A DECLARATION Of the Noble Knights, Sir MARMADUKE LANGDALE, AND Sir LEWIS DIVES, &c.

BY vertue of two Commiſſions dated at Hague, 5. June 1649. directed to us from our dread Soveraigne Lord, CHARLES, of that name the SECOND, by the grace of GOD, KING of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland, Defendor of the Faith: Whereby we were injoyned to make our ſpeedy repaire to the Iſle of Man, and there to give our beſt aſſiſtance both in Counſel and Perſonall Service, to the Right Honourable, JAMES, Earle of Darby, the true and noble Lord thereof, in keeping of that Iſland for His MAJESTIES ſervice, wherein was ſweetly and conſequently involved, the de­fence of the true Proteſtant Religion, in ſubſtance and forme as it was profeſſed in the daies of Queen Elizabeth, King James, and King Charles the Firſt, Princes of bleſſed and glorious me­mory; the eſtabliſhing His Majeſty in His Thrones, inveſted with His juſt Power and Greatneſſe, from which He is moſt injuriouſ­ly and trayterouſly kept; the reſtoring Parliaments to their an­tient Priviledges, which are moſt violently broken; the mainte­nance of the fundamentall Lawes moſt ſtrangely violated, and redeeming the people, now moſt barbarouſly vaſſalaged, to their antient Freedome; and laſtly, the bringing to juſtice the Murde­rers of the KING His Father, which horrid and ſalvage act, we proteſt before God and the whole world, we abhorre from our ſoules, and tremble to heare of: In obedience to which high Command, and at the ſerious perſwaſions of our judgments and conſciences, with all convenient ſpeed, we made our repaire to the Iſle of Man. Where we found the Right Honourable, the2 Earle of Darby (who gave us very reſpective and cheerfull en­tertainment) and whoſe fidelity, and loyalty, we muſt ever ac­knowledge and admire; conteſting and ſtrugling with the tedi­ous temptations & importunate ſolicitations of one Henry Ire­ton, who pretends himſelfe to be Commiſſary Generall to that Army under the Command of Thomas, Lord Fairfax, to whom, in the name of the Parliament of England, as he is pleaſed to call that Juncto at Westminſter, he required this Iſland to be delive­red; and for his Lordſhips encouragement therein, he was pro­miſed an Act of Indempnity for what he had formerly acted, in relation to His late Majeſties ſervice, and to be repoſſeſſed of his whole Eſtate without Compoſition: In aſſurance of his Lordſhips ſcorne and odium whereof, his Lordſhip was pleaſed to ſhew us the Copie of a Letter, which two daies before our arrivall, he had return'd by Ireton's Meſſenger for their finall An­ſwer: which Letter, (the teſtimony of his honour and loyalty) we read over with very much alacrity: and adviſed his Lordſhip to print it together with a Declaration, for ſatisfaction of His Majeſty and His three Kingdomes; and to cleare his honour of that blemiſh, with which ſome malecontented perſons might poſſibly endeavour to ſtaine it.

In purſuit of which counſell, his Lordſhip was pleaſed forth­with to draw up a Declaration, which, together with the fore-mentioned Letter, was ſpeedily diſpatched to London and com­mitted to the Preſſe, where, as appeares by ſome of them, that have ſince come to our hands, it was printed without the leaſt adulteration; and, whereas to our griefe we have ſince heard, that there are ſome that have not been wanting, with very much confidence to report, that it was a meer fiction, contriv'd by ſome Mercury, to delude the people, and was no whit the ſence of the Earl of Darby: To which we here declare, that we verily believe, that report to be framed in the Juncto, or by ſome of their Ad­herents, to deceive the people, (whom his Lordſhip was preten­ded to delude) that ſo they might encourage their Abettors, and diſcourage His Majeſties loyall Subjects from repairing hither to our aſſiſtance: And though it is very probable, that our Ene­mies will by the ſame device endeavour to darken the credit of this our preſent Declaration, yet they ſhall aſſuredly find the3 contents of both fulfilled in our faithfull keeping this Iſland for His Majeſties beſt advantage, and their worſt offence; and we hope, that though our Enemies doe find encouragement in their misbeliefe hereof, yet our loyal-hearted Friends will be no waies over-ſwayed by doubt or the credit of their report, but will with ſpeed & chearfulneſs repaire hither to an unanimous conjunction with us, where they ſhal find ſuch incouragement as his Lordſhip promiſed, and with magnanimity and honour we will reſolutely unite our daring Spirits to the finall overthrow of the Rebels in­tereſt, and their tyrannicall power both by Sea and Land.

And now we cannot but expreſſe, with how deep a ſence of our Native Countries miſeries our ſoules are affected, nor can we but lament the condition of poſterity, whoſe Fathers have ſhamefully forfeited the antient and glorious Liberty which was purchaſed by their Fore-fathers; and left them bound in the fetters of a moſt miſerable bondage: nor can we believe but that many of thoſe men, who were, in the beginning of theſe un­happy Diviſions between KING and Parliament, carried away from their Loyalty by an overmuch credulity to their faire and plauſible pretences, have been long ſince ſenſible that it was their owne ambitious ends they then proſecuted, and not the welfare of the now miſerable Kingdome; nor can we but admire, nor could we have believed, (had we not been the fad Witneſſes thereof) that any men could be ſo ſtrangely impudent, as to act ſo flat contrary to all their Oathes, Covenants, Vowes, Proteſta­tions and Declarations, to continue the Government of the Kingdome, and the juſt Power and Prerogative of the KING and His Poſterity, in the perfect fulneſſe of their due glory and ſplendour; and yet notwithſtanding all this, overthrow the very foundation of Government, decapitate the KING, and caſhiere His Poſterity; and with ſalvage barbarity declare and proclaime [that it ſhall be lawfuull for any Man to ſurprize and kill our preſent dread-Soveraigne the KING, and His Princely Brother the DUKE of Yorke, as Traytours and Spies, wherever they ſhall meet them within the limits of theſe Kingdomes] ſuch a piece of Treaſon, as we are confident, the moſt horrid, monſtrous, and execrable Traytours that ever trod upon the face of the Earth would have bluſhed to have owned; nor is this all, but even in4 the firſt yeare of Englands Freedome, (according to their owne ſtile) after they have drained the Kingdome of its treaſure, by their ſtrange and unheard-of waies for the raiſing of monies, and notwithſtanding the many and great Compoſitions which they have and daily doe receive, the ſale of the Jewels and other or­naments of State, the King, Queen, Dukes, Biſhops, Deanes and Chapters Lands, beſides His Majeſties Cuſtomes, yet to continue the Exciſe, and beyond all that, to impoſe and continue an ille­gall Tax; and ſo great as was never yet impoſed in the time of moſt urgent neceſſity ſince the Norman Conqueſt; and beyond all this, have brought in a moſt arbytrary and tyrannicall Go­vernment, in taking away the Lives of their Soveraign and His Peeres by new and illegall Courts; and have drawne the Free­borne People of England in to a moſt miſerable bondage and ſla­very, far worſe than the Turks, or any Nation under the Sun.

And as in State they have overthrown all good & wholſome Government, ſo likewiſe in Church they have ſhut out all decent and uniforme order, and let in a generall and loathſome confu­ſion; having impriſoned & ſequeſtred all the Reverend, learned, and orthodox Divines, and ſuffer in their places, none but a pee­viſh ignorant, and factious Clergy, who flatter them in their ini­quities, and delude the people in abuſing the ſence of holy Writ, and preaching nothing but Rebellion and ſedition; ſo that in ſtead of the antient Rites of the Church, the Divine Service, wholſome Doctrines and holy Sacraments, which they have quite caſt out as Popiſh, Superſtitious, and Antichriſtian, they have introduced nothing but factions, ſeditions, ſchiſmes, hereſies, and unparalell'd blaſphemies both againſt the Lord & his Anoin­ted, and have granted a generall toleration of all Religions, and (as we heare) have not only permitted, but ordered the Turkiſh Alchoran to be printed in Engliſh: and notwithſtanding the ma­ny ſcandals that they have often caſt upon His late Majeſties re­putation for upholding the Iriſh Rebellion, they have entred into a League & Confederacy with Owen Roe Oneale, that barbarous and bloody Rebell, to deſtroy all the honeſt and loyall Prote­ſtants; ſo that the world may plainly ſee that they have cheated them with their hypocriticall pretences to Religion, Faſtings & Thankſgivings, not regarding Oathes, Covenants, Proteſtations5 nor Declarations, nor caring what damnable deſignes they paſſe to the ſupport of their rebellious intereſt: ſo that by Sacriledge, Rebellion, Murder, Perjury, Theft, Oppreſſion, Tyranny & Regi­cide, they have couzened the people of their antient Lawes and Liberties, and ſubjected them to the miſerable ſlavery of their tyrannicall wills.

And now we doe declare, that in the beginning of unhappy differences being fully ſatisfied of the juſtneſſe of His late Maje­ſties cauſe, in our judgements and conſcience, according to our duty and allegiance we tooke up Armes on His Majeſties Party, where we continu'd faithfully, acting to the utmoſt of our power what ever might make for His Majeſties advantage, and have ſince manifeſted our unſtained Loyalty in our patient ſufferings, not having neglected any thing even in our moſt clouded condi­tion, which might renew His Majeſties intereſt in the Field: and we doe proteſt in the preſence of Almighty God, that we ſhall alwaies uſe the ſame fidelity and induſtry in the truſt repoſed in us by our preſent dread Soveraigne, holding our ſelves bound in the ſame bonds of fealty to His Majeſty that we were to the late King His Father, of ever bleſſed yet bleeding memory; nor ſhall we lay down Armes, but by Gods aſſiſtance faithfully and reſo­lutely purſue His Majeſties Enemies, till we have reduced all that are in Rebellion to their due obedience, brought the Murderers of His late Majeſty to ſpeedy & impartiall juſtice, and abſolutely deſtroyed their intereſt both by Land and Sea: nor can we ima­gine but that all honeſt men who have any ſence of His Majeſties ſufferings, their owne loyalty, and their Countries miſery, will chearfully give their aſſiſtance both in purſe and perſon, in carry­ing on this pious & honorable Ingagement, wherein is ſo deeply concerned maintenance of the true Proteſtant Religion, the pre­ſervation of His Majeſties Royall Perſon from murder, together with His juſt Rights and Prerogatives, the Priviledges of Parlia­ments, the Law of the Land, the Liberty of the Subject, and the ſuppreſſion of Rebellion; not queſtioning but that God will at length owne his owne cauſe, and remove all thoſe clouds which have hitherto darkned the ſplendor thereof, that ſo its true luſter may plainly & fully appear to the eye of every mans judgement, to his own glory, His Majeſties honor, & the good of the people.

From Douglas in the Iſle of Man. Auguſt the 5. 1649.