A Declaration of divers Gentlemen of Wales, concerning Collonell Poyer.

IT is an Ordinary crime amongſt the vulgar diſ­contents of theſe times, to lay hold of the leaſt hint of News which any way relates to their intereſt, and inſtantly cry it up, as if they were aſſured of future contingencies, and the ſucceſſe thereof, but common­ly the hopes of ſuch are built upon the deceitfull ſhal­low grounds of revengefulneſſe and malice, which are ſeldome ▪ ſeconded with a bleſſing, but ſucceſſe anſwe­rable to the unreaſonableneſſe of their wiſhes: Nei­ther can I much blame ſuch who know not the con­dition of the party they ſo much elevate, or his prin­ciples: if they did, ſure no rationall men would ever betray their own judgements, and the cauſe they ſo much affect, as to place their confidence upon one who will appear like a flaſh of lightning, ſoone gone out, or an Ignis fatuis, without heat or influence, which fruſtrates the expectations of the beholders. Col. John Poyer, prētended Governour of Pombrook Caſtle, is the party herein charactered, and before we come to his matters of fact, we ſhall glance on ſome particulars following.

We will not much inſiſt that he is the off-ſpring of2 mean parentage: Or that his beginning was in Mr. Megrieks Kitching of Pembrook, being a turn-ſpit boy there: Or that afterward he was a poore ragged boy, which was hired to run to and fro on errands: Or that he was bound Prentice to a Glover, by which he got a poore ſubſiſtance, untill about the beginning of the late warres: Or that about five years ſince he got a wench with childe, and after her delivery pre­tended he had been marryed to her, but did produce no witneſſe to prove it, and ſince that,•a•h had two or three children more by her, ſhe being commonly called, and reputed his Whore, and his Children ba­ſtards.

Or that Poyers Mother is generally famed in the ſaid Town to be worſe then &c. and in that regard Poyer by inſtinct of nature is poſſeſt with more then ordina­ry impudence.

Now we ſhall give you a clear Demonſtration of part of his actions ſince the beginning of the warre in that County, about five years ſince, upon a diſagree­ment between the Mayor of the Town of Pembrook and the Towneſmen, Poyer with a looſe rabble of the meaner ſort of the Town, got into the Caſtle, having ſome Armes kept the Caſtle in oppoſition to the May­or and his party, the major part made choyce of Poyer, to be their Captain, and ſhortly after, he ſeized upon two Me•chants Ships of great value, which came into Milford Haven, kept them by force, made ſale of the ſhips and their goods for his own uſe, & likewiſe ſeiz­ed the goods of divers Merchants, which came into Milford Haven, & gave them the publick Faith, he ha­ving no commiſſion or power from the Parlia. or any under them, ſo cheated the people of their goods, to the3 undoing of ſeverall perſons that came up to complain here; by theſe means he became enabled to raiſe one other company of foot, and by force he raiſed a Troop of Horſe on the Inhabitants of the ſaid County, with­out Commiſſion as aforeſaid, for either Horſe or Foot; with this force in a freeboting way, he oppreſſed all the well-affected to the Parliament, in that part of the County, in breaking open their houſes, taking away their monies and proviſions, plundering them of their Cattle, inſomuch that Roger Lorte, & Tho. Bowen, Eſq were forced to fortifie their houſes with their Servants againſt him, for their own preſervation, knowing the ſaid Poyer was inſtrumentall with his lawleſſe force to execute other mens malice againſt them, which Poyer accordingly did, by taking away Mr. Lorts, and Mr. Bowens Cattle, Corne, and Goods, to a great value, he impriſoned the perſons of ſeverall men in the Caſtle of Pembrook, untill they ranſomed themſelves, with monies, or pawns to the values, ſeized upon the Lands, Mills, Rents, Woods, Corn, & Cattle of Delinqu•nts, under Sequeſtration of the Committee of that Aſſo­ciation, and poſſeſt them by ſtrong hand, to his owne uſe, enforced the Souldiers in time of warre to buy thoſe proviſions ſent them by the Parliament, for the Garriſon of Pembrook, he poſſeſt himſelf by force of the Demeſne-Lands of Carew being the Lands of Sir Richard Phillips Barronet, a known well-affected man to the Parliament, worth about 300 li. per annum, for ſeverall years made profits thereof, and where he un­derſtood there were fat Cattle, in the paſtures of any Gentlemen he bore a ſpleen to, hee inſtantly ſent his Bullies, as he termes them, to fetch them off into the Caſtle, part of this was done before the Warres, but4 moſt of all done ſince the Enemy was beaten out of that County, and ſince all South-wales was reduced to the obedience of the Parliament.

And it is well knowne, Poyer had never any com­miſſion for Horſe or Foot, during the ſaid war, neither had he ever ſo much gallantry as to charge an enemy. And its proved upon Oath before the now Judge Ad­vocate, That Poyer is not ſo little accountable to the State, Country, and Strangers, as 6000 li. Being thus extreamly accountable, and having nothing re­ſponſible but his Carkas, at his being here in Town was ſerved with a warrant from the Committee of Cornhill, for ſtating the Accounts of the Kingdome to appeare before them, and anſwer to ſuch particular Charges and Accounts as were given in there againſt him; But the day he was ſerved as aforeſaid, he took Horſe went homeward out of Towne, and never appeared ſince: Now who can pretend Poyer hath Arreares due to him, when he durſt not ſtand to the teſt of an account, and having never acted by Com­miſſion under the Parliament, and hee ſo much Ac­countable as aforeſaid.

The ſubſtance of the moſt part of this before rela­ted lies upon record proved by the oathes of witneſſes againſt him, at the Head-Quarters at Putney about September laſt, There were Articles alſo preferred againſt him to the Committee of ſafety about two yeares and a halfe ſince, And to the Committee of Gloceſter about two years ſince, the remainder of thoſe Articles which are likewiſe proved, we ſhall in briefe give you the heads of them.

1 That Poyer is a great drinker and haunter of5 Ale-houſes and ſeldome or never ſober in the after­noone.

2 That he is a great Swearer & Quarreller.

3 That he hath beene moſt ſottiſhly drunke upon ſeverall Faſt dayes.

4 That he hath been beaſtly drunke the very day he received the communion.

5 That An. Dom. 1643 The ſaid Poyer and ſome of the towneſ-men of Pembrook ſubſcribed an Inſtrument and fixed the towne ſeale to it, that they would keep the Caſtle for the King, againſt all ſuch as ſhould claime it, in the name of King and Par­liament.

6 That hee did beate two Orthodox Miniſters, namely Mr. Nathaniel Cradock, and Mr. Evan Roberts, that the ſaid Mr. Cradock lay afterward ſick of the bruſies, and beatings hee received from Poyer, about halfe a yeare, in the City of Lon­don.

Now let the impartiall Reader judge whether this wretched fellow who like a Prodigious Comet that threatens nothing but ruine and deſtruction to his na­tive Country, raiſed this rebellion out of affection to any publique intereſt now in being, or out of a ſenſe of his baſe guiltineſſe, which his ſaid actions reflects upon him, ſet him upon this deſperate courſe, knowing if there ſhould be a ſettledneſſe of peace in the King­dome, he being ſo much accountable to the State as6 well as particular perſons, beſides his fellonious acti­ons, it would inevitably bring him to condigne pu­niſhment. And therefore this Viper hath endeavor­ed rather to involve the Kingdome in a new warre, That he might remain unqueſtionable in ſuch troubled waters, then otherwiſe undergoe the ſentence of his merits.

Heer let the Kings party who perhaps hath through ignorance applauded him, obſerve what a pure foun­dation they build their fond hopes on, ſure by all probability if the ſtructure of monarchy take its riſe from ſuch a well-ſpring of impiety as Poyer is, by all collections and ſymtomes the ſequell can prove but fatall and deſtructive to this Kingdome, And the next newes, I am confident you will heare that this Catta­line being invaded on all ſides, both by ſea and land, and not being able to take the field, for want of a ge­nerall complyance from the neighbouring Countries, hee and his Sattalits will be cubd up to feed at rack and manger upon their purloined proviſions, by the Parliament Forces, which by Gods aſſiſtance wil ſoon bring him and his Adherents to juſtice.