THere is nothing more saddens the hearts of honest men, then to be unworthily traduced with false sug­gestions presented with a colour of truth; and happy is he who not­withstanding such provocations, will entertaine no persecuting thoughts to stick or lye downe with him: And I am confident the Gen­tleman in whose vindication I write, if he hath not attained to his full wishes therein, yet he doth endeavour to study Christian forbearence and pas­sively looke upon such malicious calumnies as Da­v [...]d did on S [...]'s Cu [...]ssing, rather than harbour im­placability of reveng [...]; but in his just vindication as a friend to truth and to undeceive such who have read a Petition against him, beleeving it being once printed it might be stuffed in other weekly Pamph­lets and dispersed & the Reader prejudiced in opini­on with the falsities therof; I shall first therefore ob­serve [Page 2]the heads of the said Petition suggested against Mr. Eliot the accused, as I found them in the end of a Triviall Pamphlet of Prince Griffies Histories, and then in order give you an answer to every particular.

The Petition was directed to his Excellency, in­tituled, The b [...]ble Petition of the Colonels, Lieutenant Co­ [...]lonels, Maj [...] Captaines, and other Officers under the Com­mand of Major Generall Laughorne.

• 1. That their Major Generals honour and his Forces are tainted by false asperstons, as if they would joyne with Poyer to maintaine the Castle of Pembroke against the Parliament.
• 2 That Mr. John Eliot is the professed Author of Ac­cusation.
• 3 That Mr. Eliot hath executed the Commission of Array in the County of Pembroke, and that he be enjoyned to an­swer Articles of Delinquency against him.
• 4 That he hath defrauded the Army of Provisions sent them by the Parliament.
• 5 That he endeavours to defame all those that have faith­fully served the Parliament.
• 6 That Master Eliot may not dispose of your Petitioners Armes.
• 7 That he may he made uncapable to proceed in his usur­ped Agency.

These are in briefe the particulars charged in the said Petition against Mr. Eliot, which in the frontice piece carries with it the countenance of Co­lonels, Lieutenant Colonels Majors, when it is well knowne there is but one Colonell, one Lieutenant Colonell, and one Major in the whole number; here is their first untruth; And I shall passe by their flourishes and their large demonstration of their merits and professions to his Excellency in the first par [...] of their Petition, and onely adde my wish they may as really performe as they have professed tou­ching their disbanding, and so answer the rest.

The first is most wrongfully alleadged against Mr. Eliot, for what was printed was to this effect, That Col. Rice Powell being desired by Letter from Col. Horton to assist the Gentlemen who had besieged Poyer in the Castle of Pembroke, with the Forces un­der his Command, did absolutely refuse it: This Mr. Eliot received from good hands out of the Coun­ty of Pembroke; and this was afterward confirmed to Mr Eliot by a Gentleman of that County, who said he saw Col. Powels Letter to Col. Horton to the effect aforesaid; And on the second day of March the Generall received a Letter from Col. Fleming, and amongst other particulars he gave an accompt of to the Generall touching that Castle, he related these words, viz. I finde that some of Major Generall Laug­hornes Forces are of Poyers Councell, and great hopes he hath of making his Party good against any Power. This al­ludes much to make good what was asserted by Mr. Eliot; and in the end of this sheet the Reader may peruse a Letter from the Commissioners to Powell, wherein he may see how Powell and the rest of the Petitioners have performed their professions to the Generall touching their disbanding.

To the second, Mr. Eliot is not the professed accuser of any, but doth really wish the Petitioners were as free from malice and animossitie as him­selfe; he will justifie any particular he is Author of▪ And as for their Charge of Delinquency, which they threaten him withall, they cannot possibly do him a greater savour, for in his Answer he doubts not onely to cleare himselfe with good advantage, but shall therein make it advantagious to the State, by discovering the actions of the accusers so much accomptable.

There is nothing more false and scandalous than the third for no man living can prove that ever Master Eliot did execute the Commission of Array, [Page 4]and if such a thing had been, it must have been acted in publique; But Mr. Eliot did never as much as see the Commission of Array, neither was it ever opened or executed in the County of Pembroke: But this Charge carries with it such a clouding full mouthed aspersion, that it's enough at first view to blast the strongest and cleerest reputation, untill the mist be dispeld, and their falshood appeare.

To the fourth; Its well knowne Mr. Eliot never had the buying of any Provisions, though within this three yeeres he hath sent downe to the County of Pembroke according to severall Ordinances of Par­liament, in Monies, Armes, Ammunition, and Provisions, about the summe of 9000 l. Mr. Arthur Owen being alwaies joyned with Mr. Eliot in all Or­dinances for sending Provisions unto the County of Pembroke, and both of them together have alwaies received the Provisions ready packed up by the Mer­chant that bought them, and so conveyed them from Tower Wharff aboard the Ships, so that if Mr. Eliot had been deceiptfully bent, he never had the opportunity; but for every penny they can prove that Mr. Eliot hath defrauded the State, he will be bound to give them 100 l. This aspersion be­ing equally scandalous and false with all the rest.

To the fifth, There is no man living can prove that ever Mr. Eliot spoke any words of derogation of any because they loved the Parliament, for he hath been alwaies a lover of such; he hath two Sons that have been alwaies in Armes for the Par­liament under the command of Major Generall Laughorne since the beginning of the Wars there, that are knowne to have been in as much action and as faithfull lovers of the Parliament as any in that Ar­my; therefore any one may judge, he would be ve­ry cautious and chary of laying aspersions on that Army in generall: This allegation being as false as all the rest.

To the sixth, Mr. Eliot doth not desire to have the custody of their Armes, or to dispose of them, neither doth he know what ground they have to suggest to themselves such a thing, if they meane their Armes in the Countrey, Mr. Eliot is at a suffi­cient distance from them; and if they intend to disband, what need they be troubled who shall have their Armes

To the seventh, concerning Mr. Eliots Agency, I shall desire leave of the Reader to digresse a little, and give him the true ground of Mr. Eliots Agency, before I answer that point: Mr. Eliot being ever ve­ry active for the Parliament, was himselfe in per­son with two of his Sons and Servants, at the first taking in of Carmarthen to the Parliament in May, 1644. and severall other Castles of that County, commanded there the Trained Band of the hun­dred he lived in; he garrisoned his house for the Parliament, and for want of timely reliefe from Major Generall Laughorne, who promised it, he and two of his Sons were then taken prisoners by Ger­hands Forces; Mr. Eliot was afterward exchanged for Col. Pert, his Sons were prisoners in Carmarthen Castle about foure moneths, and Mr. Eliot and his two Sons were endicted of high Treason at Car­marthen before David Jenkins, then Judge for bearing Armes against the King; and the said Mr. Jenkins gave sentence of death on Mr. Eliots eldest Son; and in August 1644 the said Forces burned Mr. Eliots said dwelling nouse, and six of his houses in the Towne of Narberth, and plundered him of all his personall Estate; and in the yeere following about Aprill, 1645. at Gerhards second coming downe; his Forces plundered Mr. Eliot againe of all the stock he had gotten in that interim, his wife and twelve children and grandchildren left without habitation or subsistance, and he totally ruined in his fortune. [Page 6]Now I come to answer his point of Agency; Mr. Eliot being one of the Committee of that associati­on, and in this sad condition was voted Agent to negotiate the affaires of the distressed County of Pembroke with the Parliament by the Committee, not one voice contradicting; which trust Mr. Eliot undertooke, and hath effectually performed it for these three yeers last past, as aforesaid; And in that interim he was confirmed by two severall Orders to continue in his Agency by the said Committee; and Mr. Eliots great toyle, care and diligence, in the conveying down of moneys and provisions for Ma­jor Generall Laughornes Army, is well knowne to se­verall Members of the Honourable House of Com­mons; And had not Mr. Eliots affection to the Par­liament and his Country obliged him to it; the sal­lary he received from the Committee was small en­couragement to him, for he never received above 30 l. from the Committee during the three yeers aforesaid. Now let all men judge whether his Agen­cy were usurped or not. Having answered the fal­sities of the said Petition, I will let the Reader see from whom the said Petition tooke its rise; Let him but enquire who was lately imployed downe to the County of Pembroke to disband the supernu­meraries, and to raise the monethly Assessement; and if he doth but know that party, and the malice he beares Mr. Eliot, he must needs know the influ­ence that party hath over the Petitioners, and then cannot but judge the Petition to be the consequence thereof; the said party and the Petitioners have obstructed the said Committee from sending Mr. Eliot his annuall exhibition due for his Agency. The said party caused one John Poyer, who now is proclaimed Traytor by Ordinance of Parliament, for fortifying the Castle of Pembroke against the Par­liament and Generall, to put in Articles against Mr. [Page 7] Eliot and other Gentlemen to the Committee of Glocester about two yeers since. Secondly, he cau­sed one John Young, who is likewise in Rebellion with the said Poyer in the said Castle, to exhibite Articles against the said Mr. Eliot and the said Gen­tlemen, at the Head Quarters at Pniney, being the same in substance as the said scandalous Petition; but as soone as Mr Eliots and the said Gentlemens Answers were read in both places they were dis­missed, to their great advantage in their reputations, by the severall Committees before whom the busi­nesse was heard. And after the Ordinance past for the established Forces of the Kingdome and for the disbanding of Supernumeraries and there being no appearance of the Enemy in the said Association, but all reduced into the obedience of the Parlia­ment, and the Counties of Pembroke, Carmarthe [...], and Cardigan, being extremely ruined in the late Warre, especially the County of Pembroke, whose sufferings and miseries are not to be paralleld by any County of: this Kingdome, fire and sword having its full rage, untill it was even glutted in the bowels there­of Mr. Eliot hereupon indeavoured what in him lay to have the Petitioners and the said Forces dis­banded that the poore Counties aforesaid might have some time to respi [...]e and breathe after their tedious, long, irksome burthen of free Quarter; but Mr. Arthur Owen aforesaid, being the continued friend of the Petitioners, and first Cousen to the Commander in chiefe of those Forces, did alwaies oppose Mr. Eliot therein, and to keepe the said Forces undisbanded; herein Mr. Eliot acting con­trary to the Petitioners interest in order to the pub­lique, drew their malice consequently on him. But truly I wonder how men so guilty as the Petition­ers are, should be so malitiously bold to traduce Mr, Eliot with such falsities, being a man of approved [Page 8]and knowne integrity to the Parliament; for a clee­rer demonstration cannot be of his affection than his activenesse and sufferings for them, which are sufficient testimonies in his behalfe, besides his faithfull solicitations here in the reducing South-Wales to the obedience of the Parliament. And as Mr. Eliot hath preferred alwaies to be in love and charity with all men before malice and revengeful­nesse; so he as little values the inveterate and irre­concileable spleene of his Enemies: And though he hath many vigilant and potent adversaries that drive at his ruine, yet the candidnesse of his actions, and the just grounds he proceeds on, hath so prote­cted him under God hitherto, that they cannot much boast of their prevailences against him. Mr. Eliot hath no ambition or selfe seeking ends, onely he trusts in the goodnesse of God and the Parlia­ment, to enable him to be in the same condition he was in long before the late Warre, being then in Commission of the Peace in the County of Pem­broke, and his family as ancient Gentry as any of that County; lived beloved in his County in a commendable and peaceable condition. To con­clude, I wish the Petitioners would in imitation to Col- Lewis and his Regiment with Captain Lloyd, Capt. Jones, Capt. Vaughan and Capt Sli [...]wman, yeeld their obedience in disbanding according to the Or­dinance of Parliament; but I doubt their owne actions will daily witnesse to the contrary against them; for why hath some of the prime of the Pe­titioners drawne downe their Foot, their Magazines and Guns from Carmarthin to Tenby, and fortifie the said Towne, since they refused to make their appea­rance before the Commissioners to be paid off ac­cording to the Ordinance? why do they mutter that they will declare for the King, and accordingly make preparation under hand? But I still wish their [Page 9]future obedience to the Ordinance of Parliament may ex­piate their former disobedience, and that they may leave their selfeish destructive ends, and become lovers of their Countrey.

EVen as I had concluded there appeares more newes in Letters to his Excellency, which adds much to Mr. Eliots Justication, and to the Petitioners accusation:

That part of Major Generall Laughornes Forces sei­zed upon those Peeces of Battery sent from Glocester towards Colonell Flemmings and brought them to Pem­broke Castle, that they have joyntly with Poyer fallen upon Colonel Flemmings 100 foot there being then no more come to him, and on those of the Country that joyned with him, and have either slaine or taken pri­soners Colonell Flemming, Roger Lort, Esquire, Cap­taine Cuney, Master John Lort, and many others, and have hereby raised the Siege.