A DECLARATION OF THE MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT, Lately Diſsolved by Oliver Cromwell, Eſquire:

ALthough we are turned out of doors, and threatned for endeavouring to put ſome limitations upon the power of our mighty Conque­ror, OLIVER CROMVVELL, Eſquire, for the freedome, eaſe and ſettlement of our native Countrey, according to our duties, and the Truſt repoſed in us, yet we cannot acquit our ſelves to God and Man, without a proteſtation againſt the Uſurpation, Oppreſſion, Cruelty and Falſhood of the Tyrant, and an information of all the well-affected People of the three Nations, of their (too manifeſt) preſent miſeries, and future dangers, with our ſence of the duty and neceſſity that lies upon them for the prevention of the ſame.

And to paſs over his Cruelties and Oppreſſions of particular perſons, of all ſorts and factions, with his frequent tranſgreſſions of the Law, (for which more eminent perſons then himſelf have loſt their heads, of late yeeres;) VVe cannot but with grief and horror remember his unparallelled ſtriking at the root of all our Lawes and Freedomes together, by the frequent violencrs offered to the Law-givers, and the reaſons that moved him unto it.

And to begin with the long Parliament: VVe know no other reaſon why the Army was brought to Town, to drive away the major part of the Members then Sitting, but becauſe they inclined to a ſettlement of the Nation upon our excellent old Foundation of King, Lords and Commons, which would totally have excluded his Ambition, Rapine and Cruelty: For the King was reduced to the Parliaments Terms, and if he were not Fit to be truſted, we know no reaſon why one of his Sons might not; nor can all the world ſhew a better Govern­ment, then that of King, Lords and Commons, where we look upon the Lords as Mediators between the King, and Commons, to hinder the incroachments of either upon other, if the King ſhould incline to tyranny, or the Houſe of Commons to perpetuate it ſelfe, and meddle with the diſtribution of Iuſtice, in a corrupt and factious way, when they ſhould onely make Lawes and puniſh evil Miniſters; And for the MILITIA, to ſecure all this, if it be onely truſted in perſons hands of ſuch known integrity, as all the three Eſtates ſhall agree upon, VVe ſhould be as certain of a continual and ſecure injoyment of our Liberties, as God will permit us to bee of any worldly thing, who by his providence overthrowes our beſt Conceptions whenſoever hee pleaſeth to puniſh Us.

And the wiſdome of that Parliament foreſaw that we could never long be ſecure from civil wars, and the danger of invasions, in behalf of the Family of the Stewarts, conſidering their right, and the affections of the people to them, if any other family or Government were ſetled, though it were a better: And for that reaſon were they to be hunted away as enemies to his ſyniſter aimes, and the worſer and ſmaller number left, whom he hoped to have made as ſervile as he could wish them: but he found ſome Engliſh Spirits ſtill amongſt them, who would not be brought to offer one of their equals the throne he ſo wrongfully aimed at, and therefore he forced them out of the Parliament-Houſe by his Souldiers, with many inſolent reproaches, as men not worthy to be his ſlaves any longer, and ſo fell the laſt remainders of our well built Government; Laws, and Liberties, into the hands of our Infydell Grand Seigniour and his Ianizaries, after all his hypocriticall vows and proteſtations to live and dye a faithful Servant of the Parliaments.

And to make it the more manifeſt, That this Conquered Nation had utterly forfeited all its rights, he took away the Liberty of Election from the People, and impoſed a thing called a Parliament upon them that was to chooſe ſucceeding Parliaments, like it ſelfe to act thoſe things for him that he was aſhamed then to own, though now his impudence is well increaſed; but to ſay truth, was ſufficient then to take away that Fundamentall Priviledge of Election, which none of our Conquerors ever durſt think of before him.

But even thoſe beaſts of his own breed diſdained ſuch a rider, but when they could not throw him, they let him alight and turn them to graſſe; and then he had againe (by his owne confeſſion, in his ſecond Speech to this Parliament) an unlimited power to do what he pleaſed with his poore ſlaves of the three Nations; and he tels us that ſome Gentlemen whom hee names not (but we ſuppoſe he meanes his great officers, whom hee only feares) did ſrame the inſtru­ment of Government, and put limits to his power: elſe he good man could have been as wel contented to have been an unlimited Generall, as a limited Pro­tector; and this is evident by his well obſerving the limits they ſet him, and that hee ſwore to; for though they reſtored to the people the freedome of the Ele­ction of their Members which he had taken from them, yet he ſtroke out many of thoſe choſen that he thought were not like to be his vaſſailes. but when we met, he told us we were a truly free Parliament, that hee aſſumed no dominion over us, but intended to be a fellow Servant with us, and he often called God to wit­neſſe of his desire to deveſt himſelf of all power, and yet (after a ſecond purge of us) he hath deveſted us of all our power, for queſtioning his in thoſe particulars that are more intollerably burdenſome and unlimited, than ever any Conqueror impoſed upon the Nation: but we know not what the world wil think of us for•o tedious a complyance with the unjuſteſt Uſurper, and the greateſt Murtherer and Robber, that ever England had, but we ſhall only anſwer, that we were desi­rous to give our Country ſome eaſe of their burthons ſince it was ſo difficult to reſtore them to their liberty and ſecurity: but the Tyrants heart is hardned, and out Ta•es muſt be againe increaſed, according to his Lawleſſe will, upon pretence of the providing for the Army, which (he ſaies) we have neglected, when it is well known that the very cuſtomes and excize, without any other imposition, would pay the Army, were it not for his exceſſive avarice, and the chargeable pomp of his Family, but he will fynde another way of providing for the honeſt party in the Army, if hee be let alone: for ſynce Scotland and Ireland will not conſume them, there muſt be more honorable pretences found to ſend them to ſome part of the Indies, there to periſh•hrough want, or the intemper•…〈◊〉of the ayre: and if any ſurvive, they muſt there end their days in a perpetuall baniſhment, as the ſoure thouſand already ſent under Venables are like to do, wh•…were ſo diſpoſed of before he was ſo angry with them as now he is, and they were the only people he was invective againſt, in his fyrſt ſpeech to this Parliamen•…Page 7. by the name of Levellers, though hee knew nothing of their deſigne then; the truth is, hee will do any thing for his intereſt, and that will leade him to deſtroy them by whole Sale, ſynce their Spirits are not imbaſed by his former murthring of them in parcels: there is no doubt, but he fears them the moſt of any people and it is as unqueſtionable that thoſe he feares moſt, he will hate moſt; and for the Cavaleere and Presby•erian, let them judge of him by what they have〈◊〉from him, both in England and Scotland, the truth is, his demerits make him feare and hate all people of any principles, and therefore he impriſoneth them upon bare ſuſpitions contrary to Law, and threatneth to force out their very thoughts, to make them accuſe themſelves and other innocent people, that they may looſe theit lives by no better a rule than his High-Courts of injuſtice, and it is certaine, notwithſtanding his hypocricie that he muſt ſuppreſs all ſorts of people but Athieſts, becauſe no others will cut throates for him, if they think nor themſelves obliged to his deſtruction, which for our parts we think the whole Nation hath the moſt conſcientious Obligation to, that ever mortall men had for their Religion and Liberties; if then out oppreſſions & dangers are ſtil g•…­ing upon us as faſt as he can invent occasions both at home and abroade to increaſe them for his intereſt, what ſhould deter us (ſince we can have nothing worſe) from joyning with our Countrey men of any principles, common intereſt, in the deſtruction of this devourer of all our ſecuritie and happineſs,