HOw great and dangerous a Mutinie hapned lately in part of the Army, is not unknown to the Nation. How great, and manifold miſeries were thereby threatned unto the languiſhing Common-Wealth is beyond expreſſion: This mutinous and turbulent ſpirit that was amongſt us, not being included within the quarters of one Regiment, but diffuſed (like evill blood through the veines) into many Regiments of the Army: wherein this diſcontented humor hath infected divers. I having had too much experience, by bearing too great a part in this diſcontented Rebellion) ſhall do what I can to diſcover unto the world both the Cauſes and effects thereof; that by the manifeſtation of the weakneſs of the ground-work, and by the declaration of the hideous conſequences: men being undeceived, They who are any way intangled, may be recovered, out of that dangerous and deſtructive Faction; They who are yet free may have their thoughts prevented, That dangers of like nature may be anticipated, and a right underſtanding ſetled. That Peace and Union, Love and Concord, may knit and unite the joynts of this preſent Army ſo together, that neither open enemy, or pretended friend, may be able by force or flattery to devide it.

The firſt, and great occaſion of this unexpected Mutiny, was this: Our Regiments, with ſome others, were by Lot deſigned for the ſervice of Ireland. The Service we granted both very honourable, and alſo neceſſary, for the prevention of War, and ſetling of Peace in this Nation: Yet did we beleeve that there ſtood between us and Ireland, an ingagement made by the Army, at that famous Rendevouz at Triploe Heath, June 5. 1647. binding us neither to ſuffer dividing nor disbanding of this Army: untill ſuch ſatisfaction were given, as in that ingagement required: It was thought eſſentially conducing to the ſatisfaction of the Army, to the reconciliation of differences, to the procuring of Nationall freedom, and to the reliefe of Ireland: To require ſuch a Councel, to be ſet up again in the Army, conſiſting of Two Commiſſion Officers, and Two Agitators, choſen by every Regiment of Horſe or Foot; together with the concurring generall Officers, In this we were very bold, (I do not ſay wiſe) propounding to his Excellency this condition, to be performed before we could ſubmit unto his Excellencies order: This performed, we were contented to refer our ſelves to the cenſure of this Councell. That which gave us boldneſſe herein, and that which beguiled us, was this: That we did not conceive how the engagement, could poſſibly admit of a diſpenſation.

Such a Councell being by that ingagement appointed, as a repreſentative of the Army, ought (as we did then beleeve to be ſtill continued, unleſs we would prove perfidious Covenant-breakers. I could not, (I confeſs) unty this knot: but here I was intangled, and enſnared, and therefore, for that preſent, thought my ſelf bound in duty to God and men, to proſecute this ingagement: Hence it was (many being of the ſame minde) That 12. Troopes of Horſe were drawn together and looking upon ſuperior Commanders, as Tyrannicall Covenant-breakers. We marched contrary to his Excellencies expreſſes; being heightned with the zeale of the performance of our engagement.

And touching this thing we were further perſwaded, that it did hold forth ſuch ſtrength of reaſon, That the greateſt part of the Army would ſuddenly have joyned with us: And this was the cauſe why I joined with that Party, deviding from the Army, notwithſtanding there appeared leſs ſafety, and greater hazard: And I beleeve this Cord drew on many honeſt hearted men, who did conſcientiouſly ſeek to make good that ingagement. But herein I confeſs a double error: Firſt, had this ingagement been to be proſecuted: yet ought not we to have moved beyond our Sphear; and to break one ingagement by the proſecution of another; to diſobey his Excelencies order under any pretence. It is a good thing to yeeld obedience unto that authority under which we are placed. Our ſecond Error was, in not peracquainting his Excellency and his Councel of War, with our grievances, In whom we have found ſo great meekneſs and moderation, that we could not have miſſed expected ſatisfaction.

But that further anſwer may be given, and thereby the ſnare may be broken, and no more be intangled, I ſhall declare what ſatisfaction I have received: That ſo I may give the ſame ſatisfaction unto others. Such a Councell indeed, the ingagement required, And ſuch a Councell was conſtituted in the Army, acting, and tranſacting of matters pertaining to the diſcipline of the Army. And ſo long was this Councell continued; untill the inconvenience thereof was ſo far manifeſt; That moſt of the Regiments of Horſe and Foot did Petition his Exelency to ſend back the ſeverall Agitators, unto their reſpective Regiments, untill he ſhould be pleaſed to reſummon them: Profeſſing a willingneſſe in themſelves, to ſubmit unto his Excellency with his Councel of War, according to the priſtine diſcipline of the Army. His Excelency having received theſe Petitions, did not immediatly ſend back the Agitators (as requeſted) But having firſt ſummoned a Councell, and communicated the Petitions unto them; it was by them concluded, that according to the Petitions of the ſeverall Regiments, the Councell of Agitators ſhould be diſſolved, untill his Excel. ſhould fee cauſe to reſummon them. Now this being ſo: his Excel. cannot be charged with violation of that ingagement: neither doth th • re remain any obligation on his Excel. to have continued or revived any ſuch Councell. Much leſſe is it warrantable in the Souldiery of the Army to aſſume that power to themſelves Seeing they ſuffered a diſſolution by the ſame power, by which they had their firſt conſtitution.

And if this had been formerly known unto ſome of us, I am perſwaded many had been prevented in this precipitate action.

This that hath been ſpoken (though now it ſeems weak) was the firſt and chief ground of our diſcontent, which brake forth into irregularity and high diſobedience. Some other grounds there are which did add fuel to this fire, and blow up the ſparkles which did here begin to be kindled. A ſecond ground was, The many aſperſions which are caſt upon ſome general Officers of the Army, to the blaſting of their fame and reputation, have proved as a whet-ſtone, to ſet a rough edg upon the reſolutions of many and to ſtir them up unto further diſcontent. I need not repeat what is ſpoken and written by ſome men. As to my ſelf, I do profeſs, I did never beleeve them; and I bleſs God I ſee leſs cauſe to believe them then ever: I have thought ſtrange that men ſhould ſeek to diſhonor them whom the Lord hath honored. But truly I do obſerve great credulity (the character of Lightneſs) in very many, whom I could wiſh otherwiſe minded. I deſire that diligent ſearch may be made, Whether this proceed not either from jealouſie, which always ſuſpecteth the worſt, and betrayeth all hope of good, or from envy, repining at the felicity of other men: Yet leaſt ſome ſhould ſay, That there is no ſmoak but ſome fire; all theſe accuſations cannot be falſe. I ſhall plainly ſhew that much ſuch ſmoak hath been where no fire was to be found, and that the beſt men (eſpecially in authority) have been partakers of this portion. And tacitly to anſwer another Objection, I ſhall ſhew, That good men have ſometimes been infected with the forenamed Contagion. Moſes was the meekeſt man in his time upon the earth, yet did the Conſpirators charge him as fiercely and hainouſly as any Officer of the preſent Army is charged this day, in taking too much upon him, lifting up himſelf, making himſelf a Prince over the people; and this is not only ſpoken by ſons of Belial, but by thoſe that were men of renown, and famous among the people, yea countenanced, becauſe beleeved by the whole Congregation of Iſrael. Now unleſs we will ſay, That all the Congregation were evil, we muſt be forced to confeſs, That good men are ſometimes overtaken with this fault, of accuſing and condemning others when there is no cauſe. Experience will teach us, not to be too credulous to give ear to reports, leſt we be induced to believe that which we have no ground for: if flying reports might be taken for evidence, we ſhould in all ages find very few good men, but we ſhould be ready to condemn the generation of the juſt.

Another complaint exaſpering the minds of ſome, is, That one Tyrant is pulled down, and a ſecond ſet up in his room. I confeſs this complaint were of great weight if it were true: But truly I ſuppoſe this ariſeth from the want of diſcerning of true Government from Tyranny: As Flattery was wont of late years to extol Tyranny, as if it had been the perfection of Government; ſo Ignorance and Envy is ready to brand true and lawful Government with the name of Tyranny. I ſee the difference between the one and the other, and I deſire other men may diſcern it. A Tyrant makes his Will the Law, the other makes the Law his Will. And truly if we exclaim againſt Tyranny when our Rulers govern not according to luſt, but according to Law and Rule, we ſhall incur a juſt ſuſpition, that it is not Tyranny but Magiſtracy that we complain of.

Another thing that hath much diſturbed the minds of men, and filled them with diſcontent is, The ſlow motion of the Parliament, as to the taking away of oppreſſions, and eaſing the grievances of the people. In anſwer to this, We are to conſider the Parliament before, and after, the Armies entrance into London. As to the former conſideration, before the Armies entrance into London, I am ſo far from admiring their ſlow motion, that it is a wonder to me that they moved at all any other way then backward: And I do admire the great providence of God, who withheld them from turning all things upſide down, while the Houſe was filled with ſo many men of corrupt intereſts. As to the Parliament in the ſecond Conſideration, ſince the Armies approach to London, we have cauſe to bleſs God, that they have done ſo many things for us, which our eyes have ſeen; and what is not yet done, is in promiſe already performed unto us, with aſſurance of ſuch celerity as matters of ſo great weight will poſſibly admit. And for anſwer unto this Complaint, there needeth not any to a patient ſpirit, and the impatient are not capable of an anſwer. In concluſion of this I ſhall declare my thoughts. That although ſome men do not ceaſe to caſt duſt in the faces both of Parliament and Councel of the Army, yet hath not that Cloud been thick enough to hinder the appearance of thoſe beams of Juſtice, Mercy, Pitty, Clemency, Moderation, which ſhine forth in them, which have drawn me to ſo reverend an eſteem of both, as I cannot conveniently now ſet forth, leſt I ſhould incur ſuſpition of falling from one extream into another.

I ſhall only ſay this, That I bleſs God for them; and it were no ſmall degree of ingratitude, if we ſhould deny it a great mercy to the Nation, that God hath raiſed up ſuch men amongſt us. Theſe are the ordinary Cauſes of our Diſcontents, which being weighed in the ballance it will appear, that the greateſt of all is the unthankfulneſs of our hearts and impatiency of our ſpirits, our want of love to cover offences, and our too much envy, aggravating what may be amiſs. I ſhall now proceed to ſhew the effects of this Diſtraction, if it be lawful to judg of the Effects in the Cauſe; The fruits of this Mutiny would have proved ſo bitter, that had I many tongues, and great ſtrength of invention, I could not ſufficiently declare them: But when I ſhall have done that which I am able, it will appear clearly to the world (though we with faces of braſs ſhould deny it,) That the Sentence paſſed on us all, and the Execution upon ſome, was very juſt and righteous; and that his Excellencies Clemency in ſparing of us was very great. Let me ſpeak truly of the conſequences likely to have attended this Inſurrection, as they were repreſented unto me upon ſerious Meditations, after I had received the Sentence of Death, at ſuch time as I judged my ſelf, not only unworthy, but alſo incapable of Mercy (from men) in reſpect of my deep crime. And I ſhall make it appear, that if we had not been prevented, this Mutiny would have proved more dangerous and deſtructive then the firſt War raiſed by the King, with his Cavalry, or the ſecond revived by the Welſh, the Kentiſh, the invading Scots, and others.

The firſt and ſecond War did unite the hearts of the Army together, and cauſed the well-affected in the Nation, with heart and hand, to joyn in one: But this would have procured a diviſion between the well-affected, and made a breach in this victorious Army, by forcing one part to engage againſt the other, and one in fury to deſtroy the other; and thereby Ham-ſtring the ſinews of this Nation, rendering all former Victories null; bringing upon us a more deſperate condition their ever, re-delivering us up into the hands of our conquered, yet inſulting, Enemies. Surely hereby great joy had ſprung up to the Malignant party: But exceeding ſorrow and woe to the well-affected.

I cannot but with ſhame acknowledg blindneſs of heart, and a ſpirit inſatuated, when we undertook this deſperate and dangerous enterprize. We have therefore cauſe to ſay; Bleſſed be the Lord who gave us into his Excellencies hand. And bleſſed be his Excellency of the Lord, who hath been ſo happy an inſtrument to withhold our hands from the blood and ruine of our Nation.

The firſt and ſecond War had ſome Baſis and foundation to build upon, ſome appearance of viſible Authority to countenance it: from which appearance of Authority it derived a Beginning, in which alſo it did terminate it ſelf; (viz.) in the will and pleaſure of a King. But this Mutiny was without any foundation at all: The name of a King we diſclaimed: From the Parliament we had neither received nor required Commiſſion: The People knew not our deſires, and they were more againſt us then for us, for ought we knew. Now what Succeſs could be expected from ſuch Confuſion? Juſtly did the Lord diſ-own us, to teach all men that he is a God of Order, and not of Confuſion, to teach us that he needeth not our diſobedience to Superiors, or any evil action, to conſummate this determination.

The firſt and ſecond War was managed by men of one intereſt, as touching the King, they all aymed at his reſtitution, at the advancing of his Prerogative: But we were an Heterogenial Body, conſiſting of parts very diverſe one from another, ſetled upon principles inconſiſtent one with another. So that although the intentions of ſome men were good and plauſible; yet the major part muſt needs be far different, unleſs we think it poſſible, that light and darkneſs, good and evil, can be concentrick together, inſomuch that had we proved the ſtronger party, and prevailed, where ſhould we have terminated? Who can imagine otherwiſe, but that parties amongſt us of ſeveral diſpoſitions would have every one ſought to fulfil his own will? and ſo ſhould we have run into diviſion, and ſubdiviſions, until we had ended in Confuſions. Theſe things I have declared for this end, that I may manifeſt unto my Fellow-Soldiers, that I am aſhamed of the late proceedings, and do conceive great indignation againſt my ſelf, for being acceſſary unto ſuch raſh attempts; That I may give warning unto others, that they may beware and fear to do any ſuch thing. Oh, how neceſſary is it at all times to draw neer unto God for wiſdom and underſtanding to guide us and direct us in all our ways. And laſtly, I deſire all may conſider and acknowledg how great the preventing mercy of God hath been towards us at this time, that ſo we may be incited to offer praiſe, and honor, and glory to him that liveth for ever and ever.