only against such as should dare to levy it but against those who should willingly pay it The News whereof being thereupon brought forthwith to the King he did upon the second of March by Proclamation dissolve that Parliament And about a week following coming to the House declared that he did not impute those Disasters to the whole House of Commons knowing that there were amongst them many religious grave and well-minded men but that the sincerer and better part of the House were overborn by the practices and clamours of the other who careless of their duties and taking advantage of the times and his Necessities did inforce him to break off that meeting Which had it been answer'd with like duty on their parts as it was invited and begun with love on his might have prov'd happy and glorious both to himself and the whole Nation And farther added that he did thus declare the manifold causes he had to dissolve that Parliament that all the world might see how much they had forgotten their former engagements at the entrance into the war themselves being the Perswaders of it promising to make him feared by his Enemies and esteemed by his Friends and how they had turned the Necessities grown by that war to enforce him to yield to conditions incompatible with Monarchy CHAP. V. THe ends in reducing his Majesty to Necessities being by those means thus unhappily accomplish'd and the King thereby exposed to some extraordinary ways of Supply viz. Loanes Benevolences Ship-money c. their next work was to possess the people with an opinion that these were but the beginnings of farther and greater oppressions by which his purpose was first by degrees to weaken them in their Estates and then to bring upon them no less a vassalage than that of the French Pesant And not only so but to endanger their souls by enthralling them to the Superstitions of the Church of Rome To which purpose under a seeming Devout and Holy pretence to advance and promote the Preaching of the Gospel they got in a number of Lecturers into most of the Corporate Towns and populous places of this Realm according to the pattern of Geneva especially into the City of London whom they maintained by Voluntary contributions to the end they might be engaged to preach such Doctrine as should upon occasion prepare the People for any disloyal attempt and dispose them to Rebellion when opportunity served And for the better support of these Boutefeus they purchased in divers Impropriate Tithes constituting Feoffees some of the Clergy some Lawyers some Citizens all of the Puritan Party under colour of redeeming the Lord's Portion out of Lay hands as the Phrase then was By which subtile Practise they gained many large sums in order thereto from sundry well-meaning People especially such as lay on their Death-beds who being thus incited to this seeming glorious work saw nothing at all of the main design which was under-hand driven on by the Grand Contrivers Besides this they likewise cunningly wrought that such as were of their Party might by one means or other be made Heads of some Houses in the Universities as they did in Emanuel Colledge and Catherine Hall in Cambridge New-Inne and Magdalen Hall in Oxford And for an essay of those whom under colour of Preaching the Gospel in sundry parts of the Realm they determin'd to make instrumental for carrying on the work they set up a Morning-Lecture at St. Antholines-Church in London where as Probationers for that purpose they first made tryal of their abilities which place was the grand Nursery whence most of the Seditious Preachers were after sent abroad throughout all England to poyson the People with their Antimonarchical Principles These being the men who first began to infuse into their Auditors a disaffection to the Church Discipline establish'd by Law pretending it to savour of Popery and after a breach made therein then to cry out against miscarriages in Government So that having in a short time wean'd the People from kneeling at Prayers and bearing part in the publick Service of God by their mutual Responses as the Liturgy directs they then cryed down those reverend Set-forms of Devotion which were enjoyned by the Law and by degrees using them to long-winded ex tempore Prayers of their own indigested composure which they call'd Praying by the Spirit at length insinuated to them that the Liturgy by Law establish'd was no other than the Mass translated into English and a thing utterly nauseous to God Almighty by which means multitudes deserted the Publick Prayers of the Church in divers places where the Incumbents continued regular and forbore to come there until the Psalm preceding the Sermon began So that in the end the decent and pious Order in serving God according to the Laws not only became by little and little wholly antiquated but such of the Clergy as making any conscience of their Subscriptions and Oaths of Canonical obedience observed the Rule were frequently scandaliz'd with Innovation in Religion and inclination to Popery few regarding any thing but the Sermons and those tedious ex tempore Prayers of the Preacher in order thereto placing all Religion in being present at those wild and frothy Exercises though they slept when they came there or little regarded what was said In which Prayers if I may so call them it was no wonder to hear them cunningly to insinuate that which might put the people into a jealousy of the King and the inferior Magistrate by praying against this or that miscarriage of which by their subtile expressions they would have their auditory believe them to be guilty in point of Government or personal demeanour Nor were those their Sermons for the most part other than vain and frivolous declamations against Popery wherewith they affrighted the more ignorant sort of people as if that were the only thing which would endanger their souls enslave their consciences and utterly ruine them in their temporal estates By which sleight in drawing their thoughts from what was really the grand danger they led them blindfold into those mists of error and ignorance wherein they became afterwards miserably shakled and were made Slaves to those Grand Contrivers who at length by these devices got the full power of the Sword into their hands verifying therein that Prophetical expression of the venerable and judicious Hooker in that excellent Preface to his Books of Ecclesiastical Policy viz. after the Puritans have first resolved that attempts for Discipline are lawful it will follow in the next place to be disputed what may be attempted against Superiors In further order to which malevolent design for the utter extirpation of Monarchy being not ignorant in what high esteem the memory of the same Mr. Hooker was with all pious and learned men for those five Books of Ecclesiastical Policy made public in his life time and having heard that there were three more written by him upon
the same subject which under colour of a desire to search after his death for some Writings in his Study were by certain Clergy-men who stood disaffected to the Discipline of the Church unhappily lurch'd away they did at length gain those very Books into their hands and not long after the beginning of this late unparallel'd Rebellion for the better accomplishing their long studyed ends most shamefully corrupted them in sundry places omitting divers passages which were unsutable to their purposes and instead thereof inserting what they thought might give countenance to their present evil practises amongst which was this in terminis that though the King were singulis major yet he was universis minor and having so done caus'd them to be publish'd in Print By which fallacy divers well meaning people were miserably captivated and drawn to their Party And at length were not ashamed in that Treaty which they had with his Majesty in the Isle of Wight to vouch the authority of this venerable man in derogation of his Supremacy and to place the Soveraign power in the People that great Antimonarchist William late Vicount Say and Sele being the person who boldly urged it Whereunto the good King answered that though those three Books were not allowed to be Mr. Hookers yet he would admit them so to be and consent to what his Lordship endeavoured to prove out of them in case he would assent to the judgment of Mr. Hooker declared in the other five Books which were unquestionably His. But as to these their indirect dealings in thus corrupting the works of that excellent man whose memory for his profound learning singular piety and most exemplary life will be ever precious to succeeding ages and his necessary vindication therein I shall for more full satisfaction to my Reader refer him to that seasonable Historical discourse lately compiled and published with great judgment and integrity by that much deserving person Mr. Isaac Walton containing a perfect Narrative of the life and death of this right worthy person Of which I hold it necessary that special notice should be taken by reason that since the happy Restauration of our present Soveraign K. Charles II. Dr. Gawden then Bishop of Exeter upon the reprinting those five genuine Books of Mr. Hooker together with the other pretended three taking upon him to write a Preface to the whole and therein to give an account of Mr. Hooker's life hath not only with great confidence used divers Arguments to satisfie the world that those three Books were penn'd by Mr. Hooker notwithstanding those poysonous assertions against the Regal power which are to be found therein but much misreported him in the Narrative of his life representing him to have been a single man with many other gross mistakes as whoso compares it with Mr. Walton's History of him may easily see Moreover well knowing that the City of London in respect of its Riches and Populousness must be the principal stage for this Tragic-Action there was no small care taken for fitting all places of Authority therein especially the Common-Council with such active men as might advance this blessed work Wherein having made a fair and succesful progress but discerning that the Sword must at length be made use of they then began to frequent the Artillery-yard and to be diligent Practisers of military Discipline in which they grew in a short time so great Proficients that most of the cheif Officers in that School were men of that stamp and got into their hands the best and choicest Arms. And that they might make the more secure progress in this their long studyed design they laid the Scene at first in Scotland the Subjects of that Realm being most tainted with Presbytery so that in case this their contrivance should speed there they might the more boldly adventure upon the like here The first thing therefore that was made use of towards their Master-piece in Scotland was an exception or rather cavil by divers eminent persons in that Kingdom at his Majesties Revocation of such things as had been passed away in prejudice of that Crown especially by some of his Progenitors in their minorities though not without example This being advised by those that were then his Majesties Privy-Councellers and Officers of State in that Realm whose late Actions have sufficiently manifested what effect they desired it should produce did accordingly occasion much repining by divers principal persons who thereupon infused into his Subjects a distaste of his Government And though the King was pleased to wave his interest therein and to remit as well the Equity as rigour of the Laws in that point the Male-contents would not be satisfyed but still endeavoured to work a disaffection in the people thereto And whereas his Majesty out of his pious care of the Clergy who had been much opprest by the Laity that pay'd Tythes being pleased to grant out Commissions in their behalf had so good issue therein as that both Parties were abundantly satisfyed the maintenance of the Clergy being thereby improv'd and the Laity freed from a dangerous dependance upon Subjects yet the Nobility and Lay-Patrons fretting privately for being rob'd as they conceiv'd of the dependance of the Clergy and Laity bent their envy against the Bishops under pretence that they were the principal causers thereof To quiet therefore these discontents in the year 1633 his Majesty made a progress into Scotland and was there crowned having not been personally there till then since the death of his Royal Father at which time he also held a Parliament in that Realm wherein great suggestions were made of fears that dangerous Innovations in Religion would be attempted as also instead of acceptance of an Act for Ratification of all other Acts concerning the Religion professed and established it was dissented to by divers of the after-chiefest Covenanters And no sooner was he returned back into England but that infinite Libels were disperst abroad to impoyson the People with his Majesties proceedings at that Parliament Of which Libellers amongst others the Lord Balmerino was found guilty by his Peers and accordingly should have receiv'd sentence of death for it nevertheless through his Majesties goodness was not only pardoned but enlarg'd and afterwards became an eminent Covenanter Which Insolency of the Scots did not a little animate and encourage the Puritan-faction here who loudly declaimed against the Discipline of the Church as it then by Law stood establish'd and to beget a greater contempt thereof in the generality of the people represented it to be superstitious and like to usher in Popery dispersing many scandalous seditious and libellous Pamphlets to that purpose infusing likewise into them strange apprehensions that their Liberty and Property were in no little danger and the better to give colour to their pretended fears of these approaching Evils they took ready hold of this following occasion The Soveraignty of the Brittish-Seas by antient right justly appertaining to the Crown
in the Margin whereof he had with his own hand Written many Annotations To the Duke of York his large Ring-Sun-Dial of Silver which His Majesty much valued it having been invented and made by Mounsieur De la mine an able Mathematician and who in a little Printed Book hath shewed its excellent use for resolving many Questions in Arithmetick and other rare operations in the Mathematicks to be wrought by it To the Princess Elizabeth his Daughter the Sermons of the most Learned Dr. Andrews sometimes Bishop of Winchester and Arch-bishop Laud's Book against Fisher the Jesuit which he said would ground her against Popery with Mr. Hooker's Ecclesiastical Policy As also a Paper to be Printed in which he asserted Regal Government to have a Divine Right with Proofs out of sundry Authors Civil and Sacred To his Son the Duke of â—aucester King Iames his works and Dr. Hamond's Practical Catechism To the Earl of Lindsey Cassandra To the Dutchess of Richmund his Gold Watch And to Mr. Herbert himselfe the Silver Clock which usually hung by his Bed-side Hereunto it will not seem impertinent I presume to add a Catalogue of the other Books which His Majesty had with him in this His disconsolate condition they being these Dr. Hamond's other Works Villalpandus upon Ezekiel c. Sands his Paraphrase upon King David's Psalmes Herbert's Divine Poems Godfrey of Bulloign Written in Italian by Torquato Tasso and Translated into English Heroick Verse by Mr. Fairfax a Poem which His Majesty much commended as he did Ariosto by Sir Iohn Harrington a Facetious Poet Spenser's Fairy Queen and the like for alleviating his Spirits after serious Studies Nor can I here omit to tell that this excellent Prince with his own hand Translated that Learned Discourse written in Latin by Dr. Saunderson afterwards Bishop of Lincolâ—e de Iuramentis which he caused Mr. Herbert and Mr. Harington to compare with the Original who found it most accurately done Those particulars are such whereof those who have publisht much of his Life and Reign have not taken notice To give a Character of his Eminent virtues I shall not need it being already so well done by Dr. Pireinchief in the short History which he hath publisht of his Life but shall take notice that his delight in Learning was such that he understood Greek Latin French Spanish and Italian Authors in their Original Languages which Three last he spake perfectly no man being better read in Histories of all sorts being able also to Discourse in most Arts and Sciences In one of his Books he wrote this Distich of Claudian Rebus in adversis facile est contemnere vitam Fortiter ille facit qui miser esse potest And out of another Poet against the Levellers and Antimonar chists then predominant Fallitur egregio quisquis sub principe credit Servitium Nunquam libertas gratior extat Quà m sub Rege pio Whereunto I shall add that after Mr. Herbert had much sollicited those who were then in Power that His Royal Corps might be Buryed in King Henry the Seventh's Chapel at Westminster near to the Grave of King Iames which they refused alledging the danger of much concourse to that place out of a superstitious respect they thereupon granted a Warrant to him bearing Date the Sixth of February for the Interring thereof at Windsor Hence it was that Mr. Herbert having often heard His Majesty speak with Great Honour of King Edward the Fourth from whom he was descended he resolved to Bury the Corps in that Vault under the Monument of that King which is betwixt the High Altar and the North Isle and gave order for the opening thereof accordingly but the Duke of Richmond Marquess of Hertsord Earl of Southampton and Earl of Lindsey coming to Windsor to perform their last duty of His Memory in seeing His Royal Corps decently Interred and walking up the Quire where they found by knocking on the Pavement an hollow found they caused the place to be opened it being near to the Seats and opposite to the Eleventh Stall on the Sovereign's side in which were Two Coffins one very large of King Henry the Eighth the other of Queen Iane his Third Wife both covered with Velvet whereupon they concluded to deposit it there It was therefore brought down accordingly out of the King's Lodgings in the upper Ward of the Castle into the Court the Air being then Serene but which is observable before they came to the Door of the Chapel there hapned Snow to fall which covered the Hearse of Black Velvet in which it was carryed that it was all White It being brought to the Grave the Reverend Dr. Iuxon Bishop of London who had been permitted to wait on His Majesty in the time of His Preparation for Death and on the Scaffold was there ready to have performed the Office of Burial as it is prescribed in the Publick Liturgy of the Church but the Governor of the Castle Colonel Whitchcot would not suffer it CHAP. XXXIII HAVING thus finished what I thought proper to be said in reference to His Late Majesty King Charles the First thus destroy'd by these great Pretenders to Godliness as hath been observed I shall now go on with the remainder of this Story until I come to the most happy and Miraculous Restoration of our present Sovereign King Charles the Second whom God long preserve and continually defend from the Infernal Plots and subtile Machinations of this dangerous Brood of Cruel men Proclamation being therefore made in London and afterwards throughout all England forbidding to Proclaim Prince Charles the Members remaining in the House of Commons passed an Act for thenceforth their Edicts were so called that such as had assented to the Vote of December the Fifth viz. that the King's concessions were a ground for the House to proceed to a settlement should not be re-admitted to Sit as Members As also that such as were then in the House and Voted in the Negative should first enter their dissent to the said Vote And that such as were absent should declare their disapproval before they Sate Soon after this they passed an Act for the setting up of another High Court of Justice for the Tryal of Duke Hamilton the Earl of Holand the Earl of Norwich Lord Capel and Sir Iohn Owen Which Court upon the Fifth of February met in the Painted-Chamber and Elected their President It being then also debated in the House of Commons whether they should continue the House of Lords as a Court of Judicatory or Consultatory only And the day following it being put to the Question both were carryed in the Negative and farther Voted that the House of Peers in Parliament was Useless and Dangerous and ought to be abolished and that an Act should be brought in for that purpose as also that the Peers should not be exempted from Arrests but did admit that they should be capable of being Knights and Burgesses in
Plague of heresie is amongst you and you have no power to keep the sick from the whole The wolves that were wont to lie in the woods are come into your Sheep-fold and roare in the Holy Congregation O thou Shepherd of Israel why hast thou broken down the Hedge of this thy Vineyard which thy right hand hath planted the Boare of the wood and the Wilde-beast of the forest do devour Whereupon many good People beginning to whisper their Fears of that which shortly after hapned these subtile Foxes to drive their great work with the less suspition in their grand Remonstrance of the 15th of December cryed out against certain Malignants as they term'd them who had infused into the People that they meant to abolish all Church-Government and leave every Man to his own fancie for the Service and Worship of God absolving them of that obedience which they owe under God unto His Majesty acknowledging him to be intrusted with the Eclesiastical Law as well as with the Temporal to Regulate all the Members of the Church of England by such Rules of Order and Discipline as are established by Parliament And in the same Remonstrance declared That it was far from their purpose or desire to let loose the golden Reynes of Discipline and Government in the Church and leave private Persons or particular Congregations to take up what forme of Divine-service they pleased holding it requisite that there should be through the whole Realm a conformity to that Order which the Law enjoyns But to the end they might bring the work to pass by others in which they did not then think fit to shew themselves openly as their Brethren of Scotland had done the Tumultuous rabble of Sectaries were by their contrivance brought to Westminster and there violently assaulted the great Church threatning to pull down the Organs and Popish Reliques for so they called those stately Monuments of the Kings and others And after His Majesty was driven from London and that they had got his Navy Forts Magazine c. into their hands they ordered that an Assembly of Divines should meet with whom they might consult for setling of the Church-Government and Liturgy Shortly after which a Petition pretended to have been brought from Cornwall was Read in the House of Commons amongst other things desiring that the Ceremonies and Service of the Church might be abolished But notwithstanding all this left any jealousy of their intentions should so far prevail as to stagger the People whom they had hitherto deluded with their specious pretences especially being then about to raise their Rebellious Forces they declared That their prepararations of Arms was for security of Religion the safety of His Majesties Person c. And having thus form'd an Army the first work wherewith they began was to Deface the most Antient and Chief Cathedral of this Kingdom Soon after which some of their Forces in their first march from London towards Worcester broke open the Church at Aâ—ton four miles from London defaced whatsoever was decent therein tore the Bible and Book of Common-Prayer sticking the leaves of them upon the walls with their Excrements And when their whole Army under the Command of the Earl of Essex came to Worcester the first thing they there did was the Prophanation of the Cathedral destroying the Organ breaking in pieces divers beautiful Windows wherein the Foundation of that Church was lively Historified with Painted Glass and barbarously Defacing divers fair Monuments of the Dead And as if this were not enough they brought their Horses into the body of the Church keeping fires and Courts of Guard therein making the Quire and side-isles with the Font the common places wherein they did their easements of Nature Also to make their wickedness the more compleat they rifled the Library with the Records and Evidences of the Church tore in pieces the Bibles and service-Service-books pertaining to the Quire putting the Surplices and other Vestments upon their Dragooners who rode about the streets with them Which shameful outrages done by the Souldiers thus early being much taken notice of and observation made of the liberty given to their seditious Preachers caused thereupon a general murmur by most People To cast a mist therefore before their Eyes for a while the Members fitting at Westminster publisht a Declaration wherein they exprest that though they had Voted the utter eradication of Episcopacy yet they intended not to extirpate the Liturgy and Common Prayer but so far to Regulate the same as might agree with the Truth of Gods word To which purpose and that it might bear a fair semblance of Reformation they brought in a Bill for an Assembly of Divines wherein they say that the Parliament doth not intend wholly to abrogate the Book of Common-Prayer and Liturgy But notwithstanding all these fine shews they gave daily Countenance to divers libellous Pamphlets and to all such Schismatical Preachers as endeavoured to deprave the same commanding Dr. Duek by an Order of the House dated Aug. 3. that he should not put by a Minister from Institution and Induction though he had scandalized the Liturgy of the Church calling the Book of Common-Prayer a great Idol After which it was not long e're they went on towards the suppressing thereof shutting up the Cathedral of St. Paul in London upon Sundays Yet that they might not be suspected in their well-wishes to the Protestant Religion they Voted that it was the design of the King's Army to destroy the Protestant Religion and to bring in Popery All which fair pretences and Votes were made by the Members at Westminster whilst their Forces in divers parts went on with such horrid practises as the like hath not been seen in this Realm since the Pagan-Danes upon their Invasions exercised their Heathenish Cruelties here Sr. William Waller their Western-General about this time entring Winchester where his Souldiers Committed the like barbarous outrages in that Cathedral as was done by the E. of Essex's Men at Worcester tearing likewise in pieces those Chests of Lead wherein were enshrin'd the Bones of divers Saxon Kings Queens devout Bishops and Confessors with which they broke in pieces the Costly Historical Windows there Besides this they battered and Defaced the Brazen Statua's of the King and that of His Royal Father K. Iames which His Majesty as a pledge of his Princely favour had given to that Church hack't and hew'd the Crown on his Head swearing that they would bring him back to the Parliament And having so done seized upon the Rich Hangings Cusheons Pulpit-Clothes and Communion-Plate spoiling or carrying away whatsoever else was of Ornament or worth The like for the most part they did soon after in the Cathedral at Chichester Nor was there any place they came to where they made not the like devastation At Sudeley in Gloucestershire the Seat of the Antient and Noble Familes of the Lords Sudley
and Chandos they broke down the Monuments made the Body of the Church a Stable for their Horses and the Chancel their Slaughter-House To the Pulpit they fastned Pegs on which they hang'd the Carcasses of Sheep Of the Communion-Table they made a Dresser or Chopping-board to cut their Meat Into the Vault where lay the Bodies of those Noble Persons they cast the Guts and Garbage of the Sheep leaving in every Corner of the Church their own loathsom Excrements At Elvaston in Derby-shire about this time Sir Iohn Gell's Souldiers after their Plunder of the Lady Stanhope's House demolished a Costly Monument newly made for Sir Iohn Stanhope entred the Vault wherein many of his Ancestors lay Interred and Triumphing over the Dead thrust their Swords into the Coffins About the beginning of March another of their Armies entred Lichfield under the Conduct of the Lord Brooke Where the Souldiers notwithstanding that Lord lost his life in the Assaulting that Cathedral upon St. Chad's Day to which Saint it was Dedicated exercised the like Barbarisms as were done at Worcester in demolishing all the Monuments pulling down the curious Carved work battering in pieces the Costly Windows and destroying the Evidences and Records belonging to that Church which being done they stabled their Horses in the Body of it kept Courts of Guard in the Cross-Ifles broke up the Pavement poluted the Quire with their Excrements every Day hunted a Cat with Hounds throughout the Church delighting themselves in the Eccho from the goodly Vaulted Roof and to add to their wickedness brought a Calf into it wrapt in Linnen carried it to the Font Sprinkled it with water and gave it a Name in scorn and derision of that Holy Sacrament of Baptism And when Prince Rupert recovered that Church by force Russel the Governour carried away the Communion Plate and Linnen with whatsoever else was of value About the same time also the like spoile and prophanation was done by Oliver Cromwell and his followers in Lincoln Minster tearing up all that beautiful Pavement in the upper part of the Quire watering their Horses at the Font. And at the same time pull'd down two of the Parish-Churches of that Antient City for the better opportunity of their Fortifications At Lestithiell also in Cornwall when the Earl of Essex was there with his Army one of his Souldiers brought a Horse into the Church led him up to the Font and made another hold him whilst he Sprinkled water on his Head and said I signe thee with the signe of the Cross in token thou shalt not be ashamed to fight against the Round-Heads at London with a deale more of such Balsphemous stuff blowing up that Church with Gunpowder at their departure I pass by the mention of Exeter Peterborough Salisbury Gloucester and divers other fair Cathedrals besides divers goodly Callegiate-Churches with many of the Chappels in the University of Combridge which tasted of their outrages about that time being so much Defaced as that they will remain to posterity for infamous badges of their barbarous impieties And that it may appear that their great Masters the Londoners did very well approve of these their doings they did by a publique Act of Common Council Order the pulling down to the ground of that goodly Monument of Christianity the Cross in West-Chepe Whereupon to make the Fact the more notoâ—ious it was accordingly demolished in die Inventionis S. Crucis with sound of Trumpets and noise of several Instruments as if they had obtain'd some notable Victory against the Enemies of the Christian Faith So that if we may Credit Ingulphus one of our most Antient Historiographers and other Authentick Writers touching the Danish-outrages towards the Christians in this Nation about the Year of Christ DCCCLX who speaking of their Barbarisms at Medeshampsted now called Peterborough saith Altaria omnia suffossa Monumenta omnia confracta Sanctorum Librorum Bibliothecae combusta c. And at Crouland Omnia Sanctorum sepulchra conftracta Monumenta omnia sacraque volumina sua cum corporibus Sanctorum combusta inestimabili dolore omnes consternati sunt planctusque pleatus diutissimè suctus est these wicked Men have come nothing short of the Example But to these pure Reformers Barnes and Stables are of equal esteem with Churches and Holy-Oratories and a Ditch or a Dunghill thought as fit for Purial as any Sepulcher or other place Consecrated for that purpose for Testimony whereof take Sir William Waller's Lieutenant General 's word who having received a Message from Sir Iohn Boys Governour of Dunnington-Castle for His Majesty whereby it was signified to him that the number of the Rebels Bodies which were slain in the assault of that Castle were so many that he could not give them Christian-Burial and therefore out of a Charitable Respect tendred liberty to take them off and do it elsewhere returned answer in these words That he conceived no Holiness to be in any place or Burial and that all Earth was fit for that use Against which Hethenish Principle I shall tell you what their own Mr. William Prynne hath said in his Book Intituled The Antipatby of English Lordly-prelacy Wherein complaining of Pandulphus Bishop of Norwich who perswaded K. Iohn as he saith to submit himself to Stephen Langton Arch-bishop of Canterbury and others that had interdicted the Realm he cryeth in these very words Let me inform you that during the time of this Interdict all Ecclesiastical Sacraments ceased in England except Confession and the Viaticum in extream necessity and the Baptisme of Infants so as the Bodies of Dead-men were carried out of Towns and Villages and Buried like Dogs in High-ways and Ditches without Prayers and the Ministry of Priests Whereby it is plain in Mr. Prynns opinion that Burial without Prayers and the Ministry of Priests is like the Burial of Dogs And therefore what Burial this of Sir William Waller's Lieutenant General or that which the new Directory lately establisht by Ordinance of Parliament as they call it directeth is like whereat no Ceremony shall be used or any Prayers or Reading I leave to any indifferent judgment But to return to our precious Reformers who were so hardned by the daily exercise of new out-rages that the Members at Westminster at length for their credit though fit to have a total devastation of whatsoever was comely in the Church or decent for the service of God and this to be done by an Ordinance for abolishing of superstition for that was the Title of it viz. that all representations or sculptures in any Cathedral Collegiate or Parish-Church or Chappel or any other place within this Kingdom shall be defaced and utterly demolished and that all Organs the frames or cases wherein they stand in all Churches and Chappels shall be utterly defaced And that the Chancel-ground of every Church or Chappel raised for any Communion-Table to stand on shall be levelled with the
taken the Suburbs and sackt them The Convention of Estates thus met at Tours put out a Declaration in behalf of the King And that at Paris Publisht another against him After which contrary Declarations the Schollars being as eager to contend for their several Parties as the Souldiers there were publish't many Ordinances of Parliament infinite Writings of particular Men Decisions of the Sorbon Letters of the Pope's Legate Answers of the Bishops that adhered to the King and such a number of Books every where dispersed that it was a clear case there was not a Witt in the Kingdom but was Imploy'd Not a Pen but writ in defence of the Reasons of one side or other but with so much Obstinacy of Mind in their Arguments that it was easy to discern that the Arms of the Spirit when they are distorted and misused in divers manner in the Heat and Incogitancy of Wars are more apt to administer new Fewel to the Flame than quench the Fire already begâ—n At this time the Affairs of the League were in a very tottering condition the diversity of Pretensions and contrary ends of the Confederates much disturbing the course of their Enterprizes holding not only their Councils but the Effects and Actions of their common Interests in suspence Which in regard of the speedy Expedition and Resolutions of the King could not admit of delays The Duke of Mayne being Prince of the Faction and head of the Design who by the Authority of his Person Prudence of his Government and experience in Marshal-matters bore the chief burthen of their Affairs conceiving that the reward and fruits of his Paines did of Justice belong to himself projected therefore either to transfer the Crown upon himself or upon some of his House But in case he could not obtain so much then at least to set it upon the Head of some such Prince as might totally and absolutely be beholding to him for it being resolv'd that the Kingdom should not be divided much less that it should fall into the Hands of a Forein Prince On the contrary the King of Spain who in the beginning secretly but now openly protected and fomented the League and had of late Years laid out two Millions in the Service of the Confederates and was now to contribute vast Sums of Money both in publick and private besides his maintaining of Foot and Horse seeing that without his Assistance which they desired might be great and strong not only the main Design was like to come to nothing but the League could not long subsist without being Dissolved thought more than reasonable and more than just that as the Expences and Losses were his so the Fruits and Benefits should be his also And therefore besides an under-hand secret Design of Uniting the Crowns and gayning that of France to his Daughter Isabella the Infanta whom he had by his Queen Elizabeth King Henry the 3 ds Eldest Sister he farther endeavoured to get himself publickly declared Protector of the Crown of France with Sovereign Power and Authority to dispose of the Offices of the Crown to choose the Governours and Captains of the Armyâ— to conferr Bishopricks and to have all the Prerogatives pertaining to an absolute Prince All which was demanded and publickly Sollicited by his Agents Mendoza Mornea c. But the Citizens of Paris who perceived well that the main strength of the Faction consisted in them not only in regard of the Multitude of their People and Power of the City but by reason of their continual Contributions from whence the Sinews of the War were derived thought it was come to their share to dispose of the Crown And being all apay'd with the Duke of Mayne's bad Success in the Wars the same fate which the Earl of Essex had with the Londoners Imputing the loss of their Suburbs to his slackness whom they called Coward and Block-head p. 741. and that the City was now in a manner Besieged and much straitned for want of Provisions by reason of his want of Care inclin'd to submit themselves to be ordered by the Spaniards hoping by the help of their Forces to destroy the King's whose very Name was odious to them and to extirpate the Religion of the Huguenots whereunto they were naturally Enemies and by means of the Spanishâ—-Gold to be eased of the insupportable burthen of Contributions For the King of Spains Ministers bore them in hand and went about cunningly with fair Promises and big Words both in publick and private in order to their Assistance On the other side the Nobility which took part with the League in whose hands were the Arms and Forces of the Kingdom were much averse from submitting to the Spanish-Yoke inclined to the Duke of Mayne conforming themselves to his Pleasure to be guided by his Authority But in this great distraction of the Kingdom divers of them were not without their own particular Designs And of such variety of Councils was the League composed that by clashing with one another they interrupted the course of their Affairs and abated the heat by which they first Conspired in that Band which seemed to have no other end but Religion The King therefore taking advantage of these their Divisions dismissed the Marquess of Belin upon his Parole whom he had taken Prisoner at the Battel of Arches with Commission in his name to proffer Peace to the Duke of Mayne and to exhort him as a Prince of an honest and moderate temper not to assent to the Pernicious Designs of Foreigners but freeing himself from the base usage of the Vulgar and cunning of the Spaniard that he would hearken to an honest and safe Peace whereupon answerable to his Merit and Honour he should have as great a share in the Kings Favour as himself could desire When the Marquess made this overture to the Duke the Opinions of the Councillers about him were much divided some favouring it others declaming against it Telling how the War was founded upon the point of Religion and therefore nothing must be done in it without the Popes Approbation Also that the Duke of Mayne being not absolute Prince of the League but only the Head of his Party ought not to adventure upon such an Important Action without the joynt consent of all those that followed that Party and all the Princes that adhered to or favoured the League who if they should not follow his deliberation might choose another Head and he be left destitute of the support of the Catholick Party to the will of his Enemies And that this was but a trick of the Kings to work a diffidence in the Dukes Party and to sow Divisions and Suspitions amongst the Confederates though the King might promise Golden-Mountains to the end he might dissolve the Union of the League yet there was no security but that so soon as he should be Established King in Peace he would not observe the least Tittle of his promises The Duke therefore on the one side