Selected quad for the lemma: book_n
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A47796
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An account of the growth of knavery under the pretended fears of arbitrary government and popery with a parallel betwixt the reformers of 1677 and those of 1641 in their methods and designs : in a letter to a friend.; Parallel
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L'Estrange, Roger, Sir, 1616-1704.
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1678
(1678)
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Wing L1193; ESTC R13376
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27,647
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72
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the Whole World where beside the Horrid Invocation of Almighty God to Countenance the Juggle the whole stress of the Quarrel is laid upon the Kings being Popishly Inclin'd and the War founded upon that Execrable Cheat. The Kings Counsels and Resolutions Say they are so engag'd to the Popish Party for the Suppression and Extirpation of the true Religion that all hopes of Peace and Protection are excluded and that it is fully intended to give Satisfaction to the Papists by Alteration of Religion c. And a little further they say that the King endeavour'd to keep off all Iealousies and Suspicions by many fearful Oaths and Imprecations of maintaining the Protestant Religion But what were all their Stories of Popish Plots Intercepted Letters Dark Conspiracies but only Artifices to gull the Credulous and Silly Vulgar For the King was so far from being Popishly affected that never any Prince purg'd himself of an Imputation by Two more Credible and Dreadfull Solemnities The First Publickly upon the Sacrament in Christ-Church Oxon. 1643 and afterward at his Death upon the Scaffold Now see the Harmony betwixt Those Remonstrants and Our Libeller in his Growth of Popery There has now for Diverse Years says he a Design been carry'd on to change the Lawful Government of England into an Absolute Tyranny and to convert the establish'd Protestant Religion into down-right Popery P. 3. He begins in the Method of the Remonstrants with a General Charge upon Ill Ministers and he shall Advance with them too next step to an Attaque upon the King Himself And not a Pin matter what is said on either side to the Contrary It is true says the Growth of Popery p. 155 that by his Majesty and the Churches Care under God's special Providence the Conspiracy has receiv'd frequent Disappointments c. And do not the Remonstrants on the other side say as much for the Late King That His Majesty indeed had past more Bills to the Advantage of the Subject than had been in many Ages pag. 16. But how comes our Libeller to be so kind to the Church all on a sodain From whose Pen there never fell any thing yet but poyson upon that Subject Can any thing be kinder than the Remonstrants were to this Late King pag. 2. where they promised to Support His Royal Estate with Honour and Plenty at Home with Power and Reputation Abroad and by their Loyal Affections Obedience and Service to lay a sure and lasting Foundation of the Greatness and Prosperity of His Majesty and his Royal Posterity after him But what do you think rather of the pretended Loyalty of these People afterwards even in the state of an Actual Rebellion p. 663. We the Lords and Commons in this present Parliament assembled do in the presence of Almighty God for the Satisfaction of our Consciences and the Discharge of that great Trust which lyes upon us make this Protestation and Declaration to this Kingdom and Nation and to the Whole World that no private Passion or Respect no evil Intention to his Majesty's Person no Design to the prejudice of his Iust Honour and Authority engag'd us to raise Forces and take up Arms against the Authors of this War wherewith the Kingdom is now enslam'd And does not our Libeller follow the Remonstrants in their Hypocrisy too This Book says he p. 156. though of an extraordinary Nature as the Case requir'd and however it may be calumniated by interressed Persons was written with no other Intent than of meer Fidelity and Service to his Majesty and God forbid that it should have any other Effect than that the mouth of all Iniquity and Flatterers may be stopp'd and that his Majesty having discerned the Disease may with his healing Touch apply the Remedy For so far is the Relator himself from any sinister Surmize against his Majesty or from suggesting it to others c. The Pamphlet I confess is as he calls it A Book of an Extraordinary Nature but why does he say As the Case requir'd Where 's the Importance of it unless he means that it was the very Nick of Time for him to embroyl the Nation And for the Interessed Persons who he says may Calumniate it they are only the King and His Ministers who are all of them the subject of his Scoptical and Malevolent Satyre Of his Intent we shall speak hereafter This is not the first time that we have heard of Words smoother than Oyl which yet are very Swords It is the very Stile that brought the Late King to the Block and the Saviour of the World was betray'd by a Hail Master and a Kiss It is the very Crown of the Parallel betwixt 77 and 41. Now to proceed What was the Old Remonstrance but a Spiteful and Invidious Misrepresentation of the State of the Kingdom under the Notion of Declaring Common Grievances For His Majesty's Healing Touch too no doubt and is not That also the very Aim and Profession of these two Libels What is the Publication of This same Scandalous List but the Old Trick over again of Posting those Members for Straffordians that would not consent to the Death of the Earl of Strafford And is not their Tampering of the Grand Iuries to Petition for a New Parliament the Old Practice reviv'd of drawing and solliciting Petitions against Grievances of their own framing and menaging Affairs of State by Tumults Would not our Remonstratour of 77 rather than his Life be at the Old Sport again with a Kennel of Brutes at his Heels in full Cry with No Bishops No Popish Lords No Evil Counsellours No Rotten Members No Porters Lodge and at last No King too which was the very Fact in Consequence upon this Method So soon as the Remonstrants those Sons of Cham had laid open their Father's nakedness with a Malicious Aggravation of all Errours and Misfortunes beside Falshoods innumerable to Irritate the Multitude against their Superiours their next Art was to draw that Party to themselves which they had now detached from the Government with an Oh! that we were made Iudges in Israel Boasting what wonderful things they had then upon the Anvil for the Publick Good and not forgetting to arrogate all those Acts to themselves which his Majesty had pass'd of his proper Grace and Bounty Other things say they p. 15 of main Importance for the Good of this Kingdom are in Proposition as the Establishing and Ordering the King's Revenues that so the Abuse of Officers and Superfluity of Expenses may be cut off and the necessary Disbursements for his Majesty's Honour the Defense and Government of the Kingdom may be more certainly provided for the Regulating of Courts of Iustice and Abridging both the Delays and Charges of Law-Suits c. See now if our Reformer of 77 does not fish with the very same Bait. The House of Commons says he p. 63 took up again such Publick Bills as they had on foot in their former sitting and others that might either remedy present
and already in Employment are more good Natur'd and less dangerous to the Publick than those that are Hungry and out of Office who may by probable Computation make another Third Part of this House of Commons And a while after They are all of them he says to be bought and sold. And when he goes on p. 78. There is a Third Part still remaining but as contrary in themselves as Light and Darkness These are either the Worst or the Best of Men The first are most prostigate Persons c. Concluding p. 79 That it is less difficult to conceive how Fire was first brought to Light in the World than how any thing Good could ever be produc'd out of a House of Commons so Constituted And p. 149. he calls them this House or BARN of Commons treating the Members accordingly They list themselves says he into some Court Faction and it is as well known among them to what Lord each of them retain as when formerly they wore Coats and Badges And he has not done with them yet neither for nothing will do his Jobb but a Final Dissolution Considering says he p. 81. how doubtful a Foot this long Parliament now stood upon by this long Prorogation there could not have been a more Legal or however no more Wife and Honest a thing done than for Both the Lords and Commons to have Separated Themselves c. I could wish that he had not appeal'd from the Legality of the thing to the Wisdom and Honesty of it But however Legal or not Legal the thing is to be done For he knows very well that so long as this House of Commons continues in Being Rebellion can never turn up Trump again But it was otherwise order'd he says and so he betakes himself to an Experiment of Tampering all the Grand Iuries in England to Petition for a New Parliament upon the Credit of his Story concerning the Corruptions of this Wherein by the Foul Reflexions he has past upon many Persons of Known and Eminent Example for Piety Integrity and Moderation he has utterly disappointed the Malice of his Scandal upon the Rest. It was well enough said me thought by a Worthy Member of the House of Commons Do not you see says he how they have Libell'd me in that damn'd List of the Parliament-men One told him that he was mistaken for his Name was not in 't Why that 's the Business says he for 't is only a Libel upon those that are left out Nay rather than fail he does as good as Advise a downright Insurrection in these Words p. 155. It is now come to the fourth Act says he and the next Scene that opens may be Rome or Paris by the Plot it should be rather Geneva or Edinburgh yet Men sit by like Idle Spectators and still give mony toward their own Tragedy And why does he blame them for Sitting by And like Idle SPECTATORS unless he would have them enter into Tumult and Action A very fair Encouragement to make Men bestir themselves and without more Ceremony lay violent Hands upon the Publick Good God! That ever such a Creature as This should propound to himself by the Dash of a Pen to move the Foundations of the English Government From the Parliament he descends to the Iudges Alas says he the Wisdom and Probity of the Law went off for the most Part with Good Sir Matthew Hales and Iustice is made a meer Property And then he raves upon The Constant Irregularities and Injustice from Term to Term of those that administer the Iudicature betwixt his Majesty and his People p. 154. This Poysonous Arrow meaning the Choice of the Judges strikes to the very Heart of Government and could come from no Quiver but that of the Conspirators What French Counsel what Standing Forces what Parliamentary Bribes what National Oaths and all the other Machinations of Wicked Men have not yet been able to effect may be more compendiously Acted by Twelve Iudges in Scarlet p. 66. And is not this directly 41 again When no Iudges would serve the Turn but those that betray'd the People to Slavery and His Sacred Majesty to the Scaffold He has another Fling at the Sheriffs If any Worthy Person says he p. 80 chance to carry the Election some Mercenary or Corrupt Sheriff makes a double Return and so the Cause is handed to the Committee of Elections c. And truly he does not give either the King or the Monarchy of England much better Quarter than he allows the rest as you shall see by and by So that nothing less than the Thorough Reformation of 41 will do the Work of 77. And the whole Frame of the Government must be unhing'd to gratify the Caprice of a Pragmatical Mal-content The Passion and Malice of the Libeller is so evident that he does half confess it himself by an Anticipation of the Charge The Relator says he pag. 155. foresees that he shall on both hands be blam'd for pursuing this Method Some on the One side will expect that the very Persons should have been Nam'd whereas he only gives Evidence to the Fact and leaves the Malefactors to those that have the Power of Enquiry If he can but acquit himself on the Other hand for Writing the Libel as well as on This for not Naming the Persons he will do well enough For first It is not his Business to Prove but to Defame Secondly The Naming of Particulars would have restrein'd the Calumny whereas his work is to wound All the Kings Ministers that Faithfully adhere to their Master in the Generality of the Scandal Thirdly He judges it safer and more expedient to amuse the Multitude with Iealousies that cannot be Disprov'd than point-blank to fasten upon Particulars an Accusation that cannot be Prov'd What does he mean by saying that he gives Evidence to the Fact It is the first Libel certainly that ever was given in Evidence But where 's the Relator himself all this while upon whose bare word Parliaments are to be Dissolv'd Ministers of State Arraign'd Judges Displac'd and the whole Government new Modell'd What if he should appear and be found at last to have been one of Oliver's Cabal Would any Man desire a more Competent Witness for Charles the Second than the Murtherer of Charles the First But he has been so us'd to call the King himself Traytor that he may be allow'd to call his Friends Conspirators On the other hand says he pag. 155. some will represent this Discourse as they do all Books that tend to detect their Conspiracy against his Majesty and Kingdom as if It too were written against the Government For now of late as soon as any Man is gotten into Publick Employment by ill Acts and by worse continues it he if it please the Fates is thenceforward the Government and by being Criminal pretends to be Sacred This is only crying Whore first to call those People Conspirators who are likely to censure him for a Libeller