IF in truth the framers of this Declara­tion are not engaged by any private passion or respect, by any evill inten­tion to Our Person, or designe to the prejudice of Our Just Honour and Au­thority, to rayse these forces and Ar­my against Vs (as they call Almighty God to witnesse they are not) they will think it their duty to disclaime the Protection of the Conductors of that Army, who the next day after this so [Page 2] solemne Protestation, used their utmost power by the strength of that Army to have destroyed Vs, and put Our Person (for whose defence they would make the world believe this Army is raised) into as much danger as the skill and malice of desperate Rebells could doe, otherwise this Protestation now made, will appeare of the same na­ture with those by which they promised to make Vs a glorious King, when by their ninteen Propositions they endeavoured to strip Vs of all those Rights which made Vs a King, and them Subjects.

What those Actions and proceedings have been which have manifested their Loyalty and Obedience unto Vs, will be as hard to find, as their humble Petitions and Re­monstrances, when in truth their Actions have been the greatest scornes of Our Authority, and their Petitions the greatest reproaches and challenges of Vs, which any age have produced; And we have not only the cleer evidence of Our own Conscience, but the testimony of all good men, that Wee left no Action unperformed on Our part, which might have prevented the misery and confusi­on which the Ambition, Fury, and Malice of these sediti­ous Persons have brought upon this poor Kingdom, nei­ther is there any thing wanting to the happinesse of Church and State, but that Peace and Order which the fa­ction of these men have robbed them off.

But they directed their Generall the Earle of Essex to deliver an humble Petition to Vs, wherein they desire no­thing from Vs, but that We would returne in peace to Our Parliament, and by their faithfull Counsell and advice compose the distempers and confusions abounding in Our Kingdoms, as We are bound to doe. Wee were never so backward in receiving, or so slow in answering the Petiti­ons [Page 3] of either or both Our Houses of Parliament, that there was need by an Army to quicken Vs, which either or both Houses of Parliament have in no case no more sha­dow of Right or Power to rayse by any Law, Custome, or Priviledge, then they have by their votes to take away the lives and fortunes of all the Subjects of England; yet the Framers of this Declaration take it unkindly that upon their profession in the sight of Almighty God (which is they say the strongest assurance that any Christian can give) We did not put Our selfe into their hands (those hands which were lifted up against Vs, and filled at that time with Armes to destroy Vs) and leave a strength God had supplied Vs with, of good and faithfull Subjects, who notwithstanding all their threats and menaces had brought themselves to Our Assistance. If that Petition had been so humble as they pretended, they would not have lost the advantage of publishing it in this their Declaration, that the World might as well have been witnesse of our refusall of Peace, as it hath been of their disdain of any way to it, when they rejected Our severall earnest offers of a Treaty.

But why did they not send this humble Petition? His Excellence twice sent unto Vs for a safe conduct for those who should be imployed therein, and We refused to give any, or to receive this humble and dutifull Petition. Sure when Our good Subjects shall understand the strange en­mity between these men and truth, the no-conscience they use in publishing, and informing those by whom they pre­tend to be trusted, things monstrous and contrary to their own knowledge, they will not be lesse offended with their falshood to them, then their Treason to Vs. 'Tis well known We never refused to give admittance to any Mes­sage or Petition from either or both Houses of Parliament, [Page 4] their Messengers have been received & entertained not on­ly with that safety, but with that candor, as is due to the best Subjects, when their Errand hath been full of Re­proach & Scorn, & the Bringers bold, arrogant, & seditious in their demeanour, and therefore there needed to have been no more scruple made in the delivery of this, then the other Petitions which have been brought Vs; the truth is We were no sooner acquainted at Shrewsbury by the Earle of Dorset that he had received a letter from the Earl of Es­sex intimating that he had a Petition from both Houses to be delivered to Vs, and to that purpose asking a safe con­voy for those who should be sent, but We returned this Answer, That as We had never refused to receive any Pe­tition from Our Houses of Parliament, so We should be ready to give such a reception and Answer to this as should be fit, and that the bringers of it should come and goe with all safety, only We required that none of those Persons whom We had particularly accused of high Treason should be, by colour of that Petition, imployed to Vs. After this We heard no more till a second letter, at least a fort▪ night after the first, to the Earl of Dorset, informed Vs that Our former Answer was declared to be a breach of Pri­viledge that We would not allow any Messengers to come to Us, that is, that We were not content that such Persons who had conspired Our death, might securely come into Our presence; Our second Answer differed little from Our former, insisting that the addresse should not be made by any of those Persons whom We had particularly accu­sed of high Treason, amongst whom the Earle of Essex himselfe was one, but declaring that Our eare should be still open to heare any Petition from Our two Houses of Parliament: whether this were a denyall from Vs to re­ceive [Page 5] their Petition, or whether if Our two Houses of Par­liament had indeed desired to Treat with Vs by Petition, they might not as well have sent it to Vs, as they have done since their Instructions to their Ambassadours into Ire­land, and their new Bill for rooting out Episcopacy, and devising a new forme of Church-government, let all the world judge. We have reason to beleeve that the Petition then prepared for Vs (if We have seen the true coppy of it) was thought by the Persons trusted for the presenting it, fitter to be delivered after a Battle and full Conquest of Vs, then in the head of Our Army, when it might seeme somewhat in Our power whether We would be deposed or noe.

For that continued dishonest Accusation of Our Incli­nation to the Papists (which the Authors of it in their own Consciences (which will one day be dreadfull to them) know to be most unjust and groundlesse,) We can say no more, and We can doe no more to the satisfaction of the world, If they know that the Romish Priests have encou­raged those of that religion to conforme themselves to the Protestant Religion, by comming to Church, receiving the Sacrament, and taking the Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy, they are more conversant with the subtilties of them then We are, but We must confesse till We be certain they have found that way to deceive Vs, that is, to delude the Lawes which are against them, We shall in Charity beleeve their conformity to be reall, and not pre­tended; but that any Priests or Iesuites imprisoned have been released by Vs out of the Goale of Lancaster, or any other Goale, is as false (to use an expression of their own) as the Father of Lyes could invent, neither are the Persons named in that Declaration to whom Commissions are sup­posed [Page 6] to be granted for places of Command in this War; so much as known to Vs, nor have they any command, or, to Our knowledge, are present in Our Army, and 'tis strange that Our Oathes and Protestations before Almigh­ty God, for the maintenance of the Protestant Religion, should be so slighted in the end of this Declaration, when in the beginning of it, it is acknowledged to be the strong­gest obligation and assurance that any Christian can give. We desire to have Our Protestations believed by the evi­dence of Our Actions.

But they are informed (and that is ground enough for them to lay the basest imputation upon their Soveraigne) that Sir Iohn Henderson, and Colonell Cockram (men of ill report both for Religion and Honesty) are sent to Hambo­rough and Denmarke; (We thought We should have heard no more newes from Denmark) to rayse forraigne forces and to bring them hither: We have before in Our Decla­rations (sufficient to satisfy any honest man,) declared Our opinion and resolution concerning Forraigne Force, and We had never greater cause to be confident of security in Our own Subjects, and therefore cannot believe so vile a scandall can make any impression in sober men. Let a List of the Nobility and Gentry about Vs, and in Our ser­vice be viewed, and will they not be found the most zea­lous in the Protestant Religion, the most eminent in Repu­tation, of the greatest fortunes, and the greatest fame, the most publique Lovers of their Country, and most earnest assertors of the Liberty of the Subject, that this Kingdom hath, how different the Reputation of the principle Ring­leaders of this faction and Rebellion is, how carefull they are of imploying virtuous and honest men, is apparent to all the world, when they have entertained all the desperate [Page 7] and necessitous Persons (whereof very many are Papists. which We speak knowingly, as having taken severall of them Prisoners) they can draw to them, and when they supercede a proceeding at the Common-Law for an odi­ous and infamous crime, that M. Criffan may have liberty to keep them company in this Rebellion.

For Our affection and gratious Inclination to the Citty of London, and how farre we are from any such purpose, as these impious men charge Vs with, appears in Our late Proclamation, in which We declare the Suburbs to be comprehended as well as the Citties of London and Westminster, to which We doubt not they will give that credit and obedience, as We shall have cause to commend their Loyalty in joyning with Vs to suppresse this Rebel­lion, which uncontroled, in a short time, must make that place most miserable.

For the Oath and Covenant which they threaten Vs with, if it be to engage them to doe or not to doe any thing contrary to the Oathes they have already taken of Allegi­ance and Supremacy, as it cannot oblige them being ta­ken, so We doubt not Our good Subjects will easily dis­cerne that it is a snare to betray and lead them into a con­dition of the same guilt, and so of the same danger with themselves; And We must therefore declare whosoever shall hereafter suffer himselfe to be cozened by those Stra­tagems, and take such a voluntary Oath against Vs, Wee shall impute it to so much malice, as will render him unca­pable of Our Pardon, and shall proceed against him as a desperate Promoter of Sedition, and an Enemy to the Kingdom.

Let all honest men remember the many gratious Acts We have passed this Parliament for the ease and benefit of [Page 8] Our people, that when there was nothing left undone or unoffered by Vs, which might make this Nation happy, these mischievous Contrivers of Ruine, instead of ac­knowledging Our Grace and Iustice, upbraided Vs with all the Reproaches malice and cunning could invent in a Remonstrance to the People (a thing never heard of till that time) that having thus incensed mutinous and sediti­ous mindes, they made use of them to awe the Parliament, drave Vs, and the major part of both Houses from Our Citty of London, that they took away Our Fort and Town of Hull from Vs, kept Vs from thence by force of Armes, and imployed Our own Magazine against Vs, that they seized upon Our Royall Navy, and with it chased Our good Subjects, and kept all supply from Vs, that they vo­ted away Our negative voyce, and then raised a formida­ble Army to destroy Vs, that when they had thus com­pelled Us, by the help of such of Our good Subjects who against the fury of these men durst continue loyall, to rayse some power for Our defence, they absolutely and peremp­torily refused to treat with Us for the peace of the King­dome; and lastly that on the 23 ^d of October they brought this Army (raised for the defence of Our Person) into the Field against Vs, and used their best skill and means to de­stroy Vs and Our Children, We say whoever remembers and considers this progresse of theirs, will think of no o­ther Covenant then to joyne with Us in the apprehending the Authors of this miserable Civil-Warre, that Posterity may not with shame and indignation finde that a few Schis­maticall ambitious persons, were able to bring such a flou­rishing glorious Kingdom, which hath so long resisted the Envy of Christendome, to a speedy desolation, to satisfy their own pride and Ambition. And We doubt not Our [Page 9] good Subjects of Scotland, will never think themselves en­gaged by the Act of Pacification (to which We willingly consented) to assist a Rebellion against their own naturall King, for the assistance of Persons accused and notoriously known to be guilty of High Treason, the bringing of whom to condigne punishment, would with Gods blessing, be a speedy means of happinesse and Peace to Our three Kingdoms.