Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A25661
|
An Antidote against the present fears and jealousies of the nation by an impartial hand.
|
Impartial hand.
|
1679
(1679)
|
Wing A3496; ESTC R23120
|
22,145
|
28
|
that their malice and bloody designs intended against us were causeless and without any provocation on our parts Neither his sacred Majesty nor any of his people did ever before give them any distaste but in harmless Disputes in which they had as much freedom to answer as any Protestant Divine But when this hellish Plot broke out to our great amazement it cannot be judged unreasonable if they are restrained by Authority and the ancient Laws revived against these new Traytors that offer for Religion to rise in Arms against their King and Country It cannot be thought unreasonable if their Leaders and the Chieftains of their Rebellion be secured that they may not put in practice those Inhuman purposes unto which they had encouraged their silly Proselites It cannot be thought unjust if Governours and People require from them security for their good behaviour for the time to come and such Oaths as may oblige them to a peaceable Behaviour if any such there be that hath that good influence upon their wide Consciences and licentious Principles His Majesties care to prevent the mischiefs which they intended against us our Religion and Nation hath been answerable to and no less than his favour and goodness to them before Truth this Conspiracy is so hainous that at the first Relation it may not seem strange if a good Prince who is as much perswaded of his peoples Affection for him as he knows his love and mindfulness of their welfare and safety could not easily believe it it being so unlikely an Attempt that Posterity may look upon this Plot as some in our days do upon the Gun-Powder-Treason as upon a Romantick Story or a Politick Invention or a State Trick and give no more credit to it than to the Histories of Grand Cirus or of Guy of Warwick or of Amadis de Gaule In a matter of so great a moment it did become a Prince of Reason Judgment and Wisdom to weigh the Testimonies examin the Circumstances and consider all particulars before he ought to pass a determinate Sentence in this Case But now the Evidences are as plain as the Sun now that it appears that this Barbarity was really harboured in the breasts of some of the Popish Party now that we see their Malice and Cruelty written with the indelible Characters of the innocent Blood of an eminent Magistrate and Martyr whose only Crime was that he knew theirs and their horrid Proceedings now that we see by his unexpected Murder what our King and People were to receive from the merciless hands of these men who can deny it Certainly God hath infatuated their Wicked Counsels for the good of our People Nation and Religion and suffered their furious Zeal to begin one Tragedy which they intended should have acted many more But by this Cruel Murder they have given us a clearer Prospect of their Diabolical Designs and allarm'd us all in defence of our Persons King and Country against such future Inhumanities They have hereby listed up the Mask and shewn to all the Nation the fearful Features of their disguised Religion and declared to us all what Mallice and Cruelty governs them what Wickedness they would commit if Power and Authority were in their hands O Barbarous Impiety could you offer to strike at a Breast full of tenderness and affection for your persons Could you attempt upon a life upon which depends all our lives and fortunes Your Inhumanity is the more inexcusable and not to be parallell'd amongst the Turks and worst of Infidels whose Principles suffer them not to be wicked to their Benefactors This Circumspection of our merciful Prince deserves our Eternal Praises rather than the Abuses of disaffected people Why should the Papists plot against his life for being our Friend This is an Injustice guilty of the most grievous folly and palpable mistakes proceeding from Ignorance and the not observing the great care that his Majesty hath taken to discover and prevent all the mischiefs intended against us and his Government for upon the first Discovery of the Plot his Majesty gave speedy Orders to his privy Council to proceed in the Examination of this great business According to his Royal Commands they sate regularly twice every Week to sift out the matter and when they found the truth of it by undoubted Circumstances they sent to apprehend divers of the Conspirators examin'd them severally to sift out the matter afterwards they committed others to Custody using in this and all other Proceedings all the Care and Secresie immaginable All persons chiefly concerned or suspected were sought for and as many as were found were sent to Prison to be tryed according to the Order of Law It is true our people laid not violent hands upon them We did not tear them in pieces as they went about nor dis-member them upon bare suspicions of Treason We did not mangle their Bodies nor exercise our rage upon these bloody men The Proceedings of our King and Council were agreeable with the Rules of Humanity Reason and Equity The Malefactors were secured and delivered over into the hands of Justice to be treated according to the Laws of the Land They had fair Tryals for their lives men of Conscience and Worth judged them Guilty by most undeniable Testimonies They had liberty to answer for themselves and to defend their own Cause They were heard with patience and Christian moderation and there was nothing acted against them but was suitable to Christs precepts and his Holy Gospel If all the Proceedings be observed we shall find nothing more reasonable nothing more Christian and just than the Actions of our King and Superiours in this Case They are sufficiently justified from all suspicions of Cruelty on one hand and from all neglect or carlesness on the other Can the Papists now find fault if they are abridged in some respects from that liberty which they intended to abuse in so wicked a Plot Can they blame our Governours for seeking so carefully to preserve themselves the King's Majesty his Dignity Government and Religion from their Inhumanities And on the other side to satisfie all the English Subjects let us observe the care and diligence of his Majesty and of our Governours to secure the nations peace from Popery and the Conspirators After the Plot was fully discovered his Majesty re-inforced his Guards and gave liberty to the Trained-Bands to stand up in their own defence Care was also taken to secure and seize upon all suspected persons About this time the Papists thought to have smothered the noise of the Plot in the Death and Blood of a diligent Inquirer into their proceedings Sir Edmundbury Godfrey whom they inhumanely murdered When he was missing divers Reports were raised and Slanders fastened upon him They that were guilty of this black Crime endeavoured to make us believe the greatest Improbabilities That he hadkill'd himself c. But the manner of his lying with all the Circumstances convinc'd the Coroner and Jury assisted by