The Humble REMONSTRANCE AND RESOLVES OF Col. Overtons Regiment in his Excellencies Garrison of HULL;
Subscribed by the Officers in the Name of themselves and their Souldiers, and presented to His Excellency the Lord General Fairfax.
Wherein is remonstrated their Integrity to their Trust, and their own Vindication against the late Aspersions cast on them, as if they had declared for Thompson's Party, and other late irregular Actings.
Together with Colonel Overton's Letter to the General.
LONDON, Printed for Lodowick Lloyd, and Henry Cripps, and are to be sold in Popes-head Alley. 1649.
The humble Remonstrance and Resolves of Col. Overtons Regiment, &c.
AFter so many miraculous deliverances and victories given unto us by almighty God, the consideration whereof hath not only interessed us of this Garrison to act our parts in the stations we are in, by a full resignation of our selves to what hath been foreremonstrated by the Army, but also truly touched and united out hearts unto your Excellency in your late goings against that seduced part of it, whose proceedings we do not only disown, but disavow and deny, as a thing so weakly grounded, and to unseasonably sought, as we cannot but confess our fears, that either some Jesuitical & projecting pates have hereby gone about to retard the intended and timely relief of bleeding, dying Ireland; or otherwise, some secret, close, envious and undermining adversaries have again endeavored to fan the fire of Faction, whereby fresh storms and [...]oubles might be renewed to keep open the wounds of England, and to multiply the miseries of Ireland; or otherwise to put forward their Positions, who are Enemies not only to Peace and [Page 4]Propriety, but also secret and under-hand Actors for Atheism and Anarchy. Wherefore lest we the Officers and Souldiers in your Excellencies Garrison of Hull should undergo so unjust a Calumny, as either secretly or openly to consort our selvs with such in our practises, We do hereby humbly demonstrate unto your Excellency, That we not only disown and sadly resent the preposterous and spurious projects of the late Defectors from the proceedings of the present Parliament, your Excellencies interest and authority; but also do mutually combine and agree, never upon any pretence, or pursuance whatsoever, to betray or give up the private Entrustments of this place to any other Interests on earth. And we do further declare, That we neither had, nor will hereafter in that way have ought to do with any such Dissentors, either in their works or writings, whereby poyson dropt upon paper corrupts the Texts of Truth or weak Intentions, and mounts Mischief upon an hill to raise an Edifice of Discontent, or make an eternal monument for Misery. We do further unfeignedly bless almighty God for the several good successes in this kinde given your Excellency against the evil Intentions of some, and the over easie credulity of others, whereby the Nation might have become a field of blood, or a Chaos of confusion.
And for a fuller obligation upon our obedience, we do hereby re-engage our selves, with whatsoever is neer and dear unto us, to abet (maugre all secret suggestions to [...] contrary) the supportation of every just power of Parliament or Army, acting in and for the Interest of the Free-born People of England, wherein we shall cheerfully give up our selves in a full resignation, to be ordered and commanded by the supream [Page 5]authority of Parliament, and your Excellency, from time to time; so that our obedience may ever attend upon your intentions and undertakings in pursuance of the peace and prosperity of this Nation, together with the good guidance or government of the Army, without the least inclination to treachery or Agitatorship: In which kind we conceive our former compliances was a forced put, and had only the virtue of necessity for its warrant; and hath left, we are confident, such a character and face of Confusion stampt upon it, that we shal not easily hereafter incline to throw into that hazard; where once the good intentions of some sped better then could possibly have been expected from such popular and multiplied proceedings, as, for the most part, make a jar in business, which, put into the weilding of common hands or heads, is like a Jewel in a Chest, which cannot be beheld, nor made use of, because the key is lost. For like Achilles his Armor, this massy weight of State-admanagements suits not their weak shoulders to presume upon, except they would with Phaeton, attempt to overturn the State, or set the frame of the whole Universe on fire.
Kingston super Hull, June 5. 1649.
I Am glad that my Letter (though accidentally) came so conveniently for the wiping off those occasions so causelesly cast upon our care in this Command, who (for ought J know) at free from all sinister Engagements, and as firmly united in our obedience to the Parliament, and your Excellencies Jnterest, and the Discipline of the Army, as any other: For my opinion of former and latter proceedings, as to parts and persons, J have not been sparing both in publike and private to express my self, yet ever with such due Reservations as tended to the keeping sacred and inviolable my particular and private Trust, which J assure your Lordship from him (who hates treachery as hell) J purpose never to part withall; and whosoever in this kind are my accusers, let me, Sir, beseech you to believe that J doubt not but the justice of that [Page 7]cause which gives others comforts in their Commands, will also continue me obedient even unto the death in my deputation; and though malice may in the interim bespeak me suspitious, yet J doubt not but my endeavors shall at length shame their aspersions, whose sharp teeth have blistered their envious tongues with such biting and base Reports; J confess J do often sadly consider and recount the disasters which divisions and distractions have entituled us to, yet find occasion ever from those changes and chances to acknowledg the goodness of that great and glorious God, who keeps us from that confusion of tongues, whereby the furious violence of some, the secret subtlety▪ the innocent and honest easiness of others, would have undoubtedly destroyed us in England, and have left our Friends in Ireland to have languished and dyed by degrees under the irrepairable oppressions [Page 8]of those really cruel and blood thirsty Rebels. God grant a further Jndignation goes not out against us for our insensible slownesse to their Assistance, whilst we go about to raise structures of brain-sick and Eutopian Governments after our own inventions, striving like giddy Copernicusses both by Sea & Land to turn all things topsie turvy, as if we meant to cast the universe-into its former Chaos: But this, my Lord, J insist upon more to assure you of my self and service, then out of any purpose to put any further trouble upon your Excellency, then what your pardon for this present presumption may importune on his behalf, who, Sir, in despite of all indeserved distractions devotes himself