VVEE did believe and were fully perſwaded that at our generall meeting in Shoe-lane, the firſt of July inſtant, you had clearly perceived and underſtood by our Timely Advice directed formerly to you, the ſole intent and way layd out therein by our preſent Pſeudo-Maſters, wholly to deſtroy us from beeing what we are, and have deſerved, by our former gallantry and ſtoutneſſe upon all deſignes under the Conduct of a moſt Illuſtrious undaunted proſperous Generall, whom the great God of all victories owned, with our ſervice, in every deſign; we mean Oliver late Protector, who freed not onely this very nation of England from a long endured ſlavery, and yoak of Tyrannicall bondage: But alſo Ireland and Scotland, & of whom the worſt of Sycophants cannot in truth ſpeak evil.

Now the ſcope of this our ſecond writing is as well to rowſe you up, and inveſt your ſelves with your former undauntedneſſe of ſpirit and reſolution, that our intended work may take effect: As alſo to ſhew the truth unto you which is much endeavoured to be obſcured from your and our knowledge; (but we have a faithfull Agitator) as namely and formerly held forth unto you, the timely preventing of our own ruin, by our new uſurped Maſters, the preſent Pſeudo-Parliament, who have no power but what they borrow from us, and have not we an equall birth-right in all? eſpecially by the many hazards of our deareſt lives and fortunes: then let none of us all be faint-hearted, let us knit our ſelves together, and labour for our own preſervations, while we have advantage, and the cauſe good let us ſtrike; leaſt the world ſhould have juſt Cauſe to ſay, we have ſold our former magnanimous ſpirits, and undaunted reſolutions for a diſh of broth and a halfpenny loaf; though many raw Souldiers who are lately crept into Regiments, never ſuffered the miſeries or underwent the many dangers we have done in the firſt and latter warre, may peradventure ſerve without pay for bread and cheeſe.

And doth not the intentions of this Parliamentary-Conventicle now appear, when their preſent reſolves are firſt, to have us give them three moneths of our pay, not regarding the many neceſſities wee, our wives and children have been put unto, barely to live, and many of us much indebted to Sutlers and Landlords, who (if wee ſhould ſo childiſhly give away, what we have earned, with much penury, our pay) would quickly bring the laſh of a Sergeant, and ſtink of a priſon upon us, to the abſolute ruine, and deſtruction of moſt of us, our wives and children; After which done according to their preſent reſolves, to ſend ſome of us to Iamaica, others into remote Countreys at their pleaſures, and disband the reſt upon ſettling the Militia; thus clandeſtinely under the notion of ſugred diſſembling promiſes, and ſmooth words from oyled tongues, we ſhall ſuddenly be betrayed and deſtroyed.

Is it not alſo manifeſt unto you, what ſmall proviſion they make for us, now they have gotten the Staffe into their own hands, endeavouring to make us deſpicable creatures, by bringing beggery upon us, the abſolute ſcorne of a ſtout and valiant Soldier; is not alſo the matter of that pretended Good Old Cauſe, now turned into a new cheat? then as the caſe ſtands upon our preſent decaying Intereſt, is it not high time to relieve and reſtore our ſelvs to what of right we ſhould be? Soldiers not fearing the face of man, and in whom the power of this Common wealth, and change of Government ſhall reſt, and if we truely love God and our Countrey, let us not ſuffer our own ſubverſions, nor any thing that may tend to deſtruction of us, or our gained and dearly bought liberties.

Was not Oliver late Protector, that ever undaunted Spirit of Magnanimity, That abſolute Honour of Mars, That burning fiery flame to the great Turk, the great terrour of all Princes and Countreys, a ſecond Solomon for wiſedome, while our Generall, after all his hazards, expences, charges of a long, dangerous and doubtfull Warr, moſt paſſionately grieved, and troubled that this then ſitting pſeudo Parliament, who ſtill ſtrove (as now) to perpetuate themſelves, would never labour the ſettlement of our long contended for liberties; till by providence, our conſents, and the advice of all the Judges of theſe Nations, the Government was ſettled in a ſingle perſon, as moſt agreeable to the lawes and nature of Engliſhmen, and owned in him, ſitting too few years at the ſtern with hand continually upon the helm, for the good government of theſe Nations, according to law and Juſtice: And where he found a good and juſt rule, he altered not, where he found none, or a broken, weak defective one, he was ever moſt ſtrong and earneſt for reformation thereof. Was not many abuſes in the lawes by him regulated for the eaſe and relief of the people, was not many poor, deſpicable, ſtarving creatures by him conſtantly relieved; did not very many in theſe three Nations who had long ſuffered, under wrong, injuſtice and oppreſſion, by him obtain relief; did he not ſpend what he had in relieving the needy and oppreſſed? did he not ſpend himſelfe, his whole ſtrength of nature in ſtudying and endeavouring the preſervation of theſe Nations in peace; did he not alwayes take ſome reaſonable care and time for paying us, did he not own us, and ſuccour us. And can either you or we, any way diſcover the like care to be amongſt the preſent pſeudo Governours, doth not then thoſe many undue Reflections, Calumnies, and unchriſtian ſcoffes, caſt upon the ſaid late Protector, rather argue the ventoſitie of mens braines, the baſeneſſe and vanity of their mindes, with their dunghil ſpirits then either the ſolidity of their Jugements or the gravity of their conditions and behaviour being well known by all knowing rationall men in the world, not any can juſtly Calumniate him.

Doth not alſo thoſe Counties, Cities, Towns corporate, magiſtrates, miniſters, the Councell, the whole Army of the three nations, the Judges of the land who made their reſpective Addreſſes, & owned Richard the Protector as lawfull Succeſſor to his late Father in the office of Protector according to an authentick Act of Parliament, deſiring him to protect thoſe that are good, to puniſh thoſe that are bad, to maintain the juſt rights and priviledges of the people of God, and the whole nation, engaging to aſſiſt him with their lives and fortunes, and alſo imploring the aſſiſtance and bleſſing of God upon his endeavours herein, ſufficiently declare him to be ſupreme Governour of theſe nations? And he who took ſuch ſpeciall care with the late Parliament for paying us off, would alſo have been, and we are aſſured will ſtill be as carefull of us, and our preſervations, ſo ſoon as we ſhall have reeſtablſhed him Protector, without whom wee are abſolutely ruined & our poſterities, being well aſſured, that this preſent Parliamentary Conventicle, who aym at nothing more then their own perpetuity, will be our deſtruction, nor indeed and in truth were it not a great unworthineſſe in us who ought to have the greateſt ſhare of worthineſſe, to own Richard Protector, as well for his owning our fellow-ſouldiers at Dunkirk and Mardike in procuring there full pay to be paid unto them, a perfect example of his future care over us and ours, having been ſo carefull for them, he can nor will be leſſe mindfull of us; who hath alſo been at that great charge in his own expences to give redcoats to us all, a pattern beyond example, and which our preſent uſurped Maſters will never do, but rather work our deſtruction for their own advantage and pepetuity.

Now underſtand, that as it hath been alwayes reſolved, by the Judges and lawes of this Nation, that the depoſition, or death of a King, doth actually diſſolve a Parliament, nor can the ſucceeding King, or ſucceſſour whatſoever hold or continue the ſaid Parliament, or prorogue it; ſo by the ſame law was this pſeudo Parliament diſſolved, and made no Parliament, by the late Kings death, and not by us, or any part of the Army though falſely by many ſo aſſerted.

Alſo, that this preſent Pſeudo-Parliament was ſummoned particularly by the late King CHARLES in his naturall, as well as politick capacitie, but not for him, his heirs or ſucceſſors; for he ceaſed to be both Charles and a King of this Realm by his death, and the Councell by whoſe adviſe it was firſt ſummoned was his own, not his heirs and Succeſſors, beſides it was ſummoned by the King himſelf, to treat, conſult, and give their advice with him perſonally which by his death was impoſſible, and ſo determined, expired, and diſſolved; even as a naturall ceaſes to be a living man, when the head is cut off; or, as if a man ſhould by his will or deed authorize any three perſons, jointly to ſell lands, give livery and ſeiſin, and one of them dye, the other two joyntly or ſeverally can do nothing, becauſe their truſt and authority was joynt, not ſeverall; and ſo joyntly not ſeparately to be executed; therefore no lawfull call for this Parliamentary Conventicle to ſit, nor as they are not a houſe under the number of fortie, ſo they can make no lawfull Act under the number of one hundred and fiftie.

Thus as it is evident that the preſent convened Parliamentary Conventicle at Westminſter is no Parliament, by all the lawes of this Nation, as in part before mentioned; nor ought of right to ſit, being the onely men contriving our deſtruction, let us not boggle, or carry the hearts of women to diſſolve and turn them out of dores, with greater ſcorne, infamy and deriſion, then they endeavour to bring us into: let you and us goe on together, in this work couragiouſly without fear or diſpondencie; let us not own them, nor their encroached Parliamentary power, acts, or impoſitions, leaſt through our unworthy Cowardize and negligence in this kind, we ſuddenly become a prey, to theſe ſelfe ended perpetuateing Princes, nothing at all caring for us or the publick good, but likely to transform the City and Countrey into a place of ſcorn and beggery.

And though the Lord Henry Cromwel hath very ſuddenly made his appearance at Weſtminſter contrary to expectation; yet let that be no cauſe for you to prevaricate or turn back from the work intended, for the old ſoldiers of the Army in Ireland, have aſſured us that he left them without conſent, and they deſire us to hold our reſolutions and they will own and ſtand with us; as alſo the City of London have many thouſands well prepared to joyn with us, then what cauſe of fear, or whoſe commands ſhall wee break in performing the work of diſſolving them, are not they under our power?

Thus have we again diſcovered unto you our fellow Soldiers, as to our ſelves, what of neceſſity requires a remedy with all ſpeed: Before a diſeaſe hath brought the body low, it will endure heates and colds and many diſtempers, and alter little or nothing viſibly, but the dregs remain and bring the diſeaſe by degrees to a height, and then every ſleight offence is taken, and ſtrong diſtempers appeare to danger and ruine; And it may be rationally judged our Pſeudo-Governors labour under a Criticall ſign, the diſeaſe is grown ſo ſtrong, it hath ſuch a height, that we muſt all unanimously intervene for our own preſervations, elſe danger is at hand; And this thing now preſented to you, is an evident Symptome, what will ſpeedily be done againſt us, by thoſe who have no power to Sit, but from us, and may we not then call home that which we have lent?

The ſole way of all our preſervations being in reeſtablſhing Richard Protector; For it is moſt neceſſary, one abſolute head in any Government muſt be; and who more right to it then Richard Protector? both for his great care over us, for the preſervation of all us, and ours, and his endeavours to have the Lawes and our Liberties performed and kept; Therefore, we think moſt fit, and leaſt without ſuſpition, that upon Tueſday the _____ inſtant, when you are all met for the Church at Weſtminſter, that you faithfully reſolve like men to prepare your ſelves with us to diſſolve and turn them out of dores, when, undoubtedly expect us, fully to compleat theſe our reſolutions, which by Law, Reaſon and Equity, muſt ſpeedily be acted, to make our ſelves ſafe under the Protector, which no where elſe is to be had.