A MESSAGE AND DECLARATION SENT FROM Colonel Whaley, to the Right Honourable WILLIAM LENTHAL Esquire, Speaker of the House of Commons, CONCERNING The King's Majesties Royal Person, and Engagement. Together with his Demonstration and Proposals, touching His Gracious Majesty, and Mr. John Ashburnham [now attending His Royal Person in the Isle of Wight.] THis Message and Declaration is appointed to be forthwith printed and published, by Order and Command of the said Colonel Whaley. DECEMBER, 7. 1647. Imprinted at London for George Whittington, at the Blue Anchor in Cornhill necre the Royal Exchange, 1647. A Letter from Colonel Whaley to William Lenthal, Speaker of the honourable House of Commons. SIR, I Am bold to affirm to you, that my engagements for the Parliament have been with faithfulness and truth undertaken, and though I have always set a hïgh price of the Houses favour▪ endeavouring to answer it by discharging the duty of my place and trust; yet I ever abhorred sinister and unlawful ways, especially such abominable ones, as to ingratiate myself with them, by untruths, it is not God and my own Conscience alone, that will justify me in this, but with confidence I may presume, all the Godly in the Army that knows me, so far as man can judge, will testify the same: Therefore, being now accused by M. Ashburnham in a letter to you, for the not declaring his Majesty's disingaging himself by him [as he saith he did] to me, the tenderness of my reputation, bo●h with you and all honest men in the kingdom puts me upon it, to write something in answer to his Letter, that this gross failing, I should speak another language, did not I think his memory failed him, may appear both to you himself, and the kingdom. Mr. Ashburnham in the beginning of his Letter saith he was the occasion, that drew on his Majesty's Engagement how this should be I cannot imagine, for the King made his Engagement to me at New market, which I made known to the General and Officers, when Mr. Ashburnham was in France. I confess as I did declare, the King voluntarily renewed his Engagement at Wooburn, but that M. Ashburnham had so much as a hand in that, it is more than ever I heard. Mr. Ashburnham further saith, that soon after ●ee came to wait on his Majesty at W●oburn, Col. Wh●ley came to me, as he said by command from the Army, to desire I would give my word, that his Majesty would not depa●t from them without their consent, etc. I hat I spoke to Mr. Ashburnham to ●ngage himself for the King's safe abiding with me. I will not deny, I have affirmed as much, but I am exceeding confident, I did it not in the name of the Army, for I had no such Commission and it hath ever been my ear to keep to my Commands. That Mr. Ashburnham found me walking b● the River side, and there did disengage himself from his former Engagement, I have already declared, but that I should say, than the King doth so too, and he should tell me, you are to understand it so, 'tis as true as the reason he backs it with: For he saith, to show you, that Colon TWO Whaley rightly apprehended what I meant, he soon after went to the Head Quarters, where he declared unto them (as I am credibly informed) that the King and myself had withdrawn our words, etc. As to this, the General and all the Council of War then met, are my witnesses, I told them no such thing, I acquainted them indeed M. Ashburnham had taken off his Engagement but when they asked me, whether the King hath done it, I answered, as I ●id you in the House upon the same Question, which is in my Narrative, and left it to them to judge; and therefore I must return this upon Mr. Ashburnham, and use it as an Argument against him, That if the King did command him to take off his Engagement, he did not discharge his Trust for had he●, I should sooner have acquainted the General and Officers that the King had discharged himself, it being of greater weight than that Mr. Ashburnham had. I should like wise have made known so much to his Excellency in my Letter, when I writ to him, that Mr. Ashburnham had dissingaged himself. And since he goes about to prove his assertion, by circumstances ●ed ●ll further make is appear, how little they make for him, had Mr. Ashburnham taken off the King from his Engagement, he would have acquainted the Lieutenant General and Commiss●nry General with it, as well as with his own disingagment, but they affirm to me the contrary, for about the same time, that Mr. Ashburnham disengaged himself, when he pretends he took off the Kings also, he went to putney to speak with the Lieutenant General, and Commissary General, they refusing to speak with him, he sent them word, he would stand engaged for the King no longer, and gave this for his reason, There was so much Scotch spoken at the Court, but not one word of disobliging the King. I shall likewise appeal to all that knows me, whether they conceive me to be so simple, and of so poor a spirit, that when the King had personally engaged himself to me, I should remain satisfied, that Mr. Ashburnham should tell me the King withdrew his Engagement, certainly I should have known the King's pleasure in it, I was never at such a distance from the King, neither wanted so much boldness, to ask him a question of such concernment. Mr. Speaker, I think I have sufficiently demonstrated, to you, and I doubt not, but it will satisfy all indifferent men, that if the King did command Mr. Ashburnham, as it seemed to him he did, to take off his Engagement, he hath not discharged his-trust; and this for the clearing my own integrity I have done, And the Righteous GOD that shall judge us all, knows I have related the truth; and whatever men believe, I matter not, it is not the praise of men I seek, my witness is with God, I remain SIR, Your very humble and faithful Servant, For the Right Honourable WILLIAM Lenthal Esquire, Speaker of the Honourable House of Commons. FINIS.