was that they were made Slaveâ— and by whom Was is not presently after the Bishops and Church been alter'd And by what manner of persons were these things done Even by those very Lords and Commons who in their great 〈◊〉 of the State of the Kingdom Anno 1641. declared That they conceived tâ—â—ir Proâ—eedings to be 〈◊〉 by such Mâ—n as did 〈◊〉 into tâ—e People â—hat thâ—y meant to aboliâ—h the Church-Government or to absâ—lve any Mâ—n of that Obedienâ—e which he owes undâ—r God to His MAJESTY whâ—m they confâ—ss to be intrusted with the Ecclesiastical Laws as well as with the Temporal And in their Declaration of the Ninth of April 1642. they declare That they intended only a due and neâ—essary Reformation of the Government and Liturgie of the Church And to take away nothing in the one or the other but what shall be evil and justly offensive And yet 't is not long after that we find them Voting and throwing down the whole Church-Government and at length that of the State too notwithstanding all the Protestations by them made to the contrary before God and the World Therefore neither Cavaliers nor Churchmen can after so late and sad an experience of Alterability and Alteration be such fools as not to understand what they have seen and felt by such Alterative humors as are now asloat again and what the Issue of them would be if they might have way especially seeing the same Presbyterian Faction are brewing afresh and so visibly that we need not seek pretences to raise jealousie about their doings forasmuch as they are bare-faced and busie and our Projecting Dandeprat whose Actions are accountable at least within the Statute against firing of Houses openly acting the Kindle-cole in Parliament to create a Party there for their purpose and because he cannot yet find a House of Commons for the turn you have him and his Agents every where about the City Preaching up a necessity of Calling a New One and from London his Doctrine is spread into the Countreys with good Counsel to dispose the People to the Old Way of Petitioning that by a full Crie the King may be in a manner constrained to give them opportunity once more to try their Fortunes by a New Election This is more than Jealousie as Mr. Jenks if he please can tell you so that our Author might have spared this Frump which he slings at those few Forces which His Majesty hath been and is necessitated to keep up to secure the Government of which Forces he and his Partisans are by their Seditious if not Treasonous Speeches Letters and Practises the most likely men to cause an augmentation so that if ever a necessity arise that they must be augmented to prevent those mens purposes the Nation may from hence understand whom they are to thank for it and how to excuse the hard condition of a Gracious King who would rather rule by love and sets more value upon a Regiment in the universal good Wills and Hearts of his Subjects than in all the Regiments of force and violence in the World And how small soever this Letter insinuates His Majesties Party to be yet if ever God for our manifold sins should suffer Incendiaries to blow up a new Rebellion by their tracing the same methods that they used who promoted the former it will soon appear by the many thousands that abhor it and its Contrivers that all the rest of the Nation will become ready Volunteers either in Purse or Person to defeat their Enterprises and prevent the like miseries and confusions as those were that the same Faction brought upon us heretofore In the mean time 't is but reason they should declaim against standing Forces because these few do stand in their way though they are no great number and are as a Bridle in their mouthes so that 't will be a hard matter for them to get out the Old Tools to go to Work with I mean Tumults out of the City which were easily form'd in those days when they had none to deal with but a naked King and a Guard of Beef-eaters But Why is it that he cries out We are like to be made Slaves To perswade men to the belief of it he is pleased to insist upon four following instances viz. Four Acts of this Parliament which are indeed as high and necesâ—ary Acts of prudence as could be passed by Parliament to preserve the Monarchy and fence it against the Designs of any new Rebellion that may in future be grounded upon the old humors LETTER 7. IN order to this the first step was made in the Act for Regulating Corporations wisely beginning that in those lesser Governments which they meant afterwards to introduce upon the Government of the Nation they might make them swear to a Declaration and belief of such Propositions as themselves afterward upon debate were enforced to alter and could not justifie in those words so that many of the Wealâ—â—iâ—st Worthiest and Soberest men are still kept out of the Magistracy of those places ANIMADVERSION Upon perusal of this Act you will find it was high reason that moved the Parliament to pass it as appears by this preamble viz. That the succession in governing such Corporations may be most probably pâ—rpetuated in the hands of persons well 〈◊〉 to His Majesty and the established Government it being too will known that notwithstanding all His Majesties endeavours and unparallel'd indulgence in pardoning all that is past nevertheless maâ—y evil spirits are still working Wherefore for prevention of the like mischief for the time to câ—me and for preservation of the publick peace both in Church and State Commissioners are appointed to see that all Mayors Recorders Aldermen and other persons bearing Office of Magistracy Trust or Employment relating to the Government of Cities Corporations and Boroughs do take the Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy and another Oath That they 〈◊〉 declare and b … that it is not lawful upon any preteâ—ce whatsoever to takâ— Aâ—â—s against the King and that they do abhor that Traiterous Position of taking Arms by his Authority against His Person or against those that are Commissionated by Him And at the same time also the said Commissioners are to see that such persons do subscribe a Declaration declaring That they do hold that there lies no Obligation upon themselves or any other Person from the Oath commonly called The Solemn League and Covenant and that the same was in it self an unlawful Oath and imposed upon the Subjects of this Realm against the known Laws and Liberties of the Kingdom This was an Act of the whole Parliament and there 's no reason therefore why our Letter-Man should charge it on the Bishops alone but that the main Aim is at them first and for what cause I have already told you 'T is conceived the ready way to go to work it having been the beaten way to attaque the Government on that side for this the Party is a forming
the Citizens here as appeared by the Industrious Spreading Copies of it in all the Coffee-houses and the effect which it and his other Practises since had and which lately inspired Mr. Jenks with the wisdom of a Statesman to instruct His Majesty and move the matter at Guildhall in Common-Council to be managed in the old Presbyterian way of Petitioning a sort of Saucy Humility much used by that Tribe in the beginning of their Rebellion These things should not be remember'd but that they themselves are pleased to revive them and give us cause to judge that they hope one day to have a Pull for it in a New Parliament with the Bishops and then with His Majesty In order to which MEPHISTOPHILES hath one Expedient more upon the Anvile and that is to use all manner of Tricks that may be by LONG SPEECHES and LONG DEBATES among the Lords and the STARTING of CONTROVERSIES about Priviledge betwixt their Lordships and the Commons to FRUSTRATE Dispatches of the King and Kingdome 's Business and so Necessitate the Present Parliament to become Unserviceable that he may obtain a Plausible Pretence to draw in the People to cry out for a New One as the onely Cure of all our Maladies But how improbable a thing that is if not impossible you shall find evidently proved before the end of these Animadversions LETTER 4. AS the Bishops design to have the Government of the Church sworn to as unalterable so in requital to the Crown they declare the Government absolute and arbitrary and allow Monarchy as well as Episcopacy to be Jure Divino and not to be bounded by Humane Laws ANIMADVERSION MOre Sacks to the Mill upon the Bishops Load them till ye sink 'em That it seems must be first done then down with Monarchy that follows of course as we well and wofully remember 'T is done then like a Workman to tell the World that Episcopacy is alterable that the People may not in any sence own it to be of Divine Right and so it will be easily concluded that Monarchy also is alterable because his Believers cannot believe it to be Jure Divino 'T is a great Crime indeed Sirs in the Bishops that they stand thus in the way of this Alterability and that they maintain Kings to have any Divinity about ' em We have had of late many fine Points publickly Printed and exposed to the Debates of the Multitude such as this Whether Kings be made of Clouts or no but What deserves the Man that starts such Hares as these which no man can run down but he must run the ready Road to Rebellion and Alteration of Government which its impossible to prevent unless we hold up the Veneration that is due to the Head and Members of this Monarchy But had I any thoughts of Rebelling or were I a Cashier'd or Broken Statesman not likely in fair weather to lift aside my Rivals and get in again with the Monarch my Master I would had I so little in me of a Christian or a good Subject take all the course I could to gather Clouds about him and create a Storm that I might force him to come to me for shelter or take me to himself again to help him to weather it Had I long'd and long done any thing for the place of Treasurer and unluckily mist the Bag and by all the good Qualities of Judas pretended as high merit to it as any man or to the Seale or to any Grand Office of State that such a Gnat of Ambition as I durst venture to swallow had I been bobb'd out of All I would even fall to Courting the People after the same manner and Preach up the Mortality of Kings till I and my Myrmidons could fright him out of his Divinity and replace me and scare him our of the remembrance also of all my Jugglery into a new Oblivion to secure me Then would I remove and laugh at all my Opposites and the Citizens too and leave them at last to contemplate my wisdom and their own folly All this Sirs with the help of one of your Shaftsbury Consciences I could easily do And if this could not be done then would I march on further and follow the dictates of Nature for Self-preservation and sticking close to the Multitude drive them on to do any thing that might hamper the King and shackle the Monarchy or if need require transform it into the hands of Conservators or else in case that cannot be precipitate my self and it to the very bottom of Democracy rather than not be revenged on my Sovereign Master for favouring and preferring my fellow-servants and competitors before me The Poet saith We are Princes all if we prevail And gallant Villains if we fail Would not any Man then think it well done of the Bishops to plead for the Divinity of Kingly Government and of the Episâ—opal which is a part of the Kingly when there are some in the World that design to handle them without all Humanity and would had they opportunity by a commonruine both of King and Bishops too late convince this Nation that by all means there ought to be a joint Interest of mutual preservation maintained betwixt them and that the Monarchy cannot in reason be supposed maintainable without it If this be so as I shall sufficiently manifest anon when I come to consider the late clamour against the TEST then 't is high time for all Men that have sworn Allegiance to apprehend that the Government of Church and State ought to be sworn to as so Divine as not to be alterable till they can tell us a way how to lay aside the Right of Episcopacy at this time in England without ruining the Monarchy If so be then I have a purpose to make good my Allegiance to the King how can I scruple to swear not to alter the Church which is a principal part of his Kingly Government By the one Oath I have sworn to him in both his Capacities Personal and Politick which are never to be separated why then should I deny an Oath obliging me not to alter the Kingly Polity of the Church which is as much the Kings Government though stiled Ecclesitstical as the other part is which we term Purely Civil Consider then ye Men of Shaftsbury the Obligation to both parts of the Government is equal by vertue of your Oath of Allegiance and if his Majesty and the Bishops and many Noble Peers have thought of passing a New Oath they did no more but what is very necessary in the midst of all the present Underminings of this Monarchy on its Episcopal quarter that is they thought it wisdom to fortifie that part with Mens swearing to it expresly and plainly by a new Oath which is no more than what was implicitely contained before in their old Oath of Allegiance and which is not to be found fault with more than the old by any but such persons as either hold it not lawful or have no
is not ignorant how this Protestation came on nor can the World be ignorant how far his Hand went in promoting it care having been taken by some Body during the time his Lordship was in the Country before the last Session of Parliament to employ certain Emissaries and Agents to carry up and down not only to many Lords in and about this City but likewise to all the most noted Coffeâ—-houses Copies of a Letter said in the Superscription of it to have been first written to the Earl of Carlisle and to have been subscribed Your Lordships humble Servant SHAFTSBURY My Lord of Carlisle is a very noble Person and I would not by any means mis-represent him he having seen too many Experiments of Male-contented Demagogues and their little Tricks to be caught by them or to countenance them 'T is rather to be supposed the Penner made bold with him It was necessary to direct it to some Body and easie to send Copies along with it at the same time to be communicated to every Body for there was no fear but among the Coffee-hâ—unters there would be found Copiers enough to furnish both City and Kingdom the Design being laid now by this new Epistle to prepare Mens Minds for a crying down the present Parliament seeing there are too many Wise Men in it and too Loyal to be shaken by a Shuttlecock and for crying out for a New Parliament while in the mean time matters are so labour'd in the Old One as we have abundantly seen the last Session that no Business should be done by them and then there may thence arise as is imagined an unanswerable Argument for a Trial of Skill in Electing a New for his Tool the Presbyter despairing to get Dominion by the way of the King wants only opportunity to be Canvasing and Tugging for another Forty-One-Parliament and would never be at rest till he hath gotten both Houses over his Head again at Westminster So that if the other Nonconformists will well apprehend the improvement of their own Interest let them know that as they have reason to decline them being their worst Enemies by principle so they have the fairest opportunity in shewing themselves firm henceforth to the Crown to stand most fair in the good opinion and favour of His Majesty as a Party much more tolerable in the Constitution of the Government And then there can be no fear of that they call Persecution because the reason and occasion of it will be gone No Creditor but will be kind when he hath gotten Security Even so it is with Kings and other Governours they grieve no Party more than other when they are once secured they will pay the Debt of Obedience and Loyalty for 't is their Interest to cherish and see every Party thriâ—e and flourish if it be not dangerous Arguments in that Epistle his Lordship offers none having long since arrived to that Noble Confidence as to think his own word sufficient warrant for any Assertion therefore he boldly saith 't is the Interest of the King the Lords and the Commons to have a New Parliament without any more ado But for his Reasons we must have recourse to the Protestation it self which are first for the Dissolution of this Parliament and they are but these few following First The Protestation saith It is according to the ancient Laws and Statutes of this Realm that there should be frequent and new Parliaments and that the practise of several years hath been accordingly 'T is true the Kings of this Realm have formerly had cause to delight in calling them and our Chronicles tell us also that till the Barons Wars came and after the Barons Wars were ended down to the time of King James Parliaments were modest in their station and easie to the King so that the Business of the Kingdom went on current without long Speeches and hot Disputes But in King James his time the Presbyter or Puritaâ— as Men then called him whom Queen Elizabeth in her time not without much ado kept down began to spread his Wings grew numerous and headstrong so that they were able to furnish the Commons House with a Canvasing Party and did it constantly at every Election and divers Members of the House of Peers who in those days affected Preferment at Court and wanted it and envied others that had it or were otherwise male-content or intoxicated with mistaken Zeal of new Phantsies about Religion or Church-Government were not wanting to make a Party of Lords to second that fiery part of the Commons who carried matters divers times so high that That King was necessitated towards the latter end of his Reign for the Honour of his Crown and Preservation of the Government in qâ—iet often to dissolve them Of which the Puritan that is the Presbyter always made advantage by exceeding Clamour against the Court to gain the ignorant and unwary part of the people to his party And so you see to what sort of Men we owe the new invention of Frustrating Parliaments After this comes King Charles the First to the Government upon whom they perpetually practis'd it in all Parliaments that he called and at length you know that working upon the Kings Necessities in the year 1641. they in a manner constraâ—ned him to perpetuate them in Power which was the ruine of the Royal Government and at length of all Government it self It is to be noted also that it was not till the beginning of his Reign that they took up the other New Trick of State which was seeing they durst not yet be so bold as to strike at the King himself for supposed defaults in Government they resolved to strike as near him as they could and so they began to make it constant work to fall upon his Chief Ministers of State and always in the Intervals of Parliament made it their Business to fill the Kingdom with Clamours against them so preparing them thereby as a Sacrifice to their own ends and cruelty and to the Peoples folly against every call of a Parliament Thus it was from the time of the old Duke of Buckingham who by a brave Defence in Parliament made good his Station to the time of that most brave though most unfortunate Man the Earl of Strafford whom they worried to death by Popular Tumults after he had bastled them at the Bar in defending himself most gloriously As they did also Archbishop Laâ—d a Man of high design for the Honour of the King and Glory of the Church which they charged on him to be for introducing of Slavery and Popery so that all the rest of the King's Ministers were glad to flee for safety of their Lives Nay they stopt not here but being flusht drew up Articles of High Treason against the Queens Majesty And then we too sadly remember how easily afterwards they passed on to a Charge against the King himself I write not this as if I meant to scandalize or cast an Odium upon that ancient Right
another Petition and sent it to back their former Remonstrance To which his Majesty gave a smart Answer taxing the Faction and desiring the Commons henceforth not to give car to those Tribunitial Orators among them advising them also to keep within their Bounds and that the way to preserve their Priviledges was not to pare his Prerogative and pull the Flowers of the Crown Then to shew it was indeed a Fiery Faction they blew the Flame yet higher and by Speech-making got the Major Vote to come to a Protestation that they ought to debate high Matters and it was their Priviledge c. But this was done by the Faction by surprise the Third part of the House not present This so moved the King that to preserve his Prerogative he was forced to send for the Clerk of the House of Commons to bring his Journal-Book to Whitehall and produce it in the Pricy Council where his Majesty thought fit that the Protestation should be razed out of all Memorials and utterly to be annihilated both in respect of the manner by which it was gained and of the Matter therein contained and he did in full Council and in the presence of the Judges declare it void and of none effect because it was Penned in such general and ambiguous words as might serve for future Times to invade most of the Rights and Prerogatives annexed to the Imperial Crown of this Realm For his Majesty did not deny but that the House might Treat and Debate De Arduis Regni which words said the King were cunningly mentioned in that Protestation but they ought to have remember'd also the word Quibusdam which restraineth the generality of the other words Arduous Affairs of the Kingdom to such particular Cases as his Majesty pleaseth to consult with them upon Therefore the King did further Mann propria take the said Protestation out of the Journal-Book of the Cemmons and made an Act of Council thereupon And in six days after he was necessitated to Dissolve them having got not one Peny of Money for his Extream Occasions For it was the Arcanum of the Faction even in those days to make High Demands and raise Quarrels about Priviledges and other Matters intrenching upon the Rights of the Crown that as oft as they got the Parliament-House over their Heads they took the same Method of working upon want of Money to brave the King and by not supplying him to held his Nâ—sâ— to the Grindstone They clamour'd ever for Parliaments lured the King in witâ— Hopes of Money to call them and then in stead of Money they fell to disputing with him so that the Parliaments in the latter end of King James's Reign were of no use to him except the last a little before he died For in his last appearance with them he complained how the Faction had made him Break the Necks of Three Parliaments together by which he meant the Three Preceding Parliaments King James being gone now let us see more at large how they used his Son King Charles in his first Parliament Annâ— 1625. which by reason of the Plague at London was Adjourned to Oxford The Supplies for carrying on the Palatine Cause had been pressed by the Lord Keeper before at westminster and now at Oxford the Kings Secretaries of State Report to both Houses the Kings great Occasions for Money and the great Debts left upon him by his Father Thereupon the Faction having a Young King to deal with and in Necessity for Money began to Rant more than ever with High Debates reflecting upon his Ministers as Evil Counsellors and upon himself upbraiding him that his Necessities arose from Improvidence and a world of such like stuff they â—witted him with and cried out also on Popery as if it had been just coming in but in the mean time they neglected the Palatine Cause the supplying whereof ought to have been speedy and afterwards Scandalized the King and his Ministers in having the blune of it upon them Next they sell upon High Demands from the King before they would think of a Peny The same 〈◊〉 as before in King James's days So the King perceiving they were resolved against Supplies unless they might have their will upon himself and tear his Ministers and some of his Counsellors in pieces He after three Moneths sitting was forced to Dissolve them About five Moneths after that Dissolution his Majesties great Necessities urged him to the calling of a Second Parliament which was done and no sooner 〈◊〉 but the Faction resumed the very same Courses again onely in one particular they alter'd from calumniating the Kings Ministers in general they now began to fall in stead of Money upon the Duke of Beâ—â—kingham though the King in his Speech willed them rather to remember it was not long since in his Fathers time that They did so much 〈◊〉 anâ— Reâ—pâ—â—him that all the Honour â—â—ferred on him wâ—â—s too little Many hot and high Debates passed nevertheless in despight of the Faction the Loyal part of the Commons made a shift to get a Vote for Three Subsidies and Three Fifteens for the King but it came to nothing for though the King after wards wrote a Letter to them and otherwise also importuned them to bring him that Bill of Subsidy to pass telling them he should look upon Longer delay as a denial yet the Faction so disturbed the House with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Debates that nothing was done the King got not a Eâ—â—thing and was constrained after Four Moneths sitting to Dissolve them a Second time The next year after a Third Parliament was callâ—d and though the 〈◊〉 in it laboured hard in their wonted way yet for meer shame at length a Subsidy was Voted and passed by the Industry of the Loyal Party But on the other hand the Faction stomaching the Matter contrived how to shew their Malice another way and drave on a Remonstrance to take away Tonnage and Poundage one of the chiefest Maintenances of the Crown Which to prevent the King was fain to go Himself in Person to Prorogue them for Four Moneths time and that being â—igh expired it was by Proclamation Prorogued for Three Moneths more after which being Re-assembled the Faction flew out into high Fits about Priests and Popery and Grievances and were so tumultuary that the Speaker was leaving the Chair but that they held him in by force till they had passed Resolves against payment of the Kings Tonnage and Poâ—ndage And so what Money they had given with one hand they took away with another So that nothing being likely but Mischief to the Crown by longer Siâ—ting 〈◊〉 King was glad to Dissolve them by Proclamation afterwards and to acquaint the World with their Behaviour by putting forth a Declaration of the Causes of their Dissâ—â—â—ion Thereupon his Majesty was necesâ—itated to have recourse unto extraordinary ways for Supply to carry on the Government without Parliaments for almost Twelve Years after for by the violent and unreasonable proceedings