IF it had not evidently appeared to all men who have careful­ly examined and considered Our Actions, Messages, and De­clarations, how far We are and have been from begetting or promoting the present Distractions, and that the Arms wee have now taken are for the necessary safety and defence of Our life, being not taken up by Us till our Town and Fort of Hull were kept from Us by force of Armes, Our Navy imployed against Us to keep all forraigne supply of Arms and Mony, when Our owne here was seized and detained from Us, and an Army raised in pay, and marching against Us, yet the late reception of Our Message of the 25. of August, sent by Persons of Honour and Trust, will sure satisfie the World, that we have omitted nothing on Our part that a gracious and Christian Prince could or can do to prevent the effu­sion of Christian Blood, but that the Malignant party, which have with great subtilty and industry begot this misunderstanding be­tween Us and Our good Subjects, resolve to satisfie and secure their malice and ambition with the ruine of the Kingdome, and in the blood of Us and all Our good Subjects.

When they had forced Us, after the neglect of Our Message from Beverley, by raising a great Army, and incensing Our Subjects a­gainst Us, to erect our royall Standard; that Our Subjects might be informed of Our danger, and repaire to Our Succour, though Wee had no great reason to believe any Message of Ours would receive a very good entertainment, if those men might prevaile who had brought all these miseries upon the Kingdome to satisfie their own private end: yet observing the miserable accidents which already be­fell Our good Subjects by the Souldiers under their command, and well knowing that greater would ensue, if timely prevention were not applyed; and finding that the malice and cunning of these men had infused into Our People a Rumour, that Wee had rejected all [Page]Propositions and offers of Treaty, and desired to engage Our Sub­jects in a Civill War, which Our Soule abhors, wee prevaile with Our selfe (for a full expression of Our desire to prevent the effusion of Blood) to send a gracious message to both Our Houses of Parlia­ment on the 25. of August, in these words.

Our Messengers were not suffered to sit in the Houses, and one of them, the E. of Southampton (against whom there was not the least colour of exception or so much as a vote) not suffered to deliver Our Message, but compelled to send it by the Gentleman Vsher, and then commanded to depart the Town, before they would prepare any Answer, which they shortly sent Us in these words,

THis strange Answer might well have discouraged Us from any thought of proceeding further this way, and informed Us suf­ficiently what spirit still governed amongst those few, who conti­nued still in both Houses, otherwise after so many bitter and inve­ctive Messages and Declarations sent to Us, and published against Us, We should not have been reproched with Our Proclamations and Declarations set forth by Us, as the effect of such evill Counsel, as was unparallel'd by any former Examples. We beleeve indeed such Proclamations and Declarations have never been before set forth; but were former times ever acquainted with such intolerable provocations? were there ever, before these Twelve months, Decla­rations published in the name of either or both Houses of Parlia­ment, to make their King odious to the People? Have either or both Houses ever before assumed or pretended to a Power to raise Arms or levy War in any Cause, or can both Houses together exercise such a Power? Are those Actions which the Law hath defined literally and expresly to be Treasonable, or such Persons to be Traitors, not so, because they are done by Members of either House, or their appoint­ment? And must not We declare such who march with Arms and Force to destroy Us, to be Traitors, because the E. of Essex is their Generall? Those whom We have or doe accuse, We have named to­gether with their crimes, notorious by the known Law of the Land, (a favour not granted to our evill Counsellors) and appeal to that known Law to judge between Us: And now that by this we should have put the whole Kingdome out of Our Protection (in whose behalfe We doe all that We have done) is a corrupt Glosse upon such a Text, as cannot be perverted but by the cunning practices of such who wish not well to King or People, yet that no weak persons might be missed by that Imputation upon Us, We sent a Reply to that Answer in these words,

This Message produced an Answer little differing from the for­mer, like men who had no other measure of the Justice of their cause, then their Power to oppresse Us, forgetting their own duties, they sharply informe Us of Ours in these words,

VVIthout any bitternesse or reprehension of their neglect of Us, and the publique Peace, to expresse Our deep sense of the Calamities at hand, We yet once more (hoping to awake them to a Christian tendernesse towards the whole Kingdome) sent to them in these words,

VVHo have taken most wayes, used most endeavours, & made most reall expressions to prevent the present distractions and dangers, let all the World judge, as well by former Passages as by Our two last Messages, which have been so fruitlesse, that (though We have descended to desire and presse it) not so much as a Treaty can be obtained, unlesse We would denude Our selfe of all force to defend Us from a visible strength marching against Us, and admit those Persons as Traitors to Us, who according to their duty, their Oaths of Allegiance, and the Law, have appeared in defence of Us their King and Liedge Lord (whom We are bound in Conscience and honour to preserve) though We disclaimed all Our Proclama­tions & Declarations, & the erecting of Our Standard as against our Parliament. All We have now left in Our Power is to expresse the deep sense We have of the publike misery of this Kingdom, in which is involved that of Our distressed Protestants of Ireland, and to apply Our self to Our necessary defence, wherein We wholy rely upon the Providence of God, the Iustice of [...] Cause, and the affection of Our good People, so farre We are from putting them out of Our pro­tection. When you shall desire a Treaty of Us, We shall piously re­member whose blood is to be spilt in this quarrell, and cheerfully em­brace it: And as no other Reason induced Us to leave Our City of London, but that with honour and safety We could not stay there, nor raise any force but for the necessary defence of Our Person and the Law, against Leavies in opposition to both; so we shall suddenly [Page]and most willingly returne to the one, and disband the other, as soon as those causes shal be removed. The God of heaven direct you, and in mercy divert those judgements which hang over this Nation, & so deale with Us and Our Posterity as We desire the Preservation & Advancement of the true Protestant Religion, the Laws and Liber­ty of the Subject, the just Rights of Parliament, and the Peace of the Kingdome.

BUt as if all these gracious Messages had been the effects onely of Our Weaknesse, and instances of Our want of Power to resist that torment, they deale at last more plainly with Us, and after ma­ny sharp, causelesse, and unjust reproaches, they tell Us in plaine English, that without putting Our Self into their hands, and desert­ing all Our own Force, and the protection of all those who have faithfully appeared for Vs according to their duty, there would be no means of a Treaty, although Our extraordinary desire of Peace had prevailed with Vs, to offer to recall Our most just Declarations, and to take downe Our Standard, set up for Our necessary defence, so their unjustifiable Declarations might be likewise recalled, their An­swer follows in these words,

THey will not beleeve We have done all that in Us lyes to pre­vent and remove the present Distractions, because of the op­pressions, Rapines, and the like committed upon Our good Subjects by Our Souldiers. Let them remember who have compelled Vs, and against Our Soules desire forced Vs to raise those Souldiers, and then if the oppressions and Rapines were indeed such as are falsely pre­tended, Our poore Subjects who suffer under them, will looke on them, and onely on them, as the Authors of all the miseries they doe or can undergo. We confesse with grief of heart some discords have and many more may befall Our good People by Our Souldiers, but We appeal to all those countyes through which We have passed, what care We have taken to prevent, and what Justice We dayly inflict upon such Offenders: neither hath the least complaint been ever made to Vs of violences and outrages, which We have not to Our utmost Power repayred or punished, however those false and treasonable Pamphlets are suffered, which accuse Vs of giving war­rant for plundring of Houses. Our Mercy and Lenity is so well known to the contrary, that it is usually made an excuse by those who against their Consciences assist this Rebellion against Vs, that they chuse rather to offend Vs upon confidence of Pardon, then pro­voke those Malignant Persons who without charity or Compassion destroy all who concur not with them in faction and opinion. How far We are from Rapine and Oppression may appear by Our Lenity to the Persons and Estates of those who have not only exercised the Militia (the seed from whence this Rebellion against Vs hath [Page]growne) but contributed Money and Plate to the maintenance of that Armie which now endeavours to destroy Vs, As of Notting­ham, Leicester, and many other places through which we have pas­sed, many of whom then were and now are in that Army: to let passe Our passing by Chartly (the house of the E. of Essex) without other pressures then as if he were the Generall of Our owne Army, and Our expresse Orders to restraine the Liberty, our Souldiers would other­wise have used upon that place, and his Estate about it. How con­trary the proceedings are of these great Assertors of the publique Li­berties, appears fully by the sad instances they every day give in the pundring by Publick warrant, the Houses of all such whose Duty, Conscience, and Loyalty hath engaged them in our Quarrell, which every good man ought to make his owne. By their declaring all Per­sons to be out of the Protection of Parliament (and so exposing them to the fury of their Souldiers) who will not assist this Rebellion a­gainst Vs, their anointed King, by the dayly outrages committed it. Yorkshire, when contrary to the desire and agreement of that County (signed under the hands of both partyes) they will not suffer the Peace to be kept, but that the distractions and Confusion may be universall over the whole Kingdom, direct their Governour of Hull to make Warr upon our good Subjects in that County, and so con­tinue the robbing and plundring the Houses of all such who concur not with them in this Rebellion. Lastly, by the barbarous, sacrilegious Inhumanity exercised by their Souldiers in Churches, as in Canter­bury, Worcester, Oxford, and other Places, where they committed such unheard of outrages, as Iewes, and Atheists, never practised be­fore. God in his good time will make them examples of his ven­geance.

We never did, nor ever shall desire to secure the Authors and In­struments of any mischiefs to the Kingdom from the Iustice of Par­liament, We desire all such Persons may bee speedily brought to con­digne punishment by that Rule w ^ch is or ought to be, the Rule of all punishment, the known Law of the Land, If there have seemed to be any interruption in proceedings of this nature, it must be remem­bred, how long Persons have been kept under generall Accusations, without tryall, though earnestly desired, that the Members who were properly to judge such Accusations have by violence been dri­ven thence, or could not with honour and safety be present at such debates, that notorious Delinquents by the knowne Lawes were protected against Us from the Iustice of the Kingdom, and such cal­led [Page]Delinquents, who committing no Offence against any knowne Law were so voted onely for doing their Duties to Us, and then there will be no cause of complaint found against Us.

And for the Priviledges of Parliament We have said so much and upon such reasons, (which have never been answered but by bare positive Assertions) in Our severall Declarations, that We may well, and doe still use the same expression, That We desire God may so deale with Us and Our Posterity, as We desire the preservation of the just Rights of Parliament; the violation whereof in truth by these desperate Persons is so cleerly known to all men who under­stand the Priviledges of Parliament, that their rage and malice hath not been greater to Our Person and Governement then to the Liber­ty, Priviledge, and very being of Parliaments, witnesse their putting in, putting out, and suspending what Persons they please, as they like or dislike their opinions, their bringing down the Tumults to assault the Members, and awe the Parliament, their posting and prosecuting such Members of either House as concurred not with them in their Designes, and so driving them from thence for the safety of their lives, their denying Us, against the known, established Law, and the Constitution of the Kingdome, to have a negative voice, without which no Parliament can consist, their making close Committees, from whence the Members of the Houses are exempted, against the Liberty of Parliament, and lastly resolving both Houses into a close Committee, of seventeen persons who undertake and direct all the present Outrages and the managery of this Rebellion against Us, in the absence of foure parts of five of both Houses, and without the privity of those who stay there, which is not onely contrary but de­structive to Parliaments themselves. By these grosse, unheard-of Incasions and breaches of the Priviledges of Parliament, (and with­out them they could not have done the other) They made way for their Attempts upon the Law of the Land, and the Introduction of that unlimited, Arbitrary Power which they have since exer­cised to the intolerable damage and confusion of the whole King­dome. And We assure Our good Subjects, the vindication of these just Liberties and Priviledges of Parliament, thus violated by these men, is not lesse the Argument of Our present quarrell and underta­king, then Our owne Honour, Interest, and Safety, those being no way so securely to be preserved, as by preserving Parliaments and their just Priviledges. Neither is there any Protestation to Our knowledge published in Our name of Our tendernesse of the mise­ries [Page]of Ireland, and Our Resolution to maintain the Protestant Re­ligion, and Laws of this Kingdom, that is not the Protestation of Our Soule, and manifested in all Our Actions, and We hope that false Scandall, That divers of the Irish Traitors and Rebels, the known favourers of them, and Agents for them are admitted to Our presence with favour, and imployed in Our service, will gaine no credit with good men, who remember well the notorious impu­tation so confidently and groundlesly heretofore cast on Us by M. Pym, of which as there could never be the least proof, so Wee could never receive any satisfaction for that high injury, which might have been a warning to them to have published no more such untruths, if they had not found that truth and their End, cannot meet together.

For the Horses taken for Our service, which were provided for the service of Ireland, 'tis true We were compelled for the bringing Our own wagons from Chester for the carriage of Our Munition to make use of them, being few in number and of smal value, after they were certified to be of no use for the service, for which they were provided. And for the clothes upon enquiry Wee finde that some few were taken by Our Souldiers (but without order from Vs) going to Coventry, and as was probably beleeved for the re­liefe of that place, then in actual rebellion against Vs, but how far We have beene, and are from diverting any of those provisions made for the reliefe of that poore Kingdome (the thought of whose miserable condition makes our heart bleede) may appeare by our expresse command, given for the speedy transportation of 3000. suites of clothes which we found provided at Chester, but neglected to be sent, and which no necessity of our own Army here could pre­vaile with Vs to seise. And how bold soever the reproaches of that kinde have beene upon us, VVe are consulent malice it selfe cannot lay the least probable imputation upon us, for the neglect of our duty towards that Kingdome. VVhat one thing in our power have wee neglected or omitted, which might contribute to the assistance, or ease of our poore Protestant subjects there? VVe first recommended the case of that businesse to both our Houses of Parliament. VVee condescended to all propositions made on the behalf offered to raise 10000. Voluntiers (which if then accepted had shortned that work) offered to venture our own person in the service, what interpreta­tion that offer of ours found, is known to all the world, VVe parted with our Interest in the Land of the Rebels, to encourage such who were willing to adventure in that businesse, and when money [Page]is raised by our consent for that sole purpose, they have at once seized 100000. pound particularly appointed by Act of Parliament for the reliefe of Ireland (our Army being ready to perish for want of it) and employed it to maintain this unnaturall civill war at home. They have levyed men and entertained Commanders for that ser­vice, and then compelled them to joyne in this Rebellion, and to march against Us, and though they have complained of Our keeping the Lieutenant of Ireland some weekes with Us, (when in truth it was a season of extraordinary businesse) after We had in vaine for many months pressed his dispatch, yet themselves now detain him, when his going is so necessary for the preservation of that Kingdom. And no doubt these men (and these alone) by begetting this misera­ble distraction of England, are guilty before God and Man of all the insupportable calamities that Our Kingdom of Ireland endures. Let all the world judge where the desire of Peace is, and upon whose account the blood and confusion which hath been shed and must fol­low, shall bee cast, And whether the severall Proclamations and De­clarations published by Us, have notbin extorted from Us, by such un­heard of Insolencies and Injuries, which no former times ever pro­duced, neither can any sober man wonder, when We are publickly reproached, traduced, and reviled to Our People (a practice never known till this Parliament) that We endeavour by a true relation and Declaration of Our Actions and Intentions, and of their Con­spiracyes, who have vowed Our destruction, to informe Our good Subjects of the cunning and malice they are to encounter with; and when a Combination is entred into to destroy Us, and to alter the Religion and Law of the Kingdome, and to that purpose an Army raised and marching against Us, that We proclaime the Generall of that Army and such who shall assist him in leavying a War against Us, to be Traitors, and have set up Our Royall Standard, and requi­ted all Our good Subjects to come to Our defence. And yet both in that Proclamation and in all Our Declarations We have never ac­cused Our Parliament, but such factious, seditious members of both Houses whom We have named, and whom We are ready to prove according to the Rules of the known Law to bee guilty of High Treason. We well know, and all the Kingdome knowes that of neere 500. Members which the House of Commons contains, there remains not now there 100. neither hath above such a number con­sented almost to any thing of which We have ever complained, the rest have either been driven away by Tumults and Threats of the [Page]Persons whom We have accused, or out of Conscience withdrawne themselves from their desperate consultations, and of about 100. Peeres o [...] the Realme there are not above 15. or 16. who concur in these miserable Resolutions, which disturbe the publique peace, many of which being of desperate fortunes, have no other support, then the Commands now given them to make War upon Us, and now these men must sit upon the lives and fortunes of all the Nobility, Gentry, and Commons of England, and because We will not put Our selfe into the hands, Government, and disposall of them, all Our good Subjects are envited and encouraged to Rebel against us, yet We haue beene, and are still far from accusing all that small num­ber of both Houses who are yet left together, VVe believe many of them are misled by the cunning and malice, and frighted by the power of those men whom we have accused, against every one of whom We have evidence of matter of fact, that the knowne Law of the Land determines to be High Treason.

And now that all Our good Subjects may see how desirous these men and their adherents are to prevent the effusion of blood, and the lasting miseries of a Civill War, they will make themselves so considerable, that except We will recall Our Proclamations and Declarations whereby particular men named for particular Actions (which the Law hath defined to be Treason) are so accused, and others war­ned from involving themselves in their guilt, and except We will take downe Our Standard, that Our good Subjects may not repaire to Us for Our defence, when so many Armies are raised against Us in severall parts of the Kingdom, and ready to destroy Us, and such of Our good Subjects, who dare continue loyall to Us, and except We will return to London, from whence with violence We have been driven, We must not be treated with, or receive any Answer to so gratious a Message.

It can no longer be doubted by any man, who hath not wilfully forsaken his un­derstanding, that it is no more a quarrell undertaken by the Parliament, but con­trived and fomented by the Persons We have named, and now continued solely in their defence, to whose Ambition, Faction, and malice, the true reformed Protestant Religion, the just Right, Honour, Safety, and life of Us and Our Posterity, the Law of the Land, which hath so long preserved this Nation happy, the Liberty of the Subject established by that Law, and the glorious frame and constitution of this King­dom must be sacrificed. But as We have hitherto left no Action unperformed, which in Honour, Iustice and Conscience We were obliged to doe, or in Christian Policy and Prudence We could conceave might probably prevent these Calamities, so We thanke God he hath given Us a full Courage and Resolution to run the ut­most hazard of Our life for the suppression of this horrible Rebellion, in the which no disproportion of Power, Armes, or Money shall discorage Us; And We hope that all Our good Subjects; besides, by the Common duty of Allegiance, will be stirred up for their owne sakes, for the preservation of the blessed Protestant Religion, and for the upholding this whole admirable frame of Government, which being dissolved, all their private and particular Rights & Interest must be immediately confounded, to bring in their utmost power & assistance unto Us in this desperate exigent. And We doe declare that whosoever shall loose his life in this Service for Our defence, the Wardship of his Heyre shall be granted by Us without Rent or Fyne to his owne use, and VVe shall hold Our Selfe obliged to take all possible care for the support, relief, and protection of all their wives, and Children, who shall have the hard for­tune to dye in this Service.