A brief NARRATION or some Arbitrary Proceed of the Committee chosen for the County of Kent. (But acting against it.)  
With the unanimous Resolution of all true hearted KENTISH-MEN in a just Detestation. of the same  
Aug: 17. London, Printed in the Year, 1648.   

A Brief Narration of some Arbitrary Proceed of the Committee chosen for the County of Kent.  
ALthough by the permission of the divine providence, we have suffered a present transaction of our deliberate purposes, and by addition of the mischievous endeavours of many of our degenerating Country-Committee-men, had Characters of disaffection to the peace and quiet of our County undeservedly stamped upon us, whereby a double disadvantage is laboured on our behalf. Yet that it may be evident how constant we dare appear to any religious and warrantable undertaking, notwithstanding any particular miscarriage, or misfortune in the same.  
And that by way of return, we may engrave those black aspersions in legible Letters upon the brazen brows of such as would outface the truth. We desire the world to take notice, that we are so perfectly satisfied in the assurance of our clear Intentions, that we willingly call heaven and earth to witness our sincere integrity in that particular.  
We are not so undetermined in Religion, as to be superstititious in successes, and sacrifice our reason thereunto, or suffer ourselves to be shaken merely by the motions of adverse events. We deny not but that Gods present will may be read therein, but affirm likewise that his consequent Order cannot be discerned thereby, which may require the demolishment of many particular Gods to build up the frame of the universal, neither doth the present ruin of single pieces of equity derogate any thing from the goodness of their nature, so that we may safely determine that the success and prevalence of Injustice and self Interest, against candid and unbiaced honesty, must not at all abate our zeal to any public, virtuous undertaking.  
The performance of what we intimated in the second place, will require a survey of the proceed of a factious number of our Committee men, whose distempered Palates can relish nothing which savours of tranquillity and quiet, nor digest preparatives appropriated to that purpose, gaping after nothing but what is composed of Arbitrary and Independent Ingredients, which they greedily swallow, until their stomaches overchar'gd, send forth infectious, poisoned paper pellets, destructive to the very being of a free borne Subject. Witness, an Order of theirs, long since commanded to be read in all the parish Churches within the County, strictly denying so much liberty, as but to make our desires or sufferings known by way of Petition, (lest possibly themselves might have been the burden of our complaint.)  
This for the present we obeyed, in hope that defect in us might by their means be supplied, and that they would endeavour to apply some seasonable relaxation to our havie pressures. But behold our expectation frustrated, and themselves become the great Oppressors of us, extorting by threats of Sequestration, and such affrighting Engines, such sums of money as they thought fit to require by perremptory Letters dispersed to that intent.  
Our patience still triumphed over their trregular exactions, neither did we discover so much self affection as to make public complaints of these particular grievances. But when the more general concernments of the Kingdom called upon us, and we were invited by the examples of our neighbouring Counties, to express our sense and fellow feeling of these epedemical distempers, which in probability without a speedy Application, must prove destructive both to the Church and State, we then resolved to hazard their displeasure, and humbly offer our addresses higher, where encouraged by the success of others upon the like occasion, we durst presume at least a kind reception.  
But this Appeal prevailed not to prevent the interposition of our angry Masters, who to discover their distaste of what might tend to an accommodation, and demonstrate, that their busy malice could aspire to reach us, what ever distance we observed for our security, not staying to expect a warrant for their undertaking, salute us with another Order (forged in the shop of their distempered fancy) wherein they do asperse both us and on Petition with scandalous and reproachful language, notwithstanding the wisdom of the two Houses had discovered no such merit in expressions of the same import, which they then had, (and since have) received from several places of the Kingdom. An Argument (in our opinion) of the unparalleled presumption of our anticipating and preiudicall judges whose hasty and indiiested determinations are impatient to expect the results of more mature deliberation. Nor did they rest here, but by raising of Armed Troops, endeavour (as at the first to discountenance, so now) to discourage us in our honest undertaking, and by their powerful provision terrify us from performing that duty which we really owned to our distressed Country. To this purpose their Order was read at the head of their several Troops at fairs, and Market towns, and to make it the more universal Commanded to be published (as their former had been) in the several parish Churches within the County by their respective Ministers; nor was this thought sufficient, without disarming all that appeared forward and active in the business, which private resolution of theirs was seasonably discovered, by which means we had the opportunity to take the staff into our own hands the better to support us from their intended opproession and ruin (how just the provocation was, we leave to all Indifferrent Arbitrators to determine,) add hereunto the several expressions of Sir Anthony Welldon and Mr. Beale the first declaring that he would not cross the street of Rochester to save the soul of a subscriber, the other delivering, he thought it very requisite that two or three of the Petitioners in every Parish were hanged up for example. This contrary carriage compelled us to an engagement, and for satisfaction to others to evidence the ground of it by a Remonstrance, wherein we still continued to profess our peaceable intents though (in obedience to the Law of nature) enforced to take up Arms for our defence in prosccution of the same. This we desire might be Communicated to the two houses, as a preparative to our entertainment there, and to prevent all misconstructions of our fair intentions.  
To that end we did intrust it in the hands of Captain Lee, and Captain Nestrone both Members of the lower House, and of our high Committee, who (to say no more) did unworthily deceive our confidence, and abuse their trust by presenting it unperfect, having first obliterated the most material passages, which might either conduce to our advantage against themselves, or a right understanding with those to whom we had intended our address. What the unhappy consequence of this hath been we shall omit, as needless to be mentioned; and where the reparation both for the Affronted and subsequences of it is due to be expected, we do conceive it evident enough, without a use of Application.  
It remains only now that we labour our own Vindication from so fowl a defection, as we must of necessity be guilty of, if we neglect that duty we own unto our captive country men (whose reputation shall survive the malice of their enemies, & in despite of treachery or fortune (a Deity which we adore not) be ever Registered for Imitation, when the Fames and Names of their contemned Opposers shall stink and perish) in relation whereunto we do again religiously engage ourselves faithfully to discharge that obligation which is upon us, and not to neglect any opportunity which may conduce to their advantage, being fully assured in our Consciences, that our first resolutions were built upon a very safe foundation, and that having so warrantable ground for our productions, it is no less noble to act thereon (though it prove our own Tragedy) with out swords in our hands, than it will appear Inglorious tamely to enslave ourselves by a degenerous submiting to arbitrary and insulting Results and so become the Comical Scoene of laughter and contempt to all usurping Tempers.  
And herein as we can discern no reason to suspect the approbation, so are we as confident to promise to ourselves the useful assistance of all that do unfeignedly incline to peace, either in this City of London, or the Adjacent Counties (whensoever opportunity shall prompt them to afford it (whose just and serious apprehensions of the increasing distractions of this declineing Kingdom (fomented by the factious spirits of disaffected Sectaries) hath lately prevailed with them to prepare and present the same addresses which we unworthily were prevenred in.  
FINIS.   

The Colchester Spy.  
Truly informing the Kingdom of the estate of that gallant Town, and the attempts of Fairfax against it: with some other remarkable Intelligence from the English and Scots Army; the last news from the Navy, also from Westminster and London.  
From Thursday, Aug. 10. to Thursday, Aug. 17. 1648.  

Yet Colchester bears bravely up,  
They eat and drink apace,  
Lately they gave a deadly cup  
Unto the Babes of Grace.   

Though the Saints hope to starve them out,  
Alas it ne'er will be:  
For if they grapple t'other bout,  
O Fairfax, farewell thee.   
To the Earl of Norwich, Lord Capell, Sir Charles Lucas, and the rest of the renowned Captains in Colchester.  

Shrink not brave Hero's, be not you dismayed,  
Because so long you want your hoped aid;  
You know it is not easy to bring down,  
Traitors who sit at Helm, and grasp a Crown:  
The Scots must force their way, through Lambert's heart.  
And send ten thousand for to claim their part,  
Amongst the Furies, ere they can come on  
with winged haste, to your redemption;  
The Prince of Wales, although King of the Seas,  
Yet fears his cure may add to their Disease;  
Should he act rashly, and a Battle try  
E'er things are come unto maturity,  
Things work apace, be patiented and ere long  
Unto your rescue comes three Armies strong.   
Printed in the Year 1648.