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A44655 A letter to Mr. Samuel Johnson occasioned by a scurrilous pamphlet, intituled, Animadversions on Mr. Johnson's Answer to Jovian in three letters to a country-friend : at the end of which is reprinted the preface before the History of Edward and Richard the Second, to the end every thing may appear clearly to the reader, how little of that preface has been answered / both written by the Honourable Sir Robert Howard. Howard, Robert, Sir, 1626-1698. 1692 (1692) Wing H3000; ESTC R4333 26,604 76

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misguiding Meteor of Arbitrary Power I also considered the Proceedings of the Government in the latter part of King Charles the Second's Reign and the short Reign of King James the Second and perceived how exactly they followed the steps of these two unfortunate Kings and I then expected to see a Revolution resembling theirs When King Charles had prepared things ready for Popery and Slavery he seemed no longer useful to those that eagerly waited to assume that Power that the Papists had guided him to make ready for them and as his Actions were like those misguided Princes I believe his Death as much resembled theirs and was equally as violent There was not a particular Action of any note of these two late Kings that did not seem copied from those two unfortunate Princes the Interest of England prostrated to that of France the murdering of great and considerable Men the violent seizing the Rights and Liberties of the City of London the Quo Warranto's on Corporations consequently on the Nation Laws prostrated to the King's Will Westminster-Hall fitted with proper Judges for that Design And as in King Richard the Second's time by resolving the Queries of the Earl of Suffolk the Judges made the King the sole Judg not only of Law but whether there should be any Law or no and the Offence against his Will became the only Treason so the apt Judges of the King's-Bench in the Case of Sir Edward Hales resolved the same though in another manner but in a more seeming abstruse way as if they endeavoured to shew Modesty in Nonsense First they declar'd the Laws were the King's Laws and in case of Necessity the King was to judg of those Laws and then that the King was Judg of the Necessity And lastly as my Lord Coke says to bring the worst Oppression upon us which is done by the colour of Justice they did not only attempt to corrupt the Law by poison'd Judges but by packing Parliaments endeavour'd to confirm the begun Slavery by Statute-Law There was only one sort of Mischief and the greatest that those two unfortunate Princes had no occasion to be equal in with our two late Kings especially King James for they being then of the same Religion with the People could not endeavour the subverting of it so that K. James had a peculiar Tyranny to exceed them in This threatning Storm upon the Souls of Men was providently foreseen by the Parliaments of Westminster and Oxford who therefore press'd the Point by a Bill of Exclusion to secure themselves against a Popish Successor I was a Member of both those Parliaments wherein the Debates seem'd to me very clear and almost unanimous and they were too well justified by the Popish Successor when he came to the Crown for he made good the Foundation of their Opinions and Apprehensions that such a one could never defend a Faith that was contrary to his or be a Father to those he believ'd no Sons of God as if it were possible that his Concern should be for their Liberties that his Opinion had delivered up to eternal Slavery The truth of this appearing by his Actions has by this time I hope bred a repenting Consideration in such as strenuously supported that which was so near bringing a Ruin on us all and had not this King brought us such a timely Redemption we had practised Passive Obedience against our Wills and in our Souls and Bodies felt the Misery of that Doctrine the Encouragement of Destruction But yet we see a History of this Doctrine of Passive Obedience new put forth which is no better than an Arraigning this present Government and all those that contributed to this happy Change which shews as if there were some that would rather see the violent Destruction of their own Religion than disturb the quiet Settlement of Popery as if it were more Religious to suffer God not to be worshipp'd than to pull down an Idol set up by a King as if we were to believe he had a divine Right to consecrate Idolatry but I leave that zealous History under the Execution it has receiv'd from the Excellent Mr. Johnson in his short Reflections upon it which can receive no greater a Character than to be like himself and his other Writings both which were victorious in the midst of all his barbarous Persecutions And as the Nation receiv'd the benefit of his Writings and Example I doubt not but he will share a Reward proportionably to the Assistance he gave to their Redemption It will not be improper therefore to consider the Cases of those two Princes Edward and Richard the Second who were deposed by the People in their Representatives presuming they had a Right to re-assume that Power which was derived from them when any Prince forfeited the Trust they had placed in him and acted contrary to his Executive Office and they expresly declared to King Edward the Second that if he did not freely consent to a Resignation they would not elect his Son Edward but such a one as might be proper for the Good of the People tho no Relation to his Blood and the King returned his Thanks That since they had taken such a Displeasure against him that they would yet be so kind to his Son Nor has this Electing of Kings been so unusual in England since seldom any Government has had more broken Successions But before I proceed to shew how this Right was and continues in the People I will take leave briefly to shew what a Prince is according to their Doctrines that have with an unlimited Zeal asserted Passive Obedience and the Laws to be only the Properties of a King 's Arbitrary Will I remember when Julian the Apostate came out many of the Clergy seem'd very much disturbed and as I was informed there was a Club that assisted the Answer to it called Jovian I mention this that when from thence I set down the Positions of that Doctrine of Passive Obedience they may be look'd upon as the sharpest Arrows they could draw from all their Quivers and then if any Weakness or Contradictions appear in them methinks the War should be at an end when the Joint Forces under a chosen Hector are defeated and the Rout and Disorder comes from their own Opinions that fall foul upon one another In many Places of Jovian an unlimited Passive Obedience is prescrib'd as a general Remedy in all Publick Diseases that is Destruction is the best Recipe against Destruction and the Disease is to become the Cure But the Author having heard of such a thing as Laws and not knowing how to put them out of the way to make room for this Doctrine which makes a Destroyer lawful he finds out a Diamond to cut a Diamond and a Law never heard of to destroy the known Laws in these sublime Words The Political Laws are made to defend the Rights of the Subject but in case the Soveraign will Tyrannically take away a Subject's Life