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The estates of this kingdom presently convened, taking into their most serious consideration that all who have place and public interest in this kingdom have ever from the beginning of the unhappy differences and unnatural war between his majesty and the houses of parliament, in all humility and tenderness, made offer of their mediation and national intercession for removing thereof in such a way as might serve most for his majesty's honour and the good of his people; and that after disappointment of all other means we were necessitate to enter into a Solemn League and Covenant for reformation and defence of religion, the honour and happiness of the king's majesty and his posterity and the true public liberties, safety and peace of his kingdom, and in pursuance of the covenant have been constrained, for preservation of ourselves and our religion from utter ruin and destruction, to raise an army against papists, prelates, malignants and their adherents from whose mercies the greatest favour may be expected is that when they have destroyed England and Ireland, we shall be the last they shall destroy; and our army, by God's assistance, being now advanced the length of [...], and knowing that these, our common enemies, the enemies of truth and peace and of his majesty's true happiness, are ready to pervert our best ways and will not want impudence to assert that our sending an army into England is for invasion of that kingdom or to lift arms against our native king, although our informations, declarations and remonstrances to his majesty, to the houses of parliament and to all the world and our whole former deportment ought to be more plain and sure evidences of our meaning than all that malice can devise or slander can express against us, and that our covenant with our brethren for religion, king and kingdoms is sufficient to vindicate us from any such base aspersions, yet, as a further testimony of our constant loyalty and sincere desire of peace, we judge it necessary from the sense of our duty and from the relation of the public trust committed to us at this time to require you, in the name and on behalf of this kingdom, yet again to supplicate that his majesty may be graciously pleased to listen to the humble and just desires of his majesty's subjects of both kingdoms, to be represented by the convention of the estates of Scotland or their committees and the houses of the parliament in England, that by their advice all these unhappy divisions and distractions may be removed, the true religion and worship of God established and secured and the public and great affairs of these kingdoms so settled as may tend most to his majesty's honour, the maintenance of his just authority, the preservation of the privileges of parliament, the liberty of the subject and the prosperity of his majesty's dominions, as is expressed in our covenant.
The particular desires which may best contribute to so good ends, we refer to the power and commission whereby we have authorised you, and to the instructions given or to be given by the parliament or estates of this kingdom. And seeing by the treaty between the kingdoms it is agreed that neither nation shall enter into any treaty of peace without the advice and consent of the other, we do therefore require that whatsoever of this kind shall be done by you may be with the knowledge and approbation of the houses of parliament or their committees with you; and as we neither have nor shall demand any thing of his majesty but what a just prince owes by the laws of God and their kingdoms to his subjects coming before him with their humble desires and supplications for settling of truth and peace, so these being granted and secured, we shall be ready to give real demonstration that nothing could have brought us to this posture, nor can move us to continue in it, but true zeal to our religion, natural affection to our country, loyal and sincere respect to our king and true to our brethren of England, the conscience whereof will uphold our hearts until it please God to put an end to all our troubles.