A DECLARATION TO HIS MAIESTY.

ALthough the expreſſions of your Majeſties Meſſage, the ſecond of this inſtant Moneth, doe give juſt cauſe of ſorrow to Us your Maje­ſties faithfull Subjects, the Lords and Commons in Parliament; yet it is not without ſome mixture of Confidence and Hope, conſider­ing they proceed from the Miſap­prehenſions of our Actions and Intentions, which having no ground of truth or reallity, may, by your Majeſties Juſtice and VViſdome be removed, when your Majeſty ſhall be fully informed, that theſe feares and jealouſies of Ours, which your Majeſty thinks to be Cauſeleſſe, and without juſt grounds, doe neceſſarily and clearly ariſe from theſe dangers and diſtempers, into which the miſchievous and evill Councellors about you have brought this Kingdome: and that thoſe other feares and jealouſies by which your favour, your Boyall preſence and Confidence have bin withdrawn from your Parlia­ment, have no foundation or ſubſiſtence in any Action, In­tention, or Miſcarriage of Ours, but are meerly grounded upon the falſhood and malice of thoſe, who for the ſup­porting and fomenting their own wicked deſignes againſt2 the Religion and Peace of this Kingdome, doe ſeek to deprive your Majeſty of the ſtrength and affection of your People, them of your Grace and protection; and there by to ſubject both your Royall perſon and the whole Kingdome to ruine and deſtruction.

To ſatisfie your Majeſties. Judgement and Conſcience in both theſe points, We deſire to make a cleare and free Declaration, of the Cauſes of our feares and jealouſies, which We offer to your Majeſtie in theſe particulars.

1. That the deſigne of Altering Religion, in this, and in your other Kingdomes, hath bin potently carryed on by thoſe in greateſt Authority about you, for divers yeares together; and that the Queens Agent at Rome, and the Popes Agent at Nuncio here, are not only evidences of this deſigne, but have bin great Actors in it.

2. That the Warres with Scotland was procured to make way for this Intention, and chiefly incited and fo­mented by the Papiſts, and others Popiſhly affected, wher­of we have many evidences, eſpecially their free and ge­nerall Contribution to it.

3. That the Rebellion in Ireland was framed and con­trived here in England; and that the Engliſh Papiſts ſhould have riſen about the ſame time, We have divers teſtimo­nies and Advertiſements from Ireland; and that it is a common ſpeech among the Rebells, wherewith concurre other Evidences and obſervations of the ſuſpitious Meet­ings and Conſultations; the tumultuary and ſeditious carriage of thoſe of that Religion, in divers parts of the Kingdome; about the breaking out of the Iriſh Rebellion; the Depoſition of O Conneli; the Information of Mr Cole Miniſter, the Better of Preſtram Whitcomb; the Depoſition of Thomas Crant; and many others, which we may produce doe all agree in this.

4. The publicke Declaration of the Lords, Gentlemen, and others of the Pale that they would joyne with the Robells, whom they call the Iriſh Army, or any other, to recover unto his Majeſty his Royall Prerogative wreſted from him by the Puritan Fuction in the Houſes of Parlia­ment in England; and to maintaine the ſame againſt all others; as alſo to maintaine Epiſcopall juriſdiction, and thereof, theſe two being the Quarrells upon which his Majeſties late Army in the North ſhould have bin incen­ſed againſt us.

5. The great Cauſe we have to doubt, that the late deſigne, ſtyled The Queens pious Intention, was for the Alteration of Religion in this Kingdome: for ſucceſſe whereof the Hopes Nuntio, and Count Roſetti injoyned Faſting and Praying to be obſerved every week, by the Engliſh Papiſts, which appeared to Us by one of the Ori­ginall Letters directed by him to a Prieſt in Lancaſhire.

6. The boldnes of the Rebells in affirming They doe nothing but by Authority from the King; that they call themſelves the Queens Army; that the Prey or Booty which they take from the Engliſh, they marke with the Queens Marke. That their purpoſe was to come into England, after they had done in Ireland and ſundry other things of this kind proved by O Connelt, and divers others; eſpecially the aforementioned. Letter from Treſtram Whitecombe the Major of Kinſaile to his Brother Benjamin Whitecomb, wher­in there is this paſſage, that Many other ſpeeches they utter about Religion and our Court of England, which he dares not commit to paper.

The man old Attempts to provoke your Majeſties late Army, another Army of the Scots, and to raiſe a Faction in the City of London and other parts of the Kingdome; that thoſe who have bin Actors in this buſineſſe, have had their4 Dependance, Countenance and Inconragement from the Court, witneſſe the Treaſon wherof Mr Germin and other­ſtand accuſed, who were tranſported beyond Sea by War­rant under your Majeſties hand, after your Majeſty had given. Aſſurance to your Parliament that your Majeſty had layd a ſtrict command upon all your Servants, that none of them ſhould depart from Court; and that dangerous Petition delivered to Captaine Legge by your Majeſties owne hand, accompanied with a Direction ſigned with C. R.

The falſe and ſcandalous Accuſation againſt the Lord Kymbellon, and the Five Members of the Houſe of Com­mons, tendred to the Parliament, by your Majeſties owne Command, endeavouring to be juſtified in the City by your own preſence and perſwaſion; and to be put in exe­cution upon their Perſons, by your Majeſties demand of them in the Houſe of Commons, in ſo terrible and violent a manner, as farre exceeded all former breaches of Privi­ledges of Parliament, acted by your Majeſty, or any of your Predeceſſors: And whatſoever your own Intentions were, divers bloody and deſperate perſons, which attended your Majeſty, diſcovered their affections and reſolutions to have maſſacred and deſtroyed the Members of that Houſe; if the abſence of thoſe Perſons accuſed, had not by Gods providence ſtopt the giving of that Word which they expected, for the ſetting them upon that barbarous and bloody deſigne.

The Liſting of ſo many Officers, Souldiers and others, putting them into pay, and under Command of Colonells, keeping them at White Hall, Feaſting and carouſing them in an unuſuall manner, thereby maintaining them in the violent Aſſaults, and other injuries, which they offered to divers of your Subjects, comming that way in a Lawfull5 and peaceable manner; the carrying them out of the Town, and keeping them in ſo long a Pay, after which they were told by the Lord Digby that the King removed on purpoſe they might not be trampled in the durt; and endeavour­ing to ingage the Gentlemen of the Innes of Court in the ſame courſe; the plotting and deſigning of a perpetuall Guard about your Majeſty; the labouring to infuſe into your Majeſties Subjects an evill opinion of the Parliament throughout the whole Kingdome, and other ſymptomes of a diſpoſition of rayſing Armes, and dividing your Peo­ple by a Civill Warre, in which Combuſtion Ireland muſt needs be loſt, and this Realme miſerably waſted and con­ſumed, if not wholly ruined and deſtroyed.

That the Lord Digby ſhould preſame to Councell your Maje­ſty to declare your ſelfe, and to retire to a place of ſtrength in this Kingdome, and to perſwade you that you could not be ſafe among your People, and yet ſhould have ſuch Credit with you as to be ſent may by your Warrant to Sir John Pennington, to land him beyond the Sea, where he took that tranſcendent boldneſſe to vent his owne Trayterous conceptions in the Letter to the Queene, offering to entertaine a correſpondencie with her Maje­ſty by Cyphers, intimating ſome ſervice which he might doe in thoſe parts; for which he deſired your Majeſties In­teations, whereby in all probability he intended the procureing of ſome Forreigne Forces to ſtrengthen your Majeſtie in that condition to which hee would have brought: which falſe and malicious Councell and advice, we have great cauſe to doubt, made too deep an impreſſion in your Majeſty, conſidering the courſe you are now plea­ſed to take, of abſenting your ſelfe from your Parliament, ang carrying the Prince with you, which ſeems to expreſſe a purpoſe in your Majeſty to keep your ſelf in a Readineſſe for the acting of it.

The manifold Advertiſements, we have had from Rome, Venice, Paris, and other parts, that they ſtill expect that you have ſome great deſigne in hand, for the Altering of Reli­gion; the breaking neck of your Parliament; that you will yet find meanes to compoſe that deſigner that the Popes Nuncio hath ſollicited the Kings of France and Spaine to lend your Majeſty 4000. men a piece to helpe to maintain your Royalty againſt the Parliament; and this of foreigne force ſeemeth to be the moſt pernicious and malignant deſigne of all the reſt, becauſe no man can beleeve you will give up your people and your Kingdome to be ſpoiled by Stran­gers, if you did not likewiſe intend both to change your own profeſſion in Religion, and the publicke profeſſion of the Kingdome, that ſo you might ſtill be more aſſured of thoſe forreigne ſtates of the Popiſh Religion for your fu­ture ſupoort and defence; but we hope God will direct your Majeſtie to better Councells.

Theſe are ſome of the grounds of our feares and jea­louſies, which made us ſo earneſtly to implore your royall Authoritie and Protection for our defence and ſecuritie, in all the wayes of humilitie and ſubmiſſion, which being denyed by your Majeſtie, ſeduced by evill Councells, We doe with ſorrow, for the great and inavoydable miſrule, which is like to fall upon your own perſon, and your King­domes, apply our ſelves to the uſe of that Power, for the ſecuritie and defence of both, which by the fundamentall Laws and Conſtitutions of this Kingdome; reſide in Us: Yet ſtill reſolving to keep our ſelves within the bounds of Faithfullneſſe and Allegeance to your ſacred perſon; and your Crownes: ſo as to the Second ſort of jealouſies and feares, of Us expreſt by your Maieſtie, We ſhall give a ſhorter, but as true and as faithfull an Anſwere.

Whereas your Majeſty is pleaſed to ſay that for your re­ſiding neere your Parliament, you wiſh it might be ſo ſafe and honourable that you had noe cauſe to abſent your ſelfe from White-hall, this we take as the greateſt breach of the priviledges of Parliament that can be offered, the heavieſt miſeri•e to your ſelfe and jniurie to us, and Impu­uation upon us, that can be imagined, the moſt miſchei­vous effect of evill Counſells, it rootes up the foundation of that ſafety and honour which the Crowne affords, it ſeems as much as may be to caſt upon the Parliament ſuch a charge as is inconſiſtent with the nature of your great Counſel being body whereof your Majeſty it the head, it ſtriks at the very being both of King and Parliament de­priving our Majeſty in your owne apprehenſion of their fidelity and them of your protection, which are the mutual bonds of Government and ſubiection.

We have according to your Maieſties deſire laid our hands upon our hearts, we have asked our ſelves in the ſtricteſt examination of our Conſbiencys, we have ſearcht our affections, our thoughts, conſidered our a&ions, and we find none that dan give your Maieſty juſt occaſion to abſent your ſelf from White-hall and the Parliament but that you may with more honour and ſafety continue there then in any other place, your Maieſty laies a generall Taxe uprn us, if you will be graciouſly pleaſed to let us konw the particulars wee ſhall give a cleere and ſatisfactory an­ſwer but what hope can we have of ever giving your Ma­ieſty ſatisfaction when theie particulars which you beene made beleeve were true yet being produced and made known to us appeared to be falſe, and your Maieſty not­withſtanding will neither puniſh nor produce the authors, but goe on to contract Jealouſies and feares upon generall and uncertaine grounds affording us no meanes or poſſibi­lity of particular Anſwer to the cleering of ourſelves: For proofe whereof we beſeech your Maieſty to conſider theſe Inſtances.

The ſpeeches alledged to be ſpoken in a meeting by di­vers Members of both Houſes at Kenſington, concerning a purpoſe of reſtraining the Queene and Prince which after it was denied and diſavowed, yet your Maieſty refuſed to Name the Authors though humbly deſired of both Houses

The report of Articles framed againſt the Queene given out by ſome of neere relation unto the Court, but when it was publiquely and conſtantly diſclaimed, the Credit ſeemed to bt with-drawn from it but the Authors being kept ſafe will alwaies be in readineſſe for exploits of the ſame kind wherewith your Majeſtie and the Queene will be troubled if this courſe betaken to cheriſh and ſecure them in ſuch wicked and mallcious ſlanders.

The heavy Charge and accuſation of the Lord Kimbol­ton and the five Members of the Houſe of Commons, who refuſe no Triall and examination which may ſtand with the Privilcdge of Parliament yet no Author, noe witneſſes produced, againſt whom they may have reparation for that great jnjury and infamy caſt upon them notwithſtanding three ſeverall Petitions of both Houſes, the Authority of two Acts of Parliament vouched in the laſt of theſe Peti­tions.

We beſeech your Majeſtie to conſider in what eſtate you are, how eaſy and faire a way you have to happineſſe, honourabe greatneſſe, plenty and ſecurity if you will joyn with the Parliamentand your faithfull Subjects in defence of the Religion and the publique good of the Kingdom: This is all we expect from you and for this wee ſhall re­turne to you our lives and fortunes & utmoſt endeavours to ſupport your Maieſty, your Soveraignty and power over us, but it is not words that can ſecure us in theſe our hum­ble deſires, we cannot but two well and ſorowfull re­member what gracious Meſſages we had from you this Summer, when with your privity the bringing uthpe Ar­my was in agitation, we cannot but with the like affecti­on recal to our minds, how not two dayes before hou gave direIion for the above mentioned accuſation and your owne comming unto the Commons Houſe, that houſe re­ceived a Meſſage that you would alwaies hav care of their Priviledges as of your owne Prerogative, of the ſafety of their Perſons as of your owne Children, that which wee expect which will give us aſſurance that you have noe thoughts but of peace and Iuſtice to your people muſt be ſome reall effect of your goodneſſe to them in graunting thoſe which the preſent neceſſity of the Kingdom doe in­force us to deſire, and in the firſt place that your Majeſty will be graciouſly pleaſed to put from you thoſe wicked and miſcheivous Counſellors which have cauſed all theſe dangers and diſtractions and continue your own reſidence and the Princes neer London and the parliament Which we hope wilbe a happy beginning of contentment and confidence be­twixt your Majeſty and your People, and be followed with many ſuc­ceeding bleſſings of honour and greatneſſe to your Msjeſty, and of ſecuri­ty and proſperity to them.