THE HUMBLE PROPOSALS And DESIRES of His Excellency the Lord Fairfax, And of the General council Of OFFICERS, In order to a speedy prosecution OF JUSTICE, AND The Settlement formerly propounded by them.  
BY the Appointment of His Excellency the Lord Fairfax, Lord General, and His General council of Officers, Decemb. 6. 1648.  
Signed, JOHN Rushworth secr.  
London, Printed by JOHN FIELD for John Partridge Decemb. 7. 1648.   

To the honourable, The Commons of England assembled in Parliament: THE HUMBLE PROPOSALS And Desires of His Excellency the Lord Fairfax, and of the general council of Officers, in order to a speedy prosecution of Justice, and the Settlement formerly propounded by them.  
HAving, with others, for a long while sadly beheld and tasted, in your proceedings, the miserable fruits of counsels divided and corrupted by Faction and personal Interest, even to the neglect, betraying and casting away all that's public and good, to the lengthening out of endless troubles, burden and damage to the Kingdom, to the continuance and widening of that issue of blood, whereby these Nations have been so much polluted and consumed, and to the perpetual hazard of Bondage and Destruction to them at last: And both we and many others having propounded foundations of Justice and Settlement, which are of evident Advantage and Security to the public Interest, and clear from any thing that's personal or particular; But finding that through th'aforesaid Corruption and Divisions in your counsels, the same can obtain no place or consideration at all: And foreseeing evidently that the condition of the Kingdom will not bear delay of Settlement one way or other, We conceive ourselves and others that are sensible hereof, to be necessitated unto some extraordinary vigorous and speedy way, whereby those roots of Faction, Division, and private Interests may be weeded out from amongst you, and so your counsels cleared and united, to the timely and effectual prosecution of Justice, with a sound Settlement and public good to the Kingdom, and to the speedy introducing of such a succeeding Authority, wherein future Differences may be prevented, and a general Acquiescence obtained.  
Therefore seeing no better or other way, We propound and demand as followeth:  
1. Whereas Denzil Hollis Esq Lionel Copley Esq Major Gen: Massey, and others of your Members, (whose Names you well know) were in the year 1647. impeached by yourselves for Treason, or for high Crimes and misdemeanours, in relation to the Treasonable Engagement in the City of London, The violence then done upon the Parliament, and The levying of a new War, and other evils in maintenance and prosecution thereof; and upon clear proofs against them, were by your censure expelled the House, and disabled from further trust therein, and upon new Writs issued out new Members were chosen and returned in some of their rooms; and yet by the prevalence of their Faction (When in the last summer's War divers faithful Members were engaged abroad upon necessary public service, and others through Malignant Tumults and Disturbances could not safely attend the House) the same persons were afterwards readmitted to sit in the House, and Vote as formerly, without any trial or satisfaction in the things whereof they were accused: We demand, That all those Members so Impeached, may be forthwith secured, to be brought to Justice or Trial for their said Crimes; and that such others of their Faction, by whose Votes, counsels and Confederacy they were so readmitted, may be secluded from the House, and not sit as Judges for those their confederates.  
2. Whereas by the Confederacy of Major Gen: Brown now Sheriff of London, with the said Impeached Members, the Scots were invited and drawn in to invade this Kingdom the last Summer, in somuch as when upon the actual Invasion the House proceeded to declare them Enemies, and those that adhered to them traitors; yet the said Confederates and other treacherous Members (to the number of Ninety and odd, as upon the division of the House appeared) did by their council and Votes endeavour to hinder the House from declaring against their confederate Invaders; We desire, That the said Major Gen: Brown may be secured and brought to judgement, for that and other his treacherous Confederacies or Correspondencies with the public and declared Enemies of the Kingdom (which we hereby charge him with, and shall be ready to make proof of) And that the rest of the Ninety and odd persons dissenting in the said Vote, may be excluded, and not trusted further in your counsels.  
3. Whereas in a continued Series of your proceedings for many months together, we have seen the prevalence of the same treacherous, corrupt and divided counsels, through Factions and private Interests, opposing or obstructing Justice in all kinds, diverting your counsels from any thing of public good, hindering any proceedings to any such Settlement, as would consist with Security to the public Interest, or put a real end to the Troubles, burdens or Hazards of the Kingdom, and precipitating into treacherous and destructive Compliances and Conjunctions with the acknowledged Enemies thereof; and this we have have seen particularly in the corrupt counsels and Resolves of receding from, and recalling the Votes of No more Addresses to the King, &c. (the justness and necessity whereof you had once so cleared to the world) also in the Votes for entertaining or seeking (after all that) a Personal Treaty with the King your Prisoner, upon such Propositions as himself should tender, as well as your own, offering upon imperfect (and those but wrested) Concessions from him, to Restore him, with impunity, to honour, Freedom, Safety, and his Revenue, exempting all (even the principal) Authors and Actors in the last summer's War from capital Punishment or trial, and bringing off the rest with Fines or Censures most inconsiderable to the public Damage and Mischief they have done; whereby both they and others are encouraged to renew and multiply the Kingdoms Troubles: And lastly, in the Votes declaring the Kings past Concessions to be a Ground for the House to proceed upon, for the Settlement of the PEACE of the Kingdom, notwithstanding the visible insufficiency and defects of them in things essentially concerning the public Interest, and Liberties of the Kingdom (as those propounded in our late Remonstrance are) and in other matters both Religious and civil (from which, by express Covenant or public Faith given, you were obliged not to recede) In which Votes & counsels it is apparent, those that are guilty of them have deserted, betrayed & justly forfeited their Trust for the public; insomuch that we dare appeal to all well affected or reasonable men, Whether there be any hopes by, or with the conjunction of such men in your counsels, to have any sound or timely Settlement, to have any end of Troubles, burdens or Hazards, or any public good done for the Kingdom: We therefore most earnestly desire, That all such faithful Members who are innocent in these things, would immediately (by Protestation and public Declaration) acquit themselves from any guilt of, or concurrence in the several Votes or counsels here before particularly mentioned, as corrupt or destructive, that the Kingdom may know who they are that have kept their Trust, and distinguish them from the rest that have thus falsified the same; and that all such as cannot or shall not so acquit themselves particularly, may be immediately excluded or suspended the House, and not readmitted, until they shall have given clear satisfaction therein to the Judgement of those who now so acquit themselves, and the grounds of such satisfaction be published to the Kingdom.  
4. Thus, such as by faithfulness have retained their Trust, being set in a condition to pursue and perform the same, without such Interruptions, Diversions and Depravations of counsels, as formerly, We shall desire and hope you will speedily and vigorously proceed, To take order for the execution of Justice, To set a short period to your own Power, To provide for a speedy Succession of equal Representatives, according to our late Remonstrance, wherein Differences in the Kingdom may be ended, and we and others may comfortably acquiesce; as (for our parts) we hereby engage and assure you we shall.  
By the Appointment of His Excellency the Lord Fairfax, Lord General, and His General council of Officers, December 6. 1648. Signed, JOHN RUSHWORTH Secr  
FINIS.