THE resolution OF WILTSHIRE: Presented at Oxford to His majesty with their Contributions.  
ALSO The Resolution of Herefordshire, &c.  
 printer's or publisher's device  
Printed Anno Dom. 1642.   

WILTSHIRE's Resolution, presented with the Contributions of divers Gentlemen to His majesty at OXFORD.  
FOrasmuch as we whose names are hereto subscribed, having taken the late Protestation recommended unto this kingdom in general, according to the direction of both Houses of Parliament, with His Majesties consent, whereby wee hold ourselves most especially bound and engaged to defend, and maintain with our lives and fortunes according to our utmost abilities, the Protestant Religion established by authority of divers past Parliaments since the Reformation, and also His Majesties royal Person, and Prerogative, the just and ancient privileges of Parliaments, the laws of this Land, and the Liberty of the Subject. And whereas it is evident unto us, that at this present by the malicious practices of some dangerous spirits, the Protestant Religion hath received manifest detriment by calumniating, discountenancing, and imprisoning divers painful, reverend, and orthodox Divines, as namely Dr Featley, Dr Oldsworth, Mr Shute of London, and many other men of approved soundness in Doctrine, and unspotted integrity in their lives and conversations, and almost in all places obtruding anabaptistical, Brownisticall, and schismatical Teachers of falsehood, and rebellion, to the dishonour of God, and scandal of the Pulpit, abused nowadays to seduce us from the Loyalty and piety which made our Fore-fathers, and ourselves formerly happy, and to engage us in a Civill war one against another. The much, and much worthy to be reverenced liturgy, and Common Prayer of our Church grown infamous, and a reproach to those that use it, and all possible endeavour used utterly to expunge it.  
And having been bold with God in his worship, no wonder if they proceed to the injury of his Vicegerent, our most Gracious sovereign, who opposing as much as in him lay, those, and other unjust and illegal proceedings, was by their subtlety rendered suspected to His Subjects of inclining to Popery, and many other matters equally false; that under such hateful jealousies, He might by degrees become less beloved of His Subjects, and they brought into the condition they are at this time in open war against him, wherein, lest they should relent, they are made believe it is for the safety, and defence of His Person; the most absurd gullery that ever was put upon a Nation.  
And as the KING did not alone dislike these injuries done to God and himself, so neither alone does he suffer; for with him most of the most Learned, and judicious Members of both Houses, whose nobleness, Honour, virtues, Piety, Religion, and clear understandings, made them declare themselves averse to the present course of the times, have been either imprisoned or stigmatized with the brand of Traytors, and Papists, or at the least malignants, and Prelatists: these and such like have been all the privileges of Parliaments allowed the Worthies of our times, and worse is hatching for them if the Divine providence preserve them not.  
Are our ancient laws in any better condition, or seem they not as dead as their prudent contrivers? do not new born Votes supply their room, and new born miseries attend them? the KING, his Wife, and Children, voted& forcibly kept out of all that is due to them, wee are required to be assisting hereto; if not, we shall be voted to be plundered,& our goods and estates sequestered, and all this is pretended to be for the Liberty of the Subject: we have liberty indeed to give, but no liberty to deny: and we must give not as we know we are able, but as they think fit, and this they have the impudence to publish.  
These things being taken into our serious consideration, and the times now requiring us to declare ourselves, since we can no longer be at peace: first condoling the general calamity of ourselves, and Ireland, we profess to all the world, that we cannot see or find any other lawful way to free us from the distresses we are in, then by our best assistance of His Sacred majesty, against all that shall oppose Him in an assured confidence that His purpose is as He hath declared, and no other, than to maintain and establish the Protestant Religion, as it hath been in authority& use in this kingdom ever since Edward the sixth,& likewise His own just and true prerogative, and inheritance, derived unto Him from His ancestors Kings, and Queens of England, and also the rights and privileges of Parliaments, that have been alway justly due to them; to whom we conceive His Majesty ought especially to harken, as hath been the custom of his royal predecessors, they seeking in all humility His assent to their debates and resolutions, by reason, not by force; and also the ancient laws of this Kigndome, and all other Acts of Parliament, ratified by the Kings consent. And lastly, the Liberty and Property of the Subject: Hereto we hold ourselves bound by Conscience and vow to God, Loyalty to our King, and duty to our Country: and so God prosper us as wee shall be assisting to His majesty in the accomplishment of all this.   

A Declaration of the Resolution of the County of HEREFORD.  
WHereas the kingdom for many yeares past hath groaned under many taxes of loan, shipmoney, and the like dismal effects of an arbitrary Government, and an high stretched prerogative: for the cure of which distemper a Parliament was believed by all men to be the onely good old way of physic, to cleanse the body politic from oppressing crudities( which was hearty desired) but not by over-strong purgatives to weaken it in the principal parts, causing it to receive a disposition to the like distemper, or a relapse into the same, or a worse disease; which in stead of restoring it to its primitive vigour and health, must needs drive it to a fatal period. Such is our misery, such the just judgement of God upon our sins: this wholesome and approved physic hath not wrought in us that blessed effect, as was either believed by some, or hoped for by all men. But as if God had answered our importunity for a Parliament, as he did of old the Israelites for a King, in his anger; we drive on with more hast then good speed to the other extreme, which portends no less symptoms of ruin and destruction, then the former. So that having maturely considered what hath proved destructive to this and other Parliaments, we may the more easily avoid those Rocks upon which others have split themselves: viz.  
1. The venting of particular ends of Avarice and Ambition in the public State.  
2. Private Combinations and Chamber-conventicles, to resolve before hand what shall be done in the house.  
3. Hindering the freedom of speech by imprisonment of the persons.  
4. Denying informations by the humble way of Petitions from the Countries; as that most excellent and orthodox Petition of our brethren of Kent: of rejecting information by letters to our Knights and Burgesses.  
5. The ready swallowing of informations and jealous rumours against His majesty, by styling them malignant enemies to the State, which were onely truly, and constionably His friends.  
6. Private, if not public encouragement of the mutinous rabble, which ill spirit was ready at all times to be raised by a whisper by any of those worthy members emphatically so called, if not exclusively; as if all Justice, Reformation, and Government were onely to be expected from them.  
7. The new and unheard of State-Law, and logic, to style and believe that a Parliament which is divided in itself; which is severed from the King the Head thereof.  
If these things may be remedied,( as we hope they are not all past cure) we shall desire rather to change some of our Physitians, then our physic; there being no better way, nor more necessary to preserve or restore the health of a Commonwealth, then a well-tempered Parliament: Wherefore we, as faithful subjects to His majesty, as freeborn English-men, do join in an unanimous resolution to maintain 

1. The Protestant Religion:  
2. The Kings just Power:  
3. The laws of the Land:  
4. The Liberties of the Subject.    
For the first, The Protestant Religion, wee cannot but with grief of heart remember how it hath been assaulted in the outworks and skirts of it, the liturgy and decent Ceremonies established by Law; yea, in the very body of it, the 39 Articles.  
In what danger the Church of England hath been to be overrun with brownism, and anabaptism, let all the world judge.  
For the second, The just Power of the King; God knows, he hath been so far unable to defend that from violation, as it was Gods great goodness rather than His own power, which secured, or rather rescued His Person from violence: And what their aim was, who to please the vulgar Rabble, would uphold them in, or not punish them for those high insolences, as we fear to imagine for the present, so we cannot but with horror and amazement doubt the consequence: Nor can we conceal our joy of heart, or thanks to His Majesties good Subjects of the County of york, for endeavouring to secure His Person with a Guard,( being of more value than many thousands) and putting him into a posture of defence, which some have either ignorantly or maliciously interpnted, an intention of war against the Parliament; whereas it is plain enough, his desires are onely to secure himself and his servants from those prodigious tumults and disorders, which have endangered his sacred Person: Nor can we blame him, considering Sir John Hothams act at Hull, and Sir Henry Ludlowe's Speech in Parliament, with Mr Martine's.  
For the two last, The laws of the Land, and The Liberties of the Subject, which must not be separated; how have they been violated also by some of those who were chosen to be the conservators of them? as imprisonments of the persons, contrary to the Petitions of Right; sessing the Clergy, without a body of their own, contrary to Magna Charta; shuffling the Convocation into a Synod, or an Assembly, or Conventicle, without the choice, consent, or election of the Clergy, as if they were neither the Kings Subjects, nor Gods Servants.  
As we conceive ourselves obliged by the laws of God, by the Law of the Land, and by the dictate of nature and reason, to maintain all these; so by Gods grace assisting us, we hope we shall not be terrified to yield any active obedience to any disjointed part of a Parliament, without the consent of the whole;( which we hearty desire may be united) or to any uncertain Debates, Votes, or Ordinances, which are not digested and settled into a Law; nay, which seems to contradict former laws tendered unto us with so much earnestness, as some dare hardly deny with safety. Now we cannot obey with conscience, nor shall we yield ourselves such slaves, or betray the liberty purchased with our fore-fathers blood, and bequeathed unto us, as to suffer ourselves to be swayed by any Arbitrary government whatsoever; or strive with so much contention of spirit to cast off the yoke of one Tyranny, to induce many worse: Seeing his majesty is graciously pleased to maintain 

1. The Protestant Religion:  
2. His own just Power:  
3. The laws of the Land:  
4. The Liberties of the Subject.    
And that these waters of Reformation having been long stirred, we want onely the favour of His Princely majesty, as our good angel, to let us in and heal us; for we do reciprocally declare, that we conceive ourselves bound to maintain Him in all the premises with our lives and fortunes.   
FINIS.