I Resolved upon the Question. THat it appears, that the King (seduced by wicked Counsell) intends to make war against the Parliament, who (in all their con­sultations and actions) have propo­sed no other end unto themselves but the care of His Kingdoms, and the performance of all duty and loyalty to His Person.

II Resolved, &c. That whensoever the King ma­keth [Page 5] war upon the Parliament, it is a breach of the trust reposed in him by His People, contrary to His Oath, and tending to the dissolution of this Government.

III Resolved, &c. That whosoever shall serve or assist Him in such wars, are Trai­tors, by the fundamentall Laws of this Kingdom; and have been so adjudged by two Acts of Parlia­ment, and ought to suffer as Trai­tors. 11. R. 2. 1. H. 4.

WE cannot but extream­ly wonder, that the causlesse Iealousies concerning Vs, raised and fomented by a ma­lignant Partie in this Kingdom, which desires nothing more then to snatch themselves particular advantages out of a ge­nerall [Page 8] combustion (which means of advantage shall never be ministred to them by Our fault or seeking) should not onely be able to seduce a weak party in this Our Kingdom, but seem to finde so much counte­nance even from both Houses, as that Our raising of a Guard (with­out further designe, then for the safety of Our Person; an Action so Legall in manner, so peaceable, upon causes so evident and necessa­ry) should not onely be looked up­on, and petitioned against by them, as a causlesse Iealousie, but decla­red to be the raising of a war against them, contrary to Our former Professions of Our Care of Reli­gion and Law. And We no lesse wonder, that this Action of Ours should be said (in a very large ex­pression) to be apprehended by the Inhabitants of this Countrey, as an affrightment and disturbance to Our People; having been as well [Page 9] received here, as it is every where to be justified; and (We speak now of the generall, not of a few seduced particulars) assisted and sped by this Countrey, with that loyall Affection and Alacrity, as is a most excellent example set to the rest of the Kingdom, of care of Our safety upon all occasions, and shall never be forgotten by Vs, nor We hope, by Our Posterity; but shall be ever payed to them in that which is the proper expression of a Princes Gratitude, A perpetuall vi­gilant care to govern them justly, and to preserve the onely Rule by which they can be governed, The Law of the Land. And We are confident, That if you were your selves Eye-witnesses, you would see so the contrary, as to give little present thanks, and hereafter little credit to your Informers: And if you have no better intelligence of the Inclinations and Affections [Page 10] of the rest of the Kingdom, certain­ly the minds of Our People (which to some ends and purposes you represent) are but ill represented un­to you.

Have you so many moneths to­gether not contented your selves to rely for security (as your Predeces­sours have done) upon the Affecti­on of the People, but by your own single Authority raised to your selves a Guard, (and that some­times of no ordinary numbers, and in no ordinary way) And could not all those Pikes and Protestations, that Army on one side, and that Navie on the other, perswade Vs to command you to disband your forces, and to content your selves with your ordinary (that is, with no) Guard, or work Vs in an opinion, that you appeared to lea­vie War against Vs, or had any fur­ther designe? And is it possible that the same Persons should be so apt to [Page 11] suspect and condemn Vs, who have been so unapt in the same matter, (upon much more ground) to taxe or suspect them? This is Our case, notwithstanding the care and fidelity of Our Parliament, Our Fort is kept by armed men, against Vs, Our proper Goods, first detain­ed from Vs, and then, contrary to Our Command, by strong hand, offered to be carried away (in which at once all Our Property, as a private Person, all Our Au­thority as a King, are wrested from Vs:) And yet for Vs to secure Our selves in a Legall way (that Sir John Hotham may not by the same Forces, or by more raised, by pre­tence of the same Authority (for they say he raiseth daily some, and know it no new thing for him to pretend Orders that he cannot shew) continue the War that he hath leavied against Vs, and as [Page 12] well imprison Our Person, as de­tain Our Goods; and as well shut Vs up in York, as shut Vs out of Hull) is said to be esteemed a cause of great jealousie to the Parlia­ment, a raising War against them; and of danger to the whole King­dom. While these Injustices and Indignities offered to Vs are coun­tenanced by them who ought to be most forward in Our vindication and their punishment, in observa­tion of their Oaths, and of the trust reposed in them by the People, and to avoid the dissolution of the present Government: Vpon which Case the whole world is to judge, Whether We had not reason, not wholly to rely upon the care and fidelity of Our Parliament (being so strangely blinded by malignant spirits, as not to perceive Our in­juries) but to take some care of Our own Person, and in Order to that, [Page 13] to make use of that Authority which the Laws declare to be in Vs: And whether this Petiti­on, with such a threatning Con­clusion, accompanied with more threatning Votes, gives Vs not cause rather to increase then dimi­nish Our Guard; especially since We saw, before the Petition, a print­ed Paper, dated the 17. of May, under written Hen. Elsing Cler. D. Com. commanding (in the name of both Lords and Commons) the Sheriffs of all Our Counties, to raise the Power of all those Our Counties, to suppresse such of Our Subjects, as by any of Our Com­mands shall be drawn together, and put (as that Paper calls it) in a posture of War, charging Our Of­ficers and Subjects to assist them in the performance thereof, at their perils: For though We cannot su­spect, that this Paper (or any bare [Page 14] Votes, not grounded upon Law or Reason, or quotation of repeal­ed Statutes) should have any ill in­fluence upon Our good People, who know their duties too well, not to know, That to take up Arms against those, who upon a legall Command (that is, Ours) come to­gether to a most legall end (that is, Our Security and Preservation) were to leavy war against Vs; and who appear in this County (and We are confident they are so thorowout the Kingdom) no lesse satisfied with the Legality, Con­veniency, and Necessity of these Our Guards, and no lesse sensible of the indignities and dangers (which makes it necessary) then We are Our selves: Yet if that Paper bee really the Act of both Houses, We cannot look upon it, but as the highest of Scorns and indignities; first, to issue commands [Page 15] of Force against Vs, and after those have appeared uselesse, to of­fer, by Petition, to perswade Vs to that which that Force should have effected.

We conclude this Answer to your Petition, with Our Coun­sell to you, That you joyn with Vs in exacting satisfaction for that un­paralled, and yet unpunished Acti­on of Sir Iohn Hothams; And that you command Our Fort and Goods to be returned to Our own hands; That you lay down all pre­tences (under pretence of necessity, or declaring what is law) to make Laws without Vs, and (by conse­quence) but a Cypher of Vs; That you declare effectually against Tu­mults, and call in such Pamphlets, (punishing the Authors and Pub­lishers of them) as seditiously en­devour to dis-able Vs from protect­ing Our People, by weakning (by [Page 16] false Aspersions, and new false Do­ctrines) Our Authority with them, and their confidence in Vs. The particulars of which Tumults and Pamphlets We would long since have taken care, that Our learned Councell should have been enabled to give in evidence, if, upon Our former offer, We had received any return of incouragement from you in it. And if you do this, you then (and hardly till then) will perswade the world, That you have dischar­ged your duty to God, the trust re­posed in you by the People, and the fundamentall Laws and Constitu­tions of the Kingdom, and imploy­ed your care and utmost power to se­cure the Parliament; (for We are still a part of the Parliament, and shalbe till this wel-founded Monar­chy be turned to a Democracie) and to preserve the peace and quiet of the Kingdom. Which, together [Page 17] with the defence of the Protestant profession, the Laws of the Land, and Our own just Prerogative (as a part of, and a defence to those Laws) have been the main end, which, in Our Consultations and Actions, We proposed to Our Self.