Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
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A65920
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A reply to the answer of Lieutenant General Ludlow, or, His answer to the officers at Dublin examined with a concluding word to the present authoritie in Parliament / by E.W.
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E. W., an actor in the late change in Ireland.
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1660
(1660)
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Wing W20; ESTC R26298
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9,914
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20
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A REPLY TO THE ANSWER OF Lieutenant General LVDLOW Or his Answer to the Officers at Dublin examined With a concluding Word to the present Authoritie in Parliament By E. W. an Actor in the late change in Ireland Tempora mutantur sed non mutamur in illis LONDON Printed by Tho. Newcomb over-against Bainards-Castle in Thames-street 1660. A Reply to the Answer of Lieut. General Ludlow or his Answer to the Officers at Dublin examined with a concluding Word to the present Authority in Parliament THough to the understanding Reader who by comparing knows when a Letter is answered I need have done no more then to have taken the same Letter which he saith is answered and affix't it in the end calling it a Reply to the Answer yet because those Worthies to whom the Answer appeals for Justice may with the lesse expense of time see how insufficient the Answer is and how unjustly the subscribers of the Officers Letter are aspersed almost in every page of the pretended Answer by the nickname of persons that have been for a late single Persons interest I have therefore assumed though unwillingly this trouble by way of Replication and therefore Sir As I am not inclined to detract from your merits wherein they are praise-worthy so I would have gladly seen the like ingenuity in your self towards the Gentlemen who rather have deserved your praise hitherto then to have been the objects of your frownes and indignation for what they have done It seems your stomack will not easily digest any that submitted to the late Government of a single Person though they had no hand in setting him up but why do you not quarrel with that Scripture Rom. 13. Let every soul be subject to the higher Powers for the powers that are are ordained of God Let me ask you this Question from Common-wealth principles though I doubt not but your tart words would be silenced from that Text Can you imagine That if all such were excluded your petty peevish Interest to say no more of it would be enough to carry on that Good old Cause so much pretended to when yet you saw by experience what knocking of heads there was at your Wallingford-House-meetings To which you so much frequented though to the blot of your former service and when advised to the contrary by your known friends surely you that are ready to condemne the Parliament for narrowing their interest now do much more condemne your self if that be your opinion Your great care in your answer is to make the world believe That you are the onely Person that hath stood unshaken as to the Parliaments cause in the late Protectors day But 't is sufficiently known to many witnesses from your own mouth That your trouble was not That Oliver had pul'd out the Parliament But that he was seated in the chaire of State contrary to a former engagement and so your expected good things were not like to be accomplisht by him As for the Parliament you could have been contented then as well as since if they had never met more and why then do you condemne others for the same things you are guilty of your self namely for want of affection to this Parliament Did not all the Armies of the three Nations all the Fleets at Sea all or most part of the Cities Burrows Towns and Counties of this Common-wealth yea and all Plantations of English abroad own his Authoritie by Letters and Addresses and were there not in all these think you as faithful men to the Parliament as your self I might here tell you that you acted sometime your self under him for you could be contented to receive pay as Lieutenant General Colonel and Captain and I believe you would have done so to the last day of his Reigne had not Orders been given by Fleetwood to cross you out of the musters Your distinction here of being the Parliaments Lieutenant General will not serve your turne for any sober man may see That though you abhor'd him as the Jews did swines flesh yet you loved the broth of abominable things In the front of your second page you say The Officers and Souldiers within your precinct of Duncannon at your coming exprest much grief and trouble for the Parliaments interruption But truly Sir if their after-carriage be considered which I know you are bound to justifie I want faith to believe that their sorrow was unfeigned But your Irish Harp will make no Musick unlesse you touch upon the same string and therefore you say in the same page That you sent to Ross Waterford and other places to presse them to declare for the Parliament not in shew onely but in reality Answ. Truly Sir if you might be Judge no doubt but you would pass as severe a censure upon the persons as you do upon the actions of those which yet your Masters have judg'd to be real in what they have done witness their Thanks sent them for their good service But the Officers you say in declaring for the Parliament designed rather to take advantage against those the Parliament had prefer'd thereby to get into their places then out of any affection to the Parliament Answ. Ill-will never speaks well The best actions of the best of men shall never clear their integrity if a bare jealous affirmation shall serve as a sufficient accusation But in the mean time Sir those Officers so intrusted were very faithful to their Masters were they not when others lesse trusted as the like was here about London must teach them in Commission their duty how to obey their Masters the best is as often and highly as you reflect upon them in Ireland by an easie and due parallel you reflect upon those few faithful ones that remain'd in England and Scotland But those in Ireland disputed your Authority which was legally derived from the Parliament for whom in the worst of times you have born your faithful witnesse Answ. You are here mistaken in the dispute which was not whether you had not an Authoritie but whether by your staying amongst the Parliaments enemies and acting as one of the new Law-makers you had not abused that Authoritie to the forfeiting of it But the Officers you say were not Iudges of that but the Parliament Answ. In case of Necessity when there is no visible Authority as then there was not when they past those Votes against you they were Judges of their own safety And when afterwards they heard of their sitting they appeal'd to Caesar whether they desired your Return In the next you tell them That though the Officers disputed your Authority legally derived from the Parliament yet they could yield obedience to Sir Hardress Waller that had no Commission Answ. His being respited by the Parliament at present did not make null his Authority no more then the present want of their Commissions could null all the Captains and other Officers of the Army for then they had been like sheep without Shepherds good
to particulars who they are Indeed Sir if it may not offend you to compare persons with persons I must then tell you Sir George Booths offence will appear to deserve a favourable extenuation caeteris paribus when the crimes of the late disturbers will be found flat rebellion In page 13. you say had you been upon the place of your command as General Monk was when the Resolution of the Army came to you the advice of the Officers had been good but you were in your journey towards London when you first received the news Answ. You received the news before you landed at Connaway in Wales and advice was given you to returne for Ireland which if you had done you might have been in the same posture quickly with General Monk had there been but the like affections the want whereof you sufficiently discovered to Sr. Henry Ingoldsby when you told him That if those in power meaning the Army would do but as good things for the Nations so the work was done you cared not who were the instruments a strange expression for a Parliaments General who stands so much to vindicate his constant good affection The next thing you seeme to vindicate your self in is in the election of the Officers that were to be sent to London where you say if they were design'd in opposition to the Parliament it was contrary to what you intended and General Monk Commissioners having consented made you the more willing Ans. But their meeting to such an end was not contrary to your knowledge it being the third Article and surely you could not plead ignorance what the Articles were when you confesse the Commissioners before mentioned had sign'd them But you had the better hope of such a meeting of the General Council because as you say Three parts of the Army had not been engaged in that Interruption only that part about London Answ. 'T is the same thing to justifie an evil act when done as to be Actors in it or else why do you condemn the Officers in Ireland for owning the interest of a single person when set up though they had no hand in the doing thereof But 't is easier to see how partial your judgement is especially considering the declarations that were sent up to General Fleetwood from Lilborne and severall others parts to owne the Action You say your Letters to Colonel Richards do sufficiently explaine what you meant by the advice you gave to choose such men that were spirited to the Work Answ. But how should the rest of the Officers to whom you writ know your meaning when you never told them to whom they should apply themselves for explanation Surely since you are so exact to remember the Contents of his Letter amongst so many you intended that should shelter you in case of a future storm But The Subscribers you say shew how ready they were to comply with the Army in England by calling an Irish Parliament to meet on the same day Answ. Suppose the Armie in Ireland to supply their necessities had taken an example from General Monk in Scotland when all visible face of Authoritie was pull'd down by the Armie in England had this been such a hainous crime truly Sir in condemning them for this you do but equally charge him whose Actions hath sufficiently appear'd honourable to the world You now draw on to your concluding page and say Thus you hope satisfactorily you have given an answer to each particular in the Letter Answ. But how well I appeal to your Judges The truth is that which you call an Answer is nothing but an Evasion fill'd with bespattering termes a thing you complain of in your Opposites and the chief parts of your answer consists either in condemning the Persons or actions of those the Parliament have justified or pleading your own authoritie which for ought I know you have sufficiently forfeited Or your good intentions which none knew but your self In your last page you say You have made it your practice according to your principles to promote an English Interest in Ireland and to give countenance to all such who fear God Answ. But is that the way to promote an English interest in Ireland or to countenance such as fear God and work righteousnesse to set up Faction and to lay aside Officers saying O he is a Presbyterian what brave encouragement this was for any sober honest Englishman to come over and plant in that Nation let the world judge But you say many that now pretend to wish well to the Parliament laid down their Commissions when they were restored and some were laid aside by this Parliament and o-others were so to be because of their adherence to a contrary interest and for viciousnesse of life and conversation Answ. The first sort are wilfully mistaken for the true reason of laying down their Commissions was because they could not run with those sonnes of Errour who had the onely smiles of your Authoritie The second sort have been alreadie vindicated who by their actions have shewed themselves much more faithful then those in which you so much confided But seeing the Parliament have been mistaken in their friends once I hope they will take heed who they trust now And to conclude let me here intreat our present Worthies not to look upon their Cause to be so tottering Thar they must needs go down to Egypt for help take heed of such Oathes that will turn out men of sobrietie and not onely make way for all the factious spirits of the Nations to bring them in again to its support who make no conscience of keeping them but do engage men to fight against heaven Let God be trusted with his own cause in his own way without leaning upon such broken reeds Those that are sober Christians though of different perswasions countenance But this hath not been our case pragmatical sausie impudent fellows whose tongues were set on fire of Hell to raile against Ministrie Learning Tyrhes or that could preach yea rather prate for tolerating all heresie and blasphemy these have been the chief objects of favour by which means you have lost five hundred for one in the affections of the Nations and had so narrowed your interest That the Parliaments cause for many years hath run retrograde whereas were but the House fill'd a Synod call'd and Religion settled with a sober toleration The Good old Cause would thrive in spight of Hell without which give me leave to tell you A blast from the Almighty will suddenly come upon it and the Nations FINIS Though the Officers fidelity may justly merit the places yet all is submitted to the Parliaments pleasure who in answer to the Armies humble representation voted this as answer to one of the heads therein contained that such whos good service should merit incâ—uragement or re-reward should accordingly have it and though they have merited their thanks yet whether they have deserved their places is at their judgment