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
against future Mischiefs These Pentioners are so subtle and seem by their Carriage so real fierce and violent against Arbitrary Power and Popery and Zealous for securing our Liberties and Properties that to our Misery they have gained too much Credit amongst the Gentry and down right honest Country-Protestants because what they perswade them unto at first sight seems greatly their Interest But by the little Conversation I have had with them and the best Observation I can make of their Proceedings they appear to be Jesuits or Papists in Masquerade like Watermen rowing one way and looking another French Pentionors or at least Act as such carrying on the Popish Plot apace which they so violently Decry do the French King's Drudgery promote his Designs and instead of preventing Arbitrary Power and Popery Endeavor what in them lies to Introduce and Establish both and Extirpate the Protestant Religion were it not so which I pray God every sober Protestant may see through and prevent they would never Fndeavor as they do to divide between the King and his Subjects whose Interests are so inseperable as that to separate between them is to destroy both nor create Distrust in the King of his People or in the People of their Prince the Consequence whereof will inevitably if continued be the Destruction of both Did not these Gentlemen thus design certainly they would not at this time of the Day Endeavor as they doe to widen Breaches heighten Differences and increase Animosities between Protestant and Protestant divide and subdevide them into so many several Factions and Parties but rather study how to close and make up the Breaches heal the Divisions and compose the Differences amongst them by Uniting them in Love though of different perswasions thereby to strengthen their hands against their Common Enemy the Papists Now I will Endeavor to show that these men act quite contrary and that what they are doing tends to the Interest of France the advantage of Popery and is destructive to the Protestant Interest For this purpose I lay down as my Foundation That the King of France his Grand Design is to make himself Universal Monarch of the World this he knows he can never do if the King of England and his Subjects were heartily United and did Love and durst Trust each other for that People that Love and Trust their Prince will never deny him any Supply necessary for his own Support and their Defence therefore if all those Jealousies and Fears which these sort of Caterpillars have fixed in the minds of the Subjects were removed and it were possible to undeceive them and show how they have been Imposed upon to their prejudice and that all Reports of His Majestie 's design to Invade Liberty and Property and Introduce Popery and Arbitrary Power were false then would the King have their Hearts entire to himself consequently their Purses and could never fail of sufficient Subsidies for support of his Prerogative and the Government and securing Us against all Attempts from abroad as well as at home This the King of France well knows and therefore Endeavors to prevent foreseeing that such an Union would be fatal to him for then would our King be able to stop all his Proceedings hinder not only his making farther but oblige him to vomit up all or the most part of his new made Conquests therefore his Design by these his Emissaries and Pentionors is to keep up Jealousies and Fears and to prevent all means used for Reconciliations amongst us by crying out still of the Danger of Popery how that Religion increaseth in England though they know there is not one Papist in the Kingdom for One Hundred Protestants this is done with design to oblige His Majesty for avoiding of Clamor upon himself to proceed against Jesuits and Papists at Law to Convict them of Recusancy and Seise Two Thirds of their Estates the which is prosecuted by a few covetous Persons only with design to get Devidents of their Estates to themselves By which Proceedings here the French King does his works abroad goes on to finish his Conquests takes advantage of the Prosecution of a few Papists here to make that his Example to Persecute with all Imaginable Cruelty innumerable multitudes of Protestants in France with Resolution to Extirpate that Religion out of his Dominions and if other Catholick Princes should follow his Example which God forbid it will not be long er'e his Most Christian Majesty will have finished his work made himself Universal Monarch have totally destroyed the Protestant Religion abroad which done I appeal to all good and wise men who Love England and the Protestant Religion and desire its Growth and Preservation how soon and with what Ease that King may over-run us and Extirpate that Religion from amongst us which we seem so Zealous to promote but by the wilful mistake of many I fear are Destroying Now that I may convince all honest plain hearted and well meaning Protestants that there are a sort of Persons amongst them who make it their business to Inveagle their heads with false and scandalous Stories thereby to possess their minds with prejudice to His Majesty and Government and that those so Employed are either all or most part of them Pentioners of France who betake themselves to this work with design to destroy the Protestant Religion rather then to preserve it and Inslave Us and the Kingdom instead of preventing Arbitrary Government from being set up over us and that all the World may see that their Actions when laid open have no tendency to the advancement of the Protestant Interest or securing us against the Growth of Popery nor to deliver us from the Grievances they pretend the Kingdom Groans so much under give me leave to offer to your serious Considerations these few following Particulars First If they designed to promote the Protestant Religion and did heartily desire its flourishing in England certainly they would then consider the miserable Condition of the poor Protestants in France what Cruelties they Endure and that would beget such Pity and Compassion towards those as would put them upon Petitioning His Majesty for Mercy to the few Papists in England and to stop their Convictions upon their present Prosecutions for some time rather then to suffer multitudes of Protestants and that Religion to be Destroyed abroad meerly to Inrich themselves by receiving shares of the Estates of Papilts Convicted here such Pity would be more acceptable to God more agreeable to the Spirit of a true Protestant more for the Honour of that Religion and in the End prove as advantagious to their private Interests in this World Did these busie Gentlemen I speak of design good to England desire its Prosperity or to promote the Protestant Interest and had believed the Kingdom in such danger of Popery and Arbitrary Power or that the Subjects had suffered under such Grievances as they Endeavor to represent to the People Then certainly ever since their apprehension of
550000 l. per Annum It is in my poor Judgment only altogether impossible Object I allow the Duke with such a Revenue cannot hurt us but the French King having at least Two Hundred Thousand men in Arms and a Revenue sufficient to pay them and being obliged to keep those Armies Imployed abroad to prevent their Rebelling at home he is so Zealous for Establishing Popery thoughout Christendom and Rooting out Heresie that for premoting so Meritorious a Work he will Supply our King if a Papist with Arms and Mony sufficient to carry on that Design with Success here Answ It is great folly to Imagine that the French King who knows his own Interest though it be true he neither wants Men or Mony to carry on any Design he undertakes should assist our King with either for the Uniting him and his Subjects under Arbitrary Power or any one Religion whatsoever tho Popery it self both being Destructive to his Interests and a putting Power in the hand of our King to break all that Kings Measures and prevent his making himself Universal Monark than which nothing is more by him desired and endeavoured For if once the King of England and his People were United under either the French King knows he will be able to give check to all his further prosecution of that design therefore tho he may and I believe does spend a hundred thousand pounds per annum in paying Pentioners Imployed by him or his Ministers to devide between the King and his Subjects which being his Interest to have done he will spare no charge that may Contribute to the doing thereof yet would he not give 20000 l. to make our King absolute or Unite him and his People under any one Religion whatsoever tho Popery it self For he is a wise Prince studies his Interest knows how he parts from his Mony and will dispose of none to carry on any design that may turne to his prejudice than which nothing in the World can be a greater than to have the King and his Subjects United What hurt then can his Royal Highness do his Subjects if he Succeed his Brother since there will not be left when the King dies Revenue sufficient to support the necessary Expence of his Royal Family and Government without Supplies from abroad or at home and if no Forrain Prince but the French King can and that King will not Supply him must he not then immediately call a Parliament must not the People chuse that Parliament will the People of England awakened as they now are and then will be with Fears and Jealousies of the Danger of Popery coming in upon them and loosing their Estates consisting of Abby and Monastery Lands chuse any Members to serve in those Parliaments but such as they can trust and depend upon to provide for the Security of their Livers Liberties Religion and Properties or will those Parliaments when met being equally concerned in Interest with their Electors ever give such Popish Successor any Revenue to hurt or destroy their own Interest It is Nonsence to believe they will give him a Groat till they have provided for their own and the Kingdoms security in all these particulars and they know not his Royal Highness that have so ill an opinion of him as to believe him so Irroligious so weak of Judgment or void of understanding his own Interest as to accept the Crown take the Coronation Oath if he resolve not to keep and observe the same by Governing according to Law and securing his Subjects in Peace by preserving to them their Religion as well as their Liberties and Properties His Royal Highness cannot be Ignorant of the Jealousies the Subjects of England have already of him and well knows those Jealousies will certainly increase when he comes to the Crown therefore must expect when he calls a Parliament that that Parliament when it meets will certainly tell him That having left our Church and Declared himself thereby a Papist he cannot be Trusted with the Disposing any Ecclesiastical Promotions or with any Sum of Mony that may Endanger the Kingdom by assisting the Papists nor will they suffer Persons of that Religion to come near him or his Court to Influence his Councils as we vainly Imagine So that in my poor Opinion The Kingdom under such a Prince may obtain such Laws and other Conditions for securing their Religion Liberties and Properties before they give any Mony as they would never dare to propose to or could ever hope for or expect from a King of our own Religion Besides no man that hath common sence whatsoever he says to the contrary can believe that ever his Royal Highness if he be of another Religion then that professed in this Kingdom can if he should live to wear the smperial Crown of his Realm ever hurt us though he should Design so to doe For being of a Religion to which the Generality of his Subjects have a great Aversion and Antipathy and having but a small Revenue an Inconsiderable Party and that Party Fettered with Laws and the whole Kingdom Alarmed and for their own Security Armed and in a posture to defend themselves it will be impossible for him to subdue such a Nation in such a Condition and under such Jealousies and Circumstances Nor will he be able to break through the Laws made for the Defence of our Religion more then he will to Violate those made for Security of our Liberties and Properties If after all this we shall persist in our folly and close with nothing offered except an Act for Excluding his Royal Highness go along with it then of all Nations on the face of the Earth is ours in my Opinion like to be the most Miserable For such alteration of the Succession as it is said before must be maintained by a Force and standing Army a Crown being always esteemed worth Fighting for which Force we transmit to Posterity with a desputable Title for a new Tryal of Skill like that Anciently between the Houses of York and Lancaster which every good mand must certainly Dread the thoughts of when he seriously considers that War lasted about Sixty Years cost the Kingdom its whole Treasure besides the Devastation and Destruction made throughout the same especially in the North and the many Hundred Thousands men's Lives were lost therein and yet that War was occasioned only by varying the Hand from the Children of the Duke of Clarance Third Son to the Issue of John a Gant the Fourth Legitimate Son of Henry the Fourth and no Bastardy in the Case I do not find in all my Reading that any Government throughout the World since the Reformation from Rome ever made a Law to prohibit a Successor of that Religion from Reigning over them Henry the Third of France though earnestly Impottuned by the Holy League to Exclude the King of Navar refused so to doe though that King was a Hugenot In Edward the Sixth time no Statute was made to bar a
Popish Successor then in prospect though the Reformation was in its Infancy and most Subjects were Papists so that after his Decease Queen Mary was admitted to the Crown from whom the Kingdom had little reason to expect any great Happiness rather then the Lady Jane Gray who was a Protestant and this done because they would not bring a desputable Title of the Crown upon themselves and Posterity In Queen Elizabeth's Reign which was after the severe Persecution of Queen Mary a Persecution sufficient to have begot an Eternal Hatred in the Nation of any future Popish Successor and to have Justified that Queen in passing a Law for preventing the same yet was there no positive Law made in her Reign to bar Mary Queen of Scots then alive who was a Papist and Her Majesties Lawful Successor all that then was done was by the Act of 13th of her Reign which made it Treason to say the Queen and Parliament could not dispose the Crown but they never actually disposed thereof And give me leave to say That such a President would most certainly be as dangerous to our King now as that wise Queen thought it might have been to her then for that Prince that shows his People a Method of disposing the Succession at the same time shakes the Title of his own Possession All the Instances of former Parliaments setling the Crown upon Henry the Fourth Edward the Fourth Henry the Seventh and their Issues comes not to our point at all not being done upon account of Religion but before the Reformation when all were of the Religion of the Church of Rome Those Acts therefore was made to quiet the Succession which Force had unsettled not to discompose a Rightful Succession undisturbed and to prevent that War and Blood-shed that was rational enough to believe would have followed and been the consequence of disturbing the Lawful Succession not to break in peices an acknowledged and peaceful Succession and Involve the Nation in Blood for many Generations to come they were so far from doing that that rather then the Kingdom should be Distracted with uncertain Titles an Act was past in Henry the Seventh's Reign to command Obedience from the Subject to the King De facto afterwards the Kingdom though secure was never satisfied till Henry the Seventh Married the Princess Elizabeth Daughter of King Edward the Fourth Again If matter of Opinion in Points of Religion shall be esteemed a reason of State sufficient to Exclude a Lawful Successor from his Crown then has a Prince harder measure than the meanest of his Subjects by any Law yet made and the Peace and Happiness of these Kingdoms hangs upon a very slender Thred for then if the People should design Rebellion they need only pretend a dislike of their Princes Religion to bar him from his Crown and Government I hope the Wisdom of our Parliaments will give no such advantage against Protestants to their Adversaries of Rome as that Rome shall ever have occasion to say with Truth We Protestants in England have by a Law made our Prince uncapable of Reigning because a Heretick from the Protestant Religion whilst we our selves are striving to make Rome look black and odious for that most Damnable Doctrine of theirs that Princes may be Excommunicated as hereticks afterwards deposed by the Pope so detestable a Doctrine that we make all persons that take the Oath of Allegiance Renounce and Forswear it let us therefore have a care we do not Imitate them in that Doctrine we so much Condemn Consider seriously whither such a Course will lead us and then Judg whether fit to be taken especially upon such a Contingency as this of the Dukes Surviving his Brother which perhaps may never happen but if it should he is of too great an Age now to begin such Change of Government and Religion as is suspected with any hopes of accomplishing the same in his own time if so and it be also true as it is that he is without hopes of a Successor of his own Religion to carry on such attempt by him begun the Prince of Orange and Princess and the Lady Ann being all Protestants why then should any man believe his Royal Highness so weak a Prince as to attempt such Change with so small a number of men as his Religion shall have left him which will appear so very small as not to be feared by English men when Rome shall assault their Religion and Properties and oblige them to Fight for the same That Prince be he who he will that shall at any time come into England with Popery will come in with Weakness and Inability to hurt his Subjects by any Force of his own nor will any Neigbouring Prince unless he and all his Subjects be Luniticks help to make him Absolute that being to Endanger themselves What Prince will be at Charges Exhaust his Treasure Weeken himself to Strengthen his Neighbour nor is that Prince much less then Mad that should in such a Case relye on or trust to such Neighbouring Prince for Assistance And for his own Subjects they will be more dangerous and uneasie to him then he can be to them for such Prince being without Reputation Trust and Mony at home will be without Assistance from abroad and his own Subjects will never assist him to break their own Laws well knowing no Prince ever attempted the same but the hazarded his Crown by making the Essay nor did ever any Prince Actually break through the Laws but he was Ruined and lost his Crown thereby Nor is it in the Power of the Duke of York if he Succeed his Brother to break our Laws in either of the respects feared but if ever they be broken it must be with the mutual Assent of both Prince and People assembled in Parliament for as our Law now stands no Magistrate can do any Legal or Judicial Act in any Inferior Court of Justice nor bear any publick Office Civil or Military nor accept of or be admitted into any Ecclesiastical Promotion or meet to Vote in either House of Parliament till they shall have first Renounced Popery by taking the Oaths and Test and making the Subscriptions by Law required If therefore a Popish Successor should hereafter happen to Reign over us he will find it very difficult to Repeal those Laws that Establish our Religion the Codsideration that the Subjects will always have being fresh in their Memories of the Fire and Faggot Queen Mary exercised in her Reign for the Rescueing the Popish Religion will oblige them to a stedfast Resolution never to depart from that of their own I mean the true Protestant Religion and until those Laws be Abrogated by Parliament it will be absolutely impossible for any Popish Successor to Establish Popery here If then what I have offered to Consideration be true and it shall appear impossible to Settle a Government in this Kingdom out of the Royal Family that shall continue as the late Rebellion hath
Plain Dealing IS A JEWEL AND HONESTY THE BEST POLICY Both set forth In an Answer to a Letter received by a Gentleman in London from his Friend in the Countrey Wherein is plainly demonstrated the Grounds and Reasons of our present Distractions And Methods proposed for preventing the same for the Future By a Lover of Truth and a hearty well-wisher to the Prosperity of the King and his Three Kingdoms LONDON Printed for the Author 1682. Plain Dealing IS A JEWEL AND HONESTY the best POLICY SInce the Arguments I have used for obtaining your excuse have been so far from prevailing that on the contrary you are pleased by your last positively to Command my sentiments of the Present Conjuncture of Affairs and Thoughts concerning those scandalous reports industruously spread throughout the Kingdom of His Majesties having had for many years past a design carrying on and which is still kept on foot for the Introducing Arbitrary Power setting up Popery Invading Liberty and Property and extirpating if possible the Protestant Religion Establisht by Law I shall with sincerity account to you my oJudgment and offer such Reasons as I hope will convince all sober and unbyassed Readers to be of opinion that these reports are as false as malitious having nothing of truth in them 〈◊〉 occasioned as followeth There are a sort of Malecontents amongst us most of them men of mean Fortunes turbulent and restless Spirits who design Troubles and Commotions in the Kingdome in hopes thereby to gain advantage to themselves by the miseries and sufferings of others These make it their whole business to create in the minds of the Kings Subjects Fear and Jealousies of His Majesties designing to Govern Arbitrarily Introduce Popery Extirpate the Protestant Religion and Invade Property by setting up Abbyes and Monasteries and restoring to them their Anciant Lands and Revenues now disperst into the hands of most of the Nobility and Gentry of the Kingdom In process of time by these and such like evil Practices the Ignorant and unthinking mens minds whose Capacities will neither give them leave to examine whether these Reports be true or false reasonable or unreasonable to be believed possible or impossible to be accomplished are become greatly disturbed and such jealousies are risen in them concerning the King as hath abated the fervency of their former affection to his Royal Person and their Zeal for his Service and Government occasioned such Divisions Animosities and Contentions between Subject and Subject put their Spirits upon such firmentations divided and subdivided them into so many several Parties Factions and Interests each Diamatrical opposite to the other that unless Almighty God in his Infinite mercy goodness and wisdom please to direct a speedy way for the Uniting them in Love together I fear the consequence may in a short time prove pernicious if not fatal both to King and People which it is dreadful to consider should be the Effect and Consequence of some mens Credulity on the one hand and others Impudent falsity on the other Pardon me Sir I beseech you if I happen to differ from you in Opinion when I possitively affirm that by all my own observations and the Scrutiny I have made by inquiring of and conversing with others I never yet found the least ground to believe His Majesty had ever really any design as is falsly suggested to set up Arbitrary Power or Introduce Popery nor is there any shadow or coulor for the Fears and Jealousies of this Nature with which mens minds are so â—trangly possest If His Majesty had ever designed so to Govern sure it would have been showâ— at his first â—â—turn into England to take Possession of his Royal Crown 〈◊〉 Government for having lived most part of the time of his horrid Sufferings under an Illegal and Unjust Banishment in those Countries where the Government was absolute or nearest to absolute their Laws being Enervated and deprest by their Princes it might have been reasonably expected he would then have brought over considering how barbarously his Royal Father had been murdered and himself and the whole Royal Family been dealt with in their Exile a Scheme of such Government with him the which if he had done no Prince in Christendome ever had such an opportunity to have accomplisht the same as our King then had Was he not upon his return to his Kingdoms absolute Lord and Master of all his Subjects Lives and Estates by the Law of the Land occasioned by their own forfeiture either by open Actings or silent acquiessing under the late Rebellion Services done for or Taxes paid to the late Userpors whereby they were all guilty of high Treason and stood in need of His Majesties Royal Pardon Might not His Majesty after his Restauration when all his Subjects either adored or feared him being brought in with the Hearts and most Zealous Affections of his People have had at that time any thing from his Parliament that he could have demanded If therefore he had then had a Design ever to Govern Arbitrarily there never was such an opportunity for accomplishing thereof as when he first came over when he could not have askt that Sum of Mony for his present supply or annual Revenue for the future Support of his Royal Prerogative and such his intended Government but it would have been granted by his Friends in hopes of Reward and durst not have been opposed by his Enemies tho never so unreasonoble for fear of being called to account for their Treasons no Act of Oblivion being then past of which the meanest Subject stood in need and could not have been long safe without So that if His Majesty had any Intention ever tho not at that time to set up for Arbitrary Government he lost it for want of asking for His Majesty well knew that the Interest he then had in his People was such that he need but to have demanded and it would certainly have been given to him Notwithstanding all which to show his Subjects that he valued Reigning in their Hearts and Affections much more than to be Master of their Lives and Fortunes forfeited to him as aforesaid he was graciously pleased himself to press his two first Parliaments to pass a general Act of Indemnity which they did with great regret and threw himself upon his Parliaments for such supplies as they then thought necessary for the present support of the Government without making any Bargain or entring into any Capitulation with them as he might have done for a constant and certain Revenue for the future Nor did His Majesty if he had any such design deny himself in his respect only but in many other that were in his power whereby he might have Inricht himself and brought Immence Sums of Mony into his Coffers to have been kept in readiness when ever he had been pleased to set up for such a Government wherewith to have defrayd the necessary Charges thereof as for Instance His Majesty might have taken all the
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