A VINDICATION of the Army, under the command of Sir Thomas Fairfax, with an answer to several Objections made against them, etc.  
INasmuch as God did sharply reprove and correct his, for keeping divers Statute, and Commandments, yea of kings, as appears Mica. 6. 16. 15. Hos. 5. 11. we learn that unlawful Commands are not to be obeyed, and that they who are to obey them are to judge of the lawfulness of them: So that if the Magistrate's Law or Command be contrary to God, or against the safety and welfare of the people, the command is unreasonable, & ought not to be obeyed: but the command of disbanding the Army at that time, was against the walfare and safety of the kingdom appears by these Reasons. 1. Because it was not for the safety of the Kingdom (it being divided into 3. parts) and unsatisfied and ready to fall one upon another to preserve themselves. 2. The burdens and oppressions of the kingdom were not removed. 3. Many well-affected in several Counties have Petitioned them not to disband. 4. The great expense of men, time & treasuer, yea all their Victories should have come to nothing if they had disbanded. 5. Their Commission required them to protect his Majesty's subjects from violence and oppression. 6. The Parl. could not, or would not preserve the Army from ruin & destruction (although they had preserved their lives) nor secure them their Arrears: nature teacheth to preserve itself, (especially when none else wil 7. The whole Army were slighted, although they were the means of saving the Kingdom from ruin & destruction: (yet they were judged enemies.) 8. They suffered some of them to be hanged for obeying their Commands: may they not expect the same when disbanded? 9 There was no safety in trusting to the Parliaments words and votes, seeing they so differ from the laws (of the Medes and Persians) if they would they could not keep them, because they have lost the love of the people. 10. The well-affected were put out of place; of trust, & ill-affected put in, (which is a bad presage.) 11. All means with patience have been used, and nothing prevails, we have petitioned for our rights & liberties, & they are so far from granting them: that they condemn them to be burnt by the Hangman: some of us they imprison, by which they fully declare, that they intent not the welfare and prosperity of this nation, but to rule & overrule the people according to their wills and pleasures, (which they call the Prerogative power, or privilege of Parliament. 12. Their principles are destructive, they say they may do what they please, their wills are Laws, none may call them to account. 13. They are not wise enough to preserve themselves, much less the Kingdom. 14. They have betrayed their trust, & turned thiefs and robbers. 15. They act contrary to the end & intent of a Parl: they consider not the sigh of the prisoners; they refuse to hear the complaints of the oppressed, and cries of the poor. 16. Their votes hasten our destruction, by one Vote they would free us from all we have, & make us absolute slaves: Iniquity runs down like a mighty stream, and they judge them rebels & traitors that would stop it. 17. They redress not our grievances, instead of removing them they increase them. 18. If the army had disbanded the Parl. might have given them the same mercy they did the King's party, having them at advantage, stripped them of their estates, and imprisoned them, leaving many who were rich, not enough to procure them horse bread and water, (a practice most inhuman, and to be abhorred of Heathens) the mercies of the wicked are cruel. 19 Although they have sat this 6. years, we are not the better in respect of our oppression. 20. They abuse the whole kingdom, what great sums have been raised by Pole-mony, Len●…ing, Lone, divers kind of cesments, the twentieth and fifth part, Fortification money, Weekly meal, Free quarter, Plundering, Composition, Customs, Excise, Bishop's lands, Kings revenues; some say half of the Land rents and revenues of the Kingdom have been sequestered, and yet the Soldiers are not paid, nor the public debts; Maimed Soldiers, Widows and Fatherless by war are not taken care for and Recompensed: It's conceived the State is cheated of more than 200000. l. yea, and 100 times as much: the money there is so much of it gone beyond the seas, that they want money, and must think of new ways for more, yet give no account of that they have had; I condemn not all in the House, there are some good men in the Parl. who are to be prised. Obj. The Army's demands are unreasonable. Ans. None judge them so but ignorant & corrupt men. Obj. Their demands are contrary to Law, and are a breach of the privilege of Parl. Ans. They seek to remove our oppressions, and for justice against evil Members, and which nature & Religion requires: & if there be any Statute that is against the welfare & safety of the people, it's better broke then kept: is it a privilege of Parl. to protect evil men, that so they may be preserved to do us more mischief, and destroy us, we know not how the Parl. came to have a privilege to destroy us: are ye sure that these be the Parl. men, that when the Parl. began, did speak for the privilege of the people, and now are all for privilege of Parl? Is it their privilege to preserve in authority and places of trust tyrants, thiefs & oppressors; if the Parl. and people differ concerning their privileges; 'tis pity the sword should decide it; let it rather be put to vote, and let the biggest vote carry it, the Parliaments vote you know, people speak, what say you? Answ. We will not allow it, for we judge it unreasonable to allow them to have a privilege to destroy us: corrupt men will shelter themselves from trial, and under the notion of privilege of Parl. Gentlemen, ye see it's concluded by the major votes, that it's no privilege Obj. The Army and the rest of the Independents can turn for their own ends, they were against the King and his party and the Bishops, and now they are for them all. Answ. We were not against him, but against his proceed (we hate tyranny and oppression in all men) the late act of the King, in refusing, his liberty, yea Crown, rather than to act contrary to his Conscience, hath got him much credit and love; it appears he dislike; oppression for matter of Conscience, he shown more wisdom and Conscience in it, than all they did who knew his judgement and yet would urge him: this his act makes us think he was not so bad as the priests etc. reported, or else he is better than he was: & as for his party, its apparent they are wronged, and are not like to be righted by them (who have abused them) they have suffered enough for their mistake, for my part (though I am none of them, yet) I think they ought to be let out of prison, and to have their estates again, and enjoy as much liberty as others: as for the Beshops our mind is not changed concerning their calling and persecution, and had they not troubled us, we had not petitioned against them: you know the Independents principle is, that Bishops and Presbyters should have as much liberty as themselves: let each take his way, and be content to be quiet, and let others alone, and do as we would be done to; all men cannot be of one mind, and until men who differ in opinion may enjoy their estates and live quietly, this Kingdom can have no peace. Obj. The Army speak well but they are not to be believed. Answ. Then we may not believe any, they are England's tried friends, who have long endured the hardship and extremities of war, and often hazarded their lives for the safety of this nation, such as condemn and distrust them do ill require them. Obj. Many (yea the Priests) say, they will kill and plunder us. Answ. they are full of delusions and lies; have the Army ever done so? have they not been at Cambridge, Berry, Ipswich, etc. where there is much treasure? yet did they not kill nor plunder any. Obj. It's not reasonable to resist authority, and that with their Arms. Answ. They resist not authority, but tyranny; the Arms are not theirs, but the Kingdoms who paid for them. Obj. If the Army be friends to England, why do they not what they intent quickly? Answ. I am credibly informed the Army cannot hasten more than they do, they do more than you are ware on: do you judge them idle because you do not see what they do? they are not ignorant that our oppessions are great, and that the Kingdom is almost undone, and that our necessities will admit of no delay: Rest satisfied, they prefer the Kingdom's safety & welfare before their own lives; so that God's command, Reason, Religion, Conscience, their friend's welfare and happiness, their own honour and safety, all calls upon them to be harmless and active; they have caused the Parl. to reform something already, we trust God will preserve them, and effect great things by them, and cause them to be (as they have been) a blessing and comfort to this Nation. Obj. But the Country is oppressed with them, etc. Answ. Then let the Country help, and put the work to an end, and if the common soldiers will not be ruled, the Country must help the Commanders to do it, who I hope, as they have cause, so they will have a great care to see that none be oppressed and abused: Let not the Army be all blamed for the fault; of a few, and perhaps un-avoidable: if any of this Army commit a fault, the Kingdom is like to ring of it, which will be a great grief to good men.  
O England, England! what art thou? asleep or willing to be undone and enslaved with your wives and children and posterity? can ye sit still and see that ye are deluded, betrayed, oppressed, burdened & killed, do you not consider how many of you suffer & languish in misery? is not the kingdom almost undone? and yet the Scots are sent for, & the priests endeavour a new war against the Army, that have been a means to preserve you: have you not had war enough? that cost dear enough: would you have England like Germany? if we have more wars this Kingdom will be quite undone: if you must fight, fight against them who are your enemies, & not against your good friends: I trust you will not nor cannot in reason nor conscience justice and honour, fight against them who have sacrificed their lives for you, and endeavour the Kingdom's good: do you not see the Parl. refuse to remove your grievances (how long wilt thou suffer thyself to be charmed (cheated) with fair words and promises of treacherous and deceitful men: why then do you not remove them yourselves: ye may be free if ye will, be free now and ever, now or never, this is the seventh year, the year of jubilee, such as refuse freedom now deserve to have their ears bored, and to be slaves for ever, Rise quickly (and it will be quickly done) or else your liberties are quite gone, and iron chains locked on: will ye suffer yourselves to be so abused as ye are: the next time ye choose Parliament-men in many places, they had need choose men more wise and faithful, and not as some have done, choose fools and knaves, because they are great ones: they are not ware of the wrong they do to themselves and the Kingdom by it.  
Quest. Resolved, That the Parl. did secretly by their proceed bid the army not disband: that the Parl. hath slighted more of their votes then the Army, and that when necessity requires the soldiers ought to keep their ranks, and follow their leaders; that the Parl. practices contradict their pretences: that they keep not their oaths, vows, protestations and promises, and therefore are not to be regarded, much less trusted unto, that many of them deserve to be thrust out of the house with contempt, as unworthy for ever to sit there more, for their theft, treachery & perjury & betraying their trust: is it not better for the Kingdom to have a Parl. every year, & that may sit but 6 months? So much for this time: Farewell.   

It is desired that this be Set up, in Parish Churches, and Public places, throughout this Kingdom and dominion of Wales, for their Information, etc.   

The second Edition, corrected and enlarged. 1647.