SEVERAL PAPERS AND LETTERS Betwixt his Excellency the Lord FAIRFAX The Earl of Norwich, Lord Capell, Sir Charles Lucas, about the surrender of Colchester.  
His Excellencies last Summons and Articles offered upon the Surrender thereof With the Answer in reply to the same  
Also a Letter from his Excellency the Lord Fairfax To the Mayor, aldermans, and Inhabitants of the Town of Colchester in answer to their desires for a free trade and commerce with the City of London during the Siege.  
LONDON Printed for F. L. june 27 Anno Dom. 1648.   

The General's Letter and Propositions to the Earl of Norwich. Lord Capell, Sir Charles Lucas for the Surrender of COLCHESTER:  

MY LORDS,  
THe Paper sent to me, enclosed in the Letter from your Lordships, and Sir Charles Lucas of the 19 instant, seems in the first part of it so drawn, as that I could not well understand it, what kind of Treaty, or for what Peace it meant: But the latter part, under-written by your Lordships, and Sir Charles Lucas, seems to explain your own meaning, so, as if you meant a Treaty betwixt the Armies for the general Peace of the Kingdom, and not otherwise for yourselves, or your Garrison: And to the contents of it in that sense, I can only say, That such a Treaty, and for such a Peace, is not the proper work of myself, or the Army, but theirs that have employed us: But if the English be, to make way for conditions to your Garrison, I shall, without the trouble of a Treaty, let you know what yourselves, and those under you may expect from me, (which for the restoring of quiet to this County, and the Kingdom, without more blood shed) and for the saving of so eminent a Town from the chance of War, I shall offer, viz. that if yourselves, and the rest with you in Colchester, shall within 24 hours after notice hereof, lay down Arms, the common Soldiers, and men of that rank, shall have liberty to departed to their several homes, and there quietly to remain, submitting unto the Authority of Parliament: (and this I shall make good however, to so many of that sort respectively, as shall accept thereof, and do accordingly,) Yourselves, and the Officers and Gentlemen engaged with you in the Town, shall have liberty, and Passes to go beyond Sea, with equipage befitting their qualities, [engaging themselves not to return into this Kingdom without leave from the Parliament] And all of both sorts, with the Inhabitants of the Town, shall be free from plunder or violence of the Soldiers, their Arms, Ammunition, and furniture of War with in the Town, and also their horses employed in Military service, [except such horses and swords, as shall be fit to be allowed to Captains or superior Officers, and Gentlemen of quality, for their removal) being first delivered up without imbezlement, in an orderly manner, as shall be further set down, and the forces under my command, or such as I shall appoint, being admitted a peaceable entrance into the Town. I desire the Gentlemen of the Committee of Parliament now in your hands, [who by their Subscriptions to part of the paper, and by your sending of it, as from them, or at their request, are concerned to know what my Answer is] may be acquainted herewith, and indeed, if it be concealed from any that are concerned in it: The blame thereof from God and Man is like to fall on their heads, who shall be the authors of such concealment.  
Your Servant Tho. Fairfax.   

To the Earl of Norwich, and Lord Capell.  
The Answer to the General's Letter.  
My Lord,  
WE have received yours of the 20. which takes notice of the Paper of the 19 subscribed by the Committee, and of our permission to have it delivered to you. You have very justly apprehended our intentions to be the public peace of the Kingdom, and we again own that sense, and no other, as befitting the duty of English men: and we believe, if both Armies were accorded in such an endeavour, it were the most pious, easy and honourable action, wherein they could be engaged; but why you have taken occasion by that act of ours, to offer ronditions in particular to us, we understand not, nor can it be supposed, without straining, and offering violence to our manner of proceeding. Those conditions you proffer to the Officers and Soldiers on our part, we do hereby make offer of to the Officers and Soldiers on your part. We shall in this occasion deal frankly and plainly, we do not without evident reason conceive ourselves to be in a condition, able to entertain all the force you can make, and thereby to give courage and opportunity to all true hearted English men, to recover their ancient and known Laws, or if you shall adventure to attaque us, we doubt not but by the mercy and assistance of almighty God to give you such a repulse as shall give testimony of our force and courage, and as how high a rate we value the General peace of the Kingdom. You do with more than usual earnestness desire that your Answer should be communicated tooth Committee, and whom else it may concern, we apprehend you chief intent the Inhabitants of Colchester; we were very unworthy persons if any should exceed us in our care for this good Town, and we dobut not but God will recompense the kindness we have received from them, and that he hath a reward in store for them suitable to the loyalty and fidelity they have hitherto in this occasion manifested toward the King, and known Laws of the Kingdom, and because you apprehended it so important and necessary to divulge the proceed in this affair, we will therefore put it into your power: And therefore we desire your Lordship, to cause the Paper signed by the Committee of the 19 and our answer sub signed, the answer of your Lordship to us of the twentieth and this our reply of the 21 to be all printed, and as many of the prints as you shall send to us, we will disperse in Colchester, and those parts of the County under our power, and to each person of the Committee one,  
Colchester 21 June. 1648. Norwich, Arthur, Capell, Charles Lucas.  
My Lord we do also hereby return many thanks for your honourable civilities in the business of Sir William Leyton.   

My Lord,  
WE have herewith sent you enclosed a petition delivered unto us from the Bay and Say Makers of Colchester, and are so inclinable on our parts to satisfy their desires as there shall want nothing thereto but your lordship's equal concurrence for our undertake being to have the known laws and properties of free-subjects enjoyed by every one in this Kingdom, we cannot but hold it our duty as much as we may to encourage and assist all free Trades, which is the Subjects right and the sinews of the Common wealth. And therefore if your Lordship shall on your part be of the same mind and good inclination towards the Petitioners upon signification thereof to us, we shall be ready to concur with you in agreeing upon such a way to satisfy their desires as may be an assurance to them for the free passage of their Goods through both our Guards without any inconvenience or advantage to be thereby drawn upon the Guards on either part. Expecting your answer herein we rest  
Colchester, june 21 1648. Your Servants, Norwich, Arthur Capell, Charles Lucas.   

For the Lord Fairfax. To the Right Honourable the Lords and others of the Council of War fitting at Colchester.  
The humble Petition of the Bay, and Say makers of Colchester, Shows,  
THat your Petitioners having formerly employed Thousands of poor people in this Town, in Making of Bays and Says which they have weekly vended at LONDON for this three weeks past the passage thither being embarred, they are now no ways enabled for the continuing of the same. Except they may have licence from your honours, and from the Lord General the Lord Fairfax, to convey their said Manufactures to the said City of London.  
Your Petitioners therefore humbly pray, That they may have a free pass from your Honours to convey their Bays and Says, and Perpetuanies to London by Wagons, And that your Honours would be pleased to recommend their humble desires to the Lord Gen. Fairfax for the like free passage with convoy through his Quarters.  
And your Petitioners shall humbly pray etc.   

Right Honourable  
The Petition of the Bay and Say makers of this Town to the council of War here accompanied with their Letters to your Honour, coming to our view and the Petitioners humble desires to us to second the Petition and Letters, together with our own knowledge and sense of the damage that will accrue not only to this Town, but to the Kingdom in General by reason of an embarment and stand of trade, hath moved us to be humble suitors to your Excellency for your concurrence with the Council of War here in granting the desires of the Petitioners. For which we shall remain.  
Colchester, june 21. 1648. Sir, Your humble Servants William Cook, Major, john Lucy   

Gentlemen,  
IT had been good that the unavoidable consequence of War, of that of restraining trade to a town besieged, is one had been considered of by the Inhabitants of your Town before Their admittance of those forces, which have necessarily drawn it upon them, and which indeed first began the new disturbances upon this county and the Kingdom, and that interruption to your Trade which is complained off. You cannot but remember that even during the first war raised against the Parliament, while you had none but the Parliaments forces among you both your Town and this whole County, had as free trading with London, and the parts adjacent, as if there had been no war. And after that by the blessing of God the adverse forces were in all parts subdued, the whole Kingdom enjoyed for some time universal quiet, there was again all freedom of trade and commerce throughout all parts the forces of the Parliament disbanded and lessened by degrees, and therewith taxes abated, all plunder and abuse of the Soldiery restrained, and at last freequarter also taken off, and there was no doubt but with the blessing of God, the kingdom might have been speedily settled and eased of its burdens by degrees, as the safety thereof would admit had it not been for the new disturbances raised cheefle by that party whom your town hath afforded harbour and shelter unto for the present, where had they not been admitted, and through the advantage of the place gained some present breathing, there was little doubt but by God's blessing they might  this time have been broken or driven far enough off, and your town had enjoyed without interruption, the same freedom of Trade and all things else as formerly they had done, & as the present interruption thereto is thus drawn upon your town not by my default but theirs and the towns mens. So the first beginning thereof which the petition alleages to have been for 3. weeks past, was singly by them there being at that time none of any forces entered into this county, nor any that stopped your trade but the Lord Goring & those in conjunction with him, who then lay at Bow and afterward at other places upon the London road, which so soon as by their diverting another way it was cleared there was no stop of trade by the forces under my command either to other parts of this county or your Town, until by their admittance thereinto, I was necessarily drawn down hither to beseige them, now to allow freedom of Trade to a besieged town, employs so much disadvantage or prejudice to the beseegers, and such advantages to the besieged, as the like motion was never yet granted, nor I think made elsewhere, & therefore as to your and the inhabitants desire thereof their hopefullest and surest ways to a full freedom therein will be such as tend to the restitution of the Town and County (as fare as may be) into the same condition wherein they werebefore, those forces which occasioned the interruption came in, and as in order thereunto I lately offered fair conditions in a letter to the Lord Goring, Lord Capell, and Sir Charles Lucas though perhaps concealed from you, though they be rejected by them, yet I shall still be ready to make good the same to all that shall timely embrace them except those 3. persons themselves, and for the mean time here are many Gentlemen and others of known Estates in this County and divers inhabitants of your townsmen eminent in trade who declare themselves willing to take of all the bays and Says made in the town at such prizes as they are usually sold for, and give good security for payment within a fortnight after the town of Colchester, shall be taken, surrendered or quitted which I hope would be readier payment by many months than those commodities are usually vended for, or else to take them off upon such cerraine days of payment as Merchants ordinarily do in that Trade. And though it be a favour without an example to a besieged town yet in order hereunto I shall give way for those commodities to be freely brought to Stanaway-Heath. There to be either sold upon the Terms aforesaid, or else to be returned into the town, if they cannot bargain, and shall give passage to and from that place to the persons & goods of those tradesmen at such times as I shall find most convenient to be set apart for that purpose.  
june 24. 1648. Your assured friend, THO. FAIRFAX.   

For the Major, Aldermen, and Inhabitants of the Town of Colchester.  
Sir, Saturday last a Trumpeter came from the Lord Capell to desire that Abraham Harsdon, and john Rayner, Deputed by the Bay and Say makers of Colchester might come and treat with his Excellency about a free Trade.  
The Lord chapels trumpeter and Col: Panton's and divers soldiers are this day come from the Enemy, and many have come since the Generals. Letter into the Town, promising liberty to soldiers and others of that rank to go and live quietly at their homes.  
Colonel Slingsby, col: Beale, Col, Tuke, Col. Champnes, and divers other Colonels are very active in the Town.  
The Lord Goring, and the rest of the Officers keep up the Spirits of their Soldiers with lies, when they asked what our Trumpeters came so often about, they told the soldiers, That it was about a Treaty and that the General offered fifty thousand pounds if he would let him draw off quietly with his Army, but that he would not grant it,  
Your servant, From the Leaguer before Colchester, 26. june 1648.   
FINIS.