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and the example of the best reformed Churches wee shall alsoe indeauoure that Parliaments may be restored to theire priuiledges and freedome by whose aduise wee doe declare our resoluĉons are to gouerne and to setle all differences and distempers That o' people may enioy theire libtie and ppertie, ffree from armies quarteringe or illegall imposicons. these beinge or cleere intenčons and resoluĉons wee expect and invite all or good subiects of England and Dominion of Wales to. wth and assist vs accordinge to theire dutie and allegiance And such as are in Armes either in Scotland or England vnder Oliuer Cromwell p'sentlie after knowledge hereof to ley them downe, or to come in and ioyne wth vs in or Armie where they shall receiue protection and full assurance of satisfaccon in theire arreares, and to euidence how farr wee are from reuenge or continnuinge the vnhappie difference betwixt vs and of subjects, wee doe declare and engage o'selfe to giue or consent to A full Acte of obliuion and indempnities, for the securitie of all or subiects of England and Dominion of Wales in theire persons freedomes and estates, for all things doone by them relatinge to these warrs these eleaven yeares last past And that they shall neuer be called in question by vs for any of them Provided that imediatlie after knowledge of this or gracious offer and declaracon they desist from assistinge the vsurped Authoritie of the p'tended Comonwealth of England And to returne to theire obedience to vs exceptinge onlie from this or gracious offer Oliuer Cromwell, Henry Ierton, John Bradshawe, John Cooke theire p'tended solicit, and all others who did actuallie sitt and vote in the murther of or Royall ffather, And seeinge in this seruice wee haue made vse of the affection and assistance of our loyall subiects of Scotland who cannot possiblie mainetaine theire whole Armie in England wee therefore require some of qualitie or authoritie in each Countie were wee shall march, to come to vs, that necessarie prouisions may be regularlie brought into the Armie, And wee doe declare that the Counties from whom such shall come, they shall receiue noe other p'iudice, except such of them as shall oppose vs, or driue away their Catle and prouisions from vs, And because itt shall bee or mayne endeauor that our subiects of England and Dominion of Wales may be safe in their persons free in their goods, and as little burthened as may bee, And as wee are resolued to permitte noe plunder or rapine, or takeinge any mans person who is not in Actuall opposicon to vs, wch, wee shall not in all seueritie punish soe if or. Armie shall bee forced to bee troublesome to some places and persons more then others It shall be our endeauours as soone as is possible that they may receaue pporčonablie satisfacon and the burthen to bee equall. And lastlie wee doe declare

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the seruice beeinge done the Scotch Armie shall retyre That soe all armies may bee disbanded, and A lastinge peace may be setled wth, religion and righteousnes.

Giuen att our Royall Campe att Woodhouse neare the bords. the 5th of August 1651.

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MOST GRATIOUS SOVERAIGNE

WEE your Maties: most Loyall & faithfull Subiects ye Commons Assembled in Parlamt: doe in the first place as in all duty bound returne yo Matie: most humble & harty Thankes, for the many gratious pmisses & Assurances which your Matie. hath Seueral times dueringe this p'sent Parl. giuen to us, yt youre Majtie: would secure & maintaine vnto vs the true Re formed Protestant Religion our Libertys and propertys wch most gratious Assurances, youre Majtie: hath out of youre great goodnesse been pleased to renue vnto us more pticulerly at the openinge of this p'sent Sessions of Parliam*.

And further wee crave Leave humbly to Rep'sent, that wee haue with all dutty & expedičon taken into oure consideraĉon seuerall parts of youre Majties: Last Speech to us & with all ye declaračon therein menconed for Indulgence to dissenters Dated the 15th of March last, & wee find oure selves bound in Duty to Informe youre Majtie. That penall Statutes in matters Ecclesiastical cannot bee suspended but by Act of Parliam

Wee therefore the Knights Citizens & Burgesses of youre Majties. house of Commons doe most humbly beseech youre Majtie: that the Lawes may haue there free Course vntill it shall bee otherwise prouided for by Act of Parliam: & that youre Majtie, would bee gratiously pleased to giue such derections herein that noe apprehensions or Iealousies may remaine in the harts of youre Majties, good & faithfull Subiects

Artickles of the Commons assembled in Parliamt: against Thomas Earle of Strafford in manteynance of their accusacons whereby he standeth charged wth high Treason

1. THAT he the said Thomas Earle of Strafford hath Trayterously endeavoured to subvert the fundamentall lawes & governem. of the Realmes of England & Ireland, and instead thereof, to introduce an Arbitary and

Tirannical governm'. against Lawe, wch, he hath declared by Traterous words Councells & records, and by giveinge his Matie, advice by force of Armes to compell his Loyall Subiects to submitt there vnto.

2. That he hath Trayterously assumed to himselfe Regall power over the lives and lib'tyes of psons Lands & goods of his Mats: subiects in England & Ireland, & hath exercised the same Tirannically to the subvertion & vndoeinge of many both of Peeres & others of his Mats: Leige people. 3. The better to inrich & inable himselfe to goe through wth, his Trayterous desires he hath deteyned a great pte of his Mats: Revenewes wthout giveinge a legall account, and he hath taken great somes out of the exchequer : convertinge them to his owne vse, when his Matie: was Necessitated for his owne vrgent ocations, And his Army had beene a longe time vnpaid. 4. That he hath Trayterously abused the power & authoritye of his governm to the increasinge Countenanceinge & incourageinge of Papists, that soe he might setle a mutuall dependance & Confidence betwixt himselfe and that ptie, and by theire helpe psecute & acomplish his malitious & Tirannical designes.

5. That he hath mallitiously endeavoured to stirr vp enmity & hostillity betweene his Mats: subiects of England & those of Scotland.

6. That he hath traiterously broken the great trust reposed in him by his Matie of Leevtennante generall of his army by willfull betrayeinge diverse of his Mats: subiects to death, his Army to a dishonTM. defeate by the Scotts at Newborne & the Towne of newcastle into theire hands, to the end that by the effusion of Blood, by dishonno' of soe great a Losse of Newcastle his Mats: Realme of England might be ingaged in a Nationall & irreconcileable quarrell of the Scotts.

7. That to pserve himselfe from beinge questioned for theise & other his trayterous causes, he laboured to subvert the Rights of Parliam'. and the ancient courses of Parliamentary proceedings and by false & mallitious slanders to incense his Matie: against Parliam*.

By wch words & acords he hath Trayterously and Contrary to his alleagance laboured to allienate the harts of the Kings Leige people from his Matie: to set a diuission betweene them, & to Ruine & destroy his Mats: Kingdomes for wch they Impeach him of high Treason against our soveraigne Lord the Kinge, his Crowne & dignitye.

And he the said Earle of Strafford was Lord deputie of Ireland or Leevtent. of Ireland, and Leivtennt: general of the army vnder his Mats: most excellent Matie: for his Kingdomes both of England & Ireland, & Lord

p'sident of the North dureinge the time that all & every of these Crimes & offences before sett forth were done & Comitted.

And he the said Earle was Leeveten'. generall of his Mats: Army in the North pts of England durein the time that the Crimes & offences in the 5 & 6 article set forth were done & Comitted.

And the said Commons by protestacons saveinge to themselves the Libtye of exhibitinge at any time hereafter, any other acusacon or Impeachm'. against the said Earle, and alsoe of replieinge to the answers that the said Earle shall make vnto the said artickles, or to anie of them, and bringe prooffes vnto the said artickles or to anie of them, or any other Impeachma: or acusacon that shall be exhibited by them, (as the cause shall acordinge to the Course of Parliam*: require) doe pray that the said Earle may be put to his answere, for all & every the p'misses, that such pceedinge examinacons, Trialls & Iudgmts: may be vpon every of them had & vsed as is agreeable to Lawe & Iustice.

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I EXPECTED (accordinge to yo' vsuall custome) to haue receiued a letter from you by this last post, but I heare not of anie; I have sent you here a Coppie of the bill of Attainder against the Earle of Strafford, together with the names of all those wch gaue their votes for him, and alsoe some passages in the Parliam'. the last weeke; and a Coppie of a protestacon made yesterdaie by the house of Commons. what other newes I haue to acquaint yo with, is somewhat fearfull, and what will ensue god knowes, for the Cittie hearinge of the declaračon the Kinge made in the vpper house vppon Saturdaie last, the substance of wch is here inclosed, there came such multitudes of people yesterdaie flockinge to Westmister hall, that not onelie the hall and all the open Courts, but alsoe the old Pallace yeard, and a great part of the new Pallace yard were filled, onelie Masters and ffreemen, noe prentises, and divers of them were men of good fashion & qualitie and very neare as many to daie, and cryed out vpon the Lords as they came to and from the house, sayinge good my Lord, Iustice, Iustice, good my Lord let vs haue Iustice, in soe much that some of the Lords went by water, beinge somewhat timerous to come thorrow such a Crowde, and speciallie such as were the Deputies ffriends. yet they did not offer anie abuse, for they had noe weapons at all, not soe much as a sticke that I sawe anie of them haue, but to daie there were diuers of them had swords, yet they did not offer anie violence,

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but they said absolutelie if they cold not haue Iustice, the Lords should here of them in another manner. They pferred a peticon yesterdaie to the Lords, the effect whereof was to haue Iustice executed vpon the Earle of Strafford for they had noe tradeinge, but were glad to turne away their servants by reason their Commodities went not of, and therefore desired there might bee a quicke dispatch wth him meaninge & some of them. Intimatinge to the Lords as they came by, that they would haue his head cutt of, wthout wch (for anie thinge I heare) they will not rest satisfied, they alsoe desired in their peticon there might bee a stronger guard kept about the Tower, for that there was cause to suspect the Earle's escape the last night; for they said hee had puided 2 hundred armed men to take him away by force, soe the Lord Newport and 2 or 3 Lords besides were sent with a competent number of men to guard the Tower all Night. The Lords Answere to them was, that they should haue Iustice, and they will not medle in anie other busines till this bee brought to some conclusion wch, is thought wilbee before Sundaie next. and soe what will bee done the Lord knowes but the tymes are verie dangerous, & likelye to bee worse if some speedie course bee not taken for prevention of ensuinge dangers. therefore I pray god send a happie conclusion of all things, and you shall heare from me (god willinge) of this weeks passages by the next post. The Prince of Orenge came into London this daie fortnett, (wch I omitted in my last weekes letter) and was married to the Princes Mary vpon Sundaie last. you writt in yo' last that I should buy you two books, that which you said was but at 6 or 7. is at twentie shillings, it is a great booke in folio, and for Erasmus his Apothegmes, you write not whether you would haue it in English or latine, but you may haue it in eyther & the price is 2o: soe let me knowe by the next post, whether you will haue them bought or noe, or noe, thus wth my humble service to yo'selfe & my good Mris: I take leave & rest.

Yo' true faithfull servant

4° Maij 1641.

JOHN BLACKBURNE

Sr Willm Culpeppers Speech Die Sabbati 14° Nouemb: 1640

I HAVE but one Greevance to offer you: but this one compriseth many it is a Nest of Wasps a swarme of Vermyne wch haue ouercropt the land I meane the Monopolizers, the Polons of the people, those that like the froggs of Egipt haue gotten possession of ou' dwellings, wee haue scarce a roome free from them, they Sippe in ou' Cupps, they Dippe in our Dishes,

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