My Lord, and these worthy Gentlemen, you have heard this Proclamation read, there is no man but in the very hearing of it, must needs ap­prehend that it is very contrary, not onely to the [Page 11]wealth and profit of the City, but to the Peace and Safety of it; This in generall I doubt not doth appear to every one of you.

I am commanded to make you some particular Observations: The first that I shall present to you is this, That in this Proclamation there are terms of great aspersion, of great Infamy, put upon some Actions of the City, which actions in them­selves are not only warrantable, and very lauda­ble, but such as will be evidences of your vertue, of your piety, of your honour, to the present age, and Monuments of all to the future age; you are here in respect of that obedience which you have shown to the two Houses of Parliament, in respect of that fidelity which you have shown to to the State, in defending the Parliament from violence of the War that is raised up against them: you are here called Traitours, nay to be the head of a great Rebellion, to be the Fomentors of it, This action of yours, so full of Honour, of Ju­stice, and of Duty, is now represented here in these odious terms: that is the first.

Another action of yours which is represented here in very odious termes is this; That you have been ready by the valour, and by the dilligence of the Citizens, to suppresse Mutinies, and Re­bellions, and Insurrections, and Violence, in your Neighbour and adjacent Counties here, and this is called a making War against the whole King­dome; being an action very full of honor in you, [Page 12]and very full of good care of the publique peace; yet it is here odiously represented.

The third is this: That you have given safety and protection here, (by the good Government of the City) to many that could find no safety in the Countrey, Ministers, and others, and for this worke of Charity, of Honour, of publick good, you are represented here to be a Den, a Recepta­cle of Rebells, and Traitours: These particulars are upon the first head, that your actions, that are vertuous and honourable, and worthy both of present thankes, and of future remembrance, to the honour of the City, they are hore represented after an odious manner.

The second Observation that I shall make to you is this; That some actions of the Kings, that are here represented to you with a face of Favour and of Grace, were yet in themselves such as would have been either fruitlesse to you, or would have been full of danger both to you, and to the whole Kingdom.

The first is this: That Proclamation that there should be a free Trade from all parts of the king­dome to this City, it hath a face of much Grace, but it was in a great manner fruitlesse: for not­withstanding this Proclamation, divers Carriers were robbed, not onely of private mens goods, but of the good; of the Kingdome; even those Provisions that were sent for Ireland, they were taken away: that is the first thing.

An other thing that is represented unto you, as a matter of great Grace, is, That the King was pleased to desire a Treatie for an Accommodaton: A Treaty indeed was desired, but there have no evidenses been given, that wee can beleive that an Accom­modation was indeed desired, for though Committees weer sent, though such proposi­toins were offered, as were full of Honour, and securitie to the King, and yet did afford the Subject also, resonable securitie and safety in enjoying Religion, and liberties, (which they ought to desire) they were refused, the Trea­ty was desired, which would have been a snare to you, which would have withdrawne the hearts of the People from you, & your abilities from the Parliament, of raising such strength as was neessary: The Treaty was desired in­deed, but if the Accommodation it selfe had been desired, wee might have expected a betrer Answer to the Propositions that were made.

A third thing is this, it was represented, that a Cessation was propounded, that there might have beene a free Trade to Oxford, ud­der which all provisions of Munition, Armes, and money might be sent thither to strength­en your enimies against you: And yet this here hath put on a disguise of favour, and of grace to you.

This is the second Head, that as your Acti­ons, that are good, are represented in an odi­ous forme, so those actions which are hurtfull and prejuditall to you, they are represented to you in a gratious forme. That is the second Observation uppon this.

The third observation, that though you have had many evidences of wrath, and of re­venge, that have bin express'd against you, you have been intended as a prey to both armies, when they were invited to come up against the Parliament; you were that that gave hope to the Kings army by such a sudden and hasty march to surprize the Citie, that they might have had the spoile of it. Though you have had a Conspiracy here among you, which would have thrust your swords mutually in one ano­thers sides, which would have filled this City with bloud; yet in this Proclamation there is somewhat of wrath against this City expres­sed, beyond all those; here you see is a restraint of all trade, no provisions, or merchandize, must goe out from you, or must come to you, this will necessari­ly (if it should take effect) introduce a famine, a want even of bread amongst you, it will in­troduce a generall poverty because your han­dy-crafts, they will have no vent for their commodities, yea the merchandize and ma­nufactures of the Kingdome, they will be at a [Page 13]stop, and so not only the City, but the Coun­trey will be exceedingly distemper'd with it; Farmers will not be able to pay their rents; the Gentry and Nobility will be brought into as necessitous a condition as the rest, because they will bee able to make nothing of their owne, and this generall necessitie can not bee avoyded: it will also put you into a generall combustion, because the poore will rise, and rich be made poore, and none shall know his friendes, and we shall e­ven fight for a morsell of bread, which God (I hope) will avert. These are the miscries which this Proclamation will bring uppon you, which in many things exceedes the for­mer: For first, it is more generall, in that it comprehendeth all, in the former notice was taken of some that were well affected, & some ill affected, one part would have scaped, those that they thought well-affected, and termed the Kings friends: but here those that they say are well assected, and those they say are ill a­ffected, will be joyned together (if this Pro­clamation take effect) in the mischiefe it will produce: therfore in that respect it exceedeth all the former: And in divers other respects, For it doeth extend not only to a moment, to have beene acted in a night, as that would have done, but this will be a durable evill and mischiefe, which will not be recovered to the [Page 13]Kingdome in many ages, being likely ta brirg an universall desolation uppon the Kingdome.

This I am commanded to represent to you, as that which is intended for a great mischeife but through the blessing of God, if you take a rise from hense, to doe that which which you have hitherto shewed yur selves very forward to doe that which is intended for universall mischeife, to bring perpetuall misery and de­solation upon the Citty, it may be a meanes of procuring for you not only peace and safe­ty, but eternall honour, that is this, that since your trade is to be interrupted, you will have many men will not have wherewith to employ their hands, nor wherewith to fill their bellies, that now you will set them all upon the work; that before this misery and desolation come upon the Kingdome, you'l raise all the forces you can, for it is force must doe it, You fee there is a Commander provi­ded for you, so you see you have all incou­ragements that can bee from the Houses of Parliament. That now you'l improve the time, and raise all the forces you can, that may remove the fountaine, and goe to the root of all your miseries, that may be such a force as may bee applicable to the severall dangers of your selves and Kingdome; Your Enemies you see are very diligent, they stirre up one another, and combine one with ano­ther; [Page 15]and I have here in my kand, an exami­nation to acquaint you with taken beyond Seas, wherein all that would come in, and give any money for the reliefe of the Catho­liques in England, they should come in; this was done in Flanders; so they make it the ge­nerall cause of all the Papists in England; let us that are of the true Religion, that are of one and the same Country, let us unite our selves, with all our strength and meanes to defend our Religion, and to defend our Liberties and to defend the publique safetie, as our Ene­mies unite themselves, and combine, and stirre up one another, to doe that which may overthrow and destroy all; This is com­mended to you from both Houses of Parlia­ment, You have express'd such affections here­tofore, that we cannot doubt that wee shall faile in this; There is somewhat else that will be said to you by another Gentleman, which are the expressions of Your Citie, in some par­ticulars, which will be represented to you, and I shall leave that part to him; I shall end here, hoping that you'l make a good use of this ad­monition, to stirre up your selves to prepare all the force you can that you may joyne to­gether, under such Commanders as are ap­pointed to you to doe the work, and to restore your selves to peace and safety in as short a time as may be, least you be consumed.