FOrasmuch as we know and are ascertained of the Tragick proceedings and treasonable attempts put in practice by that rebellions Army of Sectaries now in England, and the Command of Baron Fairfax, who by Martiall power and contrary to their once pro­tended principles for which they did at first engage, which were to seate their Lawfull King upon his Throne, and make him a great and glorious Prince, and not to injure His Royall Person, and likewise to maintaine and defend the Priviledges of Parliament, and liberty of the Subject, unto which engagement they were sworne, which Oath they have presidiously broken by their excluding and ma­king the Major part of the house of Commons uncapable of the trust reposed in them by the respective Counties for whom they were chosen as Members, imprisoning some and denying others admittance also, disabling the Lords for ever having any voice in Parliament, unlesse they please to entertaine them into their Conventicle of Sectaries, who are not above forty or fifty at most which be now considerable with that perjur'd Army of Rebbels, and presume to call themselves the Commons of England, and pretend that the supreame power of the Kingdome is in herent in them (a thing before never heard of) by which like aspiring [...], they assume the power Legislative to make and [...] Lawes. They have by this pretended and new found authority [...] a Court of Iudica­ture (as they [...] it) which indeed is no other but [Page 2] Conventicle of injustice and wicked treasonable practises. By which pretended Court they like imperious proud and barbarous regicids, have presumed to bring their Le [...]ge Lord and gracious King to an illegall tryall, and contrary to all Law both of God and man, have condemned and tyranously laid violent hands on His Sacred Person, per­petrating Murder upon him without all or any just cause. O what a tyranicall cruelty was this! Acted upon their King & Father of the Country is it possible they can think that God will let such a infinit sin slip without revenging his blood upon such cruel murderers, who have made the­selves drunk with the innocent blood of their Soveraign and the best of K [...]ngs, whose fervor and zeal to Peace and his Subjects good, was ever visible even to his latest breath as may appear by his Declarations & several Messages sent to his two Houses of Parliament, desiring a Treaty with them, that all differences might be happily composed, and His three Kingdom, setled in Peace and Unity, which he with much desiring at length procured to Treat with his two Houses of Parliament, where his alacrity and inte­grity to Peace was made most plaine and manifest, for he was graciously pleased to yeild to all that was desired, al­though to bind up his own hands and throw himselfe in­to the laps of his own Subjects and to do what they should think fit whereby to stop the bleeding o [...] his people in all three Kingdoms, but when every mans eyes were fixt of a conclusion of the Treaty and expected peace and his late Majesties Concessions voted satisfactory and sufficient to the grounds of peace and settlement and his late Majesty thought he had been in safety, he was by some Arch tray­tors of that trecherous Army taken away from the Isle of Wight, and His body hurryed from place to place, and at last unhumanely murdred by them, who of right ought to [Page 3] have been his Subjects, and to have protected his Royall Per­son from violence.

And whereas they have since his late Majesties death of fa­mous memory, by pretended Acts and Proclamations declared, that it shall be high-Treason for any one to Proclaim Prince Charles (who is now rightfull heyre to the Crown of England) to be King of great Brittaine without their approbation, which they have since manifested, shall not be granted by another Act of theirs, saying, the Office of Kings is chargeable and withall uselesse amongst them, therefore ought to be abolished; which wicked and illegall practice of theirs is abominable and of right is to be shun'd by all true Subjects and good Christians, who are bound by Conscience and by their Oath of Allegiance to use their best endeavours to circumvent their consultations and hellish designe which tends only to the subversion of Mo­narchy and setting up the rule and government of Democracy, by wrongfully expelling their lawfull King, and not giving to Caesar those things which be Caesars, but keeping him in exile and banishment, and murder, rob and despoyle all his Loyall Subjects of their inheritance, by that unjust sword which they have in their lawlesse hands. It is not unknown to all the three Kingdoms our forwardnesse, loves and affections to the Parlia­ment of England, and what hazard we have divers times sustain­ed in behalfe of it, both indangering our lives and fortunes to maintain its priviledges, but now we can acknowledge it no Parliament at all, neither King nor Lords being there, but only a few of the Commons house and whether those rightly elect­ed or no, we are uncertain, but this we know, that at the death of the King, the Parliament is dissolved untill the succeeding King have elected a new one. But so soone as we found and did perceive that they took severall Oaths, Protestations, and the Covenant, meerely to make a nose of wax of, and cheate the vulgar and meane people, deviating from their once (as it [Page 4] seemes) onely pretended principles, and that by backsliding clandestine plots and trecherous designes, their sole aime was to take away our late Kings life, who indeed we may boldly assirm, that for a vertuous liver, and Kingly parts, he was un­paralel'd there not having been his Peere for acute wit and solid judgement amongst all his Royal predecessors in former ages. But what may we really say, he was too good to rule so sinfull a people, therefore God in his high displeasure hath taken him away, however we have a young Phoenix his Royall son Charles late Prince of Wales, whom we must acknowledge for our King, as we are bound by our Allegiance, so to do, and his Royall Cause we shall with our lives and fortunes prosecute, and with our swords endeavour to establish him in despite of those proud Rebbels who did so trayterously murder his late Father to satisfie their blood-thirsty appetites.

To satisfie all Christian people of the Truce and Associa­tion made between us and the Catholick Irish, we do declare (to stop the mouths of some who peradventure will endea­vour to lay false scandals upon us, calling us Papists, which is very well known, we were never of that Religion, but alwayes Protestants, as may an [...]ere by our proceedings against them, which may be a large testimony that we do not allow of their Profession, nor will ever enlarge the Popes Dominions and Romish Hierarchy) the reason why we entred into League and confedenacy with them is as followeth, viz.

We finding their reall intentions and often protested prin­ciples were to submit and live under the ancient rule and Go­vernment of a King, and that it was never their desire to live un­der any other, then our late deceased King Charles and his law­full successor, and successors who is the noble and illustrious Prince Charles now Charles the second, and is by birth right to succeed his deceased Father. And that the only thing for which at first they did promote the Irish Wars was for no o­other [Page 5] and but to preserve the liberty of their consciences which they were informed (by some cvill instruments) they should be very suddenly deprived of, which made such an impression in them, that they were resolved rather to hazard their lives, then prejudice their Consciences, which they did beleeve all good Christians ought to do. But for altering their Govern­ment, and rovolting from their and our King to make this Na­tion Subjects to the Pope (as it hath all along been supposed) was never their intentions more then to allow him supremacy in Ecclesiasticall matters, which belong only to themselves as some of the principles of their Religion. We having there­fore found in them so much integrity to the Kings cause, and so much willingnesse to hazard their lives and fortunes for him (as becomes) true Subjects, we could not either in reason not conscience but accept their offer injoyning with us to Crown and settle our lawfull King Charles the second, who is now in a low condition kept from his Right of Inheritance by the basest and meanest Mechanicks in all the English Nation, and also the worst and desperatest Rebels that ever lookt upon the Sun, who durst to act an open murder upon their gracious Soveraigne.

Wee hope what we have here exprest concerning our Con­federacy and League with our fellow Subjects of Ireland, (will give any true subject or honest man satisfaction, and for Re­bels we care not) by whose assistance as an immediate meanes we doubt not to inthrowne our King and dissolve that Rebell nest fitting at Westm. who take so much authority upon them, affirming themselves to be the highest Court of Indiceture up­on earth, when it is well knowne theres no Nobleman not scarce a Gent, amongst them, but low bred fellowes and most of them men of broken fortunes, laying aside what they have by injustice robd the Kingdome of and extorted from true and loyall Subjects.

Now to declare further what is our true and unfeigned Re­solutions, [Page] and wherefore we doe ingage to prevent misunder­standing, and stop the mouthes of those who would peradven­ture calumniate us with false aspersions, blemish our inte­grity by lies and forgeries, and fained Chemera's of their own braine-sick inventing) wee say upon the saith of Christians that we have no other ends, but according to this Declarati­on to prosecure our allegiance, in furthering our Soveraignes cause, and the establishing his Royall Person in the Domini­ous which did of right belong to his late Father. viz.

1. We will to the utmost of our power (as becomes loyall Subjects) endeavour to Crowne and settle our gracious King CHARLES the II. in all his three Kingdomes of England, Scotland and Ireland, and to that end wee have advanced an Army for his said Majesties service, and will hazzard our lives and fortunes, His Royall Person to defend and keepe against all violence, treasonable and treacherous attempts, which may be by the English Rebels or any other at any time made against him, his Crowne, dignity, and Regall authority, or to the dimishing: of any of his Kingly titles by any pretended power of Parliament whatsoever.

2ly, That wee doe not intend to introduce any Arbitrary Govern­ment which may inslave our fellow Subjects of England, but onely to bring such who be in Rebellion to due Obedience according as their allegiancebinds them to their naturall liege Lord and King.

3ly, That we doe not intend to violate the fundamentall Lawes, and Constitutions of any the 3. Kingdomes, but shall be carefull to keep and preserve them as the greatest good belonging to all our fellow Subjects.

4ly. We doe declare, that we will ever stand and be firmely and Re­ally for the true Protestant Religion, and shall not admit of any other Church government; likewise for the just Rights, Freedomes and Privi­ledges of Parliaments, when lawfully called and elected by His said Majesties Writ, as of right it ought to be, and to consist of King, Lords, and Commons, as all precedent Ages hath done, and untill then wee hold all Authority of the English protended Parliament, to be usurpa­tion, illegall, and not Parliamentall authority, but a Committee of Ad­jutators to plot and contrive treasonable practices against their lawfull King, and his loyall Subjects.

5. And lastly, If there be any one amongst them, who will (as by du­ty and allegeance bound) desert those wicked Robels, and timely re­paire to serve their King, they shall not only have pardon for their for­mer acts, but shall be accommodated according to their degrees and se­verall qualities.

God save King CHARLES the II.