too much undervalue their Prince and are of all ungratefull persons the worst and deserve the highest of punishments And by the discovery of these offenders your Majesty shall reape a double benefit First a freedome from ill counsell and practises with the gaine of sounder hearts and advises Secondly a reunion of your subjects hearts and affections to which for your Majesties safety the devises of all the Projectors in the world are nothing comparable and in this regard the desire of a learned valiant Prince in his time was no lesse truly royall than memorable in that hee had rather be master of his subjects hearts than their goods and Lord of their affections rather than a Conquerour of his enemies dominions and besides this your Majesty shall assure all doubting spirits that you are more led in your resolutions by judgement than passion and that you can make use of ill instruments no farther than to worke out good effects by them that your favour is swayed according to desert that your deeds shall be effectuall as your promise hath been gracious and hereby their grosse stupidity to the dispiriting and terrour of other like as thought to manage all the affaires of the State with such an high and absolute hand and in the meane time to dance in a net undescryed unpunished shall more plainly appeare and the difference will be made evident betwixt such as counsell for their owne ends and relations and others that do it meerly out of duty without other respects Now what farther benefit will accrue to the Kingdome by demonstration of your Majesties regard to the love and desires of your peoples request and how your Highnesse prerogative can be no wayes abridged your Exchequer more plentifully furnished your honourable intentions according to your owne expectation accomplished your friends and well-wishers comforted your enemies domestique and forraine discouraged time will shortly bring to light with most infallible evidences But I feare in so farre pressing my message I have forgot to whom I speake and the person I was to represent the distresse of Albania dread Soveraigne hath caused this excesse of speech wherein if I have beene impertinent in any extravagances or too tedious with needlesse tautologies I hope your Majesty will gratiously pardon these errours of love duty and your humble vassall shall ever pray for the prosperity of your long and peaceable Raigne on earth the enjoyment and felicity of an endlesse Raigne in Heaven both which hee that is onely able the Lord Almighty for his Sonnes sake graunt unto you for his Glory the Churches good and your Majesties eternall comfort Veridieus having in this free manner delivered the desires of Albania to her Soveraigne thought she would not be satisfied except her sister Vnita were somewhat expostulated with by him concerning her arrivall at this time and in such manner but understanding her desire was not to treat with or deliver the intentions of her mind to any but the generall assembly he saw his labour would be needlesse yet howsoever whiles he had pen and paper at hand he wrote to her and her associates briefly and plainly to this effect Unconquered Vnita and yee my brethren of the North for so I may now presume to call you what a joy to all true hearts is it to find that the report of sinister affections towards the common good is found a lier and that your intentions are hit herto justified by your loyalty and fidelity towards the safety of your Prince and the welfare of both Kingdomes the enemies whereof as they have shewed their selves malicious so much more treacherous in their designes than they could with all their inventions impute to others by any of their forged calumniations Good Lord what a plot of mischiefe had they hammered out upon the anvill of their subtile devises to make us to misunderstand and misconstrue each others words and actions so that if the never failing mercy of God had not in the very moment of danger interposed it selse to the preventing of what was intended wee had barbarously sheathed our swords in each others bosomes and bathed them in the blood of our nearest friends to the unspeakeable griefe of Verana and long expected joy of Idolana Alas it was farre from the thought of Albania ever to conceive that her sister Vnita would presume to come neere the presence of her Soveraigne with a petition in one hand and a sword in the other without the extreme necessity of his Majesty and his Kingdomes good enforcing it neither could shee beleeve that Vnita sought to have the person of their joynt Liege under her absolute power that his word might be wholly at her command neither could shee endure to heare with patience that shee would prove so unjust as to covet some place of abode for her greater ease in her sisters possessions but she is yet confident and alwayes hath beene of the mind that whereas shee hath surprised Townes and Castles fortified them with strong defences it is more for the security of her retreat in safety than for any enjoyment after her just desires are satisfied neither can Albania any wayes blame her demand of reparations for the wrongs and injuries shee hath sustained against those that have beene the maine cause thereof as being now discovered to be the sole incentives of all the troubles in Church and Common-wealth that have unhappily of late fallen out to the disturbance of the blessed Iland in both Kingdomes How faine would they have caused the abused parties to fasten upon this beleefe that Vnita by taking up armes and comming in this warlike manner since by their cruell plots there was no other way left open for admittance had manifested an open rebellion against her Prince whiles the event hath hitherto published that her prime accusers have beene the great offenders by whose wicked contrivances both Albania Vnita were for a time hood-winked and by a way which they least suspected or dreamed alike endangered to have falne headlong into an inevitable ruine of life estate religion and all together A cunning devill thus to turne Angell of light and under the colour of religion and justice politiquely to undermine the state of the Church and the liberty of the subject by its owne meanes and instruments to betray the Court with insinuations of new projects to defile the Temple with superstitious ceremonies and the pulpit with new doctrines and strange opinions to breed jealousies betwixt a most loving Prince and his loyall people by breach of Parliaments and perverting of justice and having thus put all things into a generall confusion like the fish Sepia that blackes the water to blind the fisherman to thinke to escape undiscerned unavoided But thankes to the Almighty through his providence the net is broken and wee are delivered it is through his great mercy and not our foresight that the common enemy who stood waiting when the mine for our destruction would be
as yet Albania was without sense of her malady or remembrance of their cause which the good old Chronos perceiving and much pitying as one that had beene a constant friend to her for many yeares had seene much in his time and had overpassed many alterations in himselfe and others posts away for though he was aged he was not slow paced to a solitary grove in a remote Land wherein was a cave so deepe and obscure that it was alwayes night there but he that was wont to travaile no lesse in the greatest darkenesse than at mid-day enters undauntedly and returnes with the faire Alitheia in his hand whom he brings to see the light and she naked though she was is not ashamed to be seene to her he declares in what case he had left Albania and the cause of his comming Alitheia soone conceived what in truth before she feared when she last saw her and therefore was much grieved at her departure so to leave her but seeing the least delay was very dangerous expostulating no farther with the old man about cirdumstances she called to her an old servant of hers named Veridicus whom intending with all speed according as she heard or saw occasion to follow after she sent with Chronos having given him sufficient instructions what to doe Veridicus was as his name spake him an honest tell-troth though plaine yet bold and though forward yet respectfull and he was so well skild in his Art and so confident of his undertakings that if his prescriptions were carefully observed he doubted not of such successe as might be justly expected and in this hope his ability and charity pressing him onward he soone arrives with Chronos in a happy season at the lodging where the sicke Lady was Veridicus staid and knockt at the gate Chronos past on as his manner was when forth comes Philauta a stately dame and opens but casting her eye upon Veridicus and seeing him in such homely array judging of the person by the attire she disdainefully without speaking a word or asking what he would retires her selfe and shut fast the gate after but Veridicus nothing dismaid with this affront well understanding from what subject it proceeded knockes againe and with more earnestnesse such are the times for pooresuters till that Novata another of Albania's attendants more desirous of novelties than fearefull of her Mistresses disturbances le ts him in without further question and then understanding the cause of his comming whether for to satisfie her curiosity or because her Mistresse was forsaken of all others in this desperate estate she ushers him to her presence who presently without more complement or regard of the standers by takes their sicke Lady by the hand feeles the pulse which sometimes was very slow in motion and then presently as violent in agitation he takes the Urinall viewes her state findes it to be of a very high sanguine colour and much troubled he lookes on her visage beholds it wan and gastly he would have asked her some questions but she could not answer for want of the use of her senses besides that her tongue was all blacke and swolne the which and other like symptomes argued the patient to be in a dangerous distemper in all parts of her body And hereby he further perceived that the two prime senses of sight and hearing were so ill affected in their instrumentall nerves that all objects seemed to exceed or lessen from their due proportion in quantity and quality so that discords were taken for unisons and apparences for ture substances and so on the contrary and being in this manner presented to the common sense were likewise delivered over to the phantasy which by reason of divers fumes ingendred in that cell of the braine caused the like error in the judgement and memory and by reason of the ill affection of these superiour intelligible faculties he found the inferiour and more sensitive parts to partak and be oppressed with their particular maladies as the heart to be much passionated with the dissimulations and waverings of Liliana the Lungs to be obstructed and breath faintly through the hot and biting distillations of Idolana the stomacke to be overcharged with the gluttony and surfettings of Aquilina the belly tympanized with the windy vapours of Gloriosa the Loynes impostumatized with the inflammations of lustfull Zelotypia the hands blistered with the itchings of Argyria her legges and feet lamed and swolne with the gout of Argoa into which loathsome estate she was not so much fallen by meanes of native constitution or complection but through infection of the humours by the corruption of the times imitation and too familiar converse with her Neighbours the negligence and ignorance of covetous attendants ill Counsellors and unskilfull Physitians so that Veridicus considering her deplorable estate much grieved thereat and could not but abruptly in some short and passionate expostulation thus expresse it Oh Albania distressed and pittifull Albania and the more said he to be pittyed in thy distresse because Albania There is no time now to thinke on Megala thy owne misery is too much to thinke upon happy hadst thou beene if thou couldst sooner have thought thy selfe unhappy hadst thou beene sensible of thy inward corrasives as thou wert overjoyed with thy outward felicities thy sore had not thus growne to an ulcer nor the pricke brought thee in danger of the Gangrene thy too much overweening in prosperity hath humbled thee to this grievous adversity thy too much magnifying thy owne power and excellencies above thy Neighhours hath now dejected thee to their contempt and conspiracies thy exalting thy selfe in comparison of all others hath almost made thee unworthy the comparision for any But I will not adde reproach to misery The occasion and cause require rather helpe to draw thee out of the danger thou art unworthily brought into then enquiry by what meanes thou wert brought into the danger Both since the time is short and the disease sharpe the cure must be as quicke and the medicine of the greater vertue and operation which the more it smarts the sooner will heale Have but the patience to endure you shall the sooner finde ease and but pardon the rudenesse of the Physitian and let me not be mistaken in the sincerity of my endeavours you shall soone perceive that in the least flattery is most friendship and although a sweet bit doth best please a curious pallat yet that a bitter pill is more profitable and that plaine dealing hath no fellow Having thus said he againe tooke her by the hand and bid her be of good cheare but perceiving that she was insensible of what he spake or did he saw it was high time from the apparent cause to bethinke himselfe of the convenient cure and that first of all it was necessary to use the next meanes for restoring her to the use of her senses that she might come to some feeling of that deplorable estate she was then in To
issue doe faile commonly I suppose your Majesty would not desire to be King of such a base and slavish-minded people as were carelesse observers or wilfull neglecters of those just Ordinances and Priviledges under which the Kingdome hath beene so long time happy and prosperous for as those Princes are accounted Tyrants that rule onely by compulsion of the Subjects against the Lawes so may those Subjects be esteemed no better than Asses that beare any burthen is laid upon their backes it is much to be suspected that such as love innovations and attempt change of governement may by the same reason be drawne in time to dislike of the Governors themselves When we are in a good and sure way it is safe keeping in it for those by-pathes which we conceive to be nearer are hard to finde and more dangerous and the policy is neither commendable nor profitable to learne the hurt of ill counsell by experience Now the way to maintaine the Kings Prerogative the greatest Prerogative of a King is the preserving of his Justice and to keepe on foot the Liberties of his Subjects is by that generall Councell as now by your Majesties gracious favour happily met together of the whole Land presented in some particulars for that end and that this hath beene the readiest way of providing convenient supplies for the Princes occasions and necessities for redressing the Countries grievances and punishments of capitall Offenders neither can there be any other meanes devised whereby to levy greater summes of money for the Kings use more speedily or with like chearefullnesse and in such manner that no person shall have just cause to complaine or be so impoverished but upon another occasion shall be able and willing to give againe whereas whatsoever others project or perswade to the contrary taxes and impositions enforced on the Subject in an extraordinary manner and way are experience too well sheweth it unwillingly and but in part with a great deale of murmur and grudging from those which are least able to beare extorted For there is not the least Worme but being trodden upon will turne taile though he may not nor dare make resistance and every man in a common tumult will seeke to shift his Coller and the weaker must of necessity goe to the Wall and men when they are driven to extremities will be swayed more by passion then reason and there is hard reclaming of affection by force when it is once alienated Whereupon the common enemy taking or making occasions will cast in his hooke and fish in those troubled waters all which this general Assembly may happily prevent whereby the heart of the Prince and peopleunited in the adamantine linkes of reciprocall affection things hereafter will goe on in so faire and loving manner that each part shall hold it selfe well satisfied and no privie traytor or open adversary whatsoever dare to practise against such combined forces And this most excellent Prince is the main end that drawes all true hearts upon their knees to beg of your Highnesse that as you have honored this Assembly of your subjects with a happie beginning and profer of much favour by the encouragement of your gracious presence and promises so you would be pleased notwithstanding the importunities of any opposition to give it the rights appertaining to the same and suffer it to have such a peaceable progresse that your subject may be able to expresse the true intention of his desire and manifest the sincere affection of his heart in willingly performing what shall most stand with your Majesties Honour and safety of the Kingdome But if under the pretext of loyalty which cannot be imagined in hearts of such unstained Religion there were harboured in any of this Assembly a desire to bring innovations into Church or Commonwealth if they did seeke to derogate any thing from your Majesties honour or just prerogative to advance their owne liberties by exemptions from their ancient dues or to bring in or allow of any other kind of governement and authority Civill or Ecclesiasticall that might counterchecke or diminish from the Royall dignity of the Crowne if they did seeke to monopolize any commodity for their particular advantage had any project that did ayme at any private end and not concurre with the good of the generall State if their grievances were fained or pretended which they could not manifestly prove or were not too sensible of could they pitch upon any other course or way whereby your Majesties desires might be satisfied wants supplyed and their grievances eased neither the sorrowfull Albania true meaning Veridicus or any other subject that had the least sparke of reason or were well in his wits would at this time insist in any needlesse and unjust petition to so Gracious Majesty and rejoyce to have induced the meanes of his Countries misery together with the certaine ruine of himselfe and his posterity But when is shall be proved to be otherwise how much are they in blame and what enemies to the State I would sad experience did not witnesse it which imputing the fault where is none have beene the hinderance of the proceedings and causes of the late dissolutions of this Assembly whereby their actions might not be brought in question a child may tumble a stone into a well which a multitude of strong men shall hardly be able to draw out and thereupon the opportunities of preventing the dangers and expences which have since followed have beene omitted with other inconveniences so fast comming on that your Majesty is as it were now enforced upon this course in much strictnesse of time and turbulencie of businesse that the wisest under standings tremble to thinke what will be the issue if this assembly have no better successe than formerly In the meane while if such mean well as are suspected of this notorious injury done to their King State I can accuse none but sure there cannot be smoake without fire mee thinkes they of all other should desire the tryall of a Parliament that so they may be cleared from these foule aspersions and their innocence manifested by a more generall vote and their accusers censured and upon this ground was that worthy resolution of Leonissa observable that if any man complained unjustly against a Magistrate it were reason he should be severely punished if justly she was Queene of the small as well as of the great and hereby also shall the true authors be the sooner discouraged and for example receive their condigne punishment who although in way of excuse may pretend your Highnesse allowance for their doings yet while they principally sought the accomplishment of their owne designes with the dishonour of their Prince and those it is a mixime in Policie that respect not their Princes honour cannot be well said to love his person their actions can no way be justifiable since those favourites that turn Apostates to due obedience and abuse a favour afforded to them to the injury of the Giver do
his Masse in blacke What hinderances are decent garments and gestures of the body to the devotions of the heart whilst I pray with understanding heare for my edification worship and give thankes in spirit and truth The habit may present it selfe to my eyes it is the Doctrine shall goe to mine heart Outward shewes and ceremonies have their externall respects and serve as handmaids to wait on and not to sit downe with Religion their Mistresse Now for these acts of indifferencie shall not I doe what is good and commendable because the ill minded abuse the same act to Will-worship and Superstition The Heathens of old had their Altars Sacrifices Temples Priests Did therefore the Patriarches or Gods people of those ages abstaine from the worshipping of God by Sacrifices upon Altars by prayers and invocations in Temples by their Priests But as wee may not leave the use of any lawfull thing for the abuse of it so we may use a good thing in the same manner the wicked doth without offence nay we should offend if wee did do it otherwise And therefore if any Papist make his Prayer to God onely in the name of Christ I may not pray otherwise As farre in his Creed as hee goeth with the Word of God and Orthodoxe consent I am to goe hand in hand with him Nay if the devill himselfe confesse Christ to be the Sonne of God my confession therefore must not be otherwise Perchance you are afraid by yeelding obedience to these indifferent ceremonies in respect of Religion you shall give offence to a weake Christian But is it convenient that to fancie one you should displease a multitude or for feare of offending the Subject care not to disobey the command of your Magistrate Shall not I bow or kneele to God in the performance of holy duties for feare lest I give suspition of Idolatry because the Heathens use this gesture in their Idolatrous adorations Shall I not looke towards the East when I pray because the Pagans worship the rising of the Sunne with their faces tâ—rned that way nor to the West for feare of Judaisme to the North lest I seeme to respect the witches of Biarmia nor to the South lest I be thought to favour the imposture of Mahomet Which way then shall I turne mine eyes when I worship God sees every where his eyes are upon all the quarters of the world alike What disorder Astene would there be in Religion to teach and allow obedience unto Princes and yet reserve a liberty to our selves of infringing his equall Lawes and make ceremonies to be of the substance of Religion by denying an indifferencie in them whilest they trench not upon the rights of our beliefe nor against good order either in quantity or quality Suppose the same as I said before to be used by Idolaters yet was Asa and other Kings of Israel commended for pious neither did the Prophets forsake their country or charges although the high places were not taken away with the abuses presently O Astene disdaine not the Church for her spots Stumble not at strawes to the griefe and disturbance of Christian peace If your owne Conscience cannot yet perswade you of the truth of these things seeke not to be master of anothers liberty nor forsake not the society of the Church where there is agreement in the chiefe materials for meere circumstances and formes And where find you any precise Text for standing more than kneeling or for wearing of a blacke coat rather than a white surplesse In these things it is not good to be overwise and if any will be contentious saith not the least of the Apostles we have no such custome nor the Churches of God Be not so curious whilst you view the Threshold to neglect the inside of the Temple and whilst you quarrell at what seemes wanting you become ingratefull for what you have Be thankfull for the free enjoyment of the meanes of salvation in the Word truly preached and Sacraments duly administred Hereabout spend thy thoughts imploy thy meditations accordingly bend all thy endeavours practises Leave the government of the severall Churches to their owne Magistrates to whom it appertaines Sticke not at names and degrees of authority in the Ministry according to the eminencie of their gifts and the bounty of their superiours If some be Doctors other Pastors and Teachers of a meaner ranke if some be as Elders to rule and over-see others but as Deacons and Ministers to be set on worke in the Lords vineyard all are but servants alike to their great Master who doth imploy them and must pay them their wages A Bishop and every Minister have different respects in their functions concerning the Ceremonies not the Doctrine of the Church If they have any dignity above their fellow Embassadours they have the greater charge imposed upon them and they exercise not Lordship over the Church but as brethren rule with all humblenesse and integrity And as their places are greater their life and conversation is more illustrious for they are as lights set upon the top of the hill that they may be seene farthest they are as eares and eyes which members are placed in the highest part of the body because they are of chiefest use in the same If they be not rightly qualified as they ought nor discharge the trust committed unto them as they should their title and dignity will be more for their condemnation than their excuse and when the time of account commeth that every man shall receive wages according to his worke their candles shall be put out when others that have beene more diligent and faithfull in the employment of their talents to their Masters best advantage for five shall receive ten and in them the prediction of the Prophet shall be truly accomplished They that be wise shall shine as the brightnesse of the firmament and they that turne many to righteousnesse shall shine as the Starres for ever and ever Now Astene I have beene the longer in my speech not to divert but to direct thy zeale and I must needs commend this in thee that thou art not lukewarme in thy profession but I hope thou art not so much conceited of any perfection in thy wayes as that thou needest not information nor of so little charity to construe these instructions in the worst sense as to be swayed more by the custome of the times then the validity of truth and reason Aletheia had scarce ended when Neophytes who was there attendant and desired to be retained for a Chapplaine to Albania saw that Astene was thus reproved who had so often taken exceptions and not without cause to some wild courses of his and that she could not well reply to the reasons of Aletheia without cavill or impertinencie could not refraine from smiling and withall to upbraid the modest virgin which hee of all others had least reason to do with the strictnesse of her opinion and now over strait laced Astene sayes