I Presume you are not Ignorant of the successe it hath plea­sed Almighty God to give his Majesties Army under my Command: and the great desire I have to avoyd the effusion of Christian bloud, which makes me before I proceed any fur­ther towards you, to make you offer of His Majesties Grace and Mercy, if you will submit your selves, lay down your arms so unjustly taken up in contempt of the Lawes of this King­dome, and immediatly returne to your due Allegiance, His Majestie is graciously pleased to authorise me to receive you into His Favour vnd protection, which I am as willing to do, as to reduce you by force to your Obedience if you shall refuse.

I cannot but wonder, whilst you fight against the KING and His Authority, you should so boldly presume to proffer your selves for KING and Parliament, and most ignomini­ously scandalize this Army with the title of Papists, when we venture our Lives and fortunes for the preservation of the true Protestant Religion, established in this Kingdom:

Be no longer deceived, for that bloud that shall be shed in this Quarrell, will assuredly fall on your own heads; I have no other end in this, but to let you see your Errors if you please, (for my Condition is such, that I need not court you) if not, let me receive your answer by this Messenger: And this, you may expect to finde little favour, if you force my Nature, but such as is due to so high contemners of His Majesties Grace and Favour now offered to you, By

THe lofty Summons of the Earl of Newcastle sent to Manchester, marcheth in the steps of the summons sent by the great Assyrian Monarch to Jerusalem; Know ye not what I & my father have done unto all the people of other Lands? and if it conclude in the like end, it will make good that ancient truth, a high minde goes before a fall. But withall he assumes, that his de­sire to save the effusion of christian blood should be as notorious, as his Conquests; but what other businesse more then the effusion of blood hath that person that fights against a just cause? and against men more righ­teous then he himselfe? against men that desire onely to keepe their own; their own Religion, Liberties, and possessions? and is it a signe of a sparing blood to put into his Army a multitude of those men, who are the sons of that Scarlet whoore, which is drunke with the blood of the Saints? and who are Burgesses of that ci­ty, wherein will be found the blood of all that are slain upon the earth? and yet it seems to call the successe of such a popish and scarlet Army a gift (of favour) from Almighty God, but herein we may greatly mistake; such successe is indeed a chastisement upon those whom God doth both covet and love: but to him and his ar­my, it may only be so much favour as to make them [Page 5] rods of anger, whose end is commonly in the fire; It is the very doome of heaven, upon such a Rod, The Lord of Hoasts shall send among his fatt ones leannes, and under his glory shall he kindle a burning, like the burning of a fire.

But why doth he looke so far as heaven, to find out a God for his popish army? for they have gods nearer at hand, even portable, manuall, and eatable gods, which they carry in their hands, or put into their poc­kets, or eate in their mouths; witnesse that god of bread which the priests held up in their hands before the peo­ple, and after eate with their mouths; and witnesse that golden god found in the pocket of the Earl of Northampton; wherefore it had been more sutable for the head of an idolatrous and popish army, to have imi­tated the ancient Idolators the Lords of the Philistians, who when they had gotten (that which the E: cals) suc­cesse against Sampson, they gathered together to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoyce, for they said, our god hath delivered Sampson our enemy into our hand, but withall let that be remembred which followes: the house fell upon the Lords, and upon all the people that were therein, this was the close of the successe of Idolators.

And here he wanted memory or modesty to hold him from speaking of arms, taken up in contempt of Lawes, for had he but cal'd to minde the list of his pa­pists, he must needs have remembred withall, and been ashamed by remembring it, that his own army was cō ­demned by his own words; having plainly taken up arms in contempt of Lawes: but no wonder if those that fight against the Parliament it selfe, do fight against [Page 6] the Lawes made by Parliament, the wonder lyes here, that they should be said to fight by the Kings authority that fight both against the Parliament, and Laws made by Parliament; for if the Kings authority be greatest in Parliament, then they fight against the Kings greatest authority, that fight against the Parliament; as on the contrary, they fight most for the King and his authori­ty that fight for the Parliament wherein his authority is most eminent.

And now he takes it unkindly that his army should be scandalized with this truth, that it is a popish army; a truth which himselfe hath taken so much paines to make good with an apollogie, and it being beleeved from himselfe, that he hath a popish army, he could not well lay a greater, and more true scandall on his ar­my then here he hath done; by his confuting a suppo­sed one: for he layes this ground, that papists cannot fight for the preservation of the true Protestant Reli­gion, which being easily beleeved, it will be as soone beleeved (this beleefe being advanced by his own ap­pologie) that Papists being imbodyed into his army, and joyning with him in the suport of one and the same cause, this cause c [...]nnot be the preservation of the true Protestant Religion, and indeed the very sound of the words, aswell as the sence would carry an absurdity in the face of it, that papists should fight for the Prote­stant Religion: But from themselves also, as well as from this argument may we know their own meaning, in their Massacres (rather then Warrs) in Ireland they profest to fight for the Catholique, (or Antichristian) cause. And in their councell here, for raising sums to maintain the late Warrs against the Scots, they profes­sed [Page 7] that the War concern'd them not only as Subjects, but as Catholikes; and now to make up a right popish Warr throughout all the three Kingdoms, without question they fight (as the Earl himselfe confesseth) not for the Protestant Religion but for Popery; if they have not changed their opinions in the Warr of the third Kingdom, which they profest in the Warre against two.

And if it be so that his popish army fights for popery against the Protestant Religion, then let him, and his army take to themselves, the guilt of the blood that is shed in so ungodly and unjust a quarrell; blood and I­dols have been ancient companions, and this Popish ar­my carries the guilt of both in the bowells of it. And it is to be beleeved that the great revenger will in his own time execute judgment upon these gods, and their worshippers, and will avenge the blood of his Servants which hath been shed upon the earth.

And now he swels, because his arme (or army) of flesh is swoln into some greatnesse, and in this carnall cōfidence he tels them that he needs not to court them, but to take down this swelling, it may be read (if it be lawfull in a popish army to read Scripture) Woe to theē that goe down to Aegipt (or Rome) for help, and stay on horses, aud trust in charriots, because they are ma­ny, and in horsemen, because they are very strong: but they looke not to the holy one of Israell, neither seeke the Lord. Now the Egiptians (or papists) are men and not God, and their horses flesh, and not Spirit; when the Lord shall stretch out his hand, both he that help­eth shall fall, and he that is the holpen, and they shall both fall together.

[Page 8] Lastly, the Summons concludes, that if they force his nature, no favour is to be expected: not to say any thing of the nature of the soyle it selfe, but this cer­taine, that if a peece of ground be forced, husbanded, and improved, by Romish Principles, or persons, that ground will easily turne into a field of blood, little fa­vour is to be expected from that nature, which is ani­mated & actuated by the dragon, who was a murder­er from the begining; This appeared evidently in the Powder-treason, wherein some fair natures were forc't into the bloudiest and foulest of Treasons; so a nature needs not to be forced to cruelty by the constancie of Protestants, that is so neer the leaven of Popery, and Papists; but it were rather to be wished that his nature [...]eing improved by grace, would abhor the guilt of [...]lood-shed, even the shedding of righteous men, defen­ [...]ing themselves in a righteous cause, and so shew fa­ [...]our to his own soule, as well as to their lives; A victo­ry being not a blessing, but a fearefull Judgment; when they that overcome by killing, are Murtherers, and they that dye, are Martyrs.