A RELATION Of all the passages and proceed in Somersetstire, and Bristol, with their valiant Resolution to fight for the King and Parliament.  
With a speech made by his Excellence the Earl of Essex, concerning the King's Proclamation read at a Conference on Thursday the eleventh of August, 1642.  
ALSO, CERTAIN REASONS WRITTEN by a private Gentleman, showing the cause wherefore Arms are raised by both houses of PARLIAMENT.  
Ordered by the Lords that this be forthwith Printed.  
john Brown Cleric Parlamentorum.  
LONDON, Printed for W. Gay, 1642. August 13.   

A brief Relation of the proceed in Somersetshire, and Bristol, etc.  
UPon Monday the eighth of August, the marquis of Hartford, wi●● other Lords, Knights, and Gentlemen, lodged altogether at Welt, and had gathered together about 500 horses, well armed, and upon Wednesday, the Gentlemen, viz. Sir Ralph Hopton, and others with all their horse came from Wells, near Shepton Mallet, upon a great Hill, which the people observing Posts were sent unto Sir john Horner, Master Popham, and others, certifying that these Cavaliers were coming to destroy them, whereupon every man made ready for their coming, but the Cavaliers returned from the Hill to Shipton, and broke into many honest men's houses, and plundered them, and then the Country rising being in fear of their lives, they stayed not, but went again to Wells. And on Friday morning they all marched to a great Hill four miles from Wells, being the place appointed for that days meeting whither came to meet them all that quarter of the Shire, very well armed; and some of the Committees met them, and Sir Ed. Hungerford lent arms unto 200 Volunteers, and within an hour there came in of the Country about 40000 to oppose the marquis with the hazard of their lives and there came out of Wiltshire about 300 horsemen, and 300 out of Bristol with Pistols and Carbines, and from Gloncester, there came about 300 〈◊〉 of Volunteers. These with the rest discovered abundance of stoutness, and resolution and there was two wain load of powder, bullet, and match, sent from Bristol, and four small field-pieces, and when the Soldiers were put into order, they marched within sight of Wells, and pitched upon a great Hill, and the day being near spent, and no victuals to be had for the present, yet such was the courage and resolution of the people that they would not departed that place, but lay all night upon the Hill and spent the time in prayer and singing Psalms, and the next morning the Country within ten miles about sent in provision, of all sorts, with wains and Carts; that there was sufficient and to spare, After breakfast the Soldiers were very earnest to fall upon the Town, whereupon the Committee and Deputy lieutenants sent five propositions unto them, which if they did not presently yield into the Soldiers, would fall upon them, and they desired an hour or two time to consider of it, and in the mean time the marquis, Knights, Gentlemen and Cavaliers forsook the Town, and road away.  
Upon all this relation you may clearly see the condition and stout resolution, of that Country.   

A COMPARISON BETWEEN The late troubles in Scotland, and the present Distractions in England; compared with some Antiquities.  Written by a private Gentleman. 
IT hath been ever held a rule or Maxim amongst all Nations to make the defence of Religion the chief ground or cause of their War; sometimes for mere politic ends and by respects, sometimes to plant it where it is not, and sometimes to regulate it where it is; Amongst these the last seems most dangerous, because it seldom happens, but within the Territories of one and the same Prince, and so produceth the miserable effects of Civil War. But to come to my present purpose, wherein I intent in a comparative manner briefly to discourse of the late troubles that have happened in Scotland, and in England.  
And because my Needle hath not been touched (being the first that hath written upon this subject) If I vary in the Compass, or meet with a Rock, I shall expect some favour, although I will not s●e for any special passon as not worthy of it: for he that follows himself follows the worst Master, that is.  
The cause of all those troubles in Scotland, was innovation in their Religion and violation of the ancient Laws and Statutes of the Kingdom, as did sufficiently appear by their several declarations. The chief plotters and contrivers of those distractions and distempers were Bishops, Papists, and a malignant par●y of others, that were ill affected to the Protestant Religion, who had a malicious and wicked intent to enthral and bring into bondage both the souls, persons, and estates of three Kingdoms at once. And by making use of the great favour, power, and authority of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Clergy began to fail after a Cynosure, which was elevated to the thirty sixth degree, and began to follow the steps of Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury in the time of Hen. 2. who forswore himself (by denying the power of the King) to enlarge the power of the Pope and to bring the Canon Law into this Land, In the passage whereof Hen. 2. played Adrestus part, and stabbed himself.  
In England (as in Scotland) our grievances are of two kinds, either such as concern the innovation of our Religion, or such as concern our Laws and Liberties as hath been often declared both by Petitions and Declarations. The fountain from whence these our evils have sprung hath (by too much experience) been found to arise from the before named Incendiaries of mischief, the Papists and Popish affected Clergy, with other of that malignant party. The Papists who are never wanting to use their utmost power and best skill to stir up Wars and dissensions between Kingdoms joined themselves in their plotting and contriving with the Archbishop, as finding him a fit Instrument to work upon, being the darling of the time, as Mounford was in the time of Hen. 3. the Clergy were gotten to that height that they commanded both persons and causes, their authority was advanced to that Supremacy and Greatness, that none might so much as question their do. No doubt, but these men now thought themselves as great as Anselme Archbishop of Canterbury, did in the time of Edw. 1. who took on him to be equal with the King, saying in one of his Epistles to the Pope, that the Plough of the holy Church is drawn by two Oxen. of equal strength and beauty, the King and himself. Now they intended to make their Cannons and Decrees of that force, that none should dare presume to dispute on the lawfulness of them, like that learned Synod in the Reign of Rich. 2. when Thomas Arundel was Archbishop of Canterbury, where they decreed, that none should dispute upon the Articles, determined in the Church nor doubt of the authority of those Decrees: the offenders to the contrary should be pronounced Heretics. Such was the misery that began to overtake us by the potent greatness of these aspring spirits, that they encroached temporal Jurisdiction, and would have had the whole sway in their own hands: but as Suidas saith, for Priests to be temporal Judge, is to knit, that which will never be twisted, and for a Divine to meddle in Secular affairs is as if a bird in the Air should with the Mouldwarp work in the earth.  
To season this lump of matter every Kingdom hath many distinct and particular Laws or Customs after a government once settled not before: as a batch of bread consists of many distinct loaves after the distinction which before is contained undistinguished under one lump. A man consists of many distinct members, which at the first conception was not distinct.  
In the next place I will give a touch of the effects that have happened by the plots, counsels, and endeavours of these croaking Frogs, or rather Spiders of the Commonwealth, who by issuing forth their deadly poison, have cracked the Venice glass of our peace and tranquillity.  
When Scotland perceived their Religion betrayed, and their liberties enthralled, and by the power and policy of these Instruments their Sovereigns' ear stopped from their just complaints they openly declared their grievances and desired justice against the Infringers of their peace; whereupon their Enemies, perceiving the ends were not only likely to be frustrate, but their lives and fortunes questioned, they turned their invective counsels to advise his Majesty, that their Declarations were libellous their Petitions and behaviour rebellious. And so began to enforce by the terror of an Army, that which policy could not accomplish. And like Guido Godfrey and others in the Reign of Hen. 3. began to act the part of their lawless rage by seeking utterly to destroy all those, that withstood their malicious and wicked enterprises, and by projects, and many heavy taxes oppressing the people at home, hoping by force to overthrow and cut off one Nation at a blow, and so to dreane the purses, and poll the estates of the other, that there should be no ability to gainsay them. And although at this instant there was no present Levies of Arms against the Subject in England, yet the danger and success both of an offensive or a defensive war do oftentimes prove to be of equal hazard, from which I conclude, that the design against England at that time was the same, and as great if not greater, then against Scotland.  
I will not crush out my notes in this behalf in any new division, and the portion I shall allow will not be large: therefore in this place I will come to give a touch, that when things were brought to this head, the Jesuits and Papists (who are always thirsty after blood) now plot and contrive by all means the forwarding of these Wars as the only way to promote the Catholic cause. And perceiving that the want of money was likely to prove a great hindrance to their design, they began to make great proffers, they will now be deemed his Majesty's best Subjects. And as if the taxes under which the Protestants were too light a burden, they will lay greater upon themselves: an hired servant that received not above forty shillings per annum, must pay five shillings towards the promotion of this cause. The Bishops and other of the Clergy who desired to go hand in hand with them under colour of an Aid, grant large Subsidies in their Synod. And therein shown such forwardness that no doubt to advance those Wars they would have imitated the Clergy in Hen. 2. time which (although for another purpose) sold their Chalices to advance their own ends: And it is to be observed, that the  persons that were (as I have said) the chief Agents and promoters of the Wars and difference between the two Nations England and Scotland, are the only Incendiaries and causers of the present difference between the King and the Parliament.  
These persons when they were in the height of their glory, might justly have most cause to question their own strength; Christ all that fairly glistereth doth quickly break, and as the ascent of usurped Royalty is slippery, so the top is shaking and the fall great.  
A Parliament was now called in Scotland, and likewise another in England, his Majesty being graciously pleased to make sweetness and clemency the entrance to settle these distempered States, and (though it be a matter much questioned by those that observe the success and event of things, whether his Majesty did it by compulsion and politic counsel rather than out of affection to his Subjects, or desire and intent to settle the distempers of both Kingdoms) he gins first with Scotland, hears their Petitions, grants their desires, and settles all their grievances.  
Here the current began to run smooth and clear, now all rough waves seem to be gone and passed, the Sun shines bright and clear, and the strength of our hopes gave us almost full assurance of the like happy success.  
His Majesty hastens his return from Scotland, declares his hearty desire to effect the like work in England, he is received with exceeding great acclamations of joy; some assurance is now given to our thirsty hopes; the Parliament gins to move in its proper Orb. But here (me thinks) my discourse wants one of the three dimensions. It is long and broad enough, yet it wants depth to show the occasion or reason of this sudden change.  
Great things we know are seldom effected without much difficulty (especially when they meet with strong opposition.) The malignant faction begin again to muster their forces, they perceive that if the Parliament should be suffered to go on prosperously, their present plots and enterprises would not only be made stustrate and void but the knot so broken and their wings so clipped, that they should never be able to put in practice any more notorious Acts suitable to their desires.  

The Devil in acting of his plots never wants Instruments.  
Now they renew the former pernicious counsels, and consider that their ends will not stand in competition with a Parliament, and therefore endeavour to overthrow not only some Members of both Houses, but also the very essence and being thereof, so that herein will appear the disparity of the subject of my discourse, that the Parliament in Scotland, did finish that in three months that the Parliament in England, hath laboured after above twelve months, and yet cannot accomplish.  
Here (me thinks) this Skeen in my hand is so twisted by reason of the ensuing lines of my discourse, that I cannot without entangling wind it upon a proper bottom. The Parliament in England (which hath always been held the sovereign cure to heal the distempers of the Kingdom, and the safest and most faithful Counsel of the Kings of this Land, without whose advice in the most flourishing times of this Kingdom, the Kings thereof would not undertake any great design: which was the reason that Ed. 3. being animated to go with the King of France, to the holy Wars refused to go without the consent of his Parliament, and caused a Parliament to be called for that purpose. But through the unheard of opposition that hath been from time to time made against the Parliament, and their proceed either by increase and multiplicity of business, or new plots and devices continually framed and contrived by the malignant party which have often endeavoured the ruin and destruction of the whole Kingdom, that during all this space of time (without most eminent danger to the whole State) they have had no leisure to render to offenders the just reward of their merits, no means (his Majesty being seduced by wicked Counsel) to redress all our grievances having sufficient labour and toil with all their might to underprop, and uphold the tottering fabric of this distempered Kingdom, so that although there appear some disparity between the happiness of the success of the Parliament in England and Scotland, yet herein (me thinks) my notes have the virtue of a Look ingglasse to show and represent that which is before, as well as that which is behind. In this behalf this short discourse being fully looked upon as in a glass, may show the apparity of the the cause as it stood lately betwixt the two Nations England and Scotland and as it now stands between his Majesty and the Parliament, the causes and the Agents being still the same▪ the Papists and Popish affected Clergy still joining together, and do at this present proffer great sums of money, and other assistance for the advancing of Civil Wars in England. And although this that I have said be sufficient for my present purpose, yet (me thinks) I hear Tilbury speak. It cannot fall within the compass of man's knowledge to utter the malicious intents and purposes of these persons. And as Pliny showeth that all Homer's Iliads were written in a Nutshell, the whole matter of my discourse, it may be you shall judge it all shell and no kernel, but my metal is molten, and my bellows by often blowing have let out all their breath.   

The Earl of Essexs' Resolution.  
ON Thursday the eleventh of August, a Proclamation was sent from the King to the Parliament, proclaiming the Earl of Essex, and all that serve under his command, or adhere to him, Traitors, which being read in the House of Commons, they desired a conference with the Lords, at which conference it was declared by the House of Commons that they had considered of the reasons of their taking up of Arms, which was for defence of the Kingdom, the Laws of the Land the Privileges of Parliament, and the Liberty of the Subject, and therefore resolved that all those terrifying threaten in the Proclamation should not make them desist from going on in the defence of so just a cause.  
Whereupon the Earl of Essex said that he would use his best skill and utmost endeavour, even to the loss of his dearest blood in the place they had conferred on him in maintaining the said cause.   
FINIS.