THE DECLARATION Of the COUNTY of OXON To His EXCELLENCY The Lord General MONCK.
WHereas every Free-born Subject of England is supposed to be present in Parliament, by the Knights or Burgesses of the place of his Residence; and thereby is presumed to consent to all things that passe in Parliament; it now so hapning, that many Counties are wholly left out, either by Death or Seclusion.
I. We therefore desire, That all places vacant by Death, may be supplyed, and those that were Secluded in 1648, may be re-admitted, that thereby we may be taken into the Share of Government by our Representatives, We having at this time but one of Nine, and him a Burgess, taken up with the Publick Concern of the Chair, from minding our particular Grievances.
II. That no unusual previous Oath may be put upon any that is to sit in Parliament.
III. That no Tax may be put upon us without our Free consent in Parliament.
IV. That the Fundamental Laws of the Land, the Priviledges of Parliament, the Liberty of the Subject, the Property of Goods, may be asserted and defended, according to the first Declaration of Parliament when they undertook the War.
V. That the True Protestant Religion may be professed and defended, a lawful Succession of Godly and Able Ministers continued and encouraged, and the two Universities, and all Colledges in or belonging to either of them, Preserved and Countenanced.
These our Just Rights we lay Claime to, as Free-born English-men, and resolve to assert.
This Declaration was signed by above Five thousand considerable Inhabitants of the said County, and delivered to Gen. Monk, on Munday Febr. 13. at his Quarters at the Glass-house in Broad-street London, by the Lord Falkland, Sir Anthony Cope, Mr. James Fiennes, Captain William Cope, Henry Jones, Edward Hungerford Esq rs., and other Persons of Quality.