The Parliamentarians’ Articles of Faith, 1648

SRO D260/M/F/1/6
©Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Archive Service

This attack on the beliefs of the Parliamentarians appears together with a Lord’s Prayer and Ten Commandments, written in a similar vein and clearly composed by a person with strong Royalist sympathies.

Transcript
D260/M/1/6

The Articles of their Faith

I believe in Cromwell the Father of all Schisme, Sedission, Herisie, and Rebellion, and in his only sone Ireton, our saviour, begotten by the spirit in a Hole, borne of a winching Mare, sufferd under a howse of Office at Brainford, Hee deserved to be drawne, hangd, quartred and to remaine unburied; for hee descended into Hull, the third day he rose up in Rebellion against his King and now sitteth on the Right hand of the gods at Westminster; hee believes ther is noe holy Ghost, nor Catholiqe Church nor fo[gi]venes of sins, but the Communion of the sisters, the Resurrection [of] Members and Parliament Everlas[ting] Amen