Mr. PRYNNES LETTER To the borough of NEWPORT in Cornwall, for which he serves in PARLIAMENT.  
GENTLEMEN,  
BEING freely and unanimously elected by you( without my privity or seeking) to serve as one of your Burgesses in this Parliament, I have since my entrance into the Commons House( the 7th of Novemb. last) endeavoured to the best of my skill& Judgement, faithfully to discharge that trust and duty you reposed in me,( according to my Conscience) to put a speedy and happy period to our unnatural long-lasting bloody Warres, and settle a firm wellgrounded peace, upon such Terms of honor, freedom, safety,& advantage, as no Subjects under Heaven ever yet enjoyed from the Creation till this present, What my indefatigable endeavours were herein, in drawing up al the Bills upon the Kings Concessions in the late Treaty, is well known to most of the Members then sitting, and what I delivered in the House upon the Debate of the Kings Answers to our Propositions upon the whole Treaty( with a sincere and public spirit, aiming at nothing but yours and the whole kingdoms felicity and prosperity, not any private interest of mine own) I have sent you here in print, being falsely charged by a new erected general council of Officers of the Army( who have traitorously usurped to themselves the supreme Authority of the Kingdom,& against the known privileges of Parlia. the Liberty of the Subjects, and the Law of the Land forcibly seized on myself, and divers other eminent Members going to the House to discharge our duties, on the 6th. and 7th. of December last, in pursuance of the Treaty, and secluded me and them from sitting there ever since, to yours and the whole kingdoms prejudice) among other secured Members in the gross, for an Apostate from the public trust which you reposed in me, only for this SPEECH, and the VOTE of the whole house, for the settlement of the kingdoms peace, made in pursuance of it; they having no particular matter else to charge me with[ had they any just power to impeach or servile me, which they have not) but this alone. How perfidiously and injuriously they have dealt with, and how scandalously they have traduced and libeled against me, and the other restrained Members in print, upon this occasion only, you may read in the Epistle to the Reader; though mine and the other Members innocency be so perspicuous, that they confess, they have yet no particular matters of impeachment against us, after above 7. weeks imprisonment, but promise shortly to produce some[ if they can:) whereas their own Treasonable Rebellions, violences, perjuries and crimes, written with Sunbeams in their very foreheads, are visible to all the world, and need no witnesses to prove their gvilt; their late unparalleled exorbitances and proceedings both against the King, Parliament, Lords, Members, City and country being known and apparent unto all. I shall therefore appeal from these usurpers,( who have no more Authority to question or restrain me, for any real or pretended breach of my Trust, as a Member, were I guilty of it, then the meanest Servant hath to call his Master to account for misgoverning his family, or to shut him out of doors:] unto you alone, who elected me, and are best able to know and judge of your own trust; desiring your speedy resolution of this Question, Whether in that here in spoken or voted by me, I have any ways violated the trust or faith which you and every of you reposed in me? For which Speech and Vote, though I am judicially accountable only to the Commons House, which knows the true grounds upon which I went, and can only truly judge of what was there spoken and voted( none being 
i judi , cog se. SE●●CA.  fit to judge any thing but those who know and hear it too) the maiority of which house concurred with me in the vote, without any division: yet, I hold myself in some sort ministerially accountable unto you for whom I serve as the properest Iudges, without the House doors, of what I spake or voted in your behalf. From whom I shall humbly request so much right and justice, upon the perusal of the enclosed Speech and papers,[ which I desire may be red openly before all my Electors at your next public meeting) as to testify to the world under your hands and seals( which you set to the return of my Election] your own judgements& opinions, whether I have betrayed or broken the Trust you reposed in me or not, by what I spake or voted in this debate? and what sense you have of the Armies forcible secluding and imprisoning me[ your burgess] from the House, among other Members, above seven weekes space together, contrary to mine and your undoubted privilege; how far you conceive yourselves obliged by ought that hath been or shall be concluded or voted in the House during the Armies force upon it,& your Burgesses[& most other Members] violent seclusion thence, against all Law and president, and what reparations you expect for this high Injustice to yourselves and me: With what else you think fit to determine touching the premises: And if you deem it necessary, to return your results herein to me, with all convenient speed: who shall make the best advantage thereof for yours, mine own and the kingdoms benefit: whose peace( by Gods blessing) had been fully settled to your hearts content before this time, had not the Enemies of Peace( who gain their livings by the Warres) interrupted our proceedings by Imprisoning and secluding the greatest part of the Members, and particularly  
From the Kings Head in the Strand Ian. 26. 1648. Your most affectionate friend and faithful servant and burgess. WILLIAM PRYNNE.  
To his honoured Friends the Vianders and free Burgesses of the borough of Newport in Cornwall, these present.