The declaration and vindication of Isaack Pennington, now Lord Mayor of the citie of London, of Colonell Ven, Captain Manwaring and Mr. Fowke.: Wherein is set forth their loyaltie to His Majestie, and the integritie of their proceedings in serving the King and Parliament. In answer to sundry scandalous pamphlets, wherein they are charged to be the maine incendiaries of these present troubles in the citie of London.

The Declaration and Vindication of Isaack Pennington now Lord Mayor of the Citie of London, of Colonell Ʋen, Captaine Manwaring, and Mr. Fowke.

WHereas by divers late Expresses and Let∣ters to the Citie of London, we found our selves aimed at by His Sacred Ma∣jestie, as men that have disturbed the publike peace of the Citie; of which we are in our owne consciences alto∣gether guiltlesse, having neither acted nor attempted any thing against the tranquillitie thereof; nor had any intentions, but what ten∣ded to the true service of his Majestie, the good of the Com∣mon-wealth, and the securitie of the Citie of London. And have furthermore never done or imagined ought, but what we had just authoritie from the High Court of Parliament, which wee were bound in conscience and equitie to obey, being so publikely, and in the eyes of the whole Kingdome, as well of this Citie, whereof wee are members, charged with delinquencie: We esteemed our selves bound, in vindi∣cation of our innocence, to set forth these our serious Decla∣rations of our owne integrities, knowing well that such char∣ges in the too credulous people, who censure mens actions by the event, rather than intention, might beget an opinion that we are really guiltie; when before God and our consci∣ences wee doe beleeve, and dare affirme wee have neither practised, or attempted ought, which was not warrantable by

the knowne Lawes and constitutions of the Kingdome, and for the defence of Gods true Religion and worship; yet some malignants as it should appeare, have informed His sa∣cred Majesty, and others have instilled the same poyson to our fames and reputations into the eares of the people, espe∣cially in the City of London, that we have bin, & are desirous to advance innovations in the true Church of England, and bring in strange doctrines of Brownisme, Anabaptisme, and the like, things so far from our thoughts, much lesse mea∣nings that we should scarcely know their names, were we not instructed in them by those as pursue calumnies, which would make us if not the Authors, at least the promoters and defenders of them, when for our parts we have alwayes esteemed the doctrine of the Church of England perfect and Orthodoxall, and so have ever demeaned our selves as true sonnes of the said Church, though perhaps some innovations and insolencies (which are not unknowne to the whole world, attempted, if not committed by the Bishops and Pre∣lates) upon the persons and estates of sundry of Gods faith∣full servants, might make us desire an abatement of their pride, and a reformation of those grosse abuses which they sought by their unlimited power and authority to obtrude upon the Church; and therein surely we performed nothing but what was agreeable to the justice of Gods and the Kingdomes Lawes, and what equally desired by the whole body of the Kingdome now assembled in this present Par∣liament for the same end; namely, to rectifie and reforme those so long predominant errours in the Church, which had almost growne up againe to that abolished doctrine of Papisme in this Realme, and obscured the verity of true Re∣ligion, by their Ceremonies and circumstances, which were as vaine and uselesse as they were superstitious and ridicu∣lous, if not prophane and impious; yet for this our integrity, we know that divers have been apt to censure us, and im∣pute this our zeale in Gods cause, to a desire of Innovation; But surely our innocence acquits us of those scandals, and

they might as well blame Iehu for seeking to destroy all those in Israel that had bowed to Baal, as us for our prosecu∣tion by the Lawes of the Land, convicted Papists and Recu∣sants; and charged him therby, that he intended an innovation rather then a reformation in the Religion of the Israelites. For any other of our attempts or practises with which we stand charged, as namely, or at least by evident circumstance, for advancing the affaires of the Common wealth, and be∣ing subservient to the commands of the Honourable the High Court of Parliament, by putting their ordinances in practise for the levying of monies upon the inhabitants of the City of London, to help to defray the charge of the Army rai∣sed for the defence of His Majesty and Parliament, certainly we had most convincing reasons to indeare it as much as lay in our powers: For first, we beheld the Kingdome torne and dilacerated into a thousand distractions by the counsels of malignants, who meerly aimed at their owne wicked and sinister ends, and for that purpose, by their seditious devises had separated His Majesty from His High Court of Parli∣ament, convocated by His sacred authority, to treat of the doubtfull and difficult affaires of the Kingdome, and to set at right the oppressive abuses thereof, the said malignants see∣king utterly to destroy the essence of Parliaments, wherein the safety of the Subject principally consists, as is not un∣knowne to all well affected persons. We beheld likewise by the perverse counsell of the said malignants, an Army raised by His Majesties command, for what end we could not con∣jecture, unlesse for the destruction of the Kingdome, the sub∣duing the people, and subverting the fundamentall Lawes of the Land, which Army, how destructive it hath been to the good subjects of the Realme, the inhumane plundrings of the Cavaliers, their taking away peoples estates, firing their houses, and murdering their persons, hath given to the whole world a sufficient testimony, and after their bloudy peram∣bulation through most of the Counties of the Kingdome, and their commitment of robberies and massacres. We beheld

them drawing their forces this way towards this noble City of London, which was the marke their avarice shot at, the end which they in their ravenous minds had intended by all probabilities to arrive, the abundant wealth and infi∣nite riches of this great and populous City, being that sup∣ply which they expected should build up the ruines of their decayed fortunes, and be an ample salary for their desperate designes, which had almost devoured the wealth of the whole Kingdome, and only thirsted for the spoyles of us and our families.

Besides, in the said army wee were as certaine there were gathered together as well Commanders as Soulders, di∣vers notorious Popish Recusants, who by the Lawes of the land ought not onely to beare armes, but likewise to be dis∣inabled from bearing armes, by taking away all their milita∣ry furniture, and provision of warre: the whole Kingdome at least the well-affected persons thereof, evidently knowing that the sword being once put into the hands of Papists, they would use it without all mercy against the breasts of all true Protestants, and such as were zealous in the worship of the Almighty; yet this Army wee saw drawne downe (at least the better part thereof,) even to our very dores, within five miles of our habitations, threatening the City of London, and the Parliament there sitting with unavoyded ruine, if they had not beene prevented, and the utter extirpation, as it was probable enough, of Gods true Religion; surrounded therefore with so many dangers and imminent perills which hung like so many teeming clouds over our heads, menacing destruction to our wives, houses and families; nay, desola∣tion to the whole Citie, let all the world be but indifferent judges, whether we, who were interressed with the chiefe charge and care of the City, had not reason to looke about us, and provide for the safety of the City, one of us having the principall governement thereof, and the rest of us be∣ing able and sufficient Members of the said City, whe∣ther

we had not cause not onely to put the Order of the high Court of Parliament in practice with diligence, for the raising men and moneys for the defence of our selves and the City, but also to render them condigne and humble thankes for their care and provision for our securities, and whether it was not requisite that the City of London, being the capitall place of the Kingdome, and the chiefest Maga∣zine it hath both for wealth and armes, should advance the greatest summes of moneys toward the supportment of these necessities, defensive warres undertaken by the command and order of Parliament for the safegard of the subjects liberties, and the security of the true Protestant Religion. Certainly had the Citizens contributed in stead of the twentieth part the halfe of their Estates to an use so necessary and pious, they had but made a just domon∣stration of their loves to the Common-wealth, and their cares to their selves and families, it being farre more re∣quisite for them to part with the twentieth part of their Estates, so to secure the rest, then by the detention of that, not onely to hazard their whole lively hoods and fortunes, but their lives and liberties to the desperate fury of those Malignants and Cavaliers, who thinke of no other law, nor acknowledge no other conscience but their inordinate lusts. And so confident are we of our integrities, having done nothing but what hath beene authorised us by Or∣der from the high Court of Parliament; that wee both hope and believe when his sacred Majesty, abandoning the counsell of those Malignants, who have incensed his goodnesse as well against his high Court of Parliament, as against us, shall really and rightly consider our actions and intentions, his sacred wisdome will not onely acquit our in∣nocences of any dis-service to himselfe, the tranquillity of the Kingdome, or welfare of the City of London, by our forwardnesse in setting forth the Order of the high Court of Parliament, and levying of moneys for the support and

maintenance of these warres against the Cavaliers, but will thanke us for our diligence, which hath beene a principall meanes to preserve the City of London from devastation and ruine, and defended Gods true Religion from the machina∣tions of Popish Recusants; and for the Citizens of London, who may by the violence of the said aspersions be drawne to believe the said opinions, wee all hope they will by this our Vindication of our innocence, be perswaded to believe our integrities, which have alwayes tended to the service of his Majestie and the advancement of the Common-wealth, the defence of the Protestant Religion, and the demonstra∣tion of our obedience to the honourable the high Court of Parliament.

FINIS.