now for an Oath than the Nobility and Gentry yet at their own time they have been able and while they retain such Principles can be again when time serves to swallow all manner of Oaths and devour Nobles Gentlemen too Clergy and All. And this our Letter-Man knows very well who having at this time great need of them in the Pulpit is you see very angry they are under hatches He only wants such a House of Commons as he could wish for he reckons himself sure of his Clergy they are of another Kidney than the Church of England's Clergy These he is pleased to brand as Men of little Understanding and of a pitiful sort of Learning which teaches to Obey and Justifie not to Disoute the Commands of their Superiours Meer Milk-Sops they but his are the Myrmidoâ—s Men of Arguments as strong as Gun-Powder Profound Men of Letters who have written and can write RATIO â—LTIMA REGUM round the Mouth of a Cannon LETTER THe fourth and last Act found fault with is The Five Miles Aâ—â— passed at Oxford whiâ—â— introduces the Oath in the Terms the Courtiers would have it This was thâ—â— strongly opposed by the Lord Treasurer Southampton Lord Wharton Lord Ashley and others not only in the concern of those poor Ministers that were so severely handled but as it was in it self an unlawful and unjustisiable Oath however the Zeal of that time against all Noâ—conformists â—asâ—ly passed the Act. ANIMADVERSION THat my Lord Wharton and Lord Ashley might oppose it is not impossible but of my Lord Southampton 't is hardly probable but if he did it serves for some excuse to Lord Aâ—hley because his Lordships Interest at that early time of day was nothing in Court without him and so he could lose nothing there then For it was afterwards that he crept up like Ivy upon that old Oak of Loyalty Southampon into His Majesties favour and many a good place which while his Lordship enjoyed we do not remember that ever he was angry at this Act Nor do we know any reason why it might not have been stretcâ—â— at that time a Mile or two more without grieving his Lordship or stretching his Conscience so that this Story might have been very well omitted so far as concerns my good Lord Ashley If the Ministers were then so severely hâ—ndled let it be noted that now is the time his Lordship would be thought to have had no hand in it But whose fault was it then was it not their own were they not very severe towards the King when they refused the Oath contained in that Act which enjoined only these particulars viz. to declare That it is not lawfâ—l upon any pretence whatsoever to take Arms against the King That they do abhor that Traiterous Position of taking Arms by his Authority against his Person or against those that are Commissionated by him in pursuance of such Commissions And that they will not at any time endeavour any Alteration of Government either in Church or State Now let us reason together Is it rational to imagine that any Governour will not provide for the safety and peace of his Government Are not Protection and Allâ—giance correlative Do they not Mâ—tuo se ponere can either be understood without the other Is not the Band of Politicks utterly broken by conceiving the contrary If a Subject will not declare it Not lawful to take Arms against the King Is there not a clear Implication of the Affirmative that he may or perhaps will when he shall have an opportunity Is it imaginable then that any King can think himself secure of such a Man or that he could permit him to enjoy the Common Liberties of his Government who refuseth to give the Common Caution required by Governours for the place of Government Or if such person have formerly by any Overt Acts declared or preached to others that it is lawful to take Arms can he with any colour of reason find fault with the King when he demands onely gentle Cauâ—ion of him by declaring that he hath alter'd his Opinion and will do so no more And in case of his refusal can he in his Conscience condemn the Kings making a Law to prevent him from doing the like again Come Gentlemen let us to the great Rule of Conscience Whatsoever ye would that Men should do to you do ye so to them for this is the Law and the Prophets Now pray tell me you that are Kings of those little Kingdoms called Families If any one of your Children or Servants hath taught or shall teach the rest that it is lawful to dispute and fight with you and perhaps they do it in your Houses would you not think it strange that any Man should blame you if you not punishing that Child or Servant should onely demand this gentle Caution of him that he oblige himself never to do the like again It 's much rather to be supposed that in stead of that you would turn him out of your little Kingdom and no Man could find fault with you for it Now for Inference If His Majesty a Prince Gracious and Indulgent beyond all example hath laid aside the severe part and if you by your refusing to give him the Security of a Promissory Oath have in effect declared that ye will not lay aside or quit that unruly Principle of taking Arms against him what could he do less than to take the Viper out of his own and the Churches Bosom and not nourish it any longer Whereas by the Laws of God and Man and by that Law of Nature called Self-preservation he might have taken another kind of Course for the Security and Quiet of Himself and His Subjects and not onely have shut these Men out of Corporations but out of the Kingdom And yet so far hath His Majesty been from this severity that the Five Miles Aâ—t it self hath languisht with very little Execution insomuch that those Men and their Friends have at this time of day small cause to complain of it but rather much for a heart-melting into grateful acknowledgments of so great Lenity If another Pen had been ousied in this Work of Animadverting it might perhaps have dropt here many notable Reasons of State justifying the Policy and Prudence of that Act and its Execution as to name one for an Instance Viz. Seeing that by the Constitution of this Kingdom the Commons House of Parliament have an Interest in the Power of Legislation that no Law can be made or repealed without them And whereas the major part of their Members are chosen by Corporations it must needs be of highest concern to preserve those Bodies Corporate as free as may be from the Infection of Preachers of such Principles as are destructive of the Kingdoms Constitution and Government lest in a little time the swarming Prosâ—lytes of Nonconformity come to bear away the Bell at Elections and then Trump a Major Vote in the Commons House to play a New Game again at
Clifford â—â—ll and yet to prevent his ruine this Session had the sooner end As for the Lord Clifford me thinks he might before now have been left at rest in his Grave but there is it seems another Lord in the World is resolved he shall not because while his Lordship tugg'd hard and lay gaping for the Office of Lord Treasurer my Lord Clifford got between and carried it away for which he will never forgive his memory nor any of his Friends Nothing could please after this no not the Great Seal it self though one would have thought that enough to fill the Swallow of any Gnat. But Oh! the Dear Bag was gone the Buâ—t-end of all his hopes and so neither Seal nor Pursâ— could satisfie Nothing now but Revenge for then his Lordship saw plain the Mortality of his own Court-Interest drawing on which had been long before forfeited by many a Juggle Then his Piety began to work when his Covetousness had nothing to work upon and nothing after this could be thought of but Fire and Flames of Zeal to scatter about the Court and Kingdom A loud and sudden Cry must be raised in fear of Popery by pretence of which the old trick the Nation was to be forthwith intoxicated and the Lord Clifford confounded and all Papists also were to be put out of Office because the Maker of this Out-cry was in fear to be so I write not this to plead for their being in Office but only to observe how pat the little Adversary timed all things for his own purpose of commencing the new Game of Popularity He foresaw his own Faâ—e and labour'd hard to get in elsewhere before they had quite thrown him out at White-Hall that so when he went off he might in a new World turn up Trump as the Faith 's great Defender against Popery This was the reason why he spurr'd on that Act so eagerly to run Papists out of Office and why he afterwards appeared so vigorous in putting the Act in execution for in all the time since the King 's Happy Resâ—auration we never heard till this sudden sit of his Lordships having been in any fright before about the Papists or any other sort of Religion whatsoever So that from the time of this first fright we are to reckon the Rise of all the Jealousies and Contests that have ensued lately or which may ensue about the Affairs of the Government and of all the late ill Impressions which have been craftily and most industriously made upon the minds of the people to prepare them if possible for a Mutiny LETTER BUt the Letter goes on thus In this posture matters were found in the Session of Parliament that began Octob. 27. 1673. which being suddenly broken up did nothing ANIMADVERSION 'T is a condition of Affairs much to be lamented that so many Sessions of Parliament have of late been broken Re infecta and we might very much wonder at it considering His Majesties great delight which he hath had in the good Advices and Affections of His Parliament did we not know that some Envious Ones made it their Business to sow Tares and cast Blocks 〈◊〉 the way to impede all happy Proceeding that either House might be Imbroiled in its self and both with one another and so be utterly incapacitated for any dispatch of Publick Business The Instances are too sad to be mentioned and I wish they were for ever in oblivion which necessitated His Majesty for the very Honour of Parliament it self and of His Government to put an end to many strange Debates and Controversies which could by no other means be done but by ending the several Sessions For even in that House whose true Interest is inseparably and more especially annexed to that of the Crown Imperial of this Realm and cannot stand without it there was found a new Lord this last Session whose Speech if we may believe a Paper called a Speech carefully Printed under the Name of the Earl of Shaftsbury vented many strange Passages upon the Debate of appointing a day for the hearing of Dr. Shirley's Cause by the Peers which shew plainly enough who it was which backt and befooled the Doctor to a perpetual attendance on that Business not for any good will to him who poor Man was made a meer Stalking-horse but to catch other ends and create Mischief to King and Kingdom by strangling the great Affairs and Hopes of His Majesty in the mid'st of His many pressing Publick Occasions for Supplies to the want of which Supplies in good time we are to ascribe the late loss of Repute with the other Publick Inconveniences and Damages in our Naval Interests c. which have been complained of Such Men there are as study first how to tye up the Hands of the King and His Ministers with Necessity and then make the People cry out at them for not doing what they were disabled to do And therefore that the Nation may know to what Male-content the King and People do owe those Damages and the fruitlesness of the last Session of Parliament and from thence gâ—â—ess who it was that drave the design of frustrating also the several Sessions that went before it It will not be amiss to give the World some account here of divers Passages of that Speech Printed with the Title of the Earl of Shaftsbury which no Man that reads but would swear it his This Speech confesses the Lord Chancellor and the Lord Bishop of Salisbury had at the same time made Speeches to shew that to set a day to enter upon a Hearing in the Lords House of the Cause of Dr. Shirley before the Great Concerns of the King and Kingdom in Supplies of Money and other Bills should be dispatched would be to induce several Grand Inconveniences As first That seeing both Houses had been highly engaged in Contests with each other about their respective Priviledges occasioned by that Cause the appointing of a short day for their Lordships to hear it would immediately bring on the like Contests again and so cause a Breach betwixt the Houses and Secondly That after such a Breach made for the sake of a private Cause no ordinary way being left for dispatch of the many Publick Bills depending in the Houses or for raising of Moneys the whole Business of Naval Preparations and of other Great Affairs and of the Reputation and Interests of the King and Kingdom at home and abroad would unavoidably fall to ruine And their Lordships were told They could not but be convinced in their Coâ—sâ—iences that if that matter of Shirley were then prosecuted it must cause a Breach This was the Sence also of most other Noble Lords But alass that Printed Speech makes the Earl of Shaftsbury ring another Tune as if his Lordship had other Publick Business or as if it had no longer been Shirley's private Business but his Own so that if we may believe that Print the People need no other Evidence to shew who was the Designer of
dismiss this part of the LETTER it cannot be amiss to shew you a better Picture of him as it was drawn also by the lucky hand of the good Earl of Shaftsbury but it was in a time when his Lordship had a Being in Whitehall and was willing to Court him that was his Rival in the Treasuâ—â—â— rather than not hold on his new Office of Chancellor The precise time was when his Lordship gave the Lord Clifford the Oath of Lord Treasurer in the Exchequer-Chamber 5 Decemâ— 1672 where in his Speech he began with my Lord Clifford's Integrity Ability and Experience in Affairs and that therefore the King â—ad chosen him to be His Lord Treasurer A Place that requires such a man as our Greâ— Master's Wisdom found fit for it from whose Natural Temper we may expect Courage Quicknesâ— and Resolution from whose Education Wisdom and Experience and from whose Exâ—ractâ—â— that Noble and Illustrious House of the Cliffords an Heroick Mind a Large Soul and an unshaken Fidelity to the Crown And when he comes to conclude he adds to him these words I wish or rather prophâ—sie your exceâ—ding all your Predâ—â—â—ssors in this Plaâ— The Abilities and Fidelity of the Renowned Lord Burleigh The Sagacity Quickness and great Dispatch of his Son the Lord Salisbury and the Uprightnâ—ss Integrity and Wisdom of that great Man that went last before you the Earl of Southampton Now Gentlemen you that are Friends of Lord Shaftsbury if you have any care of his Reputation advise him to desire the Printer to blot out all the Characters of my Lord Clifford in the Second Edition of this LETTER and put in these or at least for his Lordâ—hips sake have not so hard an opinion of Clifford or else be pleased to do my Lord Clifford and your selves this Right as to suspend your opinion of this Lord till you are sure iâ— can be a good one But if then you find no cause to believe all the Outcries which were at the time of Clifford's Fall hold on still if you can the humour of believing all the other Devices of his little Lordship till he at length serve you as he hath served all the rest of his Believers LETTER THe next Contents of the Letter are these Viz. That the Penner thereof wishes The Declaration for Indulgence Vight have had a longer continuance and a better reception But saith he the Bishops took offence at it ANIMADVERSION ANy thing to lay load of Envy upon the Bishops That is a main design of the LETTER At that Corner of the Monarchy its old Enemies are to make the new On-set and then what follows The Annals of the late Reign of Presbytery will tell you nothing but Violent Persecution Not a word in those days of Indulgence â—â—ynot so much as to the Brother-Independents whose true Interest it is as much as the Epis oparians to preserve the present Government by Episcopacy For let the Presbyter up with his Throne again and both the other will be alike exposed to his mercy Suppose the worst you can of one Bishop in a County yet past experience hath told us we had better have him there than a mean upstart Insulter over both to play the Devil for Gods sake in every Parish The rest of the Dissenters are therefore to conâ—â—der That as the Episcoparian's greatest Jealousie is at the Presbyter because the Aims of them both being at a National Form they cannot both stand together but the one must of necessity deprive the other so forasmuch as all other Nonconformers lay no claim to a Church-National but in Spiritual Matters seek only Toleration and Indulgence They cannot if they please to lay aside old animosities give any Ombrage or Jealousie to the Episcâ—parian because in their way of Churching they design only a private Rule over one another Their only Concern then is by a total quitting of all Intrigues or correspondence in Counsels with that false Brother the Presbyter the natural common Enemy of their way of Churching as well as of the National which being cordially done in suture and all cause of Jealousie on their parts being thereby removed from the Governours there can be no doubt but they may be induced to allow them a fair and lasting Indulgence Moreover it ought to be consider'd though the Bishops be charged by our Letter-Man as the Undoers of the Indulgent Dâ—â—laration it was not They but the Parliament that undid it it being by both Houses judged inconvenient to be continued by reason it was thought prejudicial to some Laws made for an Uniformity in Matters of Publick Worship and consequently an Intrenchment upon Law so that the Parliament was therein led by Reâ—son of State when they besought His Majesty for the cancelling of it the Lords Spiritual were concerned in it no otherwise than the Lords Temporal and it was upon the Joint-Application of both Lords and Commons recalled The Inference then which I would offer at from these Discourses is That if those aforesaid Dissenters would by Overt-Acts of Behaviour in future make it evident to the Parliament that they are in heart alienated and departed from the Presbyter the great common Enemy of the Crown as well as of the Church 't is not impossible yea perhaps not improbable but that the same Parliament may then come to see it Reason of State also to find out some Expedient to make a difference in execution of Law betwixt Them and the Irreconcileable Presbyter notwithstanding the severity of Laws at present especially if the Houses once see cause given them to apprehend That such Dissenters are resolved to become as loyal and serviceable to his Majesty and the Government here as Dissenters were heretofore in France unto King Henry the Fourth And truly seeing there is this difference betwixt the ordinary Dissenters and the Presbyters that the latter is e directo inconsistent with all Monarchy because Presbytery claims to be underivative from any Secular Monarch and in ordâ—â—ad Spiritualiae doth as it were usurp his Power and seeing the former while they seek only an Indulgence may well enough consist with our English Monarchy there is no question but they may in due time if they behave themselves wisely obtain their desired Liberty For in the very following Lines of the LETTER our Author signifies That at the next meeting of the Parliament the Bishops promoted the Protestant Interest so high that an Act came up from the Commons to the House of Lords in favour of the dissenting Protestants and had passed the Lords but for want of time What hath been may be so that if the ordinary Dissenters shall be so wise as to mind their true Interest which really lies in a hearty complaisance with the Interest of the Government the like may soon be done in favour of them again Next he tells us There was another Act then passed the Royal Assent for the excluding all Papists from Office in the opposition of which the Lord Treasurer