Articles of Treason and high Misdimeanours, committed by John Pine of Curry-Mallet, in the County of Somerset Esquire, against the King, kingdom, and Parliament, Exhibited by thousands of the said County, faithful Servants, and Sufferers, for the KING and PARLIAMENT.  
THAT The said John Pine in July 1642. upon the entreaty of divers honest faithful Parliamentiers, took charge of above five hundred Horse and foot, well armed, and defirous to oppose the Commissioners of Array then at Wells; in their way thither near marshal's elm, appeared sixty of the enemy's horse, with whom the said Mr. Pine desired to parley for his passage, and did above one hour parley with two or three of them, and withdrawing from them, the said Pine spurs up and fled first of all: whereupon the rest followed; which the Enemy perceiving, some 12. of them came down the hill, killed one Man, wounded many, and took divers Prisoners; whereby the Parliament was exceedingly dishonoured, their party extremely disheartened, to the great prejudice and damage of the kingdom. To which we could add, his base running from Sherborne Hill, his trembling fear of Hartford's forces in their way to Mynhead, keeping two troops of horse for the guard of his own person in the town of Taunton, suffering the Enemy to pass by, which if he had but followed, the wars in the West, had by all probability been soon ended, which after, through his cowardice, and treachery cost so much Blood and ruin.  
2 That in May and April 1643. The said John Pine taking to him some of his friends of the Committee of Somerset, did promise and undertake to defend the Western parts of that County: and thereupon, he and they did draw together, List and arm near six thousand men, most Horse, well-affected and stout men, and raised great sums of money (Fourteen thousand pound on one account;) fortified Taunton, and Bridgwater, and had arms, Ordnance, and ammunition sufficient: That contrary to the desires of the soldiers, the earnest request of the said Towns of Taunton, and Bridgwater, his own former promises, and the trust the Country had reposed in him, the said Mr. Pine run away with the country's money before the Enemy (not half so many) came within twenty miles of him, deserting both those Garrisons, and all those Well-affected persons, that had engaged in arms, left the whole Country to the violence and Plunder of the Enemy, to the exceeding damage of the kingdom, and above five hundred thousand pounds to that particular County, notwithstanding he had under his command a very considerable strength, and good assurance of speedy relief, in case the Enemy should come that way, which they never intended, till they heard the said John Pine had basely deserted Taunton, and after that Bridgwater, both which he cowardly left and betrayed to the Enemy.  
3 That the said John Pine was the first Incendiary (that ever we heard of) between the Kingdom of England and Scotland, as by his Speeches, Reports, and Letters, sent from London 1644. and dispersed amongst us, will appear: and therefore ought by our Covenant, to be brought to condign punishment: as also for making factions and parties among the people in the County, and elsewhere  
4 That the said John Pine with some of his confederates of the Committee of Somerset, to wit colonel Ceely, Minterne, cliff, Morgan, English, Trevilion, and two or three more of mean quality; have acted in an arbitrary and oppressing way, by imposing Taxes, levying money; raising and Quartering soldiers, fining many well-affected persons, by his and their own power and will, without Ordinance or Order of Parliament, taking Sequestrations off at his pleasure, from the greatest Malignants, and sequestering and imprisoning divers faithful men to the Parliament, without cause, to the great dishonour, and disservice of the Parliament, and sequestered others without Articles, or admitting them to make their just defence, or convicting them by legal proofs, according to the Ordinance.  
5 That the said John Pine hath ordinarily forced men to an Oath Ex oficio, and sworn them not to discover to any whatsoever Question shall be asked them; and many times in concernments of meum & tuum: and usually at the Committee, sits alone, as a Committee himself, in his Chamber, and there makes Orders, and then sends then to his underlings of the Committee to sign.  
6 That the said John Pine hath in an arbitrary way, out of mere spleen and malice, undone many religious and well-affected persons of that County, enriched many wicked and Malignant persons employed under him, mutinously and seditiously by power carried and endeavoured to carry Elections of Parliament men for his favourites, and wilfully disobeyed many Orders, and Ordinances of Parliament, to the loss of the lives, and ruin of divers persons: and when we hoped for peace by the late Treaty, whilst it lasted, he declared in the Country, that the Parliament should make no peace with the King, but that the King's life should be taken from him: And for that purpose, he and his confederates have listed and raised divers new forces without the authority of parliament, to alter the fundamental laws and government of the kingdom, disinherit the King and his issue of the crown, and enslave the free people of England to martial Law and Government, and the County to his Tyranny and violence.  
7 That the said John Pine and his confederates of the standing Committee, have Monopolised the power of the Committee into their own hands, refusing to sit, and adjourning the Committee, when others of the Committee have come to sit with them: rent Sequestrations in their own, and others names, and bought sequestered goods, at undervalues, to the great defrauding of the state: disposed of the states moneys and goods to one another, and their agents, contrary to the Ordinances of Parliament, to the great prejudice and loss of the state; refused to give account of the moneys Land and Goods sequestered and received by them, according to the Ordinances and Orders of Parliament, and by indirect means and underhand practices, caused divers Gentlemen of the County, to be unduly put out of the Commission of the peace, and others of his own confederates (Less able and insufficient for such a trust) to be put into their places; And the said John Pine hath likewise contrived and fomented divers scandalous and seditions Petitions in the Country, and sent them up in the Counties name, to the Commons house, to promote his own, and his confederates designs, to murder the King, disinherit the Prince, alter the government and laws, when as the county disclaimed, and protested against them as impostures and forgeries. For all which Treasons, and high misdemeanours we humbly pray, that the said John Pine and his Confederates of the Committee, may be forthwith apprehended and brought to speedy justice, and execution, by all true patriots to their Country and this kingdom.  
And we shall Pray.  
FINIS.