A DECLARATION TO THE City and Kingdom, FROM Major General Massey, Sir William Waller, Colonel Birch, And the rest rest of the Impeached Members of Parliament; CONCERNING The proceed of the Lord General Fairfax, and the Army; and their Protestation to the people of England, touching the Parliament. ALSO, Major General Brown's Declaration and Speech to the Lord General Fairfax, touching the King, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of York, the Parliament, City, and Kingdom. AND The Declaration of his Excellency the Lord General, to the Kingdom of England, and his Resolution thereupon. LIKEWISE, A new Covenant and Agreement from the Army, to be tendered to all free born Englishmen, throughout the City of London, and the respective Counties within the Kingdom of England. Dec. 18th Printed for C. W. near the Royal Exchange, 1648. A DECLARATION TO THE KINGDOM FROM [Major General Massey, Sir William Waller, Commissary Copley, and the rest of the impeached Members concerning the proceed of the Army▪ Fellow-Commoners, and Countrymen, WHereas, there hath been lately a most high attempt and violation put upon the House o● Commons, by the Army, under the Command of Thomas Lord Fairfax; Therefore, We, whose names are hereunto subscribed, being Members thereof, and Freeborn subjects of the Realm of England, Do hereby Declare, and protest, in the presence of the Almighty Jehovah of Heaven, That the General and Officers of the Army, being raised by the authority of Parliament and for defence and maintenance of the privileges thereof; have not power or jurisdiction to apprehend, secure, detain, imprison, or remove our persons from place to place by any colour or authority whatsoever; nor yet to question or try us or any of us by Martial Law, or otherwise, for any offence or crime whatsoever; nor yet to question or try us, or any of us by Martial Law, or otherwise, for any offence or crime whatsoever, which can or shall be objected against us; And that the present imprisonment and removal of our persons is a high violation of the rights and privileges of Parliament, and of the fundamental Laws of the Land, and a higher usurpation and exercise of an arbytrary and unlawful power, then hath been heretofore pretended to, or attempted by this, of any King, or other power whatsoever, within this Realm; notwithstanding which, we and every of us do declare our readiness to submit our selus to the lawful trial of a free Parliament, f●r any crime or misdemeanour that can or shall be objected against Us. Subscribed, Edwa●d Massey, William Waller, Thomas Birch. Major Gen. Brown's Speech to the Lord Gen. Fairfax. TO be your prisoner, is by much the less displeasing to me, for that my Accusation is for nothing else but Loyalty to the King and Parliament, and the endeavours which I have undertaken to prevent the subversion of his Majesty, and his posterity, Parliament, City, and Kingdom, the final loss of Common right and freedom of all the subjects of England, the utter extirpation of all Law, Government and Religion, and the preposterous converting of our well regulated Monarchy into that monstrous conception, a Military, Anarchy, with a popular parliament of the meanest of the Commons, and such also of them only, as shall be constantli at the beck of the Army. His Excellency's Declaration. WHereas, in the adventuring of our lives and blood, we have sought nothing more than the prosperity of this Kingdom, and the establishing of Justice and Righteousness in the Land; so there is nothing that we more abhor then those wicked calumnies, that we should invade the propriety of any not wilfully making themselves, or do any thing any way, to hinder or obstruct that Trade and Commerce by which this Kingdom doth most subsist and flourish: But that we shall, in a most special manner, protect, defend, encourage and maintain, in all just ways, all manner of Trade and Commerce, either by English or Strangers: and that we shall neither do, nor suffer to be done, as far as is in our power, any violence or injury, to the persons or goods of any, either by Sea or Land. The Desires of the Soldiery to their General. Whereas it hath pleased the Lord of Hosts to write his name upon your Sword in very legible characters, as appears upon record twice, viz. in the year— 45, where we had 114 Victories, and now this last Summer above 30, even to our astonishment, who were used by you in that service, that those proud Billows in Wales, England, & Scotland, have been bounded and calmed, in less than six months, yet behold, we have our sorrows repeated, and our fears increased, making our wounds even to bleed afresh. Wherefore, we desire, in the name of ourselves, and the abused and betrayed people of England, that your Excellency will be pleased to assist us, in these ensuing requests and groans of our souls, which may not long be denied us, lest we faint or struggle as we can for the life of good men, and a good Cause. 1. That justice may suddenly and equally be dispensed, according to the desires of our honoured friends in London, Liecestershire, and others manifested by their several Petitions, and the Parliaments Declaration concerning the King's evil asserted, or bewailed, and repent of. 2 That your Army be instantly reckoned withal, & paid and so dealt with for future (if they must be used) that every Reg. may know their own country, & there receive their pay immediately, without any other Treasurers or ways of trouble, that so the people themselves may see what they have for their money. In this we are impatient, or so passionately affected, that we gasp for help: this Regiment hath had but one month's pay since May, having marched 1300 miles this Summer. 3 That the people may know in print, with all speed, which way all public moneys are disposed of in all counties and places▪ and that of all kinds, which may be done, if every collector and receiver of money be forthwith enjoined to print their receipts and disbursments; for if the soldiers be not paid, the people ask what's become of the Revenue, Compositions, Sequestrations, Excise, Lands, etc. 4 That we may have just and righteous Government settled in this Nation, advancing Godliness, we abhorring Anarchy, Confusion, and levelling men's estates; so often charged upon us: for which end, we desire these two things, in pursuance of which (by help from Heaven) we are resolved to venture all. First that the grand and capital enemies, may without delay, be brought to Justice, which is the main root of our misery, we finding all other ways attempted altogether invalid to carry on this work of common safety. Secondly, for the dispatch of Justice upon all Delinquents for rectifying all crooked things among us, & for the good of us, and the Generations to come, we humbly conceive our last and surest way will be for your Excellency and this army, to make a speedy offer to the Commons house in your name and the Armies, and in the behalf of all England, that such of them as have been faithful to the Kingdom's interest, to declare with you and the Nation; and that the contrary minded, false, royal, and neutral party may know, that our enemies must not be our rulers, we professing, that good men, rather than good laws must save us, though we disjoin them not. And if any shall object, we put violence upon authority, we hereby proclaim to the world, that neither your Excellency, nor ourselves, have received Commissions from the parl as now constituted, but from that good party in it, who struggled through many hazards to model this army for the kingdoms safety; not are we to attend forms & customs in this extremity; we can as willingly s●t down as march, suffer, as act, would but the godly party in the Kingdom call us thereunto, and think themselves preserved by it. But the people call to us for these things, and we to your Excellency, your known worth inviting us hereunto: in prosecution of which, as an unparallered instrument, we shall live or die with your Excellency, having solemnly promised, to attempt and attend these two last expedients through all hazard. We cannot so undervalue our God, and the rich experienre we have had in the behalf of this Nation, as to see them lie (like Issachar) under these sinful burdens, our colds nakedness, want hunger, hardship, difficulties, dangers, out of which our blessed, and ever to be praised God hath brought us, suggesting these things unto us, for that flock of slaughter in this Kingdom. Sir, we can die, but not endure to see our Mother England die before us. A new Breviate for the Agreement of the people. 1 That to prevent the many inconveniences apparently arising from the ●ong continuance of the same persons in authority, this present Parl. be dissolyed upon or before the last day of April, in the year of our Lord, 1649. 2 That the people of England being at this day very unequally distributed, by Counties, Cities, or Burroughs, for the election of their Representatives, be more indifferently proportioned, and to this end, that the Representative of the whole Nation, shall consist of 300. persons. 3 That 150 members at least be always present in each sitting of the Representatives, at the lost passing of any Law, or doing of any Act whereby the people are to be bound 4 That the power of the people's Representatives extend to the enacting, altering repeeling, and declaring of Laws; to the erecting and abolishing Officers of Courts of Justice, and to whatsoever is not in this agreement excepted or reserved from them. Lastly and particularly, we do not empower our Representatives, to continue in foace or make any Law, Oaths or Covenants, whereby to compel by penalties or otherwise, any person any to any thing, in or about matters of faith▪ religion, or God's Worship, or to restrain any person from professing his faith, or exercise of Religion, according to his conscience, in any place or house whatsoever. THE END.