A DECLARATION TO THE Commons of England: CONTAINING Thirteen several Reasons why the Commonalty of this Kingdom ought to take part with the Parliament against those that endeavour the subversion thereof.  
PUBLISHED For the Conviction of such as are apt to be misled by a Malignant Party against the Parliament.  
C R  HONI SOIT QVI MAL Y PENSE  English royal blazon, used a printer's device 
Printed for H. Hutton. March 30 1643.   

A Declaration to the Subjects of ENGLAND and WALES.  
FOrasmuch as it appears, that in all places, in pulpits, discourses, and otherwise, the friends to the Popish party have and do daily endeavour to stir up a most ingrateful and unworthy disrespect unto the Parliament, there are therefore these considerations presenting themselves to every man's view, and for the most part evident in the Parliaments own Remonstrances and Declarations.  
1 That men would consider, when it pleased God after many Petitions of the people, to grant this Parliament, what were the complaints of the whole Kingdom in matters both of Church and State, and the miserable oppressions of men's consciences and properties.  
2 Consider what the Parliament hath done with great difficulties to accommodate the desires of the people in this behalf, in suppressing the power of tyrants over men's consciences, in taking away all scandalous and superstitious innovations, in granting liberty to all Parishes to choose Lecturers, in opening the mouths of godly Ministers, in taking away the Prelates Courts, how some delinquents have been punished, and others detected, evil Ministers of Justice are partly removed, Ship-money, Coat and Conduct-monies, Patents almost for every thing (to the daily draining and oppressing of the subject) are all taken away; and consider also whether any one thing hath been done by them, which doth not (in tuitu proprio) look at the future peace and benefit of this Kingdom.  
3. Consider, whether if this present Parliament should unhappily be discountenanced, discouraged, or dissolved (which God forbidden) we should ever hrve the like, or any: or if by virtue of the act for the triennial Parliament there should be another, whether any man bearing good will to the Commonwealth, being chosen, would be encouraged thereunto, and so either we should have none at all, or if any, such an one which instead of a remedy should be an inlet of all misery into the Land.  
4 Consider how Kingdoms abroad in the world are governed without Parliaments, where Voluntas Regis is lex populi, the pleasure of the King is the rule of the Kingdom, and the precipitancy of this Kingdom also before this Parliament, into all oppression and misery through the deceitful suggestions and insinuations of wicked Counsel about his Majesty; and whether we are not looked upon, as the envy of other kingdoms by virtue of this only inheritance of ours.  
5 Consider into what misery, blood and distraction, we had plunged ourselves two years since, (the two nations of England and Scotland imbruing themselves, and weltering in one another's blood) had not the wisdom of the Parliament then present (consisting for the most part of the same Members as this doth) denied the levying of moneys for the maintaining of that war: which should ever make us thankful, and mindful of a Parliaments benefit.  
6 Consider that whereas the Protestant Profession and the Subjects liberty is pretended in all things, what good intent either can or could there be to the one, or to the other, either in those former differences between us and our brethren, the Scots, or the present divisions in this kingdom, when Papists and popish persons were then the chief Commanders (for the most part) in the English Armies, and now Papists, popish persons and Atheists, whose continual assertions are wounds and blood, and God damn me, or heavens damn me, if we be not revenged upon these Roundheads (a nickname questionless originally sprung up from some blockhead, having neither wit nor reason in it) these are the main abettors, provokers, projectors and actors in these divisions, whether these aim at the Protestant Religion, whatever they call the Protestant profession, except it be popery in all things, supremacy only excepted, & the subject's liberty, let the meanest capacity judge.  
7 Consider what tampering there hath been these two or three years to raise up civil wars amongst us in the three Kingdoms: First between us and the Scots, next in Ireland, and whether the same spirit that worketh so hot in Ireland, had no factors in Scotland, and amongst us in England, let all them that have the right faculty of discerning judge, and whether they that endeavour to raise up civil wars in a kingdom, can aim at the good of that kingdom, let every man that hath not lost the ●se of reason determine.  
8 Consider what unheard of misery, barbarous cruelty, savage inhumanity is exercised upon the poor Protestants in Ireland, by that bloody popish party, let those judge and consider, who either have or will read the Irish Remonstrance, and observe how these distractions at home (occasioned by the unhappy division and distance of His Majesty from his Parliament) encourage the rebels, and hinder the Protestant Cause there, whereas a happy concurrence between the King and Parliament might in an ordinary way, through God's blessing, have subdued those wicked rebels long since.  
9 Consider what reproach, scandal and scorn we shall bring upon our whole nation and posterity for ever, if we should choose a Parliament and because they will not suffer us to be made slaves, even for their faithfulness and love unto us, (when happily their own particular safety, and personal preferment might be better advantaged if they should desert us) for this we should rise against them, and contend for an Iron yoke, of perpetual bondage and misery, and whether God may not in displeasure give us up hereunto, who shall so lightly esteem, and so foolishly improve that opportunity, which he hath put into our hands, and if our posterity will not curse the time that it entered into our hearts so to do.  
10. Consider how it can stand with our protestation, to take up Arms against the whole Body of the Kingdom, represented in the Parliament, and the Laws of the Land, which we are all bound by oath to stand to to the utmost of our lives, liberties, and estates, and wherein the honour and preservation both of King & Kingdom doth consist, and which of those do break their oath, either those that pretending the King's prerogative take up Arms against the whole Kingdom represented in the Parliament: or those that shall endeavour to suppress such a malignant party. The King himself having always protested, that for his part, (taking God to witness) he desireth nothing more than the peace and prosperity of Religion and Kingdom.  
11. Consider whereas Laws and Statutes are pretended, as if the Parliament should do many things illegally, even against the King, with this suggestion, that then its high time for the Subjects to look to their properties and liberties, whether are to be believed what is law: either that party that shall affirm this or that to be law, and will not appear to maintain their assertious (the King professing himself to be no Lawyer, many of his affirmations being the misinformations of others) or the makers of new, and interpreters of the old Laws, who have all the Judges and chiefest Lawyers in the Land to advise withal, taking this with us, that Salus populi est suprema lex? and whether both the Law of the Land and the good of the subject was not pretended in all the Patents granted, as appears in the several Proclamations for the same purpose, yea, and in the high Commission and Star-chamber Courts, and if it were so, let the whole kingdom judge.  
12 Consider whether all the wholesome Laws, benefits and liberties of the subject this day have not been the birth & fruits of Parliaments, and whether the Parliament hath not always been the Sanctuary and refuge for all that have been unjustly oppressed and abused, and what remedy could be had by any other appeals whatsoever, when through the corruption of evil Ministers of Justice, the strength of a man's purse, rather than the righteousness of his cause, hath always been the bonum omen, the certain promising token of good success: consider therefore whether (by deserting the Parliament) we do not go about to stop, yea to dry up all the springs of our legal Privileges, having had such long and happy experiences of the benefits thereof, and whether it ever entered into the hearts of any of our Predecessors, excepting the Papists, to do the least injury to Parliaments.  
Whereas it is objected against the Parliament, that (under pretence of the danger of foreign and domestic enemies) they take up arms against the King, endeavour to destroy the laws of the land, and religion amongst us: consider whether that these, and greater than these aspersions were not cast upon the Scots, & no man durst affirm the contrary: and yet when things came legally to be debated, all proved otherwise, and his Majesty himself did acknowledge the contrary,; And consider wltether it is not now to be doubted, that the same fire brands of combustion amongst us now, be not those that were formerly between us and our neighbour Nation, and whether they be not the same Designs of confusion of both Nations still, altering the Method; beginning in England now, with hopes to end in Scotland, whereas they formerly begun there, with purposes to end here.  
Lastly, consider whether there be not a threefold ground of the proceed against the Parliament, according to the threefold condition of the chief actors in these division, viz.  
1. The Papists perceive, that the Parliament making progress according to their beginnings, will take away their hopes of enjoying their Antichristian Religion amongst us, therefore it stands upon them now to adventure upon any design, for now or never must the Pope up, or down in this Kingdom, and indeed if men could conceive it, the quarrel is, whether Michael or the Dragon, Christ or the Pope should get safest footing in this Kingdom; Let any seeing man look bacl, and compare the time past, with time present, and let him give his judgement in this point, whether Popery hath not been the mark they aimed at.  
2. For the depending Gentlemen, these also know, that if the Parliament proceed, they shall not only be exposed to the Justice of their former demerits, but also lose the hopes of any future favour or practise, being conscious to themselves of ever becoming honest men, who from the beginning of their preferment have cashiered out of their hearts the fear of God, a good Conscience, and the day of Judgement, therefore they must either run beyond the Seas, or bend their endeavours to root up this Parliament.  
3. The Cavaliers, whose Lands and estates are above in the Air, who make great Brags of their desperate attempts, when their greatest danger of drowning hath been in an Ale-Tub, yet they know that it is best fishing in troubled waters, and that England is full of rich Booties, and therefore they cannot forbear their prey till opportunity serves their turn, who are are all for the present, as for the other world, they have passed the dreadful sentence of (God damn me) these three sorts are the leaders and provokers of a party against the Parliament.  
As for those noblemen whose absence from the Parliament is an encouragement to this Malignant party, if they come under the ranks of Popish and Dependant, their practices is a pregnant testimony of what hath been said of those two sorts, namely that their Design is to root up the Parliament, lest the Parliament should root out them, but if they be not under these ranks, either their ingenuity is to labour to make a a pacification, and to make up the breach between his Majesty and the Parliament, or else their Nobility is mero titulo, little Noble Blood runs in their veins, and Heathens may throw stones at them, whose progenitors have been rendered famous, by their Heroic Acts for their Country's care.  
From all these Considerations, this may be well inferred, being necessary for our present observation.  
That if ever we would improve ourselves, for God, the King, the Kingdom, lives, laws and liberties, ourselves and poor Posterity, if we would not see our yet flourishing Cities made ruinous heaps, our peace and plenty turned into blood and Famine, our dearest Wives ravished before our faces, our tender children's brains dashed against the stones, our mutual trading turned into violence and robbery, our sweet enjoyments of all relations, unto murders, rapes, cruelties upon them ●ll, If we have any love to the Gospel of Life, that the Ark of God may not departed, and misery come upon us, Let every man in his station study peace; and endeavour all means of pacification, abhorring the very thoughts of ever taking up Arms against either King or Parliament, but to the utmost of our powers, setting ourselves against the Incendiaries between them both, that the Peace of God, and the God of Peace may still rule in the midst of us, that we render not ourselves the mocking stock of Nations, by doing that ourselves, which the politic malice neither of our Foreign nor Domestic Enemies in all these fourscore years could effect, whereby we shall revive the power of our former oppressors, and our ruin shall be unto after ages, the everlasting shameful monuments of our blindness and folly, that we should rise up like unnatural Children, and cut the throat of our own Mother Nation, That we should love bondage rather than liberty, all Nations Countries and People will sport at our misery, if we shall thus betray ourselves, then shall our reeling and tottering Kingdom fall, and none shall lend a hand to support it, It now pants for breath, travailing with the peace, plenty, security, Religion, Laws, Liberties and comforts thereof, and therefore let every man that desireth a blessing on the King a●● Kingdom, pray for the peace of Jerusalem.   
FINIS.