A DECLARATION Sent from the Right honourable RALPH Lord HOPTON, To the GENTLEMEN and Inhabitants of Cornwall, and the Counties adjacent. Concerning his engagement for and in behalf of PRINCE Charles, Who now is King CHARLES the Second, King of Great Britain, &c. And Desiring their joint Assistance to settle Him in His crown and dignity, as He is their lawful sovereign. Printed in the year 1649. A Letter from Ralph Lord Hopton, to the Gentlemen and Inhabitants of Cornwall and the Counties adjacent. GENTLEMEN, I Am confident there hath not been wanting divers ill Instruments amongst you, who probably (though I have better thoughts of your Fidelity) may have drawn some of you from your wonted Loyalty and allegiance to your native Prince by Scandalous false and forged Reports against his Integrity towards you, who are his natural Liege People and Subjects, and aught to obey him as your lawful King an Governor: And that they do or may endeavour to persuade you▪ That it was or is His intention to enslave you, and bring upon you a tyrannical Government, forced by the sword of foreigners, which fa●se Lyes, feigned Imputations (to caluminate His good Intentions) peradven●ure you may some of you give credit to, as by sad experience I find many of the P●ople of England have been too ready to believe such falsities foisted upon our late Dread sovereign of ever Famous Memory, by which means his virtues were blemished, and he rendered odious in the eyes of the Vulgar, which can●d them so traitorously and unjustly by silence to permit that inhuman murder perpretrated upon his Sacred Person; They being spaciously promised after his Death to enjoy their Liberties, than which nothing is less intended by the promisers, neither is it in their power to perform, nor in Reason for the People to believe, so long as there is any of the blood Royal left to lay claim to the Crown and Kingdom, which cannot be easily extinguished, or can there ever be any true grounds or hopes of Peace whilst there is foreign aid sufficient to be obtained still to keep the Land in Gar-Broyles and Cumbustions, which will undoubtedly be attempted by all Christian Princes, unless you unanimously and jointly with speed do endeavour to Establi●● your King, (who now is CHARLES the Second) without 〈◊〉 Him to invite foreign aid to His Assistance, which he is unwilling to do, knowing that the impoverishing and destroying of His Subjects will be His loss in the end. But if you do refuse him your aid, in this you must excuse him, if he attempt by other hands to procure his own. It is not unknown to many (it not all) of you, how unjust the sufferings of our late sovereign were and how real an Endeavorer He ever was of His kingdom's Peace, and Subjects Liberty, yet It could not formerly be believed, now His Actions have manifested 〈◊〉, He having sealed it with his blood, rather than to infringe His Oath, and admit of any illegal Court (as that pretended Court of Justice is, which took away His life) which might destroy 〈◊〉 in His Subjects, or violate the fundamental Laws of the Land; you may be pleased to remember how often, and with how much alacrity He did offer to agree upon any terms (as may appear by 〈◊〉 Conc●ssions when he was in a Treaty with the two Houses of Parliament in the I'll of Wight) although something dishonourable and in part to enslave Himself and Posterity for the good of His Three Kingdoms, and a settlement of Peace amongst His Subjects; I will not, I hope I need not to cite you former Precidents of His Integrity to preserve the laws and Liberties of his Land and People, which he of my knowledge (during the time he had the sword in His hand) was ever careful to keep inviolable; Let this suffice for a precedent of the unjust Sufferings of our late disceased sovereign; And to make known to you the thing to which my Duty and Allegiance doth bind me concerning Prince Charles, by whose Commission and Authority I Act, and who is heir aparent to the kingdom of England, and all the Dominions which were His Fathers. Although kept thence by the same traitorous usurped Power that His royal Father was murdered by: Now for, and in behalf of Him, as He is our Lawfu●l King, His late Father being disceased: I do desire you to reflect upon your Oath of Allegiance, which I am confident many of you have took, and according as by that Oath you are bound to use the best means you may, and to the uttermost of your Power endeavour an Establishment for Him in this kingdom, as His Predecessors King of England have had; and like true Subjects that you will acknowledge Him for your King, and His royal Person De●end and protect against all traitors and Treacherous Attempts which shall or may be made against Him by any usurped pretended Power of Parliament, or other which shall disallow or disavow His Government. Gentlemen, I Hope you can not choose but be satisfied in your Consciences of the lawfulness of my sovereign's Cause, and my Demands for him, which is no other but for his own Birthright. And I doubt not but you are very sensible how weakly your Liberties and laws are likely to be preserved by those pretended usurping Magistrates in whose hands they now are, and how your promised freedom is turned to Slavery and Bondage by an Arbitrary tyrannical Government, far worse than ever the King could exercise upon you, though he were the greatest Tyrant, by reason he in such cases is limited by the Known laws, which these are not, but only their Wills is Law to do any thing maintained by the Sword, without all colour of Law or Justice. I could enlarge myself further, and instance you many things which might make you more sensible of your approaching ruin, if you do not suddenly crown and settle your lawful King, but I shall forbear at present, by reason I do not much doubt your Loyalty, having had pretty good experience of it formerly; I shall only therefore publish to you this following Declaration, whereby to manifest the reality of my Intentions to my King and country's weal, and 〈◊〉 happiness; And so shall leave you to the Answer, which if it be done according to my Expectation and good Opinion of your Fidelity, you shall find my faithful and true Assistance ready upon all Occasions to back your undertakings. Thus much at present, hoping you will not fail to prosecute your allegiance and Loyalty, I remain, Gentlemen, Your Affectionate Friend, and lover of the kingdom's Peace, and Subjects Liberty, R. H. From the Navy royal, this 8. of Febr. 1648. The Declaration of the Honourable RALPH Lord HOPTON. Whereas there is a tyrannous, murdering, bloodthirsty and rebellious ARMY under the immediate Conduct of general Lord Fairfax, who have cu●d out from the late House of Commons a select number of pernicious factious Rebels, men of very desperate principles with whom they are associated, and call themselves the Commons of England in Parliament assembled, and assume the Legislative power of the kingdom to be in them, (a thing never before heard of) by which they have disabled the Lords for ever having any voice in Parliament, but as members of the Commons House and have by their pretended power constituted a Court of Justice as they call it, only to mock justice, and introduce tyranny under a fair colour by pretence of doing justice to enslave the Nation, and make all men to submit unto their unheard of Authority: by which illegal Court, they have traitorously and like unparalleled Regici is murdered their lawful King to satisfy their libidinous bloodthirsty appetites, which was never full enough gorged with the blood of subjects, but must needs dip their hands and die their black souls scarlet with the innocent blood of the best of kings to upold their wicked Democracy and Anarchical tyranny; likewise they have manifested (since that wicked fact parpetrated upon their sovereign) by their mock-acts and proclamations; that any one shall be proceeded against as a traitor that doth proclaim the Prince (who is now our lawful King by hereditory succession) or any other to be King or chief Magistrate, which the kingdom of England without their consent (which doubtless shall never be obtained,) as may appear by all other circumstances, probable consequences of their actions. All which are very plain Testimonies▪ that they intend nothing less than to subvert the ancient laws and Constitutions of this kingdom; by which the People of England are made capable to enjoy their Estates, with more Propriety, of which each subject will be absolutely despoiled, and their Estates Goods and ●ives laid open to their fellow subjects (now more i● authority than Kings) wills; all which foregoing absurdities and illegal practices, but especially that horrid design of murdering their King may be sufficient motives to stir up all m●ns hearts who have any sparks of g●ace in them to assist their King in so just a quarrel as his is against such de●perate Monsters, whose delight is to be drunk with Blood: and bring all good men into Bondage. Now if there be any amongst them who wi● (as it becomes their Loyalty and allegiance) leave these wicked Machiavel●s, and repair to me, to serve in behalf of their KING, they shall not only be civilly entertained, and receive pardon and indemnity for what they have formerly done, but they shall also be accommodated and rewarded according to their Degrees and Worth. I could sp●ak of the Church Government, which was once a great Pretence of their quarrel, but now is laid aside as a thing impertinent, and Religion become a confused Chaos of Sects without all form or shape. Really I should think, if they were not guilty of any other crime but the abhorred murder of their King, it would be enough to make Vengeance with thunder-clapps to ring Peals in their ears from each part of the compass, as I am confident, ere long it will give shrill Alarms to their blood-stained Consciences, rather to give all People Satisfaction concerning my engagement, in prosecution of which I'm ready to hazard that which is most dear to me, even my life and Fortune, as by my duty to God, and allegiance to my King, I am obliged; (Viz.) I. To defend my lawful King (Charles the second) from the violence of all his enemies, and to endeavour so much as I may a settlement for him in his just rights, regal authority, Kingly power and dignity against all opposers which shall by any means impedite and hinder His royal Person from being King and chief Magistrate on the realms of England Scotland and Ireland, with all other dominions which of light did belong to His royal Father. II. I will endeavour to propagate and increase the true Protestant Religion, the just rights and privileges of Parliament, and likewise the ancient and fundamental laws of the land established by act of King, Lords, and Commons. III. I do declare that I have no intention to enslave the Subjects, nor never shall consent or assent to have any tyrannical power exercised upon them; but shall maintain and defend their freedoms and liberties in as ample manner, according to the laws of the land, as I will the Person and power of my sovereign Lord and King, whom God preserve and make prosperous as ever any of his Predecessors were. FINIS. POSTSCRIPT. THis may be a sufficient pledge to you of my reality, I hope you do not doubt it; when I was amongst you, it is known I did preserve you, and did Permit no injuries by any to be done to you; and so will ever do, if you willingly entertain me in the name of my Lord and King: in whose commission I am the same I was in His loyal father's days.