Treason nothing is now Treason but what the remaining faction of the House of Commons please to call so To murder the King breake the Parliament by hostile force put downe the House of Lords erect extrajudiciall High Courts of Iustice to murder Men without Triall by Peers or Iury or any legall proceeding to subvert the fundamentall Government by Monarchy and dispossesse the right Heyre of the Crowne and to usurp His supreme Authority in a factious fagge end of the House of Commons to put the Kingly Government into a packed Iunto of forty Tyrants called A Councell of State to exercise Martiall Law in times of peace and upon Persons no Members of the Army to raise what unnecessary illegall Taxes they please and share them and the Crowne Lands and Revenues amongst themselves leaving the Souldiers unpaid to live upon Free-quarter whilst they abuse the People with pretended Orders against Free quarter to alter the Styles of Commissions Patents Processe and all Legall proceedings and introduce a foraigne Iurisdiction to Counterfeit the Great Seale and Coyne of the Kingdome and to keep up Armies of Rebels to make good these and other tyrannies and Treasons is High Treason by the knowne Lawes but now by the Votes of the Conventicle of Commons it is High Treason to speake against these Crimes Good God! how long will thy patience suffer these Fooles to say in their hearts there is no God and yet professe thee with their mouthes to breake all Oathes Covenants and Protestations made in thy name to cloake and promote their Designes with dayes of impious fasting and thanksgiving how often have thy Thunderbolts rived senslesse Trees and torne brute Beasts that serve thee according to their creation yet thou passest over these men who contemn thee contrary to their knowledge and professions Scatter the People that delight in warre Turne the Councells of the wise into folly let the crafty be taken in their owne net and now at last let the Oppressed tast of thy mercies and the Oppressor of thy justice throw thy rod into the fire and let it no longer be a bundle bound together in thy right hand They appeale to thee as Author of their prosperous sinnes become Lord Author of their just punishments bestow upon them the reward of Hypocrites and teach them to know the difference between the saving strength of Magistrates and the destroying violence of Hang-men But what am I that argue against thy long-suffering whereof my selfe stand in need and seek to ripen thy vengeance before thy time shall the Pot aske the Potter what he doth I beheld the prosperity of the wicked and my feet had almost slipped Lord amend all in thy good time and teach us heartily to pray Thy will be done in Earth as it is in Heaven 170. The Act for Abolishing Monarchy proclaimed in London May. 30. 1649. The aforesaid trayterous Act for abolishing Kingly Government and converting England into a Free-State consisting of forty Tyrants and many millions of Slaves was proclaimed in London by the newly intruded illegall Lord Major Andrewes accompanied with 14 Aldermen of the same pack the People in great abundance crying out Away with it away with it GOD save King CHARLES the Second and bitterly reviling and cursing it and them untill some Troops of Horse ready prepared in secret were sent to disperse beat and wound them and yet the Tryall of the King and the subverting of our well-formed Monarchy under which we lived so happily heretofore with all other Acts of the like high nature was done in the name of the People of England although I dare say at least five hundred to one if they were free from the terror of an Army would disavow these horrid Acts so little are the People pleased with these doings notwithstanding the new Title the Conventicle of Commons have gulled them withall Voting the People of England to be The Supreme Power and the Commons representing them in Parliament the Supreme Authority of the Nation under them This was purposely so contrived to engage the whole City and make them as desperately and impardonably guilty as themselves and certainly if this Tumult of the People amounting to a publique disclaimour of the Act had not happened the whole City had been guilty by way of connivance as well as these Aldermen and the illegall Common Councell newly packed by the remaining Faction of Commons contrary to the Cities Charters to carry on these and such like Designes and entangle the whole City in their Crimes and Punishments * The Names of the Lord Mayor and Aldermen of the City of London that personally proclaimed the Act for abolishing Kingly Government Alderman Andrewes Lord Mayor Alderman Pennington Ald. Wollaston Ald. Foulkes Ald. Kenrick Ald. Byde Ald. Edmonds Ald. Pack Alderman Bateman Ald. Atkins Ald. Viner Ald. Avery Ald. Wilson Ald. Dethick Ald. Foot The Pharasiticall House of Commons voted an Act 171. A Thanks-giving Dinner in the City for the Generall c. 1. Iune for a day of Thanks-giuing to set off K. Olivers Victory over the Levellers with the more lustre and to sing Hosanna to him for bringing the grand Delinquent to punishment The wise Lord Mayor and his Brethren in imitation invited the Parliament Councell of State the Generall and his Officers to a Thanks-giving Dinner upon that day The Commons appointed a Committee under pretence of drawing more money from Adventurers for Relief of Ireland to engage the City farther to them Cromwell had the Chaire in that Committee the device was that the Common Councell should invite the Parliament Councell of State and Officers of the Army to Dinner and feast them as a Free-State and then move the Supplies for Ireland But if the Levellers had prevailed the thanks-giving whit-broth and custard had beene bestowed upon those free-spirited Blades whom Oliver raised into a mutiny with one hand and by advantage of his Spies cast downe with another for the glory of his owne Name and that he might have an occasion to purge the Army as he had done the Parliament of all free-borne humours 172. The Councell of State sit in pomp at Wihte hall White-hall is now become the Palace of a Hydra of Tyrants instead of one King where our Hogens Mogens or Councell of State sit in as much state and splendour with their Roomes as richly hanged I wish they were so too and furnished if you will believe their licenced News-books as any Lords States in Europe yet many of these Mushromes of Majesty were but Mechanicks
imputation of sinne for the good Cause either in Re or in mode Rei in the matter or manner in the thing or the extent thereof yet this successe was enough to invite Cromwell over to pursue the Victory and partake of the spoyles if not to usurp the whole Honour of the Atchievement to himselfe by his accustomed speciall prerogative So upon the 16 or 17. of August K. Nol set sayle towards his new Principality carrying contrary to the custome of the Sea his Lanthorne in his Proawe not in his Poope where we will leave him for the present to his adventures 205. The Association between Oneale and C. Monke See the Paper at large I have formerly hinted to you the Agreement made between Colonel Monke in behalfe of the Parliament of England and Owen Roe Oneale the massacring Irish Rebell I have now occasion to speake more at large of it and examine the truth of a Paper called The true state of the Transactions of Col. George Monke with Owen Roe Oneale as it was reported to the Parliament by the Councell of State c. Printed by Edward Husbands 15. August 1649. The said Agreement made between the Antimonarchicall Independent Party in Ireland and the massacring Antimonarchicall Popish Party under Owen Roe Oneale being a meer conspiracy to root out Monarchy and Protestancy first in Ireland and then in England and a second crucifying of Christ in his members between two Thieves the Schismatique and the Papist was so generally abhorred by the English Souldiery that many there tooke occasion to forsake the English Parliament and many here disbanded rather than they would accompany Cromwell in so wicked an expedition Wherefore Cromwell writ Letters to his Creatures of the Councell of State by Monke himself complainig how much the miscarriage of that Agreement had retarded his said Voyage desiring them for satisfaction of the Souldiery and People to Treat with Monke to take the whole businesse upon himselfe and to cleer the Councell of State the Parliament and Cromwell himselfe from having any hand at all in it which upon Tearmes of safety and advantage he said he already found him inclinable to doe The better to carry on the scene this Agreement was with much heat of zeale complained of in the Apocryphall House of Commons by a Brother who had his cue beforehand and by the Iuncto was referred to the Councel of State as was forelaid where their High and Mightinesses after some private conference with Monke to accommodate the businesse voted their dislike of it Scot having studied the Politiques in a Brewers Tally is become a great Statesman in our new Babel See the said Paper The true state c. Bradshaw reprehending Monke in jest therefore And at last they Ordered That the whole businesse with Monks Reasons for his justification should be reported by Thomas Scot to the House of Commons which was accordingly done Upon Friday 10. August Monke was called in to the Barre where amongst other things the Speaker asked him What Persons he meant in his Letter to the L. Lieutenant of Ireland wherein he saith He made the Agreement with Oneale with the advice of some others Monke answered that he did it upon his owne score without advice of any other Person onely having discourse with Col. Iones Iones told him if he could keep Owen Roe and Ormond from joyning it would be a good service This Answer such as it is was taken for Satisfactory in so Comick an Interlude The next demand was Whether he had any advice or Directions from the Parliament Councell of State Lord Lieutenant of Ireland or any other Person here to do the same which he did expresly deny saying he did it upon his owne score Hereupon the House voted as followeth Resolved c. That this House doth utterly disapprove of the proceedings of Col. Monke in the Treaty and Cessation as they please to call it made between him and Owen Roe Oneale and that this House doth detest the thoughts of any closing with any Party of Popish Rebels there who have had their hands in shedding English blood Neverthelesse the House being satisfied that what the said Col. Monke did therein was in his apprehension necessary for the preservation of the Parliament of Englands Interest That the House is content the further consideration thereof as to him be laid aside and shall not at any time hereafter be called in question So exit Monke and the Play was done wherein take notice of these following Observations 1. The Armies Doctrine See the Answer of the Councel of Officers to the Parliaments Demand concerning their secured Members And their Answer thereto and use of apprehended necessity and good intentions to justifie evill actions approved of by this example of the Parliament as they will be called 2. This Agreement though it were at least twelve Weeks agoe publiquely knowne in England and divulged in their owne Licenced Newes-bookes was never scrupled untill now That 1. the said Agreement was expired 2. That Oneale was so beaten by the Lord Inchiquine that he is as their owne Newes-books say inconsiderable and must suddenly joyne with the Marquesse of Ormond or be destroyed 3. That these Votes call this * Let me not seem over-bold in maintaining a different opinion since Parliaments are no more infallible than Popes and all humane opinions are equall unlesse Reason make the difference I hope we have not lost our Reason with our Lawes and Liberties nor the exercise and use of it Agreement but a Treaty and Cessation of Armes which I affirme to be a League Defensive and Offensive against Ormond Inchiquine and all that doe and shall uphold Monarchy if not Protestancy too for these Reasons 1. Article second saith Tbat upon all occasions both Parties be ready with their Forces to assist one another untill a more absolute Agreement be made and condiscended unto by the Parliament of England This is beyond a Cessation 2. Article third saith That the Creaghts of Ulster residing within the Quarters of Col. Monke shall pay Contribution to Generall Owen Oneale This is a Concession of a great latitude farre beyond the authority of any subordinate Commander or Generall and against the Lawes and Liberties of the Land to grant Taxes It should seem by this that Oneale and his Army were become Mercenaries taken into pay by Monke 3. Article fourth saith That if Generall Owen Oneale shall happen to fight against the Forces under the Command of the Marquesse of Ormond the Lord Inchiquine or any other Enemies of the Parliament of England and thereby spend his Ammunition if he be neer unto my Quarters and be distressed for want of Ammunition I shall then furnish him This was actually performed when my Lord Inchiquine Besieged Dundalke I make the same interpretation of this Article that I have made of the third 4. The fifth Article alloweth to Oneale the use of any Harbours within Col. Monkes liberty which likewise is too much
best to his most holy will and it is therefore good holy just because he willeth it His Divine pleasure being the rule and standard of goodnesse holinesse justice Mistake me not I doe not meane his bare providence or permissive will which no man can take notice of and Traytors Tyrants Thieves and Reprobate Saints execute and boast of to their owne assured damnation Therefore Gods employing wicked Instruments can be no president for our Alchimy Saints to doe the like unlesse Cromwells * Councell of Officiers of State and Parliament three Iuntoes and faction will usurp Gods prerogative as they have done the Kings 5. The 15. August the Letter saith that Coote called a Councell of Warre who resolved It was better to accept of the assistance of those who proclaimed themselves Friends to us and the Interest we fight for c. Here you see O Neale's bloody Party those Parliament Champions united and friendly conspiring to uphold one Common Interest which can be nothing but the downfall of Monarchy and Protestancy 6. The 15. August the Letter further saith that we Coote and his Councell of Warre added to the Articles this wary Proviso not to use their assistance longer then the approbation of the State of England should go a long with us therein c. It should seem by this warinesse that for the time they had used their help which was ever since the 22. of May last the approbation of the said State as they call it hath gone along therewith And for the time they meane to use their assistance hereafter it is left indefinite no longer then the approbation of the State shall goe along with us therein which may happily be untill Domes-day notwithstanding the Order Dated the 24. August 1649. voting That their Vote of the 10. August in the Case of Col. Monke be communicated to Sir Ch Coote as the Resolution of the House c. For who knowes whether the Copies of that Vote may miscarry or be stayed by the way either accidentally or purposely 7. The 14. August the Letter saith See Monke's Letter of Answer to Oneale Dated 26. April 1649. from Dondalke contained in the last foregoing Section but one See the said Paper entituled The Propositions of Owen Roe O Neale sent to C. Monk c. printed at Corke 1649. O Neale was pleased to communicate to him certaine Proposalls which he saith were long since transmitted into England to the Parliament by C. Monke and though for his owne part and the prime Officers with him these are privie to the secret carriage of the businesse and therefore may well be satisfied with what is done already they do not doubt but the Proposalls are already yeilded to by the State yet in regard their Army and Party in all other parts of the Kingdome these are ignorant of the juggle and causes thereof cannot be satisfied therewith untill the Parliament be pleased to declare themselves more publiquely therein it should seem they have done it privately already for satisfaction of O Neale and his said prime Officers he hath therefore desired me humbly to intreat your Lordships to declare your Resolution therein with as much speed as may be Here you see O Neale and his prime Officers who know the juggle satisfied already with a private confirmation of the Articles But to satisfie the rest of his Army and Party to whom this mystery is not yet revealed a publique Declaration thereof is desired that they may Vnanimously and cheerfully endeavour the preservation of the Parliaments Interest The Articles of Agreement between O Neale and Coote conclude clearly a League or Warre Offensive and Defensive against the Enemies of both or either untill a more absolute Agreement be made and condiscended unto by the Parliament of England This more absolute Agreement is now in agitation and private Directions sent to Coote how to behave himselfe in the Transaction thereof See the 1. Vote die veneris 24. August 1649. See the Relation of the Transactions between Sir Charles Coote and Own Roe O Neale printed by Order 28. Aug. 1649. The Votes upon these Letters and Articles were two Upon part in the first Vote I have observed something already in the 6. branch of this Section viz. that their Votes of the 10. Aug. in Case of Col. Monke be communicated to Coote and a Direction for him how to behave himselfe in the Transaction between him and Own Roe O Neale this Transaction is called in the Articles ut supra a more absolute Agreement These Letters Articles and Votes being Apologetically published for satisfaction of the Souldiery and People it had been fit to have communicated the said Directions also to their Trustors and Soveraigne Lords the People that they might have seen faire play above board and not to have sent clandestine Directions to Coote in so suspitious a busines how to behave himself in the Transaction with O Neale which implies the said Transaction shal be continued and may be compleated the rather for that their second Vote saith The House is well satisfied of the diligence faithfulnesse and integrity of Sir Charles Coote in preserving the Garrison of London Derry now it was preserved by his said Conjunction with O Neale who raised the Siege About this time came forth a Booke called 208. The Levellors vindicated or The Case of the twelve Troops c. The Levellors vindicated or The Case of the 12. Troops which by Treachery in a Treaty were lately surprized at Burford Subscribed by Six Officers in the name of many more Wherein p. 2. they say That under colour of the Armies solemne Engagement at New-market and Triplo-heath Iune 5. 1647. and many other their Declarations Promises and Protestations in pursuance thereof which Engagement they affirme against their Preaching Coronet Denne was never retracted by any Generall Councell of the Army nor upon any Petition of the Souldiers nor their Agitators ever by them recalled or dismissed The whole fabrik of this Common-wealth is fallen into the grossest and vilest Tyranny that ever English-men groaned under all their Laws Rights Lives Liberties and Proporties wholly subdued to the boundlesse wills of some deceitfull Persons having devolved the whole Magistracy of England into their Martiall Domination c. Pag. 7. They say That the Souldiers Paper-Debentures are good for nothing but to sell to Parliament-men for 3. or 4. in the pound which they are forced to sell them for to keep them from starving because they will not pay one penny Arreares to such as they put out of the Army any other waies that so they may rob the Souldiers of their Seven yeares Servìce and make themselves and their Adherents Purchasers of the Kings Lands for little or nothing and for ought appeares the Money they buy these Debentures with is the Money the Nation can have no Account of That they have dealt as basely with other Soldiers who never resisted their Commands 1. They turned them off with