A LETTER FROM A PRESBYTERIAN OF QVALITIE, TO His FRIEND in the Country, concerning An Engagement in this New WAR.   printer's or publisher's device 
July 28 LONDON. Printed in the Year, 1648.   

A LETTER FROM A PRESBYTERYAN OF QUALITY, TO His Friend in the Country, concerning An ENGAGEMENT in this New WAR.  
Sir,  
THe receipt of yours brought with it much contentment, in that I understand thereby, the condition of Affairs in your Parts, But as to satisfying that part of your Letter, which requests me to give you a like account of our present condition here, and what my opinion is of an engagement in this new War, I must plead an utter disability; Yet to show you what a supremacy of power you have over me, or rather what virtue is in your Command, I have given you my slender sense, which though it be not flourished by a Rhetorical pen, yet I'll assure you it comes from an uncorrupted heart.  
You may remember, at the beginning of the late War, when you engaged your person, and I my purse for the Parliament, how many Declarations were published by the Parliament of their real intentions, to settle Religion in its purity, to make the King a glorious King, to Establish a firm Peace, etc. All which were confirmed by those sacred ligaments, the Protestation and Covenant, which made me (I must confess) for some time a great admirer of the Parliament and their proceed. When the War grew towards an end, and that the Royal Party was expulsed, I found sensibly in all parts of the Kingdom a working Factious party of Independents, (and you know what those are, a Gallimaufry of all Sects blended together) these (by the power and instigation of the two Generals, who had the Sword in their hands, and of some prevalent Members in the House of Commons) screwed themselves into all Offices and Employments, had their Levites in all Counties, especially in London, to poison the people with their Doctrine; and indeed, began to be, and actually were, as violent against us, (whom the world call Presbyterians) as against the most rigid Cavaliers: witness the expelling the 7 Lords and the 11 Members, the imprisoning the Lord Major and Aldermen, with divers other worthy Gentlemen and Commanders: And instead of settling Peace, an Army was kept on foot, merely to awe and tyrannize over the Kingdom, and though some Forces were disbanded in several Counties, yet they were such only, as that prevailing Faction could not confide in.  
Yet when the world began to see what an Independent Idol they were setting up, then ever & anon the Members would set out some Ordinance or other Papers, which should blind the people with a belief, that they intended to settle Church-Government and Treat with the King; when the truth is, they (like watermen) looked one way and rowed another, as little intending either of those, as any good to our Party.  
But (Sir) the people (I say) thus perceiving which way this worm of Independency began to gnaw, this City, and the Country's adjacent Petitioned for a Personal Treaty, (and you have heard what usage the Surrey Petitioners found at Westminster, among those bloodhounds of the then Guard) nay, when they faw how their Petitions were slighted, and their Petitioners abused, Kent Arms, and then Essex.  
The Grandees at Westminster, (seeing the disaffection of the generality of the people to their design, and that our Brethren the Scots were resolved to come in to our assistance;) began to turn Cat in pan, and fawn upon us again, hoping to make a Syncretisme, a conjunction of these two Parties against the Common Enemy, as they call the professed Royalists, knowing themselves too weak to deal both with the Scots and them. To this purpose they  their Votes against the 7 Lords and 10 Members, release the Citizens, and others that were imprisoned; and gave particular instruction to some of their chief Ministers about London, to call upon a reunion against the common Enemy in their Pulpits, and to cement the breach between them and us, as much as might be.  
And when their Memberships perceived that this City was minded and necessitated in these new commotions, to name a General, and raise some Forces for their own preservation, and well knowing how much the name of an Independent is hated in their Common Council, and that their eyes were upon Skippon, they laid this pretty Engine to entrap the City: Skippon (who had formerly been slighted and laid aside by the Army, as smelling too much of a Presbyter) had a good round sum given him, and other promises, sufficient to make so unstable a man one of their Neophytes; which being greedily accepted, Skippon had order to act his part thus. By any means not to discover any inclination in himself towards Independentisme, till such time as the City had embosomed themselves to him, and settled him in the Employment, then, and not before, to cast off his Vizard: This he hath done to purpose, and abused the City sufficiently, by many underhand practices, for which he has lately been called to an account by the Common Council, and hath utterly lost his former repute.  
Now (Sir) could these Grandees, withal their art and daubing, and with their money-baites, make us take the hook; and so by enduring the Dust and Sun, quiet the present distempers, as we did the former, we should soon be in our former Condition, the Army would be again brought to London, to awe the Parliament, our chief and uncorrupted Members re-expelled, our Citizen's recommitted, and our City enslaved.  
This (with much more, which might be added, were it not for exceeding the bounds of a Letter) hath made my Conscience clearly satisfied, that we ought by no means to adhere in this new War, to these Anarchists, these Babel-Builders, but rather to side with the King's Party; for, though you and I perhaps may not relish all that the Cavaliers profess, yet (trust me Sir) I think the worst of their tenants ought to have preference before the best of the Independents; and of two Evils you know, we are to choose the least.  
Besides, this is not the old War, nor the old Quarrel, but new in both; the Quarrel is not now betwixt the King and His Parliament, and that for extirpating Bishops and evil Counsellors, but betwixt the King, the Noblesse, & most of the Commons of the Land of the one part, and a few factious Members (puffed up with lust and ambition) and all the Sectaries of the Kingdom on the other part; and this, whether Religion or no Religion, King or no King, Law or now Law.  
This hath made the Scots (according to our Covenant) come into our assistance, for settling Church-Government and re-Enthroning the King. This hath made the Lord Willoughby of Parham (whom I hold to be a person of much Honour & Conscience) accept of the Vice-Admiralship under the Duke of York; this made General Laughern and Colonel Poyer Revolt from the Dominion of these Levelling Saints. This hath made the greatest part of the Mariners and Seamen Ancher their Ships in a better Haven, and their Consciences in a better Cause. And this I hope hath, or will make all true Subjects endeavour the restoring of His Majesty to His Crown and Dignity, and the destroying of this Independent brood, the Army and their Adherents; since it is now evident, that they would have no Religion, but a miscellany of Sectaries; no King but Anarchy, no Laws, but their own wild and unlimited Wills; And what a Visitation they intent to this Famous City (if Colchester could once be theirs) and what Arms and other preparation their Brethren of this City make for their aid and abetments, as it is apparently known; so we hope the wisdom of the Common Council will take speedy care timously to prevent.  
This I dare say is the sense of may thousands in this City; For since the Houses recede from their Covenant and Principles, 'tis good reason we should withdraw our affections from them. In which number is  
London, 21 July 1648. Sir, Your most humble Servant.  
FINIS.