❧ His Majesties Declaration to all His loving Subjects of His true Intentions in advancing lately to BRAINCEFORD .

THough Our Reputation be most dear to Us , and especially in those Cases wherein the truth of Our most solemn Professions ( and by consequence of Our Christianity ) is questioned , yet it is not only for the Vindication of that , and to clear Our Self from such Aspersions , but withall to preserve Our Subjects in their just Esteem of , and Duty to Us , and from being engaged into Crimes and Dangers by those malitious reports , so spightfully framed and cunningly spread against Us , concerning Our late advancing to Brainceford , That we have resolved to publish this Our following Declaration .

AT Colebrook , on Friday the 11 of November , We received a Petition from both Our Houses of Parliament , by the Earl of Northumberland , the Earl of Pembroke and Montgomery , the Lord Wenman , M. Perpoint , and Sir Iohn Hippesly ; And indeed We were well pleased to see it so much liker a Petition , then the other Papers We had often of late received under that name , and return'd to it the next day so gracious an Answer , that we assure Our selves could not but be very satisfactory to all that were truely lovers of Peace . The Copies of both which do here follow .

To the Kings most Excellent Majesty : The humble Petition of the Lords and Commons now assembled in PARLIAMENT .

WE Your Majesties most loyall Subjects , the Lords and Commons in Parliament assembled , being affected with a deep and piercing sense of the miseries of this Kingdom , and of the dangers to Your Majesties Person , as the present Affairs now stand , and much quickned therein with the sad consideration of the great effusion of Bloud at the late Battle , and of the losse of so many eminent Persons ; And farther weighing the Addition of losse , miscry , and danger to Your Majesty and Your Kingdom , which must ensue , if both Armies should again joyn in another Battle , as without Gods especiall blessing , and Your Majesties concurrence with Your Houses of Parliament , will not probably be avoided .

We cannot but believe , that a sutable Impression of tendernesse and compassion is wrought in Your Majesties Royall Heart , being Your Self an eye-witnesse of the bloudy and sorrowfull destruction of so many of Your Subjects , And that Your Majesty doth apprehend what diminution of Your Own Power and Greatnesse will follow , And that all Your Kingdoms will thereby be so weakned , as to become subject to the Attempts of any ill affected to this State . In all which respects , we assure our selves , that Your Majesty will be inclined graciously to accept this our humble Petition , that the misery and desolation of this Kingdom , may be speedily removed and prevented ; For the effecting whereof , we most humbly beseech Your Majesty to appoint some convenient place , not farre from the City of London , where Your Majesty will be pleased to reside , untill Committees of both Houses of Parliament may attend Your Majesty with some Propositions for the removall of these bloudy Distempers and Distractions , and setling the State of the Kingdom in such a manner , as may conduce to the Preservation of Gods true Religion , Your Majesties Honour , Safety , and Prosperity , and to the Peace , Comfort , and Security of all Your People .

His Majesties Answer to the aforesaid Petition .

WE take God to witnesse how deeply We are affected with the miseries of this Kingdom , which heretofore We have stroven , as much as in Us lay , to prevent , It being sufficiently known to all the world , That as We were not the first that took up Arms , so We have shewed Our readinesse of composing all things in a faire way by Our severall offers of Treaty , and shall be glad now at length to finde any such Inclinations in others , The same tendernesse to avoid the Destruction of Our Subjects ( whom We know to be Our greatest strength ) which would alwayes make Our greatest Victories bitter to Us , shall make Us willingly hearken to such Propositions whereby these bloudy distempers may be stopped , and the great distractions of this Kingdom settled to Gods glory , Our Honour , and the welfare and flourishing of Our People ; And , to that end , shall reside at Our own Castle at Windsore ( if the Forces there shall be removed ) till Committees may have time to attend Us with the same ( which , to prevent the Inconveniences that will intervene , We wish may be hastned ) and shall be ready there ( or if that be refused Us ) at any place where We shall be , to receive such Propositions as aforesaid from both Our Houses of Parliament . Do you your Duty , We will not be wanting to Ours ; God of his mercy give a blessing .

BUt the same night after the Messengers were gone , certain Information was brought unto Us , That the same day the Earl of Essex had drawn his forces with great store of Ordinance out of London towards Us , upon which a Councell of Warre being present , and We having there considered , upon debate , Our present Condition , That being already almost surrounded by his forces , some at Windsore , some at Kingston , and some at Acton , If We suffered the Remainder to possesse Brainceford , We should be totally hemm'd in , and Our Army deprived of all convenience of either moving or subsisting . Yet how necessarily soever it appear'd , We could not obtain Our own Consent to advance towards Brainceford , and either prepossesse it , or dispossesse them of it , till We had satisfied Our selves that it was as lawfull as necessary , and fully weighed all , that not only reason , but malice it self , ( which We knew to be very watchfull upon Our Actions ) could object against it . We consider first , that it could not reasonably be esteem'd an Aversion from Peace , and an Intention to interrupt the Treaty then in expectation , Since on the other side We had cause to beleeve by the former rejection of Our offers of Treaty , when We were suppos'd to be in no condition of strength , That if We would not thus preserve Our Selves from being so encompass'd as to come into their Powers , the very possibility of a Treaty would immediately vanish . We considered next , that muchlesse could it be interpreted any Breach of Faith , since willingnesse to receive Propositions of Treaty was never held to amount to a suspension of Arms ; Since otherwise We must ( because mention of a Treaty had been once made ) by the same Logick have been bound not to hinder them to encompasse Us on all parts to Colebrook Towns end ; Since no word to that purpose ( of any suspension ) was in Our Answer ; Nay , since in that ( by wishing their Propositions might be hastned , to prevent the Inconveniences which would intervene ) We implyed , That by this Arms were not suspended ; And since their own Votes of proceeding vigorously notwithstanding the Petition , and their now Actions in sending after their Messengers great store of forces with Ordinance so neer to Us ( having before girt Us in on all others parts , and sent men and Ordinance to Kingston after the safe Conduct asked of Us ) implyed the same .

Being resolved upon these Reasons , That this advancing was necessary and just , We were not yet satisfied till We had endeavoured the same day ( though the interruptions of shooting stopt up the way till the next ) to satisfie Our Parliament and People of the same , and that Peace was still Our desire , We to that end directed a Message by Iohn White Esquire , which was so received , that his danger of being put to death for bringing it , and the imprisonment of him and the Trumpeter that went with him in the Gate-house , shew'd that the very Law of Nations was by some no more consider'd ●hen all other Laws had been before . A Copy of which Message hereafter ●●●ows , to sh●w how little temptation the matter of that gave them for 〈…〉 usuage .

His Majesties Message of the 12. of November .

WHereas the last night being the 11. of November , after the departure of the Committee of both Our Houses with Our gracious Answer to their Petition , We received certain Information ( having till then heard nothing of it , either from the Houses Committee or otherwise ) That the Lord of Essex had drawn his forces ●ut of London towards Us , which hath necessitated Our sudden Resolution to march with Our forces to Brainceford ; We have thought hereby fit to signifie to both Our Houses of Parliament , That We are no lesse desirous of the Peace of the Kingdom , Then We exprest in Our aforesaid Answer ; The Propositions for which We shall willingly receive where ever We are , And desire ( if it may be ) to receive them at Brainceford this night , or early to morrow morning , that all possible speed may be made in so good a work , and all inconveniences , otherwise likely to intervene , may be avoided .

ANd to justifie yet further , That Our Intention was no other then was here profest , assoon as We were informed that the Earl of Essex his forces were departed from Kingston , before any apparance or notice of further forces from London ( Our end of not being inclosed being obtained ) We gave orders to quit Brainceford , and to march away , and possesse that place .

We cannot but make one Argument more of the truth of Our Profession , That this was all Our end , and that We had not the least thought , by so advancing , to surprise and sack London ( which the malignant party would infuse into that Our City ) And that is , That probably God Almighty would not have given such a Blessing to Our Journey , as to have assisted Us so both by Land and Water , as with lesse then a third part of Our foot , and with the losse but of ten men , to beat two of their best Regiments out of both Braincefords , for all the great advantage of their works in them , to kill him who commanded in chief , and kill and drown many others , to take five hundred Prisoners , more Arms , eleven Colours , and good store of Ammunition , fifteen Peeces of Ordinance ( whereof We sunk most that We brought not away ) and then unfought with , and unoffered at , neerer then by Ordinance , to march away , notwithstanding the great disadvantage of Our Forces by the difficulties of the Passages , if He who is the searcher of all hearts and truth it self had not known the truth of Our Professions , and the Innocence of Our Heart , And how farre We were from deserving those horrid Accusations of falsehood and Treachery cast so point blank upon Our own Person , That it would amase any man to see them suffered to be Printed in Our City of London , if any thing of that kinde could be a wonder after so many of the same , and how really they desire Accommodation , who upon this have Voted they will have none .

These Our Reasons for this Action , this Our satisfaction sent for it , and this Blessing of God's upon it , will ( We doubt not ) cleer Us to all indifferent persons both of the Jesuiticall Counsells , and the personall Treachery to which some have presumed so impudently to impute it ; And God so blesse Our future Actions as We have delivered the truth of this .

The Answer of both Houses of Parliament to His Majesties Message of the 12 of November .

TO Your Majesties Message of the 12 of this Month of November , We the Lords and Commons in Parliament , do make this humble Answer ; That this Message was not delivered to us till Munday the 14. We thought it a strange Introduction to Peace , that Your Majesty should send Your Army to beat us out of our Quarters at Brainceford , and then appoint that place to receive our Propositions ; which , yet it plainly appears , Your Majesty intended not to receive , till You had first tryed whether You could break thorow the Army raised for the defence of this Kingdom and Parliament , and take the City , being unprovided and secure , in expectation of a fair Treaty made to secure the City . If herein Your Majesty had prevailed , after You had destroyed the Army , and mastered the City , it is easie to imagine , what a miserable Peace we should have had : and whether those Courses be sutable to the Expressions Your Majesty is pleased to make in Your Answer to our Petition , of Your earnestnesse to avoid any further effusion of blood , let God and the World judge .

As for our Proceedings , they have in all things been answerable to our Professions : We gave directions to the Earl of Essex to draw the Army under his Command out of the City and Suburbs , before we sent any Message to Your Majesty ; so that part of it was inquartered at Brainceford , before the Committee returned with Your Answer : and immediately upon the receipt thereof , that very morning Order was taken that the Souldiers should exercise no Act of Hostility against any of Your Majesties People . We sent a Letter by Sir Peter Killigrew to know Your Majesties pleasure , Whether You intended the like forbearance of hostility ; But the fury of Your Souldiers thirsting after bloud and spoil , prevented the delivery of the Letter . For coming upon Saturday in his way towards Your Majesty as farre as Brainceford , he found them in fight there and could passe no further . God who sees our Innocency , and that we have no Aymes , but at his Glory and the publike Good , will ( we hope ) free Your Majesty from those destructive Counsells , who labour to maintain their own power by hloud and Rapine , and blesse our Endeavours , who seek nothing , but to procure and establish the Honour , Peace and Safety of Your Majesty , and Kingdoms , upon the sure foundation of Religion and Justice .

To the Answer of both Houses of Parliament to His Majesties Message of the 12 of November , His Majesty makes this Reply .

THat His Message of the 12 , though not received by them till the 14 , was sent to them first upon the same day , upon which it was dated , and meeting with stops by the way , was again sent upon the 13 , and taken upon that day at ten in the morning by the Earl of Essex , and though not to him directed , was by him opened , so the slownesse of the delivery is not so strange as the stop of the Letter said to be sent by Sir Peter Killigrew , which His Majesty hath not yet received , but concludes from the matter expressed to have been contain'd in that Letter ( to wit , to know his Pleasure , whether He intended the forbearance of Hostility ) and by the Command of such forbearance said to be sent to the Lord of Essex his Army , that no such forbearance was already concluded , & consequently neither had his Majesty cause to suppose , that he should take any of their forces unprovided , and secure in expectation of a faire Treaty , neither could any Hostile Act of His Majesties Forces have been a course unsutable to His expressions , much lesse could an endeavour to prepossesse ( for so He hoped He might have done ) that Place , which might have stopt the farther March of those Forces towards Him , ( which , for ought appear'd to Him , might as well have been intended to Colebrook as to Brainceford ) and by that the further effusion of Bloud , deserve that stile .

His Majesty farther conceives , That the Printing so out of time of such a Declaration , as their Reply to his Answer to theirs of the 26 of May , but the day before they Voted the Delivery of their Petition , and the March of the Earl of Essex his Forces to Brainceford so neer to His Majesty , when the Committee at the same time attended Him with a Petition for a Treaty , the Earl of Essex being before possest of all the other Avenues to his Army , by his Forces at Windsore , Acton , and Kingston , was a more strange introduction to Peace , then for His Majesty not to suffer Himself to be coopt up on all sides , because a Treaty had been mention'd , which was so really , and so much desired by His Majesty , that this Proceeding seems to Him purposely by some intended to divert ( which it could not do ) that His Inclination .

That His Majesty had no intention to master the City by so advancing , besides His profession , which ( how meanly soever they seem to value it ) He conceives a sufficient Argument , ( especially being only oppos'd by suspicions and surmises ) may appear by His not pursuing His Victory at Brainceford , but giving orders to His Army to March away to Kingston as soon as he heard that place was quitted , before any notice or Appearance of farther Forces from London ; Nor could he finde a better way to satisfie them before hand , that he had no such intention , but that his desire of Peace , and of Propositions , that might conduce to it , still continued , then by that Message of the 12 , for which care of his he was requited by such a Reception of his Message and Messenger , as was contrary at once both to duty , civility , and the very Customes , and Law of Warre , and Nations , and such as theirs ( though after this Provocation ▪ ) hath not found from him .

His Majesty wonders that his Souldiers should be charged with their sting after Bloud , who took above five hundred Prisoners in the very heat of the fight , his Majestie having since dismissed all the common Souldiers , and entertain'd such as were willing to serve him , and required only from the rest an Oath not to serve against him ; And his Majesty supposes such most apt and likely to maintain their Power by Bloud and Rapine , who have only got it by Oppression and Injustice ; That his is vested in him by the Law , and by that only ( if the destructive Counsells of others would not hinder such a Peace , in which that might once again be the Universall Rule , and in which Religion and Justice can only flourish ) he desires to maintain it . And if Peace were equally desired by them , as it is by his Majesty , he conceives it would have been proper to have sent him such a Paper as should have contained just Propositions of Peace , and not an unjust Accusation of his Counsells , Proceedings and Person . And his Majesty intends to March to such a Distance from his City of London , as may take away all Pretence of Apprehension from his Army , that might hinder them in all Security from yet preparing them to present to him , and there will be ready either to receive them , or to end the pressures , and miseries , which his Subjects to his great Grief suffer through this Warre , by a Present Battle .

FINIS .