A Message with a Letter sent by his Majesty to Prince Rupert, at or before the time of the taking or surrendering of Litchfield and the close.  
Willing and commanding Prince Rupert not to use any cruelty upon the Inhabitants of the aforesaid City of Litchfield, but with all possible care and providence to preserve the lives of our missed and blinded people: Also to let the inhabitants upon reasonable quarter depart the place with Bag and Baggage, to the end that no blood might be spilled, whereby it may become an Acceldama, &c.  
 arms of Charles I 
C R  
HONI SOIT QVI MAL Y PENSE  
dieu ET MON DROIT.   
Printed for I. underwood near the new Exchange. 1643.   

 royal badges of house of Stuart: Tudor Rose, Scottish Thistle, Fleur-de-lys, Harp A Message, with a Letter sent by his Majesty to Prince Rupert, at or before the time of the taking or surrendering of Litchfield and the close, &c.  
TRusty and welbeloved Nephew Prince Robert, although Wee know that your own knowledge and experience can conduct you in all military affairs, and that your loving affection unto us hath been approved by many testimonies and real demonstrations in your constant and faithful service, personally performed in our war, which we have endeavoured so much to decline, seeking and hearty pursuing after peace, which desires of ours cannot yet bee obtained; wee would have you therefore with us patiently wait the divine opportunity, which can in a moment settle and compo●e the universal distractions of our kingdom, and by no means seek to anticipate divine revenge on our subjects. For we are fully persuaded that a great part of our loyal people do recant and deeply cogitate and think on the fractions and divisions of our disturbed State, and do wish that by some happy and effectual means they 〈◇〉 once closed again: But as the beginning is the hardest in all matters of importance, so now our Subjects being entred into this labyrinth of error and refractory disobedience, cannot suddenly find out the 〈◇〉 of reason and religious loyalty to guide and lead them back against; the way of a peace and accommodation is that which is portended to be so hard to find, and like absurd and weak actions that can onely fit their humour and fancy unto one part, so our kingdom being now made the stage of war, they can present nothing but daily skirmishes, taking of towns, and many hostile passages, whereas instead of performing the parts of souldiers it would become them far better to fall down on their knees, and with a loving submission comply with us for the happiness and peace of our kingdom, the ruin whereof( as in other Countries) must needs bee the consequent and effect of a civill war. We do thus open our mind unto you, that you may have a clear prospect into our merci●ull thoughts in the prosecution of this war, which wee follow and maintain not voluntarily but being necessitated thereunto, and we wish that our people had never been so far blinded and drawn into false opinions of us and our integrious intents, as we shall answer one day, if it bee our faults, before the high tribunal, that we must use so sharp a medicine as the sword to cure their malady and their deceived understandings, and that ungrounded opinion should prevail amongst them above all our former royal expressions, and pathetical implorations of Heaven, as the constant witness of our thoughts and actions. But yet all ●his cannot make us forget ourselves as they do; we will contain ourselves within the limits of a King, and our good example shall wou●d our subjects with the thought of their unmindnesse d●●●●o than the sword, which wounds but gently, but conscient sti●●es home indeed; all our subjects shall ever find us in the midst of arms and successful victories( which we attribute to God) merciful, and not in any thing desirous of the blood  shed of our people, and as after the huresse●●d vattaile at Edge-hill, wee gave you our Nephew and all our souldiers most hearty thankes for the great valour and loyal service that day personally expresse●, but yet withall wee  told you, that wee were sorry then had been so much effusion of blood, and that all in both arms were our subiects, for whose loss in that merciless battle wee were exceedingly and deeply grieved, so our tender affections to our subjects that shall be ever such, that we shall always smart in their calamities, esteeming them as our own. And as wee have largely expressed how we stand affencted to our people, and what our grief for them is, that this intestine civill war should bee still prosecuted to our and their great detriment loss and sorrow, so we would have you welbeloved Nephew, and all others that employ their endeavours to do us service, in all hostile manner to mingle severity with mercy, that your and their carriage, and behaviour towards our subjects may gain upon their opinions, and take their affections rather than their towns, that they may know our Army is the power of their King, armed not to their destruction but conversion; and therefore wee lovingly charge and desire you our affectionate Nephew Prince Robert, to look on our people in all your marches and attempts as on our people and subjects, capable of reclaiming though now misled; we would have therefore all your actions as derived from us, and the influence of our mercy show us a King tender of the welfare of our subjects, and as a Father will not deal with his offen●ing children with any rigorous violence, but doth declare his Iustice with a compulsive unwillingness, so do you imitate us in carrying affections and intentions to our subiects, not as lions but as friends disagreeing that may hereafter be happily reconciled; since it ●oth show a Prince more near to Heaven to preserve than destroy. And since this civill flamme cannot be suddenly quenched, let us not pull down the kingdom into ruin and devestation, but go on this war in a saving way, since the loss is as great on our side as on our subiects part, wee sand you this premotion, because wee expect daily to bee more engaged with hostility, and great forces are advancing towards us, with what intentions we know not, but such they appear that we must resolve to oppose them and their pretences, as contradictory to our Desires and Commands, and prejudicial to the safety of our Person, and therefore we would have you know our royal Will and pleasure is, to bee merciful 〈◇〉 all our designs whereunto we shall by the instigation of an Army advancing towards us be provoked, desiring you and all our loving subiects and Commanders to deal temperately, and with as much courtesy and humanity with all our other subiects on the contrary part, as if all our performances and actions in hostile manner were by them necessitated and not by us desired, for though we have chosen Oxford yet a while to bee our place of Residence, and of our Army for the safety of our Person, we doubt not but that as the soul is not contained in one but every part of the body, so our power will bee so largely diffused and extended through all and every part of our kingdom, that we sh●ll not want sufficient strength to resist any opposing forces, if any be so impuous to attempt such violence against us under specious and faire shows and pretences. We know that our army is much m●ligne● as if it were repugnant to the good of the Common-weal●h to accept of our subiects service in these great and civill distractions, do you therefore good Nephew by your managing all affairs in this civill war, teach our people to bee undeceived in us thou merciful King, let your far actions make it appear that you are no malignants, no evil counsellors, but that you stand in defence of us as much as they protend to do, and that you seek not the ruin and destruction of our kingdoms, which aspersions are cast upon you, which can be no acceptable service unto us, that so all our subjects may be convinced that all the calamities which this civill war shall introduce upon this land are occasioned by malevolent opinion and ungrounded fury, and not from ●s, and as you have begird and desieged our City of Litchfield, so have a care of spilling or shedding innocent blood which are amongst them; but space when you may destroy, save where time and opportunity gives vantage: let our subjects if they will or desire, it have free quarter,& march with bag and baggage forth of our City, provided they do not use any out-rages, or offer violence to the said town of Litchfield, and hereof fail not as you desire the good of us, who desire nothing more than the good happiness and peaceable government of our kingdom, and not the effusion of the blood of our subjects, mercy being the highest attribute of a King.   

The Post-script.  
YOur Highnesse may understand by this Letter his Majesties real intentions, how your princely thoughts ought to be steered in your resolutions, and in all your warlike affairs and enterprises,  
Sir, J am yours to command. Edm. Nicholas. From the Court at Oxford april 18. 1643.  
FINIS.