Selected quad for the lemma: england_n
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A25572
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The Answer to the appeal expounded
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L'Estrange, Roger, Sir, 1616-1704. Answer to the Appeal from the country to the city.
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1680
(1680)
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Wing A3385; ESTC R16973
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34,388
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37
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of it to the other Secondly The Appellant Usurps upon the King's Authority as if his Majesty were bound to give an Account to every Libeller why he Prorogues or Dissolves his Parliaments which is a Priviledge inseparable from the Supreme Power in all forms of Government Thirdly It is a Tacit Charge of Tyranny upon the King for it is done he says whenever they come to redress the Grievances of the Subject And lastly He makes the King a Promoter of the Plot but whether with more Indignity or Folly it is hard to determine either in the Intimation or in the Supposal of his Majesty to be Felo de se and a Party to the Conspiracy against his own Life The Plot he says will in all Probability take effect and he is the occasion of it that would not suffer these Parliaments to sit The Plot is now got so far out of our Enemies reach that no subtle Evasion or Trick can ever hope to extinguish it Wherefore they must either suffer all to come out or begin by force to justifie it which we see they are going to do by their endeavouring to get those Worthy and Brave Commanders Banished who as they think are the most likely Persons to conduct and lead us up against any Popish Army Fol 1. The Appellants meaning is that the Popish Plot is so notoriously Publique there 's no Concealing of it and so far we are agreed For we have had Legal Tryals Proofs Verdicts Sentences and Legal Executions in the Case But yet to my thinking we have had also as Competent Evidences of another Plot under that as a body would wish But whoever crosses the second Plot is presently Libell'd as a Friend to the former What do we hear what do we read what do we see but Seditious Discourses Scandalous Invectives and Mutinous Practices against the Government Is not the King's Administration and his Authority publickly Arraigned And is not his Sacred Life struck at in this way of Proceeding First They expresly tell the World that his Majesty Misgoverns Secondly They lay it down for a Maxim that the People may call him to Account in case he does Misgovern And this being admitted the next point is directly by an undeniable Consequence to Arraign him as a Traytor to the Sovereign People But the Faction it self expounds its own meaning What have they to say for that Inhumane and Execrable Murther acted upon the late Arch-Bishop of St. Andrews in Scotland and to their Declaration against the King himself which was follow'd with an Open Actual and Form'd Rebellion This is a Plot that me-thinks a Man may see without his Spectacles and according to our Appellant's conceipt they began by force to justifie it for fear all should come out To follow him in his Politiques he tells us further in the passage above-recited that to facilitate the Papists work his Majesty Banishes the Persons most capable of Opposing it So that he makes his Majesty evidently a Party to the Plot or at best no more than a King upon a Chess-board to be turn'd and carry'd which way the Gamester pleases Beside the putting of the Illustrious Duke of Monmouth in the head of Popish Troops in contradiction to himself But for all this yet Gentlemen says he be not dismaid the Lord of Hosts will be of your sides for so long as you fight his Cause he will fight your Battels And if God be for you who dares be against you Fear nothing but as your Interests are United so let your Resolutions be the same and the first hour wherein you hear of the King 's Untimely End let no other noise be heard among you but that of Arm Arm to Revenge your Sovereign's Death both upon his Murtherers and their whole Party for that there is no such thing as an English Papist who is not in the Plot at least in his good Wishes Fol 2. And why be not dismaid Where 's the danger I beseech you The Popish Plot is Master'd and there 's hardly a Roman Catholique dares shew his head Nay and for want of Popish matter to work upon the Church of England it self is made Papal and Antichristian And whoever looks narrowly into this business will find these Bugbears to be of the Appellant's own making What is all this but Curse ye Meroz over again He claps the Rabble on the backs and spits in their mouths and without more adoe turns them loose upon the Government The first hour says he c. Here 's no Supposition of the King's Murther to qualifie the matter but the thing so Positively pronouns'd as if he himself were of the Conspiracy So that without any Ifs or And 's the Murther is given for Granted and upon this Instigation the least Rumour in the world that way puts the People upon a General Massacre which the bare report lately of the French appearing before the Isle of Purbeck had like to have done in several places Now if they should Arm upon such a mistake or but an hour too soon it were enough to put the whole Nation in Bloud again And then his Orders to the City to be ready with their Arms at an hours warning are as Peremptory as if he had the Command of the Militia Beside that if a Fanatique should Murther the King the Papists are to be Punish'd for 't Because says he every English Papist is in the Plot at least in his good wishes And it is no less probable on the other side that every Unrepenting Covenanter is in the Counterplot for upon that Covenant it was that they founded the Destruction and the Dissolution of the Government And it behoves us to beware of King-killers on the one hand as well as on the other Now see how he goes on Think not to fare better than the rest by meddling less for the Conquerors Promises are never kept especially coming from that sort of People whose Maxim it is never to keep their word with Heretiques Fol. 2. What a wonderful strain of Logick is this Draw your Swords says he and go to the Devil for Company for the Papists keep no Faith with Heretiques This was the Song of 41 and he that would see what Faith the Covenanters kept either with God King Church or People has no more to do than to compare their Leagues and Protestations with their actions Now Gentlemen says he left any amongst you should be ignorant either of your Enemies or their Designs both against the King and Kingdom they are young Beggarly Officers Courtiers over-hot Church-men and Papists The Young Officer or Souldiers Interest makes him wish for a Standing Army the Courtier endeavours to advance Taxes Oppressive and Illegal Impositions The over-hot Church-men wish well to Popery in hope of a Cardinals Cap or at least the Command of some Abby Priory or other Ecclesiastical Preferment whereof the Roman Church hath so great