VVHereas the product of ſeveral years Experience hath manifeſted to theſe Nations the various Changes, and Revolutions, both in Church and State, the admiring Turnings and windings of many in power: yet the ordinary workings of providence hath ſo often ſhown it ſelf in the advancement of this Commonwealth, that upon the reading thereof, we may track them in their progreſs: Yet ſeeing it hath pleaſed God by the hand of his wiſe and all diſpoſing Providence, to bring the Affairs of this Nation into the ſtate and condition wherein they now are, the Army hold themſelves obliged to give an accompt to the people of their proceedings therein: And conceiving it unneceſſary to look back, or reflect upon the ſecret Deſigns which were contrived in the former Parliament, We hold it ſufficient thus to demonſtrate: That the Army have declared to walk in the ways of peace and Righteouſneſs, and effectually to eſtabliſh the Nation upon a true Baſis of Government, and the happy Foundation of a Commonwealth; and not onely to keep theſe Nations from ſinking into confuſion, but to ſee it happily eſtabliſhed upon the juſt principles of Liberty and Freedom. And wheras the Parliament was pleaſed to reſcent the proceedings of the Army, with a deep ſenſe of diſaffection, being highly incenſed by Sir Arthur Haſlerig, That they had a dangerous Deſign againſt the Houſe; who declared, That there was a project on foot, to introduce a new Government, by ſetting up a ſingle perſon, &c. Inſomuch, that the Houſe fell into high Debates, expreſſing great heat and anger againſt the Lord Lambert, and ſeverall other faithful Officers of his Brigade, voting null their Commiſſions: And afterwards ordered a Bill to be brought in, and (contrary to he uſual Orders of Parl.) thrice read in one and the ſame day, and paſſed into an Act, thereby enacting, That all Orders, Ordinances, and Acts made by any ſingle perſon and his Council, or by both or either of them, or otherwiſe, or by any Aſſembly, or Convention pretending to have Authority of Parliament from and after the 19. day of April, 1653. and before the 7. of May 1659. and which have not bin, or ſhall4 not be enacted, allowen, or confirmed by this preſent Parl. be, ſhould be, and were thereby declared, deemed, taken, and adjudged to be of no force or effect, from and after the ſaid 7. of May, 1659. which was altogether contrary to what was humbly deſired in the 30 Propoſal of the Petition and Addreſs of the 12 of May, 1659. and committed that Propoſal to a Committee of their own, to bring in ſuch a Bill or Bills for that purpoſe, as they thought neceſſary. And in the ſame Bill it was likewiſe contained, That no perſon or perſons ſhould after the 11. of October (being the very day that the ſaid Act was haſtily paſſed) raiſe moneys without conſent of the people in Parliament, thereby in an inſtant putting a doubt and diſcompoſure upon all mens mindes that are concerned in matters of that nature, ſo that if any thing ſhould croſs ſuch their ſtrange proceedings, the Army might be neceſſitated to that odious Refuge of Free Quarter, or elſe be expoſed to ſuch provocations, through the want of a fit proviſion for their ſubſiſtence, as might alienate their minds from that care and duty that is incumbent on them, for the peace and ſecurity of the Commonwealth. And not onely ſo, but the other miſchiefs ariſing from this precipitate Act will prove many and great. For then the moſt choice and godly Miniſters of the Nation will be found to be compriſed herein, and themſelves and their maintainances altogether avoided, and great numbers of prophane and ſcandalous Miniſters, which have bin ejected for near the ſpace of 6 years paſt, will then be re-eſtated; the Adventurers and Soldiers Lands in Ireland left at a loſs and in confuſion; the Rebels that were tranſplanted there, be at their liberty to return; the Union made between England and Scotland rendred invalid; all Eſtates conferred on any perſon or perſons by former Governments, though upon never ſo valuable and publick conſiderations, left in a dangerous and uncertain condition, to the unravelling and unknown diſcompoſure of ſeveral mens eſtates and intereſts, the conſequences whereof will in ſhort time appear by the ſad effects of multiplying Suits, and vexation of innocent perſons, if the ſaid Act could be deemed as valid. Concerning which we ſhall add no more but, that had not ſtrange precipitancy and deſign driven it on, it could hardly be believed, that any Supreme Authority would ever have expoſed a people to ſuch inconveniences.
Things being thus prepared in order to further ends, the next day (being Wedneſday) the Parliament hoping they had a great influence5 upon part of the Army, and conceiving they had by their late Acts ſufficiently perplexed thoſe whom they doubted might oppoſed them, and that the Goverment of theſe Nations was ſo ſure in their own hands, as in all probability things might come to confuſion, except managed by themſelves, proceed vigorouſly to put their deſigns in practice. In the morning, the Doors of the Lobby, by their appointment being faſt ſhut and guarded, that none might by any means come near to the Houſe, or underſtand their proceeding: Occaſion is adminiſtred from one of the Letters which was ſigned by ſeveral Officers, according to appointment of the Generall Council, and ſent to a Regiment of the Army, and produced by a Member of the Houſe (it being of no other purport then the ſending the ſaid Repreſentation and Petition to one of the Regiments of the Army as is before-mentioned) Yet nevertheleſs they fell foul upon the ſeverall Officers who had ſubſcribed it, and took this riſe in purſuance of their former intent, to make a plain breach upon the Army; and thereupon Vote out of their Commands (without hearing any one perſon ſpeak for himſelf, or examine whether the perſons whoſe names were ſubſcribed, were their hand-writing or not) the Lord Lambert, General Disborow, and ſeven other Colonels and Field Officers, diſpoſing divers of their Commands to the Officers next under them: And as they did the day before, ſo now, they haſtily paſſed it into an Act before they roſe, for the making void the Lord Fleetwoods Commiſſion, and enveſting the Command of the Army in ſeven perſons, whereof himſelf was one, ſome of whom were the principall in carrying on this whole deſign. Whereupon the Houſe adjourned, and three of the ſaid number immediately repaired to the Speakers Chamber: And having provided themſelves of ſix Barrels of Powder, and a quantity of Proviſion, forthwith gave out Orders for Colonel Morley's Regiment to draw thither; as alſo to divers other Regiments, Troops and Companies, which they thought would be moſt ſure to them; And likewiſe gave order to Colonel Okey to draw his Regiment to the Pallace yard, upon which he marched to Tuttle-fields with four of his Troops; and from thence (having ſent one into the Pallace-yard he marched with the other three into London for countenancing the drawing together the Militia Forces, in order to a conjunction with them, which proved there ineffectual, but had other ſucceſs in Southwark, where by like directions, Colonel Thomſons Regiment drew together under the Command of their Lieutenant Colonel; and that6 no endeavours might be wanting, Orders were ſent to Col. Hackers Regiment, quartering in and about Leicesterſhire, and other Troops in other remote places in the Countrey, to march to Westminſter with all ſpeed; the tendency whereof, muſt naturally lead to the engaging the City, Countrey, and Army, in blood.
The Officers of the Army having received notice of theſe things, and being greatly amuſed at ſo ſtrange and ſudden a mutation, and that the office of Commander in chief, ſhould be thus minute executed by the hand of my Lord Fleetwood, and the next, by the hands of Sir Arthur Haſilrig, Col. Morley, and Col. Walton; and that Orders were ſo ſpeedily haſtned out for the drawing of force together, were in great doubt, that ſuch ſtrange and violent courſes, did portend ſome ſad and fatal event: And thereupon, they judged it their duty, for preſervation of themſelves, their friends, and honeſt intereſt in the Nation and Army, to draw together in Arms, and march to the Palace yard at Westminster, (the place they had appointed for their Rendezvous) to underſtand the reaſons and grounds of their ſo aſſembling themſelves together: And being arrived there, and perceiving that ſeveral Companies of Col. Morley's Regiment were placed in the Hall, Gatehouſe, Clockhouſe, and Exchequer Chamber, and thereabouts, in hoſtile manner, all endeavours were uſed to inform them of the true ſtate of affairs, and to draw them to ſuch a compliance wi•h the reſt of their Brethren of the Army, as might avoid the effuſion of blood; but finding them, by the perſwaſion of their leaders, obſtinately bent to oppoſe, We found our ſelves neceſſitated to put the Forces into a poſture of defen•e; and for the grounds and reaſons aforementioned, (as alſo, that they might no be further encouraged and countenanced in ſuch a dangerous oppoſition, to the apparent hazard of the publick peace) to put a period and determination to the Parliaments meeting together; and think our ſelves yet further obliged, for preventing of the manifold evils and inconveniences, which muſt neceſſarily fall upon the other good people of the Nation, as well as our ſelves, by reaſon of the ſeveral Orders, Acts pretended Acts, or other Declaration, or any of them, enacted, made, or paſt on Munday the 10th of this inſtant Octob. and on Tueſday and Wedneſday then next following, to declare them and every of them, null and void, to all intents and purpoſes. And do hereby declare them and every of them, and every clauſe and ſentence therein, invalid, null and void, to all intents and purpoſes: And likew•ſe all Acts, Orde•s, and proceedings thereupon had or done, in as7 full, and ample manner, as if the ſaid Orders, Acts, pretended Act or Declarations, and every of them, had never been. All which, we thought fit to publiſh and declare, to the end, all perſons concerned, may take notice thereof; and no perſon whatſoever, ſuffer any further prejudice thereby, hoping that all peaceable, well minded and unprejudiced perſons, will acquieſce in the neceſſity and juſtice thereof.
And now we ſhall conclude, in declaring to the World, that it is upon our hearts, and we earneſtly deſire, and ſhall endeavour, that a due liberty may be aſſured to all the free born people of theſe Nations, both as Men and Chriſtians: that a full and through Reformation of the Law may be effected, as alſo that a faithful godly and painful Goſpel preaching Miniſtery may be encouraged and provided for, by ſome certain way that may be leſſe troubleſom to them, and leſſe vexatious to the people, then that of Tithes.
And we do further declare, That we have no aim or ends, to ſet up a Military or Arbitrary Government over this Commonwealth, but have already provided, that the Civil and Executive part of Government may be lodged in a Committee of ſafety, and they obliged in a ſhort time, to prepare ſuch a form of Government, as may beſt ſuit and comport with a free State and Commonwealth, without a ſingle Perſon, Kingſhip, or Houſe of Pears: And that we ſhall to the utmoſt of our endeavours, labor to obtain thoſe deſirable things ſo often declared for; and to maintain and preſerve the peace of theſe Nations in our ſeveral Stations and Places, and ſhall hope, that God for his own Glory, and the good of his own People, will give a bleſſed end of theſe troubles, by a happy ſettlement upon the principles formerly declared for; and which have been, and ſtill are ſo earneſtly breathed after, by all thoſe who truly fear his Name,
Who, we doubt not, being truly ſenſible of the many temptations beſetting us on every hand, the great difficulties we labor under, (and know not what farther ſtraits a day may bring forth) will ſay on our behalfs, who are ſufficient for theſe things? And out of former experiences, being taught, that the Lord is a preſent help in time of trouble, will ery aloud for us before the Throne of Grace, That the Lord himſelf may appear, and carry on his own work in our hands. And if it ſhall pleaſe him by his Spirit, to ſtir up thoſe that fear his Name, to be inſtant on our behalfs, We ſhall not fear what evil men can do unto us.
8Thus having preſented you with the ſtate of the Caſe betwixt the Parliament and Army, we ſhall proceed to ſome particulars touching the Effects thereof, upon the return of divers Members to their reſpective Counties; who by their intermingled influence upon the Royall Presbyter, as well as Independent, excited the people to no ſmall diſcompoſure of affections againſt the Souldiery, enumerating the dangerous conſequences of a ſtanding army, and their Deſign to introduce a new Government by a ſingle perſon: Withall Declaring, That the people by their electing Members, to repreſent them in Parliament, ought not to have their National Knot cut with their own Sword, but to have it employed in the preſervation and defence of their juſt Rights and Liberties, for which end it was raiſed, formed and erected; and that every Individual Member of the Commonwealth ought to be instrumental in the conſervation thereof, ſo far as it may be lawful, warrantable, & conſiſtent with the Laws of God and Man.
Hereupon Sir Arthur Haſlerigg ſeemed not a little active in promoting the Parliaments Intereſt in the North, and to depreſs, extinguiſh, and alienate the peoples affections from the Army, which they are prone and inclinable to. And for the more feaſible and effectuall accompliſhing of this Grand Affair, a Letter was ſent into Scotland, deſiring Gen. Monck forthwith to march into England; whoſe expectations ('tis ſaid) will be anſwered, with his own perſon at the head of an Army, conſiſting of eight or ten thouſand Horſe and Foot. So that it is feared, a war may break in of the Scottiſh ſide, and like a Deluge ſweep all into Confuſion. To prevent which, the Lord Lambert (we hear) is deſigned for thoſe parts, with 7 Regiments of Horſe and Foot, who are to march from the City of London, towards York.