HIS majesties LETTER TO THE LORD KEEPER. TOGETHER WITH His Message to both Houses of Parliament, in answer to their Petition Concerning the Militia, Feb. 28. 1641. Declaring the Reasons why his majesty doth not conceive himself obliged by any promise formerly made, to yield to the same.  
LONDON, Printed for John frank, and are to be sold at his shop next door to the Kings head in Fleetstreet, 1642.   

CHARLES Rex. RIght trusty, and right welbeloved counsellor, we greet you well, our will and pleasure is, that you deliver to be red in the House of peers this our Answer to the desire from both Houses concerning the Militia. And for so doing this shall be your sufficient warrant. Given at our House at Greenwich, the 28 of february, 1641. To our trusty and right well beloved counsellor Edward Lord Littleton Keeper of our great Seal.  
HIs Majesty having with his best care and understanding provided, and considered that which was sent him from both Houses, for the ordering of the Militia presented unto him, to be made an Ordinance of Parliament, by the giving of his royal assent; As he can by no means do it, for the reasons hereafter-mentioned, so he doth not conceive himself obliged by any promise made in his Answer of the second of this month, to the Petition of both houses, to yield to the same.  
His Majesty finds great cause to except against the Preface or Introduction to that Order which confesseth a most dangerous and desperate design upon the House of Commons, of late supposed to be an effect of the bloody counsels of Papists, and other il-affected persons, by which many may understand( looking upon other printed papers to that purpose) his coming in person to the House of Commons on the fourth of January, which begot too unhappy a misunderstanding between Him and his people. And for that, though he believes it, upon the information since given him, to be an apparent breach of their privilege, and hath offered, & is ready to repair the same for the future, by any Act shall be desired of his Majesty, yet he must declare and require to be believed, that he had no other design upon that House, or any Member of it, then to require as he did, the persons of those five Gentlemen his Majesty had the day before accused of high Treason, and to declare that he meant to proceed against them legally, and speedily, upon which he believed, that House would have delivered them up, and his Majesty calls the Almighty God to witness, that he was so far from any intention or thought of force, or violence, although that House had not delivered them according to his demand, or in any case what soever, that he gave those his servants and others, who then waited on his Majesty, express charge and command that they should give no offence to any man, nay, if they received any provocation or injury, they should bear it without return, and his Majesty neither saw or knew that any person of his train, had any other weapons but his pensioners and Guard, those with which they usually attend his person to Parliament, and the other Gentlemen, swords, and therefore his Majesty doubts not, but his Parliament will be so regardful of his honour herein, that he shall not undergo any imputation by the rash or indirect, indiscreet expressions of any young men then in his train, or by any desperate words uttered by others, who might mingle with them, without his consent or approbation. For the persons nominated to be pheasants of the several Counties of England and Wales, his Majesty is contented to allow that recommendation, onely concerning the City of London, and such other Corporations as by ancient Charters have granted unto them the power of the Militia, his Majesty doth not conceive that it can stand with Justice or polity to alter their government in that particular, and his Majesty is willing forthwith to grant every of them ( that of London, and those Corporatons excepted) such Commissions as he hath done this parliament, to some Lord Lieutenants by your advice, but if that power be not thought enough, but that more shall be thought fit to bee granted to those persons name, then by the laws is in the crown itself, his majesty holds it reasonable that the same be by some Law first vested in him with power to transfer it to these persons which he would willingly do, and what ever that power shall be to avoid all future doubts and questions, his majesty desires it may bee digested into an Act of Parliament rather then an Ordinance, so that all his loving Subjects may thereby particularly know, both what they are to do, and what they are to suffer for their neglect, that there may be the least latitude for his good Subjects to suffer under any arbitrary power whatsoever.  
As to the time desired for the continuance of the power to be granted; his majesty giveth this answer, that he cannot consent to divest himself of the just power which God, and the laws of this kingdom have placed in him for the defence of his people, and to put it into the hands of others for any indefinite time, and since the ground of this request from his Parliament was to secure their present fears and jealousies, that they might with safety apply themselves to the matter of his Message of the 20. of january.  
His Majesty hopeth that his Grace to them since that time, in yielding to so many of their desires, and in agreeing to the persons now recommended to him by his Parliament, and the power before expressed to be placed in them, will wholly dispel those fears and jealousies, and assureth them, that as his Majesty hath now applied this unusual remedy to their doubts so( if there shall be cause) he will continue the same to such time as shall be agreeable to the same care now expressed towards them.  
And in this answer his Majesty is fo far from receding from any thing he promised or intended to grant in his Answer to the former Petition, that his majesty hath hereby consented to all, was then asked of him by that Petition concerning the Militia of the kingdom( except that of London, and those other Corporations) which was to put the same into the hands of such persons, as should be recommended unto him by both Houses of Parliament, and his majesty doubts not but the Parliament upon well weighing the particulars of this Answer, will find the same more satisfactory to their ends, and the peace and welfare of all his good Subjects, then the way proposed by this intended ordinance, to which for these reasons his majesty cannot consent.  
And whereas his majesty observes by the Petition from both Houses, presented to him by the earl of Portland, Sir Thomas heal, and Sir William Savill, that in some places, some persons begin to intermeddle of themselves with the Militia; his Majesty expecteth that his Parliament should examine the particulars thereof, it being a matter high concernment, and very great consequence; and his majesty requireth, that if it shall appear to his Parliament, that any persons whatsoever have presumed to command the Militia without lawful authority they may be proceeded against, according to Law.  
FINIS.