A Discourse or Dialogue between the two now Potent Enemies:  
The Lord General Militia, and his illegal opposite Commission of Array.  
The first, Pleading the Power and lawfulness of his Authority by the Parliament for the benefit of the Subject.  
The other, Claiming the Prerogative of the King for the Cavaliers.  
CR  HONI SOIT QVI MAL Y PENSE DIEV ET MON DROIT  English royal blazon, surmounted by a crown and flanked by the English lion and Tudor rose on one side and the Scottish unicorn and Scottish thistle on the other 
Octob: 7th LONDON, Printed for Thomas Bates. 1642.   

A DIALOGUE between the Militia and Array.  Militia. 
THere hath been much discourse about you and I, that is, about the Commission of Array and the Malitia, and you have by the Parliament been formerly adjudged illegal and unlawful.  Array. 
Can that be unlawful which is undertaken for the defence of the King? to whom should the military strength of the Kingdom be subject if not to the King.  Mil. 
I allow all this, and my desire as well as yours is, to sacrifice my blood in maintaining the King's right, against all such as would have him invade the privileges of the Subject, and such as seek the dissolution of the Parliament. In a word, I stand for the King and the Parliament, you only for the King as he is carried away by the evil counsel of Malignants.  Array. 
These Malignants indeed have been sufficiently railed upon, and under that title have been comprised many well affected Subjects; for if every one led only a loyal subjection, did but afar off appear to incline to the King's designs, he was branded with the mark of a malignant spirit, so that many have by vulgar opinion been undeservedly included under that appellation.  Mil. 
Though I know Array, that you are a thing created by Regal Authority, and do endeavour to affront the Militia, I will show you your first beginning and original, which we spread a blush upon your cheek, or rather conscience, if you have any grace or Religion, while in a brief Narration I do give you an account of your own Pedigree, for you are an upstart piece of the military strength of this Kingdom.  Array. 
'tis false, I can derive my antiquity from the reigns of many former Kings, wherein I have done very good service, and such hath my valour been, that I have in many Battles crushed the insolent Commons, and brought a glorious victory to the King's Standard.  Mil. 
You brag on wrong grounds. It is the end of any action that doth merit honour, your confiding in doing service for the King in opposing the Parliament, is an argument built on false grounds; but you are conformable in your words to your purposes and beginning: For when the King through the instigation of the malignant party consisting of Papists, prelatical Clergy, Delinquents, and part of the Nobility and Gentry, who serving the Court, had combined to bury the happiness of this Kingdom in the ruin of this Parliament, and to cut up the freedom of Parliaments by the root, and to erect in this Kingdom an arbitrary government, than you the Commission of Array were presently thought upon, and away you were carried into several Countries by divers Noblemen, there by an illegal power to raise an Army for the protection of Delinquents from the hands of justice, first under colour of a Guard for the King, you and your Commission of Array overrunning several Counties, compelling the Trained Bands by force to come in and join with you, or disarming them and putting their Arms into the hands of lewd and desperate persons, thereby turned the Arms of the Kingdom against itself, and this was your intention.  Array. 
I had no such purpose but was for the safety of the kingdom, and the honour of the King: For it was always thought fit and requisite that the King should have the ordering and disposing of the Militia of the kingdom; but when you were settled and ordered by the Parliament against the King's desire, and put into such hands as they would confide in then the Commission of Array issued out not to disturb the peace of the kingdom, but to defend it as well as you or any other Militia.  Mil. 
How comes it then to pass, that when the design which had been so long carried on to alter the frame and constitution of this government both in Church and State, was now come to ripeness, and the conteiners thereof conceived themselves arrived to that condition of strength, that they should be able to put it in present execution, they have now made the K. raise a great army, this was your do, commission of Array.  Array. 
I was sent abroad indeed to use the utmost force I could to compel and summon them in, but more came in voluntarily then by virtue of my commission; the Gentry and Cavaliers freely engaging themselves in that service, and such a great confluence of several persons flocking unto the King, that they needed no compassion, Horse, Arms and Ammunition being daily brought, and besides the Royal Standard which had a glorious presence in the field, drew more unto it then the commission of Array.  Mil. 
If you disdain the matter already, 'tis likely you knew that your power was illegal, standing always in defiance of the Parliament, and of the Militia, but I hope to make you know your error in time. It is fit that Militia being a faithful subject to the King and Parliament, and standing for both against those malignants, wherewith the King is now environed, should be better esteemed than nothing of yesterday. I mean the commission of Array.  Array. 
'tis false, and I will make, thee know thou malicious Militia, thou leader on of leathern Coats and City Roundheads, that you are but a cracking noise to me, what do boys but waste powder in the streets? and so are you nothing but an invention to make away powder, carrying a fair show of a concealed affection to your King and Country, but are led on by the instigation of weekly pay, and a love you bear to opposition, speak no more, for Array is accounted with a sword, which as I wear by my side, so I dare man age for my King and Country.  Mil. 
I regard not your sword (Array) nor can your threatening language strike a terror into me, the goodness of my design in defending the King and Parliament, doth give me boldness to appear in the field against you and your swaggering Troops of Cavaliers, who having engaged themselves against their Country, would now upon cooler blood be glad with safety to retire. I must tell you that the name of Array is odious to the people, and therefore your best refuge is the country, for here in London you would by the common sort be cut into pieces, for they understand you as a direct enemy to the Commonwealth; One that would entrench upon the liberty of the subjects, so that by the authority of your tyrannical power, all whatsoever they possessed should be subject unto your mercy, and upon any present humour, if you send for their goods or for money, they must deliver them up, and be glad to be undone, and that this could stand with justice was a strange opinion brought up by the malignant party under whose colours you serve.  Array. 
You are deceived, my desire is to save the kingdom from ruin, and preserve the king in a free Monarchy; for the King is resolved that he will not see Religion, the Basis and foundation of a Commonwealth defaced, and that he will maintain the rights and liberties of the subject, and the privileges of Parliament; and he doth solely claim this power, as being the Defender of the faith; and therefore seeing all his actions do reflect on the good of the Commonwealth, whereunto they ought to be directed, and while the King doth bear this resolution all true subjects are bound to aid His Majesty.  Mil. 
But if the King may force his Parliament, they may bid farewell to all Parliaments, and all their Laws will be cut in sunder, with the same sword now drawn for the destruction of the Parl. therefore let the Militia and Array now agree, and stand for God, our K. & Parl. I am not far from you under the command of the E. of Essex, but should be glad of this reconcilement.  Array. 
If the King were so pleased, I should be glad also of such an agreement.   
FINIS.