day B. Pray explain your three Parties of two W. The former Party disdaining to be cast off Miss makes application to another some too strongly oblig'd by Interest or Friendship generously stick firm to the first but we not finding him real and able to and for us and having Politickly thus set the same interest at Logger-heads with one another make choice as one man of one that will goe in a string with us B. Pray God in Heaven it may be so in his good time but if man might be judge the sooner the better and the more the merriei W. Nay if nothing will bridle your head-strong passion 't is time to break up our discourse I 'll stay no longer fare you well B. Hang 't nee'r flinch now you have just entred me and would you break sport now I have scarce whet my Whistle W. If civil I 'll take the other Dish B. How happened it the State did not take some preventive course with you but let you run to such a head W. They were more understanding than so the stirring of a little wind would once have soon fann'd us into a flame we waited nothing else and all that we could do could not provoke it but we thought Fitz-harris's delivery set forth in a Speech by Sir Formal would have set the Commons to have deliver'd their own and back'd the privilege of the Subjects what a rare Topick for Oratory was lost and as great an opportunity we can't expect such another this age B. But how do you do to keep the Rabble on your side after such notable Miscarriages and Rebuffs they have lately met with I thought they had been like the African Mahometans that measure all things by success and for the loss of one Battel fly to their Conquerour and cry God and their Prophet has forsaken their former Leader I am sure that was the Doctrine of the Party of old and I have heard some use made of it since what have you got the art of dismounting and spiking these dead-doing Engines of yours when they can be no longer serviceable to you or do you think the resolution of Authority will be easily shaken what spirits keep up your hearts W. You talk too fast and too much the subject for all this will scarce bear it I know no Rebuffs but the Dissolution of Parliaments and to tell you plain had it not been for the following Declarations God had he pleased might have made and turn'd even these for and to our advantage for we had some Irons in the fire that had had not the Norwich Address been an unlucky Leading Card and the other Cities follow'd so hotly and closely that one City pox of 'em all for dancing after L'Estrange's Country and Fiddle B. Well since your Party by all means will have him a Fidler he shall be so for once but he must be the Orpheus of our Nation that makes the Stocks and the Stones the City and the Country to dance after him but can you tell how this notable turn of Times came W. I can give a shrewd guess how we came to fail in our undertakings if you mean that B. Yes yes that W. There is an ancient piece of Policy that gives this counsel fight not too often with a Neighbouring Enemy lest you teach him your art if you have been so imprudent make a long Truce and he will forget your manner of Fight and if you have any sleights he will be to learn them afresh and you may make him pay for so doing This we contradicted and though we had the same Head and Hands and us'd the same methods we did in Forty yet the reason why we had not the same success was because we had the same alive to remember and know our Tricks under our Vizards had we left no footsteps with the Royal party but that we have enough we could not have miss'd of success 't is but exactly copying out these methods and buying up all footsteps from the others and in less than a Century success will attend their actions nee'r doubt the Recipe B. Don't you begin to dream of the Laws of the Land being put in execution what if they should and be farm'd out too W. The first indeed we are too apprehensive of but the last makes us merry we would all come to Church then and break the Farmers and if the Laws should be ordered to be put in execution I know more than one Justice of the Peace that say that they are the men that are to put the Laws in execution and they have they say as much power to suspend them as his Majesty himself and if complaint should chance to be made against them if they have but a majority on the Bench on their side they will fear no Fine themselves but 't is a thousand pities the Justices are not for life 't is worth the Parliaments taking notice of and addressing for it then I knew what brave things might be done could we but get but that the Judges to be for life or the Election for High-Sheriffs in the power of the Country we should then have perpetual Tribunes B. Any or all would do less harm than Authentick Copies publish'd of the Privileges of Parliament would do good dare you exchange one for the other W. As I have no Commission so I dare not trust my own Judgment in the case but I am sure the last is of vast use and would be of such secret service as I cannot fathom but I hope they will not be so severe as you seem to talk whilst there is a Plot such zeal would be mis-tim'd we must still be against the common Enemy B. You have too long cullied the Nation with such moderate Principles sit pax in diebus nostris has ruin'd the Church and state as much in these days as in King James's why should not we imitate the Principles though seemingly dangerous of A. B. Bancroft in 88. when he so swing'd the Brethren or A. B. Laud's when the head of this Plot according to our late Evidence came first to light is there any necessity Extremes in Church and State should be like two Buckets in a Well no sooner one down but the other up If any thing undoes us 't will be our mildness follow but the blow and there will be no danger let the Dutch pull their Dams up and see if the raging Sea will not break in upon them and ruine every Mothers Child our Laws are our Ramparts our Justice is our Dykes our People mov'd with the North-wind of Phanaticism are more mad than the Sea and more bellowing than the Waves pull but those up see if they won't over-run King Priest and all things W. I suspect your courage you are so brisk upon a little success stay and see what may happen B. We have staid long enough your onely desire was to put your selves though not upon God yet upon your Country and formally to stand
you have he should repent and think himself bubbled out of Three Kingdoms but we shall injure him in such a supposition and the neighbouring Nations of the same perswasion you would by all means have him to be of and that may be a cause to induce him to be so should disrelish your unequal proceedings and should rise up against you W. Are those the Bugbears do you think the Protestants are not able to cope with the Papists nee'r fear we would make a Battel Royal for Religion and make Europe to be but one Cock-pit B. But we know there are some that are no Papists that can disrelish injuries done to Monarchs our Trade felt that in Moscovy after our King 's barbarous murther so that this side wants no real Fears no more than your other Jealousies but supposing the Three Estates of Scotland should not joyn with the King to turn him out there W. Why then there let him be King that has been objected and so answered already in a Piece of ours entituled Some serious Considerations touching the Succession by an Impartial hand B. I know it and there you divide the Union once thought happy by the Nation the foresight of wise Henry the VII and the joy of Q. Elizabeth W. Well since you have met with that Piece you may remember too were you so pleas'd that after his death the Kingdom must revert to the Crown of England B. I commend him he had spoil'd all if he had not laid it so down in his Scene but what if it will not and they should make an Act to the contrary W. Pish but it must our Crown would be the next lawfull Successor B. Do you think the Scotch men that have had the reputation to have fewer Fools among them than are Wise among the Irish can't easily learn a Lesson that is set them and is not an Act of theirs by as lawfull Authority of as much force against you as one of yours against them W. We don't intend to make any Laws against our Sister Kingdom of Scotland onely against I. D. of Y. exclude him being King of England and Ireland B. And perhaps they intend not to make any Laws against their haughty Sister of England onely against onely exclude them out and their Heirs from ever inheriting the ancient Kingdom of Scotland so that you would give them their Chair again W. Why then we will make an Ireland of it we have some that have conquer'd it once already B. But what if by a Law and Act of Parliament when they can hold it no longer they should by a Clause throw it into the Lap of France the Scotch and they were never such mortal Enemies would you bring the English Navy up the Tweed to bear upon them as they march'd into England that and the Commons according to the late Act of Parliament refusing Free Quarter would make the Nation sensible who are the Abettors of the Interest of France and what evil their Politicks would prevent come let us not by Forestalling Providence bring a curse and ruine upon our selves let us do what is right and just and God will protect us W. Though the Angel of my God whom I serve should appear to me and certify me not a hair should fall from the head of any in this Nation by the Clouds that seem to threaten us yet we ought altogether as much to go on in our Proposals as St Paul in much the same case would not let although he was so ensur'd the Seamen leave the Ship means must not be omitted the Cart Wheel may else stick B. Some Divinity of the old strain means may nay must be us'd but not contrary to the known will of that God you serve to the suspicion of that Providence he so signally in your supposition promises you and without a further intimation of that Spirit not contrary to but consonant with common reason such were St. Paul's means but here all along you see Arguments more prone to breed mischief than prevent any and to bring a War upon our selves and Posterity and that Providence whom we dare not trust may with a great deal of Justice avenge it self upon us in this World as well as in the next W. Well then since you say means may be us'd with reason and the Parliamentary power we find may do us more harm than good what if the King alone should set him by B. You will fix up your staff there will you W. If we may and I am sure we can bring a great many stories if that will do any good from ancient Nations and Kings that did so the people of Rome before Rome was Rome as it is now that is before the Pope had a great House there and became Dominus fuc totum Dominus Deus noster Papa had now and then for a breakfast a Kingdom given them by the Will of a deceas'd King and so ours may give all the three Kingdoms away at a clap and save all the bloudy Noses you might see in the Scotch clouds and we will make an Address that shall be as dreadfull as our Ordinances of old to stand by whomsoever he shall pitch on with our Lives and Fortunes B. Well then you find you have nothing else to do but to get him in the mind W. And we had nothing else before I wish we could do it but once but they that should have not gone about it the right way they never yet offer'd any thing more for that and passing whatever Bills they should think needfull which perhaps might have been an hard bargain but the relieving Tangier and standing by him in all the Alliances and Foreign Leagues he should make had they offer'd him his Ship-mony his Courts of Wards and Liveries to have a perpetual hanc upon his two Houses again with his free Quarter that they got by slurring on him and a round sum in hand somewhat might have been done in order thereto our Coyners had grafted a story upon the Duke's last departure that with tears in his eyes he should bid his Brother remember if he did part with him to sell him as dear as he could we thought to have set the last Parliaments a bidding for him as for a Stock at Gleeke B. But they found his Majesty never design'd any such thing none of his Friends in the House ever gave the least glimpse to it but he promis'd 't is said an Earl to doe it if he could but satisfie his Conscience as well as he told him they could satisfie the Laws W. Conscience in Kings they should as Ambassadours are sent abroad to lie for the good of the Nation be damn'd or stand fair for it for the good of their people but we can sear that up and I wonder he told not his Majesty so we could have made a Fast for that besides their Politick Capacity excuses ' em B. These are Hairs of the old Dog but suppose you were put to prove your
in a profess'd neutrality B. Are you altogether such bug-bears as you make your selves can't innocence be a rampart W. A meer bauble there are no ramparts able to withstand our undermining we have got the new art the Dutch-men don 't exceed us we run on and turn your own Cannons against you and make your own Engineers be your Executioners but for once come and see our methods B. Since you are both ways so dreadfull I 'll try for once your kindness W. Come stand close Enter Smectymnus Junior J. O. R. B. T. C. R. G. P. H. with a train of many other Superintendents Messengers Spies Coyners and Improvers of Stories true and false J. O. Brother this day I as willingly resign up my Chair to the gud Conduct of that Spirit that dwelleth in you as with regret once I resign'd up a place that gave me opportunity of shewing forth that Talent of Utterance God had so signally endued me with though but in the language of the Beast but now I shall endeavour to quench that gift of the Spirit though in gud faith it even boy leth within my breast and longeth even with the longing of a Woman to breath forth upon the Sons of Men but now it behoveth us to act and not to let the light of the day go down upon our words with the Kiss therefore of Charity I enstate you in the name of the whole people of the Lord this day to be our Governour and to take the Proposals that may tend for theirs and our gud and God's glaury and consider from whence this honour accrews unto you not so much from your own worth as from the meer grace of God's people remember therefore to whom you must give an account when the day is spent and the night cometh R. B. That this honour in this venerable Assembly so soon returns to me again I must acknowledge God's hand in directing your hearts in pitching upon me as a man that have not shown my self I thank God obstinate to any thing but Monarchy â—nd Episcopacy I have bore so great an indifferency that at one time or other the whole people of God of whatever opinion have been sensible of my Charity to them and this now like true Charity thrown on the face of the waters returns into my own bosome again for I find the choice of me nemine contradicente as an expedient to restrain our divided Interest from swerving from God to the Church Prelatical I thank my God I still see the purity of Discipline kept up amongst us as well as his pure word that we have our Meetings like the Apostles and first fruits of the Gospel the first converted notwithstanding the rigour of the Governour and his Laws and those that would make both worse and that we still enjoy an underhand Government and that we still keep what our Forefathers got in the sweat of their brows Imperium in Imperio But how long our Kingdom though not of darkness yet in darkness will remain He that set it up can best tell for my part I know not if we suffer the very foundations to be shaken and no countermines on our side I verily fear and foresee its ruin and shall timely get me out from among such desolation as will befall us if laying aside our private Animosities you do not speedily provide for the safety of our Ark for the Philistines have even snatch't at it and the people of the Lord begin to turn their backs let us the Priests that bear it stand stifly to it and let not God and his Glaury be ravish'd from us and we be made e're long no better than hewers of wood and drawers of water unto it 'T is to be confest I was too short-sighted in Politicks and too ungovernable in refusing the advice of him that can see through a glass objects in State too far remov'd from our eyes naked and unexperienc'd and that I did perfectly draw this War that has so shaken our Foundations upon our heads but it was not without your advice aid and helping hands in repelling it therefore I shall desire the same and let this be our first business R. G. Besides that my fears have been too true I have often told you 't was dangerous to let the vogue of the world so highly run upon one man T. C. Why would you not be pleas'd timely to prevent such mishaps and let the Gentlemen of invention play a Bull-dog at him now 't is too late how many early buds have they nipp'd they are the very Frosts in May and like your last May Frost will make an Oak hang his ears if they take him whilst his tender buds come forth they are of the race of those that sent the golden mouth Doctour S. Chrysostome to dye and be starv'd abroad for a crime of their own inventing and making Adultery however to stop him in his career let us to give the Devil his due own his ingenuity how well verst he is in Controversies but insinuate withall he mispends his time the Controversie between the Church and us has been as well handled before that he might employ his time better in declaiming like his Brother T upon Vertue and Vice that he preaches but ordinarily to his Parishioners never minds but an extraordinary Congregation the King's Chappel S. Margaret's or before the Lord Mayor these things will alienate the Affections of his Parish and we shall have them in time complain of him for idleness perhaps insufficiency J. O. This may be done but not as from us but can't we Halloo him at the old Game the Papists let 's counterfeit a piece do you think he will swallow the Gudgeon R. G. I if any one has cunning to write it but he will certainly smell it out If we should start a subject that should raise his bloud that possibly we might pitch upon yet we should never aright imitate their smooth periods interwove with pretty sophisms and their vivacity mix'd with a seeming passionate seriousness and extraordinary concern our stiff easie imitable style is so far wide that no one so much us'd to it as all us are forc'd to be can ever bend his head easily to act their part R. B. On my faith we want our enemies I begin now to understand the cunning of our friends at Helm that would not be perswaded by us to put a period to the Plot and cut the Papist off root and branch and so set us up 't was not the cunning of a Prince at first to set a foot two Factions to counter plot one another but his interest to damn both but 't is the cunning of one party not quite to vanquish onely or'e top the other lest they should presently be rooted out themselves like two Hares one continually pops before the Hounds when the other was almost spent so they preserv'd one another otherwise they had both successively gone to pot the Plot at this rate will do us
hands to but our grand Assembly that shall then meet will dispose of all things I doubt not to our interest however we must swarm then more or less and I believe we shall imitate things in nature send out our young ones with a Leader or so but the Old Stock ought to remain behind perhaps we may take some little City Lecture or other and put an end to the contest between the two Universities send a little Man of God to out-preach an Army of them then shall our Cause come in repute again and be more glorious than ever the abus'd and therefore discontented Clergy man finding our interest shall consult his own and satisfâ— his revenge too and shall sue to us as much as they do now to Bishops to be preferr'd long neglected worth shall flee to us as to a Sanctuary and generously disdain naked hopes for his Camelion diet worth though no where seated but in the fancy or taking thought but for some small atchievment if not rewarded for that is restless till it takes some course to vent its Gall like the poor Mariner in Columbus's Ship that first spied Land because he receiv'd no reward for so blest a discovery wreak'd the revenge though 't was upon himself and turn'd Mahometan and there is a way Divinity tells us of shooting another man through ones self and no one then shall think himself longer bound to continue a Son when he has once found the Church has ceas'd to be a Mother as these were the generous Principles that first in Aerius rais'd us up so they have continued us and will yet billow us up higher B. You are good Tradesmen in Divinity and deservedly cry up Faith as true Sons of Abraham as the circumcis'd that now as their Forefather entertain Faith even against Hope against all manner of reason but should the Dice miraculously favour you and run once more high on your side you would I fear Massacre the Land and execute what 't is said the tenderness of but one Officer prevented before the Church of England stands in an Aequilibrio of danger and steers it self between the two Gulphs 't is equally dangerous to encline to this or that onely a Sword is more welcom than a Saw the Character of a Committee is as dreadfull nay more than that of a Popish Successor the last wants no language to set it out in the possibility of its raging extent and the actual raging extent of the first can be reach'd by none the Oratours must do there as your Geographers in Terra incognita leave a space and draw nought but Savage Beasts unknown to the Woods of Africk and congeal'd sighs and groans like Du Bartas his words under the Pole W. These are Bugbears that fright none but Children but as long as the Gog-Magog in the North remains the true object of the Nations fears we shall not easily be made Tools of B. But what if those Clouds of Dissatisfaction should be dissipated and the object of all your fears should be the subject of an universal joy and he should declare himself openly to the World a Protestant according to the Church of England by as good Testimonies as the Law requires what do you think then W. I think then none of us either would or by interest was bound to believe him do you think we would have such a cheat put upon us in a moment to be outed in all our measures we would have those that should look through such fig-leaves we would boldly tell the World he has a Dispensation for it that it was no more than what we suspected and fear'd we would shew them his cunning in not taking it sooner onely out of hopes to perswade the credulous World of the reality and sincerity of the conversion bawâ— out there is more danger now than before and if ever the fatal blow comes 't will be when he is in a better capacity to fool the Nation and act his own part the securer pity the sinking condition of the Nation when 't is onely our selves that are so and I 'de undertake knew I a man of our Party who contrary to his desert had the luck to be drown'd could I know it before I 'de easily perswade him though contrary to the express promise of God the whole World was drowning with him so far wide of the Mark should we make their Arrows fall B. I see you can preach down God's Grace in a trice W. That 's our Trade against our Enemies we should notwithstanding such a turn should it happen take our own thoughts for truth and go on in our Expedients for putting by I. D. of Y. from inheriting the Crown Imperial did you never see any I am sure we spar'd no pains or cost to spread them o're the Nation B. Yes several W. How do you like ' em B. Like ' em W. Why they are pretty Engines let me tell you to widen breaehes to keep open the Bleeding Vein they are more usefull to us than the Invention of Gunpowder prov'd to the Papist were it not for them and our Champion in the House of Commons Expedients would have been hearkned to and then there would have been such a calm that there would be no recreation for us Porpoises B. For what is transacted in the House I meddle not with but as for the Proposals in general to the Nation I look upon them as Seeds of Rebellion and the ground-work of as many Bloody Noses for Posterity as ever our Predecessors had W. Which do you fault there are many B. They are all of the same Leaven nothing but a Medly of Rebellious Principles to build the Superstructure on as founding Dominion in Grace to the scandal of the Reform'd Church and closing with their seeming Enemy the Papist grounding the Origine of Sovereignty in the People hunting in after-Principles for Principles of Nature as Salus Populi Suprema Lex interpreting Texts of Scripture by their own Passion worse than Quakes by his new Light assuming the same power God himself us'd in the Oeconomy of the Jews of setting up and pulling down Kings and in profane Histories writing the Originals of the greatest Usurpations to be copied out in our time palliating Texts of Scripture that expresly forbid their Madness with Fig-leaves such as Do not evil that good may come of it they cover it with a distinction from the Schools unknown to Christianity of a minus malum against a positive good in a word you will ransack Heaven and Hell to accomplish your Designs and after all you are afraid which way to turn him by lest you should open a Gap to ruine your selves W. We fear not that B. Don't you so let 's see by what Authority would you have him turn'd by by the King 's alone or joyntly with the consent of the two Houses W. By the last by an Act of Parliament that 's a sure way B. But what if you have not his Consent or if