A REMONSTRANCE From His Excellency Sir Thomas Fairfax, AND His COUNCIL of WAR, CONCERNING The late discontent and distraction in the Army. With his Excellency's Declaration of himself, and expectation from the Army thereupon, for the future uniting of the Army.  
Published by his Excellency at the Head of every Regiment, at the first Randezvouze of the Army in Cork-bush Field between Hartford and Wars, Monday Novemb. 15. 1647.  

BY the Appointment of his Excellency, and the Council of War,  
Signed, JOHN RUSHWORTH, Secretary  
Novembr. 16.  
Imprimatur,  
Gilb. Mabbot.   
London, Printed for George Whittington, at the Blue Anchor in Cornhill near the Royal Exchange, 1647.   

A Remonstrance from His Excellency Sir Thomas Fairfax, and his Council of War.  
THat ever since the Engagement of the arrmy at Newmarket Heath, his Excellency, with the General Officers, and General Council of the Army [too which that Engagement refers] have been doing their duty and b●st endeavours for the good of the army & kingdom, according to the ends of that Engagement, and the Declarations and other Papers that have since past from the army: and in this [according to their consciences, and the best of their understandings] they have done the utmost they could without present destruction to the Parliament, which in their opinions would inevitably have put the Kingdom into blood and confusion, and so both the Army and Kingdom into an incapacity or past all rational hopes of attaining or enjoying that satisfaction or security, for which the Engagement was entered into: and if they have neglected any thing, wherein they might have done better, They have been ready (as still they are) to be convinced thereof, and to amend the default, and to hearken to what any man would soberly offer for that purpose, or to lead them to any thing better.  
That while they have thus been doing their duty [besides many other interruptions or diversions, by the designs and workings of Enemies] they have of late found the greatest interruption to their proceed, by a few men, Members of the army, who [without any authority or just cause thereunto that we know of, assuming the name of Agents for several Regiments] have [for whatends we know no●] taken upon them to act as a divided party from the said Council and army, and associating themselves with, or rather [as we have just cause to believe] giving themselves up to be acted or guided by divers private persons that are not of the army] have endeavoured by various falsehoods and scandals, raised & divulged in Print, & otherwise against the General, the General Officers and Council, to possess the Army & kingdom with jealousies of them, & prejudice against them [as if they were taln from their principles, had broken their Engagements & Declarations, & thereby forfeited their Trust, & were in their whole proceed false and treacherous both to the army and Kingdom.] and by these & other practices, the said agents & their associates, have laboured to make parties and factions in the army, to raise discontents, mutinies, and disorders therein, to divide the soldiers from the Officers, & both Officers & soldiers amongst themselves, and to withdraw several parts of the army from their duty & obedience to the General's Orders (and that) in things most necessary for the safety of the army and Kingdom.  
And thus while they causelessly cry out against breach of Engagements, and dividing the army, they themselves have made, or endeavoured to make the greatest breaches of the Engagements, & greatest dividing of the army that can be; a dividing most truly contrary to the Engagement: a dividing, which is as bad & destructive, as disbanding; even the dissolution of all that Order, Combination, and Government, which is the Essence of anarmy: and under false delusive pretences [that the Engagements have been broken] they have endeavoured really to loosen and draw the army off from its former Engagements, and to draw it into new Engagements, different from, and (in some things) destructive to the former; and have thus endangered the greatest forfeiture of the Faith and Honour of the army, that ever it incurred.  
And whilst they cry out, that there is nothing done, they themselves have made the greatest obstructions, to the doing of any good for the army or Kingdom, both in the hindrances and delays to our proceed, and the expense of time, which their workings have occasioned (either to have satisfied them, (if it had been possible) or else to solve and quiet those discontents and distractions which they have raised in the army) and also by the occasions which the Parliament and Kingdom (yea even our best friends in both) have thus received, to discourage them from compliance with, or confidence in, an army, so uncertain, so unsettled, so divided.  
For these Causes, the Gen. hath thought fit to Randezvouz the Army or such parts of it as are not fixed upon necessary duty elsewhere. And having (with advice of the general Council,) sent to the Parliament more importunately than before, for speedy satisfaction to the Army in their just desires (especially in point of provision for constant pay, to avoid free Quarter, and of security for Arrears.) thought it best (with the same advice) to dismiss most of the Officers, and Agitators from the Head Quarters for a fortnight unto their respective Regiments to satisfy and compose those discontents and divisions which have thus been raised in them; and for ease to the Country and accommodation to the Soldiery (with respect to the season of the year) thought fit to contract the Quarters of the Army in three Brigades, and to draw them to three several Randezvouzes, not far from each other, and this in order to one general Randezvouz, if there should be any occasion: And, in this, the several Regiments of Horse and Foot have been appointed to constant Quarters in order to those several Randezvouzes taking them directly in order as their several Quarters lay before, without any other respect or consideration; but even these things the said pretended Agents and their Associates have laboured to pervert, etc. and make advantage of, to the aforesaid ends of discontent and distraction, and to represent the same to the several Regiments as done in pursuance of the same treacherous Counsels and desi●n●s which they had before suggested, and what good they could not deny to be in the things, they assume to themselves, as gained by their procurement, and so greedily catched at the sole credit of it, as if the Gen. and his Council, (but for them) had not done it, and by letters or Messages, contradicting the general order, they have (under such scandalous pretences) laboured to draw divers Regiments from the Quarters and Randezvouzes to which they were ordered; unto the first Randezvouz near Ware, in a disorderly and confused manner to the oppression of the Country and disaccomodation (if not quarrelling and distraction) of the Soldiery quartering.  
That without redress of these abuses and disorders, his Excellency cannot nor will, any longer undergo or undertake further to discharge his present Trust to the Parliament, the Army and Kingdom.  
That though he is fare above any such low thoughts as to Court or woo the Army to continue him their General, yet, to discharge himself to the utmost, and bring the business to a clear and certain Issue, his Excellency does now declare.  
That he is yet willing to adhere to and to conduct a●d live and die with the Army in the lawful prosecution of these things following viz.  


I. For the Soldiery to obtain.  
1. Present provision for constant pay, while continued, to make them to discharge Quarters.  
2. The present stating of accounts, and security for arrears, with an effectual and speedy course to raise moneys thereupon.  
3. Sufficient Indemnity, and Commissioners in every County for that purpose.  
4. Provision for maimed Soldiers, and the Widows and Orphan's of men slain in the service (and that in a certain and no dishonourable way) with Commissioners in every County for that purpose.  
5. Provision for freedom from pressing, according to the first Petition of the Army.  
6. Provision for freedom of Prentices, that have served in the wars, with a penalty upon Master's refusing to give it.    

II. For the Kingdom.  
A period to be set for this present Parliament (to end as soon as may be with safety) and provision thereunto to be made for future Parliaments.  
For the certainty of their Meeting, sitting, and ending, and for the freedom and equality of Elections thereto [to render the House of Commons' as near as may be an equal Representative of the People that are to elect.]  
And (according to the Representation of the Army of June 14.) to leave other things to and acquiesse in the dete●minations of Parliament; But to mind the Parliament of and to mediate with them fo● redress of the common grievances of the people, and all other things that the army have declared their desires for.  
That upon his Excellency's continued conjunction in these things, He expects, That for the particular circumstance of them, the army shall [according to their aforesaid first Engagement] acquiesse in what shall be agreed unto by the General Council of the Army, to which that Engagement refers; and [for the matter of the ordering, conduct, and government of the army] That ●v●ry Mem●e● of it shall be observant of, and subject to his Excellency, his Council of war, and every one to his superior Officers, according to the Discipline of war; for assurance whereof, he expects, that as many as are satisfied h●re with, and do agree hereunto, do severally subscribe to what is here under ●r●tten for that purpose.    

WE the Officers and Soldiers of Regiment of whose Names are subscribed, do hereby declare, That we are satisfied in his Excellency, the General's continued conjunction with the Army, in the lawful prosecution of the things here before declared, to be prosecuted for the Soldiery and Kingdom respectively; And (for the particular circumstances of them) we shall (according to the general Engagement of the Army above mentioned) acquiesse in what shall be agreed unto by the General Council of the Army, to which that Engagement refers; and for matter of the ordering, conduct, and government of the Army, we shall be observant of and subject to his Excellency, his Council of War, and (every one of us) to our Superior Officers in this Regiment and the Army, according to the Discipline of War. 〈…〉