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Articles of Treason and high Misdimeanours, committed by Iohn Pine of Curry-Mallet, in the County of Somerset Esquire, against the King, Kingdome, and Parliament, Exhibited by thousands of the said County, faithfull Servants, and Sufferers, for the KING and PARLIAMENT.
THAT The said Iohn Pine in Iuly 1642. upon the intreaty of divers honest faithfull Parliamentiers; tooke charge of above five hundred Horse and Foote, well armed, and desirous to oppose the Commissio∣ners of Array then at Wells; in their way thither near Marshalls Elme, appeared sixty of the enemies horse, with whom the said Mr. Pine desired to parley for his passage, and did above one hower parley with two or three of them, and withdrawing from them, the said Pine spurres up and fled first of all: whereupon the rest followed; which the Enemy perceiving, some 12. of them came down the hill, killed one Man, wounded many, and tooke divers Prisoners; whereby the Parliament was exceedingly dishonoured, their partie extreamly dishartned, to the great prejudice and dammage of the Kingdome. To which wee could add, his base running from Sherborne Hill, his trembling fear of Hartfords forces in their way to Mynhead, keeping two troops of horse for the guard of his own person in the Towne of Taunton, suffering the Enemy to passe by, which if he had but followed, the Warrs in the West, had by all probability been soon ended, which after, through his cowardise, and treachery cost so much Blood and Ruine.
2 That in May and Aprill 1643. The said Iohn Pine taking to him some of his freinds of the Committee of Somerset, did promise and undertake to defend the Westerne parts of that County: and thereupon, he and they did draw together, List and Arme neare six thousand men, most Horse, well-affected and stout men, and raised great summs of mony (fourteene thousand pound on one accompt;) fortifyed Taunton, and Bridgwater, and had Armes, Ordnance, and Amunition sufficient: That contrary to the desires of the Souldiers, the earnest request of the said Towns of Taunton, and Bridgwater, his own former promises, and the trust the Country had reposed in him, the said Mr. Pine run away with the Countries mony before the Enemy (not halfe so many) came within twenty miles of him, deserting both those Garrisons, and all those Well-affected persons, that had ingaged in armes, left the whole Country to the vio∣lence and Plundet of the Enemy, to the exceeding dammage of the Kingdome, and above five hundred thousand pounds to that particuler County, notwithstanding he had under his command a very considerable strength, and good assurance of speedy relief, in case the Enemy should come that way, which they never intended, till they heard the said John Pine had basely deserted Taunton, and after that Bridgwater, both which he cowardly left and betrayed to the Enemy.
3 That the said John Pine was the first Incendiary (that ever we heard of) between the Kingdom of England and Scotland, as by his Speeches, Reports, and Letters, sent from London 1644. and dispearst amongst us, will ap∣peare: and therefore ought by our Covenant, to be brought to condigne punishment: as also for making factions and parties among the people in the County, and elsewhere
4 That the said Iohn Pine with some of his confederates of the Committee of Somerset, to wit Colonell Ceely, Min∣terne, Cliffe, Morgan, English, Trevilion, and two or three more of meane quality; have acted in an arbitrary and opressing way, by imposing Taxes, Leavying Monie, raysing and Quartering Souldiers; fining many well-affected persons, by his and their own power and will, without Ordinance or Order of Parliament, taking Sequestrations off at his pleasure, from the greatest Malignants, and sequestring and imprisoning divers faithfull men to the Parliament, without cause, to the great dishonour, and disservice of the Parliament, and sequestred others without Articles, or admitting them to make their just defence, or convicting them by legall proofs, according to the Ordinance.
5 That the said Iohn Pine hath ordinarily forced men to an Oath Ex oficio, and sworne them not to discover to any whatsoever Question shall be asked them; and many times in concernments of meum & tuum: and usually at the Com∣mittee, sitts alone, as a Committee himself, in his Chamber, and there makes Orders, and then sends then to his under∣lings of the Committee to signe.
6 That the said Iohn Pine hath in an arbitrary way, out of meere spleene and malice, undone many religious and well-affected persons of that County, inriched many wicked and Malignant persons imployed under him, mutinously and seditiously by power carried and indeavoured to carry Elections of Parliament men for his favourites, and wilfully disobayed many Orders, and Ordinances of Parliament, to the losse of the lives, and ruine of divers persons: and when we hoped for peace by the late Treaty, whilst it lasted, he declared in the Country, that the Parliament should make no peace with the King, but that the Kings life should be taken from him: And for that purpose, he and his confederates have listed and raised divers new forces without the authority of Parliament, to alter the fundamentall Lawes and govern∣ment of the Kingdome, disinherit the King and his issue of the Crowne, and inslave the free people of England to Mar∣tiall Law and Government, and the County to his Tyranny and violence.
7 That the said Iohn Pine and his confederates of the standing Committee, have Monopolised the power of the Commit∣tee into their own hands, refusing to sit, and adjourning the Committee, when others of the Committee have come to sit with them: rented Sequestrations in their owne, and others names, and bought sequestred goods, at undervalues, to the great defrauding of the state: disposed of the states monies and goods to one another, and their agents, con∣trary to the Ordinances of Parliament, to the great prejudice and losse of the state; refused to give accompt of the monies Land and Goods sequestered and received by them, according to the Ordinances and Orders of Parliament, and by indirect means and underhand practices, caused divers Gentlemen of the County, to be unduly put out of the Commission of the peace, and others of his owne confederates (lesse able and insufficient for such a trust) to be put into their places; And the said Iohn Pine hath likewise contrived and somented divers scandalous and seditions Petiti∣ons in the Country, and sent them up in the Counties name, to the Commons house, to promote his own, and his confederates designes, to murther the King, disinherit the Prince, alter the government and lawes, when as the Countie disclaimed; and protested against them as impostures and forgeries.
For all which Treasons, and high misdemeanours wee humbly pray, that the said Iohn Pine and his Confederates of the Com∣mittee, may be forthwith apprehended and brought to speedy justice, and execution, by all true patriots to their Country and this Kingdome.