I Have now by His Majesties speciall Command and Commission for some months last past, resided in the Town of Newcastle. All which time I have proceeded in pursuance of the points of my Commission (which were none else but the preservation of this Town, the County of Northumberland, and the Bishoprick of Dur­ham, and the Liberty of the Trut Protestant Religion, of the Laws of this Kingdom established by Parliaments, the Property of the Subjects, Persons, and Goods, and securing of this Port) with that integrity and tendernesse of His Majesties Honour, who doth passi­onately affect the safety and Liberty of the Subjects, in all the parti­culars above mentioned. That I have great and just occasion to blesse Almighty God for so prospering this his own, and our Sove­raign His Servants worke, in my weak hands. As I am confident I have not yet miscarryed in any one particular, wherein by God and His Majestie I have been intrusted. For whereas in most of the coun­ties of this Kingdom, there are nothing to be heard but most pitti­full, and yet most unpittied complaints of the Subiects, for the hor­rible violation of their Churches, and indignities offered to the ser­vice of God, uniust captivating of their Persons, exhausting of their purses by most racking exactions, plundering and pillaging of their Houses and Goods, against the Law of God, the knowne Lawes of this Land; and all this exercised by a party who pretend nothing but the Religion of God, the Law of the Land, and the Liberty of the Subiect. Yet (blessed be God for it) all they who live in these parts under my charge, can with one accord testifie, that as yet they have not tasted in the least degree any of these sharp outrages, either in their professions, Persons or Goods, from that party in whō they had little reason to put any trust, if by my Forces they had not been kept under: Nor yet can any of that lawlesse party aver, that by a­ny Forces of mine, or indeed any force at all, they have suffered un­der [Page 4] such wicked vexations, as they of their own side in all places where they have had power have used towards these who have con­tinued in Loyalty and Obedience to His Maiesty. And farther, that His Maiesties Port and Haven, hath to his great benefit, and the comfort of all his good Subiects, who adhere to him been so secured as that now it remaineth as entirely at his Maiesties devotion, as e­ver it did in times of highest peace and tranquility.

But it hath not pleased God, That our Neighbours in Yorkeshire, and the adiacent Counties should enioy the like calme, which hath moved many of the prime Noblemen and Gentlemen of the Coun­ty of York, to remonstrate unto me their sufferings, which they en­dure from Sir John Hotham, his son, and many their seditious and outragious Complices, and to desire my ayd for the redressing of them, and repressing their tumultuous oppressions, before they shall swell to that height, as it cannot stand with the safety of the Per­sons and Estates of His Maiesties good Subiects in Yorkshire, to make any expressions of their Loyalty and Allegiance to His Maie­sty, unlesse by some of my Forces they be speedily comforted and relieved.

I having seriously weighed the purport of my Commission, and finding it not only consistent with, and agreeable to the same; but knowing well His Maiesties sacred Intention and constant Resolu­tion to secure the Lives and Liberties of his Subiects by all meanes which he can compasse: I have now Resolved to assist His Maiesties distressed Subiects in the County of York with competent Forces; and yet to leave this Town, and the two other Counties under my Charge, so strongly guarded, that their former security shall be no wayes discontinued or intercepted.

And therefore I do by these presents, desire all his Majesties Loyall Subjects of the County of Yorke to take these perticulars into their serious consideration, and I expect credit to be given to them.

First, that I come not into their County by Intrusion, but by In­vitation; and that from those Noblemen and Gentlemen, whom by long experience, they have known to be their soundest and since­rest Patriots, and who have promised me in their names a cheerfull reception, their utmost assistance, and absolute obedience to all my Just and lawfull Commandements.

Secondly, I do solemnely promise, That I come free from the least intention of pillaging and plundering any of his Majesties good and loyall Subjects, or of exacting any thing from them which shall be [Page 5] against the Priviledge of the Parliament, the known Lawes of the Land, and Liberty of the Subject.

And thirdly, That I intend by my Forces to vindicate you from the violent incroachment & oppressions made upon you in any of these particulars, by those who to their lawlesse ends abuse the sacred name of Parliament.

And fourthly, That I shall (during the time of my abode amongst you) do nothing of moment, but by the advice and consultation with those Noblemen and Gentlemen, who have been Solicitors to me in your behalfe; and when it shall please God to give a happy consumation to those great businesses for which I intend to come a­mongst you, I shall retyre my selfe and forces out of your County with much more cheerefullaesse then I conducted them thither.

And now I desire to give satisfaction both to you of Yorkeshire, and all other true protestants of this Kingdome, why I have been necessitated to take under my command and conduct diverse Popish Recusants in these Northern pars.

First, It was not his Majesties intention, nor the intentian (for a­ny thing I know) of any in authority under him, to admit any of them into this service, if the way had not been chaulked out unto His Majesty, and his Ministers, by these very men; on whose Forge this objection was hammered: Let the Muster Roles of that Army which is named from the Parliament be perused, and then it shall ap­yeare plainely, that the mannagers of that Army doth exactly and distinctly know, that they now have, and for many moneth have had great numbers under their pay, both English, French and other Nations, whom at the time of their enrolement (and ever since) they did know to have been professed Papists: whereas by the contrary, it is notoriously known, that before this course was taken by the o­ther party; his Majesty and his Ministers did not admit to, nor con­tinue any Souldiers in pay, who was suspected to be that way in­clyned, or did refuse the oathes of Allegiance and Supremacy; not that his Maiesty thought it unlawfull for him so to doe, or that he did not hold his Recusant Subiects, to be as strongly obleiged by the Laws of this Land for the defence of his Person, and the Liber­ty of Parliaments, and Laws of this Kingdome, as any of his Prote­stant Subiects; for if the Kingdome stood now under the feare of a Forraigne Invasion; is it to be conceive, that the Recusants of this [Page 4] [...] [Page 5] [...] [Page 6] Land were not by the Lawes of the same obliged to adventure their Lives and Fortunes in defence thereof? Sure the great confusion which is now in this Kingdome is of as fearefull a consequence as any forraigne Invasion possible can be, and therefore the Recusants are so far from being disoblieged, as they stand deeply obliged for giving their assistance in this time of extremity, if they shall be re­quired; But His Majesty was very cautelous and tender in this point, and certainly would not have looked towards it, if the other Party had not first assumed that liberty to themselves, from which by the Law of the Land he saw himselfe no way barred.

If there be no Barre in Law against it, then let us examine these pretended grand inconveniences, wherewith (as they alledge) it is attended: Sure the wisest Heathen Emperors that ever were, did ad­mit into their Armies whole Legions of Christian Souldiers, whose fidelity they relied much upon, though the Emperours themselves blasphemed that God whom those Christian Souldiers adored, Look upon Christian popish Emperours; did Charles the fifth, that wise & Warlike Emperour refuse the service of any of the protestants of Germany in that Army wherewith he made War upon the Prote­stants? No, but cherished all such of them as he did conceive to stand for the Maiesty and Liberty of the Empire: Look upon Prote­stant Kings and Princes; did Henry the fourth the late French King, while he was yet a Protestant, reiect the assistance of those many French Papists, who spent their lives in asserting his Crown, and ap­proaching their Allegiance to him: Or did blessed Queen Eliza­beth of most pretious memory, upon whose ayd and advice, that great King did principally rely; go about to perswade him to dis­misse all his Popish Subiects out of his Army? and yet it was well known, that Shee was the greatest Patron and prop of the Prote­stant Religion in the whole world. Do our Neighbours of the Uni­ted Provinces reiect the auxiliary Regiments under the pay of the French King, because many of them (if not most) are Papists, so long as they are secured of their fidelity to them? the point then will not be of their Religion, but whether there they may be trusted in point of fidelity and Allegiance.

But they do alledge in that point, they are not to be trusted, since they refuse to take the Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy; It were to be wished, that those blessed times had been perpetuated to us, [Page 7] in which it had continued a good distinction, though not between all Papists, yet between Jesuited Papists and Protestants, the ta­king or refusing of those two Oathes; but we have lived to see, that these two Oathes (to the intollerable scandall of the Prote­stant Religion) are indeed taken by some who call themselves Pro­testants, but most manifestly violated; and refused to be taken by some Papists, and yet the tennour of them kept by those refusers.

Our Saviours question in the Gospell was, Whether of the two was the better Servant, He who said he would doe what his Masher bid him, but did it not? or he who said he would not doe it, but yet did it? this latter, by our Saviours approbation, was the better Servant: It is easy to be applied, hath not His Majesty, and all the World reason to thinke that those Recusants who upon weake, yet see­ming strong grounds unto them, refused to take the Oath of Alle­giance, and yet at this time performe the contents of it; are farre better Subjects (and in this point) farre better Christians, then all those Protestants who have taken this Oath, and yet at this time practise quite contrary to that which is contained in it, and not on­ly to what is contained in it, but to what is contained in the last Protestation, which they themselves so magnified, and in it did so expressly averre the defence of the Kings Person and Dignity; so that the tumultuous Petitioners who came riding to the Parliament through the Streets of London, with that Protestation in their Hatts, seemed too honest and good Subjects, like men standing up­on severall Pilloryes with Papers in their Hatts, carrying in them their crime and condemnation for it.

And besides, it is well knowne, That there are other Recusants in England besides the Popish, viz. They who will not communicate in our Service and Sacraments as they are established by the Lawes of this Kingdome; and yet some of these are admitted to sit in ei­ther Houses of Parliament though contrary to the order of Parlia­ment, they have not received the Communion. And how many hundreds be in the adverse Army, of Anabaptists, Brownists, and other Sectaries, who by the Lawes of this Land are reputed farre more dangerous Recusants, and doe incurre by the same Law, farre heavier punishments then ordinary Papists do; for they being con­victed are to abjure the Land and Kingdome; whereas Papists in­curre onely personall or pecuniary mulcts, if they be not Priests or [Page 8] Jesuites, or harborers of them. If one would truely learne the dam­nable Doctrines of these Recusant Separatists, and foresee how upon their own grounds and Tenents, when they shall have power to put them in practise, they will attempt the cutting of throats of all Landlords and Magistrates, and will maintaine, That it is against the Law of God for any Man to hold an Estate by Law or Birth­right; but onely according to Merit and Worth. Let him reade the the Commentaries of John Sleidan a Grave and Wise Historian, who in the life of Charles the fifth, hath excellently set downe their lamentable Tenents and Tragedies, broached and Acted by them about the beginning of the Lutheran Reformation.

To conclude, I wish from my heart there were Recusants of no kinde in this Kingdome; I am Resolved, as I have lived, so to dye in the profession of the true Reformed Religion, as it now stan­deth established by the Lawes of the Land, and as it was professed, and practised in the purest times of peerlesse Queene Elizabeth, and for these few Recusants under my command, I shall use all pos­sible care, that they do nothing against the Laws of this Kingdome, for I have received them not for their Religion, but for the Allegi­ance which they professe.