AS we are all Members of one Body, so we ought all to be governed by one Head, and made capable of one anothers sufferings; You cannot be ignorant what pestilent Humors have got predominance in the Body Politique of our native Country, corrupting the very heart of all good Government, and causing a Blody issue to be made in the very bowells of a Flourishing land, by unhapy emulations and civill dissentions arising rather from a surfeit, and oppulen­cy of aboundance of Peace, and blessings, then from any just cause of our owne; I hope there is none amongst you so for­getfull as not to remember your Solemn League and Covenant made with so many imprecations, and ratified, sealed and deli­vered in the presence of God and his Angels, besides all other [Page 4] our Oaths and Protestations, as so many sacred bonds and Ob­ligations binding our Consciences to the preservation of the true Protestant Religion, the Kings Person, the Rights and Priviledges of Parliament, and Liberty of the Subject, all which we ever have done, and still will by Gods help preserve with the same care as we do our own souls; yet we are not un­sensible of the many callumnies of our reproachfull enemies, that unjustly brand us, for at first managing an ungodly design for the Eradication of Monarchy, and rooting out the KING and his Posterity, the better to subvert all good Government both in Church and Common-wealth.

To cleer our selves from these foul-mouth'd aspersions, and notoriously known scandalls so wickedly fathered on us and our Brethren, we have thought it necessary to manifest our re­all Intentions in this our Declaration to the whole world of the integrity and uprightness of our hearts, to shew what loathing and detestation we have of all such Hypocrisy and deep Dissimulation, least by our silence we might be thought guilty, or to have fellowship with these ungodly workers of iniquity, whose desperate, rebellious, pernicious and de­structive Principles we are so farre from owning, or siding with, that we have taken up Armes against them, and are re­solved, to the last drop of our bloods to oppose that Tyran­nors Army now under the Conduct of the Lord Generall Fairfax, or Lieftenant Generall Cromwell, or any with whom they are associated or combined, falsly stiling themselves The supream Authority of the Nation, the Commons of England in Parliament assembl [...]d, or any of their upholders, Aiders or Ab­bettors that now assume the Ligistitive Power of the King­dome; have murdered the King, and disabled the House of Lords from their right of sitting as a House of Peers, or for ever having any Voice or Votes in Parliament, any more then as Members of the Commons House; having by their pretended Power constituted a Tyrannicall Counsell of State, and to enslave and vassallage the whole Nation, have since erected a High Court of Justice, thinking by that to fright Free People into [...]u [...] mission to their new mock-Authority, by which illegall Court they intend, (by the same way as they before murdered their lawfull King, now to gorge their libidinous [Page 5] and murtherous appetites with the blood of his best subjects, that so they may dye their black souls (if it were possible) in­to a deeper dye of innocent blood, to uphold their wicked Ty­ranny, Democrasy, and Annarchicall Government; Neither are they content with the blood of their King, but they have dis­inherrited the Prince from his unquestionable and hereditary succession to the Crown, and enacted all those Traytors, and to die without mercy, That shall Proclaime, Relieve, repaire to, aide or assist Him either with men, money or Ammuniti­on, or so much as hold Intelligence with their Liege Lord and Soveraigne, for which they have direct warrant from God, and are bound to that duty by their severall Oaths, and the lawes both of God and man; Neither hath their malice an­chored here; but they have forced upon the People a most dangerous and sinfull Ingagement, To be true and faithfull to a Government that they shall never know any bounds to, and to binde them to yeeld Fealty and Homage to them that are but their fellow Subjects, and by the Laws of God, and the Land is due to the KING only, and to none but such as de­rive their Authority from him, and therefore cannot be sub­scribed without wilfull perjury to God, and willfull Treason to the Law; abolishing a long setled Government, that we were to submit to for the Lords sake, not in stead of reforming to be abolished, but prayed for; that under it we may lead quiet and peaceable lives in all godlinesse and honesty: Wherefore my­self and about 80 English Officers more have in prosecution of our Covenant, and severall Oaths, (not onely in behalf of our own Nation, but the Kingdom of Scotland also,) have received our Commissions from King Charls the Second, in whose Right, as well as restoring the People to their ancient Government by KING, LORDS and Commons from any Ty­ranny in either, we have all drawn our swords, and vowed never to put them up again (unlesse His Majesty command the same) untill we have Restored our King to His Rights, the Parliament to it's lost Priviledges, and the Subiect to his Li­berty, and taken off the scandall laid on us and our Religion, by bringing all Traytors and Tyrants to Justice for what Treasons they have committed against either; which is the sole cause of our Undertakings.

[Page 6] Therefore we desire all our Presbyterian Brethren, and the rest of our friends and Allies in England, not to be discoura­ged by any threats or force of the Enemy, but couragiously prosecute their first Principles, and rather suffer with patience, and bear Christs Crosse with joy, and a good Conscience, then to suffer themselves to be subborned by a crew of cruell Ty­rants, that rule by their own Wills, and seek to load the shame and guilt of their own sinfull actions upon your Consciences, that so you might become co-partners with them in their Trade of wickednesse, and so to be made Heirs to such Punish­ments as necessarily fall to be the portion of such children of disobedience; But we hope better of you (Brethren) and wish you not to pretend ignorance in these things, least you thrust your selves willfully out of His Majesties Protection; but re­lying on your Covenant, His Majesty will be as tender of your welfare, as of his own life; knowing, that to destroy his own sub­jects, is to deminish his own strength; assuring his good People, that it is not his intention to yoake them to a Tyrannicall Go­vernment, nor to make use of Forreine Aide a jot longer then he is necessitated for the recovering his just rights, as well as his Peoples Liberties, and to administer Justice on the inhu­mane Murderers of His dear Father, whose blood cryes to us all for revenge on the Actors of that bloody and inhmane Tragae­dy; which are the sole ends of his taking up Arms, and of our assisting Him.

Wherefore (in his Maiesties behalf) wee are commanded to declare;

That whosoever of you (that have stood to your Covenant) and shall come in unto us at the Approach of His Majesties Armies into England, shall not only obtain an Act of Oblivion for what is past, but shall have Protection for themselves, and all such money or goods they shal bring with them; and who­ever shall imploy any Horse, Men, Arms, or Warlike provisions whatsoever, shall receive such full assurance of reall satisfacti­on, as other his Commanders and souldiers have, with an ad­dition of such Honors, and other rewards from His Majesty, as your severall merits, or services shall deserve; And in this our so Just and Pious Undertakings we make no doubt we shall not only be seconded with the blessing of God, but have [Page 7] the Prayers, as well as Aide and Assistance of all honest men, to recover His Maiesties Rights, establish true Religion, the Priviledge of Parliament, and the Subiects Liberty, against the opposition of men or Devils; and as we really and cordially (according to our Covenant, and all those sacred bonds that are upon us; intend the same, without any other self or by-ends so­ever, tending to the least prejudice of our Brethren, so we pray the Blessing of God may attend us, and if otherwise, That all the Curses in his holy Book may be the Portion of us, our Wives and Children for ever.

For. Mr. J. G. 123. to be Communicated to our Friends in London and elsewhere.

Signed by 80 English Officers, who have all taken up Arms for his Sacred Majesty.