A DECLARATION OF Divers Gentlemen of WALES concerning Colonel Poyer:  
And his proceed in this and the former Engagement. His Actions stated.  
AND A DECLARATION sealed by Colonel Poyer for the KING against the PARLIAMENT.  
WITH The whole case Delivered upon Oath, upon the examination of several WITNESSES.  
April 19 1648 Imprimatur G. M.  
LONDON, Printed for H. Becke, and are to be sold in the Old Bayley. 1648.   

A Declaration of divers Gentlemen of Wales, concerning Colonel Poyer.  
IT is an Ordinary crime amongst the vulgar discontents of these times, to lay hold of the least hint of News which any way relates to their interest, and instantly cry it up, as if they were assured of future contingencies, and the success thereof, but commonly the hopes of such are built upon the deceitful shallow grounds of revengefulness and malice, which are seldom▪ seconded with a blessing, but success answerable to the unreasonableness of their wishes: Neither can I much blame such who know not the condition of the party they so much elevate, or his principles: if they did, sure no rational men would ever betray their own judgements, and the cause they so much affect, as to place their confidence upon one who will appear like a flash of lightning, soon gone out, or an Ignis fatuis, without heat or influence, which frustrates the expectations of the beholders. Col. John Poyer, prentended Governor of Pombrook Castle, is the party herein charactered, and before we come to his matters of fact, we shall glance on some particulars following.  
We will not much insist that he is the offspring of mean parentage: Or that his beginning was in Mr. Megrieks Kitchen of Pembroke, being a turn-spit boy there: Or that afterward he was a poor ragged boy, which was hired to run to and fro on errands: Or that he was bound Apprentice to a Glover, by which he got a poor subsistence, until about the beginning of the late wars: Or that about five years since he got a wench with child, and after her delivery pretended he had been married to her, but did produce no witness to prove it, and since that, ●a●h had two or three children more by her, she being commonly called, and reputed his Whore, and his Children bastards.  
Or that Poyers' Mother is generally famed in the said Town to be worse than etc. and in that regard Poyer by instinct of nature is possessed with more than ordinary impudence.  
Now we shall give you a clear Demonstration of part of his actions since the beginning of the war in that County, about five years since, upon a disagreement between the Mayor of the Town of Pembroke and the Townsmen, Poyer with a lose rabble of the meaner sort of the Town, got into the Castle, having some Arms kept the Castle in opposition to the Mayor and his party, the major part made choice of Poyer, to be their Captain, and shortly after, he seized upon two Merchant's Ships of great value, which came into Milford Haven, kept them by force, made sale of the ships and their goods for his own use, & likewise seized the goods of divers Merchants, which came into Milford Haven, & gave them the public Faith, he having no commission or power from the Parlia. or any under them, so cheated the people of their goods, to the undoing of several persons that came up to complain here; by these means he became enabled to raise one other company of foot, and by force he raised a Troop of Horse on the Inhabitants of the said County, without Commission as aforesaid, for either Horse or Foot; with this force in a freeboting way, he oppressed all the well-affected to the Parliament, in that part of the County, in breaking open their houses, taking away their moneys and provisions, plundering them of their Cattle, insomuch that Roger Lorte, & Tho. Bowen, Esq were forced to fortify their houses with their Servants against him, for their own preservation, knowing the said Poyer was instrumental with his lawless force to execute other men's malice against them, which Poyer accordingly did, by taking away Mr. Lorts, and Mr. Bowens Cattle, Corn, and Goods, to a great value, he imprisoned the persons of several men in the Castle of Pembroke, until they ransomed themselves, with moneys, or pawns to the values, seized upon the Lands, Mills, Rents, Woods, Corn, & Cattle of Delinquents, under Sequestration of the Committee of that Association, and possessed them by strong hand, to his own use, enforced the Soldiers in time of war to buy those provisions sent them by the Parliament, for the Garrison of Pembroke, he possessed himself by force of the Demesne-Lands of Carew being the Lands of Sir Richard Phillip's Baronet, a known well-affected man to the Parliament, worth about 300 li. per annum, for several years made profits thereof, and where he understood there were fat Cattle, in the pastures of any Gentlemen he bore a spleen to, he instantly sent his Bullies, as he terms them, to fetch them off into the Castle, part of this was done before the Wars, but most of all done since the Enemy was beaten out of that County, and since all South-wales was reduced to the obedience of the Parliament.  
And it is well known, Poyer had never any commission for Horse or Foot, during the said war, neither had he ever so much gallantry as to charge an enemy. And it's proved upon Oath before the now Judge Advocate, That Poyer is not so little accountable to the State, Country, and Strangers, as 6000 li. Being thus extremely accountable, and having nothing responsible but his Carcase, at his being here in Town was served with a warrant from the Committee of Cornhill, for stating the Accounts of the Kingdom to appear before them, and answer to such particular Charges and Accounts as were given in there against him; But the day he was served as aforesaid, he took Horse went homeward out of Town, and never appeared since: Now who can pretend Poyer hath Arrears due to him, when he durst not stand to the test of an account, and having never acted by Commission under the Parliament, and he so much Accountable as aforesaid.  
The substance of the most part of this before related lies upon record proved by the oaths of witnesses against him, at the Headquarters at Putney about September last, There were Articles also preferred against him to the Committee of safety about two years and a half since, And to the Committee of Gloucester about two years since, the remainder of those Articles which are likewise proved, we shall in brief give you the heads of them.  
1 That Poyer is a great drinker and haunter of Alehouses and seldom or never sober in the afternoon.  
2 That he is a great Swearer & Quarrel.  
3 That he hath been most sottishly drunk upon several Fast days.  
4 That he hath been beastly drunk the very day he received the communion.  
5 That An. Dom. 1643 The said Poyer and some of the townsmen of Pembroke subscribed an Instrument and fixed the town seal to it, that they would keep the Castle for the King, against all such as should claim it, in the name of King and Parliament.  
6 That he did beat two Orthodox Ministers, namely Mr. Nathaniel Cradock, and Mr. Evan Roberts, that the said Mr. Cradock lay afterward sick of the brusies, and beat he received from Poyer, about half a year, in the City of London.  
Now let the impartial Reader judge whether this wretched fellow who like a Prodigious Comet that threatens nothing but ruin and destruction to his native Country, raised this rebellion out of affection to any public interest now in being, or out of a sense of his base guiltiness, which his said actions reflects upon him, set him upon this desperate course, knowing if there should be a settledness of peace in the Kingdom, he being so much accountable to the State as well as particular persons, besides his felonious actions, it would inevitably bring him to condign punishment. And therefore this Viper hath endeavoured rather to involve the Kingdom in a new war, That he might remain unquestionable in such troubled waters, than otherwise undergo the sentence of his merits.  
Here let the King's party who perhaps hath through ignorance applauded him, observe what a pure foundation they build their fond hopes on, sure by all probability if the structure of monarchy take its rise from such a wellspring of impiety as Poyer is, by all collections and symptoms the sequel can prove but fatal and destructive to this Kingdom, And the next news, I am confident you will hear that this Cattaline being invaded on all sides, both by sea and land, and not being able to take the field, for want of a general compliance from the neighbouring Countries, he and his Sattalits' will be cubd up to feed at rack and manger upon their purloined provisions, by the Parliament Forces, which by God's assistance will soon bring him and his Adherents to justice.  
FINIS,