I Am willing to take all oc­casions to visit all my good Subjects, in which number I have cause to reckon you of these two Counties, and having lately had a good ex­pression of your loyalty & affections to me by those Levies which at your chargé have been sent me from your parts (which for­wardnesse of yours, I shall alwayes remem­ber to your advantage) and to let you know how I have been dealt with by a powerfull malignant party in this Kingdome, whose Designes are no lesse then to destroy my per­son and Crowne, the Lawes of the Land, and the present government both of Church and State, The Leaders of these [Page] [Page 1] [...] [Page 2] men by their subtilty and cunning practises have so prevailed upon the meaner sort of people about London, that they have called them up into frequent and dangerous tu­mults, and thereby have chased from thence my selfe, and the Greatest part of the Mem­bers of both Houses of Parliament; Their power and secret plots have had such influ­ence upon the small remaining part of both Houses, that under colour of orders and Or­dinances made without the Royall assent (a thing never heard of before this Parliament) I am rob'd and spoyled of my Townes, Forts, Castles, and Goods, my Navy forceably taken from me, and employed against me, all my Revenue is stopt and seized upon, and at this time a powerfull Army is march­ing against me. I wish this were all; They have yet further I boured to alienate the af­fections of my good People, they have most iniuriously vented many false reproaches a­gainst my person and Government, they have dispersed in Print many notorious false scandals upon my actions and intentions, and in particular have laboured to cast upon [Page 3] me some aspersions concerning the horrid bloody, and impious rebellion in Ireland. They tell the people that I have recalled two ships appointed for the Guard of these Seas, 'tis true: but they conceale that at the same time I sent my Warrants to the Downs com­manding foure as good ships to attend that service in stead of those should be recalled, which Warrant by their means could not find obedience. They forget that they then imployed 40 ships (many of them my own, & all of them, set forth at the publick charge of this and that Kingdome) to rob & pillage me of my goods, to chase my good subjects and maintain my own Town of Hull a­gainst me. And that by the absence of those ships from the Irish Seas, the Rebels have had opportunity to bring store of Armes, Ammunition, and supplies to their succours (to which we may justly impute the cala­mities, which have overwhelmed my poore Protestant subjects there) They cry out up­on a few suits of cloathes appointed (as they say) for Ireland, which some of my Forces took, but conceale that they were taken as [Page 4] entring into Conventry (then in open rebellion against me) where I had reason to beleeve they would have been disposed of amongst their Souldiers who t [...]en bore armes against me: they talk of a few horses which I have made use of for my carriages (concealing that they were certified to the uselesse for the ser­vice of Ireland) when they themselves have seized 100000 pounds particularly appoin­ted by act of Parliament for the relief of Ire­land (where my army is ready to perish for want of it) and imployed it (together with such part of the 400000 pounds subsidy as they have received) to maintain an unnatu­rall civill warre at home. Neither have they used their fellow Subjects better then they have done me their King. By their power the law of the land (your birth right) is trampled upon and in stead thereof they go­vern my people by votes, and arbitrary or­ders. Such as will not submit to their unjust unlimited power are imprisoned, plundred, and destroyed, such as will not pay such ex­actions as they require towards this rebelli­on are threatned to be put out of Protection [Page 5] (as they call it) of the Parliament, such as conscienciously remember their duty and loyalty to me their Soveraigne are reviled, persecuted, and declared traytours, such as do desire to maintain the true Protestant Reli­gion, as it is established by the Lawes of the Land are traduced and called Popish, and su­perstitious; And on the contrary such as are known Brownists, Anabaptists, and pub­lick depravers of the Booke of Common Prayer, or countenanced and encouraged. They exact, and receive Tunnage, and poun­dage, and other great duties upon merchan­dizes, not onely without law, but in the face of an Act of Parliament to the contrary, past this present Parliament, which puts all men into the condition of a Praemunire that shall presume so to oppresse the People. If you de­sire to know who are the contrivers of these wicked designes you shall find some of their names in particular and their actions at large in my declaration of the twelfth of August (to which I shall referr you) I wish thir craft and power were not such, that few of those [Page 6] copies can come to the view of my good people; since that time these men so thirst af­ter the destruction of this kingdome, that they have prevailed to make all my offers of Treatie (which might bring peace to this kingdome, and begett a good understanding between me and my Parliament) fruitlesse. In this distresse into which these men have brought mee, and this kingdome, my Con­fidence is in the Protection of Almightie God, and the affections of my good People, and that you may cleerely see what my reso­lution lately taken to be read to you, And I desire that the Sheriffs of these two Coun­ties wil dispose Copies of that and what I now deliver unto you, haveing noe other way to make it publique; these men haveing restrained the use of my presses at London and the vniversities.