Debates Now though this had very much of probability I had yet a further Conjecture that this J. O. was a Talisman signed under some peculiar influence of the Heavenly bodies and that the Fate of Mr. Bays was bound up within it Whether it be so or no I know not but this I am assured of without the help either of Syderal Magick or Judicial Astrologie that when J and O are in Conjunction they do more certainly than any of the Planets forbode that a great Ecclesiastical Politician shall that Year run mad I confess after all this when I was come to the dregs of my phansie for we all have our infirmities and Mr. Bayes his Defence was but the blewJohn of his Ecclesiastical Policy and this Preface the Tap-droppings of his Defence I reflected whether Mr. Bayes having no particular cause of indignation against the Letâ—…ers there might not have been a mistake of the Printer and that they were to be read in one word Io that use to go before Paean that is in English a Triumph before the Victory Or whether it alluded to 〈◊〉 that we read of at School the Daughter of Inachus and that as Juno pâ—…rsecuted the Heifer so this was an He-Cow that is to say a Bull to be baited by Mr. Bayes the Thunderer But these being Conceits too trivial though a Ragoust fit enough sor Mr. Bayes his palate I was sorced moreover to quit them remarking that it was an J Consonant And I plainly at last perceived that this J. O. was a very Man as any of us are and had a Head and a Mouth with Tongue and Teeth in it and Hands with singers and Nails upon theâ—… Nay that he could read and write and speak as well as I or Master Bayes either of us When I once found this the business appear'd more serious and I was willing to see what was the matter that so much exasperated Mr. Bayes who is a Person as he saith himself of such a tame and softly humour and so cold a complexion that be thinks himself scarce capable of hot and passionate impressiâ—…ns I concluded that necessarily there must be some extraordinary Accident and Occaon that could alter so good a Nature For I saw that he pursued J. O. if not from Post to Pillar yet from Pillar to Post and I diserned all along the Footsteps of a most inveterate and implacable Malice As oft as he does but name those two first Letters he is like the Island of Fayal on fire in threeâ—…ore and ten places You see Mr. Bayes that I too have improved my wit with reading the Gazettes Were you of that Fellows diet here abour Town that epicurizes upon burning Coals drinks healths in scalding Brimstone scraunches the Glasses for his Desert and draws his breath through glowing Tobacco-pipes Nay to say a thing yet greater had you never tasted other sustenance than the Focus of burning Glasses you could not shew more flame than you do alwayes upon that subject And yet one would think that even from the little sports with your comfortable importance after Supder you should have learnt when J. O. came into play to love your Love with an J. because he is Judicious though you hate your Love with an J because he is jealous and then to love your Love with an O. because he is Oraculous though you hate your Love with an O. because he is Obscure Is it not strange that in those most benign minutes of a Man's life when the Stars smile the Birds sing the Winds whisper the Fountains warble the Trees blossom and uuiversal Nature seems to invite it self to the Bridal when the Lion puls in his Claws the Aspick layes by its Poyson and all the most noxious Creatures grow amorusly innocent that even then Mr. Bayes alone should not be able to refrain his Malignity As you love your self Madam let him not come neer you He hath been fed all his life with Vipers insteed of Lampres and Scorpions for Crayfish and if at any time he eat Chickens they had been cramb'd with Spiders till he 〈◊〉 so invenomed his whole substance that t is much safer to bed with a Mountebank befoe he hath taken his Antidote But it cannot be any vulgar furnace that hath chafed so cool a Salamander 'T is not the strewing of Cowitch in his Genial-Bed that could thus disquiet him the first night And therefore let 's take the Candle and see whether there be not some body underneath that hath cut the Bed-Cords There was a worthy Divine not many years dead who in his younger time being of a facetious and unlucky humour was commonly known by the name of Tom Triplet He was brought up at Pauls-School under a 〈◊〉 Master Dr. Gill and from thence he went to the UuiversityThere he took liberty as 't is usual with those that are emancipated from School to tel Tales and make the Discipline ridiculous under which he was bred But not suspecting the Doctor 's intelligence comming once to Town he went in full School to give him a Visite and expected no Iess than to get a Play-day for his former acquaintance But instead of that he found himself hors'd up in a trice though he appeal'd in vain to the Priviledges of the 〈◊〉 pleaded Adultus and invoked the mercy of the Spectators Nor was he let down till the Master had planted a Grove of Birch in his back side fot the Terrour and puplick Example of all Wags that divulg the Secrets of Priscian and make merry with their Teachers This stuck so with Triplet that all his life-time he never forgave the Doctor but sent him every Newyears-tide an Anniversary Ballad to a new Tune and so in his turn avenged himself of his jerking Pedagogue Now when I observed that of late years Mr. Bays had regularly spawned his Books in 1670. the Ecclesiastical Policy in 1671. the Defence of the Ecclesiastical Policy and now in 1672 this Preface to Biwop Bramhal and that they were writ in a stile so vindictive and poynant that they wanted nothing but rime to be right Tom Triplet and that their edge bore always upon J. O. either in broad meanings or in plain terms I begun to suspect that where there was so great resemblance in the Effects there might be some parallel in Effects there might be some parallel in their Causes For though the Peeks of Players among themselves or of Poet against Poet or of a ConformistDivine against a Nonconformist are dangerous and of late times have caused great disturbance yet I never remarked so irreconcileable a spirit as that of Boyes against their Schoolmasters or Tutors The quarrels of their Education have an influence upon their Memories and Understandings for ever after They cannot speak of their Teachers with any patience or civility and their discourse is never so flippant nor their Wirs so fluent as when you put them upon that Theme Nay I have heard old Men otherwise sober peaceable and
the Emperour must lead the Patriarchs Ass all his life-time And little better do I like your We may rest satisfied in the present security of the Church of England under the Proâ—…ection of a wise and gracious Prince especially when besides the impregnable confidence that we have from his own Inclination it is so manifest that he never can forsake it either in Honour or Interest This is a prety way of cokesing indeed while you are all this while cutting the grass under his feet and animating the people against the exercise of his Ecclesiastical Supremacy Men are not so plain-hearted but they can see through this oblique Rhetorication and Sophistry If there be no danger in his time of taking a Pin out of the Church for that it is you intended why do you then speak of it in his time but that you mean mischief but here you do not only mow the grass under his feet but you take the pillow from under his head But should it ever happen that any King of England should be prevail'd with to deliver up the Church he bad as good at the same time resign up his Crown This is pretty plain dealing and you have doubtless secur'd hereby that Princes favour I should have thought it better Courtship in a Divine to have said O King Live for ever But I see Mr. Bayes that you and your Partners are very necessary men and it were dangerous disobliging you But in this imprudent and nauseous discourse you have all along appropriated or impropriated all the Loyalty from the Nobility the Gentry and the Commonalty and dedicated it to the Church So I doubtyou are a little too immoderate against the body of the Nonconformists You represent them to a man to be all of them of Republican Principles most pestilent and eo nomine enemies to Monarchy Traytors and Rebells such miscreants as never was in the world before and fit to be pack'd out of it with the first convenience And I observe that all the Argument of your Books is but very frivolous and trivial only the memory of the late War serves for demonstration and the detestable sentence and execution of his lute Majesty is represented again upon the Scaffold and you having been I suspect better acquainted with Parliament Declarations formerly upon another account do now apply and turn them all over to prove that the late War was wholly upon a Fanatical Cause and the dissenting party do still go big with the same Monster I grew hereupon much displeased with my own ignorance of the occasion of those Troubles so near our own times and betook my self to get the best Information concerning them to the end that I might If it appear'd so decline the dangerous acquaintance of the Nonconformists some of whom I had taken for honest men nor therefore avoided their Company But I took care nevertheless not to receive Impressions from any of their party but to gather my lights from the most impartial Authorities that I could meet with And I think I am now partly prepared to give you Mr. Bayes some better satisfaction in this matter And because you are a dangerous person I shall as little as possible say any thing of my own but speak too before good Witnesses First of all therefore I will without farther Ceremony fall upon you with the but-end of another Arch-bishop 'T is the Arch-bishop of Canterbury Abbot in the Narrative under his own hand concerning his disgrace at Court in the time of his late Majesty I shall only in the way demand excuse if contrary to my fashion the names of some eminent persons in our Church long since dead be reviv'd here under no very good character and most particularly that of Archbishop Laud who if for nothing else yet for his learned Book against Fisher deserved for another Fate than he met with and ought not now to be mentioned without due honourâ—… But those names having so many years since escaped the Press it is not in my power to conceal them and I believe Archbishop Abbot did not write but upon good Consideration This I have premised for my own Satisfaction and I will add one thing more Mr. Bayes for yours That whereas the things now to be alledged relate much to some Impositions of Money in the late King's time that were carryed on by the Clergy I know you will be ready to carp at that as if the Nonconformists had and would be alwayes enemies to the Kings supply Whereas Mr. â—…ayes if I can do the Nonconformists no good I am resolv'd I will do them no harm nor desire that they should lye under any imputation on my account For I write by my own advice and what I shall alledge concerning the Clergies intermedling with supplies is upon a particular aversion that I have upon good Reason against their disposing of our Money And Mr. Bayes I will acquaint you with the Reason which is this 'T is not very many years ago that I used to play at Picket and there was a Gentleman of your Robe a Dignitary of Lincoln very well known and remembred in the Ordinaries but being not long â—…ince dead I will save his name Now I used to play Pieces and this Gentleman would alwayes go half a Crown with me and so all the while he sate on my hand he very honestly gave the Sign so that I was alwaies sure to lose I afterwards discovered it but of all the money that ever I was cheated of in my life none ever vexed me so as what I lost by his occasion And ever since I have born a great grudge against their fingring of any thing that belongs to me And I have been told and show'd the place where the man dwelt in the late King's time near Hampton Court that there was one that used to rob on the high-way in the habit of a Bishop and all his fellows rid too in Canonical Coats And I can but fancy how it madded those that would have perhaps been content to releive an honest Gentleman in distress or however would have been less griev'd to be robb'd by such an â—…ne to see themselves so Episcopally pillaged Neither must it be less displeasing alwaies to the Gâ—…ntry and â—…ommonalty of England that the Clergy as you do Mâ—… Bayes should tell them that they are never sui Juris not only as to their Consciences buâ—… even as to their Purses and you should pretend to have this Power of the Keys too where they lock their Money Nay I dare almost aver upon my best observation that there never was nor ever will be a Parliament in England that could or can refuse the King supplies propoâ—…ionable to his occasions wiâ—…hout any need of recouâ—…se to extraordinary wayes but for the pickâ—…hankness of the Clergy who will alwaies pâ—…sume to have the thanks and honour of it nay and are ready alwayes to obstruct the Parliamentary Aids unless they may have their own little project pass
that this Book of Sibthorps called Apostolical Obedience was Printed there came out another of the same stamp Intitled Religion and Allegiance by one Doctor Manwaring It was the substance of two Sermons preached by him at Whitehall beside what of the same nature at his own parish of Saint Giles Therein he delivered for truth That the King is not bound to observe the Laws of the Realm concerning the Subjects Rights and Liberties but that his Royal word and command in imposing Loans and Taxes without common consent in Parliament does oblige the Subjects Conscience upon pain of eternal Damnation That those who refused to pay this Loan offended against the Law of God and the Kings supream Authority and became guilty of Impiety Disloyalty and Rebellion That the Authority of Parliament was not necessary for raising of Aids and Subsidies and the slow proceedings of such great Assemblies were not fitted for the supply of the states urgent necessities but would rather produâ—…e sundry impediments to the just designs of Princes And after he had been questioned for this doctrine nevertheless he preached again That the King had right to order all as to him should seem good without any mans consent That the King might in time of necessity demand Aid and if the Subject did not supply him the King might justly avenge it That the Propriâ—…ty of Estate and Goods was ordinarily in the subject but extraordinarily in the King that in case of the King's need he hath right to dispose them He had besides entring into comparison called the refusers of the Loan temporal Recusants and said the same disobedience that they the Papists as they then called them practise in spirituals that or worse some of our side if ours they be dare to practise in temporals And he aggravated further upon them under the resemblance of Turks Jews Corah Datâ—…an and Abiram which last said he might as well liken themselves to the three Children or Theudas and Judas the two Incendiaries in the daies of Caesar's tribute might as well pretend their Cause to be like that of the Maccabees as what the Refusers alledged in their own defence I should not have been so large in these particulars had they been only single and volatile Sermons but because this was then the Doctrine of those persons that pretended to be the Church of England The whole Quire sung that Tuno and instead of the Common Law of England and the Statutes of Parliament that part of the Clergy had invented these Ecclesiastical Lawes which according to their predominancy were sure to be put in Execution So that between their own Revenue which must be held Jure Divinâ—… as every thing else that belong'd to them and the Pâ—…ince's that was Jure Regio they had not left an inch oâ—… propriety for â—…he Subject It seem'd that they had granted themselves Letters of Reprisal against the Laity for the losses of the Church under Henry the Eight and that they would make a greater havock upon their Temporalities in retaliation And indeed having many times since ponder'd with my greatest and earnest impartiality what could be the true reason of the spleen that they manifested in those daies on the one hand against the Puritans and on the other against the Gentry far it was come they tell me to Jack Gentleman I could not devise any cause but that the Puritans had ever since the Reformation obstructed that laziness and splendor which they enjoyed under the Popes Supremacy and the gentry had sacrilegiously divided the Abby-Lands and other 〈◊〉 morsels of the Church at the Dissoluâ—…ion and now was the time to be revenged on them While therefore the Kingdome was turned into a Prison upon occasion of this Ecclesiastical Loâ—… and many of the eminentest of the Gentry of England were under 〈◊〉 they thought it seasonable to recover once again their antient Glory and to Magnificate the Church with triumphant Pomp and Ceremony The three Ceremonies that have the Countenance of Law would not sussice but they were all upon new 〈◊〉 and happy was he that was endued with that capacity for he was sure before all others to be preâ—…'d I here was a second Service the Table seâ—… Altar wise and to be called the Altar Candles Crucisixes Paintings Imagery Copes bowing to the East bowing to the Altar and so many several Cringes and Genuflexions that a man unpractised stood in need to entertain both a Dancing Maâ—…er and a Remem brancer And though these things were very uncouth to English Proteslants who naturally affects a plainness of fashion especially in sacred things yet if those Gentlemen 〈◊〉 have contented themselves with their own Formalitie the Innovation had been more excusable But many of these Additions and to be sure all that had any colour of Law were so imposed and prest upon others that a great part of the Nation was â—…'n put as it were to Fine and Ransom upon this account What Censures what Excommunications what Deprivations what Imprisonments I cannot represent the misery and desolation as it hath been represented to me But wearied out at home many thousands of his Majesties Subjects to his and the Nations great loss thought themselves constrained to seek another habitation and every Country even â—…hough it were among Savages and Caniballs appear'd more hospitable to them than their own And although I have been told by those that have seen both that our Chuâ—…ch did even then exceed the Romish in Ceremonies and Decorations and indeed several of our Church did therby frequently mistake their way and from a 〈◊〉 kind of Worship fell into the Roman Religion yet I cannot upon my best judgement believe that that party had generally a design to alter the Religion so far but rather to set up a new kind of Papaâ—…y of their own here in England And it seemed they had to that purpose provided themselves of a new Religion in Holland It was Arminianism which though it were the Republican Opinion there and lo odious to King James that it helped on the death of Barnevelt yet now they undertook to accomodate it to Monarchy and Episcopacy And the choice seemed not imprudent For on the one hand it was removed at so moderate a distance from Popery that they should not disoblige the Papists more than formerly neither yet could the Puritans with justice reproach these men as Romish Catholicks and yet on the other hand they knew it was so contrary to the antient reformed Doctrine of the Church of England that the Puritans would never imbrace it and so they should gain this pretence further to keep up that convenient and necessary Quarrel against Non-conformity And accordingly it happened so that here again was a new Shiboleth And the Calvinists were all studiously discountenanced and none but an Arminian was judg'd capable and qualified for imployment in the Church And though the King did declare as I have before mentioned that Mountague's Arminian Book had been the occasion of