AN ALARM To the City of LONDON, By the Scotch Army: Discovering most of the damnable, detestable, and execrable Plots of the siding, overruling, and prevalent Party in both Houses of Parliament, the Army of Independents and Sectaries, etc.  

1. To abolish the established Protestant Religion.  
2. To subvert the fundamental and known Laws of the Land.  
3. To imprison and murder their King.  
4. To burn and plunder the City of London.  
5. To destroy Monarchy, and settle all power upon themselves.  
6. To enslave all people that are of a contrary judgement to themselves.   
With their Resolutions for the King and kingdoms, and the settlement of the known Laws, and bringing all Offenders to exact trial.  
Aug the 29 Printed in the Year, 1648.   

An Alarm to London etc.  
WERE you not by divine justice blinded, and hoodwinked with more than ordinary stupidity, and carnal security, you would at last see the manifold mischiefs and miseries that are coming on you, and your City; and in time provide for your safety, and be no more gulled with flim flams, and rest satisfied with delusive expressions, soft oily answers to your Petitions, smooth silken words like Siren's songs to entice you to destruction:— As Gentlemen, if you consider what Declarations, Protestations, Oaths, and Covenants, those Libertinismes have taken before God, and have broken, and altered their Principles, according to their success, it will plainly appear before God and man what Jugglers they are to both; therefore hear what they say, [Declar. Parl. May 26. 164●.] They doubt not that it shall in the end appear to all the world, that their endeavoures have been most hearty and sincere for the maintenance of the true Protestant Religion, the King's just Prerogatives, the Laws and liberties of the Land, and the Privileges of Parliament; in which endeavours (by the grace of God) they would still persist, though they should perish in the work.  
Does it not appear to all the world how they have fulfilled this promise concerning Religion; have they not suppressed the government by Bishops (as ancient as Christianity itself) the Book of Common-prayer, settled by five acts of Parliament, compiled by holy men, Reformers, and Martyrs, and practised in the time of four Princes, though the Law formerly put one Penry to death [in Qu. Elizabeth's time] for writing two scandalous Books against Church Government, who was indicted, arraigned, attainted of treason, and executed at Tyburn.  
Does it not appear to all the World that this is true, and does it not appear to all the World that they have against this profession, not only altered the true Protestant established Religion, confounding all Government and Orders, but introduced and tolerated all manner of Heresies, Sects, Schisms, Anarchy, Libertinisme, and profaneness, and the sam● Law as well deserves the same end as their Brother Penry did.  
2. Does it not appear to all the world, how they have mai●ayned the King's just Prerogative or power, when against the oath of Allegiance, the oath of Supremacy, and their own oaths and Covenants; they have divided His politic capacity from his natural person, and his power from his person, have wrested the sword out of his hands, with which he was invested withal at his Coronation, the Militia (that is the power of making peace and war) and is trusted only in the hands of the King; not only by the Laws of the Land, but by God himself, by whom King's reign, and Princes decree Justice: as one observes excellently, saying, The sword of the Lord and Gideon is but one two handed sword, and when wrested out of the hands of the King by Rebels, than God takes it into his own hands, and with it will wound the hairy scalps of his enemies. It appears that they have (against their professions) wrested this sword out of his Majesty's hands, and seized not only of his Majesty's Revenue and Shipping, but of his Forts, Ports, and Magazines of War, which is no other but high Treason by the Law; that they have counterfeited his Seal, signed Writs, and granted Patents and Commissions, and made Officers, Justices of Peace, and of Assize, without his consent, divesting the King and the Crown of the chief power and government, and established it upon themselves; voting no more addresses to be made unto his Majesty, nor Messages to be received from him; intending with the Army (as appears plainly by their last Declaration) to settle a government without the King, and against him, and against all that take part with him. This makes all your Petitions for a personal Treaty, and for his Majesty's return, to be so unwelcome to them. This appears to all the world, and a little more, if the God of this world hath not blinded us, That to involve the people in this most execrable, damnable, and detestable Apostasy from their faith & allegiance to God and the King, and more subtly to carry on their plots and designs to ruin Monarchy, they have framed a desperate engagement, That no manner of person whatsoever, shall adhere to any other authority, but the two houses of Parliament; and to renounce the King his protection and government, and to submit to the usurpation of the Rebels at Westminster, or else to be adjudged as Traitors and Rebels to the State. And this desperate engagement is by their Proselytes carried into all the Counties of the Kingdom, and pressed upon the people in all Corporations. This is enough, and too much for the King's Just Prerogative, which by the grace of God these zealous hypocrites would endeavour and persist in, though they should perish in the work. Here let the World behold their equivocations with God and man, and whether their own words be not a thousand witnesses against them, and their base disloyalty, and manifest perjury, be not laid open to all the world, and whether this would not move all manner of persons to oppose and fight against them, both for the defence and maintenance of the King and Crown, and the established Government in the Kingdom.  
3. How they have maintained the Laws and Liberties of the Land: in the end it appears what Laws they have kept or broken: or whether they have not abrogated all the good and wholesome Laws of the Land, and introduced in their places, a new brood of pernicious and baneful Ordinances, that have not the least reference to any of the ten Commandments? have they not put divers to death against Law? have they not against Law, the better to foment this ungodly war, and to enrich themselves, raised Excize, Contributions, Sequestrations, Fifth parts, Twentieth parts, Meal-money, Sa●e of plundered goods, Loans, Benevolences, Collections upon their hypocritical fast-days, Impositions upon Merchandizes, Guards maintained at the charge of private men, fifty Subsidies at once, Compositions, sale of Bishop's lands; and as if all this were too little, Coals four shillings the cauldron, Grindstones and Salt, and a thousand more tricks to impoverish and enslave free subjects? what guide have the subjects of this Land to direct them but the known Laws? What means could they use to discern what to follow, or what to avoid, but the known Laws? which requires all persons to assist their King? never before this age were any people or Nation criminally punished for what the letter of the Law commanded them?  
Now fellow-subjects, does it not appear to the world, what their endeavours have been for the maintenance of the Protestant Religion, and the King's just Prerogatives, and the Laws and Liberties of the Land; and consider how the case stands between his Majesty and you? Is not his case your own? have ye not been both alike abused, gulled and oppressed? Is not he deprived of his Crown, and are not you deprived of your liberties and estates? Is it not plain that his Prerogative and your freedom must fall together? and is not a speedy settlement, the only means to preserve them? and is there any probability of settling till his Majesty be settled in his Throne? is there any way to effect this, but by accommodation with his Majesty? And though all the loyal hearts of the Kingdom have given them to understand by way of Petition, that they are very sensible of their own and his Majesty's distressed condition; yet how loath the Houses are to come to a personal Treaty, and how the people have been put off with delays, appears to all the world, and if a Treaty voted, yet upon their own conditions, that his Majesty shall have a restraint upon him, and remain still in the hands and power of the Army; and therefore judge with what honour or freedom i● can be to His Majesty; Now at this present not allowing Him so much as a Secretary or Clerk to write for Him though they have such superfluity themselves.  
4 For the Privilege of Parliament, at the beginning of every Parliament all arms are or aught to be forbidden to be born in London, Westminster or the Suburbs, no guard or force to be upon them, or compel them to any thing, yet the King is suffered to be driven away by Tumults, so the Parliament is no Parliament, when the King with whom they should parley was driven away, nor can it be a Parliament so long as His Majesty is restrained as a prisoner, for the Houses severed from the King have no more power than the body hath being severed from the head, there is such an incorporation between them, (viz. King, Lords and Commons) that they cannot be dissolved without the destruction of all likewise between the King, the Laws and Kingdom.  
Again, How have they maintained the just Privileges of Parliament when they have chosen Members that were not resident in the County or Burroughs for which they were elected? besides they have ejected Members lawfully chosen, that have sitten and elected new ones of their own faction in their places, against all Law or reason; for they cannot remove a man out of the House unduly returned, much less a man returned duly. Whether this be the just Privilege of Parliament, to eject whom they think good and elect others, besides keeping strong guards of their army about them to hinder the people from prosecuting their just aggrievances, killing and murdering them, will appear to all the world, (whether by the Grace of God) (as they profanely take his name in vain) they have not persisted and endeavoured what they promised for the Protestant Religion, the King's just prerogatives, the Laws and liberties of the Land, and the Privileges of Parliament: Now let them consider, whether for acting contrary to their first Principles they deserve not to perish, and make good their own words concerning their former expressions, when they still persist in these execrable Designs.  
That they intended to poison, pistol or murder the King, appears to all the world; considering but these few particulars; 1 By seizing upon His Majesty's Person at Holdenby without the consent of Parliament.  
2 When they made the engagement of the people (entitled, People's freedoms, Soldiers Rights) at the Rendezvous near Ware, where they had plotted the dividing of the Army; and had hired one to kill the King, being then at Hampton Court.  
3 When this plot failed that Cromwell and Ireton (as appears to all the world by Major Huntington's Narrative) in person juggled so with His Majesty (the scene lying too near London to murder him at Hampton) into the Isle of Wight on purpose to murder him there, which appears to all the world if we consider, that he was sent to Hammond an Independent, and one whose hands formerly had been imbrued in innocent blood.  
4 It appears to all the world by the examination of Mr. Osburn, Mr. Dowcet, and another witness against that inhuman Regicide Major Rolf, who by Cromwell and his confederates in the Army and Houses was set on to pistol, poison, or otherwise do (as the Independents say) that acceptable work, and remove the wicked from his Throne: Before this Martin, Challenor, Corbet, Mildmay, and two or three more of the unclean spirits of the House forged a Declaration, taxing the King with murdering His natural and dear Father, and other shameful and wicked slanders and obloquys to make His people hate him.  
5 That they voted no more addresses to be made unto Him nor messages to be received from Him; which was nothing else but to un-King His Majesty to murder Him, and then to settle all power upon themselves, after they had seized on all His Revenues, His Forts and shipping, what can any fool think they could take more from Him but His precious life? This appears to all the world.  
That they intended, nay do yet intent, to plunder, destroy and burn the City of London as appears by these few Observations. 

1 By their cowardly taking Southwark, and afterward the City of London.  
2 By imprisoning the Aldermen, and chief merchants.  
3 By divers Testimonies in Letters and witnesses from Windsor to the Common Council of the City, that they intended to plunder and burn the City.  
4 Which may appear the more evidently by Skippons privately listing Independents every night, with all the privacy possibly can be imagined, having whole Troops of Horses in all readiness placed in holes and corners of the City and Arms in Independents Houses.  
5 By Fairfax lying still before Colchester, till Skippou hath listed his number, and then to join with him for the Design.  
6 By Wollaston, Atkins, Venus, Pennington (that enjoy great offices from the Parliament) and others sending continually away their goods and money into the country for security.    
Therefore we make no doubt but the City of London will join with us for the restitution of his Majesty, and their City from apparent danger, the Laws and freedoms of the people, the establishment of true Religion, the bringing of all offenders to exact trial of the Laws, the obtaining of a personal Treaty, an act of oblivion, and the Soldiers their arrears, and every man his own, with respect to be had to tender Consciences; also for procurement of the final dissolution of war and discord, the joyful acclamations of a happy and welcome Peace: these are our only aims, which we will prosecute with our lives and fortunes, as God shall help us.  
And we doubt not of the cheerful concurrence of all good people whatsoever in his Majesty's 3 Kingdoms, England, Scotland and Ireland, for the finishing this blessed work, that it may appear to all the world that we aim not at any private or particular Interest, but a general good.   
FINIS.