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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A88195	An impeachment of high treason against Oliver Cromwel, and his son in law Henry Ireton Esquires, late Members of the late forcibly dissolved House of Commons, presented to publique view; by Lieutenant Colonel Iohn Lilburn close prisoner in the Tower of London, for his real, true and zealous affections to the liberties of his native country. In which following discourse or impeachment, he engageth upon his life, either upon the principles of law ... or upon the principles of Parliaments ancient proceedings, or upon the principles of reason ... before a legal magistracy, when there shal be one again in England ... to prove the said Oliver Cromwel guilty of the highest treason that ever was acted in England, and more deserving punishment and death then the 44 judges hanged for injustice by King Alfred before the Conquest; ... In which are also some hints of cautions to the Lord Fairfax, for absolutely breaking his solemn engagement with his souldiers, &c. to take head and to regain his lost credit in acting honestly in time to come; ... In which is also the authors late proposition sent to Mr Holland, June 26. 1649. to justifie and make good at his utmost hazard ... his late actions or writings in any or all his books.	Lilburne, John, 1614?-1657.	1649 (1649)	Wing L2116; Thomason E568_20; ESTC R204522	95,549	77

also into a disaffection and dislike of the proceedings of Parliament pretending to shew that his Majesties Interest would far better suit with the Principles of Independency then of Presbytery And when the King did alledge as many times he did That the power of Parliament was the Power by which we fought Lieutenant-Generall CROMVVEL would reply That WE WERE NOT ONELY SOULDIERS BUT COMMONERS promising that the Army would be for the King in the Settlement of his whole Businesse if the King and his party would sit still and not declare nor act against the Army but give them leave onely to mannage the present businesse in hand That when the King was at New-market the Parliament thought fit to send to his Majesty humbly desiring that in Order to his safety and their addresses for a speedy settlement he would be pleased to come to Richmond contrary hereunto resolution was taken by the aforesaid Officers of the Army That if the King could not be diverted by perswasion to which his Majesty was very opposite that then they would stop him by force at Royston where his Majesty was to lodge the first night keeping accordingly continuall Guards upon him against any power that should be sent by Order of Parliament to take him from us And to this purpose out-Guards were also kept to preserve his escape from us with the Commissioners of whom we had speciall Orders given to be carefull for that they did daily shew dislike to the present proceedings of the Army against the Parliament and that the King was most conversant and private in discourse with them His Majesty saying that if any man should hinder his going now his Houses had desired him upon his late Message of the 12 of May 1647. it should be done by force and by laying hold on his Bridle Which if any were so bold to do he would endeavour to make it his last But contrary to his Majesties expectation the next morning when the King and the Officers of the Army were putting this to an issue came the Votes of both Houses to the King of their compliance with that which the Army formerly desired After his Majesty did incline to hearken to the desires of the Army and not before Whereupon at Caversham the King was continually sollicited by Messengers from Lieutenant-General CROMVVEL and Commissary-General IRETON proffering any thing his Majesty should desire as Revenues Chaplains Wife children servants of his own visitation of Friends [c] [c] Sir Edw. Ford a professed Papist and one that had broken prison out of the Tower of London was at that time Iretons constant bed-fellow at whose lodging constant royall Cabals was held and yet at the same time Ireton c. impeached Hollis and Stapleton for high Treason for private correspondence with the King Armies Book of Declar. pag. 81 82 83. accesse of Letters and by Commissary-General Ireton that his Negative Voice should not be medled withall and that had hee convinced those that reasoned against it at the Genarall-councell of the Army as also all this they would doe that His Majesty might the better see into all our Actions and know our principles which lead us to give him all those things out of Conscience For that we were not a people hating His Majesties person or Monarchicall [d] [d] Yet read Iretons c. Remonstrance from St. Albans and you shall finde the quite contrary yea and that the things here they plead for they there condemn as the highest Treason as evidently there appears pag. 15 16. 17 22 23 24 32 48 50 62. Government but that we like it as the best and that by this King saying also That they did hold it a very unreasonable thing for the Parliament to abridge him of them often promising That if his Majesty will sit still and not act against them They would in the first place restore him to all these and upon the settlement of our own just rights and Liberties make him the most glorious Prince in Christendome That to this purpose for a settlement they were making severall Proposals to be offered to the Commissioners of Parliament then sent down to the Army which should be as bounds for our party as to the Kings businesse and that his Majesty should have liberty to get as much of those abated as be could for that many things therein were proposed only to give satisfaction to others which were our friends promising the King that at the same time the Commissioners of Parliament should see the Proposals His Majesty should have a copy of them also pretending to carry a very equall hand between King and Parliament in order to the settlement of the Kingdom by him which besides their own Judgment and conscience they did see a necessity of it as to the people Commissary Generall Ireton further saying That what was offered in these Proposals should be so just and reasonable That if there were but six men in the Kingdom that would fight to make them good he would make the seventh against any power that should oppose them The Head-Quarters being removed from Reading to Redford His Majesty to Wo●or●● the Proposals were given to me by Commissary Generall Ireton to present to the King which his Majesty having read told me be would never treat with the Army or Parliament upon those Proposals as he was then minded But the next day his Majesty understanding that a force was put upon his Houses of Parliament by a tumult sent for me again and said unto me Goe along with Sir Iohn Barkley to the Generall and Lieutenant Generall and tell them that to avoid a new war I will now treat with them up on their Proposals or on any thing els in Order to a Peace only let me be saved in honour and conscience Sir Iohn Barkley falling sick by the way I delivered this Message to Lieutenant Generall CROMWELL and Commissary Generall Ireton who advised me not to acquaint the Generall with it till ten or twelve Officers of the Army were met together at the Genenerals Quarters and then they would bethink themselves of some persons to be sent to the King about it And accordingly Commissary Generall Ireton Colonel (e) (e) Who I am sure daubed jugled not as the others did but spoke his mind freely for in the tower he gave me I. Lilburun a full account of that businesse yea and sufficiently then told Sir I. Maynard Commissary Coply c. of Iretons c. Base jugling and underhand dealing daubing and dissembling with the King Rainsborough Colonel Hamond and Col Rich attended the King at Woborne for three houres together debating the whole businesse with the King upon the Proposals upon which debate many of the most materiall things the King disliked were afterwards struck out and many other things much abated by promises whereupon his Majesty was pretty well satisfied Within a day or two after his Majesty removed to Stoke and there calling for me told

Command wherein I have served the Parliament for these five yeers last past and put my self upon the greatest hazards by discovering these Truths rather then by hopes of gain with troubled minde continue an assistant or abbettors of such as give affronts to the Parliament and Kingdom by abusing of their Power and Authority to carry on their particular Designs Against whom in the midst of danger I shall ever avow the truth of this Narrative and my self to be a constant faithfull and obedient Servant to the Parliament of England Robert Huntington August 2. 1648. Courteous Reader Before these REASONS of Major Huntington's just after the end of the foregoing Petition in pag. 53. should have followed the Copy of another very pertinent to the illustration of Cromwel's and his creatures malice at the Liberties of England But in regard it was forgot take it here and it thus followeth To the Honorable the chosen and betrusted Knights Citizens and Burgesses assembled in PARLIAMENT The humble Petition of divers wel-affected Free-born people of England inhabiting in and about East-Smithfield and Wapping and other parts adjacent SHEWETH THat as this honourable House was chosen by the people to rednesse their grievances so we conceive it our native right to meet together to frame and promote Petitions for your better information of all such things as are by experience found burthensome and grievous to the Common-wealth That accordingly this honorable House hath declared that it ought to receive Petitions though against things established by Law That in the use of this our native acknowledged right we together with Lieutenant Col. John Lilburn and Mr John Wildman were met together in East-Smithfield upon the 17 of January last and discoursed upon these ensuing particulars viz. Some scrupled the very petitioning this House any more as a thing from whence notwithstanding their having hazarded their lives for their Freedoms they had hither to received nothing but reproaches and injuries and were answered by one of the persons before-named to this effect That it was their duty alwayes and their wisdome in this juncture of time to use their utmost diligence to procure the settlement of the Common-wealth and that warr famine and confusion could no other way in probability be prevented And it was generally concluded that the most visible interest of the people was to uphold the Honor of this House and to preserve it from contempt 2. There was likewise an occasionall Discourse about the Right of the Lords to the Law-giving power And herein was debated the danger of such an Arbitrary authority as that is in its own nature residing in any persons during life and much more of its descending as an inheritance from Generation to Generation and somthing was added from our sad experience of the mischiefs which have ensued hereupon In particular it was declared how their exercise of that claim might be charged in reason with all the precious blood that hath been spilt in the late War because the King had never had opportunity to Levie an Army against the people and Parliament if the Lords had not deferred so long after many sollicitations by the Commons to passe the Ordinance for setling the Militia 3. It was also accidentally wondred at why LIEUTENANT GENERALL CROMWELL and COMMISSARY GENERALL IRETON should now of late urge That no more addresses should be made to the King whereas they have formerly pleaded that he might be brought in even with his negative voice Whereupon Lieutenant Colonell Lilburn related a story That a member of the House of Commons having information from a credible person That the King had promised Lieutenant Gen. Cromwell a blue Ribbond with a George and the Earldome of Essex besides other places of honour and profit to his Son Commissary Gen. Ireton resolved to become another Felton rather then to suffer his Countrey to be so betrayed But the Gentleman being disswaded by Friends and intelligence hereof being sent to the Lieutenant Generall a Fast ensued at the Head quarters ' and so he concurred with the House in the late Vote against the King Neverthelesse in Mr. Wildmans opinion he was necessitated into such a Turn because THE SCOTS having bid HIGHER for the King then he had done his offer was rejected and they relyed on 4. Some consideration was had about proportionable assistances towards the charge of printing our Petitions 5. It being among other things enquired whether there were any truth in this rumour That the Lords had sent to Lieutenant Colonell Lilburne and offered him 3000 l. to desist in the large Petition now abroad The Lieutenant Col. answered That it was a false groundlesse report and that he knew no occasion for it unlesse it were because a Lord had sent to him to tell him he would send him a token of his love if he thought it would be accepted To which he answered That he would not be engaged to any Patentee Lord and some other words to that effect 6. There was a relation made by a person that some poor people in THE COVNTRY did meet together in Companies and did violently take away the Corn as it was going to Market saying that it was their great necessity caused them so to do whereupon we fearing lest the calamity might be more generall did ask how we should best preserve our selves in case of such Tumults because we bore the names of Round heads INDEPENDENTS c. for adhering to the Parliament and we satisfyed by Lieutenant-Colonel Lilburn to this purpose Friends The only way for you to be secured is to p●omote this Petition to the House that so when the people come to be enformed by the Petition of your reall intentions to the common good of the whole Nation as well as to your own you will be thereby safer then those which have blew Ribons in their hats that being the Generalls Colours and the moderne badge of Protection 7. It was lastly delivered as from a good hand That some LORDS were willing their Law giving power should not descend as an Inheritance to their Posterity and that they were willing to part with their Priviledge of freedom from arrests This being the summe and principall matter of what passed at the aforesaid meeting as we are ready to attest upon our oaths if we shall be thereunto called And understanding that our said dear Friends Lieutenant Colonel John Lilburn and Master Iohn Wildman who are therefore deare to us because they have manifested themselves faithfull to the Publique stand committed by this House in relation to the said Meeting as Treasonable and seditious practisers against the State We cannot but be extreamly troubled not only in regard of their particular sufferings and our own equall concernment especially upon the conseq●ence thereof as tending in a great measure to the disinfranchisement of the Nation from whom the Liberty of complaining must then be taken away when most cause is given them to complain Wherefore your Petitioners do most humbly

betray Hull to the King Or then the late impeachment of Sir Philip Stapleton Master Denzil Hollis and the rest of the eleven Members whose impeachment of high Treason is recorded in the Armies Book of Declarations pag. 47. to 50. and pag. 94 95. 96. c. And yet the same things that some of them in a capital maner were impeached for as Traytors their impeachers acted and did at the very self-same time as is clearly declared in the following discourse pag 31. 32. to 39. and page 53. to 62. Yea or then the impeachment of King Charls whom Cromwel and Ireton principally Bradshaw being but their hired mercinary slave have beheaded for a Tyrant and Traytor whose impeachment is recorded in the following discourse page 65 66. 67. But the principles of the foresaid Agreement being so detestable and abominable to the present ruling men as that which they know will put a full end to their tyranny and usurpation and really ease and free the people from oppression and bondage that it is something dangerous to those that go about the promotion of it yet I shall advise and exhort you vigorously to lay all fear aside and to set on foot the promotion of it in the same method we took for the promotion of the foresaid Petition of the 19 of January 1647. laid down in the following discourse page 23. 24. 25 And write to your friends in every Country of England to chuse out from amongst themselves and send up some Agents to you two at least from each County with money in their pockets to bear their charges to consider with your culd and chosen Agents of some effectual course speedily to be taken for the setling the principles thereof as that onely within an earthly Government can make you happy or at least to know one anothers mindes in owning and approving the principles thereof that so it may become to you and all your friends your Center Standard and Banner to flock together to in the time of those forraign invasions and domestick insurrections that are like speedily to bring miseries enough upon this poor and distressed Nation and unanimously resolve engage one to another neither to side with or fight for the Cameroes fooleries and pride of the present men in power nor for the Prince his will or any other base interest whatsoever the which if you should fight for it would be but an absolute murdering of your Brethren and Countrymen you know not wherefore unless he or they will come up to those just righteous and equitable principles therein contained and give rational and good security for the constant adhering thereunto and upon such terms I do not see but you may justifiably before God or man Joyn with the Prince himself yea I am sure a thousand times more justly then the present ruling men upon a large and serious debate joyned with Owen Ro● Oneal the grand bloody rebell in Ireland who if we must have a King I for my part had rather have the Prince then any man in the world because of his large pretence of Right which if he come not in by Conquest by the hands of Forraigners the bare attempting of which may apparently hazard him the loss of all at once by gluing together the now divided people to joyn as one man against him but by the hands of Englishmen by contract upon the principles aforesaid which is easie to be done the people will easily see that presently thereupon they will injoy this transcendent benefit he being at peace with all forraign Nations and having no regall pretended Competitor viz. the immediate disbanding of all Armies and Garrisons saving the old Cinque-ports and so those three grand plagues of the people will cease viz. Free-quarter Taxations and Excise by means of which the people may once again really say they injoy something they can in good earnest call their own whereas for the present Army to set up the pretended false Saint Oliver or any other as their elected King there will be nothing thereby from the beginning of the Chapter to the end thereof but Wars and the cutting of throats year after year yea and the absolute keeping up of a perpetuall and everlasting Army under which the people are absolute and perfect slaves and vassals as by woful and lamentable experience they now see they perfectly are which slavery and absolute bondage is like daily to increase under the present tyrannicall and arbitrary new erected robbing Government And therefore rouze up your spirits before it be too late to a vigorous promotion and setling of the principles of the foresaid Agreement as the onely absolute and perfect means to cure you of all your maladies and distempers So with my hearty and true love presented to all that remain upright amongst you without being perverted to Apostacy by the pretended Councell of States places or bribes I commit you to the safe tuition and protection of the most high the Lord Jehovah and Almighty and rest Gentlemen Yours and the Nations faithful hearty resolved friend and servant in the midst of all adversity affections trials and sorrows that never more in all my life incompassed me round about then now till death JOHN LILBURN From my unjust and illegall though contented captivity for my honesty and innocencie and nothing else as to man in close imprisonment in the Tower of London without any legall and just allowance of maintenance this present 17. of July 1649. TO His honored Friend Mr. CORNELIUS HOLLAND These Honored Sir WIthout preamble give me leave to visit you with a few lines and in the first place really to acquaint you with the true cause of my present writing which is as followeth I am in Prison I know not wherefore and I am confident those that sent me do not for if they had they would since the 28. day of March last being the first day of my Imprisonment have laid some crime unto my charge which yet to this day they have not or if they had been able to do it they would let me have seen either my Prosecutor or my Accuser or at least my Accusation none of all which to this present day I ever saw but was condemned by Vote in the nature of a Traytor uncharged and unheard which If I may believe the ancient Declarations of the Army made upon the like dealing as I have lately found is very hard and unjust measure as they punctually declare in their Book of Declarations P. 10. 17. 33. 34 35 60. 61. 62. 65. and all this at most but for the suspition of my being active in or accessary to an intended address to your House which act is justifiable in a superlative manner by the very words of your own primitive Declarations as aboundantly appears in your first part Book of Declarations p. 123. 201. 202. 548. but especially page 720. and which was not yet never repealed by subsequent Declarations And for hindring and obstructing publique Petitions it

is not long since the Army or the leaders thereof charged divers of your principal members as traytors therefore as appears in their Book of Declarations page 83. 85. the liberty of which they reckon amongst the prime Liberties of this Nation for the pretended preservation of which there hath been almost eight 〈◊〉 bloody wars as appears largely in their forementioned pages but especially page 44. 118. yea and waged war with the Parliament their Lords Masters and Impowrers for abridging them thereof as clearly appears in their own Declarations which makes it plain and evident that such a Declaration made by the House of Commons against their Petition as the House made 27. March last against one they supposed me to have a hand in was the original and first declared cause of all the Armies contest with and rebellion against the Parliament But that I should not only be imprisoned for nothing but close imprisoned sometimes from the very society of my wife and children and ever since the ninth of May 1649. to be debarred the society and visits of my friends and acquaintance which the very Pagan Romans would not do to Paul that pestilent fellow and a turner of the world upside down as Tertullus accused him to be yea to be mewed up close in my lodging with a Padlock upon my door and Sentinels set thereat night and day that I shall not so much as speak at a distance with any of my fellow prisoners and worse dealt with besides then the Canibals do with their poor imprisoned Captives who feed them fat with good cheer against the day of slaughter or then the States of Holland do their intended to be executed theeves traytors or murderers whom they largely and plentifully provide for in their imprisonment yea or worse then King Charls whom you have beheaded for a Tyrant did by his prisoners in this very place unto the meanest of whom out of the Exchequer he allowed three pound a week for their maintenance during their imprisonment in this place yea and to divers of your very members that were men of great estates and possessed them peaceably in the third four fifth c. years of his raign he allowed them four pound and more at week apeece for their diet when things were cheap to what they are now and ye for much of my time you proffered me never a peny and when you do you do in a mock and scorn proffer me at most but twenty shillings a week which will do little more then pay for the necessary attendance in the close and extraordinary condition you have put me in which I confess I refused with as much scorn as it was sent me which close and extraordinary tormenting condition in the heat of Summer without permitting me to step out of my lodging to take a little Air admit you were as unquestionable a power as ever was in England and that I had really committed treason cannot in the least by the Law of England he justifiable the equity and justice of which Law abhors any torture or torment whatsoever to any prisoners though never so criminous least that his pain or torture or torment should take away his reason and constrain him to answer otherwise then of his free will torture forcing many times the innocent person to tell lies which Law and Justice otherwise abhor and therefore that never enough to be magnified Lawyer Sir Edward Cook saith That there is no one opinion in all our Law Books or Judiciall Records that he hath seen and remembers for the maintenance of torture or torments c. persons being meerly instituted by Law for safe keeping in order to a speedy triall but not in the least for punishment or torment as is most excellently declared by him in the 1. Part Instit fol. 260. 2. and 2. Part fol. 42. 43. 186. 315. 316. 589. and 3. Part fol. 3435. and 4. Part fol. 168. And all this present unjust usage of me to come not onely from the hands of my large pretended friends whose just interest according to their own published Declarations I have with all faithfulness in the midst of many deaths for many yeers together faithfully served and advanced with all my might But also of those that would seem to abhor and abominate the Ruling and Governing by will and Arbitrary power as the wickedest and detestablest thing in the world and so declare it to be 1. Part. Book Declarations pag. 172. 195. 214. 264. 281. 342. 464. 492. 494. 496. 498. 663. 666. 690. 699 728. 750. And that have raised and maintained a bloody war for seven yeers together principally for the pretended preservation of the Laws and Liberties of England that have pulled down the Star Chamber High Commission Councel Table and House of Peers for oppression and arbitrary injustice nay and beheaded the King the quondam glory of some of your great ones eyes * * As is undeniably demonstrated in my following impeachment of Lieutenant General Cromwel and his son Ireton at the Bar of the House of Commons the 19. Janu. 1647. And offered again and again there upon my life to make it good as cleerly appears by Putney projects Mr. John Wildemans Truths Triumph pag. 7 8. and Major Huntingtons charge delivered to the Parliament August 2. 1648. against Lieutenant General Cromwel c. pretendedly for Tyranny and Oppression as your selves state his Case in your notable Declaration about Non-Addresses dated the 11. of Febr. 1647. and your remarkable Declaration of the 17. of March 1648. Yea and have suffered your Solicitor General Mr. John Cook notably in Print to state his Oppressions yea and to draw most notable pregnant and cutting inferences from them as he doth in the 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 11 14. 15. 17. 20. 22. 26. 31. 36. 39. 42. pages thereof two of which onely I shall now make use of The first is in pag. 22. where he arguing of the right execution of Trusts saith That when any is intrusted with the sword for the protection and preservation of the people if this man shall imploy it to their destruction which was put into his hands for their safety by the Law of that Land he becomes an enemy to that people and deserves the most exemplary and severe punishment that can be invented and this is the first necessary and fundamental Law of every Kingdom Which if it be true as you cannot contradict it it being your own doctrine then it is easie to make Application a majore ad minus The second is in pag. 42. where he declares That in pronouncing Sentence against the King and executing Justice upon him you have not onely pronounced Sentence against one Tyrant alone but against Tyranny it self therefore saith he there if any of them meaning the High Court of Justice and the Parliament shall turn Tyrants or consent to set up any kinde of Tyranny by a Law or suffer any unmerciful domineering over the Consciences Persons and Estates of

they thought the reputation of the original and chief promoters of that transcendnet gallant and large Petition that so much touches their Copy hold that so if it might be possible the Petition it self might be crusht in the birth before it had brought forth strength sufficient to pull up their rotten tyrannicall Interest by the rootes And after he had done with th Relation at their Bar having giving the Lords as it seemes a flagou of sack and suger they were in pains as it appears till they had communicated some deep draughts of it to their friends of the House of Commons divers of whose rotten Interests were concerned in it as the Lords sons and servants the Patentee Monopolisers the Merchant Adventurers the Lords would be which are principally the chief of Cromwels Faction who having now the power of the Kingdom in their own hands and therefore in their own imaginations can not miss of being within a little time made Barons if not Earls but especeally that grand inslaving Interest the rotten Lawyers of the House divers of whom if the Petition took effect in disabling all Members of that House that are Lawyers to plead at any Bar of Justice would deprive some of them of two or three thousand pound per annum which now they get by their Pleadings by vertue of their beeing Pa●liament men for if a mans Cause be never so unjust if by large Fees he can get two or three Parliament men to plead it for him he is sure to carry it for the Judges dare as well eat their nailes as displease them for fear of being turned out of their places by them which they more regard then their Oathes which tie them to do impartial Justice I say after he had done his Relation at the Lords Bar a Conference was betwixt both Houses where he again belcht out his most abomin●ble malicious and false lyes and one being present that heard it came immediatly to me in London and told me of it of which I no sooner heard but immediatly by water of my own accord I posted by boat to Westminster and coming up to the House of Commons door about three or four a clock I found the House to be risen and meeting with some of my friends and acquaintance at the door I told them there I understood the House of Commons had again dealt worse with me then the Heathen and Pagan Romans dealt with Paul who when his adversaries desired Judgment against him they told them that it was not the maner of the Romans to judge or condemn any man before he which is accused have his accuser face to face and have liberty to answer for himself concerning the crime laid against him Act. 25. and yet upon a bare accusation of a single Priest as I was informed they had again committed me to the Tower before they heard me speak one word for myself in which I told my friends freely and openly they had outstript the Heathen and Pagan Romans in Injustice who though Paul by Tertullus the Orator was accused for a pestilent fellow and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world and a Ringleader of the Sect of the Nazarens Acts 24. yet they would not condemn him before they heard him face to face speak for himself And I further told them this unjust proceeding of the House of Commons against me was but just the same unrighteous measure that they had meted out before unto me for about two years ago I had come Post from Sir Thomas Fairfax Army to bring them glad tidings of his routing of General Gorings Army at Lamport in Somersetshire and being daily waiting at the House door I was a few dayes after by the Speakers means as I have been since largely told Voted upon a bare suggestion to Prison without the House ever so much as calling in my pretended accusers viz. Dr. Bastwick and Colonel Edward King with whom for divers moneths before I had not to the best of my remembrance changed so much as one word or ever so much as calling me in though then at their door to speak one word for my self they Voted and Resolved upon the Question That I should be committed to prison till they please to release me without telling me to this hour wherefore they imprisoned me and from their Serjeant at Arms tossed and tumbled me to Newgate for refusing to make of one of their Committees a High Commission or Spanish Inquisition to answer against all Law and Justice to their Interrogatories And then when they had me at Newgate made an Order of their House to arraign me at Newgate Sessions for no less then my life and Ordered the prime Lawyers about London viz. Master Bradshaw Master Steel Master Walker c. to be my prosecuters and by a law-quirk if it were possible to take away my life from me And yet for all that they being sufficiently baffled by my own pen and the pens of my Friends they sent me One hundred pounds to Newgate as may be supposed to help to bear my charges and released me by Vote of the House as an innocent man after thirteen weeks imprisonment without all that while laying any thing to my charge or so much as ever telling me wherefore they * The full story of which you may read in my Printed Epistle of two sheets dated and in my large Book called Innocency and Truth Justified and in Englands Birth-right Englands misery and remedy and Englands lamentable slavery imprisoned me or who were the prosecutors or informers against me and all this was done unto me by Master Speakers malice principally who though he had not the least pretence or shadow of Crime originally against me yet thought by provocations laid upon me to exasperate and chafe my Spirit and thereupon as it were to force me to do something that might intangle me and be a colourable ground for him to destroy me forgetting although he pretend to be a great Lawyer that maxime of the Law made use of by Judg. Hutton in his Argument in Master Hambdens Case against Shipmoney pag. 49 That that which was defective in the Original is not good by any accident subsequent or as that learned Lawyer the Author of that notable Book called Vox Plebis pag. 20. 43. hath it That which is not good or just but illegal in its original or beginning by tract of time cannot be made just or lawful See also my Grand Plea against the House of Lords pag. 13. I further told my Friends then and there That if I might have but fair play and free liberty to speak for my self I doubted not but to make it as evident as the Sun when it shined at noon-day That at that pretended treasonable meeting at Wappin whereas I understood the parson accused me for plotting the destruction of the Parliament c. I did the House of Commons in its just and fundamental Interest simply considered a peace of the

to his posterity for ever And as I told my friend Mr. Speaker the Report might arise from this which relation is true and hath not been delivered to me once nor twice but oftner But Mr. SPEAKER I shall acquaint you further that I in part acquainted my friend how ingenuously I had dealt not only with my Lord WHARTON but the whole House of Peeres in that I obeyed their first Warrant they sent to me to come to their Barr the 10th June 1646. and immediatly as soon as I was served with it being about six a clock on the next morning at my own house and I was to appear before them at Ten the same morning I went immediately to my Lord Whartons house and he being not stirring I desired his servant to tell his Lordship what had happened and that in regard I was obliged to their House for the late Justice they had done for me about my reparations against the Star-chamber Judges BEING OLD SIR HENRY VANE c. I was resolved for ingenuity and gratitudes sake to vaile my Bonnet to them as farre as with honesty and a good conscience I could And therefore it was that I had obeyed their Warrant and promised to appear at their Barre which as I sent him word was more then by Law I was bound unto but yet when I came there I was resolved at their Bar to protest against their jurisdiction over a Commoner but I could doe no lesse then acquaint his Lordship with it before-hand that so if he pleased to save and preserve the honour of their House he might if not I would doe it if I dyed for it And if his Lordship pleased I would meet him at the stroke of Nine a clock at COL FLEETWOODS in black Fryers to talk with him further about it where he appointed to meet me and away went I to a friend and drew up my Protestation leaving him one copy to print in case I were imprisoned and I took another with my hand and seal to it and accordingly Mr. Speaker I met my Lord at Col. Fleetwoods house who as I remember was gone abroad whereupon I walked with my Lord to the black-Fryers bridg where we had a large discourse about the Lords originall jurisdiction over Commoners and I shewed him my protestation the marrow of which he read and I earnestly intreated him that he would be pleased to speak to the EARL OF ESSEX AND WARWICK AND MY LORD ROBERTS who was the principall man that had done all my businesse for me and tell them from me I bore so much honourable respect unto them and their House that if they pleased to command me to wait upon them I would and upon all the rest of the Lords in the house and freely answer them to any questions that they in honour could demand of me and I in conscience return an answer to alwayes provided they talked not with me as a House nor a Committee from their House for having been fighting for my Liberties and Freedoms I protested unto his Lordship before the God of Heaven and Earth and so I wish'd him to tell them that if they forced me to their Bar I both must and would protest against their incroachment upon the Commoners Rights and appeal for justice against them to the House of Commons although I died for it immediatly And his Lordship told me he beleeved the House of Commons would not stand by me and I answered I was confident they would for it was their own Interest but if they would not I told his Lordship now I knew my Liberties I would never betray them while I breathed And this my Lord I tell you further and do professe it before Almighty God that if your House will not be ruled by reason but by their greatnesse think to crush me and by force engage me in a contest against you I so well understand the firmnesse of the grounds upon which I go that I will venture my heart bloud against you and never make peace with you till either you have destroyed me or I have p●ucked you or your Vsurpations up by the roots So away he went and kept it off till about one of the clock And Mr. Speaker when I was called in to their Bar in going in I put no affront upon them but went bare-head and gave them three or four conges with all respect before I came to their Bar where they fell a playing the High Commission Court with me in examining me upon Interrogatories against my self which forced me to deliver in my Protest against them so that Mr. Speaker I am sure I pick'd no quarrell nor sought any with them But now Mr. Speaker being so deeply engaged against them by their own folly as I am for the preservation of the Laws and Liberties of my native Country against their trampling them under their feet in the enjoyment or practise of their usurpations I will never make peace with them while I live but studie night and day how to pluck them up by the roots which I am confident Mr. Speaker is also the duty of this House if they will rightly and truly discharge their duty to the Kingdom according to that trust they have reposed in them The Reader may be pleased to take notice that at the Bar when I was speaking of writing of Letters I took notice of one of the priests positive Charges which was that I had writ a Letter to Sir Anthony Weldon of Kent which I told M. Speaker was the absolutest lye in the world for I never had a hand in the least in writing or indicting a Letter to Sir Ant. Weldon neither did I read or heard read any Letter unto him But M. Speaker said I there is well nigh forty lyes more as palpable ones as this in his Relation which I dare with confidence aver it at this bar if I had in writing verbatim the very relation that he hath now made before this House by word of mouth for all his confidence that I could by multitude of witnesses of upright life conversation in all their conversings with their neighbours and of untainted fidelity to the Parliament and the common interest of the Kingdom in the worst of times punctually prove the greatest port of forty absolute lyes and falshoeds in his present confident relation and for his averring that I said or it was said at the meeting that we would only make use of the Parliaments name and of our Petition to them for a cloak to colour our raising of the people til we were strong enough to destroy them M. Speaker I aver it with confidence upon my life there was no such thing spoken at all in the foresaid meeting or any thing so much as tending thereunto all the time I was there but the absolute quite contrary the truth of which I am confident will if need require be averred upon Oath by the generality of the whole Company then met together And therefore Master