To the true Religious, and well affected, Inhabitants of the six associated Counties, whose loving hearts, and liberall hands, have not been slacke in seting forth and sending at every needefull occasion both men, money, and furniture.

FOR this so good a purpose as to with stand the bloody and unhumane Cavaliers, which are now swarming up and downe our King­dome like so many devou­ring Drones, which continually life lurking to rob the provident Bees of that sweere hony which they with much care and paines have been a long time geting together.

Experince hath often taught us this Lesson that he is truly wise that can beware by o­ther mens harmes: anothers saying is this [Page 4] how that he that is warned is halfe armed, which two sentences may fitly serve in these desperate and dangerous time to incourage every man to looke well into his own e­state, and to strive disligently whereby to prevent all evill occasions, which otherwise may pull downe mischiefe and calamities on our heads.

Therefore the better to avoid the terrable usage of the destroying enemy I will inde­vour my self to rouse up your drooping harts, to resist the plundring foe, be shewing you the misery which is like in a seaven fold manner to seise upon you unlesse you prove valliant couragious and resolute in your actions.

See therefore that you play the men and behave your selves bravly e [...]or now your Re­ligion, your Liberties, your Goods, yea and your Lives, and all is layd at stake as shall plainly appeare by what is past; now there­fore is the time to stand up for the truth: if you let slip this opportunity you may bid farewell to your Liberties for ever.

Although the Cavaliers sayes and sweares dam them and sinck them, they fight for Reli­gion we have no cause to believe them, and this wee may well be sure of one thing they [Page 5] meane us no good, when every day they are preparing all manner of bloody ingines to destroy us.

Let them professe what they will I shall ne­ver think them our friends that have provided Granadoes to set our houses on fire, and after to enter our Cities and Townes, perforce, and then to rob, pillage, and plunder, steale, and murder, all that they can lay hands on.

Yet there are some that say O would the Cavaliers were here, we are sure they will doe us no harm; but alas if they had felt but one small part of the cruell usage that Bristoll men, and Exceter men, have felt, those I say which do now wish the Cavaliers nearest to them, would surely wish them farthest from them.

For if the Cavaliers once get the upper hand of your Cities, Townes, and Houses, you may well bid farewell Religion, farewell Lawes, farewell the Liberties of us poore Protestants for ever.

For why, they speake neither for one nor other but all goes to wrack and ruine; where they come there is no difference made be­tweene them that let them in, and them that kept them out, for what they can catch and carry away they say is their own by Law.

Now let them that take their parts so high­ly behold their dealings, and then judge whe­ther the Cavaliers are fit men to be let come in, to a City or County, or not.

I have here no long time limited me, in this one sheet of Paper, to expresse the cruel­ty of the Cavaliers, yet some few passages of theirs shall herein be related, understand this beloved friends & neighbours, he that writes these lines to you hath not onely seene, but also felt the heavy blowes and bloody hands, & now doth barre the bloody marks of them which may serve as a witnesse to testifie of their cruelty and unhumane dealings.

I saw them cut, wound, and mangle Gen­tlemen of good worth and quality, and yet they promised both me and them faire quar­ter,

I felt the punishment of hunger, and cold in prison being fast fettered in Iron Chaines with my hands, neck, and my heeles bound fast together.

A punishment seldome heard of for poore Prisoners▪ especally for Captaines, yet this and more I indure: besides I saw them strip men, women, and children naked out of cloaths. I saw the p [...]ople go with bleeding bodies and fainting hearts, whilst their houses [Page 7] were fired to the ground, and their goods consumed.

I saw men carried Captiues away, whilst their wives, children, and famlies went weeping, wayling and wringing their hands up and down the streets, having no place wherein to put their heads: these bloody usages and many more have I beheld all­though by Gods great providence my life is yet preserued.

All these were dolefull fights to beho'd yet have I not told you the worst, I have not told you of their rauishing of women, nor kill­ing of maids which by them was done in Staffordsheire and other Ceuntries: yet are all those cruelties nothing in regard to what they threaten against London, Norfolke, Suf­folke, Essex, Cambridge, Hartford, and Bedford­shoire if they can gaine what they aime at: for this they make bargans they knew 'twas you that first sought to prevent them to their purposes, they knew 'twas you that set for­ward your hands to hinder their pretences, they knew 'twas your monies that maintaned warres against them, they knew 'twas you that were first movers in the way of refor­mation, they knew that you oppose I Bishops and Revenues, and they knew 'twas you that [Page 8] caused the Grand Malignant to loose his heads.

And therefore they say and sweare that you shall be sure to cast of the deepest cup of their furie, I pray God they may never live to have their wills in such a bloody way.

Thus you see my dear friends what mighty enemies you have & how resolute they are in their proceedings, they are grown so insolet that they grievously oppresse all Countryes where ever they become, and daily brings them into slavery, some of them being Jrish Cavaliers, some Vallouns some Blackmoores, and others which name themselves to be of the Queenes Army, they doe more harmes then any of the rest.

Rouse up your spirits therefore you noble minded Citizens and Countrymen, [...]ye no longer under the burden of oppession be va­liant and couragious: shew your selves like men, and let it not be said that you suffered such a crew once to set foote in your Coun­tries, take sword in hand and fight valiantly against them that seeke the utter ruine and destruction of you and all that belong unto you, fight I say for King and Parliament, Lawes, Liberties, and Rights, and for your [...] enlargements, least another day you re­pent [Page 9] the neglection of your opportunity, Essex, Suffolk, and Norfolk, 'tis you that are most threatened it behoves you therefore to looke to your selves for if the boasting enemies be let to have their wills their's no more mercy to be found then is in the teeth of a mad Dog.

Then may you as many other Countries have done before, even see the perpetuall downfall one of another, and so become a prey to the mercilesse enemy.

Consider this I pray you; for your own sakes, would it not grieve your hearts, to depart from your soft beds, and to be carried away to some lothsome prison where is no­thing but hunger and cold chaines, and i­rons, bloody stripes, and all manner of cruel­ties used: would it not grieve you, to see your goods, cattell, and all that you enjoy taken violently from you: would it not pierce your tender hearts to see your wives abused, your daughters ravished, and your chilren turned out of the doores. An children! what torment will it be to you to see your loving Parents thus barbarously dealt with­all? it wounds my heart to think what will become of you: your homes will be the streets, the blocks your beds, water your [Page 10] drink, and your food will be what you can beg of the mercilesse enemy.

This is like to be your usage if the tyran­nicall enemy once gets possession of your estates for so have they dealt by the famous Cities of Bristoll; Exceter, and all the West­ern parts Glocester onely excepted: and had not Glocester manfully withstood them ha­ving God on their sides, they had utterly been overthrown, and brought in slavery as other famous Cities and countries have been, therfore my friends, let Gloster be your pre­sident, who couragiously defended them­selves by day and night, for many wofull dayes and nights together, yet such was the vallour of the inhabitants of the City of Glo­cester, having almost spent all their victuall and ammunition, and but few men left to strengthen the City in regard of the great number of the enemy which dayly increased.

Two hundred valiant hearted wowen of the City magnanimously took up armes, namely, both Pyke and Musquet, and kept true watch at the Courts of Guard, and so re­lieved their wearied husbands, and so by that means the City was preserved from the fury of the Cavaliers, till such time the no­ble Lord Generall the Earl of Essex came [Page 11] with his warlike bands of Souldiers for the relief of the City of Glocester, which when the Cavaliers perceived they broke the siege and fled from thence, with all the speed that they could make.

Now beloved friends, know this, our case is in a manner as Glocesters mens case was▪ and although they are not as yet come so neare as they were Glocester, yet they have vowed they will be with us before we are a­ware of them: therefore as I said before, it is very meet and needfull that we provide and make ready every day for their coming: and yet let us not altogether depend upon our own strength, for it is the mighty God of Heaven that must stand for us, or else we are all in a miserable case thus have I told you I can testifie by experience, and also warrand, by the example of others to strive to prevent your destroying enemies.

Now I pray to the true God of all conso­lation to preserve you from the hand, of the persecutiers Amen.

Now let us therefore, consider if such ver­tue, such Religion, such couragious hearts remained in women, much more doth it be­long to men, to stand in defence against the enemies of the Gospell and true Religion.

Therefore I would aduertise you all in generall to take up armes in this so good and lawfull a cause.

Let not your hearts droop, though Bristoll, Exceter, and some other parts be overturned by the domineering Cavaliers, for we have a warlike navy of ships at Sea, & many strong Forts by Land, besides we have two noble Generalls, as the Earle of Warwick by Sea and the Earle of Essex by land, which will fight it out for the Gospels sake, till the last drop of bloud be spent, rather then let the enemies of Christ subdue us.

Masters, Servants, Apprentices, all sorts of men; rich and poore, that are able to bear arms, I desire you to stand up for true Religion, and those that are not able to bear arms, let them shew their bounty and liberality in sending mony, and maintenance, to the set­ting forward of those that are ready, able and willing to go in this most noble and re­ligious designe.

And let us strive to remove drunkards, [Page 13] swearers, and scoffers at Religion, and such vile persons, for those men that break covenant with God, will surely break covenant with you, if ocasion be offered, which is not un­attempted till now: when you have removed disorder, set your selves in order, put your selves every one into a posture of defence, fit for warre, get every company Captains, let euery man list himself, and get as good arms as he can.

That so if an onset should be given every man may be ready to do something and fight in some order: looke to your workes make them strong both in Cities and Countryes where you come, get men of Judgment, to view them and let them not be slighted for they be the best safeguards you have, loose them and then the Cities and Townes where you are be lost, for the Enemy worketh by policy, have a watchfull eye over them that you trust, see that they be Religious, and well grounded men, I speake boldly and plainely after cour ountry manner, because I knew up­on this City especially depends immediately the safety of our Lawes, our Liberties, our Lives, our Religion, our Parliament; most noble Citizens as you tender these things, so shew it in your reasons contending for these [Page 14] things, wives put on your husbands to love themselues, you and their children, and as they love you, and would have you safe, so let them use a meanes to keep you safe to rise in a body, and fight against these cursed men that intend nothing but our destruction, up quickly, and be doing, for the cause and the love of heaven, the mover of all hearts, stirre you up to the work, and prosper you in it, that we may see an happy end of this unhappy Warre, and this shall not onely be the prayer, but as hitherto it hath, so alway it shall be to the utmost indeavoar of your poore servant,