FIrst, that whereas it pleases the honourable houses of Parl. upon mis information falsly suggested unto them, to declare and immediatly publish in print to to the Kingdome, that the Petition of the Army, being but on­ly an intention, did tend to put the Army into a distem­per and mutiny, to obstruct the relief of Ireland, and to put conditions upon the Parl. and declaring the Petitio­ners, if they shall proceed therein, no lesse then enemies to the State, and disturbers to the Publique Peace, which said heavie charge remaining upon record, as a Memo­randum of infamy upon us to posterity; we cannot chuse but be deeply sensible therof, and with amazement, won­der how so humble and innocent adresse, intented to the Generall, could beget so strange an interpretation,

2. That whereas those persons that have attempted to beget and attempt and foment divisions betweene the Parl. and their Army, by their surrepticious obtaining & misrepresenting our Petitions, and by producing other scandalous Letters from unknown hands by them pro­duced, the Authors whereof are concealed, & not brought forth to make a judiciall proofe of those things laid to our charge, which we cannot but look upon as a just cause of griefe, that the suggesters of such untruths seeme to be incouraged, and we who are innocent remain unjusti­fied.

That divers Officers of the Army of publike and known integrity, have bin (upon what grounds we know not) sent for to the Parl. as delinquents; Some whereof do at this present attend there, and cannot procure a tryall, having nothing considerable laid to their charge, &c.

4. That whereas we understand that the Parl. hath vo­ted a sudden disbanding of the Army, not having made sufficient provision for the auditing of our arreares, and stating of our accounts, our own reason, and experience of others, makes us sensible, how difficult, chargeable, & uncertain the obtaining thereof will be after our disban­ding, and therefore justly make us sensible thereof.

Fiftly, That no provision hath bin made for the pay­ment of our dearly earned wages by the expence of our bloud, and often hazard of our lives, saving a vote of sixe weekes upon disbanding, which is so mean a requitall of our faithfull service, the Kingdome being now setled in peace, that it will inevitably expose us (especially the private souldiers to great extremities) being hardly suf­ficient to maintaine many of them in their journies to their own homes.

6. That nothing as yet hath beene perfected for our fu­ture security for things done as Souldiers, in relation to the warre which the exigency thereof hath compelled thereunto, &c.

7. That we stand in fear (especially the private Soul­diers) of being imprest or forced to serve as soldiers out of the Kingdom, many of them having spent their times freely in the publique service of the Kingeome, forsa­king their trades, their only livelyhood, to which many desire to return again for their better future livelihood.

8. That whereas divers of us (especially the private soul­diers) who were Apprentices in London, and other parts [Page]of the Kingdom, have voluntarily ingaged themselves in the service being encouraged therevnto by the Parl. De­claration, shewing that the time that they should so spend in the prosecution thereof, should be so effectuall in order to their freedome, as if they had remained with their severall respective Masters, notwithstanding which many have refused to give some of us freedomes, who may justly claime it by the Parliaments Declaration for that purpose.

9. That many souldiers who have lost their lives, wid­dowes who have lost their husbands, and children their parents in this service, and thereby reduced to great ex­tremities, even to beggery for want of provision for their subsistance, are not sufficiently provided for a future livelyhood.

10. That whereas divers persons hath both privately and publikely laboured by aspersions & false calumnies to make us odious to the Kingdome, having published many scandalous bookes, such as Mr. Edwards Gangrena, and divers others of that nature, the severall particulars whereof we protest against as most false, and are confi­dent that it proceeded not from any probable ground, which may argue such an intention in us, but fingly from the malice of our enemies.

11. That notwithstanding the great care of the Com­mittee and Treasures of the Army, and the cheerfull rea­dinesse of most Counties for the paying of Assesments, as those where we now quarter do affirme, neverthelesse the private souldiers are necessitated to take free quarter for the present, which is very irksome unto us to bee so burdensome to our friends.

Having thus according to your commands, as fully as we are able accounted unto you, what was the true ge­nuine [Page]sence of the Army, and not their imaginary con­ceits, but their grievances, that inevitably fall upon us, unlesse the Parliament take course to prevent them: if the time allowed us by you would admit, we could more ful­ly demonstrate. We assume the boldnesse to intreat you to be deeply sensible of, and represent to the Parliament these particulars, in such an humble way, and to right us if we shall be misrepresented to the Parliament by any, and so farre as you can cover our weaknesses, that have or may slip from us, and prevent any scandals, that the malice of any men do seek herein to asperse us, when we shall be inquired into.

To the right Honourable Philip Skippon, Field-Marshall Generall, Lieutenant Generall Cromwell, Commissary Gen: Ireton, and Colonell Fleetwood.