A WORD TO Lieut. Gen. cromwell: AND TWO WORDS For the settling of the King, Parliament and Kingdom.  
Written by a Friend to them, the Peace, the Ministry, and Fundamental Laws of the Land; and for their Restoration and Establishment is now published to the World, by way of REMONSTRANCE.  Jeremiah 14.19. 
Hast thou utterly rejected Judah? or hath thy soul loathed Zion? why hast thou smitten us, that we cannot be healed? we looked for peace, and there is no good; and for the time of health, and behold trouble.  Ezekiel 18.24. 
But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doth, shal he live? all his righteousness shal not be mentioned: but in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shal he die.  
Printed in the Year, MDCXLVII.   

TO His Excellency Sir Thomas Fairfax, General by the Parliaments Commission.  
SIR,  
I Am sorry I am put upon this unhappy necessity to mind you of your wonted religious and dutiful compliance to the Parliament of England; You have not lost a little in the esteem of godly men; A word in season, says Solomon, is like apple of gold in pictures of silver: I know very well, you act not, but you suffer so much, and hand it when they have contrived it, that when God comes to cast out the Counsels of the wicked, and taketh the wise in their own craftiness, you will hardly escape the danger, being found among the crowd; these late carriages, managed by Lieut. Gen. cromwell and his Privy Counsel, do more then intimate a kind of repentance they have made an end of the Wars so soon; or, at least, to give this interpretation upon the former successses, that it proceeds only from Gods mere mercy to the Kingdom, and not from any sincerity of their endeavours, they ran on, tis true, at first to gain a plause and a name as itis very plain by the whole managing of the Wars, as well as by these late Treasons, when ever they sent any, not of the right stamp, for this after Rebellion, they ever sent some when the danger was past, of the right faction, to take the honor of the service and success; and so they put all in print one after another, they could confided in, not wanting their Agents in London, even under pension on purpose to blaze their good services up and down the Kingdom, and having the advantage of your Excellencies favour, not seeing this deep laid design was able to cast out, blemish or crush all the orthodox and honest opposers, at least keep them low in the esteem of the people, and cry up themselves and their Faction as the only instruments God would use, thereby to gain the better advantage and esteem to carry on those desperate Designs of ordering or newmolding the Parliament, which is nothing else but to subvert the Fundamental Laws of the Land, and destroy Religion, which yourselves pretended to fight against, for the Parliament; all this while let not those successses God has given this Parliament, you have shattered in pieces, and in them to this Kingdom, puff you up: but know, that I know it to be true, that mayor Gen. Skippon is the Father of that Army, and that most of you usurp the honor of many faithful, valiant gentlemen of the House of Commons, besides those that you have cast forth of your Army, or could not in conscience stay any longer with you; besides many others that God made instrumental to the giving the Parliament the victory, which, if it be as you say, that they are not Godly, then must you conclude, it is his mere mercy to the Parliament and Kingdom, and not the worth of the Instruments, that is to be looked at in all your successses. Have you not robbed of their honor, Manchester, Brereton, Rossiter, Brown, Morgan, Massey, Birch, Poyntz, Waller, and many others? thank God, too many to recount; speak the truth, if any of them have not professed Religion, I am sure none of them have so dishonoured Religion, as you have done: and what treason you are now about, God only knows; but many think you cannot pass without the other purge, to the House of Commons, and to further kerb the City? Do you not think that most of the Officers that act now in this design, would have trembled when they were first raised, to have entered into such an Engagement, and refused to obey the Parliaments Commands, and capitulate with them, and force them to sand down Commissioners, to treat with you, as with an Enemy; and have required them to turn out their members, accuse them, and sand the Lord Maior and Aldermen to pri on: whiles this unparalleled arbitrary power is unrepented, you will remain under a cloud, and Englands peace and truth further endangered, as will appear by this ensuing Remonstrance; and could I be any way instrumental to obtain the righting the Freedom of parliament, the flourishing of Religion, the settling of Peace, with his Majesties happy concurrence in all his Majesties three Kingdoms, with the sacrifice of my life, I believe I should find more comfort in death, then you with all your earthly prosperity, without repentance: Therefore be pleased either to exercise your authority for the vindication of the Parliament, or if you cannot oppose the faction, yet declare your dislike of those apostates, that they may not have the countenance of your Commission, which is the only sincere aim and indevor of  
The Parliaments truly devoted Servant, the AUTHOR.   

A Word to Lieut. General cromwell and his Privy council. And two Words for the settling of the King, Parliament and Kingdom.  
WHen by the blessing of God upon the Army and other Forces of the Parliaments, the adverse Forces and garrisons within this Kingdom were dissipated and reduced, and an hopeful way made for the settling of a sound and lasting Peace, on good terms, for the interest of the Kingdom, in stead of the hoped fruit of our labours and hazards, and of the Kingdoms vast expense in the dispensing of Justice and righteousness, and the settling and upholding of common Right and Freedom, as if you repented of all your former service; we found immediately the across workings of a prevalent party in the Army, who walking under the mask of Saints, and of our only saviours; and by the advantage of the darkness of the Kingdom, and the great pressures and heavy burdens that the Country groans under, took upon you to receive Petitions and become pretenders to be the only sensible men and likely means to relieve the Kingdom; but in truth we fear now, will prove men of corrupt and private ends and interest, different from, and destructive to the real and common Interest of the Kingdom, even to obstruct and pervert Justice, to injure, oppress and crush the peaceable people of the Kingdom, to abridge and overthrow all just Freedom and Liberty, and drive on designs to set up a party and faction of their own in the Parliament, City and Kingdom, by the advantage thereof, to domineer over and enslave the Kingdom to posterity; and in the pursuance of your designs of setting up your own irreligious or Pharisaical domineering faction to the oppression of all other people and the certain ruin of the Kingdom: you have also had, to further your designs, the great advantage of such pretences as aforesaid, and of all the jealousies among the godly; and whatsoever is amiss in the Kingdom as you have not spared to charge it upon the Parliament; so Absalon-like you have played your parts and called yourselves the only Sa●nts, the only saviours, the only sensible, the only able, the only willing men, both to settle Religion and the distempers of the Kingdom; but how you have either settled the King, preserved the Parliament, relieved Ireland, eased England of their Taxes, settled Religion, removed Jealousies and established Peace, or what hope we have to enjoy them from you, we will now examine together with the call or Warrant that you have to undertake those courses under pretext thereof: For though Sir Thomas Fairfax bear the name, yet itis well known you are the man, you are the primum mobile, that moves all in the Army; you are that Deme●●ius that cries up the magnificence of this great Diana, the Army; Gain cloaked with a show of Religion is the very cause of these Divisions; and why your disobedience is so stubbornly defended, committing Idolatry by worshipping this Goddess above all Asia, all England, even the Parliament, to the raising sedition against the Parliament and all the Pauls that persuade the people against such vile opinions, and with this silver Smith for to compass the ●●lver of all earthly prosperity, you run the hazard, if you 〈…〉 not the gol● of all cele●●ial felicity.  
Review the Cities Petition and that last from the free born people to the Parliament; you may see by the one into what a labyrinth the Army hath brought the Parliament; and by the other, how the City, like a dutiful people, strives to bring it forth again with honor; although indeed the free-born people are in the Right, that the Pretences, Grounds and Reasons of the Armies Proceedings, and what presidents they have forced from both Houses of Parliament thereupon, do speak and countenance theirs; but is in truth both alike destructive to the very being of Parliaments, only there is a great deal of difference in power, policy and interest, or else no doubt the Army would take their part, and call it a providence or foundation God has given them, and so take extraordinary courses to make the Parliament and City grant their Petitions. well, Gentlemen, let me persuade you to repent, to unravel, undo what you have rashly, and in hot blood done, to the dishonour and subverting of the Freedom of Parliament, and right the Members thereof, and of this City, for the Kingdoms sake, or else know that deliverance shal come some other way.  
Were it not my duty with righteous Lot to be vexed with those unrighteous doings and horrible hypocrisies, and God-loathing shilliings; or could I see any other way left to mind you with any hopes of success, of that great account you have to give to the al-seeing God, both for your parts and power; that I have often thought you might certainly be more excusable, if you had hide them in a napkin; believe it, I would have attempted it and have now been silent; but all other ways have hitherto proved so fruitless, and indeed as to men, seems hopeless, and in the opinion of many godly men, your friends, your principles are sounded so much upon machiavellian policy, that you must needs lye under great temptations, and run great hazards of making shipwreck of a good conscience, and of the plain truth of Gods holy Word, as well as you do of the good and wholesome Laws of the Land, and of that good old Truth, The safety of the People is the supreme Law, which you so often misapply to yourselves, and yet would not allow it to the City, upon your approach in a hostile manner, after all the blood and treasure this City hath expended; which indeed is all the visible cause of all that triumph and glorious victories, which you too much attribute to yourselves, with such sinful neglect of the good hand of GOD, making good that divine complaint, That you remember not the hand of the Lord, nor the day he delivered you from the enemy; but unworthily sin because his grace hath abounded: making all these your successses so many arguments, that you are his Saints, and may undertake such courses as are indeed a shane to Religion, and that even the wicked are ashamed and blushy at; whereas you know, that we can neither know Gods love nor hatred by all that is before us; and if those successses were undeniable signs and badges of Gods love, yet it remains, that you make it out, how God has given you any call or Warrant to undertake the meddling with the settling of the State and of Religion, which I think unsettling; tossing the King up and down to the danger of his Majesties Person, setting periods to Parliaments, taking upon you to protest against the Parliament, and such like: but to begin with you, where you began your disobedience.  
First, Did you not at Bury, Newmarket, and elsewhere, without all colour of authority, contrive and set on foot in the Army, and many of them entred into a mischievous and desperate Engagement, besides the first Petition tending to the subversion of the Freedom of Parliament, and of the Liberties of the Nation, to the frustrating of those just and public ends for which so much blood and treasure hath been spilled and spent in the late Wars to the raising a new War against the Parliament and Kingdom: Did you not summon the City as well as Court it, only to let you have your wils and satisfy your lusts, upon the Parliament, which you call Justice indeed against some in the Parliament: A strange and unheard of Treason, that an Army must be brought up against the Parliament to force them to deliver up the Members, or do any other thing, which they would, all the world must needs say, have fain done, if there had been the le●st shadow of Justice or Reason, or could without the apparent violation of their Consciences, have suffered to be done; and what undutiful speeches, what slanders and reproaches, and what treasonable attempts you then made upon the Parliament and City, surely you intend, by your daily practices, shal never be forgotten: Be pleased to review the whole Journal of your Proceedings, ever since your first disobedience and traitorous Comment upon the Ordinance of the Lords and Commons for disbanding your Army, which though the Parliament therein expressed it to be their care and duty to this Kingdom, to relieve them from the vast charge of an Army, and for the relieving our distressed brethren in Ireland; yet the suffering of both which since, through your disobedience too and clamours upon the Parliament are both intolerable, and without Gods great mercy irrecoverable, and how you have changed your principle with your condition let the world judge; that when ever the Parliament came near to grant your desires, you flew off, either giving some further interpretation of your former, or asking others, whereby the most charitable, that is not an engaged party with you, can hardly think those carriages, as they offer themselves to our consideration daily multiplying to be consistent with grace and godliness; because I would put you upon the examining yourself, give me leave, it is but a piece of your own courage, and the same Liberty of Conscience you pled for your selvs; and if the truth of the matter seem to bespeak me not altogether ignorant of your several passages, let them work so much the more effectually upon your consciences to a timely repentance; b●leeve it, without it you may as well be question●d here, as it is certain you cannot escape the searcher of all hearts, with a thousand Armies, and al your fine words and specious pretences in your long-winded Declarations, though they may deceive the poor people, having the advantage of a very distempered and burdened Kingdom, which the people is not long able to bear. Consider the Answer of the 11. Members to their Charge, & this great Victory God has lately honoured the Lord Inchiquin with, for poor bleeding Ireland, together with very many other successses given him, all which very much reflects upon the validity of the rest of your Articles against them; for if the L. Inchiquin had been sacrificed to your fury, or removed from thence, which you make an Article against the eleven Impeached Members, for defending, in all probability Ireland had been helpless and hopeless, for all your fair pretence, as far as I can see. And as there is not any thing in your Declarations, but what makes against you, and will be without repentance, a perpetual reproach unto you as rendering you willing to say anything that will take among the people, though never so much out of your sphere and as far from your meaning, & that which could never be effected by an Army. Are not your pretences of settling the King, & giving the Country an account of their money & easing them of Excise and Tithes, and all other Charges and Taxes, and the rectifying of the several Committees, relieving Ireland, and whatsoever is amiss in the Kingdom? I say, did you not observe these to be popular and speciou● pretences, and therefore made use of them to take the people without any real intentions, as being things impossible to be established by an Army? As for what else you lay down as the ground and reason of your not Dishanding, that concerns yourselves, either as Soldier or Subjects, was it not offered both in point of indemnity & Liberty of Conscience, with present pay to the Soldiers in the Army, which being considered truly, the Soldiers in conclusion may come to be sensible into what a loss, as well as a l●byrinth, you have brought them into; so that now there rem●ins not any thing to defend your disobedience, but what provocations you h●ve since put upon the Parliament and city, as the engagement in the City, and the force and violence upon the 26. of July you know well enough, were but the evil ●ffects of your disobedience and engagement against the Parliament at Bu●y and N●wmarket, nay of your besieging the Parliament, and of that bold seizure of his Majesties person at H●lmby; all which being considered, it will appear, the Design of a New War is your own, and the monster you have been forming in the bowels of the Kingdom; only it seem● you would take Liberty of Conscience to rather it some where else.  
Now, the next thing to be inquired into is, year advance to Saint A●hans, and your Summons and Courting the City to give you leave to break the privileges of Parliament, or to destroy the very being of it, or both, which indeed you call Justice against some that the Parliament prot●cts; truly then we were mad in an absolute trance, stark blind, what with your fair and specious pre●ences, and by the advantage of your former good service, together with the present distempers of the Kingdom, or else you might well enough then have come short home; it seemed the quarrel was this, The Parliament was resolved to disband you, and you were resolvd not to disband; Now you must break the temper of the house, or else you could never expect either Justification for what was past, or indeed impunity or protection for the time to come, to this purpose when the City prest you to particulars who they were that you came for Justice against: Is it not true? was it not then tossed up and down amongst you, how many and who shal we pitch upon? You through Gods mercy having so good choice of Gentlemen in that House that stands fast to the Interest of England, and not long after you had agreed to the number, then the men, though not without much grief to you, to leave so many behind, fearing you may be put upon another 'bout, the number were so small: and was it not as true, that it made you scratch where it did not itch, to pump for Articles; and at last, if you had had no more men then matter, to have backed your Treason, you might well enough have suffered for the Traitors yourselves.  
The next 'bout to be enquired into is, your Proposals; I am not willing to speak to every one, nor indeed to any of them, as not doubting but something may be worthy of consideration; but yet there is not any thing worth the free quarter you had while you were making them, nor of the blood and treasure of Ireland, that might by Gods blessing have been saved had you then obeied the Parliament: and how contemptible you have rendered the Parliament, as by many other w●ys, so by your Proposals also, let all men judge in what danger Religion is in, and the Fundamental Laws of the Land, and the very being of this Common-weal●h also: I say; as all these are shaken by your undervaluing the wisdom of Parliament by your making Proposal●, so do they also render you more inexcusable before God, who is the God of order and not of confusion. Truly I cannot but think you stop the mouth of Conscience, and of such motions as you might more truly think from the Spirit of God, then any of those delusions of the Devil you so oft●n call a providence, I mean, itis impossible such notorious, perfidious and damnable Designs, as you have all along attempted & carried on, ever since your refusing to disband, and hath been already expressed, even the very best of your finest but cheating expressions, and your gilded and smooth actions, as you think, but indeed horrid and black in their own nature, and may easily appear in their nakedness and proper colours even to all indifferent men; Are you never upon your pillows, or in any of your contemplations put upon no mis-givings; take heed of Pharaohs hard heart; take heed God give you not over to your own lusts, and to believe lies, as if to destroy a Kingdom, nay three Kingdoms, and that which far exceeds all, to destroy the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Religion, the glory and happiness of this Nation, and indeed of all Europe, were to do God good service. I am sure I know the time when Huson, Oaky, Backster, Grimes, Watson, and most of the whole Catalogue of the drivers on of these destructive designs to subvert the Freedom of Parliament, was so honest and low in their own esteem that they did account themselves hardly sit to have waited upon the Members of Parliament to the House; and I may positively affirm, would not then have intermeddled so traitorously to thrust the true Pilots out of doors, and steer the ship of the Common wealth themselves. well, Gentlemen, would it advantage the peace of this Kingdom, I could, what ever you think, implore your repentance with rivers of tears, to see, O Lord my God, men, nay professors of Religion thus to break thy Law, and to teach men so to do, nay to punish men that will not do so, that cannot in conscience and duty to God and the Parliament, but make good the Covenant to oppose those ungodly doings, that his soul abhors, if it were for nothing else but for these dissemblings and shilliings, seeking all advantages and occasions to draw men into snares, provoking the Parliament and City to defend themselves; and making lies your refuge, accuse them with whatsoever you know yourselves to be guilty of, as a New War; and whatsoever else you made Articles of Impeachment against others is truly your own: I am persuaded you would have been much more at a loss, when you were so put to your trumps for Articles, had you not then seen them written in your own carriages; nay you are gone so far, that I am sometimes in hope, as it is in the second Epistle to Timothy, Chap. 3. Vers. 9. That you shal proceed no further; but that your doings and folly shal be made manifest to all men; By the former Verses of this Chapter, you may see yourselves in your colours, and the Lord sanctify it unto you, that you may know, in this your day, the things that belong to your peace, before they be hide from your eyes. This know also, that in the last days perilous times shal come: For men shal be lovers of themselves, cove●ous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that ●re good; Traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more then lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof; from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and led captive silly women lad●n with sins, lead away with divers lusts, Ever learning and never a●le to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jann●s and Ja●hres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the tru●●; men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the Faith.  
The next 'bout is your two thundering Declarations before and after your March through the City, in which you presume to judge the Parliament to usurp Parliamentary authority, nay to protest against the Parliament: And after you had provoked the Parliament and the City, as is before expressed, to defend themselves from your violence and force, then you make that an accusation, and tel the Kingdom of a strange Design to make a New War: I beseech you tel me what you find either in the Law of God or the Land, that may justify you for those attemp●●; for, I think, without some extraordinary call a godly man should not dare to attempt such things as these: Let me persuade you not to bury in oblivion all your former good service, or that which is worse by your apostarizing and degenerating to turn it into perpetual shane and reproach, not only to your name, but to the profession of Religion: Consider what advantage all sorts of men now take to reproach the Parliament and to press destructive things from your late forc'st presidents; as particularly review the two late Petitions, entitled, ●he humble Petition of many free born people to the supreme Authority of England, with O●servations to one of them, never paralleled before your l●te courses: but now, with brazen faced impudence, claim what they please and clamour as they please ●gainst the Parliament, upon this ground, th●t it is the Liberty the Army purchased for them and promised to them, and which is but the same thing i● effect you have forced the Parliament to do for you; remember when the affections were mutual between the Parliament and the City, how plentiful money was, and how terrible was it to the Parliments enemies, and I hope, will, once again, prove a safeguard to king and Parliament, when there shal be no Army in England. But you must think your thus forcing the parliament, to Vote and Unvote what you please, makes men to keep their money in their p●rses, to let you see the difference between dutiful carriages to a Parliament and undutiful c●rri●ges and slanderous accusations both against them and the City; I dare warrant you from ever seeing open purses in this City, until they see the Parliament righted▪ and rheir Members with the Cities restored, that every base fellow may not ask of the Parliament even things against their Conscience and destructive to the Kingdom; and yet upbr●id them, if they deny, with some of your late forced presidents for it, even to the non-plusing of our godly Senators, the Freedom and Vindication of whom, with his Majesties happy concurrence, I pray GOD hasten, that Religion and Peace, the glory and happiness of this Kingdom may be established in Peace and Truth.  
And in the next place, particularly to be considered is the many several Letters and other Passages, in order to the aforesaid designs, which by custom, though finely worded, yet indeed speaks more plainly your meaning then formerly, as your Letter to my Lord Maior and Common council for money. Your continuance as an Army and continual pay, I believe would pretty well stop your mouths from ever attempting the settling the King or Kingdom, or relieving Ireland, or taking any of the Taxes from off the the poor Country, without it be to take off threescore thousand pound a month, and put one hundred upon the Kingdom in lieu thereof; but as it is an unparalleled affront to the City, meddling with that you have no colour of authority for, so can you not expect they should lend or disburse any money for your use, or do you the least favour, more then pray for your Repentance, being every day so ill requited for their old matchless favours to your Army, though it seems by you now forgotten, or very ungratefully remembered: If there be any Arrears due, upon any Ordinance of Parliament, from particular men, who have so laid out themselves in their zeal for the Kingdoms good, that they now want it to buy bread; though you so ungratefully requited them. Whats this to the Representative body of the City? from whom you cannot in Reason expect they should lend you one groat, before you return to your obedience, and right the Members of both Houses, and of this City, you have so maliciously and falsely accused in your several Declarations. And stil when the Parliament is upon any Debate, and resolves upon any Particulars in order to the Peace and settlement of the Kingdom, you set upon some debate in your Junto or mock-Parliament, I mean, the General council of the Army, to stop it; saying, it is against your engagement or proceedings, and indeed I think so it is; as this last weeks Diurnal says you say of the Votes for disbanding the supernumerary Forces of the Kingdom; but the world sees how you use the Parliament, City and Kingdom, nay the three Kingdoms in them; and how fain you would, nay you will have a New War, without they will part with their Religion, their Liberty, and a free Parliament, to have one made up of mechanics, and such of their servants as are in the Army, now indeed their masters; continual threatening of the Parliament, and your late threatening the City for spending money whilst you take free-quarter, meat and drink, on the Country, all set you out pretty well, that a man may almost conclude beforehand, what your next attempt must be, in order to your design, if they be but diligent observers, and compare your past proceedings with the present face of things: Dare you promise never to force the Parliament more, or while you shoot others to death for your offences, to stil the noise, will you not complete the Levellers begun treasons, and turn out the other parcel of Members yourselves, and destroy the Government of this famous City? and to say no worse, make King, Parliament and City all your slaves at a clap; they say you threaten a sudden storm, if M. Peters prove not a false Prophet: If you talk of monopolising, this is a Monopoly with a witness, to monopolise the Religion, Liberty and property of England and Ireland, all under the devotion of an Army, at once; no doubt if you can get your patent sealed, though with blood, you will, having left a blank, put in Scotland afterwards.  
O England, dost thou yet want eyes to see,  
What gallant Saints are digging graves for thee;  
And canst thou stil give credit to these elves,  
Who steal thy wealth, for to make fat themselves!  
These Hypocrites, though clothed with holy zeal,  
Are thy obnoxious fates, destroy thy Weal.  
They are mere outsides, have an holy tone,  
Yet are but devils masked, every one.  
Their actions tend to Murder, Lust and Pride,  
sacrilege, Treason, and all ills beside.  
For shane then sit not stil, until you be  
Past hope, recovering this conspiracy.  
They drive amain, till all about is hurled,  
And their base fol●y fire our English World.  
But in the last place, as I find not any thing you have said to have the least shadow of reason, or matter, to warrant any of your proceedings; which if they were granted, yet is there so much juggling, hypocrisy and fraud through the whole Journal of your proceedings, that they favour not at all of godliness, nor of a true Nathaniel, in whom there is no guile, it were worth the while for Lieu: General cromwell to examine himself, and say, whats the matter with me that was once the object of all your love, in all your prayers and praises, but now thus under a cloud: The truth is, to deal candidly with you, you have walked in the clouds, ever since those unhappy backslidings of yours, if all sorts of men be not mistaken.  
First, His Majesties late partakers, as you call them, against whom you have fought all these Wars, sometimes take you for a new man, but make the old reckoning, to love the Treason but hate the Traitor; sometimes they take you for a juggler, or one of Peters Hocus-pocus Comrades, or at best a politic Enemy that hath self ends in all your pretences; that unless you can establish the King so, that you may be established in the head of an army, thereby to have your designs established by Act of Parliament; its thought You resolve to venture a brush yet with both Kingdoms.  
Secondly, Lieut. Colonel Lilburn, with the rest of the free-born people, you may take the Levellers among the crowd, doth charge you with much dissembling and hypocrisy, a sin that but indifferent Protestants abominate; if you review their Papers upon mature deliberation, there is hardly any treason or mischief ever attempted by them, but they say they received encouragement to have your countenance and concurrence; but it may be, you will say, so they shal; when their designs are ripe, but itis not time yet for me to appear.  
Thirdly, The honestest Independents do conclude you are now under a temptation, and do think that you have taken too much Liberty of Conscience to shuffle and cut; I was informed that Sir Arthur Haslerig much doubted, how your carriages in things, he then instanced in to you, could stand with grace and godliness, when he  told you, If you proved not an honest man, he would never trust a fellow with a great nose again, for your sake; itis very like him, he is very down-right usually according to his principles.  
Fourthly, The Presbyterians they stand amazed, mourning in private, spending whole days in prayer, that God would give you grace, and that the Gospel might not be dishonoured and wounded through your sides; if you would but take notice, you may see a general palefac'dnes through the Kingdom in some for the dearness of bread, and in others for the great cause of fear there will be a famine of the Word of God, the great contempt and scorn of the Ministers and Ministry; countenancing a few dissenting brethren, nay abundance of dissolute and Jesuitical principled persons to affront the godly Ministry and the Government of Jesus Christ, to the apparent breach of the Covenant you made with the high God in that point, not opposing Heresies and Schisms, but if you speak as long as you live, you can never wipe away that palpable breach of the Covenant, that not only suffered the privileges of Parliament to be broken; but have broken them your selvs so impudently and notoriously, that Heathens will condemn you and reproach Religion: There is two remarkable examples of Gods wrath against Covenant-breakers and Despisers; the one Divine, the other human; both worth your Observation: as,  
1. Joshua having made a League and Covenant with the Gibeonites,( notwithstanding they had craftily circumvented and deceived Joshua therein) which remained inviolable among the children of Israel, till the days of King Saul, who, in his Zeal, had( it seems) slain some of the Gibeonites, and endeavoured to have destroyed them all from among the Israelites: Hereupon the wrath of the Lord was greatly incensed against Israel, which broke not out till King Davids days, who was sorely vexed with a fearful Famine over the whole Land, for at least three years together incessantly; which so greatly grieved and troubled David, that he inquired of the Lord what might be the cause thereof; And the Lord answered him, that it was for Sauls sake, and for his bloody-house, because he had broken the Covenant, and slain the Gibeonites, and his wrath would not be appeased, till holy David, in just revenge of this breach of Covenant, had delivered up unto the Gibeonites ( as they, by Gods will, had demanded) 7 of Sauls Sons, or nearest Kindred to be hanged by them, as they were, and then( and not till then) was God pacified, and the Famine immediately ceased. josh. 9. and 2 Sam. 21.  
2. Uladislaus King of Hungary, and Amurath the great Emperor of turkey, after fierce wars between them, having concluded a happy and honourable peace for the said King of Hungary, and they having entred into solemn League and Truce, by interchangeable writings, sealed and delivered each to other; not long after, Julian, a Cardinal of Rome, having persuaded him to renounce and violate this Covenant and Peace; the King of Hungary secretly prepared mighty forces suddenly to invade and set upon the Turks Territories, and Amurath the great Turk, at last hearing of this unexpected invasion by Uladislaus, made mighty preparation, presently, to oppose him; entred into a pitched field against him, in brief, Amurath, observing a mighty slaughter of his men, and himself, and his whole Army in great danger to be discomfitted, and beholding also in the Hungarian-hungarian-displayed-banners , the picture of a Crucifix, he presently plucked forth the Writing out of his bosom, wherein the late League or Covenant was comprised, and holding it up in his hand, with his eyes cast up to heaven, he said these words. Behold, thou crucified Christ, this is the League thy Christians, in thy name, made with me, which they have without cause violated. Now if thou be a God, as they say thou art, revenge the wrong now done unto thy name, and unto me, and show thy power upon thy pernicious people, who in their deeds deny thee their God, presently after this, the fight was fiercely followed on both sides, but it pleased the Lord, that Uladislaus was put to the worst, and in the fight, slain by one of the Turks janissaries, and his head cut off, and presented to Amurath, in the midst of the battle, who commanded it to be set upon the top of a Lance, and carried up and down in the field, to the terror of the Christians, who presently fled and left Amurath, total Victor, with a most mighty and lamentable slaughter of the Christians. From both which most pregnant and eminent examples, we may profitably make this pertinent use and application. That if the Lord God hath so tender a respect to the exact performance of Leagues and Covenants, made not only 'twixt Man and Man, Christian and Christian, but even between Christians and Turks, or Infidels( such as the Gibeonites and this Amurath were) O how much more tenderly affencted, and severely exasperated, will he be for the breach of Covenants, made betwixt his own glorious Holiness, who is a Consuming fire, and Wormling-Man, who is but as Combustible Stubble in his presence.  
But now you will say, we have not broken the Covenant, nor done any of these things you suppose we have; and if you review our Declarations, you will see we stand for the Freedom of Parliament, the settling of the King, the relieving of Ireland, the taking away of all Taxes, the giving a good Account of the countries money, the rectifying the Committees, and the mending whatsoever is amiss, defending the City, and endeavouring a right understanding with the Scots, the hindering of a New War, the dispensing of Justice and Righteousness equally unto all the Nation, to this purpose was our advance to London, to settle the Speakers in a free Parliament. Indeed your Declarations are full fraught with many fair and specious pretences, and not without some notorious contradictions, and are in truth all, from first to last, excepting what they exceed, the very lively relation of the acting of Absaloms Treason over again; if you red the story and your own Declarations and practices, you will find them all along run parallel: But in particular, all your pretences cannot so blind the world, but they will very well remember that the Parliament was a Free Parliament before you meddled with them; indeed had it been your good fortune to have changed Treasons with that Rabble Rout on the 26. of July; or could you, with all your wit, have procured such a 'bout before your Petition and engagement, or your refusing to disband and advance to St. Abbans, you might, for ought I know, have cozened the wisest, and have ruined, with a great deal of applause, the most innocent in all the House of Commons; and in stead of eleven you might have dozend them up in faggots for the fire of your fury. But you must not think we shal always be in a trance, fears and dangers continuing long the sting will vanish, and we grow better acquainted with you and your designs, then always for sober men, men that are come to themselves, to think the turning out of the 11. Members, by the power and force of an Army, and extraordinary courses, is the way to make a Free Parliament; indeed, I think, itis the way to make a Free Parliament House, if they be forcst to leave it to avoid your fury: I remember the good ordinary old way of having a Free Parliament, was, That not any should take notice without, what was done within the walls of that House: You must have an extraordinary call for this your extraordinary Course; or it must be extraordinary mercy that must pardon your extraordinary sin; for upon that score stands all other of the mischieves you pretend to remove, and indeed are really the fruit and evil effects of your disobedience, which you very well know would all vanish, if the cause, your disobedience were removed; which makes godly men wonder you dare thus dissemble to pretend the removing of those miseries, you do, nay you must, as long as you are an Army, continually multiply. What has occasioned all the Taxes upon the Kingdom, but their Armies? And whether or no it has ever been abated since you have taken upon you the Government of the Kingdom, or ever is like to be, as long as you continue, I will leave it to all rational men to judge. Besides, what will become of Magna Charta, the known Laws of the Land, of the Subjects Liberty and property; what of our Religion? I think we shal enjoy as much as the Martyrs did, either to turn or burn. Do you think the Kingdom is so foolish to believe an Army can ever settle a happy Peace, while you undertake these unlawful course? Certainly you are mad, I doubt you make ill application of the footsteps of Gods providence towards you, in the several successses he gave you in these late Wars. Are you not grown drunk with pride, passion, and idleness; attributing to yourselves Gods only precious ones, as I have heard some say, they now live above means, and therefore now conclude, that because your designs have hitherto so well prospered; that it s the mere providence of God, and by and by fancy some divine revelation, as some extraordinary call hereunto, or, with M. Sedgwick, that Dooms day is past; as indeed it were well for such practices as yours, that it were; but itis truly rather some devilish temptation, taking the advantage of this opportunity, to wit, the sword in your hand, together with the proneness of mans nature, to be meddling with forbidden fruit, strives to draw you under that Curse in Deut. 29.19. that though you hear the word of the Curse, yet you shal bless yourselves in your wickedness, and say you shal have peace and prosper, though you walk in the stubbornness of your own hearts. How many times hath the House of Commons given answers to Petitioners, That it is the duty of the Subjects of England to acquiesce in the Wisdom and Justice of the Parliament, and especially very lately; since your non-compliance, as you call it, but indeed really preferring your own before theirs, inviting the people to Petition you for Justice; and seeing you have thus enthralled the Parliament, the City, to salue it as well as may be, without contracting too much dishonour or seeming guiltiness, by owning your faults, to recover the Parliaments honor, have indeed given way to your Agents to scrue in words in their late Petition, that might out of the least sense of duty you owe to the Parliament, move you to meet them with embraces of Love and tears of Repentance, if you prove not Principle-shaken as well as Planet-shaken; for God knows and your own consciences tells you, all those dishonours, affronts, treasons and force, put upon the Parliament, are from and followed your disobedience and first engagement. I heard the Reformadoes say, they took examples from you; but if you can play the machiavellian to draw in the City to betray their own innocency, and lay your treasons upon their own shoulders: I will say, if Achitophel or Absalom were now alive, they were but fools to Oliver cromwell. They say Lieut. Colonel Lilburn will discover the time, place and design you have been driving on, all this while: And thus much I can tel you, if he does not, others will, that is more privy to your designs then you think of, when itis seasonable, without your repentance, which you have good reason to hasten, considering the blow God hath lately given to the Rebels in Ireland, which doth exceedingly discover your Articles to be merely maliciously invented from the pride of heart, that you could not rule all in the House as well as in the Army; your notorious false aspersions you cast upon that incomparable gallant and godly Christian Soldier mayor General Skippon, to the endangering, as much as you can, the total giving up of Ireland to the Rebels merciless hands, and the utter destroying of all our English Forces there; for, you must think, none will contribute to Ireland, as long as they see, if ever you sand any, itis like to destroy those we have already there, and losing what we have gained, to sand such as are of your own Faction to affront my Lord Inchiquin, as he hath already declared, and play such pranks as you do in England, to the destruction of all together. What hath been said to any of your pretences is sufficient to say to all; they are equally without the precinct of your power to perform; and then in point of hypocrisy, juggling, defraud, dissembling, sins, far from Saints, you must needs be guilty in also, save only the relief of Ireland, that I confess you have forced within your power to perform, and made very large promises to the Kingdom upon it; but considering the opportunities and advantages you have had, together with all your dealings with the Parliament and Kingdom, and your staying and breaking the neck of that Army they had prepared to sand thither, under the notion, that it was a design to break your Army; I say, as we may guess by that, what performances we might expect in the rest, were they in your power; so truly we may fear the blood of Ireland will stand upon your score; surely it was a much better design, if any, to break your Army, then your design of hindering Irelands relief, to keep an Army upon free quarter in England, only to establish yourselves and your party to domineer over and enslave the Kingdom to posterity; But you must needs be guilty also of the sin of hypocrisy, when you engaged yourself the Army should disband at the Houses Commands, and when you wished you and your sons lives might be the sacrifice to appease the Mutiny and discontents of the Soldiers; when since it appears, by your practices, you had a deep hand in it yourself, especially by your late compliance again with the former Agents and your mul iplied Treason you have since builded upon that foundation, to the astonishment of the godly, to see you thus sin against your knowledge, to the wounding of your conscience, that cannot but know, That obedience had been much better then sacrifice, and to harken then the fat of Rams. And whereas it is apparent, by all that has been said, and many other evidences, too many to recount, yet there being some Treasons crept in among the crowd, which neither the People, nor your Soldiers, nor yourselves either sees not or thinks them not much, for your credit, to be seen, you strive so much to thrust them in, in the dark; Therefore I shal instance in some more, besides Your Engagement and force done upon the Parliament, much unlike the Rule our saviour hath given you, as all those strange expressions and extraordinary courses, as You call them; and I am sure without any call from God, or Warrant from the Law of the Land, to make the Parliament recall their Declaration against you, and then lay the blame thereof upon themselves; mark how you dance up and down in glistering words, though with much swelling pride, impudently requiring them to Unvote their Votes, that called any from the Armies Rebellion; then they must Vote, that You are their Army; then they must Vote you present Pay, equal with them that, in obedience to the Parliament, left your Army. What horrible dishonour do you force upon the Parliament? and surely wound your own consciences, if they be but half so tender as you pretend: And were your cause just and Gods cause, yet I am sure Gods children had never any Commission from him to use any indirect means to bring it to pass, or carry on his work in their hands, as hath been shewed you have done all along in your proceedings; and exercise such insolency over the Parliament as was never paralleled before, but by a foolish Proverb, among the sharp Country Dames, That if they say the Crow is white, they will make their maids say so too; they used that to show their authority over their servants, but I never met with any that exercised so much insolency over their masters, before your Papers and Practices; besides, your very foundation is lavd upon lies and falshoods, as particularly in the Narrative to your threatenings, you lay down as the ground, to justify the Result of that Declaration, to be this, That besides the pretended House of Commons, with four or five Lords of the same model for an House of Peers, they presume to proceed to act as a Parliament: I need not tel you of the falsehood of this pretence, because, I hope, by this time, all men sees it; for all the world may know, there is but part of this model in question, though my Lord of Pembroke escaped but narrowly; and yet there is seven Lords now under the Black-Rod of the same model. Is not this a lie think you?  
But to draw all to a Conclusion; it may be, you will say, the world may see your good intentions, by the good service you did at the late Randezvouz of the Army, in quelling and quieting the Levellers; truly thatis one of your smallest pieces of machiavellian policy, when you, like a skilful physician or rather a subtle Mountebank, have deadly wounded a Kingdom, should now and then give it some ease and refreshment, especially to lay by such blades that were too plain dealers for your turn; and it made much for your own profit and self-ends, no doubt, you hoping thereby to gain applause, and yet call it a providence; if you can ever see a better opportunity for so good an exchange, as to get your designs countenanced by Parliamentary authority. This has been your only sin, that in all the Transactions, since this unhappy difference, you have played the Waterman, look one way and row● another; or, at least, speak Tre●son, in such ambiguous terms, that if it take not, like the new Vice-Admiral, you can either make a Recantation or desire Liberty of Conscience to give it another interpretation; so that it is not all your Speeches in the House of Commons, but Repentance, that must bury in Oblivion your late miscarriages; for if you say you have performed what you promised, then will the Kings unsetlement, the Parliaments Renting, Englands Taxes, Irelands misery, the Cities Trading, the palefacedness of the poor, the cries of the Country against free quarter, the increase of division, the mourning of the Godly, the despising of the Ministers and Ministry, the contempt of the Parliament; all witness against you; and do as well proclaim to the world your hypocrisies as your treasons; as its treason for you to attempt the doing of them, so you then also well knew, if your designs took effect, you must establish Peace and Free-quarter both together, or at least all other burdens that lye upon the Kingdom at this day, with[ I may positively affirm) the increase and not the decrease of any of our fears either of a New War, Discontents, Divisions, Taxes, or any other mischievous design, either against the Gospel or Civil Government; for, to be sure, whatever is not established by the King and a Free Parliament, will not be lasting to this Kingdom, which you woefully and shamefully, in the whole Journal of your proceedings, endeavour to subvert and overthrow. Was not the Parliament as free, when they Voted your Disbanding, as they were when they gave Sir Thomas Fairfax his Commission, and established the New Model? Do not you infinitely betray your own cause you have fought in? Did ever any but his Majesty, and those that defend his Cause, ever thus question the Parliament, nor his Majesty, since your Army was raised; and now, upon the close, is pleased to recall his Proclamations and Declarations; and yet you, as if you resolved to make them contemptible, and render invalid all they have done, even to the betraying of your own selves, and telling the world, You either know not, or care not, what you fight for, or whether you have any authority or no, more then some bare fancy of a call from the Spirit, but indeed will rather prove some delusion of the devil, that your good meaning will bear you out; surely I think either it must be granted by the free people of England, That the freedom of Parliament consists in the mayor part of the Members, or else it must needs bring all to confusion, and overthrow the Fundamental Laws of the Land; and if you grant that, I am sure you can never justify that Act of forcing the mayor part either to forbear their coming to the House, or to submit themselves to the judgement of the minor; All which you did require in that Declaration, of the eighteen of August; which I know you would fain have obtained more closely, and with less noise in the Kingdom, if all your policy and party in the House could have effected it; but you knowing your whole courses so destructive, not only to the Freedom, but even to the very being of Parliaments; and yourselves in such a tottering and dangerous condition, not only in danger to lose your design, but even to receive your just Rewards, resolved to add drunkenness to thirst, and to make the PARLIAMENT the OFFENDERS. And when you had made way with your swords, through those difficulties you have met with, and saw a general calm through the Kingdom, then Mr. Peters appears in his Colours; and tells you his judgement was, that you might well enough, as far as he saw, leave juggling, or taking so much pains to study for fine phrases, or glistering pretences, to colour over your black designs, or for any more Articles of Impeachment; and without any more ado, take all that are not of your party and confederacy, as men not for common Right and Freedom, or for the Interest of England, and turn them out of the House by head and shoulders. What think you did M. Peters mean else in his last Pamphlet by these words, That he could wish the people might now know what they must trust to, and trust God with the management of it; It seems by this, your designs have been such, as you dare not trust God with, all this while. Well, I tremble to red over all your Papers, to see how impudently, all along, you appropriate the present sword in your hand, the victory and successses, you have hitherto had, in any of your sinful and treasonable attempts, upon the Parliament, City and Kingdom, to be the foundations God hath given you; and therefore will now take such extraordinary courses, to make the Parliament satisfy you, by Thursday next as God shal direct you: when you pursued your resolutions, we saw no directions from God, in print, for your warrant, and I believe Repentance will be your best plea, when you come to give an account to the Almighty for that treasonablebout; Is not this, think you, to bless yourselves in your hearts, saying, you shal have peace against the word of his Curse; for I think that Gods curse will follow the extraordinary course without your extraordinary Repentance; and then you say, in the front of one of your Declarations, That by the manifold dispensations of Gods Providence, the Army was lead to advance against the Parliament and this City; you may remember that would not serve the earl of Straffords turn, for but endeavouring to bring up the Northern Army against the Parliament: Truly it were well worth the while for you to Review the Parliaments first Remonstrance, and the Impeachment of the Earl of Strafford, and the by. of Canterbury, and whatsoever else was the ground and reason of the Parliaments making War, and compare them with your Papers and Practices, and you will see only this difference, that you have a better art to cover them with the cloak of Religion, and also the very trick of making the people believe God is of your Confederacy; and for you that engaged in this quarrel, and hath done a great part of this work, to act the self-same things yourselves, in the face of the Son of God, what a shane is this to the Gospel? how will the Heathens triumph and wicked men rejoice? I cannot, without tears, set pen to paper, but break forth and say with David, Wo is me that I am constrained to dwell in Mesech and to have an habitation in the tents of Kedar. What remains therefore, but that you presently examine your own selves, and not any longer thus sinfully make application of the power of the Sword, to be by God given you for any of the aforesaid ends: true it is, God suffers it to be in you hands, for our sins God may justly scourge us by you, and for other ends best known to himself; but for you to call it the foundation God has given you, to alter and change the government both of Church and State; thus boldly to teach, check and balance the power of Parliament, to force them to do and undo what you please, to appoint periods to Parliaments, and give rules and directions for the succession of Parliaments, to take such extraordinary courses as you think fit, to make the minor part of the Members punish the mayor, and to require reasons why such and such Members give their consents to Votes, and to araign, adjudge and condemn Members in your Papers for things done in the House, with a thousand other particulars, either before mentioned or may be red in your printed papers and practices; which if the whole Catalogue were naked before the whole Army, I presume to be confident they would blushy to see how they have been merely abused and drawn in by the craft and subtlety of many of you, even with a great deal of detestation and hatred, & even brand upon them that black badge of the Gunpowder traitors, as their Just Livery, whose Religion is Rebellion, and whose Faith is Faction. Nay I am confident your ingenuity was such, that if all the undutiful expressions, and all the breaches of Parliament privileges, and all the mischieves, though very neatly dressed in the gaudy apparel of your dainty fine wits, should have been presented to you, at once, in any of your General councils, you would have said, What am I a dog that I should do these things? and, at least, have served him, as you served joice for ra●ishing the Kingdom of their sovereign; or as you did with mayor White for offering his opinion, which you justify in your practise, that there is no Law but the Sword; and have discountenanced it at least for the present, as being more ashamed to own it, before men, then commit it before God, although you punished him with the loss of his Cornets place, to be a Captain, or from a Captain to be a mayor: But indeed if you will but see that yourselves, that others see, as clear as the Sun at noon day, you may see, that all your Papers and Carriages, from first to last, are nothing but an Arraignment of the whole proceedings of the House of Commons, and a Commending of the Wisdom and Justice of your General council of the Army before them; traitorously indevoring to raise up an universal disesteem among the people, to this Parliament; and if you could but live without Pay, and yet pay your quarters, peradventure you might always rule the roast, and the Kingdom be so content. But, Gentlemen, the Kingdom, by this time, sees, itis impossible for you to do them any good but by being obedient to your masters; your disobedience hath cost England, Ireland and Scotland, as much treasure, besides what blood, God only knows, by your hindering mayor General Skippon, and gallant Masseys Army from going; I say, its thought it hath lost them as much as would have paid your whole Army, and have eased the Kingdom, and have well-nigh recovered its wonted happiness, at worst have freed us from those fears we now he under, and you continually increase with some N●w Design of Your own, or crying up one plot or other, to give the better advantage to Yours: Whereas a man may red all the ground and reason of your contest only to be, with Haman, to get the victory over all the Mordecays in the House, by the advantage of the Army and the service that hath been done by them, cozening the Soldiers, under the pr●tence of standing for thei● pay and other benefits ●or them, while You only ●im at Your self-interest, to their extreme prejudice and undoing, who would be glad of their Pay as it was offered them; which they were made believe, never was. And they being also to be sharers of this designed slavery and common calamity, when You have served Your own turn of them, by committing this horrid design, which all the world sees clearly now is to establish your own greatness and the affencted domination of yourselves and Your party over all others; and in truth is, what ever You pretend, the prejudice, trouble and suppression of all, that appear for the truth and power of Religion, or for the Rights and Liberties of the Kingdom, to the advancing, at once, both of Civil and Ecclesiastical Tyranny upon all these considerations: I say laying aside what ever your wits may afford you to carp at, either in respect of the plainness of the style or any thing else, although, I may in prudence desire to be concealed whi●● I see you, through Gods mercy, in a more godly temper, so, I thank God, the truth of the matter and sincerity of my aim would carry me, with more comfort, through the fire of your fury, then I could have in being silent, though a man indeed may better writ against the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, then such Scripture Truths as meet with your own impieties in these days; but for Sion sake I cannot hold my peace; and, according to your own principles, I may take a piece of your courage to writ as well as you; Therefore I beseech you, for the Gospel sake, for the Peace of England, Ireland and Scotlands sake, for your own souls sakes, return to your obedience, Arise and waken yourselves, and seek the Lord, while he may be found, call upon him, while he is near; while you were obedient, God honoured you with many Victories, honor you God now, in the close, with this glorious Conquest, even over your own hearts, to the subduing of all your lusts, pride and ambition, the reducing you to the obedience of the Parliament; that in our Land mercy and truth may meet together, and Righteousness and Peace may kiss each other.   

AN APPEAL To the Parliament, City and Kingdom: By way of ANSWER To the FURTHER PROGRESS in this REBELLION: To wit, The Armies last Declaration, of the 7. of December; in order to the consummating and completing of their intended Design, To bring all men under the power and subjection of the wils and lusts of some in the Army, by the force and power of the Sword.  
ALthough it is too apparent, by what already hath been, and much more that might be said, That the proceedings of this Army, all along, ever since the beginning of this Rebellion and refusing to Disband, tend to the great dishonour of almighty God, and of the profession of the Gospel of JESUS CHRIST, and also to the subversion of the Freedom and very Being of Parliaments, in whom the Right, Liberty and property of the S●bje●● dependeth and is secured; Yet it is further and more clearly evidenced and made manifest by this last Declaration, which if you please to compare with all 〈◇〉 rest of their pretences and actings everyway, together with the Parliaments several Votes and Proceedings, and do but trace them both in their own tract, and all the affronts and strange Petitions, and as strangely managed, all occasioned and indeed backed, and but one and the same thing required and forced to pass the House by the Army, as the Free born people take the boldness to press for their upon the aforesaid presidents, will, I say, sufficiently declare and proclaim to the world, the usage of this Parliament, and in what a ●●byrinth they are now brought into, through the a●, force and threatenings, continually multiplied upon them.  
I. What is this Declaration, but, in plain terms, the prosecution of the Levellers doctrine, already Voted against as destructive to the Peace of the Kingdom, and That the Officers of the Army made such a huge noise and bustle to oppose, as if there had been such a mighty, antipathy between them really in matter of design?  
II. Did not the Parliament Vote, That it was the duty of the Subjects of England to acquiesce in the Wisdom and Justice of Parliament, when the Free-born people did petition? where then is the Army that will have what they please, and when they please, and be their own Judges, as if they were our very sovereign Lords and Masters?  
III. What say you now to the juggling of the Army? Do you think it is of God, to play thus fast and loose in the face of a righteous God, that loves plain dealing? Hath not the whole design been carried on by craft, lies, deceit, and all manner of filthiness and naughtiness?  
IV. Whether is it not the saddest day that ever England saw, that an Army, that would be called Saints, should ever attempt to force a Parliament by such Menaces and Threatenings, to execute their base lusts, wils and tyrannical cruelty upon several Lords, Gentlemen, the 11. Members and others, whom the Parliament, upon the question, in the House, Voted, That, according to Law and Conscience, they could not do, nor suffer to be done.  
V. Is not the New War, they talk of, properly their own, the very Anvil they hammer all the rest of their villainy on? Can you think these men do not smother many a check of conscience, when they are penning, or indeed rather drawing, as with a pencil, their own pictures? or is not this a true looking glass, wherein they may see their own faces? Even as face answereth face in a glass, so doth all their Papers set forth what manner of men they are, though with the Harlot they wipe their lips and think none see them.  
VI. What may all Rich-men, all Landed Gentlemen, Merchants, and all men of Estates, traffic and Trading expect to see, when the Army shal thus demand money of this famous City of London, after all the kindness of this City: O the horrible ingratitude and brazen-faced impudence! you now see they begin to show themselves in their colours, that without all colour of authority begin to threaten, and, in their own words, join themselves, as equal sharers, in the Government of the Kingdom, with the Parliament, in these words, say they, some seeing the Parliaments and the Armies Lenities, presume; now to that let me add thus much, that, I think, there is none but scorns any more favour or mercy from them, then he would accept at the hands of a thief he meets upon the high-way, which is indeed, to give all a man has to save his life, in danger of being murdered.  
VII. What think you, is it not clear to all the world, that those men mean to destroy all Government now in force by any Law, and govern themselves? Observe how they lash the Parliament and the Government of this City, the Common council, and upbraid them and the House of Commons, however they dance, up and down, to usher it in with fine glosses and words, to make the best of a bad matter, and cover the hook with gilded shows and baits, yet do they now and then stab to the heart of this Kingdoms happiness.  
well, to draw all to a conclusion, and leave it and them to the righteous God, with this prayer, That if it may stand with his glory, that he would discover to this poor Kingdom, who are the Traitors to it, who seek to rob it of all its glory, peace and happiness; For certainly this Army cannot but sin against much Light and many checks of Conscience; the whole matter and substance of their Declaration is truly a most traitorous Comment and an undutiful and slanderous complaint upon our wise and religious Senators; the Parliament, and their whole proceedings, whom I pray God bless, preserve and enable, with courage and wisdom, to carry things so, as God may not be dishonoured, their own peace of Conscience wounded, this Kingdom enslaved by their negligence or cowardice, as knowing these light afflictions, which are but for a moment, work for us a more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. For, you may be confident, God will ease himself of such as walk thus opposite unto him: But to return unto my intended purpose, this and all other of their Declarations affords us, in short, this plain, evident and undeniable conclusion, That the Army expects and requires that the Parliament of England must acquiesce in the Wisdom and Justice of the Army, and is really a prosecution and avowing of the Levellers doctrine, they so dissemblingly seemed to oppose, that they might have the better advantage to carry it on themselves: and it will clearly appear to every indifferent Reader, by these following particulars, worth observing in their last Declaration.  
1. By their own admired patience, that they have quietly waited upon the Parliament, for this four moneths together, as they say in the front of their Declaration; O the monstrous pride and intolerable insolency exercised over their masters, that by their Commissions they should only obey! Surely this is the evil effect of that foggy, cock-brain'd, blustering Hocus-pocus Peters, that common application of his prittle-prattle in the Pulpit, one of the trumpeters of Rebellion, as in his last Letter, before this Cannon came thundering about the streets, With a tantara, tantara, come away, I say, come away, there will be a sudden storm: When our storms cease, we shal quickly see Peters back-side, for he is a trout, that, yet, hath hardly lived any lived any where but in troubled waters. But to the purpose, they say they have waited; well, I know the time when they would have waited as long upon one of the Parliament Clerks, with much more diligence and meekness, for a Commission, to be put in employment. Yet now to the purpose; Are you not their servants? Are they not well paid? How many hundred thousand pound hath this patient waiting cost the Kingdom? the Free-quarter they have had, and the several fifty thousand pounds they had since; as for their just reward, I leave to the Righteous GOD, who, in his due time, will pay them all, no doubt. They ought to wait, I am sure, upon the Parliament, and not thus insolently to domineer over it, and clatter their Votes about their ears, thus contrary to their Commission, their duty as English men and Christians, and double, if not triple, tied by Protestations and Covenants; they may say what they will, but there is neither Greek nor Hebrew, nor any ambiguous terms in that clause of the Covenant, for defending the privil●dges of Parlia●●●t; which all the world must ●●ch say, p●●●●rily consists in preserving the free Debate and Vote of the House, which cannot admit of breaking, upon any pretence whatsoever, without subverting of the very being of parliament: So that thus stands the case, they are now so presumptuous, that they resolve nothing shal ●●●●er●●gn that passeth bo●● H●us●●, b●● what passeth also their V●●●s, in the council of the Army, as the sovereign L●rds and Masters of the Kingdom: They ar●, become ●n estate; Do they not mean that shal serve for the Royal Assent, and so save the labour of any Personal Treatys. Or otherwise, I am sure, we have good reason to conlude, That they mean the Parliament shal measure their corn by their bushel; they must enact the sense of the Army on do nothing in order to the Peace of the Kingdom: but I hope our God will be seen in the Mount to t●ke them by th● bridle and stop them in their full career; Let God arise, and let h●● enemies be f●attered, and let all them that hate him flee before him.  
2. By the Armies prejudging the Lord Maior, Aldermen and Citizens, and the appointing the disposing of the estates in such an unusual manner, as is very much inconsistent with the Liberty of the subject.  
3. By the contracicting of the last Vote of the House for disbanding the su●ernumerary forces, and many other Votes of Parliament, and by the manner thereof.  
4. By the money, that they, without all colour of authority, demanded from the City, and the manner thereof.  
5. By the work they have appointed the Parliament to do for the present.  
6. By the time they have limited to the Parliament to do it in, 〈◇〉 by Saturday next.  
7. The ●●●●ruct●●●s they have given to the Parliament to that purpose.  
8. By their menacing and threatening language, they insert, That if the Parliament do not satisfy them, they must either satisfy their Judgments to take some extraordinary courses, ●●r that which is worse will follow, as they say.  
9. By many, yea too many to recount, of undutiful speeches, slanders and Parliament-destroying expressions, nay whole sentences or what they could do with the PARLIAMENT and CITY, and all men that oppose them, if they listed; very strange Language to sand to a PARLIAMENT from an ARMY of SAINTS, that should be their servants and defend them.  
10. By their taking notice and upbraiding the House of Commons with what they do and suffer to be done, but breach of Parliament privilege may pass well enough among the crowd of their Treasons, and never be seen, now adays.  
11. Their many other petty lashes, in every page. of their DECLARATION, to dishonour, and, if possible, to raise and conjure up a Spirit of Universal Disobedience and hatred to the PARLIAMENT, throughout all the Kingdom, and thousands of other particulars, which I must pass by to avoid prolixity, that may be seen almost in every line, that it might not amount to too great a volume.  
12. By their refusing to obey any thing that tendeth to the settling of the Peace of the Kingdom, saying, itis contrary to their Engagement, or that Sir Thomas Fairfax hath engaged himself to the contrary; It seems thatis enough, if they had done no more, to bind the Parliament to obedience or, at least, not to oppose their Engagements and Promises, so that we may see how the case stands with the Parliament, & we may bless God, for them, that when they cannot act for the peace of the Kingdom, that yet they will be so faithful and courageous, as not to act against it, notwithstanding the threats of this Army, though they thus try all their power, skill & parts to have their villainy countenanced by Parliamentary Authority; I hope, through the faithfulness and courage of our Parliament Worthies, their Treasons will come in rushing with great noise, and not creeping upon us, before we are ware, by force, and not by craft, that all men may see and abhor it; that the Parliament men may have no share in losing the Kingdoms Liberties, but may enjoy the honor and comfort, what ever befalls the Kingdom, that they did their duty, and would not betray their trust, nor desert the ship of this Common wealth, in all those dangerous storms and tempests.  
13. By their traitorous, reproachful and opprobrious language, they take the boldness, to the horrible disgrace and affront of the Parliament of England, and to the perpetual shane and reproach of Religion, and the unfeigned professors therof, to be of all men hated & unuseful to the State or Kingdom wherein they live; were it not the mere mercy and goodness of our God, which gives me great cause to hope, He hath not quiter forsaken us, only hath hide his face in his just displeasure, because of our sins, but will return in mercy to restore this poor bleeding Kingdom to its long longed for peace and happiness, to the eternal infamy and shane of this generation of men, whose carriages we have just cause to bless God, that he hath opened the eyes of so many, of late, to see, that was formerly seduced and deceived, judging hopefully of their good intentions, by what they had done in the time of their obedience, but now shamefully turned wolves in sheeps clothing I will only give you their traitorous and impudent Explication, in stead of obeying the Votes of the Parliament, though the Country can woefully tel, how needful, and of necessity in order to peace they were; If these men were for any, you shal find it in these words, in the 9. and 11. pages of this last Declaration, passing by all the rest of their stabs to the Parliaments hearts, and at Englands very being, speaking of the last distemper they, on purpose, for the ends best known to themselves, put the Army in, saith, yet now the danger is over, we see little better care of the Parliaments performance, then before, but after many days since elapsed, and some spent in professed consideration of it; the whole care of that business seems to be wrapped up in one bare Vote, That all supernumerary forces shal be Disbanded; This being compared with what language you will find in the 12. pag. in these words, We cannot imagine that Vote to be absolute and sovereign; So that England may see, that unless, to the Government of the Kingdom, the Army may be joined with the Parliament, nothing shal take effect, to a sudden dispatch of easing the Kingdom of its burdens; which can never be, while an Army thus domineers over our Parliament, which is, next under God, the only security, with his Majesties happy concurrence, for our very lives and estates, and any comfortable being in the Kingdom.  
14. And lastly, By their invitations and cunning insinuations to draw any il-affected and dissolute persons to improve this opportunity of their Rebellion, to do the City all the mischief they can; I hope the Country, especially the near neighbors of the City, hate their offer; as seeing the falseness of their pretences, and the evil and malignity of the design; surely these are no Saint-like doings, to show so much envy and malice to those so wel-deserving from them, and well known to all the Country, where they quarter, who, by this time, may well enough wish they had never seen them, and see who desire and have designed a New War, if the loss of all, that were near and dear to us, will procure it, save only our good consciences, which they cannor plunder us of, since their contest; they seemed to contemn Pay much, and pretended they valued not that; so that we may now see more clearly what their design is; they must not think we are so weak to imagine it their only Design to plunder the City, that are the Contrivers or cabinet Counsel, though it may so fall out, by a Providence, as they will call it, to be cast in as an Overplus; but the Design is to plunder us of our Gospel, Right, Property and Liberty, and make all subject to their own wils and lusts; what is it else, think you, if they will not be guided by the judgement of the PARLIAMENT, or if it must only consist of such Members, as, they say, have not forfeited the public Trust? but I hope this noble and famous City will peep so far into their designs as not to fear the plundering of this City, knowing they are too wise, if not too honest, then to think that for their advantage; For, no doubt, if they can New-mould the Parliament, fit for their turn, they shal choose a Common council, to drain the City dry, to supply their wants with money: thatis the way to make better use of them and their estates, for the carrying on of this intended slavery, even to the ruin of all the three Kingdoms, according to the burden of the Song they now so much use, that they have three Kingdoms to spend; Therefore, I hope, the City will contemn and scorn all fear of plundering, rather, then, for the prevention thereof, give any opportunity, advantage or countenance to them, while they thus watch for the ruin of the Parliament, which indeed must needs prove fatal to the Religion and Liberty of these three Kingdoms. And as for their Army of Soldiers, and most of the Officers, I know very well, are abused, not knowing they might, and may have their Pay, at an instant, without insisting upon such demands and conditions as are destructive to the Freedom of Parliament, which, I am sure, they would gladly do, were they not deceived, abused and deluded by Lieut. Gen. cromwell and his Privy council, if I do not mis-cal him; for, it may be, he only acts by Providence, and has no Commission; for, I am sure, it was often renewing in time of service, and is very long, if it be not now out of date: But that is but a punctillio, it may be he will say, in this time of Liberty of Conscience; Therefore I hearty wish him to deceive himself, no longer, and the Kingdom, with fancies and frothy pretences; but seriously to consider, That Rebellion is as the sin of Witchcraft. And seeing he continues stil to delude the Soldiery, and to oppress the Country, and oppose the Parliaments easing of them, and will suffer no remedy, but such as is wo●se then the disease, as is more fully expressed in their own imperious and domineering Representation. And if you say, We are not so imperious and traitorous, as itis said, for we act not at all of ourselves, but with the advice of a considerable part of the Members of both Houses; who, though not the mayor part, yet they are those in whom the public Trust only remains; and that I find to be the sense of most of their Declarations, and indeed is so much insisted on, as if it were not only true, but a sufficient warrant to justify and secure them from the breach both of the Law of God and the Land: as to the truth of it I desire not to say any thing, nor to dive into it, but admit it to be true, though I may hope and wish it otherwise; and, it may be, they may only speak as they would have it, being it doth not at all either justify, mitigate, or lessen the treason on either part, if any such COMBINATION, COVENANTS or engagements were, no doubt, all all men will grant that most apparently destructive and inconsistent with the very Being of Parliaments, that is not debated and voted by the mayor part of the House; else might an inconsiderable number of the House plot and contrive without against the sense of the House within, to the ruin of the Kingdom and Religion also; only we may thank God that we have not only such Parliament Worthies that are courageous, but also wise, those that will not only oppose, but are able to see and discern their designs; those are worth gold now; and I doubt not but God reckons them among his Jewels; therefore, I hope, in vain do his enemies strive, like those two Artificers, who shal draw the doest line of policy to compass their design. Let lye. Gen. cromwell and his Privy Counsel know, that they are happy; I say, happy are they that draw the straightest line of piety, and so draw in God to be of their confederacy. But to conclude, let Italy be called the Garden of the World, for pleasure; let it be enough for England, to be called the Garden of God for Religion; the best flower in our Garden is Religion, the greatest happiness of any Nation; but Peace and Religion both are the complete happiness of a Kingdom; and how itis now endangered by the conductor of this Army: for, I know, many, if not most of the Soldiers, are averse to it, and would be more and more, did they know the depth of the design, but what it is; the famous Works, the Catechism and Confession of Faith of the Assembly of Divines, all this while smothered and opposed by that faction, may discover, as well as the shaking of the very foundation of all Order and Government. well, let them and us all remember, to our comfort and their terror, that God is the best shield to any person, the best safeguard of any Nation; if God be our enemy, nothing can secure us; if God be our friend, nothing can hurt us: Though the Army begird the Parliament and City with the straightest siege, yet they cannot stop the passage from Heaven; so long as that is open there may come relief from thence, if he be our Friend, if he be in League with us; when there is no other way to escape the Army, and when as M. Peters puts them upon it, they tel us the worst, and go to execute it upon us with never so much cruelty, yet Christians may go by Heaven and escape: Let Pharaoh be behind, the read Sea before, and the Mountains on each side, yet the Israelite can find a way; indeed Peace is a good Joseph, a good Nurse to Religion, But Religion is the Mother of Peace itself; I mean not theirs whose Religion is Rebellion, and whose Faith is Faction; who with M. Peters love to fish in troubled waters, and therefore sow Division; that whilst the world is busy, playing their cruel games of War, he may have the better leisure to go away with the stakes: The Bramble thus, by renting and tearing, became King of the Trees, and so may Mr cromwell; and with Champion Milo, when he thrust his hands in the cleft of an Oak, thinking to make the rent greater, if he again venture the other 'bout, with the House of Commons, for all his craft, be caught and held also, as the Oak closed together and caught and held Milo, until he was devoured by the wild beasts, and so perished; Even so Lord put it into the hearts of our Pilots, the Parliament, that should steer the Ship of this Common-wealth, but have been too much divided and trampled under foot by the enemies thereof, row to join together, that the envious men, that are thus continually sowing tares of Division in this Kingdom, may be, by their Wisdom and Courage, frustrate of their hopes, & may reap a just reward, even their own confusion; For certainly, as the Artificer wrought his name so cunningly in the Buckler of Minerva, that not a letter could be picked out without the dissolution of the whole frame, so cannot any of the Members of the House of Commons be picked out or excluded otherwise, then by Vote of the mayor part, without the dissolution of the whole frame, and real being of that House in point of Freedom; yet Mr cromwell proceeded to force out Sir John Maynard, though he since confessed, to some of his friends, they had nothing against him, but that he was an active man against their party and design, and therefore must turn out: Indeed he is so complete a politician, that it is as natural to him, as meat and drink, to play fast and loose with God and the Kingdom: but surely, methinks, the clear Sun-shine of the Gospel, so plentifully preached to our English Nation, should sufficiently discover the foggy, frothy fancies, or rather devilish delusions, that Mr Cromwels extraordinary call or Courses are most apparently opposite to the revealed will of God, and all the Statute Laws, now in force, in England: When the Parliament is upon the rack, as in the Case of the Supernumerary Forces, he can Disband, and he can choose; he can draw them to the highest torment, and then give them ease by degrees: You know when a Kingdom is deadly sick, a little ease is comfortable; but surely England thou wilt grow wiser, thou hast paid cromwell pretty well for thy learning. Brave English Spirits, methinks, should scorn either his canning insinuations, proud menaces, glistering new-nothings, fantastical gu-gums, or any thing else, but sudden repentance, and obedience to the revealed will of God and Statute Laws of the Realm. Let all true English-men say to cromwell, as Caesar said to Phraates, that sent him a Crown, when he was up in Arms against him, but Caesar returned it back with this Answer, Facint Imperata prius, let him first return to his obedience, and then he would accept of the Crown by way of recognisance. I hearty wish they would entertain and observe these lines, as a providence, that have so much pretended to be great observers of providence, For truly I wonder they dare continue in this way of trampling upon the Parliament, nay upon the revealed will of God and the known Laws of the Land, which, I am sure, they can never justify, either upon any ground they have discovered, or indeed any ground they can have undiscovered; what they have discovered, in short, is only this, That they were raised by the Parliament, at first, to redeem the People out of slavery; and it is not yet effected; therefore they will not Disband until they see it done, nay until they say it is done, and That, I will tel them, they have already given us ground enough to say, will never be, until it be undone: But this, I am sure, the Parliament never said in any of their Declarations, that they should be Judges, when the people were in, & when they were out of slavery. May not any number of men whatsoever quickly have as good call as their pretences are? I think I may well enough conclude they never will establish Peace, it being something against their profit, and that which will spoil their trade, but admit their intentions good, whats this to their Gal either from God or men, to undertake that only proper to Parliaments. Besides, I am sure Lieut. Gen. cromwell had no Warrant, either from God or man, to sand joice for the King at Holdenby, and then declare to all the world, he never knew of, nor had any hand in it. I will give you their principal Arguments that in any discourse I can hear from them, which I have not already so clearly expressed: They say first, their Commission was to this purpose, To reform all things amiss in the Kingdom, and set the free People at Liberty out of all manner of Bondage; and to this purpose they were raised. For answer hereunto, I am sure they have granted it, that if they had undertook to have fought in these Wars, as they have done, without Authority from Parliament, that they had been but Traitors, and that they could not prosecute the War, but by the Parliaments Instructions. And I know the time when Sir Thomas Fairfax, and all the rest of the Commanders, would not undertake to do any thing, though it never so much tended to the advantage of the Parliament, without some clause in some Order or Ordinance of Parliament to bear them out. Can any men be so unrational to to imagine, or any so impudent to affirm, That the Parliament should ever give any other Commission then what obligeth them to the obedience of the Parliament; and whatever alteration, orders and direction, from time to time; they shal give, which is the very tenor of their Commissions, and there can be no doubt but they might as well have raised themselves without authority from Parliament, as for them now to continue in a Body, when both Houses by Ordinance hath commanded their Disbanding; And they might as well and upon the same ground have proceeded, acted and done all these things, which of late they have done, when they were first raised as now: That now after all the blood and treasure they have spilled and spent, to question the Parliament, nay the very Parliament, upon whose authority they have only acted, and without which, I presume they would have thought, as no doubt it is, even plain murder and robbery; and for them to tel the Kingdom of making a free Parliament, is as strange a cheat as the rest of their proceedings, that they should act all this while, while there was any money or plunder to be got, or until they were just to be disbanded, which more then intimates, that if the Army had been Voted, in stead of Disbanding, to have been established for seven years, with good pay, the Parliament had been free enough to have done that; as it was ever since they were raised until that time, and if the City of London had been but as noble and generous to continue disbursing the old plentiful loans of money, they had been the gallant City stil, but if they join with Parliament to ease the Kingdom of an Army, then they are clearly for a New War; for either they must continue undisbanded, or it seems there must be a new War, if they can procure it, all the Members must turn out, but who will Vote for the Armies continuance, and then we have a free Parliament say they; for many of their Commanders say they have over-slipt their opportunity, that when they marched through the City they did not make the House of Commons for their turn, for now they could not do it without too much noise in the Kingdom; yet they doubted it would never be until it was done: Besides, all may now see there was nothing but juggling in all the pretended divisions in the Army, and that they can be out and in as often as they please, when it is advantageous for their Design. May not one conclude, That their design cannot be completed before they come to quarter in London; and deface that glorious and excellent Government, the wonder of the world; and the principal defenders of the true Religion and Fundamental Laws of the Land, and of the Liberty and Property of the Subject, that they may make sure work with al the Kingdom, & finish the work by forcing out the Members, and chopping and changing them until they will act the sense of the Army; Let them speak the truth, if this be not their Design, in attempting to come to London, which inevitably must destroy thousands of tradesman wholly, and crack the whole frame of this famous City by an universal decay of Trade and ruin of the whole Nation, under pretences, which being enquired into will appear to be mere bubles and vanishing shadow, that hath nothing but deceit and cozenage in them; Though whatsoever Vote passes to their benefit to bring them in money is very sovereign, and that, I will warrant you, they will act upon to the full; so that, I think, upon the matter, it is as clear as the Sun, that the quarrel between the Parliament and the Army is in whom the supreme power consists: For now adays there is hardly any Command goes from the Parliament but the Army expects it should be taken for a great favour, if they obey it, and there is not any obedience to be given, until it receive the concurrence of the General council. Do they not think they are fine youths, that the Votes of the House cannot be obeied except they sand a Committee down to entreat for it, or to treat and debate it over again, as they are fain to do about Di●banding the Supernumeraries, and what other Votes then also past the House; The Parliament must give the Army content, and not the Army the Parliament; It seems the Parliament must walk up to their principles, and not the Army come down to theirs: But surely all the world will now see this Treason and intended ruin of the Kingdom, and not any longer be deceived and deluded with a rebellious, proud and disconted faction in the Army, that, to have their wils, care not to ruin a Kingdom, nay three Kingdoms at a clap. Whatever was to be done by them, or was set forth in any Declaration of the Parliaments, I am sure, did never make them Judges of Parliament, nor of the Case of the Kingdom; and can they be so impudent to pled any extraordinary call or Direction from God for them to take upon them to judge the very House itself and their Members: but I have said so much that I hope I need not say any more, to clear their practices to be without any shadow, either of godliness or common Christianity; and ever hearty wish that they may observe it for a providence that are so much pretenders to observe providences; and even lay aside every sin that hath so easily beset them, and seek the Lord mightily, while he may be found, least he show, by some imminent token to the Kingdom, his most high displeasure against them, and even suffer them to be wholly swallowed up and devoured with those strange delusions, that so many of the Army are so shamefully infected with, at this day, very dangerously back sliding from the revealed will and Truth of God. So that upon the whole matter we must needs make this evident construction, that the Officers of the Army surely remember the infinite disproportion between their Worships now in the head of an Army, and their own several conditions and qualities in their ordinary Callings, being once out of their Military employment, who, being conscious of their own guilt, dare not trust the Justice of the Law or Goodness of the Parliament but choose rather to preserve themselves by the power of an Army, though it endangers the impoverishing and utter ruin of this poor Kingdom: and it certainly is a most high degree of pride and malice that put them upon those courses: They could not, with Haman, endure a Mordecai in the House of Commons; for notwithstanding all their Victories in the field, if they had it not in the Parliament also, that so thereby they might lord it over all men as the Conquerors, it would not be lasting. To that purpose they had got the length of the peoples feet, as we used to say, and whatsoever was amiss, they pretended to be very sensible of, and would remove, and so takes the only course to sand us head long to destruction, in stead of falling upon them, or that, or there, where truly the fault lies, they fel upon breaking down the very banks, to let in the whole flood or ocean of destruction to unavoidably drown us, which the Parliament hath much ado to prevent. Alas the people knew things were amiss, but upon whom, or where the fault lay, they knew not; but all willing to believe, and they as undutifully, as falsely and maliciously charged it upon the Parliament and their several Committees and Officers, whose miscarriages, that they complain of, principally lay where and upon whom they protect, as particularly, the Money Merchants: speak truly, are not they, their friends and faction the only receivers and devourers of the Kingdoms treasure; and because others should not bring them to account, and prevent any more opportunities or advantages, for them to hoard up more, have done all this: would not the Disbanding of the Army remove all or most of the burdens that lye upon the Kingdom? and must not the continuance of it bring such debts as are impossible to be paid with such havoc and every where destruction to the provision of the Kingdom, that its like to bring a Famine; besides the Soldiers domineering over every man in his own house, that we are upon the matter, no beter then slaves; though we could not see this before, we see it now; bisides they know Religion and Peace are not to be established by men of War; when the Church had rest, in the Acts, then it multiplied. David, a man of War, must not build the Temple, but Solomon a King of Peace. You know, in Nehemiahs time, they were forced to stand with a trowel in one hand, and a sword in the other, Religion went but slowly forward; and the reason was, because the earth must stand stil, on purpose, that it may support us to run the way of Gods Commandments. And as Antigonus  told the Sophister he came out of seasons when he presented a Treatise of Justice to him, that was at that very time besieging a City: and as itis said, Soldiers cannot possibly hear the voice of the Laws for tho noise of the Drums; and that, I believe, did make Mr Peters so inveigh against the Lawyers going up and down to Westminster, in his last Pamphlet: and indeed if the Army may come to quarter in the City, and M. Peters advice followed, few will have any estates to go to Law for; but because the Laws of God and the Land and the voice of the Gospel cannot be heard, let us pray for the peace of Jerusalem, but if no peace, then let the Parliament and the City know, that though this generation of men should resolve to have their wils, though with the loss of a good Conscience, and with the Scythians, that scoffingly answered Alexander, when he, hoping they would have answered of himself, asked them who they were most afraid of; said, they were most afraid least Heaven should fall upon them, meaning they feared no enemy. Let not us therefore indeed fear any thing, but this only, least God should be our Enemy; For as Noah, when the deluge of waters had defaced the great Book of Nature, had a Copy of every kind of Creature in that famous Liberary of the Ark, out of which all were reprinted to the world; so we, that have God, have the Original Copy of all blessings, out of which, if by this generation of monsters, I mean those that have put the Army into this distemper, all were perished, all might easily be restored again, for God is the best store house a people can have; The Name of the Lord is a strong tower, and the righteous fly unto it and are safe. Remember how lovingly the City lately in their Petition offered to take them by the hand to help them out of this labyrinth. I am sorry to see the Army should make so ill use thereof, and with the Dog to return to the vomit again, and shake hands with the Levellers. well, let the City take notice, itis not good walking any more upon the very brink of danger; let them take heed of tempting of God, they owned some, if not too in any, of their faults, and set that upon their own score they were innocent in, and I am sure offered to pay the Armies debts, though but scorned. For a final close, if with the fool, they will say in their hearts there is no God, and so go on to ruin the Parliament and City, in their own strength and wisdom, let them remember, lest as Philip branded that Soldier that begged the lands of one that had entertained him kindly, with ingratus hospes on his forehead, so that God brand not them with this ignominious note of an unthankful people, an ungrateful Army: I think their late disobedience will be as little honor to the Army, as for Pilates name to be mentioned in the Creed; Religion cannot be practised without reward, and will not be contemned without danger. I will conclude with Artabazu● in Xenophon, who complained, when Syrus had given him a cup of gold, and Chrysantes but a kiss, in token of special favour, that the cup of gold was not so good as the kiss he gave Chrysantes: and Socrates was wont to say, That he had rather have a Kings countenance then his coin: I am sure I had rather have a good look from God, then all the glistering prosperity this wo ld affords, or this Army doth enjoy: A Christian thinks himself richer, when he is able to say God is mine, then if he had a thousand Mynes of Gold: and then, though much amazed at the Armies proceedings and successses in all their treasonable undertakings and God-loathing-dissemblings; yet when I remember wherefore the way of the wicked prosper, and wherefore they are happy that deal treacherously with the Lord, then in the multitude of my thoughts his comforts delight my soul: And so casting the anchor of my faith upon his never-failing Word of Truth, I fully acquiesce and conclude, Verily there is a reward with the righteous, verily there is a God that uprightly judgeth the earth.   

TO THE READER  
Courteous Reader,  
SOme change of words there is in this Book, for want of the Authors company at the printing, which will require thy care in reading, that a good interpretation may be put upon that which is easily discerned not to be the Authors meaning; The greatest mistake you shal find in the sixth page., and very little elsewhere. Tel me if it be not a strange cheat to the Kingdom, that the Army should act all this while, as long as plunder and pay was plentiful; and yet after al this, and not before they were Voted to disband, should then fall upon that very Parliament, & then shamefully tear it in pieces, limb by limb, and yet tel us they are making us a free Parliament, but that all the world may see they only aim at the roving of this Kingdom, and to be a perpetual Army, remember the particulars in this Book, & that the Parliament was never molested before but free, as they have acknowledged, and especially confirmed by their actions: for, if it were not a free Parliament, they ought not to have acted upon their Commission and other several Orders and Ordinances; so that now all the world must needs say they strive for a New War, & have done nothing else, ever since they were Voted to be Disbanded, but promote it sometimes railing against the Parliament, sometimes forcing them, sometimes inveighing against the Ministers, sometimes against the Scot, and every day studying new quarrels, how to bring about more employment for themselves, that they might prevent their own disbanding. I wonder they dare, in the face of the Son of God, contnue in a body to eat and drink the sweat of other mens brows and labours to the hazarding a sudden Famine by their access and wantonness, and indeed even the perishing of many poor families in the Country 〈◇〉 above all I am sorry to see Sir Tho. Fairfax thus drawn in to continue among the crowd, for all the several steps of their proceedings, ever since their advance to Saint Albius, have been the promoting a New War; you shal see if they do not procure one at last, without God, in his great mercy, to this poor Kingdom, prevent it.  
farewell.   
FINIS.