A Copie of tvvo Letters, SENT FROM DIVERS OFFICERS OF THE ARMY IN THE NORTH, TO HIS EXCELlency THOMAS Lord FAIRFAX; Concerning the late Large Petition, presented to the Parliament upon the eleventh of Sept. 1648.
TOGETHER WITH A LETTER GRATVLATORY FROM DIVERS OFFICERS OF THE ARMY, at the Leagure before Barwick, to the Presenters of the foresaid Petition of Sept. 11.
A Copie of a Letter to his Excellency the Lord Fairfax, from the Garison of New castle and Tinmouth.
WE make bold being prest in spirit, to represent to you, as the ground of our fears, so the matter of our desires. It hath pleased God after much plottings and endeavours of the old and New Malignants, to Crown the Army under your conduct with great successe; and although God by that calls for justice, little or none is done, to the great grief as to the Kingdom in general, so unto us in particular; and lesse is like to be done, unlesse your Excellency presently appear to do something, and the Army with you, to be a leading cause to us; we wait for it. Instead of Iustice, behold a Treaty with them for Peace, that God speaks no Peace to: and instead of owning just Petitions, they are laid aside, and not countenanced; some imployed in the Treaty not long since voted the Army Rebels; what that prognosticates in the future, when they have power, we leave to your Excellency to judge. VVe can hardly forbear but Petition the Parliament, (remembring our engagement at New-market Heath,) but we are very unwilling to do any thing without your Excellencies pleasure, being desirous in all good things to be led by you: and being confident (as formerly, so still) you will stand by the Kingdom and the Army in their just Rights. So hoping you will so far honour us, as to make a favourable construction of our expressions, and give an answer to encourage us to joyn with the well-affected, in their Petitions, for their just Rights and Priviledges, We subscribe our selves in the behalf of the Officers and Souldiers of this Garison and Tinmouth.
- Lievt. Col. Paul Hobson.
- Major Cobbett.
- Cap. Clark.
- Cap. Hutton. &c.
To His Excellency, THOMAS Lord FAIRFAX, General of all the Forces raised by the Parliament for the Common-wealth of England.
SEing it hath pleased God to exalt you into a place of Eminency and Trust in the Common-wealth of England, for the Redemption thereof from Captivity and Bondage, and to that End God having also blest You and us with prosperous Success and Conquests, (beyond the ey of humane sense) both in the late and present Wars, over Yours and the Peoples most inveterate Enemies; and seeing that we and all the well-affected of the Land ventured our lives, and all that was deer unto us, not sparing cheerfully and faithfully to pass through all dangers and difficulties with you attending that Engagement; we are emboldened now at last (having looked round about us, and finding neither Your Excellency, the Army, nor the People yet answered as to those ends) to make our humble Address unto Your Excellency in this Juncture of time, wherein we apprehend, that the bloud that hath bin spilt, the Conquests that God hath crowned us withal, the treasure and wealth of the People expended, is all upon the point of being rendred in vain and of none effect: For, to the sorrow of our hearts, we find that even those particulars of Common Right and Freedom, for which we took up Arms and still continue them, are not regarded, though by way of humble Petition lately presented to the House of Commons by the wel-affected in and about London; and insteed of answering those their just Desires of Freedom and Safety to the People, we find a Treaty with our conquered Enemy (who hath not so much as himself to Treat for, and on whom we must, and that of right, lay the guilt of all the bloud that hath bin spilt in these wars) is now chosen, and vigorously pursued; and Compositions at easie rates made with the new Delinquents for their late Rebellions and Treasons against the Common-wealth; though we justly expected that their Lands should be made over to us; and the whole Souldiery for our Arrears: and no Justice likely to be done to perfideous Hambleton, or to his Adherents, who invaded our Land, and made war upon us; nor yet upon those Lords and Commons, Aldermen, and Common Councel men of London, whom that Invador profest to invite him in: Nor yet upon the Earl of Holland, whom the House of Lords lately and most unjustly voted out of his Imprisonment in Warwick Castle: nor yet upon the Lord Goring, Lord Capel, Lord Louthbury, Laughorne, Powel, Poyer, &c. Neither any thing done to those insolent Common Councel men of London, that durst joyn with the Prince, while in Armes against the Parliament and People, in his Desires; and petition the Parliament for a Cessation of Armes, even with Hambleton himself, after the House of Commons had voted him and his Army Enemies, and those Englishmen that invited them into England, Rebels and Traytors, and notwithstanding the same, the House of Lords abetted and joyned with him and his Army, by publishing his poysonous Declaration by a special Order of their own House, to seduce the People into his Rebellion against our Common-wealth: yet all these wickednesses must be salved up with a Personal Treaty, putting our Capital and Bloudy Enemy into an equal Ballance with all the People and their Representatives, which is more then ever he had from his Coronation, as appeareth by his Oath, which the Parliament hath often publikely declared to the Common-wealth; so that of necessity our Indempnity, our Lives and Freedoms are left at his mercy, and what mercy when our Enemy is received, and the Adverse Party advanced can be expected, we leave to your Excellency to judge. Wherefore, May it please your Excellency, we having seriously weighed the foresaid Petition, Intituled the humble Petition of Thousands Well-affected Persons inhabiting the City of London, Westminster, the Burrough of Southwark, Hamblets, and places Adjacent, Presented to the Parliament Sept, 11. 1648. Together with a second Petition endeavoured to be presented Sept. 13. Intituled, The humble Petition of the Presenters of the late large Petition, &c. As also a letter from our deer friends of the Garrisons of Newcastle and Tinmouth, and finding the common safety of us all wrapt up in those desires; we cannot in duty to God, to our own Native Countrey, and in honour to your Excellencies safety, and al that have adhered unto you, but resent the said Desires as our own; and humbly implore, That your Excellency will be pleased so to appear before us in the cause of the People, even in the midst of these our dangers and fears, that we and all the People, with the Generations after us, by your Excellencies happy conduct, may have just cause to bless God on your behalf: And that the same may come to pass, shall ever be the faithful prayers and endeavors of
A Gratulatory Letter from divers Officers of the Army, at the Leagure before Barwick, to the late presenters of the Large Petition, of Septemb. 11. 1648.
AS we all languish and groan under the insupportable weight of the Publike oppression of the Land, so is it our duty to struggle and strive joyntly together for the relief of each other; for to our neighbour we are bound as to our selves; and we are all the sonnes of one Nation, and brethren by Nature, whose several weal and woe is included and wrapt up in the fold of one Common wealth; that we must even stand or fall together. We (though we have our swords in our hands) cannot be without you, nor you without us, in this day of publike calamitie, and of this (we do not question, but) as we with you, so you with us are sufficiently sensible, which to all conscientious and judicious men may be sufficient to tye us firmly together in one Common bond of unitie against all our oppressors, and opposers of freedom whatsoever, but in this we give you the preheminence; for though we are with you in heart and affection for the principles of Common Right and freedom to the Land: yet we must give you the right hand of fellowship in appearing and going before us therein. For to the great refreshments of our spirits we find, that God hath preserved yet thousands for us, that have not bowed their knee to Baal, and are yet (after all these afflictions and tryals) firme and untainted with the poysonous principles of Oppression and Tyranny, as by your two late Petitions appeareth: for which as we are bound in duty to render the glory thereof unto God, so in all humane and Civil obligation, we cannot chuse but render our grateful and cordial respects unto you for the same, and must professe it our duty to attest the same with our Swords, in and for those just principles (in your Petition contained) to live and die with you, and for you. And as you have been an encouragement unto us, to raise up our spirits, and put us upon action, so let us be an encouragement unto you to pursue with the utmost vigour and might those happy beginnings of yours, and we shall by Gods assistance second you with our utmost power and might in your greatest straits and difficulties against all opposers whatsoever: And as a testimony of our real intentions therein, we have sent you the copies of some Papers, which we have intended in pursuance of your Petitions: And we shall say no more at present, but that we are,