THE DECLARATION Of many thousands of the City of CANTERBURY, or County of KENT.  
Concerning the late Tumult in the City of Canterbury, provoked by the Mayor's violent proceed against those who desired to continue the celebration of the Feast of Christ's Nativity, 1500 years and upwards maintained in the Church.  
Together with their Resolutions for the restitution of His Majesty to his Crown and dignity, whereby Religion may be restored to its ancient splendour, and the known Laws of this Kingdom maintained.  
AS ALSO, Their desires to all His Majesty's loyal Subjects within his Dominions, for their concurrence and assistance in this so good and pious a work.  
LONDON: Printed in the Year 1647.   

THE DECLARATION Of many thousands of the City of Canterbury, or County of KENT.  
Concerning the late Tumult in the City of Canterbury, provoked by the Mayor's violent proceed against those who desired to continue the celebration of the Feast of Christ's Nativity, 1500 years and upwards maintained in the Church.  
THe long looked for Reformation of Church and Commonwealth, hath been the expectation of most men: happy they at first that could but put a finger, or add a mite to this great and glorious work, or (as falsely and blasphemously) the work of the Lord. How forward was the holy City of London to bring forth their Treasure for the advancing of so pious a Design, their Money, Plate, Jewels were not wanting; the common sort of people thought we should have had a golden Age, that it should have been with them as in the days of Solomon, to have silver and gold as plentiful as stones in the street; their zeal was so hot, that it ever eat up many of them, they cannot recover it to this day. The most part of the Kingdom hath been deluded with vain pretences of truth in Religion, of liberty and property, of all earthly happiness that might be; they expected England to have become a second Paradise. But what the Proverb of old, is now to our sorrow found too true, the remedy of these pretenders to Reformation is worse than the disease; the two Houses have sat above seven years to hatch Cockatrices and Vipers, they have filled the Kingdom with Serpents, bloodthirsty Souldi●●s, extorting Committees, Sequestrators, Excise-men; all the Rogues and scum of the Kingdom have they set on work to torment and vex the people, to rob them, and to eat the bread out of their mouths; they have raised a causeless and unnatural War against their own Sovereign Lord and King, a most pious Christian Prince, contrary to their Allegiance and duty, and have shed innocent blood in this Land. Religion is only talked of, nothing done; they have put down what is good, and (as the Church of Rome heretofore did) they lead us in an implicit blind way, we know not what Faith to profess. Nay, Heresies and blasphemies condemned in General Councils long before Popery had any growth in the Christian Church, are revived; and though not publicly owned by our Reformers, yet winked at, or at least left unpunished. The Civil Government is doubtful: our fundamental Laws so much talked of in this pretended Reformation, are now become only the Votes of the two Houses: if they be pleased to take away our lives and fortunes by a Vote, (as they did some of our dear Countrymen for performing their duty) it is Law, though we never come to trial: the liberty and property of the Subject (so much contended for) is wholly theirs, we but vassals and slaves to their will; and their will is now our Law. There is now little mention made of the King in any of their proceed; they voted Him long since not to be in a condition to govern: it is conjectured by us plain Countrymen, that they esteem him but as a conquered Prince, subject now to their mercy; if he could escape with life it were well; all Power and Authority is now monopolited and confined within the verge of our omnipotent (yet monstrous) Parliament. The greatest scruple is what to do, or how to dispose of this heavy burden of the Kingdom, the King; if they should depose him, or take away his life, they fear the people, because most of them yet take him for their King: they have (since he came within their power) endeavoured to vex and grieve him, by the debarring him of the society and comfort of his Royal Consort, the enjoyment of his children, the attendance of his faithful Nobility and Counsellors, by removing his trusty servants from him, denying any access of his loyal Subjects unto him, keeping strict guards about him, urging him to the signing of such Propositions, which might render him odious to his Subjects (As they have justly made themselves already) and the scorn of all Kings and Nations: and the end of all this is, to break his heart, and shorten his life; for that is the only way to secure their own lives and estates. They would hold the people in hand, that they are labouring to settle peace in this Kingdom, to relieve Ireland and keep union with Scotland; But we understand that Scotland is not pleased, Ireland to our knowledge is not relieved, and this Kingdom much discontented, and miserably divided. If Peace be so near unto us (as is pretended) why have they voted a standing army of so many thousands to the further grievance and impoverishing of the Land? Wherefore continue they so many useless garrisons and County troops? Why lay they greater taxes upon the people, and yet burden them with free quarter? The charge of the Kingdom is increased, and yet they promise us sudden peace: Surely they must acknowledge, that either they expect a foreign enemy, or else intent to act such desperate things against the King and Kingdom, as may justly provoke another war here by insurrection of the people. And it is very well known, that the eyes of most of the people of this land are opened, and they fully discern now their own weakness in being over credulous, and the wickedness of the two Houses in seducing them under specious pretences, of Religion, Liberty, property and what not? They have deluded the Scots also with the same arguments, and engaged them in that cause of which the Scots begin now to repent, and be ashamed, and are ready to vindicate the wrong done them by the two Houses, as also to restore the King's Majesty to his just rights, who is now imprisoned by them in the I'll of Wight: to which design of the Scots signified in their late Declaration we are ready to join our assistance, and desire the concurrence of all his Majesty's loyal Subjects within this Kingdom, as hereafter we shall more fully express.  
The cause of this so sudden a posture of defence which we have put ourselves into, was the violent proceed of the Mayor of this City of Carterbury and his uncivil carriage in persuance of some petty order of the House of Commons for hindering the celebration of Christ's Nativity so long continued in the Church of God. That which we so much desired that day was but a Sermon, which any other day of the week was tolerable by the orders & practise of the two Houses and all their adherents, but that day (because it was Christ's birth day) we must have none; that which is good all the year long, yet is this day superstitious. The Mayor causing some of us to be beaten contrary to his oath and office, who ought to preserve the peace, and to that purpose chief is the sword of Justice put into his hands, and wrongfully imprisoned divers of us, because we did assemble ourselves to hear the word of God, which he was pleased to interpret a Riot; yet we were unarmed, behaved ourselves civilly, intended no such tumult as afterwards we were forced unto: but at last seeing the manifest wrong done to our children, servants, and neighbours, by beating, wounding, and imprisoning them, we were moved to vindicate the wrong done them, and to release them that were imprisoned, and did call unto our assistance our brethren of the County of Kent, who very readily came in to us, and have associated themselves to us in this our just and lawful defence, and do concur with us in this our Remonstrance concerning the King's Majesty, and the settlement of Peace in this Kingdom.  
Forasmuch therefore as the two Houses have exceedingly erred in exalting their privileges above the King's Prerogative, and outgone all former Precedents in Parliament, by exercising an Arbitrary power and government over their fellow subjects, have raised an unjust War against our Sovereign Lord and King, and destroyed many of the Nobility, Gentry, and Commonalty of the Land, have unjustly murdered (though executed as Malefactors) many of his Majesty's loyal Subjects, some of our own County also, have suppressed the true Protestant Religion, suffered all kinds of Heresies and Errors in the Kingdom, have imprisoned or at least silenced and put down all the Orthodox Clergy, taken away the livelihood and being of many thousand Families, oppressed and rob the fatherless and widows, put grievous burdens upon the people, unusual taxes of Proposition money, Excise, etc. which former Parliaments never dreamt of: have imprisoned the King's Majesty turned away his Chaplains and Servants from him, have broken the Union betwixt England and Scotland, and have rendre themselves odious to God and all good men.  
We the Inhabitants of the City of Canterbury and County oh Kent, do protest against these exorbitant and wicked proceed of the two House's, as most injurious to Religion, the King's Majesty, and all his loyal Subjects, and contrary to God's holy Word and the known Laws of this Kingdom, and also contrary to the trust reposed in them by those Countries, and Towns for which they serve. And we will endeavour by God's gracious assistance to restore Religion to its ancient splendour and lustre, release the King's Majesty out of thraldom and misery, and restore him to his just rights and power, whereby he may call those men to account for all the blood they have caused to be shed, for all the vast sums they have extorted from his subjects, and the wrong they have done to him and the whole Kingdom. And in this our design we shall endeavour the preservation of the honourable Constitution of Parliament, (though those men have abused it) and all the just privileges thereof, as much as our own lives and fortunes.  
And we desire all his Majesty's loyal Subjects within his Dominions, readily and cheerfully to concur with us, and assist us in this so good and pions a work, if truth in Religion may again flourish, the King may be honoured and obeyed, every man restored to just rights, the oppressed may be eased, the distressed releived, and a firm and lasting Peace settled within these three Kingdoms, to the great joy and contentment of all the people thereof.  
FINIS.