For every individuall member of the honourable House of Commons. Concerning the major, magstracy, and officers of Dover. Burt, Nathaniel, fl. 1644-1655. 1649 Approx. 30 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 5 1-bit group-IV TIFF page images. Text Creation Partnership, Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) : 2014-11 (EEBO-TCP Phase 2). A78012 Wing B6142 Thomason E568_19 ESTC R206270 99865442 99865442 165316

To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal. This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.

Early English books online text creation partnership. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 2, no. A78012) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 165316) Images scanned from microfilm: (Thomason Tracts ; 87:E568[19]) For every individuall member of the honourable House of Commons. Concerning the major, magstracy, and officers of Dover. Burt, Nathaniel, fl. 1644-1655. [8] p. s.n., [London : 1649] Caption title. Signed and dated on p. [8]: London, August 8. 1649. Nathaniell Burt Junior. Annotation on Thomason copy: "Aug: 9th". Reproduction of the original in the British Library.

Created by converting TCP files to TEI P5 using tcp2tei.xsl, TEI @ Oxford.

EEBO-TCP is a partnership between the Universities of Michigan and Oxford and the publisher ProQuest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by ProQuest via their Early English Books Online (EEBO) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). The general aim of EEBO-TCP is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic English-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in EEBO.

EEBO-TCP aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the Text Encoding Initiative (http://www.tei-c.org).

The EEBO-TCP project was divided into two phases. The 25,363 texts created during Phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 January 2015. Anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source.

Users should be aware of the process of creating the TCP texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data.

Text selection was based on the New Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature (NCBEL). If an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in NCBEL, then their works are eligible for inclusion. Selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. In general, first editions of a works in English were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably Latin and Welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so.

Image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. Quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in Oxford and Michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet QA standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. After proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. Any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. Understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of TCP data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. Users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a TCP editor.

The texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the TEI in Libraries guidelines.

Copies of the texts have been issued variously as SGML (TCP schema; ASCII text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable XML (TCP schema; characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless XML (TEI P5, characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or TEI g elements).

Keying and markup guidelines are available at the Text Creation Partnership web site.

eng Civil rights -- England -- Sources. Great Britain -- History -- Commonwealth and Protectorate, 1649-1660 -- Early works to 1800. 2020-09-21 Content of 'availability' element changed when EEBO Phase 2 texts came into the public domain 2013-02 Assigned for keying and markup 2013-03 Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2013-05 Sampled and proofread 2013-05 Text and markup reviewed and edited 2014-03 Batch review (QC) and XML conversion
For every individuall Member of the Honourable Houſe of Commons. Concerning the Major, Magſtracy, and Officers of Dover. SIR,

ACcording to what is mentioned in the Letter, one of my ſervices to my Native Countrey, Parliament, and City of my birth; was the ſerveing an Order from Grocers Hall, when the Parliament retired thither for ſafety upon the breach of Parliament priviledges, and the demand of five of their Members: and I beleeve M. Corbets hand to it, which Order I ſerved upon Sir John Byron L. of the Tower, when none would readily attempt it, but my ſelfe, as ſome Citizens which yet are living can teſtifie; and then amongſt the rest I watched the Tower, both by Land, and Water, as Order was given, leaſt Iriſh men ſhould be let in for a guarde, and it ſhould be victualled alſo, and proved the diſmounting the Cannons then moun ed in Terrorem, both to Parliament and City.

1. The gaining Mr. Willoughby of wapping a Commiſſion, and diſcyplineing himſelfe and others for Officers, and about 140. volonteeres, ſouldiers for any preſent Parliamentary ſervice, in which I was L. to Cap. Willoughby, and was with him, and theſe my fellow ſouldiers at the ſecuring of Graveſend, and Eſſex Block-houſes, when Kent oppoſed (many of them) the Parliament, as Col. Dean can teſtifie, who I believed belongs now to the Navy as an Admirall, and was then imployed in Graveſend Fort, for and by my Cap. Willoughby; but whither or no Col. Deane remembers I had no pay in this ſervice, can I not tell, as in my other I am ſure I had none at all.

Then I was with Cap. Willoughby to ſecure the Royall Soveraigne, a ſhip ſo called, lay at Gillingham, which it was feared the Kentiſh men ſhould fortifie, at another time, and I ſet a Guard and Watch upon it, till afterward the Guns, Tackle and Officers were removed, and yet nothing paid to me.

Sirs, you may plainly ſee how Willoughby may well be rich, and I poor, he received money.

Amongſt my many ſervices I went to Chicheſter in Suſſex, I ſpeak ſomething now in part of Col. Mor ies knowledge, and ſpent neere 4. moneths time before I returned, whiles the Forces were raiſing, proceeding to Arundel, and had taken in Chicheſter, wherein I was promiſed Captains pay for my aſſiſtance therin, as ſome yet ſurely remember: And I was paid with a witneſſe; for after we had by Gods bleſſing poſſeſed our ſelves as of Arundel, ſo of Chicheſter, my place I had ſerved in under L. Col. Roberts, Col. Stapely not being preſent by reaſon he was ſick, was by him either ſold or given away for ſome reward to a Lawyer of Lewis, who had not at all ingaged, or ſome one advanced to make way for him: and I was colourably confined to my Chamber, and ſet before a Councell of Warre, where my Adverſary was my Judge, when Sir William Waller was departed, and he wanting matter of charge to lay on me, made me prove how I came by money to maintain my ſelf while I was imployed in that ſervice, which being proved by Cap. Temple of Eſſex Block Houſe, a Suſſex Gent. ſince a Col. who at firſt perſwaded me to go into that Countrey, knowing I had received money of my Col. Sir William Brookes at Graves End, who had disbanded by Order not only for my pay, as his Cap. L. But alſo for the Trophies of Armes for his Regiment, for which I ingaged my ſelf to one Maſter Webſter in Milk ſtreet London, an Armourer, or ſuch like, which moneys I carried along with me alſo, and out of which moneys I paid Cap. Temple at his own houſe in Suſſex, where he lodged me the first night, for a Bay nagg he ſold me, which was loſt in the ſaid ſervice, for which entertainment I thank Cap. Temple, but I do not thank him for keeping Sir Richard Laſhfords ſword, I tooke when I commanded a party to the Lady Shellies at Michell Grove, by Col. Morleyes Order, and others, to ſearch her houſe, where I took Sir Richard Laſhford; and ſome Letters then come from Oxford, which was a great furtherance to our taking in of Chicheſter; and upon Cap. Temples knowledge of this truth, and others testimony, I was quitted at the Councell of Warr, and L. Col. Roberts gave me his paſſe under his hand and ſeal, which I believe I can yet produce, which was as though I had leave given me to viſite my family for ſome time, and then to return to the ſaid ſervice again; and I did not onely here ſpend a ſumme of money of my own, and M. Webſters, which is ſince ſatisfied, but was alſo coſened and defrauded of my promiſed pay, and yet never received any pay at all for Suſſex ſervice, one thing I had like to have forgotten, I was ſent out from Lewis in Suſſex, with a party and a Commiſſion, or warrant to feize upon the man ſuppoſed, which ſince was made Lord Culpepper, but remanded back, by a Letter which was written, muſt be burnt by me at my return, which Letter, and Warrant, or Commiſſion, I believe I have ſtill, and becauſe I then diſliked it I was after that abuſed; as before related, as I conceive in part, both before and after this, I had, and and was faithfull and vigilant to diſcover Armes brought by water, and to ſeize them when I had warrants, as will appear under many of the Lords and Commons hands; and all gratis, without either bribe, pay or part datained, or converted to, or for my own uſe; (which is enough to ſpend a vaſt eſtate, which I am ſure my deare wife and daughter, and other my friends have found by woefull experience.) After this I yet helped my Cap. Willoughby again, hoping he would be honeſter, the times requiring it, England growing into a lower condi ion, and hee amongſt divers others had vowed to Almighty God, ſo to be by Covenant: This made me accept of a Captains place under his Government; he to be the ſuperior Officer, and to command the ſaid Regiment which indeed I ſhould have been the Major of the ſaid Regiment, for I was the firſt Cap. and the inſtrument to diſperſe the ſeverall Commiſſions, and to raiſe and forme the ſaid Regiment: And though I lost my right of Majorſhip, I did not then deſert the ſaid ſervice, as I beleeve M. Bradſhaw one of the Committee at Salters Hal, doth or may remember, which is ſince Lord Preſident, who then laboured with me to deny my ſelfe, and refer my place and ſelf to the ſaid Committee, which I then did: but preferment goes by favour, more then true and reall deſervings, but how the ſaid Willoughby abuſed me and defrauded me againe, I have ſufficiently ſet forth in my proteſt made againſt him, printed and poſted upon the Royall Exchange, and other places, Anno 1644. For which afterwards I was impriſoned in Mayden lane Priſon compleat 4. moneths; becauſe forſooth I had expreſſed therein that the then Militia Committee of London, after ſo long debate and report made thereupon, kept my report from me, and would not do me Juſtice, which is truth: after theſe my loſſes and impriſonments, and trialls by two ſeverall Councells of Warre, and ſeverall ſuits by this cauſed, and by combination of ſome was coſened of my leaſe of the Hermit of Wapping in my low eſtate, being beaten out of trading which coſt me about 230 l. beſides other houſhold goods: And I went L. to ſea, with one Cap. Hodges in the Lorne Frigot, no purchaſe, no pay, and after 5. moneths ſervice being poſſeſſed with purchaſe, yet never had any ſhares, though they did amount to neere 150. l. upon this I ſet up to work at Dover: and you that read this my Epiſtle, It was not for riches and honour, or favour of men onely, that I engaged in this cauſe, but for the honour and favour of God in hrist, which ſaith, 8. Mark 35.36. But whoſoever ſhall loſe his life for my ſake, and the Goſpell, he ſhall find it. For what ſhall it profit a man, though he ſhould win the whole world if he loſe his ſoule? Thus I have truly related ſome part of my ſervices, and ſufferings: yet never received any advance money, place, profit, aſſiſtance in trouble, juſtice upon complaining, or reward when others have been provided for by place, or rewarded that have not done or ſuffered. 100. fold, what I have done, but my reward is with Jehovah.

BEing incouraged by former preſidents to you ſeverally preſented, and by your favourable receiving thereof and proſecution therein for divers of my Brethren, fellow-ſouldiers, and Citizens; It hath likewiſe imboldened me who am a free-borne Engliſh-man, and free Denizon, who am thereby intituled unto equall priviledge with any of my rank, or diſcent, by which the Freedome and Liberties of the Lawes of England are intailed to me and mine, borne in England, or to be hereafter borne: beſides, the right that I have by right of Conqueſt, and as 23. October, 1642. 1 part of your Book of Declar. pag. 660. and our Truſtees in Parliament then declared, they were ready to lay downe their lives to preſerve, affirming our Laws and Liberties the greateſt earthly treaſure we could or can here poſſeſſe, and likewiſe adjudged thoſe who would not help in the day of their ſtraights prophane Eſaus, who would ſell their birth-rights, and vaſſallage heir poſterity. Now before this time God ſtirred me p to ſtand and act for Englands freedome, and Parliaments Priviledge, who had inabled me to withſtand the llegality of Ship-money, and other abuſes offered my eare Countrey-men, and fellow-Citizens, as alſo in the ower of London to withſtand hainous things of a de tructive nature to the Subjects Priviledge, where I lived Anno 1638. and were by ſome there practiſed, and be auſe I would not conſent thereunto, I loſt my Tower-place, and profits, as I have in other places done ſeve all times ſince, and am like now to loſe my Leaſe of 7. years to come, and benefit of my Trade by thoſe mens oppreſſion and violence in Dover; alſo God made me ctive and couragious both at home and abroad, in thoſe Martiall abilities I was bleſt withall of, or from him, as Mr. Corbet and many others may yet pleaſe to remember.

I am confident ſome hundreds yet can teſtifie what time the Houſe removed to Grocers-hall, in which ſervices (for my native Countreyes Liberty, and Countreymens ſafety, and Priviledges of Parliament) I have ſpent and loſt a faire eſtate, which London the place of my birth and kindred, is ſenſible of; yet God hath been pleaſed to keep me faithfull, and to uphold my ſpirit through all tyrannicall defrauding, oppreſſions and illegall impriſonments I have ſeen, felt, and been under, both in London and many other places, indeed rather the ſubject of a book then a letter, and I never was rewarded or gratified with any place to reſtore my loſſes, neither have I purſued the ſame, but have laboured honeſtly for bread for my wife and daughter, whom in the worlds eyes are undone by my zeale for my Countreyes good, rather then to live on the Nations loſſe, which good I have alwaies promoted before my owne intereſt, or earthly profits, as Jehovah knoweth, and having read your Declaration alſo Die Sabbati, 17. Martii 1648. wherein you expreſſe the grounds of your late proceedings, and ſetling the preſent Government in the way of a free State, wherein you declare pag. 5. you are authorized for the common good, having contended againſt Tyranny, and to procure the well-being of thoſe people for whom you ſerve, to remove oppreſſion, arbitrary power, and all oppoſition to the peace and freedome of the Nation, and to prevent their power to revive Tyrany, Injuſtice, War, and all our former evills; this hath very much incouraged me to proteſt againſt Mr. Day, as Mayor, and other Juſtices, and Common-Councell-men of Dover, and others, Conſtables, and grand Jury-men thereof, about 24, in number, who yet continue in places unſequeſtred, though they have been as active as any of thoſe which have been ſequeſtred for thoſe open rebellions, and Inſurrections in Wales, Surrey, and Kent, as is ſet forth in your Act for Thankſgiving, with the reaſon and grounds thereof, die Veneris, 1 Junii, 1649. that you and the Army had not been thereby deſtroyed by the revolt of divers Caſtles at once, and the defection of a great part of the Navy; theſe men many of them continue at this time in place, who are mentioned before, and proteſted againſt by me for their hypocriſie and injuſtice, theſe are termes in the ſaid Act by you expreſſed, pag. 275. 276. theſe promoted that perfidious Ingagement by ſuch an Authority, which might denominate the breach Nationall, who yet corruptly ſide and combine together, ruling according to their wills, and not Law, they upholding a Monopoly in Dover, called the Leather-Corporation, which was never granted by Parliament, for which they in my ſight at one time received ſix pound of money in Dover-Court, taking their goods away by force, or otherwayes, which will not obey thereunto, and impriſoning and proſecuting all thoſe to deſtroy them by illegall and delaying Suits in Law, who oppoſe their arbitrary wills, yet they exact it expreſſely againſt Law, which things you declare to be againſt that excellent Law of the Petition of Right done in the Perſon of the late King, who was tried for the ſame, and why ſhould not theſe alſo be tried, as Declar. 17. Martii, pag. 7. & 14. and theſe Anti-Magiſtraticall, Anti-Juſticiaries, hold only the place, ruling by power and policy, not by reaſon and honeſty, they being tyrannicall creatures, though to the world pretend otherwiſe, according as their linſey-woolſey Prieſt John Dix hath in his Negative Oath plainly diſcovered to all judicious and impartiall judgements, yet theſe Ordinances of Parliament are againſt their choice or ſitting, if choſen, or their Voice to chuſe, they being uncapable by ſome of theſe Ordinances of Parliament, die Junii, 9. Septemb. 1647. 4, Octobris, 1647. by which theſe men outed their neighbours of Dover both from Voice and Choice, as they outed Edward Ranger June the 8. 1648. by Act of Common-Councell from the Foot-Poſts place of Dover, for that he bare Armes in the Ingagement 1648. for which he hath been ſequeſtred and hath agreed it, yet many of them have done the ſame which are here charged, a faire preſident for themſelves. Againe, Londons Preſident, a rule ſure for the whole Land where Corporations are to chooſe Officers, die Lunae, 18. Decemb. 1648. for the chooſing of Common-Councell-men for the yeer inſuing, and other Officers within the City of London, and the Liberties thereof; and die Mercurii, 20. Decemb. 1648. the Lords and Commons doe ordain, that no perſon whatſoever that ſubſcribed, promoted, or abetted any Ingagement in the years 1648. or the treaſonable Ingagement 1647. or relating to a perſonall Treaty with the King at London, ſhall be choſen Mayor, Alderman, or put into any of the offices or places expreſſed upon the penalty of two hundred pound, by which Ordinances London is made obedient, though theſe Dover-men preſume to ſit Mayor, Jurats, or Juſtices, Common-Councell-men, Conſtables, and other Officers, contrary to all theſe Parliament-Ordinances, and other preſidents of London, Yarmouth, and Weymouth, they being ſequeſtrable as well as other their neighbours before ſpecified, in that they have been aiding ſome of them, by ſubſcribing the Petitions, others promoting and abetting the Ingagement, 1648. for which your humble Suppliant being a free Commoner of England, beſides his proteſt he made againſt them in the Seſſions at Dover, May 24. 1649. in the name of all free-borne Engliſh-men, which have not forfeited it, and in the name of the Supreme Authority of this Nation, and ſince hath petitioned alſo the honourable Committee of Indempnity againſt them and their proceedings againſt Parliament-Ordinances, and London, and other Preſidents; yet ſtill theſe continue their places of truſt, and upon your Petitioners Proteſt ut ſupra, theſe men on the 29. of May, 1649. with the aſſiſtance of ſome other, ordered your Petitioner to be committed to Dover-Caſtle without Baile or Maine-prize, perſwading Capt. Dixall (a Member of this Houſe, then at Dover, he being the Burgeſſe thereof) that I was a Mutineere; but I ſuſpecting their malicious and illegall practiſes, came away from Dover about foure houres before the Caſtle-Souldiers came to my houſe to take me into their cuſtody, having been ſtrongly urged by others ſo to do. Now I appeal to you, whether I am a Mutineere for labouring to do the Nation and you faithfull ſervice and right: What, becauſe I claime the Law of the Land? which as Sir Edward Cook in his Expoſition of 29. Cap. of Magna Charta, diſtinction 3. Law (ſaith he) is called right, becauſe it is the best right the Subject hath, for thereby his goods, lands, wife, children, his body, life, honour, and eſtimation are protected from injuries and wrong, it being (as he ſaith) the ſureſt ſanctuary that a man can take, and the ſtrongest fortreſſe to protect the weakeſt of all, to every one of us there comes a greater inheritance by right and the law, then by our Parents; and for pleading this Law for my right and protection, and for ſtanding for my legall-Liberties given me by the Law of the Land, and your Declarations, Ordinances and Acts; theſe men of Dover which ſit as Magiſtrates, yet act Anti-Magiſtraticall, they make their wills a Law againſt me, become Judges in their own cauſes, making me fly from my houſe, family and trade, for protection from their exorbitant wills, they living in a Sea-Port Towne, where no habeas Corpus they will ſuffer to be granted, though themſelves would have the benefit of the Law, ſo that no Law can or ſhal take place againſt their luſts & corrupt wils, for they hinder any copie of Indictment, or any elſ to be taken out to adviſe on, and the Lawyers there as well as the Prieſts are joyned in the work of their corrupt intereſt the better to vaſſallage the minds of the ignorant, or fearfull people to uphold their own dignity and wealth, which muſt be of all the people Idolized through cringing, and readily believing, honouring and obeying to them in their corrupt intereſts to inrich themſelves and deſtroy the people; as the leane and evill favoured kine did devoure the ſeven fat kine, and it could not be knowne they were ſo evill favoured, Gen. 41.20, 21. though they had eaten them up, ſo theſe juggle and diſſemble with the people, and ſay, they have not done them wrong, but many of us are ſenſible theſe of Dover, as well as others, do ſuch things and do wrong, which further to illuſtrate that they might keep the Inhabitants thereof in fear, July 13. being Friday, they ſent for me to come to them to their Court at Dover, by one Walter Smith that then attended them, which I refuſed, telling the ſaid Smith that they ought firſt to appeare to my Complaint againſt them in the honorable Committee of Indempnity at Weſtminſter, I having ſummoned them ſo to do above fourteen daies ſince, and I then going away to attend my tryall there, which meſſage Smith having returned, they preſently ſend one John Filly, who ſaid he was a Conſtable, and pretended he had a Warrant from Court to bring me before them, who was accompanied with about ſix perſons more, and two of them, if not three, Conſtables, who had borne Armes in the Ingagement 1648. in that Rebellion and Inſurrection, Dover-Caſtle being kept by the Parliament Forces, and ſtraightned and beſieged by the County and Towneſmen of Dover, of which force ſome of theſe men are part now charged in the Committee in the Inner Court of Wards, to which they have appeared unto, though eleven of the twelve charged never yet was ſequeſtred. Now I was forced to complaine here becauſe of the great hypocriſie, partiality, and injuſtice I ſaw uſed by theſe men and their friends, in the ſaid Towne and County, and moſt of the Town of Dover being actors in the ſaid open Rebellion, howſoever they would conceale it or hypocritically cover it, moſt of them being of kin, or cemented by ſome ſelfe-intereſt, or profit, and trade, and ſo loath to diſcover one another, leaſt they ſhould loſe the friendſhip of this world, which is enmity with God and goodneſſe; thus men live by ſenſe more then by faith: Now the reaſon Filly with his guard of incapable Conſtables took me not by force, was becauſe my door being ſhut, which was as a hatch very low, though Filly told the aſſiſtants to him, if they would aſſiſt him therein he would break open my door, and fetch me out with a witneſſe, I then ſtood in my defence, and ſo I told them, and would not yeeld my ſelfe, but withall I pulled out the honorable Order of the Committe under M. Miles Corbets hand, then Chair-man, dated June 11. 1649. which Filly had heard on ſufficiently, yet Filly would not reſpect or obey it, ſaying, what if this be M. Corbets hand, I know him well enough, but what is M. Corbets hand worth in this place? ſaying, he would make me obey his Warrant, but would not let me ſee it neere enough to read it; at length Filly departed, and bid the other ſtay of his aſſiſtants, ſaying, he would go and fetch, or receive other Orders, upon which it was rumoured by the Towne people, that theſe roaring Lyons or ravening Wolves, would break my bones e're evening, as Zeph. 3.3, for ſaid they, ſhift for your ſelf, or els they of the Town-Hall will procure a Squadron of Souldies from Dover-Caſtle to take you, that they might have their wills of you, thus they would uſe any means to ſatisfie their envy, they invite the abuſive ſouldiery againſt me, or poſſeſſe the people they would, upon which I cauſed my ſhop to be quite ſhut up, and retired my ſelfe private for my more ſecurity and peace, knowing too well how my reſpective friend M. Henry Teddyman was abuſed by the rude Souldiery then in Dover-Caſtle, who came downe ſome number about September laſt to him, to have him up to the Caſtle upon ſome conceited affront, for which they would be their owne Judges, whereof ſee the effect, M. Teddyman would not render himſelfe, but told them he would be anſwerable by Law, theſe giddy, bloody, unreaſonable ſouldiers ſhoot in at his ſhut doors, and ſhot his wife big with child, and killed his daughter bout thirteen yeers of age by ſhot, and then went up to the Caſtle againe without the man; a lamentable ſtory to tell, but very true, though few of Dover would lay it to heart, but ſhuffled it off I now not how, though the Mayor, which uſurps the place, M. Day knew it too well; for he was Mrs. Teddymans Chyrurgion till ſhe was recovered, and for this blood no body ſufferen, either by Law Common, or Martiall, which miſchiefe of warre to prevent, and malice of my adverſaries, I was forced to fly to London againe the ſecond time, and for the afety of my deere wife and daughter, which is all the children I have left of ten, ſince I have been contending in the field for freedome, right, and liberty, as invited by your Declar. 23. O tober, before ſpecified, yet muſt I now fly or die, it may be my wife and daughter too as M. Teddymans child before ſpoken of, or lie in priſon to ſatisfie the corrupt wills and ravenous affections of my covetous, tyrannicall, oppreſſing Judges at Dover, who amongſt them have ſought my ruine ever ſince I came among them, becauſe I would not joyne with them to work unrighteouſneſſe, to rob and oppreſſe free-born Engliſh-men, who have not forfeited their freedomes, ſome of them being of a forraigne blood or line, and favour a forraigner more then an Engliſh-man, but that almoſt al ſhould do ſo, makes me much admire, and yet no man calleth for Juſtice, no man contendeth for truth, as the Prophet complaines, Iſa. 59.4. and the Apoſtle ſaith, rather reprove the works of darkneſſe, then have fellowſhip with them, Eph. 5.11. but it is no new thing to be hated therefore, for it was ſo of old, Amos 5.10. they have ha ed him that rebuked in the gates, and they have abhorred him that ſpeaketh uprightly; and this forraigne kindred or Inhabitants, meddles not with men, but for their corrupt intereſt, neither know they Engliſh-mens priviledges, yea [too few Engliſh-men now do yet know it] why, ſaith our Saviour, when he was on the earth, Iohn 3.20, 21. He that doth evill hateth the light least his deeds ſhould be reproved; but he that doth truth cometh to the light to manifeſt that they are wrought according to God.

I would ask mine oppreſſors and the peoples, why by force or fraud, injuſtice or connivance, they ſeek to deſtroy me, as by their power of Judicature and Councell though uſurped, and yet (ſay they beleeve) I will anſwer them, and all who ſit in power and place and do ſo. Firſt from Pſal. 94. v. 23. Hath the throne of iniquity fellowſhip with thee. Secondly, wirh one of your own Declar. 1. part Book Decla. pag. 150. Magiſtrates are appointed for the protection and preſervation, but not ruine or deſtruction of the people, and the Mayor yet threatneth to lay me faſt enough at Dover; and by the Lawes of this Land, no man is to be Judge in his own caſe. 8. H. 6. fol. 21. &. 5. Eliz. Dicr. 220. and Doctor Bonhams caſe, eight part of Cooks reports. But could theſe Dover men, of uſurped place and power have gotten me to their Guild-Hall, or by their power and policy, have gotten me into their Goale; or Dover Caſtle, They would then, and their having all power in their hands, as a ſeaport Town: and the Burgeſſe, and ſouldiers their friends, have been complaynants, perſecutors, witeneſſes, Jury and Judges of me as of Edward Ranger, and Hedge his man, and of Edward Chambers lately they have been: then you may eaſily diſcern, what would have become of me amongſt them, when ſome of them were ſo audacious, unchriſtian, and unmannerly, as to give me ſcurrilous and ſore threatning language, on Wedneſday and Thurſday the 26. and 27. of July laſt paſt in and about the Court of Wardes, as M. Day, M. Dell, M. Lawrence Knot, and M. Henry Hart, as John Filly and John Kenton had done, July the 24. when Filly ſware a negative oath, or told an untruth, at which time ſome Officers of Court, viz. M. Kerke, M. Leichman, and M. Danet reproved them, and cauſed Filly and Kenton to go out of their room for their uncivill affronts in language: Now the caſe depending in the inner Court of Wardes, and much proved againſt moſt of them, all but one, though nine witneſſes are not yet appeared, 12. by me is charged, as by the Articles and the Examinations taken, will appear upon hearing, wherefore, I humbly intreat you to take it into your ſerious conſideration, againſt Friday the 10. of Auguſt inſtant, which is appointed by conſent (if the witneſſes fail not) that ſo the caſe may be looked on without reſpect of perſons, either the Plantifs or Defendants, power or meaneſs: Ye ſhall do no unrighteouſneſſe in Judgement. Thou ſhalt not reſpect the perſon of the poor, nor honour the perſon of the Mighty, but in righteouſneſſe ſhalt thou judge thy neighbour. Levit. 19.15. Ye ſhall not reſpect perſons in Judgement; but you ſhall heare the ſmall, as well as the great; you ſhall not be afraid of the face of man, for the Judgement is Gods.

Thus I commit my cauſe and my ſelfe, to your examination and tryall; which by your own Ordinances and Declarations named, appears to be the Nations and Peoples, who hath entruſted you, and you, and the People of the Nation into the hand of Jehovah, the faithfull Creator, bleſſed for Evermore, and reſt,

Your Honours next the Almighties, to procure truth and Right. Nathaniell Burt Junior. London, Auguſt 8. 1649. FINIS.