WHEN I conſider the way of my Education, and the courſe of my life; which hath been wholly ſtrange to publiſhing of books; I begin to thinke that as God Almighty brings into every mans life ſomewhat unexpected and remarkable, ſo that by this croſſe neceſſity that at the preſent lies upon me, he would make it evident to me in particular, that our lives are but clay in his hands, and that we ſcarcely come ever ſo ſenſibly to feele his hand as in the day of our adverſity.

And therefore though I bemoan the injuſtice of men towards me, yet him I juſtifie and reſigne my ſelfe up ro his will, and truly ſince he hath been pleaſed to permit affliction to lye upon me, to have my good name, nay my eſtate and truſt taken away (which nevertheleſſe he will reſtore in his due time) I ſhall not doubt to lay open the whole ſeries and proceedings of my troubles, the unjuſt and fraudulent proſecution of my Adverſaties, the nature of my crime freely and clearly laid out, and laſtly the ſufferings that it hath occaſioned to me. For though this be but a private buſineſſe, and my Wife and Children ſeem only to be Sufferers, yet in a Commonwealth, ſince every man hath intereſt in juſtice, and all men are tyed to joyn their Forces againſt unrighteouſneſſe, I hold it more then private; and come what will, I will lay it open, cleaving always to the truth, and carrying my ſelfe with that duty and civility, as becomes me to that Power which God hath ſet over me.

I can ſpeake it in the ſincery and uprightneſſe of my heart, and I hope without boaſting, my converſation among men, hath been ſuch ever ſince I came to deale in the world, that I never yet had any man juſtly mine Enemy; but either he who was an Enemy to the Cauſe I embarked in, or elſe ſome other, whom I had oppoſed in ſome unjuſt proceedings, and whom I had kept from oppreſſing the weaker: And upon this latter ſcore, I juſtly fear, That Sir William Allenſon of Yorke, and a Member of this preſent Parliament, became ſo ſharp and ſo eager an Enemy, that for a crime which is no crime at all, or in the moſt rigorous interpretation, a miſtake, I am Voted uncapable of their Service, whom I had faithfully and diligently ſerved ſo many years (to the neglect of my buſineſſe, and almoſt ruining of my eſtate) either as a Souldier or a Common-wealths man, and my eſtate ordered to be ſold. But of that hereafter. Now that which hath brought all this trouble upon me, is no other then this.

In the ſecond year of the late Charles, Leeds Town and Pariſh was Incorporated, and that illegally, by reaſon that the major conſent of the Inhabitants was wanting, and it was well known by what Courtmeans it was at that time procured, but however procured it was, and the Governours acted accordingly, which produced many Suits and Tryalls at Law between them and the Clothiers.

At the beginning of theſe Troubles, nine of the ten Aldermen appeared for the late King, and thereby became uncapable of civill imployment, ſo that the Town was then at liberty and injoyed their former right, till theſe preſent Governours illegally and out of courſe created themſelves, and took upon them to act according to the former Charter. But the Inhabitants being ſenſible of the inconveniencies they had formerly received by it, and not expecting the beſt things from them that ſo luſted after the power, procured a Commiſſion under the broad Seal, directed to Sir John Savill Knight, Charles Fairfax, Henry Goodwick, Eſquires, &c. Impowering them to command the High Sheriffe to empanell twenty four honeſt legall men, to inquire the legallity of the Charter, and their acting, which was accordingly executed, and it was found by the Jury, that the Letters Pattents were illegally procured without the major conſent of the Inhabitants, and that it was prejudiciall to the Towne and Pariſh, and not ſtanding with the good of the Commonwealth, and that they had illegally elected one another contrary to the letter of the Patent, ſo that the Inquiſion was returned, and remaines now in the Petty-Bag-Office.

Now Sir William Allanſon fearing, as he had good cauſe, that it might fall heavy on his Brother, who contrary to his Oath and Truſt, had acted ſo crookedly, and knowing I had a Charge ready againſt him, procured an Order of the Parliament that ſuch Elections as had been made by the well-affected in any Corporation, though not according to the Letter of the Charter ſhould be good; by which meanes the preſent Governours I dare affirme have oppreſſed more within theſe ſix yeares paſt, and brought greater ſufferings upon the poore Inhabitants, then they had ſuffered in fourteene yeares before: I therefore having been ſo zealous and forward in this buſineſſe in behalf of the Inhabitants as inprocuring the Inquiſition, as alſo by a Petition to the Northern Committee, ſigned by me by the conſent in the name and in the behalfe of the Inhabitants, and preſented by my ſelfe in heir behalfes and Mr. Bains in the behalfe of the Aldermen in December 1647.

Sir William Allanſon took an enmity to me becauſe I oppoſed his Brother, and never ſince reſted from any meanes that might bring my ruine, though I be verily of opinion, that if I had not oppoſed his Brother, or Stillington had not been too neer Crake Caſtle, we might have been friends to this day; But becauſe you ſhall ſee how juſtly Sir William affords his Brother this Patronage, and how much need the other hath of it, and how juſt it is for any man that loves the Commonwealth to lay open the iniquities of ſuch a man; I ſhall quote you one or two of them whereby he broke his Oath and Truſt as a Sequeſtrator.

After the Rendition of Yorke, this Francis Allanſon who is Sir Williams owne Brother, ſent ſome peeces of Cloath belonging to Lancelot Iveſon a Malignant, to Leeds as his own, and then and there demanded of the ſaid Lancelot Iveſon what hee would have for them a peece, hee anſwered that ſuch a man whom hee then named gave uſually 52 ſhillings or thereabouts; Mr. Allanſon replyed, that if he would let him have them at 30 ſhillings, well it were, otherwiſe he would ſequeſter them to the uſe of the Commonwealth, wherupon the poore man finding himſelf under a neceſſity of being cheated, conſented, and the Commonwealth loſt all the advantage of that Sequeſtration.

Will you have another of them? ſome four Aldermen of Leeds, whereof Mr. Allanſon was one, had a Commiſſion or Order for the providing of five or ten thouſand pounds worth of Cloath for the uſe of the Scotch Armie, whereupon they tooke mens Cloathes (which the Inhabitants remember with complaint to this day) at what price they pleaſed, not ſuffering the Cloathier to ſell his Cloath to others, and paid them in what price and manner they pleaſed; by which meanes they inriched themſelves, though it was out of the groanes of the poore. But this and other things if they came to be ſcan'd, would I beleeve deſerve a ſentence ſevere enough againſt Mr. Allanſon though he be now boyed up by Sir William his Brother; And truely Sir William for all his pretended zeale to the Cauſe, hath not wanted Cloaths to keep it warme, for upon pretended loſſes he had the Hamper-Office given him, and 'tis knowne that out of Biſhops or Deans and Chapters Lands hte hath raiſed himſelfe a very large Eſtate. But as I would impeach no man upon Rumours or Conjectures (for my ſelfe have felt too much of that) ſo will I not ſtand to examine how many men he raiſed in Yorkſhire at the eruption of Charles Stuart, nor will I ſay hee is a Countenancer of Malignants; but 'tis a ſigne that Sir William hath a hollow place in his heart: For ſoone after the Death of the late King, in his journey towards Yorkſhire, lodging at the George at Stanford, he there boaſted to Malignants how wiſely he had carried himſelfe, viz. That there was but one other and himſelfe of all his Countrey-men that voted for a perſonall Treaty with the King, and that he could waſh his hands from having any hand in the Kings Blood. And theſe words are witneſſed by Richard Morris and Mrs. Margaret Dobins, and Rich. Morris did repeat the aboveſaid words in the preſence of Captain Matthew Phillips 11th. Auguſt 1650. and hee then ſaid he would juſtifie them upon Oath; Thus much for Sir William.

Another back Friend of mine was Mr. Sikes of Leeds, whom though I eſteemed very much for his affection to the Parliament, yet I thinke the Nation is not much obliged by him, by reaſon of his unworthy diſcovery of the Myſtery of Cloathing in Holland, and his planting of it in Scotland, to the great prejudice, and if God had not prevented, the inevitable ruine of many thouſand of families. Yet becauſe I oppoſed him in the behalf of M. Marſhall Steward of the Court of Leeds, whom he endeavoured to have ſequeſtered, to the intent that he might be made incapable of that Office, both by articling againſt him at the Committees of York and Indempnity, where he was both times cleared, Mr. Sikes of a Friend became an Enemy, and with his Son and Sir William Allanſon laid that traine which ſince blew me up.

And truly, my heart beares me witneſſe that I ſpeak not out of malice, but out of love to the weale-publicke; I envy not that large Eſtate that Mr. Sikes now enjoyes, though it be much above the probabilities that he ever could have; but this in behalf of the Commonwealth I will ſay, that I am altogether unſatisfied as to the 4000 li. he had ordered him out of Goldſmiths-Hall, and the 3900 and odd pounds out of the Exciſe, both with Intereſt, after the rate of eight per cent. for I am confident the Parliament was herein ſurprized, and that if the buſineſſe had been rightly underſtood, no ſuch ſums had ever been allowed.

Upon theſe hindges of malice was my ruine turned, and truly both how cunningly and with how high a hand it was brought in, I ſhall now tell you, and let all the world judge of me how far I have been unjuſt to this Common-Wealth, and whether I deſerve not pitty that have languiſhed above a yeare under a ſevere ſentence without any hearing, when the Report and the Sentence was haſtened within a few dayes.

For any Malignancy, I can in my Conſcience ſay I ought not to bee taxed with it; my prayers, my endeavours, my eſtate have been all for the Parliament, and it hath been the endeavour of my ſoule to be ſerviceable to them in my Station, nay even ſome of theſe men from whoſe hands I receive now perſecution, had bore witneſſe of it, as may appeare by this Certificate.

Now when the Parliament had Novemb. 24. 1642. enabled the Lord Ferdinando Fairfax to receive Money, Plate, Horſe, and Armes upon the Propoſitions, for which the Publicke Faith was to bee engaged, I lent 60 li. upon the Propoſitions, and timely appeared in raiſing of a Troope of Horſe compleatly armed, which with incident charges coſt me above 600 li. 450 li. whereof I have paid Intereſt for ever ſince.

I was plundered to the value of a great ſum while I was in the Service, I loſt the uſe of a profitable Calling, which I can with a ſafe Conſcience aver, brought me in more then the pay of that Command, though it had been fully and immediately diſcharged. After the Battle of Namptwich, I was ſent by Sir Tho: Fairfaix to London with a Letter to the E. of Eſſex & about Monies, and I may juſtly ſay, I was mainly inſtrumental in procuring the City by way of loan, to lay down 10000li. which in that juncture of time, how acceptable a ſum it muſt needs be, I leave any man to conſider. In this Service we continued till by Order we diſbanded, and my Arrears amounted to 1657li. 16s. 3d. After this the Parliament by Ordinance May 22. 1647. provides for the payment of the one third of the Arreares of the Northern Officers to be accepted by them in full ſatisfaction: My ſelfe being one of the ſaid Officers, my accounts being audited, and ſo ſtated that the 600 li. which I advanced in Horſes and Arms upon the Publick Faith was accounted amongſt my Arrears, I was then in a ſtraight, conceiving that the Parliament intended not to give one third in full for my Money lent, yet being in neceſſitie for Monies by reaſon of my loſſes in ſerving the Parliament, I was willing to accept of one third in full for my Arreares, and to receive one third of my 600 li. lent, but not for ſatisfaction. Therefore upon the 27 of May, before I tooke any aſſignment for any Money, five dayes after the ſaid Ordinance paſſed, I Petitioned the Committee of the Northern Aſſociation, ſhewing that I could not accept of one third for the whole of my 600li. lent, & that the Ordinance mentioned only Arrears, and deſired that my Caſe with my loſſes and ſufferings might bee repreſented to the Parliament; whereupon the Comittee ordered that my Petition ſhould be reported to the Parliament, and the Lord Fairfax writ Letters to Mr. Speaker, Sir Henry Vane, M. Brian Stapleton, and Mr. Luke Robinſon, deſiring that my Petition might be anſwered, and I might be ſatisfied for the ſaid 400 li. and my loſſes.

Hereupon I received my Petition, and my Account, which was to make good the Petition, from the Clerk of the Committee, and put them into the hands of Mr. Bryan Stapleton to report to the Parliament, who as he hath already teſtified under his hand and ſeale, had them in his hand one whole yeare, but after his withdrawing I put them into the hands of Sir William Allanſon, (ſo confident I was of my Innocency and Juſtice in the buſineſſe) from whom I am to acknowledge I have received faire words, but that was all.

By this time were two yeares ſpent, and I could heare of no reparations for my loſſes and ſufferings, and the Parliament at that time paſſing an Act for doubling upon Deans and Chapters Lands, I thought it but juſt and in-offenſive to double the forementioned 400 li. being the two remaining thirds of the 600 li. with its allowed intereſt which made it 600 li. as money due upon the Publicke Faith, not diſcharged by way of Arreares. Now this hole being found in my Coat, Sir William Allanſon and the Corporation of Leeds, Mr. Sikes the elder, who were my friends as I mentioned before, and Col. Matthew Alured (who hath made it ſince appeare that he thirſted after my Regiment, and I have cauſe to feare knew too much of the plot, for to a Friend of his he fore-told the ſentence ten dayes before) put their heads together and endeavoured to bring me into the Penalty provided in the Act, and make me forfeit my Purchaſe which was a moat in ſome bodies eye. So the buſines was referred to a Committee, before whom I appeared the 20th of July 1650. to make my defence, but there was nothing done in it, becauſe Sir William Allanſon would not ſuffer me to make my defence, and informe Col. Boſwell who was in the examination of the buſineſſe, as ſome worthy Members there preſent can witneſſe; though Sir William Allanſon making it his buſineſſe, writ into Scotland that I was heard, and Col. Alured endeavoured to perſwade the Commanders there the ſame, the better to weaken me in their opinions, and to keep back the aſſiſtance of my Lord Generall in caſe I ſhould have Petitioned for it.

I went downe into the North, to raiſe my Regiment, and then Sir Wil. Allanſon ſaw it was his time, ſo that there being the 25th. day of Iuly after, a Committee, Sir William Allanſon, being of the Sub-Committee, drew up a report, and as I have reaſon to think, made it be entred into the book as paſt the twentieth (when it was known there was nothing done in it that day) and Sir Wil. Allanſon the 30th. day after reported it to the Houſe (I being then 150 miles off raiſing a Regiment for Scotland) which, I not being heard, and ſome being ſurprized, others I fear me not conſidering the depth of the matter, produced this Vote.

But this was not enough, there was ſomebody had a mind to my Command, as wel as others to my eſtate, and therefore, though I humbly conceive, the Statute only provided for the forfeitures of lands ſo purchaſed, as it was alledged mine was, I muſt out of my Command, and be incapable of any other for the future. This Order was added the ſame day.

All this while I was in York-ſhire, and knew nothing, when an unexpected Letter comes to me from the Councell of State, requiring me to give up my Command to Col. Allured, which I immediately obeyed, and repaired to London to clear my innocency, writing alſo to my Lord Generall, to beſeech his favour that I might bee heard, and puniſhed according to the merit of my cauſe. Whereupon his Excellency moſt Nobly (I moſt humbly acknowledge ſo great a favor) writ a Letter to Mr. Speaker, which ſaid thus:

Hereupon after much ſolicitation and attendance of three months. I got a Petition read in the Houſe, which procured me this Order.

Now by theſe Committees hath my buſineſſe been conſidered, and a report put into the hand of Col. Downes drawne up, but for theſe nine months, every day almoſt whereof, I have attended at the door, could not I get it brought in, though I have been at great expences in attendance, had a ſtop in my calling, had my lands ſequeſtred, (and ſtill by my adverſaries kept under ſequeſtration, notwithſtanding an Order of the Committee for obſtructions in the ſale of Deans and Chapters Lands, of the 20th. Decemb. 1650.) my credit ruined, and indeed, very little of the outward man left me, and truly I doe very much ſuſpect that ſome of the great ones ſitting in the Houſe are affraid the matter ſhould come in their ſcanning, leaſt it ſhould fly in their faces.

For I am not ignorant what artifices have beene uſed to keep it back, what by prepoſſeſſing the members (for which I muſt thank Mr. Henry Darley, though he hath countenance enough for Delinquents as will one day appear) what by bringing on other buſineſſe, as Sir John Bowcher brought on a particular buſineſſe, of his own, when Wedneſday 30th. of July laſt, was purpoſely appointed for mine; ſo that though it hath been often called for, and ſeveral times Ordered to be heard (that worthy Patriot Mr. Luke Robinſon having procur'd me two or three Orders to that purpoſe, and having ſtaid one time a whole week in the Town purpoſely to bring on the Report,) yet it could never be heard, though it hath pleaſed God to move the hearts of ſeveral Members to reſent me and my condition. For Col. Boſwell hath confeſſed to me that he was ſurpriſed in it, and Sir John Bowcher himſelfe told Mr. Speaker one day in the Parliament Houſe, That his judgement went againſt the ſaid report, but he could not help it.

Now 〈…〉 the whole Narration and nature of it, be pleaſed but to direct thy judgement by theſe particulars, and firſt, to peruſe this account.