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<DATE>2012-05-21</DATE>
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<NAME>Amanda Flynn</NAME>
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<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
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<P>VILL. PROBLEMS <HI>Propounded to the</HI> CAVALIERS: FOR Conviction of their Con&s;ciences; With a Di&s;covery of certain Plots and Con&s;piracies, Decla|red by Captain FRANCIS FREEMAN. WITH An An&s;wer thereunto returned by Colonell FRANCIS WINDHAM. <HI>And a Reply to the &s;aid An&s;wer.</HI></P>
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<P><HI>The&s;e are Printed by the Originall Papers, and Publi&s;hed according to Order of</HI> Par|liament.</P>
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<P>LONDON, Printed by BARNARD ALSOP dwelling in <HI>Grub&s;treet,</HI> 1646.</P>
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<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>To Colonell <HI>Francis Windham,</HI> Governour of <HI>Dun|&s;ter</HI> Ca&s;tle, the&s;e pre&s;ent.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>SIR,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P><HI>I</HI> Have &s;ent you here inclo&s;ed this Manu&s;cript of my poor weak labours, which is by way of Problems, containing in them eight particuler que|&s;tions, with your Cavaliers own an&s;wers to each particuler que&s;tion briefly handled by the Author; together with a briefe de&s;cription of cer|tain Plots and Con&s;piracies which the Enemies of God have completted, con|trived, and con&s;pired against the Church and People of God, to bring their wicked De&s;igns to pa&s;&s;e; and if &s;o be I could with convenience have &s;ent you the Kings Cabinet Letters taken at <HI>Naesby</HI> &s;ight, it would have been a strong confirmation of this truth: I pray you to peru&s;e the&s;e lines through out with a diligent carefulne&s;&s;e, and weigh each particuler according to its &s;everall weight, and con&s;cionably practi&s;ing all things herein c<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">ntained in your life and conver&s;ation, for the good of your poor &s;oule, it will be a re dy means for the good and welfare both of &s;oule and body for time to come, and in &s;o doing I &s;hall for ever remain</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Yours to command, FRANCIS FREEMAN.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
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<PB N="1" REF="2">
<HEAD>For Colonell <HI>Windham.</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>SIR,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>I Have made bold to write unto you, propo&s;ing certain &s;everal que|&s;tions, with your own an&s;wers (as I &s;uppo&s;e) to each particular que&s;tion, upon what grounds you &s;tand to maintain the true Pro|te&s;tant Religion, the Laws and Liberties of the Subject, and Priviled|ges of Parliament (as you &s;ay) and yet by your actions you &s;eeke to de&s;troy them all. The fir&s;t que&s;tion, what profe&s;&s;ion are you? <HI>An&s;w.</HI> A Gentleman, and a Souldier. The &s;econd, what Religion are you off? <HI>An&s;.</HI> The Prote&s;tant Religion. The third que&s;tion, who doe you fight for? <HI>An.</HI> For the King. The 4. que&s;tion, Doth the King &s;tand to main|tain the true Prote&s;tant Religion, the Laws of the Land, Liberties of the Subject, and Priviledges of Parliament? <HI>As.</HI> Yes, he doth &s;o, wit|ne&s;&s;e all his Declarations, Proclamations, and Prote&s;tations. The fifth que&s;tion, Why doth the King &s;uffer all the Papi&s;ts, and Iri&s;h Rebels (&s;ome who have been proclaimed traytors both by King and Parlia|ment) to joyn with him again&s;t his Parl. to de&s;troy it? <HI>An.</HI> Becau&s;e they are better Subjects then his Parliament are, who indeavour to deprive him of his Sinck-Ports, and all his &s;hipping, and al&s;o his Pre|rogative Royall. The 6. que&s;tion, But do all the&s;e things of right be|long unto the King only? <HI>An.</HI> Yes, they are all to be at his di&s;po&s;ing for the good of his Kingdoms, or el&s;e I would not fight for him. The 7. que&s;tion, but now I pray you tell me what you think of the Parlia|ment: what Religion are they off? <HI>An.</HI> I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e, that I think they are Prote&s;tants, but there are a great many Sects and Schi&s;mes among them, which makes them far wor&s;e then any Papi&s;t, or Iri&s;h Rebels; there is the Puritane, alias Round-head there is the Browni&s;t, the Anabapti&s;t, the Separati&s;t, &s;ome Antinomians, and &s;ome Indepen|dants, and the&s;e are the men that &s;eek to deprive the King of all His Rights and Priviledges, and rai&s;e up arms to fight again&s;t their King. The 8. que&s;tion, But what do you think would be become of the Law if the Parl. &s;hould be de&s;troyed? <HI>An.</HI> I think we &s;hould enjoy the &s;ame &s;till, for our King have &s;et forth many Declarations, wherein he hath made many gracious promi&s;es, and bound it by many Prote&s;tations, that we &s;hall enjoy all our own with advantage, if we will but &s;ticke
<PB N="2" REF="3"> clo&s;e to him, and fight for him again&s;t tho&s;e Parliament Rebels and Traytors, and that man is wor&s;e then a Rebell or a Traytor that will not take the word of a King, and believe his King: the&s;e and the like grounds, I &s;uppo&s;e you have to fight for your King, which you &s;o much deifie, that if it were po&s;&s;ible you would &s;et him in Gods throne, or above him, as you do in your heart, which doth appear plainly by your an&s;wer to &s;ome of the&s;e Que&s;tions, or el&s;e you fawn upon him for &s;ome by-&s;ini&s;ter ends of your own to be great in the e&s;teem of the world; but I &s;hall by Gods ble&s;&s;ing indeavour to give you certain e|vident Rules, in the handling of each particuler, that will demon&s;trate unto you, what gro&s;&s;e errours you have committed, what dangers you are in both &s;oule and body, and a remedy how to avoid and e&s;cape the&s;e dangers. I &s;hall handle them in order, and &s;o make particuler application according to the times. I &s;hall begin with the fir&s;t an|&s;wer, which is touching your profe&s;&s;ion: you &s;ay you are a Gentle|man and a Souldier. I an&s;wer, If you are &s;o, then you are in a very good condition; but I mu&s;t tell you, that all Souldiers are called Gentle|men Souldiers, and tho&s;e are Gentlemen Souldiers in a more &s;peciall manner that fights the Lords battell, he that fights under Chri&s;ts ban|ner, he that fights again&s;t &s;inne and Sathan and to de&s;troy the workes of the Divell, he that indeavours to beat down Popery, Super&s;tition, Idolatry, and Tyrannie, he that endeavours to &s;et up Chri&s;t in his heart, and regulates his life and conver&s;ation according to the Rules he hath pre&s;cribed in his Word, he that indeavours a Reformation, and loves the Brethren, which are the Members of Chri&s;t, &amp; will joyn with them, and fight for them, to free them from wrong and oppre&s;|&s;ion, he that keepes him&s;elf free from plundering and &s;poyling the Countrey, and doing any wrong or injury to any man by his will, or the like: the&s;e are true properties of a Gentleman Souldier. I could wi&s;h Gentlemen Souldiers to be better advi&s;ed, and not ra&s;hly goe to warre; but fir&s;t look into their own heart, and &s;ee what grounds they have for it, and aske councell of God, for he is the God of warre; he taught <HI>Davids</HI> hands to warre, and his fingers to fight, and if you &s;ee your enterpri&s;es tends to Gods glory, then you may a&s;&s;ure your &s;elves of the victory by him, who is onely the Almighty, and can turne all fle&s;h into du&s;t with the breath of his mouth, and now I &s;hall appeal to your own con&s;cience to make particuler application, if it be &s;o that Gentlemen Souldiers mu&s;t be thus and thus qualified, what will bee become of all you Cavaliers? I would intreat you in the fear of the
<PB N="3" REF="3"> Lord to begin fir&s;t with your &s;elf, and examine your own con&s;cience, &s;ee by your actions whether your enterpri&s;es tends to Gods glory, or no; &amp; then I pre&s;ume your actions will be a &s;hrode evidence again&s;t you (if you try your &s;elf by the touch-&s;tone of the Sanctuary, &amp; now I &s;hall tell you, how true Gentility fir&s;t came in, Gentility came in fir&s;t by &s;ome heroick vertues by the &s;word, or by &s;ome extraordinary va|liant acts of Chivalry, or el&s;e by &s;ome extraordinary gifts of Learning, wherby they were had in high e&s;timation above other men in re&s;pect of their qualifications &amp; endowments; but mo&s;t of your Gentlemen have bin &s;o notoriou&s;ly wicked along time, that they have ca&s;t a foul &s;tain upon their Gentility, and at this pre&s;ent day, there lyes a &s;taine upon their &s;oules as black as Hell it &s;elf; be&s;ides there have bin many Generations, &s;ince Gentility fir&s;t came in, and &s;o con&s;equently many ba&s;tards; for all Cavaliers do but do the Divels drudgery they doe the works of the Divell; [ye are of your Father the Divell, &amp; the Lu&s;ts of your Father ye will do] <HI>Iohn</HI> 8.44. Now certainly if the Divel be their Father, they mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;ity be ba&s;tards, and &s;o I come to the &s;econd particuler; You &s;ay you are of the Prote&s;tant Religion. I an&s;wer, that the Prote&s;tant Religion, is a Chri&s;tian Profe&s;&s;ion of the Go&s;pell of Chri&s;t, according to the Word of God, wherein men did enter into a Covenant, and bound them&s;elves both to God and Man each to other, prote&s;ting that they would &s;tand to maintain the true Faith in Chri&s;t Je&s;us and him crucified, which they then profe&s;&s;ed, even to the hazard of their lives, lands, and per&s;onall e&s;tates; &amp; hence it came to pa&s;&s;e that &s;o many godly and holy Patriarks, &s;uffered martyrdome in the time of Q. <HI>Mary,</HI> and this prote&s;tation of theirs was in the nature of our Covenant that was lately &s;et forth by the Honourable Court of Par|liament, and both for God and his Glory, for Gods hand &s;hall be either for us, or again&s;t us, according to the performance of the duty, either by truth, or deceit: tho&s;e godly men in their Prote&s;tation entred into an Oath, and into a Cur&s;e, <HI>Neh.</HI> 10.29. and &s;o have we in our Cove|nant &s;o that every one that taketh an oath, doth bind him&s;elf either to the performance, or to the puni&s;hment, <HI>Num.</HI> 30.2, 3. &s;o that we make God our witne&s;&s;e, our Party, and our Judge; be&s;ides we entred into a Covenant in our Bapti&s;me, there we promi&s;ed to for&s;ake the Divel &amp; all his works, &amp;c. and Bapti&s;m is a Seal of the Covenant of Grace: but we have commited all manner of actual rebellions &s;ince that time all manner of &s;in &amp; impiety, and now at this time here is a Nationall &s;in raigning among&s;t us, &amp; it de&s;ervs a National judgment &amp; puni&s;hment
<PB N="4" REF="4"> and when a Nation, or a People are a guilty of an extraordinary hei|nous &s;inne, it is both lawfull, and needfull for them to enter in a Co|venant, and to renew their Covenant, to bind them&s;elvs again&s;t &s;inne, to for&s;ake it in their own per&s;ons and to hinder &amp; puni&s;h it in others, E&s;a 10.3. &mdash; 8. and this &s;hall &s;uffice for the &s;econd particuler.</P>
<P>I come now to the third you &s;ay you fight for the King, but becau&s;e the fourth particuler have &s;o neer a relation and dependencie on the third I &s;hall therfore handle them, both jointly and &s;everally; you &s;ay likewi&s;e that the King &s;tands to maintain the true Prote&s;tant Religi|on the Laws of the Land, the Liberties of the Subject, and Priviledges of Parliament, and call all his Declarations, Proclamations, and Pro|te&s;tations to witne&s;&s;e. I an&s;wer, Its true, there have bin many &s;et forth in his Name, and &s;igned with <HI>C. R.</HI> although he never knew of the publi&s;hing of them, therefore do not deceive your &s;elf: there are and have bin many evill Councellors about him, and a Porter keepes the Seal; be&s;ides, how can you &s;ay that you fight for the King, whereas the King him&s;elf fights to de&s;troy his Kingdoms; Its true, you fight for him &s;o far forth, as to help him do it. To proceed farther, &s;uppo&s;e the King &s;hould offer violence to his own Per&s;on to de&s;troy Him&s;elf (which God forbid he &s;hould) would you help further him in it? Cer|tainly you are in a mo&s;t mi&s;erable condition as the ca&s;e &s;tands; but if it were lawfull for the King to go to warre again&s;t his Subjects, then it were lawfull for you to fight for him: but I &s;hall make it evident|ly appear, that you fight cleerly again&s;t him, again&s;t God him&s;elf, his Church and People, again&s;t your &s;elf, &amp; again&s;t the whole Kingdom and State.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, you fight again&s;t the King, in &s;triving to &s;et up an Arbitrary Government, which no Earthly King can have (unle&s;&s;e of Subjects we &s;hould become Slaves as they are in <HI>France</HI>) but the King of Kings who &s;its in Heaven, and &s;eeth all things here below, and is pre&s;ent in all places, and di&s;po&s;eth of all things according to his own will and plea&s;ure; but if it were po&s;&s;ible that our King could be pre&s;ent in all places as the King of Kings is, then he might claime and chal<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">enge an Arbitrary Government to him&s;elf, and govern his People according to his own will, and we as Subjects would obey him according to the French fa&s;hion.</P>
<P>Secondly, you fight again&s;t God, and again&s;t Chri&s;t; nay you fight again&s;t all the members of Chri&s;t; for all tho&s;e which make a profe&s;|&s;ion of Chri&s;t, and indeavour to regulate their lives and conver&s;ations
<PB N="5" REF="4"> according to the go&s;pell of Chri&s;t you doe not onely hate their per|&s;on, but their very profe&s;&s;ion. Thirdly, you fight not onely again&s;t you &s;elfe, but again&s;t the whole Kingdome and &s;tate; for you fight to de&s;troy the law by which every men ought to po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e and injoy that which he had &s;ucce&s;&s;ive<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">y from his predece&s;&s;ors, or purcha&s;t with his owne money. 4, You fight again&s;t the Parliament, which the King him&s;elfe both by law and oath is bound to maintayne, be&s;ides all this although you Cavileeres have &s;tole away the Kings Per&s;on from his Parliament, yet his Power is their with them &s;till: for the King is &s;ubject to his inferiour Courts of Ju&s;tice, much more is he &s;ubject to his high Court of Parliament, which commands all other inferiour Courts; for if the Kings Writ be i&s;&s;ued out of his inferiour Courts of Ju&s;tice, 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 him&s;elf were per&s;onally pre&s;ent, and the King him&s;elf ought to be with his Parliament, in which he ought to joyn with them in the or|dination and e&s;tabli&s;hment of Lawes. Thus you &s;ee, you fight again&s;t God, and again&s;t Chri&s;t and all his Members, you fight again&s;t your &s;elf, and again&s;t the whole Kingdom and State; you fight again&s;t the Law, and indeavour to de&s;troy the Parliament the repre&s;entative bo|dy of the whole Kingdom, and &s;o con&s;equently you fight again&s;t the King: [But the Lord &s;its in Heaven and &s;hall laugh, he will have you in deri&s;ion] P&s;alm 1.2.4. He lets you alone, till the mea&s;ure of your ini|quities be full, as it was with the Amorites, Gen. 15.26. Then the Lord will power forth the cup of his fury, and will de&s;troy them ut|terly becau&s;e you are &s;o incen&s;ed and inraged again&s;t the Church &amp; people of God, I&s;a 41.11. you &s;hall be as nothing, and as a thing of naught, ver&s;. 22. Now is not this a fooli&s;h madne&s;&s;e for you, to rage &amp; vent your malice again&s;t Gods people, and all in vain; for &s;ayes the Prophet DAVID in the 2 P&s;al. 1. [Why do the heathen &s;o furiou&s;ly rage, and the people imagine a vaine thing] and in the next ver&s;e he &s;aith [the Kings of the earth &s;tand up, and the Rulers take coun&s;ell together again&s;t God and again&s;t Chri&s;t,] and although they &s;tand up and take coun&s;ell together, and rage and rent their malice again&s;t the people of God, yet the Lord &s;hall &s;peake to them in his wrath, and vex them in his &s;ore di&s;plea&s;ure as in the 5 ver&s;e, and in the 10 ver&s;e, there the Prophet gives them whole&s;ome in&s;tructions, and exhorteth them to repentance. [Be wi&s;e now therefore O ye Kings, be in&s;tru|cted ye Judges of the earth &s;erue the Lord with feare; &amp;c. and thus
<PB REF="5"> you may &s;ee plainly, that all you Cavaliers do fight again&s;t the King, and the King again&s;t him&s;elf &amp; his Kingdoms: &amp; now I &s;hal &s;hew you who you fight for, you fight for the Divel &amp; the Pope, &amp; <HI>Goring</HI> &amp; his &s;oldiers are of the Divels Life-guard (as his &s;oldiers &s;ay them&s;elvs) <HI>Go|ring</HI> is Captain, and the Divel is their General over that black Regi|ment, who&s;e foul &s;ins are as black as Hell it &s;elf; for you &s;trive to &s;et up Popery, Super&s;tition, Idolatry, and Tyrannie, the Kingdom of An|tichri&s;t above Chri&s;ts Kingdom; you joyn with all the Papi&s;ts in the Kingdome, both Engli&s;h, Dutch, French, Walloons, nay Iri&s;h Rebels too, who have had their hands imbrued in the blood of many thou|&s;and poor Prote&s;tants there, and yet the&s;e cur&s;ed Rebels mu&s;t be cal|led his Maj. Catholike Subjects, and mu&s;t fight for him again&s;t his be&s;t Subjects for the Prote&s;tant Religion too: O mon&s;trous, horrid, and prodigeous prodegie, is there any man can be &s;o &s;otti&s;hly ignorant as to believe it, I &s;hall endeavour to cleer it by the te&s;timony of many wicked Plots, Trecheries, and Con&s;piracies, which the Popi&s;h faction tho&s;e wicked Enemies of God have u&s;ed, con&s;pired and contrived a|gain&s;t the Church and People of God, in K. <HI>Iames</HI> his time, and ever &s;ince the beginning of this Kings Reign, to bring their wicked de&s;igns to pa&s;&s;e: Fir&s;t, in K. <HI>Iames</HI> his Reign that de&s;perate Powder-plot, ne|ver to be forgotten, wherof many of the Contrivers &s;uffered for it as traytors and yet not many yeares after the Papi&s;ts prevailed &s;o farre with the King as to grant them a toleration of Religion, he being a timerous fearfull man granted their de&s;ires, it being done, they might the better contrive and work &s;ome other mi&s;chiefe: but that tolle|ration did not long continue, the King was better advi&s;ed by his Councell; yet notwith&s;tanding they would not leave their de&s;ign &s;o naked, &amp; without hopes, but that they went again to the King &amp; pre|vailed &s;o farre with him as to grant a tolleration for all manner of Sports and Pa&s;times on the Sabbath day, dancing at May-poles, and the like fooleries; this continued till his dying day, and &s;ince revived by K. <HI>Charles,</HI> and thus came the &s;luce and fludgate to be opened to all manner of licentiou&s;ne&s;&s;e and liberty, together with a &s;trange wife, as if they were twins born at a birth: then the Bi&s;hops &amp; rotten Cler|gie &s;aw which way the King and Queen, and the young gallant Lords and Courtiers were inclined; then they began pre&s;ently to fawn up|on them like &s;o many puppie Dogs, and &s;ome pillowes under their elbowes; and make &s;uch flattering Sermons with &s;o much quaint|ne&s;&s;e of wit, and fla&s;hes, as they termed it, that you &s;hould have them
<PB REF="5"> &s;o hum'd up, as if they had been at the Black-Fryers, or the Cockpit at a St<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">ge-Play; but I mu&s;t tell them, that &s;uch fawning Spannels, are far wor&s;e then dumb Dogs; but yet they grew more &amp; more in fa|vour at Court, in&s;omuch that godly and painfull con&s;cientious Mini|&s;ters were disfavoured &amp; di&s;countenanced, &amp; many of them put to &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters">|lence that could not endure their fooli&s;h &s;uper&s;titious &s;opperies, then there mu&s;t be new Canons impo&s;ed on them for a Church-Govern|ment; the Communion Table mu&s;t be turned Altar-wi&s;e for&s;ooth, where you might &s;ee &s;o much bowings, curchings, and cringings, as if they were going to dance an Antick; but yet they endeavoured to make the people believe, that Gods &s;peciall pre<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">ents was there, and the&s;e actions were a part of Gods Wor&s;hip, w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">en alas they wor&s;hipt they knew not what like unto the woman of <HI>Samaria, Iohn</HI> 4. [where &s;he told our Saviour Chri&s;t, that our Fathers wor&s;hipped in this Moun|tain and <HI>Ieru&s;alem</HI> is the place where men ought to wor&s;hip; but our Saviour Chri&s;t &s;aith unto her, [woman believe me the hour cometh, when ye &s;hall neither in this <HI>Mountain,</HI> nor at <HI>Ieru&s;alem</HI> wor&s;hip the Father; ye wor&s;hip ye know not what;] but the houre cometh, and now is, when the true Wor&s;hippers &s;hall wor&s;hip the Father in Spirit and Truth: then after this they mu&s;t have the new Oath, &amp;c, that men &s;hould &s;wear to that they know not, or if they refu&s;ed it at their own perill be it and &s;o many an hone&s;t man &s;uffered deeply for it: then af|ter this began all the Monopolies that could be devi&s;ed To back Pat|tents, and Soap Pattents, and the like and by this time the Court was grown to a mighty height of pride, Super&s;tition and Idolatry; &amp; &s;ome|times you might find the Bi&s;hop of <HI>Canterbury</HI> at White Hall to &s;ee a Ma&s;que or a Stage-Play on the Sabbath Day in the Afternoon in&s;o|much that it was a great griefe to the godly to &s;ee Popery &s;o coun|tenanced, &amp; creep in by degrees, yet dur&s;t not &s;peak again&s;t it, for fear of puni&s;hment in the high Commi&s;&s;ion Court, either by &s;ilencing or by &s;u&s;pention: But then it plea&s;ed God after a little while, our Bre|thren the Scots had a fellow-feeling of our mi&s;eries, &amp; &s;omwhat &s;en|&s;ible of their own, what would follow after; then they began with their own Bi&s;hops, and pre&s;ently took them off, of their Epi&s;copall Digni|ties; then our Bi&s;hops began to &s;tir &amp; wince and pre&s;ently mu&s;t labor with the King to call a Parliament in all po&s;t-ha&s;t, certain Articles of Church-government mu&s;t be propounded unto them, and a new book of Prayer &s;ent, but the Scots refu&s;ing their Popi&s;h kind of Di&s;cipline, would not condi&s;cend thereunto; then pre&s;ently a Proclamation of
<PB N="8" REF="6"> Rebellion mu&s;t go forth again&s;t them; the Parl. mu&s;t be di&s;&s;olved, an Army mu&s;t be rai&s;ed to &s;top this Rebellion all manner of unju&s;t taxes &amp; impo&s;ition mu&s;t be laid upon the poor Subjects, as Coat and con|duct money, and the like; the unju&s;t pre&s;&s;ing of Train Souldiers, and buying and &s;elling them by Deputy Lieutenants, and Popi&s;h Com|manders, like hor&s;es in Smithfield: then the King mu&s;t go him&s;elfe in Per&s;on into <HI>Scotland;</HI> the Nobility and Gentry mu&s;t wait on him; the Bi&s;hops and rotten Clergy, who&s;e war it was, mu&s;t contribute large &s;ums of mony to uphold their Hierarchy; hence it came to pa&s;&s;e, that it was called <HI>Bellum Epi&s;copale;</HI> but how&s;oever they found the Scots a &s;tout and &s;turdy Nation, their cau&s;e being good they met us upon our Engli&s;h ground; then the Bi&s;hops found it not according to their ex|pectation, a treaty of Peace mu&s;t be proclaimed, and a Pacification mu&s;t be concluded the Scots received into his Maj. gracious favour, &amp; called by this Epethite, <HI>our Brethren the Scots,</HI> then there mu&s;t be a Parliament &s;ummoned, differences mu&s;t be compo&s;ed &amp; reconciled, there mu&s;t be an Act of Oblivion betwixt our Brethren the Scots &amp; Us and the Kingdoms mu&s;t be &s;etled in peace &amp; tranquility, but that the Lord had otherwi&s;e determined it: the Parliament began, &amp; had not &s;ate long, but pre&s;ently the Rebellion in <HI>Ireland</HI> bur&s;t forth, their bloody Plots being contrived before-hand, &amp; what they did they had good warrant for it under the Kings own Hand and Seal (as they &s;aid) but certainly it was &s;igned with <HI>C. R.</HI> and it might very well be &s;o, for a <HI>Porter</HI> kept the Seal as I &s;aid before, but it did not alwayes lye dor|ment with <HI>Endimion,</HI> but how&s;oever Delinquents mu&s;t be puni&s;hed here in <HI>England</HI> by the Parl. <HI>Straffords</HI> head mu&s;t be cut off, <HI>Finch</HI> and <HI>Windebank</HI> mu&s;t fly for it, an Act had pa&s;&s;ed for the continuance of this Parl. and for a tryannal Parliament under the Kings own Hand, &s;igned with <HI>C. R.</HI> &s;o that it could not be di&s;&s;olved; after this, the King with his Cavaliers came to the Parl. to demand the five members &amp; <HI>Kym|bolton</HI> as traytors, and proclaimed them &s;o, but being cro&s;&s;ed &amp; di&s;ap|pointed of his purpo&s;e and re&s;olution, he returned in much wrath to White-Hall, where the Queen was exceedingly vexed and troubled, being cro&s;t in her de&s;ign; then the Bi&s;hops, with the Popi&s;h, Spani&s;h, and French Factions, together with the Monopoli&s;ts, and &s;uch as were not Parliament proof, &s;educed the King from his Parl. into the North Country, the Standard mu&s;t be &s;et up at <HI>Nottingham,</HI> the Commi&s;&s;ion of Array mu&s;t bee put in execution in tho&s;e Heatheni&s;h Northern Counties by the E. of <HI>Newca&s;tle,</HI> and others of the like &s;tamp; the Com|mi&s;&s;ion
<PB N="9" REF="6"> of Array mu&s;t b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> put in execution in the We&s;t Country by the Marquis of <HI>Hartford,</HI> &amp; <HI>Hopton,</HI> &s;uch as had a kind of profe&s;&s;ion of Religion, having a forme of godline&s;&s;e, but denying the power therof, and they as the Divels In&s;truments &s;et a work, drew on all their un|godly Tenants, &amp; acquaintance, which were not grounded upon good principals, to be on that &s;ide; <HI>Rupert</HI> and <HI>Maurice</HI> mu&s;t be Over&s;eers of the ruines of their Unckles Kingdoms; they mu&s;t &s;ee the ruines of tho&s;e who gave them their fir&s;t milk as it were, and have paid for the very breeding of them ever &s;ince they were born: Thus I have &s;hew|ed you who you fight for, what &s;ort of people you &s;ide withal, &amp; how and where the King have rai&s;ed his Armies; he hath got them from all parts of the Earth even among the very wor&s;t of the Sons of men, the very &s;cum of the Earth (as it were a company of Dammee-boyes) &s;uch heatheni&s;h &amp; ungodly wretches, as if he had rak'd Hell, &amp; &s;cum'd the Divel for them, and &s;o from <HI>Bellum Epi&s;capale,</HI> it was come to bee <HI>Bellum Regale:</HI> the Bi&s;hops &s;tir'd up the Wales, and the King with his Monopo i&s;ts blowed them up into a flame. I had almo&s;t forgot the ce&s;&s;ation of arms in <HI>Ireland</HI> (after the &s;urrender of <HI>Bri&s;tol</HI>) a mo&s;t di|velli&s;h Plot, hatcht in the bottome of Hell it &s;elfe, meerly to cut the throats of the re&s;t of the Prote&s;tants, and do the like for us if they can; for the greate&s;t Rebels that were in that grand Rebellion were &s;ent for hither, and received into great favour, and called his Maj. Catho|like Subjects: then after the ce&s;&s;ation of arms in <HI>Ireland,</HI> there mu&s;t be a new Fa&s;t proclaimed here in <HI>England,</HI> as if all had been well in <HI>Ireland,</HI> but it was for nothing el&s;e but to blind the eyes of the world, to make them beleive it was out of pure zeal to the Prote&s;tant cau&s;e, and the publike good of his Maj. Kingdoms; but certainly your Fa&s;t was invented of your &s;elves; <HI>Did you fa&s;t un<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">o me &s;aith the Lord? doe I approve it? and when ye did eat, and when ye did drinke, did you not eat for your &s;elves, and drink for your &s;elves?</HI> Zach. 7.5, 6. you did ab&s;tain accor|ding to your own fanti&s;ies, and not after the pre&s;cript of the Law of God, nor yet looking upon the right object for which Fa&s;ting &amp; Hu|miliation was ordained, and &s;o I pa&s;&s;e to the other particulers, which &s;hall be very brief in the handling; becau&s;e I know that any thing that hath a &s;avour of Religion and Godline&s;&s;e will be very tedious to you Cavaliers, although Godline&s;&s;e is profitable to all things, it hath the promi&s;e of this life, and of that which is to come. I &s;hall give you a hint of the particulers, and but a little touch them and &s;o come to the application according to the Times, and &s;o conclude. Fir&s;t, you &s;ay that
<PB N="10" REF="7"> Papi&s;ts and Iri&s;h Rebels are better &s;ubjects to the King then the Par|liament are: and that the Parliament &s;eek to deprive him of his Pre|rogative Royal his Sinck-Ports and Shipping, you &s;ay al&s;o, that they do of right belong to the King only, and are to be at his di&s;po&s;ing, or el&s;e you would not fight for him; Furthermore, you do believe that the Parliament are Prote&s;tants, but becau&s;e there are &s;o many Sects and Schi&s;mes among&s;t them, that they are far wor&s;e then Papi&s;ts and Iri&s;h Rebels for you &s;ay they rai&s;e up arms again&s;t the King &amp; &s;eek to deprive him of his rights and priviledges: And la&s;tly, you do believe that if the Parliament &s;hould be de&s;troyed, that you &s;hould enjoy the &s;ame Law &s;till as before, and that you &s;hall enjoy all your own with advantage, if you &s;tick clo&s;e to the King, and help him to de&s;troy the Parliament rebels and traitors. Now if it be &s;o, that the Parliament do &s;eek to deprive the King of his Prerogative Royal his Sinck-Ports and Shipping as you &s;ay they do; then certainly they are wor&s;e then Papi&s;ts and Iri&s;h Rebels, but the Parliament have alwayes &s;trived to maintain him in all the&s;e, witne&s;&s;e tho&s;e many Petitions &s;ent unto him in the North, with this gracious Epethite, <HI>Your &s;acred Maje&s;ty,</HI> &amp;c. with many &s;olicitations, and invitations, expre&s;&s;ing much &s;orrow for his ab&s;ence, with loyalty, obedience &amp; fidelity towards him hum|bly praying his Sacred Maje&s;ty to return home unto them &amp; for&s;ake tho&s;e wicked Councellours that they might receive condigne puni&s;h|ment according to their &s;everall offences, <HI>ergo,</HI> the Parliament are his be&s;t 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 pre&s;ervation from all forraign inva&s;ion; for if &s;o be they did of right belong unto Him only, then he might joyn with tho&s;e wicked Councellours that are about him (without the knowledge or advi&s;e 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 cro&s;t in their wills; for I am per&s;waded, that they had rather the Turk or the Pope &s;hould enjoy his Crown, then the Parliament, together with all his be&s;t Subjects, &s;hould enjoy their Laws, Liberties, and Priviledges; which doth evidently appeare by his entertaining &s;o many Popi&s;h Rebels, and Traytors, and all to cut the throats of his poor Prote|&s;tant Subjects, but certainly he have had many a free pardon and in|dulgence for the&s;e things, and tho&s;e many Declarations, Proclama|tions, and Prote&s;tations, for of all that ever was yet &s;et forth in his
<PB N="11" REF="7"> Name, there hath not been any performance at all in the lea&s;t tittle, if it be &s;o that you can tell me of any one Proclamation or Declara|tion that hath been performed on his part, then will I turn Cavaleer, and joyne with you to fight again&s;t the Parliament; and as for His Prerogative Royall &s;o much talkt off, certainly it was ever maintai|ned by the Law, and what would become of it, if the Parliament &s;hould be de&s;troyed; be&s;ides the glory of a King, is to governe His Kingdoms with his Subjects love; and <HI>Mercurius Problematicus</HI> will tell you, that the &s;afe&s;t Armour for a King is his Subjects love, and a good head-piece and if he had had &s;uch Armour, he need not have &s;et up his Standard, nor put the Commi&s;&s;ion of Array in execution, which was done contrary to Law, unle&s;&s;e it had been again&s;t a forraign E|nemy; for what nece&s;&s;ity was there for the execution thereof, when as the Parliament had made provi&s;ion for the defence of the whole Kingdome, again&s;t any forraign Enemy, &s;uch was their provident care for the Kingdoms &s;afety, but that the Lord had a &s;courage for his People for their &s;innes, and made you Cavaliers to be the Executio|ners thereof, but it was to bring them more neere unto him&s;elfe, and although you rob, plunder, and &s;poyle them of all their goods and good Name, yet they will be but afflictions unto them and will take away their &s;inne; for by this the Iniquity of <HI>Iacob</HI> &s;hall bee purged, <HI>I&s;ai</HI> 27.9. and this is all the fruit of it; nay &s;ometimes the Lord &s;ets wicked Kings to reign over his People &amp;c.</P>
<P>But I ha&s;ten and this much I can a&s;&s;ure you, that the Parliament have alwayes &s;tood faithfully for the Vindication of the Kings Ho|nour, Crown and Dignity, for His Lawes, Rights, and Priviledges, for the Liberty of the Subject, and Priviledges of Parliament, as much as ever any PARLIAMENT did &s;ince the Kingdome ever Being.</P>
<P>And whereas you &s;candalize them by the Name of Schi&s;maticks, Round-heads, Rebels, and Traytors, I can a&s;&s;ure you they are Reli|gious, Godly, and Holy Patriarks, placed there by God him el&s;e for the Vindication of his own Honour and Glory: for they endeavour a Reformation, which is the main cau&s;e of your inveterate hatred and malice again&s;t them.</P>
<PB N="12" REF="8">
<P>You cannot endure &s;uch a curb for your &s;ins, and your old cour&s;e of living, which you &s;o often accu&s;tomed your &s;elves unto, which makes all you Cavaliers to hate a Reformation, you are &s;o oppo&s;ite to the Doctrine of Chri&s;t; but commonly where God will have his Church, there the Divel will have his Chappel, and you Cavaliers are as In|&s;truments and fellow-Labourers, &s;et on work by him, again&s;t the Church and People of God; and although there are Errours in the Church now, (as there hath bin in the Apo&s;tles times) yet it is but er|rour in judgment &amp; opinion, but we will agree in the Fundamentals, &amp; it is &s;omtimes nece&s;&s;ary that there &s;hould be errours, that the truth may the better appear in its lu&s;tre and glory, &amp; &s;hine the more cleer|ly in its purity; be&s;ides, if the Parl. and their Armies are Rebels and Traytors to the King as you &s;ay they are, yet I am confident their Re|bellion is lawfull as the ca&s;e &s;tands; for if you do but look into the 2 of <HI>Kings</HI> 17.7. there you &s;hal find that <HI>Hezekiah</HI> rebelled again&s;t the King of <HI>A&s;hur,</HI> and &s;erved him not, and yet he pro&s;pered in all things he took in hand, he put down the brazen Serpent, and de&s;troyed their Idols, &amp; this you may &s;ee cleerly in the text, that it was for their Ido|latry: Then how can you look to pro&s;per in your Armies, where Ido|latry is &s;et up, and &s;o highly pri&s;ed among&s;t you: but the Lord &s;eeth your doings, and puts up all your iniquities in a Bag; and although you may pro&s;per and flouri&s;h for a while, yet the Lord will &s;uddenly cut you off: for the very prayers and &s;upplications of his &s;ervants will a&s;cend up unto Heaven, which will cau&s;e the Lord to make you de|&s;troy one another, as he did the Children of <HI>Moab</HI> and <HI>Ammon,</HI> 2 <HI>Chr.</HI> 20.23. certainly the Lord will be glorified in his own work, and will deliver his People out of your hands; &s;o if you look into the 32. chap. of the &s;ame Book of <HI>Chron.</HI> there you &s;hall find how <HI>Zenacharis</HI> King of <HI>A&s;hur</HI> came to war again&s;t <HI>Iudah</HI> &amp; <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> and if you plea&s;e to read the whole Chapter throughout, it will be worth your pains there you &s;hal find how <HI>Zenacharis</HI> bla&s;phemed God &s;aying <HI>What God is be that can deliver his people out of my hands,</HI> and this is ju&s;t the condition of you Cavaliers; for you will bla&s;pheme the Name of God, &amp; are &s;o over-&s;weld with pride, that you think your &s;elvs able to re&s;i&s;t &amp; over|come even God him&s;elf, and comparing fooli&s;h and vain Idols (which were invented and made by Man) to the living God, as in the 19. ver&s;. of that chap. and in the 20. ver&s;. there you &s;hall &s;ee how <HI>Hezekiah</HI> and the Prophet <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> prayed unto the Lord again&s;t the&s;e things, and cryed unto Heaven; and in the 21. ver&s;. there you &s;hall finde the i&s;&s;ue
<PB N="13" REF="8"> and &s;ucce&s;&s;e they had by prayer, the Lord heard their prayers, for hee &s;ent an Angel and de&s;troyed all the valiant men, and the Princes, and the Captains of the Ho&s;t of the King of <HI>A&s;hur,</HI> and what became of the King of <HI>A&s;hur</HI> and his mighty great Army, which contained in number one hundred four&s;core and five thou&s;and: why &s;urely they came to nothing, for they de&s;troyed one another, and the King him&s;elf returned with &s;hame to his own Land, and as the text &s;aith, when he came to the hou&s;e of his God they that came out of his own bowels &s;lew him there with the &s;word; intimating unto us, how prevalent and effectua l the prayers of the faithfull are with God, e&s;pecially a|gain&s;t &s;uch Tyrants, for where a Tyrant &amp; an Idolator raigneth, there can be no peace and quietne&s;&s;e; for the very plagues of God are al|wayes among &s;uch people: And thus you &s;ee how the&s;e Kingdomes are di&s;quieted by Tyranny and Idolatry, and what di&s;tractions &amp; di|&s;tempers there are, and have bin even among Kings and Princes, and mighty men of this world and you your &s;elf have a &s;hare in the exer|ci&s;e of their cruelty, in upholding Idolatry and Tyranny again&s;t the people of God; and now by this time I have &s;hewed unto you who you fight for, and what dangers you are in both &s;oule and body; and now I come to &s;hew you how to avoid &amp; e&s;cape the&s;e dangers, which &s;hall be by way of exhortation and admonition; let me now exhort and entreat you in the fear of the Lord to repentance and humiliation; humble your &s;elf before the Lord in du&s;t and a&s;hes come out from a|mong tho&s;e cur&s;ed Crue of Infidels, who&s;e tongues &s;peakes nothing but bla&s;phemy, &amp; &s;o long as thou continue there with them, thou can|not but participate of their filthy abominations and tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, for if you do but conive and wink at other mens &s;ins you are as guilty of the &s;ame &s;inne, without reproof, as if you your &s;elves had per&s;onally committed it; therefore if you will avoid &s;in, and e&s;cape the danger therof, then you mu&s;t &s;hun the occa&s;ion of it, and con&s;equently &s;hake off &s;uch wicked company. <HI>David</HI> &s;aid [depart from me ye wicked, I will keep the Commandements of my God] intimating thereby, that he could not &s;et him&s;elfe to the performance of any holy duty as hee ought, &s;o long as &s;uch wicked company were about him; yea, it hath been a grief to the godly to have bin in the company of ungodly per|&s;ons, as <HI>Let</HI> living in <HI>Sodome,</HI> when he &s;aw their filth and abominations it vexed his righteous &s;oule; and this was it that made <HI>David</HI> bemone him&s;elf, and his e&s;tate and condition, when he was con&s;trained to live among the uncircumci&s;ed people: [Woe is me, that I remain in <HI>Me|&s;ech,</HI>
<PB REF="9"> and to dwell in the Tents of <HI>Kedar,</HI> my &s;oule hath long dwelt a|mong tho&s;e that be enemies to Peace. Now you &s;ee how careful the&s;e god<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">y men were to &s;hun and avoid the lewd oompany of the wicked, and if you will imitate them in goodne&s;&s;e, you mu&s;t carefully labour to live in the practice of holine&s;&s;e, and avoid the company of &s;uch Idolatrous Papi&s;ts and Athei&s;ts as are among&s;t you.</P>
<P><HI>Sir,</HI> I have wrote to you &s;omwhat largely, and the truth of it is far more largely then I intended, but yet I hope it will not be labour in vain, but that it may plea&s;e God to make me an I&s;trument of your conver&s;ion, if you will but carefully, diligently, &amp; &s;eriou&s;ly read over this poor weak piece, and weigh every particuler according to its &s;e|verall weight, and con&s;cionably practice it in your li<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">e and conver&s;a|tion, walking in newne&s;&s;e of life, and obedience to the Go&s;pel of Chri&s;t, with earne&s;t and fervent prayers to the Almighty God of hea|ven, to create a new heart and renew a right &s;pirit within you, and if we humble our &s;elves, and turn from our wicked wayes then the Lord will be mercifull to us, and will heal our Land, 2 <HI>Chron</HI> 7.14. and if o|therwi&s;e, that we do not humble our &s;elves, it will prove to be mi&s;ery upon mi&s;eries and we &s;hal<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> heap up wrath again&s;t the day of wrath; and &s;o the Lord of his mercy direct your heart, and divert his Judg|ments from Us and give us patience to undergo the&s;e afflictions, and then the Lord in his due time will accompli&s;h his own ends, and &s;end us a happy and ble&s;&s;ed peace, by a ble&s;&s;ed Reformation. Now I would intreat you in the name of the Lord, and for your own &s;oules healths &s;ake, that you will take this my coun&s;ell and admonitions to &s;hake of your wicked company, or if it be po&s;&s;ible to reduce them to the obe|dience of the Parliament; but if there be any thing herein expre&s;&s;ed whereof you make any &s;cruple or doubt of the truth of it, I &s;hall bee ready to give you more full and ample &s;atisfaction, if you plea&s;e to appoint the time and place, (God willing) I will give you a meeting, or any Cavalier what&s;oever, there to u&s;e liberty of Con&s;cience, and freedom of Spirit to di&s;pute the point without any manner of wrong or violence, each to other, and that there may be nothing but reality intended betwixt us, let there be &s;ufficient engagements to each and I &s;hall for ever remain</P>
<CLOSER><SALUTE>SIR,</SALUTE> <SIGNED>Yours to command, <HI>FRANCIS FREEMAN.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<PB REF="9">
<HEAD>For M^r^. Francis Freeman in Dun&s;ter, the&s;e. <HI>Three &mdash; in Print.</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Sir,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>I Have peru&s;ed your Manu&s;cript, and would willingly have tho|roughly weighed (as you dr&s;ire) your (as you well call them) poor weeak endevours: but truly they prov'd weightle&s;&s;e, and however you plea&s;e to &s;tile them, more powerfull then ordinary, e|ven converting me from my &s;elfe &s;ometimes to <HI>Democritus,</HI> then to <HI>Heraclitus,</HI> and from him again to the former, making me &s;mile, pity, and again laugh at your ignorance, impudency and folly, even in one and the &s;ame minute. I had thought to have concealed your &s;hame in part, and not have hazarded the becoming equally ridicu|lous with you, in going about to blaze what your &s;elfe have more then &s;ufficiently already done; I would willingly have kept &s;ilence, and not an&s;wered a word: but finding by late &s;peeches over the walls, that you take occa&s;ion thereby, to think wickedly, that I am even &s;uch a one as your &s;elf, and that your frivolons (what &s;hall I call them) are unan&s;werable, and al&s;o hearkning to the wi&s;e mans ad|vice, who wills to an&s;were a fool &s;ometimes according to his folly, le&s;t he be (over) wi&s;e in his own conceit: I have forc'd my &s;elfe now (though unwillingly) to return an&s;wer unto &s;ome of your par|ticulars (to all were endle&s;&s;e:) but (beleeve me) where to begin, what fir&s;t to &s;ay, or what order to ob&s;erve in an&s;wering &s;o di&s;order|ly a peece, I well know, not: &s;o great is your confu&s;ion, &s;o imme|thodicall your proceeding, that I &s;hould bewray a great deal of in|di&s;cretion, &s;hould I endevour to tract you: but <HI>jacta e&s;t alea</HI>) we mu&s;t on &s;ome way or other. At all adventure then, wee'l undertake your fir&s;t, &mdash;you call it a <HI>Probleme,</HI> (you are well read in <HI>Ari&s;totle,</HI> it &s;eems, learn'd you nothing el&s;e thence but this &s;pecious appellati|on?)</P>
<P>Surely this needed no <HI>Oedipus,</HI> the meere&s;t <HI>Davus</HI> in our Ca&s;tle had been able enough to have &s;hap'd you a ready an&s;wer thereunto: however (thanks to your charity) it &s;eemes you will help, if not prevent us therein: for you an&s;wer in our names, <HI>a Gentleman</HI> and <HI>a Souldier;</HI> and we mu&s;t take the&s;e two termes for&s;ooth on your bankrupt credit, for convertible, and &s;o naturally, or rather &s;uperna|turally joyn'd together, that it were impiety to &s;ever them, as though all Souldiers were Gentlemen, and all Gentlemen Souldi|ers, &mdash; <HI>ri&s;um teneatis amici:</HI> A quaint device to Gentilize your
<PB REF="10"> Pedlar, Di&s;hmaker, and the like, and to make the young Squire a Martiali&s;t. But Lord, how this fine military youth mu&s;t be qualifi|ed, what preci&s;e rules he mu&s;t follow, he mu&s;t, and he mu&s;t, he mu&s;t not and he mu&s;t again, (any thing I warrant you but fight for his King) but whence learnt you this? out of <HI>Alian</HI> the young Ar|tillery man, or your new <HI>Edenburgian,</HI> trow? Fie on't, are you not a&s;hamed to dally thus, and confound things &s;o fooli&s;hly together? &s;peaking of a meere Souldier, &s;imply con&s;idered as &s;uch, mu&s;t we pre&s;ently conceive him metamorpho&s;ed, &amp; become a &s;piritual one? Was <HI>Hector, Alexander, Cae&s;ar,</HI> or any of the <HI>Othoman</HI> race, ever &s;o? and yet they were Gentlemen, they were Souldiers, if we may con|fide in their Heraldry; were they acquainted with, did they ob&s;erve the&s;e rules? But why trifle I thus, and wonder at nothing? The &s;pi|rit we know, is at your command, the fle&s;h your hand-maid, and you love copulation hugely: &s;urely, you were at &s;ome conventicle when you thought on this; but did not you do the Divels drudgery then too? Speak tru<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">h, and &s;hame the Divel, and never wre&s;t any text of Scripture &s;o prophanely, to put your ba&s;tards on him, but fa|ther them your &s;elves a Gods name, they may prove babes of grace; ten to one but &s;ome of your holy &s;i&s;ters were their mothers, how|ever to the pure all things are pure, and your faith is &s;trong, and can ea&s;ily conceit what you would have bee, as though it were, e|ven as ea&s;ily as his that fir&s;t (I know not what to call it) turnd <HI>Quadrata rotundis.</HI> &mdash; But heark, Sir, &s;hould we be &s;o bold with you, as to ask you the &s;ame que&s;tion, <HI>What profe&s;&s;ion are you of?</HI> what would you an&s;wer, <HI>a&mdash;a&mdash;a,</HI> or as you do for us, a Gentle|man and a Souldier? Good truth, we can hardly beleeve you, not that our charity is pinion'd, but out of reverence to the truth, &s;pea|king much otherwi&s;e in their actions: for truly (for all your late Bug-beares) you have &s;hewd very little of the one, but farre le&s;&s;e of the other &s;ince your &s;itting down before us: we could in&s;tance your incivill, inhumane, and treacherous dealing with &mdash; you know whom, contrary to faith given, contrary to all Law of Arms. But let that pa&s;&s;e, the Generall no doubt, in due time, wil thank you for it; and we our &s;elves may ere long peradventure make you re|quitall.</P>
<P>Your &s;econd que&s;tion is, <HI>Of what Religion are you?</HI> and you an|&s;wer for us (more then you can for your &s;elves) <HI>The Prote&s;tant.</HI> Well, we acquie&s;ce therewith, and &s;eeing you have nothing to &s;ay again&s;t us therein, (which may be well &s;cor'd up too) wee'l pa&s;&s;e on
<PB REF="10"> in quiet, and not make an enemy where we find none, as you doe. Yet we cannot chu&s;e here but &s;mile at your weakne&s;&s;e, or rather wilfulne&s;&s;e, in going about hence &s;o ab&s;urdly to countenance your rebellious covenant, and your quoting of the Prophet, <HI>E&s;ra</HI> 10.3.8. to prove God knows what. Brother, brother, this was a great o|ver&s;ight, and confirms clearly what upon good ground we gues'd before, that you pin your faith more clo&s;ely on other mens quota|tions, and marginall notes, then on the Text it &s;elf.</P>
<P>But to let the&s;e things and the like pa&s;&s;e, and to come to the grand que&s;tion between us, <HI>viz. Whether yee be Rebels, or no?</HI> We confidently a verre ye are; and ye can but faintly, and as it were with blu&s;hes deny it: for if ye be &s;o, ye &s;ay, ye are confident your rebellion is lawfull, the ca&s;e &s;tanding as now it doth. And why &s;o confident, for&s;ooth? Why? becau&s;e <HI>Ezechiah</HI> rebelled again&s;t the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> ye &s;ay, and pro&s;pered. O ridiculous! Did ever any under&s;tanding man produce examples as rules or proofs of the law|fulne&s;&s;e or unlawfulne&s;&s;e of a thing in controver&s;ie? let me tell you Sir, I think none but your &s;elf. Examples may illu&s;trate indeed, but proue nothing at all. But becau&s;e you adde, <HI>As the ca&s;e now &s;tandeth,</HI> pray, let us examine how it &s;tands, and what compare, or di&s;parity there is between yours and <HI>Ezechia's</HI> rebellion as you call it: Ye were (or &s;hould have been) &s;ubjects, &s;o were ye born, I am &s;ure, and enjoyd &s;uch whol&s;ome lawes, &s;uch large priviledges, liberties, and immunities, as few &s;ubjects in any neighbouring Kingdome can boa&s;t the like. His Maje&s;tie, your onely and undoubted Sove|raign, &s;uch a Prince as <HI>Envy</HI> her&s;elfe could not, till &s;hee borrowed your tongues, tax with any per&s;onally addicted vice (humane infir|mity the be&s;t may have) &s;uch a one as went not about any way to al|ter either law or religion, to infringe your priviledges, or debar ye of any the lea&s;t your ju&s;t claim'd immunities, but endeavoured onely to pre&s;erve his own regall authority, defend his loyall &s;ubjects, and rule all accodring to the common and known lawes of the King|dome: and yet ye, becau&s;e ye might not have your own wayes to innovate, and turn up&s;ide down all things both in Church &amp; State, mu&s;t needs rebell, rob him of his &s;hipping, Ports, Ca&s;tles, Cities, Towns, Lands, Revenues, and all, driving him out of doors, leaving him not &s;o much as one of his own hou&s;es to put his head in, nay, and wor&s;e yet, per&s;ecuting him from place to place, endeavouring &s;till, as much as in ye lies, not only to take the crown from his hea<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">, but even his head from his &s;houlders too. And thus &s;tands the ca&s;e with you.</P>
<PB REF="11">
<P>Let us look upon <HI>Ezechiah,</HI> good <HI>Ezechia,</HI> a t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">ow &s;incere wor&s;hipper of the immortall God, (not likely then to run into &s;o horrid a &s;in) a free ab&s;olute King him&s;elf (a condition &s;omwhat incompatible with rebellion) legally &s;ucceeding his fore fathers in the throne, and no way &s;ubject (for ought I can find) to <HI>Senacharib,</HI> that hethe|ni&s;h, helli&s;h tyrant, otherwi&s;e then the Lamb is to the Lion, or the weaker to the &s;tronger. Yea, but he rebelled (&s;ay you) again&s;t him, the text is down-right, and &s;eems plainly to imply, that he was his &s;ubject. He rebelled. But &s;tay, Sir, all is not gold that gli&s;ters, you'l play at &s;mall game I &s;ee rather then &s;it out, when you c<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">nnot ex|pli&s;itly prove, you wil implicitly beleeve, and (as one ready to &s;ink) catch at any thing, though never &s;o weak) <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">hat may but &s;eem to up|hold your accur&s;ed rebellion. But tell me, friend are you &s;o wel ac|quainted with the original, or have you &s;o thoroughly conver&s;ed with the 72. and the learned train of orthodoxal expo&s;iters, that you can of your &s;elf, or from any joynt con&s;ent of theirs, a&s;&s;ure me, that this word mu&s;t needs be tied up &s;o &s;trictly, and rendred preci&s;ely thus, and no otherwi&s;e? I pre&s;ume you wil not &s;ay &s;o: for, Sir, I can a&s;&s;urre you, that language was free-born; and cannot endure &s;uch &s;trict re&s;train; it will, it mu&s;t have its libertie: and this word may be, nay and is, I have been informed, el&s;where &s;omewhat otherwi&s;e rendred. Me thinks you being &s;o great a Marginali&s;t, might have ob|&s;erved &s;ome &s;uch thing, &amp; your charity have taught you the rule in &s;uch ca&s;es, to make the be&s;t con&s;truction, e&s;pecially when &s;o good a man is concerned in it Surely the holy Penman hereof meant nothing le&s;&s;e, then to appeach his good King of that bewitched &s;inne here; for it is plain enough, he was not in the lea&s;t kind guilty thereof. However, let this be taken notice of to your &s;hame, that he guilty or not guilty (po|licy &s;o requiring) acknowledgeth a fault, and &s;ubmits to the tyrants plea&s;ure, 2 <HI>Kings</HI> 18 14. (your good King could never find ye yet guil|ty of &s;o much ingenuity or grace:) but I ob&s;erve withall, that though he acknowledge an offence, (now offence may be taken when not ju&s;tly given) yet he will not acknowledge him&s;elfe a rebell; he &s;aith indeed, <HI>I have offended,</HI> but addes not, in rebelling again&s;t thee, which he would a&s;&s;uredly have done, had he known him&s;elfe guilty therein: fear may make him do much, but not &s;o much, not acknowledge him&s;elfe, rebell contrary to all truth. But when, I pray you, doth his &s;uppo&s;ed rebellion appear to you, by what circum&s;tances is it manife&s;ted? For my part I know not, and I think he mu&s;t be wi&s;er then you that can tell me.</P>
<PB REF="11">
<P>Tis true indeed that <HI>Ahaz</HI> his Father being vexed by <HI>I&s;rael</HI> and <HI>Aram</HI> on the North, the <HI>Edomites</HI> and <HI>Phili&s;tines</HI> on the South, and &s;o in &s;oore di&s;tre&s;&s;e, intreated ayd of <HI>Tiglat Phile&s;er</HI> the <HI>A&s;&s;irian,</HI> and to the end he might the more readily obtaine it, &s;ent him the &s;ilver and gold both of the Temple, and his Exchequer the A&s;&s;yrian came, de&s;troyed <HI>Rezin</HI> at <HI>Dama&s;cus,</HI> and &s;o rid him of &s;ome of his feare: but his other enemies were not &s;trong, &s;o that <HI>Ahaz</HI> was little the better for what he did, nay far the wor&s;e, for be&s;ides tho&s;e his former enemies, the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> him&s;elfe being become a new one, di&s;tre&s;&s;eth him, 2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 28.20. and helped him not, ver&s;e the 21. yet mu&s;t p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">ore <HI>Ahaz</HI> &s;ay nothing, but for feare of di&s;plea&s;ing the <HI>Tyrant,</HI> give him more gold: Bu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> what of all this? nay, &s;uppo&s;e further, that the Lion &s;aing he had done him a curty&s;ie, and he not daring to den ieit, out of feare promi&s;e to give him a yeerly tribute in requitall, (which yet, neither the text, nor anie ancient hi&s;to|rian I have met with acknowledge) is <HI>Ezechia</HI> bound to performe it? would not you if you had been in his ca&s;e have endeavoured to have &s;haken off &s;uch a Yoake? and yet have thought your &s;elfe free enough from any the lea&s;t blemi&s;h of rebellion? e&s;pecially he being neither your native nor any way lawfull Prince: I believe you would: and why then do you call it rebellion in him? &mdash; But lets ob&s;erve <HI>E|zechi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">as</HI> proceedings: did he do as ye do? &s;urely no, far otherwi&s;e: he confe&s;&s;eth an offence, &s;ubmitteth him&s;elfe, and payeth the fine im|po&s;ed on him: but the proud Tyrant, not contented therewith pro|ceeds further, &s;ends a great hoa&s;t again&s;t <HI>Ieru&s;al<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">m,</HI> and under colour of demanding ho&s;tages endeavours to in&s;nare him and &s;wallow up all: and what does <HI>Ezechia</HI> then? why he betakes him&s;elfe in the fir&s;t place to the weapons of the Church, <HI>Prayers</HI> and <HI>Teares,</HI> then prepares him&s;elfe again&s;t the &s;iege, and la&s;tly that he might be &s;ure to go in a right path, &s;ends to the Prophet for his advice, and being incouraged by him &s;ets up his re&s;olution to &s;tand upon his ju&s;t defence, and expect the Salvation of the Lord: O that your party had but done thus: then had ye bin blamele&s;&s;e, and neither Church nor State groan'd under the heavy pre&s;&s;ures they now doe: but your Spirits were of another tem|per, as impatient of delay as any the lea&s;t thwarting: yee mu&s;t have all after your own wayward minds, and in your own time too. And if heaven &s;mile not, you are confident hell will hy for <HI>Acheren</HI> in all po&s;t, the Witch of <HI>Endor</HI> mu&s;t be con&s;ulted with (Rebellion and Witch|craft are neer a-kin) and that under a religious pretence of &s;peaking with the Prophet, to know the will of the Lord. But what, will the
<PB REF="12"> father of lies tell truth? Yes &s;ometimes, when he is forc'd to it: what comfort thence then? Small God wot, for yee: let <HI>Iezabel</HI> &s;peak el&s;e, and ca&s;t forth her <HI>Probleme, Had Zimri peace that killed his ma|&s;ter?</HI> O Sir Rebell, think on this, and tremble: take heed of a wor&s;e fire then he (con&s;cious of his own demerits) fired him&s;elfe in, 1 <HI>King.</HI> 16.18.</P>
<P>How can ye be thus wilfully, thus affectedly &s;tupid and blinde? but <HI>Surdis Canimus;</HI> ye have &s;et up your re&s;olution, and it mu&s;t &s;tand: let the Charmer charme never &s;o wi&s;ely, ye like the Adder &s;top your eares; yea though wi&s;edome her &s;elfe cry aloud, ye are re&s;olved ye will not heare: 'tis bootle&s;&s;e therefore for me, to u&s;e any more words: and the truth is, my patience wil hardly give me leave, if I would: &mdash; wee'l but review then the &s;trength of your Argument, and conclude: it &s;tands thus: <HI>E|zechiah</HI> rebelled and pro&s;per'd, therefore we may lawfully rebell, therefore we &s;hall a&s;&s;uredly pro&s;per: O weakne&s;&s;e! produce no|thing but an example, to prove the lawfulne&s;&s;e of an act flatly for|bidden, and that but one &s;ingly, grounded upon one word, ambi|guous, admitting a more candide interpretation (which in &s;uch ca|&s;es is alwayes to be admitted) an example no way con&s;onant to the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e you aime at, but even <HI>di<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">-dia-pae&s;&ocirc;n</HI> differing, and making more again&s;t ye, then for ye! and can this make you &s;o confident that your rebellion is lawfull? fie on't, fie on't, God o|pen your eyes, and turne your hearts: &s;urely if your hands prove as weake as your heads: you'l gaine but little here: but I forget my &s;elfe: yet <HI>nondum manuum de tabula,</HI> for taking notice of your kind expectative conclu&s;ion, I can not chu&s;e but meet you in the &s;ame tract of Charity: &mdash; Let me intreat you therefore, in the Name of God, to lay a&s;ide all prejudicacie, to weigh things with a &s;ingle heart: not to dote &s;o much upon examples and pre&s;idents, but to make the divine precept the rule of your actions: &mdash; you cannot but know and acknowledge, that Kings (though wicked as <HI>Saul,</HI> though heathen as <HI>Cyrus, E&s;a.</HI> 45.1. are the Lords annoint|ed; by him they raigne, <HI>Prov.</HI> 8.15. In his hand are their hearts, and he turneth them as he plea&s;eth, <HI>Prov.</HI> 21.1. Take not too much then upon you, meddle not with Gods Prerogative: think on <HI>Abi&s;hai,</HI> and <HI>Davids neperdas</HI> to him, 1 <HI>Sam.</HI> 26.9. together, with his rea&s;on: Though that <HI>Saul</HI> were his, and the Churches e|nemy, though he had a faire opportunity, and as good a culler as could be imagined to cut him of, and though <HI>Abi&s;hai,</HI> were impor|tunate
<PB REF="12"> to have it done, yet <HI>David</HI> who be&s;t knew the will of the Lord herein, forbids it, with a <HI>neperdas,</HI> de&s;troy him not: the Lords annointed mu&s;t not be de&s;troyed, no nor touched, 1 <HI>Chron</HI> 16.22. not a hand, not a finger to be moved again&s;t him, no nor a foote neither, <HI>Prov.</HI> 30.31. no ri&s;ing, no &s;tirring a foote again&s;t him: 'tis dangerou&s;ly wicked, 'tis wickedly dangerous, &s;o to do: the Lord will not hold him guiltle&s;&s;e that doth &s;o: think on <HI>Ioab,</HI> 1 <HI>Kings</HI> 2.28. the 2. Traytors <HI>E&s;ter</HI> 2.23. <HI>Ab&s;olon</HI> 2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 18.14. <HI>Sheba</HI> 2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 20.22. and the like; and tell me did the&s;e pro&s;per in their rebellion? &s;urely no, but came all of them to untimely (though merited, ends, &amp; no doubt &s;o &s;hall all &s;uch as tread in their &s;teps: beware then in time, and take example now by others; lea&s;t ye be made your &s;elves hereafter examples unto others: 'tis high time for ye to returne into the right way, ye have &s;tragled too long already, <HI>Salius &egrave; dimedia via</HI> &amp;c. 'tis better late then never: be not a&s;hamed to acknowledge an errour, when ye perceive your &s;elves in it, 'tis no di&s;honour: St. Aug. got more credit by his re|tractations, then any other piece he wrote: and let not any by or wordly re&s;pect hinder ye, for what will it profit a man to gayne the whole World, with the glory thereof, and lo&s;e his owne Soule (as all &s;uch as go on in this accur&s;edly cur&s;ed rebellion, are likely, without Gods great mercy, to do) thinke upon the&s;e things, &s;eriou&s;ly con&s;ider them, and it will not repent thee, God in his mercy, dirvert his judgements from us, and guide all our feete in the way of Peace.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your Servant, Fran: Windham.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<HEAD>To the Governour of Dun&s;ter Ca&s;tle, the&s;e pre&s;ent.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>SIR,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>I Have received a Letter (as I &s;uppo&s;e) &s;igned with your owne hand; but compo&s;ed by tho&s;e two &s;candalous malignant prie&s;ts of <HI>Baal, Adrie</HI> and <HI>King:</HI> pretending it to be an an&s;wer to that which I formerly &s;ent you: when indeede there was no an&s;wer at all; but a mo&s;t lamentable frothy peice of non-&s;ence, as if your heads had been gvilly of a cup of muddy ale, a bundell of &s;tuffe bumba&s;ted together, with three or fowre mouth-fulls of Lattin, ta|ken upon tru&s;t by you without due examination: &s;ub&s;cribed with
<PB REF="13"> your own hand; for which I &s;hall hereafter chide you, and &s;hall advi&s;e you to take better councell, and not to follow &s;uch blinde guides that &s;hall build with one hand and de&s;troy with the other, which argues abundance of imbecillity and weakne&s;&s;e in you; I &s;hall therefore &s;et it forth in print, that the world may but judge of your folly, and the title of it &s;hall be Three &mdash; in print: but what &s;hall I &s;ay, but u&s;e the very &s;ame words of our Saviour Chri&s;t in the 15. of <HI>Matthew</HI> 14. And if the blind leade the blinde they both &s;hall fall into the ditch. Truly you may ju&s;tly be compared unto the fal&s;e Prophets &s;poken of in the 5. of <HI>Ieremiah</HI> and the la&s;t ver&s;e, the Prophets Prophecy fal&s;ly: and the Prie&s;ts beare rule by their meanes. and my people love to have it &s;o: and what will ye do in the end thereof? &s;urely your end will be mi&s;erable, unle&s;&s;e it plea&s;e God to give you grace &s;peedily to repent and amend your life; for you wre&s;t the Scriptures to your own perdition: not knowing the waies of God becau&s;e they are &s;piritually di&s;cern'd, therefore let me advi&s;e you to ca&s;t tho&s;e wicked &s;candalous Prie&s;ts' over the walles; it may be a meanes to avert Gods judgements and &s;omewhat abate the rage and furie of him that may yet prove to be.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED><HI>Your friend,</HI> Francis Freeman.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="postscript">
<HEAD>Post-&s;cript.</HEAD>
<P>There is no newes worth the vvriting, but that <HI>Hereford</HI> and <HI>We&s;tchester</HI> are ta|ken, and Colonell <HI>Birch</HI> made Governour of <HI>Hereford,</HI> but I cannot as yet rightly inform you vvho is Governour of <HI>VVe&s;tche&s;ter,</HI> if I could I &s;hould gladly impart it unto you.</P>
<P>I have &s;ent al&s;o a Catalogue of all tho&s;e Parliament Rebels and Traytors, as you call them, vvhich are to be made
<LIST>
<ITEM><LIST>
<HEAD>Dukes.</HEAD>
<ITEM>Northumberland</ITEM>
<ITEM>E&s;&s;ex.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Pembroke.</ITEM>
<ITEM>VVarwick.</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<HEAD>Marque&s;&s;es.</HEAD>
<ITEM>Salsbury</ITEM>
<ITEM>Manche&s;ter</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<HEAD>Earles.</HEAD>
<ITEM>Say &amp; Seale</ITEM>
<ITEM>Fairfax</ITEM>
<ITEM>VVharton.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Roberts.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Howard.</ITEM>
<ITEM>VVillowby</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<HEAD>Vi&s;count.</HEAD>
<ITEM>Den&s;i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"></ITEM>
<ITEM>Hollis.</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<HEAD>Barons.</HEAD>
<ITEM>Generall <HI>Fairfax.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Lieutenant Generall <HI>Cromwel.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Sir <HI>VVilliam VValler.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Sir <HI>Henry Vane,</HI> Senior.</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>There is &s;ome other newes flying, but how true it is I know not: and that is, that <HI>Goring, Hopton,</HI> and <HI>Miller,</HI> are gone into <HI>France.</HI> But the next newes, God willing, I &s;hall bring my &s;elfe, and vve vvill have it all in a Diurnall.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
