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<DATE>2007-12-05</DATE>
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<NAME>John Pas</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B071112.apex.</ITEM>
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<STC T="W">E40</STC>
<STC T="T">669.f.23[64]</STC>
<BIBNO T="umi">99870338</BIBNO>
<VID>163720</VID>
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<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<PB REF="1" MS="y"><!-- PDF PAGE 20 -->
<HEAD>A LETTER From a Per&s;on of Honour in <HI>FRANCE,</HI> concerning The late Tran&s;actions in <HI>England,</HI> in Refe|rence to the Rights of the People in Electing of Parliaments. And al&s;o rea&s;ons the Ca&s;e, an&s;wering &s;ome Objections made again&s;t the late KING, And his POSTERITY.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>SIR,</SALUTE>
<DATELINE>PARIS, February 1659.</DATELINE></OPENER>
<P>_I Have received from the hands of <HI>Mon&s;ieur Grammont</HI> yours of the 11. and 13^t^h. in&s;tant, and cannot find that cau&s;e of &s;o great rejoycing as both expre&s;s: for all doth but amount to filling up the Hou&s;e, and by their Qualifications, Elections &s;hall be &s;o ordered, that it will be nothing more then a <HI>Free Parliament,</HI> which con&s;i&s;teth in electing, voting and fitting (as formerly) at the plea&s;ure of the Sword. If the old conti|nue, then tho&s;e worthy Gentlemen which are excluded, ought to take their places: If a new one be called, then all parties as Subjects equally concerned without Re&s;triction or Qualifications, (as they call it) ought to be capable of Election; but if their malice be &s;o rooted again&s;t the Cavaleer, or Kings party (who have as much rea&s;on to wi&s;h and act the good of tho&s;e nations as any others) that they mu&s;t not be admitted: Then 'tis but rea&s;on and ju&s;tice, that tho&s;e that have purcha&s;ed great e&s;tates, and enjoy offices military and civill, &s;hould be &s;o too. For they are the only people that keep up the&s;e di&s;tractions for their own benefit.</P>
<P>If Loo&s;ers (as the Proverb is) may not have leave to &s;peak; it is not fit Gainers &s;hould, who&s;e Intere&s;t now de|nyes Liberty to tho&s;e Sufferers, and is but particular to the grand general one. And &s;hall the Royal party alwayes loo&s;e a national Right, who have paid a compounded price of mi&s;eries for their E&s;tates, which did &s;urely give them a like Freedome as before? Otherwi&s;e what &s;ignifies their concernments to the publick in any thing? And how they can make them more then Equals in the payment of Taxes and Pre&s;&s;ures, and deny them liberty in this, is altogether unrea&s;o|nable, in that it de&s;troyes them their Birth-Right, and in every re&s;pect le&s;&s;ens the Liberties of the Subject &s;o much pre|tended or contended for. So that unle&s;s this be allowed, that party is &s;till lyable (as not having the benefit of the Laws) to the thraldom and la&s;h of every Innovator and Power what&s;oever; witne&s;s their <HI>Decimation</HI> by the late Tyrant, who renewed their &s;orrows at his plea&s;ure. And whereas &s;ome Pamphlets would per&s;wade a belief, that <HI>England</HI> will never endure its primitive practice or wor&s;hip in Religion; and that Kingly Government, by rea&s;on of pre&s;ent Intere&s;ts mu&s;t needs be extingui&s;hed; For a &s;ufficient An&s;wer, it will be worth our time to reflect upon tho&s;e Intere&s;ts. And what hath followed thereupon &s;ince the Interruption of that Parliament (famous for theit Vote in order to a peace with the late King) <HI>Anno,</HI> 1648. but confu&s;ion in great mea&s;ure, occa&s;ioned by the di&s;obedience of the then Army-Officers, animated thereunto by &s;ome Members who&s;e Intere&s;t is thus declared for? Therefore to urge any thing which is apparently de&s;tructive to a known and &s;olid experimental Welfare in E&s;tates and Kingdomes, cannot be la&s;ting, &s;afe or rational. Neither &s;o long as Ar|mies guard, and force Parliamentary Coun&s;els (to comply with their rude and indige&s;ted Models, to uphold corrupt Inte|re&s;ts, which hath co&s;t the people &s;o many millions conte&s;ting again&s;t, and for their lawful King) no foundation can po&s;&s;ibly be laid but what is arbitrary and perfectly de&s;tructive to the whole. For if the wi&s;dom of the Rulers be thus ob&s;tructed, all other E&s;&s;ayes &s;hall for ever be fruitle&s;s; and this I think may without errour pa&s;s as a <HI>Doom</HI> upon tho&s;e Kingdoms; and fondly to conclude from their confu&s;ed Notions and circum&s;tances that a pretended Common-wealth of 8. or 10. years trouble&s;ome growth, is or can be better then a Monarchy of above a thou&s;and years continuance that comparatively im|po&s;ed no grievances, is a weakne&s;s to believe. Therefore, you Phari&s;ees, if this &s;hall not convince, ob&s;erve the Order, Government and Rule of Heaven and Earth, of God in the Trinity, of Nature, and &s;ince the Creation, of Families, of every particular Countrey and people, nay the bea&s;ts of the feild: And then tel me, if you can, if this doth not proclaim Monarchical Government to be according to the Will of God and our Saviour? There can be no Competitors in dominion in one and the &s;ame thing, without enraging the hearts of men; therefore un&s;afe is that Nation who hath &s;uch Rivals. A Common-wealth is con&s;i&s;tent with, and mo&s;t &s;plendid under Regal Government, in&s;omuch as it unites all to that center.</P>
<P>Now if this be not duly con&s;idered, I have one &s;tep farther to &s;tifle their Objections and fatal intere&s;t &s;o much plead|ed for, if they will &s;tand to that purity of Spirit which they pretend, <HI>viz.</HI> The &s;olemn Leagues and Covenants made by them&s;elves, in which they &s;wore Allegiance, forces this as a duty to the per&s;on of the King, and his Po&s;terity; and yet the one by violence is cut off, and the other an exile expo&s;ed to the mercy of &s;trangers, hazarding both &s;oul and body: In &s;um, Re&s;titution is one great mark of the people of God: And &s;o long as the gain thus cleaves to their fingers, Re|pentance is not in their hearts.</P>
<P>Then, is it not great folly to countenance &s;uch intere&s;ts as the&s;e which hath co&s;t that Nation more in 10. years to defend, then would maintain the other in honour almo&s;t a thou&s;and years, had he nothing of right belonging unto him. And how they can expect a &s;ettlement by (&s;hadows of Authority) men of corrupt principles laden with its &s;poiles, (by which they continue the force put upon their Fellow members by the violence of Armies) no man hath yet di&s;covered. Unle&s;s (with the late tyranical U&s;urper <HI>Oliver Cromwell</HI>) we &s;hould look upon Perjury and Di&s;obe|dience as no &s;in, we cannot tolerate Armies (which are but &s;ervants) to be Lawgivers, or impo&s;e them upon the Rulers; from whence I hope, that victorious General con&s;ulting with his Army, the expectations of the world, will conclude, that bare &s;uppo&s;itions again&s;t a King, is no &s;olid Argument for a Common-wealth as yet unborn: Hence therefore let <HI>England</HI> &s;ing out the prai&s;es of God for their lawfull King, who with his Royal Father prayed for, and loved them in the dayes of their extremity.</P>
<CLOSER><HI>Farewell,</HI> I am
Your affectionate friend,
<SIGNED>S. E.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
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<DIV1 TYPE="colophon">
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed for <HI>Thomas Pool,</HI> 1659.</P>
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