The annals of King James and King Charles the First ... containing a faithful history and impartial account of the great affairs of state, and transactions of parliaments in England from the tenth of King James MDCXII to the eighteenth of King Charles MDCXLII : wherein several material passages relating to the late civil wars (omitted in former histories) are made known.

WHereas a Paper containing many Falshoods, and tending much to the Dishonour of his Majesties late Proceedings in the Pacification given to his Subjects of Scotland, hath been dispersed in divers parts of this Kingdom; whereupon an Act of Council hath been made in these words en∣suing:

OR Sunday the fourth of August, 1639. His Majesty being in Council, was pleased to acquaint the Lords with a Paper he had seen at Berwick, entitled, Some Conditi∣ons of his Majesties Treaty with his Subjects of Scotland are set down here for remembrance. Which Paper being in most parts full of Falshood, Dishonour and Scandal to his Majesties proceedings in the late Pacifica∣tion, given of his Princely Grace and Good∣ness to his Subjects of Scotland, hath been very frequently spread here in England, and avowed by some in Scotland to have been ap∣proved and allowed as Truth by some of those Lords of England, who attended his Majesty, and were present at the Pacification in the Camp. Whereupon the Paper having been read, and his Majesty commanding those English Lords to declare their knowledge therein; The Earl-Marshal first begun to put his Majesty in remembrance, that some few days after the Pacification was conclu∣ded, some of the Scotish Lords coming to the Lord Chamberlain's Tent, sent to speak with him and the Earl of Holland, and offered them a certain Paper, which they pretended to have been collected for the help of their Me∣mories, and not otherwise, nor to be publish∣ed: But the said English Lords very dutiful∣ly and discreetly refused to accept that or any such Paper, but referred themselves totally to the Pacification in Writing. And the said Earl-Marshal further declared, That now

upon the reading, he for his part held the said Paper for the most part false and scandalous, and no way agreeable to what his Majesty expressed at the Pacification.

Next the Lord Chamberlain declared, That he being ready to take Horse, and a number of his Friends about him taking their leave, the Lord Lowdon pressed him with much im∣portunity to receive a Paper, which he took, not knowing what it contained; but at night when he came to his Lodging, doubting it might be some such Paper as had been for∣merly offered, and was refused, took it, with∣out reading it, and sealed it up, and so kept it till he presented it to his Majesty at White∣hall, professing that till that time he had ne∣ver read any one word of it, nor seen any o∣ther Copy thereof. Which Paper being that which had been divulged, was the same which his Majesty had commanded to be read at the Board.

The Earl of Salisbury likewise desired to justifie himself of a particular Scandal laid upon him, That he had received and brought Copies of this Paper from the North; which he declared could not be, because he was come away from the Camp before that Paper had been offered, and that he had never seen that, nor any Copy thereof, before his Majesties return to Theobalds.

After this the Lord Chamberlain, the Earls of Salisbury, Holland, and Barkshire, concur∣red with the Earl Marshal, That the Contents of that Paper were for the most part notori∣ously scandalous and false, and contrary to what his Majesty clearly expressed at the Pacification.

His Majesty likewise declared, That before his coming from Berwick, he shewed a Copy of this scandalous Paper to the Earl of Lind∣sey, the Earl of Holland, Master Treasurer, and Master Secretary Cook, who fully con∣curred in the aforesaid Opinion with the other Lords. All which Lords, and particularly the Earl of Holland, avowed the falsness thereof to the faces of those Scotish Lords who were believed to be the Divulgers of it, (the Lords of the Council of Scotland being there likewise present).

All which considered, the whole Board u∣nanimously became humble Petitioners to his Majesty, That this false and scandalous Paper might be publickly burnt by the Hang∣man.

Not long after his Majesties return from Ber∣wick, there hapned a notable Sea-fight in the Downs, betwixt the Spanish and Holland Fleet, which, because 'tis variously reported as to the Grounds of it, as if the Spaniards had some de∣signs, either upon England or Scotland, (though al∣together improbable) the Reader may make his judgment thereof as he pleaseth; and the Rela∣tion he may take from Sir John Pennington the English Admiral, as followeth.