A Friend of mine acquainting me, That Mr. Locker at the time of his Death had taxed the Lord Generals Court Martial with Tyrannical and Unjust Proceedings against him, pretending he was unjustly condemned, with many expres­sions to that purpose, so as divers godly men there present, who knew nothing of the bu­siness, more then what fell from his mouth, were much grieved and offended at his death, and proceedings of the Court; and know­ing [Page 4] that I was present with the Court at his Tryal, and able to give an Account of the whole Proceedings, desired me for publique Satisfaction, to publish a Narrative there­of: which is as followeth;

UPon the 24 of this instant April, Ca­ptain Savage having received Orders to march with his Troop to the Ren­dezvouz of the Regiment at Mile-end-Green, commanded his Trumpet to sound to Horse; which accordingly was done: But about thirty of the Troop, of whom Robert Locker was chief, about two of the clock in the Afternoon went to the Four Swans Inn in Bishopsgate street, there seized upon the Colours, and carried them to the Bull Inn in the same street, where they forcibly de­tained them: Whereupon their Captain went to them, demanding the Reasons there­of; and withal commanded them to bring out the Colours and mount: but they deny both telling him, They were not his Co­lours carriers, That they had, as well as he, fought for them. In this maner they kept [Page 5] the Colours all that day, and the next night, refusing (although often perswaded and commanded by their Captain) to obey the said Orders.

That evening the Regiment by Order returned to their former quarters, and their Officers knowing that the day following they were to march into the countrey to quarter, lent them for their better accom­modation out of their own purses (having newly re­ceived some moneys) a Fortnights pay; but withal Ordered, That Captain Savage his Troop should have onely their pay due to them, and no more, by reason of their disobedience to Commands, that Troop being also at that time one moneths pay before the Regiment, excepting Captain Cannons Troop, which was equal with them.

The Account standing thus, The 19 of Decemb. last they came to London, and to the 20 of Apr following, makes nineteen weeks, and upon the 23 of April (upon which day they afterwards Mutinyed) they received one Moneths pay; which pay made them twenty three weeks, which to Ca­ptain [Page 6] Cannons Troop, and Captain Savage's Troop, was to each of them one Moneths pay more then the rest of the Regiment had: (Good husbands needed not to have wanted money to pay their quarters, after such Receipts.)

The next morning Orders were given out by the Col: for a Rendezvouz of the Regi­ment again at Mile-end-Green, in order to their March to Quarter in the Countrey; in obedience whereunto their Captain com­manded to sound to Horse, which was done: but most of Captain Savage his Soldiers, in stead of mounting, put themselves in a posture of defence in the Galleries of the Bull-Inn, with their Swords and Pistols, standing upon their Guard; their Captain hearing thereof, went to them, and com­manded them to mount: But they answered, The Soldiers of the other Troops had a fort­nights pay more then they, which they said they would have before they march'd. Their Captain perceiving they had cast off all obe­dience to Commands, went into the room [Page 7] where they had secured the Colours, and there lays hold of them to bring them away, but they force them out of his hands; Locker telling him, The Colours belonged aswel to them as to him, and that they had aswel fought for them as he; to which they cryed, All, All. The Captain thereupon made his application to the Colonel; the Colonel sent the captain with his Quarter-master back to them, strictly commanding them, as from him, to march to the Rendezvouz, where, if they had any just complaints, he would hear them, and see them righted: But they not satisfied therewith, returned a peremptory refusal: The Colonel thereupon, with his Major and others of his Officers, rid to them, where he found Sixty of them in their for­mer Posture of Defence, standing upon their Guard; he commands them to Mount, they pretend they had not a fortnights pay, as others of the Regiment: The Colonel tells them, They could not extort Moneys from their Officers, where it was not due, nor ex­pect that fortnights pay to be lent them, in regard of their Disobedience and Mutiny, [Page 8] they being likewise now in pay a fortnight before the rest of the Regiment since they came to London, except one Troop as afore­said; They then replyed, They were be­hinde of their pay: Upon Examination whereof, it appeared to be but Three or Four days; But in regard some of them said it was Five days, the Colonel commanded the Clerk to give them Five days pay, they then pretended want of Money to pay their Quarters; the colonel thereupon ingaged, They should not want for discharge of their Quarters; and being thus satisfied to eve­ry of their Demands and Objections, they then required of the Col: that he should in­gage to pay them their arrears, the Col: here­by perceiving they had a further design, inti­mated so much to them, and positively again commanded them to come down & mount, but still they refused: The Colonel upon this spake to several of them, and Locker ap­pearing to be one of the chief, called particu­larly to him to come down and mount; but he refused, turning himself to the Compa­ny, seemingly asked their consents, to which [Page 9] they cryed, No, No. In this maner they mu­tinied against their colonel, and the yard and sreet being full of People, they endeavored to incense them, telling them, They wanted their Pay; the colonel perceiving neither perswasions nor commands would take place, and foreseeing by the gathering of much people together, there was like to be an uproar, and having two Troops of Horse with him, required the people to go out of the yard, and commanded them to yield themselves, as they would answer for all the blood that should be spilt, for he would not be longer capitulated with, but would force their obedience; upon this ma­ny of them got away, and fifteen of them were taken into custody, the General and Leiutenant General, upon notice thereof, coming at that very instant to suppress the said mutiny.

Upon the 26 of this instant April, a Court Martial was called, consisting of ma­ny Officers both of Horse and Foot, and after every of them so taken into custody, had particularly answered to his charge, and [Page 10] a full Examination of several Witnesses up­on Oath being taken thereupon, it was unaminously adjudged one of the highest mutinies, and most dangerous, that hath happened since his Excellency commanded the Army, and therefore thought it not fit­ting to let it pass, without exemplary pu­nishment: Upon this the Count considered them (except one, against whom nothing material was proved) under Three degrees of Offendors, Six of them who were chief in this Mutiny, to be tryed upon the Sixth Ar­ticle of Laws and Ordinances of War, of Duties towards Superiors and Comman­ders (established by Parliament) which is in these words, No person shall make any Mutinous Assemblies, or be present or assisting thereunto, or in or by them demand their pay, upon pain of Death: who were tryed and found guilty, and ac­cording to the Article, Sentence of Death was given; Five others, who were less active in the Mutiny, were tryed upon an Article of Misdemeanor, and being found Guilty, were sentenced to ride the wooden Horse by the space of one hour, with a carbine at each [Page 11] heel, and cashiered the Army; and the other three, who were least active, were left to their colonel to cashier at his Discretion.

Judgement being thus given, it was by the Court taken into consideration, which of them was most highly guilty of the Mu­tiny, and it was unanimously resolved, that Locker was most guilty, for that from the first taking the colours, (wherein he was chief) to the last, he was the principal Mu­tinier; and after all Witnesses examined in open court, he confessed he was the first cause of the Mutiny; upon the consideration of the whole matter, he was set apart for Ju­stice: and for the other Five, though con­demned, it was resolved, That the General (by Officers for that purpose appointed) should be moved from the court, That they should cast Lots for Four of them, upon whose Lot it should fall, to have Mercy; which the General granted, and they were made acquainted therewith. The next day the said Five, with Locker, exhibited this Pe­tition following to the General:

The Lieutenant General, upon sight of this their Petition, and their seeming unfeigned Humiliati­on and Contrition, being much affected therewith, became an earnest Suiter to the General for their Par­don, which he obtained; and the other Five sentenced to ride the wooden Horse, the General referred to the Colonel to remit their punishment, if he saw cause.

But his Excellency not pardoning Locker, the Court Martial issued forth a Warrant for his Execution.

And although the said Locker seemed very peni­tent before the Generals Answer was returned, and expressed much remorse for his offence; yet so soon as the Generals resolution was known, he immedi­ately fell into as high expressions of Mutiny as at the first: And Mr. Knight the Generals Chaplain offer­ing some Spiritual counsel unto him, was rejected with most opprobrious and scornful language.

And in this distemper and pride of Spirit, going to the place of execution, in stead of being humbled from a due sence of his condition, he railed at the Sentence of the Councel, calling the Court Tyran­nical; falsly denying that he had at all confessed before the Court Martial, himself to be chief in the mutiny; upon which Col: Okey wished him to take heed of dying with a lye in his mouth: notwith­standing the said Locker proceeded on still in his ob­stinacy, calling to the Soldiers appointed for his ex­ecution, saying, I see you are drawn out to murther me, God forgive you, I do freely; I wonder you are so unwise to obey your Officers, for he that sheds mans blood, by man shall his blood be spilt, [Page 14] and in this mutinous spirit he continued to the last. And now I have given a true Narrative of the whole business as requested, by which the impartial Reader may see, with what lenity the Court Martial hath proceeded, and what mercy the General hath ex­tended to such high Mutiniers, and had it not been timously supprest, the City had been in no small danger of ruine in these discontented times; but let God have the praise, as well for preventing Judge­ments, as for delivering us out of them; and as for Mr. Locker, I leave him to the Lord, before whom he stands or falls to eternity, but this will be said of him, That as he lived, so he dyed, A Mu­tinier.