THe long lookt for Reformation of Church and Com­mon-wealth, hath been the expectation of most men: happy they at first that could but put a finger, or adde a mite to this great and glorious work, or (as falsly and blasphemously) the work of the Lord. How forward was the holy City of London to bring forth their Treasure for the advancing of so pious a Designe, their Money, Plate, Jewels were not wanting; the common sort of people thought we should have had a golden Age, that it should have been with them as in the dayes of Solomon, to have silver and gold as plen­tifull as stones in the street; their zeal was so hot, that it ever eat up many of them, they cannot recover it to this day. The most part of the Kingdom hath been deluded with vain pre­tences of truth in Religion, of liberty and property, of all earthly happinesse that might be; they expected England to have become a second Paradise. But what the Proverb of old, is now to our sorrow found too true, the remedy of these pre­tenders to Reformation is worse then the disease; the two Houses have sate above seven yeers to hatch Cocatrices and Vipers, they have filled the Kingdom with Serpents, blood-thirstie Souldi [...]s, extorting Committees, Sequestrators, Excise­men; all the Rogues and scumme of the Kingdom have they [Page 4]set on work to torment and vex the people, to rob them, and to eat the bread out of their mouthes; they have raised a cause­lesse and unnaturall Warre against their own Soveraigne Lord and King, a most pious Christian Prince, contrary to their Al­legiance and duty, and have shed innocent blood in this Land. Religion is onely talkt of, nothing done; they have put down what is good, and (as the Church of Rome heretofore did) they lead us in an implicite blinde way, we know not what Faith to professe. Nay, Heresies and blasphemies condemned in Generall Councils long before Popery had any growth in the Christian Church, are revived; and though not publickly owned by our Reformers, yet winkt at, or at least left unpu­nished. The Civill Government is doubtfull: our fundamentall Laws so much talkt of in this pretended Reformation, are now become onely the Votes of the two Houses: if they be pleased to take away our lives and fortunes by a Vote, (as they did some of our dear Countreymen for performing their duty) it is Law, though we never come to triall: the liberty and pro­perty of the Subject (so much contended for) is wholly theirs, we but vassals and slaves to their will; and their will is now our Law. There is now little mention made of the King in any of their proceedings; they voted Him long since not to be in a condition to govern: it is conjectured by us plain Countrey­men, that they esteem him but as a conquer'd Prince, subject now to their mercy; if he could escape with life it were well; all Power and Authority is now monopolited and confined within the verge of our omnipotent (yet monstrous) Parlia­ment. The greatest scruple is what to do, or how to dispose of this heavie burden of the Kingdom, the King; if they should depose him, or take away his life, they fear the people, because most of them yet take him for their King: they have (since he came within their power) endeavoured to vex and grieve him, by the debarring him of the society and comfort of his Royall Consort, the enjoyment of his children, the attendance of his faithfull Nobility and Counsellors, by removing his trustie servants from him, denying any accesse of his loyall Subjects unto him, keeping strict guards about him, urging him to the [Page 5]signing of such Propositions, which might render him odious to his Subjects (As they have justly made themselves already) and the scorne of all Kings and Nations: and the end of all this is, to break his heart, and shorten his life; for that is the onely way to secure their own lives and estates. They would hold the people in hand, that they are labouring to settle peace in this Kingdome, to releive Ireland and keepe union with Scot­land; But we understand that Scotland is not pleased, Ireland to our knowledge is not releived, and this Kingdom much discon­tented, and miserably divided. If Peace be so neer unto us (as is pretended) why have they voted a standing army of so many thousands to the further grievance and impoverishing of the Land? Wherefore continue they so many uselesse garrisons and County troopes? Why lay they greater taxes upon the people, and yet burthen them with free quarter? The charge of the Kingdom is increased, and yet they promise us sudden peace: Surely they must acknowledge, that either they expect a forain enemy, or else intend to act such desperate things against the King and Kingdom, as may justly provoke another war here by insurrection of the people. And it is very well known, that the eyes of most of the people of this land are opened, and they fully discerne now their own weaknesse in being over credu­lous, and the wickednesse of the two Houses in seducing them under specious pretences, of Religion, Liberty, property and what not? They have deluded the Scots also with the same ar­guments, and engaged them in that cause of which the Scots begin now to repent, and be ashamed, and are ready to vindi­cate the wrong done them by the two Houses, as also to restore the Kings Majestie to his just rights, who is now imprisoned by them in the Ile of Wight: to which designe of the Scots signified in their late Declaration we are ready to joyne our assistance, and desire the concurrence of all his Majesties loyall Subjects within this Kingdome, as hereafter we shall more fully expresse.

The cause of this so sudden a posture of defence which we have put our selves into, was the violent proceedings of the Mayor of this City of Carterbury and his uncivill carriage in persuance of some petty order of the House of Commons for [Page 6]hindering the celebration of Christs Nativity so long con­tinued in the Church of God. That which we so much desi­red that day was but a Sermon, which any other day of the weeke was tollerable by the orders & practise of the two Houses and all their adherents, but that day (because it was Christs birth day) we must have none; that which is good all the yeer long, yet is this day superstitious. The Mayor causing some of us to be beaten contrary to his oath and office, who ought to preserve the peace, and to that purpose chiefly is the sword of Justice put into his hands, and wrongfully imprisoned divers of us, because we did assemble our selves to hear the word of God, which he was pleased to interpret a Ryot; yet we were unarmed, behaved our selves civilly, intended no such tumult as afterwards we were forc'd unto: but at last seeing the mani­fest wrong done to our children, servants, and neighbours, by beating, wounding, and imprisoning them, we were moved to vindicate the wrong done them, and to release them that were imprisoned, and did call unto our assistance our brethren of the County of Kent, who very readily came in to us, and have as­sociated themselves to us in this our just and lawfull defence, and do concurre with us in this our Remonstrance concerning the Kings Majestie, and the settlement of Peace in this King­dome.

Forasmuch therefore as the two Houses have exceedingly erred in exalting their priviledges above the Kings Prerogative, and outgone all former Presidents in Parliament, by exercising an Arbitrary power and government over their fellow subjects, have raised an unjust War against our Soveraigne Lord and King, and destroyed many of the Nobility, Gentrie, and Com­monaltie of the Land, have unjustly murthered (though execu­ted as Malefactors) many of his Majesties loyall Subjects, some of our own County also, have suppressed the true Protestant Religion, suffered all kinds of Heresies and Errors in the King­dom, have imprisoned or at least silenced and put down all the Orthodox C [...]ergy, taken away the livelihood and being of many thousand Families, oppressed and robbed the fatherlesse and widows, put grievous burthens upon the people, unusuall [Page 7]taxes of Proposition money, Excise, &c. which former Parliaments never dreamed of: have imprisoned the Kings Majestie turned away his Chaplains and Servants from him, have broken the Union betwixt England and Scotland, and have rendre themselves odious to God and all good men.

We the Inhabitants of the City of Canterbury and County o Kent, do protest against these exorbitant and wicked proceedings of the two Hou [...]es, as most injurious to Religion, the Kings Majestie, and all his loyall Subjects, and contrary to Gods holy Word and the known Laws of this Kingdom, and also con­trary to the trust reposed in them by those Countries, and Towns for which they serve. And we will endeavour by Gods gracious assistance to restore Religion to its ancient splendour and lustre, release the Kings Majestie out of thraldome and mi­serie, and restore him to his just rights and power, whereby he may call those men to account for all the blood they have cau­sed to be shed, for all the vast sums they have extorted from his subjects, and the wrong they have done to him and the whole Kingdom. And in this our design we shall endeavour the pre­servation of the honourable Constitution of Parliament, (though those men have abused it) and all the just priviledges thereof, as much as our own lives and fortunes.

And we desire all his Majesties loyall Subjects within his Dominions, readily and cheerfully to concurre with us, and as­sist us in this so good and pions a work, if truth in Religion may again flourish, the King may be honoured and obeyed, e­very man restored to just rights, the oppressed may be eased, the distressed releived, and a firme and lasting Peace settled with­in these three Kingdomes, to the great joy and contentment of all the people thereof.