No. 73.

Letter from the City to Fairfax, deprecating any attempt to intermeddle with the liberties or privileges of the City. Dated 28 July, 1647.

Journal 40, fo. 242b.

Our Committee being all returned from the Army contrary to o^r expectacõn we are yet well satisfied therew^th, because, that it was at your request. They have communicated unto us severall papers from you dated on and betweene the 17^th and 23^th present, by one whereof, being a lettre to this Court, we take notice of the sence the army hath of a printed paper w^ch had come to their hands out of the Citie, and have perused the same, but in regard the originall hath not bin yet presented to this Court, it is not thought fitt to declare our sence thereupon, but we esteeme it our duty to rest in that w^ch both Houses of Parliam^t have resolved, upon consideracõn of this paper, w^ch we conceave also wilbe sufficient to stopp the further proceeding thereof. But truly we cannot conceale from yo^r Ex^cie that (forasmuch as we can collect) this paper was occasioned from intelligence w^ch came from the army, that there was some intencõn there, to move the Parliament for the change of the Militia of this Citie, and we doubt not but you have heard what great distemper the alteracõn w^ch the Parliam^t made of our Militia upon yo^r desire did lately produce in this Citie, w^ch being now againe upon our humble peticõn put into the same hands it was, at the tyme the mocõn came from you, we hope all things are well appeased and setled. And we are confident it cannot be offensive unto the armie, if we desire them not to intermeddle w^th any the Liberties or Priviledges of this Citie or interpose in the point of our Militia, but that wee may enioy that trust quietly w^ch wee shall assure you we shall take care shalbe managed to no other end but for the Parliam^ts and our owne defence, and shall give no iust provocacõn to any person whatsoever. We shall conclude w^th this profession that we shall alwayes detest all occasions of a new warr, and we are not conscious to ourselves, that any thing that hath passed in this business can deserve the expressions of yo^r lettre, as if it were probable to involve the whole Kingdome in bloud, or that it must necessarily begin within our bowells or draw the seat and misery of warr upon us and our Citie. For all other thinges we referr you to our Committees.

London 28 July 1647.