A remonstrance and declaration of severall counties, cities, and burroughs against the unfaithfulness, and late unwarrantable proceedings of some of their knights, citizens, and burgesses in Parliament with their dissents thereunto, and revocation and resumption of their power therein.

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A Remonstrance and Delaration Of severall Counties, Cities, and Burroughs, against the unfaithfulness, and late unwarrantable Proceedings of some of their Knights, Citizens, and Burgesses in PARLIAMENT.

WE the Gentlemen and Free-holders of the respective Counties of Berks, Huntingdon, Kent, Leicester, Monmouth, Northampton, Nottingham, Rutland, Salop, Sussex, Wilts, and Worcester: and the respective Citizens and Freemen of the Cities of Chester, Glou∣cester, London, Norwich, Winchester, Bristol, Salisbury, and York; and the free Burgesses of the severall Burroughs of Ailesbury, Wendover, New-Windsor, Wallingford, Truro, Tregonis, Fowey, St. Iermins, Cockermouth, Cambridge, Barnstaple, Dartmouth, Okeshampton, Dorchester, Lyme-Regis, Bridport, Wareham, Shaftesbury, Quinborough, Lei∣cester, Wigan, Liverpool, Great-Yarmouth, Newcastle, Woodstock, Southwark, Rigate, Tamworth, Bishops-castle, Yarmouth, Ipswich, Taunton, Bridgwater, Midhurst, Bramber, East-Greenstead, Arundel, Appleby, Calice, Chip∣penham, Malmsbury, Bedwin, Malburg, Warwick, King∣ston upon Hull, Knarisburge, Rippon, Richmond, Burrough∣bridge, Auldling, Pomfret, Rye and Cardiffe; do hereby respectively for our said severall Counties, Cities and Bur∣roughs,

declare, notifie and protest to all the Nobility, Gentry, Commons and Freemen of England, and Dominion of Wales, and all others whom it doth or may concern, That neither we our selves, nor any other by our privity or assents did ever directly or indirectly, implicitly or explicitly delegate, give, or intend to give unto Henry Martin, Valentine Walton, Augustine Skinner, Henry Smith, Henry Herbert, Esquires; Sir Gilbert Pickering, knight, Iohn Hutchinson, Thomas Wait, Esquires; Sir Iames Harrington, knight, Humphrey Edwards, Anthony Stapley, Edmond Ludlow, Humphrey Saloway, or Iohn Iones, serving in Parliament as knig••ts of our respective Counties; or to William Edwards, Thomas Pury, Iohn Lenthall, Isaac Pennington, Iohn Ven, Thomas Atkins, Iohn Lisle, Nicholas Lane, Richard Aldworth, Luke Hodges, Michael Oldsworth, Iohn Dure, Esquires; Sir William Alanson, knight; elected and returned Citizens to sit and vote in the Parliament for our respective Cities. Or to Thomas Scot, Thomas Harrison, Cornelius Holland, Ed∣mond Bunch, Francis Rowse, Iohn Carew, Nicholas Gold, Gregory Clement, Benjamin Valentine, Francis Allen, Oliver Cromwell, Philip Skippon, Lawrence Whitaker, Dennis Bond, Edmond Prideaux, Roger Hill, Iohn Fry, Iohn Trenchard, Esquires: Sir Henry Mildmay, knight, Sir Michael Livesey baronet, Augustine Garland, Thomas Lord Grey, Peter Temple, Alexander Rigby, Iohn Moore, Miles Corbet, Iohn Blackstone, William Lenthall Speaker, George Thompson, George Snelling, Esquires; William Lord Viscount Mounson, Sir Peter Wentworth knight of the Bath, Iohn Corbet Esq Philip Lord Lisle, Iohn Gourdon, George Serle, Robert Blake, Esquires, Sir Thomas Wroth knight, Gregory Norton baro∣net, William Cowley, Iames Temple, Iohn Downes, Henry Ireton, Richard Salway, Rowland Wilson, Esquires; Sir Ed∣ward Bainton, Sir Iohn Danvers, knights, Edmond Harvie, Philip Smith, William Purefoy, Godfrey Bosvile, Peregrine Pelham, Esquires; William Constable baronet, Sir Iohn Bour∣chier knight, Thomas Chaloner, Francis Thorpe, Esquires;

Thomas Mal••vorer Baronet, Brian Stapleton, Iames Chaloner, William White, William Hay, Thomas Westraw, Algernoon Sidney Esquires, Burgesses for our respe∣ctive Boroughs, or to any one of them, any Autho∣rity, Power, Commission, Instruction or Deputa∣tion whatsoever, to consent, vote, or agree for us, or any of us, or in our Names, Rights and Behalfs, as our Representatives, Knights, Ci∣tizens and Burgesses in Parliament, to any Vote, Ordinance, Order, Bill, Act, Articles, or other Instrument whatsoever in the Commons House, or else-where, for or concerning the Depo∣sing or Executing the King, the Dis-inheriting of the Prince or Duke of York: The breaking off and laying aside the Personal Treaty with the King, for the happy settlement of that blessed Peace we have so long desired, expected and pray∣ed for: Or rejecting the Kings large Grants for our future security, freedom and tranquility, the like whereunto we have no hopes to expect here∣after, if now rejected by you on our behalfs, who shall be fully satisfied therewith, when ratified by his royall assent to Bils, and an Oath inviolably to observe them: Or the altering or subverting the ancient Hereditary Monarchical Government of this Kingdom: Or the Constitution of the Parlia∣ments of England, consisting of King, Lords and Commons: The tolerating of all kinds of Reli∣gions, Heresies and Errors: The taking away of our Ministers Tythes and usuall Maintenance; or the disorderly intruding into their sacred Functi∣ons without any lawsull calling or Ordination

thereunto. Much lesse did we or any of us actual∣ly or intentionally authorize or empower them, or any of them, to subvert the very foundations of this and all other Parliaments, and betray our ancient Liberties, Rights and Charters, contrary to their trust and duty, by condescending or agree∣ing to give away our unquestionable rights of E∣lecting our Knights, Citizens and Burgesses accor∣ding to the Laws and Statutes of this Realm, and Customs, Usages and Charters of our respective Counties, Cities and Burroughs, or to set up any new Representative for us or the Kingdom, which neither we nor our Ancestors ever heard of nor desired: Or to undermine the Honour, Freedom, Rights and Priviledges of Parliament, by sitting and voting in the House, whiles under the visible, detestable force and sword of a rebellious and mu∣tinous Army, who have imprisoned, excluded, and forced away most of their fellow-Members, who ought to joyn with them both in their Debates and Votes: Or to usurp such an arbitrary and ex∣orbitant power to themselves alone, being few in number, and not one fifth part of the House, to repeal, nul, and make void what Votes, Orders, Ordinances and Proceedings they please, made in a free and compleat House, when there were five times more Members present: Or to suspend or cast out their fellow-Members, who are their Peers and Equals, and sit there by the same and as good authority as themselves, or to continue or impose any further Taxes on us, to maintain an imperious, lawless Army to devour and tyrannize

over King, Parliament, Lords, Commons, City, Country, and the whole Kingdom, as our only So∣veraign Lords and Masters, without improving their utmost authority to suppresse and reclaim them from their present insolencies, and destru∣ctive treasonable practices; or else to declare them publick Enemies, and Rebels, and proceed against the Ringleaders of them, and bring them unto speedy justice and exemplary punishment. And therefore we do here by these presents absolutely disclaim and renounce whatever they or any of them have fraudulently and indirectly acted, vo∣ted, ordered, ordained, or consented to, or shall hereafter vote, order, ordain or consent to in the House of Commons, or else-where, in, or concern∣ing all, or any of the premisses, contrary to their trusts and duties, and against our consent, autho∣rity, wils and instructions, to the prejudice or de∣struction of our Religion, Laws, Liberties, King, Kingdom, the Rights, Priviledges and Freedom of Parliaments, or their fellow-Members, and hin∣drance of the speedy Peace and settlement of this Realm, or obstructing the relief of despairing Ire∣land, or support of any new usurped, Arbitrary or Tyrannicall Power in any Party or Faction whatsoever, to the inthralling of the Kingdom to their vassallage and lawlesse wils; and declare the same to be void, null, and no ways binding unto us, or any of us; who do hereby demand pub∣lick justice against them from their fellow-Mem∣bers in a free and full Parliament, for all the mis∣demeanors and offences in and against the House,

its Priviledges and Members, or any the Premis∣ses: and likewise revoke and resume all that trust, power and authority we formerly delegated and committed to them and every of them, so far as they have abused and perverted it in any of the aforesaid particulars, contrary to our minds and commissions, who by the Armies late Remonstrance, may and ought to call them to account for all their un∣just Votes, Orders, Proceedings, and abuses of their trust, and to resume their power into our own hands, from whom they received it, onely as our Deputies, when we dis∣cern them palpably to abuse both it and us, from whom they are to receive their wages. All which we held it our bounden duties in these times of imminent danger and ruine to us and our Posteri∣ty, King, Parliament and Kingdom, to remon∣strate to the world, and these our Knights, Citi∣zens and Burgesses, our Representatives in the House, that they might take timely notice there∣of.

Dated from our respective Counties, Cities and Boroughs, the 23 of Decemb. 1648.

FINIS.