in state affaires belongs not to this occasion The King declared to both houses that not feares or respects what so ever should make him alter that resolution founded vpon his conscience and sayes either then his resolution was not founded vpon his conscience or his conscience recieved better information or both strucke sayle for within few dayes after fower of his Bishopps pickt the thorne out of his conscience and he was perswaded to figne the Bill Men that are sincere often fall but such never have consciencie nor sinceritie that jeere at it and make the falls of men and their wounds of conscience matter of their mirth Though his Majest did that which he had formerly professed to be against his conscience could he not repent of that frailetie of falling from his resolution Or might he not afterwards discover the errours of those reasons that induced him to it If feares were any motive to what he did the curse lies on them that caused it and on them that reproach him with it Poets have not fancied a higher degree of wickednes in fends of hel then in their malitious glory of compelling others to sin and reproaching their repentance for sin Experience hath represented his Majest fortitude and that not his personall feares but his apprehension of the Kingdomes miserie wrought most on his passion and wee cannot finde Parallell expressions to those of this libeller in his Scoffes at conscience and picking the thorne out of it vnles amongst those desperate and prophane Atheists that make it the highest pitch of wit to render things sacred most ridiculous Perhapps it wrung his conscience to condemne the Earle not because he thought him guiltles had halfe these Crymes been committed against his personall interest as appeared by his charge against the six members but because he was principall and the Earle but accessory and thought nothing Treason against the Common wealth but against himselfe only Playing with conscience he cannot part with whose owne is insensible In those particulars he hath rehearsed against the Earle of Strafford no one of them could be charged vpon the King and the nature of most of the Articles coud not admit a supposition of the Kings activitie in them The charge against the six members conteyned matter of direct Treason against knowne lawes his Majest cannot be supposed to thinke the Earle of Strafford guiltie because he charged the six members which some offences laid to the charge of the Earle of Strafford but never proved yet it was an infamous injustice of them that so violently proceeded against the Earle of Strafford and would not admitt an accusation for the same offences against others If his Majest thought that noe Treason could be committed but against himselfe he thought no otherwise then the law hath provided the accusers of the Earle of Strafford maintained at his Tryall And the libeller must checke himsefle for his imagination of Treason against the Common wealth which had not a being vnles he will make a Treason by Prophesie antedate his ordinance He well knowes England was a Monarchy and that his Masters professe the change of it into a supposed free state Their Traytours that would imagine some Treason against the King are come to affirme that there are no Treasons against the King for they are sure they have committed all that concerne his person His impertinency is very tedious in demaunding why the King should seeme satisfied to signe the Bill by those Iudges and Ghostly Fathers as he calls them of his owne chusing and now pretend that it was the importunities of some and feare of others made him signe He does not produce any Testimony that the King professed himselfe satisfied or had he been satisfied it was no barr to his future information repentance but an instance can hardly be produced that ever any mans repentance of a knowne fact was traduced or scorn'd by any before this libeller he might aswel jeere at many famous saints and Martyrs that fell from their resolutions and after recovered as at his Majest And the picking out of his thorne striking sayle to his feare and a fleeting conscience may vpon the same grounds be the most eminent penitents in the Church of God To make his Calumnies sticke he sayes That his Majest ensuing Actions declare he could dissemble satisfaction for that he had the cheife hand in a conspiracie against the Parliament and Kingdome How the King could conspire against his Kingdome or what should be his end is not intelligible when a King is traduced by Rebells for a conspiracy against the Parliament and Kingdome no men of common reason can receive such a palpable fiction but this greate conspiracy which he sayes came to light by the examinations of Percy Goring and others was to rescue the Earle of Strafford by seizing the tower of Londen to bring vp the English Army from the north joynd with eight thousand Irish Papists rays'd by Strafford a french Army to be landed at Portsmouth against the Parliament and their friends And where is the offence in all this if it were true and a powerfull faction assume the name of Parliament No wise man will blame the King if he had done such an Action to prevent the miseries which he foresaw and the Designes that were plotted against him but this story is now stale though it then served the turne to distemper the people The examinations which he speakes of doe not yet charge the King with the knowledge of this designe but the readers of Iconoclastes must be of miraculous stupiditie if they thinke it a Cryme in the King to intend the bringing vp of his Army from the north or any other force and thinke it lawfull for the Rebells against him to bring vp their Army against the Parliament and plucke them out of the house Was not the Tower of London allwayes in the Kings possession and might he not make it good against Traytours For which purpose he sayes the King though requested by both houses refused to disband those Irish Papists Though there were many reasons why his Majest refused to disband the Irish and the request of the houses were a vote constrained by Tumults not the result of a free debate yet had it been so that his Majest had refused to disband them to prevent the plots of the Trayterous faction in Parliament he had just reason to doe it And as the Religion men professe though true doth not priviledge them from offending though they are thereby a scandall to their profession So Irish Papists or any others of contrary Religion may be imployed against such as have stained their profession by such Actions These Rebels sought shelter from their Religion for their Treason perswaded the people of their sinceritie because Papists fought against them but it was in truth their infamy that gave the reason and the frequent repetition of Irish Papists shewes that it is a stale to misleade the
in an apparent inequallitie and subjection both in the state Civill Ecclesiasticall And this broode of Sectaries have heeretofore complained that the doctrines were traduced as opposite to Monarchy And neither Libertie nor equallitie is sought for to the people but to betray them to the power of these deceivers who are growne to that impudence to pretend doctrines of confusion and Rebellion to be the true Religion The Church as ancient prophesies foretold should dissolve all their power Dominion Few sects professing Christ have appeared more Turkish then these present of England they fancie an earthly Kingdome for the Church as Mahomett his Paradise and then that themselves are the true Church and shall have Dominion ever all and avow their intention to destroy all Kings and whoever submitt not to them But certenly Kings vnderstood not any such prophesies nor feared such pretenders who make prophesies to agree with their owne wicked Actions and ambitions desires His first instance is in Pharaohs oppressing of the Israelites And doth he beleive that Pharaoh knew their doctrines or prophesies the man might have learnt more from the Text that being strangers they might over power him and thence grew his persecution not from the libellers imaginary doctrine He makes a strange leape that passes by all stories els and would prove his position by his owne authoritie and expects that his libell against the King shall make good his position that Kings ever feared and hated the true Church a strong way of disputing to prove that kings hated and feared the true Church because the King did soe and to prove the King did soe because kings did soe this is a stout Champion There neede no answeare to his bawling of the kings suspition of men most Religioâ—s for time hath tryed that they were Rebellious and wicked Traytours vnder the Masque of Religion He could not vse violence as Pharaoh did and therefore chuses a more misticall way of Antichristian fraude and like Balak to hire against a nation of Prophetts other esteemed Prophetts and to meare out the Church by a false Ecclasiasticall Policie The Summe is to supresse Sectaries and prevent Traytours is this Ecclesiasticall Policie but where is this Misterie of Kings hating the true Church is there noe true Church of God where there is Government And what proportion hath this supposition of his to the kings proceedings Did he erect Bishopps or was there any Religion established or publiquely profest which he opposed but only false and hipocriticall factionists which outwardly professing the established Religion sought for gaine and pride secretly to draw disciples after them to the disturbance subversion of the Church There needes not any thing be said to his rayling his corruption being apparent by objecting it to the calling of Bishopps and hates it for the remedy against schisme which the Church had by them The King bestowed livings according to the law and the Policie was not his but the ancient constitution of the Church and this Monster that reproaches the retaining any thing in Leiturgie or Government practised by the ancient Church is not ashamed to charge the king with breach of Canons and the ancient practice of the Church in conferring Ecclesiasticall dignities and the peoples right in Elections was never pretended in England and justly and anciently forbidden in the Church neither doe any Canons in force support that pretence That influence which the king sayes is necessarie for the Prince to have vpon Churchmen noe man that beleives the Scripture will thinke vnfitt but how can the Libeller make good that the many Emperours and Kings that imbraced the Christian Religion hated and feared it for soe they must by his grounds And how can he conclude from Pagans hatred to Religion that it was only from their kings when as the stories are soe plentifull in setting downe the madd rage of the multitude the truth is seditious innovatours know that their hopes and strength lie to seduce the silly people and that it is the interest of governours to prevent their lewde endeavours and thence proceede their declamations against Rulers and their proclamations of Libertie and that which they cal the Bishopps Tyrany is only their office to take away schisme and schisme is the way to Rebellion The Libellers judgment touching callings founded on Scripture reformation or graces of the Bishopps and others is of the same authoritie as the determinations of Traytours touching loyaltie and heretickes touching sound doctrine and his end never agrees with his beginning but in rayling and incongruitie for but now he made it the Kings Policie to hire the Bishopps now it is the Bishopps Policie to worke that perswasion in the King of noe Bishopp noe King the man well knowes that noe Bishopp noe king was the perswasion of King James who found it true by his owne experience without the helpe of Bishopps and vet soe sottish doth this Libeller presume his readers that makes the dependence which Bishopps have only of the king the cause of such perswasions yet in their owne subtill sense they were of another minde how theÌ„ could their dependence be a cause of their perswasion or was their sense subtill and grossely mistaken Thus those blattering devills that in the beginning of the Parliament charged the Bishopps to be Antimonarchicall thereby to conceale their malice against the king now make it their Cryme to favour Monarchy He hath found a very strong proofe as he would have it out of the Historie of the Councell of Trent that Bishopps are most potent when Princes are weakest that argues not their dependence vpon Princes nor that aversion to Bishopps is not aversion to Princes it was spoken of Bishopps depending on the Pope not on Princes and such Clergy men as have their dependence on Pope or people wil never wish that the king should be potent to master their dependencie From this the King sett himselfe to the removall of those men whose doctrine he feared would be the vndoing of Monarchy And needed he the Councells of Bishopps to provide for his safetie against such men And is that the evill interest of Tyrany and Episcopacie to prevent the designes of Traytours Who were Traytours if they were not that would vndoe Monarchy The doctrine and designes of the schismatickes are heereby apparent to be against Monarchy and yet the prevention of such conspiracies is the Tyrany and the corrupt Councells of Bishopps which the hipocrites cry out on Noe temporall law could touch the innocencie of their lives And had they innocency that plotted the vndoing of Monarchy vnder which they lived and could not the law touch it Their disobedience to lawes was a Cryme inconsistent with innocence and must necessarily be punished by the lawes they disobey and that which he calls persecution of their consciences and laying scandalls before them was only the requiring of their obedience to Acts of Parliament whose authoritie he soe frequently cryes vp and the
and saint him to befoole the people the lattine Motto which they vnderstand not leaves him as it were a politique contriver The lattine being taken in the right sense what roome had there been for this curious observation And if they which set foorth his Majest booke had been curiously or stupidly negligent the Author had detracted nothing from his Majest It is not the picture but the crueltie exercised vpon him that made him a Martir and these miscreants are enraged to see their owne Actions in picture which they shamed not to commit in the face the world The picture is farr short of the measure of his Majest pietie and sufferings and wee may expect hard measure vpon the booke when a picture in the front cannot escape the Image breaker This Author its likely wrote from them that vnderstood not lattine that seekes to make the front and lattine in the end so different when the front hath a picture in the posture of prayer and the lattine in the end is applied to the efficacy of prayer If he had expected to worke on such as vnderstood lattine he would not have obtruded such an insignificant observation of misconstrued lattine Doth the commendatious of a mans devotions shew him a politique contriver They that published his Majest booke are heerein free from that negligent curiositie the Author would have seene by contriving a sense which himselfe will not affirme to be theirs which vsed the words but his owne by a libertie of choice where are different senses to be made but the Author shewes himselfe an vnpolitique contriver of detraction when he inserts the detection of it in the relation Quaint Emblems and devices begg'd from the old Pageantry of some twelf nights entertainment at white hall will doe but ill to make a saint or Martir The Traytours are loath to see the Emblems of their owne inhumane crueltie and how insteed of harmeles Pageantry they erected the Theatre of their Barbarous villanie at white hall The wickednes of those that Martired his Majest may be shadowed by Emblems but neither art nor wit can fully expresse it Bloody Massacres are the Pageantry of Tyrants and the scritches of Martirs their Musique If the people resolve to take him sainted at the rate of such a Cannonizing I shall he sayes suspect their Calender more then the Gregorian He is very Kinde that will suspect their Calender no more then the Gregorian for that Calender which hath nothing peculiar or notable but the new account of the yeare is received by a greate part of the world for the truest and if the Author have no greater aversion from the Calender he supposes he is likely very neere the beleife of it it seemes he had a minde to make a conceite from the word Calender therefore produceth the Gregorian Calender of computation insteed of the Calender of saints The Authors Pageantry playing with a picture is not the way to vncannoinze a saint The peoples opinion of his Majest sanctitie is not wrought by a picture and if they have any esteeme of such representations of his sufferings their just passion condemnes this Authors malitious detractions The Memoriall of the just shal be blessed in despight of the malice and scorne of men God lookes on their sufferings puts all their teares into his bottle and their death is right deare in his sight And if we looke vpon the eminencie of the Sufferer the pride and crueltie of the persecutors the true causes on the part of the sufferer or the pretended causes of suffering on the part of the persecutors we shall finde few Parallells in Calenders among saints to that of his late Majest and its memorable in his story that his persecutors their expressions so much resemble the cursed Jewes that crucified our blessed saviour This man would make his Majest after death a politique contriver the Jewes our blessed saviour adeceiver This Author pretends a plot to worke by this booke published after his Majest death that revenge which he could not obteine in his life the cursed Jewes pretended the beleife of our saviours resurrection of greater danger then his Miracles in his life time Such as preserve the Memory of the sufferings of holy men in Calenders have Zeale for their warrant and it was an ancient practice in the Church of God and such as deride that Custome to cast reproach vpon the persons they have persecuted will have their memories rott as they have their faces hardned and their consciences seared We may see what answeare this Author intends to his Majest booke that makes such observations vpon the Claspe frontispice Is it the way to confute a booke to revile the printer Iconoclastes hath an indignation at any holy meditations in his Majest booke and tells men there is danger of a Designe and to keepe men from reading it gives Caveatts against the outside In one thing he must commend his opennesse who gave the Title to this booke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is to say the Kings Image by the shrine he dresses out for him certeinly would have the people come and worshipp Was man made to be worshipt because the Scripture tells vs he was created in the Image of god And is this author so greate a stranger to the expressions of such as writ the lives Actions of woorthy persons who terme some men patternes or Images of Kings Captaines Judges and the like and when his Majest booke conteyned such Kingly meditations was it improperly named Icon-basilice Such sorry Jests shew more will then witt to speake some what and the confidence of his slanders are the same with his conceites that binds this trivial scoffe with a certenly For which reason this answeare is intitled Iconoclastes the famous surname of many Greeke Emperours who in their zeale to the commaund of god after long tradition of Idolatrie in the Church tooke courage brake al supperstitious Images to peices And the end of this answeare is to breake all good Emperours aswell as Kings to peices and the Author made an improper choice of the famous surname of good Emperours that reproaches their calling and justifies the violence done them for that very worthy Act of theirs in breaking superstitious Images for if the people may judge their Kings for their Actions in Church or State how will this Author exempt the good Emperour Leo from the Justice of the peoples violence against him for breaking downe of Images for he must confesse their power to vse violence if he will erect a Tribunall in the people over their Kings as he doth over his owne Poets have fancied transformations and men turned into Beasts noe age hath produced more Monsters in opinion touching Religion and moralitie then this of ours that glory in their defacing of the Image of God in man by Creation and in Kings and governours by institution and if every man may vse violence against his King vpon his owne authoritie and the murther
preservation or welfare cause him to call a Parliament may he not vse these words Whence would the Image breaker have it a cause of trembling more then any thing spoken in the presence of God The permitting mans wickednes is no approbation of it nor a token of his hatred to those that are afflicted by it There are some whome God hath given over to delusion and of that the libeller appeares to have a greate measure who not only beleives lies but is the Author of them making the names of Religion and conscience and the feare of God baites to deceive and venom to reproach Vpon the EARLE Of STRAFFORDS DEATH THis chapter he sayes is a penitent confession of the King and the strangest if it be well weighed that ever was auricular for he repents heere of giving his consent though most vnwillingly to the most seasonable and solemne peice of Iustice that had been done of many yeares in the land But his sole conscience thought the contrary Impieties that were strange heeretofore are common with this libeller and it is vnheard of that repentance of an act conceiveded sinfull by the athour was reproached by and before this Atheist he never weighed neither repentance nor confession if he had he would never have thought it strange that his Majest should confesse that he sinned in following a multitude to doe evill and if the murther of the Earle of strafford had been Justice is it strange that such as had acted in it without sufficient satisfaction to their conscienc should confesse their sin in concurring to such an Action Was it not an injustice that was done vnwillingly and ought it not to be repented of If his Majest sole conscience thought the contrary was it not sin in him to consent to the fact and is it without experience that a single man in an Assembly hath judged the right and the rest proceeded in the wrong but he applies himselfe to readers whose affections and capacities are proportioned to his expressions and therefore his Majest confession is the strangest that ever was auricular He would have them beleive that his Majest discourse in this Chapter was popish auricular confession els his Jnigly of auricular had no congruitie with a written confession For the merit of that which he calls solemne peice of Justice no age had produced such a solemne and formall piece of villany which is by so much more odious as it had the figures of law and Justice And thus was the welfare the safetie and within a litle the vnannimous demaund of three populous nations to have attended still on the Singularitie of one mans opinionated conscience if men had allwayes been so tame and spiritles and had not vnexpectedly found the grace to vnderstand that if his conscience were so narroa and peculiar to it selfe it in as not fit his authoritie should be so ample and vinversall over others for certainly a private conscience sortes not with a publique calling The welfare and safetie of these three populous Kingdomes had been probably preserved if they had attended on his Maj conscience and what hath been the consequence of that spirit and grace which he sayes they found and was indeede the infusion of impious inclinations into many by the spirit of errour disobedience but the most desperate I anguishing miserie danger that ever lay vpon the Kingdome And these graceles miscreants sport at the nam af grace prophane the profession of it He would be vnderstood a litle modest in adding with in a litle to vnannimous but being weighed his impudence wil appeare litle lesse in this then former passages If the three Kingdomes be considered in comparison to that small number that vnderstood the case of the Earle of Strafford it was a very litle part of the Kingdomes that made the demaund be mentions if he would advantage his cause by the cryes of those that were stirred vp by the Seditious Seducers to cry Justice their giddy wilfullnes aswel as ignorance lewdenes wil add litle to the weight though it encreas the number of these demaunders But this man thinkes conscience vnfitt for a King therefore would not have so narrow a conscience have so large an authority for he sayes a private conscience sorts not with publique calling declares that person rather meant by nature for a private fortune The must profest Atheists loose debauches never avowed a greater scorne of Christianitie neither is there an Author extant that hath adventured so farr vpon the reasons of men as to complaine vpon a King for Tyrany and errours in Religion with the same breath charging him with vnfitnes to be a King for want of a wide conscience These mē are true to their principles to make vehement professions of Religion though they hate it and in the middest of their prophane fasts presumptuous thankes giving they jeere at al Religion conscience professe to the world that a publique conscience ought not to be narrow nor sticke at any thing as their conscience is so is their practice they that made no conscienc of their loyalty mak no conscienc of exercising their power He whose conscience thinkes it sin to putt to death a Capitall offender will as oft thinke it meritorious to kill a right cous person If his Majest had thought the Earle of Strafford a Capital offender he had made no conscience of his death and this libeller vainely supposes conscience of sin to put to death a Capital offender which cannot consist with a conscience so informed neither doth an erroneous conscience in sparing blood as oft thinke it meritorious to kill vndeservedly though it be nothing to the present purpose for he can fasten neither vpon his Majest conscience of sparing a Capitall offender or killing a righteous person But in this whereof he repents That the sin of signing the Bill of straffords execution he would not have mattor to trouble the Kings conscience and his reasons are That all men looked vpon him as one of the most impetuous instruments to advance any illegall designe The Earle of strafford was a man that the Seditious disturbers of the state hated and feared and sought vnder hand to rayse the malevolence of others against him If any men have so farr lost reason as to measure the Ministers of Kings by the libells of Traytours they are likely to take the best men for most guiltie and if a King should sacrifice his faithfull Servants because they are not looked vpon with a good eye by the multitude he may not expect to be served by men of fidelitie or merit and we have seene how the peoples lookes have been won and lost That he had rul'd Ireland some part of England in an Arbitrary manner The word Arbitrary in the beginning of the late Parliament was vsed to scare the people and made to signifie greate affrightments to them but that bugbeare is now growne rediculous to children for
Queene with Crymes fot assisting her husband they wil be assured that not feare of Delinquencie but their barbarous crueltie might more alienate her disadvantage Religion Them who accused her he sayes well enough knowne to be the Parliament the King censures for men yet to seeke their Religion whether doctrine discipline or good manners And soe doth the whole world whatever name the Libeller give such men who are well enough knowne to be a Trayterous faction The name of true English Protestants is a meere schismaticall name And why Are there not severall confessions in the Protestant Churches doe they hold one another Schismatickes for that reason How often hath this Libeller named the best reformed Churches is not that as much a name of schisme he is ignorant in the nature of schisme though he be soe well practised in it and its strange he would observe a Schismaticall name from the title of a nation and not from his title of Independencie that produceth as many titles and distinctions as there be Parishes or Parlours The King ascribes rudenes and barbaritie worse then Indian to the English Parliament To the Libellers Parliament he very well may He sayes the King ascribes all vertues to his wife vndervaluing the greate Councell of his Kingdome in comparison of one woman And not only he but all good men abominate that wicked Councell which vsed such rudenes and barbaritie towards her and from hence the Libeller tells vs there are examples of mischeife vnder vxorious Magistrates and Feminine vsurpation And must Magistrates therefore have noe wives or noe affections to them And the examples of feminine vsurpation are more frequent in Republican Tribunes then Monarchs The king sayes her tarrying heere he could not thinke safe among them who were shaking hands with Allegiance to lay faster hold on Religion The Libeller sayes that he taxes them of a dutie rather then a Cryme it being just to obey God rather then man And is periury and the breach of Alleagiance obedience to God and doe men obey God that breake on Commaundement vpon pretence to keepe another The Scripture tells vs he that breakes one Commaundement is guiltie of all but these are they that say they love God and yet hate their brother hate and kill their King Gods vicegerent The libeller sayes it was the fault of their courage that they had not quite shaken of what they slood shaking hands with It s like their conscience and Religion were not the cause they did not but the Libeller was not of their Councell for the time required they should keepe their maske longer He is offended at the Kings prayer that the disloyaltie of his protestant subjects may not be a hindrance to her love of the true Religion and sayes that he never prayes that the dissolutenes of his Court the Scandalls of his Clergie vnsoundnes of his owne judgment Lukewarmenes of his life letter of compliance to the Pope permitting his nuntio heere may not be found farr greater hindrances All these put togeather are farr short of the scandall of the disloyaltie of his subjects The Court dissolutenes is made a common place of scandall not veritie in respect of the application there being not such excesses in his Majest Court that deserved a speciall observation and the restraint of dissolutenes was more observable then the Cryme As to the scandalls of his Clergie though we must beleive that offences wil come yet the scandall of the present disloyaltie was more offensive to those of different Religion then any disorders in Civil conversation and the injustice of the Rebells towards the Clergie hath shewed the vntruth of the scandalls that were cast vpon them though their malice traduced persecuted them their proofes could not convict them of the scandall supposed His Majest owne judgment cannot be overcast by a Rebells malice and his examplary life cannot be stained by a Libellers pen. His letter to the Pope was noe complaince nor could it give offence to protestant or hope to Papist these Rebells that comply with Turkes and infidells least of all thinke it a compliance The Libeller well knowes there was noe nuntio in England and if the King should have denyed the Queene the exercise of her Religion whereto he was bound by the Articles vpon the match he had given greater scandall by breaking the Articles then by permitting her the repaire of persons in matters of her Religion But sayes the Libeller they must not sit still that is not Rebell and see their Religion snatcht away But they have Rebelled to snatch away Religion He sayes It s knowne that her Religion wrought more vpon him then his vpon her and his favouring of Papists and hatred of Puritans made men suspect shee had perverted him Noe doubt suspitions were industriously raysed and carrefully nourisht against the King though they beleived them not that made vse of them The King was not bound to destroy all Papists and could not deny them the protection of a King he had just reason to suspect those bloody Puritans whose inclinations he descerned to that wickednes they have since avowed From his suppositions he ascends to his exclamations What is it that the blindenes of hipocrisie dare not doe It dares pray and thinke to hide that from the eyes of God which it cannot from the open view of men We finde this very frequent in this Author and in this very Period that in contempt of God men charges the King with Crymes he not only knew false but which are soe knowne vnto the whole word and conclude against his owne narrations and others view Vpon his repulse AT HULL and the fate of the HOTHAMS HE makes an introduction that Hull was the Magazine of Armes which the king had bought with money illegally extorted from his subjects He thinkes that if goods be ill gotten its lawfull for him and his Sectaries to rob him that possesses them els to what vse is it mentioned with what money the King bought these Armes But had the king noe meanes to procure Armes but by illegall exaction sure that will conduce litle to the Apollogy of this breaker that Calumniates the King soe much for seeking meanes from his subjects for publique safetie Next he sayes these Armes were bought to be vsed in a causeles and most vnjust Civill warr against Scotland What was the warr in Scotland to Hothams taking of Hull or seizing the Magazine when the warr was ended Rayling will neither make the warr vnjust nor the mention of it heere any way extenuate the vsurpation but shewes the barrennes of his matter by his repeated insignificant falshoods The Queene he sayes was gone to Holland to sett to sale the Crowne Iewells a Cryme heeretofore counted Treasonable in Kings It s like such a Treason as he makes to buy a Magazine of Armes to resist an invader he should have done well to have told when this heeretofore was It s likely they that held it
Parliament requires we must all be slaves a proper inference and vpon this he concludes that petitioning was but forme because he doth not like the Kingly Government It cannot be soe absurd to binde the King to a blinde obedience as to confine the Parliaments reason to the will of one man Much more absurd to bind the King and leave subjects vnconfined That the King did nothing but what was opposite to his professed interest cannot be supposed but in his concessions to the late Parliament and we finde by sad experience that nothing is more ruinous to the Kingdome then a power in the Parliament over the King and they have been soe farr from a power to confine the exorbitancie of Kings that those illegall conventions which acted the Tragedies of some Kings were but the stales to vsurpers and moulded to their will That the King called them young statesmen he imputes to arrogance Doubtles the King might have said much more then what he did that most part of these propounders were young statesmen Is there a man in England that doubts it if he regard either age or experience how they have governed themselves and the Kingdome all men see who from soe greate tranquilitie have turned it into a lamentable combustion and despised the Kingdomes interest both at home and abroade that Phaetons miscarriage was never soe answeared by the practice of any rash and precipitate medlers in affaires of state as these vsurpers and as they drove furiously with Iehu soe they practized his hipocrisie that loved the Kingdome better then the commaunds of God and departed not from the sins of Jeroboam though he pretended Zeale for the Lord and that omen of confusion from such fury and madnes his Majest prayed God to divert but the Libeller is pleased with his owne prognostickes and makes augury a warrant for any villany though the wickednes of his Masters may give just occasion to thinke their vengeance fleepes not He comes now to dictate law and tumbling of his repetitions that the Parliament sit not as subjects but superiours called not by him but by the law And doth not this man know the Parliament sayes all this is false and that they are his subjects and called by his writ Surely this Libeller takes pleasure in outfacing all truth otherwise he would not vse such absurd and palpable falsities and that after himselfe had said the king was trusted with the summoning and dissolving of Parliaments Vnreasonable desires might be vnexpected by the king and denyed Wee may see that Iehues fury and Phaetons rashnes were not ill remembred to these men that held the enforcing of old lawes repairing of injuries moderate desires of reformation soe contemptible that nothing but the rooting vp of the foundation of Government could be a remedie for the kingdome whose greate prosperitie was their greatest greivance and all those good lawes which he commends were vseles and to noe purpose That they which came to the Parliament had no authoritie to redresse greivances but to desire the redresse was acknowledged a truth by the late Parliamēt befor their insolēce was confirmed by the kings concessions That their Fathers made as vast alterations to free themselves from ancient Popery is much mistaken for whoever lookes into the reformation of Religion in England shall finde that it moved from the head and that the Parliament conformed themselves vnto the Counsells taken by the king and made not the alterations the Libeller supposes Alterations were made where corruptions had entred into doctrine or practice but it was very farr from esteeming the primitive Church a time of superstition and plucking vp by the rootes what ever was planted in the first ages of the Church Sectaries are not to be judges of what varies from Scripture their opinions arising from disobedience must needes be full of errour and schisme and his Majest had good reason to preferre the doctrine and practice of the primitive Church before any moderne opinion of reformation and as all the pregnant and solid reasons of the Churches beyound the seas wrought lesse with the faction in Parliament then the Tumults and rabbles soe farr lesse with this Libeller that defends a schisime from them all vnder the divided Conventicles of Independancy and a crew of ignorant and irreligious Hobgoblins that eate the fat of robbery and oppression And he heere pretends the example of all the reformed Churches against Episcopacie and afterwards confesses the Lutherans who are the greater part of a contrary practice The falshood giddines of their oracles are more ridiculous thē ever were the superstitious pilgramages of blinde votaries he that thus reprehends the kings oppositiō to the change of Church Government while he strives for innovation exclaimes against it as a Cryme for he sayes they would vindicate the Government of the Church innovated corrupted he should have shewed from what time it was corrupted The king sayes such as were looked vpon before as factious in the state Schismaticall in the Church demaunded not only tollerations for themselves in their vanitie noveltie and confusion but alsoe an extirpation of that Government whose rights they had a minde to invade And the Libeller askes was this man ever likely to be advised who setts himselfe against his chosen Councellours and censures the Government of other protestant Churches as bad as any Papist Certainly such Councellours were very vnfitt to advise that were soe ill qualified such as the lawe judges offenders are incapable to judge of law that such were these demaunders is evident to al men that know the lawes and Government of England There are noe Protestant Churches that thinke their Government censured if others differ from it in any particular but they will hold it a Schismaticall insolence in any to endeavour to alter a Government well setled vpon pretence to introduce another against the will of the king It imports not any contempt of the kingdome if such as they chose be found either defective or false and to engage the kingdome in all the impieties that men act which are chose by them is as absurd as vainely pretended by the Libeller who will make a faction prevalent by Tumults and sedition to be the kingdome and the king should have had his kingdome in greate contempt if he had taken such a faction for the kingdome He drawes an Argument from the penaltie of being a Christian vnder the heathens and a Protestant vnder Papists And surely had they sought to introduce their Religion with the destruction of the Civill state such a fact would have merited the name of treason but their course was contrary to these Sectaries who sought only to enjoy the libertie of their conscience not to enforce others That our saviour comming to reforme his Church was accused of an intent to invade Caesars right as good a right as ever the Prelate Bishopps had the one being gotten by force the other by spirituall vsurpation Helpes not the Sectaries
guilt till tryall and conviction is a supposition like himselfe but the powder plot is outdone by theis miscreants that have destroyed king and Parliament and that which the powder plotters were ashamed to owne these villaines recount to their honour like these Giants represented by Poetts that made warr against heaven and thence this Libeller dares scoffe at the accusation of their Injustice with this lewde Blasphemy that at the resurrection it may be aswell pleaded that the saints when they shall judge the world are both Enemies judges parties and accusers Such are the thoughts of those wicked Atheists touching God and his saints and it is not at all strange that such prophane persons exercise their cursed speaking against Kings and all in Authoritie that spare not God himselfe and it is a small thing with them to vilifie those whome God hath anointed because God by his Prophetts complained against the evills of some Kings these men take on them to destroy all by that Authoritie and say the earth hath long groaned vnder burdens of their disorder Injustice and irreligion God gives Testimonies to Kings in Scripture that they were his Servants that he would by them restore and preserve his Church declared it the greatest earthly favour to sett such as he loved on the kingly Throne bestowed his owne Titles on them and yet this Libeller referrs his readers to Scripture for proofe of Rebellion against kings and would perswade the reformed Churches he is their Advocate in saying To binde their Kings in Chaines and their nobles linkes of Iron is an honour belonging to the saints Such blasphemous expositers of Scripture are these Reformers God gave that honour to the Israelites to binde the kings of the Amorites their Enemies in Chaines and their nobles in linkes of Iron Theis darlings of the Devill wil be the only saints make it their honour to destroy the powers that God hath ordeyned and there must be neither kings nor Nobles but theis evill spiritts whome noe Irons nor Chaines will restraine and perjury robbery murder and Rebellion are the honour of theise saints The building of Babell was not Nimrods worke whome by asserted vntruth he calls the first king that worke was a popular vndertakinge because the people would erect a Republique of confusion not trust God to protect them and the Libeller could not have fallen vpon an instance more like his present madnes for as those builders faind confusion in pretending to prevent it soe there Rebells pretend to preserve the Kingdome by turninge it into popular confusion and therefore those saints must destroy Babell especially that spirituall Babell and first overcome those European Kings which receive their power not from God but from the Beast Doth he meane the Beast with many heads It is his principall Argument that Kings receive their power from the people and if soe then are they this beast What Kings of Europe receive their Kingdomes from his Beast But there Sectaries are drunken with their owne prophanes pride and have a strong delusion to beleive the lies of their owne invention Those Kings are counted noe better then his ten hornes Noe better but by what proofe are they the same by such frenetique dreames as he produces They shall hate the whore and yet the saints must destroy them and shall burne her with fire and yet be overcome first themselves But they shall at last joyne their Armyes with the Beast after they have destroyed the whore And this is the Babilonish Creede a bundle of contradictions to carry their Giddy followers into attempts as wicked as their conceites are irrationall We see the grounds of their cause an hellish impulsion against Government and hatred of Kings there having not been imposters of equall impudence since Mahomett that professe a Religion to destroy all Kings and those Blasphemies that were abhorred in former Sectaries and Entheusiasts are the Creed of those miscreants T is true there be a sort of moody hott brain'd and allwayes vnedified consciences apt to engage their leaders past retirement and then vpon a sudden qualme and Swimminge of their conscience to betray them basely in the middest of what was cheifely vndertaken for their sakes Seducers cannot thinke to be vndiscovered forever but such as are not resolute villaines have a moody conscience in this mans judgment the tender conscience is become moody and hott brain'd and certenly such were many in this Rebellion or it could never have proceeded soe farr Let such men never meete with any faithfull Parliament to hazard for them And let never Parliament thinke to be better rewarded that follow a faction to betray their King then to be subject to those base multitudes whome they suborned to attempts against their loyaltie and become slaves He findes others in whose consciences gaine hath sprung a sudden leake and these are they that cry out of the Covenant broken Thus the builders of Babell are scattered while they make conscience and Religion their propertie and in the meane time nothing is more the subject of their scorne And if God were mocked in pretending the Covenant in Scotland and Vlster he was much more in England by crying out the King Religion lawes and libertie and the Libeller might have found such men whose prosperitie was sinne that Triumpht in the afflictions of him whome they persecuted and said tush God hath forsaken him let vs smite him that he rise noe more The sinne of Ahas that transgressed more in the tyme of his affliction hath noe resemblance to a vertuous Prince afflicted by Traytours whose crueltie encreased while they oppressed him and exceeded the inhumanitie of the cursed Moabites that burnt the bones of the King of Edom into lime The Kings Charatie in forgivinge his Enemies will finde a right construction with all true Christians but malice and detraction of all Acts of pittie cannot meete with lesse then detestation in all men any way quallified with Religion or reason Hipocrites Almes are not more odious then hipocrites censures the crueltie of Hipocrites will receive a greater condemnation then their Almes Prayers for Gods Compassion are not to share victory with Gods Compassion But such as strive to slander mens prayers to God are as malicious to Gods victory as the devotions of those that pray vnto him Such as reade this impudent Libell may rightly call it the Rebells Image conteyninge precepts and positions of violence against Government confusion of States doctrines of falshood and hipocrisie prayses of insolence and crueltie prophaninge of Gods name and word scoffes at things sacred dissolution of all bonds morall Civill and Religious of all orders and degrees among men And it must be hatred to God and a Diabolicall impulsion that drives on such persons to fill vp the measure of their wickednes FINIS PAge 25. Line 6. Reade not after needed Pag. 25. L. 27. Sollecisme for Sollesisme Pag. 25. L. 30. that for then Pag. 31. L. 19. for insteede of from Pag. 33. L. 10. in before their Pag. 34. L. 1. Basilice for Aclastos Pag. 40. L. 11. from after lawful Pag. 44. L. 12. Conventions for contentions Pag. 58. L. 3. supercilious for supersilious Pag. 63. L. 8. vses be before vsed Pag. 67. L. 25. notions for motions Pag. 67. L. 26. administred for administrated Pag. 69. L. 43. by for the. Pag. 72. L. 30. is for in Pag. 81. L. 17. and 19. Psalmistry for Psalmastry Pag. 83. L. 23. is for in Pag. 84. L. 25. Iingle for Inigly Pag. 87. L. 25. it is for is it Pag. 88. L. 18. few for fer Pag. 90. L. 8. aspersion of the before most Pag. 91. L. 2. occasion for reason Pag. 94. L. 9. connaturall for vnnaturall Pag. 94. L. 13. refrained for restrained Pag. 94. L. 20. vigour for rigour Pag. 95. L. 43. Cheates for Stages Pag. 111. L. 21. like for the. Pag. 111. L. 22. vapours for raignes Pag. 123. L. 9. prevent for present Pag. 137. L. 19. he for wee Pag. 147. L. 31. cause before had Pag. 149. L. 35. Stafford for Strafford Pag. 150. L. 15. noe before part Pag. 153. L. 11. we for he Pag. 156. L. 37. screeching for streching Pag. 156. L. 37. Batts for Catts Pag. 156. L. 39. we for who Pag. 159. L. 12. possession for oppression Pag. 160. L. 10. not before strange Pag. 164. L. 5. place for peace Pag. 172. L. 38. long for strong Pag. 173. L. 38. if for is Pag. 179. L. 25. peace for place Pag. 182. L. 2. principij for principy Pag. 184. L. 36. Saviour for Saviours Pag. 184. L. 37. noe for one Pag. 185. L. 25. date for dale Pag. 186. L. 8. incestuous Pag. 194. L. 38. while they for whether Pag. 197. L. 36. a junto Pag. 208. L. 28. miseries for misteries Pag. 208. L. 30. now for not Pag. 213. L. 26. quilting for questing Pag. 214. L. 9. infirme for assured Pag. 220. L. 28. preach for reproach Pag. 220. L. 44. subordination for subordinate Pag. 221. L. 24. after poisoned reade Silvester the whole Church Pag. 224. L. 19. dele him Pag. 228. L. 32. crum for crim Pag. 229. L. 34. convictions for convertions Pag. 230. L. 15. is for a Kinge insteed of by Parliament Pag. 236. L. 14. expect for except Pag. 262. L. 15. Fleta for Cleta
and die in such a strok'n blindnes as next to that of Sodom hath not happened to any sort of men more grosse or more misleadinge Wee have found many by hellish impulsion hating his Majest person and authoritie and seeme not to thinke that God hath given them vp to a reprobate sense and strong delusion would be thought to beleive all those that love or honour their King infatuated and thence it is that the Author knowes not by what vnhappines it is that men are so infatuated for he would have it beleived a greate happines to hate and detest his King to reproach not only his person but his office Persecutors endeavour to make them vnhappy on whome they exercise their cruelties and they wonder at those that run not with them to the same degree of wickednes this Author makes it an vnknowne vnhappines that men run not from their protested and sworne Allegiance and loyaltie into so disperate a Rebellion as he maintaines he may well say he knowes not by what vnhappines it comes but it is an vnhappines of greater wonder that soe many should renounce the very names of loyaltie and obedience make Rebellion the most renowned vertue and this after soe many vowes and oaths to the contrary that men who some few yeares since professed the greatest hatred of a Traytour to their King should now thinke no man soe prayse worthy nor any blindnes soe neere to that miraculous stroke of the men of Sodom as that of the opinion of loyaltie If his Majest faults had been as palpable as this Authors falshood it could not diminish his subjects dutie nor excuse the Rebells impietie nor the taunting scurrilitie of this Author but his vertue being soe eminent calls for vengeance on the heads of those that call good evill and evill good this prodigious blindnes is a beginning of his punishment that finding noe man abroade or at home of learning Religion or sobrietie that detest not the courses which he seekes to defend and this soe knowne to him yet he objects blindnes to them all and as those negroes that paint the Devill white will have none free from blindnes but such as Rebell against him that sent that blindnes vpon the men of Sodom while they inhumanely pursued their wikednes and while these men with fury breake downe the fences of humane societie and seeke to turne men into beasts the spirit that rules in the children of disobedience hath blinded their eyes and taken possession of their soules confirming their sin not only without remorse but with augmented impudence their writings being composed of language to outface truth and jeere at pietie If this Author had intended a right information of men as he pretends he would not have played the painter in every period as he hath done in making Chimeraes and goblins to affright men Can he hope that any reading his booke will conceive him rightly relating Actions or cases that tells men they are blinde infatuated with the palpable faults of their Murthered King and doting vpon his deformities Doe not men see he bends his strength to misleade those that see reteyne those in blindnes that were like to recover Some men have by Policie accomplished after death that revenge vpon their Enemies which in life they were not able and instances that the will and legacies of Caesar being read wrought more in the vulgar to the avenging of his death then all the art he could vse to win their favour in his life It s true that the vertue and worth of many injured persons hath appeared more evidently after their death and hath caused greife and repentance in their Enemies moving revenge in those that were seduced to destroy them and the cruelties exercised on his late Majest and his eminent vertues in his sufferings have manifested vnto many how vnhappily they were mislead to the destruction of a King of so greate goodnes and to place their confidence in such false and bloody hipocrites But he sajes those Apologies and meditations are over late It s true they cannot prevent the evill past and the Author holds their strength invincible though he be not confident of mens inclinations without the efficacie of his pen. But would those Apologies and meditations have been more powerfull if sooner knowne Truth will wrest some thing from him vnawares for he must confesse if men that were drawne into this Rebellion against his late Majest by slanders had vnderstood what now they doe by this booke they had stayed long before and it wil be a greate vnhappines to the poore people of his Majest Dominions if they be soe over late vndeceived that they be not able to revenge his blood nor redeemce themselves from the yoke of those Traytours vnder whome they serue This intent he sajes appeares by the conceited portraiture before his booke drawne out to the full measure of a masking scene and set there to catch fooles and sily gazers And are Portraitures of the condition of persons and their sufferings only to catch fooles and silly gazers to what end then is the portraict of the house of Commons with the speaker in his Eminence and the rest set in a serious posture soe frequently published And are the portraitures in M R. ffoxes booke of the Acts and monuments of Martirs only to catch fooles and silly gazers The Authors catching at flies shewes the impotencie of his malice and disorder in his vnderstanding Next this intent appeares by the latine wordes Vota dabunt quae bella negarunt Intimating that what he could not compasse by warr he should atcheive by his meditations for in wordes which admit of various sense the libertie is ours he sajes to chuse that may best minde vs of what our restles Enemies endeavour In words of various sence that interpretation is to be chosen which is most probable to be the Authors meaninge an interpretation for politique ends is vningenuous and iniurious and when it is against the apparent signification odious and the Author shewes with what candor he deales that makes constructions to serve his turne least the truths conteyned in his Majest booke should prevaile with any he will make such a sense as may prevent the right vnderstanding of them His Majest prayers and desires through his whole booke whereto the latine words are referred were directed to God for blessings vpon his Kingdomes and restoring right and Justice to them and all men may hope they will have a gracious acceptance and returne from the Almightie though the warrs procured it not but this Author will referr these wordes to the publishing of the booke because it best mindes them to prevent what their Enemies endeavour and because it may vs her in a conceite which he makes much of For he sayes heere may be well observed the loose and negligent curiositie of those who tooke vpon them to adorne the setting foorth of this booke for though the picture in the front would Martir him
as Rebelled against him might justly have withheld this Authors hand from objecting against their condition for his owne partie must admire his impudence having such evidence of the fact After which attempt seconded by a tedious and bloody warr on his subjects wherein he hath soe farr exceeded those his arbitrary violences in time of peace they who before hated him for his misgovernment nay fought against him with displayed Banners in the field now applaud him extoll him for the wisest and most Religious Prince that lived And let Iconoclastes shew other reason of this change then the evidence of their former mistake Could it be ambitious ends that made men extoll him whome they had offended and that after his imprisonment and murther After the defeate of his forces noe expectation but of oppression vpon all such as expressed a good opinion of him surely he hath abundantly requited his scornefull expression of his late Majest ragged Regiment in the beginning that heere tells vs after all his losses and lowest condition nay after death his very Enemies changed their thoughts of him Repentance is a greate reproach among those Rebells the preaching of that doctrine is worse to them then passive obedience That there were some that hated his Majest may be beleived their tongues and pens set on fire of hell have published it to the world They that hate Christian vertues hate such as have them They that hate the ordinances of God hate such as are appointed to exercise them But it was only in some fiery schismatickes whose pride disguised with profession of humilitie at first appeared in their petulancy against their teachers and at last came to exalt it selfe above all that is called God These men perfectly hated the King that hated all Government and by this measure Iconoclastes would comprehend all such as through credulitie or error a first fell into this misfortune to beare Armes against their King Doubtles they that after this tedious and bloody warr became more affectionate to his Majest descerned not such excesses on his Majest part as this Author supposes for that had not been an Argument for a change It s manifest to all that his Majest Actions in this warr were noe other then such as the necessitie of that condition drawes with it and which the noblest Enemies vse his Enemies cannot produce one Act done by him which themselves did not avow and yet he sayes in the warr he exceeded his Arbitrary violences in time of peace and if wee take the word of Iconoclastes they were not irregular that the necessary Actions of warr did exceede and by the way neither Iconoclastes nor his Masters for their justification have produced one Act of Arbitrary violence against his late Majest though they make outcryes of Tyrany and violence to hide the vglines of their villany By soe strange a Method amongst the madd multitude is a sudden reputation won of wisedome by willfullnes and subtill shifts Of goodnes by multiplying evill Of pietie by endeavouring to roote out true Religion But is it only the multitude he meanes in whome this strange change is that cannot be for the severe proceedings of his Masters against eminent persons for deserting their side their purging the Parliament as they call it this Authors succeeding discourse denote others besides the madd multitude It s a strange Method that the madd multitude should be moved to honour suffering vertue which themselves had persecuted were not the evidences without exception And it s not strange that such as knew not the King but by the sly insinuations of seducers should come to the knowledge of their Errours by his eminent vertues in his sufferings The Method that Iconoclastes calls strange is certainely as strange as the Method he takes to be beleived for will any man give him credit that after such an aversion as he mentions in the people from the King vpon the pretence of his imprudence and vnsoundnes in Religion the people should be drawne to an opinion of his wisedome by willfullnes Of goodnes by multiplying evill Of pietie by endeavouring to roote out true Religion Though the people were deceived in his late Majest yet take them at the worst it they had hated him because they thought him evill they would not be drawne to love him because they found him soe It s not strange that the multitude finding themselves cheated should be ashamed of their errour and among other seducements that cry of rooting out Religion made lowdest noyse in the beginning of this Rebellion and this Author and his fellowes have vndeceived the people for they have rooted out all Religion and left nothing that hath the face of it Did the people expect that all the cry that was made of Religion was to bring in Arrianisme Anabaptisme Socinianisme such sects as they never heard of was this the Religion they intended to fight for It s not strange at all that the mad multitude who were inflamed with the reputation and Authoritie of the Parliament comminge to see that the orders votes other Trumperie with which they were led on were only the contrivance of a factious crew should abhorre them That comminge to see the abolition of Parliaments and scorne of the peoples Power which at first was preached to them over their King they should bewayle their owne miserie that was soe vnhappily brought on them by their owne precipitation The proofes of his late Majest wisedome goodnes and pietie are obvious to the meanest capacitie and the sublimest vnderstandings have made his vertues aswell as his misfortunes their wonder and though wee have lived in an age where prodigies of villany are every day acted this Author is a wonder to wisemen that makes a Method of lying and dissimulation But as the Government of hell is confusion soe are the Arts and Method of the Ministers of that Enemy of mankinde which confound reason and sobrietie and soe as they may contradict truth care not to contradict themselves But it is evident that the cheife of his adherents never loved him never honoured him nor his cause but as they tooke him to sett a face vpon their owne malignant designes nor bemoane his losse at all but the losse of their owne aspiring hopes It s evident the Author sayes it and evident that it is without ground or colour of truth would men that never loved him never honoured him nor his cause not only hazard but loose thier lyues fortunes in defence of him and his cause and that when the best successes they could hope for could not equall the perils they ran If there be either honour or gallantry in any of those that call themselves souldiers Enemies to their King and that Rebeilion hath not vnnaturalized them they would hate such an impudent Parasite that seekes to please them with such impotent Calumines of persons whose worth and honour they have soe often tryed because they were Enemies to his partie What Malignant
But such as make Psalmastrie a word of contempt relish not the Zeale of the sweete singer of Israell and their deedes are odious to all good men that seeke matter of reproach vpon the devotions of others and make their malitious surmises positive truths The instances of Tyrants counterfeiting Religion are frequent and that hipocrisie is inseperable from Tyrants by vsurpation such as this libellers Masters whose want of right seekes protection from dissembled vertue but this seldome happens to Kings by just Title whose power wants not that support His comparing his late Majest to knowne vsurpers that confirmed their Crownes gained by robbery and kept with falshood blood shewes his odious shamelessnes in the dissimititude whoever observes the prophane assumption of the Titles of pietie by these Monsters their hipocriticall professions to maske their wicked ends shall finde that Andronicus Comnenus and our English Rich. 3. Came short of them not only in counterfeiting Religion and conscience but in falshood and crueltie Insteede of shake speares scene of Rich. 3. The libeller may take the Parliaments declaration of the 29. May where their words are The providing for the publique peace and prosperitie of his Majest and all his Realmes we protest in the presence of the all-seeing Deitie to have been and still to be the only end of all our Councells endeavours wherein wee have resolved to continue freed and enlarged from all private aimes personall respects or passions whatsoever and againe in their petition of the second of June they tell him that they have nothing in their thoughts and desires more pretious and of higher esteeme next to the honour and immediate service of God then the just and faithfull performance of their dutie to his Majest and the libeller will not finde in historie or poet words of a deeper hipocrisie in the mouth of a villaine nor more contradicted by their Actions That which he adds from his Testimony out of shakespeare of the imagined vehemence of Rich. the 3. In his dissembled professions holds noe proportion with theis hipocrisies really acted not fancyed by a poet and this libeller hath learnt to act a part out of shakespeare and with Rich. 3. accusing loyaltie and innocency for high Crymes and crying out against their wickednes that sought to restore the disposessed heires of the Crowne to their right and amplifying their offence as the highest against God and man and wherein comes the libeller short of his patterne in this scene He sayes heerein the worst of Kings professing Christianisme have by farr exceeded him and he gives his reason for that the King hath as it were vnhallowed and vnchristned by borrowing to a Christian vse prayers offred to a heathen God And doth saint Paul exceede the worst of Kings professing Christianisme by borrowing to a Christian vse the words of an heathen Philosopher and poet did he thereby vnhallow and vnchristen Scripture His meaning is as followes afterward that the King vsed a prayer taken out of S. Philip Sydnies Arcadia After the first Edition of his Majest booke the Printers finding the greate vent of them in the following Editions Printed prayers and other things in the Kings name not belonging to the booke Among these prayers there is a prayer taken out of the Arcadia That prayer is neither made by a heathen woman nor to a heathen God but is composed by the Author a Christian without reference to any heathen Deitie and the Author is not thought to vnchristen prayer by it the libeller himselfe saying the booke in its kinde is full of worth and wit but as his outcry hath noe cause from the matter so heere is no evidence of the fact that his Majest made vse of that prayer or popt into the Bishopps hands as a relique of his exercise though he might warrantably have vsed it and professed it But he goes on to shew what he can say vpon this occasion Who would have imagined so little feare in him of the true alseeing Deitie so litle reverence of the holy Ghost whose office is to dictate and presens our Christian prayers so litle care of truth in his last words or honour to himselfe or to his friends or sense of his afflictions or of that sad hower which was vpon him as immediately before his death to pop into the hand of that grave Bishopps who attended him as a speciall relique of his saintly exercises a prayer stolne c. All men that have observed this Authors practice hitherto rest assured that he hath so litle feare or reverence of the all seeing Deitie so litle care of truth or honour as he stickes not to charge his Majest with facts neverdone and innocent Actions with transcendent guilt If his Majest had vsed the prayer or delivered it as he imagines no man of Christian sobrietie could charge the fact with Cryme what one word or sentence is there in that prayer which a Christian may not vse but the Image breaker hath a greate quarrel to al formes of prayer and by the reason he produces that the office of the holy Ghost is to dictate and present our Christian prayers all set prayers want reverence to the holy Ghost so tender is he of the best reformed Churchs of whome he so often makes a propertie And whence concludes he no care of truth in his last words when the King never spake of it He aggravates this fact by the person of the grave Bishopp who had been a Prelaticall leiturgist had it not been to paint a slander The laughter which he conceives is caused by the thought of this that he which acted so Tragically should have such a ridiculous exit might rather strike horrour in the libeller for his malitious opposition to truth that will so contrary to his owne knowledge charge him to act tragically that had governed so mildly and to have a ridiculous exit that left the world with so greate pietie and such vniversall greife of the people for his sufferings but desperate wretches laugh at the wickednes they act His Majest friends have had good experience that his Enemies who have spared no paines to traduce him would not for beare any occasion of detraction His Majest enduring afflictions with admired patience his fuffering death with Christian fortitude his vertuous life holy Martyrdome cannot be blasted by an Atheists scorne nor a Rebells malice His conclusion in the begging of the question that it is cleere the King was not induced but constrained to call the last Parliament which by his owne shewing is apparently false for if there had been such a constraint the Lords in vaine petitioned and all the necessities that he hath supposed may concurr with the Kings inclination to call a Parliament and if necessitie had constrained him to call a Parliament what should hinder but he might avouch in the eares of God that he did it with an vpright intention to his glory and his peoples good If necessitie of his peoples
King sayes They forbore not rude deportments contemptuous words and Actions to himselfe and his Court. And to this the libeller sayes It was not wonder having heard what treacherous hostilitie he had designed against the Citie and his whole Kingdome that they forbore to handle him as people in their rage have handled Tyrants heere to fore for lesse offences The supplicating and petitioning people may vse rude deportments contemptuous words and actions To what purpose hath he minced his Tumults into supplicating petitioning people when he defends their highest violence The King design'd Treacherous hostilitie against the Cittie and Kingdome The last thoughts that madd men had before their destraction run most in their fancie in the time of their frensie and these Traytours having lost all reason inculate still those ridiculous fraudes wherewith at first they seduced the people The designes of Treacherous hostilitie was one of the Ceremonies which its now time to give over Who but an Idiot can beleive that the King can have Treacherous designes against his Kingdome whereof shal he be King whome shall he have to execate hostilitie against his owne Kingdome but these dreames of the blowing vp of Thames and tales of winde mills and fiery Dragons are over and it s become the peoples sorrow and shame to looke backe vpon the cheates whereby they were deluded He cannot name any Tyrant ill handled by tumults vpon such pretences as he makes the most wicked Tyrant was not soe guiltie as that people which exercised their rage vpon him yet the libeller determines that the tumults fury is as justifiable as the Parliaments order for he ascribes noe more to the one then the other They were not a short ague but a feirce quotidian feaver And the libeller sayes he may best say it who most felt it He will rather boast of the greatenes of their villany then reprove the impietie of it and therefore he sports himselfe with the injuries of it after his appellations of mildnes and supplicating people and extolls the highest of their violence as a feirce quotidian feaver and he is soe Lunatique that out of his malice to the King he calls them milde out of his insolence confesses them violent and deadly The King would perswade vs that men scared themselves others without cause And al men are now satisfied of the truth of it the fraudes being soe apparent and confessed by this breaker Wise feare and suspition would finde weapons And we have found by experience that Rebells by suggesting vaine feares and suspitions have gotten weapons and armed the people to their owne destruction Vpon the Kings repeating the mischeifes done by the tumults that they first petitioned then protected dictate next and lastly overaw the Parliament They removed obstructions they purged the houses cast out rotten members He sayes if there were a man of Iron such as Talus by our poet spencer is fain'd to be the Page of Iustice who with his Iron flaile could doe all this and expedititiously without those deceitefull formes and Circumstances of law worse then Ceremonies in Religion I say God send it done whether by one Talus or by a thousand Religion lawes are lesse then Ceremonies in this Authors account and when Pages follow not nor acknowledge Masters Justice wil be ill waited on such cut-throates are not the Pages of Justice but the furies of hell and theis this libeller prayes to God for what will not such call Justice to satisfie their ambition and crueltie Poets are short in their fancies of what the English Rebells have acted Their Gyants were Pigmyes to theise Monsters and their Hidra too few heads too litle venom for the service of these Enemies of mankinde What a silly propertie does this libeller make Parliament and lawes that subjects them to Tumults and how barbarous are their proceedings that made endeavour to subvert fundamentall lawes a Capitall Cryme and heere he commends the fact calls them deceitefull formes and Circumstances of law Might he not better have said they would make good their villanies by the sword then prevaricate and say and vnsay and pretend Religion and yet pray God to send Tumults and Confusions to breake all lawes in order to their designes The King sayes they subdued the men of conscience in Parliament backed and abetted all seditious schismaticall proposalls against Government Ecclesiasticall and Civill To this he sayes That it was not the Kings grace but this Iron flaile the people that drove the Bishopps out of their Baronies Cathedralls Lords house Coopes surplisses papisticall innovations threw downe high Commission starr chamber gave vs a trienniall Parliament and what we most desired And is not this brave Is it a credit to a Church to be thus reformed Is this the Christian Religion to glory in oppression robery and Rebellion There is noe doubt but many things graunted by his Majest in the late Parliament were Acts of grace in respect of his compliance with importunitie in hope thereby to preserve the people from a Civill warr not in respect of the nature of the things graunted The libeller might have remembred that the King never consented to drive the Bishopps out of their Baronies or Cathedralls and his Trienniall Parliament which he soe much commends is repealed by his new Masters for the people must not looke for the execution of any such law And this Iron slaile the rashnes and crueltie of a disordered multitude hath thresht and broken the bones sinewes of the people and made them know the difference betweene a golden Scepter and an Iron flaile In revenge whereof he sayes he now soe bitterly inveighs against them And how can the libeller thinke it bitter when their Actions which he confesses exceede in impietie the greatest Crymes that ever were inveighed against And if we could wonder at any thing we might wonder at his mention of Schismaticall proposalls consented to by the King when he wel knowes noe one thing by him mentioned of Cathedralls or Ceremonies was consented to by the King noe lesse strange is it that the other particulars are by him recited as intended by the King to be the Seditious proposalls though all of them are not free from that name when as there were soe many seditious and Trayterous proposalls besides these That these Tumults played the hastie midwives and would not stay the ripening but went streight to ripping vp and forcibly cut out abortive votes to this he opposes that the Parliament complained not and therefore those confluxes were not by them thought Tumultous And were they not thought Tumultuous by such as they had expelled and driven away from the Parliament And did he but in his last words call them an Iron flaile and recount the wonders which they wrought and now would not allow them to be Tumults We may besure the seditious faction in Parliament stirred them vp and such as differed in judgment or affection from them were enforced
shape of a Masterly brow but gracious aspect in his Majest saying the greatnes of the obligation above their deserts that he had put vpon them by passing the first Bill and the Masterly brow suites not with the following scurrilous conceite that the kings recital of the obligation he had putt vpon them by that Act was as if he had beggd an office to a sort of his desertles groomes and these desertles groomes now Rule the new Republique there being none that had the least desert that would accept such a Trayterous office That the King passed the latter Bill to prevent the encrease of the present disorders not out of consideration of the fittnes of that Bill he neede not spend time to prove and his consent was moved from the reason of the time not the matter and the libeller hath well observed that they had offended him much more after the passing of the former Bill which is not to their creditt but shame It was feare made him passe the Bill least the Parliament and people incensed by his conspiracies should resent his doings if he had added the denyall of this only meanes to secure themselves Either his memory is short or his absurditie vnnaturall that soe lately said the kings feares were pretences and does he thinke that his Majest could feare their resenting more at that time then afterward besides his supposed fantasticall conspiracies were not as much as named or spoken of to Parliament or people at the time of passing that Bill and there cannot be imagined any cause of his Majest passing that Bill but his earnest desire to avoyde a Civil warr and assure his people of his purpose by committing so greate a trust vnto them neither can there be imagined other cause why the passing of that Bill was soe much importun'd by the Rebells but to secure themselves for being conscious of their owne guilt they knew themselves vnsecure vnles they gained a power over King and lawes The libeller cannot excuse neither the ingratitude nor disloyaltie of the Rebel partie in Parliament from the Kings consent to these lawes to present disorders and mischeifes which in themselves had not been fitt for his consent at another time and their insolence in binding him first of all his Predecessours shewes their corruption and guilt that would vse soe much violence disloyaltie to a Prince whose gratious Government had least of all his Predecessours provoked it The King taxes them with vndoing what they found well done The libeller sayes They vndid nothing in the Church but Lord Bishopps Liturgies Ceremonies high Commission judged worthy by all true Protestants to be throwne out of the Church These Protestants which are true only to him will judge the like of all Kings and Rulers of State and all orders of the Church that are not of their Bedlem patterne These false Sectaries talke of Church true Protestants just as they doe of Parliament as long as it consists of their owne limbs it must be obeyed but if it dissent from their Commaunds then they are worse then Ceremonies in Religion Doubtles al true Protestants abhorre this den of Schismatickes that boast of their Rebellious defacing of the Church and hate their societie there having not been yet any true Protestant Church that ever pretended that Lord Bishopps Leiturgies Ceremonies or high Commission were worthy to be throwne out of the Church the greatest part of Protestants retaining the like The vndid nothing in the state but irregular and grinding Courts The Courts they tooke away were judged by al wisemen to have been profitable to the Kingdome and fitt to be continved and the best Governours sometimes graunt that to the peoples irregularities thereby to preserve them from proceeding to their owne ruine which were fitt to deny at another time it s their Zeale to publique safetie not feare and dissimulation as the libeller calls it It was a greater confidence of the people to put into one mans hand a power to Summon and dissolve Parliaments then the King put in the people by the 〈◊〉 of continuance of the Parliament And if the libeller could shew the Act whereby the people put that power in the King he had said some thing But how had they put it into his hands or what confidence was it if they might take it away when they list This man cannot see truth through his owne contradictions while he acknowledges the Kingly power to Summon and dissolve Parliaments forthwith adds that Kings could not dissolve Parliaments till all greivances were redressed and then where was the kings power to dissolve or the peoples confidence This is he sayes not only the assertion of this Parliament a strong proofe but of our ancient lawe bookes that noe man ever read which averr it to be an vnwritten law of Common right soe engraven in the hearts of our Ancestours and by them soe constantly enjoyed and claimed as that it needed not enrolling this is pretty poetry that because a law is no where to be found therefore it was engraven in the hearts of our Aucestours where are those law bookes But how many hundred yeares since was this engraving worne out surely if there had been either such an vnwritten law and soe constantly enjoyed and claimed it would have been often enrolled ere now but the libeller expected applause for his conceite not creditt to his assertion If the Scotts could charge the King with breach of their lawes for breaking vp that Parliament without their consent it were vnreasonable that the wisedome of England should be soe wanting to it selfe as not to provide against the not calling or arbitrary dissolving of Parliaments If they had provided against it where was the confidence he talked of It followes not that because the Scotts charged the King with breaking of the Parliament without their consent that therefore the King offended in it neither was the wisedome of the English nation wanting to it selfe in leaving the calling and dissolving of Parliaments Arbitrary to the King it being a power essentiall to Monarchy and we have seene that the taking away of that power dissolves the Government and drawes confusion and miserie vpon the state and it cannot be avoyded but that from a power erected to affront the soveraigntie there must follow sedition and Civill discord People must depend vpon their Kings grace and goodnes for redresse of their greivances whose power and safetie consists in their welfare not seeke by violence to be their owne Carvers and the people never found soe greate suffering by submission to their Kings as by seeking wayes to oppose them It appeares that if this Bill of not dissolving were an vnparalleld act it was a knowne and Common right That it was an vnparalleld Act he doth not deny that it was a Common right noe where appeares and how can that be an vnparalleld Act that is a Common right He sayes it s not enrolled and how then shall it appeare to be
the Libeller sayes concerning Gods graces is nothing to the question touching the vse of Leiturgies vnlesse he would have that in the publique congregation every person should have his prayer a part and bring that disorder which the Scripture forbidds Voluntary prayers are lesse subject to formall and superficiall tempers then set formes for in those hee who prayeth must consult first with his heart which in all likelihood may stirre vp his affections But he doth most commonly consult with his braine both for matter what is most pleasing and what most proper in expression and it is incident vnto most to fall into an affectation of their owne conceptions and abilities in these voluntary prayers rather then true devotion Affections grow lasy in set prayer and come not vp easily at the call of words But much more easily then in the labour for words and matter and those words are most emptie of devotion and prayer which are the ostentation of the presenters abilities who is apt to seeke satisfaction in contemplation of his owne parts and his fervour is greater in looking on himselfe then God Ostentation and formalitie may taint the best duties And why not then the best institutions and if vnpremeditated babling may be restrained without forbidding the spirit of God which is in his sense his extemporary prayer why may not lasines and formalitie be reprehended in such as vse the publique leiturgie without forbidding the vse of it but it is as himselfe sayes the Custome of hipocrites to take advantage at the least abuse of Good things that vnder that covert they may remove the goodnes of those things rather then the abuse Constancie attributed to the vse of set formes he calls the constancie of the Cuckoe to be allwayes vsing the same Leiturgie And what then are his best reformed Churches this shewes him one of those chattring birds that Abraham drave from his sacrifise and this wretch trembles not to compare the sett formes appointed by God himselfe in the Scripture to the Cuckoe and the vse of the Scripture is the constancy of the Cuckoe The booke for aught we know was composed by men neither learned nor godly But they are vngodly that without knowledge will suppose them neither learned nor Godly but was the Martirdome of many of them noe proofe of their Godlines And are there noe workes that prove the learning of those Composers doth this man thinke vpon the credit of the protestant Religion Noe doubt the spiritt helpes our infirmities but we have noe promise that the spiritt shall enable every Christian to compose prayers for the whole congregation neither doth the Libeller beleive that all his Ministers of the new Religion are soe endowed if he doe he hath few associates It is Gods promise that where two or three gathered togeather in his name shall agree to aske any thing it shal be graunted And how can they agree without a prescript forme is the agreement that all must follow the desires of one That there was a Leiturgie in the Church of the Jewes hath not been denyed by any learned man its apparent by the Titles of many of Davids Psalmes that they were vsed by the singers in the ordinary service of the Church That Christians vsed the Lords prayer and other sett formes cannot be denyed and the Libeller is much deceived in his computation of the time when Leiturgies begun for the Church never wanted them and we have seene by experience that true pietie followed the vse of Leiturgies disobedience and prophanes the rejection of them such as have rejected them have proved not only Truants but Apostates to all sanctitie What is said of Leiturgie is said of Directorie and soe farewell Presbiterian We finde that none make such presumptuous claime to Ministeriall guifts as ignorant and braineles persons that have noe Title by calling or endowment The King had noe reason to object that the Common prayer booke was rejected because it prayed soe oft for him for large and laborious prayers were made for him in the pullpits But it s well knowne that the Sectaries were neither large nor laborious in such prayers and it s justly doubted not sincere when they vsed them but would have men heare their hipocriticall formalitie not God to graunt what they seemed to pray for and all men can witnes what prayers were made for him in pulpits after the leiturgie was rejected al the largenes and labour appearing in their prayers was to reproach his person and procure him dishonour and miserie The King in his prayers presumes Leiturgies to be lawfull What should hinder praying that the Church and he might never want them And what sayes the Libeller could be worse prayed extempore he might have answeared himselfe that Prayer to want them was to call for Desolation vpon the Church Of the Differences in point of CHURCH GOVERNMENT THe Libeller sayes the Author in this Chapter discovers more of misterie and combination betweene Tyrany and false Religion then from any other hand would have been credible T is strange that soe obvious a truth should be incredible from any hand Was not Jeroboams new Religion the foundation of a Tyrany and have not all vsurpers in the Civill state pretended some false Religion Was not Mahometts wicked imposture and Tyraniall vsurpation bredd togeather and have not the present Tyrants introduced a false Religion to support their power Hath not schisme been joyned with the Rebellion We may have learnt both from sacred story and times of reformation that the Kings of this world have ever hated and instinctively feared the Church of God It s manifest Sectaries hate King and Church malefactours will complaine that Judges hate them for their vertues We finde in the ancient Church that Kings were the greate protectours and reformers of the Church and its strange that the Libeller if he had looked backe at all had not seene David Solomon Hezechiah Josiah and others The Kings of Israell politiquely opposed the true Church for feare the people should returne to the house of David and if we looke vpon Pagan Kings we finde Cyrus and Artaxerxes helping the establishment of the true Church This Libeller hath discovered a greate Misterie of Rebellion that having made such outcryes of Tyrany against his late Maj heere tells vs the Tyrany was Monarchy they would not be subject to the Kings of this world to such impostors is England now subject that kill Kings and make Tyrants and this blaspheamer stickes not to charge the Church of God and the Doctrines thereof with opposition to Civill Government and to commaund the destruction of Kings Because the doctrine seemes to favour Libertie and equalitie And are there not Republiques that oppose the true Religion True Religion presseth obedience falshood and imposture allwayes hold foorth licence to the people Is there through all the booke of God one word in favour of this Rebell libertie and equallitie And did not God plant his Church at first
falsification will not sticke to slander thoughts and offer conjectures for convertions such as were most zealous in his Majest cause had a sobrietie vnblemishable by a Traytours malice and were not only free from druken distemper but brutish insolence and brazen impudence which the Rebells rather affect then repent of And is there not a just cause that the consciences of many should grow suspitious and corrected by the pretentions of the misnamed Parliament now proved false and vnintended What 's become of their making a glorious King lawes of the land priviledges of Parliament Doth not every man see they are all in the dirt among the Libellers Ceremonies But they never pretended to establish his Throne without our Libertie and Religion nor Religion without the word of God nor to judge of lawes by their being established but to establish them by their being Good and necessary They never pretended that his throne was inconsistent with libertie or Religion nor to judge of lawes otherwise then by being established But who must be the Dictatours the Parliament which is crumbled into a close Committee and state Counsell or any rabble that shall say this or that law is not good and therefore to be repealed though established he ought to have concluded that they never pretended priviledge of Parliament further then the subterranean junto or the Tumults should judge necessary To pray and not to governe is for a Monke not a King But is prayer inconsistent with Government Those men will accuse the King for being a Christian and have as litle love to prayer as obedience a monke will better governe then such a man pray who is constant to malice falshood and this man that sayes to governe by Parliament justifies his Rebellion to take away Kinglie Government His legislative Parliament and oppressed lawes cannot be admitted where other answeare is wanting but the Libeller hath long since thrust the force of them out of doores by his many prevarications confining them all in the Cabinet of his owne braine which must determine whether they be good and necessary He is constant to Iohn of Leidens principles that must take away other mens goods for doubt of ill vsing them and because the King sayes he feared the temptation of an absolute Conquest therefore it was pious and friendly in the Parliament to resist him Their pietie and friendshipp were much alike and the Libellers Riligion might come in for a share It s very probable that this warr had never been if the Act for continuance of the Parliament had not been consented to by the King and that Act might stopp the mouth of any reasonable man from saying there was such a power in the two houses as the Libeller dreames of that desired that Act from the King and it was never heard in our story that ever Parliaments made warr against Kings as Tyrants or otherwise for how could they make awarr that neither could nor ever did pretēd to sit longer then their King pleased the immodestie ingratitude of the present Rebells have farr exceeded the worst Examples He is obstinate to his principles and feares to attribute any thing to the Kings concessions or denyall and had he graunted lesse in all probabilitie himselfe and the Kingdome had suffred lesse It cannot be doubted but the Libeller will invert whatever the King sayes and it is a greate adventure that he sayes the sins of their lives not seldome fought against them and wee have greate cause to beleive their prosperitie did noe lesse that continue hardned in soe execrable a cause The King sayes he desires not any man should be further subject to him then all of vs should be subject to God And this Mountebanke holds this a sacriledge worse then Bishopps lands for he sayes he desires asmuch subjection as is due to God and so desires noe lesse then to be a god And is subjection to Princes in the Lord subjection to them as God And doth the King desire otherwise that would have them noe otherwise obey him then that they might obey God renouncing all obedience that consists not with obeying God but sale worke must be slight and the Libeller would not exceede his hire The Rebells desiring the Kings acquittall of them for the blood of the warr confirmes their guilt not their innocence Though God impute not to any man the blood shedd in a just cause in respect of the ground and reason of doing it yet there may be temptations vnto naturall infirmitie in acting a just cause and the King was not without a sense of such danger therefore the Libeller wretchedly beggs an argument of his guilt from his prayer not to have blood imputed to him Vpon the REFORMATION Of the Times NOveltie and perturbation are justly condemned not only by Christians but morall men and it is a noveltie taken vp only by Sectaries that would confine all Religion to their owne frensy and reject the vniversall consent of all times and places and not only boasting of the truth of their owne delusions but obtruding them vpon the world threatning fire and sword to gainsayers and yet they will pretend the example of our Saviours publishing his gospell and pretend like reason for their fanaticke conceites as for his divine revelations and miraculous Testimonies and because reformation may be necessary therefore they conclude it must be as often as these that are carried about with every winde of doctrine shall thinke fitt they would reduce Christianitie to a cloud without water tossed to fro with the breath of private opinion The first reformers in the time of Pope Adrian pretended not a reformation of the vniversall Church and a rejection of whatever was received by the primitive as those men now neither did they presume to enforce others to their perswasion and though noveltie and perturbation were objected to them yet they still deprecated that guilt and it is a most vnchristian and prophane disposition to desregard lawes established and Religion setled vpon presumption of private opinions and these of men neither learned discreete nor honest There is greate difference betweene a clamour and an vndeniable truth and we may not thinke that popular compliance dissolution of all order and Government in the Church schisme vndecencies confusions sacrilegious invasions contempt of the Clergy and their Leiturgie and diminution of Princes are lesse odious because Papists objected them or that any pretended reformation introduced by these detestable practices can be acted or approved by Christians All men are wittnes that the present Sectaries are guiltie of all these The former reformers did not give occasion for such aspersions that desired only the libertie of their owne consciences from the practice and beleife of errours newly enjoyned and anciently rejected in the Church or els followed the orderly reformations which Princes and states authorised in their owne Dominiōs but these new reformers obtrude their dictates vpon all the world and will dispose of all Kingdomes with
John Hotham at that time was the ground worke of the succeeding evills and the same men that denyed justice at his Maj desire tooke reveng of the same insolencie afterward Hull was not the Kings owne towne but the Kingdomes And how became they a Towne have they not all their liberties and graunts from the King He might have said that Townes vnder a popular Government were the peoples but in a Kingdome it is a fantasticall dreame the lawes deny a possibilitie of any such propertie having placed the soveraigntie of the Kingdome in the King such a conclusion of right is inconsistent with a kingdome The Armes he sayes were publique Armes bought with publique money or not his owne If the king have money from the publique may they take it away againe to what end then doe they give him subsidies if the money be stil their owne and they may take away what is bought with it Had they been his owne as much as the private house and Armes of any man are his owne the law permitts not to vse them in away not private but suspitious to the Commonwealth If vulgar suspition may checke publique imployment he may not looke long to vse any thing And is it a cryme in the kinge to vse his private wealth in a publique warr No doubt but his Majest propertie is as much as any private mans els his kingly office had little honour or strength and he is not accountable for the vse which he makes of his Estate either private or publique and there was noe feare of the vse that the king would make but from Traytours that would prevent his defence The King by his overtalking seemes to doubt of beleife touching his patience at Hull He expected not nor valued the beleife of Traytours but such as soberly consider what he sayes will not judge him over talking but modestly expressing his owne temper which endured soe high a provocation The king sayes he could not but observe how God not long after pleaded and avenged his cause The Libeller sayes most men and commonly the worst are apt to interpret the judgments of God to the justifying of their owne cause It s possible the worst men may doe soe but we see it very frequent with the best The Prophet David often taken notice of Gods dealing with his Enemies wicked men The Libeller might hence observe his Masters the worst of men that interpret and expound the Judgments of God and the event of providence to the justifing of their Rebellion how often hath he in this Libell taken vp that Argument and in this very Chapter makes an observation of Gods Judgment vpon the King from their murther of him before his owne Pallace gate And how frequent are their successes produced as profes of the goodnes of their cause but this Majest observation is not grounded vpon the event but the evident Cryme of Hotham which all men held Treason but such as would allow nothing to be Treason against the King Although we know not the reasons of Gods proceedings who often leaves good men to suffer and wicked men prosper yet when we see the prime instrument of a wicked designe perish by the hands of those whome he served in his vnlawfull enterprize we may justly take notice of the proportion betweene the sin and the punishment His comparing Sauls conjecture of an advantage God had sent him in Davids being at Keilah hath noe resemblance to the taking away of Hothams life Saul being not only deceived in the advantage but conscious of Gods disfavour Hotham was safe and successefull while he continued true to the Parliament But the guilt of his conscience made him vnquiet If God had purposed such an end for his opposition to the King he would not have deferred to puinsh him till of an Enemy he was made the Kings friend nor have made his repentance the occasion of his ruine These presumptuous Rebells dare sit in judgment vpon Gods wayes and prescribe a rule for his proceedings It s true because judgment is not executed speedily the hearts of the children of men are set vpon evill the Libeller judges that if the judgments of God be not apparent in his time that is foorth with they are none at all God brought his judgment vpon the son of Ahab and not vpon himselfe because he humbled himselfe and God punisht the sins of David vpon his posteritie though he forgave him and we may conceive the judgment of God vpon a wicked Act not the repentance of it though it come after in time Strafford Duke of Buckingham was an active assistant to Rich the 3 in his vsurpation and after revolting from him perisht by that power he had raysed which all men looke on as a judgment vpon his first compliance with that Tyrant and the fate of Hotham and that Duke hold greate proportion in regard of their Actions and sufferings Glorious deedes done to ambitious ends finde a reward sutable And that the Libeller might justly apply vnto Sr. Iohn Hotham who made popular applause the end of his Treason and perisht by popular fury Mē may heere take notice what thākes he had from the king for revolting to his cause Repenting Traytours may have mercy but they deserve not thankes though his punishment may be remitted the infamy of his Act will survive Because God judges not by humane fancie therefore sayes he such events as are obvious to every fancie are most like to be erroneous And then such Acts of providence as make men say surely there is a God that judgeth the earth are most likely to be mistaken Although Common fancies are likely to be deceived it is a sorry inference from thence that what is obvious to every fancie weake and wise should be more likely to be erroneous The king soe farr pittied Hotham as he thought he at first acted more against the light of his conscience then many other men in the same cause To this the Libeller sayes They who act against conscience are least of all to be pittied either at the Barr of humane or divine Iustice Desperate sinners as most miserable are most to be pittied in Christian Charitie though justice proceede more severely against them pitties are part of justice the Libeller is acquainted only with the operations of malice not of pittie whereof his whole discourse shewes him destitute otherwise the kings pittie could not argue him destitute of the Common grounds of nature as the Libeller inferrs and shewes that he esteemes the common grounds of nature Acts of Tyrany and insulation vpon others ruine hatred and scorne being all the Charitie that Sectaries practise He sayes the king jerkes at some mens reforming to modells of Religion and that they thinke all is gold of pietie that doth but glister with a shew of zeale To this sayes the Libeller The pietie of his Prelacie modell glistered more vpon the posts and pillars which their Zeale and fervencie guilded over then
in true workes of spirituall edification The repairing and beautifying of the houses of God was the highest commendation of many of his faithfull Servants and the Scripture gives that for the high commendation of the famous Jehojada and we may expect spirituall edification from those whose zeale fervencie carries them to bestow their goods on such Actions nothing but destruction of Church pietie from those that decry such commendable and necessary workes we have found that such men as have pretended to spirituall edification by traducing other mens zeale in the outward service of God have proved at last rotten Carkasses guilded over and painted sepulchers He is sorry that Hotham felt the Iustice of others and fell not rather in to the hands of his mercy The libeller sayes he should have shewed what mercie he had vsed to such as fell into his hands He needed not shew that whereof there are soe many Examples But sayes the Libeller whathever one man might have expected the whole nation found none but had been swallowed vp in blood had not his power failed What neede the King produce Examples of his mercy when his most malicious Enemies offred nothing to the contrary but the warr which they had necessitated him to make There cannot be an Argument more convincing of the want of all justification in these Rebells then their perpetuall recourse to an incredible assertion that the King caused the warr which besides the falsenes of the allegation is not of weight to argue want of mercy when as Princes and states may casually be engaged in a warr and yet be farr from crueltie or designes of revenge and his Majest knowne backwardnes to a warr and moderation in it shew his compassion as eminent to the publique as particular persons The King sayes Clemencie is a debt which he ought to pay to those that crave it since we pay not any thing to God for his mercies but prayers prayses This sayes the Libeller hath sound of gravitie but the significance of nothing pertinent And yet it signifies that we are to forgive others because God forgives vs. But sayes the Libeller we ought by this reason as freely to pay all things to all men Wee ought noe doubt freely to pay what is due to all men but the Scripture more particularly requires Clemencic and forgivenes from vs in regard our selves have most neede of it from God and the Libeller shewes a greate emptines of reason that calls this an emptie sentence and vpon this occasion to repeate the payment of the kings dutie to the kingdome when as he declares that nothing but the giving vp of his Crowne could be a discharge of his dutie soe grave a judge is he of debts and duties The King pitties Hotham but aggravates rather then lessens or conceales his fault Conceale or lessen it he could not aggravate he doth not being a King his pittie ought not to destroy his judgment nor deceive him in the offence of those he pardons If a reiterating judge be worse then a Tormenter a reiterating slanderer deserves Torment The mention of a malefactours offence or repetition of a publique trangsgression is farr from a Triumph and as this Act of Hotham was a groundworke of infinite miserie soe his Majest deepe sense of the mischeife of that fact might reflect on it with serious observation and pittie without any Triumph He is angry that the king sayes after times will dispute whether Hotham were more infamous at Hull or at Tower hill And sayes what knew he of after times and while he sits judging the fate of that vnhappy father and son knew not that the like attended him before his owne Pallace gate and as litle knew whether after times doe not reserve a greater infamy to the story of his life and Raigne The libeller well knew by the booke he seekes to answeare that his Majest well knew the power malice of his Enemies while he wrote this and that he expected they would shew their vtmost crueltie to his honour aswell as his life but he was well assured their injustice dissoyaltie could not effect what their impietie designed and as long as Religion or reason inhabite the world his story cannot be blotted in after times but it seemes the libeller is apprehensive of future infamy though he thinke himselfe assured of present power He would seeme an Enemy to vaine repetitions in prayers but its only of such things as Traytours will not pray for otherwise there is large experience of the vaine babling of sectaries in their prayers He sayes its too presumptious in a written and published prayer to take it as a favour from God before he knew it was intended him He knew God had brought a severe punishment vpon a knowne offence and how could this be presumption to mention it in a published prayer but how can the libeller call it the sacrifie named by Ecclesiastes that practises such particular thankesgivings for successes when as the cause he maintaines and prosecutes is soe notoriously wicked The King sayes Let not thy Iustice prevent the objects and opportunities of my mercy The Libeller sayes To folly or Blasphemy or both shall wee impute this shall the Iustice of God give place serve the mercies of a man all other men who know what they aske desire of God that their doings may tend to his glory And doth not he that prayes he may be able to shew mercy to his Enemies pray that his Actions may tend to Gods glory Is not God glorified in the mercies of men Is not mercy in men a guift of God and can this trifler pretend sin in that prayer which desires of God that his Justice may not prevent their mercie to their Enemies May not men pray for their Enemies pray to have judgments diverted from them pray to have an occasion to shew them mercy But this libeller that esteemes soe litle to Blaspheame is careles how falsely he charge it on others Vpon the listing AND RAYSING ARMIES HE begins with the Kings mention of Tumults the demonstrations he calls them of the peoples love loyaltie to the Parliament Which in their nature more then the kings denomination were demonstrations of disobedience to law hatred of Government disloyaltie to the king Their petitioning was in the Authors owne judgment the height of violence Barbarisme which he compares to the Iron flaile those Armes which he cals defensive were so apparently a Trayterous histolitie that the ends which he assignes for them admit not the least colour for the appellation of defensive The King takes noe notice that those listed about him were the beginners of these Tumults Neither could he of soe strange an imagination The king sayes his recesse gave them confidence that he might be conquered The Libeller sayes other men supposed both that and all things els who knew him neither by nature warlike nor experienced nor fortunate yet such sayes he are readiest to