A DECLARATION OF His Highness the Lord Protector, upon his actual Dissolution of the Parliament of England, on Monday the 22th of January, 1654. With the Grounds and Reasons which moved him thereunto. And his Protestation to the People, touching the Law of the Land, the Discipline of the Church, and their ancient Rights and Privileges.  
EXamined, and perused, by the Original Copy; And ordered to be printed and published for general satisfaction.   portrait of Oliver Cromwell framed by laurels 
O P  
London, Printed by Robert Wood, 〈…〉   

A Declaration of his Higbness the Lord Protector, concerning the dissolution of the late Parliament.  
WHereas his Highness the Lord protector having, for some months bypast, taken a serious Review of the fruitless Transactions of the late Parliament; and finding, the whole National interest so much depending upon their Actions, that without removing the Cause, the Disease would not cease, conceived himself obliged, both to God and Man, to deliver the people of England out of Thraldom; which could no ways be made effective, but by removing of those Cedars, which suffered Briers to grow up without Restriction; And withal considering that the five months (according to the Instrument of the Government for the time allotted to sit) being expired his Highness (on Monday the 22 of January) sent a Message to the Parliament to meet him in the Painted Chamber, where about 12 of the clock he met with them; and declared himself as followeth:  
THat he conceived what he had formerly declared, would have proved so memorable a Memento, that no means would have been left unassayed, or attempted, by this Parliament, to have produced glorious things for the people laying open unto them how good a condition they found the Commonwealth in, and that the English people are as good a people to do for as any in the World.  
Then his Highness declared unto them how God had owned them, and that they knew one another at home, and were known abroad, and that though he held himself concerned to be owned by them in consultations for the good of the Common wealth; yet since they signed the Recognition at their entrance into the Parliament he heard not of them, could not tell whether they were alive or dead, thus they were as free a parliament as ever sat in England, he never interrupted them, or intermixed himself with any of their transactions, but took all care for their security to protect them, and the Nations in peace and safety, that they never came to advise with him for the good of the Nations, that he expected and so did the good people of the Common wealth, that they should have made some good Laws for the case and benefit of the people, but instead of that their chief business was to alter the Government by which they were called, and which they found settled; and if they could not any of them in conscience have acted by that Authority by which they were called to sit in parliament. that they might have done fairly to have told the people so in the Counties where they were chosen, that so they might have chosen others.  
That it was objected by some, that they had signed the engagement to be faithful to the Common wealth as established, when they signed it, without a King or House of Lords, which engagement was a trap to catch men and a snare to the Conscience. But howsoever that when it was taken, there was no Government settled, it was never intended that there should be a perpetual Parliament, neither was it declared to be that Government, and divers of the Members of Parliament then sitting were weary of sitting, and would willingly (as themselves have said) have adjourned and gone home if they could tell how, but that they feared if they should then have risen before a Government was settled, that they feared to be bloodily butchered when they came home. And that the Government which issued out upon their dissolution was his present Government, by a single person and a Parliament, and that to the greatest content of the people. And that he is persuaded it would have been a great joy to them if he could have attained to have had the Government so settled as this Parliament found it, that there might not be on the one side the extreme of Monarchy by a Kingly Power, nor on the other extreme a Democrasy of confusion, for if it was sworn to be true and faithful to a Government, than not to a Democrasy, or none at all. And that the present Government is owned by the people very unanimously in all the Counties and parts of the Commonwealth.  
That he was sorry the Parliament had not, during their sitting, answered the expectations of the people. And that there are some Trees that will grow no where but under other Trees.  
That if they would not suffer others to grow under them was a thing very hard. But they had suffered weeds, thorns, and briers to grow under their shadow.  
And then his Highness mentioned and declared several particulars of the late plot discovered, and shown how it was the most sad and bloody design that ever was against England, and the most dangerous, had not God stepped in, and wonderfully beyond the actings of men, appeared in the preventing of it; all the Arms that could be got for money bought up in the City, persons engaged in all parts of England, and by a base people, such as the thoughts of it was most sad, under whose butchery; we should not have died as by the hands of men, but of beasts.  
That these were suffered to grow under their shadow, no care taken to root them out, only the Lord appeared in it, and prevented it.  
Then his Highness again declared, That there was occasion taken by divers discontented and lose persons, to design under their present distractions, and an endeavour used to divide the Army, and some drawn to act.  
His Highness further declared, That there were some (whom he could name) that went into the City, and pressed them that they would come to the Parliament with Petitions to carry on their purposes.  
And that the Parliament having delayed the Act for the Assements, there were some of the Soldiery, for want of pay, driven to burden the people by Free quarter, for they could not feed upon stones, which the long Parliament would rather have lost their lives than have suffered: And that forces were ready to have come out of Scotland, to march into England, but the wisdom of the General there prevented it.  
His Highness again declared to the Parliament, that there were many honest Godly Gentlemen amongst them, that he hoped, were men fearing God, whom he could cheerfully venture to lay down his life for. That he protested his desires are merely for the good and safety of the Commonwealth.  
And however some say they know not what the cause is that hath been talked of, yet he doth thank the Lord he doth know what the cause is he hath gone upon, which the Lord hath so owned and blest; and which he doubts not but that for the sake of God's choice ones in this Nation, the Lord will still appear for them.  
However, the Independents are abused, and laboured to be crushed, yet he knows them to be godly, and ventured their blood and lives further than others; and minded them what a settlement there was made of provision for the godly and able Ministers of the Land, and also shown how the people of God, though different in judgement in some circumstances, should own and love one another, and that though sometimes God's Children be froward, yet we should not cast them off; God is more merciful, and will own the least dram of Grace in his tender Lambs.  
His Highness further declared, that there were divers honest men of the Rebaptised Judgement, that are sound in other things; God forbidden, but that they should be looked upon through the Spirit of Meekness.  
And that whereas some say, that the Lord Protector doth all to make his own Family great, he did protest, that if to the Instrument they should have added but this one thing, that the Government should have been Hereditary, and no other alteration at all, that for that very thing he would have rejected it, because it would be an unfaithfulness to his trust; Foe, a wise, godly, and honest Father, may have a foolish, wicked, and naughty Son.  
This Declaration, or speech, with many other excellent particulars, he went through. And in the conclusion, said, That he did not think it for the good of the Nation, nor to answer their expectations, to continue their sitting any longer: Therefore he did declare, that he did dissolve the Parliament. Whereupon, they made no desire at all to his Highness to sit longer, nor any speech at all to him; but their time of five months being expired, took their leaves of his Highness, and departed.  
FINIS.