ALthough the Charms of Rhetorick have stained your Majesties Declarations, Answers, Proclamations, Speeches and Mes­sages, with all the gall, and opposition, that possibly could be infused to exaspe­rate us into the Nature of bad Subjects; yet are we resolved to depart from no­thing, that may oblige, and court your Majesty to continue our gracious King.

Your evill Councellours have tempted your Majesty in all they could to divide your individuall Person from your Re­gall Authority; and we have vowed in the presence of God, with all the power, and industry we have, to keep them unseperable: which being inconsistent with the Malignity of that [Page 2] Counsell, which daily joynes it selfe closer to your Majestie, and divides us, we are necessitated to imploy that power for the separating that ma­lignity from your Majesty, which else wilbe the ruine of us all, both King▪ and People.

That there is Malignity, The strong siding for the Lord Straford, and for the Votes of Popish Lords in Parliament; The difficult yeelding to such good Acts, as began to establish our Peace, and adventuring to question the same at your Majesties return from the North by a Quaere of the freedome of this Parliament; The many Attempts for dissolving us; The late and slow disarming of the Papists; The enticing many worthie men of quality to Petition against established Votes, to the great disturbance and dishonour of both the Houses and then incensing them to sacrifice the Peace and Liberty (if not the Lives) of themselves, and the whole Kingdome to their inconsiderate Revenge; and lastly, the uniting all those into one Army by an Illegall Commission of Array, doe aboundantly testifie to all mens Consciences (but such, whom passion, and not malice hath carried from us, we hope Wisdome and Religion will restore unto us) Besides▪ what Malignity hath been wanting in shamefull Reproaches, provoking Scoffes, false Constructi­ons, prejudicate Censures, scandalous Libells, treacherous Plots, both at home and abroad, in slugging all proceedings, that tend to the safety of England, or Ireland; in making cheape the repute of Parliaments; and lastly, both in the invitation and consent of deserting the Houses to at­tend and countenance your Majesties strange distance from your Par­liament, and taking up of Armes against it.

We would not accuse your Majesty, our hearts abhorre it; nor will our Lawes suffer it, unlesse they speak, and proceed to extremities: although your Majesty endeavour much to be thought the sole Agent: But (as our Laws instruct us) we accuse such Counsellors, and instru­ments of Regall commands, without which the Regall Office cannot stand: though we doe not instance in all the particular Authors, the causes of all things being found, but with difficulty: for such, as dare do ill, will not want so much selfe-love, as to conceale it, having the lives and livelyhood of them and theirs at stake to bribe their secrecie; untill such time, as they grow bold in wickednesse, and discover themselves, or that He that seeth in secret, brings them forth to be rewarded openly.

And in this loyall care of your sacred person, and tender respect of your Princely honour, finding that besides the daily discourse of suc­cessive dangers (which seemed to be countenanced by your Majesty) and of unsupportable Grievances past, and present, both in Church and State, with the slowe, and difficult reparations of either; the People had also strengthened a Jealousie from the intercourse of Letters between the Pope and your Majestie, then Prince in Spaine, from your preferring [Page 3] the imbraces of a Catholicke, before a Protestant, to be the Consort of your Royall bed, and bosome; from thé increase of Papists, Priests, Jesuites, and a Papisticall Clergy, and Ceremonies throughout the Land: and the generall decrease, and severall persecutions of Protestants, and faithfull Preachers; from the common boast even of Papists them­selves, that you were of their Religion, and all your Majesties most secret Counsels were first known to them: from the sharp & eagre proceedings against Scottish Protestants, and slow proceedings against Irish Papists, and Rebells: And lastly, from the earnest Reprieve of Priests or Jesuites at first; and afterwards of 6. Priests & Jesuites; and high Accusation des­perately prosecuted against 6. Members of our Houses of Parliament; that your Majesty had certainly given up your Faith unto the Sea of Rome. So that being also inflamed by the Rebellious and prodigious Mas­sacres of Ireland, there remaining no Oths, nor Execrations sufficient to satisfie jealous people from Princes, that once give up their Beliefe unto that Sea, which allowes no Oaths, nor Faith to be kept to such, whom they shall pronounce Hereticks, as they doe us, and imposeth a Consci­entious obedience, secrecie, and assistance to all their dismall Strata­gems: We resolved without publishing the disease (as a sovereigne Re­medy) to settle the Militia, and thereto councelled your Majesty.

But what is Councell, if not followed? And what are your Majesties Acts without Councell? Surely if your Majesties Acts out of Parlia­ment are guided, and are not authenticke, but by advice of your Maje­sties Attourney, Judges, or Privie Councellors, and they have power to Declare so; shall the Great Councell of Parliament goe lesse, that gives to all them being, and includes them? Or shall the Orders of any of their Courts be Legall, and shall not those of the Parliament be much more?

In this advise therfore, and resolution of the Militia (which your Ma­jestie used, when there was no need) we yet most humbly and earnestly in this extreame need and necessity of the Subject persist, untill your Majestie remove the just occasions of feares, and accord to a sufficient cure of Jealousies, by putting the Peoples safety into the Peoples own hands: whose Jealousies are no whit abated by your Majesties absence from Parliament, and raising of contrary Forces, and sending of severall Menaces, and returning to your old Councells; and the Papists cheerfull interessing themselves in; and rejoycing at all your proceedings, they all appearing like so many severall Omens of the peoples returne to their old Ceremonies▪ and to their old Grievances, or worse: Nor can we suffer those who by the Councell of the Nation have done faithfull service to the Nation to perish for their faithfull service.

The Acts of Sir Iohn Hotham, and the rest employed for the Militia, and for the Navie, had generall commands and instructions to authorize them, and have had particular approbations to confirme them: they [Page 4] must not suffer, and we live; nor shall so great a sinne make our Na­tion odious to God and man, if we can help it. It is not the allegation of a minor part of Parliament can abuse the wiser, and more Religious sort of your Subjects, since all men know, that each mans Vote is of equall power, and freedome in Parliament, and the voyces of a few cannot out eccho a great many; whatsoever therefore is there concluded, cannot but by plurality of voyces, which truly makes the Parliament, and the dissen­ting party makes up the faction, if they persist: or, if it should so fall out, that the major part (through neglect, or confidence in them remaining) absent themselves, then are their Votes no lesse included in the persons remaining then the Votes of the whole kingdome in the fulnesse of Par­liament: If any be deterred from this freedome, it argues guilt, or cowar­dize, either of which should pronounce such a one unworthy a trust of so great importance, none being called to the barre, but such, as speake directly opposite to the published or concluded orders of the House, or willfully to move sedition by distrrcting the sense of the House, to the great hindrance and dangerous delay of more necessary affaires: or else the consciences of men (convinced with their reasons and propositions) would soone engage the major part in their behalfe, and not against them: which thing likewise may be said of those multidudes comming with congratulations to confirme such, as freely discharge their duties; it be­ing the duty of all to speake the sense of the major part of the people, and such confirmations but the tokens of it; and if this were not so, we run the greater hazard in your Majesties displeasure, then the dissenting party in the disassenting of their equalls.

We doe avow all our proceedings to be by the Law of God, the inte­grity of our owne consciences, and the Law of the Land, the interpre­tation whereof, whether it be sitting to be delivered up unto your Ma­jesties Arbitrament, and such as your Majestie will advance thereunto, or to remaine in Parliament (wherein the liberty and votes of Subjects are preserved) your Majestie may judge, or which of these your people will consent to.

As for Arbytrarie power (which only is incident to Kings and Princes, who setting up their will for Law, forsake the benefit of Counsell) it cannot possibly in any kind be a just aspersion on a Parliament, which is it selfe a Councell, the greatest Councell, and the very proper founda­tion of all Lawes of the Kingdome.

We doe confesse in this your Majesties absence and dissent, we find a want of that harmony, which should make all our Orders▪ as well plea­sant and delightfull, as good and profitable; and wee grieve no lesse for your Majestie, who in this remotenesse devest your Royall Person of all that glory and authority, which should accompany your Royall actions.

What should your Majesty pretend any feare, when your undaunted [Page 5] courage left such a testimony to the contrary, in your passing with so small attendance through the City, and dined there, even then, when the newes of Ireland had galled the memory afresh of former plots, and the zeale of people stroke into flame for the dangers of Parliament, and were imbittered with the remembrance of hardly escaped burthens of Monopolies and ship-monies, Court of Honour, Starchamber, High Commission, and the Canons? Or what could lesse partake of feare, then such a desperate assault of the priviledges of Parliament in your owne most Royall Person, with such an uncouth sort of attendants, the very day before?

And as there was no signe of feare in your Majestie, so was there no cause of feare from us, or from any your Majesties Subjects, to whom (had wee entertained the least disaffection or disloyalty) there wanted not opportunity in any of those times to have endeavoured our owne ends; but so farre were wee from any such attempt (as the malignant persons doe falsly belch upon us) that we not onely calmed the minds of people but brought them to undergoe those charges towards the English and Scottish Armies, which those malignant persons had brought upon your Majesty: Having therefore these great testimonies of love and loyaltie, what can your Majesty feare or suspect? unlesse you could yet retaine a resolution to consent, or be an actor in some more horrid de­signe▪ that could provoke your people beyond all what is past, to forget their resolutions of affections and allegiance to your Majesty; but sure your Royall presence will discusse all feares and jealousies, which your continued absence cannot but foment.

We all have sworne Allegiance to your Sacred Person as King▪ we did not the same, when you were Prince, nor is it longer of force unto your Royall father, that then was King: when your Majesty recedes from your Kingly Office, you are so farre absent from the object of our alle­giance; there is no difference of benefit to him that hath eyes, and to him that hath none, if light be wanting. All our oaths depend upon the oath your Majesty hath taken; O, then returne unto your Parliament, and so unto your people; Returne unto your Parliament, and so unto your lawfull power; Returne unto your Parliament, and so unto your State and Glory; where when your Royall assent hath confirmed those necessary priviledges, which may keepe whole the consciences and estates of your most Loyall Subjects, all this our body falls into Atomes▪ and your Majestie alone remaines in glory, to be beheld the preserver of those priviledges, which all our long and faithfull endeavours have con­sulted with your Majesty.