I Made it almost a miracle that the world should see me in Print, when I set out my Declaration, to expurge my selfe, and disabuse the world from the calumnies which have been so maliciously cast upon me. But that which was voluntary before, is now inforced out of me against my dispo­sition; I am ingaged once more to ap­peare in Print, to returne backe those notorious and scanda­lous lies which an unknowne Esquire, ashamed to expresse his name more then S. W. in an answer to our Declaration, which he cals The Parliaments Vindication, hath fixed upon my name and honour, upon himselfe: and certainly were hee knowne to me, or one worth my anger, I should shape him a language in another Dialect: but though the wretch be so worthlesse, I cannot so much decline my blood and birth, as to make it a businesse to inquire him out; yet slan­ders (like a fatall poison) defuses it selfe unseene, and blasts mens memories. And as an ambush against the contagious venom of his aspersions, I shall divulge to the world the ap­parent forgeries in that Vindication, and the impertinency of it, as an answer to our Declaration. And certainly, in con­science, the honest men of the world must needs rather cre­dit me a Prince, then the bare assertions of a namelesse fel­low, who answers nothing at all positively, but circumstanti­ally, and conjecturally to our former Declaration.

First, hee sayes (and thinkes there he kils my integrity dead) that I spare the Presse for publishing my Declarations, and am more mercifull to Paper than to men; and that this Declaration pend in my owne favour, can no way right me. Is this any the least shew of reason? What can more right any man injured, then a reall explanation of his innocence? It was all I aymed at, not to satisfie such worthy Gentle­men as this Pamphleter is, but to give the noble and brave spirits, and honest minded Gentlemen and Citizens that are against us, a full and true intelligence, how much my fame had been traduced and vituperated by such Rascals, as this seems to be; whose apparen tuntruths so honorably I conceive of the Parliament, thogh they love me not) could it know the audacious author of them, Its Justice would severely punish, and that hee knew well enough, when he onely set two doubtfull letters instead of his whole name before his Pam­phlet.

And to that truth which I charged the Lord Wharton with, with an impertinent supposition he replies it may be an­swered, that my Lord Wharton knew the great advantage gotten at Edge Hill, had many concurrent Causes, and what that concernes my charge against that Lord, let all the world be Judge; and then in flat railing he comments upon, but not answers the sense of our Declaration; he tels the people that Prince Rupert and his troopers plundred the Countrey, and bids them aske the men whom we had plundred, and their generall affirmation would confute our particular as­sertion, and certifie the world, Prince Rupert cannot be in­nocent of these outrages; and that my Lord Wharton may be vindicated by that testimony, to have spoken nothing but truth: And that my Lord durst tell mee to my face, that I was a plundring Prince, and with his sword make proofe there is nothing but forgery and falshood in my Declarati­on: but surely the fellow, though hee may have beene in my Lord Whartons company, is none of his Counsell, promising more in his behalfe then I believe his Lorship will ever ven­ture to performe. I could wish he durst or would verifie his [Page 5]Champions words, I should, waving all the disparity be­twixt our bloods, gladly entertaine the motion and the suc­cesse should speake who was guilty of the untruth; but I feare his Lordship is not yet furnished with so noble a reso­lution, in time perhaps hee may be perswaded into it: but let my most severe enemies be my witnesse, how plaine, and without the least blemish my Declaration yet stands: for all the tedious circumstance this Esquire (for ought I know of the Damsels) hath cryed against its verity. It is a proofe suf­ficient, that I have plundred houses, because he affirmes it from the testimony of men in the Moone, for (surely upon this earth they have no residence. Where are those men that will affirme it? in what County or Towne stood those houses, by me or my sufferance betrayed to that misery of rapine? let him but name them, and I shall not deny mine owne act, when I am so palpably convinced; it were an impudence beyond all former examples. For the faint­heartednesse of their souldiers at Keynton, which I touch in my Declaration, it seemes the answer of it would make men believe the goodnesse of their cause must in point of ne­cessity exalt their courage to the height of daring; in Gods name, let him strive to sooth the people with a conceit wee were vanquish'd, I wish at no time better successe against any of his Majesties enemies then wee had at Keynton, or at Worcester. But as if this gallant had a priviledge for his rai­ling untruths, hee comes upon us with questions as ridicu­lous as false, namely, who it was that compelled divers of their eminent Captaines to ride starke naked? who it was that drove their men like beasts before our Army? and then affirmatively he sayes, they tooke a religious Gentleman at Thisleworth, and fastned a cord to his feet, and dragg'd him about the towne, and then shot him with a pistoll. I shall doe the good Gentleman the honour to answer his questions, which, if they were true, yet what am I concern'd in them? For if the souldiers did as the law of armes allowes them, strip some of their Captaines, was I ingaged either to prohi­bite [Page 6]them the making the best of their prisonem? or obliged to recloth those Captaines that were devested of their ap­parell? For driving their men like beasts before our army, belike the said Gentleman imagines wee are bound in cour­tesie to goe a foot, and give their men (our prisoners) our horses. If wee did drive them like beasts, wee were not much to blame to use them according to what indeed they were; but that they tooke a religious Gentleman at Thisle­worth, and used as aforesaid, what They those were, is alto­gether beyond my knowledge, much more therefore distant either from my command or connivence; but it should seeme his ipse dixit is enough to render mee guilty, because he affirmes 'tis well knowne wee continually use it in our army, and then with unnecessary digressions and repetiti­ons he runs on railing at my particular crueltie, saying, that I would make them believe I am just and mercifull, which they may sooner credit of a Butcher, who kills Sheepe for the goodnesse of their flesh; and so Prince Rupert mur­thers the Kings Subjects for their good affections to the King and Parliament. An excellent purity, and worthy such an author as hath no name he dares be called by: where, or by what meanes, private or publike, have I sought the death of any of his Majesties Subjects? who is't can testifie this against me? certainly, were I arraigned before the severest and most partiall Juries in the world, they would acquit me, this mans bare asseveration would not condemne mee. Perhaps, as it is warrantable both by the laws of heaven and nations, in a lawfull war, to endeavour to destroy as many of ones enemies as come within his reach, that I must confesse I did at Keynton, and elsewhere, when I was call'd to it by just occasion, but that is no way a confirmation to his But­cherly comparison. Then as if he would convince me for the notoriousest lyer in the world; he tels me it doth not become the sonne of a King to stretch his words beyond beliefe be­yond his beliefe, be means, who (only because himself fancies it so) will conclude and averrest to the world, that whatso­ever [Page 7]I have protested is false, But I hope some man of quali­ty, and all indifferent soules beside, will not let it be beyond their beliefe, and then I shall not trouble my selfe to thinke on so abject a persons calumny, who without feare of hea­ven or hell, or punishment for his impudence, goes on tax­ing me for an Incendiary of these wars, inciting his Majestie, my royall Uncle, to a civill war against his loving Subjects: but I attest heaven and his sacred Majestie, as my witnesse, it is a crime I never was guilty of in thought, but alwayes desired that a faire attonement might (if it might with the honour of my royal Uncle have been effected) suddenly have proceeded betwixt him and his Parliament, and for that purpose have often beene an humble intercessor to his Ma­jesty: For my taking away the Maiors plate at Reading, and other places, if I had done such an action, by the law of armes it might have been justified; but I must needs aske this fel­low what those other places were? or where got hee the in­telligence of my plundring the Maior of Reading? hee will answer, they said it; but who they were, he knowes not: in truth nor I neither, nor no man else; for if the Maior of Reading were put to his oath, I have so much confidence in the honestie of the man, that he would not only acquit me of that action, but report honourably of me, that I used him with all respects befitted a person of his worth to receive from one of my qualitie: and whereas he saies, my actions contradict my words, or else are not full of that sense they ought to be, surely the man is either very mad, or foolish, or both, he could never be so impudent else, or ignorant of the meaning of my words, which are plaine and perspicuous in my Declaration, namely, That I will never fight in an un­righteous quarrell; nor have I hitherto, nor ever will here­after violate that promise, whatsoever aspersion this or the like slanderous Pamphlet shall cast upon me.

And whereas in the end of my Declaration I say, I should repute it the greatest victory in the world to see his Maje­stie enter London in peace without shedding one drop of blood or plundring any of one farthing: at that weapon hee [Page 8]thinks to pay mee home, demanding how any reasonable man can believe that I should desire it, when it is supposed I have beene the chiefe agent to provoke the King to ad­vance his Army so neere it, and that I and my Cavaliers had divided the streets among us before our comming hither. This of all calumnies (with which his sawcie false vindica­tion is stuffed) is the most malicious and untrue, when I take heavens for my voucher in this truth, that there is no City in his Majesties Dominions, nay not in Europe, that I beare more unfeigned respects to, then to that famous and noble City, which I have alwayes accounted the most eminent ap­pendix to my gracious Uncles Crowne, his Chamber and chiefe residence, and have alwayes thought of its Citizens as loyall and valiant men, and as well exercised in martiall di­scipline as any souldiers in Christendome. But I lose time in minding a thing so ridiculous as this vindication, much more in answering its contumelious falshoods severally: nor might it beseeme the dignitie of a Prince to have taken no­tice of so infamous a Libeller as this unknowne Esquire is, had not the importunitie of some friends prevailed above mine owne will with me, nor doubt I; but all the world will credit my asseverations, when they shall really consider the improbability and untruth of those of my accusers.