AS much experience as we have had of the inveterate rancour and high Inso­lence of the malignant party against us, we never yet saw any expression come from them, so evidently declaring it, as the Declaration entituled, A Declaration of the Lords and Commons Assembled in Parliament, for the raysing of all Power and Force, aswell Trayned Bands, as others in severall Counties of this Kingdom, to leade against all Traytors, and their Adherents, &c. In which, That Faction hath as it were distilled, and contracted all their fals­hood, Insolence, and Malice; There being in it not one period which is not either slanderous or treasonable; and nothing can more grieve us, then [Page 6] that by their infinite Arts & Subtilty (employed by their perpetuall and indefatigable industry) and by that rabble of Brownists and other Schis­matickes declaredly ready to appeare at their call, they should have been able so to draw away some, and drive away others of our good Sub­jcts from our Parliament, as to prevaile with the Major Part remaining of both Houses (how much soever that Major part be the smaller, in comparison of the whole) to suffer that name (whose reverence by all means we desire to pre­serve) to be so soyl'd, as to be prefixed to a Pa­per of this unsufferable nature; That tends not onely to the destruction of our Person, but to the dissolution of this Government, and of all Society; If at least this Declaration (which we rather see cause to hope it hath not) have so much as been seen in the Houses, and be not the single Work of the same Omnipotent Com­mittee, to which is devolved the whole power of the Parliament; and which, as We understand, is trusted (without acquainting the Houses) to break up any Mans House, and take away the Arms and Mony intended to defend and feed him (if they shall see cause to suspect that he meant to assist His Soveraign with them) and [Page 7] may well be as fully and implicitely trusted to Declare, as to Act whatsoever they please. And though We doubt not, but to their utmost, they will continue that Injury to Us, and that viola­tion of the Subjects Libertie, and of publique Right, to vex and Imprison those, who shall pub­lish any of our Answers, to their Declarations, (and indeed whilst they affirme against all Truth, and command against all Law, it con­cerns them to take care that nothing be heard, but what they shall say) yet Our comfort is, That Our Intentions, and the Duty of Our Sub­jects are so well, and so generally known to Our People, that We cannot Fear (from whomsoever it come, and though no Answer came out with it) that, either what is there said, should be be­lieved, or what is there commanded, should be obeyed. Who knows not, That Our Commissi­ons for Horse and Foot were not granted out, till not only Our Prerogative, but Our Proprie­ty, Our Goods, Arms, Towns, Militia; and nega­tive Voice were taken from Us; and all the Kingdome commanded to be in Arms, and Invi­ted to bring in Horse, Plate, and Mony, to frame an Army against Our Command and Proclama­tion, and till Horse were raised, and Mustred [Page 8] accordingly? And then, with no Intention (nor hath any Action in any of Our Ministers, given the least suspition of such an Intention) by them to compell Our Subjects, to submit to Our Commissions of Array, or make use of them a­gainst the Parliament, but to re-gain Hull, held out in Rebellion against Us; And to suppresse all such, as vvithout Our Authority, and against Our Commands, should raise Forces in this Our Kingdom, and leavie War against Us, under pre­tence of any Order, or Ordinance of one or both Houses; and such Trayterous Assemblies and Marches have been the onely lawfull and ne­cessary occasions of Our good Subjects, which have been so much as interrupted by any Troops of Ours; And vvhat is affirm'd of the spoiling and killing them, as they were so Travelling un­der our Protection, and according to Law, is a most malicious Affirmation, aswell vvithout Truth, as vvithout Instance, invented at once to make Our Troops terrible, and Us odious to Our People. What care have We taken, That (by this means) the power of the Sword should not come into the Hands of Papists, vvho have by Our Proclamation strictly charged, That no Papist should presume to list himselfe, either as [Page 9] Officer or Souldier in this Our Army, having di­rected how he should be discovered, if he did presume; and suffer, if he were discovered? What care have we taken to avoyd combustion and Civill War, offering to lay down Our Arms, when they shall have laid down theirs (in whom it was Treason to take them up) and restored Us those things which could not without Treason, as well as Injustice be sorced away; and kept from Us, Our Arms, Ships, Town, &c. And when We might meet both Our Houses in a safe and secure place, to debate freely of all the differen­ces in a Parliamentary way; And by whose in­fluences these Propositions were rejected, and whether the Proposer or Rejecters were most carefull to avoid this ruine and desolation of the Kingdom, We leave all the World to Judge; and whether they, who divert the Men and Money collected for the reliefe of distressed Ireland, to raise sorces against their Prince (vvho asks them nothing but vvhat is Legall, nor vvill deny them any that is) doe not joyn vvith the Popish and Jesuiticall faction in the bloudy Massacre of ma­ny thousand Protestants in that miserable King­dom. We propose likewise to every Mans Judge­ment; whether the Declaring those to be Tray­tors, [Page 10] vvho execute Our Commission of Array (is­sued in so many Kings Reign, agreed upon by Parliament, and there yeelded to by the King, to be setled as now it is, as a mat­ter of great grace. And since that time, which vvas in 5. Hen. 4. in no Parliament complained of) whilst Our good subjects are vexed and Im­prisoned, not onely for resisting, but for humbly Petitioning so as may seem but to insinuate something against their most illegall commands concerning the Militia (to vvhich power of com­manding, no Tytle can be made by any Statute, or any Precedent, nor can We ever find by search, nor obtain to be told what these funda­mentall Laws are, by vvhich it is pretended; so deep those foundations are laid, beyond all means of discovery.) And the Declaring, That those vvho raise Men by vertue of Our Com­mand and Commission (the onely Legall vvay) Traiterously and Rebelliously leavie War against the King; and ordaining it to be lawfull for all Our Subjects by force of Arms to resist them, and their accomplices; and the raising forces by authoritie of Parliament (that is, by the remai­ning part of both Houses) never in the most outragious times before attempted, and com­manding [Page 11] severall Persons whom they call Liev­tenants, to leade, and giving them power to transport from one County to another, the For­ces of severall of Our Counties against them, and to kill and slay all such, as by force shall op­pose them, Our Selfe not excepted; comman­ding all Our Officers and Subjects to be assisting to them, and undertaking to secure them for so doing, by the Power and Authority of Parlia­ment (vvhich is first to allow, and next to com­mand, and then to pardon Treason) be not to have already subverted, as much as in them lies, the Liberty of the Subject, the Law of the Land, and altered the Ancient Government of the Kingdom, leaving Our Subjects vvithout all Rule to vvalk by, vvhen the most clear Laws cannot direct and secure them; and they see all those ancient bounds passed over, which were e­ver as much known to be the Duty of both Hou­ses to observe, as it vvas evident that there were, and that it vvas necessary that there should be two Houses of Parliament, and at once behold the Law (vvhich is to Defend and Protect the Subject) and Us (vvho are to Protect and De­fend the Law) need Defence and Protection. We doubt not therefore, but all Our good Sub­jects [Page 12] will come in to Our Assistance, and that this wicked charge of intending to introduce Popery, Idolatry, and Arbitrary government laid by implication upon us, (because we de­fend our selves, and would recover our own) will be so farre from being a motive against us, that this intolerable indignitie and damnable scandall (so daily and visibly confuted by all Our Professions and Actions) will encrease Our good Subjects zeale towards Us, and their in­dignation against the Contrivers; And they will esteem themselves obliged by the Religion of Almighty God, to oppose this War so impi­ously, so treasonably and so groundlesly made upon Us their King and his Anointed: We therefore require all Our Commissioners of Ar­ray, Sheriffes, and all Our other Officers and Mi­nisters to raise all the power and forces of their severall Counties to ass [...]st the Marquesse of Hertford, the Earle of Northampton, the Lord Wil­loughby of Eresby, the Lord Pawlet, the Lord Sey­mour, the Lord Dunsmore, Henry Hastings Esq; Sir John, Stowell, Sir Ralph Hopton, John Digby Esq; and all other in the legall and necessarie ex­ecuting of our Commissions of Array, and in the raising and conducting of such Horse and Foot as [Page 13] shall be raised by Our Commission, and by force of Arms to oppose the Earle of Essex, the Lord Say, and all other that shall raise or conduct any forces raised by pretence of Authoritie of both Houses, and the Persons of all such Traytors, and their Adherents, and Accomplices, to arrest and imprison; To the end they may be brought to a faire and legall tryall, by their Peers, and according to the Law: And this we require from them, as they tender the Defence of Our Person, the true Religion, the Law of the Land, the Libertie and propertie of the Subject, and the true and just Priviledges of Parliament. And for so doing they shall be defended and secured by Us, and by the Law; with whom, and with which, we doubt not, but Our Subjects will sooner choose to live and die, then with the Earle of Essex and his Adherents.