THE DISSOLU­TION OF THE LAST PARLIAMENT

In the Parliament holden at Edinburgh, the eleventh day of Iun. 1640 yeares the Eſtates of Parliament Preſently conveened, by his Majeſties ſpeciall authority, Conſidering that whereas, after many petitions and ſupplycations given in and preſently to his Majeſtie, and the Lords of his ſecret councell, by divers of the No­bility, Barrons, and Burgeſſes of this Kingdome, for granting a free Generall Aſſembly, and Parliament, for reforming of many great abuſes, and novations, tending to the overthrow of the true reformed Religion, and undoing of this Kirk. and Kingdom de­viſed and brought in by the late pretended Biſhops, who by their ſubtile practiſes, during his Majeſties abſence, thir many years, had iugroſt in their perſons all the Eccleſiaſtick, and civill power of this his Maieſties ancient and native Kingdome, it was gran­ted by his Majeſtie, out of his Royall Iuſtice, and accorded by the Articles of pacification, madeat his Majeſties Camp in the moneth2 of Jun. 1639 yeares, laſt paſt, that a free generall aſſembly, and Parliament, ſhould be indicted by his Majeſty, and that all matters Eccleſiaſticall ſhould bee determined by the aſſemblies of the Kirke: and matters civill, by Parliaments, and other inferiour Iudicatories, eſtabliſht by Law, and that according thereunto, his Majeſtie did indict an Aſſembly to be held at Edinburgh, the twelfth of August, and a Parliament for ratifying the Concluſi­ons of the ſame Aſſembly, and ſetting downe ſuch other thing, as might conduce to the peace and good of the Kingdome, To be holden at Edinburgh the twenty fixt of Auguſt laſt by-paſt: in the which aſſembly, the matters concerning the purity of the true reformed Religion, and peace of this Kirke, after great debaite, delayes, and protracting of time, made by Iohn, Earle of Traquair his Majeſties Commiſſioner, being at length concluded upon the_____day of Auguſt, 1639 yeares, The Parliament ſitting downe immediately thereafter, upon the penult day of the ſaid month of August the ratifications of the Concluſions of the ſame aſſembly and many other matters of great importance, conducing neceſſarly to the ſetling of the peace, of this Kingdome, being proponed in Parliament, were like wayes ſhifted and delayed, and the cloſing of the Parliament, protracted from time to time, unto the_____day of November, laſt by paſt: at the which time, the ſaid John Earle of Traquaire did take upon him without the conſent of the Eſtates, to prorogat the foreſaid Parliament to the ſecond day of Iune inſtant, not onely contrary to the Articles of pacification, but alſo to the prejudice of the Liberties of the Parliament, for preſervation whereof, the ſaid Eſtates were forced to make a declaration in Parliament againſt the ſame: And that albeit ſince the ſaid_____day of November, unto this time, the ſaid Eſtates have vſed all poſſible meanes to give his Majeſty full ſatisfaction both by their peaceable carriage at home, and by ſending their Commisſioners, to acquaint his Majeſty with all their juſt de­ſires, and the reaſons thereof, yet they have not onely received no anſwer, but upon the contrary have bin condemned as Rebelli­ous, without hearing: and our Commisſioners, ſent for cleering thereof, all reſtrained in private houſes for a long time, and Iohn Lord Lowdoun, being one of them, committed to the Tower, where he is ſtill detained priſoner.

The Caſtles of Edemburgh, and Dunbertane have in meane time beene fortified and provided with all ſort of Ammunition, in great abundance, and Gariſons of Souldiers, (not being natives of this Kingdome) put therein; the Gariſon in the Caſtle of Eden­burgh, daily killing diverſe of the inhabitants of this City, and ſpoyling their houſes with Muſquets and great Ordinance, all ſhips belonging to this Kingdome arreſted in England, and Ire­land, and many of them comming from other places, layed wait for, and taken by the way, their owners and paſſengers ſpoyled of their goods, and apparell, layed in the yrons, and barbarouſly abuſed: A Commiſſion granted to the Generall of the Engliſh forces by ſea and land, to kill, deſtroy, and ſubdue this whole na­tion, a Printed Declaration put forth, denouncing warre againſt it, perſwading, exhorting, and provoking the other two King­domes to grant ſubſidies, and take Armes againſt the inhabitants of this Kingdome as traitours and rebels: And the Parliament of Ireland hath proceeded ſo farre as to declare them to be ſuch: All which they have hitherto endured patiently, and thereby given an evident demonſtration to the world of the loyalty of their af­fections to their Soveraigne, which no extremity ſhall ever make them to forget: And now being preſt by the preſent exigence of the Eſtate of this Kingdome, and bound by the neceſſity of that naturall duety they ought to themſelves and their poſterity, to provide for the ſafety of the Common-wealth, and their owne, and timouſly to prevent the utter ruine of this Nation, which can no longet ſubſiſt under ſo great a burden, that time appointed being come, to the which the Parliament was prorogat, and no advertiſement come from his Majeſty to them anent any courſe to be taken, for redeeming of the great diſorders, they being the great Councell of the Kingdome could not be altogether ſo for­getfull of themſelves, and decident to their Countrey, as to ſuffer this Parliament which they had ſo often petitioned from his Majeſty, which was conditioned and accorded by the ſaid Arti­cles of Pacification, and inflicted by his Majeſties Authority, to be deſerted and expyred without any concluſion to the good of the Common-wealth in ſo great extremity: But rather thought themſelves bound in conſcience and duty to proceed to the deter­mination of ſuch matters as are neceſſary for the eſtabliſhing of4 the peace of this Kirk and Kingdome, as being the expreſſe and ſpeciall ends of all their Supplications, and agreeable to the ſaids Articles of Pacification, without tri•ching any wayes on Sove­raigntie, or derogating in any ſort from his Majeſties Royall Au­thority, but on the contrary, onely looking firſt upon the conſti­tutions of the generall Aſſembly, p•ſt in preſence of his Majeſties Commiſſioner, and the neceſſar conſequences thereof, and then providing remedies for the preſent evils of the Kingdome, by re­moving the cauſe, and eſtabliſhing neceſſar concluſions for pre­venting the like hereafter: In doing whereof as they have procee­ded uprightly in the way of Juſtice, and with due reverence, and regard to his Majeſties Authority, and thereby have hopped the calumnious mouthes of their adverſaries, ſo they reſt aſſured, that his Majeſty after due examination of their proceedings, finding the ſame agreeable to the fundamentall lawes and cuſtom•s of this his ancient and native Kingdome, and no wayes repugnant to Monarchiall government, will out of his Royall Juſtice and good­neſſe give his full conſent thereunto; And thereby totally remo­ving and extinguiſhing all ground and occaſion of contraverſie a­gainſt his faithfull and loyall Subjects, reſtore this Kingdome to a perfect and ſolide peace, which they pray the Lord put in his Ma­jeſties Royall Heart, that he may long and proſperouſly reigne o­ver them And on the other part, conſidering from by gone expe­rience how malicious and diligent their adverſaries will be to calumniat theſe their proceedings, and by their ſuggeſtions to the Kings Majeſty, and to the Lieges, to kindle and intertaine facti­ons and diviſions there anent, and how neceſſar it is for the ſafety and peace of this Kirk and Kingdome, that the Members of both doe unanimouſly with heart and hand teſtifie by their ſubſcripti­on their reſolution, and Obligation to acknowledge this Parlia­ment ſo often deſired by their petitions and ſupplications, and conveened by his Majeſties ſolemne indiction, according to the Articles of Pacification, to be a free, lawfu•l, and neceſſary Parli­ament, and to obey, obſerve, and maintaine the ſame for them­ſelves conſtantly and faithfully, and to the uttermoſt of their power, to joyne and concurre, in their ſeverall ſtations and cal­lings, with others to advance, further, and aſſiſt the execution, obedience, and obſerving of the Acts and conſtitu•ions of this pre­ſent5 Parliament, as the moſt fit and neceſſary remedies of the by­•one and preſent evils and diſtractions of this Kirk and King­dome, and for preſervation of the Religion, lawes and liberties thereof, and of his Majeſties Authority, and that in the firſt Par­liament which ſhall be holden hereafter within this Kingdome, and at all other occaſions, againſt any oppoſition whatſoever, ex­cept in ſo farre as ſhall hereafter be thought fit and expedient by the common adviſe and conſent of the Eſtates: They have ordai­ned and ordaines the Band under-written, to be ſubſcribed by all the Members of Parliament preſent and abſent, and by Noble­men, Barons, Burgeſſes, and all other Subjects and inhabitants of the Kingdome, in their Shyres, and Burghs, as they ſhall be di­rected by the Commiſſioners of Parliament left at Edinburgh, and to be reported to the Clerke, betwixt and the firſt day of Septem­ber nixt, with certification, that ſuch as refuſe or poſt-pone, and delay to ſubſcribe to ſame, ſhall be holden as Enemies and Oppo­ſits to the common Cauſe, conſiſting in the maintenance of the true reformed Religion, and of the lawes, and liberties of this Kingdome, and his Majeſties Authority.

VVEe Noblemen, Barons, Burgeſſes, and others, under­ſubſcribers, conſidering how neceſſary it is to eſtabliſh our Union in the preſervation, and maintenance of the Religion, Lawes, and Liberties of this Kingdome, and of his Majeſties Au­thority, and to prevent all factions, contentions, and diviſions, which may ariſe in prejudice thereof, from malicious ſuggeſtions and miſ-informations of our adverſaries, doe all, and every one of us with our heart and hand teſtifie and declare our Reſolution and Obligation, (for the reaſons and cauſes at length expreſt in the Act of Parliament immediatly preceeding) to acknowledge the aforeſaid Parliament to have beene and to be a free and lawfull Parliament, Likewiſe wee bind and obliſh us, and every one of us upon our honours and credit, and as we deſire to be, and to be holden true lovers of our Countrey, and of the Religion, lawes, and liberties thereof effauldly and faithfully to the uttermoſt of our power, to joyne and concurre with our perſons and eſtates every one of us according to our ſeveral ſtations & callings, in the maintenance of the freedome and lawfulneſſe of the aforeſaid6 Parliament, and in the advancement, further•nce, and aſſiſtan••of the execution, obedience, and obſervation of the Acts and con­ſtitutions thereof, as the moſt fit and neceſſary remedies of the by gone and preſent evils and diſtractions of this Kirk and King­dome, and for the preſervation of Religion, lawes, and liberties thereof, and of his Majeſties Authority, and that in the firſt Par­liament, which ſhall be holden hereafter within this Kingdome, and at all other occaſions, and againſt any oppoſition whatſoever, except in ſo far as ſhall be hereafter thought fit and expedient, by the common adviſe and conſent of the Eſtates: In witneſſe where­of we have ſigned and ſubſcribed theſe preſents with our hands, At, &c.