O Foolish Citizens of London, who hath bewitched you? what spirit of madnesse hath possessed you, that you should beleeve any of the lying and fained words of the Army, and not see slavery and destruction coming upon your selves, and posteritie, as travail upon a woman with childe, which you cannot escape, if once you give up your Mi­litiae upon the Demand of the Army? O London, London, thou hast befooled thy self already almost irrecoverably by thy com­pliances and Treaties with the Army, by thy interposing for the Army with the Parliament to grant severall things: as that all Listings might be forborn, that the Reformadoes might be put out of the Line of Communication, with divens other things, whereby that wicked party in the Army that rules all, Cromwell and his Fellows have forced by their threatnings the 11. Members to withdraw from the House, many others to go to their own homes, and so all things whatsoever are carried according to the will and pleasure of that Sectarian faction in the Army, and in the House of Commons, both joyned together to destroy Religion, Laws, Liberties, and to enslave this King­dom by bringing it into the condition of the Turkish Empire, to rule all at pleasure by an Army, Cromwell being turned Turke, the Sectarian faction must be as the Janizaries to uphold him. The strange, daily and endlesse Proposals from the Army of having all the Forces of the Kingdom in the hand of Sir Thomas Fairfax, of having all the Laws of the Land concerning Reli­gion taken away, of releasing Lilburne, Overton out of prison, and all persons whatsoever for matters of conscience (unlesse proved Papists) though Antiscripturists, Antitrinitarians, Blas­phemers, with the demand of changing the Militia of London, are clear and evident proofs of full intentions to destroy Reli­gion, Liberty, Property; and to rule all by the Sword and a Councell of War.

O London, London, would to God thou knewest even at least in this thy day the things whïch belong unto thy peace: Behold now is the [Page 2]accepted time, behold now is the day of salvation, preserve thy Militia from being changed, & shew thy self this once to stand upon thy rights and liberties, and thou mayest yet break the neck of all the cursed designes on foot, and be the Saviour of the King, Parliament and Kingdom, and shall be called, The Repaiter of the breach, the Restorer of paths to dwell in. But suffer thy Militia to be thus taken away, and now altogether hold thy peace, sitting down and loosing the present opportunitie, and thou art lost for even according to humane help; and thou shalt find that verified of thee, Time was, Time is, Time is past; and thou shalt repent when 'tis too late. And, O thou London, and thou Kingdom of England, to make you sensible, and to stir in time, know assuredly the work now on foot by chief Agents in the Ar­my, and some of the House of Commons, is not of yesterday, nor a businesse of not disbanding till full Arrears, and an Act of In­dempnity for the Souldiery (however these have been held out as pretences, and made use of to draw the Souldiery in, to car­rie on their designes long before layed) but 'tis a Designe and Plot that hath been layed these foure yeers last past, by force of Arms, ☞ an Army of the Sectaries modelling, to bring into this Kingdom a Generall Toleration of all Religions, to destroy the Civill Government in the fundamentall constitution of King, Lords and Commons, and to bring King Charles to Justice (so they call it) as the grand Delinquent in all the three Kingdoms; the Common Law and Statutes of this Kingdom, the Ministery, the Reformed Churches, to possesse themselves of, and be Ma­sters of the City of London, to get to themselves and their party all the estates, riches, and great places of the Kingdom, and to rule all by an Arbitrary new modelled Government of their own setting up, and by a perpetuall Army: for the full Demon­stration of which, besides that their daily actions and Proposals of getting all Power into their hands speak as much; there are two Books already Printed called, The totall and finall Demands of the Army, and Works of Darknesse brought to light, that give a great deal of light in divers of these particulars: and there are two other Discourses ready for the Presse, written by Authors that have observed and layed all things together both in the Army and the House of Commons by that Partie, that will [Page 3]more fully prove every part of this Designe, by laying down all the Preparations to it, and all the Proceedings in it; and how there is nothing wanting to the perfecting and compleating of it, but to have the full power upon the City of London, ☜ and the Navy in their hands. Onely in the interim till those Gentlemens Books can be Printed, I will give two or three proofes of the Designe of the Sectarian Partie to bring the King to Justice (as they phrase it) and to take off his head.

To say nothing of the many speeches spoken by some of that Party both in the Army, House of Commons, and City of brin­ging the King to Justice, nor of the many wicked passages printed to that purpose: I will onely relate three passages that have come lately to my knowledge. The first, that presently af­ter the King was seized on by the Army, two persons here in London, one a great Agent of Cromwels, and very intimate wich him; the other a great Agent of Rainsboroughs, told an under­standing Citizen, that the Designe of taking the King, was not to joyn with him against the Parliament (however they held fair with the King and his Party) but to bring him to Justice; for if he ever came in again, and had any Power, ☜ there were so many of the malignant partie in the House of Commons, that they joyning with him, no honest man should keep his head on his shoulders; and without this, neither such as belonged to this Army, nor any others could be secured. Secondly, since the Army have gotten the King, divers of their partie, Members of the House of Commons the Kings most mortall Enemies, have, been with one Mr. Willingam, who keeps all the writings of Windebanks, and other Papers of State, to look out, and peruse them for that end, to see what matter they might finde against the King to make a Charge of; and this Mr. Willingham hath been sent to, and written unto by the Army about these Papers, and to come down to the Army. Thirdly, Mr. Marshall and Mr. Nye coming from the Army (too good friends to Cromwell and that party) said to divers Members of the Assembly, asking them about the Armies Propositions, that the King should never have any Power more, the Army would look to that: he should for his own Family, and in his Chappell, enjoy the liberty of his Conscience, but have never more to do in the Government of the Kingdom.

And I would ask any reasonable man, seeing they have agreed and declared thus much already, that the King shall have no more power, how long time he thinks when they have gotten all the Power of the Militia into their hands, and have new mo­delled the House of Commons, as they have done the Army, he shall enjoy his Conscience, or his life?

And therefore, O Common Councell, and Citizens of Lon­don, and all who love the King and his Posterity, the Laws and Liberties of the Kingdom, the Priviledges of Parliament, the Reformed Protestant Religion, part not with your Militia, give not such a Sword into the hands of bruitish unreasonable men, to destroy your selves, and all thats dear to you with; And that you may lawfully, and with a good conscience keep your Mi­litia for the yeer, and that to part with it at the pleasure of the Army, is very unsafe, and most dangerous: I desire these fol­lowing Quaeries may be well considered of.

1. Whether an Ordinance made by Parliament in a time (unquestionably) of Freedom and liberty, and in full Houses, upon mature deliberation, and after many dayes debate, after answering all objections against the persons and things, and af­ter scanning upon every particular person contained in the Or­dinance, and this done upon the desire of the City to the Par­liament, and their nomination choice of the persons to be ap­proved by the Parliament, be to be judged more valid binding, or an Ordinance made after Members driven away by the threats and approaches of an Army, and upon the Demand of an Army, and in a thin House of Commons, and concluded upon on a sudden?

2. Whether or no, if the Parliament by Ordinance after ma­ture advise and deliberation in full Parliament had given the City of London towards the payment of their debts, five hun­dred thousand pounds, and thereupon the City had been in possession of the money, in case the Parliament upon another Ordinance made upon the desire of the Army, after threatnings and driving away Members, should have revoked this money, whether would the City hold themselves bound in Law or con­science, to part with it? and if not, as I suppose, they would not. Then, I conceive, they are lesse bound to part with their Militia [Page 5]as being much more to them; without which, they can neither keep their Estates, lives or liberties, but all they have, as the case stands, is exposed to ruine.

3. Whether it would not have been judged, and cried out of in the King, as great injustice, breach of the liberty of the Sub­ject, &c. when he had given the grant of any thing for life, or for term of yeers under the great Seal, he should upon his own will, without any fault in the persons, have taken it from them before half the time expired? And if it would be so in the King, what is it in the Parliament to recall the Militia before half the time be out?

4. What is any Ordinance of Parliament worth, or will be accounted of by any, if as soon as tis granted, it may be thus re­called? And upon what a slender foundation, or broken reed, will not men say they have built on all this while, in lending those vast summes of money to the State, and in acting for the Parliament, if Ordinances by the Parliament it self be so easily made void, and broken? will ever men venture their lives and estates upon Ordinances?

5. Whether the Armies desire of having the Militia thus changed, and putting the Parliament so upon it, to take it a­way against the will of the Common Councell, and persons en­trusted, without any reason at all given, or unfaithfulnesse found in them, be not to put the Parliament upon exercising a meer Arbitrary Power, and to rule by will, and so against the Common Rights and liberty of the Subject, so much complain­ed of by the Army in all their Representations, Remonstrances, Declarations, Letters, and made the ground of their refusing to disband, and of all the late differences between them and the Parliament?

6. Whether in the judgement of any indifferent men, it can stand with the honour, Justice, Authority, and Gravity of the supreme Court of Judicature, and the great Councell of a King­dom, when upon mature deliberation, and weightie reasons in the most legall way, and with the best securitie they have gran­ted a thing to persons highly deserving of them, and of known fidelity to them, and the publick, to take it away of a sudden without giving any reason at all, or indeed there being any just [Page 6]cause for so doing, but rather much to the contrary?

7. Whether or no, according to the judgement of the best Reformed Divines, both forrain and English, 'tis not held law­full for Subjects, when by their Princes a Power is given unto them of Cities, Forts, Castles, and Militia, for their safety and security against an opposite party in the Land that would de­stroy them, to hold and keep them for their defence against Edicts and Commands of Princes requiring to give them up; yea against Armies sent to take them away by force? And whe­ther all Divines who allow of any Defensive Arms in any Cases to Subjects, yea, See Bishop Abbot, De Antichristo, and especially Bp. Morton in his Sermon preached in the North, before the K. of subjection to the higher Powers, and against resisting. Authority even then when the King went against the Scots, how he excepts that Case of keeping Forts, Militia, given on purpose for security, which I conceive he did on purpose according to the judgement of other Protestant Divines, to free the Protestants in France, and the Rochellers from R [...]bellion, in standing upon their own defence in those Towns and Cities given them for their security against the bloody Pa­pists. Bishops the most tender of Subjects diso­beying the Commands of Princes, or of taking up Arms, do not in that controversie of Defensive Arms, grant it lawfull in this case of having Forts, Castles, Militia given them for defence, to keep them, as the Protestants of France in the case of Rochel; and if this be so, whether is it not much more lawfull for the City to keep their Militia now for the time according to the grant of Parliament?

8. Whether or no, many learned Divines beyond the Seas, as Pareus, &c. who are for Subjects Defensive Arms; and others at home, as Bishop Bilson, Bishop Abbot, Bishop Beadles, Doctor Willet, &c. though they hold it unlawfull for private persons who are not Magistrates, nor have no part in the Civill Govern­ment, to take up Arms against the higher Powers; do they not hold it lawfull, in some cases, after Petitioning, and using all other means and remedies, for inferiour Magistrates the next in Power and Interest to the Supreme, to take up Arms to de­fend themselves and the People in their rights against certain ruine; which if it be so, then certainly the Magistracie of the City of London, the Lord Mayor, and Court of Common Coun­cell being the greatest Power next the King, and both Houses of Parliament, and having, next the King and the Houses, the [Page 7]greatest Interest in the Kingdom; and being the most consider­able part of any City or County in the Kingdom, for the safetie of the whole may lawfully when the King is seised on by an Army, and kept against his will, the Parliament over-awed, and the whole Kingdom in danger of ruine, keep the Power of the Militia setled upon them in their hands, for the preserving of the King, Parliament, themselves, and the Kingdom?

9. Whether or no, if a Father, Master, or a Friend should give his son, servant, or friend a sword into either of their hands to defend Father and himself, if another servant should come with a sword to the Master, and by holding the sword over him, and by threats work him to command the other to lay down his sword, and to give it to him whereby either to kill both Master and servant; or else to put upon them what conditions he plea­ses: may not the son, or the servant in such a case lawfully re­fuse such a command, and keep the sword both to preserve his own life, and his Fathers? And if so, whether this be not the case now of the Armies demanding of the Parliament the Sword they gave to the City; and of the Cities humble desire to keep it for the safetie of Parliament and themselves?

10. Whether if that this Power of the Cities choosing and having their Militia in their own hands, being one of the Pro­positions upon long and mature deliberation passed by both Houses, and agreed on by the Commissioners of the Kingdom of Scotland, to be presented to the King to be confirmed, should be thus taken away by the Parliament presently after passed by an Ordinance; may it not give an occasion and ground to the King to break this and other Propositions after signing them, saying, the Parliament more engaged to the City for their adhering to them, then I was to the Parliament or City, broke with the City, and that in the principall the Militia: and and why may not I then break with the City?

11. Whether or no may not the City of London justly alledge for their keeping the Militia, and not giving it up upon the de­sires of the Army, a true reall necessity of self preservation; and not onely a pretended necessity as the Army did for not dis­banding, as also the liberty and freedom of the Subject, the solemn League and Covenant for Reformation, &c. which the [Page 8]Army in all their Remonstrances, Declarations, &c. never so much as once took notice of, or so much as pretended, as indeed intending to destroy it, and revoke it; as appears by their last Proposall, of revoking all the penall Statutes for matters of Re­ligion, and full freedome for all private meetings for religious Exercises.

12. Whether the City of London in their humble refusall of giving up their Militia in this juncture of time to the will of the Army, do not perform an high act of faithfulnesse to His Majesties Person Crown, and Posterity? And whether the de­livering it up were not putting a sword into the hands of mad men, to destroy the King and his Posteritie with?

13. Whether if the City of London should part with their Militia at this time, they do not, in as much as in them lyes, be­tray, and give up Religion, the King, and his Posterity, the Par­liament, Laws, liberties, the whole Kingdom, yea the three Kingdoms to the wills, lusts, and Revelations of an unreason­able, bruitish, Anabaptisticall Army? And are they not guilty of fearfull breach of Covenant, and of putting a sword into such hands to destroy all with?

14. Whether or no, considering all the Demands hitherto of Sir Thomas Fairfax, and the Army under his (I would say Crom­wels) Command, as to have the command of all Forces, Gar­risons, &c. in England, Ireland, as to have all Statutes for Religion repealed, &c. and in this now of asking for the Mi­litia of London, may it not be said as Solomon of Adonijah, And why does Sir Thomas ask the Militia of London, let him ask the Kingdom also?

15. Whether or no, so soon as the City shall have parted with their Militia according to the desire of the Army, and the Armies Deputies Titchburne, Estwick, &c. shall be a little in pos­session, shall not a good part of the Army come into the City to guard the Parliament, keep the Works, put out the Reforma­does, suppresse tumults, and all to prevent a new Warre, and make an happie Peace?

16. Whether after the City have quitted their Militia, shall not London be the head quarter for Sir Thomas Fairfax, Cromwell, and the other great Officers, the generall Rendezvous for all to come to? And whether must not the Aldermens Houses, the [Page 9]great Merchants and rich Tradesmen be for quarter for them, their wives and children; and especially for the great Collo­nels, Huson, Pride, Okey, &c. who have no houses of their own fit for their Honors to dwell in?

17. When London's Militia is in the power of the Army, who shall pay this meritorious glorious Army of Saints all their Ar­rears, some behinde 50. weeks, some 30. weeks? And who shall maintain them for the time to come? shall not London be forced to it? and shall not whoever refuses to pay the great summes laid upon them of thousands and hundreds be plundered, seque­stred, judged Malignants, enemies to the Saints, that will not contribute to them who have saved the Kingdom from Tyran­nie; and by whose means alone they enjoy all they have?

18. When the Army hath possession of the Militia of London, whether or no may any Presbyterian or ill-affected person keep a sword, gun, or any weapon in his house, for fear of raising a new war?

19. Whether may any Citizen of London, whatever his suffer­ings shall be, once dare to speak a word against, or complain of the godly Army? And if they do, shall they not be tried by a Councell of War and the Gentlemen Agitators for their lives? can any thing lesse then this be expected, seeing divers Sectaries here in London, before the Army hath the Militia, have threat­ned divers well affected persons for but questioning some of the Armies proceedings, that they will complain to the Army of them; and that they shall be fetched away with a Troop of Horse, and such like.

20. Whether if once the Army have the Power of the Militia, of London, ☜ shall not the Lord Mayor, Aldermen and Common Councell be all put in by the Army, and all or most of the old ones be put out? And whether we must not have a Court of Aldermen and Common Councell all of the Armies Saints, and gifted Brethren, Alderman Stasemore the old Brownist, Alder­man Kiffin the yong Anabaptist, Alderman Clement Wrighter the Antiscripturist, Alderman Overton the Seeker, Sir John, Lilbugne, Lord Mayor: and in case any prophane Presbyter should be in that number, shall there not be a charge from the Army to put them out?

21. Whether all the Demands of the Army hitherto both to Parliament and City, of not listing, putting out Reformadoes, disbanding those Companies that came from the Army, of re­quiting all the Forces of England and Ireland under oue Com­mand, of the Cities Militia to be changed, with all their acti­ons and proceedings of entertaining into their Army all sorts, of seizing on Ammunition, of sending of Agitators into all parts of the Kingdom to draw the Souldery, Navy, and all Countreys into combination with them, can tend to any thing else but the getting of all power into their hands, and leaving Kingdom, Parliament, City naked of all help; that so all lying at their mercy, and every mans head being on the block, they might either submit to their conditions whatsoever they be, or else have their heads presently chopt off.

22. Whether when the City hath parted with their Militia, and the Army be in possession, how long shall the City enjoy their Orthodox Preachers; shall they not be quickly turned out, or else daily affronted in the discharge of their Ministery by every rude Souldier, and Mechanick, standing up in the time of Preaching, Prayer, as they have done in other places, Bristow, &c. shall they go quietly in the streets for them? shall not every Pulpit be filled with Troopers, and all sorts of ignorant Mecha­nicks? and will not this City instead of sound Doctrine, have all kinde of heresie, blasphemie, and error broached in Pulpits, and every street? Will not all the frogs and rabble of Sectaries from all parts of the Kingdom come up hither, and London be­come the fink of all errors and confusion? And shall they not all by the power of the Army have free quarter, ☞ and be maintained of the rich mens estates for preaching to them? O London, thy glory will depart from thee as soon as the Army hath thy Mi­litia; and thou must bid adieu to the Gospel, and thy faithfull Ministers, Mr. Caelamie, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Cauton, Mr. Case, &c.

23. Whether for this last six weeks a Councell of War con­sisting for the most part of Officers, illeterate Mechanicks, and broken fortuned, and of Agitators common Troopers, and Soul­diers, hath not been the supreame Judicatory of this Kingdom, putting conditions and Laws on King, Parliament, City, and Kingdom? Nay whether have not King, Parliament, City and Kingdom been all true and honest Prisoners to the Army? And [Page 11]whether hath any thing been done in Parliament, or City, un­lesse within these few dayes, but to confirm and execute the Votes and Acts of the Councell of War?

24. Whether or no this City of London, and the Magistrates thereof, have not just cause, when once their Militia is gone, and the Army hath power of the City, to expect their case and condition will be as the City of Munster was when possessed by the Anabaptists, or rather worse? Read but the story of the Anabaptists at Munster as 'tis in Sleidan and as the History of them was written in English in the first yeer of this Parlia­ment, and the Citizens will see what to trust to, if ever this Army be Misters of London. Whether shall they not be ruled by Revelations? whether the great wicked men must not be turned out of all, that the Saints may inhabite the City? Whether will not Mr. Peters preach then as he hath done lately in the Army, that the beginning of Christs personall reign is come, and that he will put his Kingdom into the hands of his Saints? Dan. 7.18.

25. Whether can any wise understanding man, when the Army is possessed of the Militia of London, and the Navy, but look for strange things to be moved and acted, which yet they forbear out of Policy? Whether will they not then quite put down the House of Peers according to the many books they have printed, and speeches they have spoken to that purpose? Whether shall any Member of the House of Commons, who is Presbyterian, and for the publick, sit there any more? How long shall the Kings Majestie be uncharged, and unproceeded against by the Army, and the House of Commons of their new modelling, what shall become of His royall Posterity? Whe­ther shall we not have Revelations of William Sedgwicks, Salt­marshes, Dells, that the day of Judgement to the wicked is be­gun, and that new Jerusalem the glorious state of the Church is come, wherein Cromwell must be the King of Nations? And after this Army hath subdued all the wicked great Men, King, Nobles, Gentlemen, rich Citizens, &c. then he must go with this Army to the gates of Constantinople and conquer the great Turk; and his Councell of State of 21. must be Lilburn, Overton, Heu­son, Paul Hobson, Pride, Okey, Joyce, with so many of the Agitators as will fill up that number.

26. Whether doth this City of London yet sufficiently con­fider and foresee the infinite dangerous consequences that must and will necessarily follow upon their giving up the Militia, [Page 12]what it is to be at the mercy and in the power of an Army, whose Commanders are generally men of mean parentage, breeding, estate; an Army not ruled by principles of war, their Generall and Commanders; but by Agitators chosen by the common Souldiers, and accountable to them: an Army that contrary to all their Oathes, Covenants, Protestations, have be­trayed their trust, and turned head against their Masters; an Army that keeps to no principles nor rules, but their will and lusts; an Army whose principles for Religion, Civill Govern­ment, libertie, propertie are prodigious, that change all their principles according to their fancies and advantages; an Army that hates this City to the death for their Remonstrance, Peti­tions for Presbyteriall Government, change of the Militia, &c. are these men fit to be trusted with the lives, estates, liberties of this City, yea of three Kingdoms? and they having gotten the power by tyrannie, force, and treacherie, will they not as Tyrants sine Titulo, as guilty persons and cowards, maintain their power by tyrannie, force, till they have taken all persons and things out of the way they fear may do them hurt; will they not plead for all necessitie, self preservation, preventing of a new war, the peace of the Kingdom?