AS a ſhip whilſt it is upon the main ſea, is in a manner a Caſtle, or Common-wealth by it ſelfe, and having all the ſayls hoyſted up, and ſwolne with the wind, and the Banners diſplayed, with a lofty ſhew danceth upon the waves, and allureth every eye to behold the pride thereof: But when it comes into the Haven, it is ſtraight ranſacked by the Searcher, forced to pay cuſtome, the ſayls and banners taken in, the ſhip lyeth at Rode, and is little regarded.

So this Ship without a Pilot, this Parliament without a King, this body without a head ſo long as it ſayls upon the ſurges of worldly vanities, and follows the tide of a conſcienſlleſſe courſe, may range uncontroled, having many favourable gales to waft them for warre, and honours and pomp to ſet them onward to their journies end, ſo long they may be admired and lookt on by the people; but whenſoever they come into the Haven, they muſt expect Searchers, they muſt caſt Ancor, pay cuſtomes, their ſayls gathered in, their glory diſgraced, or little or nothing ſet by. So long as wee enjoyed all bleſſings, plenty of peace, plenty of the Goſpel, plenty of bread, plenty of all things, wee were free from Sects, Schiſmes, Rebellions, Murders, and the like, then we were admired by all nations, but when we were once driven by contrary winds upon the raging ſurges of the People, Diſcenſions, Schiſmy, and the like, we were quickly ſhipwrackt, drove upon a Rock, and ſplit, and ſoon became a Priſe for the mercileſſe waves.

This is Englands caſe at this day for theſe enemies of al our bleſſings may fitly be compared to the Libard, that bears ſo deadly a hatred unto man, that at firſt ſight it flies in his face; to avoid the rage therof, the cuſtome is to ſhew him a mans Picture, which he no ſooner ſeeth, but he rendeth and tareth, ſhewing thereby how eagerly it is bent againſt man it ſelfe, whoſe Image it cannot abide, So it is with theſe Anabaptiſts, Levellers, and Sectaries, when they cannot break their curſed malice againſt the King to murder him, then they ſeek to rend and divide that Army, which ſhould be his chiefe ſtrength and defence.

1. For their cruell and curſed intentions to murder the King. I could explaine my ſelfe at large, and tell you of the man hir'd to doe that bloody and abhorred act, tell you their meetings about the ſame at Alderſgate at the ſigne of the Mouth, at the Windmill Taverne at Old-Jury end, in Foſter-lane, and Friday-ſtreet where they conſpired his death, and made no queſtion of ingaging Maſter Peters and Maſter Dell therein; who had often termed him a Dead Dog: For juſtification of this I refer you to the Letter ſent to His Majeſty, to deſire him to provide for the ſafety of his perſon.

2. For their pernitious Plot to divide the Army, it was carried on with a deſperate Reſolution, the working of it by the London Agents, ſhewed how active they were to effect the ſame, I will refer you for the truth hereof to Sir Thomas Fairfax, his Letter to the Lords and Commons written with his own hand, verbatim, from the Rendezvous neer Hartford.

For their deſigne to beguile the Common people and ſouldiers under pretence of Liberty: I refer you to their ingagement, which I here inſert for your better ſatisfaction therein.

If you truly and impartially ponder this ingagement, called an Agreement of the people for preſent peace upon grounds of Common-wealth and Freedome. Be pleaſed therefore to conſider, that theſe are thoſe, that whilſt they cry out Liberty, Liberty, Freedome, Freedom do bring ſilly ſouls into Captivity, Thraldome and Bondage, by their ſubtill wiles and inſinuations, even whileſt all you have become a prey unto their unſatiable Conſciences, that wil (if they ſhould prevaile (as God forbid) Lord it over you with more tyrannie then the very Turks and Infidels that never knew God. Therefore firſt let me deſire you to know what people theſe are that pretend peace upon grounds of Common-Rights & Freedome, and you ſhall find they are even pernicious and factious ſpirited Sectaries, Anabaptiſts, Browniſts, and the like, that never were good to any body, but their own Fraternity or Faction; and are a people ſo throughly Ieſuited in their deſtructive Principles, that they ſtick not to murder any, though Chriſtian Kings, or any elſe that are without, as they terme it: One example is yet freſh in our memories, of a moſt bloody and inhumane Maſſacre committed upon the body of one Maſter Loyonell Danel, by one of their Brethren named Deane, and others of the zealous Independent Cluſter; when after they had dogg'd him a long way, and comming into Elbowlane, moſt barbarouſly knock't him down with a Poul-axe, and after with a knife cut his throat; in a mockery, calling out, Lights, Lights hoe, and when the people ariſe to their windows, and asked the reaſon of their ſo calling out; They made anſwer, Here's a thing like a man, has loſt his ſoule, and cannot ſee which way 'tis gone: And ſo (as they thought) fled from the hand of deſerved Iuſtice to Oxford, into the Kings quarters for refuge, which no ſooner was made known unto his Majeſty, but moſt Chriſtianly, and juſtly he cauſed them preſently to be apprehended, and delivered up, being a King that never would pardon Murder and hated to protect ſuch blood thirſty Homicides; From the profane nurſery of Oxford, they were removed to their native Collodge of Newgate; and after commenc'd (for ſo barbarous an act) at Tyburn, at Doctor Stories Cap, which makes the reſt of their Il-dependent Brethren ever ſince cry out againſt, and ſo eagerly ſtrive to pull down humane Learning; Thus much to ſhew you the nature of them all, even from Cromwell to Lilburne, from Jreton to Overton, and ſo over all the reſt of theſe Gunpowder Saints; how many Chriſtians thinke you has that Town Bull of Ely (in his foming zeal) goar'd to death with his rebellious Horns? was it not a right Chriſtian part think you of the Defender of the Faith, John Lilburn after his ſouldiers had ſurprized that honeſt and godly Chriſtian Gentleman, Maſter William Hagar, as hee was walking after evening prayer on the Lords day in his Garden, ſtript him to the bare skin, and ſo drove him before them ten miles, till he came in the preſence of this holy Colonell, who was ſo void of all Chriſtian Compaſſion, that he eſpying a Ring upon the Gentlemans finger, he checked his ſouldiers that they tooke it not off: They making anſwer, they could not get it off, it having been ſo long worn by the Gentleman, that the fleſh had over-growne it; Iohn Lilburne makes anſwer, Then take off finger and all. This was but for a Ring; thinke you not then, that if Iohn and his holy Brethren will cut off a finger for a Ring, that they will not kill a King for leſſe then a Crowne.

3. For levelling the Nobility and Gentry, is as apparent as the Sun, for doe they not intend the deſtruction of the Nobility, when they ſeeke to take away their negative voice, and to make the ſupream power to be in the Common-people; they intend alſo to levell all Eſtates, and people, and to that end they bring this Argument in defence thereof.

In the beginning (ſay they) God made man perfect, and gave him Paradiſe, where hee had abundance of all things, but after he fell, man was curſed, and then he was to eat his bread in the ſweat of his brows, &c. Then where's the bleſſing for the Children of God, except it be to have the abundance of all things as at the Creation. For the Curſe of the wicked is, with labour, and industry of body to get their livings. Ergo. The righteous are not under the Curſe, therefore muſt in joy abundance of all things.

4. That they intend the overthrow the Proteſtant Religion, it is evident; for all their Books expreſſe inveterat hatred and malice againſt the ſame, raving, rayling and venting all ſpleen and malice againſt both it, the Miniſters thereof, & againſt both Woſhip, Government and Diſcipline belonging thereto, impiouſly terming both It, and them Antichriſtian and Diabolicall, &c.

5. If their Conſciences ſhall dictate any thing to them, as to murder, rob, commit adultery, equivocate or the like, and act any thing, though never ſo evill, ſo it be deſtructive to thoſe that are without, (as they term them) that is, That have no Community with them; they are bound to doe it, becauſe their Conſcience dictates it unto them; Nay, they wilfully ſin againſt God if they doe it not, as their own tongues confeſſe in their Areement with the People: And moreover in the laſt clauſe of the ſaid Agreement, they doe as good as tell us. That they have deerly earned the establiſhment of their (pernicious and Trayterous) Rules of Government; and will no longer depend for the ſettlement of their Peace, and their Freedom upon Him, (King CHARLES) that b • ought Bondage a • d cruell Warre upon them, Though indeed theſe Sectaries have been the moſt Active for blood-ſhed in theſe abhorred warres, and like their elder brother Faux, (though more ſubtilly) have under a pretence of Liberty and Freedom, blown us up into that ruine, miſery and ſlavery, that no Nation or Age (ſince Chriſtianity became a Profeſſion,) ever groan'd under the like Bondaage and Tyranny.

How deſperately bold and audacious theſe Incendiaries are let all reaſonable people judge, when they doe promote their ſeditious deſignes even to the very faces of the Parliament, in the name of the people as may appeare by theſe votes following.