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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A52047	A plea for defensive armes, or, A copy of a letter written by Mr. Stephen Marshall to a friend of his in the city, for the necessary vindication of himself and his ministerie, against that altogether groundlesse, most unjust and ungodly aspersion cast upon him by certain malignants in the city, and lately printed at Oxford, in their Mendacium aulicum, otherwise called, Mercurius Aulicus, and sent abroad into other nations to his perpetual infamie in which letter the accusation is fully answered, and together with that, the lawfulnesse of the Parliaments taking up defensive arms is briefly and learnedly asserted and demonstrated, texts of Scripture cleared, all objections to the contrary answered, to the full satisfaction of all those that desire to have their consciences informed in this great controversie.; Plea for defensive armes	Marshall, Stephen, 1594?-1655.	1643 (1643)	Wing M768; ESTC R15835	25,154	32

Churches of England I must acknowledge this made me to think that the Parliament had just cause to be jealous of great danger But when His Majesty returned from Scotland discharged the guard which the Parliament had set for their own safety and an other denied except under the charge of the Queens Chamberlain and His Majesty himself entertained divers Captaines as a super-numerary guard at Whitehall went to the House of Commons after that manner to demand the five members to be delivered unto Him The Earle of Newcastle now General of the Armie of Papists in the North sent to Hull attempting to seize it and the Magazine there his Majestie according to the Lord Digbies letters retiring from the Parliament to a place of strength and the Queen going beyond Sea to raise a partie there I must have shut my eyes if I had not seen danger and thousands of thousands would have thought the Parliament altogether senslesse if they had not importuned his Majesty as they did to settle the Militia all former settlings of it by Commissions of Lievtenancy being confessedly void His Majestie refusing this in that manner as they thought necessary for security they voted the putting of it into the hands of persons whom they thought the State might confide in though alas many of them since have discovered to us how vaine is our hope in man And secured the Town of Hull and the Magazine there soon after this his Majesty in the north seised New-Castle and under the name of a guard begun to raise an army all this was done before the Parliament voted that his Majesty seduced by wicked councell c. And when his Majesties Army was more encreased he then declared that he was resolved by strength to recover Hull and the Magazine and to suppresse the Militia After this indeed the Parliament began to make vigorous preparations by their propositions for Plate Money Horse c. This being the true progresse and state of the businesse I saw clearly all along the Kingdome and Parliament were in danger that it was therefore necessary to have the Militia and Navie in safe hands which His Majesty also acknowledged That he refused to settle it for a time in the way they conceived necessary and that by the judgement of both Houses when they were full they had power by the fundamentall Laws of the Kingdome to settle it especially for a time upon His Majesties refusall That His Majesty raised force and declared it was to suppresse the Militia and recover Hull and the Magazine is as clear and made pregnant preparations both at home and beyond the Seas And the civill Lawyers say that pregnant preparations are the beginning of a War The onely Question remaining was whether the Parliament did justly in ordering the Militia and securing the Magazine and Navy in a confessed time of danger upon such his Majesties refusall What the Kings power and perogative and what the Parliaments power was for securing the Militia in time of danger according to the Laws of England was out of my profession and in great part above my skill But certainly unlesse I vvas bound rather to beleeve the Votes of the Papists and other Delinquents about his Majesty vvho hitherto had prevailed to bring upon us all the miseries that vve have laine under then the Votes and Judgements of the highest Court of Judicature in England which so far as I have heard was never by Common Law or Statute Law presumed to be guilty of or charged with the overthrow of the Kings prerogative or the Lawes and Liberties of the Subjects untill now and who have given us so much evidence of their wisdome watchfulnesse and faithfulnesse I vvas bound to be concluded under their Testimony and so consequently that His Majesty was seduced c. And surely if men vvho serve upon Justice betvveen Prince and People party and party in matters of Life or State may rest in the resolution of the learned Judges that this or that is law vvhen themselves knovv it not vvell might I rest in the judgement and resolution of that Court which is the Judge of all the Judicatures in the Land And in case I were unsatisfied to whom should I appeale in whose judgement I might more safely rest especially when I savv their Vote agreeable to that which is the supreme Law of all Nations namely that publick safety is the highest and deepest Law and that it is requisite that every State have a povver in time of danger to preserve it self from ruine and no Lavv of England more knovvne then that the Parliament is the highest Court from vvhence there is no appeal This satisfaction I had then and since by the Declarations and Remonstrances of the Parliament concerning these Military matters and by other Books lately published it is most apparent that they have not usurped upon His Majesties prerogative but what they have done is agreeable to the practice of former Parliaments In putting the Militia Forts and Navy into safe hands in these times of danger And that it vvas therefore lavvfull for them yea necessary to take up these Defensive Armes and consequently to call in for supply from all such vvho should share with them in the benefit of preservation and to disable such from hurting them who were contrary minded I spend no time to answer the Objections that some make that His Majesty could not tarry at London with safety of His Person that the Lords and Commons that are vvith Him were driven away by popular Tumults and could not enjoy freedome of their Votes c. Because I thinke these things are now beleeved by none but such as would beleeve no good of the Parliament though one should rise from the dead again Thus Sir you have a just account of the grounds that first induced me to owne this Cause you desire to know whether I see not yet reason to repent of what I have done I confesse I never undertooke any thing but I saw cause to repent of my miscarriage through the corruption which cleaves to me and great cause I have to bewaile my many failings in this great Worke but for the Worke it self I as solemnely professe I never saw cause to repent of my appearing in it the Cause is a right cause the Cause of God my call to it a cleare call and though the Work prove harder and longer then at first it was thought yet the Cause is far clearer then at the first The work indeed is harder then I expected for whoever could have beleeved he should have seen in England so many Lords and Commons even after their solemne Protestation to defend the Priviledge of Parliament and their owne Vote that His Majesty seduced by wicked councell intended War against the Parliament so shamefully to betray the trust committed to them so many of the Protestant Profession joyning with an army of Papists under pretence of maintaining the Protestant Religion against a Protestant Parliament to fight

A PLEA FOR DEFENSIVE ARMES OR A Copy of a Letter written by Mr STEPHEN MARSHALL To a friend of his in the City for the necessary vindication of himself and his Ministerie against that altogether groundlesse most unjust and ungodly aspersion cast upon him by certain Malignants in the City and lately printed at Oxford in their Mendacium Aulicum otherwise called Mercurius Aulicus and sent abroad into other Nations to his perpetual infamie In which Letter the accusation is fully answered And together with that the lawfulnesse of the Parliaments taking up Defensive Arms is briefly and learnedly asserted and demonstrated Texts of Scripture cleared all Objections to the contrary answered to the full satisfaction of all those that desire to have their consciences informed in this great Controversie HOSEA 4. 1 2 3. 1. Hear the word of the Lord ye Children of Israel for the Lord hath a controversie with the inhabitants of the Land because there is no truth nor mercy nor knowledge of God in the Land 2. By swearing and lying and killing and stealing and whoring they break out and bloud toucheth bloud 3. Therefore shall the Land mourn c. LONDON Printed for Samuel Gellibrand at the Brazen Serpent in Pauls Church-yard 1643. SIR YOur Letters brought not the first tidings of the continuance and encrease of those strange reports concerning me they filled the City even while I was there and I perceive pursue mee into the Countrey it is a lying spirit which God hath permitted to haunt me for my triall as it hath done others of his servants before me You know what a book Bolsec wrote of the life and death of M. Calvin Beza lived to write a confutation of a book written of his renouncing his Religion and turning Papist And concerning Luther the Priests had long reported that he had his call from the Devill and to confirm it filled Italy with a rumour of his death and that at his death he was carried away by the Devill soul and body which they good soules divulged not to discredite the man but in gloriam Iesu Christi to the glory of Christ and comfort of the godly The like usage my self have lately met with in some degree for being afflicted with a deep cold and distillation from my head upon my lungs and some feverish distempers my learned loving and carefull Physitian finding that the too importune visits of my many loving friends occasioned too much speech and thereby too much expence of spirits advised me to remove to the house of my Noble Lord of Warwick where I should have more ayre and lesse company hereupon a report was immediatly spread about the City that I was distracted and in my rage constantly cried out I was damned for appearing in and adhering to the Parliament and Kingdome in this defensive Warre which when I first heard I looked upon as a calumnie invented by some simple adversary though malicious enough to my person and ministery who finding it the readiest way to reproach me betook himself to this But afterwards observing how studiously it was maintained how laboriously propagated how banded from Court to City from City to Countrey from England to forraign parts Mercurius Aulicus printed it and a great Officer of State having sent it into other Kingdomes with his Letters assuring the truth of it and that not nine dayes no not a month did allay it I then perceived the plot was not so much to disgrace me for alas who am I that they should trouble themselves so much about me but through me to wound the Cause in which my poore labours have been engaged This rumour it seemes yet lives and as your letter confirmes encreases from my going down into the Countrey they have taken occasion not only to report me distracted but dead yea that I died crying out of my appearing in this Cause and this is so confidently reported by some that it is almost as confidently beleeved by others even thousands you say which makes you earnestly to presse me to write unto you whether I have not at least changed my former judgement about our defensive armes and this not as you professed to satisfie your self but that you might have something under my own hand to shew for the satisfaction of others Sir your ancient love to me and present desires to vindicate me from these aspersions but especially your care that the publick Cause might not suffer do all command me to be your servant in this thing I know it will satisfie you that I solemnly protest unto you that in all these fourteen weeks keeping in I never had an houres sicknesse nor lost a nights sleep nor had any distemper in my head nor saw any cause of sorrow for my adhering to the Parliaments cause but esteem it a great honour and mercy from God that he should move his Excellency my Lord to require my service in this great expedition and that I have even therefore exactly followed the Doctors prescriptions out of an earnest desire to be fitted for my work that I might returne to my most honoured Lord being fully resolved if God say Amen to it never to give it over untill either there be an end of that work or an end of my dayes This I think will satisfie you and it is possibly as much as you desire for the satisfaction of others to have this under my hand Take this concerning the cause and concerning the report spread of me what Luther said of those above mentioned concerning himselfe fateor testor hâc meâ manu c. I professe and testifie under my hand that I entertained this fiction of my distraction and death laetaque mente hilari vultu very chearfully But since your love hath compelled me to put pen to paper I shall compell you to read the largest letter that ever I wrote being resolved to give you a full account both of my ground and warrant of entring upon my office and how far I am from changing my judgement upon the present view of things When his Excellency vouchsafed to require my service for God knows I offered not my self in this great work there were but two questions besides my care to walk aright in my Ministry for my conscience to be resolved in First whether upon supposall of the truth of the Parliament votes viz. That his Majestie seduced by wicked Councell did levie warre against the Parliament the Scripture did warrant them to take up defensive Arms Secondly Whether the Parliament was not mis-informed about such his Majesties purpose and practice The first is a meere question in Divinity viz. Whether a people especially the representative body of a State may after all humble Remonstrances defend themselves against the unlawfull violence of the Supream Magistrate or his Instruments Endeavouring and that in matters of great moment to deprive them of their lawfull Liberties The second is a question meerly of matter of fact For the first Before the

themselves into Popery so many unworthy Gentlemen fight to destroy a Parliament and thereby fight themselves and posterity into slavery so many Papists in Armes contrary to so many knowne Lawes and armed with Commission to disarme Protestants contrary to their knowne Liberties and the Protestants who exceed their number an hundred fold not to rise as one man to subdue them And who would have believed that he should have seen after all this an Army raised by the Parliament in such an extremity for such an end having hazzarded their lives undergone all these hardships performed all these services and whose untimely disbanding may prove our irrecoverable ruine straitned for want of pay while England is worth a groate Behold regard and wonder marvellously I relate a thing which many will not believe though it be told unto them Hab. 1. 5. But though the Worke be harder the case is still clearer both in regard of the intentions of the Parliament and also of their adversaries For the Parliament multitudes would not believe but that they had further aimes then their own and the publique safety that they intended if not to depose His Majesty yet by force of Armes to compell him to that which is not fit for a King to yeeld to But now by their frequent petitioning of his Majestie especially by the reasonablenesse of their late Propositions and Instructions wherein they desire a present disbanding of all Arms even before any other bills were past and were willing to have the Ports Forts and Ships c. of the Kingdome resigned up into his Majesties hands provided onely that in these times of dangers they might pro hac vice be put into the hands of such as the State might confide in The sincerity of their intentions are now so plain that I think Malignity it self cannot but be convinced of them And the intentions of the contrary councels are as plain their mask now falling off and their designe more then ever discovered to be the overthrow of Parliament Liberty Laws and Religion For at first we had Declarations to preserve all the just priviledges of Parliament but now we see men proclaimed Traytors for executing the Commands of the two Houses and the two Houses themselves if not in direct yet in equivalent termes proclaimed Traytors yea denyed to be a Parliament because his Majestie withdraws himself and after multitudes of Petitions refuses to returne and because many of their Members have deserted them and are protected by his Majestie from the Houses who have sent for them Yea they are required to recall their Votes as illegall and that such as they have fined and imprisoned may bring their Habeas Corpus to be tried in an inferiour Court Yea people provoked to scorn them and thereupon multitudes not fearing to trample upon and cast as vile scorn and contempt unjustly upon that thrice-honorable Court as ever was cast justly upon the Commissaries Courts We have heretefore been assured that the knowne Lawes of the Land should be the only rule of government but to name no other instances now we see the Commission of Array to be justified to be Law which the Parliament hath not only declared but demonstrated and the Countries where ever it hath prevailed found to be the utter destruction of all the Lawes made for the Subjects liberty Heretofore Proclamations were put out that no Papists should be entertained into his Majesties Army because the resolution was to maintaine the Protestant Religion But now we see them armed and armed with Commission and Protestant Doctors in their writings justifying it and being armed dare professe their Religion publickly set up their masse in the second City of the Kingdome cutting in pieces and burning Bibles and as multitudes of reports come from beyond the Seas and the supplies that come from thence confirme it all the Papists in Christendome contributing to this War as to the Catholicke cause Heretofore the Libertie of the Subject seemed to be stood for yea defended against the Parliament as if it were possible the representative body should enslave it self and in the meane time while these things are promised hundreds yea thousands of his Majesties Subjects plundred with His Majesties Proclamations against plundering in the hands of diverse of the plunderers And their persons led away in Ropes and Chaines like Turkish Gally-slaves and many cast into Prisons and Dungeons only for defending themselves against robbers and murderers abusing His Majesties Name where their Jaylours use them worse then the Turkes doe their Christian slaves or one that hath any thing of man in him could use a dog And vvhen all these things are now done the Parliament not only sitting but having so much strength in the Field what can vve expect when these men have prevailed vvhen at the putting on of their harnesse their usuall language is nothing but blasphemy against God not to be mentioned and against His people calling all that adhere to his and the Kingdomes Cause Parliament dogs and Parliament rogues what language will you expect to heare if once they come triumphantly to put it off If while the event is uncertaine they cut us out such kinde of Lavves Liberties and Parliament priviledges as these are if GOD for our sinnes sell us into their hands thinke if you can vvhat Lavves Liberties and Parliament-priviledges our posteritie shall finde recorded in our bloud for our selves alas who shall live when God doth this Nay who would desire to live I vvould rather vvith holy Austin make it my humble suite to that GOD vvhose are the issues of life and death that Hee vvould rather take mee from the Earth then let mee live to see His deare Church and my native Countrey delivered into the 〈◊〉 of such blasphemous and barbarous men So that in stead of repenting and withdrawing from the work I could wish that my voice were able to reach into every corner of the kingdome and that I could awaken all people to see the danger and misery that is flowing in upon them That every soul might be quickened up to make his owne and help to make Englands bleeding dying Englands peace with God and every one who hath any interest in Heaven to cry mightily unto that God in whose hand the hearts of Kings are and who rules in the Kingdomes of men that the power of our God might be great towards us in turning away these imminent calamities and turning the heart of our King towards His great and faithfull Councell and rescuing Him out of the hands of this Generation of men who delight in bllood Our God hath not yet said Pray not for this people but if the Lord say he hath no delight in us Righteous art thou O Lord and just are all thy judgements onely let us not be accessary to our own destruction and the destruction of so flourishing a Kingdome let us not through our covetousnesse or cowardize selfe-love or sloth betray our Lawes Liberties Lives Religion into the hands of men from whose hands we befoole our selves if we expect more mercy or lesse misery then the poore Christians of Constantinople found with the Turkes when thankes to their owne niggardlinesse O let it never be so with England they fell into their hands Oh let us labour to prevent their Swords thrusting into our bodies and their Swords into our Soules let our God doe with us what he vvill let us doe vvhat vve should and vvhile vve have any money in our purses any blood in our veins or any spirits in us devote all to the maintenance of this rightfull cause and if vve perish vve perish Nor doe I feare to be for this condemned by any right discerning man as an incendiary to a Civill War I knovv the miseries of a Civill War Warre is the severest of all Gods judgements and Civill Warre the cruellest of all Warres vvhere is the greatest hatred the deepest treachery the most unnaturall butcheries where the father murders the sonne the sonne the Father the brother embrues his hands in his brothers blood and vvhoever gaines all are loosers 〈…〉 Cives quae tanta licentia belli Oh the 〈◊〉 of our age and Countrey If England have such a lust to War 〈◊〉 we find no forraigne Enemies but we must Warre against our selves and at this time too Cumque superba for●t Babylon Spolianda 〈◊〉 When the proud Turrets of the whore of Babylon are to be levelled with the Earth when Germany when Ireland are to be rescued out of her bloudy pawes Can vve finde no fitter Object for the fury of the Cannon then our Townes Houses Bodies But alas The Generation vvith vvhom vve have to deal had rather a thousand times see the glory of England in the dust then the pride of Rome And though a evil War be miserable yet no such misery as the peace vvhich they vvould beteeme us a Sicilian vespers or a Parisian massacre from vvhich good Lord deliver us Save Lord let the King hear us vvhen vve call Thus Sir you have my thoughts at large you may either lay this Letter by you or communicate it for the satisfaction of others at your ovvn pleasure I blesse God I am gathering strength and hope ere long by my return to my Lord and the Army if God please not to smile upon us vvith a safe Accommodation in the mean time to give a reall proofe that my judgement is the same that formerly it hath been and I hope you believe my affection is the same still to you and therefore vvithout further trouble I subscribe my selfe Your loving friend Stephen Marshall