The Great Diſcovery made by his Highneſs the Lord Protector on March the 12. 1657.

TO ſpeak of princes is a taſk of as much difficulty as danger; Their wrath is ſaid to be like the roaring of a Lyon which makes the wilderneſſe to trem­ble; Or like the dread­full Summons in the A•re when the Clouds do break, and the Battel of the thunder is re­ported: Their prudence and providence is2 compared to the eye of an Eagle, or to the reſtleſſe Intelligences that do move the hea­venly bodies. Their eye is like that of the ſun, over all Lands both to foreſée and to prevent dangers as ſoon as they are meant. When we thought we had no viſſible enemy but our own Ingratitude for miſprizing y^e great bleſ­ſing of Peace, which other Nations cannot obtain

His Highneſſe (whom God hath ſet over us for our Protector) and whoſe waking is our ſléep, hath diſcovered the new deſigns of the old Enemy Charles Stuart and his party who are watching all opportunities to fill the Land with blood, and to deſtroy the flouriſh­ing of the Goſpel amongſt us, which we have enjoyed in a purer way then was ever in the dayes of his Father, or any of his Predeceſ­ſors: For although men do fail in their pra­ctiſe, the Goſpell certainly was never more purely taught then is at this preſent: His Highneſſ to give unto the City a knowled•e of what ſo happily he had diſcovered, and ſo provide a remedy to prevent the great danger that did threaten to enſue, was pleaſ'd to give order that the Lord Mayor the Aldermen, & the Common-Counſell of this Citty ſhould attend upon him on Friday, March the 12.3 who in obedience thereunto did make their appearance, and in ſo great a number that the like hath hardly béen before: for they al knew that they owed both their lives and Liberties to his Highneſs Protection, and it being whiſ­pered abroad that ſome dangers were on foot, they would faine underſtand from him the ſtraights into which they were like to be re­duced, and the means to provide a remedy for it.

The Lord Mayor, the Aldermen, and the Common-Councill of the Citty being come in a full number to attend his Highneſſe at White-Hall on Friday March the 12. they found there many of the Commanders and Officers of the Army, who were all admitted to his Highneſſe preſence, who in a large Spéech did repreſent unto them the great de­liverances which God hath vouchſafed to this Nation during the whole courſe and progreſs of the late warrs, from the violence of their implacable Enemies, and their combinations both publick and Domeſtick: He repreſen­ted unto them how eminently God had ownd and proſpered him in y^e great work in which he ſtood intereſted for the eſtabliſhment of Righteouſneſſe and peace, and at this pre­ſent4 he could not but declare unto them the eminent danger in which both the Citty and the whole Nation was like to be involued by reaſon of the contriuements of Charls Stuart and his party, both at home and abroad, who ſecretly have uſed the utmoſt of their endea­vors to Imbroyle the Nation and this Citty (the principle place at which they aim) in a new war, which ſuddenly would appear, as ſoon as ever their Intented Invaſion ſhould take effect.

To make the truth of this diſcovery more apparrent, His Highneſſe inſiſted that he knew it to be true, and not only by Letters of his, and the Cityes adverſaryes which were intercepted, but by certain Inteligence from ſeverall other hands beyond the Seas of their procéedings, as alſo by information from the mouths of ſuch perſons, who had promiſed to Ingage themſelves to comply and act with them.

And to make this yet more manifeſt, he Informed them that the Lord of Ormond (whom by his own Party is now called the Duke of Ormond) had béen in perſon in this City for thrée wéeks together being come out5 of Flanders on purpoſe to draw all unto him that poſſibly he could by incouraging and In­gaging them to forſake all other intereſts to adhere unto the Cauſe of his Maſter: His Highneſſe did alſo acquaint them th•t he ha­ving uſed his uttermoſt indeavors to promote the Cauſe for which he came, be departed pri­vately from London on Tueſday March the ninth.

But what was above all, he declared that in order to this Invaſion, Charls Stuart was waiting in Flanders having got together an Army of about Eight thouſand horſe and foot, whom he had quartred in ſeverall comodious places néer unto the Sea ſide, as Bruges, Bruſſels, Oſtend, and other places, and that withall he had contracte•for two and twenty ſhips, who were in readineſs to Tranſpor•his Army and only waited for the opportuni­ty of ſome dark ni•ht to ſlip by the Engliſh Fléet, when the Miſt had covered the face of the Sea and in being ſhips of no great bu•­then he repreſented that the ſhips of the En­emy had ſome advantage over our ſhips, who were of a great burthen and drawing much water, and therefore not able to ride upon the Flats.

6He concluded that ſéeing the dangers was ſo apparent and ſo néer at hand, and that the ſafty, and the peace of the City, & the whole Nation was highly concerned in it, he deſired the City to be ſenſible of it, and laid open to them how déeply it concern'd them to provide for their own ſecurity, and the ſecurity of the whole Nation.

He therefore recommended to the Lord Mayor and the Aldermen, & Common-coun­cill of the City there aſſembled the ſetling of their Militia; and that it might be eſtabliſhed in the hands of faithfull and pyous men, and ſuch as were well affected to the preſent Go­vernment, and ſuch as are frée from all diſ­content, and faction to put the Citty in a po­ſture of defence, that they may be ready to ſuppreſs all Tumults. and Inſurrections de­ſigned by the Enemy againſt the peace and ſafty of the City.

This and much more to this effect His Highneſs repreſented as to the Tranſaction of the Affairs of State from the beginning of the wars unto this preſent, and ths happy Propagation of the Goſpell in theſe thrée Nations.

7The Citizens departed with great chéer­fulneſs and ſatisfaction, and going home they might revolve with themſelves their honora­ble Atchievments they acquired at Newbury Redding ▪ Grafton-houſe, and ſeverall other places when they returned with ſongs of joy in their mouths, and Laurels in their hands, & make y^e ſame Adreſſes in their repreſentation to his Highneſs as the Commanders of the Army have done before them. ſhewing that amongſt the Officers and Souldiers of the Army, they for their parts have not béen alto­gether negligent in laying néer unto their hearts the great providence which God hath béen pleaſed to ſet his ſeal to the righteouſ­neſs of that cauſe wherein they have ingaged with his Highneſs, In which it hath pleaſed God to make him an eminent Inſtrument of much good to the thrée Nations in Generall, and to the City in perticular, and it hath plea­ſed God after all theſe great hazards and la­bours to call his Highneſs to the Govern­ment of this Common-wealth which as they look upon to be the work of the great God, ſo do alſo acknowledge it to be a very ſea­ſonable mercy to theſe diſtracted, and divided Nations, which ſéemed to be inclining to u•­ter confuſſon, had it not pleaſed God to raiſe8 up his Spirit to undertake a work of ſo great a difffculty in which his Highneſs hath beén expoſed to ſo much Ermity even of thoſe perſons from whom he might juſtly have expected the greateſt Concurrence and aſſi­ſtance.

That they have obſerved alſo his High­neſs pyous Indeavours for the propagation of the Goſpel of Truth in the purity and the glory of it, and the Eſtabliſhment of the Spi­rituall Lib•rtyes of all good Chriſtians, (though differing in Opinions) and his great care of ſecuring Propriety, and the Civill Rights of theſe Nations, and in preventing their probable Ruine and deſtruction, For which mercyes they muſt moſt ſincéerly con­feſs that they have infinite cauſe to bleſſe God. And therefore they cannot but in hum­ble duty repreſent unto his Highneſſe, that they are reſolv'd with the hazard of their lives and utmoſt fortunes to own, & ſtand by him in the purſuance of thoſe ends for which he hath ſo fully declared, And that (by the aſſiſtance of the Almighty) They will faithfully attend their dutyes in the ſeverall places in the Ci­ty, and elſe where, for y^e defence of his High­neſſe perſon, and the Preſervation and9 Peace of this Citty, And of the whole Na­tion

This indéed would be a great and Univo­call Expreſſion, they might alſo ad unto it ▪ That by reaſon of the many ſecret plots and Combinations threatning further trouble and confuſion in theſe Nations by ſtrengthening and encouragment which the common Ene­mies receive by the advantage of our Inte­ſtine diſcords to promote their deſign, which if accompliſhed will be unvoydably of that cauſe and Intereſt, for which his Highneſs hath ſo often and ſo fully declared for, and in which God hath ſo eminently owned him & proſpered him, that for the bleſſed effects thereof which they enjoy they have abundant cauſe to bleſſe the Almighty.

They are therefore fully reſolved to attend his Highneſſe commands in the faithfull diſ­charge of the dutyes of their places. for the defence of his perſon and the Security of the Common-wealth, In the purſuance of which great Intereſt, They will Ingage themſelvs to the utmoſt hazard of their lives againſt all Tumultuous Inſurrections that may here­after be raiſed by the Enemyes of his High­neſſe,10 and the peace of the City, and the Na­tion, and that he may aſſure himſelf that the ſame preſence will attend him from on high which formerly hath apeared in his Atchiev­ments in ſo many fields for the accompliſh­ing of that great work ſo happyly begun to the glory of God, and the rejoycing of the hearts of all the people in this Citty and Na­tion.

Theſe are the honorable and pyous Reſo­lutions In which the City wil joyn with the Commanders of the Army to the mutuall preſervation of each othershappyneſſe, and the Terror of all their Enemyes whatſoe­ver,