prosecute his Petition in that Parliament he could neither Go See nor Hear This Dismal Story will be an Eternal Blot not only on Laud who was the chief Instrument in that sad Oppression but also upon the pretended Martyr King Charles for permitting such Barbarous and inhumane Cruelties to be exercised on his Subjects I shall shew you something more of this Bloody Villains Barbarity viz. That upon the first of February 1632. Laud procured Mr. Prin to be sent close Prisoner to the Tower there he lay till the 21st of June 1633. when an Information without mentioning any particular Passages in his Book was exhibited against him in the Star Chamber Court for Publishing a Book concerning Interludes intitled Histriomastix which was Licensed by a Chaplain of Dr. Abbatts Archbishop of Canterbury Upon the 17th of February 1633. notwithstanding his Book was Licensed yet he had this heavy Sentence passed upon him viz. To be Imprisoned for Life pay Five Thousand Pounds Fine be Expelled Lincolns-Inn Disabled to Exercise the Profession of a Barrister Degraded by the University of Oxford of his Degrees there taken and that done to be set in the Pillory at Westminster and have one of his Ears there cut off and at another time to be set in the Pillory in Cheap-side and there to have his other Ear cut off Though many of the Lords never dreamt of the Execution of this Horrid Judgment nay though Queen Henrietta Maria which deserves an Honourable Mention and she shall have it for She was the present King 's Royal Grandmother earnestly interceded with the Biggotted Cruel and Merciless King who was an abominable T to remit its Execution yet on the 7th and 10th of May it was fully Executed with great Rigour and Mr. Prin remain'd Sundry Years in the Tower upon this censure Mr. Burton and Dr. Bastwrick were also without the least just cause violently prosecuted after the same manner it will be too tedious to relate theirs and others unchristian uses when Tyranny and Arbitrary Power were Rampant 23. That against the Law of Nature against the Rules of Iustice falsely charged those Innocent Men the Noble Lord Mandeville Mr. Hollis Mr. Strode and others with Treason for which in the Face of the Highest Iudicature in the Kingdom they were most unjustly Imprisoned the King denying them the Names of their Accusers and which was an Act of Tyranny beyond Parrallel He accused them and yet would produce no Witness he confessed them clear in his own Iudgment yet they must not profess their own Innocency for fear of wounding his Honour 24. That was not satisfied with Imprisoning and Oppressing some of the Parliament Men but tempted and incouraged his English Army with no less than the Spoil of the City of London to come up and destroy the Parliament He in an Hostile and inexcusable manner made a most high Invasion upon the Priviledges of both Houses Hereupon many Citizens unarm'd resorted to Westminster to present their Petitions and express their stedfastness to the Parliament whose Lives and Safety by more than slight Rumours they doubted to be in Danger the King having fortified White-Hall and entertained Armed Men not a few planted them at the Gate of his Palace 'T is remarkable the first Blood that was drawn in this Cause was in that very place where the King 's own Blood was afterwards shed 1 K. 21. 19. where they Reviled Menaced and with drawn Swords actually Wounded many of the Citizens as they passed by in a peaceable manner whereof some dyed Nay they went farther and were come to that height of Boldness as to give out Insolent and Menacing Speeches against the Parliament it self and to imbrue their hands in the Blood of the King's Subjects in Westminster-Hall and at the Doors of the Parliament as well as at his own Gate And when the Parliament and People complain'd and demanded Justice for those Assaults the King justified and abetted his own Crew in what they did Nor can the passing by of a multitude of the King's Subjects armed with no other Weapons then Petitions be justly call'd Tumults neither could the Parliament have forbid them without the Breach of the Peoples Freedom Unarmed Petitioners surely could not le formidable to any and it must not be forgotten that a very short time before His Majesty pretended to dread these Tumultuary Citizens the City Entertained Feasted and Conducted him to White-Hall with as pompous Sollemnity and costly Expressions of Love and Duty as ever had been known Nay after he had highly exasperated the People by his Irruption with the House of Commons he went in his Coach unguarded into the City He received not the lest Affront much less Violence in any of the Streets but rather humble Demeanours and Supplications He knew the People so full of Awe and Reverence to his Person as to commit himself single amongst the thickest of them at a time when had mostâ— provoked them This shews beyond doubt That all his fear of Tumults was but a meer pretence and occasions taken for his resolved Absence from the Parliament that he might turn his slashing at the Court Gate to slaughtering in the Field In order thereunto the King retires first to Hampton Court commanding his Servants who were then Members of Parliament to leave their service there and to give their Attendance upon his Person Soon after his Popish Queen passes into Holland carrying with her all or the the greatest part of the Crown Jewels which she immediately Pawn'd and with the Money bought Arms and Ammunition for the War which was not yet begun Upon the 1st of March 1641. Both Houses called upon His Majesty by their Petition presented at Theobalds That for the Dispatch of the great Affairs of the Kingdoâ— the safety of his Person the Protection and Comfort of his Subjects he would be pleased to continue his abode near the Parliament and not to with-draw himself to any of the remoter Parts which if he should do must needs be a cause of great danger and distraction and they pray'd him to accept this humble Counsel as the Effect of that Duty and Allegiance which they ow'd unto him and which would not suffer them to admit of any thoughts intentions or endeavours but such as were necessary and advantagious for His Majesties Greatness and Honour and the Safety and Prosperity of the Kingdom These are Expressions surely that did not in the least favour of that Sedition and Rebellion with which our wicked Clergymen charge the Memory of this Great and Noble Parliament The King willingly giving himself up to the Conduct of Evil Counsellors was deaf to the importunate supplication of the Lords and Commons for his Return they therefore called again upon him more earnestly and sent after him a Declaration to New-Market by the Earls of Pembrook and Holland and a Committee of the Commons wherein they laid before him the Causes of their own Fears and Jealousies in these particulars 1.
betake our selves to new Counsels The very Words he used to that Parliament in the Year 1628. Further upon the discovery of his Plot to bring up the English Army against the Parliament he turn'd to the Scottish Army then at New Castle and baited his Temptation with a rich Reward not only to have 300000 l. in hand and the spoil of London but four Northern Counties to be made Scotists Moreover to encourage them to joyn with him he Declared to them That he was to have Money and Horse from Denmark and that he would make York the place of his Residence for the better accommodation of both Nations or fuller Revenge upon London He also gathered Men in London under pretence of raising Forces for Portugal who were to possess themselves of the Tower The Queen in Holland was buying Arms and His Majesty had actually raised Forces in divers Counties The Parliament was all this time Petitioning in Peace and for the Reasons now assigned amongst many others They humbly besought him that he would be pleased to put the Tower of London and the Militia into the Hands of such Persons as should be recommended unto him by both Houses of Parliament The King seemed to comply herein and by his Answer promised them That the Militia should be put into such Hands as they should approve of or recommend to him hereupon both Houses nominated Persons of the greatest Honour as fit for that Trust. I shall give you the Names of some of them The Earls of Holland Rutland Bedford Bullingbrook Salisbury Warwick Pembrook Leicester Stamford Essex Clare Northumberland Lincoln Suffolk c. Lords Paget North Strange Roberts Grey of Werk Chandois Dacres Mandeville Wharton Spencer Brook Herbert Fielding Littleton Lord Keeper c. Men Eminent in all Qualifications of Honour and Sufficiency were recommended for several Counties and the King was desired to agree thereunto as he had promised upon his delaying to give a satisfactory Answer they again Petition setting forth That nothing could enable them to suppress the Rebellion in Ireland and secure England but the granting of their Humble Petition which they find so absolutely necessary for the preservation of the King and Common-wealth that the Laws of God and Man injoin them to see it put in Execution They followed him to Theobalds and his several removes to York but he having Abdicated the Parliament and being deaf to all their Importunities they declared That there had been of late a most desperate Design upon the House of Commons which they had just cause to believe was an effect of the Bloody Councels of Papists and other evil affected Persons who had already raised a Rebellion in Ireland and by reason of many Discoveries They could not but fear they would proceed not only to stir up the like Rebellion and Insurrection in this Kingdom but also to back them with Forces from Abroad and thereupon both Houses made an Ordinance for the ordering of the Militia of England and Wales there appearing an urgent and inevitable necessity for putting His Majesties Subjects in a posture of Defence for the Safeguard of both His Majesty and his People and they resolved That in this Case of extream danger and of His Majesties Refusal the Ordinance agreed to by both Houses for the Militia doth oblige the People and ought to be obeyed by the Fundamental Laws of this Kingdom They further about that time Resolved That the King's Absence so far remote from his Parliament was not only an Obstruction but might be a Destruction to the Affairs of Ireland These and many other Reasons that may with the greatest ease be given 't is notoriously manifest That King Charles began and carryed on that Bloody Civil War against his poor Subjects without the least Colour of Reason and Iustice for which wicked Acts God justly suffered him to be brought to that shameful and untimely End This King studdying and endeavouring by all ways imaginable as he lived without the Love so he died without the Lamentation of most People but those Villains that had been large instruments in bringing him and his People into that miserable War and Division 25. That after he had taken God to Witness of his readiness to Treat at Uxbridge with the Parliament for avoiding of Blood-shed as pretended he took the advantage of a Mist the fittest Weather for Deceit and Treachery and followed at the Heels those Messengers of Peace with a Train of Covert War and with a Bloody surprise falls on the Parliaments secure Forces which lay Quartering at Brentford in the thoughts and expectation of a Treaty He gives his Reason why he seemed for Peace in a Letter to his Queen which was That She must know as a certain Truth That all even his Party are strongly impatient for a Peace which oblidged him so much the more to shew on all occasions his Intentions to Peace but tells her no danger of Death shall make him do any thing unworthy of her Love An excellent Resolution no doubt for the preserving the Protestant Religion made to his Popish Queen At the very instant of this Treaty which was in 1644. the King used all imaginable meams to bring not only Foreign Forces but the Irish Cut Throats against the Parliament To clear up this point and also to shew how insincere he was in his pretended Intentions of Peace I will briefly present his Underhand Transactions as well with Foreign Princes as those Rebels and in the first place I shall take notice of some passages between Him and the Queen in relation to this and other Treaties In a Letter to Her of January 9th 1644. he Writes thus The Scots Commissioners have sent to me to send a Commission to their General Assembly Which I am resolved not to do but to the end of making some use of this occasion by sending an honest Man to London and that I may have the more time for a handsome Negative I have demanded a Pasport for Phil. Warwick by whom to return my Answer At another time the same Month He tells Her That as for my calling those a Parliament if there had been but Two of my Opinion I had not done it the calling did no ways acknowledge them to be a Parliament upon which condition and construction I did it and accordingly it is registred in the Council Books Nothing is more evident than that the King was steered by the Queen's Council in the management of this Uxbridge Treaty and that which is call'd the Church of England The Bishops was greatly her care By Letter in January 1644. before the beginning of that Treaty She instructs him not to abandon those who have served him lest they forsake him in his need that She hopes he will have a care of her and her Religion that in Her Majesties Opinion Religion should be the last thing upon which he should Treat for if he do agree upon strickness against the Catholicks it would discourage them to serve
Affection of the English to Enslave and Ruin the Scotish Nation It is not improper here to observe 1. That the Scotish Covenant was not a new Invention or Innovation but Established by the Law of Scotland and taken by King James the First seventy Years before King Charles the Second took it 2. That Bishops and Clergymen in Conjunction with Papists abetted and assisted this T in the violation of the Laws when the Bulk of the Nobility Gentry and People of England appeared undauntedly in Defence of the Laws and Liberties of the Kingdom 3. That Popery hath greatly spred in Scotland ever since Laud's Superstition was introduced here the Number of Papists not exceeding 600. And therefore Presbetery being now restored by a Law it may be reasonably hoped that it will reduce many who have been deluded into that Idolatry 4. That Princes are not always to trust to the Insinuations and Suggestions of Scotish Bishops seeing that when they instigated King Charles I. to Dissolve the Synod and Parliament he was seduced by them into a belief That the Scotish Covenanteers were a contemptible Number and their Party in Scotland was sufficient to deal with them 5. That the Scots were not Rebells in taking Arms to Assert their Rights and Vindicate the Laws and Liberties of their Countrey That the horrid Imposition of Laud's Popish Liturgy did occasion the Troubles of Scotland is very manifest from Dr. Burnet's now Bishop of Salisbury his Memoirs of Duke Hamilton for he saith Page 30. The Liturgy had some Alterations from the English which made it more Invidious and less Satisfactory The Imposing it really varied from their former Practices and Constitutions Pag. 33. The Lords Petition'd complaining against the Liturgy and Book of Canons offering under the highest Penalties to prove they contain'd things both contrary to Religion and the Laws of the Land pag. 36. The Earls of Traquaire and Roxbourgh by Letter to the King advised him to secure the People of that which they so much apprehended the fear of Innovation of Religion saying that they found few or none well satisfied pag. 33. The Earl of Traquaire went to Court and gave Account that all the Troubles were occasioned by introducing the Liturgy with which scarce a Member of Council except Bishops was well satisfied Neither were all these Cardinals for it for the Archbishop of St. Andrews from the beginning had withstood these Designs and the Archbishop of Glascoe was worse pleased Their Commissioners in their Charge against Laud exhibited to the Parliament of England 1641. say pag. 11. c. This Book inverteth the Order of the Communion in the Book of England of the divers secret Reasons of this Change we mention one only In joyning the Spiritual Praise and Thanksgiving which is in the Book of England pertinentâ— after the Communion with the Prayer of Consecration before the Communion and that under the Name of Memorial or Oblation for no other ends but that the Memorial and Sacrifice of Praise mention'd in it may be understood according to the Popish meaning Bellarmin de Missâ Lib. 2. Chap. 21. 〈◊〉 of the Spiritual Sacrifice but of the Oblation of the Body of the Lord. The Corporal Presence of Christ's Body is also to be found here for the Words of the Mass-Book serving to this purpose which are not to be found in the Book of England are taken 〈◊〉 here Almighty God is incall'd That of his Almighty Goodness he may vouchsafe so to Bless and sanctifie with his Word and Spirit these Gifts of Bread and Wine that they be unto us the Body and Blood of Christ. On the one part the Expressions of the Book of England at the delivery of the Elements Of feeding on Christ by Faith and of Eating and Drinking in Remembrance that Christ died for thee are utterly Deleted To prove that Laud did send this Liturgy to Rome to be approved of Read a Book of Good Credit Entitled New Survey of the West Indies Wrote by a Reverend Divine of the Church of England Mr. Thomas Gage Minister of Deal in Kent 't is in pag. 280. in the Folio Edition He there tells you That being a Fryar he went to Rome with Letters of Recommendation to Cardinal Barbarini the Pope's Nephew Entituled The Protector of England That coming acquainted with Father Fitzherbert of the English Colledge of Jesuits he highly praised Archbishop Laud and said That he not long since sent a Common Prayer Book which he had composed for the Church of Scotland to be first viewed and approved by the Pope and Cardinals and That they liked it very well for Protestants to be Trained up in a Form of Prayer and Service yet the Cardinals first giving him thanks for his Respect sent him word that they thought it was not fitting for Scotland that Father Fitzherbert told him he was Witness of all this being sent for by the Cardinal to give him his Opinion about it and of the Temper of the Scots And that Laud hearing the Censure of the Cardinals concerning his Intention and Form of Prayer to ingratiate himself the more in their Favour Corrected some things in it and made it more harsh and unreasonable for that Nation This Good Man Mr. Gage after he had here related the matter as above expresses himself thus This most True Relation of Archbishop Laud I have oft spoke oâ— in private Discourse and publickly in Preaching and I could not in Conscience omit it here both to vindicate the jâ— Censure of Death whiâ—h the Parliament gave against him and to reprove the ungrounded Opinion and Error of some Ignorant Spirits who have since his Death highly exalted and cryed him up as a Martyr 'T is worthy of Notice that these Passages making Laud to appear a great Villain were by the means of Priest Craft left out of the Impression in Octavo Something like this of Mr. Gage may be found in Bishop Burnet's Memoirs of Duke Hamilton fol. 83. he relates That in the Year 1638. one Abernethy who from a Jesuit turned a zealous Presbyterian spread a story in Scotland which took wonderfully of the Liturgy of that Kingdom being sent to Rome to some Cardinals to be Revised by them and that Seignior Con the Popes Nuncio to the Court of England had shewed it to Abernethy at Rome and though Con denied it afterwards as is pretended yet it doth not follow that what Abernethy asserts was false for it is well known that Con being a Jesuit might Lye for the Holy Church If I had time and that this Book would not be too large I could produce very many more instances of King Charles his Tyrannical Oppressing his Subjects of England Scotland and Ireland I shall end this Melancholly Story with the Heads of the many Articles of Mis-government of that Prince viz. His taking Buckingham Laud and many more Evil Counsellors into the highest Favour and being Govern'd by them His Popish Match and Private Articles in favour of Popery His receiving a Letter from the Pope and sending him 〈◊〉 Answer calling him most Holy Father c. His Pardoning 20 Popish Priests c. pursuant to the Private Articles of Marriage His most unchristian like Betraying the Isle of Rhee and Rechell a sad Story His plucking up the Root of all Property by taking the Peoples Goods against their Wills and their Liberties against Law His giving Commissions to Try and Execute his Subject by Martial Law His Raising Money by Loans against Law His requiring London and other places to set out Ships 〈◊〉 him at their own Charge His Billotting Soldiers many of which were Papists on his poor Subjects His giving Commissions to several Lords to raise Money by way of Excise His ordering his Treasurer to pay 30000 l. to buy a large number of German Horse with Arms both for Horse and Foot to be brought to England against the Parliament His causing Mr. Chambars a Merchant to be fin'd 2000 l. for complaining of the hard Usage the Merchants of England had His oppressing and Imprisoning all Ranks and Orders of Men Unjustly His threatning the House of Commons if they would not give Money His shameful betraying the Palatinate and keeping the Charity of England from them His having without doubt a great Hand in the wicked Irish Rebellion His large Demonstration of his Piety by ordering a Declaration of Sports on the Lord's Day His giving Wicked Arbitrary and Tyrannical Orders Instructions and Commissions to the Earl of Strafford Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and endeavoured to save him from the Parliaments Just and necessary Prosecution His suffering the Bishops Gauden and Duppa to compose a lying Book call'd Eicon Basilice and to put it out in his Name the better to justify his evil Actions against his People His causing the Star-Chamber and High Commission Courts to be made use of to the great Grievance of the People of England His falsely charging with Treason and unjustly imprisoning the Lord Mandevil Mr. Hollis Mr. Strode and many others and would produce no Witness against them His Tempting and Incouraging his English and Irish Armies to come and Destroy the Parliament His dealing most Basely and Treacherously with the Parliament whilst Treating at Uxbridge His having a hand in the untimely Deaths of King James the First and Prince Henry His being an Exorbitant and Outragious Tyrant upon the People of England * He had agree to Treat with them as a Parliament the Queen upbraided him for so doing and he thus vindicates himself * If this were so good a King Why so much clamour against King James the II. for designing the same thing ⸫ There was at this time high Division in London between the Presbyterians and Independants therefore to â—in both by fomenting misunderstandings between them the Independants are to be Caâ—oled a thing worthy remembrance in all times
by the charitable Protestants of England for their relief in Equipping Ships to be sent to the Assistance of the French King against the poor Protestants of the Isles of Rhee and Rochell 18. That without doubt had a great hand in the Notorious Irish Rebellion wherein above 150 thousand poor Protestant Souls were most Barbarously Murthered and this will more plainly appear by reading the Commission given by this King in the 17th Year of his Reign dated from Edinborough and also the Commission thereupon of Peilem Oneale and Rorie Macguire to all the Papists both English and Irish within the Kingdom of Ireland both which for the Readers better satisfaction are Printed at large in this Book and also a sheet of Paper call'd Murther will Out containing King Charles II's Letter to the Court of Claims in Ireland 1663. Requiring the then Commissioners to restore the Earl of Antrim to his Estate for that he had made it appear he had acted nothing but by Order and Commission from King Charles I. read the Letter at large Take notice this Earl of Antrim had been a very great Rebell yet restored for serving that King in murthering his Protestant Subjects neither can any impartial Men think that King Innocent of this Wicked Act if they consider how Treacherously and Basely he delt with the Protestants of England of the Palatinate of the Isles of Rhee and Rochell What Articles he made with France in favour of Popery upon his Match what a mighty Influence his Popish Queen had over him how he employed in great Places of Trust not only great Favourers of Popery but also many profest Papists and was very much Advised and Govern'd by their Counsels to the great Sorrow and Misery of his poâ—r Protestant Subjects as also that in the Summer before that dreadful October 1641. a Committee of the most Active Papists all afterwards in the head of the Rebellion were in great favour at White-Hall and admitted to many private Consultations there with the King in the Queens Presence and those Irish Priests departed not thence till within two Months before that Bloody Rebellion and Massacre It was at that time I morally believe that King Charles favoured the Irish Massacre and the Irish Papists were so well assured of it that they called themselves the Queen's Army and said they had good Warrant in Black and White for their Proceedings and cryed out against the Parliament of England as the King's Enemies He that has a desire of being satisfied how great a favourer King Charles was of Papists let him read Mr. Pinn's Book called The Royal Court Favourite He was very much advised by the then Parliament to send early Relief to the poor Protestants of Ireland but it is notoriously known how backward he was therein and that he suffered them to be Sacrificed to the cruel Mercy of the Irish Cut-Throats It is also plain that the Parliament had long and often requested the King to Declare the Irish Rebels yet was this rare Protestant Martyr so Tender of the Poor Catholicks Reputation for Acting according to his Commands that no less than three Months past before he would gratifie the House of Commons with Proclaiming them Rebels and when he had against his real inclination thus done he was resolved That but a small number should be Printed and Published and in order thereunto the following Warrant was sent to the King's Printer from his Secretary of State IT is His Majesty's Pleasure that you forthwith Print in very good Paper and send unto Me for his Majesties Service Fourty Copies of the Proclamation inclosed leaving convenient space for his Majesty to Sign above and to affix the Privy Signet underneath And His Majesties Express Command is That you Print not above the said Number of Copies and forbear to make any further Publication of them till his Pleasure be further Signified for which this shall be your Warrant White-Hall Jan. 2. 1641. Edward Nicholas See here what special care was taken that a few only should come to the knowledge of this Proclamation when at the same time it was well observed he dealt far otherwise by the Scots for they were more sharply Proclaimed and those Proclamations with great care and dilligence dispersed throughout the whole Kingdom and ordered to be read in all Churches accompanied with Publick Prayers and Execrations But his Aversion to the Proclaiming and Proceeding against the Irish Rebels is not to be much wondred at for they call themselves The Queen's Army and declared that they Rose to maintain the King's Prerogative and the Queen's Religion against the Parliament much more might be collected from divers Authors of this Tragical Story which for Brevity Sake I shall now omit 19. That to his Eternal Infamy against all Laws both Humane and Divine caused A Declaration to be Published concerning the Lawfulness of Sports Pastimes c. on the Lord's Day and gave Archbishop Laud an Order under his Hand to see that this Declaration was Printed Read the Order and Declaration Printed at large in this Book and also King Charces II's Declaration after his Restoration It is a wonderful and amazing thing that there can be found amongst us such Clergymen and Gentlemen that against all Reason and Truth shall make a Saint nay a Martyr of this as you see Pious King How these Men at the Great Day of Judgment will be able to Answer for the many abominable Lies and Blasphemies they have been Guilty of in Defending this King's Tyrannies and Oppressions and Deifying him after a most scandalous Rate is a Mystery to me The Publication of this Licentious Book was so apparently destructive to Religion and so dishonourable to God and the King That the Pious and Sober Clergy of that time absolutely refused either to Read it or to permit it the said abominable Declaration to be Read and how barbarously and unchristianly they were used for their Refusal is too well known 20 That gave Wicked Arbitrary and Tyrannical Orders Instructions and Commissions to the Earl of Strafford Lord Lieutenant of Ireland all which the said Earl took such care to Execute that the Parliament which was made up of Grave Able and discerning Persons fell so severely upon him that they caused him to be Committed to the Tower Impeached him and soon after caused him to be according to his deserts Beheaded He pleaded the King's Authority for what he had done but the Commons saw no reason to acquit him 'T was observed that tho the King and Queen would not publickly Solicite for his Relief yet several secret Instances were made by them both to save him that had obeyed their Commands c. But the just Cries of the People c. necessitated the King against his Will to sign the Warrant for his Execution And having now given a short account of the Earl of Strafford I think it proper for the satisfaction of all those good People that desire to be rightly informed for what Laud
That the design of altering Religion had been potently carried on by those in greatest Authority about him the Queen's Agent at Rome the Pope's Nuncio here are not only Evidences of this Design but have been great Actors in it 2. That the War with Scotland was procured to make way for this Intent and chiefly fomented by the Papists and others Popishly affected whereof we have many Evidences 3. That the Rebellion in Ireland was framed and contrived here in England and that the English Papists should have risen about the same time We have several Testimonies c. The Irish Rebels affirm That they do nothing but by Authority from the King they call themselves the Queen's Army the Booty which they take from the English they mark with the Queen's mark and it is proved that their purpose was to come to England after they had done in Ireland 4. The labouring to infuse into Your Majesties Subjects an evil Opinion of the Parliament and other Symptons of a disposition of raising Arms and dividing your People by a Civil War in which Combustion Ireland must needs be lost and this Kingdom miserably wasted and consumed if not wholly ruined and destroyed 5. That Your Majesty sent away the Lord Digby by your own Warrant beyond Sea after a Vote had passed in the House of Commons Declaring That he had appear'd in a Warlike manner at Kingston upon Thames to the terror of your Majesties good Subjects that he being so got beyond Sea he vented his traiterous Conceptions that Your Majesty should declare your Self and retire to a place of Strength and intimated some service which he might do in those parts whereby in probability he intended the procuring of some Foreign Force to strengthen Your Majesty in that Condition into which he would have brought you which malicious Counsel we have great cause to doubt made too deep an Impression in Your Majesty considering the course you are pleased to take of absenting your Self from that Parliament and carrying the Prince with you which seems to express a purpose in Your Majesty to keep your Self in a readiness for the Acting of it 6. The manifold Advertisements which we have had from Rome Venice Paris and other parts That they still expect that Your Majesty has some great design in hand for the altering of Religion the breaking the Neck of your Parliament and that you will yet find means to compass that design that the Pope's Nuncio hath sollicited the Kings of France and Spain to lend Your Majesty 4000 Men a piece to help to maintain your Royalty against the Parliament These are some of the grounds of our Fears and Jealousies which made us so earnestly to implore your Royal Authority and Protection for our Defence and security in all the ways of Humility and Submission which being denyed by Your Majesty We do with sorrow apply our selves to the use of that Power viz. the Militia which by the Fundamental Laws of this Kingdom resides in us yet still resolving to keep our selves within the Bounds of Faithfullness and Allegiance to your Sacred Person and your Crown And as to the Fears and Iealousies which His Majesty seem'd to have Entertained of them The Lords and Commons thus Answered We have according to Your Majesties desires laid our hands upon our Hearts we have asked our selves in the strictest Examination of our Consciences we have searched our Affections our Thoughts considered our Actions and can find none that can give Your Majesty any just Occasion to absent your self from White-Hall and the Parliament but that you may with more Honour and Safety continue there than in any other place Your Majesty lays a great Charge upon Us if you will graciously be pleased to let us know the Particulars we shall give a clear and satisfactory Answer But what hope can we have of ever giving Your Majesty satisfaction when those particulars which you have been made believe were true yet being produced and made known to us appeared to be false and Your Majesty notwithstanding will neither Punish nor Produce the Authors But go on to contract new Iealousies and Fears upon general and uncertain Grounds affording Us no means or possibility of particular Answer to the clearing of our selves We beseech Your Majesty to consider in what state you are how easie and fair a way You have to Happiness Honour and Greatness Plenty and Security if you will joyn with the Parliament in the Defence of the Religion and publick good of the Kingdom this is all we expect from you And for this we return to you our Lives Fortunes and utmost Endeavours to support Your Majesty Your just Power and Soveraignty over us but it is not Words that can secure us in these our humble Desires We cannot but too well and sorrowfully remember what Gracious Messages we had from You this Summer when with your Privity the bringing up the Army was in Agitation We cannot but with the like Affections recall to our Minds how not two days before your own coming to the Commons House You sent a Gracious Message that You would always have a care of their Priviledges as of your own Prerogative of the safety of their Persons as of your own Children That which we expect which will give us Assurance that you have no thought but of Peace and Justice to your People must be some real effect of your Goodness to them in granting those things which your present necessity of the Kingdom do inforce us to desire and that you will be Graciously pleased to put from you those Mischievous Counsellors which have caused all these Dangers and Distractions and to continue your own Residence and the Princes near London and the Parliament which we hope will be an happy beginning of Contentment and Confidence betwixt Your Majesty and People and be followed with many succeeding Blessings of Honour and Greatness to Your Majesty and of Security and Prosperity to them These are brief Heads of the Declaration to which the King Answered Have I violated your Laws To which both Houses made this pertinent Reply We are heartily sorry We have such plentiful Matter of an Answer to that Question Have I violated your Laws I must also take Notice that in the beginning of the Year 1642. a time when the King was in appearance transacting matters amicably with the two Houses and we seemed to be in a deep Peace a time when he Declared That he had received no other Carriage from his Parliament than what he professed himself satisfied with and that if the Bills he had past were again to be offered he should cheerfully and readily Assent unto them Even then he dispatch'd away Letters and an Agent to the King of Denmark complaing of the Parliament and asking Supplies from thence AD PROPUL SANDOS HOSTES you know the English of that is to Subdue his Enemies and declared himself in these Words Ad allia Consilia Animum Convertendum Duximus We resolve to