I Have served in the Warres with honour and reputa­tion 47. yeares, 25. whereof I spent in the service of the States of the United Provinces, under the command of the Lord Generall Vere: the rest be­ing 22. yeares, I have spent in the Kingdome of Ireland, where I have had many and honourable Commands: And first, as Governour of the Cities of Corke and Lymerick, and a Counsellors place of that Province of Munster. After that, I was by the then Lord Deputy of that [Page 2] Kingdome, commanded to take upon me the government of the Fort of Gallaway, and to repaire and finish the same, which was by me perfected in two yeares time, and made one of the compleatest Forts in that Kingdome. I was also made Deputy Governour of the County and Town of Gallaway, having both Martiall and civill government conferred upon me (under the broad Seal of that Kingdome) as also made a Privie Counsellor of that Kingdome, and being by accident in Dublin at the beginning of that horrid Rebellion (and on that very day) I was by the then Lords Justices (viz.) Sir William Par­sons, and S ^r John Burlace, commanded to take into my charge and care the Castle of Dublin, that important piece, And by their Com­mission made Governour thereof, with promise of twenty shillings per diem, but I never received any thing in six yeares time; After that I was made Major Generall of the Army, and a Colonell: All which places I have from time to time discharged with all duty and faithfulfulnesse, And which is so certified by men of honour, who were the chiefe Governours and Counsell of that Kingdome in the time of my imployments and service, and to whom my service was best known; which Certificate of theirs is hereunto annexed; And I finding, to my unspeakable griefe, that some malitious persons have secretly wounded my reputation to the most honourable, the Houses of Parliament, by which I have, and doe much suffer, I can but wish he or they had had more honesty, then to possesse the Parliament with such falsities and untruths (or had so much worth in them) as to have accused me to my face, which if they had done, or would yet doe, I make no question, but am confident, that my innocency, shall not on­ly cleere me, but also shame my Accusers; And so much I dare be bold to say, that there lives not that man, that can justly accuse me of any the least crime committed against the most Honourable, the Houses of Parliament of England, or of any disservice ever done unto my Country in all my life, and doubt not of making it good against any whatsoever, if thereto admitted.

I was one of the Commissioners imployed 17. moneths agoe from the Marquesse of Ormond and Councell of Ireland for the rendring up of the City of Dublin, and all other the Forts and Fortresses then under the command of the said Marquesse, into the hands of the Par­liament of England; which journey my selfe, and the rest of the Com­missioners (viz.) S ^r Gerrard Lowther, Lord chief Justice of the Common Pleas, and S ^r Paul Davis; Clerk of the Counsell cheerful­ly [Page 3] undertooke in the deep of winter, upon our owne charges, out of our zeale to doe the Parliament service; which great and happy work, by the blessing of God hath well succeeded since, to the con­tentment of the Parliament, and to the great comfort of all the di­stressed Protestants of Ireland, although as yet nothing have been by the Parliament allowed us, or to any of us (for any thing knowne to me) for our paines and charges in the negotiating of so happy a worke, notwithstanding others that came after us but with particu­lar Letters, have been bountifully rewarded by the Parliament.

The right honourable the Committee at Derby house were pleased within few dayes after I came over, as aforesaid, to make choyce of me to send over into Ireland, with letters of credence to the Mar­quesse of Ormond and Councell, As also with private Instructions of comfort to the distressed Protestants at Dublin and elsewhere, assuring them of speedy succours to be sent unto them for their reliefe, and Commissioners to follow, to treat with the Marquesse of Ormond; which journey I also most cheerefully undertooke, and speedily per­formed, finding at my landing the Army of the Rebels before the City of Dublin, ready to swallow them up, but my unexpected arri­vall there, gave so generall a satisfaction to all the Protestants, that both Inhabitants and souldiers with undaunted resolution wrought in the trenches, and watched night and day for the safety of, and de­fence of that City, which otherwise had been in great danger to have been lost; And when the Parliament Commissioners came over, and I finding (contrary to my hope) that Treaty to prove fruitlesse for that time, I desired leave of the Commissioners to come away with them, which being by them granted unto me, I left all I had there, both fortunes and Estate, and came over with them.

I have attended here 17. moneths at great charges, a Petitioner unto the most Honourable the Houses of Parliament for some mo­nies taken from me out of Gold-smiths-Hall by a misinformation, as also to know your Honours pleasures concerning my places of Com­mand, which I held in Ireland and had long enjoyed by Commission from his Majesty and the Parliament, which was the Major Generals place, the government of the Castle of Dublin, and an old standing Company of Foot, which Company I have had this nineteen years, (as before recited) and was armed at my own charge, And although the Parliament have been pleased a quarter of yeare since (for the reliefe of the extreame necessity of my wife and children) to order [Page 4] me seven hundred pounds, to be paid out of the moyety of Gold-Smiths-Hall not ingaged, (in course) which mony, I humbly conceive, was in lieu of that taken from me, which if it be so meant, is short of what I ought to have 250. li. as by good certificate from the War­dens and Company of Goldsmiths, ready to be produced, may ap­peare; Yet such are the vast summes that Goldsmiths-Hall is charg­ed with already, that the Treasurers say, that in a long time nothing can be expected from thence; which I having made known by Peti­tion to the Parliament, they have been pleased on the 17. of Febr. 1647. to order interest to be paid every six moneths, till the money may come in course to be received, And although this good worke of theirs adds but little comfort to my great and present pressing wants yet I am most humbly thankfull to them for it.

I have for the most part of the rebellion of Ireland served the Parliament upon my own charge, having by just Accompts made up and signed by the chief Governours and Counsell of that Kingdome of Ireland ready to be produced, above twelve thousand pounds due unto me, which I shall humbly leave to the pleasure of the Par­liament to be considered of, in what measure they thinke fit.

At the intreaty of the Lords Justices, and Councell (viz.) S ^r. William Parsons, and S ^r. John Burlace, I kept my own Company five weeks upon my owne charge in time of want of money, they promi­sing me payment assoone as Treasure came from the Parliament of England, and for which I have their Order ready to be produced; but I never received one penny of it, being a hundred and ten pounds.

At the request of the same Lords Justices, and Counsell, in times of want; I sent into the store, which S ^r. Philip Percivall, Victuall Ma­ster Generall received (as is acknowledged under his hand) Beeves at halfe value, amounting to an hundred and thirteeen pounds, and for which I have also an Order, but never received any satisfaction for them, Which Order is ready to be produced.

The Fort of Gallaway being my Government, and I being com­manded, as is before recited, to recide in Dublin Castle, I left my sonne there with much of my goods▪ which Fort being after besieg­ed by the Rebels, my son sent unto me in a Trunck an hundred four­ty nine pounds of mine, that I left there at my coming away, the Ship in which it came, being put into Kinsale, the Lord of Inchequin being in want of money for the Army under his Command, and con­ceiving [Page 5] there had been some greater summe in the Trunck, caused the said Trunck to be broken up, and finding no more money in it, took that out, and as his owne Letter makes mention, imployed it to the use of the Army, for which no satisfaction hath as yet been made un­to me, only one twenty pounds of it he paid, and no more.

And now having made known unto your Honour, my imploy­ments, and partly my sufferings, both in Ireland, and here in England, I having served faithfully against the Rebels of Ireland (as is well known) l [...]st one of my sons there in that Service, spent and lost my whole Estate, to a great value, in that Service, only what is yet re­maining lies in the Rebels Quarters, from whence I can draw no suc­cour for the relief of me and mine at present, nor have not done these six yeares, And against whom I desire to spend the rest of my dayes in the service of the Parliament of England, not doubting, but as formerly, I shall be found able to doe my Country good and acceptable service, And therefore my humble suit unto your Honour is, that when my Petition to this purpose shall be presented to the most Honourable, the Houses of Parliament, That you will please to vouchsafe me your favour and furtherance in the justnesse of my cause, And in regard that in the late settlement of the Army in the Pro­vince of Leinster, I finde no man of Quality but enjoyes what Com­mands he before held (yea some farre better then ever they had be­fore) And for that there is not, nor cannot be any exceptions justly taken against me, That I may be by the favours of the Parliament, continued in my Commands, which I have so long had, and so faith­fully served for, It being without all Example, That a man of my quality and imployments should be laid aside, no offence being justly proved against me (imployments honourable, Sir, is the chiefest thing I desire) That as I have lived with honour, so I may dye, which granted unto me, I shall leave my great and dearly earned Arreares (justly due unto me) to the pleasure of the most Honourable, the Houses of Parliament, to be considered of, as in their grave wisdomes they shall thinke fit.

But if the Parliament have otherwise resolved (as I hope they have not) and will not continue me in my imployments, or any part of them, Then I most humbly beseech your Honour, to stand my friend, that I may be by you and them held worthy of some part of my great and dearly earn'd Arreares, As also my truly disbursed monyes for the advancement of their service in Ireland, whereby [Page 6] I may be in some measure enabled for the future, to provide for my wife and children, that we perish not, I having nothing left me in the world to subsist on, but your noble favours, and that I have in Ire­land, which lies in the Rebels Quarters, as before mentioned. To recover which, I shall have no encouragement to goe thither, if not imployed by the Parliament; To the furtherance of which, I humbly implore your favour, and humbly desire your speedy Answer, I not being able to subsist here any longer, nor well know whither to goe.