THE DECLARATION OR, MANIFESTO OF George Racokzkie, Prince of Transylvania, to the STATES and PEERS of HUNGARY;  
Together With the reasons added thereunto of his modern taking up of Arms the 17. of February, Anno 1644.  
George Racokzkie by the Grace of God, Prince of Transylvania, Lord of a part of the Kingdom of HUNGARY, and Count of ZEKELLA.  
London Printed for Edward Blackmore, and are to be sold in Paul's Churchyard at the sign of the Angel, May 28. 1644.   

The Declaration or Manifesto OF George Racokzkie, Prince of Transylvania, to the States and Peers of Hungary: George Racokzkie by the grace of God, Prince of Transylvania, Lord of a part of the Kingdom of Hungary, and Count of ZEKELLA;  
To the right Honourable and right Worshipful; Our wellbeloved LORDS and GENTRY, Greeting.  
HOw precious, and of what high esteem there be with every one the liberty of the soul and body, hereof we need not to seek afar off many examples, nor to write thereof to your Lordships in many words. The modern state & condition of the Occidental Provinces, doth sufficiently testify it; which, to reduce the aforesaid inestimable good to its ancient State and condition, have counted for nothing all other Temporal and precious goods; yea with hazarding, and quite losing their own lives, do not cease as yet to fight for it. How seriously also the Countries of Portugal and Catalonia, who sat under the Spanish power, and taken up A●mes not in defence of the liberty of their souls, but only in defence of their temporal liberty do labour and endeavour to settle the same in the former condition of liberty, is not unknown to your Lordships, especially my Countryman, the Hungarian, how much blood they have shed for it, yea how many of them have suffered death sopit, We have sufficient examples thereof. What troubles and miseries O● Nation▪ especially sinc●●he year 1619. hath suffered in this case, hereof whole bundles of letters full of complaints are to be found with us. How often also▪ We have not only been admonished, but also quite forced, aswell by the Protestants, as by the Roman Catholics, that We at last would awaken, and remedy the grievances, because otherwise, if the oppression of the privileges and liberties should further increase and enlarge itself, Our Children and Posterity would be forced to possess a Kingdom hereafter, that had lost all Liberty. We have been desired also by some of the high Officers and Ministers of the Crown which have discovered unto Us, that the Clergy intends to make the Kingdom of Hungary hereditary Subject to the House of Austria, and withal strives to domineer both Spiritually and Temporally over the fellow Members of th●ir Religion, & to keep them under. It is not unknown to your Lordships, how many complaints there have been made against those last Wills and Testament, that have been forced from some, and thereby the lands and goods of the right natual heir been alienated? The Clergy hath begun also to impropriate unto itself the chiefest Offices and places in the Frontier Towns of the Kingdom, and thus to pull fully out of the hands of the Temporal States and Peers, that small Prerogative which they had left unto them: But what shall I say of the washing of the common Revenues of the whole Kingdom, and then the ruin following thereupon, which however must concern also the Clergy itself.  
With what swiftness or tricks also the Jesuits are crept into the Kingdom to the utmost ruin of the liberty thereof, & of the Protestant Religion (which by all means and ways is expressed) and with what unjustness also in the Frontier Towns themselves, those, that have jura Pa●r●natus in the Churches, are troubled: hereof your Lordships have sufficiently been informed.  
One of the Spiritual Prelates also, who is yet living with His Imperial Majesty's knowledge, hath desired Us also by a confiding person, and in His Imperial Majesty's name, promised unto Us to turn over also all Our lands and goods situated in the Kingdom of Hungary, to Our Heirs and Successors (which are as yet pawned to Us till they are redeemed) 〈◊〉 to show unto Us yet greater and more graces and favour if We 〈◊〉 o●●y give Our assent unto it, that Hungary might be an Hereditary Kingdom to the house of Austria, but whereas neither▪ Our Conscience nor also the zeal and love we bear to Our Hungarian nation could give way to it, We returned unto him that answer, as hath been see m●g to an Hungarian Prince loving his native Country, and desining the liberty of his Country.  
Concerning the authority of the Palatine, it was laid thus, that nothing but the mere name was left to that office; though He do solicit something for the good of the Country, yet he labours in vain, yea withal is prohibited to do it. How zealous the Protestant States and Peers as well in particular as in general have been in the Diet, Anno 1638. to solicit that their grievances might be redressed, but what effect after divers great charges and expenses your Lordships have seen thereof, and enjoyed indeed, is sufficiently manifest unto every one.  
The decree which His Imperial Majesty caused to be imparted to the Protestant States and Peers, is in Sp●ci● in Our hands▪ but that notwithstanding hereupon divers Churches and Ministers houses have been taken away, and the Ministers driven out of them; to repeat all would require a great deal more of time.  
If we now consider the violation of Our corporal liberties, We find it, that the offices and places are conferred upon no Protestant fellow-Member of the Country, neither are they preferred to any higher dignity, and if by chance one or other attains thereunto, yet he hath no honour, trust and credit with them. Moreover also though the Protestants have good right or claim to some requisition, yet they labour to hinder therein in one or other way: Yea it happened also, that one that pretended a just cause to his Lands, notwithstanding by reason of a pretended contradiction, went in extreme danger of his life about it.  
When the 13 Counties in General in the year 1640. 641. 643. petitioned his Imperial Majesty and the Lord Palatine for the redressing of their Grievances, what benefit & profit got your Lordships by it? yea what unkind entertainment your Lordship's Deputies had for demanding of their just cause, and with what sharp and bitter words they have been sent away again▪ your Lordships have still in fresh memory; all which, how justly We took it to heart, so as well Our conscience, as also our duty ●o the glory and service of God, and the love and zeal to the Liberty of Our native Country and Nation required Us, yea by some of the Protestant States and Peers also, and not less by some of the Roman Catholics, We have been exhorted upon Our soul's salvation, and in a manner been forced, that for defence of their Liberties We would rise.  
Wherefore We could suffer this no longer, nor see the apparent ruin and perdition of Our native Country and the oppression of Our Nation, which before had tried all means how these inconveniences by fair means might have been remedied: What answer also have We lately returned to the Lord Keri janosh upon the request made unto Us in His Imperial Majesty's name: How earnestly We have entreated and desired, and what We have offered, your Lordships have sufficiently understood by the said answer, whereof a true Copy We have already here before sent to your Lordships.  
We take God the Lord the searcher of all hearts to Our witness, and We dare write it also to your Lordships in very truth, that We have taken up Arms not for Our own profit, nor out of a desire of revenge, neither also for those manifold wrongs and injuries done unto Us not last out of an intention to reform or persecute Religion much less to extirpate 〈…〉: But that We only intent to Erect again the Statutes and 〈◊〉 of ●he Kingdom, to Re-establish the same, and to proceed according 〈…〉 same, insomuch that every one without fear, trouble let or 〈…〉▪ openly may profess and exercise that same wherein his 〈…〉 appeased, and thereby also safely to enjoy the corporal Lib●r●●, be●a●●e ●o Domineer and Rule over Consciences doth not belong to 〈◊〉, bu●●o God alone.  
But being our dear God hath already graciously turned off from us many hindrances, which herein principally have hitherto stood in our way, yea also drawn to Us the Outlandish hearts; We must needs conceive thereby that i● is God's will ●●d providence, that to the service of his glory We shall proce●● the Liberty of Our Native Country, whereof the glory ●ill be ●endered ●o God and not to men. And We believe therefore firmly▪ that his divine Majesty without all doubt will grace this Design with happy desired issue, and ●●o●ne it with a joyful end.  
Wherefore We de●●e and exhort your Lordship's friendly, that you will be pleased in a zealous consideration, that for your Lordship's good, and upon the desire and request of many amongst you We are risen from Our peaceable Government and wholly quiet Native Country, and taken up Arms, to afford your helping hands to the furtherance of this Work, being in itself well pleasing to God Almighty, that will tend to the benefit and profit not only of your Lordships, but also of the whole Country, and of all the grieved Inhabitants thereof. And withal in this case to show their love and zeal aswell towards God, as towards the Protestant Religion and the Liberty of their Native Country; and as soon as you have received these letters, to send unto Us one of your good Friends and Fellow-brethrens, and thus to join with Us unanimously in the commendable furtherance and expedition of this work.  
We assure all persons, of what degree or quality soever they be, by Our true Christian Faith and Truth, that in no way We will disturb or oppress Religion, nor also that We have any intention to offend or trouble in the least way Our dear Native Country and Nation, and so all and every one of you in General either now or in suture time in any R●ght, Liberty, or Immunity, but rather that your Lordships according to your pleasure may safely live, and yet further rejoice in those precious Privileges which have been obtained long ago with much blood.  
No man shall also think, that if perhaps one or other hath done and showed here before any wrong to Us, or committed any thing against Us whatsoever it be, We would revenge Ourself on him, and thus bear an ill will in Our heart for a future punishment; but rather that all and every the like wrong shall be buried in a perpetual oblivion as if it had never happened or been done. We admonish therefore all and every one of what degree or quality soever he be, that no man retire out of the Country to another place, or forsake his Lands or Goods: for if by chance such (which We do not hope) should be found, and We should be forced to seize upon their Goods, they may attribute the fault and loss which thereby they may receive to no man else, but to themselves.  
But in case your Lordships (against all hope and expectation) should offer to do contrary to that what hath been said above, We will protest hereby before God and his holy Angels, that We are not the cause of the ruin and destruction which thereby will fall upon them; for otherwise We should be forced also to draw to Us so much the more stronger Aid, and the greater number of Soldiers from Our High and Mighty Emperor, if your Lordships should oppose Us in the defence of Our Native Country, and not accommodate yourselves unto Us, which We will not hope.  
The God Almighty who rules and governs all the hearts, do thus rule and direct the hearts and minds of your Lordships that you do unanimously every one, putting in the mean time out of his mind all other respects, afford unto Us your helping hands, for the obtaining of that wherein consists every one's true proper benefit and profit, that, after that We have finished this happy work, and every one of Us attained to His intention, both you and your whole Posterity may safely and peaceably enjoy both spiritual and corporal liberty till unto the end of the World, Amen. Given at Our Castle Calow the 17th of February, Anno 1644.  
Georgius Racokzkio   

This is Printed according to Order.