DEarely beloved Brethren, Friends and fellow-Soul­diers; Wisdome is justified of her children, and we therefore hope shall not be condemned by you; We cannot but believe concerning you, that the same trouble and perplexitie of spirit hath possessed you as our selves; and the same enquires, after our good old Cause, hath been in you as in us; and we humbly hope, that the God of all our mercies, whose will we desire to follow in all things, will shew you as (blessed be his Name) he hath done us, what is our dutie in this dark Day. We have, as you, silently sat down and seen a lawfull Authoritie, yea, that very Parliament, that raised and maintained us, after all the eminent and honourable Services done for God and their Generations, kickt out of their Seats with contempt and scorn: At which time we desire to remem­ber to our own shame, that our poore native Country, not­withstanding their feirce intestine wars and trouble, just gone over its head, was so settled and composed, that hardly could be perceived the Tract of that trouble they passed through; our Trade quick and flourishing, and such abundant blessing from above, that the Poore were satisfied with bread in that plenty, that neither we nor our Fathers has seen the people of God countenanced and encouraged, growing up in union in all parts, and the publike enemy desponding, At this juncture, we say, when England thus flourished, Ireland reduced, and Scotland Con­quered, the Dane, Dutch and French afraid of our Fleets, and begging amity with us; and we a terrour to all the Nations round about, and when we were constantly paid before it was due, and our Navy not a penny in Arrears; we Jeserum like waxed fat and kicked against our dear God and those glorious Instruments in his hands; and suffer­ed our selves, through want of courage (forgetting conscience and our Duty) to be led to the emposing an [Page 3]Arbitrary Power over our selves and the Free-born People of England; by which means our Fleets are lost and les­sened, our Trade decayed and ruined, our poore Coun­trey wasted and empoverished, the Poore starved, the Land unsetled, the Souldiers unpaid, the People of God rent and divided, publike enemies encouraged, and we become a derision to them we were a terrour too: We say having run our selves and poore Nation, from such a happy settlement, into such throngs of exegencies and distresses, from which we could no way imaginable ex­tricate our selves, and save the people thereof from inevi­table ruine and distraction. But the calling in that fa­mous Long Parliament, we so wickedly and unworthily had turned out, which accordingly was done; and they no sooner sat again, but the antient Presence of our blessed God, appeared for them as formerly, and while they were intent upon their Generation-Work of laying foundations, for future Settlement, seeking out wayes to satisfie the Army, greatning the Navie, propa­gating Trade, &c. But that old spirit of Pride, Disobe­dience and Ambition sought occasion; First, to quarrel, then interrupt their Power again, to the utter exposing of that just and righteous Cause and Interest to an un­avoidable ruine and destruction. And as if one former apostacy which we pretended to repent of, had not been sufficient to have attracted the hate and obloquie of God and all good men; They have run us into a Second evill, of a far greater magnitude than the former, and have emproved our easinesse and aptnesse to follow them im­plicitely, so as that they have brought us point blanck a­gainst our very Cause and Company, and in the face of the Sun, do Command us to sheath our Swords in the bo­wels of the Supream Authority of this Nation, against which never any yet lift up their hands prospered; and to take away the blood of our dear Brethren old and faith­full friends, and as a Cheat, to compasse their designes the better, they would engage us to blood against this Parliament, under pretence of calling another. As if any Parliament could take the like care of us, both as Soul­diers [Page 4]and Englishmen, as they whose Army we are, for you cannot but take notice, that all Parliaments, that ever yet hath been in the intervales of this, were never freinds, but enemies to the Army, this being most obvious to us, and we hope to you, we cannot but ac­quaint you with our Resolutions, which is, that as the Army in Scotland, the Fleet unanimously, our bre­thren at London, and Col. Berries Regiment have Declared against this repeated Apostacy; and for the famous Long Parliament; So we in honour, duty and conscience are bound with Swords in our hands to assert their just, and lawfull Power, so often acknowledged by our selves, against all that shall oppose it, Us, or any that have or do appear therefore. There being no other expedient to ex­piate our guilt, appease our God, pacifie our Conscience, clear our Reputations, to keep true to our Promises and Engagements, to Cement Gods People, to satisfie the Souldery, to settle the Nation, and to give us the Fruit of all the Blood spilt, Treasurie spent, Prayers put up, Tears poured out, in which we hope, we shall have your chearfull concurrence, and that you will not suffer your selves to be led any longer against your true Interests both as men and Christians: Such of your Officers as shall joyn with us in the work, we desire may have double Honour; but such as shall perswade you to persist in their Apostacy, we hope, you will as we shall doe, displace as persons per­fideous and treacherous to God and their Trusts: Thus have we nakedly and freely unbosomed our selves, and broken the Ice, we shall now leave all to him, who is able to set your Dutie home upon your hearts, and save by few as by many, before whom we have mutablie Engaged our selves to Live and Dye together; which Resolution the Frowns nor Flatteries of none shall make us to recede from; and in him rest dear Brethren and fellow-Souldiers, yours and the Common-wealths Friends and Servants.

We have enclosed sent you the Copy of our Engagement, subscri­bed by all, none dissenting; we also desire you to elect two of each Company to treate with the like number elected out of each Troop, to carry on the work.