VILL. PROBLEMS Propounded to the CAVALIERS FOR Conviction of their Consciences With a Discovery of certain Plots and Conspiracies Declared by Captain FRANCIS FREEMAN WITH An Answer thereunto returned by Colonell FRANCIS WINDHAM And a Reply to the said Answer These are Printed by the Originall Papers and Published according to Order of Parliament LONDON Printed by BARNARD ALSOP dwelling in Grubstreet 1646. To Colonell Francis Windham Governour of Dunster Castle these present SIR I Have sent you here inclosed this Manuscript of my poor weak labours which is by way of Problems containing in them eight particuler questions with your Cavaliers own answers to each particuler question briefly handled by the Author together with a briefe description of certain Plots and Conspiracies which the Enemies of God have completted contrived and conspired against the Church and People of God to bring their wicked Designs to passe and if so be I could with convenience have sent you the Kings Cabinet Letters taken at Naesby sight it would have been a strong confirmation of this truth I pray you to peruse these lines through out with a diligent carefulnesse and weigh each particuler according to its severall weight and conscionably practising all things herein câ—ntained in your life and conversation for the good of your poor soule it will be a re dy means for the good and welfare both of soule and body for time to come and in so doing I shall for ever remain Yours to command FRANCIS FREEMAN For Colonell Windham SIR I Have made bold to write unto you proposing certain several questions with your own answers as I suppose to each particular question upon what grounds you stand to maintain the true Protestant Religion the Laws and Liberties of the Subject and Priviledges of Parliament as you say and yet by your actions you seeke to destroy them all The first question what profession are you Answ A Gentleman and a Souldier The second what Religion are you off Ans The Protestant Religion The third question who doe you fight for An. For the King The 4. question Doth the King stand to maintain the true Protestant Religion the Laws of the Land Liberties of the Subject and Priviledges of Parliament As. Yes he doth so witnesse all his Declarations Proclamations and Protestations The fifth question Why doth the King suffer all the Papists and Irish Rebels some who have been proclaimed traytors both by King and Parliament to joyn with him against his Parl. to destroy it An. Because they are better Subjects then his Parliament are who indeavour to deprive him of his Sinck-Ports and all his shipping and also his Prerogative Royall The 6. question But do all these things of right belong unto the King only An. Yes they are all to be at his disposing for the good of his Kingdoms or else I would not fight for him The 7. question but now I pray you tell me what you think of the Parliament what Religion are they off An. I must confesse that I think they are Protestants but there are a great many Sects and Schismes among them which makes them far worse then any Papist or Irish Rebels there is the Puritane alias Round-head there is the Brownist the Anabaptist the Separatist some Antinomians and some Independants and these are the men that seek to deprive the King of all His Rights and Priviledges and raise up arms to fight against their King The 8. question But what do you think would be become of the Law if the Parl. should be destroyed An. I think we should enjoy the same still for our King have set forth many Declarations wherein he hath made many gracious promises and bound it by many Protestations that we shall enjoy all our own with advantage if we will but sticke close to him and fight for him against those Parliament Rebels and Traytors and that man is worse then a Rebell or a Traytor that will not take the word of a King and believe his King these and the like grounds I suppose you have to fight for your King which you so much deifie that if it were possible you would set him in Gods throne or above him as you do in your heart which doth appear plainly by your answer to some of these Questions or else you fawn upon him for some by-sinister ends of your own to be great in the esteem of the world but I shall by Gods blessing indeavour to give you certain evident Rules in the handling of each particuler that will demonstrate unto you what grosse errours you have committed what dangers you are in both soule and body and a remedy how to avoid and escape these dangers I shall handle them in order and so make particuler application according to the times I shall begin with the first answer which is touching your profession you say you are a Gentleman and a Souldier I answer If you are so then you are in a very good condition but I must tell you that all Souldiers are called Gentlemen Souldiers and those are Gentlemen Souldiers in a more speciall manner that fights the Lords battell he that fights under Christs banner he that fights against sinne and Sathan and to destroy the workes of the Divell he that indeavours to beat down Popery Superstition Idolatry and Tyrannie he that endeavours to set up Christ in his heart and regulates his life and conversation according to the Rules he hath prescribed in his Word he that indeavours a Reformation and loves the Brethren which are the Members of Christ will joyn with them and fight for them to free them from wrong and oppression he that keepes himself free from plundering and spoyling the Countrey and doing any wrong or injury to any man by his will or the like these are true properties of a Gentleman Souldier I could wish Gentlemen Souldiers to be better advised and not rashly goe to warre but first look into their own heart and see what grounds they have for it and aske councell of God for he is the God of warre he taught Davids hands to warre and his fingers to fight and if you see your enterprises tends to Gods glory then you may assure your selves of the victory by him who is onely the Almighty and can turne all flesh into dust with the breath of his mouth and now I shall appeal to your own conscience to make particuler application if it be so that Gentlemen Souldiers must be thus and thus qualified what will bee become of all you Cavaliers I would intreat you in the fear of the Lord to begin first with your self and examine your own conscience see by your actions whether your enterprises tends to Gods glory or no then I presume your actions will be a shrode evidence against you if you try your self by the touch-stone of the Sanctuary now I shall tell you how true Gentility first came in Gentility came in first by some heroick vertues by the sword or by
some extraordinary valiant acts of Chivalry or else by some extraordinary gifts of Learning wherby they were had in high estimation above other men in respect of their qualifications endowments but most of your Gentlemen have bin so notoriously wicked along time that they have cast a foul stain upon their Gentility and at this present day there lyes a staine upon their soules as black as Hell it self besides there have bin many Generations since Gentility first came in and so consequently many bastards for all Cavaliers do but do the Divels drudgery they doe the works of the Divell ye are of your Father the Divell the Lusts of your Father ye will do Iohn 8.44 Now certainly if the Divel be their Father they must of necessity be bastards and so I come to the second particuler You say you are of the Protestant Religion I answer that the Protestant Religion is a Christian Profession of the Gospell of Christ according to the Word of God wherein men did enter into a Covenant and bound themselves both to God and Man each to other protesting that they would stand to maintain the true Faith in Christ Jesus and him crucified which they then professed even to the hazard of their lives lands and personall estates hence it came to passe that so many godly and holy Patriarks suffered martyrdome in the time of Q. Mary and this protestation of theirs was in the nature of our Covenant that was lately set forth by the Honourable Court of Parliament and both for God and his Glory for Gods hand shall be either for us or against us according to the performance of the duty either by truth or deceit those godly men in their Protestation entred into an Oath and into a Curse Neh. 10.29 and so have we in our Covenant so that every one that taketh an oath doth bind himself either to the performance or to the punishment Num. 30.2 3. so that we make God our witnesse our Party and our Judge besides we entred into a Covenant in our Baptisme there we promised to forsake the Divel all his works c. and Baptism is a Seal of the Covenant of Grace but we have commited all manner of actual rebellions since that time all manner of sin impiety and now at this time here is a Nationall sin raigning amongst us it deservs a National judgment punishment and when a Nation or a People are a guilty of an extraordinary heinous sinne it is both lawfull and needfull for them to enter in a Covenant and to renew their Covenant to bind themselvs against sinne to forsake it in their own persons and to hinder punish it in others Esa 10.3 8. and this shall suffice for the second particuler I come now to the third you say you fight for the King but because the fourth particuler have so neer a relation and dependencie on the third I shall therfore handle them both jointly and severally you say likewise that the King stands to maintain the true Protestant Religion the Laws of the Land the Liberties of the Subject and Priviledges of Parliament and call all his Declarations Proclamations and Protestations to witnesse I answer It s true there have bin many set forth in his Name and signed with C. R. although he never knew of the publishing of them therefore do not deceive your self there are and have bin many evill Councellors about him and a Porter keepes the Seal besides how can you say that you fight for the King whereas the King himself fights to destroy his Kingdoms It s true you fight for him so far forth as to help him do it To proceed farther suppose the King should offer violence to his own Person to destroy Himself which God forbid he should would you help further him in it Certainly you are in a most miserable condition as the case stands but if it were lawfull for the King to go to warre against his Subjects then it were lawfull for you to fight for him but I shall make it evidently appear that you fight cleerly against him against God himself his Church and People against your self against the whole Kingdom and State First you fight against the King in striving to set up an Arbitrary Government which no Earthly King can have unlesse of Subjects we should become Slaves as they are in France but the King of Kings who sits in Heaven and seeth all things here below and is present in all places and disposeth of all things according to his own will and pleasure but if it were possible that our King could be present in all places as the King of Kings is then he might claime and chalâ—enge an Arbitrary Government to himself and govern his People according to his own will and we as Subjects would obey him according to the French fashion Secondly you fight against God and against Christ nay you fight against all the members of Christ for all those which make a profession of Christ and indeavour to regulate their lives and conversations according to the gospell of Christ you doe not onely hate their person but their very profession Thirdly you fight not onely against you selfe but against the whole Kingdome and state for you fight to destroy the law by which every men ought to possesse and injoy that which he had successiveâ—y from his predecessors or purchast with his owne money 4 You fight against the Parliament which the King himselfe both by law and oath is bound to maintayne besides all this although you Cavileeres have stole away the Kings Person from his Parliament yet his Power is their with them still for the King is subject to his inferiour Courts of Justice much more is he subject to his high Court of Parliament which commands all other inferiour Courts for if the Kings Writ be issued out of his inferiour Courts of Justice and put in due execution although he be a hundred or two hundred miles off yet the Law goes on in as full force and power as if he himself were personally present and the King himself ought to be with his Parliament in which he ought to joyn with them in the ordination and establishment of Lawes Thus you see you fight against God and against Christ and all his Members you fight against your self and against the whole Kingdom and State you fight against the Law and indeavour to destroy the Parliament the representative body of the whole Kingdom and so consequently you fight against the King But the Lord sits in Heaven and shall laugh he will have you in derision Psalm 1.2.4 He lets you alone till the measure of your iniquities be full as it was with the Amorites Gen. 15.26 Then the Lord will power forth the cup of his fury and will destroy them utterly because you are so incensed and inraged against the Church people of God Isa 41.11 you shall be as nothing and as a thing of naught vers
upon our English ground then the Bishops found it not according to their expectation a treaty of Peace must be proclaimed and a Pacification must be concluded the Scots received into his Maj. gracious favour called by this Epethite our Brethren the Scots then there must be a Parliament summoned differences must be composed reconciled there must be an Act of Oblivion betwixt our Brethren the Scots Us and the Kingdoms must be setled in peace tranquility but that the Lord had otherwise determined it the Parliament began had not sate long but presently the Rebellion in Ireland burst forth their bloody Plots being contrived before-hand what they did they had good warrant for it under the Kings own Hand and Seal as they said but certainly it was signed with C. R. and it might very well be so for a Porter kept the Seal as I said before but it did not alwayes lye dorment with Endimion but howsoever Delinquents must be punished here in England by the Parl. Straffords head must be cut off Finch and Windebank must fly for it an Act had passed for the continuance of this Parl. and for a tryannal Parliament under the Kings own Hand signed with C. R. so that it could not be dissolved after this the King with his Cavaliers came to the Parl. to demand the five members Kymbolton as traytors and proclaimed them so but being crossed disappointed of his purpose and resolution he returned in much wrath to White-Hall where the Queen was exceedingly vexed and troubled being crost in her design then the Bishops with the Popish Spanish and French Factions together with the Monopolists and such as were not Parliament proof seduced the King from his Parl. into the North Country the Standard must be set up at Nottingham the Commission of Array must bee put in execution in those Heathenish Northern Counties by the E. of Newcastle and others of the like stamp the Commission of Array must bâ— put in execution in the West Country by the Marquis of Hartford Hopton such as had a kind of profession of Religion having a forme of godlinesse but denying the power therof and they as the Divels Instruments set a work drew on all their ungodly Tenants acquaintance which were not grounded upon good principals to be on that side Rupert and Maurice must be Overseers of the ruines of their Unckles Kingdoms they must see the ruines of those who gave them their first milk as it were and have paid for the very breeding of them ever since they were born Thus I have shewed you who you fight for what sort of people you side withal how and where the King have raised his Armies he hath got them from all parts of the Earth even among the very worst of the Sons of men the very scum of the Earth as it were a company of Dammee-boyes such heathenish ungodly wretches as if he had rak'd Hell scum'd the Divel for them and so from Bellum Episcapale it was come to bee Bellum Regale the Bishops stir'd up the Wales and the King with his Monopo ists blowed them up into a flame I had almost forgot the cessation of arms in Ireland after the surrender of Bristol a most divellish Plot hatcht in the bottome of Hell it selfe meerly to cut the throats of the rest of the Protestants and do the like for us if they can for the greatest Rebels that were in that grand Rebellion were sent for hither and received into great favour and called his Maj. Catholike Subjects then after the cessation of arms in Ireland there must be a new Fast proclaimed here in England as if all had been well in Ireland but it was for nothing else but to blind the eyes of the world to make them beleive it was out of pure zeal to the Protestant cause and the publike good of his Maj. Kingdoms but certainly your Fast was invented of your selves Did you fast unâ—o me saith the Lord doe I approve it and when ye did eat and when ye did drinke did you not eat for your selves and drink for your selves Zach. 7.5 6. you did abstain according to your own fantisies and not after the prescript of the Law of God nor yet looking upon the right object for which Fasting Humiliation was ordained and so I passe to the other particulers which shall be very brief in the handling because I know that any thing that hath a savour of Religion and Godlinesse will be very tedious to you Cavaliers although Godlinesse is profitable to all things it hath the promise of this life and of that which is to come I shall give you a hint of the particulers and but a little touch them and so come to the application according to the Times and so conclude First you say that Papists and Irish Rebels are better subjects to the King then the Parliament are and that the Parliament seek to deprive him of his Prerogative Royal his Sinck-Ports and Shipping you say also that they do of right belong to the King only and are to be at his disposing or else you would not fight for him Furthermore you do believe that the Parliament are Protestants but because there are so many Sects and Schismes amongst them that they are far worse then Papists and Irish Rebels for you say they raise up arms against the King seek to deprive him of his rights and priviledges And lastly you do believe that if the Parliament should be destroyed that you should enjoy the same Law still as before and that you shall enjoy all your own with advantage if you stick close to the King and help him to destroy the Parliament rebels and traitors Now if it be so that the Parliament do seek to deprive the King of his Prerogative Royal his Sinck-Ports and Shipping as you say they do then certainly they are worse then Papists and Irish Rebels but the Parliament have alwayes strived to maintain him in all these witnesse those many Petitions sent unto him in the North with this gracious Epethite Your sacred Majesty c. with many solicitations and invitations expressing much sorrow for his absence with loyalty obedience fidelity towards him humbly praying his Sacred Majesty to return home unto them forsake those wicked Councellours that they might receive condigne punishment according to their severall offences ergo the Parliament are his best Subjects for his Sink-Ports and Shipping do not of right belong unto him only but to the whole Kindgdom and State in generall for their preservation from all forraign invasion for if so be they did of right belong unto Him only then he might joyn with those wicked Councellours that are about him without the knowledge or advise of his good Councell to let in the Turk or any forraign Enemy to invade his Kingdoms and would do it rather then to be crost in their wills for I am perswaded that they had rather the Turk or
trifle I thus and wonder at nothing The spirit we know is at your command the flesh your hand-maid and you love copulation hugely surely you were at some conventicle when you thought on this but did not you do the Divels drudgery then too Speak truâ—h and shame the Divel and never wrest any text of Scripture so prophanely to put your bastards on him but father them your selves a Gods name they may prove babes of grace ten to one but some of your holy sisters were their mothers however to the pure all things are pure and your faith is strong and can easily conceit what you would have bee as though it were even as easily as his that first I know not what to call it turnd Quadrata rotundis But heark Sir should we be so bold with you as to ask you the same question What profession are you of what would you answer a a a or as you do for us a Gentleman and a Souldier Good truth we can hardly beleeve you not that our charity is pinion'd but out of reverence to the truth speaking much otherwise in their actions for truly for all your late Bug-beares you have shewd very little of the one but farre lesse of the other since your sitting down before us we could instance your incivill inhumane and treacherous dealing with you know whom contrary to faith given contrary to all Law of Arms. But let that passe the Generall no doubt in due time wil thank you for it and we our selves may ere long peradventure make you requitall Your second question is Of what Religion are you and you answer for us more then you can for your selves The Protestant Well we acquiesce therewith and seeing you have nothing to say against us therein which may be well scor'd up too wee 'l passe on in quiet and not make an enemy where we find none as you doe Yet we cannot chuse here but smile at your weaknesse or rather wilfulnesse in going about hence so absurdly to countenance your rebellious covenant and your quoting of the Prophet Esra 10.3.8 to prove God knows what Brother brother this was a great oversight and confirms clearly what upon good ground we gues'd before that you pin your faith more closely on other mens quotations and marginall notes then on the Text it self But to let these things and the like passe and to come to the grand question between us viz. Whether yee be Rebels or no We confidently a verre ye are and ye can but faintly and as it were with blushes deny it for if ye be so ye say ye are confident your rebellion is lawfull the case standing as now it doth And why so confident forsooth Why because Ezechiah rebelled against the King of Assyria ye say and prospered O ridiculous Did ever any understanding man produce examples as rules or proofs of the lawfulnesse or unlawfulnesse of a thing in controversie let me tell you Sir I think none but your self Examples may illustrate indeed but proue nothing at all But because you adde As the case now standeth pray let us examine how it stands and what compare or disparity there is between yours and Ezechia's rebellion as you call it Ye were or should have been subjects so were ye born I am sure and enjoyd such wholsome lawes such large priviledges liberties and immunities as few subjects in any neighbouring Kingdome can boast the like His Majestie your onely and undoubted Soveraign such a Prince as Envy herselfe could not till shee borrowed your tongues tax with any personally addicted vice humane infirmity the best may have such a one as went not about any way to alter either law or religion to infringe your priviledges or debar ye of any the least your just claim'd immunities but endeavoured onely to preserve his own regall authority defend his loyall subjects and rule all accodring to the common and known lawes of the Kingdome and yet ye because ye might not have your own wayes to innovate and turn upside down all things both in Church State must needs rebell rob him of his shipping Ports Castles Cities Towns Lands Revenues and all driving him out of doors leaving him not so much as one of his own houses to put his head in nay and worse yet persecuting him from place to place endeavouring still as much as in ye lies not only to take the crown from his heaâ— but even his head from his shoulders too And thus stands the case with you Let us look upon Ezechiah good Ezechia a tâ—ow sincere worshipper of the immortall God not likely then to run into so horrid a sin a free absolute King himself a condition somwhat incompatible with rebellion legally succeeding his fore fathers in the throne and no way subject for ought I can find to Senacharib that hethenish hellish tyrant otherwise then the Lamb is to the Lion or the weaker to the stronger Yea but he rebelled say you against him the text is down-right and seems plainly to imply that he was his subject He rebelled But stay Sir all is not gold that glisters you 'l play at small game I see rather then sit out when you câ—nnot explisitly prove you wil implicitly beleeve and as one ready to sink catch at any thing though never so weak â—hat may but seem to uphold your accursed rebellion But tell me friend are you so wel acquainted with the original or have you so thoroughly conversed with the 72. and the learned train of orthodoxal expositers that you can of your self or from any joynt consent of theirs assure me that this word must needs be tied up so strictly and rendred precisely thus and no otherwise I presume you wil not say so for Sir I can assurre you that language was free-born and cannot endure such strict restrain it will it must have its libertie and this word may be nay and is I have been informed elswhere somewhat otherwise rendred Me thinks you being so great a Marginalist might have observed some such thing your charity have taught you the rule in such cases to make the best construction especially when so good a man is concerned in it Surely the holy Penman hereof meant nothing lesse then to appeach his good King of that bewitched sinne here for it is plain enough he was not in the least kind guilty thereof However let this be taken notice of to your shame that he guilty or not guilty policy so requiring acknowledgeth a fault and submits to the tyrants pleasure 2 Kings 18 14. your good King could never find ye yet guilty of so much ingenuity or grace but I observe withall that though he acknowledge an offence now offence may be taken when not justly given yet he will not acknowledge himselfe a rebell he saith indeed I have offended but addes not in rebelling against thee which he would assuredly have done had he known himselfe guilty therein fear may make him do much but not so much not acknowledge himselfe