A declaration of great Lucifer, prince of the ayre, and of divells, and of all the damned crew in hell. In answer to a petition presented to them by a Parliament man. Dated in August 1648.

A Declaration of great Lucifer, &c.

TRue, trusty, and well-beloved servants of great Lucifer throughout the whole world, especially you of the Kingdome of England, our speciall benediction; where∣as wee have received a petition which was lately presented to us by the hands of some of our obedient servants, contain∣ning sundry Acts, Passages, Orders and Ordinances, by you commanded, and by the people in generall performed to the great advance of our Kingdome, in which you desire our approbation by way of petition, which wee have looked upon as acts of great concernment; for whereas you say you have shooke off all Loyalty and honesty, and have rai∣sed an Army and fought against your King, and tooke him prisoner, where he at this day remaines under your custody to your great applause, and have managed a war for the space of seaven yeares or well nigh; and hunted your Queen out of the Land, and driven your Prince away, tooke your Kings revenew from him, and left him nothing but what you judge meet for such a one, and maintained your selves like Princes with congratulatory gifts, and also as you say, you have sold many or all the Bishops Lands, where∣with you have encreased your owne estates and Lands, and murdered the good people of the Land, and voted those to be Traytours that have risen in armes against you, and set up an Exicise Office, where you receive and gather in the fat of the Land, and the fruits of the Kingdome: And also have (to keep the people in subjection) settled a Committee at Goldsmiths Hall, at Darby house, and such like places, that whosoever misbehaveth himselfe, breakes your Orders, or will not pay those assessements that you in your wisdome

thinke meet to be paid for your use, and have issued many warrants to bring refractory persons, and have procured Knights of the Post to sweare point blancke against such, and have commanded to plunder, to kill and slay your oppo∣sers, and have maintained Sectaries, Divisions, Heresies, A∣nabaptists, Independency, Presbyters, Sects, Schismes, sa∣criledge, blasphemy, and what not, to the advance of our Kingdome, and have countenanced treason, and rebellion, applauded Rebels, rewarded murthers, fomented untruths, falcified Oathes broken Covenants, robbed the people, and used that most excellent art of equivocating; for these Acts, and deeds, and such like, which we have not time at present to recapitulate; we accept, affect, applaud, and approve; and put the case you faile in any thing that you cannot procure, nor compasse by wit or art to obtaine, be it on the Seas, or on the Land, or under the earth; yea be it in the ayre, wee with our politick, wise, crafty complices, will accomplish your desire, though the whole world were engaged against you; for what have we not power to command the whole earth? yea we have, and it will obey, for in the twinckling of an eye we have our desire, and our servants shall be yours to command, be the act never so unjust, for with their helpe you shall subdue, only thus much you must acknowledge this to be of our great power, and impute nothing of it to your selves; in this throne we are greatest, and as you have done most worthily hitherto, and as it becomes our obedient ser∣vants; so we exhort you, and command you in our name to persist in these wayes, for we are the great paymaster in the world, and if wee set you on worke be sure we will pay you your wages.

Wherefore we say againe, that we do approve of all and every act by you done, or shall doe in this kind, for its done to the advancement of our Kingdome, and we are joyfull to heare that we have such faithfull and diligent servants, that are so willing to performe our will, and as you have beene thus carefull and forward to execute our Lawes, and main∣taine such acts; we doe here adde and ordaine other Laws

to be executed and put in practice by you, as you will answer the contrary at you perill.