notice to the Embassadours then in Treaty The Narrative is of one side onely giving no answer to contrary attestations and though it be evident to all reasonable men that the fact was accident all and undesignet by Tromp yet this Narrative is all the reason they will give for a present hostility neither could any prosecution be looked for before the case were fully examined where friendship was so confidenly professed Neither had their forbearance been laying downe of themselves at the feete of any But the speedy feirce pursuit shewes not a sudden passion but a long premeditated Counsell for the oppression of the United Provinces and destroying their trade and strength by sea and yet so shamelesse are they to call this proceeding their owne defence and if they had done contrary it had been against the trust reposed in them few men thinke the Actions of these Declarers agreeable to any rules whereby nations or single persons are governed and breach of trust is of no regard with them for there was not any trust reposed in them by King or people but what they have most perfidiously broken that trust which was reposed in them as subjects whereto they were bound by Religion Law and nature they have falsified to their King and Countrey They were called by the Kings writ and by law incapable of any place in Parliament till they had taken the oaths of Allegeance and Supremacy They were trusted to petition the King and offer their Councell they destroy the King insteede of petitioning make laws and change the Government in despight of the trust they pretend to regard If we examine their Doctrines they maintaiâ—â—â— themselves not bound to oaths longer then they think fit If we look upon their proceedings they have acted accordingly breaking all oaths and promises the trust whereon depends humane society asserting falshood and abjuring truths There are numerous Testimonies of all these in the Declarations and Treaties with the King that they would make him a glorious King that it never entred into their thought to depose him that if they should charge the King with any evill Action it were contrary to the law and the Testimony of their owne Conscience That providing for the prosperity of his Majesty who protest in the presence of all seeing Deity to be the end of all our Counsells That they have nothing in their thoughts more precious next to the honour and immediate service of God then their just and faithfull performance of their duty to his Majesty This being compared with their actions who can repose trust in them Besides they are not trusted by the Kingdom and those few of them that were depuzed by particular places were not trusted to rule but they now tiranize and trample on such as at first trusted them and comparing their Actions towards the united Provinces and their words we may Judge they are not changed in their principles for they say by those proceedings it will be more then evident with what affection and constancy the Parliament have laboured for the friend sh of he United Provinces how carefully they avoided all differences and occasions of a warre between the nations though all such overtures of amity and neerest alliance having been rejected In the beginning of the wicked Rebellion in England not only the common people at home but strangers were much mistaken of the condition and intention of those that made themselves a party against the King maâ—y perswading themselves that the prevalent party in Parliament had the same sincerity in their purposes which they professed in their speeches and papers But such as were then deceived see the discovery of their eâ—rour and that those pretences of Religion Law and Loyalty were only snares whereby they were seduced to their owne ruine And though the fiâ—st losse lighted on the King and his Loyall subjects the whole Kingdome hath selt the scourge of that credulity And while some were misled and others rested secure as unconcerned not foreseeing the consequents of popular contests with Soveraignty the whole are brought under the Tyrannicall power of a few contemptible persons And such as with dry eyes beheld the sufferings of the King and his party finde the same fince at their owne doores And such as acted under the name of Parliament against the King are now oppressed under the same pretence which themselves used they perswading men they were the Parliament though the King and the greatest part of the Lords and a great number of the Commons were forced away and the remaining party overawed by the City Tumults and Army now groane under this new power that call themselves a Parliament though the King be murdered the Lords house shut up the greatest part of the Commons imprisoned and expelled And onely a few persons sit as a Lower House without any colour of Law The neglect of opposition to growing evills is often too late repented and such as doubted not what hath hapned in England may now see that wickednesse puts no bounds to it selfe It must be resistance from without not the inward inclination that must restraine it And where men have successe and an opinion of strength they rest not at a stay especially new gained powers and the Example of thâ—se persons is no lesse dangerous then their power Princes and States are cheifely concerned in suppressing such pernicious Monsters whose opinions and Designes are the subversion of Rulers and draw with them the misery of the people who must fall into confusion and slavery If their designe take upon the United Provinces it may be easily conjectured what their attempts will be next And affection to an oppressed King and Ally amity to the English nation security to Religion and commerce call for a conjunction of the hearts and hands of all Christian Kings and States against those common Enemyes of mankind FINIS
AN ANSWER TO THE DECLARATION Of the Imaginary Parliament of the unknowne Common-wealth of England concerning the Affaires past betwixt Them of England and the High and Mighty Lords the States Generall of the United Provinces Wherein their Frivolous Reasons are cleerly refuted and their injust proceedings in the Treaty of the aforesaid Affaires as in all their Actions Manifestly discovered At Rotterdam by John Pieterson 1652. THe Authors of this Declaration are the same men who having acted that execrable parricide upon the King assumed the name of Parliament which they had abolished Their beginning and growth hath beene formerly published how a few lurking Sectaries being at first Members of Parliament and consorting in prodigious opinions in Religion and policy with the illiterate rabble became usefull to the prime projectors that under the maske of securing Religion and Lawes sought to gaine the power of the State into their hands being assisted in their votes in the Lower House and applauded abroad for their proceedings by this busy crew who got into places in the Army and at last gave law to their old Masters and having renounced faith and obedience to their King with more ease scorned the bonds of association to their guides consorts in the same impieties And it cannot seem strange to any that look on their Actions to reade their shamelesse Declarations nor that they should proceede with like injury to strangers as they have used to their King Companions and Countreymen They say the returns which the people of the Vnited Provinces made toward this Commonwealth will hardly be believed if their sufferings and deliverance and the principles and spirit that acted in them then be remembred and the help they had from this Nation with the expence of English blood and treasure The people of these Provinces have with gratitude acknowledged the assistance they received from the Crown of England and the affection and readines of the English Nation And it were a just reproach if they should make returnes for those benefits to the Usurpers of the regal power destroyers of the Monarchy and Oppressors of this Nation Can Nationall obligations be transferred to the Enemies of the Nation And because a Traiterous Army hath gotten power over the Nation shall the Friends and Allies of the Nation assist the Usurpers This will hardly be believed but easily that these Declarers have the impudence to pretend a right to all that which was due to the Crown that they have abjured Though their boasting of successes be a principle part in all their papers and so in this Yet it is not intended they say to be very particular in mentioning the State of the affairs of this Commonwealth as it stood when oppressed by a Tyrant they were necessitated to fly to Armes for defence of their Lives and Estates because in Parliament they did but assert and desire the setling of their just and Native liberties When over particulars are mentioned of the State of affaires in England in the time of the late King their Faithlesse and bloody proceedings must more cleerly be manifest And its proofe to all reasonable men of a resolved continuance in wicked undertakings that they call the King a Tyrant when not onely the mildnesse of his nature and Moderation of his privat and publique Actions but the Peace and Prosperity of the People was so universally knowne to strangers and when in all that peevish discontent or Traiterous malice could offer against him there was no one Act in its nature and substance Oppression but such only as were pretended might not be done by the King out of Parliament and no one of these was done by the King Regiâ manu with the Kingly power but left to the ordinary Ministers of Law and Justice to decide in point of right and execute accordingly but these men knowing how odious their Actions are seeke a cover from reproachfull appellations upon the King as if any could entertaine a prejudice by misnaming persons or Actions and if it were Tyranny for the King to do an Action out of Parliament which he was advised by the Judges of law he justly might how impudent are these men to reduce it For where is the Parliament Authority for their vast levies of mony Murder of the King and the imposing Lawes upon the people Can a few persons of the Lower House scarce the tenth part of the whole by violence totally abolish both Houses and doe all Acts that belonged to the whole And yet they perswade the world they are beleeved in such extravagant untruths There need nothing be more said how causelesly the Rebells of England tooke Armes against the King And if Rebells may pretend defence of their persons against Soveraigne power Malefactors will never want a justification when force is used to bring them to Justice And is it one of the just and native liberties of the English nation that the members of Parliament in the Lower House being five hundred forty of these may drive out the rest and doe what they please this is the present case But if we looke back is it the liberty of England to be without a King or to be subject to the power of one another have no recourse to their Prince for redresse Is it the liberty of England that a rabble of the City of London or an Army shall oppresse the Parliament and propound laws to oblige the whol Kingdom Is it the liberty of England to exclude the King from making of laws or governing the Militia But they that are not ashamed to act yet seeme loath to speak the things they doe The seizing the Kings forts and navy raising force against him and both Houses of Parliament punishing Judges for doing their duty and delivering their opinions in open Courts against sedition licencing all lewd sectaries and disturbers of Government are only asserting and desire of setling just and native liberties Thus they call their murders Justice their robberies Reparation of Wrongs And their persecution of the King from one end of the Kingdome to the other the defence of their lives and Estates It s well seene that those men are the God of Gods anger upon the three Kingdoms but they vainly flatter themselvs to think that any beleeve it a blessing of God as they assume it or that these wonders in so many signal battells or that series of providence was either in favour to them or their cause and such presumptuous pretences declare of what spirit men are that they take up the language of Senacharib who came not without God against Jerusalem and of the Turk that attributes all his successes against the Christians to the power of his false Prophet And those men that in their writings against the King used the name of the whole Kingdom on their part and the small strength of the King now tells us of an handfull of men that were faithfull to the cause even so faithfull that they first brake allegeance to
Govenment are no more to them then the brotherhood of Scotland It cannot be presumed that the servants speak other than their Masters sense And if it had bin contrary it would have appeared in their restraint or punishment And these Rulers vainely offer an exception of dilatorinesse on the part of the United Provinces when there were so many of their ships continually taken and made prize during the Teraty and the danger of those Provinces must be increased by delay the seasons of their Trade and return of their ships being known and unsafe while the Treaty was unconluded And its will known the preparation of Shipe in England proceded those of Holland And though they speak of preparations upon the notice the Embassadours of the States General gave them of setting out a hundred and fifty sail of ships besides the men of war abroad all men know the preparations in England and affronts received necessarily occasioned that care in the States Generall But those of England were offended that the States Generall should defend their Merchants which they meant to make prize of And besides the exercise of reprisals on the ships of the United Provinces the grounds on which their Commissions of Reprisall were granted shewed it no other then an open hostility as that which was to repair one that was intercepted by the States ships carrying supplies out of England into Flanders before the peace betweene those Countries and the King of Spain and others of lesse colour It is easily believed they altered not their resolutions upon notice of the States prepations But that they made Justice honour and mutuall good the Rule to steere their Actions by is incredible to any that knew their former or present Actions For is it Justice to grant letters of Reprisall upon a particular case unlesse Justice be first demanded for the fact and denyed And can it stand with honour Justice and mutual good to require unequal conditions an absolute submission for peace And the happy close of the Treaty which these Rulers were willing to come to appears no other but to have the United Provinces under their command For the Accidents touching Captaine Young and Admirall Tromp by the narrative which the Usurpers of England have published the world will judge that they sought an occasion against the United Provinces and to renounce all amity with them And their aggravation adds not weight of Argument for what they offer for if the middest of a Treaty be considerable why did those men of peace continue Reprisalls in the middest of the same Treaty But it is ridiculous to affirme that the Dutch Admiral sought out their Shipps in their own seas when the trade way of those seas is such as a meeting of shipps is not easily avoided Besides the peaceable demeanour of the Admirall Tromp till he received the shots from Blake But this is their accustomed language their Declarations against the King being fraught with such stuffe of making a bloudy war upon the Parliament rejecting their humble desires and of dangerous plots against the City of London and Kingdom But the truth of this fact is fully known and the vanity of these declarers aggravation And it bears full proof in it self that the Fleet under the command of Tromp came not purposely into the Roade of England unto their Fleet and by all the attestations produced he shewed no inclination to hostillity And those men that make al cleer on their part like not a way of equall examination because long intricate but would kave a submission to their own allegations and a satisfaction for the wroags they pretended And they believe that men understand not that they could make their demands for satisfaction such as would take up longer debate then that examination and in the mean time proceed with all hostillity which they would not forbear till that demand were satisfied And when could the States Embassadors assure themselves that they would determine their demands The reason they give for their Counsel is that time being gained an addition of strength might therwith be provided by the Dutch from hence the resolved hostility of the Rulers is evident that they had provided to take the Dutch unprepared were offended that they had a flâ—et It cannot be conceived that these Engl. Masters having propounded to have satisfaction for wrongs upon their own Allegations only without respect to what was offred to the contrary that they would treat with such moderation as such as treated with them should Judge reasonable but would be sole Judges of the satisfaction as they made themselves of the cause for which they demanded it and if they would not heare all proofes in the one case they were not likely to admit any reason in the other And they might very well offer a cessation of hostility upon their owne termes They projected their satisfaction for their preparations because the Dutch had prepared a fleete and yet never excepted to it when notice was given them and they enlarge this satisfaction to losses of all kinde in the dammage of the shipps losse of men and the poverty of persons thereby and under those heads who could conjecture the quantity of the satisfaction they would thinke a fit proportion and in the meane time no cessation and all Accidents succeeding must be cast into the account which might be prolonged at the pleasure of those that got by the delay And yet those confident men thinke it strange that the Lord Embassadour Paw did not pursue his dâ—sire of cessation when by their answer they shewed their resolution to keep it in their own power to set the time to it and was no more then if they had answered it should be at their pleasure and yet they are not ashamed to say it was in his own power to accomplish it Can any man think it was in his power to accomplish what they would demand And is it not a desperate compliance for any State to continue treating while hostillity is avoweâ— and terms only propounded of absolute submission to avoid it Thus the Embassadours were forced to depart to preserve the honour and safety of themselves and their Country It seems those Declarers think they merited by giving respect and accommodation to the Ambassadours And considering their other actions and disposition worse might have been expected but they found it not for their present advantage nor doth the mention of their yeilding to respect and accommodation tend to their honour as if it were questionable whither they should have performed it and during their abode they neither expected nor found better usage then the Ministers of these Rulers found from the States of the United Provinces and they had not merited that aversion of the people which was univesally expressed to the Ministers of those Rulers The Narrative by them published they hold a sufficient justification of Acts of hostillity and deteining shipps brought into their Ports without any precedent Declaration or