Whereupon, We being very sensible of this extream dishonour to Vs, That a Town of such importance, and so neer to the place of Our present Residence, should be thus fortified, kept, and maintained against Vs, That the Port and Passage by Sea should be defended against Vs by Our own Ships, under the conduct of the Earl of Warwick, who being legally discharged by Vs of his employment at Sea, by Our Revocation of the Commission formerly granted by Vs to the Earl of Northumberland, and by Our Command signified unto him under Our own hand, to deliver the commmand of Our Ships into the hands of another person named by Vs, hath, notwithstanding Our said Commands (to which the Earl of Northumberland paid a duti­full obedience) presumed not only to dispossesse Vs of Our said Navie, but to employ it against Vs, and to take Prisoners such of Our Captains as expressed a loyalty to Vs according to their Oaths, and the duty of Subjects; And that a Ship of Ours lately imployed for Our particu­lar service into Holland, and returning from thence with some of Our proper Goods, hath been chased by them as an Enemie, and inforced, for her safetie, to put into a small Creek within six Miles of that Town, and there to run on ground, to the great hazard of Our said Vessell; and that both Our Ship and Goods there were yet remaining in danger to be surprized by Our own Subjects, We took a Journey on Wednesday the sixth of this Moneth from York to­wards the said Creek, to take a view of Our said Ship and Goods thus exposed to danger; We having just cause to fear that Sir John Hotham, and others of his Confederacie, would (for Our good, and the good of the Kingdom) make prize of these also; and by the oportunitie of that jour­ney, We Our Selves are now fully informed of the certaintie of those things, which We had before received but from the relation of others; and there received a lamentable Petition of Our Subjects of those parts, complaining of the unheard of Insolence and Barbarisme of Sir John Hotham, and desiring Our just and necessary protection of them from those cruell Oppressions.

Vpon all which considerations, that We may at length, after this long patience, do that right to Our Honour, Our Crown, and Royall Dignitie, and to Our good Subjects in generall, and those of and near to Our Town of Hull in particular, which We had reason to have expected from Our two Houses of Parliament; but have failed of the fruit of Our long expectation, by the malice of some ill-affected spirits amongst them, who studie nothing more then by false pretences to amuse and abuse Our good people, We have taken this Resolution, by Gods bles­sing, and the Assistance of Our good Subjects, to force Sir John Hotham and all that shall take part with him in the unjust and treasonable defence of the Town of Hull against Vs, to that obedience which is due by Subjects to their Liege Lord and Soveraign, and to resist the Assi­stance intended to Sir John Hotham from Our said County of Lincoln and other places adjoyn­ing, if they shall attempt it. And to this purpose We will and require all Our loving Subjects to yeeld their best assistance of what kinde soever, to so necessary a defence of Our Person, and just vindication of so great an injury offered unto Vs, to the dishonour of this Nation. And We do declare, That whosoever shall give Vs their cheerfull help at this time, and to this pur­pose, either with Men, Horse, Arms, or Money, to be brought, sent, or conveyed unto Vs, We shall look upon it as a Service never to be forgotten.

And this We publish to all Our Subjects, and to all the World, that they may truly under­stand the cleering of Our Intentions herein, as We shall do in all other things concerning our Government; And that We do and ever shall maintain those Resolutions We have profes­sed so often, and so seriously by Our former Declarations; That We will continue and defend the true Protestant Religion as it is by Law established in the Church of England, the Laws of the Land, the Rights and just Liberties of Our Subjects, equally to and with Our own just Prerogative, and the true Priviledges of Parliament, and never infringe any Act con­sented to by Vs this Parliament: And that We have not, nor ever had the least thought of making war upon Our two Houses of Parliament, as hath been slanderously and maliciously published. And these things, not Our Words onely, but all Our Actions shall make good. And in this Resolution and the just Observation thereof We shall both live and dye.

Given at Our Court at Beverley the eighth day of July, in the eighteenth yeer of Our Reign. 1642.