A declaration of His Excellency Robert E. of Warwick Lord High Admirall of England, concerning the uniting of the two navies, and restoring of the Kings Majesty, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of York and the rest of the royall issue to their just rights and privledges. And his resolution touching all those who endeavour to obstruct the treaty, and hinder the setling of truth, and happy peace, in this unsetled church and kindome. With His Majesties last and finall propositions to all loyall and reasonable subjects. Subscribed Charles R.

A DECLARATION OF ROBERT EARL of WARWICK, Concerning the Kings Majesty, and the Prince of Wales, and his resolution touching all those who are opposite to Peace.

VVHereas, there are divers persons with∣in the City of London, and parts ad∣jacent, who endeavour to inflame the Kingdom in a most inhumane, bloudy, and intestine War, and to involve them in a Labyrinth of troubles

and Calamities, by the••r present commotions, actings, and contrivances, in making the King and Parliame•••• odious to the People, and stirring up their hearts ••∣gainst them, for the obstructing and blasting the hop••∣full Issue and Blossomes of this blessed Treaty. There∣fore, for preventing thereof, and propogating the pre∣sent Work in hand, his Excellency Robert Earl of ••••••∣wick Lord High Admirall of his Majesties narrow Seas, hath declared his Resolution in reference to the same, protesting,

That He will use his utmost endeavours towards the setling of truth, and a happy peace in this unsetled Church and Kingdom•• and that He will be instrumentall for the bringing of his Majesty to London, and setling of His Maiesty, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of York, and the rest of His Royall Issue in their just Rights and privi∣ledges, s•• soon as His Majesty shall be pleased to satisfie and confirme the Desires of his two Houses of Parliament so much tending to the good and preservation both of Re∣ligion, Crown and Lingdoms.

Some Overtures have been la••ely ••ade betweene his Highnesse the Prince of Wales, and his Lordship, in relation to a conjunction and uniting of both Navies; but his Lordship hath utterly de••ested against the s••me, slighting the Princes invitation and representing a Letter unto his Highnesse, That he takes it as the greatest di••honour that can be incident to man, for any Personage whatsoever to betray the trust reposed in him, and that He is resolved to sacrifice his life in the Cause and Engagement which ••e hath undertaken, not doubting but that the omnipotent God of Heaven (to

whom the Honour of his Engagement doth belong) will cause the Wnids and Seas to fight for them, whose Truth is their Banner, Shield and Bucker; and therefore dehorts his Highnesse to persist no longer in the way he is in, but forthwith to come in, and unite himself with the Parliament, that so his person may be preserved from all violence and injury and a resto∣ration made of all due Rights and priviledges, and that he may render himself instrumentall for the compo∣sing of all differences, and establlshing of a firme and lasting Peace throughout His Fathers Realmes and Dominions.

This Letter is said to be sent from aboard the St. George, to the Prince at Helver-Sluce, and signed

WARWICK.

Letters further from the Navy say, That the Prince is desirous to spin out some longer time at Gore•• be∣fore he puts to Sea, in expectation of what the Treaty will produce, and that if it takes not effect, he is resol∣ved for Ireland, to joyn with the Marquis of Ormond, and the Lord Inchiqueen, and to land an Army in the West of England at the Spring, for the re-investing of the King, and restoring of Him to his just Rights, Po∣wer and Authority

The said Letters do further intimate, That the Lord high Admirall hath received a Letter from his Maje∣sty, purporting things of great concernment, and how farre he hath condescended to the desires of his two Hou•••••••• desiring him to be instrumentall for the set∣ling of a firm and lasting peace.

His Majesties finall Answer touching Episcopacy.

Right Honourable,

ON Wednesday morning last the Kings Majesty ••nd the Commissioner, met in the Treaty Chamber, and taking ••heir places at the Councell Table according to the usuall manner, the Earl of Northumberland rose up, and made a short Speech, Humbly desiring his Majesty to remove his a∣versnesse from the setling of Religion, and to hearken unto the advice of His great and loyall Councell, so much tending to the honour of His Majesty and Posterity, and the setling of a true and lasting peace throughout all His Realms and Dominions.

Which done, his Lordship presented a Copy of the Parliaments last Votes brought by Sir Peter Killegrey, on Tuesday night last, in answer to his Majesties En∣largement of Concessions touching Episcopacy. His Majesty (after reading the same) rose up out of the Chair of State, and made a very learned and excellent Speech to the Commissio••ers.

His Majesty having thus graciously declared Him∣self, the Commissioners began to proceed according to their Instructions, and desired a more fuller and sa∣tisfactory Answer, touching the utter extirpation of Episcopacy, which took up some time of debate in pro and con, and the day being far spent, they referred the further results thereof to the happy succession of the morrow following.

And (accordingly) yesterday morning they met a∣gain, where the streames of joy issued from the cur∣rent of the hearts both of Prince and People, who

came to a finall close upon all the Proposals, His Ma∣jesty promising upon his Royall Word to passe those Bills into Acts which He had already assented to. And being further pressed by the Commissioners to signe to the Bill for the establishing of Episcopacy, his Ma∣jesty desired respite of time till Saturday morning, which was accordingly granted.

And this morning (about the accustomed houre) his Majesty gave the Commissioners a visit, and sitting down in the Chair of State, presented a Paper to them, which is said to be very satisfactory, containing His Royall Assent to the Proposition of the Church, and likewise to all the rest of the Bills and Proposals. This joyfull tydings were soon eccho'd throughout the I∣sland; insomuch that the Bels rang tryumphantly in all the respective Parishes. But by reason of the sud∣den dispatch of the Post, I am forced to conclude, and remain

Newport 5 Octob. 1648.

Your Honours devoted servant, J. RISHTON.

Postscript.

SIR,

SInce my last. Here hath hapned severall Overtures between his Majesty and the Parliaments Commis∣sioners; they have had much debate upon the Propo∣sitions, especially that concerning the Church, which the King stuck much at; but the dark Cloud being ex∣pelled, and the splendor of the Gospell shining most gloriously in the eyes of his Majesty, He was graci∣ously pleased to declare his Royall Assent to all the Propositions, and to grant His Royall Word to passe all things desired by his two Houses, that may be agreeable and cousonant to the fundamentall Lawes

of this Kingdom. And as to the busines of the Church (which is all they stick at) the King hath promised t•• give his concurrence therein, rather then his People shall suffer for his dis assenting. And 14 dayes mo•••• being added to the Treaty, it is hoped a fair conclusion will attend the happy beginning. His Majesty hath ••••∣livered another Paper to the Commissioners, which I have here inserted, viz.

CHARLES R.

HIs Majesty resteth very much unsatisfied, That you have now again wholly declined the answ••∣ring of those t••ree questions so clearly proposed by him, which your selves also confesse to be of grea im∣portance, upon this only pretence, That the whole volum•• of Ecclesia••••icall policy is contained in them: Wherea•• his Majesty did neither expect not require from you any large or polemicall Discourse concerning those Questions conceiving that you were ••n some sort ob∣liged to have declared what your judgment was there∣in, with the grounds thereof. For certainly untill one of these three things can be clearly evidenced unto his Maj. 1. Either that there is no certain form of Church Government at all prescribed in the Word. 2. That th•• Civill power may change the same as they see cause. 3 Or if it be unchangable, that it was not Episcopall, but some other, his Maj. thinks himself excusable in the judgment of all reasonable men, if he cannot be indu∣ced to give his consent to the utter abolition of th•• Government of the Church which be found here set∣led to his hands, which hath continued all over the Christian world, from the times of the Apostles untill this last Age.

FINIS.