THe receipt of yours brought with it much contentment, in that I understand there­by, the condition of Affaires in your Parts, But as to satisfying that part of your Letter, which requests me to give you a like account of our present condi­tion here, and what my opinion is of an engagement in this new War, I must plead an utter disability; Yet to shew you what a supremacy of power you have over me, or rather what vertue is in your Command, I have given you my slender sense, which though it be not flourished by a Rhetoricall pen, yet I'le assure you it comes from an uncorrupted heart.

[Page 2]You may remember, at the beginning of the late War, when you engaged your person, and I my purse for the Parliament, how many Declarations were pub­lished by the Parliament of their reall intentions, to settle Religion in its purity, to make the King a glorious King, to Establish a firme Peace, &c. All which were confir­med by those sacred ligaments, the Protestation and Co­venant, which made me (I must confesse) for some time a great admirer of the Parliament and their proceedings. When the War grew towards an end, and that the Roy­all Party was expulsed, I found sensibly in all parts of the Kingdom a working Factious party of Independents, (and you know what those are, a Gallemaufry of all Sects blended together) these (by the power and instigation of the two Generalls, who had the Sword in their hands, and of some prevalent Members in the House of Com­mons) scru'd themselves into all Offices and Employ­ments, had their Levites in all Counties, especially in London, to poyson the people with their Doctrine; and indeed, began to be, and actually were, as violent against us, (whom the world call Presbyterians) as against the most rigid Cavaliers: witnesse the expelling the 7 Lords and the 11 Members, the imprisoning the Lord Major and Aldermen, with diverse other worthy Gentlemen and Commanders: And instead of settling Peace, an Army was kept on foot, meerly to awe and tyrannize over the Kingdome, and though some Forces were dis­banded in severall Counties, yet they were such onely, as that prevailing Faction could not confide in.

Yet when the world began to see what an Independent Idoll they were setting up, then ever & anon the Members would set out some Ordinance or other Papers, which [Page 3] should blinde the people with a belief, that they inten­ded to settle Church-Government and Treat with the King; when the truth is, they (like watermen) look'd one way and row'd another, as little intending either of those, as any good to our Party.

But (Sir) the people (I say) thus perceiving which way this worme of Independencie began to gnaw, this City, and the Countries adjacent Petitioned for a Perso­nall Treaty, (and you have heard what usage the Surrey Petitioners found at Westminster, among those bloud­hounds of the then Guard) nay, when they faw how their Petitions were sleighted, and their Petitioners abu­sed, Kent Armes, and then Essex.

The Grandees at Westminster, (seeing the dis-affection of the generality of the people to their designe, and that our Brethren the Scots were resolved to come in to our assistance;) began to turne Cat in pan, and fawne upon us again, hoping to make a Syncretisme, a conjunction of these two Parties against the Common Enemy, as they call the professed Royalists, knowing themselves too weak to deal both with the Scots and them. To this purpose they re-call their Votes against the 7 Lords and 10 Members, release the Citizens, and others that were imprisoned; and gave particular instruction to some of their chief Ministers about London, to call upon a re-uni­on against the common Enemy in their Pulpits, and to cement the breach between them and us, as much as might be.

And when their Member-ships perceived that this City was minded and necessitated in these new commo­tions, to name a Generall, and raise some Forces for their own preservation, and well knowing how much the [Page 4] name of an Independent is hated in their Common Coun­cell, and that their eyes were upon Skippon, they laid this pretty Engine to entrap the City: Skippon (who had formerly been sleighted and laid aside by the Army, as smelling too much of a Presbyter) had a good round summe given him, and other promises, sufficient to make so unstable a man one of their Neophytes; which being greedily accepted, Skippon had order to act his part thus. By any meanes not to discover any inclination in himself towards Independentisme, till such time as the City had embosomed themselves to him, and setled him in the Employment, then, and not before, to cast off his Vizard: This he hath done to purpose, and abused the City sufficiently, by many underhand practices, for which he has lately been called to an account by the Common Councell, and hath utterly lost his former re­pute.

Now (Sir) could these Grandees, withall their art and daubing, and with their money-baites, make us take the hook; and so by enduring the Dust and Sun, quiet the present distempers, as we did the former, we should soon be in our former Condition, the Army would be again brought to London, to awe the Parliament, our cheif and uncorrupted Members re-expelled, our Citi­zens re-committed, and our City enslaved.

This (with much more, which might be added, were it not for exceeding the bounds of a Letter) hath made my Conscience cleerly satisfied, that we ought by no meanes to adhere in this new War, to these Anarchists, these Babel-Builders, but rather to side with the Kings Party; for, though you and I perhaps may not relish all that the Cavaliers professe, yet (trust me Sir) I think the [Page 5] worst of their tenents ought to have preference before the best of the Independents; and of two Evils you know, we are to choose the least.

Besides, this is not the old War, nor the old Quarrell, but new in both; the Quarrell is not now betwixt the King and His Parliament, and that for extirpating Bi­shops and evill Councellours, but betwixt the King, the Noblesse, & most of the Commons of the Land of the one part, and a few factious Members (puffed up with lust and ambition) and all the Sectaries of the Kingdome on the other part; and this, whether Religion or no Religion, King or no King, Law or now Law.

This hath made the Scots (according to our Covenant) come into our assistance, for setling Church-Government and re-Enthroning the King. This hath made the Lord Willoughby of Parham (whom I hold to be a person of much Honour & Conscience) accept of the Vice-Admi­ralship under the Duke of York; this made Generall Laughern and Collonell Poyer Revolt from the Domi­nion of these Levelling Saints. This hath made the grea­test part of the Mariners and Seamen Ancher their Ships in a better Haven, and their Consciences in a better Cause. And this I hope hath, or will make all true Sub­jects endeavour the restoring of His Majesty to His Crown and Dignity, and the destroying of this Indepen­dent brood, the Army and their Adherents; since it is now evident, that they would have no Religion, but a miscellany of Sectaries; no King but Anarchy, no Lawes, but their own wilde and unlimitted Wills; And what a Visitation they intend to this Famous City (if Colchester could once be theirs) and what Armes and other preparation their Brethren of this City make for [Page 6] their aide and abetments, as it is apparently known; so we hope the wisdome of the Common Councell will take speedy care timously to prevent.

This I dare say is the sense of may thousands in this City; For since the Houses recede from their Cove­nant and Principles, tis good reason we should withdraw our affections from them. In which number is