NEW PROPOSITIONS FROM THE ARMY, PROPOUNDED By Cornet JOYCE (who lately guarded His Majesty's Person from Holmby) to all free Commoners within the Kingdom of England and Dominion of Wales.  
Wherein is more fully set forth, Their further Resolution and Proceed, concerning the King's Majesties Royal Person, the preservation of this Nation, and touching every member that challenges an interest in this KINGDOM.  
Whereunto is annexed, The Copy of another Letter sent from the Kings most Excellent Majesty, and read in the High and Honourable Court of Parliament.  
Printed for the use and satisfaction of the whole Kingdom.  
London, Printed for Robert Ellson, July 17. 1647.   

The King's Majesties last Message, to His Highness, James Duke of York.  
SIR,  
TIme being my greatest favourite, and the proceed of this object of time, the chief supporter of my ensuing intelligence, I shall here (according to your desire, represent unto you, some particulars very remarkable, now in disputation betwixt the King, Parliament, and Army, together with a brief summary, (or Copy) of the King's Majesties last Desires, communicated to his Son, James Duke of York, written by his Majesties own hand; which was, (as we hear,) presented to His Highness, by the Right Honourable, Algernon Piercy, Earl of Northumberland; the Copy, or effect whereof followeth; beginning in these words viz.  
JAMES,  
I Desire and do earnestly request, that you may be permitted with your Brother and Sister, to come down to see me, and therefore I desire you to ask leave for the obtaining of the same, to accompany me for the space of awo or three days; And because it is my earnest desire to see you, I shall be williag, (rather than not to enjoy this happiness, that you may be permitted to come to dine with me, at some convenient place, and to return the same night, it may be some will conjecture, that you will be drawn away by the Army, but for your safe return again, the General Sir Thomas Fairfaxand all his Officers hath engaged themselves for it. So God bless you.  
Your loving Father CHARLES R. Causan, the 4. of July, 1647.  
Since the presenting of this Letter to his Highness, and acquainting both Houses with the same; we have received Intelligence, that the said honourable Court, hath gave their assent and resolved, that His Highness the Duke of York, together with the rest of the King's Children, shall have leave to go down to see their Royal Father, the King, there to reside the space of two days; and we hear that the Right Honourable the Earl of Northumberland is to attend them down.  
Having no more (at present) to communicate unto you, concerning the King and his Princely issue, I shall reserve you to the enclosed paper, and remain  
Causan, july 16. 1647. Your affectionate friend, john Willis.   

A Copy of a Paper, containing 4. Propositions, set forth by Cornet Joyce, in behalf of the Kingdom.  
I. Now fellow Commoners, you who are borne to as large privileges and immunities as any people on the earth, which you may all challenge as your birthright, lest you should be induced through the subtlety of some litigious Lawyers, or through the policy and specious pretences of any man whatsoever to judge our action of guarding his Majesty from Holmby to be illegal, and contrary to the trust reposed in us, assure yourselves that action of ours was not a rash precipitant enterprise, as some say, but challenges the law of Nature, Nations, this Kingdom, and our Commissioners derived from the Parliament for its foundation.  
The lyw of Nature vindicates us, for as in a natural body which is composed of sundry members, may lawfully seek its own preservation as from inward distempers, or outward dangers that threaten its ruin, so likewise may a political body do, if the head be in danger, the foot ought to run, and the hand to act for its preservation, and in this endeavour every member particularly, as well as jointly, is obliged, so that if one hand be cut off, one foot lame, one eye forth, the other hand foot and eye are not hereby disengaged, but the more firmly bound to put forth their utmost powers for the body's fence.  
II. The Law of Nations warrants us, every Nation inviolably maintaining this, that every member in the Nation ought to preserve the Nation as much as in him lies; It is a universal principle, non nobis solum nati sumus, etc. We are not born for ourselves alone; but the Country in which we live challenges an interest in us, this principle made many rejoice in dying, esteeming it, dulce & decorum pro patria mori.  
3. The Law of this Kingdom (by which we may expect to stand or fall) secures us in this Kingdom, we have this Maxim, that solus populi is suprema lex, The safety of the people is the supremest law; this was the hinge we moved upon, the Kingdom's safety was endangered, and without a speedy application of a timely preservative was likely to be consumed: the best preservative we could see, was the security of his Majesty's person, which our act hath effected. Whose enemies are so dull, and whose understanding is so stupefied & sottishly blind, but may remember and know what a sad disaster hath befallen the Kingdom, in the expense of so much blood and treasure, by the surprising of his Majesty's Person in the late wars? who can but know, had they not had his person for their designs had proved abortive: We well know there was a design to seize on his Majesty, to raise a new Army, and unnaturally to involve this Kingdom in its own blood, and so to render our latter end miserably worse than our beginning, but this we thought ourselves bound to prevent if possible, which we still judge and doubt not to prove it, and is yet lawful for us to do. As the King is by the law of this Kingdom bound to govern and secure us according to the Law, so are we engaged to secure his Person against the violaters of the Law, which we have, through the blessing of God accomplished, Our end was not his enthrallment, bondage and ruin, as by our actions may appear, but his safety, and the Kingdom's preservation, which otherwise we justly fear, had both been endangered; suppose the King through ignorance of traitor's intention to destroy His Person or His Kingdom, should expose himself to the mercy of him that sought his life, do you imagine it would be treasonable for any one to remove his Majesty though without his consent from the place the traitor sought his life in, and to preserve him? but the case is yet more fair for us, His judgement being satisfied, his will was likewise concurring to his remove, we hope this our action will be recented in good part by all the Nation for whose good it was effected. Had the King been surprised, another army been under his name raised, the Nation once more wallowed in its own blood; then surely but too late, would the people have cried out, oh that some had been stirred up to have stood in this breach.  
FOUR The Commission from the Parliament (whom some say though with more boldness than judgement, more malice than wisdom, and more envy than prudence or honesty, we have rebelled against and acted contrary to in this action) acquits us, for by our Commission we are bound to seek the preservation of the King's person, whether we have not so done let all the Kingdom judge: what hurt to his person have we done? what hurt to the Kingdom have we done? we are not constions to ourselves that we have in this done amiss, who hath cause to complain, surely none can nor will, except those who had thought to have made all men dance after their pipes, kiss their hands, and resign up their birthrights, liberties and lives to their arbitrary and tyrannical, lawless, boundless wills, these Haman-like are mad to think a poor Mordecai will not stand cap in hand, bow his knee, and bend unto them.  
FINIS.