and the joy of the whole Kingdom is ecome the derision of Delinquents the grief of the innocent and the complaint of all In this condition let not your Excellency be offended if we humbly reminde your Excellency and most Noble Officers and souldiers under your Command of your most worthy and acceptable Declarations Proposals Promises and Engagements which you were pleased also to make upon the earnest Solicitations Petitions and Complaints of the well-affected in severall Counties for the reliefe of the oppressed the freedome of the Nation from its grievous pressures the just satisfaction of all interests and the settlement of the Peace and quietnesse of the Kingdome neverthelesse even here also our hopes raised up by the publick expresses of your Excellency and your Army have been if not altogether frustrated yet abundantly deferred making our heart sick and dejecting the spirits of those that did undoubtedly expect the performance thereof notwithstanding when we consider First Your endeavors to procure the accomplishment of those things in a Parliamentary way to the satisfaction of all and stopping the mouth of scandall Secondly That nothing hath yet been done by your Excellency and Army at least to our knowledge repugnant with and contrarie unto the aforesaid Promises Purposes and Engagements Thirdly That neither your Excellencie nor Army have made a prey upon the estates and treasure of the Kingdom or any part thereof though many opportunities hereunto have been frequently offered which we may speak without the least suspition of flattery it being the generall acknowledgement even of the worst of your enemies no Officers in your Army that ever we heard of found guilty so much as of a false muster to the everlasting honour of your Army Fourthly Your constant love care and faithfulness to the Peace and welfare of the Nation as heretofore so especially of late eveidenced by the readinesse freenesse and willingnesse of your Excellencie and your Army notwithstanding all discouragements affronts reproaches dishonour and abuses many wayes offered and the personall diseases and distemper of your own body to interpose between the Peace and welfare of the Kingdom and the malicious enemies thereof who rose up like a Lion out of the thicket and like so many Bears robbed of their whelps making severall insurrections openly committing murthers felonies riots and treasons in the great City and in severall parts of the Kingdom as in the North in Wales Essex and in our own County which had they not been supprest by the blessing of God through the courage and faithfulnesse of your Excellency and Army the City and Kingdom had either been in blood or which is as bad at the cruell mercies of bloody and violent men whose design was doubtlesse the utter extirpation of the very life and power of Religion and just Liberty from amongst us and to have made all honest and conscientious men however distinguished the objects of their revenge rage and furie the most profane and malignant sort of people being the chiefest agents in these tumults unto whom the profession and much more the practise of godlinesse under any form of Discipline whatsoever is an Abomination which labour of love the Lord reward seven fold into the bosome of your Excellencie and Armie and for ever adored and magnified be that wisdome of the only wise God that prevented your disbanding contrary to the wisdome of men and reserved you for such a season as this was for we are now fully convinced of that hand of Grace and Mercy which so ordered your continuance in Arms. The consideration of these things most Noble Sir hath strengthned our hearts and hands once more in our most humble addresse unto your Excellencie and youe Army to pray and beseech you upon all the bands of Charity mercy and compassion to your owne native Countrey upon all Parliamentary Conjurations Declarations Vows and Covenants imposed upon you to defend the peoples just Rights and Liberties upon all your printed and published Declarations Engagements promises resolutions upon all the Victories successes and appearances of God for you heitherto in your upright endeavours for the common good to assert the Liberties and just intrest of an oppressed people your owne Brethren and Countriemen against the Tyranie cruelty and oppression of any party or parties whatsoever to sollicet the Parl. by all just wayes and to lay forth your selves to the utmost of your power in the speedy settlement of this distemper and afllicted Nation Give us leave we humbly beseech you to dictate to your Excellencie our humble thoughts of the most hopefull and promising meanes hereunto and that wee conceive is the speedy determination and happy issue of these 4 things 1 The Differences touching the King 2 The Securing the Militia of the Kingdom in faithfull hands 3 A just and prudent framing an act of Oblivion 4 The just satisfaction of all intrests FIrst concerning the interest of the King be pleased to call to minde your owne exprssieons printed and published to the world filling the hearts of the Sollicitors and perplexed people with the expectation of your actions accordingly In your Declaration and proposals of the 14. of June 1647. tendered to the Parliament and printed and published to the world you have these words When his Majesty in these things having proposed several good things for the publike peace and benefit and what else shall be proposed by the Parliament necesary to secure the rights and Libertyes of the people and for setling the Militia and peace of the Kingdome shal have given his concurrence to put them past dispute wee shal then desire that the Rights of his Majesty and his posterity may be considered of and setled in all things so far as may consist with the Rights and freedome of the Subiect and with the security of the same for the future And in your Declaration of the 2. of August 1647. And to these proposals which we here first tendred as necessary to a peace and upon which wee desire a seale of prace in the restitution of his Majesty and others to their rights and in an act of oblivion to be past c. And in your proposalls of the 1 of August 1647. in the 14 head of those proposals thus That the things here before proposed being provided for the setling and securing the Rights Liberties Peace and safety of the Kingdom His Majesties Person His Queen and Royall Issue may be restored to a condition of safety honour and freedom in this Nation without deminution to their personall Rights or further limitation to the exercise of the Regall power there according to the particulars aforegoing These several promises and ingagements of yours concerning the King give very great satisfaction to the wel-affected of the Kingdoms and did put them into great expectations of the speedy performance thereof We cannot conceive how the peace of the nation can bee setled and the differences distempers and jealousies of the people composed untill the differences
between the King and people bee by some just and safe way determined for heare the flames of war at first broak out and the fire though seemingly quenched will from hence except timely prevented kindle into higher flames of warre and destruction It cannot be our rationall desire that the King or any others should be advanced to the hurt prejudice and vassallage of the people we knowing that there is no prerogative or priviledge of King or Parliament which is inconsistant with the just liberty and welfare of the people we would therefore much rather chuse an everlasting warre then everlasting bondage and slavery as conceiving it more sntable to the principles of piety and humanity And we humbly pray that the Parliament may be minded by you that our Covenant solemnly made with our hands lifted up to heaven thereby calling the great God of heaven and earth to witnes for our sincerity and imploying his divine aide for performance was not made to King or Parliament but to God the judge of all And that therefore neither King nor Parliament can absolve us from the obligation of it as therefore we were drawn into this bond at the instance by the convincing arguments and good example of the Parliament so we hope the Parliament will not commit so great wickednes as to become Covenant breakers with their God themselves much lesse require others and least of all compell them to it and thereby bring an heavy curse upon the whole Kingdom Which yet if they shall do and which our gratious God forbid we knowing the terrours of the Almighty beseech you to declare in our behalfe that we cannot we dare not nay we will not joyne or consent with them therein Pardon us if again we beseech your Excelencies endeavours in setling the great businesse of the King by some just and righteous way Let the people know what they shall trust unto and not be thus harrased by perpetuall troubles and warre as they are like to be if this businesse be not determined And in case his Majesty shal refuse to give satisfaction to these just demands of the people and so continue the Kingdom in this sad unsetled raging distemper so that we cannot enjoy peace and truth in security with him whose just rights together with our own we hartily desire then we intreate that the Parliament may be minded of their most reasonable and equall votes which they have made and published to the world in print viz. To setle the Kingdom without him And our further hopes and desires to your Excelency and honorable Army are that untill these things before mentioned shall be accomplished one way or other you will not lay downe Arms nor cease to use all just endeavours according to those vowes and ingagements that lye upon you And the sence of our own engagements together with your selves hearin enforce us to declare that we must and shall stand by you with our lives and fortunes in the speedy prosecution hereof as choosing rather to die a thousand deaths and to hazard the displeasure of all men in the world then to be found false in the Covenant of our God and so draw down divine vengeance on us and our posterity And because the future peace and welfare of the Kingdom cannot be secured except the Militia thereof be intrusted into safe hands In the second place wee humbly request and beseech your Excelency and Army to call to mind the second third heads of the Proposals of your Excelency and Army of the first of August 1647. concerning the disposing the Militia of the Kingdom both by Sea and Land the many particulars hereunto belonging to long to be here inserted that the said Militia may not be trusted in the hands of any but those that have given most palpable evidence of their good affections to the common care against the common enemy nor declined since in their faithfulnesse as some most basely have done And that every root of bitternes wars and divisions may be plucked up in the third place wee humbly desire your Excelency and Army to take againe into consideration the eighth particular of the Declaration and Representation of your Excelency and Army of the 14. of Iune 1647. in these words That publick justice being first satisfied by some examples of the worst of excepted persons and other delinquents having past their compositions some course may be taken by a generall act of oblivion or other waies whereby the seeds of future warre or fears either to the prosent age or posterity may the better be taken away by easing the sence of present and satisfying these fears of future ruin or undoing to persons or families who may drive men into any desperate wayes for self preservation or remedy and by taking away the private remembrances and distinction of persons as far as may stand with safery to the rights and liberties we haue hithers a fought for As also the 16 head of your Excelencies and Armies Proposals of the first of August 1647 in these words That there may be a generall act of oblivion to extend to all except the person to be continued in exception to absolve from all trespasses misdemeanours c. done in prosecution of the war and from all trouble or prejudice for or concerning the same after their compositions past and to restore them to all priviledges c. belonging to other subjects provided as in the fourth Article under the second generall head afore going concerning security In the fourth place the seeds of future wars being taken away that all interests may be satisfyed we desire your Excelency and Army to reconsider what you were pleased to remonstrate to the Commissioners as St Albans Iune the 23. 1647. to be by them humbly presented to the Parliament You are pleased to declare for the King and his party so far as can consist with common right or freedom and with security of the same for future in these words And we do further clearly professe we do not se how there can be any peace to this Kingdom firm and lasting without a due consideration of and provision for the rights quiet and immurity of his Maj sties Royall family and late partakers and herein wee think that tender and equitable dealing as supposing their cases had been ours and a spirit of Common love and justice diffusing it self to the good and preservation of all will make up the most glorious conquest over our hearts if God in mercy se it good to make them and the whole people of the land lasting freinds As for satisfaction in matters of Religion you have been pleased to declare and we trust in the true and real purposes of your hearts in your Declaration and Representation of the 14. of June 1647. in these words And whereas it haâ—h been suggested or suspected that in our late or present proceedings our design is to overthrow Presbytery or hinder the settlement thereof and to have the Independent
Government set up we do clearly disclaim and disavow any such designes we only desire that according to the Declarations promising a provision for tender Consciences there may some effectuall course be taken according to the intent thereof and that such who upon conscientious grounds may differ from the established formes may not for that be debared from the common rights liberties or benefits belonging equally to all as men and members of the Common-wealth while they live soberly honestly and inoffensively towards others and peacefully and faithfully towards the State Now may it please your Excellency and Honourable Army these things and many others of the like nature you have been pleased we trust to represent and publish to the world with a true and real intent and purpose of heart and not to serve a present turn that you might perform and by all just wayes put the same in execution notwithstanding those clamorous objections reproaches and accusations cast upon you by the ignorance of some and mallice of others that you should take upon you the ordering of the Parliament and the Government of the Kingdom by the power of the Sword the Parliament it selfe having often taught us as you well observe in your Declaration of the 14. of June 1647. in these words the Parliament hath declared it no â—esisting of Magistracy to side with the just principles and law of nature and Nations being that law upon which you say to the Parliament we have assisted you and that the Souldiery may lawfully hold the hands of the Generall who will turn his Cannon against his Army on purpose to destroy them the Seamen the hands of the Pilot who wilfully runs the Ship upon a Rock as out brethren of Scotland argued who were justified and protected by their own and this Kingdom when in the first begining of their late differences associated in Covenant for the very same grounds and principles having no visible forme either of King or Parliament to countenance them For it is not Salus Regis but Regni that is Suprema Lex As for Parliaments priviledges it cannot be presumed that they amount to any thing directly contrary to the peace and welfarre of the Kingdom the Parliament it selfe much more their priviledges having their very being as such for the peace and welfarre of the people Your Excellency and honorable Councel of Warre declared in your letter to the Lord Major and Common Councel of London June the 25. 1647. That the name of Priviledges must not lie in the ballance with the safety of a Kingdome and the reality of doing justice And in your Remonstrance of the 23. of June 1647. We clearly find and all men may see it that Parliament Priviledges as well as Royall Prerogative may be perverted and abused to the destruction of those greater ends for whose protection and preservation they were admitted or intended to wit the Rights and Liberties of the People and safety of the whole and in case they be so the abuse evill or danger of them is no lesse to be contended against and the remedy thereof no lesse to be endeavoured then the other Wee humbly pray your Excelency and Army that all due waies may be continually imployed to maintaine mutuall amity love and correspondency between the Parliament Citâ—â— and Army but above all that the common interest of the people may be preserved from the violent hands of any and that your Excelency and Army would improve your utmost wisdom and power in the just and speedy setlement of our common freedom from this perplexed condition in which we are We desire your Excelency and Army to believe that we are so far from declining the Parl. in our humble addresses as that having frequently solicited them in our own persons so now by your Excelencies implored mediation we humbly pray their consideration of our afflicted condition utmost endeavours for a speedy relief herein Alas Sr. what shall we do in the begining of these troubles he that did not ingage for King nor Parliament was punished by both if within the reach of either he that engaged for the one was perplexed by the other and of late the crosse orders votes and ordinances of the Parliament it selfe have beene such that their most cordiall friends know not where to fix We humbly pray your Excelency and Armies serious consideration of the premises and assistance in this extreamity and the Lord of Hoasts blesse and prosper your Excelency and whole Army teach your hands to war and your fingers to fights cover your heads in the day of battle and at length give you to reape the frute of jeoparding your lives in the high places in making you the happy instruments in his hand of setling the unhappy differences of the Nation upon the pillars of peace and truth FJNJS