Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
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A29113
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Appello [sic] Cæsarem, or, An appeal to Cæsar in vindication of a little book printed some years since the time of our troubles and intituled A præsent for Cæsar / both done by Tho. Bradley.
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Bradley, Thomas, 1597-1670.
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1661
(1661)
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Wing B4127; ESTC R30237
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11,292
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41
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APPELLO CAESAREM OR An Appeal to CAESAR In vindication of a little Book printed some years since in the time of our troubles and intituled A Praesent for Caesar Both done by Tho Bradley D. D. one of his late Majesties Chaplains and Rector of Castleford and Ackworth near Pontefract in Yorkshire both in his Majesties gift and of his speciall grace bestowed upon the Author but ever since 44 meerly for his Loyalty taken from him again by Sequestration YORKE Printed by Alice Broad 1661. To the Kings most Excellent Majesty Charles the second by the grace of God King of England Scotland France Ireland Defender of the Faith in all causes and over all Persons Ecclesiasticall and Civill within his Majesties Dominions next under Christ Supream Head and Governour Most gracious dread Soveraign TO your sacred hand view I humbly offer this little peiee because your Majesty is in some sort concerned in it I know your Majesty hath little time to read books but there are some books which both for the usefulnes of the subject matter which they treat of and for the smoothnes of the style language they are cloth'd with are both pleasant profitable and so the reading of them is but a studious recreation and such is this at least in one of these respects and it is but a little one it took not up above two dayes in the writing of it lâ—sse then one hours time in the reading of it will dispatch it and I humbly beseech your Majesty that you would bestow upon it those few minutes that you will be pleased to read it and that you would read it through and that you would read it your selfe for there are some things in it which perhaps there are many that are not willing your Majesty should be acquainted with and therefore against such I humbly beg your Majesties protection howsoever I shall keep my self within the bounds of truth sobernes and if I do disserve any of them it shall be in order to the serving of your Majesty which when I can do no way else I shall supply with my prayers publike and private for all the blessings which may make your Majesty happy both here on earth and eternally hereafter in heaven Amen Your Majesties most humble and loyall Subject T. Bradley Apello Caesarem or an Appeal to Caesar in the vindication of a little book printed some years since in the time our troubles intiuled A Present for CAESAR TRue it is there was such a little book printed some years since which I do own in which I find no fault but in the Title and some complementall language here there to mitigate the ferocity of that Tyrant with whom in it I had to do but he was sagacious enough to discover the hook that lay hidden under that bait which then I offerd him 't is true the Title was A present for Caesar and we have no Caesar but the King but surely in common prudence thus much you will allow to policy that he which had a Tyrant to deal withall may give him good words neither did the giving of him a better style then he deserv'd make him really such as that style did import nor conclude him that gave it him onely by way of allusion to esteem him so There are evidences enough to conclude the contrary in the judgment of all them that know me for if services or sufferings by sequestrations plunderings frequent imprisonments menaces and threatnings reaching even to life it selfe may speak a man loyall there are enough that speak loud enough to declare me such For my zeal in his Majesties Cause and service it is well known I forsook all to follow him through thick and thin and did so to the very last and being a sworn Chaplain was one of those that did help to carry the Arke before him in the time of his greatest troubles and dangers and was afflicted in many of those things wherein he was afflicted But to passe by these praevious considerations mentioned only for prevention of prejudice I pass from the title of the book to the book it selfe and of that I shal give a very brief yet a full and clear account under these two heads 1. By showing what the very sum subject substance of that book was 2. What my aymes ends reaches were in penning it at that time The former of these is obvious to any man at the first view which sees or reads it but in the latter I was more reserved they were known only to my selfe and very few more whom I acquainted with them Dr. Healing for one which knew more of that which lay in the bottome of that design then any other and with whom I had frequent conference about it All these things I shall now unriddle unfold which done rightly understood then Apello Caesarem Apello Ecclesiam Apello Populum Apello Omnes I shall appeal to all the world whether that book or he that pen'd it deserves that blame which some imagine nay I shall rise so high in my vindication as not onely to free it from blame but I challenge thanks for it from all England especially the Clergy which especially blame me for it and if his Majesty shall be pleas'd to take hold of some discoveries that there I make and which here in this vindication I must necessarily hint at I hope his Majesty will think I do him no disservice in it neither As to the first then of these 2 heads The very sum and substance of the book lies in these 2 proposals and those two concerning only Churchmen Church livings all which at that time were in the hands and possession of the intruding Clergy which had invaded and usurped upon the Church as their Patron had done upon the civill State concerning them therefore I made these two proposals 1. First I did propose that all those that did possesse sequestred livings and had peaceably enjoyed them two years or above might be required to pay their first-fruits the Tyrant having set forth a cruell Proclamation that we should never return to our livings more nor exercise our Ministeriall Function elsewhere 2. My second proposall was this I did propose that they and all others which should hereafter be prefer'd to Ecclesiasticall dignities or promotions might pay their first-fruits according to the statute of the 26 of Henry the eighth whereby it is required that they should pay them in according to the full value of such dignities benefices and promotions and not as they stand partially rated in the King's book by an ancient inquiry made above 100 years since which gives them not in to the 5 6 nor scarce to the 8 part of the true value throughout the land this done I did demonstrate what a great improvement this would make of the first-fruit Office for the first-fruits being thus improved the tenths likewise must improve proportionably according to which the tenths would come
to near as much as the first-fruits now come to and the first-fruits to 6 or 8 times as much as they now are This is the very sum and substance of that little peice for which I am blamed all the rest is but as the mantling to the armes or filling to the limbs or comment upon the Text shewing the aequity legality reasonableness seasonableness of such a proposall at that time But there was much more lay at the bottom which was not obvious to every eye neither was it my desire that he should know them therefore in the next place I will shew what were my ends aymes and reaches in those proposals and they were these 1. The first was clear contrary to the apprehensions of those that charge me in this matter the very preservation of Tythes Churches Colledges all which were now in a tottering condition dangerously shaken undermined and near unto ruine for 1. That grand Impostor had propos'd in the House that they would consider of some way whereby a Ministry might be maintained in England without paying of tithes 2. Most of the Counties in England had petitioned against the payment of them 3. The people did generally deny the payment of them insomuch as one of the Judges returning homeward from his Circuit told me that in that circuit they had near 100 Causes came before them in the ease of non-payment of Tithes 4. Cromwel's countrey-men Jones and Vavasor Powell had begun an experiment tending hereunto in Wales by gathering all the Tithes Church-profitâ— into a common treasury that is to say their own purses their adhaerents and instead of a standing Clergy to set up an itinerant Ministry 5. That mushrum Parliament called together by Cromwel's Writ or Letters wherein Rowse was the Speaker had made a praevious Act in order to this design whereby they made the Ministry useles throughout the Land for as for preaching they tolerated a liberty to preach who would for the Sacrament of Baptisme that there was no need of that till children were come to 14 or 15 years of age and then they might make a Minister among themselves to do that office for the Sacrament of the Lords Supper that was in a manner clear banished out of the Church for marrying that was committed to the Justices of peace for burying let one pitt another the dead bury the dead not so much as the Register book but it was taken out of our hands and the Parish was to chuse a Register to keep it so the Ministry was made useles throughout the land and what was this but a praevious Act proceeding from Anabaptisticall principles in order to that sacrilegious and wicked design of overthrowing the whole body of Tythes the Churches ancient patrimony and with it the Ministry it selfe for the perpetuity whereof they were first ordeyned together with the Schooles of the prophets the Churches wherein God was worshipped and all that was sacred if I at such a time as this stept in to stay to support the shaking pillars of them all by intitleing those that were the actors in this tragedy to a considerable revenue out of them that for the preservation of their own interest they might protect and uphold the whole bulke and body out of which it did arise forgive me this wrong and who would think much in such a dangerous storm to throw out some of the wares fraught to preserve the Ship and lading and there are now living many then Parliament men to whom I had distributed some of those books which confess that my proposals therein were just and legall aequall reasonable rationall and that they did sway much with them in voting for the tythes and yet for all this when it came to the vote it was carried but by one voyce for the Chruch for the House was equally divided and it stood meerly and only upon speaker Lenthall's voyce whether tythes or no tythes and to his honour let me remember it in this great busines for other matters if he did amisse let him answer for himself he cast it for the Church Now in this point of time when the Church and Church affaires Tythes Colledges and all lay at stake tottering as it were upon the point of a needle if I came in and east in but one grain or scruple to cast it the right way will my brethren of the Church charge me say I did them wrong no I was their benefactor I did them all good service and I deserve thanks at their hands this was my first aym and I carried it with successe 2. My second end that I aimed at was this wherein I cannot so well justify my self as in the former because there was something of revenge in it which though I were never so great a sufferer and many more with me yet I should not have thought on but this it was in a word truly to punish the usurping and intruding Clergy which by the power of their Committie of plundered Ministers above and their Country Committies here below subservient to them and the authority of one person more whom I will not name invaded our livings cast all the Orthodox Clergy out of the Churches and put themselves into the possession of them from Dan to Beershebae throughout the land Upon which by the help of their army they entred with such cruelty that they seised upon all Goods in the house Corn on the ground Croppe in the Barns imprisoning the Husbands throwing out the Wives children into the streets without all mercy not one in ten of them ever allowing them any fifths or any other help out of them notwithstanding a colourable Act made to that purpose So then distingue tempora distinguish but the times do but consider in whose possession the Church was when I promoted that design and made those proposals and you will soon free me from any intention of evill to the Orthodox Church or Church-men in whose behalf I writ it but for these cruel usurping intruding Harpeys God forgive me my revengeful thoughts against them I did not care what burthen I laid upon them 3. My third end in those proposals was the ease of the country Commons of England in respect of their contributions taxes assessments by taking off from them and laying a great part of their burthen upon those unto whom more properly it did belong the Church and Church-men whose warre this most properly was and in whose quarrell it was begun and this is exprest in terminis in that book for which they so much blame me but let them and all others look back to the beginning of these wars and troubles the cause the quarrell the incendiaries and promoters of it and will it not fall upon the turbulent discontented Church-men and where were the coals of it first kindled was it not in the Pulpit the rigid Presbiterian Pulpit witnes that text in Judges the 5 th so frequently preached and printed