the Book My first acquaintance with this Mr Richard Price was by occaâ—ion of our Parish businesse in his trade and that about our Ward and after that about a Remonstrance presented to the Common Councel in all which I found him ingenuous and so grew to intimacy with him this was when Alderman Pennington was Lord Mayor and before Mr John Goodwin had gathered his Church or at least before this Mr Price was a Member of it and I took so much content in his company that I brought such as I loved most entirely acquainted with him I through God's goodnesse had long before been established in that part of doctrine called then Antinomian of free justification by Christ alone and so my heart was at much more ease and freedom then others who were entangled with those yokes of bondage unto which Sermons and Doctrines mixt of Law and Gospel do subject distressed consciences upon which point I was frequent in discourse with him and he would frequently come home to my house and took much delight in that company he found there insomuch as we fell to practice arms in my-Garden and whither he brought his Friends and Lords daies and Fast daies he spenâ— usually with us As for Fasts then some circumstances of the times and proceedings considered neither he nor we were satisfied therein nor hardly any of those that we called Sectaries or Antinomians which was then the beam in the eâ—e about the Town It sell out upon a Fast day in the morning my Friend and I thought fit to give him a visit to manifest our joy in his society so comming to his house he seemed to be â—â—eding glad and hastned abroad with us and we went at last to Basing-shaw Church 〈◊〉 â—eing where my Lord Mayor was to be as expecting to hear some excellent man there being there some time we found the matter so lamentable as we were all three weary of it For the truth is whosoever is clearly possest with this one Doctrine of Free Justification hath such a touchstone as presently discovers the least contradiction either in Praiers or Sermons and what is gold silver drosse hay or stubble so we all at once together went away but so as we could give no offence to the congregation being not in the body of the Church so that the relaters in saying we had been from Church to Church Mr. Cranfords being all we were at before though he know it hath not been more usuall with-any then with themselves passing to and fro from place to place on the Lords and Fasts dayes 4 and 6 of a company spying watching and censuring of doctrines as he that wrote the Book called the Pullpit incendiary me thinks should be asham'd to seeme ignorant of Being come out of the Church we past the way home-wards much lamenting the condition of a people under such teachers being taught scarce any thing to make them either knowing Christians or good and usefull men imputing much of the misery of the times to the ignorance or preversnesse of preachers the greatest part of their time being spent to uphold their interest against Antinomians Anabaptists and others that fell off from their congregations seldom upon any necessary or usefull doctrine or if they did before they had done with it they contradicted themselves much or little sufficient to spoil all they had done So in short time we came to my house where we went on discoursing from one thing to another and amongst other things of the wisdom of the heathen how wise and able they were in those things unto which their knowledge did extend and what pains they took to make men wise vertuous and good common-wealths men how pertinent they were in the things they undertook to the sahme of such Christians as took upon them to be teachers of others when they were to seeke in the main principle of their science with which kinde of discourse he was very much affected though it did not appear he had been accustomed to the reading of humane authors which for twenty yeers before I had been but I used them alwayes in their due place being very studious all that time in the Scriptures and other divine authors as some of Mr. Perkins works Mr. Downhams divinity I had as it were without book also Doctor Halls meditations and vowes and his heaven upon earth and those peeces annexed to Mr. Hookers Ecclesiastical pollicy hearing and reading continually using Seneca Plutarchs Lives and Charon of humane wisdom as things of recreation wherein I was both pleased and profited and truly I do not see I have cause to repent me of taking liberty in this kinde having never in my life I blesse God made an ill use thereof amongst which Lucian for his good ends in disovering the vanity of things in worldly esteem I like very well whereof I can read only such as are translated into English such a wise Jesuite I am that withall my skill I cannot construe three lines of any Latin author nor do understand any except such common proverbs as are more familiar in Latine then in English which sometimes I use not to dignifie my selfe but because of the pertinency of them in some occasions For as this author would infer of me I do not think any man much the wiser for having many languages or for having more then one though I wish I had the Latin yet I think it not worth that paines and time as is commonly spent in learning and do beleeve I had been furnisht with it for my parents I thank them were not wanting but for the tediousnesse and impertinency of my teachers which since I understand I often blame in them which is all I have to say against Latin or any kind of learning except that part of it which puffeth up and makes men scornfull pedants despisers of unlearned and illitterate men a humour if I mistake not puffeth my present Antagonist I see wise and inconsiderate men too skillfull in languages and in arts and science I have not much to do with them my care is rightly to understand my self in my native language being troubled with no other and of all I chiefly thank these that employ there charity in translation of well meaning authors which I hope I may read without asking leave of these that through scupulosity dare not Moses was skilfull in all the learning of the Egyptians which the Scriptures testifie without reproof and S. Paul certainly read the poets and was not abasht to recite one of them and I am certain most of the university men in England and most of the liberaries are not without all Lucians works some whereof as I am informed are much more offencive to Christianity then these in English And why then I might not without blemish read one of his dialogues to this Mr. Richard Price I cannot yet perceive as I take it we read that which is called his tyrant a discourse though possibly not in all things
another of that name of this congregation and is this Mr. Richard Price his vnckle and Mr. Hilleslyes son in lavv from this Mr. Price I heard the first aspersion that ever I heard of my self and it vvas thus Standing in Cornhill at a Book-sellers shop a man comes and looks me very earnestly in my face I took little regard to it and went away I was no sooner gone but sayes he to the Book seller you are acquainted withall the sparcks in the town sparcks saies he the man seemes to be a rational man I But replied the party I am told he is a notorious drunkard and a whore master and that he painted his face but I see that 's false whereupon the Book-seller having some knowledge of me became troubled on my behalf and fell to be very serious with him to know his author and he honestly tells him naming this Mr. Price a mercer and the Bookseller soon after tells me the whole story and the authors name saying he had been abused himself with base reports and a man might be undone by them and never know it till t' was too late and therefore had resolved to hear no evil of any man but if he could he would learn the auâ—hor and tell the party concerned of it this Book seller is Mr. Peter Cole at the sign of the Printing presse and I esteem my self obliedged to him ever since for his plain dealing So away went I to this Mr. Price for I was somewhat troubled having never heard evil of my self till then and I found him at Mr. Hilslies and 〈◊〉 a friendly manner made him acquainted with my businesse he did not deny but he had spoken as much and that walking in Westminister hall he was called from me and bid beware of me for I was supposed to be a Papist and a dangerous man but he had not spoken any evil of me as beleeving any of it to be true so I told him he and I had come acquainted upon a very honest businesse about the remonstrance presented to the Common-councel and therefore why he should suffer such words to passe from him concerning me I did wonder at it I told him how with very little enquiry he might soon have been satisfied that I was no such man askt him if he knew any at Garlick-hill where I had lived fifteen yeers together in good and honest repute and where he ought to have informed himself and not so unadvisedly to disparage me he seemed to be sorry for it so I only desired him to let me know his author he told me I must excuse him he might not do it nor could I ever get him to tell me so being familiar with my then friend Mr. Brandiff I askt whether they had not some rule or method in their Church to give a man some satisfaction that had received palpable injury by a meraber come said he I know where abouts you mean trouble not your self no body beleeves it and this was all I could get in this case wherein I yet stand injured and since they are so desirous more then truth should be beleeved of me I think it fit this which is certainly true should be known of their dealing with me Nor can any ingenious people now blame me for being thus open and particuler since this sort of independents have made thus bold with my good name so long a time and since it is evident that manifestation dated the 14 of April 1649. Published by my self and my other three fellow sufferers that I was willing to have vindicated my self from those common reproaches they had aspert me withall without naming or reflecting upon any person or any sort of men whatsoever so carefull have I ever been as much as in me is to have peace withall men bearing and forbearing to my own losse rather then I would return eviâ— for evil But their mallicâ— breaking thus fouly out upon me in this vile book I should be unjust to my self if I should not do my best endeavour to manifest so detestable falsenesse uttered to so bad an end in so unseemly a time the time of my affliction which I shall do with as much truth as I can remember profeâ—sing withall from my very heart and conscience that I take no more pleasure in doing of it then I should do in gathering up and throwing away Snakes and Vâ—rmin scattered in my Garden and do wish withall my soul they had not necessitated me nor my other fellow-prisoners to have exceeded our joynt Manifestation but that we might all have been good friends thereupon In which Manifestation is to be seen all our very hearts and wherein all our four heads and hands were nigh equally employed though this câ—pritious author Mr. John Price it s said be pleased to suppose me to be all 〈◊〉 all therein yet I must and truly professe the contrary and must be bold to â—ell them where my friend Lieutement Collonel John Lillburn appeares otherwise in any of his writings I do not impute it to passion as his adversaries politiquely are accustomed to take weak people off from the consideration of what he says but unto his zeal against that injustice cruelty hypocrisie arrogancy and flattery which he hath found amongst a sort of men from whom of any men in the world he expected the contrary virtues being otherwise to my knowledge and upon experience a very lamb in conversation and whom goodnesse and love and piety justice and compassion shall as soon melt and that into tears I hope he will pardon my blabbing as any man in the world but he hates all kinde of basenesse with a perfect hatred especially that of ingratitude which he hath found I have heard him say so exceeding all measure in some of the subscribers of this pamphlet that it loathes him to think of it And as for my friend Mr. Prince whom this self-conceited author would make so weak in judgment as to have no ability towards such a work it is his unhappinesse to be so exceedingly mistaken yet I must tell him he hath given him so true a character for honesty and sincerity of heart towards the publick which in my esteem doth more commend him then if he had attributed to him all those parts abilities he falsly and for an ill end doth unto me lifting me up to heaven that he might cast me down to hell making me an Angel that he might make me a Devil which parts are more abounding in himself as is to be seen in this his unhappy Book and for which he will one day sigh and groan except he make a better use of them But Mr. John Price Mr. Prince hath not a congregation to cry up his parts amongst whom there is such a humor of flattery as is not to be found the like again amongst any sort of men Oh such a Sermon such a discourse such arguments as never was heard of when often times 't is meer lamp-work and ink horn termes such
of such as are in power and authority playing the pick-thanks by such unworthy and uncharitable courses buzzing continually in their ears that we drive on dangerous designs that we are Atheists Jesuits and the like which hath been your common practice insomuch as being with Collonel Martin and another Gentleman about a month before I was made a Prisoner at Lieutenant Generall Cromwels and amongst other discourse wondering why he should suffer me continually at his table to be reproacht as if I were a Jesuit and a man of dangerous principles whereas none in the world could have more testimony of any man to the contrary then he had of me and why he did not vindicate me when he heard me so abused he told me that he could not believe those scandals that he had profest often and again he could not but they were brought continually to them by Citizens that were esteemed honest godly men And truly I do believe in my Conscience we never had been thus dealt withall as we are but by your reports and that we are prisoners more by your occasion then any other And what a way did Mr Kiffin his Associates find out as soon as we were in to rivet us in with a Petition somewhat like your forementioned Declaration The scope thereof being truly Pharisaicall Another Lord we thank thee we are not as other men c. Nor as these Publicans-No Anabaptists of Munster defiling their own nest as supposing that lying story of that injured people true and praying the Parliament to be carefull to suppresse all prophanenesse and licenciousnesse as if we had been such a people But so justly did this mischief intended on us turn on their own heads that most of their own people abhorred the practice as Un-Christian and Mr Thomas Lamb of the Spittle offered to prove the promoters of it guilty of injustice arrogance flattery and cruelty and to give them a meeting to that purpose but sure they were asham'd and durst not for none of them would undertake him Besides these waies of holding Prisoners fast my back-friend Mr Arnald hath a way of going from house to house to discover matter there â—â—ing none at all in these very mens opinions of me For they all conclude England's New Chains to be none of my indicting I wonder why then they did not petition or move for my enlargement No besides that I am not of their Church 't was good holding a man so hardly to be catcht that needed horse and foot to catch and fetch him out of his bed And therfore this Mr Arnald also sends Spies to ensnare and entrap us in our discourse and for encouragement to those he sends that they may not scruple but think they do God good service therein he prosesses continually I am a Jesuit And now I believe finding his errour for it 's very easily found he dreads my releasment as believing I may have remedy at Law for so destructive a slander and therfore hath thought even to overwhelm me with this floud of aspersions that I should not possibly escape drowning But the man 's mistaken and so are his Abettors and Associates 't is but a Vision a false fantastick apparation they are all Nothings meer falsnesses Serpents of Magicians making the meer works of a malicious imagination that by crosse working forcing and wresting of words and sentences and by sames and opinions hath made a kind of crawling thing that might possibly serve to fright Children or to please a Church that would go a wool-gathering for a miracle to confirm its reallity But truth which is Moses his Serpent you shall see will eat them up and devour them all Many of them if you well consider what you have here and elswhere read being consumed already That which remains in generall is that I aim at the destroying of Religion and at the subversion of all Government But why should I do either Where 's the advantage I have alwaies profess'd the contrary and ever practised the contrary as those that reade my Whisper to Mr Edwards and my still and soft voyce fore-mentioned will easily believe And I begge and intreat both young and old to reade them before they give sentence in their own hearts of me that I should be so irreligious as to utter such profane language concerning the Book of Psalms or Proverbs or that horrid expression of the Book of Canticles as that it was nothing else but one of Salomons Epiphonemacs a word that I never spake nor yet know well how to pronounce nor ever did apply the meaning of it to so vile an end speak the rest whoso will for me and if the Author had had any modesty or Religion in him however it had come into his thought he would have silenc'd it rather then such blasphemy should be seen in print I abhor the words should be in any of my paper having never entred my thought or past my lips As true likewise are all the other unworthy passages in the 9 and 10 pages of that shamelesse book they have been all malicious snatchings and gatherings from some officious tongues at third fourth or tenth hand there being nothing but mistakes and mis-applications in all of them contrary to my judgment or any thing ever intended by me in my discourse of any of those subjects And to shew some palpable token that they are meer malicious smatterings I appeal to all that know me whether ever I were heard to commend Plutarch's Morals to any mans reading it being a Book that although I have had above these twenty years yet I am certain I never read forty hours therein though I somewhat blame my self for my neglect it being so generally commended by wise and judicious men yet I could never perswade my self to take the pains in reading of it it being somewhat too â—edious for my expectation And as for Cicero's Orations I never had it have only seen it and though very unadvisedly as I was lately told by one whose judgment I love am somewhat prejudic'd against his writings as esteemâ—ng him a verball and vain-glorious Writer I have indeed bemoaned the breeding of the Youth of this Nation as being bred so as to be artificiall and crafty rather then truly wise and honest to be Sophisters and Pedantick Disputers and Wranglers about words then of solid judgment but as for feats of activity it 's a light expression to be applyed rather â—o tumblers and the like then to be a part of Childrens breeding and for Geometry there may be much in it and of use but I have not so much skill in it as that 〈◊〉 could make it matter for my commendation So that these Intelligencers being engaged in evil designs and knowing themselves guilty are confused in their thoughts their consciences ever flying in their faces and so they hear otherwise then is uttered and report different from what they hear and so prove by a just providence destructive to those that employ them
so joy'd was I really with this as I thought renewed affection that I would often say within my self and to some others I now see The falling out of Lovers is the renewing of Love Nay so great a testimony I then had from my continued Fr end Mr Brandriffe that greater could not be for it was his lot to discourse with one Major West a Gentleman I take it of Cambridge-shire who was to have gone for Ireland this Gentleman told him divers secret things that rightly ordered were very usefull at that time Mr Brandriffe thinks me the fittest man to be acquainted therewith tels me of it and brings him to my house to whom I was not altogether a Sâ—ranger so he opens his breast to me in such things that as the times were if I had been base or false-hearted might have cost him his life I say as the times were but I proved as Mr Brandriffe had reported me to him and kept his councel Well very good Friends we were all and I was by very eminent persons of the Army sent for to Reading to be advised withall touching the good of the people a study my Conscience had much addicted me to and after this no jarr appeared amongst us till the Army had past through the City nor untill the businesse of the Tower afore-mentioned besell But then instead of Arguments against mine and my Friends Reason aspersions were produced and then afresh we were Atheists Non-Scripturists Jesuites and any thing to render us odious This whil'st I remained there begot a great falling out amongst our Friends and theirs in London which upon my comming looking upon it as a thing of very ill consequence I prevailed for a reconcilement so far have I ever been from dividing that I believe all those with whom I have most converst judge no man more deserves the name of a Reconciler But about this time I met with that Gentleman Major West in the street and he looks upon me somewhat ghastly saying what are you here yes said I why not why saies he being at my Lord Mayors you were there said to be the most dangerous ill-conditioned man alive that you seek to have the City destroyed that you would have no Government and all things common and drive on dangerous designs saies I who is it that avouches this why saies he Henry Brandriffe who saies he knows it to be true and that he hath kept you company these seven years of purpose to discover you I professe I was so astonisht to hear this from Mr Brandriffe that I had no thought nor did not then call to mind how upon intimate intire friendship he had brought this Mr West to unbosome himself unto me in a matter of so great concernment so I past it over and parted with him But in a little ruminating of the strangenesse and horriblenesse of this dealing the businesse of Major Wests comming to me with Mr Brandriffe withall circumstances came fresh into my mind and about a week after I met with Major West in Bishops-gate-street and after a salute askt him if he had seen Mr Brandriffe he told me he had and that he was of the same mind and would justifie it for he had kept me company seven years to discover me upon this I askt him whether he did not remember that Mr Brandriffe upon pre-discourse did bring him to my house to discover such and such things to me as the fittest Friend he had he answered me yes and were they not such things said I that if I had been base and deceitfull might have been much to your prejudice as the times then were yes saies he said I did he then know me to be base and to carry on dangerous designs and had kept me company seven years to discover me and would he bring you to discover such things and to un bosome your self to me said I whether was he most false to you or to me he makes a stand a little while truly saies he he must be very false and unworthy to one of us So I wisht him to consider what strange kind of men these were and how a man might come to know when they meant good faith in their discourse and society amongst men This Discourse I have set down thus punctually because a person of so good credit as this Major West is is ready as he told me lately to avouch this that Mr Brandriffe said of me and because it is their usuall way to beget credit in the foulest aspersions they cast upon me by saying this is certain I kept him company so long of purpose to discover him and will rather injure their own conscience then want of belief for I am confident Mr Brandriffe in all his society with me had not an ill thought of me if he did keep me company so long for ill and unworthy ends to entrap and make the worst of every thing I said which I cannot believe he was the more unworthy and cannot but lament his condition or any mans else that useth it I blesse God I never was a minute in his company but upon tearms of true hearty love and friendship nor ever circumvented him or any man else nor have used to carry tales or to make the worst of menâ— discourses but have set my house and heart open at all times to honest men where they have had a most sincere and hearty welcome and if any have turned my freedom and kindnesse to my prejudice God forgive them Yea so far hath it been from being my principle or practice as the uncharitable Subscribers of the Epistle Dedicatory to this-vain Book infer to say or do any thing against him whom I thought engaged to destroy me that both to those of the Kings Party with whom I had some acquaintance and those my old and many Friends of the Presbyterian judgment in all times I ever spake and advised them what I thought in my conscience was for their good perswading with all men to place their happinesse so as it might be consistent with the freedom peace and prosperity of the Commonwealth and I believe many will acknowledge they have found my councel good and wish they had taken it some having since confest I have told them truth when they did not believe it nor can any of them â—ustly say and I believe will not say that ever I abated one sillable of my principle of Common Freedom nor ever discovered a thought to the prejudice of the Parliament or Common-wealth But would these men turn their sight inward and look into their own hearts there they would find such a latitude of dissimulation as is hardly to be found in any sort of men pretending to Religion as may not only appear by these mens fair carriages outwardly alwaies to me and Mr Brandriffe's strange discovery of himself but in others also of the same people as Mr Richard Price the Scrivener the Author of one of the most notorious false scandals contained in