TO THE KINGS moſt Excellent MAJESTY The humble Anſwer of the Lords and Commons in Parliament Aſſembled.

WEE the Lords and Commons in Parlia­ment Aſſembled, do preſent this our humble Anſwer to your Majeſties meſ­ſage of the 11. of this inſtant moneth of Septemb. When we conſider the oppreſ­ſions, rapines, firing of houſes, murthers, (even at this time whileſt your Majeſty propounds a Treaty) Committed upon your good Sub­jects by your Souldiers, in the preſence, and by the autho­rity of their commanders, being of the number of thoſe, whom your Majeſty holds your ſelfe bound in honour and conſcience to protect as perſons doing their duties; wee cannot thinke your Majeſty hath done all that in you lies to prevent or remove the preſent diſtractions, nor ſo long as your Majeſty will admit no peace without ſecuring the Authors and Inſtruments of theſe miſchiefes from the juſtice of the Parliament, which yet ſhall be ever diſpenc'd with all requiſite moderation, and diſtinction of offen­ces, although ſome of thoſe perſons be ſuch in whoſe pre­ſervation your Kingdome cannot be ſafe, nor the unqueſti­onable rights and priviledges of Parliament be maintain­ed: without which, the power and dignity thereof will fall into contempt: We beſeech your Majeſty therefore to con­ſider your expreſſions, That God ſhall deale with you and your poſterity as your Majeſty deſires the preſervation of the juſt rights of Parliament, which being undeniable in the trying of ſuch as we have declared to be Delinquents, we ſhall beleeve your Majeſty, both towards your ſelte and Parliament, will not in this priviledge we are moſt ſen­ſible of, deny us that which belongs unto the meaneſt Court of Juſtice in this Kingdome: neither hath your Ma­jeſty cauſe to complaine that you are denyed a Treaty, when we offer all that a Treaty can produce, or your Ma­jeſty expect, ſecurity, honor, ſervice, obedience, ſupport, and all other effects of an humble loyall and faithfull ſubjecti­on; and ſeeke nothing, but that our Religion, Liberty, Peace of the Kingdome, ſa•ty of the Parliament, may be ſecured from the open violence, and cunning practiſes of a wicked party, who have long plotted our ruine and de­ſtruction: And if there were any cauſe of Treaty, we know no competent perſons to Treate betwixt the King and Parliament: And if both cauſe and perſons were ſuch as to invite Treaty, The ſeaſon is altogether unfit, whileſt your Majeſties Standard is up, and your Proclamations and Declarations••••••…lled, whereby your Parliament is ch•••••with Treaſon.

If Your Majeſty ſhall perſiſt to make Your ſelfe a ſhield and defence to thoſe inſtruments, and ſhall continue to reject our faithfull and neceſſary advice, for ſecuring and maintaining Religion and Liberty, with the peace of the Kingdome, and ſafety of the Parliament, we doubt not but to indifferent judgments it will eaſily appeare who ismoſt tender of that innocent Blood which is like to be ſpilt in this cauſe, Your Majeſty, who by ſuch perſiſting, doth en­danger your ſelfe, and your Kingdomes, or we who are willing to hazzard our ſelves to preſerve both. We hum­bly beſeech Your Majeſty to conſider〈…〉••w impoſſible it is, that any Proteſtation, though publiſhed in Your Maje­ſties Name, of Your tenderneſſe of the miſeries of your Proteſtant Subjects in Ireland, of your reſolution to main­taine the proteſtant Religion, and Lawes of this Kingdom, can give ſatisfaction to reaſonable and indifferent men, when at the ſame time divers of the Iriſh Traytors and Rebels, the knowne favourers of them, and agents for them are admitted to Your Majeſties preſence with grace and favour, and ſome of them imployed in Your ſervice: when the Cloathes, Munition, Horſes, and other neceſſa­ries bought by Your Parliament, and ſent for the ſupply of the Army againſt the Rebels there, are violently taken a­way, ſome by Your Majeſties command, others by Your miniſters, and applied to the maintenance of an unnaturall warre againſt Your people here.

All this notwithſtanding, as we never gave your Majeſty any juſt cauſe of withdrawing Your ſelfe from your great Councell, ſo it hath ever been and ſhall ever be farre from us to give any impediment to your returne, or to neglect any proper meanes of curing the diſtempers of the King­dome, and cloſing the dangerous breaches betwixt your Majeſty and your Parliament, according to the great truſt which lies upon us. And if your Majeſty ſhall now be pleaſed to come backe to Your Parliament, without Your Forces, we ſhall be ready to ſecure your Royall Perſon, your Crowne and Dignity with our lives and fortunes; your preſence in this your great Councell being the onely meanes of any Treaty betwixt your Majeſty and them, with hope of ſucceſſe.

And in none of our deſires to your Majeſty ſhall we be ſwayed by any particular mans advantage, but ſhall give a cleere teſtimony to your Majeſty and the whole World, that in all things done by us, we faithfully intend the good of your Majeſty, and of your Kingdomes. And that we will not be diverted from this end by any private or ſelfe­reſpects whatſoever.

To Our Right Truſty and Wellbeloved, The SPEAKER of the Houſe of PEERES.

WE have taken moſt w•ies, uſed moſt endeavours, and made moſt reall ex­preſſions to prevent the preſent diſtra­ctions and dangers; let all the World judge, as well by former paſſages as by Our two laſt Meſſages, which have been ſo fruitleſſe, that though we have deſcended to de­ſire and preſſe it, not ſo much as a treaty can be obtained, unleſſe we would denude our ſelfe of all force to deſend us from a viſible ſtrength marching againſt us, and admit thoſe perſons as Traitors to Vs who according to their duty, their pathes of Allegiance, and the Law, have ap­peared in defence of Vs their King and Liege-Lord,〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉whom We are bound in Conſcience and Honour to p••­ſerve, though We diſclaimed all Our Proclamations and Declarations, and erecting of Our Standard as a­gainſt Our Parliament: All We have now left in Our power is to expreſſe the deepe ſenſe We have of the pub­lique miſery of this Kingdome, in which we involved that of our diſtreſſed proteſtants of Ireland, and to ap­ply our ſelfe to our neceſſary defence, wherin we wholly rely upon the providence of God, and the Iuſtice of our cauſe, and the affection of our good people, ſo far We are from putting them out of Our protection, when you ſhall deſire a treaty of Vs•…We ſhall piouſly remember whoſe bloud is to be ſpilt in t•••quarrell, and cheereful­ly embrace it. And as no other reaſon induced Vs to leave our City of London, but that with honour and ſafety We could not ſtay there nor raiſe any force, but for the neceſſary defence of Our Perſon, and the Law, againſt levies in oppoſition to both, ſo we ſhall ſuddenly and moſt willingly return to the one and disband the o­ther as ſoone as thoſe cauſes ſhall be removed. The God of Heaven direct you and in mercy divert thoſe judge­ments which hang over this Nation, And ſo•eale with Vs and our Poſterity as we deſire the preſervation, and advancement of the true Proteſtant Religion, the Law and liberty of the Subject, the juſt rights of Parliament, and the peace of the Kingdome.