Lawful Authority was that in the year 1638 when the young Embryo of a Covenant was first hatch't in Scotland about Glascow and which serv'd for a Type and Copy to those several that have since follow'd This Primitive one was agreed to in opposition to the King's Proclamation for the dispersing of the dangerous Rabble but his Majesties Security was then dreaded even by those that declar'd so much for his Preservation and straight in defiance of the King's Commands they read their own Protestations made by the Lord Hume and Lord Lindsey and others of several degrees and quality which they publish'd straight at Lithgow and other places as Edenburgh and to shew how much they dar'd Authority they made the Heralds that came to see the Commands of their King Obeyed stay to see them very formally contradicted and exposed And it was high time then to Vnite for the Justification of those Villanies which nought but Impudence and a Combination could defend And I have still observ'd that they all along drew up these Instruments according as they grew more and more Rebellious making them perfect Leagues of Guaranty to defend themselves like Out-laws and a sort of English Banditi from the punishments that the Statutes of Treason would have inflicted And I am sorry to find that our Associators already fly to these Extremities to which none of the late Rebels came till they had made a further progress and this bold leap shrouldly insinuates that they have proceeded further then the Nation is aware of and that they are conscious of more Treason than is yet discover'd These were the occasions of drawing up their first Covenant in Scotland which was preach't up at Glascow to be Christ's Contract and the people desir'd to be hand-fasted to him by shaking hands with it by one Cant a zealous ignorant Bigot that pretended himself an Ambassador from Heaven though indeed onely that of Sir Henry Wottons sent abroad to lye for the Publique And thus we see such Zealots are forc'd to make one sin subservient to another and Blasphemy a Pander to Rebellion The correspondency that there is between this Old Combination and our late new One is observable in this that the one was to justifie a Protestation against the King's Pleasure for dispersing the Rabble and dangerous Multitude the other to contradict his Will in the legal Succession of his Brother And thus in some sense it agrees with the very Primitive Vnion my endeavours shall be to show its agreement with all the rest and of which in truth our Association seems a choice sort of Epitome And I don't doubt but its Author had a collection of them on his Desk for his better information and thought his Subject very justisiable because example for it but that he has of the deposing the King and murdering of him too if he has a mind to plead Prescription and make Treasonable Practices like the legal Proceedings in Parliament warrantable by Presidents An English Oath and Covenant comes out on the 6 th of June 43. and seem'd the effect of the Cities importunity His Majesties Loyal City yet I think seldome call'd so but in some Appeal from the Countrey or in the head of their own Petitions The Citizens promise the Loan of Forty Thousand Pound demanded by the Parliament upon condition an Holy League and Covenant be impos'd on the whole Kingdom A great summ for the purchase of their own Slavery but a small price for the Head of a King To please this City that Bedlam of deluded Fools and Mad-men gull'd always with the specious names of Liberty and Religion and as yet not wise enough to see even through a transparent Fallacy and experienc'd Cheat to please these peevish Ideots they have their humor an the Parliament the money out comes an Oath subscribed by a great number of the Worthy Members and the scandalous Roll to be fill'd up by the Gentlemen of the Shop and Yard many of which afterward serv'd a longer Apprentiship in the bloody Rebellion than e're they did in their own Profession and Employment About the 24 th of August 43. The Scots being â—ickl'd with the promises of our English Committee that was sent thither with an unlimitted Commission and ordered to close with them upon any Conditions first put out a Declaration to publish their intentions of assisting their Friends the Parliament in England and so the bargain is struck for rooting out Monarchy and Episcopacy and the King sold before he came to their hands and strait all that were not incapacitated either by Youth or Old Age all from Sixteen to Sixty that could but lift an hand against their Soveraign are muster'd up for the march And then to secure to themselves the promises of their Chapmen which were no less then a share in all the Revenues of the Church the cunning Merchants instead of Bond and Obligation the common ties in ordinary Traffick invent a new sort of security by solemn League and Covenant which was presently sent over to their State-jobbers at Westminster on the 31 of the same Month and on the 25 th of September following was by them subscrib'd in St. Margarets Church a most improper place for ratifying such a bloody Covenant a Contract which Heaven it self could never sanctifie and which for its lying and hypocrisie seem'd the very draught of Hell Now the method I shall take shall be to Parallel our discover'd Association both with this Holy League that was drawn up by the English and the solemn One that was afterward sent them by the Scots and upon the comparing of the several Paragraphs digress a little into some needful Animadversion but for a little while still continue some general Observations These Treasonable Bonds and Obligations our old Rebels bound themselves in that so they might both be secure of one another and Rebel with a sort of Publique Manifesto and no person question the notoriousness of that Fact which by being so publiquely divulg'd and impudently own'd was made a little famous and this no doubt made Mr. Nye to give it such an Elogy but not content to impose on the frailty onely of a few credulous Mortals they endeavour to abuse even Omniscience it self entitle Heaven to those Villanies which nought but the depth of Hell could contrive call that their Rebellious Association an Holy League make their own abominable Cause that of the Almightie's certainly these Men that declar'd so much for Religion could hardly be suppos'd to know their Bibles where they might soon have found God's dislike of such proceedings where Rebellion is made worse then the sin of Witchcraft and altogether as much an Imp of Hell and the Devil but the profane madness of Zealots is such that they can imagine even the Deity concern'd above for the Seditious Murmurings of the Rabble below and that when ever their Vicegerents are complain'd of by the Faction they are strait by the King of Kings for their
Association and that even to a word viz. I. That he had so far prevailed as to create many and great Dependants upon him c. II. Vide Associat That notwithstanding all the continual endeavours of the Parliament to deliver His Majesty from his Councils and out of the power of the said Duke yet he has been so prevalent that Parliaments have been unreasonably Prorogued and Dissolved when in hot pursuit of ill Ministers This was exactly the fearful out-cry against the Duke of Buckingham the praelude to the War that ensued and that is Verbatim the bold Associators Accusation of the Duke of York And very probably the Signal to the Rebellion he intends To proceed now to Parallel the rest of the Paragraphs in the Preface to that Oath of Association Associat And as we considering with heavy hearts how greatly the Strength Reputation and Treasure of the Nation is wasted and consumed by the intricate expences and management of these wicked destructive designs and finding the same Councils still pursued with the utmost divellish malice and desire of Revenge And now pray mark the Original Scoth sol Leg. And calling to mind the Conspiracies Attempts Practises of the Enemies of God and how much their Rage Power and Presumption is of late and at this time exercised and encreased whereof the deplorable distress'd and dangerous estate of this Kingdom are present and publick Testimonies What reason there was then of those complaints is best known to those that made them The state of the Kingdom was dangerous distress'd deplorable And I 'l give them leave to describe it in the most miserable terms that a tongue full of grief can express or a disturb'd Soul conceive and shall sympathise very much with them in their Lamentations But tell them that in these Hypocritical bewailings of their Countrey they much blazon their own cruelties towards it And shall shew how I apprehend the Nation came to fall into that lamentable condition It s State began to be dangerous assoon as the City to be discontented 't was distressed when the King was forc't to borrow money upon Loan 't was most deplorable when he was necessitated to take up Arms for his Life and at last with so much ignominy to lose it too But why this Associator should sing this sorrowful Ditty and think the present times so deplorable is not quite so intelligible unless he is conscious of his having contributed much towards their being so and this peevish complainer somewhat of the humor of those Mad-men who have almost an abstracted Idaea of those things they rave for imagine those Phrensies the real Objects of their deluded Opticks which in truth are onely of their distemper'd Intellectuals Poor tender heart how it grieves him to consider the Reputation Strength Treasure of the Nation so miserably wasted and consumed and in kind compassion to his distressed Countrey has thought on a Soveraign remedy to close its wounds and unite the pieces of a broken-hearted dejected and disaffected People a prescription much like those of our late Quacking Divines the Soul's Balm of Gilead the Salve and Ointment for a bruised Conscience And now we have got some closing healing Balsam of Association for the uniting of all disunited Protestants But I am afraid such Unctions as these will produce the same Symptoms that the Fat and Grease does in a Chandler's Shop make the little Tenement the more ready to catch at every spark and break out the sooner into flame And first this Honourable Person for certainly he is no small Man amongst the Faction is mightily concerned for the Reputation of the Nation when 't was a Covenant that made it scandalous even to the Rebellious Dutch and made our old Albion look like a pitiful Colony in New England full of Quakers Anabaptists and all the wild distraction of Schism and Division the decay of its strength shivers him into quaking Fits and dismal apprehensions of being knock't on the Head by the French when all this while not one mite must be contributed for the getting so much as a Cudgel-butt to ward the blow I fancy this Gentleman espouses the Maxims of the late Political Casuist at Malmsbury who has laid it down as a principle that Subjects owe no longer obedience to their Prince than he has strength and ability to defend them If so 't is no wonder the Treasury is so poor and the strength of the Nation so much decay'd as in spight of all reason to the contrary our Associator is willing should still be so for 't would be but madness in him and a breaking of his own measures to wish the King any Money or in a condition to protect his Subjects for that would remove those dispensations he would have to warrant his disobedience and then he must rebel without a License But certainly this is not only Transcribing of the Politicks of Mr. Hobs but Improving of them too shews him not only ready to dispense with his Allegiance to the King whenever his Exchequer is low but very willing it should always be so and then upon that account not barely to withdraw his obedience but very fairly draws up a Covenant for Rebellion and so puts in for another position of that Eminent Philosopher A state of War But yet give me leave to inform this sorrowful Associator and with as merry a heart as he pretends his to be heavy that this his considering Cap is not rightly plac't on his factious Noddle and though he considers the Strength Treasure and Reputation of the Nation so much Wasted and Consum'd I apprehend no such thing at all but rather the quite contrary First Were our Reputation so low with our Neighbours as to make them think us a Bankrupt Kingdom a Parcel of poor Rascals forc't to cheat our Creditors and compound for Bread as this honest Patriot kindly fancies his Countrey to be I can't see why our Trade and Trassick and that almost with the whole World too should continue still interrupted and without the least danger of being impeded I know the Actions of the several Companies rise and fall upon the several emergencies of new affairs But certainly the Credit and Reputation of the Kingdom no way depends on those vicissitudes yet I grant there is a great noise of a certain great City's growing poor but I think it would be happier for a certain King that lives near it were it less wealthy it was Jesuran's waxing Fat that made him kick at God Almighty and 't is that I believe makes them to spurn at the Crown Secondly Were the Strength of the Kingdom so much decayed so weak and contemptible I can't imagine why our Assistance should be desired by our Neighbours when not in a capacity to defend our selves Sure the late League of Guaranty was not then proposed to our Nation nor tender'd to the King of England and his entrance desir'd before all the Princes of the Empire if we are look't
Tayl but all this while we must not imagine this to be a design to set up a Republick The Contriver of all this horrid Treason and Rebellion was only some bold impudent Scribler some little factious fellow of a Ribband Club. I wish such a Design were only in the single heart of some poor ordinary rascally Traitor I fancy then we should quickly have his heart out with his bowels I fancy the Rogue would hardly lie so long incognitò or meet with a Stickling Ignoramus But if ever the Design take in the Kingdom we shall see some of our lostiest Cedars will aspire to the Reputation of having brought it about and not suffer every factious Mushroom that just railed against the Government assume the glory of having subverted it too If there be such a brave party ready to subscribe this excellent design as he seems to insinuate that drew it up his Majesty certainly has more need to double his Guards for his own preservation then to dismiss them to please such dangerous Associators and none that have read the common Apologue of the Sheeps being worried by the Wolves assoon as perswaded to dismiss their Dogs but from the Fable can deduce so good a Moral as to see through the shallowness of their disguis'd Intentions and keep themselves from being circumvented with such another cheat I wonder what should make this Politician think such a Major Part of Members so great a Part of the Government too as singly to require obedience would it not be as much Treason to swear fealty to them as if it were done to persons that were nothing of that Politick Body Perhaps with this Associator and men of his Principles the Swearing only to obey Members of that honourable Assembly much extenuates the guilt of disobeying their Prince but yet he is for submitting to the Orders of those that have no Relation to it Disbanded Members that have no more share in the Government then a petulant Officer in the Company from which he is cashiered I know these Idolatrous Adorers of their own created Gods have such strange Opinions of their deisied Creatures that they can't imagine them to be reduced by the breath of a King into their primitive Stations from which by that very mouth they were called can't imagine that such a dignified thing after having once represented the sense of his whole Corporation to be able to commence again a common Subject and to have no more understanding than his Electors Be it so still there is no reason why this Gentleman must be supposed to retain somewhat of Soveraignty too only because it has been and look'd upon a King do more than they will allow his Majesty carry his Power with him wherever he goes and in his little Burrough make Orders and Laws only because he hath voted in the place where they are legally made These are such Extravagancies in Opinion that not a discreet Person that ever served his Country in that Capacity but will detest to be thought guilty of nothing but the wild Conceits of some City Mechanicks or Country Clodpates that send them thither or the treasonable Insinuations of such an Associator to subvert the Government The close of all these Solemn Leagues are still the same very pious indeed and unanimous Association Neither will we for any respect of Persons or Causes or for fear of Reward separate our selves from this Association or fail in prosecution thereof during our Lives upon Pain of being by the rest of us prosecuted as perjured Persons and publick Enemies to God the King and our Native Country to which Pains and Punishment we do voluntarily submit our selves c. Scotch solemn League That we shall assist and defend all that enter into this League and Covenant Nor suffer our selves Directly nor indirectly by whatsoever Combination Perswasion or Terror to be divided or withdrawn from this blessed Vnion and Conjunction all which we shall do as in the sight of God in the presence of the Almighty the searcher of all Hearts as I shall answer it at the great Day when the Secrets of all Hearts shall be disclosed Holy League 6. of June I will likewise assist all other Persons that shall take this Oath in what they shall do in pursuance hereof and this Vow and Covenant I make in the presence of Almighty God the searcher of all Hearts with a true Intention to perform the same as I shall answer it at the great Day when the secrets of all Hearts shall be disclosed If these Instruments of Hell were to be compared with any thing besides themselves I should assimulate them to the Serpent I have read of in Pliny's natural History which he calls Amphisbaena describing it with a smooth delicate Head at both ends and in those two fine Extremities all the Cunning of the crafty subtil Animal seems to be lodged while all the other parts besides are nothing but Venom and Viper All these subtile Engines you may observe to begin with abundance of cunning Insinuations as if all were done for the real Advance of Religion and Piety with a having before our Eyes the Glory of God c. See Scotch Coven With a finding to the Grief of our Hearts that the Popish Priests and Jesuits vid. Pref. to the Assoc And then all conclude in calling it a blessed Vnion for the Glory of God vid. Solem. Leag A righteous End and pious Work See Assoc All with the Name of God at both Ends whil'st all the Bowels and Entrails of these Monsters are full of the Devil full of Venom against the Government Treason against the King And Lies to the very Face of that God they so solemnly Invoke Well then it seems by the resolute Close of this Association that no respect of Persons or Causes Fear or Reward shall make them desert their Fellows and Associates Stout Champions indeed and so true to the Cause as to make it a sort of Treason to Conspire the giving it up With a kind of Martial Law to punish the Delinquents as a Council of War does those that fly from their Colours or yield up a Garrison And yet all this while think it not so much as a Peccadillo to Plot against the State and Rebel against their Soveraign For certainly if no Persons or Causes must make them desert so wicked a Conspiracy or permit any single Conspirator to turn an honest Renegado Then all his Majesties Proclamations like those of his Father's for laying down their Arms must be answered with a Remonstrance They may get some young Spawn of old Oliver for their General and in spight of King and Laws march with their Colours flying and Drums beating throughout all the Kingdom from Barwick to the Mount and all this must be done if enjoyned by the Major Party of Members Not only upon those common Obligations most Laws bind Vassals to Obedience viz. by being Penal or Capital not only such light Punishment and
upon as a people so weak and inconsiderable and our King's Protection and Alliance not worth the seeking Sure the Nation that has beat the Dutch and fought the French with all his lusty Guard of Switzers is not so suddenly dwindled into Pigmees and only fit to sight with Cranes and perhaps this Associator and his Crew may upon grapling find that 't is no such easie matter to subdue those Guards he would so willingly remove and that his Majesty has too stout a Party of Cavaliers to suffer a second Plunder and Sequestration Thirdly Though he suspect the Treasury to be at so low an Ebb to have nothing visible in it but dry Dust and barren Sand and so to give occasion for such a seasonable Vniting against the Government he may find himself much out in his Sounding and that his Will and good Wishes were the plummet instead of Reason and Deliberation and that the Tide there by his leave is too high for him yet to wade through into Rebellion and now 't is time to parallel another Paragraph Associat We therefore endeavoured in a Parliamentary way to exclude the D. but finding the means utterly rejected we thought fit to propose to all True Protestants an Vnion amongst themselves by Solemn and Sacred promise of mutual assistance and hold it our bounden Duty to joyn our selves in a Declaration of our united affections and resolutions in the Form ensuing Scotch solemn League We have now at last after other means of Supplication Remonstrances Protestations and Sufferings for the Preservation of our selves and Religion after mature deliberation resolved and determin'd to enter into a Mutual and Solemn League and Covenant which we all Subscribe and with our hands lifted up to the most high God c. Holy League June 6. 43. And finding that many ways of force and treachery are continually attempted to bring to utter ruine and destruction the Parliament and that which is most dear unto us the Protestant Religion it is thought fit that all who are true hearted and Lovers of their Countrey should bind themselves each to other in a Sacred Vow Here the Associator has shown himself a right siltching Plagiary and not only Copied out the Sense of his originals but almost the very words after many Remonstrances Supplications Protestations after a Parliamentary way to exclude the Duke He might as well have said Now there remains nothing to do but to drive the King out of his Palace Proclaim all his followers Delinquents all his adherents Enemies to King and Countrey send post to Scotland Messengers to the Field-Conventicles get another Army from the North swallow a second Solemn League and then we shall have exactly a second 43. the perfect Revolution of a sad Platonick Year as well as a Plato redivivus But I hope the times will prove kinder to this Associator than he willingly wou'd be to himself And though so resolutely posting to the Devil he may meet with many a kind block in the way such a Covenant is sooner drawn up than Subscribed to and more of Subscriptions may be got than of Horse Men and Arms to defend it and though all the Villany should succeed even to Rebellion there is power enough left in the Government they fancy so weak to keep them from setting up again their Idol of a Common-wealth and making the deluded people fall down and worship the Gods of their own hands Finding our selves not able to exclude the Duke we think fit c. He might as well have said Are resolved to bring it about one way or another But how long hath it been a warrantable piece of Doctrine to attempt that by foul means which they despond of getting by fair sure the Lawfulness of this can never be justified by the best of their Casuists neither Dr. O. nor Mr. B. will preach up this as sound Doctrine at present I don't know what might be done were Conscience Liberty tolerated again and one of them made the mouth or Prolocutor of an Assembly for 't is observable that such mens opinions proportionably widen with their Authority and as soon as their dominion which is founded in Grace begins once to be enlarged by it too they Commence Latitudinarian in Cases of Conscience answerable to the extent of their Power and Government and thus a fellow trots along a pretty sober Republican as long as the Law can bridle him and make the Beast submit to Monarchy but grows a Devilish head-strong Rebel when once the Reins are got between his Teeth And I believe only the thoughts of his having unhorsed his Rider makes our Associator so bold as to kick at him too But I hope he 'll find there is Law enough left to back him yet and that there are Whips Scourges Axes and Gibbets notwithstanding they are now grown no more terrible than Bug-bears and Scare-crows as if only design'd to frighten Children and Small-birds And all this boldness infus'd into all sorts of villains with a Dose of Ignoramus I don't see but upon the same grounds these following Proceedings may be very justifiable and the Gentleman shall give me leave to insert a Clause or two for him in his Association which by negligence I fancy and not want of good will were omitted We therefore endeavor'd in a Parliamentary way to remove all evil Counsellors from the King some of which were impeach't as also several of the Arbitrary Judges of High-Treason on purpose to bring them to condign Punishment But these means of the King and Kingdoms safety being rejected Ergo And what then must we therefore presently swear to draw the one out of the Council-Chamber by the Ears and dragg the other out of Westminster-Hall to the Block But here you shall have the Tenor of the Oath and the Copies from which it was drawn Associat I A. B. Do in the presence of God solemnly Vow Promise and Protest to maintain and defend to the utmost of my power with my person and Estate the true Protestant Religion the Power and Priviledges of Parliament the lawful Rights and Liberties of the Subject Scoth Covenant I A. B. With hands lifted up to the most High God do swear That I shall sincerely really and constantly endeavour the preservation of the Reformed Religion in Scotland c. That I will with the same sincerity c. endeavour to preserve the Rights and Priviledges of Parliament and the Liberties of the Kingdom Holy League I A. B. In the presence of Almighty God do declare Vow and Covenant in order to the security preservation of the true Reformed Religion and Liberties of the Subject c. Certainly they must be the softest fools in the World an easie sort of Ideots below the cunning of common brutes that can be cheated with the same bait whose disguised hook they have already felt and smarted by I believe the contriver of this Oath intended the imposing it onely on Fools and Mad-men