TO the honourable Court of Parliament, and all others that desire neither shedding of blood, nor yet a sinfull procurement of peace, the Author committeth his weake endeavours, beseeching God, so farre as shall be for his glory, to give you patience, willingly, deliberately, and considerately, to read a part of his weak conceptions, wherein he hopeth you shall see cleered the 19. propositions, as also see a cheape way of accomplishing the hopes of all the Kingdome, except those that are wilfully bent against King and Kindome, Parliament and City, as also how you shall in all likelihood have a willing army to strengthen your Cities and places yet unplundered, consisting of twenty hundred thousand persons at least in such a manner dispo­sed and dispersed, as they shall not be a burthen to any the places where they come, nor whereout they goe, but a joy and refreshing to the places, and the places to them: where­by also your godly officers, in case of want of helpe, shall not need to send farre for them, wheresoever they be in want of them; but shall probably in all places not need feare a speedy supply of their want of men and food, if the Lord give you hearts to practice the same. Do you not heare dai­ly of the losing of Cities, and townes of wealth, and of great consequence, the which I feare do more affect men then the hurt of the poore people therein, whose condition [Page]I beseech you to consider, and if ye cannot relieve them as ye would, yet prevent the like for others, as if you were, as I know not how soone you may be, in their case: it may be had not you desired them they would at first have taken the other side, not knowing which was best; but judging the Parliament wise and godly, they have followed your counsell, and stood against rebellious enemies; the which by an over-ruling providence of God, and his determinate counsell and will, it hath tended to the destruction of many, and to the dis-harbouring of many more, whose afflictions and miseries, together with other great occasions, do so affect you, that you labouring to help, yet cannot spare time to hearken to that which might effect your godly desires: for these eight or nine moneths your poor suppliant hath labou­red to get a hearing, yet never could, Gods time being not yet come; but if hee incline you at last to hearken, I hope God will shew you by a poore-despised creature what will tend to your deliverance: and whereas you are labouring to raise an Army for Sir William Waller, which doth I con­ceive but slowly increase, although your money decrease apace. Consider the wayes of Gods people are not bloody without his command; therefore consider how you might have a thousand thousand people for the defence of the poore counterys, besides the inhabitants themselves, which would be as many more, who all for love or feare would be your friends to defend your cause, if you will hearken to Gods way, whereby you shall let your enemies know, that except they seek their owne destruction, you desire not their blood, but if they will come and lay down their armes, they shall be entertained, and enjoy their liberties and estates peaceably.

1. Then consider with what willingnesse it would make the most go out, with courage and hope of prevaling in your [Page]cause, where almost all did go, and on condition they should place neighbours of every parish by themselves in the villa­ges, and officers of their owne chusing in their owne par­ishes should go and governe them, and there they should one worke for another, and take money for it, and se­verall poore men of trades should make ware, and have rich men at hand to buy it; and might without feare of plun­dering send goods to London, and receive goods from London, so their strength and store would increase apace, for most men would be glad by night or day to bring their goods into your compasse for safety, who also still would be guides to your living wall, I meane your multitude of people, to incompasse further and further every day; and every place would be glad throughont the Kingdome to se­cure their food and their goods, in their severall parishes by order of anthority: if you should give commission to all the officers that go out to intreat, admonish, and inforce them that refuse in parishes and villages to secure their food and chiefe goods in their parish-Churches, and great walled houses for their own use from feare of plundering; and if any obstinately refuse, then to plunder them: which food being thus secured, none should have food for their money, except they would defend your cause in all places, the which would make them all generally willing to do it, know­ing that all their neighbours must do the like, or els starve. And againe, having by this means such a satisfactory ex­cause if they be taken, that they must have starved: and you might put muskets and armes in the custody of two or three honest officers in every such defenced place and thirty or forty more, if but women, they would easily with muskets defend it: and cause all food to be brought thither, and none sold but from thence to all in that parish by the owners therof or their deputies, who being friends might keep there, [Page]And if any should speake or do any thing against the pro­ceedings of the House herein, or hinder or desert the cause, upon the testimony of two honest witnesses, he should have no food by the space of one weeke following, but at double the price, and so the people out of all townes aforesaid, and cities, and populous places would inforce all to such a con­formity, that none, neither one nor other almost would de­sert the cause, knowing that in all probability they must needs prevaile, when all villages shall be so filled with strength of men and women, who having all their chiefe goods and food in the Church secure, they will incompasse the enemy rather then they shall get it, both men, women, boyes and maids would unaminously set upon them and de­stroy them, being so strengthened with as many more as they had before in their towne; and then they that are in the Church might alwayes have a Centinell on the top of every steeple, which might give warning round about to their neighbouring townes; by setting up a pole on the steeple top with a black cloth in the day, and a great torch or link on fire on a pole in the night, reaching much higher then the steeple top. The neighbouring townes having their owne goods so also secured, in their Church, and many of our hel­pers also to go with them, and then all having such kinde of weapons as I can show, the which every one almost may make for themselves for 6. pence or 8. pence cost, a blow whereof would kill a horse, and yet a little youth or wench might use the same against any man with sword and poleaxe: so that were the enemies number greater or smaller, it were impossible almost that any should escape, but by deliveering up horses and armes, and then you need neither kill them nor take them, but let them go back to help to eat up your enemies food, and tell them, if they will fetch such as are the great maintainers of their cause, and deliver them up, [Page]you then will entertaine themselves, and let them have food if they will worke among you, and live like honest men: for we desire no mans blood: for you may be sure that they must needs come short of food; for they have made and do make great wast, and they do and must keep many that are gone to them out of our countreys and all other countreys in the Kingdome, besides many that the Queen hath procured, which will all helpe to eat faster then they know how to get, if God would move you to take this course: so also you shall sinde many Irish in your compasse, which you might send to the enemies, and send them word you could send them more if they had meat for them, but our food must be for our friends.

If this course were taken, ye should not, I conceive, heare within a while, one black mouth open against your proceed­ings: but seeing your side the strongest, and all hopes of the others prevailing quasht, all would take part, speak and doe for the Parliament in their proceedings, although more for feare then love: whereas now the food in Parishes not being secured in such places, ye heare by lamentable experi­ence how they plunder and spoile, the reason is, the poore in­habitants now having their chiefe goods and food in their own houses, dare not stir out at the enemies approach to re­sist, fearing if they goe out, the enemies will come in and plunder them: and if there come but ten or twenty, they will plunder a whole town, fearing there are many more be­hind, and so men are hiding their chiefe goods for feare: whereas this course being taken, that feare were gone, not onely from that town, but all about it, so that with warning as aforesaid, they would irresistibly destroy them, if they did not lay down armes, and deliver up their horses, and then plundering them, let them go with their lives. In this before set down are the 5. first Propositions in som measure cleared.

[Page] 6 If the course above-written be not taken, there will I feare be fire set on barnes of corne when it is got in, but by this course you may prevent it. The 7. is formerly answered.

For the eighth, if God would move authority to com­mand, that inasmuch as Barley and Rye is good bread-corn, that they might make but halfe the barley into malt, and make no beere to retaile at any dearer rate then two quarts a penny, under a strict penalty, and authority by Officers in e­very Parish to punish the same, as by a Justice of Peace. The 9. and 10. are formerly answered.

I conceive there should hardly need any, or but very few Captains or Colonels, or the horses and their riders these wayes, and halfe the money in the other way would serve the turne, for every one might be at worke of their trades that had any, and others watching, fortifying and making brest-works about Church-yards, and stopping roads, high-wayes and bridges, so that we would hardly go to our enemies, and they would have but little joy in comming among us, for if they did go back, it must be with hungry bellies.

The 12. is formerly in part answered, for women would be helpfull to their husbands and family, and might be Cen­tinels on Steeples, as also learn to defend with muskets from the Churches, where the enemies could not hurt them with muskets through the wals: and by the way, if you did cause some with a far greater bore, and half as long again as muskets, so to shoot from Churches and other places of safeguard. You might also by the leaning of a black cloth on a pole, or a torch, as aforesaid, East, West, North or South, discover which way the enemy goes, or by certaine sounds of great horns of brasse, which would be heard far, and he might give one Sound if they went East, two if West, three if North, foure if South, or the like. By the same also they might let their neighbouring townes know [Page]how far off they were by other distinctions of sounds.

13 When three quarters of the people were gone, then food and firing would last foure times so long.

14 If this course were taken, many would believe you would prevaile, and so would stay, that thinke they should die if the other prevaile. The 15. is answered in the 12. the 16. and 17. also are answered.

The 18. is, not to let any body passe toward the enemy or from him, but take the messenger, and let one of ours carry forth the approved letters.

These things propounded being considered, almost all would go, and not divide families, but wives, children, and servants with their masters, all would go, and that willing­ly, with courage, and hope to prevaile, and all folkes not in one place in a huge body to do nothing, but every one should have continuall imployment, no horses almost kept at charge in City or Countrey, but those that should be imployed in other labour, how joyfully would all imbrace, and so the ci­ty and those places should have continuall trading, and be a refreshing and a wal of defence each to other.

Consider again, when mens goods are secured out of their dwellings, so that they have nothing to lose in their houses, they may the better, and wil let helpers have roomes to sub­sist in, and use them kindly, seeing they know they cannot steale when all their goods are secured. And whosoever shal refuse to have his goods so secured, or any neighbour that should conceal him, or not help to plunder him, should be plundered: and whosoever hath a house wel walled for security against muskets, and wil not suffer it to be imployed for your service, let him be plundered. And whatsoever town should refuse to help other towns, at the approach of the enemy, should be plundered, and have no food for mony.

Then get hoope-makers in every village, and teach all [Page]boyes and girles of any green sticks to make crosse hoopes such as hang at Taverns, that they may have them to fil all high wayes with them, whereinto if a horse get a foot, he can hardly shift casting his rider, and when all is done, they are good fuell. Any boy or girle would learne almost in an houre to make them so as to serve that purpose, so that they should not march night nor day till they first did light and gather them up, in which time our helpers need not stand still, and which are soon cast out of the way for your owne good occasions. And who so should offer violence to any of your Officers, should have Martiall Law, and who so should speak against them should be punished: and if any of the Of­ficers do any wrong, they should be severely punished. So they would make trenches and brest-works about the places of store, and make every place so strong, as you should short­ly neither need to feare home bred nor forraigne enemies.

That no food might be bought or sold but at such places where every man might have money for his commodities, Then you need not presse men, or if you did, you need not feare they would take to the other side, for feare of starving, most will be willing to go with the multitude.

Many things for want of roome I am constrained to omit, many more I beleeve God would minde me of daily, if I could have recourse to any daily to declare the same.

The Authour hath a twentieth Proposition, conducing to the performance of the nineteene with much readinesse, which he reserveth for Authority in private.

One maine thing is left out, namely how corne may be threshed as fast as reaped, which he can declare to Authori­ty, which will secure it from feare of fire.