THE DECLARATION OF THE COUNTY OF DORSET, Showing their consent to join with other Counties in this Loyal work of redeeming his Majesty, and settling the Kingdom.  
June 15 London Printed in the yer● 1648.   

THE DECLARATION of the County of Dorset, showing their consent to join with other Counties in this Loyal work of redeeming his Majesty and settling ●he Kingdom.  
WE the surviving Inhabitants of the much despised and distressed County of Dorset, having like the rest of the Kingdom, long groaned under the oppressing tyranny of those whom We deputed for our redeemers. And being formerly too impatient, sought ways of redress, but proved unsuccessful. Nor could We now imagine any hopes of a jubilee; did We not see out fellow Counties (who have formerly been too insensible of Our misery and their Own dangers) throwing down their Issakers burden and unanimously lending their hands to wrest Our Sovereign from the jaws of Rebellion and Treason; and vindicating Our gasping laws and liberties, from the unrelenting tyranny of those that would bury Both in the Golgoth● of their lawless wills.  
And though distance and remoteness hinders us from performing the Ceremony of a Petition, to travel so far for a few dissembled thanks from a Member of the house, of the eyrie promises of (shall be.) Yet we think fit to certify our fellow Subjects of our undoubted readiness, with life and estates to second the Loyal endeavours of any that labour for the restitution of Protestancy, there instatement of his Royal Majesty unto his primitive splendour and greatness; and the establishing an inviolable and well grounded Peace in all his Majesty's Dominions.  
'Tis not to be expected that We sholud travel so ●●r with a formal petition in our hands to see the two Houses, or to take Pains to be scoffed at, or slighted, or cudgeled back. For experience hath taught us, that we have been fools too long to worship & deify those that are but our trusties and Deputies, by petitioning them for that which they know is our own, and those insulters take pride either to delay or deny. Seeing therefore we perceive by your fruitless examples; that t●ey are inexorable, and will do nothing for us, we thought fit to declare to the wo●ld what we m●an to do for ourselves, and the Kingdom.  
1. Therefore, we demand a speedy retroduction of our imprisoned King, to sit personally in the house of Peers, that the supreme Court of the Kingdom may not be any longer a Ludibruco to the people, and be called a Master without a head.  
2 That the government of the Church may ●e first settled by the advice of a new assembly of Protestant Divines to be indifferently chosen▪ by the Clergy of each County or Diocese, and thi● Synod, that ●ave sat so long to so little purpose, unless to ●ct the wills of those that pa●k'd them, may be sent home to their Lectures. and the 4. sh. pe● d●em, conferred on those that have more need on't, and better deserve it.  
3. That the Common birth right of us all, the Laws may be restored to their former purity, and that we may enjoy them without the corrup Glosses and Comments of their Arbitrary Po●er, or the unequal Ordinances and practices between them and their Committees.  
4 T●at our Liberties (the purchase of our ancestors blood) may be redeemed ●ro●●●l former infringements, and preserved henceforth inviolable, and t●●t our ancient liberties may not lie at the mercy of those that have none, not be enlarged and re●ealed by the votes and revotes of those that have taken too much liberty to destroy the Subjects.  
5 That we may have a speedy and just account of all our monies, and estates cheated or wrested from us; by loans, contributions, taxes, fines, excise, or plunder, and that the estates of Committees, Sequestrators and all State officers, (being lately purchased and raised out of the ruins of honest and loyal subjects) may be resequestred, and be made liable to give us and the kingdom satisfaction.  
6 That Our Knights and Burgesses may be recalled, as having broken their trust reposed by Us, in them, and that we may have free power and liberty to make a new choice of such Patriots, as We shall have just cause to repose things of such moment, as Our lives and fortunes, and the power of making the Kingdom happy, or miserable, into their hands.  
7 That we may no longer subjugate our necks to the boundless lusts, and unlimited power of beggarly and broken Committees, consisting generally of the tail of gentry, men of ruinous fortunes, and despicable estates, whose insatiate desires, hungry with their frequent wants, prompts them to continual projects of pilling and stripping us, to repair themselves. Nor be awed by their Emissaries; who are generally the most shirking, and cunning beggars that can be picked out of a County.  
8 That instead thereof we may be governed in Military affairs, and Civil, by men of visible estates, and of unquestioned repute, well-beloved by us; such whose degree and condition may make them assume places of authority and trust, out of nobleness of mind and love to their Country, and not to re-edify their delapidated fortunes.  
9 That the late imperious Governor of Lyme and other of his office, & broken condition, may be no more sheltered under the wings of a member-ship to glory in the innocent blood of well-meaning Countrymen he hath so unjustly spilt; nor live upon the estates which they have thievishly taken from the right owners, but that they may be exposed to the equal ●ust●ce of the known Laws, that we may freely right ourselves, and each of us fetch back a stolen feather.  
10 And lastly, that all those among us who have been sequestered, imprisoned, plundered, or fined, or any way abused, and stripped of our estates, for our allegiance and loyal adherence to his Majesty, may be restored to our estates, without any more compositions, and may have leave to take any legal course for due reparation.  
These are our joint desires which we would have moulded into a Petition, but that we hear of the success, unnatural usage of our fellow Subjects on the like occasion; of which the King cannot in duty but be sensible. This made us turn our petitionary resolves into resolute demands and propositions of which we expect satisfactory grants, and do hereby declare, that as heretofore on less encouragement, we engaged our lives, liberties, and estates, on the same grounds, under the slighted and unprosperous notion of clubmen. Notwithstanding our sufferings therefore, out ends are still the same, and our endeavours shall be now vigorous and active, and we doubt not (by Gods and your assistance) more prosperous and successful.  
Subscribed by above 10000 Inhabitants of that County.