A FULL RELATION OF The Proceed at the Rendezvouz of that Brigade of the Army that was held in Corkbush field in Hartford Parish on Monday last.  
AND A LETTER from the Speaker of the Honourable House of Commons to Sir Thomas Fairfax, concerning the said Rendezvouz.  
With a PAPER, Entitled, England's Freedoms, and Soldiers Rights.  
ALSO A Petition to his Excellency Sir Thomas Fairfax, of divers Officers and Soldiers of the Army under his Command.  
Together with a Declaration against the Proceed of the new Agents.  

Nou. 15. 1647.  
Imprimatur  
Gilbert Mabbot.   
London, Printed for Laurence Chapman, November 16. 1647.   

To his Excellency Sir Tho: Fairfax.  
SIR,  
THis house received several desires from you, in behalf of the Army under your Command, which they took into present consideration; but by the Kings withdrawing from Hampton Court, were interrupted in that debate. For the months pay, they have endeavoured the complying with it, and doubt not, but it may be speedily effected; for the Arrears, they are resolved to give a full and sufficient security; and are very sensible of those expressions of the Army, wherein they declare their resolutions (upon a constant pay) to make it death to take any thing from any inhabitant of this kingdom; and remembering that the Rendezvouz of the Army beginneth on Monday next, They have commanded me to make known unto you (and desire you would make it known to the Soldiers) that they will forthwith proceed upon those desires of the Army, which by reason of this accident (for the present) they could not finish; and make such provision for them, both for the present for their Arrears, and their future constant pay, as may let them clearly see, the care they have of them, and the value they put upon their past services; resting confident of their compliance and submission to the Commands and Directions of Parliament; not having more in command, I remain,  
Your Excellencies humble Servant, William Lenthal Speaker. Westminster. 13. Nou. 1647.   

SIR,  
THis day (according to appointment) the Rendezvouz of the first Brigade of the Army was held in Corkbush field in Hartford Parish, between Hartford and Ware; Hartford being the Head quarter's Saturday and Sunday, the General went from thence to the Rendezvouz; where according to order there met, of Horse, The General's Regiment, Col: fleetwood's, Col: Riches, and Col: Twistletons'; of Foot, The Generals, Col: hamond's, and Col: Prides: And besides these, upon the seducements of the new Agents, Col: Harrisons, and Col: lilburn's Regiments: The General expressed himself very gallantly and faithfully at the Head of every Regiment, to live and die with them for those particulars which were contained in a Remonstrance read to every Regiment: And notwithstanding the endeavours of Major Scot and others; to animate the Soldiers to stand to the Paper called The Agreement of the People, they generally by many acclamations declared their Affections and Resolutions to adhere to the General; and as many as could in the short time they had allowed, signed an Agreement drawn up for that purpose, concerning their being ready from time to time to observe such Orders as they should receive from the General and Council of the Army, I had sent you the copy of this Agreement, and His Excellency's Remonstrance, but that I was so straitened in time I could not: I should have acquainted you before, That upon the General's coming into the field, Col: Eyres, Major Scot, and others, were observed to be insinuating divers seditious Principles into the Soldiers, and incensing them against the General and General Officers: Upon which Order was given for the Commitment of Col: Eyre and others into the Marshal's hands; and Major Scot committed to the custody of Lieutenant Chillenden, and sent up to the Parliament: Some inferior persons were likewise committed, for dispersing sundry scandalous and factious Papers, as The Agreement of the People, etc. among the private Soldiers: And finding that those persons who pretend most for the Freedom of People had dispersed divers of those Papers amongst Col: lilburn's Regiment of Foot (the most mutinous Regiment in the Army) strict Command was given for them to tear them and cast them away; which was done: and Captain Lieut: Bray (who was the only Officer above a Lieutenant left among them, the rest being driven away by the mutinous Soldiers, and one of them wounded) was taken from the Head of that Regiment, and committed to custody; it being alleged, That he had led on the Soldiers to that Rendezvouz contrary to Orders. And afterwards a Council of War being called in the field, divers Mutineers for example sake were drawn forth, three of them were tried and condemned to death, and one of them (whose turn it fell to by lot) was shot to death at the Head of the Regiment, and others are in hold to be tried. The Soldiers of this Regiment crying out, That they were abused by their Officers, and being told by the Lieutenant General, That they should have Justice against them, were very much satisfied, sensible of their error, and promised conformity to the General's Commands for the future. Col: Rainsbrough and some others presented this enclosed Petition, and The Agreement of the People, to His Excellency at his first coming: Col: Harrisons Regiment, who had them in their Hats with this Motto on the outside in capital Letters, England's Freedoms, and Soldiers Rights, when they understood their error, tore them out of their Hats, and expressed their Resolution to be obedient to His Excellency's commands. Lieut: Col: John Lilburn came this day to Ware; but things not succeeding at the Rendezvouz according to expectation, came not further. Sir, As I cannot but rejoice in this days Unity, in relation to the Peace of the Kingdom; so, I hope, That the issue will tend to the benefit thereof; and that the General and Officers of the Army will do as much for the real Freedom of the People, as the other do pretend; and how good soever their Intentions may be, nothing but confusion at present appears in their Endeavours. In much haste I rest,  
Hartford, 15. Nou. 1647. Your affectionate Friend and Servant, WILLIAM CLARK.   

England's Freedoms and Soldiers Rights; An Agreement of the People, for a firm and present Peace, upon Grounds of Common Right.  
HAving by our late labours and hazards made it appear to the world at how high a rate we value our just Freedom, & having so far owned our cause, as to deliver the enemies thereof into our hands: We do now hold ourselves bound in mutual duty to each other, to take the best care we can for the future, to avoid both the danger of returning into a slavish condition, and the chargeable remedy of another War: for as it cannot be imagined that so many of our Country men would have opposed us in this quarrel, if they had understood their own good; so may we safely promise to ourselves, that when our common Rights and Liberties shall be cleared, their endeavours will be disappointed, that seek to make themselves our Masters: since therefore our former oppressions, and scarce yet ended troubles have been occasioned, either by want of frequent National meetings in Counsel, or by rendering those meetings ineffectual; We are fully agreed and resolved, to provide that hereafter our Representatives be neither left to an uncertainty for the time, nor made useless to the ends for which they are intended: In order whereunto we Declare,  
1. That the people of England being at this day very unequally distributed, by Counties, Cities, and Burroughs, for the Election of their Deputies in Parliament, aught to be more indifferently proportioned, according to the number of the Inhabitants: the circumstances whereof, for number, place, and manner, are to be set down before the end of this present Parliament.  
2. That to prevent the many inconveniencies, apparently arising, from the long continuance of the same persons in authority, this present Parliament be dissolved upon the last day of September, which shall be in the year of our Lord, 1648.  
3. That the People do of course choose themselves a Parliament once in two years. viz. upon the first Thursday in every second March, after the manner as shall be prescribed before the end of this Parliament, to begin to sit upon the first Thursday in April following at Westminster, or such other place as shall be appointed from time to time by the preceding Representatives; and to continue till the last day of September than next ensuing, and no longer.  
4. That the power of this, and all future Representatives of this Nation, is inferior only to theirs who choose them, and doth extend without the consent or concurrence of any other person or persons; to the Enacting, Altering, and repealing of Laws; to the erecting and abolishing of Offices and Courts; to the appointing, removing, and calling to account Magistrates, and Officers of all degrees; to the making War and Peace, to the treating with foreign States; and generally, to whatsoever is not expressly, or implyedly reserved by the Represented to themselves, which are as followeth;  

1. THat matters of Religion, and the ways of God's Worship, are not at all entrusted by us to any humane power, because therein we cannot remit or exceed a tittle of what our Consciences dictate to be the mind of God, without wilful sin: nevertheless the public way of instructing the Nation (so it be not compulsive) is referred to their discretion.  
2. That the matter of Impresting and constraining any of us to serve in the Wars, is against our Freedom, and therefore we do not allow it in our Representatives; the rather, because money (the sinews of War) being always at their disposal, they can never want numbers of men apt enough to engage in any just Cause.  
3. That after the dissolution of this present Parliament, no person be at any time questioned for any thing said or done, in reference to the late public differences, otherwise then in execution of the Judgements of the present Representatives, or House of Commons.  
4. That in all Laws, made, or to be made, every person may be bound alike; and that no Tenure, Estate, Charter, Degree, Birth, or Place, do confer any exemption from the ordinary course of legal proceed, whereunto others are subjected.  
5. That as the Laws ought to be equal, so they must be good, and not evidently destructive to the safety and well-being of the People.  
These things we declare to be our Native Rights, and therefore are agreed and resolved to maintain them with our utmost possibilities, against all opposition whatsoever; being compelled thereunto, not only by the examples of our Ancestors, whose blood was often spilt in vain for the recovery of their Freedoms, suffering themselves, through fraudulent Accommodations, to be still deluded of the fruit of their Victories; but also by our own woeful experience, who having long expected, and dearly earned the establishment of these certain Rules of Government, are yet made to depend, for the settlement of our Peace and Freedom, upon Him that intended our Bondage, and brought a cruel War upon us.    

FOrasmuch as our condition with the Army in May and June last occasioned us to make choice of Agitators for transaction of our business with, and representation of our grievances to the General, and by him to the Parliament, for the keeping of a mutual correspondency and unanimous compliance amongst us, for the clearing of all misprisions and misapprehensions that might any way retard the firm establishment of a lasting Peace in this unhappy Kingdom, as also in order and relation to the providing complete satisfaction for the Soldiery: Notwithstanding upon several informations that those formerly employed by us did more consult their own advancement then the Public settled, we were induced about the 19 of October last to make choice of two new Agitators for a Regiment; not in the least manner intending that they should presume to usurp authority over the General, the Council of War, the old Agitators over the Kingdom, or over us, as to appoint Conventions at their own pleasure, and there to compose and publish in print to the world strange and unheard of Fancies, and frame Ideas of their own brain, and bring them to us to father. But the authority that we derived upon them, was only to act according to our first engaged principles, with the consent and advice of the General, the Council of War, and the Agitators first elected, to clear those things that seemed dubious unto us, to prevent misinformations, to endeavour to facilitate things that appeared difficult, to make us intelligent Subjects what progress had been made in order to our first engagement and representations to the Parliament, and to improve their best assistance to remove such obstructions as did any way impede the just and legal proceed of the Army. And whereas they have contrary to the trust reposed in them, contrary to the end for which they were selected and chosen, and indeed, contrary to good subjects, cast off all allegiance and obedience (as we conceive) to all present visible Authority in the Kingdom, and have betaken themselves to a new framed City of Refuge, have declared that they will insist in that way positively against all opposition whatsoever, have endeavoured to incense the Nation that the Army's intentions, Declarations, and Remonstrances have been but to gull and misled the people, and have rejected all terms of correspondency with those formerly entrusted and employed by us; and all this acted printed, and published before any antecedaneous notice thereof given, or consent had from their respective Regiments. Therefore we do declare to the said pretended Agitators, and to all the world, that we are so far from countenancing their preposterous proceed, as that hereby we testify our utter dislike to it: And do hereby recall any pretended authority that the said Agitators make claim to from us, and likewise do require them to return to their several and respective Troops, and not to persist any farther by virtue of any colourable pretence whatsoever; we being fully resolved to adhere to the former Mutual Agreement of the Army, and not to act in a distinct way from the General Council of War, and those Agitators formerly entrusted by us, much less in opposition to them; but to comply with them in all such things as may conduce to the speedy redress of the public distractions of the Kingdom, and the bringing to perfection our just desires contained and specified in the Engagements and several Declarations of the Army, and will make choice of such men as shall be appointed to communicate their utmost endeavours in the assistance of the General and Council of War, in such a way as may best conduce to the Bene esse of the Nation.  
Consented to and subscribed by the Officers and Soldiers in Col. Whaley's own Troop.   

To his Excellency Sir Thomas Fairfax our noble General.  
The humble Petition of many Officers and Soldiers under his command.  
Shows,  
THat in Judgement and conscience we engaged in the war against the King under your Excellencyes command, to preserve and vindicate the freedoms of our native Country, and of the Parliament in order thereunto.  
That by the blessing of God all those our Enemies are fall'n or fled before us.  
That for the same Ends, and for our own Rights, for our service, we were forced to hazard ourselves in disputing the Parliaments commands, and those our Opposers have been likewise subdued.  
That the Counties have petitioned your Excellency to procure the long expected settelment of their freedoms.  
That we have waited many Months for the securing to us, and all the free borne people, their native Rights, and for our Indemnity, and Arrears as Soldiers; and our Hearts bleed to see our Country consume under continued Distractions and heavy Oppressions.  
That we see no hope of Indemnity for us and our Assistants; nor settling the foundations of freedom, but by entering into this Agreement which we herewith offer to your Excellency desiring your concurrence therein.  
That we have seen and felt the sad Consequences of being divided and scattered before our native freedoms were settled, and our Arrears secured, and such a way established for constant pay, that we may know where to receive it monthly without fail.  
That we are bound in conscience from the sense of our duty to our native Country, and in mercy to ourselves, to keep together with our swords in our hands, to maintain these our freedoms, for which the Parliament first invited us to take Arms, to see our Arrears and pay secured, and our dear Country freed from its intolerable Burdens.  
May it therefore please your Excellency to go on in owning and leading us in maintaining of this our Cause, to the righteousness whereof God hath born such clear witness: And in the prosecution of these things we humbly desire to live and die under your Excellencyes conduct.  
FINIS.