<!DOCTYPE ETS PUBLIC "-//UMDLPS//DTD EEBOPROOF 2.0//EN">
<ETS>
<TEMPHEAD>
<REVDESCR>
<CHANGE>
<DATE>2014-08-22</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Mona Logarbo</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B140613.pdcc.</ITEM>
</CHANGE>
</REVDESCR>
</TEMPHEAD>
<EEBO>
<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="B43705">
<STC T="W">P3359A</STC>
<BIBNO T="oclc">690988928</BIBNO>
<VID>211655</VID>
</IDG>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1">
<PB REF="2" MS="y">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="3" MS="y">
<PB REF="3" MS="y">
<P>ENGLANDS Unhappy Changes, OR, Suddaine Alteration.</P>
<P>Wherein is contained two Treati&s;es, and one Petition.</P>
<P><HI>The fir&s;t</HI> Concernes the &s;weet Ble&s;&s;ing of Peace, which we lately injoyed.</P>
<P><HI>The &s;econd</HI> Concerns the troubles and di&s;tractions which this whole Kingdom is now in, by rea&s;on of the&s;e perilous times.</P>
<P><HI>The third</HI> Is <HI>Englands</HI> Petition to <HI>heaven</HI> for <HI>peace</HI></P>
<P>Written for the benefit of all them that have a true de&s;ire to live at PEACE.</P>
<P>BY LAVVRENCE PRICE.</P>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed for <HI>F. Grove,</HI> on Snow-Hill, neere the Sarazens Head. 1648.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="4">
<PB N="3" REF="4" MS="y">
<HEAD>The Epi&s;tle.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>COurteous Reader, and hearers,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>I am very much grieved that I have no good news to ac|commodate you withall, yet being in a manner en|gaged, to write unto you &s;uch news, which I partly know by experience to be true, I have imboldned my &s;elf to pre&s;ent unto the view of the world, this lit|tle booke of mine, called, <HI>Englands unhappy changes, or feare of a &s;udden alteration,</HI> which is like to in&s;ue, except the Lord of his mercy prevent it: Wherein you may behold as in a pro|&s;pective-gla&s;&s;e, the manife&s;t troubles and calamities of this our bleeding Kingdome.</P>
<P>It is a picture, not drawne to the life, but to the death of many thou&s;and late valiant-hearted <HI>En|gli&s;h-men,</HI> but hoping that God in his good time, will bind up the wounds, of this broken-hearted king|dome.</P>
<P>I, the Author of this booke, doe wi&s;h to all them that love Gods word, and true Religion, true peace in this world, and in the world to come eternall hap|pine&s;&s;e.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Yours to command, &s;o long as you obey Gods Commandements. LAWRENCE PRICE.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB N="4" REF="5">
<HEAD><HI>Englands</HI> unhappy changes OR, Sudden Alteration.</HEAD>
<P>FAmine, Fire, and the Sword, have long time acted their bloody Tragedies, in many a forraigne Nation and Country, as it is known to the Chri&s;tian world; <HI>Hun|garia</HI> hath been terrified by the Sword, <HI>Po|land</HI> hath been wa&s;ted by fire, <HI>Bohemia</HI> hath been wa&s;ted by fire and &s;word, <HI>France</HI> hath been bloodily ma&s;&s;acred, and <HI>Germany</HI> hath had a long continuing Famine.</P>
<P>In all which time <HI>England</HI> hath flouri&s;hed like a beautifull bay-tree, planted by the ri|ver &s;ide, who&s;e leaves withered not at any &s;ea&s;on.</P>
<P>Never was Kingdome or Nation indued with more &s;tore of heavenly and earthly ble&s;&s;ings, then was this I&s;land of <HI>England,</HI> as namely the light of the Go&s;pell to illumi|nate our &s;oules, Gods holy word to direct our waies and actions, faith, hope, &amp; cha|rity, abounded in the hearts of the people,
<PB N="5" REF="5">brethren held fa&s;t in the bonds of amity, vows and promi&s;es were faithfully kept, and neighbours did lovingly agree together; then was hatred, envy, and malice, held in deri&s;ion; then was talking without lying, love without flattering, joy without &s;or|rowing, and true peace without Civill war, and di&s;&s;ention.</P>
<P>Now, whil&s;t the&s;e golden dayes of peace did continue, Engli&s;h-men behaved them|&s;elves &s;o bravely abroad, that the whole world &s;tood in feare of them. The very Heathens, Pagans, Turks, Jews, and Infi|dells, did even tremble to hear of our Navy by Sea, and our Army by Land; for by the noble valour of our tru&s;ty friends, were our forraigne enemies &s;ubdued; by them were the Spaniard cha&s;ed, the French tamed, and the Iri&s;h Rebells kept in &s;ubjection. And thus did our Land for many years together increa&s;e in happine&s;&s;e, and far exceed other Kingdoms and Provinces, having all things at will that mens hearts would wi&s;h for, or their tongues de&s;ire.</P>
<P>But now behold, here comes a &s;udden al|teration which hath turned our joy into &s;orrow, our mirth into mourning, and our peace into war.</P>
<PB N="6" REF="6" MS="y">
<P> Satan that old enemy of mankind, having made as it were, a bargaine with the &s;ins of this Nation, whereby to worke our ever|la&s;ting de&s;truction and overthrow; The&s;e two Malignants, Sin and the Devil, &s;trives to get the upper-hand of us all, and &s;o beganne Englands woes.</P>
<P>And now is our Land in generall di&s;tra|ction, &s;ome are become contemners of Gods word, &s;ome are di&s;pi&s;ers of Gods Mini&s;ters; &s;ome there are that wi&s;h for wars, and too too few there be among&s;t us, which doe pra|ctice for true peace.</P>
<P>Yet I feare there are many that will lift up their hands and eies towards heaven, and cry peace, peace, when their hearts are alto|gether inclined to war, but they that are de|&s;irous to injoy the &s;weet and bountifull ble&s;&s;ings of a happy peace, mu&s;t practice for it in their lives and conver&s;ations.</P>
<P>But to go forward with that which is al|ready begun; We &s;ee poore bleeding Eng|land is already become her own enemy, and mo&s;t grievou&s;ly wounded with her owne weapons, &s;in and iniquity being the fir&s;t be|ginners of this quarrell.</P>
<P>If we read and make good u&s;e of the Scri|ptures, we may find that many great Cities
<PB N="7" REF="6">and Kingdomes, have quite been plucked up by the roots for &s;inne, and no memory left of them, but onely here they lived, or here they &s;tood: and can Engli&s;h men and wo|men then thinke daily to runne forward in their unrepented &s;ins, without any intermi&s;|&s;ion or &s;orrow for the &s;ame. Hath Sathan &s;o much blinded our eyes, and hardened our hearts, that our hearts cannot be mollified; nor our eyes &s;hed forth &s;ome &s;howers of teares to coole the heate of Gods fire? hath the alterations of times, and changes of o|pinions, &s;o corrupted our Nation, that we prefer blood-&s;hed before peace, di&s;-loyalty before obedience, perjury before truth, and &s;in before repentance; then are wee yet in a mi&s;erable condition: It is &s;aid that when the Lord is angry with &s;inners, he holds three whips in his hand; which three whips are, pe&s;tilence, the &s;word, and famine, yet he ne|ver drawes blood with them, till &s;uch time our faults are many, and our &s;innes hai|nous.</P>
<P>We have here in England felt the &s;mart of two of Gods whips very lately; pe&s;tilence &amp; the &s;word, hath already drawn blood, &amp; the &s;courge of famine is like to follow after, ex|cept the Lord bee more mercifull unto us:
<PB N="8" REF="7">do we not &s;ee that all manner of corne, and victuals, is at &s;uch an exce&s;&s;ive rate, in&s;omuch that both in the City and Country, many poore people peri&s;h through want of food; do we not likewi&s;e &s;ee, that among&s;t trade&s;|men, that trading grows &s;o dead, that no monies is to bee got? Doe wee not know, that &s;ince the times are changed from better to wor&s;e, that rich mens hearts are changed from fle&s;h to flint, and that they hold it a poynt of Popery, to be&s;tow any charity up|on the poore: All which doth progno&s;ti|cate a fearfull <HI>&V;nhappy Change</HI> in <HI>England.</HI> Now therefore, 'tis high time, for us to turn unto the Lord, by prayer, and mourning; let us con&s;ider this, and lay it to heart, how that the Lord would not have de&s;troyed the City of <HI>Sodome</HI> with fire and brim&s;tone, had they repented.</P>
<P>Neither would hee have drowned the world in the time of <HI>Noah,</HI> had the people truely repented, <HI>Gen.</HI> 19.24. And had not we di&s;obeyed the will of God, the&s;e mi&s;eries which we now indure, had not befaln us.</P>
<P>When wee injoyed the ble&s;&s;ing of &s;weet peace, which is the very life of a Kingdom, we could not be co~tent, we could not prai&s;e God for his ble&s;&s;ings, and now for our un|thankfullnes,
<PB N="19" REF="7">the Lord hath &s;ent the &s;word among&s;t us, which hath changed our former peace, into a bloody war: and except we repent, we are all like to peri&s;h.</P>
<P>Wherfore I de&s;ire your chri&s;tian patience to marke and make good u&s;e of the&s;e fol|ing lines, wherein &s;hal be expre&s;t particular|ly, the manner of tho&s;e bloody and unnatu|rall civill wars, together with the troubles, vexations, and di&s;tractions, which are now in our Kingdome of <HI>England.</HI></P>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>Here followeth a briefe De&s;cription of <HI>Englands</HI> bleeding mi&s;eries, tis very well worth the ob&s;er|vation, and worthy to be kept in memory.</HEAD>
<P>IT is very well knowne, to many in this Kingdome of <HI>England,</HI> that not long &s;ince, we had great hopes of a &s;afe &amp; well groun|ded peace, and that the Souldiers &s;hould be totally disbanded, but ala&s;&s;e, there is no &s;uch thing like to be performed nor is the world one jot better; but rather wor&s;e then ever it was, and we may well be &s;ure that the Lord is angry with us for our wicked doings.</P>
<P>We may ju&s;tly &s;ay with the lamenting Pro|phet, the Lord hath a controver&s;ie with the
<PB N="10" REF="8">habitants of the land, becau&s;e there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land, by &s;wearing, and lying, and killing, and &s;tealing and whoring, they break out, and blood hath touched blood, <HI>Ho&s;ea</HI> 4.1, 2.</P>
<P>Tis true, but I would to God it were fal&s;e, that blood hath touched blood, and that very deeply, there is never a County, Shire, nor Ci|ty in <HI>England,</HI> from the Mount in <HI>Cornwall</HI> in the We&s;t, to the town of <HI>Barwick</HI> in the North but hath ta&s;ted and dearly paid, for this bloo|dy cup of civill war.</P>
<P>Whereby &s;ome have lo&s;t their goods, &s;ome have lo&s;t their lives; and many thou&s;ands have lo&s;t both goods &amp; lives: &s;o that the coun|try people in many places did not know what to do, nor whether to run to hide them&s;elves from the terrible &s;troak of death.</P>
<P>At night, when men &s;hould have taken their re&s;t, the Drums did beat up their martiall al|larums, and the Trumpets did &s;ound forth their dolefull mu&s;ick of bloody de&s;ignes.</P>
<P>By Day, when men &s;hould goe to their la|bour, their cattle and hor&s;es were taken up for &s;ervice, and the two great armies in the bowels of our Kingdome, were continually preparing for battaile.</P>
<P>And this was the only cau&s;e of our &s;orrows
<PB N="11" REF="8">and troubles; and had it not bin for this, there would not have bin &s;o many new&s;es of taking of Towns, firing of Hou&s;es, plundering of Ci|ties, ravi&s;hing of Women, and deflowring of Virgins: had it not been for the&s;e Wars, there had not bin &s;o many Lords, Knights, Colonels, and Captains impri&s;oned, nor &s;o many inno|cent people have lo&s;t their lives.</P>
<P>Tho&s;e unnaturall civill wars, hath made ma|ny woful mothers to bewail the death of their &s;lain &s;ons, many &s;i&s;ters to mingle teares with their brothers blood: many fatherle&s;&s;e children to want good nouri&s;hment: And many a mournfull widdow to &s;it weeping all alone for want of the company of her late decea&s;ed husband.</P>
<P>Moreover the con&s;ideration of the&s;e late ex|tremities makes the Kingdomes of <HI>England</HI> &amp; <HI>Scotland,</HI> together with the Principality of <HI>Wales,</HI> and Dutchy of <HI>Cornwall,</HI> &s;tand great|ly in feare. For why, if the&s;e unnaturall ci|vill Warres &s;hould goe forward, as God for|bid they &s;hould, there is no man can tell how long, nor how little a while hee &s;hall enjoy that hee hath now in po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion, for that which is wonne to day, may bee lo&s;t to morrow: The Peere is not certain of his Land, the rich Man of his E&s;tate, The Citizens of their
<PB N="12" REF="9">merchandize, the trade&s;man of his calling, nor the poore man of his life, of this we have al|ready had woful experience, and by the means of this home-bred warres, have many thou|&s;ands of <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> men peri&s;hed by the &s;word: one friend fighting again&s;t another.</P>
<P>It is knowne that &s;ince the&s;e rumours be|gan in <HI>England,</HI> that the Father hath fought again&s;t his owne &s;onne, the &s;onne again&s;t his father, brother, again&s;t brother; friend, a|gain&s;t friend; neighbour, again&s;t neighbour; and one Citizen again&s;t the other; and they that heretofore were loving friends are now become mortall enemies: A proofe whereof is plainly to be &s;een between the <HI>Engli&s;h,</HI> and the <HI>Scots,</HI> who when at fir&s;t they injoyned and united them&s;elves together, they tooke both one Covenant, they bore armes both on one behalfe, they went both under one pay, or promi&s;e, they fought both again&s;t one Party, and now through diver&s;ity of opinions, and &s;ome other unknowne cau&s;es, are the&s;e old friends become new enemies, and as it is &s;up|po&s;ed by many, there will &s;udden changes be between them and us.</P>
<P>Seeing then that nothing but fire and &s;word, wrath, and revenge, blood-&s;hed, and &s;laugh|ter is threatned among&s;t us, what then re|maines
<PB N="13" REF="9">but that we &s;end up our humble petiti|ons, for peace and truth, unto the God of peace, who is able in a moment of time, to change &s;orrowes into joy, and warre into peace.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>Here followeth the faithfull-hearted Subjects, Humble Petition, for Peace, which hee preferreth to the Almighty Lord and King of Hea|ven and Earth.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL>P&s;al. 95.6.</BIBL> O come, let us wor&s;hip and bowe down: and kneele before the Lord our Maker.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>O THOU eternall and everliving Lord God, of Heaven and Earth, in whom we live, move, and have our beeing, thou whom the Windes, and Seas obey, in who&s;e power|full hands, are all the corners of the earth; we thy poore di&s;tre&s;&s;ed people, and children, doe in all humility of &s;pirit, &s;end up our Petitions unto the Throne of thy divine Maje&s;ty, de&s;ir|ing upon the bended knees of our penitent
<PB N="14" REF="10">hearts that thou wilt be plea&s;ed to hear and graciou&s;ly to an&s;wer, the&s;e our &s;upplicati|ons which we make unto thee.</P>
<P>We do acknowledge, O Lord, that our &s;ins have de&s;erved eternall de&s;truction, both of our bodies and &s;oules. And tho&s;e plagues and warres which thou ha&s;t &s;ent upon this Kingdom, are but gentle corrections, in re|gard of our manifold tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions which we have committed again&s;t thee.</P>
<P>Neverthele&s;&s;e, good Lord, although our &s;innes are &s;o many and &s;o greivous, wee be|&s;eech thee for thy tender mercies &s;ake, to behold us with the eye of pitty, and pacify the&s;e civill out-rages which are &s;pread through this land: and if it be thy ble&s;&s;ed wil, take away this bloody cup from our &s;infull Nation: let us not peri&s;h by the &s;word: as thou&s;ands of our neighbours, friends, and kindred have already done: it is onely in thy power O Lord, to &s;ave us or to de&s;troy us.</P>
<P>The Kingly Prophet <HI>David,</HI> plainly doth confe&s;&s;e that it lies not in the power of man, nor in the &s;trength of Elephants, to conquer and &s;ubdue, but in the hands of the Lord, that rai&s;eth up, and pulleth down, &s;o that if the Lord be on our &s;ide, though ten thou|&s;and
<PB N="15" REF="10">times ten thou&s;and &s;hould &s;et them|&s;elves again&s;t us, wee need not feare: but if the Lords anger be kindled again&s;t us, what fle&s;h is able to indure his wrath.</P>
<P>Therefore againe, and again, we pray thee that thou wilt once more &s;top the mouth of this devouring mon&s;ter, civill War, and let true peace return with &s;peed, unto her old acquaintance, and have a &s;ettled habitation in and throughout the Dominions of <HI>Eng|land, Scotland,</HI> and <HI>Ireland.</HI></P>
<P>Lord &s;end us &s;uch a peace as may indure among us, &s;o long as our lives indure, and con&s;equently, let the &s;weet ble&s;&s;ing of true peace, continue in this Kingdom from ge|neration to generation, till the whole world &s;hall be di&s;&s;olved: And for the better &s;upply of this peace &s;o long hoped for, good God &s;end a &s;peedy union between the Kings mo&s;t Excellent Maje&s;ty and the Parliament, to the la&s;ting joy and comfort of all his true-hear|ted Subjects, which doe heartily love our Royall King <HI>Charles,</HI> and his hopefull off-&s;pring.</P>
<P>Adde years to his dayes, O Lord, as thou did&s;t unto that good King <HI>Hezekiah;</HI> in due him with <HI>Sam&s;ons</HI> &s;trength, <HI>Davids</HI> valour, &amp; <HI>Solomons</HI> wi&s;dome: So that hee may be a
<PB N="16" REF="11">maintainer of true Religion, a &s;urpri&s;er of Super&s;tition, a lover of his friends, and a terror to his enemies. So that <HI>Charles</HI> our King, and wee his Subjects, may &s;pend the the re&s;t of our daies in Peace and Unitie, to Gods great glory, and our owne Soules happine&s;&s;e: To the which, let all good peo|ple &s;ay,</P>
<CLOSER>Amen</CLOSER>
</DIV2>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
<PB REF="11">
</DIV1>
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</TEXT>
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