INSTRUCTIONS Agreed upon by the Lords and Commons assmbled in PARLIAMENT For Sir Thomas Barrington, Sir William Masham, Sir Martin Lumley, Sir Henry Mildmay, of Wansted, Sir Thomas Cheek, Harboule Grimston Esquire.  
Members of the House of Commons, and Deputie-lieutenants for the County of Essex, and Committees to be sent into the same County.  
And for Sir William Hicks, Sir Richard Everard, Sir Tho. Honywood, Sir Henry Holdcroft, Sir William Ree, Sir William Martin, Sir john Barrington, Timothy Middleton and john Sayer Esquires, the rest of the Deputy-lieutenants of the said County, for preservation of the peace of the said County.  

Ordered by the Lords and Commons that this be forthwith printed.  
john Browne. Hen. Elsing. Cler. Parl.   
Printed by A. N. for Richard Best. 1642.   

Instructions agreed upon by the Lords and Commons Assembled in Parliament for the County of Essex, etc.  
WHere as it doth appear to the Lords and Commons now assembled in Parliament, that the King seduced by wicked Council, hath raised War against the Parliament, and other his good subjects, and hath drawn together great Troops of Papists and illaffected persons, and sent out Commission for the levying of others, to the great hazard of Religion, and the public peace of the Kingdom.  
You shall take special care therefore that the Ordinance concerning the Militia be from time to time put in execution through the said County of Essex. as you shall see cause; And for that purpose, you or any two or more of you shall have power and authority to Arm, Train, and put in readiness all and every the Inhabitants of that County fit for the War, aswell Trained Bands as other Volunteers both Horse and Foot, and them under the Command of such Colonels, Lieutenant-collonels, Sergeant Majors, Captains, and other Officers, as the Lieutenant of the said County, or you or any three or more of you shall in his absence nominate and appoint to lead and conduct, aswell against all Foreign Forces that shall in Hostile manner invade the said County, as for resisting and opposing of all other Forces which shall be either within the said County or elsewhere raised to the disturbance of the peace of that County. And the Sheriff and all other Officers of the said County are hereby enjoined to assist you, and every of you therein. And if any person whatsoever shall levy or endeavour to levy or billet any Soldiers, or to raise, draw, or keep together the trained-bands or other Armed Forces of the said County, or any other Forces by colour or pretence of any Commission or Warrant from his Majesty under the great Seal or otherwise, without Order or consent of both Houses of Parliament. You are to make known to the trained-bands, or other Inhabitants of the said County, that those who shall appear upon any such Warrant, or obey any such Commission shall be held disturbers of, and enemies to the public peace, and those who shall not appear upon any such Warrant or Commission, nor do any thing in execution thereof, shall be protected by both Houses off Parliament. And you or any one or more of you shall in the name, and by the Authority of both Houses of Parliament require and command all persons to forbear the execution of such Commission or warrant, and to cause the same to be delivered up to you, or any of you, to be sent to the Speaker of the House of Commons, and you or any two or more of you, are hereby required to draw together such of the Trained Bands and other Forces of the said County as shall be expedient for the suppressing of all such Assemblies, and for the apprehending of all or any person or persons as shall after admonition and command by you or any of you made unto them, to forbear the execution of any such Commission or Warrant, or the calling, or gathering, or keeping together of any such forces or Assemblies still persist in doing the same, and likewise such as shall bear Arms by colour of any Warrant or Commission from his Majesty under the great Seal or otherwise, without Order or consent of both houses of Parliament and also such disaffected persons as shall be found raising any parties or factions against the Parliament, to be sent up hither to answer such their offences as to law and justice shall appertain,  
You or any one or more of you, shall stay, search, and examine, or cause to be stayed, searched, and examined all suspicious persons and carriages, and to search or cause to be searched all suspicious places, and to seize upon all horses, Arms, Ammunition, Money, Plate, or other provisions whatsoever, which you or any one of you shall have just cause to suspect, is or are raised or provided for the fomenting or maintaining, any such unnatural and unlawful War against the Parliament and the Kingdom.  
You or any two or more of you, shall observe and execute the Ordinance of both houses of Parliament of the 8th of August last for the suppression of the Rebellion, and Commotion raised by the marquis of Hartford in the County of Somershetshire, and other Western Counties, and by the Earl of Northampton and others in the County of Leicester, Northampton, Warwick, and other adjoining parts and of any other Rebellion or Commotion raised or that shall be raised by any other person or persons within the said County of  
You, or any two or more of you, shall conduct and lead all such forces of horse and foot as shall be appointed by the Lord General the Earl of Essex for the service of the Parliament and Kingdom, and shall fight with, kill and slay all such as shall by force oppose you, or any of you, in the execution of that Ordinance, and all other their Assistants and aiders, and abettors, and you or two of you shall levy such other forces of horse and foot as his Excellence shall by his Commission give you power to levy under such Colonels, Commanders, and other Officers as shall be by him appointed or directed; & you shall pursue the said Traitors, & Rebbels and their Adherents in the said County or in any other places or Counties of the Kingdom into which they shall retire themselves; all which forces so to be raised shall have the same pay as the rest of the Army is to have; and you shall defend and protect his Majesty's subjects from violence and oppression by the illegal Commission of Array or otherwise, and you shall hinder and forbid the execution of that illegal Commission and in all places to the uttmost of your power endeavour to preserve and restore the peace of the Kingdom.  
You or any one of you shall take from the said Rebels and Traitors all such Arms Ordnance and Ammunition as they have taken from his Majesty's subjects, and restore the same to the owners.  
You or any one or more of you shall take care that such resolutions and Orders of both houses as have been or shall be delivered or sent down unto you or any of you be put in execution, and shall require the Sheriffs and Justices of the Peace, and all other His Majesty's Officers and Subjects of the said County, to be aiding and assisting unto you & every of you for that purpose.  
You shall likewise declare unto all men, that it hath ever been, and still shall be the care and endeavours of the Parliament to provide for His Majesty's safety, and that they do not, nor never did know of any evil intended towards His Majesty's Person, which might move him to require any extraordinary Guard, that his greatest safety is in the affections and fidelity of His Subjects, and in the advice and counsel of His Parliament; and His greatest danger in withdrawing himself to such disaffected and malignant persons, obnoxious to justice for their great enormities, who under colour of doing Him service have raised forces which they labour to increase, to the hazard of ruining Religion and the whole Kingdom.  
And you or any one or more of you shall in the name of the Lords and Commons require the Sheriffs of the said County to publish throughout the same the Declarations commanded to be published by both houses of Parliament, And you, and every of you shall endeavour to clear the proceed of Parliament from imputations and aspersions, and shall from time to time certify us of all things which you conceive necessary for the present service, and that we may have a speedy account of it, and that our directions to you, aswel as your advertisements to us, may have clear and speedy passage, you and every of you shall lay a strict charge upon all Postmasters and Messengers, that they do not suffer any Letters or other dispatches to or from the Parliament to be intercepted or stayed, and if any shall presume to make stay of any such dispatches, you and every of you shall direct the Postmasters and Messengers to repair to t●e Justices of the Peace, Constables, and other Officers for their aid and assistance, who are hereby required to take special care that there be no such interruption.  
You or any two or more of you are hereby authorised and required forthwith to disarm all Popish Recusants and other dangerous and illaffected persons, as well Clergymen as others, as have testified or shall testify their ill dispositions to the peace of the Kingdom and proceed of Parliament, and all such Arms, and all other Arms formerly taken from Popish Recusants shall be employed by you for the defence of the said County.  
You or any one or more of you shall take care that none of the Recusants' Arms or other Ammunition of the said County shall be taken or carried out of the same, upon any pretence or command whatsoever, without warrant from both Houses of Parliament. And you, or any one or more of you shall give order and directions to the Sheriff of the said County, Justices of the Peace, and other Officers, to require and command all Popish Recusants in the said County to confine themselves to their dwelling places according to the Statute in that case provided; and if any such Recusant shall be found to transgress therein, you or any one or more of you shall cause the Justice of Peace forthwith to bind them to their good behaviours, and upon refusal or neglect to give security, accordingly to commit them to prison, and further proceed against them according to Law.  
You or any one or more of you shall also in the name of both houses of Parliament require all such persons who have in their custody any part of the public Magazine of the said County, to deliver the same to you or any two of you, to be disposed of, and employed for the defence of the County; and in case of refusal, you are hereby authorised to seize, take, carry away, and dispose of the same for the purpose aforesaid.  
And you or any two or more of you are likewise to give charge from both houses of Parliament to all Colonels, Captains, Lieutenants, & all other Officers for the Militia, that they shall be observant to such directions as they shall from time to time receive from the Lord Lieutenant of the said County, or his Deputy, or any of them, for the due performance of any the commands of the said Houses.  
You or any one or more of you shall resist and repel, and are hereby authorised to resist and repel by the power of the said County, and by all other ways and means, all such force and violence as shall be raised or brought by any person or persons, to the hindrance or disturbance of this present service, or for the Arresting or seizing of the persons of you or any of you, or any other which shall be employed in performance of the Ordinance, instructions, and commands of both houses of Parliament, for any thing done in execution thereof. And the Sheriffs and Justices of peace of the said County, and all other Officers & subjects, are hereby required to be aiding and assisting to you and every of you, for the better and more speedy execution of the premises.  
You or any two or more of you shall hereby with the consent of two of the Members of the house of Commons aforenamed, have power and authority to fortify any part or place of the said County, in such manner and sort as you or any two or more of you, with the consent of two of the Members of the house of Commons as aforesaid shall think fit for the safety of the said County, and for the more security of the same shall set such several guards and forces in all places and Towns of the said County, as you or any two or more of you, with the consent of any two of the said Members of the house of Commons, shall think fit and requisite; and to cause the Beacons within the said County to be watched, guarded, and fired as occasion shall require.  
You and every of you shall take care to put in execution the Propositions and Orders made by the Lords and Commons, now assembled in Parliament, for bringing in money or Plate to maintain Horse and Arms, for the preservation of the public peace, and for the defence of the King and both houses of Parliament; As also other instructions and additions for Deputy-Lieutenants which are Members of the house of Commons, and other Deputy-Lieutenants of several Counties concerning the last propositions according to a Declaration of the Lords and Commons made thereupon.  
You or any three or more of you shall or may call together the Inhabitants of the County at such times and places as you shall think fit, and propound to them what Horse, Men, and Arms they will find and maintain, or what money they will contribute for the defence of the said County, which forces and all other forces that shall be raised in that County by the authority of the Lords and Commons in Parliament, and their Officers, you or any two or more of you shall lead, conduct, and employ for the defence of the said County; and you or any two or more of you shall have power to appoint Treasurers to receive the said moneys so raised, as aforesaid, who are hereby required to issue forth the same, as they shall receive order or warrant from you or any two of you under your hands, for the providing of Arms and Ammunition for the defence and security of the said County; as also for the paying of such Officers and Soldiers as shall be levied and employed for the purpose aforesaid, and of all other necessaries for the defence of the said County.  
You or any three or more of you shall or may in the absence of the Lieutenant of the said County make and appoint such Captains and other Officers as shall be requisite for the service and defence of that County, and to remove them out of their places, and to make others from time to time, as you shall think fit for that purpose.  
You or any two or more of you shall or may require strong Watches, and Wards, to be set by the Constables or such other persons as you shall think meet in all convenient places in that county, for the peace and safety thereof.  
You or the greater part of you, whereof two to be Members of the house of Commons, may join in assotiation with the adjacent counties for the mutual defence each of others county.  
You or any one or more of you shall or may apprehend all such persons as shall oppose you, or refuse to obey you in the premises, and to send him or them in safe custody up to the Parliament, or the Committte of Parliament for the defence of the Kingdom, to be proceeded with according to justice.  
You and every of you shall observe and execute all such further directions and instructions as you shall from time to time receive from both houses of Parliament, as likewise from the Committee of the Lords and Commons appointed to take care for the surety of the Kingdom, and whatsoever you shall do therein or any other person in aid arid assistance of you, it shall be accepted as good and acceptable service to the Kingdom. And for their and your so doing, they and you shall be defended and protected by the authority of Parliament, and resolution of the Lords and Commons to protect those that shall obey and further their commands, you shall publish and declare upon all occasions for the better encouragement of the Subjects of this Kingdom in that behalf.  
FINIS.