A Word in Season, to General Monk, (with his Officers, &c.) To the City, and To the Nation;  
My Lord, and Gentlemen,  
YOu are, at present, in the Heart of the Nation, and in the Arms of your Friends: where you are Safe, and Beloved. You have the Strength and Affections of the City, at your Devotion, and it is your common Interest, to unite in a concurrence both of Power and Kindness. You stand and fall together. You are all of the same Stock; Born to the same Freedom; Subjected to the same Laws; nursed up in the same Religion: And in fine, Obliged by the same Rules of Duty and wisdom, to promote the same Ends. I might add, that you are likewise exposed to the same Danger, and from the same Enemy: by whose hypocrisy, and Skill, should you be Deluded into a Belief, of such who never kept Faith, (forgive me) your Reputation is lost, with that Security; and you Fall, without either Redress or Pity. In this very Instant, while you Treat, the Mine is working The Instruments and Means of your Destruction are already agreed upon. Some are employed to Infect your Councils, and Alienate your soldiers: Others sit among you, to Betray you. What by open Force cannot be Perfected, must be assisted, by a Dagger or poison. You have the Substance of this, already, upon Evidence, and Experiment. Next to this Caution towards your Professed Adversaries, allow me to propose a more Ingenuous, and open clearness towards your useful Friends; if it were but to prevent misunderstandings: Beside, that the very Doubt is both Injurious and Painful. Offices of Respect, and Comfort, aught to be performed with Liberty, and cheerfulness, without any the least mixture of Scruple, and Reserve. These Frank and Mutual interchanges of Succour, and Advice, beget a Trust, and kindness; And That's the true Foundation of a Happy and Lasting Union.— That Friendship which admits a jealousy, wavers.  
When You, (my Lord) your Officers, and Army, are become One with this City, you have then but Contracted a nearer Alliance with the Nation: whose several Counties, and Divisions, (how remote soever) are (with this Town) but Parts still of the same Body. By a Consent of Interest, and Sense, they Prosper, or they Wither, they Grieve, or joy, they Live, or die. Nor are they more united in their Interests, than in their Votes, and Resolutions; for they have unanimously engaged with the City, to maintain their Rights, and Liberties, the Reformed Religion, and the Freedom of Parliaments, against all hazards, and Oppositions whatsoever. I need not tell your Lordship by what Audacious and Illegal Violences, this Declaration and Remonstrance was extorted from them. The Nation stood condemned to Servitude, and beggary, even by those, whom they themselves had raised from that Condition, to aggravate the Bondage, by the more intolerable Authors of it. 'Twas now become a Crime, to name a Full, Free Parliament, and Treason to appeal to any other Law, than the Insipid Vote of a Legislative Conventicle. The Gaols are full of Prisoners upon that very score.  
Was it not time, (my Lord) to bid these People hold their Hands, after the expense of so much blood, and of so many Millions; and all this only to perpetuate a dearer, and a more Infamous Thralldom? The Pulpits were enured to Blasphemy, and Non sense, and the Government prostituted for money, to Persons able to disgrace a Bawdy House.— These, and the like Indignities, put the Nation upon their Just, and necessary Defence; And in that Posture they now stand Ready, and Resolved.  
Your Excellency hath been tender hitherto of blood, but if a speedy Order be not taken, to Regulate those straggling Troops, that Act still in the Countries, in Opposition to a Settlement, It will come yet to Blows: For questionless, in case of a Necessity, the People will never stand still, and suffer themselves to be picked out, man by man, till they be all Destroyed.  
The Gentry and Nobility, are Slaves to every peddling Pursuivant. 'Tis but a warrant from our Masters, and all is Fish that comes to Net: No matter for a Crime, if there be a Booty. All that the People ask, all they design, is but the Benefit of the Law. will any English man deny it us? First, They have sworn to defend it; next We have sworn, rather to die, than lose it. This Faction hath cost the Nation more than 60. Millions, besides the Blood they have lapped: and yet 100000 l. a Month, and not a farthing less, will do their business, that is, 5000 l. a Man, or some such Trifle: For that, the Juncto shares; perhaps the soldier, once in a year, or 2. may get his morning's draught, and then be turned to Graze upon Free Quarter; and hanged for Mutiny, if he but talks of money. It's the trick they served all that have served them. Who ever strikes, or pays on their behalf, fights but for Bondage, and contributes to his own chains. If they had any Faith, they might be trusted. But Oaths go down with them like Pills of Butter, they are dissolved, as soon as taken. That Perjury which would poison a good Christian is but their Nutriment. Nay worse than Wolves, they are false to their own Kind, and enter worry one-another. I should be endless, to pursue this Subject till I want Matter. In brief, My Lord, look to yourself, and to your Friends; Life and Death are before you, choose. May Heaven direct and bless your Councils and Endeavours, so far, as you proceed with Piety and Honour. To prevent Mistakes, I do declare, that there are divers moderate and sober Persons, in the Mixture, for whom I have a fair Respect, and that the tartness of my Language, only concerns the Furious and fanatic of them.  
A Word now to the City; and that a short one.] Gentlemen, upon your fair compliance with the General, depends much of your safety: that is, so far as he comports himself with Terms of Prudence, Equity, and Honour; (and he is too Noble, to go less) next, to himself, you find his Officers, of an Ingenuous, and clear Conversation; and worth your Friendships, their Commands apart; you likewise find the body of the Army, Civil, and well d●sciplin'd, you do exceeding well to pay them all due respects: and to join Interests, and Counsels, with them;— you have done Wisely, Honestly, and Bravely too, to oppose Taxes: that is, Taxes imposed without a Law,— to be employed against yourselves;— and such, as had you granted them, your precedent would have extended to enslave your posterity.— Your care next, to disarm the Sectaries, was very seasonable, your City had probably been in Ashes else by this time. Consider, they bear the same mind still, and where they had those weapons they can quickly have more. You cannot be secure without your Militia, nor can any thing fairly obstruct your Procurement of it: In Titchburn's Case, it was by the Commons ordered, that any six of the Common-council (upon emergent occasions) might send for the Lord Mayor to call a Common-council, and in case of default, call it themselves, and any 40 of them, to have power to act as a Common-council, without the Lord Mayor, any thing in their Charter to the contrary Notwithstanding: See the Hist. of Independency, part 2. page 83. Not to exceed my limits, Forget not your suffering friends, and stand firm to your Associates, and Allies. He that tamely suffers one Injury, provokes another.  
Now to the Nation, for a Farewell.] I need not press my countrymen with many Cautions, your Freedom of Elections, that's your birthright; 'Tis that you all declare, to Live and die for, you are too wise, to be cheated with Restrictions and Qualifications: as if the Question were the Number, rather than the Choice, at this rate, you may have a full House, indeed; but How? That is, full of the Brats, the kindred, and the partisans of those that sit already; and then, they that have gulled you all this while, shall govern you for ever, your very Declarations against the Present Tyranny, have brought you to that Point, that there's no safety left you, but in violence; for, while you talk, you die, your scattered Friends are gathered up, one by one; whereas, your SEASONABLE UNION MAKES ALL SURE. As your Intentions are Honourable, so let your Actions be. How far the Law extends, in case of Srutish, and Illegal cruelty, see St. John's Argument against the Earl of Strafford; and with that I conclude: He that would not have had others to have Law, why should he have any himself? Why should not that be done to him, that himself would have done to others? It is true, we give Law to Hares, and Deers, because they be Beasts of Chase; it was never accounted either cruelty, or fowl-play, to Knock Foxes, and wolves on the head, as they can be found, because these be Beasts of Prey: The warrener sets traps for polecats and other Vermin, for Preservation of the Warren.   

Printed at the HAGUE for S. B. 1660.