AS We must wholly attribute the pre­servation of Us and Our Children in the late bloody Battle with the Rebells to the mercy and goodnesse of Al­mighty God, who best knowing the Ju [...]ice of Our cause, and the uprightnesse of Our he [...]t to his service, and to the good and wellfare of Our People, would not suffer Us & this whole King­dom to be made a prey to those desperate Persons, so Wee hold it Our duty still to use all possible means to remove that jealousie, and misunder­standing frō Our good Subjects, which by the In­dustry, & subtilty of that Malignant Party (which [Page 2] hath brought this mischief & confusion upon the Kingdom) hath been infused into them, and to that purpose (though even those scandals are suf­ficiently answered by many of Our Declarations and Messages, and by Our late Protestation made in the head of Our Army, which We shall alwaies by the help of God stedfastly and solemly ob­serve) We shall take notice of those subtile Insi­nuations by which at this present (according to that observation We can make, and Information We can receive) they endeavour to poyson the hearts and corrupt the Allegiance of such of Our good Subjects who cannot so cleerely discerne their malice and impostures. First, by urging and pressing that false groundlesse Imputation of Our favouring Popery, and Our imploying many of that Religion now in Our Army. Secondly, by se­ducing Our good people to believe that this Army raysed and kept for Our necessary defence (and without which in all probability the malice of these men had before this taken Our life from Us) is to fight against, and subdue the Parlia­ment, to take away the Priviledges thereof, and thereby to root out Parliaments, if either of which were true, We should not have the courage with an Army much greater then Ours, to hope for successe.

[Page 3] For the first, for Our Affection to that Religi­on, Our continuall practice, Our constant Profes­sion and severall Protestations will satisfy all the world, against which Malice and Treason it selfe, cannot find the least probable objection, we wish from Our heart the zeale and Affection of these men to the true Protestant Religion were as ap­parent as Ours. For the imploying men of that Religion in Our present service in the Army, whosoever considers the hardnesse and straights the malice and fury of these men have driven Us to, their stopping all passages and waies that nei­ther men or mony might come to Us, their de­claring all such to be Traitors who shall assist Us, their entertaining men of all Countries, all Reli­gions, to serve against Us, would not wonder, if We had been very well contented to have recei­ved the service and Assistance of any of Our good Subjects who had Loyalty enough (whatsoever their Religion is) to bring them to Our succour. All men know the great number of Papists which serve in their Army, Commanders, and others, the great Industry they have used to corrupt the Loy­alty and Affection of all Our Subjects of that Re­ligion, the private promises & undertakings they have made to them, that if they would assist them [Page 4] against Us, all the Lawes made in their prejudice should be repealed, yet neither the weaknesse of Our own condition, nor the other Arts used a­gainst Us, could prevaile with Us to invite those of that Religion to come to Our succour or to re­call Our Proclamation which forbad them to do so. And We are confident (though We know of some few whose eminent Abilities in command and conduct, and moderate and unfactious dispo­sitions hath moved Us in this great necessity to imploy them in this service) that a far greater number of that Religion is in the Army of the Re­bells, then in Our own. And We doe assure Our good Subjects though We shall alwaies remem­ber the particular services which particular men have or shall in this exigent of Ours performe to Us with that grace and bounty which becomes a just Prince, yet We shall be so far from ever giving the least countenance or encouragement to that Religion, that We shall alwaies use Our utmost endeavour to suppresse it, by the execution of those good & wholsome Lawes already in force against Papists, and concurring in such further remedies as the care and wisdom of Us and both Houses of Parliament shall think most necessary for the Advancement of Gods service.

[Page 5] For the second, of Our intention to make War upon Our Parliament and so to root out Parlia­ments. The scandall is so senselesse, when Our Accusation of a few particular Persons for parti­cular crimes notoriously committed, adjudged by the known Lawes of the Land to be Treason, is evident, that no man can be moved with it, who doth not believe a dozen or twenty factious, sedi­tious Persons, to be the high Court of Parliament, which consists of King, Lords, and Commons; & for the Priviledges of it, whoever doth not believe that to raise an Army to murther and depose the King, to alter the whole frame of Government & established Lawes of the Land by extemporary, extravagant Votes & resolutions of either or both Houses, to force & compell the Members to sub­mit to the faction and Treason of a few, and to take away the Liberty and freedom of Consulta­tion from them, to be the Priviledges of Parlia­ment, must confesse that the Army now raised by Us is no lesse for the vindication and preservation of Parliament then for Our own necessary de­fence. We have often said, and We still say, that We believe many Inconveniences have grown upon this Kingdom by the too long intermission of Parliaments, that Parliaments are the only ne­cessary [Page 6] Soveraign remedies for the growing mis­chiefes which time and Accidents have and will alwayes beget in this Kingdom, that without Par­liaments the happinesse cannot be lasting to King or People; We have prepared for the frequent as­sembling of Parliaments, and will be alwayes as carefull of their just Priviledges, as of Our Life, Honour, or Interest; but that those Priviledges should extend so far as hath been lately declared, that it should not be lawfull for Us to apprehend the Lord S^t. Iohn, Captain Windgate, or Captain Walton, when they came to destroy Us, because they were Members of Parliament, without the consent of that House of which they were Mem­bers, is so ridiculous, that there need no more to be said in this Argument then the giving these in­stances. In a word, as whoever knowes in what danger Our Person was in, on Sunday the 23 of October, can never beleive that the Army which gave Us Battle was raised for Our defence, & pre­servation; so when they consider how much the Liberty of the Subject is invaded by their Rapine & Imprisoning; and that foure parts at the least of five of the Members of both Houses are by vio­lence driven from being present in that Councell. That the Book of Common Prayer is rejected, [Page 7] and no countenance given but to Anabaptists and Brownists, they will easily find the pretences of care of the Protestant Religion, the Liberty of the Subject, and of the Priviledge of Parliament to be as vain and pretended, as those which refer to the safety of Our Person, and preservation of Our Posterity.

We cannot omit the great pains and endea­vours these great pretenders to Peace and Charity have taken, to raise an implacable malice and ha­tred between the Gentry and Commonalty of the Kingdome, by rendring all Persons of Honour, Courage, and Reputation, odious to the Com­mon people, under the style of Cavaliers, inso­much as the High-wayes and Villages have not been safe for Gentlemen to passe through with­out violence or Affronts, and by infusing into them that there was an intention by the Commis­sion of Array to take away a part of their Estates from them, a scandall so senselesse and impossi­ble, that the contrivers of it well know they might with equall Ingenuity have charged Us with a purpose of introducing Turcisme or Judisme a­mongst them, and We hope when Our good Sub­jects have well weighed the continuall practises of these men to reject all offers of Treaty, and [Page 8] to suppresse truth, and to mislead them by bold and monstrous falsehoods, they will not think such Arts and wayes to lead to Peace and Unity. And We desire Our good Subiects of all Condi­tions to beleive that We hold Our Self bound no lesse to defend and protect the meanest of Our People (who are born equally free, and to whom the Law of the Land is an equall Inheritance) then the greatest Subject, and that as the wealth and strength of this Kingdome consists in the number and happinesse of Our People, which is made up of men of all Conditions, so We shall to the utmost of Our power endeavour without distinction to give every one of them that Iustice and Protection which is due to them, and We doe exhort them all to that charitable and bro­therly Affection one to wards another, that they may be reconciled in a just duty and Loyalty to Us, which may enable Us for that Protection.

To conclude, We would have all the world know, that We shall never forget the Protestati­ons and Vowes We have made to Allmighty God in Our severall Declarations & Messages to both Our Houses of Parliament. And We are too much a Christian to beleive that We can breake those promises, and avoyd the Iustice of Heaven.