IT hath pleaſed God to cauſe the Caſtle of Edinburgh to be ſurrendred into our hands this day about Eleven a clock: I thought fit to give you ſuch account thereof as I could, and the ſhortneſs of time would permit. I ſent a Summons to the Caſtle upon the Twelfth inſtant, which occaſioned ſeveral exchanges of Returns and Replies; which for their unuſualneſs I alſo thought fit humbly to preſent to you. In­deed the Mercy is very great and ſeaſonable. I think I need ſay little of the ſtrength of the place, which if it had not come as it did, would have coſt very much Blood to have attained, if at all to be attained, and did tye up your Army to that inconvenience, that little or nothing could have been attempted whileſt this was in Deſign, or little fruit had of any thing brought into your power by your Army hitherto without it. I muſt needs ſay, not any skill or wiſdom of ours, but the good hand of God hath given you this place. I believe all Scotland hath not in it ſo much Braſs Ordnance as this place. I ſend you here incloſed a Liſt thereof, and of the Arms and Ammunition, ſo well as they could be taken on4 a ſudden. Not having more at preſent to trouble you with, I take leave, and reſt,

I Am intruſted by the Eſtates of Scotland with this place; and being ſworn not to deliver it to any without their Warrant, I have no power to diſpoſe thereof by my ſelf. I do therefore deſire the ſpace of Ten days, wherein I may conveniently acquaint the ſaid Eſtates, and receive their Anſwer, and for this effect your ſafe Conduct for the imployed in the Meſſage: Upon the receipt of their Anſwer, you ſhall have the reſolute Anſwer of

IT concerns not me to know your Obligations to thoſe that truſt you: I make no queſtion the Apprehenſions you have of your Abilities to reſiſt thoſe Impreſſions which ſhall be made upon you, are the natural and equitable Rules of all Mens Judgements and Conſciences in your condition, except you had taken an Oath beyond a poſſibility, I leave that to your conſideration, and ſhall not ſeek to conteſt with your Thoughts; onely I think it may become me to let you know, you may have honorable Terms for your ſelf, and thoſe with you; and both your ſelf, and the Soldiers, have ſatisfacti­on to all your reaſonable Deſires; and thoſe that have other Imployments, Liberty and Protection in the exerciſe of them. But to deal plainly with you, I will not give liberty to you to conſult your Committee of Eſtates, becauſe I hear, thoſe that are honeſt amongſt them enjoy not ſatisfaction, and the reſt are now diſcovered to ſeek another Intereſt then they have formerly pretended to: And if you deſire to be informed of this, you may by them you dare truſt at a nearer diſtance then Saint John­ſtons. Expecting your preſent Anſwer, I reſt

IT much concerneth me to conſider my Obligations, to be found faithful in the Truſt committed to me; and therefore in the fear of the living God, and of his great Name, called upon in the accepting of my Truſt, I do again preſs the Liberty of acquainting the Eſtates, the time is but ſhort, and I do expect it as anſwerable to your profeſsion of Affection to thoſe that fear the Lord; in the mean time I am willing to bear Information of late proceedings from ſuch as he dare truſt, who is

BEcauſe of your ſtrict and ſolemn Admiration of me in the Fear and Name of the Living God, that I give you time to ſend to the Committee of Eſtates, to whom you undertook the keeping of this place, under the Obligation of an Oath, as you affirm. I cannot but hope, that it is your Conſci­ence and not Policy, carrying you to that Deſire: The granting of which, if it be prejudicial to our Affairs, I am as much obliged in Conſcience not to do, as you can pretend cauſe for your Conſci­ence ſake to deſire it. Now conſidering our merci­ful and wiſe God bindes not his people to Actions ſo croſs one to another, but that our bands may be8 as I am perſwaded they are, through our miſtakes and darkneſs, not onely in the Queſtion about the ſurrendering of this Caſtle, but alſo in all the pre­ſent Differences, I have ſo much reaſon to believe that by a Conference you may be ſo well ſatisfied in point of Fact of your States (to whom you ſay you are obliged) carrying on an Intereſt deſtructive and contrary to what they profeſſed when they committed that Truſt to you, having made to de­part from them many honeſt men through fear of their own Safety, and making way for the Recepti­on of profeſt Malignants, both in their Parliament and Army; but alſo may have laid before you ſuch grounds of our Ends and Aims, to the preſervation of the Intereſt of honeſt men in Scotland as well as England, as will (if God vouchſafe to appear in them) give your Conſcience ſatisfaction. Which if you refuſe, I hope you will not have cauſe to ſay, That we are unmindful of the great Name of the Lord, which you have mentioned; nor that we are wanting to Anſwer our Profeſſions of Affection to thoſe that fear the Lord. I am willing to ceaſe Hoſtility for ſome hours or convenient time, to ſo good an end as Information of Judgement and Satisfaction of Conſcience, although I may not give Liberty for the time deſired, to ſend to the Committee of Eſtates, and at all ſtay the proſecu­tion of my attempt. Expecting your ſudden An­ſwer, I reſt

WHat I preſſed in my laſt proceeded from Con­ſcience, and not from Policy; and I con­ceived, That the few days deſired, could not be of ſuch prejudice to your Affairs, as to bar the deſired expreſsion of profeſſed affection towards thoſe that fear the Lord. And I expected, That a ſmall de­lay of our own Affairs ſhould not have preponderate the ſatisfaction of a deſire preſſed in ſo ſerious and ſolemn a maner for ſatisfying Conſcience. But if you will needs perſiſt in denyal, I ſhall deſire to hear the Information of late proceedings from ſuch as I dare truſt, and have had occaſion to know the certainty of things; ſuch I hope you will permit to come alongſt at the firſt conveniency, and during that time all acts of Hoſtility, and proſecution of Attempts be forborn on both ſides, I am,

YOu will give me leave to be ſenſible of De­lays out of Conſcience of Duty. If you pleaſe to name any you would ſpeak with now in Town, they ſhall have liberty to come and ſpeak with you for one hour, if they will; provided10 you ſend preſently. I expect there be no loſs of time. I reſt,

HAving acquainted the Gentlemen with your deſire to ſpeak with them, and they making ſome difficulty of it, have deſired me to ſend you this encloſed. I reſt,

WE now hearing that you was deſirous to ſpeak with us, for your information of the poſture of Affairs, we would be glad, and we think you make no doubt of it, to be refreſhing or uſeful to you in any thing; but the matter is of ſo high concernment, eſpecially ſince it may be you will learn ſomewhat upon our information, in managing that important Truſt put upon you, that we dare not take upon us to meddle. Ye may therefore do as ye finde your ſelves clear, and in capacity, and the Lord be with you. We are

I Expreſſed that Conſcience which you pretended to be your Motive that did induce you to Summon this Houſe, before you did attempt any thing againſt it, ſhould alſo have moved you to have expected my An­ſwer to your demand of the Houſe, which I could not out of Conſcience ſuddenly give, without mature Deliberation, it being a buſineſs of ſuch high Im­portance, you having refuſed that little time which I did demand, to the effect I might receive the Com­mands of them that did intruſt me with this place; and yet not daring to fulfil your deſire, I do demand ſuch a competent time as may be condeſcended upon betwixt us; within which, if no relief come, I ſhall ſurrender this place upon ſuch honorable Con­ditions as can be agreed upon by Capitulation: And during which time, all acts of Hoſtility, and proſe­cution of Attempts on both ſides may be forborn. I am

ALl that I have to ſay is ſhortly this, That if you will ſend out Commiſſioners by Eleven a Clock this Night, throughly Inſtructed and Au­thorized12 to Treat and Conclude, you may have Terms honorable and ſafe to you; and thoſe whoſe Intereſts are concerned in the things that are with you, I ſhall give a ſafe conduct to ſuch whoſe names you ſhall ſend within the time limited, and order to forbear ſhooting at their coming forth, and going in: To this I expect your Anſwer within one hour, and reſt

I Have thought upon their two Gentlemen, whoſe names are here mentioned, to wit, Major Andrew Abernathy, and Captain Robert Henderſon, whom I purpoſe to ſend out inſtructed, in order to the carry­ing on of the Capitulation; therefore expects a ſafe Conduct for them with this Bearer. I reſt

I Have here incloſed, ſent you a ſafe conduct for the coming forth and return of the Gentlemen you deſire, and have appointed and authorized Colonel Monk, and Lieutenant Colonel White, to meet with your Commiſſioners at the Houſe in the ſafe conduct mentioned, there to Treat and con­clude of the Capitulation on my part. I reſt

YOu are on ſight hereof to ſuffer Major Andrew Abernathy and Captain Robert Henderſon, to come forth of Edinburgh Caſtle to the Houſe of Maſter_____Wallace in Edinburgh, and to re­turn back into the ſaid Caſtle, without any trouble or moleſtation.

Given under my handthe 18 of De­cember. 1650.

YOu are hereby authorized and fully inabled as Commiſsioners on my behalf, to Treat with and conclude upon ſuch Articles as to you ſhall ſeem meet14 with the Commiſsioners appointed by Dundas Eſquire, now Governor of the Caſtle of Edinburgh, for the ſurrender of the ſame. And what Agree­ment you ſhall make herein, I do by theſe Preſents pro­miſe to ratifie, and make good.