the first of the three and are termed one of the greatest states of this realme And this I conceive to be the right constitution of a Parliament therefore now to cast off one of the three States Anno octavo Elizabeth c. 1. and to cut off the head of all three by making the King but one of them that so both the King and the two Houses might be onely co-ordinate when as indeed they are as in some respect concurrent so also subordinate unto him as to their Head is such a change and alteration as would quite overthrow the fundamentall constitution of the Government of this Kingdome and make our King if these men might have their will to have no more power than the Duke of Venice And to that end this Faction have by themselves and their Pamphleters The false grounds of the originall of our Kings The disclaimer p. 17 18 19. laid down such false grounds of the originall of our Kings as are exceeding derogatory to the Crown of England as that they are Kings by paction and covenant with their people which at first chose them and intrusted them with their Government and for the preservation of their Lawes against the incroachments of the King and the making of new Lawes as occasions required ordained the great Councell which they call Parliament and which should have full power to restrain the King if he did abuse his Power and therefore the people may withdraw their trust when the Kings neglect their duty and nullifie their faith unto their Subjects for whosoever is indifferently read in Histories and the Chronicles of our Kingdom may easily finde how falsly and maliciously they would make this free Monarchie to have been elective and to be a conditionall Government because England France Post mortem Maximi Constans postular mi à Britannis But not a word in all the storie that any one of the British Kings was electus Anonymus MS. in Bibl. Oxon. qui scripsit hist omnium regum qui regna verunt in Anglia and Spain were parts and parcels of the Roman Empire and when the Emperours by reason of their intestine broyles at home could not look into the parts abroad the right Heit unto the Crown of Britain assumed unto himselfe all the Royaltie and power that the Emperour had over us and succeed him not by any pact or covenant with the people though not as then for some reasons without the request of the people but by that right which God and nature allowed unto Kings and was due either to the Roman Emperour or to any other absolute Monarch of any Nation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the old Chronicles of those 〈…〉 the regaining of the Crown by Vortigerne after that the people had rebelliously rejected him and received but not elected his son Vortimer in his place do most sufficiently clear the case And therefore what Soveraigne Power soever is due to any absolute Monarch and what obedience soever S. Paul affirmeth to be due to the Roman Emperours that then ruled over us or Saint Peter commandeth to be given to other Kings the same is in all things due to our Kings ever since Aurelius Ambrosius that succeeded Vortigerne or if you will not ascend so high yet without all contradiction ever since William the Conquerour whom you cannot say was elected nor any other that succeeded him and therefore cannot be debarred or denied any of those Prerogatives and Soveraignties that belong unto the most absolute Monarch save onely in those things which of their speciall grace and favour they granted unto their Subjects and bound themselves at their Coronation to performe those promises of priviledge and freedom which they made unto them and that distinction of the disclaimer of an absolute and a Politique Monarch P. 17 18 19 20. with his two leaves discourse upon the same is so false and so frivolous that as Saint Bernard saith of the fooleries of Abailardus it deserveth rather Fustibus contundi quà m rationibus refelli Aristot. Polyt l. 4. for Aristotle tels us that the supreme Power of all Government which resideth in every absolute Monarch and doth constituere Monarcham give being unto the Monarch consisteth chiefly in these three distinct branches 1. The supreme power of every Government wherein it consisteth Legislative to make and repeal Lawes 2. Bellative to pronounce War and conclude Peace 3. Iudicative decisively to determine all crimes and causes whatsoever And when this threefold power is not penes annus but penes optimates then it is no Monarchis but an Aristocracie and when it is penes populum then it is neither of those but a meer Democracie or popular Government And therefore out Kings having the sole power first to make War and conclude Peace at their own pleasure and have called Parliaments onely to supply their wants and to adde their councell and assistance therein Secondly to make Lawes and repeal them when they please save onely that they promised to their People and obliged themselves not to do it without the advice of their Parliament And thirdly to judge all their Subjects according to their Lawes it is most apparent that our Kings are most absolute Monarches as Cassaneus Bodinus Sir Thomas Smith and all that wrote of this Kingdom do peremptorily affirme and though I deny not Bodius distinction of a Lordly Monarch a royall Monarch and a tyrannicall Monarch Bod. l. 2. c. 2. 3. which sheweth onely the Power and the Practise of the Monarch yet I say that the distinction of an absolute and mixed Monarchie which designeth the manner of the Government is a meer fopperie and a ridiculous distinction because that Government which extendeth it selfe to more than one can never be a Monarchie as every man knoweth that understandeth the word Monarch These and many more such injuries and insufferable indignities they have offered unto our King and so indeed unto the whole Kingdom which they durst not have offered to any tyrannicall King that would have ruled them with his iron rod but as the mercie of God emboldeneth wicked men to proceed in their abominations so the lenitie and goodnesse of this pious Prince nothing else in him encouraged these factious ambitious men the people greedy of a licentious libertie the Nobilitie and Gentrie of rule which is their naturall disease thus to usurpe the rights of our King and to raise this miserable war CHAP. XII Sheweth the unjust proceedings of this Faction against their fellow Subjects set down in four particular things 2. 2. Their proceedings against the Subjects wherein I shall in most points set down what I finde in the Remonstrance of the Commons to the House of Commons and what I collected out of other Writers of the best credit LEst they should be thought juster to their fellow Subjects than they are to their Severalgue King you may observe what I finde related of them 1. That besides the Act which they
THE DISCOVERY OF MYSTERIES OR The plots and practices of a prevalent faction in this present PARLIAMENT To overthrow the established Religion and the well setled Government of this glorious Church and to introduce a new framed Discipline not yet agreed upon by themselves what it shall be to set up a new invented Religion patched together of Anabaptisticall and Brownisticall Tenents and many other new and old errors And also To subvert the fundamentall Lawes of this famous Kingdome by devesting our King of His just rights and unquestionable Royall prerogatives and depriving the Subjects of the propriety of their goods and the Liberty of their persons and under the name of the Priviledge of Parliament to exchange that excellent Monarchicall government of this Nation into the Tyrannicall Government of a faction prevaling over the major part of their well-meaning brethren to Vote and Order things full of all injustice oppression and cruelty as may appeare out of many by these few subsequent collections of their proceedings By GR. WILLIAMS L. Bishop of Ossory Printed in the Yeare M.DC.XLIII TO THE KING'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTIE Most Gracious Soveraigne THough the wisest man in all the Kingdome of Persia saith great is the truth and stronger then all things yet the father of lies hath now plaid his part so well that as the Prophet saith truth is fallen in the streete and equity cannot enter in and your Majestie whom the God of truth hath anointed his sole vicegerent to be the supreame protector of them both in all your dominions hath accordingly listed up your standard against their enemies and I may truly say of you as Menevensis saith of that most noble King Alfred Si modò victor erat ad crastina bella pavebat Si modò victus erat ad crastina bella parabat Neither doe I beleive that Lucans verse can be applied to any man better then to your Majestie Non te vidère superbum Prospera satorum nec fractum adversa videbunt As the height of your glory and prosperity never swelled your pious heart so your greatest crosses and adversities never dejected your royall spirit But as the Prophet saith of the Captaine of the hoast of the Lord so I say to you that are his Lieutenant ride on with your honour or ride prosperously because of the word of truth of meekenesse and righteousnesse the people shal be subdued unto you and because the King putteth his trust in the Lord and in the mercy of the most highest he shall not miscarry especially while he fighteth as he doth the battaile of the Lord in defence of the Church of Christ who hath promised to be his shield and buckler which is the daily faithfull prayer of Your Majesties most loyally devoted Subject and most faithfully obliged servant GR. OSSORY To the Nobility Gentry and Commonalty of ENGLAND Most deare Christian Brethren and fellow Subjects I Call God for a record upon my soule that I have proceeded in this Discovery of Mysteries to discharge my duty as my conscience directeth me and if I perish Iperish the Lord hath hitherto most mercifully preserved mee I have read of an ingratefull begger that when a pious man seeing his nakednesse and having a full web of cloth did freely give him as much as was requisite to make him a faire garment yet he was no wayes satisfied therewith but would have violently snatched all the web in despite of the right owners teeth and shall we that have so freely received so many acts of grace from our King more then ever any other King hath granted exact so much more as to make him no King In the life of Henry 3. presented to King Iames pag. 29. Choron Santh Albam or a King of no power like Henry the 3. in the Parliament at Oxford where the good King met so many undutifull demands that he was forced to render up to their rebellious will his royall power and when others managed the State he was left a cypher alas who hath bewitched us when men do rent the regall justice they make themselves of so many Subjects whilst they live in duty totidem tyrannos when they have left their loyalty and promises made by men which can not say they are at liberty are weake when force hath no power to make a just interest Therefore let not a faction prevaile to destroy us all I assure my selfe most of our two Houses of Parliament are very noble and very pious and many of them would willingly yeild to His Majesties perswasions for accōmodation but our Saviour saith a little leaven leaveneth the whole lumpe and a small faction may insensibly seduce if it were possible the very elect I will appeale to your owne consciences if we have not a most religious and a most gratious King if he hath not aboundantly granted his favours to all this Kingdome if the faction doth not still demand what he may lawfully and ought justly to deny then I beseech you let me not become your enemy for speaking truth let not the kingdome be made more miserable and the Church more despicable by your assisting of such a faction to the new moulding of them and let it not be thought strange that we beleeve one seditious schismatique in a Parliament may prove a treacherous rebell against his King and this Traytor may possibly seduce many those many not unlikely to prevaile to infect the major part of both Houses and if so * Shall we deeme them a Parliament and thinke it fitter to have them Jvdged by themselves then by the knowne lawes of the land then the first plotters of so great a mischeife having so far transcended the limits of truth and justice to wound their consciences and to confound the State that they know not how to retire and thinke they can not finde grace is it any wonder that such men with Iudas run on from bad to worse from worse to worst of all till at last they come to the highest step that hell can teach them But we being Gods olive though some of the Branches be broken off Rom. 11.17 yet I hope God hath not cast away his people and therefore if you take not pleasure in wickednesse and love not to become more miserable let us all feare God honour the King forsake the rebels and defend the Church so the God of all mercy will yet be mercifull unto us that we shall finde grace both with God and our King which is the hearty prayer of Your most affectionate Christian brother that doth most heartily wish your happinesse GR. OSSORY Christian Reader AS this Treatise was ready for the Presse I lighted upon Os ossorianum wherein I saw neither learning nor truth nor modesty nor honesty nor any one thing worth reply but a most distempered rage and moody choler that transported the silly man beyond his sence for omitting those his rarest passages which some discreete welwiller of the man collected in
their projects might be removed that so at last their sinnes like the sinnes of the Amorites by little and little growing unto the full might undergo the fulnesse of Gods vengeance which as yet I feare was not fully come to passe for till the Parliament was made perpetuall the things that they have done since were absolutely unimaginable because that while it was a dissoluble body How the faction hath strengthened it selfe they durst not so palpably invade the knowne rights either of King or Subjects whereas now their body being made indissoluble they need not have the same apprehension of either having strengthened themselves by a Bill against the one and by an Army against the other and therefore all the dissolutions of Parliaments from the beginning of them to this time have not done halfe that mischeife as the continuâ—ance of this one hath done hitherto and God onely knowes what is to succeed hereafter But seeing themselves have publiquely acknowledged in their Declarations that they were too blame if they undertooke any thing now which they would not undertake if it were in His Majesties power to dissolve them the next day and they have since used this meanes which was given them to disburthen the Common-wealth of that debt which was thought insupportable What many wise men do say to plunge it irrevocably into a farre greater debt to the ruine of the whole Kingdome to change the whole frame of our government and subjecting us to so unlimited an arbitrary power that no man knowes at the sitting of the House what he shall be worth at the riseing or whether he shall have his liberty the next day or imprisonment many wise men doe say they see no reason that this trust being forfeited and the faith reposed in them betrayed the King may not immediately re-assume that power of dissolving them into his owne hands againe and both our unjustly abused King and out much injured people declare this act to be void when as contrary to their owne faith and the trust of the King they abuse it to overthrow the fundamentall Lawes of this Kingdome though I could heartily wish that because it still carrieth the countenance of a Law the faction would be so wise as to yeeld it to be presently dissolved by a Law CHAP. IV. Sheweth the abilities of the Bishops the threefold practice of the faction to exclude them out of the House of Peeres and all the Clergy out of all civill Judicature 4. THere was one stop more that might hinder The fourth impediment of their designe or at least hardly suffer their plots to succeed according to their hearts desire and that is the Bishops votes in the upper House nay they cannot endure to call it so but in the House of the Lords for they rightly considered therein these 2 speciall things 1. their number 2. their abilities which are 2. maine things to stop and hinder many evils For 1. They had 26. voices which was a very considerable number and might stop a great gap and stay the streame or at least moderate the violence of any unjust prosecution 2. They were men of great learning men of profound knowledge both in divine and humane affaires and men well educated a cunabulis that spent all their time in books and were conversant with the dead that feared not to speake the truth and have wearied themselves in reading Histoties comparing Lawes The abilities of the Bishops and considering the affaires of all Common-wealthes and so were able if their modesty did not silence them to discourse de quolibet ente to untie every knot and to explaine every riddle and being the immediate servants of the living God set apart as the Apostle speaketh to offer Sacrifice and to administer the Sacraments of God to prepare a people for the Kingdome of heaven it ought not and it cannot be otherwise imagined by any child of the Church that is a true beleever but that they are men of conscience to speake the truth and to doe justice in any cause and betwixt any parties more then most others especially those young Lords and Gentlemen whose yeares do want experience Pardon mee good Lords for so plainly speaking truth and the course of their lives some in hawking and hunting and others in dicing and bowling and visiting blacke-friers play-house or perhaps in worser exercises doth sufficiently shew how weake their judgement must needs be in great affaires and how imperfect their conscience is as yet in holy things I hope not to be preferred before these grave and reverend men And therefore lest these grave men should prove great hinderances of their unjust proceedings before any of their worst intentions be well perceived there must be an exclusion of them from Parliament and from those Lords whose consciences and knowledge they may then the better captivate and bring them the sooner to side with them for to effect their great designe And it is a world of wonders to see with what subtlety and industry with what policy and villanie this one worke must be effected It would fill a volume to collect the particulars of their Devices I will reduce them to these heads 1. They used all meanes to render them odious in the eyes of all people 2. A threefold practice against the Bishops They brought the basest and the refuse of all men watermen porters and the worst of all the apprentices with threats and menaces to thunder forth the death and destruction of these men 3. Upon a pretended treason they caused 12 of them besides the Arch-Bishop that was in the Tower before to be clapt up at once into prison where they kept them in that strong house untill they got it enacted that they should be excluded from the upper House and both they and their Clergy should be debarred from the administration of any secular act of Justice in the common-wealth 1. They endeavoured to make them odious unto the people 2 wayes 1. In making that Order or giving that notice unto the people that any man might exhibit his complaint against scandalous Ministers 1 To make the odious tvvo wayes 1 Way and he should be heard which invitation of all discontented sheepe to throw dirt in their Pastors faces was too palpably malicious for our Saviour told us we should be sent as sheepe into the mids of wolves but here is a sending for the wolves to destroy the Shepheards and it came to passe hereby that no lesse then 900 complaints and petitions were brought in a very short space as I was informed by some of their owne House that feelingly misliked these undue proceedings against many Learned and most faithfull servants of Jesus Christ that were therefore hated because they were not wicked The Ministers why persecuted and persecuted because they were conformable to the Lawes of the King and the Church And the rest of our calling that were factious seditious were both countenanced and applauded
omnium sapientum seniorum populorum totius regni per praeceptum regis Inae and in the second Charter of King Edward the Confessour granted to the Church of Saint Peter in Westminster How former times respected the Clergie it is said to be Cum concilio decreto Archiepiscoporum Episcoporum Comitum aliorumque suorum optimatum with the councell and decree of the Archbishops Bishops Earles and other Potentates And so not onely the Saxon Kings but the Norman also ever since the Conquest had the Bishops in the like or greater esteem that they never held Parliament or Counsell without them And surely these Princes were no Babes that made this choice of them neither was the Common wealth neglected nor justice prejudiced by these Governours And whosoever shall reade mores gentium or the pilgrimage of Master Purchas Livie Plutarch Appian and the rest of the Greek and Latine Histories I dare assure him he shall finde greater honour given and farre lesse contempt cast upon the Priests and Flamins the Prophets of the Sybils then we finde of this faction left to the Servants of the living God who are now dealt withall worse than Pharach dealt with the Israelites that took away their straw and yet required their full tale of brickes for these men would rob us of all our meanes and take away all our Lands and all our rights and yet require not only the full tale of Sermons and Service as was used by our Predecessours but to double our files to multiplie our paines How the Clergie are now used and to treble the Sermons and Service that they used to have of our forefathers more than ever was done in any Age since the first Plantation of the Gospell and when we have done with John Baptist the utmost of our endeavours like a shining and a burning lampe that doth waste and consume it selfe to nothing while it giveth light to others they onely deal with us as Cartiers use to do with their packe horses hang bels at their eares to make a melodious noise but with little provander lay heavie loades upon their backes and when they can bear no more burdens take away their bels withdraw their praises call them Jades exclaim against their lazinesse and then at last turne them out to feed upon the commons and to die in a ditch and thus we have now made the Ministers of Christ to be the emblems of all miserie and in pretending to make them more glorious in the sight of God we have made them most base in the eyes of all men And therefore the consequence of this Act is like to prove most lamentable when the people considering how that hereby we are left naked of all comfort and subject to all kinde of scorne and distresse and how that this being effected is but the praeludium of a farre greater mischiefe they will rather with no great cost make their children of some good Trade and their children will choose so to be than with such great costland more care and yet little hope to bring them up to worse condition than the meanest of all Trades The Clargie alone are deprived of Magna Charta or the lowest degree of all rustickes when as they can challenge and it shall not be denied them to have the priviledges of the Law and a propertie in their goods which without their own consent yielded in their persons or their representours cannot be taken from them and the Clergie onely of all the people in this Kingdom shall be deprived of the right and benefit of our great Charter which so many famous Kings and pious Princes have confirmed unto us and when we have laboured all the dayes of our lives with great paines and more diligence to instruct our people and to attain to some competencie of meanes to maintain our selves and our families we shall be in the power of these men at their pleasure under the pretence of Religion contrarie to all justice to be deprived of any part of our freehold when we shall have not one man of our own calling to speak a word in our behalfe on no Seat of Justice throughout the whole Kingdom O terque quaterque beati queis ante ora patrum contigit oppetere O most miserable and lamentable condition of Gods Ministers I must needs speak it though I should die for it and if some did not speak it I thinke the stones would crie against it and proclaim it better for the Clergie were their hope onely in this world never to have been borne or at least never to have seen a book then to fall into the hands and to be put under the censure of these men that do thus love Christ This Act more prejudiciall to to the future times than now by hating his Ministers who as I said before by this one Act are made liable to undergo all kinde of evils which shall not onely fall upon the present Clergie for were it so our patience should teach us to be silent but also to the increase of all prejudices to the Gospell more than my foresight can expresse in all succeeding Ages And therefore I may well say with Jeremie Jer. 5.9.29 Shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this And we need not wonder that such plagues calamities and distresses have so much encreased in this Kingdom ever since the passing of this Act and yet the anger of the Lord is not turned away but his hand is stretched out still and I fear his wrath will not be appeased till we have blotted this and wiped away all other our great sinnes and transgressions with the truest teares of unfained repentance These are like to be the consequences of this Act and yet our good King who we know loved our Nation and built us a Synagogue and was as I assure my selfe most unwilling to passe it was notwithstanding over-perswaded considering where thirteen of the Bishops were even in prison and in what condition all the rest of them stood in question whether all they should stand or be cut down root and branch to yield his assent unto the Act though if the case in truth were rightly weighed not much lesse prejudiciall to his Majestie than injurious to us to be thus deprived of our right How the King hath been used ever since this Act passed and exposed to all miseries by excluding us from all Civill Judicature and I would to God the King and all the Kingdom did continually consider how his Majestie was used ever since the confirmation of this Act for they no sooner had excluded the Bishops and Clergie out of their right but presently they proceeded and prosecuted the designe ever since to thrust out the King from all those just rights and prerogatives which God and nature and the Lawes of our Land have put into his hands for the government of this Kingdome neither was it likely to succeede any other wise as
Act of Pacification for their assistance to withstand their King and to overthrow our Church it is apparent to all the world how perfidiously they dealt with God and man and how treacherous their thoughts were from the beginning both to the King and Kingdom Yet as we found our Brethren of Scotland howsoever these men bevaved themselves in their secret intentions to have carried themselves none otherwise than as wise rationall and religious men in all the Treatie so I assure my selfe they will hereafter still continue both faithfull unto God and loyall unto their King and as they perceived not their intentions at the first so they will not now joyne with them in any Association of Rebellion to withstand their own Liege Lord and to change the established Lawes and Religion of our Kingdom but will rather live in peace and happinesse in their own Land than by forsaking their enjoyed quietnesse to involve themselves in the unhappinesse of a desperate War in another Countrey 2. 2. The compelling of all people to â—…ak their new â—amed Protestation After they had thus endeared themselves unto their Brethren of Scotland they framed a Protestation to maintain and defend as farre as lawfully they might with their lives powers and estates the True Reformed Protestant Religion his Majesties Royall Person honour and estate the power and priviledges of Parliament the lawfull rights and liberties of the Subjects and every person that should make the same Protestation in whatsoever he should do in the lawfull pursuance of the same and to their power and as farre as lawfully they might to oppose and by all good wayes and meanes endeavour to bring to condigne punishment all such as shall either by force practise counsels plots conspiracies or otherwise * Which word is like the c. in the Canonical Oath do any thing to the contrary of any thing in the said Protestation contained and neither for fear hope nor other respect to relinquish this promise vow and protestation In which Protestation though no man can espie the least shadow of ill prima facie at the first reading thereof yet if you look further and search narrowly into the intentions of the composers the frame of the Protestation and the practise of these Protestors ever since the framing of it you shall finde that Desinit in piscem mulier formosa supernè these men are no Changelings but as like themselves as ever they were for 1. As it was intended so it succeeded 1. To terrifie the Papists and to raise a rebellion in Ireland it terrified the Papists and made them so desperate as almost to despair of their very being as concerning the place where or the manner how they should live which thing together with many other harsh and hard proceedings against many of them and the small countenance which they shewed unto a very moderate Petition that the Papists exhibited unto them hath driven abundance of them into Ireland whom I saw my selfe and there consulting with the Irish which were then also threatened by the Agents of this faction there that ere long they should be severely handled and brought to the Church whether they would or no or pay such a mulct as should make them poor what course they should take in such a desperate condition wherein they were all like to be ruined or to be rooted out of all the Kings Dominions they concluded what they would do to defend themseves by a plain Rebellion So this course against them hath been the leading card as some of them confessed of that great Rebellion which being kindled as some Sectaries in England expected they thought they would so much the more weaken the King by how much the more combustion should be raised in each one of his Dominions and therefore notwithstanding all the Kings gracious Messages and wishes unto the House of Commons which I wish all men would remember how affectionately he desired it to hasten to releeve that bleeding Kingdom yet still they protracted and neglected their redresse and at last passed such Votes made such Orders and procured such Acts as rather respected themselves and their posteritie to get all the land and goods of the Rebels to themselves that were the Adventurers than the relieving of us that were distressed and would as I told some of the House of Commons rather increase the Rebellion than any wayes quench that destroying flame And this was as it succeeded and as you see hereby most likely intended a most detestable plot for the kindling of that Rebellion and continuing of that bloody War in Ireland without which they knew this Rebellion in England could never have gained so much strength as it hath 2. 2. To gaine all Sectaries to their side By their large expression of what religion they protested to defend not the Protestant religion as it is established by Law and expressed in the 39 articles of the Church of England but as it is repugnant to popery and taught perhaps by Burton Burges Goodwin Burrowes or the like Amsterdamian schismatickes they opened the gap so wide and made Heaven gate so broad that all Brownists Anabaptists Socinians Familists Adamites and all other new England brood and outlandish Sectaries what soever that opposed popery might returne home and joyne with them as they have done since to overthrow our established Church and state And this plot to increase their own strength was as craftily don and is as Detestable as the other which to weaken the King in England caused a rebellion in Ireland 3. 3. To descry their owne strength By their illegall compelling and forcible inducing of all the people in the Kingdome to take the same or to be adjudged ill affected and popish and after the Lords had rejected the imposing of it they by their Declaration which shewed that what person soever would not take it was unfit to beare office either in Church or Common wealth prevailed in this plot so that they descried the number of their owne party they understood their own strength and they perceived thereby many things which they knew not before for now they had with David numbred Israel and so far as the wit and policy of the Devill had instructed them they had searched into the secrets of all hearts 4. 4. To insnare all the simpler sort to adhere unto them Having compelled the people to take it they have hereby insnared all the simpler sort and tender consciences to sticke unto them when they tell them and presse it upon their soules that they have made a Protestation to maintaine the priviledges of Parliament and the Liberty of the Subject and therefore they are bound to adhere to the Parliament to the uttermost of their power and so by this equivocall Protestation they have seduced thousands into their Rebellion and led them blindfold unto destruction Butto let you see not the syncerity of their hearts The mystery of their iniquity but the mystery
vocatis more daret populis Because this was the custome of the Kings of Scythia Assyria Aegypt c. long before Moses and Pharonaus when municipall lawes first began to give lawes unto their people according to the rules of naturall equity which by the law of nature they were all bound to observe And though some Kings did graciously yeeld and by their voluntary oathes for themselves and their successors binde themselves many times to stricter limits then were absolutely requisite as William Rufus King Stephen Henry the fourth Richard the third and the like granted many priviledges perhaps to gaine the favour of their Subjects against those which likely had a better title to the Crowne than themselves or it may be to satisfie their people as the guerdon or compensation for the sufferance of some fore-passed grievances as Henry the first Edward the second Richard the second and the like yet these limitations being agreeable to equity and consistent with Royalty and not forcibly extracted ought in all truth and reason to be observed by them And hence it is that the Kings of this Realme according to the oathes and promises which they made at their Coronation can never give nor repeale any law but with the assent of the Peeres and People But though they have thus yeelded to make no lawes nor to repeale any lawes without them yet this voluntary concession of so much grace unto the people doth no wayes translate the legislative power from the King unto his assistants but that it is formaliter and subiectivè still in the King and not in them else would the government of this Kingdome bee an Aristocracy or Democracy and not a Monarchy because the supreame power of making and repealing Lawes and governing or judging decisively according to those lawes Cassan in catal glorlamundi are two of those three things that give being to each one of these three sorts of government Therefore the King of England being an absolute Monarch in his owne Kingdome as Cassaneus saith and no man can deny it the legislative power must needs reside solely in the King 22 Ed. 3.3 pl. 25. Vid. The view of a printed booke entituled Observations c. where this point is proved at large p. 18 19 21 22. ut in subjecto proprio and the consent of the Lords and Commons is no sharing of that power but only a condition yeelded to be observed by the King in the use of that power and so both the Oath of Supremacy and the form of all our ancient Statutes wherein the King speakes as the Lawmaker doe most evidently prove the same unto us Le Roy voit Neither durst any Subjects in former times either assume such a power unto themselves or deny the same unto their King for you may finde how the House of Commons denying to passe the Bill for the pardon of the Clergy which Hen. 8. granted them when they were all charged to be in a Premunire unlesse themselves also might be included within the pardon received this answer from the King that he was their Soveraigne Lord and would not be compelled to shew his mercy nor indeed could they compel him to any thing else but seeing they went about to restraine him of his Liberty he would grant a pardon unto his Clergie by his great Seale without them Sir Rich. ◠in vita Her though afterwards of his owne accord he signed their pardon also which brought great commendation to his judgement to deny it at first when it was demanded as a right and to grant it afterward when it was received as of grace And yet the deniall of their assent unto the King is more equitable to them and lesse derogatory to him then to make orders without him and this manner of compulsion to shew grace unto themselves is more tolerable than to force him to disgrace and displace his most faithfull servants onely because others cannot confide in them when no criminall charge is laid against them And therefore for the Lords and Commons to make Orders and Ordinances without the King and in opposition to the King is a meere usurpation of the Regall power a nullifying of the Kings power and a making of the Royall assent which heretofore gave life to every law to be an empty piece of formality which is indeed an intolerable arrogancy in the contrivers of these Orders and the makers of these Ordinances a monstrous abuse of the Subjects and a plaine making of our good King to be somewhat like him in the Comedy a King and no King And where as no Subject and under favour be it spoken not the King himselfe after he hath taken his Oath at his Coronation is free from the observation of the established lawes yet they make themselves so farre above the reach of Law that they freed him which the Lord chiefe Justice Bramston had committed to Newgate for felony in stealing the Countesse of Rivers goods they hindered all men as we found in their journall from proceeding against Sir Thomas Dawes they injoyned the Judges by their orders to forbeare to proceed in their ordinary courses in the Courts of Justice contrary to the eaths of those Judges and some Parliament men came to the Bench to forbid the Judges to grant Habeas Corpuses which is as great an iniquity and as apparent an injustice as ever was done by any Parliament And that which is a note above Ela The most abominable wickednesse of these factious Rebels above all that could be spoken whereas the Law of God and man the bonds and obligations of civility and Christianity tie us all to be dutifull and obedient unto our King in all things either actively or passively and no wayes for no cause violently to resist him under the greatest penalties that can be devised here and damnation hereafter yet these men contrary to all Lawes doe injoyne us and compell us as much against our consciences as if they should compell us with the Pagan tyrants to offer Sacrifice unto Idols to war against our most gracious Soveraigne whom we from our hearts doe both love and honour and they proscrible us as malignants and as enemies to the Common wealth if we contribute not money horse and armes to maintaine this ungodly war Ps 50.22 August contra Faust l. 22. c. 75.76 and so become deadly enemies unto our owne soules O consider this yee that forget God lest for tearing us he teare you in pieces while there is none to helpe you for considering what the Apostle saith Rom. 13.1.2 And what Saint Augustine saith ordo naturalis mortalium paci accommodatus hoc poscit ut suscipiendi belli authoritas atque consilium penes Principem sit and lest men should thinke they ought by force of armes to resist their king for religion he answereth that objection by the example of the Apostles isti non resistendo interfecti sunt ut potiorem esse docerent victoriam pro fide
veritatis occidi We conceive this to be so execrable an act and so odious to God and man that we are made thus miserable and abused beyond measure to have our Religion which is most glorious our Laws that in their own nature are most excellent The miserable consequences of their wicked doings 1 Mischiefe and our Liberties that make us as free as any Subjects in the World under false pretences and the shadows of religion lawes and liberties to be eradicated and fundamentally destroyed whereby 1. We are made a spectacle of scorne 1. Mischiefe and the object of derision to our neighbour Nations that formerly have envied at our happinesse and we are become the subject of all pitty and lamentation to all them that love us 2. As in the Roman civill wars in the time of Metellus 2. Mischife the the son did kill his own Father so now by the subtilty of this faction we are cast into such a war as is 1. A most unnaturall War the son against the Father and the Father against the Son the Earle of Warwick fighteth for the Parliament and my Lord Rich his Son is with the King the Earle of Dover is with the King and my Lord Rochford his Sonne with the Parliament so one brother against another as the Earle of Northumberland with the Parliament and his brother with the King the Earle of Bedford with the Parliament and his brother with the King Master Perpoiat with the Parliament and the Earle of Newark with the King Devoreux Farmer with the parliament and his brother Thomas farmer together with his brother in law my Lord Cockain with the King and the like and of Cosens without number the one part with the King and the other with the parliament and if they doe this in subtilty to preserve their estate I say it is a wicked policy to undoe the kingdom which all wise men should consider 2. A most irreligious war when one Christian of the same professed religion shal bath his Sword and wash his hands in the bloud of his fellow Christian and his fellow protestant that shal be coheire with him of the same Kingdome 3. A most unnaturall irreligious and barbarous Warre when the Subject shall shal take Armes to destroy or unthrone their owne liege a Religious and most gracious King 3. 3 Mischiefe The Service of God in most Churches is neglected when almost all the ablest gravest and most O thodox Divines and Preachers are persecuted plundered imprisoned and driven to fly as in the time of the Arian or Donatist which was worse than the heathen persecution from City to City to wander in Desarts from place to place to save themselves from the hands of these Rebels against the King and persecuters of Gods Church which is a most grievous and a most cruell persecution far more generall than that of the Anabaptists in Germany or of Queene Mary here in England the Lord of Heaven make us constant and give us patience to indure it 4. 4 Mischiefe The whole Kingdome is and shall be yet more by the continuance hereof unspeakably impoverish'd and plunged into all kind of miseries when the I'ravailer cannot passe without feare nec hospes ab hospite tutus the Carrier cannot transport his commodity but it shall be intercepted the Husbandman cannot till his ground but his horses as my selfe saw it shall bee taken from the Plough and his Corne shall bee destroyed when it is ready for the Sickle which must be the fore-runner of a famine that is ever the Usher to introduce the Plague and Pestilence and all other kind of grievous Diseases and these things put together doe set wide our gates and open our ports to bring forraigne foes into our Coasts to possesse that good Land whereof we are unworthy because with the Israelites we loathed Manna we were weary of our peace and happinesse we would buy armes and be voluntiers and every Town being too wanton would needs traine and put themselves into a posture of defence as they termed it to be secured from their owne shadows and though the King told them often there was no cause of their Jealousies and therefore forbade these disloyalties yet just like the Jewes they were willing to be deceived by this miserable faction that contrived that Act whereby they have persidiously over-reached both our good King and the rest of our wel-meaning brethren either to perfect their designe or else to make themselves perpetuall Dictators and to betray the felicity of all our people under the name of Parliament which though as I said before I honour and love as much as any of the truest Patriots of either House both in the institution and the right prosecution thereof that is as it was constituted to be the great Councell of the Kingdome graciously called by his Majesties writ considently to present the grievances of the people and humbly to offer their advice and counsels for their reformation yet I doe abhorre those men that would abuse the word Parliament only as a stalking-Horse to destroy all Acts of Parliament and I hate to see men calling the fanatique actions of a few desperate seditious persons the proceedings of Parliament and others making an Idol of it as if their power were omnipotent or unlimited and more than any regall power their judgement infallible their Orders irreprehensible and themselves unaccountable for their proceedings to be so besotted with the name of it that this bare shadow without the substance for it is no Parliament without the King and the Major part of both houses is either banished or imprisoned Ingeniosus ad blasphemiant or compelled to reside with his Majesty should so bewitch us as Master Smith blushed not to say nothing could free us from our dangers but the Divinity of a Parliament out of our owne happinesse to become more miserable then heretofore this Kingdome hath ever beene by any civill War for if you will consider the Treasons and rebellions the injustice cruelty and inhumanity the subtilty hypocrisie lying swearing blasphemy prophanesse and Sacriledge in the highest pitch and many other the like fearefull sins that have been committed since the beginning of this Parliament by the sole meanes of this faction and observe the ill acts that have beene used by them to compasse things lawfull and the wicked acts that have beene daily practised to procure things unlawfull when by bloud and rapine and the curses of many fatherlesse and widowes they have gotten the Treasures of the Kingdome and the wealth of the Kings loyall Subjects into their hands and wasted it so that their wants are stil as notorious as their crimes wee may admire the miracles of Gods mercy and the bottomlesse depth of his goodnesse that the stones in the streets have not risen against them or the fire from Heaven had not consumed these Rebels that thus far and thus insolently had tempted Gods patience and provoked him to
these infernall instruments to insinuate their assistance unto the Scots and their allurements of them to invade our Kings Dominions to ensnare the Irish and to provoke the Papists to such a Rebellion as hath been the utter ruine and destruction of many millions of men to obscure the glory of this noble Kingdome to alter the Discipline and corrupt the Doctrine of the most glorious and the purest Church that professeth the Name of Christ and to bring us all and all our posteritie to extreme miseries to suffer yet more then we have endured or that can be hitherto imagined and considering those bloody Treasons that have beene publikely uttered and openly practised against the sacred Person of our Soveraigne I may justly say that as the sinnes of the Israelites and their impetuous calling for a King moved the Lord to send them a King in his anger so our sinnes and our impatient crying for a Parliament made our God to send us a Parliament in his wrath that will never turne for our blessing till we returne to God from our sinnes for when I consider on the one side the pietie and goodnesse of our King the justnesse of his cause and the most ready and cordiall valour as well in the common Souldiers as the Commanders of a full and sufficient Armie and on the other side the multitude of disloyall and seduced Subjects the vigilancie and subtiltie of their Commanders with their unlimited wayes to get monies and on both sides the desire of too many not for the honour of the King nor the peace of the Kingdome to end the War but to continue the same for their own advantage untill the wealth of Lawyers Clergy and Gentrie be transplanted to the possessions of other Masters I am affraid it wil prove an heavie judgement and therfore lest our obstinacie in our sinnes should procure the continuance of Gods anger which being removed will soone remove all our miseries let me perswade all conscientious men especially the Gentry and all other understanding men howsoever the Citizens that deceive the Kingdome of their wealth delight to be deceived in their faith that would not be cheated of their Religion by these factious Mountebankes and that would not provoke God to say I have no pleasure in them to turne from their rebellious courses to listen no longer to those furious fire-brands that out of their now Divinity contrary to the Doctrine of all the ancient Fathers and all the Orthodox and grave Preachers of this Kingdome do incite the People unto this unnaturally bloody War and to slander the foot-steps of Gods Anointed because they know him not and to remember the Oathes of their Allegiance and Supremacie together with their late Protestation whereby they stand obliged to their uttermost power to maintaine his Majesties Royall Person Crowne and Dignity against all treacherous practices that may any waies dishonour or impaire them and then I presume their consciences will disavow the proceedings of these Projâ—ctours protest against all their Ordinances that are made against or without the Kings consent advise all the Knights and Burgesses to Vote no more against their Soveraigne and to make no further use of the trust they reposed in them to murder us and our fellow Subjects under the pretence of shedding the bloud of the ungodly or if they still goe on to abuse that trust to make us yet more miserable to withdraw themselves and their trust and power of representation from them and to joyne their uttermost assistance unto his Majesty to protect him that he may be enabled to protect us and to overwhelme the Robels into the same pit which they have made for us And this may be by dissolving the knot of factious members wherein we see our miseries involved and to make elections of new members into their places that with the rest of the Lords and Commons which were faithfull both to the Church King and Kingdome shall call them to a strict account for betraying our trust interrupting our peace opposing his Majestie and violating all our ancient liberties Or if a better way may be found let us follow the same to Gods glory and to produce the peace and happinesse of this Kingdome lest if we persist obstinately in this wilfull rebellion to withstand Gods Ordinance to oppose his anointed and to shed so much innocent blood we shall thus fighting against heaven so far provoke the wrath of the God of Heaven as that the glory of Israel shall be darkned the honour of this nation shall be troden under foot and be made the scorne of all other nations round about us and the light of our Candlestick shall be extinguished and we shall all become most miserable because we would not hearken to the voyce of the Lord our God which I hope we will doe and do most earnestly pray that we may doe it to the glory of God the honour of our King and the happinesse of this whole Kingdome through Iesus Christ our Lord to whom be praise and dominion both now and for ever Amen AN APPENDIX THe man of God speaking of transcendent wickednesse Deu. 32.2 saith Their Vine is of the Vine of Sodome and of the fields of Gomorrah their Grapes are grapes of Gall their Clusters are bitter their Wine is the poyson of Dragons and the cruell venome of Aspes and I beleeve never any wickednesse desâ—rved better to be clad with this elegant expression then that threefold iniquity 1. The unparallel'd Vote 2. The intolerable Ordinance 3. The damnable Covenant which the rebellious faction in Parliament have most impiously contrived to make up the full measure of their impiety since the writing of my discoveries for 1. Omitting that horrible practice of those rebellious blood-thirsty Soul lie's that did their best to murder their owne most gracious Queene this faction seeing how God prevented that plot voted this most loving and most loyall wife to be impeached or High Treason for being faithfull to doe her uttermost endeavour which will be her everlasting praise to assist her most deare and Royall husband their owne Liege Lord and Soveraigne King in his greatest extremities against a virulent mighty faction of most malicious Traytors the strangest Treason that ever the world heard of 2. They made an Ordinance for the composing and convocating of such a Synod whereof I said somewhat before of Lay men ignorant men factious men traiterous men and such concretion of heterogeneall parts like Nebuchadnezzars image gold brasse and clay all mixed together and all so ordered limited and bridled as it is expressed in the 5. and 6. page of their Ordinance by the power of both Houses where there are such abundance of Schismaticall and seditious members that I should scarce put the worst sensitive soule to professe that erraticall faith or any bruit beast to be guided by that Ecclâ—…asticall discipline that such factious Traytors as some of thâ—… are like to be proved should compose or cause to be coâ—posed 3. They composed a forme of a sacred Vow or Covenant 〈◊〉 they terme it or as it is indeed the Covenant of Hell a Covenant against God to overthrow the Gospel of Christ under the name of Christ which Covenant is the Oyle that swimmâ—… uppermost upon the waters that is the Oyle of Scorpions or as Moses saith the poison of Dragons so lately wringed and dâ—…fused farre and neere to defile and destroy millions of soules when forgetting their faith to God and the Oathes of their Allegiance so often and so solemnely taken by many or most of them to be faithfull unto their King they shall be compelled which is one degree worse then the vow of them that bound themselves with a curse neither to eate nor drinke till they had killed Paul so hypocritically so perjuredly so rebelliously 〈◊〉 horribly and so bloodily to make such a fearefull Vow and such an abominable Covenant so wickedly contrived that without great and serious repentance spitteth forth nothing but fire and brimstone and can produce nothing else but hell and damnation to all that take it especially to them that will coâ—pell men to be thus transcendently wicked as if they would send them with Corah quicke to Hell All which triplicity of evil I shal leave to some abler and more eloquent pen to be set forth more fully in the right colours that being suffâ—ciently displayed they may be throughly detested of all good men Amen O Lord have mercy upon us and incline our hearts to to keepe thy Lawes ERRATA Page 24. lin 11. for malicious read heavy pag. 98. lin 1. reaâ— somewhat like him c. FINIS
Os ossis oris if you looke in pag. 59. you shall finde his double admiration that I should not be either recompenced with vengeance revealed from heaven or be made an example of the deepest severity of the justice of the land whereby I presume he means this Parliament or otherwise to be dismembred and torne in peeces by the impatient rage and indignation of the people for which direfull imprecation I wish the poore snake nothing else but that our good God would be so mercifull unto him as to restore him to his wits which I understand he scattered about the streets of Amsterdam and give him grace to repent for those intolerable treasons and abuses which he dispersed in his Pamphlets against his own Sacred Soveraigne And for his bone wherein I finde neither flesh nor marrow I shall throw it to his owne dogs to fight about it and will ever lest Thine affectionate loving Brother GR. OSSORY PSAL. 89.49 REmember Lord the rebuke that thy servants have and how we do beare in our bosomes the reproach of the mighty wherewith thine enemies have reproached thee and slandered the foot-steps of thine Anointed Arise therefore O Lord maintaine thine owne cause have mercy upon us and deliver us because we have put our trust in thee and forgive those poore seduced sheepe which know not what they doe The Contents of the severall Chapters contained in this TREATISE CAP. I. Sheweth the introduction the greatnesse of this Rebellion the originall thereof the secret plots of the Brownisticall faction and the two cheifest things they aimed at to effect their plot pag. 1. CAP. II. Sheweth the eager prosecution of our Sectaries to take off the Earle of Straftords head how he answered for himselfe the Bishops right of voting in his cause his excellent virtues and his death p. 6. CAP. III. Sheweth how they stopped the free judgement of the Iudges procured the perpetuity of the Parliament the consequences thereof and the subtle device of Semiramis p. 14. CAP. IV. Sheweth the abilities of the Bishops the threefold practice of the faction to exclude them out of the House of Peeres and all the Clergy out of all Civill Iudicature p. 19. CAP. V. Sheweth the evill consequences af this act how former times respected the Clergy how the King hath beene used ever since this Act passed and how for three speciall reasons it ought to be annulled p. 25. CAP. VI. Sheweth the plots of the faction to gaine unto themselves the friendship and assistance of the Scots to what end they framed their new Protestation how they provoked the Irish to rebell and what other things they gained thereby p. 32. CAP. VII Sheweth how the faction was inraged against our last Canons what manner of men they chose in their new Synod and of 6 speciall Acts of great prejudice unto the Church of Christ which under false pretences they have already done p. 40. CAP. VIII Sheweth what discipline or Church government our factious schismaticks do like best 12 principall points of their doctrines which they hold as 12. articles of their faith and we must all beleeve the same or suffer if this faction should prevaile p. 51. CAP. IX Sheweth three other speciall points of doctrine which the Brownists and Anabaptists of this Kingdome do teach p. 57. CAP. X. Sheweth the great bug-beares that affrighted this faction the 4 speciall meanes they used to secure themselves the manifold lies they raised against the King and the two speciall questions that are discussed about Papists p. 64. CAP. XI Sheweth the unjust proceedings of these factious Sectaries against the King eight speciall wrongs and injuries that they have offered him which are the three States and that oâ— Kings are not Kings by election or covenants with the people p. 73. CAP. XII Sheweth the unjust proceedings of this Faction against their fellow Subjects set downe in foure particular things p. 83. CAP. XIII Sheweth the proceedings of this faction against the Lawes of the Land the Priviledges of Parliament transgressed eleven speciall wayes p. 88. CAP. XIIII Sheweth how they have transgressed the publicke Lawes of the Land 3 wayes and of 4 miserable consequences of their wicked doings p. 94. CAP. XV. Sheweth a particular recapitulation of the reasons where by their designe to alter the government both of Church and State is evinced and a patheticall disswasion from Rebellion THE Discoverie of Mysteries OR The Plots and practices of a prevailing Faction in this present Parliament to overthrow both Church and State CHAP. I. Sheweth the introduction the greatnesse of this Rebellion the originall thereof the secret plots of our Brownisticall faction and the two chiefest things that they aymed at to effect their Plot. I Have long wandered in a region of Rebellion among seduced Subjects and discontented Peeres and now at last after I had passed the raging Seas and very hardly escaped the stormes and dangers of the furging waves I am arrived in my native soyle where I finde my selfe incompassed with farre greater stormes and more violent windes then ever I thought could be on any Land for though that Grand Rebellion which you may finde lately described was both magna mira very great and very grievous such as I supposed could not be exceeded by any humane malice yet now me thinkes I heare the Spirit saying unto mee as hee did unto Ezekiell Sonne of man stand up and I will shew thee greater abominations and a rebellion farre greater and more odious then either Popish Irish or any other Sect or Nation of the world hath hitherto produced and therefore I may now say with the Poet Barbara Pyramidum sileat miracula Memphis Let proud Babylon cease to boast Of her Pyramid's stately spires This Rebellion is more stange Surmounting all infernall fires No age the like hath ever bred Nor shall when these Rebels be dead The seed of it was unseasonably sowne in the Northerne storme The seed and originall of this rebellion and the originall of those Boreall blasts either why or by whom those spirits were raised is not so well knowne to me therefore how justly the King did undertake the quarrell I will not at this time determine or with what equity the Scots made their approach into England it is not my purpose to discusse yet I must needs say that our English Sectaries and Amsterdam Recusants which hated our Church and loved not our King justum quia justum onely because he is so good too good for them did from hence arripere ansam take hold of this opportunity by procuring those to proceed that were comming on and discouraging the others of the Kings side that were cowardly enough to say no worse of themselves to betray both King and Kingdome into the hands of the Invaders So the good King was now with King David brought into a strait So new I feare more the secret enemies both of Church and State that may lurke in Court then those that he
thing they say they get many of them to be accused of High-Treason and they doe but accuse them and not proceed to any tryall against them which was a pretty plot of their policie because that hereby they kept them and the rest of their fellow Judges that had any finger in the missentenceing of the Ship-money and were therefore in the same predicament and to be under the same censure under the lash and to be still silent for very feare of their proceeding against them for they saw by many presidents that those men which favoured their designe or contradicted not their wayes were winked at by this Faction though they were the greatest Delinquents and therefore redimere se captos to free themselves out of the hands of these men they might conceive it their safest course to gain-say none of their conclusions which was a plot of no small value to further their designe by this removall of this second impediment 3. The third impediment of their designe The third let that stood in their way to make stop of their impious designe was the royall power to dissolve the present Parliament as formerly to dissolve any other which they knew to be an inseperable flower of the Crowne timor undique nostris this brought them in feare on every side lest if they were too soone discovered they might suddainly be prevented and their plot might prove abortive like the untimely fruit of a woman that perisheth before it seeth the Sun or as the apples of Sodome vanishing when they are touched into nothing or at the best but to stinking blasts therefore to escape this rocke they saile about and like cunning water-men they looke towards you when they row from you their eyes and mouthes are one way when their hearts and mindes are another way for they tell the King that the discontinuance of Parliaments hath produced aboundance of distempers in this State and a world of grievances both in the Church and Common-wealth besides they say The faire pretences for the continuance of he Parliament what the King and every man else saw to be true that the Scots were entred into our Land and setled in the bosome of this Kingdome and though perhaps if some things had beene better looked into we mought at first most easily have kept them out yet now duriùs ejicitur quà m non admittitur hostis it was too late to shut the doore and it is not so easie to expell and drive them out except we made them a bridge of gold to passe over the river and so to goe homewards againe And this cannot be done without a great deale of money which moneys though the Parliament should grant them as we are most willing to doe to free your Majestie from these guests and to prevent the dangers of an intestine warre yet they cannot suddenly be levyed and collected as the times and occasions now required therefore it must be borrowed to supply our present necessities and lenders we shall finde none except we can shew them a way how they shall be repaid againe and the experience we have lately had in these latter yeares of so many Parliaments so unhappily suddenly dissolved puts us out of all hope to finde any way to secure their debts except your Majestie will passe an Act for as yet they durst not say they needed not His assent to what they did that this Parliament shall not be dissolved untill it be agreed upon by the consent of both Houses This and the like were their faire pretences How the King was seduced by their pretences like the Syrens voices very sweet and very good and the good King that ever spake as he thought could not thinke that His great Councell whom He trusted with all the affaires of His Kingdome meant any otherwise then they said or looked any further then they shewed Him Hee never dream'd that they intended to have an everlasting Parliament and so perfidiously to over-reach both the King and the Kingdome But though our gracious King being not so much versed with the dissembling subtilty and serpentine windings of wicked hypocrites that are to be removed from the King and expelled out of His house supposed all them to meane syncerely and to deale fairely as they seemed to doe yet I doe admire that the wisedome of the Kings Councell but that they which as the Apostle saith are not ignorant of the devices of Satan are not permitted by these men to be of His Councell could not espie what mischiefe might lurke under this faire shade or what might be the consequences of such a Parliament that is inconsistent with a Monarchy and therefore must in a convenient time be ended or else will make an end of all Monarchicall government why then might not a yeare or two or three or more so the yeares were limited suffice to determine all businesses but that the life of this Parliament should be endlesse and the continuance thereof undetermined this is beyond the age of the Councell of Trent that they say lasted above 40 yeares for I presume if some of the contrivers of this designe might have their desires the youngest of us should hardly see the Dissolution of this Parliament What the faction could be contented with Complaint p. 19. till the earthly Houses of our Tabernacles be dissolved for it is likely they could be well contented as one saith to make an Ordinance that both Houses should be a Corporation to take our lands and goods to themselves and their successours and when any of that Corporation dieth toties quoties the surviver and none else should choose a successour to perpetuity so they should be Masters of our estates and disposers of all we have as they are now for ever and therefore this was a plot beyond the powder plot and beyond the device of Semiramis that with a lovely face desired her husband she might rule but 3 dayes to see how well she could mannage the State and obtaining her request in the first thereof she removed all the Kings officers in the second she placed her owne minions in all the places of power and authority as now the faction would doe such as they confide in The plot of Semiramis in all places of strength and in the third day she cut off the Kings head and assumed the government of all the Kings Dominions into her owne hands for not 3 dayes nor 3 yeares will serve their turne for feare they shall not have ability in so short a space to finish all their strange intended projects and therefore that they might not be hindered their request is unlimited that the Parliament should not be dissolved till both Houses gave consent which they were contented should be ad Graecas Calendas Yet God that knew best what punishments were due to be inflicted for their former actions and for all the subtle devices of their hard hearts gave way for this also that this third Impediment of
iniquitie Esay 29.20 21. to turne aside the just for a thing of nought to take advantage of a word or to catch men for one syllable to charge them with high Treason to bring them unto death so many Reverend Bishops to such a shamefull end was more malicious than ever I finde the Jewes were to the old Prophets or the Pagan Tyrants unto the Primitive Fathers nor do I beleeve you can parallell the same charge in any Historie yet 3. 3. How they were committed to prison For this one necessitated Act of the Bishops the House of Commons do suddainly upon the first sight thereof charge twelve of them with high Treason they were not so long in condemning it as the Bishops in composing it and accordingly the Lords commit them unto Prison And if this was Treason I demand why could they not prove it so to be Or if it was not why should such an House Flos medulla regni the greatest and the highest Court of Justice from which the King consenting with them there lieth none appeal but onely to the Court of Heaven accuse them of high Treason I would not have that Court to charge a man with any thing that were not most true for certainly whosoever unjustly compasseth my death is justly guiltie of death himselfe when as the Poet saith Lex non justior ulla Quà m necis artifices arte perire suâ It may be they would have us to believe this Treason was not proved nor the charge so fully followed as they intended out of some mercie to save their lives but I could sooner believe they rejoyced to see them fear and were glad of their mistake that they might charge them and by such a charge cast them into prison that so they might the more easily worke their designe to cast them out of the Parliament which now they have soon effected and procured an Act for their exclusion And you must know that to cast out from doing good or serving God is a worke of the devill and not of God so the wicked Husbandmen did cast out the right Heir of the vineyard out of his own inheritance The consequences of this Act. so the Jewes did cast out the blinde man and all that professed Christ out of their Synagogue But you may better judge of this good Act by these consequences which are like to be the fruits thereof 1. Hereby they are all made incapable to do any good either for Gods honour or their neighbours benefit 1. Made incapable of doing any good by executing justice or pronouncing judgement in any cause in any temporall Court and justice which long agon hath fled to heaven and wanders as a stranger here on earth must be countenanced and entertained onely by the sonnes of men by secular Lords and Gentlemen and the Spirituall Lords the Servants of God and messengers of heaven must have nothing to do with her not because they are not as well able as any other to do justice but because the others cannot endure to let them see it for fear they should hinder their injustice and therefore justice and judgement are like to speed well on earth when their chiefest friends are banished from them and it may be worldlings oppressours or most ignorant youthes rather than any just understanders of their natures must be their Judges 2. 2. Made unable to defend themselves Hereby they are made unable to defend themselves or their calling from any wrong their respect was little enough before and their indignities were great enough and yet now we are exposed to far greater miseries and to unresistable injuries when a Bishop hath not so much Authoritie as a Constable to withstand his greatest affronts But hoc Ithacus velit this is that which the devill and his great Atreidesses his prime champions to enlarge his kingdom would fain have our soules to remain among Lions and all the meanes of defence to be taken from us our enemies to be our judges and our selves to be murdered with our own weapons In the time of Poperie there were many Lawes de immunitate clericorum whereby we were so protected that the greatest Prince could not oppresse us as you may finde in the Reigne of King John and almost in all our Histories and when we renounced the Pope God made Kings our nursing fathers and Queenes our nursing mothers and we putting our selves under their protection have been hitherto most gratiously protected but now by this Act we are left naked of all defence and set under the very sword of our Adversaries and as the Psalmist saith They that hated us are made Lords over us to callus to assesse us to undo us 3. 3. Debarred of that right that none else are Hereby they are made more slavish than the meanest Subject and deprived of that benefit and priviledge which the poorest Shoomaker Tailor or any other Tradesman or yeoman hath most justly left unto him for to be excluded debarred and altogether made uncapable of any benefit is such an insupportable burden that it is set upon no mans shoulders but upon the Clergie alone as if they alone were either unworthy to receive or unable to do any good 4. 4. Made more contemptible than all others Hereby they are made the unparalleled spectacle of all neglect and scorne to all forraigne people for I can hardly believe the like precedent can be shewed in any Age or any other Nation of the world no not among the very Infidels or Indians for in former times the Bishops and Clergie-men were thought the fittest instruments to be imployed in the best places of greatest trust and highest importance in the Common-wealth and Kings made them their Embasladours as the Emperour Vas lentinian did S. Ambrose and our own Chronicles relate how former times respected the Clergie and how our Kings made them both their Counsellors and their Treasurers Chancellors Keepers of the Great Seal and the like Officers of the chiefest concernment as Ethelbert in the yeer of Christ 605. saith I Ethelbert King of Kent Vt refert in tract atu suo de eposeopatu p. 61 62. M. Theyer Sir Henry Spelman p. 118. with the consent of the Reverend Archbishop Augustine and of my Princes do give and grant c. and the said Ethelbert with the Queen and his Son Eadbald and the most Reverend Prelate Augustine and with the rest of the Nobilitie of the Land solemnly kept his Christmasse at Canterbury and there assembled a Common Counsell Tam cleri quà m populi as well of the Clergie as of the people and King Adelstan saith Idem p. 403 I Adelstan the King do signifie unto all the Officers in my Kingdom that by the advice of Wolfelme my Archbishop and of all my Bishops In the great Councell of King Ina Anno 712. the edicts were enacted by the Common Counsell and consent Omnium Episcoporum principum Idem p. 219. procerum Comitum
things that is meat and drinke and clothes and all other earthly things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall be cast unto you and again Be not carefull for to morrow they teach their proselytes that they ought not to pray by any meanes for any of these things whereas Christ biddeth us to say Give us this day our daily Bread 9. 9. Not to say the Lords Prayer They cannot endure to say the Lords Prayer for that 's a Popish superstition but their Prayers must be all tautologies and a circular repetition of their own indigested inventions 10. 10. Not to say God speed you 2 Iohn to 11.11 Not to pray for the Malignants 1 Iohn 5.16 You must not say God speed you to any neighbour or any traveller lest he intends some evill worke and then you shall be partaker of his sin 11. They will not allow any of their Disciples to pray for any of the Reprobates and therefore they do exceedingly blame us and tear our Liturgie because we say That it may please thee to have mercie upon all men 12. Because Christ saith Call no man father on earth for one is your Father which is in Heaven the childe must not call him that begat him and nurseth him his father not kneel unto him to aske him blessing nor performe many other such duties which the Lord requireth and the Church instructeth her children to do to this very day and this foolish Doctrine of calling no man father no man master or Lord and the like in their sense because they understand not the divine meaning of our Saviours word hath been the cause of such undutifulnesse and untowardnesse such contempts of superiours and such rebellions to Authoritie as is beyond expression when as by their disloyaltie being thus bred in them from their cradle they first despise their father then their Teachers then their King and then God himselfe CHAP IX Sheweth three other speciall points of Doctrine which the Brownists and Anabaptists of this Kingdom do teach 13. BEcause they can finde no Text in Scripture when as the Alcoran is not so impudently hellish as to justifie the action for to warrant men to absolve our consciences from any Oathes that we have voluntarily taken for the performance of any businesse I cannot say that they do professedly teach but I do hear they do usually practice this most damnable sin as that Master Marshall and Master Case did absolve the Souldiers taken at Brainceford from their Oath which they took never to bear Armes against his Majestie which is a sin destructive both to bodie and soul when their Perjurie added to their Treason makes them twofold more the children of hell than they were before and if they be taken again they can expect nothing but their just deserved death and therefore I do admire that any man can challenge the name of a Divine which doth either preach or practice a point so devilish 14. Because Saint Paul saith These hands have ministred to my necessities and to them that were with me 14. They thinke sacriledge to be no sin Acts 20.35 1 Thess 2.9 1 Cor. 1.12 and again Labouring night and day because we would not be chargeable to any of you we preached unto you the Gospel of God and because the rest of the Apostles and Disciples were Fishermen Trades men or professours of some Science either liberall or mechanicke as Saint Luke was a Physician Joseph a Carpenter and the like who did live by their manuall crafts and were chargeable to none of their people but sought them and not theirs to win their soules to God and not their monies unto themselves therefore they thinke it no robberie to take away all the revenues of the Church nor sacriledge to rob the Clergie of all the meanes they have because they should either labour for their livings as the Apostles did or live upon the peoples Almes as many poor Ministers do to the utter undoing of many soules in many distressed and most miserable Churches But because this revenue of the Church and the Lands of the Bishops is that golden wedge and the brave Babylonish garment which the Anabaptistical Achans of our time do most of all thirst after in this their pretended holy Reformation I must here sistere gradum stay a while and let you know 1. 1. Sacriledge What it is That the taking away of any Lands or goods given and consecrated to holy uses and to convert the same to any other purpose than which they were dedicated is termed sacriledge that is the stealing of holy goods from the right owners to our selves and others to whom we leave them 2. 2. That is a sin That this sacriledge is a sin for it is a snare to the man who devoureth that which is holy and after vowes to make inquirie that is whether such a service be needfull or such a taking away be a sin 3. 3. A great sin That this sin is a very great sin for Saint Paul saith Thou that abhorrest idols committest thou sacriledge And idolatrie is the giving of our goods and service to false gods sacriledge the taking away of goods dedicated to the service of any God especially of the true God and this seemeth by the Apostles words to be a greater sin than the other because the devill laboureth more to take away the service of the true God than to establish his own service for he knoweth that as light taken away darknesse must needs follow Hosea 2.8 Ezech. 16. 1 Reg. 18.19 Gen. 22. so the true Religion being destroyed idolatrie must needs succeed and he knoweth that idolatrie hath been bountifull enough to the service of idols that he needeth not so much to fear the taking away of their goods as to care that the goods dedicated to Gods service be taken away 4. That this sin is a very dangerous sin both to 1. The Persons that cōmit it 2. 4. A most dangerous sin Ioshua 7. Acts 5.4 1. To the sacrilegers To the Common-wealth that suffers it for 1. Not onely Achan Ananias and Sapphira and other private men perished for this sin but the proudest Kings and greatest Peeres that became sacrilegious were plagued and destroyed by God as Belshazzar the great Monarch of Assyria William Rufus and abundance more that you may finde in our Histories for the curse of God like Damocles sword by a slender thred hangs over their heads and makes them like those that perished at Endor and became as the dung of the earth and I beseech you marke it Make them like a wheel and as the stubble before the winde persecute them with thy tempest let them be confounded and be put to shame and perish which say let us take to our selves the houses of God in possession and if this be the guerdon of them that say it I wonder what shall be the plague of them that do it and I wonder more that the very thought of this curse
words of Exodus Put off thy shooes from thy feet for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground he doth just like the eldest son of his dear father the devill as Tertullian calleth Hermogenes primogenitum diaboli most falsely and shamelesly charge him with the wearing of consecrated slippers which was never done but is one of those scurrilous invented imputations of this malicious Accuser of his brethren now thrown at him whose shooes either for learning or pietie I am sure this rambling Arguist and railing Rabsheka is not worthy to bear and for the service of God in our Churches Musicke ever used in the Church thogh the holy Prophet which was A man according to Gods own heart praised God in the beautie of holinesse upon all the best instruments of musicke and commanded us as well in the grammaticall sense as in the my sticall sense Psal 147.1.149 3. 150 3 4 5. to sing praises unto our God with Tabret and Harpe to praise him in the sound of the Trumpet in the Cymbals and dances upon the well tuned Cymbals and upon the loud Cymbals yet this zealous Organomastix gives us none other Title than Cathedral Roarers and Squeakers Pag. 14. and good reason it is he should be very angry with roaring and squeaking in Churches for that having been possest of a very competent Living with cure of soules these four or five yeeres together if I am not mistaken in the Authour he never yet either read or preached in that or any other Church so necessary is non residence and so usefull are dumbe dogges when they are willing to snarle and barke against Government and Religion but it is strange to me that such a divine harmonie which hath made others sober Musicke how usefull should make this spawn of the red Dragon mad for we know some Lawgivers commanded children to be taught 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theodorie Epist l. 2. Plutarch de Musica after the grave composed tones of the Doricke way ad corda fera demulcenda to soften the fiercenesse of their dispositions and All mentis fervorem temperandum to cool and allay the hear and distempers of their mindes as Achilles was appeased in Homer Niceph. l. 12. c. 43. and Theodosius was drawn to commiseration luctuoso carmine by a sad poëm sung to him at supper when he intended the utter destruction of Antioch and the Scripture testifieth the like effect of Davids harpe in King Saul yet all this sweet and hallowed aire which ravisheth devout soules hath onely filled this envious Malignant with nastie windes and stinking expressions So contrary to the words of God himselfe Exod. 3.5 and against the judgement of all Divines and the practice of all Saints â primordiis ecclesiae from the first birth of Gods Church Pag. 15.18 he most ignorantly denieth any place to be holier than another which makes me affraid that Heaven with this man and his faction is deemed no holier than Hell or the Lords day no holier than monday no more than they hold the Church holier than their barnes or the holiest Priest though he were Aaron himselfe the Saint of the Lord holier than the prophanest worldling for I finde no difference that they make either of persons times or places but such a commixtion of all things as if they intended to reduce and bring the whole world into that confused Chaos which God first created before he disposed the parts thereof into their severall stations But I am loath to spend any more time about this ignorant ' Argument that is as all the rest of their Writings are as full of railing and unsavoury speeches as any mortall pen can diffuse therefore Heave him to do with his heart and mouth as that Morussian Cabares whereof he speaketh did with those Churches which the Gothes and Vandales had defiled Thus you have some and I might adde here abundance more of their absurd impious Doctrines which their ignorant simplicitie produced and their furious zeal published out of mis-interpreted Scriptures not that all these points are taught by every one of their Teachers but that all these many more are taught and maintained by some one or other of them as I could easily expresse it if it were not too tedious for my Reader but the bulke of my Book swels too big and their fancies are but Dreames fit for laughter and I brought these onely as Vineger to be tasted and then to be spit out again CHAP. X. Sheweth the great Bug-beares that affrighted this faction the four speciall meanes they used to secure themselves the manifold lyes they raised against the King and the two speciall questions that are discussed about Papists 5. 5. The setling of the Milit. a. FOr the setling of the Militia and putting the whole Kingdom in a posture of Defence as they termed it 1. They dreamed of a desperate Disease 2. They devised an empericall way to cure it and 1. 1. The disease The Disease was a monstrous fear of Poperie and the re-establishment of abolished superstitions in our Church to invade their consciences and of the Papists with fire and sword to wast their estates and to take away their lives and liberties and through that groundlesse feare they looked on the innocent ceremonies that were established in the Church as dangerous innovations and introductions to idolatrie And in the State they feared the practised wayes and endeavours to produce an arbitrary government by our advancing of a boundlesse prerogative even to the dispoyling of the Subject of his property and robbing him of the benefit of the laws these were their feares And the grounds of these feares were lying fictions and most scandalous detractions and defamations for their invented letters that should come from Holland and from Denmarke and some other places beyond the Seas where we were better believe them then go try whether they were true wh ich informed them sometimes of a fleete of Danes sometimes of another Nation that should come to assist the King for the setting up of Popery and the securing of himselfe in a tyrannicall and arbitrary government over them What terrible things frighted them and every day almost produced a discovery of new treacheries against the Parliament what terrible things frighted them as the stable of Horses under ground for indeed they were invisible Horses such as Elisha's servant saw terrifying their guilty consciences and that of the Taylors in Moore-fields and the like horrid machinations that were to come against them I know not from whom and God knowes from whence which things how false they were time which is the mother of truth hath long agone made manifest and ridiculous to any man that is not bewitched with these lying fancies therefore lest these dreames of their distempered braines should be too soone descryed and so prove defective to produce their intended project they alleadge the Queene is a Papist and I would to God they were
so truly religious and void of hypocrisie in their profession as she most gracious Queene is in her religion then they say the Bishops are all Papists Deanes and Prebends are of the same stampe and all the Kings Chapleines that were preferred by the Archbishop were either close papists or profest Arminians which are but Cosen germanes unto the other Arminianism being but a bridge to passe over unto popery And with these and the like false slanders against the King Queene and Clergy they so bewitehed most of their well meaning brethren of the same house and amazed all the simplet sort of people of this Kingdome with these feares and filled them with such jealousies with those pamphlets that they caused to be printed and dispersed every where that they were at their wits end for feare of this lamentable alteration of their religion and deprivation of their liberties 2 2. The Cure The disease being thus spread like a gangrene over all the parts of the body of this Kingdome they like skilfull Physitians devise the cure and that is the preparation of a Militia and this militia they would have put into such hands as they pleased such as they might confide in and I wish the whole Kingdome knew who those men were and who they are that they doe confide in for I know 1. Some of them are poore men of most desperate fortunes if bankrupters may be termed such 2. Others to be most factious and scismaticall men addicted to Anabaptisme and Brownisme and other worser sects as amongst the London Commanders Ven Manwaring Fawlke Norington Bradly Bast and the rest whereof there are twise as many schismaticall and as it is conceived beggarly sectaries as are right honest men among them and if we looked among their Lords and all the rest of their nomination throughout the Kingdome I doubt we shall find some of them to be just of the same condition And because the King to whose care and trust God had committed all the people of this Kingdom and not to them that are called by the King and chosen only by men and that only for this time and of whom he will require an account of the lawes and religion whereof he made him keeperand defender and not of them thought most rightly that this Militia should be commited rather to such men as he might confide in as it was in the raigne of Queene Elizabeth and His Father of ever blessed memory rather than to any that they should name which was to disrobe himselfe of all his regall power of the chiefest garland of his royall prerogatives without which he could hold his Crown by no better a tenure then durante beneplacito and to put the sword out of his owne hand into the hands of them that could not love him because they could not trust him as they alleaged and what reason had he to trust them that were causelesly so distrustfull of him they startled at this deniall And because the King of heaven had by this time opened the Kings eyes God openeth the Kings eyes to let him see what hitherto he could hardly imagine that these men to whom he had granted for the good of his Kingdome so many acts of grace and favour as never any King of England did before and had very graciously offered to commit to the hands of their owne choosing so large a share of the Militia as might have rendered the whole Kingdome most secure if security in a iust and legall way had beene all that they sought for had their intentions far otherwise then they pretended and that not only the government of the Church was intended to be altered and the governours thereof destroyed but himself also was hereby disrobed of those rights which God and the lawes of the land had put into his hands and the Kingdome brought either into a base tyranny or confused anarchie when all things shall be done according to the arbitrary power of these factious and schismaticall men therefore he utterly refused to grant their desires and most wisely withstood their designe Whereupon these men put their heads together How they strengthened themselves to make their ordors firm with out the king to consult how they might strengthen themselves and make their ordinances firme and binding without the King and to that purpose having by their former doings gotten too great an interest as well in the faith as in the affections of the people in confidence of their owne strength they came roundly to the businesse and what they knew was not their right as their former Petitions can sufficiently witnesse they resolve to effect the same by force but as insensibly as they can devise as 1. To seize upon the Kings Navie to secure the Seas 2. To lay hold upon all the Kings Magazin Forts Townes and Castles 3. To with-hold his moneyes and revenues and all other meanes from the King 4. To withdraw the affections and to poyson the loyalty of all his Majesties Subjects from him And hereby they thought and it must have beene so indeed Psa 30 6 except the Lord had beene on his side they had made their hill so strong that it could not be moved and the King so weake and destitute of all meanes that he could no wayes subsist or relieve himselfe as a member of their owne House did tell me for 1. 1 Earl of Warwâ—ck made vice Admirall They get the Earle of Warwicke to be appointed Vic-admirall of the Sea and to commit all the Kings Navie into his hand and to take away that charge from Sir Iohn Pennington whom most men believed to be farre the better Sea-man but more faithfull to his King and the other purer to the Parliament 2. 2 Sir Iohn Hotham put to Hull for the Magazine They fend Sir John Hotham a most insolent man that most uncivilly contemned the King to his face to seize upon the Kings Magazine that he bought with his own money when they might as well take away my horse that I paid for and to keepe the King out of Hull which was his owne proper Towne and therefore might as well have kept him out of White-hall and was an act so full of injustice as that I scarce know a greater 3. 3 They detained the kings moneys Esay 1 23. Because moneyes are great meanes to effect any worldly affaire and the sinews of every warre when as men and armes and all other necessaries may be had for money some of them and their followers shew themselves to be just as the Peeres of Israel companions of thieves meere robbers which forcibly take away a mans money from him they take all the Kings treasure they intercept detaine and convert all the Kings revenues and customes to strengthen themselves against the King 4. Because their former Remonstrances framed by this faction 4 They labour to render the king odious by lyes of the ill government of this Kingdome though in some things
true which the King ingeniously acknowledgeth and most graciously promiseth to redresse them yet in all things full of gall and bitternesse against the King could not so fully poyson the love and loyalty of the Kings Subjects as they desired especially the love of those that knew his Majestie who the better they knew him did the more affectionately love him and the more faithfully serve him they thought to doe it another and a surer way with apparent lyes palpable slanders and abominable accusations invented printed and scattered over all the parts of this Kingdome by their trencher Chaplaines and parasiticall Preachers and other Pamphleters some busy Lawyers and Pettifoggers to bring the King into an odium disliked and deserted of all his loving Subjects And what created power under heaven was able to dissolve that wickednesse which subtiltie and malice had thus treacherously combined to bring to passe Hereupon after many threatning votes 1 Lye that he intended to war against his Parliament and actuall hostility exercised against his Royall person the King is forced to raise a guard for the defence of himselfe and those his good Subjects that attended him then presently that small guard that consisted but of the chiefe gentry of the Countrey was declared to be an army raised for the subversion of the Parliament and the destruction of our native liberties an invincible army is voted to be raised the Earle of Essex is chosen to be their Generall with whom they promise both to live and die the Earle of Bedford Generall of the Horse moneyes are provided and all things are prepared to fetch the King and all delinquents or to be the death of all withstanders and that nothing might hinder this designe though the King in many gracious Messages attested by the subscription of many noble Lords that were upon the place assured them he never intended any warre against his Parliament yet they proceed with all eagernesse and declare all those that shall assist the King either with Horse money or men to be malignants and enemies unto the King and Kingdome and such delinquents as shall be sure to receive condigne punishment by the Parliament Hoc mirum est hoc magnum And among the rest of their impudent slanders this was their Master-piece which they ever harped upon that hee countenanced Papists and intended to bring Poperie into this Kingdom and to that end had an Armie of Papists to assist him But to satisfie any sensible man in this point I would crave the resolution of these two Questions 1. Two questions to be resolved Whether every Papist that is subject to his Majestie is not bound to assist and defend his King in all his dangers 2. Whether the King should not protect his Subjects that are Papists in all their dangers so farre as by the Law he ought to do it 1. All Papists bound to assist their King and accept of their service when himselfe is invironed with dangers For first I believe there is no Law that inhibiteth a Papist to serve his King against a Rebellion or to ride post to tell the King of a Designe to murder Him or any other intended Treason against Him or being present to take away a weapon from that man that attempted to kill the King because his not comming to Church doth not exempt him from his Alleageance or discharge him of his dutie and service unto the King and therefore if a Fleet from France or Spain or any other forreigne part should invade us or any Rebellion at home should rise against his Soveraigne and seck to destroy those Lawes and Liberties whereof himselfe and his Posteritie hath as good an interest as any other Subject I say he is bound by all Lawes to assist his King and to do his best endeavour both with his purse and in his person not onely to oppose that externall Invasion but also to subdue as well that home-bred Rebellion as the forreigne Invasion 2. 2. The King bound to protect dutifull Papists If a Papist should be injured his estate seized upon his house plundered and his person if taken imprisoned not because he transgressed any other Law but that he dispenceth not with the Law of his conscience to be no Papist and being thus injured should come unto his King and say I am your Subject and have lived dutifully I did nothing which the Law gives me not leave I have truly paid all duties and humbly submitted my selfe to all penalties and yet I know not why I am thus used and abused by my neighbours I am driven from my house by force of Armes and I have no place to breathe but under your Majesties wings and the shelter of your power therefore I beseech you as you are my King and are obliged to do your best for the safetie of your true Subjects let me have your protection and you shall have my service unto death I would fain know what the King should do in such a case denie his protection or refuse his service the one is injustice the other not the best wisedom especially if he needed service for as the Law of nature and of nations requireth all Subjects to obey their Kings and faithfully to serve them of what Religion soever their Kings shall be so Lege relationis every King is bound to protect every faithfull Subject that observeth his Lawes or submitteth to their penalties without corrupting of his fellow Subjects of what Religion soever he is because they are his Subjects not as they are faithfull Christians but as obedient men and he is to rule not over the faith of their soules but the actions of their bodies and it is an Axiome in Divinitie that Fides non cogenda and if Kings cannot perswade their Subjects to embrace the true Faith they ought not to cut them off so long as they are true Subjects and therefore with what reason can any man blame the King either for protecting them in their distresses or accepting their sevice in his own extremities I cannot understand And yet for the goodly companie of Papists which his Majestie entertaineth in all his Armies they cannot all make up so much as one good Regiment as an Officer in his Majesties Armie confidently affirmeth but it will serve their turne to taxe the King to lay imputations upon him even the very things that belong unto themselves as the whole summe of those things that are expressed in Englands Petition to their King Pag. 10. mutatis mutandis might truly be presented to the two Houses that have now almost destroyed us all and to make them mightie faults in him which are no faults at all in themselves because there is no fear of their favouringPoperie though as they have very many so they should have never so many more in their Armie 3. Lye that he caused the Rebellion in Ireland Another Slander they not onely whispered but also dispersed the same farre and near among the
people to make the King still the more odious unto his Subjects that he was the cause of the Rebellion in Ireland and that the Rebels there had his Commission under the Broad Seal to plunder the Protestants and to expell them thence that so the Gospell being rooted out of Ireland Poperie might the easier be transported and planted here in England whereas themselves in very deed were the sole causers of this Rebellion as I have shewed unto you before The cause of this stander and the colour of this stander was that the Rebellion being raised the Ring-leaders of those Rebels the sooner to gain the simple to adhere unto them perswaded them to believe that they had the Kings command to do the same and to that purpose shewed them the Broad Seal which they had taken from Ministers and Clerkes of the Peace and others whom formerly they had plundered and taken their Seales from them which they cunningly affixed to certain Commissions of their own framing as M Sherman assured me he saw the Broad Seal that was taken from one M. Hart that was Clerke of the Peace in the Countie of Tumond and was found in the pocket of one of the chief Leaders of the Rebels when he was killed by the Kings Souldiers yet this false and lewd practice of these Rebels in Ireland was a most welcome newes to this Faction in England to say this imputation upon the King that he was the cause of this Rebellion which themselves had kindled and were glad to finde such a colour to impute it unto him that it might not be suspected to be raised by them Many other such falsehoods Lyes and impudent slanders hath the father of lyes caused these his Children most impudently to father upon the King but as the Philosopher saith Non quia affirmatur aut negatur How things are in deed res erit aut non erit things are not so and so because they are said to be so neither can they be no such things onely because they are denied to be such as Gold is not Copper because ignorant men affirme it to be so nor a drunken man sober or a vitious man vertuous because they deny him to be good and blazon him abroad for one of the sonnes of Belial but as Gold is Gold and Brasse is Brasse so godly men are good wicked men are evill and Rebels are none other than Rebels let men call them what they will and so our King is not such a man as they say because they affirme it but he is indeed a most just virtuous and most pious Prince let them say what they will Their tongues are their own and we cannot rule them and so all his followers are better Protestants in deed and lesse Papists in all points of faith than the best of them that terme us so by false names God forgive them these slanderous accusations CHAP. XI Sheweth the unjust proceedings of these factious Sectaries against the King eight speciall wrongs and injuries that they have offered him which are the three States and that our Kings are not Kings by election or covenants with the People ANd yet for all these strange courses contrary to all humane thoughts which is marvelous in our eyes Psal 118.23 Esay 46.10 the Lord of Heaven whose counsell shall stand and whose will shall be done hath them all in derision dissipates all these devices and turnes all the counsell of Achitophel against his own head when he opened the eyes of many millions of the Kings true Subjects to behold and detest these unfaithfull dealings and disloyall proceedings against so gratious a King and therefore petitioned and subscribed that his Majestie standing upon his Guard and defending himselfe from such indignities as might follow they would hazard their lives and fortunes to assist him to repell those more than barbarous injuries that were offered unto Him Therefore now Memoriae proditum est I finde it written that without fear of God without regard of Majestie without justice without honestie they are resolved rather than to repent of their former wickednesse to involve the whole Kingdom in an unnaturall civill War and to maintain the same against the will and contrary to the desires both of the King and Kingdom and it is almost incredible what wicked courses and how unjust and insufferable Orders and Ordinances you shall finde recorded that they have made 1. Against the King 2. Against the Subjects 3. Against the Law Which are all said to be exceedingly abused by them for 1. 1. Their proceedings against the King Against the King it is registred to Posteritie that they have proceeded besides many other things in all these particulars 1. 1. Wrong Matth. 8.20 They possesse all the Kings Houses Townes and Castles but what he gets by the strength of his sword and detain them from him so that we may say with our Saviour The foxes have holes and the fowles of the aire have nests but the King of England hath not an house allowed him by the Houses of Parliament wherein to put his head and they take not onely his Houses but also his rents and revenues and as I understood when I was in Oxford his very clothes and provision for his Table that seeing they could not take away his life by the sword they might murder him with cold or famine when he should not have the subsistence if they could hinder him to maintain life and soul together which is the shame of all shame and able to make any other men odious to all the world The complaint to the House of Commons Pag. 19. thus maliciously and barbarously to deal with their own most gracious King neither doth their malice here end but they with-hold the Rents of the Queen and seize upon the Revennes of our Prince which I assure them my Countrey men takes in great scorne and I believe will right it with their lives or this Parliament Faction shall redeem their errours with no small repentance when as we finde no Prince of Wales was ever suffered by his Subjects to have such indignities offered him by the greatest Pecres of England And here I cannot omit what Alderman Garroway saith of the reproach of Master Pym touching the maintaining of the Kings other Children which he professeth made his heart to rise and hoped it did so to many more Is our good King fallen so low Alderman Garroway his Speech that his Children must be kept for him It is worth our inquirie who brought him to that condition We hear him complain that all his own revenue is seized and taken from him Is not his Exchequer Court of Wards and Mint here his Customes too are worth somewhat and are his Children kept upon Almes How shall We and our Children prosper if this be not remedied And I pray God these things rise not up in judgement against them and this Nation but hereby they intended to verifie that disloyal Speech which
One of them uttered in a Taverne and God will avert it from his Servant That they would make the King as poor as Job Sober Sadnesse p. 22. unlesse he did comply with them 2. 2. Wrong If any man which they like not attend the Kings Person though he be his sworne servant or assist him in his just defence which he is bound to do by the Law of God and man yet he is presently voted and condemned for a Malignant popish disaffected evill Councellour and an enemie to the State and that is enough if he be catched to have him spoiled and imprisoned at their pleasure nay my selfe was told by some of that Faction that because I went to see the King I should be plundered and imprisoned if I were taken 3. 3. Wrong Though they do solemnly professe that his Majesties personall safetie and his royall honour and greatnesse are much dearer unto them than their own lives fortunes The Petition to his Majestie the 16. of July 1642. which they do most heartily dedicate shall most willingly imploy for the support maintenance thereof yet for all this hearty Protestation they had at that very time as the King most acourately observeth in his Answer directed the Earle of Warwicke to assist Sir John Hotham against him appointed thier Generals Non turpe est abeo vinci queÌ„ vincereest nesas neque ei inhonestè aliqueÌ„ submitti quem â—eâ—… super omnes extulit Dictum Armeâ—… Pompeio and as Alderman Garroway testifieth raised ten thousand armed men out of London and the neighbour Countries before the King had seven hundredâ— and afterwards though the King sent from Nottingham a gratious Message and sollicitation for peace yet they supposing this proceeded from a diffidence of his own strength or being too confident of thier own force sleighted the Kings Grace and most barbarously proceeded in the most hostile manner waged war and gave battaile against the Kings Armie where they knew he was in his own Person and as one of their Preachers taught the Sunday before the Battaile that they might with a good conscience as well kill the King horresco dicere as any other man so according to Captain Blagues directions as Iudas taught the high Priests servants we know what Troopes and Regiments were most aimed at whereas they doe most ridiculously say they have for the defence of his person sent many a Canon bullet about his eares which he did with that Kingly courage and heroike magnanimity yea and that Christian resolution and dependance on Gods assistance passe through that it shall be recorded to his everlasting honour and their indeleble shame and reproach so long as the world endureth 4. 4. Wrong They have most disloyally and traiterously spoken both privately and publikely such things against his Majesty as would make the very Heathens teare them in peeces that should say the like of their tyrannous Kings and such as I could not believe they proceeded from the mouth of a Christian against so Christiana King but that I finde most of them were publikely uttered made knowne unto his Majesty and related by himselfe and those that were eare witnesses thereof as horresco referens that he was not worthy to be our King not fit to live Sober sadnesse P 3 The Viewer p. 4. His Majesties Declaration Trussell in the supplement to Daniels history that hee was the traitor that the Prince would governe better and that they dealt fairely with him they did not depose him as their fore-fathers had deposed Richard the second whom all the world knoweth to be most traiterously murdered and the whole progresse of that act whereby hee was deposed is nothing else but the scandall of that parliament and an horrid treason upon the fairest relation of any Chronicle and the good Bishop of Carlile was not then affraid in open house to tell the Lords so to their faces and I would our parliament men would read his speech 5 They command their owne Orders 5. Wrong Ordinances and Declarations to be printed Cum privilegio and to be published in publike throughout the whole Kingdome and they are not a little punished that neglect it and whatsoever Message Answer Declaration or Proclamation commeth from the King to informe his subjects of the truth of things and to undeceive his much seduced people they streightly forbid those to bee printed and imprison if they can catch them all that publish them as they did many worthy Ministers in the City of London and in many other places of this Kingdome 6 They have publikely voted in their house and accordingly indeavoured by Messages to perswade our brethren of Scotland to ioyne in their assistance with these grand rebels 6. Wrong to rebell against their Soveraigne but I perswade my selfe as I said before that the Nobility and Gentry of Scotland are more religious in themselves more loyall to their liege Lord and indeed wiser in all their actions then while they may live quietly at home in a happy peace to undertake upon the perswasions of rebellious subiects such an unhappy warre abroad 7. It is remonstrated and related publikely that as if they had shaken off all subiection 7. Wrong and were become already a State independent they have treated by their agents with forraigne states and doe still proceed in that course which if true is such an usurpation upon Soveraignty as was never before attempted in this Kingdome and such a presumption as few men know the secret mischiefes that may lurke therein 8. They suffer and licence their Pamphleters Pryn 8. Wrong Goodewin Burges Marshall Sedgwicke and other emmissaries of wickednesse to publish such treasons and blasphemies and abominable aphorismes as that the negative vote of the King is no more then the dissent of one man the affirmative vote of the King makes not a law ergo the negative cannot destroy it and the like absurd and senslesse things that are in those aphorisms and in Prins booke of the Soveraigne power of Parliament whereby they would deny the kings power to hinder any act that both the Houses shall conclude and so taking away those iust prerogatives from him that are as hereditary to him as his kingdome compell him to assent to their conclusions Why the two â—… Spencers dyed for which things our histories tell us that other Parliaments have banished and upon their returnes they were hanged both the Spenters the father and the sonne for the like presumption as among other Articles for denying this Prerogative unto their king and affirming that if he neglected his duty and would not do what he ought Per asperte vid. Elismere postâ—…atip 99. for the good of the kingdom he might bee compelled by force to performe it which very thing divesteth the king of all Soveraignty overthroweth Monarchy and maketh our government a meer Aristocracy contrary to the constitution of our first kings and the iudgement of all ages
for we know full well from the practise of all former parliaments that seeing the three States are subordinate unto the king p. 48 in making lawes wherein the chiefest power consisteth they may propound and consent but it is stil in the kings power to refuse or ratifie and I never read that any parliament man till now did ever say the contrary but that if there be no concurrence of the king in whom formally the power of making of any law resideth ut in subiecto to make the law the two Houses whose consent is but a requisite condition to compleat the kings power are but a livelesse convention like two cyphets without a figure that of themselves are of no value or power but ioyned unto their figures have the full strength of their places p 19 20 21 which is confirmed by the viewer of the Observations out of 11. Hen. 7.23 per Davers Polydore 185. Cowell inter Verbo prerog Sir Tho. Smith de republ Angl. l. 2. c. 3. Bodin l. 1. c. 8. for if the kings consent were not necessary for the perfecting of every act then certainly as another saith all those Bills that heretofore have passed both Houses The Letter to a Gentleman in Gloucester shite p 3 and for want of the Royall assent have slept and beene buried all this while would now rise up as so many lawes and statutes and would make as great confusion as these new orders and ordinances have done And as the Lawyers tell us that the necessity of the assent of all three states in Parliament Lamberts Archeion 271. Vid. he Viewes p. 21. is such as without any one of them the rest doe but loose their labour so Le Roy est assentus câ—o faict un act de Parliament and as another saith Nihil ratum haâ— betur nisi quod Rex comprobarit nothing is perfected but what the King confirmeth But here in the naming of the three States I must tell you that I find in most of our Writers about this new-borne question of the Kings power a very great omission that they are not particularly set downe that the whole Kingdome might know which is every one of them and upon this omission I conceive as great mistake in them that say the three States are 1. the King 2. the House of Peeres 3. Which hee the three States of England the House of Commons for I am informed by no meane Lawyer that you may find it upon the Rowles of Hen. 5. as I remember and I am sure you may find it in the first yeare of Rich. 3. where the three States are particularly named and the king is none of them for it is said that at the request Speed l 9 c 19 p. 712. Anno 1 Ric. 3 and by the assent of the three estates of this Realm that is to say the Lords Spirituall the Lords temporall and Commons of the Land assembled it is declared that our said Soveraign Lord the king is the very undoubted king of this realm wherein you may plainly see the king that is acknowledged their Soveraigne by all three can be none of the three but is the head of all three as the Deane is none of the Chapter but is caput cepituls and as in France and Spaine so in England I conceive the three estates to bee 1. the Lords Spirituall that are if not representing yet in loco in the behalte of all the Clergie of England that till these anabaptisticall tares have almost choaked all the Wheat in Gods field were thought so considerable a party as might deserve as well a representation in Parliament as old Sarum or the like Borough of scarce twenty Houses 2. The Lords Temporall in the right of their honour and their posterity 3. The Commons that are elected in the behalfe of the Countrey Cities and Burroughs and what these three States consult and conclude upon for the good of the Church and kingdome the king as the head of all was either to approve or reiect what he pleased and though we finde with some difficulty as the viewer of the Observations saith where the Parliament is said to be a body consisting of King Lords and Commons ergo without the king there is no Parliament yet herein the king is not said to be one of the three states but the first and most principall part that constitutes the body of the parliament p. 2â— 25. H 8 21. but John Bodin that had very exactly learned the nature of our parliament both by his reading and conferring with our English Embassador as himselfe confesseth saith the States of England are never otherwise assembled no more then they are in the Realmes of France and Spaine then by parliament write and the states proceed not but by way of supplications and requests unto the king Bodin de repub l. 1. c. 8 and the states have no power of themselves to determine or decree any thing seeing they cannot so much as assemble themselves nor being assembled depart without expresse commandement from the king In all this and for all the search that I have made I finde not the king named to be one but rather by the consequence of the discourse to bee none of the three but as I said the head of all the three states for either the words of Bodin must bee understood of two states in all the three kingdomes which then had beene more properly termed as we call them either the two Houses or the Lords and Commons or else they must be very absurd because the three states if the king be one of them can not bee said to be called by parliament writs when as the king is called by no writ nor can hee be said to supplicate unto himselfe or to have no power to depart without leave that is of himself Therefore it must needs follow that this learned man who would speake neither absurdly nor improperly meant by the three states 1. The Lords Spirituall 2. The Lords Temporall 3. The Commons of the kingdome and the King as the head of all calling them consulting and concluding with them and dismissing them when he pleased And Will. Martyn saith King Hen 1 at the same time 1114. devised and ordained the manner and fashion of a Court in Parliament appointing it to consist of the three estates of which himselfe was the head so that his lawes being made by the consent of all were not disliked of any these are his words And I am informed by good Lawyers that you may finde it in the preambles of many of our Statutes and in the body of some other Statutes and in some Petitions especially one presented to Queene Elizabeth for the inlargement of one that was committed for a motion that he made for excluding the Bishops out of the House of peeres Such is the difference betwixt Queene Elizabeths time and our times the three states are thus particularized and the Lords Spirituall are nominated
composed and procured it to passe for the Poll money wherein they shew their exceeding great love to the Clergie as to make Deanes whose Deanaries were scarce worth 100.l a piece per annum to pay 40.l per poll equall with the Lords and Aldermen of London and many Prebendaries to pay more than the annuall worth of their Prebends and the like many passages of their respect to the Ministers and some other particulars which I passe without reproof because the Act is passed there were monies advanced by gift and by adventure and Souldiers were prepared for Ireland to reduce those Rebels to their former obedience and to restore the Kings distressed Subjects to their rights and possessions but the great neglect they shewed to discharge this dutie the Souldiers that were sent being left almost altogether unpaid to be sterved and exposed to the mercie of their mercilesse enemies and we the poor English that were robbed and spoiled of our goods and lands left not onely unrelieved but also twitted with that scandall for our comfort that we were worthily expelled by the Irish 1. How they neglected the distressâ—d Subjects of Ireland and left unregarded by the English because we were but as the Samaritanes neither Israelites nor Pagans or as the Turkes that partaking with the Jewes and Christians are neither Jewes nor Christians so the English in Ireland were just Laodicean like neither hot nor cold neither English nor Irish neither zealous Papists nor true Protestants and therefore worthily to be spued out of the mouth of all men which is the comfort we have of them and which puts us in a desperate condition unlesse his Majestie will be pleased to take another course to relieve us to be left as a prey to be destroyed betwixt two sorts we know not which more cruell enemies makes us believe that the monies are diverted and the Souldiers detained to continue this unnaturall War against our King that so by loosing the Kingdom of Ireland they might the sooner destroy the Kingdom of old England to bring the Kingdom of New England amongst us And besides this simple conversion of the Irish monies it is almost incredible to consider how unjustly they have dealt with the English Subjects to get money for to let abundance of other particulars passe the Earle of Manchester in the night time fetched away six thousand pounds as I understand â—oâ—er sadnesse p. 21. that were collected for the repairing of Saint Andrewes in Holbourne and the great summes of money that were gathered for London-derry and for Brainceford were imployed by these Zelots not to maintaine the lives of those distressed people but to destroy the lives of loyall Subiects and to prove themselves right Jscariots they brake into the Hospitall at Gilford in Surrey and tooke foure thousand pounds from the poore Lazars but as the Romans dealt with their neighbours Territories when they were made their Arbitrators so these men dealt as finely with the lading of that Ship called Sancta Clara for while the Merchants disputed about the goods these iust Judges to reconcile the difference seize upon all and twenty thousand pound must be lent them before the right owner can receive them and I might fill my papers with such examples 2. They have made an Ordinance 2. How they take what part they will of our estates Whereas they object that in the raigne of King Iohn and others of our kings the wentyeth fifteenth tenth or seventh part hath beene given I answer in one word never a part by the two Houses without the king and against the king as they doe that the twentieth part of mens estates must be paid towards the maintenance of this rebellion and they doe appoint those that upon their discretion shall value that twentieth part and they may for ought we know set downe the tenth for the twentieth and if they may legally do this we can see no reason why by the same rule they may not take the fifteenth tenth or halfe our goods for the same purpose and so they avouch they may but most untruly for it was never known till this present parliament that an Ordinance of both Houses without the consent nay against the command of the King can bind the free Subjects of England which doe not then renounce their loyalty to their King when they make choyce of them to be their procurators in the Parliament in their lives liberties or estates and yet these men not only bestow our moneyes as they please as they did six thousand pound to their owne Speaker and the places of command and great profi more then all the revenues of their lands come to upon themselves and upon their children and friends as upon Sir Iohn Hotham the Lord Rocheford Lord Say Lord Brookes Hampaen Brereton Fines the Earl e of Essex and abundance more but they doe also seize upon our estates and thus take our goods under the colour of maintaining this warre to inrich themselves and their children and for the levying of this or what other part they please they ordaine their friends and appoint their Collectors to distraine for the summe assessed and to sell the distresse and if no distresse can be found then the persons of these notable offenders that deny their goods thus illegally to be taken from them are to be imprisoned and their families to be banished from their habitations And to make the world believe how justly and sufficiently legall they could doe this they made another ordinance for the inhabitants of the Counties of North-hampton Rutland Derby c. to pay the twentieth part and to be assessed by the Assessors that they name in imitation of the Statute lately made for the foure hundred thousand pound and it is more than probable that this proceeding is but the praeludium of the like exaction to be extended when their need requireth to all the other parts of the Kingdome which is a most miserable course and injustice not to be paralleld to cast themselves into a necessity of getting money to maintaine an impious warre against their King and then out of that necessity to compell their fellow subjects and those peaceable men that doe abominate this war to maintaine the same yea and to fight in the same to kill men against their consciences in despite of their teeth or if they refuse to doe it to sond or at least to permit a party of Horse Dragooneers and other strength to goe to fetch their Money Plate or other goods as if they were the goods of the deadly enemies of the Common wealth and this for none other reason but for that the owners thereof are good Subjects to the King and not well affected to their uniust and ungodly proceedings But let me perswade all men that doe feare God still to suffer any thing which they can not avoid from the violence of these wicked men rather than contribute any thing unto them to further such abominable courses as they
should demand why we suspect any Traytors or false Counsellors to be in Kings Courts I answer because Saint Paul saith Oportet esse hareses and I beleeve the purest Court hath no more priviledge to be free from Traytors then the Church from Heretiques and you know there was one of eight in Noahs Arke and another of twelve in Christ his Court and he that was so neare him as to dip his hand with him in the dish was the first that flew in his face and yet with a hayle Master and with a kisse two fair testimonies of true love Therefore let no King in Christendome thinke it strange that his Court should have Flatterers Traytors or evill Counsellors let not us be blamed for saying this and let not Pym so foolishly charge our King for evil Counsellors for certainly did he know them I make no question but he would discard them or could I or any other informe his Majestie who they are and that it were an easie matter dicier hic est we would not be affraid to pull off their vails and to say as Christ did to Judas Thou art the man but their Meandrian windings their Syrens voices and their Iudas kisses are as a faire mantle to conceale and cover Ioabs treason even perhaps to betray some of the wisest in the Parliament as well as some of them have betrayed the King In such a case all I can say is this Memento diffidere was Epicharmus his Motto the honest plaine dealing man that doth things for Religion not for ends is the unlikeliest man to betray his Master and few Counsellors are not so apt to breed so many Traytors as a multitude it was the indiscretion of Rehoboam that lost him ten parts of twelve to preferre young Counsellors before the ancient * Seldome discretion in youth attendeth great and sudden fortunes In vita Henric. 3. and if we may beleeve that either paupertas or necessitas cogit ad turpia or the fable of the ulcerated traveller They that are to make their fortunes are apter to sell Church and State and to betray King and Kingdom rather then those that have sufficiently replenished their coffers and inlarged their possessions But I assure my selfe the mouth of malice cannot deny but that our King hath been as wary and as wise in the choice of his Servants Officers and Counsellors so far as eyes of flesh can see in all respects as in any Prince in Christendom and more by man cannot be done And for the second Their designe to change the Government of the State shewed that is their designe to change the Government of the State and to work the subversion of the Monarchie he evinceth it 1 By that Declaration upon the Earle of Straffords suffering 1. Way that this example might not be drawn to a president for the future because they thought that themselves intending to do the like and to become guilty of the same crimes might by vertue of this Declaration be secured from the punishment if things should succeed otherwise then they hoped 2 By the pulling down of so many Courts of Justice 2. Way which may perhaps relieve the Subjects from some pressures but incourage many more in licentiousnesse and prove the Prodromes to the ruine of our Monarchie 3 By those 19. 3. Way Propositions whereby the King was in very deed The Letter p. 11. demanded to lay downe his Crowne and to compound with them for the same because as another saith therein there was presented to him a perfect platforme of a totall change of Government by which the Counsellors indeed were to have been Kings and the King in name to have become scarce a Counsellor and nothing of the present State to have remained but the very names and titles of our Governours 4 By that expression so little understood by many men 4. Way and yet so much talked of in many of their papers of a power of re-assuming the trust which is falsly pretended to bee derived unto his Majestie by the meere humane pactions and agreement of the politique body of the people which I shewed unto you to be a most false and a meere invented suggestion 5 By their pretending to 5. Way and according to this doctrine their usurping of the power of the Militia both by sea and land 6 By their actuall exercising of this power 6. Way in disposing of Offices Generals Colonels Captains and the like places of command in War and appointing their Speaker Master of the Rolls and other Officers of Peace 6 By the expression of one of them to Sir Edward Dering 7. Way while he was yet of their Cabinet Counsell that if they could bring down the Lords to the House of Commons and make the King as one of the Lords then the whole worke were done that is to make the Government of this Kingdom popular 8 I may adde to these 8. Way as another unanswerable Argument of this Designe the licencing of Master Pryn's Book of The soveraigne Authoritie of Parliaments and suffering the same to passe unquestioned to this very day because that Booke devesteth the King of all his Soveraigntie and maketh our Government Aristecraticall And this subversion of our Monarchicall Government was the last Designe if not the grand Designe of this Faction not that all the Members which have voted all or most of those things that tended to this change or be still remaining in either House did intend any ill either to Church or State for I know many especially my ever honoured Lord the Earle of Pembroke and Montgomery who I dare avouch it in truth and honestie did ever and as I beleeve doth still bear a most upright heart and as sincere intentions how soever perhaps by a misunderstanding his Lordship and the rest of those well meaning men may be misguided as were those honest men that followed Absolon both to Gods Service the Kings Honour and the happinesse both of Church and Common-wealth as any man in the Kingdom but that a Faction it may be very few at first have insensibly seduced the rest to effect their own Designe and this Faction is all that I mean by the name of Parliament throughout this whole Treatise because their subtiltie hath prevailed over the plain integritie of the other well-minded men to make up the major part of the House both of the Lords and Commons which thing hath often happened both in Generall Councels and great Parliaments as in the Councel of Constans and Trent and many others and that Parliament which was branded with the name of Parliamentum insanum and the other somewhat like this Tempore Hen. 3. in quo jngulum Ecclesiae atrociùs petebatur and the like for otherwise I do both honour and reverence this Parliament rightly understood and every Member of the same as much as any discreet Member can desire And therefore having thus discovered and displayed the Plots and practices of