WIth what Sympathy and Unanimity we first engaged our selves in this present Cause, I need not call to your remembrance: nor can you forget what lists and bounds wee then set our selves: Reformation was our earnest desire. Petition was our only way; To live and dye together in one and the same opi­nion was our mutuall promise; To preserve our Antient and Fundamentall Lawes, to purchase our just Liberties, To conserve the Kings known Rights, were our solemne Pro­testations. All these being now like Sampsons cords, broken, I believe my selfe disengaged: The Reformation desired is ex­tirpation endeavoured; In stead of Petition, as Subjects ought, we command as Rebels use; The preservation of our Ancient and Fundamentall Lawes, is out-lawed by new Votes, and illegall Ordinances; The purchase of our just Liberties, is [Page 2] turn'd into unjust licentiousnesse; And the conservation of the Kings known Rights, is overturn'd by unknown wrongs; And our living and dying in one and the same Opinion, is crumbled away into So many men, so many minds; of our first Juncto, how many Presbyterians, how many Independents we both know; of those Presbyterians, how many are Anabaptists, how many Jacobins you know not; of those Independents, how many are Antinomians, how many are Brownists, I know not: And though we both know what we would not have, yet neither of us know what we would have.

Would we have no Bishops Sit in Parliament? an Act is passed for it, the King hath signed it. Though I must tell you, that very Act hath cancelled one of our best Fundamentalls; The best part of Magna Charta is thereby dissolved, and hath put the whole into an Ague.

Would we have no imposition of Ship-money? the like course is taken, and the like power hath confirmed it. Though I must tell you, this very ease of Ship money, hath brought a disease upon our Ship-strength; and whereas before we were well nigh able to cope with all the Navies of Christendome, wee have scarce any more left now then the bare name of a Navie.

Would we have no Monopolies? They are damn'd too by the like Authority; though I must tell you, the very taking away of this yoak hath made the whole Kingdome a Monopolie; the severall Committees have got a Monopoly of our Coyne and all that is Coynable; The severall Commanders have got a Monopoly of our Cattell, and all that is Edible; some there be that have got a Monopoly of our Wives, and all that is Ami­able; others of our Children, and all that is Delectable; others of our Servants, and all that is Profitable; others of our Neighbours, and all that is Sociable.

Would we have no Ceremonies lie heavie upon tender Con­sciences? That hath been offered us too; Though I must tell you we that stumbled at these Gnats, have since swallowed Camels; we that would not be imposed upon our selves, doe our selves impose upon others, But thens too heavie for them, our selves, or any man else to beare,

[Page 3] Would we have no Papists? wee were in a faire way for that too; we might have forc'd their children to an education under Protestants: Though I must tell you, but under the Rose be it spoken, This had been a piece of absolute Tyranny; and would have been requited with the Abolition of all Protestants in all the World, save England.

What is it we did privatively desire, and the King did po­sitively deny? He was not weary of Granting, 'till we were shamelesse and unreasonable in demanding. To a Regulation of Bishops He consented; He declined only their Extirpation; would we have no Bishops? Why? because they have not Jus divinum to plead for them? it remaines yet undecided; the E­piscoparians affirm it; The Anti-Episcoparians deny it; and yet grant by consequence, what they challenge by conclusion. That Episcopacy hath Jus Apostolicum for their Advocate. Or is it because some of them are bad? Upon the same ground would we have no Judges, no Aldermen, no Knights, no Lords, no Parliaments; All have not been good: because some are, let their prescription of time forbid the proscription of their Function.

Mistake me not yet, Sir, I am no Patron, no Advocate, no Pleader for Episcopacy; I am an Independent, I was so when I first entred into this combination, and so will die; And such a one were you at that time, though now you have forgot your first Faith, and are turn'd Presbyterian; yet still I am, as I was then, a perfect Bishop-hater; but why I am so, I know no more then you doe. Herein we still both agree; In all things else we are at oddes: you will have Presbytery established; I am for In­dependency; And which of these two are most consistent with the essence of this Kingdome, I wish you would put it to the Issue upon a faire and calm disputation betwixt my good Lord Say, who well knowes what the new Directory is, and how to confute it; and your good Earle of Pembrook, who for three Months (his own words) could not understand it, but now by the help of Mr Olsworth (it seemes) knowes it to be the best Nursery of Devotion in the World, and yet neither un­derstands nor knowes how to maintain it: or betwixt our [Page 4] Learned Mr Goodwin, and your learned Mr Calamy, who yet never answered that Quotation of his, from the best Astrono­mers that ever writ, in the yeare 1640. plus vel minus, there would be universalis totius Mundi insania, to which I should have pinn'd my Faith, if he had but added the whole Truth, saying with Tycho-Brahe, Erga Reges: so the words stand, and ought not otherwise to be repeated: or by determination of the Sword, betwixt Noble Cromwell, our Generall, and vali­ant Massey, yours.

But Disputations we have had already, to no purpose, you will confesse with me; For the Episcoparians are the better Scholars, and have confuted us both; you for too heavie Task­masters, and us for too easie: And justly; For your Assembly with the power of your Party in the Parliament, have impo­sed Oaths and Covenants contrary to Law and Religion; yes, and imprisoned Lilborn for his defence of Magna Charta, and refusing the new Oath, Ex Officio, which your selves condem­ned in the Ecclesiasticall Court: Nay, and beyond this too, di­vers of your Assembly of Divines, have in their Feast-meet­ings declared, That their Presbytery being Jure divino, hath a Supreame power in Causes both Ecclesiasticall and Civill over King and Parliament, and so instead of ruling by Law, will rule all by their own lawlesse Arbitrary Injunctions.

Battailes we have also had to as little parpose; For untill this last Summer, the Kings Souldiers were the stronger men, and gained against us both: you know in what a low Condi­tion we both were, when Sir Thomas Fairfax lay before Ox­ford, how tumultuous the Londoners were when Leycester was taken, and how we were resolved to passe over the Channell, if Nasby fight had gone against us: And to whom we owe the thankfulnesse of that, whether to Generall Fairfax, and the Presbyterians under him, or to Generall Cromwell, and the Independents under him, let our Enemies speak; Their wit­nesse will be the best, we may be partiall to our selves.

That we have since taken Bristoll, the Devizes in spight of Lloyd, Winchester notwithstanding Ogles strength there, and Bazing House, where many of our Armies were till then [Page 5] crusht; It is well known we owe more to Cromwels Horse, then to Fairfax Foot, or Dalbeers Engines: And that Dalbeer should have 6000l for Basing, Fairfax 500l for Bristoll, Massy the like, in Iewels, which they weare as Badges of Honour, and Cromwell no acknowledgement for all; yes, and instead of it, you suffer him to lye under an impeachement of Trea­son suggested by the Earle of Manchester; is a shrew'd evidence to me, That if your Presbytery be once establisht, we must look for as little favour as the Episcoparians: And this you already partly shewed, by your selfe-charity in your great care of Skippon, to cure his wounds which he received at Nasby fight, and suffering all ours to sinck or swimme.

Well, notwithstanding all these Successes, are either of us nearer to our ends? If the King can but live and rub out this Winter, we shall save Him a labour next Spring of calling in any Forreign Forces: It is resoived upon amongst us, and for that ancient loves sake which hath been betwixt us, I give you notice of it, that you may return to us, That if the King will give us Liberty of Conscience, and not subjugate us to Ecclesiasticall Power, we will submit our selves to His Civill Power; and rather live with Episcopacy to establish Monarchy, then under Presbytery to pull it down.

Episcopacy may stand, and we enjoy our Consciences, Pres­bytery will not allow it; Episcopacy may enjoy their Lands, and we our Farms, not so with Presbytery; For they intend as well a Reformation of the State, as of the Church, i. e. of long Gownes into short Clokes, of Lawn Sleeves into fine Shirts, of Meum & Tuum into Suum, of Godlinesse into Gaine; And our Copy holds, if they once come to the question, whether they be as Antichristian as the Churches Lands, into their own Purses: It is not a Reformation they seek, but an Alteration; and that Alteration shall but make way for an Alienaton, To bring the Kings Crown under Christs Scepter, which themselves will manage, not for Christ, but against Christ; For his Kingdome is not of this world.

We Independents seek only a Reformation, not an Altera­tions we have yet so much Reason, as to see, The further we [Page 6] swerve from our first Constitutions, the nearer we hasten to Desolation; The further from our Fundamentall Principles, the nearer to our perpetuall Ruine. It is so in the Church, it is so in the State. I instance only in the State: The first Con­stitution, and Fundamentall Principle of this Kingdome is, There should be a King, and Subjects; That the King should Rule, the Subjects should obey: He Rule according to Law, They obey according to Conscience. That He should secure the Kingdome against Forreigne Enemies; That they should assist him therein; That both should conscientiously intend the publick Peace, and the Kingdomes happinesse: we find all this done, while we had but one King, and many Subjects; And we find all this undone, now we have many Kings, and no Subjects: To regaine all, we would come to our first Consti­tution, and live in subjection under that one whom God hath made our Superiour, and not any longer in vassalage under many, whom our selves have made.

A second or another first Constitution of this Kingdome, is, we should have Parliaments; that those Parliaments should consist of three States, Lords Spirituall, Lords Temporall, and the House of Commons; But one of these three, the Lords Spirituall being found superfluous, we say of two States, the House of Peers, and the House of Commons; The House of Commons to find out the Grievances of the Kingdome, and to prepare Redresses of those Grievances for the House of Peers, the House of Peers to present them to the King, and the King to sign them with His Royall Fiat for Lawes: All this hath been done while the House of Parliament prepared Lawes for the King to confirm them; All this hath been un­done, since the two Houses have made Lawes for the King to obey them: our Grievances were redressed before. They are encreased now; we had some Liberties then, and hope of all Liberties we could desire: we have no Liberties now, nor hope of any; we had good Lawes before, whereby we knew sinne; we have many sinnes now, yet know no Law: To re­gaine our Lawes and Liberties, we would come to our first Constitution, and have two Houses to acknowledge one King [Page 7] above them, and not one King to acknowledge two Houses above H [...]m.

It may be you will say, Turpe est Doctori cùm Culpa re­darguit ipsum, why have I hitherto took part with the Parlia­ment against the King? with the Parliament, I confesse, I have, but not against the King: For when I first entred into this Compact, by Protestation, by Vow, and Covenant, is was to fetch the King up unto his Parliament, out of the hands of Evill Councellors; That was the only pretended reason for the raising of all our Armies, save the very last under Sir Tho­mas Fairfax; He was the first Generall, that ever received Command to deny Quarter to any, even to the King himselfe: And this was not disclosed untill of late, else I had published it, and our resolution in this point sooner.

But now it is known; and yet I still side with the Parlia­ment? I confesse I doe; but not as I did before; Before I did it sincerely; now I doe it politickly; The Parliaments Cause, Rebus sic stantibus, is a good Cause to live in; For hereby I save mine own stake, and a good share in other mens; But now I am weary of it; For now I would manage such a Cause as I might live and die in: live in with Profit, and die in with Com­fort: The course I have hitherto taken, I professe, I have un­dertaken for meere gaine; The course I would now take, I professe, I would undertake for meere Godlinesse; I would not at my Death renounce a wicked course, as Colonell Sandys did at Worcester, and Major Abercromye in Buckinghamshire; For then it would be too late, because I cannot goe to Heaven without Repentance; and Repentance cannot be true which hath not this Ingredient, Doe good, as well as that, Cease to doe Evill: I must receive the Kingdome of Heaven, The Gospel, into me, before I can hope to be received into the Kingdome of Heaven, Glory. And you know, To the Poore is the Gospel Preached; And though I am rich in substance, yet I am poore enough in spirit, I thank God for it, and would you were so too, to receive the Gospel.

Sir, by this that hath been said, you know the Resolution of our Party; There wants nothing but the Kings offer to invite [Page 8] us, and ere long we intend to invite Him to that offer, viz.

That we shall be obliged only to honest Conversation by the common Lawes of this Kingdome, and freed from any, and all Ec­clesiasticall Censures for point of Religion.

This is all we desire; and if this be granted, we presently declare our selves for the King, will joyn with Him, will fight for Him, and either end our lives, or settle His Crown fast upon His Head, His Sword in His Hand, and Himselfe in His Chaire.

This we will doe, maugre the opposition of all Presbyte­rians in great Brittaine, and the whole World besides: we will make our Army equall with that under Montrosse, who wee heare is already on this side Tweed, with no sewer then 14000 Foot and Horse: The like Assistance he shall have from us, under the Command of Cromwell, or whom else His Majesty will put in Chiefe. And let it be tryed then, whether any Parochiall, Consistoriall, Provinciall, or Generall Classis of the Clero-Laicall-Presbytery, dare think to Depose, or whi­sper, to Excommunicate the King or any of his Loyall Sub­jects.

And now, Sir, if you will goe on in your Apostacy, Goe and perish: If you will return, Welcome and be safe; with them who say, GOD SAVE KING CHARLES. I leave you to your Choice; but will be glad to embrace you in the armes of, Sir,