To the Right Honourable the Ld. Fleetwood, to be communicated to the officers of the Army, the humble representation of divers well-affected persons of the city of Westminster and parts adjacent. 1659 Approx. 8 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 5 1-bit group-IV TIFF page images. Text Creation Partnership, Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) : 2013-12 (EEBO-TCP Phase 2). A94627 Wing T1651 Thomason E979_5 ESTC R203801 99863619 99863619 168552

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 Early English books online. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 2, no. A94627) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 168552) Images scanned from microfilm: (Thomason Tracts ; 145:E979[5]) To the Right Honourable the Ld. Fleetwood, to be communicated to the officers of the Army, the humble representation of divers well-affected persons of the city of Westminster and parts adjacent. Fleetwood, Charles, d. 1692. [2], 6 p. printed for L. Chapman, London : 1659. Annotation on Thomason copy: "April 27". Reproduction of the original in the British Library.

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 eng England and Wales. -- Army -- History -- Early works to 1800. Great Britain -- History -- Commonwealth and Protectorate, 1649-1660 -- Early works to 1800. 2020-09-21 Content of 'availability' element changed when EEBO Phase 2 texts came into the public domain 2012-08 Assigned for keying and markup 2012-08 Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2012-11 Sampled and proofread 2012-11 Text and markup reviewed and edited 2013-02 Batch review (QC) and XML conversion

To the Right Honourable THE LD. FLEETWOOD, To be Communicated to the OFFICERS Of the ARMY, THE Humble Repreſentation of divers well-affected Perſons of the City of Weſtminſter and parts Adjacent.

April 27 LONDON: Printed for L. Chapman. 1659.
To the Right Honourable THE LORD FLEETWOOD, To be Communicated to the OFFICERS of the ARMY.

WHeteas you have by your late Declaration and Tranſactions, made it manifeſt, that you are ſenſible of your backſlidings; and that yet you have cordial affections to the Good Old Cauſe, and to our Liberties, both Religious and Civil; we with many thouſands more rejoyce on your behalf, and bleſſe the Lord for your ſeaſonable appearance for the vindication and reſurrection of that precious Cauſe, which hath coſt ſo much Bloud and Treaſure: ſeveral corrupt Parties having lately with much ſubtlety combined and improved their ſeveral intereſts to deſtroy the ſame; and to bring in upon us an Inundation of Tyranny and ſlavery, both in things Civil and Religious.

You cannot be ignorant, and it is the ſenſe generally of all the well-affected people, who have conſtantly adhered to you in the proſecution of the Good Old Cauſe, that the Lord did vouchſafe his glorious preſence with that renowned long Parliament, in their Counſels and Armies: never was there a Parliament more victorious by a conſtant ſeries of gracious Providences: never was there a Parliament that did more fully aſſert and vindicate the Liberties of the People, and make better proviſion for the Souldiers in defence thereof; though in all Politick Bodies, through humane frailty, there will be great miſcarriages and mal-adminiſtrations.

But alas, how hath the preſence and glory of God departed from theſe Nations, and from you in particular, ſince the interruption of that renowned victorious Parliament, and the advancement of a private perſonal Intereſt, in ſtead of the Weal-publick! Our Treaſure hath been exhauſted, many thouſands of our dear Countreymen ſlain, and illegally Impriſoned, and ruined, and our poor Nation like to be made a prey to a foreign Enemy, if the Lord in mercy prevent not: Whereas before, the Parliament of England, and their Armies, were a terrour to all the Nations round about us.

And among other evils, this renowned Army hath been exceedingly corrupted, by the endeavour of ſelf-ſeekers; many of their faithful Officers have been laid aſide, and others put in their places, who never adhered to the Good Old Cauſe, and the aſſertors therof in their great ſtraights.

We hope that the Lord is now about to reſtore in ſome meaſure the primitive beauty and glory of this Army; which no doubt will be done, if your actions and performances be ſutable to your words and expreſſions; the times now requiring that you ſhould be active in purging the Army in order to the ſettlement of this Commonwealth; and that you ſhould conſtantly conſult and adviſe with the moſt prudent and judicious of your old friends, who having kept their integrity, may adminiſter much light and help to you in this wilderneſs of diſtraction.

Wherefore we humbly deſire you, for the honour of God, for the ſatisfaction of the Saints, and the good of your poor dying Countrey; That you would forthwith recal, and reſtore your honeſt publick ſpirited Officers, of whoſe fidelity you have had ſufficient experience, to their ſeveral places and Commands in the Army; and to turn out thoſe, be they never ſo great, who have manifeſted their enmity and diſaffection to that Good Old Cauſe, and the publick intereſt of theſe Nations. It being impoſſible that you ſhould cheerfully and unanimouſly carry on the great Work which is now upon the wheel, ſo long as ſuch corrupt Inſtruments and Time-ſervers have ſuch Commands in this Army, which God ſo eminently owned whilſt they owned him and his Cauſe.

We further deſire, that you would be a means, that the Long Parliament, who declared for the Government of a Free-State in the Legiſlative Authority of this Commonwealth, may ſpeedily return to their truſts: They and you being ingaged againſt Monarchy, and to be true to the Government as then eſtabliſhed without King or Houſe of Lords.

And this we humbly propoſe as the beſt and ſafeſt way to revive and ſtrengthen the Good Old Cauſe, and all thoſe honeſt men that are concerned therein. Many of the Members of that Parliament, being, we hope, more refined and fitted by their ſeveral Trials, for carrying on the Work, ſince they were diſturbed in managing the Government of this Commonwealth.

Nor can we rationally conceive, that any other way or model which can be thought of at preſent, will be an effectual means to prevent a new War, and to reſtrain the abuſes of the Law, and ſecure and preſerve us from Monarchy and Tyranny, or the Arbitrary and unlimited power of the Sword, if this means and expedient, which legally ought to take place, be rejected; all other waies and means which have been attempted hitherto, having proved ineffectual and fruitleſs.

And hereby you will make it appear, that in this late great undertaking of yours, you have not ſought your own particular advantage, or the greaming of your ſelves, but the publick good of your Countrey; it being your wiſdom and ſafety, to return again into that way, where you found much of the preſence and aſſiſtance of God; and from which having departed, your way hath been hedged up with thornes, and ſurrounded with inſuperable difficulties.

In doing thoſe things, and whatſoever elſe hath a tendencie to the publick good of theſe Nations, we truſt the Lord will yet delight to dwell in the midſt of you, and will make you a further bleſſing to this Commonwealth, and ſpecially to his own peculiar People, who have powred out many prayers and tears for you in the defence of that precious Cauſe, whereunto you have ſo often born witneſs; and in the further proſecution whereof, we are reſolved by the Lords aſſiſtance to live and die with you.

But if after all theſe ſhaking and ſtupendious Providences, and this late undertaking of yours, you ſhould lift up your ſelves or any Party among your ſelves, or ſhould be inſtrumental by the Sword to advance any other private Intereſt or family whatſoever, againſt which the Lord hath ſo eminently witneſſed from heaven, we, with thouſands more, who cordially love the Good Old Cauſe, cannot own you in ſuch waies; nor will the Lord go along with you in your Counſels and enterpriſes; but will viſit by ſome remarkable Judgment or other, for this perpetual Backſliding from Him and his Cauſe. But we hope better things from you by the Lords aſſiſtance, and ſuch things as may rejoyce the hearts of all your true Friends, and be a terror to all the Enemies of this Commonwealth.

This Paper was preſented April 25. 1659.

And this Anſwer was returned, (to wit) THat ſeveral of the Things therein contained, were already under conſideration, and they ſhould do as the Lord ſhould direct them.