she expected me being as yet ignorant of the prohibition against my Preaching before Her She came not to Chappel when you served but sent for me from the Kings Chappel to read Prayers to Her in Her Closet whereby I found She did not set on the Bishop of W. as he alledg'd but was set on by him against me which is of great use and importance to know in order to find by whom She was perverted And you staid not here but likwise prohibitted my Preaching and Officiating before the Duke at Sea in his firist Dutch-War and though I was the Chaplain appointed to attend him and priviledg'd with a Cabbin which you knew to your sorrow and the Salary of the Ship and at no other expedition had His Highness more than one Chaplain yet as soon as I went to Sea you were as soon after another that fell sick dispatch'd after me to make me a cipher and to Officiate alone to His Highness all the while and to Administer Sacraments to him monthly in stead of Sermons which were suppressed by my Lord of W. contrivance against His Highness's first orders by His Almoner to me and when I endeavour'd to have this order altered which was scandalous to the Fleet and uncharitable to the Sea-mens needs and desires against my return after the fight to Sea whither the Duke commanded me before him with an intention to follow this was the first and only colour and pretence of displeasure that ever the Bishop had while I was at St. James's to object against me Bona fide and with any truth whatever it were though he began to undermine me upon the score of De Macedo about a yeare before so that this pretence which the Duke was made to countenance was like the Lambs troubling the River below stream to the other Creature that drank above Among several passages at Sea I could never forget one which was that if the Dutch should be then beaten the neck of the Protestant interest should be broken and their deliverance then from being totally destroyed I thought they owed not to Sleep or slackening Sails by night as was rumoured but to too much faith in men and guides by day in not falling on at an opportunity as the Duke himself had a mind a Providential pledge that Popery will be defeated by its own Principles This strange expression which reverence to the Government made me then disregard I found afterwards too well to agree with passages in Coleman Fitz-Harris and Common's Address and the strange alteration in France against the Protestants and when I asked you then what Religion you were of you said you were of the Universal Church and that Protestancy was a name of Schisme to which your prejudice I had a particular respect in my Booke least His Highness had imbib'd the same from you or your party as sometimes the patient is to be Administred unto through the Nurse Now I hear'd and you better know I am sure that there was a Popish Priest in the Ship But if there was another in a Protestant mask to celebrate Protestant Sacraments with a design'd malice the same time against the very throat of Protestancy the dissimulation of our Tyburn Jesuites comes short of this in some respects but it could never sink into my suspition and belief how any generous Person of clear Honour and Courage or of understanding as to know and recognize the right Soveraign of his heart could be won or bewitched by any damnable dispensation to dissemble with God and man on Deaths borders for any Worldly design or end And if Pretestants have been out-witted to massacre and ruine one another by collision of their vast force and treasure yet Heaven appeard remarkably against it to hinder and part them by miraculous mists and an unparalel'd Plague and Fire in which last permitted judgment the subservient malice of Rome visibly crossed its own designs and suffered Amsterdam to escape for once to pursue a studied opportunity never else to be regained of retorting 666. on London And if this be so The Lord in mercy watch over this poor Nation our Cities Fleet Universities Libraries c. And teach our Senators Wisdom and deliver me and others from Blood guiltness O God thou God of my Salvation and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy Righteousness Psal 51. The Even before the fight June 2.65 when both Fleets were neare together I was commanded because you were unwilling to Officiate and exhort which I did with Protestant sincerity and with what an acknowledg'd omen of victory annnex'd to the duty you may perhaps remember for you among others told me then of his Highness's beliefe declard to that purpose but neither the recommendation of Heaven believed nor intense Favour by other laudable means acquir'd and Graciously attested to his Majesty and the World nor false accusations baffled and confuted and innocency fully cleared nor the undoubted Divine right and charge and glory of Rulers to punish knaves rather than honest men which I did humbly intimate and insist on could secure me from being destroyed in a moment and that as soon as I was newly delivered from the same publick dangers according to your infallible prediction as afore now seconded with other Popish threats both Forraign and Domestick about the time of De. Macedo's miraculous escape at Portsmouth and his appearing to me at St. James's after he had been burnt for Sodomy at Paris about half a yere before as some of your party publickly affirmed to my face and complaining of a conspiracy between some of your party and the Popish Chaplains against his life made very probable to me by other good Testimonies and Cadaverous faces and Gentile tricks and Parliaments from this time awakened to enquire into the insolence c. of Popery Now though I can and daily have prayed that God would forgive your wrongs to me yet I am not to forgive your wrongs to my Friends especially to the Duke and Nation nor the cause and root of this general disturbance to all manner of People and of the high and unheard of debates between Succession and Salus publica and care of the Kings Life and of our Laws and Liberties and Religion least they become Articles of Nants for to use the unexpired right and duty of a Chaplain I take them to be the first Authors of the doleful bill of exclusion who for preferments have at first complyed and encourag'd to those revolts that work the once darling Prince out of the hearts and trusts of the People to the great infelicitie of both Whereby the Nation is nigh dissolved in fiction as in a separation of Soul and Body for what is a Nation though never formidable and renoun'd without a Prince they can trust but a dead unactive Carcass or what is a Prince though never so magnanimous without the hearts and trusts of his People but a lean wandering Ghost and Apparition An army without a general or a
general without an Army signified the same in Caesars as a Kingdom divided against it self in our Saviours account but the Blind man in the fable that could go taking the cripple upon his back that could see enabled both to see and walk And some States-men describe the vnlgus or part ruled to be as a blind Creature that cannot see but feel the resignation of its sight being its trust and submission the retention of its feeling its right and custome to taste and judge whether it were righted or betrayed whether it trusted Gods or Devils for never was their Genuine unrepentable trust but in order to be holpe and defended by another as a God And Gods part is truly acted by all those that count it Divine Honour dearer than life it self to be true in trust Now the infinite God himself the King of Kings and true measure of all right Governing if it could be imagin'd his Creatures could expect nought but sham's and snares and destruction from him could never gain their trust which is essentitially correlate to Truth and Love upon which score some assertions about absolute Decrees and Reprobation are suspected as unsound because known to lead to desperation and to take off the trust of the Soul Our Roman Catholicks likewise though the best of Christians and Subjects with some would hardly trust a Luther to be their Pope or an Hugenot to be their King though a right Heir And there are the same Natural instincts to preserve themselves and their posterities in others preliminary to all other ties and the Church of England is too unkindly requited to be slighted and abandoned as Heretical and Carnal which hath numbers of her Sons of a more sublime and Primitive-like Loyalty who think it Conscience to forget the English-man to make good the Christian as if their several rights and interests were inconsistent or as if Magna-Charta and our other good Laws which are conceived to be in danger by this revolt were not Juris divini in some sense and confirmed by the 13th to the Romans Let every soul be subject to the Higher Powers such Statutes being undoubtedly the deliberate and most certain and solemn Will and Declaration of the Supream Powers in England which the Apostolical Injunction requires all due obedience to being our true Loyalty according to the true sense and etymology of the word upon the peril of Damnation as well as Treason insomuch that many suspect and object it must be preferment or the belly and not Conscience that sways where the Divine will is so neglected and the Heaven that is preferr'd before Earth and before the Laws and Liberties of their Country by a counterfeit Zeal and Loyalty is their own Paramount Private ends and phancied accommodations and pentions and advancement being a sort of Lust and disorder in exhalting a part before the whole against Law and Conscience that Tyburn and Hell were erected and constituted to correct and punish the like Principle in the general in every Malèfactor and Sinner that ever did or shall suffer in or on them on the like inducements the single will and pleasure of an old crazie Pope seduced by lusts and flatteries finds more votaries and voices at Rome such as they be for its infallible Authority than their general Councils can which seldome meete and bestow fewer promotions though both Popes themselves and their Catholick Church and God himself are acknowledg'd by them to be present in the latter without dispute Besides the Pope himself who must needs smile to himself at mens devout preference of his Quacke-interest before the good of their own Country was more faithful and careful of His Highness's safety when he advised him to be wary in declaring as knowing perhaps the Divine and Noble constitution of this Realm which knows no error in the Crown spares no treason in the Subject Therefore the Commitment of Henry the first when Prince is recorded in our Histories without censure yea with the eulogy of the King his Father for the courage and impartiality of his Courts and the submission of his Son The Laws interposing and revengeing all wrong and violation by any Creature or Subject either unto the Divine State and Prerogative and Person of the King who answers to the hallowed deity Above or against the cognate safety of the publick which is as the whole to the part Below or as end to means or God to Creature the King Laws and publick safety if I rightly understand the Government I am bound to obey and preserve these three with us being as one and none but State Hereticks and Traytors deny this Trinity or divide this Unity But neither His Holyness nor your party were true to his Highness's Honour or Conscience in allowing him to act secretly against the Religion he profess'd openly before he had as openly renounc'd it For Turks and Heathens and Papists themselves if the case were against themselves would abhor such practices by the mere light of Nature which is the reason that by the Laws of Nations broad sides at Sea are never given under false Coulours and was the direction clear and English-like to be given or followed to entertain a Protestant Chaplain into service to be ruin'd for his honesty and openness in his Profession by secret underboard Arts which I mention not for private concern but for the certainty of the instance what will be thought of them that fared better by their prudence and flexibility or those specially who were active instruments in such designs against one of their own Coat and Profession But in nothing is this change and revolt from all truth and goodness more palpably unnatural and irreligious than that it wounded the Glorious Fathers Honor in his grave making him accessary to what he did forbid and much justifying the Fears and Calumnies of his Enemies and flurring the cause of his suffering friends and casts his only Brother and Soveraign that stands in the way into a manifest and daily Jeopardy of his Life by inevitable consequence from the known practises and principles of Rome though no actual Plot or design to assasinat his Royal Person had been proved or believed And which is as unpleasant as death it self disturbs his dayes with a most ungrateful dilemma and necessity of loving a Brother before the Community or the Community before a Brother when neither part can be chosen without a great and general disturbance or unkindness All which inconvenience had been easily prevented by continuance in his blessed Fathers Religion wherein none of your party were ruâ—ned for their councils and I trust might be still redressed by his return to the Truth to be our blessing in the manner I humbly described in a Letter to Edenburrough in June last and in another to Sir A. A. some while before and insinuated also as much in 1677. in my Dedicatory Epistle to His Highness himself For sure the Nation and City in General design no hurt to the Duke to
a haire of his head or line of his Picture but have very strong desires to be effectually safe in their dearest concerns from the sworn Enemies of their Religion and Country too much hearkned to I know a person that was torn and like to be destroyed by a tame and generous Mastiff when a little Childe for dallying too long and withholding his bit from him when he was hungry I know no greater Enemies to the Duke than your servile parasfitical party who by Loyal complyance with all his feavorish appetites for their advantage have betrayed him into this disease and perplexity and danger and strange revenge not against Enemies but best friends and the Glory of his Fathers memory by loading it with an odious and obvious new discovery of a probable cause of his sad difaster permitted by providence which overrules the Malice of Men and Devils to this Glorious ends while all will easily see and judge that the Revolt of the Son the sorrow and trouble of all good men the open boast and shelter of Papists c. the Secret joy and mockery of Republicans was the likely effect of his unequal marriage and the Blood and Massacre and confusion that is feared the likely effect of this revolte All foreseen and disliked by the omniscient Wisdom which chasteneth in whom it loveth any root or cause of mischeif there being besides a particular Remarkable providence over this Isle which makes kind Aspects towards Popery inauspicious to our British Crown and an effectual sincere Zeal to suppress it Fortunate and Glorious to our Princes as I offer to consideration pag. 373. Hearts Soveraigne But the truth is when I was well fitted by His Highness's extraordinary Favour and good opinion as is well known to all about then him to direct or retard him by love or argument or supplications from such hazardous and degenerate motions upon mistaken Zeal against our Church and Kingdom and Himself in all his Interests Temporal Moral and Eternal and to recommend to him the Example of Queen Elizabeth to be gloriously useful and dear to GOD and his Country as I do in my Book or of Queen Christina to merit a Heaven and kinde tribute by being civil which I leave to others to advise How did your party never rest to hazard their Honour and Salvation by multiplying false testimonies to remove such Lumber from about His Highness though I observed none of the Bed-Chamber that joyned in this Intrigue against me but only one Sir A. A. but rather of their own accord did intercede often for me nor indeed any within or without the House but the Relations and Creatures and Subcreatures of an unfortunat Grandee then in very great Power and your old P. if I well remember Could any English man or Christian refrain to oppose or testify to his power against such wrongs and abuses to his Prince and Nation from bosome Friends Seek the Peace of the City faith the Prophet and pray unto the Lord for it for in the peace thereof ye shall have peace Jer. 27.7 Therefore in 1668. after the remove of the Lord Chancelor H. the head of your party and designe upon the score of matches as I imagined and felt I applyed my self upon a just occasion to some Reverend Bishops met near my Parish to desire their assistance to have this matter searched and examined least there were a Plot laid against this Church hoping by the sounder part to detect and work out the more unsound with less scandal and danger then by any other method I could use or think of but instead of being holpe or directed I was oppressed and betrayed and instead of being produced a witness for the Publick made a defendant to an action of Scandalum magnatum by wilful misconstruction of my discourse against a paper to the contrary lest with them under my hand to proceed on which they concealed from that time to this the coppy whereof can be produced And in December 1678. after the breaking out of this Popish Plot In obedience to his Majesties Proclamations I communicated what light I could thereunto by a a-breviate of my sufferings and for what cause delivered to an Honorable and fit Person of the Privy-Council but nothing was made thereof nor I enquired after any more Only I observed an unexpected retrograd motion like a Resurrection from the dead from Farnham to London thereupon to joyn with other great Bishops to recover the Duke to the Church or perhaps to cover one of their number from contrary suspition by a kind absolution of which boast hath been made but what ever was the design the event of the meeting as I heard was to let the World see that his Highness neither was nor would be directed by the Bishops in some contrariety and check to his last answer to me as afore wherewith I was crushed and tantalized by their directions for so many years so much their care was more for some of their own safeties then of His Highness's honour but I observed no such displeasure against them for shutting the Stable door so late as from His Highness and one of them against me without end for giving the alarme and warning before the Steed was gone By all I have nothing to boast but that I have made good my innocence and Loyal integrity against all exceptions and colours whatsoever and neither promises nor protection nor justice nor equity nor mercy nor truth nor any plain-dealing have been made good save only from your self unto me to this day and I have Overcome Evil with Good and have not been overcome by it to GOD I give the Praise Such being the harmless victory of Martyrs over Heathenish Powers as St. Hierom notes Non cessisse vicisse est But now the most open publication of this dark Mystery to the consideration of Authority and the World is sufficiently safe and seasonable and necessary the whole Nation being now known to it self to be entirely united and resolved against Popery in which point both Addressers and Excluders and his Majesty all agree and the danger of Fanatical Confusion and Sacriledge and striking at the Antient Order for the faults of Persons litle feared or the like defect and danger better to be rectified and remedied another way without wrong to the King and Publick Councils or wound and scandal to Religion So that your masquerad party appear very small and contemptible and mistaken and easily to be blown off to publick Satifaction who while undiscerned and unremoved were for divers years very considerable by their neerness to vitals great influence and power especially over the Clergy and Universities to help or hurt or corrupt or as in my case to vex and oppress to death by a new colour and mystery of a through-paced obedience required to superiours right or wrong and leading the Lord knowes whither as in a string contrary to the Tenor of Canonical Oaths which bind only to things lawful and just