of Property committed in any Age as this or any thing done besides this since His Majesties Restauration tending in the least to Invade the same When this was put in Execution and the Creditors of the Bankers began to sue for their Mony and they flew into Chancery for Injunctions which were denyed by the Lord Keeper Bridgeman as being contrary to Law Who was it advised His Majesty to remove his Lordship from the Seal for his tumidity Who was it that afterwards Succeeding him in that Office granted the Injunctions before denyed and continued them till he knew the Seal was like to be taken from him and then to Ingratiate himself with the Populacie dissolved the same This Stopping of Payments in the Exchequer will appear the more hanious and an act that all who are Loyal love the King and concern themselves for his Honour Princely Dignity and Royal Government must obhor if they doe but reflect back and seriously consider for what end this was done and the sad consequences that have happened to England thereupon which take as followeth Those who had advised His Majesty to Issue out the Declaration aforementioned and stop the payments out of the Exchequer had also thought it convenient that the Triple League should be broken that His Majesty should joyn his Forces which they then had advised him to raise and were afterwards Incampt on Black-heath with those of France and that the Dutch Smerna Fleet then coming home richly laden should be seised before any War with Holland Declared perhaps the most pernicious and dishonourable Act that ever Prince was put upon by his Ministers dilenda est Carthago and from whence this poor Kingdom may justly date all its late Miseries and Distractions For hereby was the Peace of all Christendome Disturbed This hath occasioned the loss of some hundred thousands of Christian lives Exhausted the Treasure of England as well as all Europe besides weakned the Protestant Interest throughout the World and strangly advanced the Growth and Power of France helpt him in all his late Conquests and made him at this day who is the Common and Grand Enemy to the Protestant Religion a terrour to all Nations about him as well as a most cruel Persecutor of all his Protestant Subjects at home of whose miseries and intollerable sufferings we have every day fresh Instances before our Eyes Whilst these Gentlemen who gave His Majesty these Advises were in his Councils and Prerogative Royal proved subservient to their private Interests it could never be thought high enough tho now they are of opinion as appears by their Actions it can never be too low nor too much exposed and brought in contempt Who was it that declared the Prerogative of the King to be Law and not only the Law but the principal part of the Law and his Royal Edicts above Law Who was it that before the sitting of the Parliament advised the Issuing of Writs for the Electing New Members to serve in the House of Commons in the rooms of those Deceased during their recess and when the Parliament met and the Commons had Voted those Elections void and ordered new Writs to be Issued for the choice of others in the rooms of those so unduly Elected and Returned Who was it that for some days refused to Seal the same declaring it to be an Intrenchment upon Prerogative and when obliged thereto by His Majesties possitive Commands went home and turned his back upon the Sealers whilst the Seal was affixing to those Writs to the end as he said that his Eyes might never behold Prerogative trampled upon by a House of Commons I shall forbear to name any persons it being fresh in every mans memory that took any kind of notice of publick transactions who were then our Premier Ministers of State and took mighty care to maintain Prerogative and advance it to the height the better to improve the same to their own Advantage But no sooner upon the Adresses of the House of Commons had His Majesty resolved to Cancel the before Mentioned Declaration and Issue out Writs for new Elections then one of those Noble Peers finding he could not deswade the King as he Endeavoured from Complying with his Parliament therein aplyed to the Commons Rigled himself into their Cabals and by subtil Insinuations stopt the Impeachment designed against him in Parliament for such his Pernitious Councels Which done he presently fell to work and plaid his Exploits in the House of Lords where being one day Privately Charged with high Ingratitude in having deserted his Master his Lordship made answer It was the King that had left him by departing from his Declaration and not he the King and Immidiately with some other Lords closed with the Mobile set up for Populer Interest and Endeavour'd in all parts of the Kingdom to possess the People with Prejudice to His Majesties Royal Person and Government on pretence that his Majesty really designed to Introduce Arbitrary Power and Popery amongst them and that they for opposing the same were removed from his Councels and all places of Trust when as if any such Intreagues were then on foot they had been the first advisers and cheif promoters thereof By these and other such like false Suggestions they fomented differences between the King and his People Created in them Jealosies and Distrusts of each other prevented the Parliaments giving His Majesty the Suplies necessary for Enabling of him to have Joyned his Arms with those of the States General and their Allyes which he declared himself ready to have done for preventing the further Growth of the Power of France and yet all that while alarmed and frightned the Subjects with daily Printing and Spreading abroad Pamphlets wherein they Represented how dangerous a Condition they were in by reason of the Increase of that Kings Power with whom they seemingly prest His Majesty to make War tho' certainly they never Intended he should so doe for if they had they would have Endeavoured to have gotten him the Sinues thereof To witt Money wherewith to have defrayd the Charge thereof and not used all their Art and Skill as they did to hinder him from the same By way of degression give me leave here to offer two Questions to serious Considerations First wither those who advised His Majesty to break the Triple League Seiz the Dutch Smirna Fleet before a War with Holland was declared Suspend all his Penal Lawes stop payments out of his Exchequer and Joine his Arms with those of the French King against the States General of the United Provinces may not reasonably and without breach of Charity be suspected to have been at the time of such advice given Pentioners of France and whether if any thing done since His Majesties most happy Restauration ever had any tendency towards the Introducing of Arbitrary Power and Popery into this Kingdom It was not His Majesties proceedings upon those Councils 2ly His Mejesty upon the Adresses and advice of his Parliament
having Resolved to depart from the aforesaid Councils cancel his Declaration Issue out Writs for new Elections withdraw his Arms from the French Kings assistance and send them in Ayde to the States Genreral of the United provinces for preventing the further Growth of the power of France whether those Persons who ever since have made it their business to devide between the King and his Subjects and prevent the Parliaments giving him when he desired 600000 l. to have Enabled him in time to have Joined his forces with those of the States Generall and their Allyes for the End before mentioned may not as reasonably and with as litle breach of Charity as the former be suspected to be French Pentioners The first Designing only to advance France by bringing Holland Low and these Contriving how to keep Holland under by hindring His Majesty from Assisting them for the pulling down the power of France If the latter may be Equally suspected with the former I am sure all who have taken any kind of notice of the Transactions of Affairs amongst us for this Eight or Nine Years past must needs know who they are that have been guilty of both But to Proceed Whilst these Noble Lords were in Power and one of them either as Chancellor of the Exchequor or one of the Lords Commissionors of his Majesty's Treasury had the almost sole manadgery and dispose of every Branch of His Majesties Revenue No Sum of Mony could be granted the King by his Parliament that by them was Esteemed sufficient a Million and half Two Millions and half at a time signified little But no sooner were they Dischardged from their Ministration then the Cry every where set about by them was You Free-holders of England you Gentlemen of the House of Commons have a care what you do keep close your Purses if you give Mony you are undone Prerogative will be advanced too high Arbitrary Power and Popery will certainly be set up and the Subjects thereby Enslaved like those of France as if Prerogative Power though Vested in the King's Person were not to be Exercis'd by himself but by his Premier Ministers and as if there were no persons in England fit to be made such Ministers or to be Intrusted with the Exercise of that Power save only they who for the Reasons aforesaid His Majesty had thought fit to remove from their Trust and out of His Concils This amongst simple Honest people gained belief was lookt upon as wholsom Council the which they Imbraced with thankfulness and diligently persued every where agreeing to instruct their Representatives in Parliament to this purpose and upon the choice of the three last Parliaments chose sew or none to Represent them but such as they were assured would pursue this their Direction which accordingly hitherto hath been done Now give me leave in short to account the Sad Consequences that have Insued upon these Evil Practices His Majesty for want of Supplies necessary which these false and subtle Insinuations put into the Ignorant Peoples Heads kept from him hath hitherto been rendered uncapable of carrying on the War against France which the Parliament still prest for and His Majesty promised to have begun and would have vigorously pursued if they would have given him 600000 l. when he desired it the which they refused to doe neither have they since given him any Mony but what by the Act that gave it was appropriated to particular Services The Consideration of this gave Courage to the French and so disheartned the Dutch that they for their own preservation were obliged to agree a Peace without the consent of their Confiderates who since have been necessitated to enter into the same though to the unspeakable Dammage of Christendom For hereby was the Confideracy broken between the Emperor Spaniard Dane Hollander and all the Princes of the Rhine By this the Duke of Brandenburgh was obliged to deliver up all his Conquests in Pomerania and Bremen which had cost him so dear By this means the Confiderates Army for want of Mony hath since been most of it Disbanded whilst the French Army with his Immence Revenue is still kept on foot and daily Increased to the Terror of all Europe The Incursions he hath since made upon Flanders Alsace Strasburg and Cazal the Keys into Germany and Italy hath Alarmed all parts of the World none knowing where he will design next nor what places he will Demand as Dependences belonging to his new Conquests I know this is all Charged upon our present Ministers as the effect of their Male Administrations and the People are laboured hard to believe the same But in my Oppinion all these Mischiefs proceed from and are the ill Effects of the afore-mentioned Evil Councils which the King so long since had given him and were put in practice as aforesaid and proceed chiefly from the Male-contentedness of some of the Persons that gave those Councils who being used to Govern and now removed from all places of Trust know not how to Obey and sit quiet therefore endeavor to Confound all His Majesties Councils break all his Measures and obstruct all Proceedings for Publick Good in hopes to oblige His Majesty to a necessity of Restoring them to His Favor and their former Trust as not being able to Mannage the Government without them I cannot say these are the sole occasions of our present Mischiefs for there are a sort of men about the City and all over England in every County of Turbulent Spirits Active Minds Subtle Wits little Fortunes and less Consciences Credit or Reputation sufficiently Debauch'd and Vitious in their Principles and Conversations these are found out and made use of by the French are Pentionors to that King and Imployed to fall in with our own Male-contents and seemingly to take their parts these run from place to place tell the Danger the Kingdom is in of Popery and Arbitrary Power and of the Plot on foot to destroy the King and Protestant Religion and what Danger the Protestants are in of being Massacred these Improve their Interest with the Knights Citizens and Burgesses in every Parliament to hinder giving any Mony least they Inslave the Kingdom thereby these Roar about Streets and at every Coffee-House and in all Companies they come into what Danger the Protestant Religion is already in and that it will certainly be Destroyed if ever a Popish Successor should happen in England flock like Bees to the Court of Request when our â—arliament sits bussing in the Ears of our Representatives That there is no way to be secured but by passing an Act for Secluding His Royal Highness the Duke of York from ever Inheriting let him now or hereafter be of what Religion he will the Imperial Crown of this Realm which for the Three last Parliaments hath been vigorously Endeavored and with success to their Designs by having hindred all other Affairs and prevented all Remedies for settling and composing our present Differences and securing us
notwithstanding thereof after lived to sway the Scepter in this Kingdom I know but they will tell you they designed to have seconded this Bill with another for an Association whereby to have enabled the People to keep the Duke out by Force and perhaps they would have been as angry and uneasy to if that had not past which if it had then might they have presently Dethron'd His Majesty the present Possessor of the Crown and that with as much ease and Justice as they can hinder his Royal Brother from Succeeding him and thereby Intaile a War Domestick and Foreign upon the Kingdom Pray Consider whoever sets up against his Royal Highness's Title must have at least Fifty Thousand Horse and Foot constantly in Arms to Defend himself and keep the Crown on his Head for the Duke is an Excellent Soldier a Gentleman of Personal Valor and Resolution a Prince of great Conduct and Interest beloved both abroad and at home therefore cannot want Supplies from his Friends here or the Aid of Foreign Princes at least of those who are Allied to him to assist him in recovering his Right which perhaps may Intail upon us another War for Fifty Years and the Miseries attending the same such as that formerly between the Two Houses of York and Lancaster and if such an Army must be raised though no War happen must not the People of England pay them and what that will cost or what Arbitrary Power that Prince may set up that hath such an Army at his Devotion I leave to Judgment Consider if those that advise to this Course of Procedure be Friends to their Countrey and the Protestant Religion take care to preserve the Liberty and Property of the Subject or rather whether they are not such as put us upon Methods to destroy them all lay us open to Arbitrary Power as we were in the time of the late Horrid Rebellion and to all the Plunderings Freequarters Taxes of 60000 l. per Month as was raised by Oliver and his Council without a Parliament Sequestrations Decimations Imprisonments Banishments c. God knows how many Mischiefs more may ensue upon such Force being raised and maintained as a standing Army amongst us as is absolutely necessary to be kept on Foot if the Succession be altered I cannot believe any honest man who is really a Protestant Loyal to the King loves his Countrey and desires its Interest Happiness and Peace especially if he lived in the times of the late Intestine War and beheld the Miseries the Nation then groaned under can or will if he has any Estate or Trade ever desire a change of Government in England or a necessity of having a standing Army to support that Government which necessarily this Bill desired for altering the Succession must have therefore none but some few Male-contents or such as desire the Destruction of the Protestant Religion will pursue the same any further Having done with this point and shown how rediculous it is for men to distract their minds with the fear or apprehension of His Majesties Governing Arbitrarily I proceed to the Second thing proposed and hope to demonstrate by reason That we are in as little danger of Popery prevailing howbeit a Popish Successor hereafter should happen to Inherit the Imperial Crown of this Realm Before I enter upon this give me leave for my own Justification and to prevent being Censured by the Reader Solemnly to Declare in the presence of Almighty God and the whole World That I am a Protestant and have been bred up in that Religion from my Youth I am so far from being a Papist that to my remembrance I never was in any Parish Church Chappel or other Place where Mass was said or the Popish Religion Exercised during such Service being performed I have an equal Love and Esteem for all Protestants though of different perswasions so that they be Conscientious and Religious and submit to Government and I would have them allowed all Liberty so long as they use it not to the Disturbance of publick Peace or the Government of Church and State therefore hope a Charitable Interpretation will be made of what is here offered to Consideration since I argue not out of any approbation to the Popish Religion or desire of its being Establish'd here or to live to see a Popish King Reign over us nor out of any prejudice to any Protestant Dissenter but meerly to quiet the minds of those who distract themselves with Jealousies of Poperies over-running the Kindom if ever a Popish Successor should Reign over us knowing how dangerus it may be to the Protestant Religion for Protestants to be misled by such Idle Perswasions Suppose such a Popish Successor should happen the Question then will be Whether that Prince or his Subjects will suffer most I am of oppinion that a Prince of that Religion will find himself very uneasie and Reign with great difficulty over the English and Scotch Nations whatever he may do over Ireland there being in the Two former One Hundred Protestants for One Papist though in Ireland perhaps there is Ten Papists for one Protestant and yet even in that Kingdom will it not be in his Power to Establish the Romish Religion or Invade his Subjects Liberty and Property much less to hurt us in England in either of these particulars It hath been observed in History that Princes of the weakest Titles have always yeilded to the best Laws complying with their People and compounding with them for the Government If a Popish Prince ever happen to Reign in England though he be Right and Lawful Heir both by Birth and Succession yet will his Religion render him suspected by his People of having a design to change theirs and invade their Properties consisting much in Abby and Monastery Land so they will always keep him as uneasie as they can and never give him Revenue sufficient to maintain such Power and Force as shall endanger them And when the King to whom I beseech Almighty God to great a long Life and happy Reign shall happen to Die his whole Revenue excepting about 450000 l. per Annum Determines with him so that if his Royal Highness survive him and be King he will not with all his own present Revenue joined to that of the Crown have above 550000 l. per Annum How can any rational man then believe that with that Revenue he will be able to raise and maintain such Force as must necessarily be kept on foot for his own Security if he goes about to change the Government or alter the Religion of the Kingdom Establish'd by Law Our present King though he hath had a Revenue of Two Millions or a Million and half Yearly and now had above a Million per Annum never yet attempted such alteration and shall the Duke of York supposing he had a Will to do it which I am confident he neither hath ever had nor will have be able to Establish Arbitrary Government or Popery with