A PROTESTATION of the Gentlemen Prisoners in the TOWER of LONDON Dated October 1647.
Made by them upon the occasion of an Order of the house of Commons for their sudden removall thence to severall other Prisons where by reason of the sequestring them of all their Estates (contrary to the known and Fundamentall Laws of England, contained in Magna Charta and the Petition of right, &c. so often sworn to be maintained and inviolably observed by this present Parliament) and denying unto them according to the known Law of the Land, allowance for their maintenance) they must in reason be necessitated to sterve and perish.
Unto which is perfixed their Letter, which the 14 of October 1647. was delivered to the Speaker of the House of Commons.
Printed in the Year. 1647.
VVE being extreamly pressed by our unsupportable wants and Calamities, have thought it expedient once more to put you in mind thereof, and of our former proceedings, and frequent solicitations, for releif in this our starving condition; the several applications we have made, to obtain Justice in this particular, is so wel known, both to the Honourable Houses and your self, as it wil be needless for us at prefent to repeat: whereunto may be added the noble favour and care, the General hath expressed towards us, who as we are enformed, was pleased upon our addresses unto him to intercede for us, and to recommend the Consideration thereof unto the Honourable House, with great efficacy; but what hath all this produced as to our remedy, truly no other effect; save an increase to our sorrows, and a new addition, (if any addition can be made) to our former miseries, as is evident by the order, lately made for our removal to other prisons, one of them being infected with the plague, where if by Gods mercy we should be preserved from the Contagion of that disease, we must likewise look for a miracle from the same hand, to preserve us from famishing. The great debts we have contracted in this place, and the persons unto whom it is owing left unsatisfied; being likely to prove an ill letter of recommendation to procure us credit, in those places where we are to be removed, so as since it apparently threatens our distructions, we cannot but protest against it, with ful resolution, [Page 4] not willingly to remove from hence, but by force, which we cannot resist, unless our debts here be first payd, and provision made for the future, for our maintenance in those places where we are appointed to go; which Protestation we have sent you here inclosed with our names subscribed thereunto Having thus stated our cause before you, with candor and truth, the ill Consequences thereof, and how prejudicial it may prove hereafter, even to those that have least sence of our sorrows, we hope it wil be taken into your most serious thoughts, who having no Charter of exemption, may peradventure themselves, come to tast of those bitter waters, wherewith we have already surfeted, and how sad a president our oppressions wil afford to future times, we shal leave to the world impartially to judg of; in the bitterness therefore of our souls, we are inforced once more to call upon you, and to conjure you, as you believe a time wil come when all must render an account of their actions; and as you wil answer it in that dreadful day, before the tribunal of the Almighty, that you neglect not the crys of the oppressed any longer, but that you will speedily apply your self to the Honourable House, to procure such timely remedy for us, as our necessities require, that so the inhumanity of these times may not lie as a brand of infamy upon this Nation to all posterity. It being the last request which we intend to make unto you, whose names are hereunto subscribed. October. 13.
The Protestation.
VVE whose names are subscribed, being prisoners in the Tower of London, committed by several Warrants of Mr Speaker of the House of Commons, being destitute of Means or Money to subsist withal, having made several Addresses to both Houses of Parliament, by Petition and by divers Letters and Solicitations made to the Committee for Relief of Prisoners, to his Excellency Sir THO. FAIRFAX, and others, whom we thought powerful or willing to relieve Us in our most Urgent necessities, and having daily and hourly prosecuted our sute on that behalf ever since the midst of December last, and Maintainance being due to prisoners committed as wel to the Tower as to all other Prisons of England, especially Prisoners of War, both by the Law of Armes, the Law of England, and the ancient Customes of the Kingdoms, as by divers Authentick Records and Presidents of all ages hath and wil be made manifest and [Page 6] having had divers promises of relief and maintainance from the Committee for relief of Prisoners, and that an Ordinance should passe for the same, contrary to which ingagement there are Warrants under the Speakers hand of the Hous of Commons, come to remove and disperse Us into other prisons, whereof some are infected with the plague, and others are more chargeable lodgings, being to be payd for there (but not here) and not a bit of meat to be had in them, but for present money, which we have not to give, and we having some credit to live upon in this prison where we are, but have not any acquaintance nor can expect any credit in those prisons: which Warrants are procured for our prejudice (if we be removed hence, without competent provision made for our Maintainance) it wil be inevitably to the destruction of us and losse of our lives; we therefore being instructed thereunto by the law of nature, warranted by the laws of God and laws of the Land, for the necessary preservation of our lives, least we should become self-murderers, do professe & declare to all the world and [Page 7] to the Speaker of the House of Commons, that we cannot suffer our selves to be removed out of this Prison, wherein we now are, but by Force and Violence, which we cannot withstand until such time as the honorable Houses of Parliament have past their Ordinance for our future maintainance in those Prisons whereunto we shal be sent, and that they by the same Ordinance take care of our Arrears and provide for the payment of such debts as we have contracted for our necessary subsistance in this prison of the Tower; and this being done, we shal willingly remove to those prisons they have appointed unto us, provided that they be not infected with the Plague: Signed by us, this 9. day of October: 1647.