THE PROTESTATION AND DECLARATION OF Divers Knights, Esquires, Gentlemen, and Free-holders of the Counties of lincoln and Nottingham: Against the unjust oppressions and inhuman proceedings of WILLIAM earl of New-castle and his cavaliers: Wherein they do declare themselves enemies to all such violent courses, and protest to hazard their lives and estates in defence of his Majesty, the Common-wealth, and the High Court of Parliament.  
 printer's or publisher's device  
Jan: 5. 1642 The true copy, sent to be printed at London, Anno Dom. 1643.   

The Protestation and Declaration of divers Knights, Esquires, Gentlemen and Freeholders of the Counties of Lineolne and Nottingham.  
IT is not unknown to this whole kingdom, since the beginning of these our memorable distractions, how great a Stickler in the business William earl of N●wcastle hath been, and yet is, against the peace of the Common-wealth, and the proceedings of the honourable the high Court of Parliament, having first taken into his hands the good town of Newcastle, and manned it with a garrison of his Cavaliers, receiving in at that Port from the Malignants of our Nation beyond the Seas, divers supplies of money and ammunition, to the further infesting the public tranquillitie, and fomentation and maintenance of the dreadful and unnatural civill war now raging in our kingdoms bowels, to promote and continue the said civill war raging in the North parts of England ▪ an army( most of which was made up, and consisted of most notorious Papists, and such as were Delinquents to the Common-wealth, and so divulged by the high Court of Parliament) with which troops and Companies of Papists and other ill affencted persons, the said earl of Newcastle harrasing and destroying the lands, goods, and houses of the Commons in his passage from Newcastle towards york, both in the bishopric of Durham and County of york, and at last arrived with his said Souldiers and much warlike provision and Ordnance at the said City of york, in the relief and assistance of Henry earl of Cumberland, another notorious Delinquent to the Common-wealth, who had seized upon that famous City, making it his rendevouze for war, to the affliction and almost desolation of the honest and well affencted Inhabitants of the said populous City; nay, of the better part of that spacious County, whose remotest parts were not secure from the hostile invasions of the said earl of Cumberland his souldiers, till the Lord Fairefax, Sir Edward Rhodes, Master Hotham, and others, made head against the insolences by them committed, besieging and restraining them within the compass of the City of york, till by the approach of the earl of Newcastle thither, their numbers being far inferior to his, they were constrained to leave and raise their siege to the earl of Newcastle afterwards and his ravenous Papists, and avaricious and insolent Cavaliers inflicting on the poor people of that County unheard of outrages, sparing, as wee are informed credibly, neither man in their rage, nor woman in their lust; committing and perpetrating far worse mischiefs to their estates and persons then any foreign enemy whatsoever would have done: since which time the said earl of Newcastle hath withdrawn himself with the mischievous complices, to his own house in the adjoining County of Nottingham, billeting his Cavaliers and papistical souldiers in the houses of the most substantial persons of that County, who are either enforced to quit their dwellings, and abandon their wives, children and estates, and whatsoever can be dear and precious to mortal men, or to suffer with patience all the indignities and insolent outrages which those enemies to God and the Common wealth in the ferocity of their barbarous dispositions will inflict and lay upon them. Many of them for refusing his unjust and unlawful commands, being despoiled of all their honest and well-gotten fortunes; their sheep, Oxen, and other cattle, being driven away, and sold before their faces; their plate, money, and other portable substance exposed a prey to his souldiers; their persons either imprisoned as Delinquents, or liable to all inhumanities and injuries; so that nothing in the world can be more outrageous and fuller of cruelties then the actions of these Papist Cavaliers under the said earls command, who, as they are inveterate enemies to Gods true Religion, must needs be most malicious adversaries to all the true professors of it throughout this Kingdom.  
Divers of the said Malignants in troops as freebooters, having made frequent inroads into the neighouring County of lincoln, of which, we the owners and framers of this present Declaration, are well affencted Inhabitants, having in all our proceedings hitherto demeaned and declared ourselves, truly obedient to all the commands of the high Court of Parliament, and so are resolute to continue to the extremest hazard of our lives and fortunes, which wee account no longer our own then they shall be employed to the defence of Gods true Religion and service of the Common-wealth and Parliament, to whom wee confess ourselves in all duty bound for the special and particular care they have always had of our tranquillity and welfare, we being well acquainted that by how much more wee have ever deported ourselves loyally toward the proceedings of the said sacred Senate, now assembled for rectifying the disorders and curing the distempers now abounding in this kingdom, by so much more desperate is the pernicious hatred and irreconcilable malice of these Malignants towards us, who have been the principal incendiaries of these distrac●ions and distempers; and fearful for the said facts to be called to due trial by the Justice of the Parliament, which is incompatible with such irregular proceedings.  
These Malignants having therefore seated themselves in the very next Province to this of lincoln, and from ●hence infested our lands and houses with their thievish ●lunderings, wee the Knights Esquires, Gentlemen and Freeholders of this County of lincoln, do in all obedience to the Order of high Court of Parliament in this case provided, and in respect of the safety and protection of our families and fortunes, hereby protest to all the world, that wee are absolute and utter enemies to all ●hose Malignants and Papists now under the command of William earl of Newcastle in Nottinghamshire, and all others in what part of this kingdom soever, they being known disturbers of the public peace of every County where they once set footing, and violators of all human and divine laws; such as for their own sinister and ungracious ends, namely, for the desire of lucre and rapine, have involved and overwhelmed this kingdom in this present abyss of miseries; and therefore wee protest by these presents against all their actions, avowing in the alligeance wee owe to his Majesty and the Parliament( the Protector of the public liberty) that what troops or parties of them, or any other of their association or condition, that shall presume to come into our said County, or any part upon any pretence whatsoever, that them wee shall endeavour with our abilities and best strengths, from having entrance into our said County; and them as Traytors to the Common-wealth and disturbers of the public peace of the kingdom wee shall apprehended and deliver up to their deserved punishment, or them, as man-quellers and rioters, according to the Statute in that case provided, kill without regret or compassion, in our just defence, we being assured in our own souls, that if the chance of war shall give us up into their powers, they would use us with all the rigour of merciless enemies, as by divers of their former proceedings in other places hath been largely proved and specified: they having lost the natural softness of English-men and Christians, and degenerated into almost a Turkish inhumanity; our neighbours houses therefore being on fire before our faces, it is high time for us to ber careful of the safety of our own dwellings, and not to permit our lands and inheritances to be taken from us as a portion for aliens and strangers; these having no more relation to the blood of English-men, then they have to English-mens virtues.  
We do furthermore protest, that we are enforced against our wills by their own ill behaviours thus to associate our selevs for our own just defence and security; desiring therefore all the honest and well-minded inhabitants both of this and other adjoining Counties, to enter into this covenant with us against these Papists and Malignant Cavaliers now upon our very borders, for their own and our families safeties, and the preservation of the peace of the Common-wealth, to which every good Subject and well-wisher to the prosperity of the kingdom and high Court of Parliament, wee conceive is obliged in duty.  
Wee do hereby further declare and remonstrate the deep sense and real gratitude wee ought to bear, and ever shall endeavour to testify, to the honourable the high Court of Parliament, for their frequent and important favours conferred on this County, in especial for that specification of their regard to us upon the notice of the earl of Newcastle his arrival into these parts, in giving order and command to the right honourable the Lord Willoughby of Parham, by their appointment, and to 〈◇〉 great content, Lord lieutenant of this County for t●e raising divers considerable forces of horse and foot for the better securing the safety and quiet of this County ●gainst the expected attempts and invasions of the earl of Newcastle his Cavaliers upon us out of Nottinghamshire, wee hereby declaring and protesting, that according to our bound duties, and the reverence and obligations wee bear, and so shall do ever, to the Ordinances of the Parliament, that we will upon all occasions and summons be ready to hazard our bodies and goods without fear or delay, in any service we shall be commanded to undertake for the Common-wealth, and in obedience of the high Cout of Parliament by the said Lord Willoughby of Parham our present Lord lieutenant, or by any his deputy lieutenants, or members of the high Cou●t of Parliament, entrusted with the affairs of the Common-wealth in these parts, especially against the aforesaid earl of Newcastle our dangerous Malignant neighbour, and his desperate Popish Cavaliers. This being the uanimous consent of all the honest and well affencted S●●jects in this large County of lincoln, who, as they do in all duty pray for a faire Accommodation of peace between his majesty and His high Court of Parliament, will also( as they are in duty obliged) whilst these fat●l civill warres shall be dispersed through this kingdom, with the extremest extent of their abilities, lives and fortunes labour to defend the Common liberty, and the rights and privileges of Parliament.   
FINIS.