Page:Trial of john lilburne (IA trial john lilburne).djvu/77

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Page eleven and twelve, which we cannot but seriously recommend with them, to your serious perusall and judgement, and desire to know of you (but especially the private Souldiers of the Gen. Regiment of horse, who we understand, had a hand in seising upon and plundring our true friends at Burford) whether you doe own the abominable and palpable treacherous dealings of your Generall, and Lieutenant Generall Cromwell, and their perfidious Officers with them or no? (that so we may not condemn the innocent with the guilty, and may know our frinds from our foes) as also to tell us, whether you doe approve of the totall defection of your Army, under which it now lieth, from their faith and falne Engagement, made at Newmarket-heath, June the fifth 1647. not one of those righteous ends, in behalf of the Parliament and people, on which your Vow was made, being yet fulfilled or obtained, but on the contrary (as we have before rehearsed) a whole floud-gate of tyrannies are let in upon us, and over-whelme us, and whether you (the aforesaid private Souldiers meaning) justifie all those actions done in the name of the Army, upon your account, and under the pretence of that Engagement, since the Engagement it selfe was broken, and your Councell of Adjutators disolved? And whether you will hold up your Swords to maintain the totall dissolution of the Peoples choysest interest of freedome; viz. Frequent and successive Parliaments, by an Agreement of the People, or obstruct the annuall succession? Whether you doe allow of the late shedding the bloud of Warre in time of Peace, to the subversion of all our lawes and liberties? And whether you doe countenance the extirpation of the fundamentall freedomes of this Common-wealth; as the reocation and nullity of the great Charter of England, the Petition of Right, &c.? And whether you doe assent to the erection of Arbitrary prerogative Courts, that have or shall over-rule, or make void our ancient way of tryals in criminall cases, by a Jury of twelve men of the neighbourhood? And whether you will assist or joyne in the forcible obstruction of this Martiall and tyrannical rule over us? Also, whether you will fight against and destroy those our friends that shall endeavour the composure of our differences together, with the procurement of our freedomes and settlement of our peace (your plenty and prosperity) according as it was offered bythe