1. THat wee never did, nor ever will take Armes, but in all true Loyalty to his Ma­jestie, the Defence of the established Re­ligion, his Majesties just Prerogative, and the Liberties of the English Subject, in the Rights of Parliament.

2. That the occasion of this Warre is given by those that by injurious calumniation, and false surmises of the Parliaments intention to lessen, or abate his Majesties Royall Prerogative for the future, have withdrawn his Majesties person and affection from that his great Counsell.

3. That the Persons of all the Lord Lieutenants were approved by his Majestie; that most of these Lords and their Deputies were formerly imploy'd in the said Service.

That the Warre in Sommersetshire was begun up­on those that were peaceably marching to a Muster in the ordinary way.

4. That some of those that were persecuted for rai­sing that Warre, were the men that infested Cornwall and now Devonshire with violence and oppression.

5. That the Sheriffes raising of the power of the County is unjust, because the Musters by authority of Parliament are no unlawfull Assemblies.

6. That the Commission of Array is illegall, because so declared in Parliament, after it had beene presented and petitioned against as a grievance, by some Coun­ties, amongst the rest this of Devonshire, because it is in many points opposite to the Liberty of the Subject, and cannot be executed with equity.

7. That the Commission of Array, and the Sheriffes power now put in execution against the Parliaments proceedings, are breaches of the Peace, and destructive to the Kingdome, in raising a Civill Warre within it; and to Religion, by hindring the suppression of the Rebellion in Ireland, and by inciting the Papists to joyne with the Array Forces in England.

8. That all those that take Armes against the Parlia­ment, and their Defenders, doe falsifie their Potestati­on generally taken, and doe cause a breach of his Ma­jesties promise, and as we believe his gracious intenti­on, not to make Warre against his Parliament.

9. That no Subject can truely keepe his Oath of Al­legiance, that doth not keep his Protestation, the Oath [Page 3]of Allegiance being made to the King as his Liege or lawfull Lord.

10. That such as make Warre upon the Parliament, doe what in them lies to destroy all Parliaments, and consequently to change the goverment of the King­dome by Statute Lawes, and Courts of Justice, into an Arbitrary Goverment, which is no lesse then Trea­son.

These grounds thus laid, being infallibly true, and since the person of his sacred Majesty is as it were made Captive to the wills of those that for private ends and their impunity for Capitall offences, keep his Majesty from his great Councell: And since these Cavaliers that have fallen into Cornewall and now into Devon­shire, are of the same party and designe.

We can do no lesse then forewarne all his Majesties loving Subjects, not only of the illegallity of their pro­ceedings, but also of the dangerous and inevitable evill consequently falling upon this Kingdom, if they should prevaile. And to invite all such as love his Majesty, and desire to maintaine the hearty affection of his peo­ple towards him and his posterity, not to be allured by their perswasions and insinuations of their loyalty, and our Rebellion, or by their threats of death, our destru­ction, to be terrified from their duties to God, the King, and the publique weale, but to stand firme for the holy truth which they have professed in all loyalty, as they have protested, not sparing their Purses or their paines, or the hazard of their lives for the defence thereof.

And whereas divers of the good Subjects of this Country have been lately seduced through feare to obey their unlawfull and pernitious commands, [Page 4]though they cannot but see them tending to their own ruine, we do invite them to returne to their first pro­fessed Allegiance and duty to the King and Parlia­ment, and we shall be ready to imbrace them in the Armes of Christian Love and friendship, and be their Mediators to the Parliament for their full reconcilia­tion, if we finde it to be done speedily and really.

And whereas great scandall hath been taken, and many feares put into the people minds, that our Troupers and Dragoneers are Authorized to plunder and take away the goods of the Inhabitants of this County, we desire that all men should hereby know, that no Trouper or other Souldier, ever had any other Authority then to secure the persons of noted oppo­sites or to secure the Arms and Horses for War, of such as would turne them against us, or cannot keep them from the adverse partie, for all other goods which have or may be taken in that manner, we disavow the giving of any such Authority, and will do our best to punish all such as shall be found Delinquents in that kinde.