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Subject Area: Political Theory
Subject Area: History
Topic: The English Revolution

General Monck to the Commissioners - Sir William Clarke, The Clarke Papers. Selections from the Papers of William Clarke, vol. 4 [1901]

Edition used:

The Clarke Papers. Selections from the Papers of William Clarke, Secretary to the Council of the Army, 1647-1649, and to General Monck and the Commanders of the Army in Scotland, 1651-1660, ed. C.H. Firth (London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1901). 4 vols.

Part of: The Clarke Papers. Selections from the Papers of William Clarke, 4 vols.

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General Monck to the Commissioners

Gentlemen,

lii. f. 26.I received yours of the 26th instant. I have written severall letters to your Lordshipp, but whether by those two posts yow speake of I cannot remember; I beleeve I did write at least by one of them, and that hath beene stopt, if yow did not receive it, for I have answered all your letters that came to my hands. However, I question not but that yow have received that wherein yow have an accompt of our sence of the Agreement, and of what wee desire yow to doe thereuppon, and my last of all, which was concerneing your letter to the Lord Mayor and Common Councill of London. If that trouble them soe much, yow may tell them further that there was noe agreement made that noe letters should bee sent dureing the Treaty. If there weere, what meant the letter they sent to the Gentlemen of Northumberland, and that of my Lord Lambert’s sent by Major Cambridge to the Provost of Edinburgh, and those letters and bookes which theire owne messingers have brought hither, in particular those by Captaine Deane, who by his letters and his bookes and his secrett promises dissatisfied severall of the horse, and compell’d us to dismount them? I am certainely informed that hee perswaded them that they should rather suffer themselves to bee dismounted and disarmed then joyne with us according to theire duty, and promised them reparations in that case. Besides this there was a troope of horse put into Carlile, and the Lord Lambert advanced severall of his forces to Durham, and marcht himselfe to Newcastle, uppon an information which I cannot think hee beleeved himselfe. They cannot expect, while they doe these things, that I should bee wanting to the preservation of that good cause I have undertaken, and they neede not feare but in case of agreement I shalbee able to appease all those freinds I have excited, for yow may assure yourselves I shall make noe agreement which may endanger the liberty of the people and priviledges of Parliament, and if those bee preserved, I know all that I write to wilbee satisfied. I have noe more at present, but onely desire yow let mee know what letters of mine yow receive, and whether they come to your hands unopned, and to give mee as speedy an accompt as yow can whether they intend and what they doe in order to the continuation of the Treaty.

I remaine
Yours,

[George Monck].

The Castles yow speake of are both safe in our hands, and for those in considerable places that men are drawne out of I have taken security from the Country Gentlemen that are the owners that they shall restore them againe at a fortnight’s warning, either to myselfe or to any other that shall command in cheife. Yow cannot but know there are many more such lyes made of us, but I suppose yow know us too well to beleeve them. For the Lord Glencarne’s busines I warn’d in the Shires and Burghes, according to the tennor of the inclosed, to meete with mee to engage them to keepe the country in peace, and at that meeting I delivered a coppie of the inclosed to the Commissioners for the shires, and one to that purpose to those for the Burghes; amongst them was chosen that Earle to speake in behalfe of the Shires, and the Provost of Edinburgh for the Burghes. I had noe reason to refuse him at such a time, when hee was to give his engagement against Charles Stewart, which hee and all the rest have done, and I expect to have it next weeke from the Noblemen and Gentlemen of the whole countyes. I leave it to yow to judge whether there was anything in this prejudiciall to the service of the Commonwealth.