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<DATE>2009-12-05</DATE>
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<NAME>Mona Logarbo</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B091016.pdcc.</ITEM>
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<STC T="W">L1833</STC>
<STC T="T">E988_26</STC>
<BIBNO T="umi">99862982</BIBNO>
<VID>168641</VID>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y"><!-- PDF PAGE 114 -->
<P>AN ANSVVER TO A LETTER SENT To a Gentleman of the Middle-Temple.</P>
<P>CONCERNING The late various and &s;trange changes of the times, together with certain Queries not unworthy the con&s;ideration of the High Court of Parliament; and of all hone&s;t and Re|ligious men, that tenders the Peace and wellfare of the Church and <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> Nation.</P>
<P>And al&s;o a clear way di&s;covered whereby at lea&s;t a Million of Money may be brought into the Publick Trea&s;ury for the u&s;e of the <HI>Common-wealth.</HI></P>
<Q LANG="lat"><P>Lege &amp; perlege,</P></Q>
<Q><P>Read, re-read, and under&s;tand.</P></Q>
<P><HI>By Tho. Le VVhite.</HI> <ABBR>E&s;q</ABBR></P>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed by J. <HI>Clowes,</HI> 1659.</P>
</DIV1>
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<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
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<PB N="1" REF="2"><!-- PDF PAGE 115 -->
<HEAD>AN ANSVVER TO A Letter &s;ent to a Gentleman of the Middle-Temple.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>SIR,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>I Have &s;eriou&s;ly con&s;idered the contents of your Letters, and the admiration wherewith it &s;eems you are &s;urprized on the vari|ous revolutions, and late &s;trange changes befallen the three Na|tions, within the&s;e twenty years pa&s;t. In an&s;wer whereunto ac|cording to the mode of the times, I have herein &s;ent you &s;ome few Queries which concerns us all to remember, that nothing in the world is &s;table and permanent, but tran&s;itory and uncer|tain, variable and uncon&s;tant, which ought to put us in mind of our Cele&s;tial re&s;t, and eternal happine&s;s. At pre&s;ent I &s;hall only point out unto you, &s;uch changes and alterations &s;o lately befell us in <HI>England,</HI> as they relate to &s;ome other more ancient and forreign pre&s;idents, in changes of Governments. And fir&s;t,</P>
<P N="1">1. Whether the <HI>Athenians</HI> (tho&s;e greedy news-mongers) were more &s;afe and happy under the Government of one &s;ingle Tyrant, than in their choi&s;e and change of thirty per&s;ons, that took upon them the power and Government of their Republick.</P>
<P N="2">2. Whether the Senate of <HI>Rome</HI> &s;ome times con&s;i&s;ting of 200 choi&s;e per&s;ons, were not in proce&s;s of time curbed, and controld in their power and tran&s;actions by the Tribunes of the people.</P>
<P N="3">3. Whether again, both the Power and Authority of the <HI>Ro|man</HI> Senate and Tribunes, were not overpowred by their Dicta|tors more e&s;pecially, after that <HI>Julius Cae&s;ar,</HI> became <HI>Perpetuus Dictator,</HI> and a&s;&s;umed to him&s;elf the Supreme power in the Go|vernment.</P>
<P N="4">4. Whether then after all the&s;e changes of power among&s;t the <HI>Romans,</HI> their own Armys at la&s;t did nor alter all their former
<PB N="4" REF="3"><!-- PDF PAGE 116 -->
frames of Government, from and after their cutting off <HI>Tarqui|us Superbus,</HI> their la&s;t Tyranr King until <HI>Augustus</HI> time, and made choi&s;e of &s;uch Emperors, as they plea&s;ed to elect, and in the conclu&s;ion, whither that va&s;t Empire fell not in pieces? (I omit to remember you of the period and change of tho&s;e three foregoing Monarchies of the <HI>A&s;&s;irians, Medes, Per&s;ians</HI> and <HI>Greeks</HI>) whence you may find, that all changes, and alterations of powers and Governments, are no new things or to be won|dred at; but to come to our own ca&s;e.</P>
<P N="5">5. Whether this pre&s;ent Parliament was not from their very fir&s;t &s;itting down, le&s;&s;ened in their number by the late King, and after that&punc; di&s;robed of much of their Power and number by their own Army&punc; <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 word"> Army Officers, on which con&s;ideration it re&s;ts yet que&s;tion, <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> Whether on any quarrel or di&s;content of the pre&s;ent Army, the like may not be attempted on the&s;e that now &s;it, for that they which have the &s;word in their hands, will&punc; or may (on any occa&s;ion) be Ma&s;ters of the Powers in Govern|ment?</P>
<P N="6">6. Whether the Parliament in the beginning of the late War, did not make choi&s;e of the Earl of <HI>E&s;&s;ex</HI> and the Lord <HI>Fairfax</HI> &s;ucce&s;&s;ively in their Order, to be their Commanders in chief, over their Armies, (only in <HI>England</HI>) and in <HI>May</HI> 1650 made choi&s;e of <HI>Oliver Cromwel</HI> before all others, for their General and Commander in chief over all their Armies both in <HI>England, Scotland,</HI> and <HI>Ireland;</HI> in which great tru&s;t and Command, how he behaved him&s;elf, in &s;topping that wide orifice of blood, which prodigiou&s;ly ran throughout the three Kingdoms, and reduced them all into peace and quietne&s;&s;e, (as we may &s;ay in a moment of time) to the admiration of the World, all the three Nations have ju&s;t cau&s;e to remember, and not forget that Almighty God a&s;&s;i&s;ted him, and made him in&s;trumental in that great work, be|yond common Expectation?</P>
<P N="7">7. Whether <HI>Oliver Cromwel,</HI> on his a&s;&s;uming the Supream Power of Government, between him&s;elf and a Parliament, had not good rea&s;on to induce him, if not nece&s;&s;itated &s;o to do, if he intended to &s;ave his honour, and the reputation whith de&s;erved|ly he had gotten with the people, and all <HI>Christendom?</HI></P>
<P N="8"><PB N="5" REF="3"><!-- PDF PAGE 116 -->8. Whether on due con&s;ideration of the great and &s;trange changes of the&s;e times; we may not yet feare more &s;trange and tragicall changes then we have yet &s;een; if we take the great &amp; crying &s;ins of this Nation into our &s;erious con&s;ideration, more e&s;pecially that intended interview between the Kings of <HI>France</HI> and <HI>Spain</HI> at <HI>Bayoon July</HI> next, which promi&s;eth no very good Omen to <HI>England?</HI></P>
<P N="9">9. Whether on that probable conclu&s;ion of peace and amity between tho&s;e two Potent Kings, another &s;ingle Per&s;ons claim and intere&s;t may not therein be tacitely included, which may un|happily turne the &s;cale of our &s;ucce&s;s, together with the pre&s;ent Government in this green, un&s;etled, and di&s;tracted republique into another Sceen of blood and de&s;olation, by the Inva&s;ive forces of &s;undry united and confederated Princes?</P>
<P N="10">10. Whether then in &s;uch a ca&s;e, all hone&s;t hearts may not have ju&s;t cau&s;e to wi&s;h againe for <HI>Oliver Cromwels</HI> Head-peace, his courage and conduct, and that hence-forth his worth, merits, and memory may be no longer ingratefully bla&s;ted by idle and li|centious Libellors, his name and fame, kindred and friends de|famed, when as this too frequent abu&s;e is &s;o difu&s;ive, that it di|lates with boldne&s;s to the defamation of mo&s;t of the particular Members that now &s;it at the Helme: <HI>&s;at &s;apientibus,</HI> only it's wi&s;ht that they would &s;eriou&s;ly take this good old &s;entence into their con&s;ideration; <HI>I&s;tud est &s;apere non &s;olum eaquae ante pedes videre, &s;ed futura pro&s;picere,</HI> and &s;peedily indeavour to make all things more &s;afe at home then they are, and to remember to make good the publique Faith, cheri&s;h their old friends, lea&s;t they inforce them to turn new foes, neither to &s;light their Pe|titions, and &s;uch of their Propo&s;alls, without hearing or in&s;pecti|on, as would readily and legally both right them for their loanes lo&s;&s;es, and &s;ufferings, and pay the publique debts, &s;ave them|&s;elves the labour of borrowing, and in giving ear and counte|nance to &s;ome Petitions, that are needle&s;&s;e and rea&s;onle&s;&s;e as for in&s;tance?</P>
<P N="11">11. Whether they that pre&s;s them &s;o much for liberty of con&s;cience, do under&s;tand what Con&s;cience is; and whether on grant of their de&s;ires the publique liberty &s;hall not in &s;ome &s;hort time be laid in the du&s;t?</P>
<P N="12"><PB N="6" REF="4"><!-- PDF PAGE 117 -->12. Whether on grant of their de&s;ires, they will &s;ubmit to any other regulations of Parliament, then &s;uch, as may &s;ute with their own perver&s;e wills and fanatick opinions?</P>
<P N="13">13. Whether, as now the ca&s;e &s;tands in the various, and multitudinous Sects Schi&s;mes, &amp; brain-&s;ick opinions of the times, there ought not to be enacted &s;ome coer&s;ive Law that may in|force conformity to &s;uch Parliamentary Ordinances as &s;hall be thought fit for all men to &s;ubmit unto, as for in&s;tance the 39. Article of our Church, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> lea&s;t we all run headlong into Sects. Schi&s;mes and confu&s;ion?</P>
<P N="14">14. Whether &s;uch as &s;o much pre&s;s and mole&s;t the Parlia|ment, that Tythes may be taken away, will in that ca&s;e be &s;o much guilty of &s;o much charity, as to allow &s;ome compitent yearly &s;tipend towards the maintenance of &s;ome Godly, Lear|ned, and paynfull Mini&s;ter to in&s;truct them in the way of their Salvation?</P>
<P N="15">15. Whether, that Antient, Ju&s;t, and Cu&s;tomary way of pay|ing Tythes, from all antiquity, ought in rea&s;on, policy, or Reli|gion be taken away?</P>
<P N="16">16. Whether the Con&s;equence, that nece&s;&s;arily will follow the taking away of Tythes, can be conceived an advance, either to the Church, or Learning, when the Inhabitants of every Pari&s;h &s;hall be di&s;robed of their &s;etled Mini&s;ters, and &s;piritual com|forters ought not to be timely thought on before any alteration be made therein, which otherwi&s;e may &s;o di&s;content the religious people of this Land, and in future trouble the Parliament to re|&s;ettle things as they were, and them&s;elves found guilty of the late Kings tax, that they undid that which before was well done?</P>
<P N="17">17. Whether tho&s;e Commi&s;&s;ioners de&s;igned by the Parlia|ment for ejecting of deboi&s;t and &s;candalous Mini&s;ters, have done well, wi&s;ely, or con&s;cionably to eject &s;o many, Pious, Learned and Orthodox Divines (among&s;t others of ill conver&s;ations) be|fore they were provided of more able and pious ones in their places, and out of favour or affection to retaine &s;undry Malig|nants in their livings as it may be proved?</P>
<P N="18">18. Whether it hath been hand&s;omely carried on by tho&s;e tru&s;ted Commi&s;&s;ioners to rent them&s;elves, the mo&s;t con&s;iderable
<PB N="7" REF="4"><!-- PDF PAGE 117 -->
livings in a clande&s;tine way, or to let them to their Sons, Friends or Servants, at the third or fourth part of their yearely value, and to leave 300 Churches in <HI>Wales</HI> unfurni&s;hed, more then once in a quarter &s;upply'd by &s;ome few, illiterate, headdy and igno|rant mechanicks; and as yet no ju&s;t account given to the State, or the poor ejected Mini&s;ters paid their fifths?</P>
<P N="19">19. Whether it be not requi&s;ite that &s;ome hone&s;t Gentlemen of tho&s;e parts be forthwith commi&s;&s;ioned to examine this mo&s;t notorious abu&s;e, whereby 100000.l. at lea&s;t may ju&s;tly be brought into the publique Trea&s;ury?</P>
<P N="20">20. Whether it be not expedient, that a Regi&s;ter be ordain'd in every County forthwith to Regi&s;ter all bargaines and &s;ales of Lands, in Fee, Lea&s;es for lives, or years, <HI>&amp;c:</HI> at the Natives own doores for the tenth part of the charge, they now u&s;ually pay for their Inroowlments at <HI>London,</HI> and that none be admitted to &s;uch places, but lo&s;ers and lenders to the Parliament in the late Wars, (left hitherto without any reparation) and that good &s;ecu|rity be given by &s;uch for the faithfull di&s;charge of their tru&s;t, as not above &s;even yeares &s;ince, it was re&s;olved to be done in Par|liament?</P>
<P N="21">21. Whether in ca&s;e a probable and ready way may be de|mon&s;trated, how to turne the hearts of the people (&s;o much de|voted to King&s;hip) to comply with the pre&s;ent Government, may not be acceptable and embraced by the Parliament that now &s;its?</P>
<P N="22">22. Whether it be not fitting that Doctor <HI>Chamberlens</HI> Pro|po&s;als in his Printed papers, for payment of the Armies, and ad|vance of Trade, <HI>&amp;c:</HI> without A&s;&s;e&s;sments on the Natives) be forthwith recommended to the con&s;ideration of a Committee of Parliament?</P>
<P N="23">23. Whether it &s;uits not with good rea&s;on, that the Parlia|ment &s;hould look back on their Acts for the confirmation of the E&s;tates of Purcha&s;ers, in as much as &s;undry of them, what by their own craft or fraud of the Surveyors, have &s;urreptitiou&s;ly gotten their Lands for little or nothing, very much under the rates &s;et down by the Parliament; and that an Act of re&s;umption be thought on when the fraud is vi&s;ible, whereby not &s;o little as 10000000 l. at lea&s;t may be brought into the publique Trea|&s;ury?</P>
<P N="24"><PB N="8" REF="5"><!-- PDF PAGE 118 -->24. Whether it &s;tands with the honour of the Parliament, that an Act fraudulentyl procured, to the lo&s;s of 100000 .l. which might have been advanced for the benefit of the State, &s;hould within one month of its enacting be fru&s;trated in the intents thereof; witne&s;&s;e the Act or Ordinance of Parliament, made in the behalf of the Gentlemen of South <HI>VVales,</HI> for their bearing Armes again&s;t the Parliament, only paying 20000 l. as a mult for their Malignancy?</P>
<P>Thus Noble Sir; I have &s;ent you the conceptions of your Friend, which are no other then the opinions of many more able Judgments, with my hearty Prayers to Almighty God to ble&s;&s;e all their hone&s;t and prudent con&s;ultations, both in redre&s;&s;ing all &s;uch things that are ami&s;&s;e, and in enacting &s;uch good Laws as may farther conduce to the better &s;ettling of this un&s;ettled Church and Commonwealth, only I appeale to your more ma|ture Judgment, whether in the&s;e &s;ad times of di&s;tractions, Schi&s;mes, Sects, &s;eperated Congreations and Conventicles, par|tyes, factions, publique and private di&s;contents, variety and di&s;|pariety of affections in opinion; Whether I &s;ay againe that unity and agreement be not the only way, and meanes to fortifie and uphold this new republique, and render it impregnable, again&s;t all Plots, practi&s;es, either from abroad, or at home; but I feare that under the umbrage of &s;upporting the good old cau&s;e, the new cau&s;e may fall to the ground through &s;uch incen&s;ed, nume|rous, and di&s;contented partyes ri&s;en up in addition to the former malecontents, and through the pre&s;ent and frequent abu&s;e of the two late Protectors, their whole Family and Friends, doubtle&s;s this is not the way to our &s;afety and &s;ecurity, or for the advance of the Church and State, <HI>&s;ed frustra fit per plura, quod fieri po|test per pautiora,</HI> &s;o re&s;ts</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your very loving and most affectionate friend, <HI>T.L.W.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
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