THIS Citie which of late, Forrainers courted for the fairest of ten thousand, now seems to prostrate her self as a defac'd and defloured Strumpet, whom forraine parts reported the sure Magazine even to a Mirrour, now cannot parallel the security of a private Cash-box, wherefore she may hang up her Harps on the willowes and whine out a ditty for her devout Champious: because the abject of her highest hopes becomes the subject of greatest Demands, the front of her felicity is penuriously plac'd in the arear, so that his Majesties Prerogative cannot head the Van; but alas poore particular Citie when her Generall speaks universall souldiers Soveraigne.

And his Excellency is pleased in the beginning of his late Letter to mention what tendernesse hath had been exercised by Him selfe and this Army towards the Citie to preserve it from the least dammage; it is true the Citie was long with childe of a Charter, and the Man-midwife very gingerly brought her to bed no, danger redounded thereby but by making the Market place a thorough fare for Mar • , and so frighting the poor Hi • ders of the Custome Hor •• as far as Amsterdam, in homage to the Army of Saints; the Tower Bulloin was taken out, and if the Town B • l had bin put in the Citty had bin preserved stem damage Notwithstanding great provocations, the greatest provocation that ever durst shew it self on this side hel claims acquaintance with the Army, who provokt the King from Holdenby we may take His Majesties opinion declares in (the narrative) a company of proper Gentlemen of His Excellencies, or Master Ioyces A • my, who provoked the Commissioners of the Parliament; of England and Scotland, who provoked the very nature and body of our Parliament to be purg'd, which is against their nature being in themselves the Representative health of the Kingdom, and against the naturall discipline of warre; For the establishment of which (His Ezcellency doth mention much activity in the former Letter, dated Putuey 1647. in these words, J thought fit to let you know, that by the advice of the Generall Councell of the Army J have appointed a Rendezvous speedily, and they have very unanimously offered to repaire to their severall Charges, and improve to their utmost endeavours with the severall Regiments for the quieting of them, and the recovering the ancient discipline of the Army to render it more serviceable to the Parliament and Kingdome; and to the end your expectations and desires of all good men may be answered by a good issue in this worke of so much concernment to the Kingdom. From whence the result doth properly arise, that it was your Army which had lost their ancient discipline, cousequently been lesse serviceable or lesse then serviceable to the Parliament and Kingdome, and the desires of good men have not been answered, but themselves in both Citie and Kingdome provoked by being disappointed in the bad issue of this worke, with what patience wee have waited for the raising of those Arrears, which have been long since done, questionlesse Sir for your particular person in patience you may possesse your soule, but the Army is very impatient to have a shire in all possessions: Community is very impatient of propriety. Have but a little patience, did not your Excellency before the King came to Holdenbie humbly present on the knees of Loya • tie a solemn Protestation, not only of preserving His Majesties person, but speedy promoting of it to His Throne, maugre all sinister designes; but since have not those Agitating Agents, had patience enough to stay the turning of their passion into an action (at Hampton) against His Majesty, and whilst those sonnes of Committy men were trayterising an Inditemen • they would put in practise an Execution, but in reference (to the waiting of Arrears) which is nothing else but that the Armies patience or wayting hath been to rayse or augment Arrears, which is verified in the 100000, per mensem from 60000. The subsequent words expresse the Armies lying so long about the Citie, and that they cannot continue much longer without intolerable opqression) for which kind of oppression ther • is a palpable toleration in liberty of conscience; for example, my conscience and another mans take free leave one of another, in point of opinion doe censure by way of contraryes, so what in his is indeed intolerable oppression, in mine is in zeal, or a meek imposition; therfore it must have an Independent, past yet the Army cannot lye any longer, then would suddenly some Miracles were wrought amongst them, that they would willingly take up their Lowsie, beds and walke, give sire to their Ammunitions, and be gone, accept of their bare Arrears which is sufficient to cloath you, and their ruly begotten posterity of England, and be disbanded; for it is sufficient for them to be Priests and Prophets and not Kings— and yet after so long and obstinate with-holding, what hath been their due in affront to the Parliament, and in the face of an Army how can they be obstinate, whose soft hearts at first even melted, their silver Charges, Basons, Boles, Poringers, spoons, Rings, and Whistles into a streem of rebellious blood, in which this Army hath swum to this present high tyde of uncharitable Impeachment and how can the Citie probably act any thing in affront to that power, whose defensative Frontiers they ever were: But alas poor Metropolitan thy case is pittifully bewrayed for thou art now taxt for doing in the face of an Army, but by consequence they resolve to doe in thine; so it is a pure Prophesie that the Armies blind cheeks must serve the Citizens for Spectacles: Because they must have no other Prospects then their black-parts: the ensuing discourse, doth shew the reasons of not withdrawing the Army from the City: because after the much warning given, if they should only pay them Arrears it would be an ill example: If it be an ill evample to pay all that is due, then surely it is one good example to pay none at all: via contrariarum, by way of coutraryes; as for an instance, pay but the devill his due of Arrears, in riches, to wit extortion, in the day; and he will impose a disquiet reposall in the night, still he puts a penalty to distresse, adds punishment to payment, and why, because the Divell is int, which leads to the grand purgatory of persecution specified in these words: For the speedy levying both of Arrears and Penaltyes; qui ante non caveat post dolebit, touch but the Cats tayle and you hazard a scratch the Arreare faces about the penalty: if it had been levy Arrears, under penalty of being pull'd by the eares; wee should have heard the sound of mercy: or if levy Arreares under penalty of our high displeasure: a proportion of justice had stept in: but levy Arreares and penalty, is such a compound of taxations, that it will make but simple ingredients of all our Citizens: O monstrous horror, indeed sure this is no simptome of an Army of Saints, for persecution by St • should worse then be the persecution of Saints. Me thinks I see the subtile ghosts of deceased Monopolizers offer incense to this penalty posture, as transcendent; having gain'd a perpetuall patent of standing to their armes, God a mercy black Tom, the ship Mony strikes sayle to this Man of War; the Pole mony for Pauls Church repairation, whisper'd but a summons in the eares of the devout vulgar; having reasons of some tune, to second their good designe, as to reforme Organs, untill they spoke nothing but latin, and as men lead Bares by the noses to the Bare-garden, so they would lug men by the eares to Paradise, or at least tickle them till they thinke so, (but this) thunder bolts the Joliheads of our Jerusalem by way of levying or levelling, that their hornes should not be exalted above their brethren, but be themselves reduced to the old obedience of subsidie subjects for the trainins up of Saints, to the fulfilling of their prophesie, of raigning a thousand yeeres on the earth; the subsequent matter bespeakes the necessity of it to satisfie; being formerly imposed by the advice of the Counsell of War: Here is just the Divell and his Dam, needs must whom the Devill drives, there is no Law for it, for there it must bee done of necessity, because necessity hath no law. And whose wilfulness (if not malignity or designe) have necessitated this, will heare the blame of all ill consequences that may ensue. That is as much as to say, if the Citizens do not leave all and follow him, they shall have nothing at al • o live upon, now towards Christide the truth is accomplished, many false Christs are sprung up, and the Divell a bit of Christianity is in them yet the City Charter shall be turned into Charity. because Common-Prayers are for community, and to keep Mony is Malignancy: It is a Designe not to answer the demand of a Commander. And those that will not willingly be of the Tribe of Many-asses, and bear all taxations will beare the blame of necessity of all the righteous blood that hath been spilt since the King catching, and King-killing stratagems, henceforth and for ever.

The remainder serves for a martial manner of levying, but it exposing the swords point in case of opposition I will absent my selfe aside for my own security. Humbly desiring your Excellency because you stand at the Helme to steere steedy, or the winds and the seas will not obey you, unlesse you obey the supreme Providence, in establishing the Throne of its vicegerent King Charles; settling the Fundamentall Lawes instead of Necessities, and Penalties. and reducing Parliament and Kingdom to its former perfection, and then, but not before shall we have a great calme,