A DECLARATION FROM The ſeverall Reſpective Regiments in the Army, to all Free-born Commons within the Realme of ENGLAND.
Wherein is ſet forth, The Grounds and Reaſons of their preſent Deſigne and Engagement; Together with their candid intentions, and reall reſolutions therein, both towards King, Parliament, and Kingdome.
AS ALSO, Their Meſſage to the Free-born People of this Nation, concerning their preſent proceedings, with their moſt humble deſires touching the ſame.
APpointed to be printed and publiſhed, and ſent to every reſpective County within the Realme of England; By the Agents of the aforeſaid Regimenss, whoſe names are hereunto annexed.
London, Printed for H. E. November 5. 1647.
HAving by our late lobours and hazards made it appear to the world at how high a rate we value our juſt freedom, & God having ſo far owned our cauſe, as to deliver the Enemies thereof into our hands: We do now hold our ſelves bound in mutuall duty to each other, to take the beſt care we can for the future, to avuid both the danger of returning into a ſlaviſh condition, and the chargeable remedy of another war: for as it cannot be imagined that ſo many of our Country-men would have oppoſed us in this quarrel, if they had underſtood their owne good, ſo may we ſafely promiſe to our ſelves, that when our Common Rights and liberties ſhall be declared, their endeavours will be diſappointed, that ſeek to make themſelves our Maſters ſince therefore our former oppreſſions, and ſcarce yet ended troubles have been occaſi•n•d either by want of frequent Nationall meeting〈◊〉Councell, or by rendring thoſe meetings ineffectuall: We are•bly agreed and reſolved, to provide that hereafter our Repreſentativ be neither le•t to an uncertainty for the time, nor made uſeleſſe to the ends for which they are intended: In order whereunto we declare,
1. That the people of England being al this day very unequally diſtributed by Counties, Cities, and Burrouges for the election of their Deputies in Parliament ▪ ougot to be more indifferently proportioned, according to the number of the Inhabitant•s the circumſtances whereof, for number, place, and manner, are to be ſet down before the end of this preſent Parliament.
2. That to prevent the many inconveniences apparently ariſing, from the lo•g continuance of the ſame perſons in authority, this preſent Parliament be diſſolved upon the laſt day of September, which ſhall be in the year of our Lord, 1648.
3. That the People do of courſe chuſe themſelves a Parliament once in two yeares, viz. upon the firſt Thurſday in every 2d. March, after the manner as ſhall be preſcribed before the end of this Parliament, to begin to ſit upon the firſt Tourſday in Aprill following at Weſtminſter, or ſuch other place as ſhall be appointed from time to time by the preceding Repreſen•atives; & to continue till the laſt of September, then n xt enſuing, rnd no longer.
4. That the power of this, and all future Repreſentatives of this Nation, is inferiour only to theirs who chuſe them, and doth extend, withoht the conſent or concurrence of any other perſon or perſons; to the enacting a tering, and repealing of Lawes, to the erecting and aboliſhing of Offices and Courts, to the appointing, removing, and calling to account Magiſtrates, and Officers, of all degrees; to the making War and peace, to the treating with forreigne States: And generally, to whatſoever is not expreſly, or implyedly reſerved by the repreſented to themſelves.
Which are as followeth;
1. THat matters of Religion, and the wayes of Gods Wor, ſhip, are not at all intruſted by us to any humane power-becauſe therein we cannot remit or exceed a tittle of what our Conſciences dictate to be the mind of God, without wilfull ſin: nevertheleſſe the publike way of inſtructing the Nation (ſo it be not compulſive) is referred to their di•cretion.
2. That the matter of impre•ting and conſtraining any of us to ſerve in the wars, is againſt our freedome; and therefore we do not allow it in our Repreſentatives; the rather, becauſe money (the ſinews of war) being alwayes at their diſpoſall, they can never want numbers of men apt enough to engage in any juſt cauſe.
3. That after the diſſolution of preſent Parliament, no perſon be at any time queſtioned f r any thing ſaid or done, in reference to the late publike differences, otherwiſe then in execution of the Judgements of the preſent Repreſentatives, or Houſe of Commons.
4. That in all Lawes made, or to be made, every perſon may be bound alike, and that no Tenure, Eſtate, Charter Degree, Birth, or place, do confer any exemption from the ordinary Courſe of Legall proceedings, whereunto others are ſubjected.
THeſe things we declare to be our native Rights, and therefore are agreed and reſolved to maintain t•em with our utmoſt poſſibillities, againſt all oppoſition whatſoever, being compelled thereunto not only by the examples of our Anceſtors, whoſe bloud was often ſpent in vain for the recovery of their Freedomes, ſuffering themſelves, through fraudulent Accommodations ▪ to be ſtill d•luded of the fruit of their Victories, but alſo by our own wofull experience, who having long expected, and dearly earned the eſtabliſhment of theſe certain rules of Government are yet made to depend for the ſettlement of our Peace and freedome, upon him that intended our bondage, and crought a cruell Warre upon us.
FOr your ſakes, our friends, eſtates & lives, have not been dear to us; for your ſafety and freedome we have cheerfully indured hard Labours and run moſt deſperate hazards, and in comparison to your peace and freedome we neither do nor ever ſhall value our deareſt bloud and we profeſſe, our bowels are and have been troubled and our hearts pained within us, in ſeeing & conſidering that you have been ſo long bereaved of theſe fruits & ends of all our labours and hazards, we cannot but ſympathize with you in your miſeries and oppreſſions. It's grief and vexation of heart to us to receive your meat or moneyes, whileſt you have no advantage nor yet the fouddations of your peace & freedome ſurely layed: & therefore upon moſt ſerious conſiderations that your principall right moſt eſſentiall to your wel-being is the clearneſſe certa nty ſuffic•ency & freed•m of your power in your repreſentative in Parliament and conſidering that the originall of moſt of your oppreſsions and miſeries hath been either from the ob•cur•ty ou•dou•tfulneſſe of the power you have committed to your repreſentatives in your elections, or from the want of c•u•age in thoſe whom you have betruſted to claime and exerci•e their power, which might propably proceed from their uncertainty of your aſſiſtance and maintenance of their power, and minding that for this right of yours and ours we engaged our lives, for the King ra•ſed the war againſt you and your Parliament, upon this ground, that he would not ſuffer your repreſentatives to provide for your peace, ſafety and freedome that were then in danger, by diſpoſing of the Militia and otherwiſe, according to their truſt; and for the maintenance & defenſe of that power and right of yours, we hazarded all that was dear to us, & God hath born witneſſe to the juſtice of our Cauſe. And further minding that the only effectuall means to ſettle a juſt & laſting peace, to obtain remedy for all your grievances, and to prevent future oppreſſions, is the making clear & ſecure the power that you betruſt to your repreſentatives in Parliament, that they may know their truſt in the faithfull execution whereof you will aſſiſt them. Vpon all theſe grounds, we propound your joyning with us in the agreement herewith ſent vnto you; that by vertue thereof, we may have Parliaments certainly cal'd, & have the time of their ſitting and ending certain, and their power or truſt clear and unqueſtionable, that hereafter they may remove your burdens, and ſecure your rights without oppoſitions or inſtructions, and that the foundations of your peace may be ſo free from uncertainty, that there may be no grounds for future quarrels, or contentions to occaſion war and bloud-ſhed; & we deſire you would conſider, that as theſe things wherein we offer to agree with you are the fruits and ends of the Victories which God hath given us; ſo the ſettlement of theſe are the moſt abſolute means to preſerve you and your poſterity, from ſlavery, oppreſſion, diſtraction, and trouble; by this, thoſe whom your ſelves ſhall chuſe, ſhall have power to reſtore you to, and ſecure you in all your rights, & they ſhall be in a capacity to taſt of ſubjection, as well as rule, and ſo ſhall be equally concerned with your ſelves, in all they do. For they muſt equally ſuffer with you under any common burdens and partake with you in any freedomes; and by this they ſhall be diſ-inabled to defraud or wrong you, when the lawes ſhall bind all alike, without priviledge or exemption; and by this your conſciences ſhall be free from tyranny and oppreſſion, and thoſe occaſions of endleſſe ſtrifes, and bloudy wars, ſhall be in this Agreement, all your particular and common grievances will be redreſſed forthwith without delay; the Parliament muſt then make your reliefe and common good their only ſtudy.
Now becauſe we are earneſtly deſirous of the peace and good of all our Country-men, even of thoſe that have oppoſed us, and would to our utmoſt poſſibility provide for perfect peace and freedome, and prevent all ſnites, debates, and contentions that may happen amongſt you, in relation to the late war: we have therefore inſerted it into this Agreement, that no perſon ſhall be queſtionable for any thing done, in relation to the late publike differences, after the diſſolution of this preſent Parliament, further then in execution of their judgment; that thereby all may be ſecure from all ſufferings•or what they have done, and not liable hereafter to be troubled or puniſhed by the judgmene of another Parliament, which may be to t••ir ruine, unleſſe this Agreement be joyned in, whereby any acts of indemp•ito or oblivion ſhall be made unalterable, and you and your poſterities be ſecure.
But if any ſhall inquire why we ſhould deſire to joyn in an Agreement with the People, to declare theſe to be our native Rights, and not rather petition to the Parliament for them; the reaſon is•vident: No Act of Parliament is or can he unalterable, and ſo cannot be ſufficient ſecurity to ſave pou or us harmleſſe, from what another Parliament may determine of it ſhould be corrupted; and beſides Parliaments are to receive the extent of their power, and truſt from thoſe that betruſt them; and therefore the people are to declare what their power & truſt is, whic is the intent of this Agreement; and its to be obſervd, that though there hath formerly been many Acts of Parliament, for the calling of Parliaments every yeare yet you have been deprived of them and inſlaved through want of them; and therefore both neceſſity for your ſecurity in theſe freedomes, that are aſſentiall to your well-being and wofull experience of the maenifold miſeries and distractions that have been lengthened out, ſince the wars ended, through want of ſuch a ſettlement, tequires this Agreement, and when you and we ſhall be joyned together therein, we ſhall readily joyn with you, to petition the Parliament, as they are our fellow-Commoners equally concern'd, to joyn with us.
And if any ſhall inquire, why we undertake to offer this Agreement we muſt profeſſe, we are ſenſible that you have been ſo often deceived with Declarations and Remonſtrances, and fed with vain hopes that you have fufficient reaſon to abandon•ll confidence in any perſons whatſoever, from whom you have no other ſecurity of their intending your freedome, then bare Declarations.
And therefore, as our conſciences witneſſe, that in ſimplicity and integrity of heart, we have propoſed lately in the Caſe of the Army ſtated, your freedome and deliverance from ſlavery, oppreſſion, and all burdens: ſo we deſire to give you ſatisfying aſſurance thereof by this Agreement whereby the foundations of your freedomes provided in the Caſe, &c. ſhall be ſetled unalterably, and we ſhall as faithfully proceed to, and all other moſt vigorous actings for your good that God ſhall direct and enable us unto; And though the malice of our enemies, and ſuch as they delude, would blaſt us by ſcandals, aſperſing us with the deſigns of Anarchy, and community; yet we hope the righteous God will not only by this our deſire of ſetling an equall juſt Government, but alſo by directing us unto all righteous undertakings, ſimply for publike good; make our uprightneſſe and faithfulneſſe to the intereſt of all our Country-men, ſhine forth ſo clearly that malice it ſelf ſhall be ſilenced, and confounded. We queſtion not, but the longing expectation of a firme peace, will incite you to the moſt ſpeedy joyning in this Agreement: in the proſecution whereof, or of any thing that you ſhall deſire for publike good; you may be confident, you ſhall never want the aſſiſtance of
This Declaration is aſſented to, and agreed upon by the ſeverall Reſpective Regiments in the Army.
(EEBO-TCP ; phase 2, no. A82092)
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