His Highness the PRINCE OF WALES HIS ANSWER To the Earl of Warwick's Summons: Sent by Major HUMPHREY BOSWELL, the 22. of September 1648. stilo novo: with the Earl of Warwick's desire to meet the Lord Willoughby. Another Paper of the Earl of Warwick's, in Answer to the PRINCES. A Letter of DORIZLAUS' intercepted, going to the Earl of Warwick, concerning the arresting of the Constant Warwick, and the Captain, being prevented by the same Letter. Also the Princes coming to his Navy, with 10000 l. for the Seamen; and the Hollanders joining with the PRINCE. Printed in the Year 1648. WE have seen a paper dat. 19 of September, signed by the Earl of Warwick, and sent aboard our Fleet, now riding at Anchor of Helford Sluice, and under our own immediate Command; By which, with strange insolence, and in a manner very disagreeable to a person of honour (whose own condition so absolutely depends upon the preservation of the regal power) he requires our Officers to take down the Standard, and to render themselves and the Ships under their command, to him (who he says, is constituted by authority of Parliament, Lord high Admiral of England) for the use of King and Parliament. To all which extravagant expressions & demands, he will receive the most proper answer, from the disdain and courage of those faithful Officers, and Mariners whom he would corrupt, who have with such eminent affection and Loyalty (which we shall always remember) brought that our Royal Father's Fleet to be employed under our command for his service, & who (we are confident, by God's blessing,) will preserve & descend the same against any such demands or attempts whatsoever. They very well know, that it is in the King's sole power to make a Lord high Admiral of England, and that though this our Fleet be now required to be given up for the use of the King and Parliament, the King in truth is still in prison, with such circumstances of restraint, as to say no more, are not usual in the case of the most private person, and whose delivery and freedom all his Subjects are obliged to endeavour, by the Laws of God and man, with the utmost hazard; and in that pious work, and whatsoever shall contribute thereunto, we have full assurance, all the Officers and Mariners of our Fleet will vigorously perform their part, and in so doing publish to the world how much they abhor those that would seduce them. And for the encouragement of all those who have any impressions in their consciences of honesty and duty to God and the King; and who (we believe by fears and threats) are led into this desperate & wicked Combination; We do by the authority granted Us by our Royal Father, & in his name, who hath the sole power to grant pardons, and without whose consent no Act of indemnity can secure any guilty person, offer a gracious pardon to all those Officers and Mariners who are now aboard any of the Ships under the command of the Earl of Warwick, if they shall quit that service, and betake themselves to our protection, where they will be received into pay, and into a better condition of subsistence, than they can be in the employment they now have; And if they shall bring with them any of the Ships in which they now are, or other Ships, they shall continue in the same commands they now have, and receive such further encouragement and reward as (besides the satisfaction of their Consciences) shall be very advantageous to them: And if that unhappy Earl himself, who hath contributed so much to the destruction of Government, which himself or his posterity can never reasonably hope to survive, shall now (upon the observation of the temper and disposition of those, whose commands he now executes, and from whom we believe in his first engagement, he did not expect or apprehend such Commands) out of conscience and prudence desire to join with us in the rescue of our Royal Father from his unworthy imprisonment, and the restoring the almost ruined Kingdom to peace and happiness, and the English Nation to their old Glory and renown, we shall with all princely sincerity and affection take him into our Arms, and concur with him to those great and good ends, which can only make the Nation happy. Septem. 22. Old style. 1648. CHARLES P. After the delivering of this to my Lord of Warwick, he seemed to be somewhat discontented against the Army, and used Major Boswell very civilly; and at his departure engaged himself to give a meeting to my Lord Willoughby, and used many civil expressions towards his Highness the Prince of Wales. May it please your Highness, WE have had the honour to be acquainted with your Highness' Paper of the 22. of September, expressing your displeasure against that Summons, sent by the Right Honourable the Earl of Warwick (duly constituted, Lord high Admiral of England) to the Admiral, or chief Commander of the Fleet of English ships riding off Helvord Sluice; which as it was advised and approved by us (amongst others) at his Lordship's Council of War, so upon second thoughts we cannot find to contain either insolency or extravagancy, it tending to no other end, but the returning of those Ships to the service of the King and Kingdom, whose they are, from which they have been perfidiously diverted and betrayed; and for their reduction whereunto, We shall not count the utmost improvement of our courage, (which (blessed be God) will not be blunted with any treacherous reflections) nor the hazard of our lives too dear a Sacrifice, and which to endeavour, his Lordship is (by the obligations of honour and duty) so much engaged. We have considered your Highness' invitement of the Officers and Mariners of this Fleet, to quit and exchange this service, which our and their hearts do with the greatest indignation disdain and abhor, as that which would be a sin against God, an injury to His Majesty, a further disturbance of our native Country's peace, and a violation of those impressions of honesty and duty, which we own to our consciences and trust; and so would render us truly unhappy, by really contributing to the destruction of the Parliament, in whose preservation and honour, your Highness' interest, as well as the Kingdoms, is so much concerned; and to the further effusion of precious blood, whose vast expense, with the true originals thereof, we beseech your Highness to lay sadly to your Princely heart, and to make your serious application to those ways which may most directly conduce to a safe and well-grounded peace betwixt his Majesty and the Parliament. In order to which, a Treaty is now depending, and His Majesty in a condition of Freedom, honour, and safety: And in such ways none shall with more faithful, cheerful, sincere and humble affections, serve your Highness, than Your Highness' humble Servants, Warwick. John Coppic. John Pear. Tho. Petty. Jo. Lambert. Jo. Bowen. R. Moulton. Robert Nixon. Owen Cox. R. Huddock. Tho. Harrison. John Mildmay. William Branckley. Rob. Bardwith. Richard Ingle. R. Fearmes. Fr. Penroe. George Ayscuâ—Źe Jo. Bowen. R. Willoughby. Andrew Ball. Ja. Peacock. Richard Pitock. Aboard the S. George at Anchor of Gore, 15. Septem. 1648. My Lord, I Will give your Excellency an account of our proceed here about the Arrest of the Constant Warwick, and Capt. Dear. I undertook to set it a foot before I had received your Excellency's procuration; but because I must needs substitute one to follow the business, I could not effect it; for no body here would undertake to be my Substitute, until I could show him procuration under your Excellency's hand and seal, that I got upon Saturday morning last passed; Mark Bernarte for a Knave. then forthwith I substituted one Mr. Barnarte, a good trusty man, and forthwith advised with an able Lawyer, who is the only man here affectionate to the Parliament among all those of that coat, named Isebrand Craft; I desired to know of him, out of which Court we should (for the best expedition) take out our Process; he told me, that since it was an action of damage, and account of meum & tuum in a civil Plea, it must be taken out of the Court of Holland, the Court Provincial, by reason the Court of Admiralty cannot take connisance of these things here: then he asked me, whether I had here ready, either the Original, or a Copy of the Charter Party, or Commission of the said Captain Dear: I told him, no: but that I could have it by the next Post; his answer was that for want of it we should find the Court very unwilling to grant out a Process, it being required by the Instructions of that Court to grant out none until some summary proof appear, that the Plaintiff is grounded in his suit against the Defendant: However, Ibid the Advocate to try & draw up a Petition to the Court, for without foregoing Petition signed by the Advocate's hand, no Warrant is issued forth for the arrest of a Ship and Captain; he did so, and gave in the Petition upon Monday: the Court demurred upon it all that day: and upon Tuesday sent the Petition into the Assembly of the States of Holland, as a business of that Moment, which they durst not take upon themselves: the States forthwith made a resolution, that the Petition should be referred back to the Court Provincial; And that the Court should do Justice according as was desired: upon Wednesday this resolution of the States was got to be signed, See how he abuses one of the State. & was (together with the Petition) brought into the Court Provincial; Then the Court passed the Warrant, which on Thursday was sent to the Precedent of that Court, called Wyngarden, for to seal it: This servile fellow (instead of sealing it instantly, as his duty is to do) kept us off until yester night ten of the Clock; Mr. Barnat my Substitute gave him no respite all that while, but pursued him wheresoever he went; at length he said he would not seal it until he had acquainted his Highness with it as Admiral of the Seas, and went with the Petition and Warrant up to the Prince of Orange his lodgings last night. This morning he sent it home sealed; when he had got a Notarius ready to protest against him, of all losses and damages which were like to happen to us by this delay of Justice: but this morning a new difficulty arose, which the Mandatory (the Exploycher or Huissier) as they call them here, who would not go about the executing of his Office until I would promise him 80. guilders 8. l. sterling, at all adventures, performing his Office, or not performing it, I could by no means agree to such a Proposition, for so a knave might sit and drink four days, take money besides of the adverse party for betraying his trust, and laugh at us in the end: I offered him the sum demanded after the work done, and the bringing of Dear up to the Hague, this he refused, and fling away; so that hitherto I cannot find any other to do the work upon such terms as we may in reason trust upon: I have had my health but ill since my journey into North Holland, but (by the grace of God) I mend apace: while I have life in me, I am My Lord, Your Excellencies most humble and faithful Servant, Dorislaus. I have now met with an Explausiter that hath undertaken the work, at 8. Guilders per diem, his Wagon and Boat-hire besides, and 25. Guilders over and above, if he bring Capt. Dear up to the Hague. This Letter being intercepted on the Haven at Helford Sluice, by my Lord Willoughby, prevented both the arresting of the Ship, and the Captain, which otherwise had been done within half an hour after; and is now riding with the rest of the Ships at Helford Sluice, being safe out of the Harbour: Dorislaus looked basely the day after, missing of his purpose. 32. Sail of Hollanders are come in, and ride with the Prince his Fleet, and struck sail to his Highness, which they refused to do to my Lord of Warwick, and saluted his highness his Standard, each Ship with seven pieces of Ordinance; and after the Prince his giving them thanks, they shot off each of them one piece more. The Prince is now come to the Fleet, and hath brought with him the 10000 l. for their 6. months' pay, the Seamen being all unanimous, and resolve to live and die with his Highness. FINIS.