Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	church_n	faith_n	teach_v	4,044	5	6.3549	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A43880	Historical collections, or, A brief account of the most remarkable transactions of the two last Parliaments consisting of I. The speeches, votes, accusations, addresses, and article of impeachment, &c., II. The bills of association, exclusion, and repeal of 35 Eliz. &c., III. The several informations, messages, narratives, orders, petitions, protestation of the Lords, and resolves of both Houses, etc., IV. The tryal and sentence of William Howard Lord Viscount of Stafford in Westminster Hall, his speech and execution on the scaffold at Tower Hill with many other memorable passages and proceedings of the two last Parliaments, held and dissolved at Westminster and Oxford, V. A perfect list of each Paraliament, VI. His Majesty's declaration, shewing the causes and reasons that moved him to dissolve the two last Parliaments.		1682 (1682)	Wing H2100; ESTC R32032	89,184	314

adtunc ibidem recipiatis ipsum sic in custodia vestra existentem statim usque usualem Locum super le Tower-hill ductatis Ac Caput ipsius Willi. Vicecomitis Stafford adtunc ibidem amputari ac à Corpore suo omnino separari faciatis aliquo Judicio Lege Ordinatione seu Mandato preantea habit ’ fact ’ ordinat ’ seu dat ’ in contrarium non obstante Et hoc sub periculo incumbente nullatenus omittatis Teste meipso apud Westm decimo octavo die Decembris Anno Regni nostri tricesimo secundo BARKER Englished thus CHARLES the Second by the Grace of God of England Scotland France and Ireland King Defender of the Faith c. To the Sheriffs of London and Sheriffs of Middlesex Greeting Whereas William Viscount Stafford has been Impeached by the Commons of our Kingdom of England in Parliament Assembled of High Treason and other Crimes and Offences by him perpetrated and committed And thereupon by the Lords Temporal in our present Parliament conven'd was try'd convicted and in due Form of Law attainted and is adjudg'd to die of which Judgment Execution yet remains to be done We charge and by these Presents firmly conjoyning command you That in and upon the 29 th Day of this Instant December between the hours of Nine and Eleven before Noon of the same Day that the said Viscount Stafford without the Gate of our Tower of London then and there to be to you deliver'd as by another Writ to the Lieutenant of our Tower of London directed we have given Command you then and there receive into your Custody and him so being in your Custody that you presently conduct to the usual place upon Tower-hill and cause the Head of him William Viscount Stafford then and there to be chop'd off and altogether separated from his Body any Judgment Law Ordinance or Command before had made ordain'd or given to the contrary notwithstanding And of this upon penalty thereof to ensue you are not to fail Witness our selves at Westminster the 18 th day of December in the 32 d. year of our Reign Upon Wednesday the 29 th of December about Ten of the Clock in the Morning the Sheriffs received the Prisoner from the Lieutenant of the Tower and conducted him to the Scaffold Upon which the Prisoner being come after a short pause produc'd a Paper out of his Pocket which contain'd the following Speech which he read with his Hat off and gave several Copies thereof Signed with his own Hand to Sheriff Cornish and other Gentlemen about him THE SPEECH OF WILLIAM HOWARD Late Lord Viscount Stafford Vpon the Scaffold on Tower-Hill immediately before his Execution Wednesday Decemb. 29. 1680. BY the permission of Almighty God I am this day brought hither to suffer Death as if I were guilty of High Treason I do most truly in the presence of the Eternal Omnipotent and All-knowing GOD protest upon my Salvation That I am as Innocent as it is possible for any man to be so much as in a Thought of the Crimes laid to my Charge I acknowledge it to be a particular Grace and Favour of the Holy Trinity to have given me this long Time to prepare my self for Eternity I have not made so good use of that Grace as I ought to have done partly by my not having recollected my self as I might have done and partly because not only my Friends but my Wife and Children have for several dayes been forbid to see me but in the presence of one of my Warders This hath been a great Trouble and Distraction unto me but I hope God of his Infinite Mercy will pardon my Defects and accept of my good Intentions Since my long Imprisonment I have considered often what could be the Original Cause of my being thus accused since I knew my self not culpable so much as in a Thought and I cannot believe it to be upon any other Account than my being of the Church of Rome I have no reason to be ashamed of my Religion for it teacheth nothing but the Right Worship of God Obedience to the King and due Subordination to the Temporal Laws of the Kingdom And I do submit to the Articles of Faith believed and taught in the Catholick Church believing them to be most consonant to the Word of God And whereas it hath so much and often been objected that the Church holds That Sovereign Princes Excommunicated by the Pope may by heir Subjects be Deposed and Murdered as to the Murder of Princes I have been taught as a matter of Faith in the Catholick Faith that such Doctrine is diabolical horrid and detestable and contrary to the Law of God Nature and Nations and as such from my Heart I renounce and abominate it As for the Doctrine of deposing Princes I know some Divines of the Catholick Church hold it but as Able and Learned as they have writ against it But it was not pretended to be the Doctrine of the Church that is any point of Catholick Faith Wherefore I do here in my Conscience declare That 't is my true and real Judgment That the same Doctrine of deposing Kings is contrary to the Fundamental Laws of this Kingdom injurious to Sovereign Power and consequently would be in me or any other of his Majesties Subjects impious and damnable I believe and profess that there is one God one Saviour one Holy Catholick Church of which through the Mercy Grace and Goodness of God I die a Member To my great and unspeakable Grief I have offended God in many things by many great Offences but I give him most humble thanks not in any of those Crimes of which I was accused All the Members of either House having liberty to propose in the House what they think fit for the Good of the Kingdom accordingly I proposed what I thought fit the House is judge of the fitness or unfitness of it and I think I never said any thing that was unfitting there or contrary to the Law and use of Parliaments for certainly if I had the Lords would as they might have some way punished me So t am not culpable before God or Man It is much reported of Indulgences Dispensations Pardons to Murder Rebell Lye Forswear and commit such other Crimes held and given in the Church I do here profess in the Presence of God I never learned believed or practised any such things but the contrary and I speak this without any Equivocation or Reservation whatsoever And certainly were I guilty either my self or knew of any one that were guilty whosoever that were so of any of those Crimes of which I am accused I were not only the greatest Fool imaginable but a perfect Mad-man and as wicked as any of those that so falsly have accused me if I should not discover any ill Design I knew in any kind and so upon discovery save my Life I having so often had so fair occasions proposed unto me and so am guilty

of the way That in Rome he saw Colemans Letters and read them once a Month wherein he gave Intelligence of several Passages that happened in the Court how that the Duke the Queen and the cheif of the Nobility were of their side How they carried Matters what waies the Lord Clifford and Sir William Godolphin used to effect the work and that they did not Question but to get the Lord Treasurer Danby on their side That coming into England he found the Popish Clergy of England of the same Opinion that they did not doubt the Romish Religion would soon come in That he knew nothing as to the Lord Stafford but only that one Smith wrote a Letter up to the Lord Stafford out of the North near where he lived to complain of two or three Justices of the Peace that were active against Popery Upon which Sir Henry Calverley was turned out of Commission That upon the first Glimpses of the discovery the aforesaid Smith writing to the Prisoner whether he intended to make over his Estate or no The Prisoners Answer was That several did but he would not in regard he expected a sudden alteration of the Government and Religion Mr Dugdale being called next upon the General Plot gave an accompt That he had been acquainted with a design for bringing in the Popish Religion about Fifteen years That he had been several times informed by Ewers his Ghostly Father that several Lords in several Parts of England were to carry it on that is that they were to have Money and Arms ready for those that wanted upon the death of the King That he had seen several Letters from Paris Rome and St. Omers encouraging Mr. Ewers to goe on and encourage the rest that were engaged That he heard nothing till lately about Killing the King That there came a Letter from the Prisoner to Ewers to shew that things went on all well beyond Sea and hoped they did so here That of late he had been with several Priests and Gentlemen in the Countrey when they have had Consultations for introducing their own Religion and taking away the Kings Life which was alwaies intended to be effected either in November December or January 1678. That he received 500 l. at one time which he gave to Mr. Ewers who return'd it to London to carry on the design That it was agreed that the Lord Aston Sir James Symons and others should go in October 1678. to dispose of a certain Quantity of Arms which they had received somwhere to the value of 30000 l. That he was by when he heard it discours'd that the King of France was acquainted with the design and that he had promis'd to furnish the Papists with Men and that he would not be wanting with other Assistances That he opened a Letter sent to Mr. Ewers dated the day of Sir Edmund-Bury Godfrey's Murder containing this Expression This night Sir Edmund-Bury Godfrey is dispatched That Sir James Symonds the Lord Aston Mr. Draycot Mr. Howard and Mr. Gerard did to his knowledge contribute toward the carrying on of the charge for raising Arms and paying for them and saw Letters from beyond Seas that all things were ready as to the Arms and that there wanted only Orders how they should be dispos'd That Mr. Gawen declared in the private Chappel at Boscobel that whosoever was active for introducing the Romish Religion or killing the King should have a free Pardon of all his sins That he had heard that when the King should be kill'd several should be provided with Arms and rise of a suddain upon the Protestants and cut their Throats That he had heard of Mr. Oates and Bedlow before the Plot was detected that they were Messengers entrusted but no otherwise That he saw a Letter from Whitebread to Oates cautioning him whom he entrusted in the design not mattering who they were so they were stout and trusty That he heard the Pope had promised to assist the Irish with Men and Money and that there should be nothing wanting on his part Mr. Prance being next called declared That one Singleton a Priest in the year 1678. told him at one Hall's a Cook in Ivy-Lane that he did not fear but in a little time to be a Priest in a Parish-Church and that he would make no more to stab forty Parliament Men than to eat his Dinner Dr. Oates being called declared That in the year 1676. he was advised by one Kemish and one Singleton both Priests to hasten betimes home to the Church of Rome for that the Protestant Religion was upon its last Legs That being sent by the Jesuites to Valladolid he opened certain Letters which the Jesuites in England had given him to deliver to their Cor-respondents which Letters did express what hopes they had to effect their design in England for carrying on the Catholick cause and for advancing the Interest of the Pope of Rome That Coming into England with Letters to Strange Provincial of the Jesuites he found Keines lying ill upon Strange's Bed at what time Keines said he was sorry that honest William meaning Grove that was hang'd had miscarryed All this in the year 1677. But generally that they had been brooding over their design long before the Fire In 1678. He observed by several Letters that they were as busie in Ireland as in England and that the Talbots and others were very busie in raising Forces and were resolved to let in the French King if the Parliament should urge the King to break with France And that Morgan was sent into Ireland as a Visitor to take an accompt of the readiness of the Irish That in March intelligence came to the Jesuites of an Attempt that had been made upon the King but that he had escaped through the negligence of Pickering in fixing the Flint of his Fire-lock Mr. Dennis an Irish man being then sworn confirm'd Dr. Oats's being in Spain and particularly at Valladolid where he knew him a Student That from thence he carried a Letter from him to the Archbishop of Tuam who in discourse told him that Oats would be a fit man for their Purpose saying farther that Plunket the Titular Primate of Ireland was resolv'd with the first convenience to go for Ireland to carry over a French Power with him to support the Roman Catholicks in England and Ireland and that he himself would not be long out of Ireland to assist in that pious work That he had both heard of and seen money gathered in Ireland for the support of the Plot. Then Mr. Jenison declared that he had heard Mr. Ireland and Mr. Jenison both Jesuits speak of a Design on foot to gain a Toleration by procuring a great sum of Money from their Party and bribing the Parliament and also of securing the D. or York's Succession That at another time he heard Mr. Ireland say that the Roman Catholick Religion was like to come into England and that there was but one stood in the way and that it

was an easy thing to poyson the King That at another time his Brother Jennison told him that there was a design in England so laid that it could not be easily discover'd and that the greatest Papists and the greatest Catholicks in England were in the design That there was an Army to be rais'd to bring in the Catholick Religion And that at another time one Mr. Cuffil a Jesuite declared that he thought Mr. Coleman infatuated to give notice to Harcourt Ireland and Fenwick to burn their Papers upon the discovery of the Plot and not to burn his own Then the Clerk of the Lords Comittee delivered in the several Attainders and Judgments enter'd upon Records upon the Conviction of Coleman Langhorn and the rest And upon the motion of Mr. Treby the Attainder of Mr. Coleman was openly read in Court in regard there was more of special matter in that than in any of the rest more especially among many other things mentioning his proceeding in Relation to the carrying on of the Plot viz. his trayterous Correspondence with La Chese the King of France's Confessor and with Monsieur Rovigni the French King's Envoy in England for the bringing in of a Forrein Force to carry on the design After which the Court adjourned The next day being Wednesday the first of Decemb. The Court being sat the Witnesses were called to give in their particular Evidence against the Prisoner of whom the first was Mr. Dugdale who being sworn declared That at a meeting at Tixall either at the latter end of August or beginning of September in the Year 1678 where several were present the business of that meeting was to debate and determin upon their former Resolutions both beyond Sea and at London before both to take away the Life of the King and Introduce the Popish Religion wherein they came at that time to a full Conclusion and that the Prisoner was there present and did with the rest consent to it That at another time coming from Stafford to Tixal to Mass he made his Complaint to the Evidence that it was a sad thing the Papists could not say their Prayers but in a hidden manner but that ere long if things took Effect the Romish Religion would be Established That at another time the Prisoner sending for him to his Chamber commended his fidelity and for his taking away the life of the King offered him 500 l. for his Charges and Encouragement and that he should go to London with him and be under his care That the Prisoner giving the reasons at another time of his being such an Enemy to the King was because he had been a great sufferer for the King but not taken notice of but that rather Traytors and Rebels were rewarded Which was enough were not Religion in the case which was of a higher Nature That the Prisoner had told him that in case he did kill the King he should have a free pardon for it the King being an Excomunicated Traytor and an Enemy to Jesus Christ That he saw a Letter under the Prisoners hand to this Effect That all things went well for carrying on the design and so he hoped they did here Dr. Oates being sworn declared That while he was in Spain he met with several Letters signed Stafford wherein he assured the Jesuites that were of the Irish Nation how Zealous he would be in promoting the Catholick design In other Letters the Prisoner blamed Colemans openness and for Communicating great Secrets to Men of whose fidelity his Lordship was not secure That in the Month of June 1678. The Prisoner came to Mr. Fenwick's Chamber and there received a Commission from him to pay an Army or as near as the Dr. could remember to be paymaster General of the Army assuring Fenwick that he was going into Staffordshire and did not question but to give a good accompt how affairs stood not doubting but at his return Grove should do the business Mr. Turbervile upon his oath declared That being Cast off by his Relations for refusing to enter into Popish Orders he was put to shift for himself to which purpose he went beyond Sea to seek for imployment That having spent some time at Paris without success and being upon his Return into England he was recommended to the Prisoner then at Paris who beeng informed of his Condition after he had been with his Lordship some time told him there was a way whereby he might not only retrieve his Reputation with his Relations but make himself a happy Man and at length after many Obligations to secrecy told him the King was a Heretick and a Rebel against God Almighty and that it was to take away his life To this the Prisoner made first a general reply That he looked upon the House of Commons as the great Representative Body of the Commons of England and to be accused by them was such a load which so afflicted him that he was scarce able to bear up under it Which with other things had so disorder'd his sence and reason that he scarce knew how to chear himself to their Lordships as he ought to do and therefore with all Humility begged their Lordships pardon if he said that which might give offence or urged any thing that might not be to the purpose That he looked upon Treason to be the Greatest sin in the world That as to the Doctrine of King-killing and absolving persons from their Allegiance he could not say the Church of Rome did hold it he never heard so it may be it did it may be not But that there was an English College of Priests at Rhemes that in their Annotations upon the Fourteenth Chapter of the Epistle to the Romans declared their dislike and detestation of this Opinion and that the Doctors of the College at Sorbonne owned it to be a damnable Principle And that for his own part he did in the presence of Almighty God solemnly declare that he detested any such Opinion as he did Damnation to himself That the Mannagers began their Charge with telling their Lordships that there was a horrid design to Murder the King c. wherein the Roman Catholicks and all the Church of Rome were concerned but how did that concern him for that they had not offered one Proof that he was of that Religion That he was accused of having endeavour'd to kill the King But that all accusations of Treason ought to be accompanied with circumstances Antecedent Concomitant and Subsequent And the whole Compass of his life had been otherwise That in the beginning his late Majesty had made him a Peer That in the beginning of the war he retired into Flanders whence afterwards he came into England ond served his Majesty Loyally and faithfully and that he waited upon the present King in his Exile That after he heard of the discovery of the Plot had he known himself Guilty he had a fair opertunity to have run away That he was offered the Kings Pardon if he

whether he ever saw Dugdale alone in his Life He answered Never in his Life To which the Lord High Steward replied Why you saw them together that Morning you brought them to the Chamber But to shew that it was not such an unusual thing for Dugdale and the Prisoner to be alone two Witnesses were brought for the King Hanson and Ansel who swore that they had seen them more than once alone in private Discourse together The next thing the Prisoner endeavoured to prove was that Mr. Dugdale ran away from the Lord Aston's for Debt to which purpose he call'd Thomas Sawyer who attested the same and that he heard him say he would be reveng'd of the Lord Aston if ever it lay in his Power And farther that he took a Glass of Drink in his presence and wish'd it might be his Damnation and Poyson if he knew any thing of the Plot. To the first Objection it was sworn that the Discourse of the Country was that he went away for fear of the Plot and three Justices of the Peace affirm'd that he was apprehended upon Suspition of being in the Plot who therefore tender'd him the Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy which he took Others swore that Mr. Dugdale endeavour'd to come to an Accompt with the Lord Aston while he was in the Tower but that the Lord Aston refus'd to speak with him and that one time Mr. Dugdale going to the Tower upon the same occasion one of the Lord Aston's Servants came where he was and paying him a great deal of Respect said he was as honest a Gentleman as ever liv'd in a Family Other Witnesses swore that being Steward to the Lord Aston there was no other person between his Lordship and him but that he was next to my Lord and governed the rest of the Family That he had always had a good Report not only with the Lord Aston's Tenants but also with the Work-men and those people that had Dependence upon the Family As for Mr. Dugdale's Denial of his knowledge of the Plot it was urged that that proceeded only from the Apprehension of the danger he was in especially before he had taken a Resolution to discover The next Objection was that he swore falsly when he said he told of the Letter about the Death of Sir Edmondbury Godfrey before it was known he was kill'd which was attested to the contrary by the persons who were sworn to be the persons acquainted with the said Letter But this was refuted by two Witnesses that swore the said persons were by when the News was told in Confirmation of which two Gentlemen of Quality swore that the Report of such a thing was spread all over the Country before it was possible for it to come by the ordinary way of Intelligence Besides that one of the Prisoner's Evidence was an Ancient deaf Man and so no wonder he should attest that he never heard of any such thing The next Objection was That he had corrupted persons to swear false against him and others Robinson Murral and Holt. As for Robinson he was prov'd by no less Persons than the Earl of Macclesfield and one Mr. Booth a Member of Parliament to be a meer Scoundrel and Cheat and one that confess'd himself to be a Rogue As for Holt he was known to be a Vicious Lewd Fellow and one that had threatned to murther the King's Evidence for coming in against the Lord Aston As for Murral who attested that Money had been offer'd him by Mr. Dugdale to swear against Sir James Simmons and Mr. Howard he was prov'd to be a poor needy Fellow that went vagabonding about the Country But besides all this in opposition to these Witnesses on the Prisoner's side in this particular other Witnesses were brought who swore that there had been Endeavours to have suborned them to swear against Mr. Dugdale of which one of them was profer'd 700 l. to take off his Evidence or destroy him which was done by one Plessington Steward to the Lord Bellasis And that at another time they found a Letter for him to subscribe for the blasting of Mr. Dugdale's Reputation His Objection to take off the Credit of Dr. Oates was this That he said he knew nothing of any other Persons engaged in the Plot and yet after that he accus'd the Queen But Sir Phillip Floyd being call'd upon by my Lord to attest this Passage could remember nothing of it The Lord Privy Seal was also desir'd to declare his Knowledge in this Matter but he remember'd nothing of it neither Neither did the Earl of Berkley remember any such thing said by the Doctor in the Council but in the Lords House he remember'd that the Doctor being ask'd the Question said he had no more to accuse in relation to England but that in Ireland he had To which it was answered that this was said after the Doctor had accus'd the Prisoner at the Bar and so could not concern him As to the Accusation of the Queen it was not positive nor of his certain Knowledge but only Circumstantial Proof And secondly it might not be then so clear at that time to the Doctor whether the Queen were a person capable of an Accusation and then again that the Answer of a Man to a suddain Question who had said so much and had so many things in his Mind should be taken so strictly and that he should be held for perjur'd because that he did not at that instant remember that particular or the Queen was a very severe Construction His next Objection against the Doctor was that he went to be of the Popish Religion and so was of that Religion which was Idolatry and being a Turn-coat from his Religion was not to be credited To which it was answered that there had been Men of Great Fame in the Church of England and of great Learning too that had changed their Religion more than once His Objections against Mr. Turbervill were that he had sworn in his Affidavit 73 and 76 for 72 and 75. But it was prov'd by Sir William Poultney that he came the next Morning before any body in the World had questioned him upon it and rectified the Mistake upon his own accord The next Objection was That Mr. Turbervill was a Coward and ran away from his Colors But to that Mr. Turbervill produc'd in Court an Honourable and Authentick Discharge from his Commander under Hand and Seal which was viewed by the Duke of Monmouth and others of the Lords without Contradiction Next he brought Furnese and Leigh again to attest that they never saw Turbervill with the Prisoner at Paris which was a Negative prov'd by his own Servants In Answer to which it was observ'd That Turberville was introduc'd by greater Confidents than they were and that it might be easie for Mr. Turbervill to come in the Company of such Persons and the Boys not take notice of him Another Objection was this That Turbervill had sworn he was not well

Speaker they resolv'd into a Committee of the whole House After which the Speaker resuming the Chair they came to several Resolves Nemine contradicente 1. That one way for the suppressing of Popery was to banish all the Considerable Papists out of England That as long as the Papists had any hopes of the D. of York's Succession both the Protestant Religion and the Lives Liberties and Properties of the King's Protestant Subjects were in Danger to be destroy'd 3. That there should be a Bill brought in for the Association of his Majesties Protestant Subjects for the Safety of King Religion and People against all Invasions or Oppositions whatsoever and to prevent the Succession of the D. of Y. or any other Papist Thursday the 16 th was spent for the most part in reading of Bills The next day being Friday the 17 th of December upon a Report by Sir William Poultney from the Committee appointed to draw up the Impeachment against Mr. Seymour the Articles of Impeachment were order'd to be Ingross'd and Mr. Seymour to be taken into Custody by the Serjant at Arms who was impowered to take Security for his forth-coming Saturday being the 18 th they took into serious Consideration his Majesties Last Speech and after some debate resolv'd that an Address should be prepar'd in answer to it Monday the 20 th produc'd nothing at that time remarkable but only the Address which was then read and agreed to and presented the next day Tuesday the 21 th of December not much more was done than upon the day before only that an Information was given into the House that one Henry Carew a Fryar of Saint Maloes in France had for several Years last past executed the Office of Surveyor of the Customes in the Port of Bristol and thereupon it was referr'd to the Committee appointed to receive Informations concerning the Plot to examine the Business and make their Report In the Afternoon they presented their Addresses to his Majesty in the Banquetting-House in Answer to his Last Speech of which the Chief Heads were these That they did gratefully acknowledge his Majesties Goodness in renewing his Assurances of his Readiness to concurr with them for the Security of the Protestant Religion but that they observ'd there was a Reservation annex'd which if insisted on would render all his other Inclinations of no Advantage to them That as to the preservation of the Succession in its Legal Course they had not endeavour'd any Interruption except only of the Descent upon the Person of the D. of York whom the Instruments of the Church of Rome had perverted to their Religion For which Reason they did represent it as the Issue of their most deliberate Thoughts That for the Papists to have their Hopes continued in the Expectation of a Popish Prince was utterly inconsistent with the Safety of his person the Preservation of the Protestant Religion and the Welfare of his people They farther represented to him the Danger of his Person from the principles of the Papists which allow the Excommunication and Deposition of Princes That the Expectation of a Popish Successor had not only encreas'd the Number of Papists in the Kingdom but also prevail'd with others to desert Protestantism that they might be prepar'd for the Favor of the Popish Prince That it had hardened the Papists of this Kingdom to make a Common purse provide Arms and sollicite the Aid of Foreign Princes to impose Popery upon the Nation That it was his Majesties Glory and true Interest to be the Protector of all Protestants both at Home and Abroad But if such Hopes should remain what Alliances could be made for his Majesties Allies and the Protestants abroad to trust to Then they laid before his Majesty the Evils that would befal from a Popish Succession The Protestant Religion would be totally overthrown The Pope would be acknowledg'd a Supreme and all things be brought under his Jurisdiction The Lives Liberties and Estates of all Protestants that value their Souls will be adjudged forfeited in regard that the Extirpation of Hereticks was used as an Argument to invite Foreign Princes to assist the Duke Farther they desir'd him to consider whether in Case the D. should attempt to Succeed whether the Opposition probable to be made against him might not endanger the Descent of the Royal Line but even Monarchy it self For which Reasons they besought his Majesty that when a Bill should be tender'd him in a Parliamentary way he would give his Royal Assent thereto and as necessary to fortifie the same that he would also assent to another Bill to enable his Protestant Subjects to associate for the Defence of his Person the Protestant Religion and the Security of the Kingdom And that as a farther Means for the Preservation of the same the Judges might be Persons of Integrity and true Zeal to the Protestant Religion and might hold their Employments only quamdiu se bene gesserint and that the Lord Lieutenants Deputie-Lieutenants and Justices of the Peace might be persons of the same Principles and all others displac'd and so likewise for the Military Officers and Commanders in the Fleet. Which Requests of theirs being granted they would be ready to assist his Majesty for the preservation of Tangier and to put the Fleet into a Condition both to preserve the Sovereignty of the Seas and defend the Nation Fa. What Answer was given to this Address Tr. You shall hear more of that in due time The two next days being the 23 d. and 24 th of December produc'd little for our purpose Only that upon the last of the two upon a Report from the Committee appointed to examine the Complaint against Mr. Thompson a Minister it was unanimously resolved by the House That the said Thompson had publickly defam'd his Majesty preach'd Sedition villify'd the Reformation and promoted Popery by asserting Popish Principles denying the Plot and turning the same upon the Protestants and that he had endeavored to subvert the Liberty and Property of the Subject and the Rights and Priviledges of Parliament and that he was a Scandal and Reproach to the Function and thereupon order'd a Committee to prepare an Impeachment against him After which the Holydays approaching the House adjourn'd till the 30 th of the same Month. Fa. Can you tell me what Mr. Thompson had done to deserve so severe a Sentence Tru. Yes Fa. Pray do then as short as you can Tru. The First Witness upon Examination at the Committee said That in a Sermon preach'd by the said Mr. Thompson upon the 30 th of Jan. 79. He publickly declar'd That the Presbyterians were persons which the Devil blush'd at and that they were worse than either Priests or Jesuits and that the Villain Hampden grudg'd more to give the King Twenty Shillings which was his due by Law for Ship-money and Loan than to raise a Rebellion against him The Second Witness said the same and added that Thompson should say He hoped the Presbyterians