The Humble REMONSTRANCE OF THE Reduced Officers DECLARING Their Grievances to the PARLIAMENT AND kingdom. Printed in the Year. 1648. THE Humble Remonstrance OF THE Reduced Officers. we the Reduced Officers who have served the Parliament faithfully and honourably under the Commands of the late Earl of Essex his Excellence and other their late Generalls having made so many vain and fruitless addresses to the Parliament for the Arrears of our salaries, are now at length forced in our own Vindication to manifest to the world both our services and sufferings, and how contemptibly we have been used in reward of our good services. We are confident it is not yet so long since the beginning of the late unhappy differences between his majesty and this Parliament, that either they or the kingdom can forget with what forwardness and zeal we adventured our lives and fortunes in their just defence, less valuing the safety of ourselves our wives children and Estates then we did the preservation of the Protestant Religion, or his Majesties person, and of them; of the Laws Liberties, and Peace of the Kingdom, and the freeing of his Majesties subjects from violence and oppression: with how much constancy, patience and fidelity we proceeded while we were in Arms, and with how much obedience we submitted to the Ordinance for our Reducement; We are certain they neither will nor can deny. But when we consider what difference they have made betwixt us and the now Army, in their care and industry to satisfy the one both in point of Arrears and indemnity; and their neglect of us in both, who have born the burden and heat of the day, we cannot but be struck into admiration at the cause. Far be it from us any way to grudge or repined at any thing they either have done or shall do in heaping wealth, honour or protection upon this Army that have deserved so well, for the just Master may give of his own to whomsoever he please; Yet we humbly conceive it would be far unbecoming the credit and reputation of any just man to detain the wages of those honest and faithful servants that have performed faithfully their several employments and gone through the greatest difficulties of the work; and to satisfy those that come in at the last hour, and only finish what the other have wrought up. It is now at least three years since we were reduced, and the New Model marched forth, in all which time those of us that have considerable sums due to us have not received the moiety of the Interest of our moneys in Arrear due, and that to be deducted of the principals; so that our three years attendance hath( in leiw of that moiety of the interest received) cost us as much as our whole Arrears amount unto; so that it had been a courtesy at first to have told us we should never have been paid, for then we should not have wasted our fortunes in expectation, but have engaged ourselves either in some foreign or domestic employments, whereby to have obtained, at least, our present subsistances, if not an augmentation of our future estates. Many of us, who are indebted to private men, not above a fourth or sixth part of what the State are indebted to us, have been arrested, and many remain yet prisoners upon those Arrests, and could neither obtain from the Parliament Protection before they were sued, nor being in prison, can yet get of their Arrears so much as to pay their debts, or yet to keep them from hunger and lice; nay many times for want of money to pay the gaolers rent, they are often times thrust into the common Goals amongst thieves and Murtherers, Pick pockets and Whores, and many of them( and of others also that had their liberties) have starved to death for want of food, to whom the Parliament have stood indebted in many thousands of pounds; and many more of us there are remaining yet alive, who a e in the like condition, for whom, if some speedy course be not taken to preserve them, they must of necessity perish: and many more there are of us, even of the better sort, who have contracted such debts in the time of our attendance, that we dare not show our heads, being unprotected; neither have we so much credit left as to procure our longer subsistence; so that if we have not some speedy relief we must by necessity be compelled to lay hold on any occasion to keep us from starving. But here we meet an objection cast in by some who say, That we may thank ourselves that we have not satisfaction as well as the Army, for that the Army stood for us as well as themselves until such time as we engaged with the City against them, by which Engagement we have justly not only deserved their desertion, but also forfeited our Arrears. To which we answer, first, that we were not all engaged at that time with the City, and yet those that were not engaged have not since received any consideration more then ordinary either in point of Arrears or Indemptnity, nor are they more protected or relieved then the rest. Secondly, we are not ignorant that we are rendered both to the Parliament and Army, in horrid aspects, as opposers of both, and favourers of the Presbyterian party; To which we answer, that we do believe we are scarce all of one opinion in point of Church-Government; And that we stand indifferently affencted to all parties that vary from those principles upon which we first were engaged in the Parliament service; for as we are the same men, so have we the same minds and resolutions either Actively or Passively to lay down our lives in the maintenance of those principles, in the defence whereof we have already ventured our lives, limbs, liberties and estates. We could therfore wish that the Parliament and the Army would bepleased to declare their present principles, in which if they vary not essentially from our former undertakings, our lives and fortunes in spite of their neglect of us) shall still wait on them. In the mean time we expect( as fellow-sufferers for the same cause) their present protection and satisfaction in point of Arrears and indemnity. Neither need the Army or any others insist so much upon our listing with the City, since we did nothing therein, but by the same Authority that must justify both their arms and ours,( viz.) An Ordinance of Parliament; upon which had the Army been in our case, we are confident they would have done the like. And ungrateful had we been to these Commanders under whom we had formerly served and gained our several preferments: And unworthy were we yet to receive our Arrears, if we should refuse to serve them, being called thereto by just power, and not being otherwise pre engaged, we suppose his now Excellence would think those Officers did ill requited his favours that should desert him when he had most occasion to use them; but in reward of this our fidelity, and because we cannot vary our principles with our conditions, our sufferings shall be unparalleled and whilst the Army receive both Pay and Quarters, Goals hourly devour us for our daily bread, being unpayd and unprotected: but if the State shall proceed to neglect us, as they have done, we shal have just cause to say, the Royalists have received more favour, for being enemy, then we can obtain justice being friends. And those that cherish not obedience teach the contrary. Some others of us there are, that having suffered imprisonment with the enemy, and our charges having been otherwise disposed of in the time of our durance, have submitted ourselves at our returns, to serve in the several Armies of the Parliament, as Reformadoes, rather then to relinquish their service, and were allowed by our several General for that service one half of our personal pays as Conformadoes, with allowance for such horses as we had in the service extant. Yet now we cannot be allowed any thing for the Arrears of that service, though we perpetually either commanded forth parties, or forlorn hope upon all occasions, neither have the Parliament given any establishment for the same, notwithstanding there have been several Petitions about it in the house above this two years, to which they never so much as vouchsafed and Answer. These things being all laid together we shall submit to the judgement both of Parliament and kingdom, hoping that the well-affected will be as forward in our behalves to solicit the Parliament to maintain the Covenant both Conjuctim and Divisim and to preserve the Unity between the two Nations, and to procure us satisfaction in point of Arrears and indemnity; as we were at first to enter into Covenant with them, and to haz ard our lives for the defence of their liberties and Estates. Which that the Just Revenger of the Covenant-Keepers upon the Covenant-breakers, will encourage them to do, shall be the constant prayers of, The Reduced Officers, late under the Command of the earl of Essex Earl of Warwick Earl of De●… igh Earl of Manchester. Earl of Stamford Lord Gray of Wark Lord Gray of Grooby L. Willoughby of Parham Lord Brooks Lord Fard. Fairfax. Sir William Waller. Sir William Brereton. Sir Tho. Middleton. mayor General Massey mayor General Mitton. mayor general Brown mayor Gen. Langharne Sir John Gell mayor general Poyntz. Sir John Meldrum. FINIS.