Mr. PRYNNES LETTER TO THE GENERAL 
 The third of january 1648.  
Demanding what kind of Prisoner He is? And whose Prisoner? with an appearance to his Action of false imprisonment, which he Resolves to prosecute against those who have imprisoned him, for the public interest and freedom. of the Members and Subjects.  
My Lord,  
IT is now a full Month's space since I [with other Members of the Commons house] have been forcibly apprehended and kept prisoners by some of your Officers and Marshal, against the Privileges of Parliament, the Liberty of the Subject, the Laws and Statutes of the Realm, and all rules of Justice, Conscience & Right reason; without the least shadow of Authority, or any cause at all yet made known to me, of which [were there any] neither God nor man, ever yet made your Lordship or your Officers Judges. I therefore desire to know from your Lordship, what kind of prisoner I am? and whose? If a prisoner of peace: neither your lordship nor your Officers are any justices of peace, or Civil Magistrates in this place, to restrain me for any civil crime, were I guilty of it, much less without proof or hearing, in case I were no Member: but being neither guilty nor accused of any such crime, and a Member too, no Magistrate can, nor aught to imprison me upon any pretext, at least without the Houses licence first obtained. Ifa prisoner of War, which I cannot probably be, being never in Arms, and apprehended near the Commons house door, going peaceably and unarmed thither to discharge my duty; than you, and your Officers thereby acknowledge, that you have LEVIED WAR AGAINST THE PARLIAMENT, and its MEMBERS; and what a Capital offence this is, and what a punishment it deserves, I need not inform your Lordship, or your Council, who have for this very crime condemned and shot some to Death, As TRAITORS: and demanded speedy Justice and Execution for it upon THE KING HIMSELF. I have but one thing more to trouble your Lordship with, and that is, to demand whose Prisoner I am? having yet seen no Warrant nor Order, from yourself, or your Officers for my restraint, though I have oft demanded it of your Marshal: If your Lordship's Prisoner, there appearing yet no Legal Authority, cause or warrant for my restraint, I must then crave so much Justice from your Lordship (being but a Subject, and not yet paramount all Laws) to order your Attorney to give an Appearance for you in the KING'S BENCH, the first return of the next Term, to an action of false imprisonment, for this my unjust restraint; which I intent (by God's assistance) effectually to prosecute. If your Officers Prisoner only and not yours, which I conceive, who yet abuse your name and authority herein, though it be a rule in Law and Divinity too, Qui non prohibet malum quod pocest, Inbet; yet I shall be so just as to set the saddle upon the right horse, and commence my action only against such of your Officers, who have been most active in my imprisonment, for damage and reparations, which if there be any justice remaining under Heaven, I doubt not but I shall recover in Gods due time, in this public cause which so highly concerns the Honour, Freedom, and Priviledgesof Parliament and Subject's Liberties; for defence and maintenance whereof, as I have hitherto spent my strength, adventured my life, Body, liberty and Estate, so I shall now again engage themall, and all the friends & interests I have in Heaven and Earth, rather than they shall suffer the least diminution, prejudice or Eclipse by my stupid patience under this unjust captivity; though I can as willingly forgive and put up private Injuries, when the public is not concerned, as any man. All which I thought meet to inform your Lordship off, whom I am hearty sorry to see so much dishonoured, abused, and misled by rash ill-advised Officers, and dangerous, destructive (& I dare say jesuitical) counsels, to the Parliaments dissipation, the Kingdom's prejudice, Ireland's loss; most good men's and ministers grief, your best friends astonishment, your Enemies and the Papists triumph, our Religion's scandal, and your own dishonour; which I beseech you as an Englishman, a Christian, a professor of piety and Religion, a Soldier, a General, to lay sadly to your heart, as the earnest request of  
From my Prison at the Sign of the Kings-Head in the Strand: 3. jawary 1648. Your Lordship's faithful Friend and Monitor WILLIAM PRYNNE.  
❧ To the Honourable Thomas Lord Fairfax, GENERAL of the Present Army, these present.   

An Additionall POSTSCRIPT.  
WE read Luke 3.14. That when the Soldiers demanded of john Baptist saying; And what shall we do the said unto them; DO VIOLENCE TO NO MAN [or put no man in fears] NEITHER ACCUSE ANY FALSELY; and be content with your allowance; not imprison depose, or murder Kings, pull down Parliaments imprison, violently shut out and drive away Parliament men, and then lay all false accusations and scasdalls upon them, to colour your violence, subvert kingdoms, altar States; break all bonds of Laws, Oaths, covenants, obligations, engagements to God and men; usurp all civil, military and Ecclesiastical power, and the King's Royal Palaces into your own hands, as supreme Lords and Kings; raise what new forces, and leavie what new Taxes you please, take up what Freequarters and houses, seize & plunder what public Treasuries and moneys you please, without Commission or Authority, obey neither God nor Man, neither Parl. nor Magistrate; & be content with nothing, but altar & subvert all things. These are St. Peter's new Doctrines and Revelations, to our Officers and Soldiers now, & those Jesuits who lurk amongst them not john the Bapt. whose Canonical advice is now rejected as Apocryphal even among the army Sts. who prefer every ignis fatuns, though from Douai or Rome itself, before this burning & shining old light, & are guided only by a new minted law, of pretended providence, or necessity, of their own forging, and not by the Revealed will and law of God, the sacred light whereof their present works of Darkness dare not approach, lest they should be reproved and condemned by them. But some 43 actions of false imprisonment by the imprisoned, and 150. actions of the Case by the secluded Members, brought against these domineering lawless Officers and Grandees of the Army, where in good Damages will be recovered, and some 12. Indictments of High Treason against them, for laying violent hands upon the King's Person, & the Members, & levying War against the Parliament, will teach them more Obedience, Humility, and Modesty, then either john Baptist, Saint Paul, Saint Peter, or Saint Peter will do; and be like Giddeon thorns & briers of discipline to these men of Succoth, with whom no fair means will prevail: who might have learned so much law and justice from an Heathen Soldier and Governor Festus Acts 25.27. it seemeth unto me UNREASONABLE to send, (much more to commit) a prisoner, and not withal to signify THE CRIMES LAID AGAINST HIM; And come short of that ingenuity of the Heathenish CHIEF Captain, who seized upon Paul, thereby to appease the tumult at Jerusalem, Acts 22, 27.29. who as soon as ever Paul told him, he was a Roman, and FREE BORN, then straightway they departed from him who should have examined him; and THE CHIEF CAPTAIN ALSO WAS AFRAID, after he knew that he was a ROMAN, AND BECAUSE HE HAD BOND HIM. And should not the false imprisoning of a Parliament man, and Freeborn English Man, be as formidable to our chief Captains (being a christian, I say sworn and vowed to defend the Houses Privileges and Members persons as the imprisonment of a Roman was to this Chief Captain, and they as ingenious and just as he, who shall rise up to judgement against them and condemn them at the last.   
FINIS.