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<DATE>2010-08-06</DATE>
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<NAME>Olivia Bottum</NAME>
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<P><HI>A</HI> LETTER FROM AN OFFICER in His MAJESTIES Army, to a Gentleman in <HI>Gloce&s;ter-&s;hire.</HI></P>
<P>UPON OCCASION OF certain Querees &s;cattered about <HI>that Country.</HI></P>
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<P>Printed in the Yeare, 1643.</P>
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<PB N="1" REF="2">
<HEAD><HI>A</HI> LETTER FROM AN OFFICER IN HIS MAJESTIES ARMY, to a Gentleman in <HI>Gloce&s;ter-&s;hire.</HI> Upon occa&s;ion of certain Quaerees &s;cattered about that COUNTRY.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Sir:</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_I Have received your Letter and your Quae|rees, which you &s;ay makes a deep impre&s;&s;ion in many of who&s;e hone&s;ty and publique Af|fections I have a very good e&s;teem, and that they are made by one who hath a great de&s;ire to receive ca&s;e and &s;atisfaction him&s;elfe, as being of a nature very undelighted and pa&s;&s;ive in the&s;e di&s;tractions. The fir&s;t (how &s;trange &s;oever it &s;eems to Rea&s;on) I mu&s;t beleive, e|&s;pecially when I find your &s;elfe, whom I have often known very ea&s;ily to ma&s;ter more difficult Contentions, brought to &s;ome pau&s;e, as it &s;omewhat were &s;aid to you, you could not well get from; no doubt many other of le&s;&s;e &s;ubtle under&s;tandings, and it may be hurt by the nece&s;&s;ary pre&s;&s;ures, and provoked by unwarrantable In&s;olen|cies of the Kings Souldiers, are, or &s;eem to be really puzled. But for the Author of tho&s;e Quaerees, you mu&s;t pardon me if I do not be|leive him to be a man of &s;o innocent a nature as you would imply: doubtle&s;&s;e the&s;e &s;cruples never &s;prung from a minde in labour to find out truth; but are contrived by a Per&s;on very well able to an|&s;wer his own Objections, and having pretended Con&s;cience again&s;t his own under&s;tanding hath found the&s;e little excu&s;es to make a party among&s;t weaker men.</P>
<P><PB N="2" REF="3">
The fir&s;t Scruple &s;eems to be a tenderne&s;&s;e of the Act for continu|ance of this Parliament, which that Gentleman would apprehend to be broken by His <HI>Maje&s;ties</HI> not con&s;enting to all the Coun&s;ells now given Him by both Hou&s;es; If I thought this Objection to be of moment to you, I &s;hould give your under&s;tanding for lo&s;t, and ex|pect your cure only by that which mi&s;led you, Succe&s;&s;e; but I mu&s;t ob&s;erve to you the uningenuity of your hone&s;t man, who would make the People beleive that by His <HI>Maje&s;ties</HI> con&s;enting to pa&s;&s;e that Act, that A&s;&s;embly were authorized to command, and His <HI>Maie|&s;ty</HI> obliged to obey whatever they pre&s;cribed; when that Gentleman well knowes nothing is enacted by that law, but that this Parliament &s;hall not be di&s;&s;olved but by Act of Parliament. You well remem|ber in what Condition things &s;tood at the pa&s;&s;ing that Law, two Armies in the Bowells of the Kingdome at 800001. the Moneth, &s;o much to be rai&s;ed for the &s;upport of them, and a much greater &s;umme to Disband them; all this Money was to be borrowed, and upon &s;uch &s;ecurity as Money in tho&s;e happy daies u&s;ed to be lent, for the new merry &s;ecurity of the publique faity, by a Vote of both Hou&s;es, was not then currant enough to be obtruded to the people, the Credit of many worthy Per&s;ons was to be u&s;ed for the procuring this &s;upply, and it &s;eemed no un&s;ea&s;onable warine&s;&s;e of tho&s;e who expo&s;ed them&s;elves and their fortunes to this hazard; to de&s;ire that the body, at who&s;e in&s;tance they undertook tho&s;e Engagements, might not be di&s;&s;olved, before it had taken &s;ome cour&s;e to &s;ecure &s;uch undertakings, and provi&s;ion &s;hould be made for the indemp|nity of tho&s;e who had &s;ubmitted to &s;uch burthens. This Rea&s;on, and this alone prevailed with His <HI>Maje&s;ty</HI> to agree that this Parlia|ment &s;hould not be di&s;&s;olved without their con&s;ent, who &s;eemed vo|luntarily to engage them&s;elves for the Peace &amp; benefit of the King|dom. How this continuance of the Parliament &s;hould now give both Hou&s;es the Prerogative they have a&s;&s;umed, I cannot under&s;tand, and them&s;elves have publiquely acknowledged in their Declarations, that they were to blame if they undertook any thing which they would not undertake, if it were in His <HI>Maie&s;ties</HI> power to di&s;&s;olve them to morrow; Think now with your &s;elfe if the King &s;hould ar|gue with both Hou&s;es upon their own Grounds, that the Tru&s;t being broken, the power may be rea&s;&s;umed immediately into the hands which repo&s;ed that Tru&s;t, might he not ju&s;tly &s;ay, that they had be|trayed
<PB N="3" REF="3">
and forfeited that Tru&s;t&punc; by u&s;ing the meanes which was gi|ven them to disburthen the Common-wealth of a debt which was then thought in&s;upportable, only to plunge it irrecoverably into a greater, and to ruine the Kingdom to preferre halfe a &s;core men. And if the People &s;hould follow their Logique and be tryed only by the Equity of the Law, might they not charge them with the breach of Tru&s;t, in changing the whole frame of the Government of the Kingdom, and &s;ubjecting them to &s;o unlimited an Arbitrary power, that no man can know at the &s;itting of the Hou&s;es, what he &s;hall be worth at their ri&s;ing? Did they intend, when they let the&s;e men in|to that A&s;&s;embly, that they &s;hould &s;hut the Door, and keep tho&s;e that &s;ent them for ever from tho&s;e Coun&s;ells? Did the King intend that they &s;hould rob, depo&s;e &amp; murther him? And did the people intend that their fellowes and Companions &s;hould impri&s;on, plunder and de&s;troy them? and if the abu&s;ed King, and injured people &s;hould now declare this Act to be void and in it &s;elfe again&s;t the Funda|mentall Lawes of the Kingdom, and &s;o this Parliament to be di&s;&s;ol|ved, would not your Principles and foundations beare them out? You are one of the olde&s;t Parliament men I know, and, however you may have &s;ince changed your mind, have to me &s;eemed the mo&s;t &s;candalized at the Indignities offered to the very being of Parlia|ment, by the wildne&s;&s;e and fury of this. Did not you pa&s;&s;ionately re|prehend the pert Burge&s;&s;e of your own Town, for arguing again&s;t the Kings negative voyce, becau&s;e then it may fall out that the Common-wealth might be ruined for want of a &s;upplementall Law, which the perver&s;ene&s;&s;e of one man would not con&s;ent to? Did you not then, after you had &s;hewed the impo&s;&s;ibility and mad|ne&s;&s;e of &s;uch &s;uppo&s;itions, and that from the beginning of this Mo|narchy to this day, no inconvenience had hapned of that kind, &s;ay, that you were per&s;waded in your Con&s;cience, that the Lawes of the Kingdome were &s;o very compleat, in order to the Government of the Kingdome, that if there &s;hould never more be made, &s;o the old were faithfully ob&s;erved, the Kingdome would be at lea&s;t without any diminution of its happine&s;&s;e: on the other &s;ide if the Kings Con&s;ent were not nece&s;&s;ary, you &s;aid all tho&s;e Bills which had here|tofore pa&s;&s;ed both Hou&s;es, and for want of the Royall A&s;&s;ent had been layed by, would now ri&s;e vp <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> &s;o many Lawes to as great a confu&s;ion as the&s;e Ordinances have made? Did you not then &s;ay,
<PB N="4" REF="4">
that when <HI>Parliaments</HI> left their mode&s;ty, they would loo&s;e their Reputation, and when they walked in any other Path then of their knowne Pre&s;idents, and judged by any other Rule then the known Lawes, they would advance a Tyranny more in&s;upportable then ever <HI>Rome</HI> or <HI>Greece</HI> endured? your Priviledges, which are free|dome of Speech, and freedome from Impri&s;onment, (except where the Law &s;ayes you may be impri&s;oned) where are they? how vio|lated? and by whom, but by your &s;elves? How many men, cho&s;en &amp; &s;ent by their Countries, have you turned out of the Hou&s;e for not concurring with you in opinion? How mon&s;trous is it that the King may not commit a Member, who attempts to kill Him, without your leave; &amp; you may commit another for but de&s;iring to ki&s;&s;e His hand? And while&s;t you will not &s;uffer His Maje&s;ty, without breach of Pri|viledge, to commit Traitors and Felons, becau&s;e they are Members of either Hou&s;e, you are content that Alderman <HI>Pennington,</HI> or any of the City Captaines commit tho&s;e who &s;it among&s;t you, &amp; you have not the courage to reprehend them. Doe you thinke the people of <HI>England</HI> can look long upon &s;ix&s;core or &s;even&s;core men (for both Hou&s;es doe not containe a greater number) as upon the high Court of <HI>Parliament?</HI> when the Major part of tho&s;e too are Per&s;ons of &s;uch de&s;perate fortunes, and contemptible under&s;tandings, as off from tho&s;e Benches were never thought fit for &s;ober and hone&s;t Coun&s;ells. You may break what le&s;ts you plea&s;e upon the King and the Cavaliers, &amp; &s;ay, that if He were in His owne Power He would quickly returne to His <HI>Parliament,</HI> but truly the Court here hath &s;o much Charity to beleeve, if both Hou&s;es were at liberty to doe ac|cording to their Con&s;ciences this publique fire would be quickly quenched. Beleeve it no &s;ober man lookes upon you under any o|ther Notion, then as men be&s;ieged by the de&s;perate common Coun|cill of <HI>London</HI> and their Adherents, who awe and fright you to their wicked and damnable conclu&s;ions<HI>:</HI> Nay, the clo&s;e Committee it &s;elf, is a greater breach of the Priviledge of <HI>Parliament,</HI> then the Kings comming to the Hou&s;e, &amp; the taking the five Members from thence could have been. I am as little plea&s;ed with the perpetuity of this <HI>Parliament,</HI> as I have been with the untimely breaking of o|thers; and let me tell you, all the di&s;&s;olutions of <HI>Parliaments</HI> from the beginning of them to this time, hath not done halfe that mi&s;|chief, as the continuance of this hath done; and yet &s;ince it hath the
<PB N="5" REF="4">
countenance of a Law, I wi&s;h it may never be di&s;&s;olved but by a Law. What de&s;ignes the&s;e men have even upon Parliaments them|&s;elves, is too evident, whereas if the King prevailes, parliaments are againe re&s;tored to their full Lu&s;tre; you have read His Prote&s;tations &s;olemnly made in the pre&s;ence of God for the defence of the Privi|ledges of <HI>Parliaments;</HI> He is too Iu&s;t and too pious a Prince to break tho&s;e promi&s;es, and to reproach Him&s;elfe with His owne Declara|tions; but if He &s;hould, enquire whether the Per&s;ons about Him, even the Officers of His Army are likely to concur with Him in tho&s;e ends? I am per&s;waded it would be no more in His Power to employ His Army to the de&s;truction of the Law, then you once thought it was to rai&s;e one for His pre&s;ervation. In a word, as you e&s;teem and reverence reall <HI>Parliaments,</HI> abhorre the&s;e men who would u&s;e the word <HI>Parliament</HI> only as a &s;talking Hor&s;e to de&s;troy all acts of <HI>Par|liament;</HI> there cannot be a more irreverent mention of <HI>Parliaments</HI> then to call the fanatique actions of a few de&s;perate &s;editious per|&s;ons the proceedings of <HI>Parliament.</HI> A <HI>Parliament</HI> is the great Coun|cell of the Kingdome, gratiou&s;ly called by His <HI>Maie&s;iies</HI> Writ, con|fidently to pre&s;ent the grievances of the people, and humbly to offer their advice and Coun&s;ells for Reformation; if they come un&s;ent for, irregularly call that a greivance, which the Law allowes, and in&s;o|lently command, in&s;tead of mode&s;tly advi&s;ing the Royall power, by who&s;e Authority they come together, they doe, as much as in them lyes, di&s;&s;olve the <HI>Parliament</HI> by proceeding again&s;t the nature, of <HI>Parliaments.</HI></P>
<P>The next &s;candall this wi&s;e Gentleman takes, is at the protecting Delinquents; does this trouble you too? Call your memory to an ac|count, I think I have heard you &s;ay, you have been of eight <HI>Parlia|ments.</HI> How many Delinquents have you known &s;ent for in &s;even of them? and what were they? were not mo&s;t of them, only &s;uch as had pre&s;umed to &s;ue or arre&s;t priviledged per&s;ons? How many men in your time have you knowne committed by the Hou&s;e of Com|mons before this <HI>Parliament?</HI> doe you think it rea&s;onable that they who cannot examine, &s;hould have power to Iudge? you had need take the cour&s;e you doe to &s;light and undervalue all Oaths, that they may not be thought nece&s;&s;ary to legall and regular proceedings, and yet why doe you then at all intimate your owne incompetency by &s;ome times de&s;iring the Lords to helpe you examine men by Oath?
<PB N="6" REF="5">
How comes it that you confe&s;&s;e Oathes at &s;ome time to be nece&s;&s;ary for finding out the truth, and pa&s;&s;e it over as impertinent at other? When you have evidence you think it a popular thing to u&s;e it, if you have none, you can Iudge as well without it. You have a trick to be &s;atisfied in your owne Con&s;ciences, (Con&s;ciences that can commit Trea&s;on, Felony, Rapes, and Sacriledge in the feare of God) &amp; then all formes and e&s;&s;ences of proceedings, which can only di&s;tingui&s;h right from wrong, mu&s;t be di&s;pen&s;ed with. If a Trea&s;on were com|mitted, how comes my Lord Chief Iu&s;tice to be left out in the en|quiry, and no other Mini&s;ter imployed but your Sergeant? why &s;hould not the Common-wealth heare of Trea&s;on and Mi&s;pri&s;ion of Trea&s;on in <HI>We&s;tminster</HI> Hall, where the termes are under&s;tood, but only in the Hou&s;e of Commons? If a man &s;hould come to the Hou&s;e of Commons-Barre, and de&s;ire the Sergeant of that Hou&s;e &s;hould be &s;ent for a man as Delinquent, who took his Pur&s;e from him upon <HI>Black-Heath,</HI> or picked his pocket in <HI>Smithfield,</HI> if the Theif were not a Member of either Hou&s;e (God forbid but they &s;hould have the Priviledge to Iudge one another) would you not thinke the fellow mad, &amp; wi&s;h him to goe to the next Mini&s;ter of Iu&s;tice? How come you to be &s;o &s;ubtile to be able only to Iudge and define Trea&s;ons; about which your Ance&s;tors have been &s;o carefull, to leave it in the view of any man what it is? Tell your &s;elfe without blu&s;hing, who you thinke are meant by Delinquents<HI>:</HI> Is it not vi&s;ible to all the world, that you intend all &s;uch who are not or will not be Traitors to the knowne Lawes, to be Delinquents to both Hou&s;es? and 'tis a notable breach of Priviledge that His Maje&s;ty will protect the&s;e Delinquents from you; look over your own votes, and &s;ee if all men who doe not a&s;&s;i&s;t you in your pious worke of murthering the King, and de&s;troying the Common-wealth, (for you have faithfully re|quired the lazy Gentlemen who de&s;ired to be lookers on) are not comprehended in the number of Delinquents: What was S^t <HI>Iohn Hotham</HI> for denying His Maje&s;ty admittance into His owne Towne of <HI>Hull?</HI> A priviledged Per&s;on and an upright Patriot, what were they who attended His Maje&s;ty when He pre&s;umed de&s;perately and rebelliou&s;ly to offer to goe thither? Delinquents: And yet His Ma|je&s;ty will not &s;uffer tho&s;e who kept Him out, to Iudge tho&s;e who would have gone in with Him; wonderfull breach of priviledge, and protecting of Delinquents! If we cannot recover Law againe,
<PB N="7" REF="5">
for Gods &s;ake let us have &s;en&s;e re&s;tored to us, and not grow Bea&s;ts in our under&s;tanding as well as in our Liberty; it will make us love mankind the wor&s;e to &s;ee men with &s;ad browes, as if they believed them&s;elves, &s;eriou&s;ly urge things in publique, which in private would make friends quarrell for the &s;corne and Indignity offered to rea&s;on, &s;uch is all your di&s;cour&s;e of Priviledges and Delinquents.</P>
<P>But you have at la&s;t found a pretty obligation upon your &s;elves to Rebell again&s;t Law and Rea&s;on, your late Prote&s;tation requires all this at your hands, in the behalfe of the Priviledges of Parliament, which by that you are bound to defend, and &s;o you re&s;cue your &s;elves from the duty of Allegiance, to which you have regularly and legally &s;worn, by a voluntary Prote&s;tation to doe &s;omewhat you doe not under&s;tand; If there be any thing by that Prote&s;tation en|joyned to be done, which was unlawfull to be done before the Pro|te&s;tation was taken, 'tis no more to be ju&s;tified by that Act, then a|ny other unlawfull thing is by a ra&s;h and wicked Vow, entred into by a Per&s;on who de&s;ires to doe mi&s;chiefe; If there be nothing in it, but what before was the duty of every man, there needs no Argu|ment from the Prote&s;tation; The truth is, though I like not the u&s;e hath been made of it to poy&s;on and mi&s;lead &s;imple people, nor the irregularity (to call it no wor&s;e) of compelling men to take it, when no Law requires it, I know nothing promi&s;ed or undertaken in that Prote&s;tation which every hone&s;t man doth not, and alwaies did hold ab&s;olutely to be his duty, no man being obliged by it to doe any thing, but as farre as Lawfully he may. And would not a &s;tan|der by think a man mad, that &s;hould &s;wear to defend the Kings Per|&s;on, and to maintain the Priviledges of Parliament, and immediatly draw His &s;word upon the King who&s;e Per&s;on he knew, in the be|halfe of &s;omewhat he is told is Priviledge of Parliament? we are gotten again into the old circle of folly and madne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>Your la&s;t Scruple I will be &s;erious with you in&punc; 'tis that (howe|ver thrown among the people malitiou&s;ly, and indeed again&s;t the Con&s;cience of the Contrivers) which I know &s;tartles many well meaning, and well wi&s;hing men, you are afraid of the Papi&s;ts, and that if the King prevailes, that Religion will have too great a coun|tenance and growth, to the &s;candall of ours; Indeed if this fear were well grounded, you would have &s;o many partners with you in your trouble, that you would even be &s;atisfied in your company,
<PB N="8" REF="6">
and by that, think your &s;elfe &s;ecure again&s;t your fears; what makes you doubt this, an Inclination in the King Him&s;elfe? Let His life be examined, His continued publique Acts of Devotion, (exam|ples indeed for a through Reformation) His under&s;tanding the dif|ferences between the Church of <HI>Rome</HI> and us, and &s;o not only utter|ly di&s;&s;enting from them, but knowing why he doth &s;o, and He will be found above the reach of Envy or Malice, and indeed above your own feares and jealou&s;ies<HI>:</HI> Take a li&s;t and &s;urvey of His Servants and Coun&s;ellors, who are &s;u&s;pected to have the lea&s;t intere&s;t in His fa|vours and inclinations, you will not find a man under the lea&s;t taint that way, and mo&s;t of them (till your di&s;hone&s;t uncharitable di|&s;tinction of Popi&s;h and Popi&s;hly affected was thrown among the people) thought eminent advancers of the true Prote&s;tant Religion e&s;tabli&s;hed. And let me tell you, if there &s;hould be a breach made upon that Religion, the&s;e men would &s;tand in the Gap, when halfe your Zelots would &s;ubmit to an Alteration, if it brought any &s;atisfa|ction to their worldly Ambition. But you &s;ay the Queene is of that Religion, and Shee hath a great influence and power over His affe|ctions, and you think it an unkingly thing to be a good Husband, and while&s;t your &s;elves are guided and &s;wayed by other mens Wives (for 'tis not Women you are angry with, you allow them whole &s;harers with you in your mi&s;chiefes) you cannot endure He &s;hould &s;o much as advi&s;e with His own; indeed I cannot blame you to de|&s;ire to keep Him from any Conver&s;ation with one you have u&s;ed &s;o ill<HI>:</HI> But how comes this Melancholy upon you now, Is Shee more a Catholique now then She was fifteen years &s;ince? Why did not the&s;e Fears and Iealou&s;ies break out into Rebellion when He was fir&s;t Married? before the Nation knew any thing of Her, but Her Re|ligion? After the experience of &s;o many yeares; after the enriching the Kingdom with &s;o hopefull and numerous an I&s;&s;ue, after the ob|liging all &s;orts of People with Her favours, without di&s;obliging any body that I have heard of, after fifteen years living here with great expre&s;&s;ions of Love and Affection to the Engli&s;h Nation, without a|ny other activity in Religion, then to live well, and wi&s;h well to Her owne, with equall e&s;teem of tho&s;e who are not of the &s;ame Pro|fe&s;&s;ion, to de&s;ire to break and interrupt that excellent Harmony in Affections, is an ingratitude, an impiety worthy the contrivers of the&s;e bloody di&s;tempers<HI>:</HI> Look into the Per&s;ons who have received
<PB N="9" REF="6">
the greate&s;t te&s;timonies &amp; evidence of Her favours, you will not find them to be Popi&s;h or Popi&s;hly affected, but in the li&s;t of your own Religious Men and Godly Women; If you will convert Her, let your Charity and Humility, the principles of true Religion, let your Obedience and Loyalty, the effects of true Religion, be an Evi|dence to Her that yours is the right; the cour&s;e you take will rather fright good People from any, then invite them to yours; She is a La|dy too well under&s;tands Her own &s;hare, and Her own adventure in the publique di&s;tractions, not to endeavour with Her &s;oule a recon|ciliation of them, I would your Ladies were like Her, She is as farre from revenge of Injuries and Indignities, as from de&s;erving them. You have the advantage in your Provocations, you have met with tempers as apt to forgive, as you are to offend, who are as unlimited in their mercy as their enemies are in their in&s;olencies, make good u&s;e of it, &s;et your hearts upon Peace, and you will ea&s;ily find the&punc; way to it, be once ingenious, and you will be quickly &s;afe.</P>
<P>But oh the great Army of Papi&s;ts, if that were disbanded, your feares and jealou&s;ies would infinitely abate; that's well; pray ob|&s;erve how the&s;e Papi&s;ts come together<HI>:</HI> Remember <HI>Nottingham</HI> when you had a formed Army of 10000. men and His Maje&s;ty not 800. Mu&s;kets at His command in all His dominions? if you had then fallen upon Him and de&s;troyed Him, as, if Your Pride had not been greater then your Loyalty, you had done; you meant to &s;trip Him by Votes and Ordinances of all Succors and A&s;&s;i&s;tance, that He &s;hould be compelled to put Him&s;elfe into your hands for Protection, and &s;o confe&s;&s;e your Army to be rai&s;ed for His defence. Would not now all Chri&s;tian Princes have thought His Maje&s;ty guilty of His own undoing, who would not &s;uffer Him&s;elfe to receive Aid from any of His own Subjects, though they were Papi&s;ts&punc; You tell me the Au|thor of the&s;e Queries is learned in the Lawes; pray get him to &s;hew you one Law, whereby the Papi&s;ts are inhibited to &s;erve their So|veraigne again&s;t a Rebellion, becau&s;e Papi&s;ts may not come neer the Court without the Kings leave, or weare Armes, may not a Papi&s;t ride po&s;t to tell the King of a de&s;igne to murther Him? or be|ing pre&s;ent take away a &s;word from that man who attempts to kill Him? Sure there is no Law hath prohibited the Allegiance of the Papi&s;ts, and becau&s;e they will not come to Church, forbid them to be Subjects. If a Fleet arrived from France or Spaine to invade us
<PB N="10" REF="7">
were it not law full for a Papi&s;t to endeavour to de&s;troy that Fleet? and mu&s;t he &s;it &s;till in a Rebellion, and &s;ee his Soveraigne, and the Lawes of the Land (in which he hath an equall intere&s;t with any other Subject) in imminent, vi&s;ible danger to be de&s;troyed, and mu&s;t not <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> either? yet ob&s;erve now (how much &s;oever you &s;eem to be &s;candalized at it) what you your &s;elves have done towards the rai&s;ing this Army of Papi&s;ts, and indeed if there be &s;uch an Army, whether your &s;elves have not rai&s;ed it, without breaking your own Ie&s;ts and &s;aying <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters">is my&s;ed by the power of both Hou&s;es, as yours is by the Kings Authority you &s;eize upon all the papi&s;ts e&s;tates, plun|der their Hou&s;es, impri&s;on their per&s;ons, without the lea&s;t Colour of Law, leaving them no place to breath in but under the &s;helter of the Kings Army, and thence you would have the King drive them too, for being papi&s;ts. You &s;uffer Mr. <HI>Griffith</HI> to rai&s;e a Troop of that Religion for your &s;ervice and when they ca&s;hiere their Captain, and come in to His Maje&s;ty, you would have Him disband them becau&s;e they are Papi&s;ts. For Gods &s;ake get one of your Orators to make a Speech for the King to a papi&s;t, who &s;hall &s;ay to him; Sir, I have li|ved mode&s;tly and dutifully at my own Hou&s;e, without a&s;&s;uming to my &s;elfe any Licence which the Law gave me not, I have humbly &s;ubmitted to the penalties impo&s;ed on me, and contented my &s;elfe with what the Law hath left mee, I am driven from thence by force of Armes, my E&s;tate taken from mee, my liberty endeavoured to be &s;o too, I am Your Subject, and You are my King, vouch&s;afe me the Protection You owe mee. what an&s;wer &s;hall He make; Sir, you are a Papi&s;t, and you &s;hall not come neere Mee, or, Sir, I am content you &s;hall be under the &s;helter and &s;ecurity of my Forces, but upon your life u&s;e no weapon, beare no Armes, help them not though they are in danger to be cut in pieces before your face. Let a &s;ober man find a way to get out here, to be a King and not protect them. And after all this what a goodly Army of Papi&s;ts hath His Maje&s;ty got toge|ther, not to compare with you, for you &s;ay 'tis no matter what num|ber of Papi&s;ts you have, becau&s;e there are no Feares and Iealou&s;ies of your favouring of popery; I am confident and I have my Informati|on from no ill hands, that in all His Maje&s;ties <HI>Armies</HI> the Papi&s;ts cannot make one good Regiment. Get but the hone&s;t &s;ober, true Prote&s;tants once of your mind, and my life upon it, you &s;hall not &s;ee the papi&s;ts grow above the Reach of the Law.</P>
<P><PB N="11" REF="7">
Here is an end of your Author, a word now to your own Letter, I find you much tran&s;ported with the apprehen&s;ion of Gods won|derfull Ble&s;&s;ings upon the proceedings of both Hou&s;es, that their progre&s;&s;e and Succe&s;&s;e hither to hath not been le&s;&s;e then miraculous; Indeed there are negative Miracles, as well as affirmative, for God to forbeare what according to his Iu&s;tice and goodne&s;&s;e, and other attributes We might expect from him by the way of puni&s;hment &amp; revenge, is a miracle of his mercy, in this Sen&s;e, the world which hath &s;een your Trea&s;on and Rebellion, your Acts of Inju&s;tice, Cru|elty and Inhumanity, your Lying and Bla&s;phemy, your Prophane&s;&s;e and Sacriledge (if your Divines have left you the apprehen&s;ion of &s;uch a Sinne (and by the way if they have, pray &s;end me word what they meane by it) they who have ob&s;erved the ill Arts you have u&s;ed to compa&s;&s;e things in them&s;elves lawfull, and the wicked Arts you dayly u&s;e to compa&s;&s;e things unlawfull, and &s;ee that &s;tones in the Streets have not ri&s;en up again&s;t you, and fire from Heaven hath not con&s;umed you, mu&s;t &s;ay you have tempted God &s;o farre, &s;o in&s;olently, that le&s;&s;e then a Miracle could not pre&s;erve you. Bate me this one Miracle, &amp; tell me if the hand of God hath not been upon you and pur&s;ued you from the fir&s;t houre you entred into Re|bellion, are you not fallen from your univer&s;all Intere&s;t &amp; Reputa|tion with the people, to that degree of hatred that they cur&s;e you to your face? Are you not &s;hrunke from the honour and Reverence due to a <HI>Parliament</HI> to the Imputation of a vile crowd of mean, guil|ty, &s;editious per&s;ons? Doe nor your friends every day for&s;ake you, and tho&s;e per&s;ons of Quality whom'you mi&s;lead, with more bitter|ne&s;&s;e fall from you, then your fir&s;t Delinquents? Are not your own Weapons turned upon you, and are you not afraid of tho&s;e Petitio|ners, whom with &s;o much skill and Indu&s;try you taught to Petition? Is not your owne Army, rai&s;ed and maintained by your &s;elves, grown &s;o undevoted to you, that &s;ome Commanders every day leave you, and others are committed by you for feare they will doe &s;o too? Are you not brought to that &s;trait as to feare a Mutiny for want of Pay, and not to dare to pay for feare of a disbanding? Have you not by blood and Rapine, with the cur&s;es of all good men gotten the Trea&s;ure of the Kingdome into your hands, and wa&s;ted it &s;o, that your wants are as not orious as your Crimes? La&s;tly, are you not &s;o jealous, &s;o divided among&s;t your &s;elves, that if your Army pre|vailed
<PB N="12" REF="8">
to morrow, you were as farre from compa&s;&s;ing your owne ends, as when you began your de&s;perate undertaking, your principall Commanders being as farre from their ends, who couzened them into this Rebellion, as the prime Cavaliers in the Kings Army, ex|cepting only their Affection to the Kings Per&s;on.&mdash;There is the Miracle on your parts; &s;ee now what God hath done for His Annointed? Call back your memory to the 10^t^h of <HI>Janu|ary,</HI> look upon Him driven furiou&s;ly from <HI>White-hall,</HI> with His Wife and Children, for feare of His Life, while&s;t His own Servants for their &s;ecurity dur&s;t not be neere him; looke upon him at <HI>Hampton-Court,</HI> &s;cornfully accu&s;ed of leavying Warre again&s;t Him&s;elfe, and the Sheriffes and Con&s;tables appointed to di&s;per&s;e his Army; Re|member Him at <HI>Wind&s;or</HI> without ordinary, nece&s;&s;ary &s;upport; think of the 20^t^h of <HI>January,</HI> when you would not vouch&s;afe to tell Him what you would have, requiring nothing but His &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion to your Coun&s;ells<HI>:</HI> Remember Him at <HI>Yorke</HI> and <HI>Beverley,</HI> after you had Po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed your &s;elves of all His Armes, Ca&s;tles, Forts, Townes, and Ships, and &s;eized upon all the Armes of the Kingdome, &s;topped His Rents, and incen&s;ed the people in all parts again&s;t Him; Oh thinke upon Him at <HI>Nottingham</HI> when you would not vouch&s;afe to Treat with Him, only giving your great Generall power of receiving him to mercy, when you had reduced him to that Condition, that He had neither Armes, Men, or Money, or knew as you thought where to have any, and this at a time when you had a wanton flouri|&s;hing Army of 10000 men within two dayes March of him, to bring Him back to <HI>London,</HI> here is an Argument for a Miracle; ob&s;erve Him in a moment, as if Regiments fell from the Cloudes, ha&s;ting his owne March to the place where he was expected without &s;tay|ing to be called upon at <HI>Shrewsbury,</HI> view Him at <HI>Edgehill,</HI> with a handfull of men (and if they were more, imagine how he got them) finding out this formidable Army, and di&s;per&s;ing them, Him&s;elfe taking as much paines to &s;ave tho&s;e who came to de&s;troy him, as o|thers had done to &s;educe them; In&s;tead of being brought up by the Earle of <HI>E&s;&s;ex,</HI> as by the vote of both Hou&s;es He ought to have been, See Him making his owne way, &s;cattering tho&s;e at <HI>Reading,</HI> and &s;hewing him&s;elfe at <HI>Brainceford,</HI> that if indeed He were &s;o much de&s;ired at <HI>London,</HI> and might be worthily received there, they might have their wi&s;h. Beleeve it Sir, His Maje&s;ty hath not &s;o great a
<PB N="13" REF="8">
Iourney to the Conque&s;t of <HI>Spaine,</HI> as he had from <HI>Nottingham</HI> to <HI>Brainceford.</HI> If you cannot &s;uddenly find how this Army was rai|&s;ed, enquire how it hath been kept together, a fit of Loyalty and Affection, a little di&s;like and indignation to &s;ee a good King ill u&s;ed, might procure a pre&s;ent &s;upply; but that this Army rai&s;ed without Money, and armed without Weapons, &s;hould live and grow &s;ixe moneths together, that no Souldier &s;hould &s;tarve for want of Meat, or murmur for want of Pay, that the King &s;hould have a Magazine, and you want Armes, that the King &s;hould pay his Souldiers, and you have no money, is &s;uch an in&s;tance of the power and pre&s;ence of the Almighty, that if any &s;uch Argument were currant with you, your principall Members would no longer have tempted God in this Kingdome, but have &s;ought him in a &s;trange Land. Improve all the&s;e in&s;tances by your owne Ob&s;ervations, and tell me &s;adly on who&s;e &s;ide the Miracles have appeared.</P>
<P>You would know my Opinion what the Burge&s;&s;e of <HI>D.</HI> &s;hould do, and you tell me, his Honour will not &s;uffer him too apparantly to recede from tho&s;e with whom he hath kept &s;o much Company. I know not what Coun&s;ell to give upon that principle, If his Ho|nour and his Innocence have not a care of each other, neither can be &s;afe; Me thinks the King him&s;elfe hath given you a rare Pattern of Mode&s;ty in this poynt, he did not &s;atisfie him&s;elfe with con&s;enting to new lawes, but acknowledged pa&s;&s;ed Errors. Reparation is as Soveraign a thing as Bounty, and except there be this Ingenuity, Reformation can never be perfect, you &s;ay, he doubts what he hath done formerly will be more remembred then what he hath &s;ince done or &s;hall do for the future; he is too blame, he hath not a gene|rous nor a Chri&s;tian minde, who thinks ill &s;ervices may not be throughly repayred by future duty. I am &s;o farre from that opini|on, as though his mi&s;takes have been of as ill con&s;equence to the pub|lique as mo&s;t mens, <HI>I</HI> beleive he hath &s;o good an opportunity by &s;ome eminent &s;ervice to repaire him&s;elfe, that he may even lay an obliga|tion of Gratitude upon the King, not only to forgive but reward his Affection. There is no &s;uch way to have what he now does, not valued, as by ju&s;tifying what he hath done, &s;o contrary to this: 'tis no &s;candall to be deceived, le&s;&s;e to confe&s;&s;e he was &s;o. Let him take the &s;ame paines to oppo&s;e and &s;uppre&s;&s;e unrea&s;onable Per&s;ons, as he doth to per&s;wade others to con&s;ent to what him&s;elfe thinks unrea|&s;onable,
<PB N="14" REF="9">
and the worke is done. As he hath a taske to do &s;omewhat that is noble, &s;o he hath a faire game before him having done it.</P>
<P>I know nothing of yours unan&s;wered, you mu&s;t give me leave hereafter not to beleive you, if you &s;tumble any more at the&s;e &s;traws, rather con&s;ider what he is to An&s;wer to God, the King, his Coun|try and Po&s;terity, that &s;its idle without re&s;i&s;ting the violence and in|dignity offered to all foure, that is content to &s;ee this pretious game of Religion, Liberty and Honour played at other mens Charges, and po&s;&s;ibly in hazard of being lo&s;t for want of his A&s;&s;i&s;tance; Con|&s;ider whether you and the re&s;t who fir&s;t exerci&s;ed the <HI>Militia</HI> in <HI>Gloce&s;ter-&s;hire,</HI> and &s;o di&s;compo&s;ed the Government, and fir&s;t taught the People a new obedience, have not to An&s;wer for all the mi&s;e|ries, and pre&s;&s;ures which have &s;ince befallen that poor Country. Let tho&s;e who have contributed to the rai&s;ing, and maintenance of that Rebellious Army, think &s;adly, whether they are not guilty of all the blood-&s;hed on either &s;ide, and in this meditation that virtuous Lord, (who had long &s;ince been &s;tarved but for the Kings Meat, and been naked, but for His Clothes,) may find him&s;elfe guilty of the mur|ther of his Father; Remember the ble&s;&s;ed Condition we were in Eighteen Moneths &s;ince, and be proud if you can of the State you have now brought us to. Think of the firm, &s;table happine&s;&s;e our Ance&s;tors enjoyed, and re&s;olve there cannot be &s;ecurity but by the &s;ame Rule. 'Tis not laying down Armes makes a Peace, but &s;uch a Vnion of affections, that neither party unplea&s;antly remembers the way to it. If King or People be enforced to give away that which properly belongs to them, it will produce rather re&s;t then Peace, &amp; the memory there of will be &s;o greivous to the loo&s;er, that perpetu|all Iealou&s;ies, and di&s;contents will be between them; In&s;i&s;t upon your Rights, let all doubts which may concern Religion, Liberty, and Property be cleared, &amp; &s;ecured; Let Parliaments recover their good old Priviledges, the&s;e are all our Birthrights, and hath been that which hath made the happine&s;&s;e and freedom of the Engli&s;h Nation loved and envyed throughout Chri&s;tendom; we will not part with a tittle of them, but when they &s;hall be in danger will joyn with you in their Defence. But let us re&s;t here, Pre&s;&s;e not the King to part with what properly belongs to Him, 'tis our right to &s;ee that He enjoyes His, the hower that he growes le&s;&s;e a King, We have lo&s;t a part of our freedom, if the power of Subjects be once enlarged,
<PB N="15" REF="9">
we are loo&s;ers by it, and affect an Authority will de&s;troy us; Do not think the Kings love of Peace, can invite Him to part with the be|nefits of Peace; what would the world thing of Him, if after the ta|king up Armes for the defence of His own, he &s;hould, upon Condi|tion he might lay them down again, part with that, for the mainte|nance of which He tooke them up? would he not ju&s;tifie what hath been done again&s;t Him, if He yeelded that now, which if He had 8. Moneths &s;ince, all this Confu&s;ion they will &s;ay might have been pre|vented, and will he not leave an excellent Encouragement to Po&s;te|rity, to tread in their Fathers &s;teps, and to follow the example of their pro&s;perous wickedne&s;&s;e? Do not think a Iewell plucked out of the Royall Diadem, can help it's brightne&s;&s;e, and lu&s;tre in any other place, 'tis a lo&s;&s;e to the Nation, which cannot be repaired by an ac|ce&s;&s;e of power to private hands; If this be Rea&s;on, Let not the folly and madne&s;&s;e of other people make you quit it; Warre it &s;elfe is not halfe &s;o greivous, as the Iurisdiction of the&s;e men who would have you re&s;igne your under&s;tanding to their fury and madne&s;&s;e. Let them &s;hift for them&s;elves, and you &s;hall quickly &s;ee what a contemptible People they will prove<HI>:</HI> Let Religion, Rea&s;on, Law, Iu&s;tice, and Honour be your guides, the Kingdom will flouri&s;h, and we &s;hall a|gaine be happy in each other.</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE><HI>From my Quarter</HI> <DATE><HI>this</HI> 10^t^h. <HI>of</HI> April. 1643.</DATE></DATELINE></CLOSER>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
