THE rendezvous OF General monk, UPON The Confines of England; AND The Setting up of the Parliaments Standard on Berwick Hills: With the Number of His Forces; and the securing of the Kings Sconce, and several other FORTS.  
ALSO, A Declaration of the LORDS, Knights, Ministers, and Gentry, in the Northern parts; and their adhering to Gen. monk; In the Name of Themselves, and the Parliament. And Proposals to the Free-born people of ENGLAND.  
YORK: Printed for Richard Foster, living in the Minster. Yard; And Re-printed at London, for public satisfaction.   

A Declaration of the Earls, Lords, Knights, Gentlemen, Ministers, Citizens, and Free-holders, throughout the Counties of York, Northumberland, and the rest of the Northern Parts.  
SInce it hath pleased Almighty God to suffer the Spirit of Division to continue in this distracted Nation, and to leave Us without any settled Foundation of Religion, Liberty, or property, the Legislative power usurped and contemned at pleasure, the Armies raised at first for our Defence, abused and misled into unwarrantable actions, by the cunning and ambition of some of their superior Officers; no face of Government appearing, or Body of Men in Counsel lawfully constituted, to whom the grievances of the people may with any probability of success be properly addressed. We( being conscious of our Duty, and sensible of our own, and the Nations ruin, if these Distractions continue, or resolve into a more fixed Oppression by some corrupt settlement, inconstant with the Laws, Peace, and Interest of the Nation) do declare, in defence of ourselves, and all others, who will partake with Us in the vindication and maintenance of the Freedom of Parliaments, against all violence whatsoever of the known Laws, Liberty, and property of the good people of this Nation, who at present groan under illegal, arbitrary, and insupportable Oppressions, unknown to our Ancestors. This being Our Duty to God and Man, and out onely Design, we cannot despair of the Blessing of Him that gives Victory, nor of the cheerful concurrence of all good men, in the maintenance and defence of the Ministry of the Gospel, the preservation of Religion, the Liberties of the people, and the privileges of Parliament; suffering no imposition or force on any mans Conscience; but inviolably to establish the peace of these Nations, and the Government of a Free State or Commonwealth, to which we stand obliged by several Vows and Engagements, made in the presence of the great God, and Holy Angels.  

National Proposals, to the people of the three Nations.  
1 THE people of England are of Right a free people to be governed by their Deputies and Trustees in Parliament; It being owned and acknowledged on all hands both by Parliament and Army, and all the good people engaged with them, That the people under God are the original of all just Authority, and other Original and foundation no man may lay.  
2 That the people of this Nation are the onely legal free people, and rightful immediate Heirs to that great English Birthrights of Parliaments, the Enemies thereof to be exempted for a season: This is a principle of Right, and not to be denied.  
3 To deny or deprive that people of this Inheritance, is Treason, Rebellion, and apostasy from the Good Old Cause of the English Nation; for as much as a people free by Birth, by Laws, and by their own fortitude and prowess, are thereby rendered and made most absolute vassals and slaves, at will and power; and greater Treason then this no man can commit.  
4 This Parliament is the natural, legal, and true Majesterial Head of that Body of people, being all digested, ranked under that Authority, the shackles of Tyranny being knocked off; there is no Authority Civil remaineth, but that this Parliament is the onely remaining Branch, of the peoples Authority to whom of right belongeth the settlement of our Government; Therefore the Head is not to be severed from this Body; to wit, hat legal Authority from this legal people.  
5 The Head of England is not compounded of Drums and Trumpets, of Swords and Musquers: England is a Nation of Civil Sanction, and Constitution, to wit, of Civil Magistracy, Laws, and Government: No campaign of War to be governed by Laws and Ordinances of War or the Votes of Army Officers in Council: The Sword of England is to be subject to the Civil Authority of England, to be servus servorum Populi Angliae, a servant to the servants of the people of England; for as 'tis said of fire and water, so 'tis with the sword, 'Tis a good servant, but a bad Master.  
6 As this Parliament is the only relic of Civil Authority amongst us, that we can lay claim or challenge unto, as of popular Right & Derivation; so from thence onely all subordinate Powers and Administrations are to be, without which a Legal new Parliament cannot be regularly called: Law and Custom denies that prerogative to the Sword. The Army as they cannot de jure disturb and interrrupt the Freedom and succession of Parliaments, so de jure they cannot summon a Parliament, nor impose a Government upon ●s.  
7 By this Parliament the Army was first raised, and became an Army, and by this parliament wholly paid off before their first Interruption, and by the authority of parliament can onely be paid; for to levy money upon the people without their consent in parliament, is inconsistent to the fundamental Law of England, which saith, That no Tax or Levy is to be laid upon the people, but by their consent in parliament: This is one of the main birthrights of England, without which the people cannot be a free people: And therfore a necessity lies both upon people and soldier to endeavour peace and composure 'twixt parliament and army, that the army may be legally paid, and not put upon Fire and Sword, plunder, Rapine, and Theft for their pay; a thing too desperate and dangerous to be vent● in England for army or people, and there is no other way without a return of this parliament again for due prevention thereof.  
8 When the parliament f●und themselves, and the very interests of parliaments itself in jeopardy of a new Interruption and total Extirpation for ever, by a Confederacy and Combination of some great Officers of the army: so that this parliament was even at the last Gasp, and no time left them to proceed judicially against the principal actors and contrivers hereof, attempted to vote them out of their Commissions, for conservation and safety of the parliament and people, against the exorbitant Domination of the Sword, as knowing their dissolution by force, was a total Dissolution and Extinguishment of all Civil authority in England, and an absolute subjection of the people under the Sword, with a total less of parliaments for ever, the very essential matter and ground-work of the Freedoms of England. So that in this Necessity, Crisis and Exigency of time, they were bound in duty honour, and conscience, without delay, immediately to cashier those servants that would turn out their Masters the parliament of England, and take possession themselves.  
9 It cannot be thought reasonable or tolerable, that 9 great Officers of the Army should be put in the Balance and Competition with the parliaments and civil authority of England; and that rather then lose their Commissions, England must lose their parliaments, and be made subject to the sword.  
10 Though there were never so many failings and evils in this parliament, yet it is no Argument or Reason that we must be deprived of our parliaments and civil authority, and subjected to the bloody Domination of the Sword. It is not denied, but that both Officers and Souldiers have the Right of petitioning, but not the Right of Disturbing, Dissolving, or suppressing of Parliaments: Had they onely endeavoured a Redress of the Evils in Parliament, it had been tolerable and justifiable by the same Rules and Reason they formerly impeached the eleven Members; but to suppress even the parliament itself, to shake off the Reins of Civil Government, and set up the marshal in its stead, is not to be endured.  
For whatever is settled beside, and without the peoples common consent in Parliament, cannot, in Reason, be fixed or durable, or hold to the next Generation: For as those great Officers alter and change, or get advantages one of another, so will our Government alter & change, and that which is brought in and planted by the Sword, must be kept by the Sword: so that by this way of Obtrusion by the Sword, nothing but Violence and the Sword can be expected, no hope of Deliverance from the Iron yoke of an uncontrollable power: And it is a sure Rule, That that people which are under the sole Domination of an Army, cannot be a free people; for though nothing can be done without arms yet if those arms be not in the hands of the people, no freedom can be expected: And therefore the Division of the Army from the Civil Authority, is to be stopped, if possibly it may.  
And to this end, many Thousands having taken the Essentials of the great Breach into consideration, have declared, In the Name of God and in the Name of the Parliament and people of England to use all lawful means for the allaying and subduing all aspiring and illegal powers, and to endeavour a Union and Return home to the good House of Parliament, to guard and defend it against all Opposers whatsoever; that so there may be a regularly proceed to such a firm Foundation of Settlement, by way of An Agreement of the people, to be subscribed by all persons in general throughout the three Nations, for the asserting and securing of their just Rights and Liberties both Civil and Religious.  
This, they conceive themselves very much engaged and obliged to, as well by the Rules of prudence, Justice, and Right, as from the Motives thereunto inducing, contained in the Proclamation of the Lord General monk; wherein he declares his Resolution to vindicate the Liberties of the people, and the privileges of Parliament: And in order thereunto, is upon his march towards the Borders, having upon Berwick Hills rendezvouzed his Forces, consisting of seven thousand Horse and Foot; and afterwards commanding a party of Horse and Foot towards Mary-gate Port, he himself descended the Hills, and entering the Town, possessed himself of the Bridge, the Kings Sconce, the Half Moons, and all the Forts, Guns, and Magazine. Since which time, we hear, he is advanced over the Bridge into Northumberland, and hath taken up his Quarters in Anwick, and the Towns and Villages adjacent. It is rumoured, that he hath taken the City of Carlisle, together with the Castle; and that there is coming to his ashstance, out of the Southern parts, Col. 〈◇〉 with his Troops: besides many others who endeavour a Conjunction in these Northern Counties.  
FINIS.