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A36804 A short view of the late troubles in England briefly setting forth, their rise, growth, and tragical conclusion, as also, some parallel thereof with the barons-wars in the time of King Henry III : but chiefly with that in France, called the Holy League, in the reign of Henry III and Henry IV, late kings of the realm : to which is added a perfect narrative of the Treaty at U[n]bridge in an. Dugdale, William, Sir, 1605-1686. 1681 (1681) Wing D2492; ESTC R18097 368,620 485

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falling off again as hath already been observed He became so strangely elated that nothing then to be done could give satisfaction to his ambitious and unlimited desires But here I shall also observe that notwithstanding the strong factions into which these men were then divided had begot a perfect hatred of each to other as the many printed pamphlets then spread abroad do sufficiently shew Nevertheless for the utter eradicating of the Religion by Law establish'd in the Church of England which themselves had at first 3. May 1641. solemnly protested to maintain about this time they all agree'd together in framing an Ordinance for the establishing of Presbytery containing a particular form and order of Church-government in their congregational Classical Provincial and National Assemblies In which the Lay Elders constituted at that time in all the Parishes throughout the City of London are expresly nominated with direction for the setling of all others throughout England and Wales and limitation of their powers unto the sharp and rigorous penalties whereof all conscientious and orthodox Protestants of the Church of England were to be subject but the Independent brood consisting of all sorts of Schismaticks and Sectaries under the notion of Godly-men and tender conscienced to be at liberty ¶ And now to proceed As I have already taken notice that a personal Treaty with the King was voted by the Members at Westminster I shall here observe that all things being prepared for the same it began at Newport in the Isle of Wight upon the 18th of September the chief persons permitted to attend his Majesty there being these the Duke of Richmond the Marquess of Hertford the Earl of Lindsey and Earl of Southampton Gentlemen of his Bedchamber the Bishops of London and Salisbury Dr. Sheldon Dr. Hamond Dr. Oldsworth Dr. Sanderson Dr. Turner and Dr. Heywood Chaplains Sir Thomas Gardner Sir Orlando Bridgman Sir Robert Holburne Mr. Gessrey Palmer Mr. Thomas Cooke and Mr. Iohn Vaughan Lawyers The Members at Westminster imploying these the Earls of Northumberland Salisbury Middlesex the Viscount Say the Lord Wenman Denzil Holles and William Pierpont Esquires Sir Henry Vane junior Sir Harbotle Grymston Mr. Samuel Brown Sir Iohn Potts Mr. Crew Serjeant Glyn and Mr. Bulkley These other Divines for the King being afterwards added viz. Dr. Iames Vsher Archbishop of Armagh in Ireland and Dr. Ferne And for the Parliament Mr. Stephen Marshal Mr. Richard Vines Mr. Lazarus Seaman and Mr. Ioseph Caryll But withall as it is now most evident to the world that there was never any real purpose on the part of the Grandees at Westminster that the Treaty formerly at Uxbridge should take any good effect so was there less expectation here the King being then their prisoner and all his forces come to nothing for though they then gave way to this Treaty they were at that very time contriving and framing the formality of his absolute destruction of which the symptoms were visible enough during the whole continuance of that Treaty by sundry Petitions to the Members at Westminster all declaming bitterly against it Which Petitions as 't is well known were first fram'd by the Grandees themselves and then sent amongst the people to be subscribed according to their usual practice In most whereof it was desired that all Delinquents without exception might be brought to condigne punishment one whereof concluding thus from Psalm 149. ver 6 7 8 and 9. Let the high prayses of God be in the mouths of his Saints and a twofold Sword in their Hands to execute vengeance upon the Heathen and punishment upon the people to bind their Kings with chains and their Nobles with fetters of iron to execute upon them the Iudgments written This Honour have all his Saints Besides it is farther to be observ'd that after the destruction of this Scottish-Army at Preston and the reducing of Colchester Cromwell went into Scotland where he not onely laid the plot with the Marquess of Argyle for the destruction of the King and extirpation of Monarchy but by his help in the contrivance of that unparalel'd murther agree'd in the formalities conducing thereto ¶ And now as to this Treaty in the Isle of Wight 't is sufficiently known that it was on His Majestie 's part totally and singly managed by himself against all those subtile persons above-mentioned the Houses at Westminster not permitting him to have any assistant therein either Divines or others Also that it was perform'd by him with so much judgment gravity meekness and curtesie as not onely much astonisht but made converts of some that had been his greatest Enemies and were then his Antagonists there Wherein to manifest his earnest desires for the peace of those distracted Realms he was contented to devest himself totally in effect of his own Regal power for life and to trust those insatiable men with the exercise thereof as is apparently to be seen by the particular Articles then assented to by him viz. 1. As to the Militia he consented thereto as 't was required by their Proposition 2. For Episcopacy though he could not consent to the utter abolishing thereof yet he offered that it might be regulated and reduced to the primative usage and so setled and continued in the Church And in order thereto that it might be enacted that the Bishops should not act without the Council and assistance of the Presbyters in the exercises of Ordination and Iurisdiction and therefore desired the consent of the Houses in the one that he might the more freely give his assent unto the other Offering to lessen the extent or multiply the number of the Diocesses as should be agreed upon by both Houses 3. As to Bishops lands that he could not consent to the alienation of them but offred what he had done before for satisfaction of the Purchasers and Contracters which was for the enjoyment of them for a certain time being therein seconded by the opinion of many Divines who differ in other things that the alienation of them would be no less than Sacriledge 4. That he would confirm their Ordinance for the calling and sitting of the Assembly of Divines 5. That he would confirm the form of Church-government presented to him with the Directory and repeal those Statutes which enjoyn'd the use of Common Prayer and all this for three years provided that a consultation should be had between the Assembly of Divines and twenty of His Majestie 's nomination added to them in the mean time for the farther setling of the Church at the end of those three years and that Himself and His might have the use of the Com●●prayer But for the new Articles of Religion His Majesty haveing not had time sufficient as yet for consideration of so weighty matters as concern Faith and Doctrine desired that that part of the Proposition might for the present be omitted 6. That he would confirm the Ordinance for ●words● better observation of the Lord's day provided that
having form'd sundry congregations as at Francfort Strasburg Geneva and other places they devised such new models of Discipline but all of them more or less favouring of those Tenets as upon their return after the death of that Queen not a few both of the Clergy and Laity were unhappily tainted therewith And at length through the countenance of some chief Ministers of State who then seemed to favour them for certain private respects became dangerous Enemies not only to the Doctrine and Discipline of this Church but to the very temporal Government of the Realm as by their heterodox opinions which they boldly promoted and spread under the specious Title and name of the Gospel will evidently appear of which I have here thought fit out of their own Books and Writings to give a Taste Lay men may teach to get Faith Lay men may preach to Congregations to exercise their abilities Every member of the Church hath power to examine the manner of administring the Sacrament That to have a Liturgy or form of prayer is to have another Gospel Some Protestants are of opinion that Ordinances cannot be performed but by a Prelate or at least by Ministers only without whose Imposition of Hands it were no Ordination as if it did confer such an order whereas the prime and proper conferring of this Order is by Christ himself inwardly calling and gifting a man for the work of the Ministry To the people belongeth the laying on of Hands as a token of their approbation and confirmation of him that is chosen arch-Arch-Bishops and Bishops are superfluous members of the Body of Christ. They are unlawful false and bastardly Governours of the Church they are the ordinances of the Devil yea they are petty-Popes petty-Antichrists Bishops of the Devil and incarnate Devils If the Hierarchy be not removed and the Scepter of Christ's Kingdom namely his own Discipline advanced there can be no healing of the sore If the Parliament do not abrogate the government of Bishops they shall betray God the Truth and the whole Kingdom Though the Parliament be for Bishops yet all the Godly and Religious will be against them If the Brethren cannot obtain their wills by Suit nor Dispute the multitude and people must work the feat Reformation of Religion belongs to the Commonalty Christian Sovereigns ought not to be called Heads under Christ of the particular invisible Churches within their dominion They ought not to meddle with the making of Laws Orders and Ceremonies for the Church The people may well enough be without Kings for there was none till Cain's days These therefore being their Principles that their continued Practises have been sutable thereto is not unknown to many viz. to subject all Princes and Governours to their own Rule and Authority and in ordine ad Spiritualia to determine in temporal matters Hence I shall proceed a little farther and out of their own Writings make manifest what a noise they have made that their Discipline founded on these Principles might be firmly setled The establishing the Presbytery saith T. Cartwright is the full placing of Christ in his Kingdom The Presbyterian Discipline is the Scepter of Christ swaying his own House according to his hearts desire the Soul the Cheif Commander in the Camp Royal. Huic Disciplinae omnes orbis Principes Monarchas fasces suas submittere parere necesse est There is a necessity that all Princes and Monarchs should submit their Scepters and obey this Discipline This Discipline ought to be set up and all Princes ought to submit themselves under the yoke of it Yea what Prince King or Emperor shall disanul the same he is to be reputed God's Enemy and to be held unworthy to reign above the people This Discipline is no small part of the Gospel it is the substance of it This Discipline is the Gospel of the kingdom of God They that reject this Discipline refuse to have Christ reign over them and deny him in effect to be their King or their Lord. This Discipline is the eternal Council of God If any refuse to have the Lord Jesus set up as Lord i. e. to submit to this Discipline let him be Anathema Maranatha Aut hoc aut nihil is their Ensign They who hinder Discipline bring the Estate at length to an extreamly desperate point None but Enemies to Christ are Enemies to this Government Strike neither at great nor small but at those troublers of Israel Smite that Hazael in the fifth rib Yea if Father or Mother stand in the way away with them Down with the colours of the Dragon Advance the standard of Christ. Those mine Enemies who would not that I should reign over them bring hither and slay them before me Strike the Basilic vein Nothing but this will cure the Pleurisy of our State And Gibson threatned King Iames that as Ieroboam he should be rooted out and conclude his race if he maintained Bishops Which dangerous positions being thus maintained by this sort of men occasioned Mr. Perkins an eminent Divine of those times thus to express There is in England saith he a Schismatical and indiscreet Company that would seem to cry out for Discipline Their whole talk is of it and yet they neither know it nor will be reformed by it They are full of pride thinking themselves to be full when they are empty to have all knowledg when they are ignorant and had need to be catechised The poison of aspes is under their Lips They refuse not to speak evil of the blessed servants of God And as the German Sectaries upon the Principles before mention'd did act in those parts so did the Scots upon those Documents they had received chiesly from Iohn Knox who told his Countrymen in print that the Nobility and Commonalty ought to reform Religion and in that case might remove from Honours and punish such as God hath commanded of what estate condition or honour what soever Hereupon taking an Oath of confederacy and Subscription under hands to some agreement for a Reformation much strength was added thereunto by the Sacrilegious hoping thereby to swallow up the Church-Revenues Next without the authority of Sovereignty or knowledg of it those Confederates prescribed orders for Reformation of Religion to be observed and practised throughout the whole Kingdom Then preach'd against the Queen-Regent and Parliament and wrote to the Bishops and Clergy that except they did desist from dealing against them they would with all force and power execute just vengeance and punishment upon them likewise begin the same war which God commanded Israel to execute against the Cananites And lastly arriving at the highest pitch of Rebellion they deposed their Queen By that which hath been said it is no less apparent what those Disciplinarians in Queen Elizabeth's days did also aim at had their
Eyes and Screw'd faces do they make And pag. 41. l. 3. Again how like a company of Conjurers do they mumble cut the beginning of their Prayers that the people may not bear them and when artificially they have raised their voices what a pulling do they make But that which afforded them no little advantage was that horrid Gun-powder Plot which happened in the third year of King Iames being hatch'd by those fiery-spirited men of the Romish-perswasion whom the bloudy-minded Jesuits had influenc'd for that most wicked practise For after this to terrify the people with the Church of Rome their Sermons were little less than Declamations against the Papists aiming thereby to represent them formidable and odious insinuating to the world that all the fear of danger was from those of that Religion whilst they themselves in the mean time did insensibly poyson the people with such other unfound Doctrines as became at length the fountain of this late unparallel'd Rebellion which terminated in the execrable Murther of our late gracious King and would have put a Period to this famous and long flourishing Monarchy had not almighty God of his great mercy miraculously prevented it But how far the Principles of these Holy Reformers do differ from the most rigid of the Romish profession against whom they have so long and loudly clamoured these ensuing observations will briefly manifest The Jesuits Tenets In Regnis Hominum potestas Regis est a populo quia populus facit Regem In the Kingdoms of men the power of the King is from the People Potestas immediate est tanquam in subjecto in tota multitudine si causa legitima adsit potest multitudo mutare Regnum in Aristocratiam Democratiam The power is immediately as in the subject in the multitude and if there be lawful cause the multitude may change the Kingdom into an Aristocracy or Democracy De side certum est quemcunque Principem Christianum si a Religione Catholica de flexerit alios avocare voluerit excidere statim omni potestate dignitate idque ante prolatam Papae sententiam posseque debere subditos si vires habeant istiusmodi Haereticum Hominum Christianorum dominatu ejicere It is certainly a matter of Faith that whatsoever Christian Prince shall depart from the Catholic Religion and shall withdraw others doth immediately fall from all power and dignity even before the Popes sentence given and that the Subjects may and should if they have strength cast forth such an Heretick from the dominion of Christian men Talis consensu omnium potest imo debet privari suo dominio Si hoc priscis temporibus minus factum sit causa est quia deerant vires Such a King by the consent of all may yea ought to be deprived of his dominion If this in old time was not done the cause was for that they had not strength Non dissimulandum esse c. This is not to be dissembled that it is the most expedient and safe way if a public meeting may be granted to deliberate what shall be done by common consent First of all the Prince is to be admonished and to be brought to his wits again c. If he reject the Medicine and no hope of his recovery be lest when the Sentence is passed upon him the Common-wealth may first refuse his command And because of necessity there will be a stirring up for war they may unfold their Councils for defence thereof and shew that it is expedient to have weapons and to command the people to advance moneys for the charge of the Wars And if the matter will suffer and the Common-wealth cannot otherwise defend it self with the same right of defence but with a better authority and peculiar of their own Principem publice Hostem declaratum ferro perimere They may kill the Prince he being publickly declared an Enemy The Presbyterian Tenets Populo jus est ut Imperium cui velit deferat The people may confer the Government on whom they please Without the Prince the people may reform and must not tarry for the Magistrate Not Kings and Magistrates only ought to punish crimes against God but the whole body of the people and every member of the same to his ability must revenge the injury done to God If Princes be Tyrants against God and his Truth their Subjects are free from their Oath of Obedience Subjects do promise obedience that the Magistrate might help them which if he do not they are discharged of obedience Evil Princes ought to be deposed and inferior Magistrates ought chiefly to do it Subjects must withstand wicked Princes they must take up Arms against them God hath appointed the Nobility to bridle the inordinate appetite of Princes and in so doing they cannot be accused as Resisters of Authority Judges ought to summon Princes before them for their crimes and proceed against them as against all other offenders When Magistrates cease to do their duties God giveth the Sword into the peoples hands Let every Soul be subject to Superiors Paul says he wrote this in the Infancy of the Church There were but few Christians then not many of them rich or of ability so as they were not ripe for such a purpose As if a man should write to such Christians as are under the Turk in substance poor in courage feeble in strength unarm'd in number few and generally subject to all kinds of injuries would not he write as Paul did So as the Apostle did respect the men he wrote unto and his words ought not to be extended to the body or people of a Common-wealth or whole City If Paul were alive and did see wicked Kings reigning in Christian Common-wealths Paul would say that he accounted no such for Magistrates he would forbid all men for speaking to them and from keeping them company He would leave them to their Subjects to be punished neither would he blame them if they accounted no such longer for their Kings They may kill wicked Princes as Monsters and cruel beasts And if neither the Magistrate nor the people do their office in deposing or killing them then the Minister must excommunicate such a King Any Minister may do it against the greatest Prince A private man having some special inward notion may kill a Tyrant In other things also were it not for brevity the like parallel might be made in what those of the Romish Perswasion and the Presbyterians do hold as that the Office of Priests and Bishops is one and the same as is judiciously observed by the learned Author of the History of the Reformation of the Church of England printed at London 1679 pag. 366 whereunto I refer my Reader CHAP. III. And having thus demonstrated that the Principles by which this sort of men be unhappily guided are most dangerous and destructive to
the Bishop of Galoway and the Lord chief Justice of that Kingdom were assaulted by the multitude and the Lords beset in the Council-house the people in their clamorous noises crying God defend all those who will defend God's cause and God confound the Service-book and all the maintainers thereof And so great were their outrages that they pull'd down the Lord Treasurer took his Hat Cloak and White-Staff from him and set upon the Provost as he was entring his own House These with the like were the beginnings to their intended glorious work of Reformation as they call'd it which they 〈◊〉 God even to a miracle had so graciously prospered in their Hands In which last Tumults none were more forward than two of those who were lately Bayliffs of Edenborough and had subscribed the before-mention'd Letters to the Arch-bishop of Canterbury Subsequent to which Tumults two Petitions were presented to the Lord Chancellour and Council against the Service-book the first in the name of all the Men Women Children and Servants of Edenborough the second by the Noblemen Gentlemen Ministers and Burgesses suggestions being made to the people of the King's inclination to Popery Of which stirs in Scotland the King having advertisement he sent over the Earl of Roxborough Lord Privy-Seal into that Kingdom Whereupon a Proclamation was set forth there by his Majesties appointment for dispersing of the dangerous multitudes got together at Sterlyn But against this Proclamation the Earl of Hume and Lord Lindsey with many others of all ranks made a Protestation which Protestation they published at Lithgow and afterwards at Edenborough forcing the Heraulds that proclaim'd the same to stay and hear the Protestation against it So that 't is observable that the first Tumult was by the name of Rascals and Scum of the people The second by the best sort of Citizens and the third by the Nobility Gentry and Magistrates After which Protestation they erected public Tables of Advice and Council for ordering the affairs of that Kingdom in contempt of his Majesties authority entring into a formal Combination which they call'd a Covenant against all that should oppose them Which Covenant Mr. Andrew Cant in his Sermon at Galsgow told the people he was sent to them with by a Commission from Christ to bid them Subscribe it being Christ's contract and that he himself came as a wooer to them for the Bridegroom and call'd upon them to come to be hand-fasted by subscribing that contract Adding that he would not depart the Town till he got all the names of those who should refuse to subscribe that Contract of whom he promised to complain to his Master The King therefore hearing of the increase of those troubles sent over the Marquess of Hamilton with Commission for composure of them Who on the sixth of Iune following arrived at Dalkeith where the Lords of his Majesties Council of that Kingdom were then assembled for safety as 't was pretended in regard of the combustions at Edenborough which daily increased But the cheif of the Covenanters grew daily more violent in their courses increased the meetings of their Tables subdivided them into several Committees augmented their Provisions of Armes and infusing fears and jealousies into the people by seditious Sermons caused Edenborough-Castle to be girt with strong Guards hindred all persons to go to the Marquess to treat or speak with him in the business for which he was sent giving out that there was a Plot to blow them up with Gunpowder if they should go to Dalkeith and received in two Ships-lading with Armes and Amunition at that time Whereupon at the request of the Citizens of Edenborough the Marquess took his journey from Dalkeith to Haly-Rood-House But before he got thither the Covenanters meeting him on the way with multitudes that made great Exclamations against Popery and Bishops required a General Assembly of the Church and then a Parliament justifying their Covenant as being more available and usefull to them as they said than all the Laws and Acts of Parliament which had been enacted in that Kingdom since the time of Fergus the first King thereof The Peoples fury also growing more hot than ever new Guards were clap'd upon the Castle of Edenborough the Pulpits rung of Libellous Sermons and Prayers yea so insolent they were that they sent a Prohibition against reading the English-Service in the King 's peculiar Chappel where the Marquess his Majesties Commissioner and the Council were to be Which Tumults as 't was said occasioning the Marquess to go back to Dalkeith the Covenanters sent Letters to every one of his Majesties Council requiring their Subscription to the Covenant And understanding that the Marquess did resolve to publish a Declaration of his Majesties forwardness to maintain the Religion professed in that Kingdom and his aversness to Popery disswaded him as he tendred the King's honour his own safety and peace of the Publick from doing it But not withstanding these arguments the Marquess did cause his Majesties Proclamation to be publish'd by Heraulds at the Market-Cross in Edenborough declaring his resolution to maintain the true Protestant-Christian-Religion And for farther clearing of scruples assured them that he would neither then nor thenceforth press the practise of the Canons and Service-Book otherwise than in such a fair and legal way as should satisfy his loving Subjects that he neither intended Innovation in Religion or Laws warning all his good people to beware of disobedience But all this no whit sufficed them for in open affront thereto they caused multitudes of people to fill the streets especially near the Cross in an hostile equipage with Pistols and Swords out of their Belts giving out that if this Proclamation were hearkned unto it would bring undoubted ruine to their Religion Laws and Liberties and upon a Scaffold erected for that purpose they mounted with a Rebellious Protestation in defence of their Covenant which they published openly concluding that if his Majesty would not allow their proceedings they themselves would call a General Assembly justifying all their doings to be most necessary and an orderly means agreeable to the Laws and practise of that Church and Kingdom Whereupon the Marquess returning into England to acquaint the King with what had passed resolving to be back again before the Fifth of August with new instructions they in his absence inform'd the People that he was well satisfied with their Covenant Against which calumny upon his return he publish'd a Manifesto in Print And having direction from his Majesty to indict an Assembly sent to divers of the principal Covenanters concerning some Propositions to be resolv'd upon before the meeting thereof But this Message was receiv'd with so much choler and contempt that they blazed it abroad for a proposition tending to the utter ruine of the Laws and Liberties of that Church and Kingdom Which much startling the Marquess he told them of his resolution to go
back into England and that he could not concur with them but that he had power to grant them a new Assembly which he could not conceive to be free if they should bring in every man to have a voice whom they had a mind to And accordingly went again into England Where having acquainted the King with what had hapned he returned Howbeit before he came back the Covenanters contrary to promise had elected Commissioners for the Assembly Upon which his Return he delivered to his Majesties Council at Haly-Rood-House Letters concerning the Confession of faith of the date at Edenborough Ian. 28. 1580 and signed by King Iames. But the Covenanters hereupon gave out to the people that the News brought by the Marquess did tend to the utter subversion of their Religion and Liberties also that there was a new Covenant to be set on foot by the King to destroy theirs and that if now they resisted not all was lost that they had already done Nevertheless the Marquess caused his Majesties Declaration and Confession of Faith ut supra to be publish'd at the Market-Cross in Edenborough and at the same time not only a Proclamation for indicting a General Assembly at Glasgow the one and twentieth of November ensuing but an Act of the Lords of the Council requiring all his Majesties Subjects to subscribe the said Confession of Faith and Band annexed Which Declaration contain'd a grant for redress of all the particular Grievances desired in their Supplications Remonstrances Protestations Declarations c. and besides all this their own Confession of Faith the ground as they pretended of their Covenant renewed and established But the principal Covenanters having possess'd the People with a prejudicate opinion of this gratious Declaration before they heard it as destructive to the Laws and Liberties of that Church and Kingdom erected a large Scaffold near the Cross where the same was to be published at which divers Earls Lords Gentlemen and others with their Swords in their Hands and Hats on their Heads stood jeering and laughing during the time of the same Declaration and it being ended with Insolent and Rebellious behaviour assisted one Archibald Iohnston in the publishing a most wicked and treasonable Protestation wherein they invoked God's holy name as a witness to many notorious falshoods attributing Infallibility to their Rebellious Covenant affirming that it was approved from Heaven with rare and undeniable instances And the next Sunday after all the Pulpits rang with bitter invectives and Declamations against his Majesties Declaration branding it with the depth and policy of Satan Nevertheless this Declaration and Confession of Faith so sent by his Majesty was very well received in all places except such whereunto the Covenanters from their Tables had prepared their Emissaries to disswade the acknowledgment of it witness the Letter sent to the Marquess dated 24 Sept. from the Provost Bayliffs and Council of Glasgow and the Ministers there And the Assembly at Glasgow being thus indicted they cunningly contrived that the Commissioners should be elected of the most rigidand fanatic spirits that were the Principal Covenanters perswading the People that the King intended no performance of what he promised in his last Proclamation no not the Assembly it self but to gain time until he were ready for their ruine sending likewise for all their party to flock to Edenborough as if then there had been greater danger than ever increasing also their Guards about the Castle their Preachers publishing in the Pulpits that whosoever subscribed his Majesties Confession and Covenant were perjur'd Villains Moreover they caused a most false odious and scandalous Libel to be drawn up against the Archbishops and Bishops and exhibiting it to the Presbytery of Edenborough procured it to be publicly read in the Pulpits Whereupon the Archbishops and Bishops were cited by the Presbytery of Edenborough to appear before the General Assembly to be holden at Glasgow 21 Nov. following And the more to infatuate the giddy-headed multitude they set up such another Impostor as the Holy Maid* of Kent in King Henry the Eighth's time was viz. one Michelson's daughter said to have been long distracted by Fits and then pretended to be inspired with Divination who was cryed up for raving against the Bishops in her mad Fits Rollock one of their fiercest Presbyters giving out that God spake through her her expressions being that it was revealed unto her from God that their Covenant was approved from Heaven And soon after this they indicted an Assembly by their own authority upon the one and twentieth of November following But upon knowledg that the Lord Marquess his Majesties Commissioner was resolv'd to hold the Assembly at the time and place appointed by the King's Proclamation they altered their purpose and sent out Papers for a General meeting at Edenborough upon the twelfth of November and to stay there till they were to go to Glasgow on Saturday the seventeenth of that month Which meeting according to the King's Proclamation being very great after his Majesties Commission read the Marquess exhorted them to a peaceable and moderate carriage giving some touch of the disorders that had passed Whereunto answer being made by a Nobleman a Lay Elder that they had given his Grace satisfaction for all their proceedings they went on to the choice of a Moderator without the approbation and consent of his Majesties Commissioner appointing for that purpose Mr. Alexander Henderson the most rigid Covenanter Against whom when the Marquess protested such was their heady and exorbitant carriage that by the hands of Doctor Hamilton they presented to the Marquess a a Declinator and Protestation against his proceedings in the name of the Bishops Nay so formidable they soon after grew as that the University of Aberdene having been threatned with the loss of their lives for writing against the Covenant durst not send any of their Professors to that Assembly And on the eight and twentieth of October a calumnious Libel against the Bishops was read in all the Churches of Edenborough one Gibson in the Assembly thundring out a verbal Protestation that they would pursue their Libel against the Bishops so long as they had lives and fortunes Which Assembly was form'd of Ministers Commissioners to it chosen by Lay Elders the Lay Elders themselves being likewise present in it 〈◊〉 course so much distasted by several parts of the Kin●●●● that they thereupon made Protestations against 〈◊〉 proceedings divers of which were read at the instance of his Majesties Commissioner but the Lord Lowdon hindred the reading of that from Glasgow And as their Elections were wholy undue so were their Actions in the Assembly all being carried by faction and clancular contrivances as appeared by their own Private Papers of Instructions some whereof were discovered by the Marquess neither was any freedom of debate therein but what tended to the advancement of their evil
designs The Marquess therefore shewing a dislike to those their sinister dealings departed from the Assembly at Glasgow Whereupon the Covenanters protested against all that he had said and done there as his Majesties Commissioner And at the same instant the Lord Areskyn and three other mean persons came and beg'd to be admitted into their blessed Covenant Which offer though of purpose contrived was made so good use of by the Moderator that he desired it might be admired as God's approbation and Sealing of their proceedings And it being put to the question whether they should adhere to their Protestation and continue the Assembly notwithstanding the King's Commissioners departure it was voted by most affirmatively Secondly whether the Assembly though dissolv'd by his Majesties Commissioner was competent judge against the Bishops and whether they would go on in their Tryal it passed also affirmatively nemine contradicente And now no sooner was the Marquess thus departed having caused his Majesties Proclamation to be publish'd by Heraulds at the Market-Cross in Glasgow for dissolving the Assembly but that Mr. Archibald Iohnston the then Clerk to the Assembly made a scandalous Protestation against it After which all things were transacted by some few pack'd Committees of the most fierce Covenanters which sate till the thirtieth of December following Which Committees amongst other of their Acts declared six general Assemblies to be Null and void whereof two were then in force by several Acts of Parliament and divers Acts of the other four confirm'd by Parliament They condemned likewise all the Arminian Tenets as they call'd them without defining what those Tenets were They also deprived all the arch-Arch-Bishops and Bishops of that Realm excommunicating many of them without examining any one witness to prove no nor offering to produce any to testify ought against them And next declared Episcopal Government to be inconsistent with the Laws of that Church and Kingdom abolishing it for ever though it then stood confirm'd by many Acts both of Parliament and Assemblies They also depriv'd divers Ministers for Arminianisme without ever questioning them for what Tenets or opinions they held Moreover towards the end of their Assembly they divided themselves into several Committees which after their rising should see all their Acts put in execution And at the conclusion of all the Moderator gave God thanks for their good success congratulating the Nobility for their great pains giving thanks also to the Earl of Argyle for his Presence and Council Which Earl in a long Speech then excused his late declaring himself yet protesting that he was always set that way though he delay'd to profess it so long as he found his close carriage might advantage their Cause but now he must openly adjoyn himself to their Society or prove a Knave as he said Hereupon the Marquess his Majesties Commissioner resolving to ask the King's leave to return for England came first to Edenborough where he found strong Guards put upon the Castle and the people much abused by false Reports viz. that his Majesty had made good nothing at all which was contained in his Declaration at Edenborough upon the two and twentieth of September last whereupon he caused a Proclamation to be published in his Majesties name at the Market-cross there containing the sum of his whole proceedings at Glasgow Which being encountered with a blustering and undutiful Protestation in the name of the general Assembly of the Kirk of Scotland and published at the same time and place he return'd into England Then the Faction proceeded to levy Soldiers impose Taxes and requiring obedience to their Acts menac'd the Refusers raised divers Fortifications in that Kingdom block'd up his Majesties Castles and Forts and took the Castle of Edenborough procuring their Preachers seditiously to teach the People that there was a Necessity of bearing Arms against his Majesty under pain of Perjury and Damnation and caused such an infamous Ballad to be sung up and down against the Bishops as that in hatred of them the people called a Dog with black and white spots a Bishop as he went in the Streets Moreover they procured divers Libels to be scattered in England for justification of their rebellious courses and defamation of Ecclesiastical Government inciting his Majesties Subjects in this Realm to attemt the like Rebellion here refusing to admit such to the Communion who had not subscribed their Covenant and preaching that the Non-subscribers were Atheists Nay one of them in his Sermon exhorted the people never to give over till they had the King in their power and then he should see what good Subjects they were Others preach'd that the Service-Book was fram'd at fome These and many other groundless scandals and falshoods to amuse the People they published in their Pulpits which they call'd the Chairs of truth And to hasten on the Peoples Insurrection endeavoured to perswade them that his Majesty intended an Invasion of that Kingdom and to make it a Province as also to despoil them of their Laws and Liberties and to give them new Laws as if they were a conquer'd Nation And having thus prepared the People and fitted themselves with all Provisions for war they put themselves in Armes and march'd to the Frontiers of England pretending they came as Petitioners The King therefore discerning the danger raised a gallant Army whereof he made Thomas Earl of Arundel his General and on the seven and twentieth of March set forwards towards Scotland having with him the flower of his English-Nobility and Gentry whose cheerfulness then to serve him was very great Yet was the Earl of Essex at that time his Lieutenant-General and the Earl of Holland General of the Horse so much was his Majesty then mistaken in their affections to him who did afterwards sufficiently discover themselves And advancing with his Army encamp'd four miles West from Barwick What correspondence was then held betwixt the Scots and divers of the great ones then in his Majesties Camp considering also who were of his Bed-chamber may easily be guest by the consequences Certain it is that divers of them grew cool in the business so that after the Scots had by a formal Petition expressed that they falling down at his Majesties feet did most humbly supplicate him to appoint some of the Kingdom of England to hear by some of them their humble desires his Majesty assented thereunto and after several meetings thereupon and their demands presented in writing professed that it was their greif that his Majesty had been provoked to wrath against them his most humble and loving Subjects and that it should be their delight upon his gracious assurance of the preservation of their Religion and Laws to give example to all others of all civil and temporal obedience which could be required of loyal Subjects To which his Majesty answered that if their desires were only the enjoying of their Religion and Liberties according to
of that Diocess of Coventry and Litchfield In order whereunto when he had march'd within half a mile of Litchfield he drew up his Army and there devoutly pray'd a blessing upon his intended work withall earnestly desiring that God would by some special Token manifest unto them his approbation of that their design which being done he went on and planted his great Guns against the South-East Gate of the Close himself standing in a Window of a little House near thereto to direct the Gunners in their purposed Battery but it so hapned that there being two persons placed in the Battlements of the chiefest Steeple to make shot with long fouling Guns at the Cannoniers upon a sudden accident which occasioned the Souldiers to give a shout this Lord coming to the door compleatly harnessed with Plate-Armour cap a pe was suddenly shot into one of his Eyes but the strength of the Bullet so much abated by the glance thereof on a piece of timber which supported a Pentiss over the Door that it only lodg'd in his Brains Whereupon he suddenly fell down dead Nor is it less notable that this accident fell out upon the second day of March which is the Festival of that sometime famous Bishop St. Chad to whose memory Offa King of the Mercians first erected this stately Church and devoutly dedicated it The next thing whereof I shall take notice is that on the nineteenth day of the same month of March was that feirce Skirmish at Hopton-Heath in the same County of Stafford where the right loyal and valiant Spenser Earl of Northampton encountring Sir William Brereton and Sir Iohn Gell though he had the better of the day being unhappily fallen from his Horse amongst Coney-Burrows was barbarously murthered CHAP. XV. AS to this year's Actions considering that money is the Sinews of war the first thing of note in order to the gaining thereof which the Members at Westminster did was the sequestring of Delinquents i. e. the Royalists estates And finding the poor Country-people very weary of the war and apt to run away having also had so much experience of the Cities forwardness in all things tending to their service to the intent that upon any sudden occasion they might draw out considerable numbers thence they passed an Ordinance that the Committee for the Militia of London and the Suburbs should raise new Regiments of Voluntiers for the better security thereof So likewise for the better support of two other of their Generals viz. Sir William Waller and Sir Arthur Haselrig they passed an Ordinance for engaging the Public Faith to such as should lend either Horse Men or Money unto them in that service But by this time the private Discontents and repinings which these large Exactions caused beginning to make the great Masters in this Tragic Scene to doubt a revolt in the people considering how frequently the King by sundry gracious Proclamations of pardon and all other good means had woed them To carry on the work therefore the more smoothly they were constrained after the example of their Brethren the Scots to make an Engagement by a solemn Oath for continuing their assistance therein And in this as the Citizens of London who in all other occasions had been their principal Instruments did readily tender their service by Sir Henry Mildmay who reported to the House that they would lend the fourty thousand pounds demanded for now they were borrowing again provided that the Holy League and Covenant before spoken of might be made and imposed upon the whole Kingdom And rather than their Blessed Cause as they call'd it should suffer it was moved by the Sub-Committee at Sadler's Hall in Breadstreet that all persons who were willing to promote their own Safety should spare one meal weekly towards the provision of Horse and Arms for the new rais'd Auxiliaries about London Also because they found some slackness in the people to bring in money upon the Propositions they appointed Committees in the several Counties to tax such for their fifth and twentieth part as had not contributed or lent accordingly and passed another Ordinance for taking Horses for the service of the Parliament It is not unworthy of note that this thrifty contrivance for sparing one meal a week was the usher to that then formidable Imposition called Excise never before heard of by many thousands in this Kingdom which the trivers at Westminster durst not shew the people till they were sufficiently tamed under the yoke of other Exactions knowing full well how displeasing it would be to them Nay so fearful were they themselves after they had form'd their first Army lest the people should apprehend any suspicion thereof which might then have endangered a Revolt that when it was but whispered by some what they foresaw would happen they made an Order in their House of Commons for punishing such Malignant persons as had cast aspersions upon that House that they intended to assess any man's Pewter and lay Excise upon that and other Commodities But now that they saw the people by degrees so patiently submit to many other burdens they began to debate in their House of Commons how fit and necessary it would be for them to impose Excise upon Wine Beer Tobacco and such petty Commodities Whereupon Mr. Pym by his Letter to Sir Iohn Hotham signifyed that they had proceeded in the Excise to many particulars and intended to go on farther but that it would be necessary to use the people to it by little and little And because this Ordinance before-mention'd for taking Horses for the service of the Parliament should not pinch upon their friends they passed another by which they appointed certain persons to levy such Horses for the service of the Parliament but with special direction that the Horses taken from the well affected should be valued and repaiment secured upon the Public faith Having thus laid such a sure foundation for the support of more Forces they then sent out a Declaration to their Lord Lieutenants and Deputy-Lieutenants of Kent Canterbury and the Cinqueports that they should associate and raise an Army of a thousand Foot-Voluntiers and one or more Troops of Horse and to appoint a Major General and give Battel to any Forces not raised by authority of both Houses But the Oath formerly mentioned by Sir Henry Mildmay being by this time framed was now thought fit to be set on foot as of high concernment to oblige all those that were well affected and for the better discovery of other well-wishers to the Cause a work therefore of this high consequence being not fit to be brought into the world naked they had a Committee who made report of a treacherous Conspiracy discovered upon the last day of May being the Fast-day viz. of a pretended design to destroy the Parliament and well affected party of the Kingdom to subject Religion
go out of the line of Communication yet now that they were rais'd they meaning the Parliament might dispose of them whether they pleased without asking their consents And whereas the first Ordinance for Excise was but only for maintenance of the Army and paiment of Debts due by the Common-wealth they passed another wherein was a consideration added for securing of Trade which occasioned the enlargement thereof upon such Commodities as had not been formerly tax'd besides an alteration of the rates Which Commodities were Strong-waters Medicinal-Drugs Haberdashers-ware Vpholsters ware Salt Sallets Sope all sorts of Woollen-cloth Paper Skins and Glasses Having also thus taught the new Auxiliaries the force of an Ordinance of Parliament they passed another for the pressing of five thousand men in the Cities of London and Westminster with the Counties adjacent to go under the command of Sir William Waller And to hasten on the march of their Brethren the Scots to their aid and assistance the Members of the House of Commons with great formality and no less seeming devotion entred into that unhappy Combination called the solemn League and Covenant so fram'd in Scotland in St. Margarets-Church at Westminster Which under the specious veil of Reformation was that fatal Engine whereby not only the Hierarchy in the Church was by them soon after destroyed and the patrimony thereof with the Lands and Revenues of the Crown swallow'd up by those pretenders to Godliness but the sacred Person of the King most inhumanly murthered and this ancient and long flourishing Monarchy so far as 't was in their power wholly subverted and destroy'd as to the whole world is most notorious In the Preamble whereunto they had the confidence to say that this their League and Covenant was according to the commendable practise of these Kingdoms and the Example of God's people in other Nations Whereas there is not only no mention of any such things by our Historiographers nor in the History of any other Realm that I have ever seen excepting that of the Holy League in France whereof I shall take farther notice ere I finish this work but Mr. Philip Nye one of their mighty Champions for the Cause and an especial assertor of this Covenant hath expresly affirmed in print that it is such an Oath as for matter persons and other circumstances the like hath not been in any age or Oath we read of in sacred or humane stories And it is also observable that whereas in the Preamble they farther affirm that they did it to preserve themselves and their Religion which must needs be intended the known Religion publickly profess'd and by Law establish'd in the Church of England from ruine and destruction they immediatly vow to reform Religion here in England according to the pattern of the Kirk of Scotland and to extirpate Episcopacy and all Ecclesiastical Offices depending thereon Notwithstanding they knew full well First that the King was by his Coronation Oath sworn to maintain and defend the Bishops and the Churches under their charge Secondly that all the Clergy of England had testified their approbation of Episcopal Government by personal Subscriptions thereto and thirdly that by a solemn Protestation made and framed by themselves in that very Parliament and recommended by them to be taken by all the people of England they had oblig'd themselves neither for hope nor fear or other respect to relinquish the true Protestant Religion express'd in the Doctrine of the Church of England But all this Pageantry in their thus taking of that solemn League and Covenant could not allay the loud clamours of the people occasion'd by the great pressures and daily exactions under which they miserably groaned the Members therefore were constrain'd to betake themselves to another way for the easing them at least in shew and this was by an Ordinance for selling the King's Queen's and Princes revenues and the arrearages thereof as also to another for felling and cutting down Woods within sixty miles of London in all Forests Chases and Parks belonging to the King or Queen or any Arch-bishop Bishop Dean and Chapter c. Papist Delinquent Malignant c. to be disposed of for supply of the City of London Which seeming favour was for no other purpose than that they might afterwards bring the greater load upon them as they did ere long For within few days upon a jugling Report made to the House of a Pope's Bull translated into English with a Declaration upon it which was pretended to be newly sent into England for the more effectual prosecuting of the Catholic war here a Committee of the House of Commons and of the Assembly of Divines came to a Common-Hall in London to consult with the Citizens for the speedy raising of an hundred thousand pounds for the advance of the Scottish Army to be lent for that service and repay'd when moneys were procured from forreign parts upon the public faith of both Kingdoms And to obtain more men as well as money there issued out another Order that the Committee for the Militia or London should have power to appoint six Regiments of their Trained-Bands and one of their Auxiliaries as also one Regiment of Horse and Dragoons to march out with their Commanders and joyn with the Earl of Essex's Forces Likewise an Ordinance for the pressing of five thousand Souldiers more to be sent to the Islands of Ieresey and Garnsey under the command of the Earl of Warwick those Trained-Bands being appointed to meet in St. Iames Fields and from thence to march unto such place as the Earl of Essex or his Officers should appoint and in default thereof their Shops to be shut up themselves depriv'd of Trade and liable to expulsion out of the lines of Communication And about the same time they passed another Ordinance for assessing the Twenty fifth part upon all Members of Parliament who then were either in the King's Army or otherwise absent their estates to be let in case of not paiment And having lately sped so well upon credit of the public faith they adventured again upon the same security recommending to the Counties of Norfolk Suffolk Essex and Lincoln with the City of Norwich the aid of the Lord Fairfax in Men Money Plate Horse and Amunition passing an Ordinance for repaiment of what should be lent for the speedy bringing in of the Scots to their assistance and securing it in the mean time by the before-mention'd public faith But the reputation of the public faith was now grown so low that moneys came not in either quick enough or in such large sums as were expected it being left arbitrary to the Creditors what they would lend another Ordinance therefore was passed for raising the full sum of sixty six thousand six hundred sixty six pounds thirteen shillings four pence within the Cities of London and Westminster with the Counties of Hertford Bedferd Middlesex Essex Suffolk
was it will not be amiss to consider that Letter written by the Commissioners of Scotland unto the two Houses at Westminster dated the sixth of November then past in reference to the King together with that Answer of the Commissioners of the general Assembly of the Kirk unto certain Proposals made to them anno 1646. touching the King's coming into that Realm upon his exclusion from the Government in England in case of his leaving them without taking the Covenant he being then at Newcastle in custody of the dear Brethren of that Realm Being thus got away from Hampton Court he arrived in the Isle of Wiht upon the thirteenth of November whence incessantly desiring a safe and well-grounded Peace to these Kingdoms he soon sent another Message to the Members at Westminster wherein to shorten that Work he expressed his mind to this effect viz. That conceiving himself to be at much more freedom and security than formerly he thought it necessary to offer such Grounds to the two Houses for that purpose which upon due examination of all Interests might best conduce thereto And therefore as to the abolishing of arch-Arch-Bishops Bishops c. he could not consent to it as he was a Christian and a King first being satisfied in his Iudgment that this Order was placed in the Church by the Apostles themselves and that ever since that time it had continued in all Christian Churches throughout the World till this last Century of years And in this Church in all times of Change and Reformation it had been upheld by the wisedom of his Ancestors as the great Preserver of Doctrine Discipline and Order in the Service of God Next as a King at his Coronation that he had not onely taken a solemn Oath but that himself and his predecessors in their confirmation of the great Charter had inseperably woven the Right of the Church into the Liberties of the rest of the Subjects Nevertheless was willing that it should be provided that the particular Bishops might perform the several Duties of their Callings both by their personal Residence and frequent Preaching in their Diocese as also that they should exercise no Act of Iurisdiction or Ordination without the consent of the Presbyters and to limit their powers that they might not be grievous to tender Consciences Moreover that he could not consent to the Alienation of the Church-lands it being a Sin of the highest Sacrilege conceiving it also to be a prejudice to the publick good many of his Subjects having the benefit of renewing Leases at much easier rates than if those Possessions were in the hands of private men besides the discouragement that it would be to all Learning and Industry when such eminent Rewards shall be taken away yet considering the great distemper concerning Church-Discipline and that the Presbyterean-Government was then in practice to eschew confusion as much as might be and for satisfaction of the two Houses of Parliament was content that the said Government should be legally permitted to stand in the same condition it then was for three years Provided that himself and those of his Iudgement or any other who could not in Conscience submit thereto might not be obliged to comply therewith but have free practice of their own profession And that a free Consultation and Debate might be had with their Divines at Westminster twenty of his Majestie 's nomination being added to them whereby it might be determined by his said Majesty and the two Houses how the Church-Government after that time should be setled or sooner if differences might be agreed as should be most agreeable to the Word of God with full Liberty to all those who should differ upon consciencious grounds from that settlement Provided that it might not be understood to tolerate those of the Popish-profession nor to exempt those from the penalty of the Laws or tolerate Atheism or Blasphemy 2. As to the Militia though it was undoubtedly the inherent right of the Crown yet to evidence his desire to secure the performance of such Agreement as should be made in order to a Peace his Majesty was content that during his whole reign it should be disposed of by his two Houses of Parliament 3. As to the Arrears of the Army that he should concur in any thing that might be done without violation of his Conscience and Honour 4. As to the Disposal of the great Offices of State and Naming of Privy-Councillers he offered the disposing of them for the whole time of his reign by the two Houses of Parliament 5. For the Court of Wards and Liveries that it should be taken away so as a full recompence might be setled on his Majesty his Heirs and Successors in perpetuity 6. That he would consent to the making of all Oaths Declarations and Proclamations against both or either House of Parliament null and void So likewise of all Indictments and other proceedings against any person for adhering unto them And that he would pass a general Act of Oblivion 7. That for Ireland he would give satisfaction to them 8. That as to such Acts and Grants passed under his great Seal since the 22th of May 1642. and confirming such as had been passed under that made by the two Houses he would give satisfaction in what might reasonably be desired 9. That for confirmation of all these and whatsoever else might be proposed by the two Houses and also of what he should propose on his own part he did earnestly desire a personal Treaty at London with Honour Freedom and Safety 10. And that the Proposals of the Army concerning the Succession of Parliaments and their due Elections should be taken into consideration 11. So likewise that as to what concern'd the Kingdom of Scotland he would apply himself to give all reasonable satisfaction After the sending of this Message by his Majesty the next thing observable that hapned was a Petition through the influence of the Presbytereans presented to the two Houses at Westminster by the Common-Council of the City of London acknowledging the Parliament for by that Title they then call'd those Members sitting at Westminster to be the Supream Power in this Kingdom and inter alia praying that the Covenant might be duly observed No wonder then that his Majestie 's gracious Message of November the xvjth was so little regarded as that he had no Answer at all thereto upon the sixth of December following he therefore put them in mind of it still pressing for a personal Treaty Whereunto insted of an Answer they sent him four Bills to be assented unto by him as preparatory to a Treaty These were those four Dethroning Bills which if passed into Acts as they required might have saved the labour of a Treaty Unto which for Answer his Majesty made these most prudent and rational Observations 1. That the Commissioners of Scotiand had openly protested against them 2. To allow of that great Seal made by them without his
in the Margin whereof he had with his own hand Written many Annotations To the Duke of York his large Ring-Sun-Dial of Silver which His Majesty much valued it having been invented and made by Mounsieur De la mine an able Mathematician and who in a little Printed Book hath shewed its excellent use for resolving many Questions in Arithmetick and other rare operations in the Mathematicks to be wrought by it To the Princess Elizabeth his Daughter the Sermons of the most Learned Dr. Andrews sometimes Bishop of Winchester and Arch-bishop Laud's Book against Fisher the Jesuit which he said would ground her against Popery with Mr. Hooker's Ecclesiastical Policy As also a Paper to be Printed in which he asserted Regal Government to have a Divine Right with Proofs out of sundry Authors Civil and Sacred To his Son the Duke of ●aucester King Iames his works and Dr. Hamond's Practical Catechism To the Earl of Lindsey Cassandra To the Dutchess of Richmund his Gold Watch And to Mr. Herbert himselfe the Silver Clock which usually hung by his Bed-side Hereunto it will not seem impertinent I presume to add a Catalogue of the other Books which His Majesty had with him in this His disconsolate condition they being these Dr. Hamond's other Works Villalpandus upon Ezekiel c. Sands his Paraphrase upon King David's Psalmes Herbert's Divine Poems Godfrey of Bulloign Written in Italian by Torquato Tasso and Translated into English Heroick Verse by Mr. Fairfax a Poem which His Majesty much commended as he did Ariosto by Sir Iohn Harrington a Facetious Poet Spenser's Fairy Queen and the like for alleviating his Spirits after serious Studies Nor can I here omit to tell that this excellent Prince with his own hand Translated that Learned Discourse written in Latin by Dr. Saunderson afterwards Bishop of Lincol●e de Iuramentis which he caused Mr. Herbert and Mr. Harington to compare with the Original who found it most accurately done Those particulars are such whereof those who have publisht much of his Life and Reign have not taken notice To give a Character of his Eminent virtues I shall not need it being already so well done by Dr. Pireinchief in the short History which he hath publisht of his Life but shall take notice that his delight in Learning was such that he understood Greek Latin French Spanish and Italian Authors in their Original Languages which Three last he spake perfectly no man being better read in Histories of all sorts being able also to Discourse in most Arts and Sciences In one of his Books he wrote this Distich of Claudian Rebus in adversis facile est contemnere vitam Fortiter ille facit qui miser esse potest And out of another Poet against the Levellers and Antimonar chists then predominant Fallitur egregio quisquis sub principe credit Servitium Nunquam libertas gratior extat Quàm sub Rege pio Whereunto I shall add that after Mr. Herbert had much sollicited those who were then in Power that His Royal Corps might be Buryed in King Henry the Seventh's Chapel at Westminster near to the Grave of King Iames which they refused alledging the danger of much concourse to that place out of a superstitious respect they thereupon granted a Warrant to him bearing Date the Sixth of February for the Interring thereof at Windsor Hence it was that Mr. Herbert having often heard His Majesty speak with Great Honour of King Edward the Fourth from whom he was descended he resolved to Bury the Corps in that Vault under the Monument of that King which is betwixt the High Altar and the North Isle and gave order for the opening thereof accordingly but the Duke of Richmond Marquess of Hertsord Earl of Southampton and Earl of Lindsey coming to Windsor to perform their last duty of His Memory in seeing His Royal Corps decently Interred and walking up the Quire where they found by knocking on the Pavement an hollow found they caused the place to be opened it being near to the Seats and opposite to the Eleventh Stall on the Sovereign's side in which were Two Coffins one very large of King Henry the Eighth the other of Queen Iane his Third Wife both covered with Velvet whereupon they concluded to deposit it there It was therefore brought down accordingly out of the King's Lodgings in the upper Ward of the Castle into the Court the Air being then Serene but which is observable before they came to the Door of the Chapel there hapned Snow to fall which covered the Hearse of Black Velvet in which it was carryed that it was all White It being brought to the Grave the Reverend Dr. Iuxon Bishop of London who had been permitted to wait on His Majesty in the time of His Preparation for Death and on the Scaffold was there ready to have performed the Office of Burial as it is prescribed in the Publick Liturgy of the Church but the Governor of the Castle Colonel Whitchcot would not suffer it CHAP. XXXIII HAVING thus finished what I thought proper to be said in reference to His Late Majesty King Charles the First thus destroy'd by these great Pretenders to Godliness as hath been observed I shall now go on with the remainder of this Story until I come to the most happy and Miraculous Restoration of our present Sovereign King Charles the Second whom God long preserve and continually defend from the Infernal Plots and subtile Machinations of this dangerous Brood of Cruel men Proclamation being therefore made in London and afterwards throughout all England forbidding to Proclaim Prince Charles the Members remaining in the House of Commons passed an Act for thenceforth their Edicts were so called that such as had assented to the Vote of December the Fifth viz. that the King's concessions were a ground for the House to proceed to a settlement should not be re-admitted to Sit as Members As also that such as were then in the House and Voted in the Negative should first enter their dissent to the said Vote And that such as were absent should declare their disapproval before they Sate Soon after this they passed an Act for the setting up of another High Court of Justice for the Tryal of Duke Hamilton the Earl of Holand the Earl of Norwich Lord Capel and Sir Iohn Owen Which Court upon the Fifth of February met in the Painted-Chamber and Elected their President It being then also debated in the House of Commons whether they should continue the House of Lords as a Court of Judicatory or Consultatory only And the day following it being put to the Question both were carryed in the Negative and farther Voted that the House of Peers in Parliament was Useless and Dangerous and ought to be abolished and that an Act should be brought in for that purpose as also that the Peers should not be exempted from Arrests but did admit that they should be capable of being Knights and Burgesses in
next following landed at Dover Whence attended by most of the Loyal Nobility and Gentry of this Realm he came to London upon the 29th of that Month being the Anniversary of his Birth where with stately Arches of Triumph costly Pageants Bells various sorts of excellent Musick Bonefires and joy inexpressible he was received and proceeded in State through that great City to his Royal Palace at White-Hall the chief and happy Instrument of this His Majesties most miraculous Restauration without blood-shed being the above-mentioned Colonel George Monke a Devonshire Gentleman of an Antient and Worthy Family lineally descended from King Edward the IV by the Lady Frances Daughter and Coheir to Arthur Plantagenet Vicount Lisle his Natural Son Who having put himself in Arms for the King at the Commencement of this grand defection and so continuing till by a second Invasion of the Scots the Rebels prevailed in sundry parts by taking divers Garrisons and many of His Majesties Loyal Subjects Prisoners amongst which it was his hap to be one he thought it better to gain his Liberty by receiving entertainment in their Army until he could discern a proper opportunity to do His Majesty service than by so suffering Which at last with no less Prudence than Courage he most faithfully performed as hath been observed and for which he hath since that time been deservedly remunerated not only with several great and honourable Titles viz. Baron Monke of Powtheridge Earl of Torington Duke of Albemarle and Knight of the most Noble Order of the Garter as also made Captain General of all his Forces Horse and Foot throughout his whole Dominions but with ample Possessions for the better support of those high Dignities A SHORT VIEVV OF THE LATE TROUBLES IN ENGLAND CHAP. XLIII HAving now finished this Narrative with as much brevity as I well could do whereby it hath been fully made evident by what Artifices this seeming-Godly Generation did at first get power into their cruel hands that is to say their many specious Declarations and solemn promises for the Defence of the Protestant Religion the Laws of the Land the Liberties of the Subject and Priviledges of Parliament I shall now crave leave to make some short Observations thereon and give most ample instances of their contrary Actings in every of these even in those very times in which their Dagon of Presbytery was visibly Triumphant And first as to the Protestant Religion After they had under pretence of great danger by a Jesuitical-party of destroying the Protestant Religion fram'd a protestation for preserving the same as it was exprest in the Doctrine and Discipline of the Church of England Which protestation the farther to satisfy the People of their own integrity was solemnly taken by all the Members and Ordered to be Printed and sent down into the several Counties within few days after they made an Explanation thereof viz. That by the true reformed Protestant Religion was meant so far as it was opposite to Popery and that the said words were not to be extended to the maintenance of any Form Discipline or Government nor of any Rules or Ceremonies of the said Church of England And having given themselves such Latitude by that their After-explanation viz. not to desend the Protestant Religion as it stood establisht by Law and was exprest in the XXXIX Articles but as it was repugnant to Popery and taught perhaps by all Brownists Anabaptists Familists and other Sectaries which made way for all that brood to joyn with them They then Ordered that no Minister should take any Oath at his Induction but what should be warranted by Scripture And soon after fell into debate for the Extirpation of Episcopacie Then Ordered that no Service should be Read nor Psalm sung in going p●ocession Next Voted that the Government of the Church of England by Archbishops Bishops c. had been found by long experience to be a great impediment to the perfect reformation and growth of Religion and very prejudical to the civil Government of this Kingdom As also that Archiepiscopal and Episcopal Iurisdiction should be exercised by themselves And brought in a Bill for abolishing the Cross in Baptism Surpliss Bowing at the name of Iesus standing up at the Gospel c. Nevertheless to set up Lectures Likewise that whosoever should refuse to take the Protestation should be held unfit to bear Office in the Church or Common-Wealth conceiving it to be a true testimony for that was their expression to distinguish the Ephramites from the Gileadites And within four days after Voted Thirteen Bishops Delinquents with desire that they might be impeached as Authors of Sedition for having a hand in the later Canons What private Conferences they had about this time in order to the Extirpation of Episcopacy whereby for want of Government in the Church they might the sooner bring all to confusion take their own Testimony At an assembly of about an hundred Priests at Mr. Calamie's a London Priest about a Petition against the Bishops it being insisted on that Heresies would farther spread if Bishops were put down the Priests thereupon sent for Mr. Green and Mr. Spenser of the seperate Congregations to desire them for a time they would suspend their open meetings and be more private in their practise in regard that their publique meeting was an obstacle to the suppression of the Bishops but afterwards they might have free libertie of their practise The words were uttered by Mr. Calamine who was afterwards to violent against their toleration And to hasten this universal Confusion they appointed the pulling down of Rayles about Communion Tables and the removing of such Tables giving liberty by a special Order to the Inhabitants any where throughout the Kingdom to erect Lectures whereby Mechanicks and Illiterate-men were set up to the infinite scandal of Religion and increase of Schisme And when the House of Lords discerning these licentious and irreverent courses made a publique Order injoying the due observation of the Book of Common Prayer in all Churches without alteration the House of Commons by means of the prevalent Partie therein in opposition thereto and extenuation thereof declared that but Eleven of the Lords assented to that Order and that Nine refused ordering that their Declaration therein should be dispersed and Read throughout all the Churches in England It can hardly be imagined what strange effects these their practises in the House of Commons did in a short time produce one of their own partie then acknowledging in Print That all Government and Discipline of the Church was lay'd in her Grave and all the putredinous Vermine of bold Schismaticks and frantick Sectaries glory in her Ashes making the fall thereof their own rising to mount the Pulpits c. And another of them crying out in these words Alas your poor Church is oppressed and who layeth hand to help the
Plague of heresie is amongst you and you have no power to keep the sick from the whole The wolves that were wont to lie in the woods are come into your Sheep-fold and roare in the Holy Congregation O thou Shepherd of Israel why hast thou broken down the Hedge of this thy Vineyard which thy right hand hath planted the Boare of the wood and the Wilde-beast of the forest do devour Whereupon many good People beginning to whisper their Fears of that which shortly after hapned these subtile Foxes to drive their great work with the less suspition in their grand Remonstrance of the 15th of December cryed out against certain Malignants as they term'd them who had infused into the People that they meant to abolish all Church-Government and leave every Man to his own fancie for the Service and Worship of God absolving them of that obedience which they owe under God unto His Majesty acknowledging him to be intrusted with the Eclesiastical Law as well as with the Temporal to Regulate all the Members of the Church of England by such Rules of Order and Discipline as are established by Parliament And in the same Remonstrance declared That it was far from their purpose or desire to let loose the golden Reynes of Discipline and Government in the Church and leave private Persons or particular Congregations to take up what forme of Divine-service they pleased holding it requisite that there should be through the whole Realm a conformity to that Order which the Law enjoyns But to the end they might bring the work to pass by others in which they did not then think fit to shew themselves openly as their Brethren of Scotland had done the Tumultuous rabble of Sectaries were by their contrivance brought to Westminster and there violently assaulted the great Church threatning to pull down the Organs and Popish Reliques for so they called those stately Monuments of the Kings and others And after His Majesty was driven from London and that they had got his Navy Forts Magazine c. into their hands they ordered that an Assembly of Divines should meet with whom they might consult for setling of the Church-Government and Liturgy Shortly after which a Petition pretended to have been brought from Cornwall was Read in the House of Commons amongst other things desiring that the Ceremonies and Service of the Church might be abolished But notwithstanding all this left any jealousy of their intentions should so far prevail as to stagger the People whom they had hitherto deluded with their specious pretences especially being then about to raise their Rebellious Forces they declared That their prepararations of Arms was for security of Religion the safety of His Majesties Person c. And having thus form'd an Army the first work wherewith they began was to Deface the most Antient and Chief Cathedral of this Kingdom Soon after which some of their Forces in their first march from London towards Worcester broke open the Church at A●ton four miles from London defaced whatsoever was decent therein tore the Bible and Book of Common-Prayer sticking the leaves of them upon the walls with their Excrements And when their whole Army under the Command of the Earl of Essex came to Worcester the first thing they there did was the Prophanation of the Cathedral destroying the Organ breaking in pieces divers beautiful Windows wherein the Foundation of that Church was lively Historified with Painted Glass and barbarously Defacing divers fair Monuments of the Dead And as if this were not enough they brought their Horses into the body of the Church keeping fires and Courts of Guard therein making the Quire and side-isles with the Font the common places wherein they did their easements of Nature Also to make their wickedness the more compleat they rifled the Library with the Records and Evidences of the Church tore in pieces the Bibles and Service-books pertaining to the Quire putting the Surplices and other Vestments upon their Dragooners who rode about the streets with them Which shameful outrages done by the Souldiers thus early being much taken notice of and observation made of the liberty given to their seditious Preachers caused thereupon a general murmur by most People To cast a mist therefore before their Eyes for a while the Members fitting at Westminster publisht a Declaration wherein they exprest that though they had Voted the utter eradication of Episcopacy yet they intended not to extirpate the Liturgy and Common Prayer but so far to Regulate the same as might agree with the Truth of Gods word To which purpose and that it might bear a fair semblance of Reformation they brought in a Bill for an Assembly of Divines wherein they say that the Parliament doth not intend wholly to abrogate the Book of Common-Prayer and Liturgy But notwithstanding all these fine shews they gave daily Countenance to divers libellous Pamphlets and to all such Schismatical Preachers as endeavoured to deprave the same commanding Dr. Duek by an Order of the House dated Aug. 3. that he should not put by a Minister from Institution and Induction though he had scandalized the Liturgy of the Church calling the Book of Common-Prayer a great Idol After which it was not long e're they went on towards the suppressing thereof shutting up the Cathedral of St. Paul in London upon Sundays Yet that they might not be suspected in their well-wishes to the Protestant Religion they Voted that it was the design of the King's Army to destroy the Protestant Religion and to bring in Popery All which fair pretences and Votes were made by the Members at Westminster whilst their Forces in divers parts went on with such horrid practises as the like hath not been seen in this Realm since the Pagan-Danes upon their Invasions exercised their Heathenish Cruelties here Sr. William Waller their Western-General about this time entring Winchester where his Souldiers Committed the like barbarous outrages in that Cathedral as was done by the E. of Essex's Men at Worcester tearing likewise in pieces those Chests of Lead wherein were enshrin'd the Bones of divers Saxon Kings Queens devout Bishops and Confessors with which they broke in pieces the Costly Historical Windows there Besides this they battered and Defaced the Brazen Statua's of the King and that of His Royal Father K. Iames which His Majesty as a pledge of his Princely favour had given to that Church hack't and hew'd the Crown on his Head swearing that they would bring him back to the Parliament And having so done seized upon the Rich Hangings Cusheons Pulpit-Clothes and Communion-Plate spoiling or carrying away whatsoever else was of Ornament or worth The like for the most part they did soon after in the Cathedral at Chichester Nor was there any place they came to where they made not the like devastation At Sudeley in Gloucestershire the Seat of the Antient and Noble Familes of the Lords Sudley
us and another as bad is come in the room Yea this last extremity into which we are fallen is far more high violent and dangerous in many respects c. Have we not a deformation and worse things come in upon us than ever we had before were any of those Monsters heard of heretofore which are now Common among us and denying the Scriptures c. You have broken down the Images of the Trinity Virgin Mary Apostles and we have those who overthrow the Doctrine of the Trinity oppose the Divinity of Christ speak evil of the Virgin Mary and slight the Apostles You have cast out the Bishops and their Officers and we have many that cast down to the ground all Ministers in all the Reformed Churches You have cast out Ceremonies in the Sacraments as the Cross kneeling at the Lords Supper And we have many who cast out the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lords Supper You have put down Saints Days and we have many who make nothing at all of the Lords Day and Fast-days You have taken away the superfluous excessive maintenance of Bishops and Deans and we have many that take away and cry down the necessary maintenance of Ministers In the Bishops Days we had singing of Psalms taken away in some places conceived Prayer and Preaching and in their room Anthems stinted forms and Reading brought in And now we have singing of Psalms spoken against and cast out of some Churches Yea all publick Prayer questioned and all Ministerial Preaching denied In the Bishops time Popish Innovations were introduced as bowing at Altars c. And now we have Anointing the Sick with Oyl Then we had Bishopping of Children now we have Bishopping of Men and Women by strange laying on of Hands In the Bishops days we had many unlea●ned Ministers and have we not now a company of Jerobam's Priests In the Bishops days we had the fourth Commandement taken away but now we have all the Ten Commandements at once by the Antinomians yea all ●aith and the Gospel denyed The worst of the Prela●es in the midst of many Popish Arminian-Tenets and Popish Innovations held many sound Doctrines and had many commendable practises yea the very Papists hold and keep to many Articles of faith and truths of God have some order amongst them encourage Learning have certain fixed principles of truth with practises of Devotion and good Works but many of the Sect and Sectaries in our days deny all Principles of Religion are enemies to all holy-duties Order Learning overthrowing all being vertiginosi Spiritus wh●lgigg-Spirits And the great opinion of an universal Toleration tends to the laying all wast and dissolution of all Religion and good manners c. What swarms are there of all sorts of illiterate mechanick Preachers yea of Women and Boy-Preachers What liberty of Preaching Printing of all Errors or for a Toleration of all and against the Directory Covenant Monthly-fast Presbyterial Government and all Ordinances of Parliament in reference to Religion These Sectaries have been growing upon us ever since the first year of our sitting and have every year increased more and more And in his Book from pag. 18. to pag. 36. he instances no less than one hundred seventy six Heretical and Blasphemous Tenets broacht by the Sectaries the Off-spring of the Presbyterian within the compass of the four years next and immediately insuing the Convention of that Long-Parliament But to draw towards the end of this point touching their Preservation and Defence of the Protestant Religion exprest in the Doctrine and Discipline Establisht by Law in the Church of England so much protested declared and voted for at the first I shall be bold to observe after all these Barbarous and Blasphemous Practises That having by their Malitious and Causless Impeachment of that worthy Pillar of our Church the late Arch Bishop of Canterbury kept him a Prisoner for above four Years and had nothing against him by the Law of the Land worthy of Imprisonment much less of Death these Blood-thirsty Harpyes by their own usurped Legislative Power Condemn'd him to Death And the very same day to accompany that Horrid Fact damn'd the Reverend Liturgy of the Church of England Establishing a thing called a Directory instead thereof and within six days following Executed that Bloudy Sentence upon that worthy Prelate whole Memory and Martyrdom for the Protestant Religion as it stood here Establish't by Law will be precious with the best of Men to all Succeeding Ages And having done this they sent Commissioners Scottish and English to treat at Uxbridge with others from his Majesty concerning Peace Where the very first day of their Meeting they countenanced a Bold and Scandalous Person to Preach to the People that they had no Enemy but the King adding that if they had no truth with their Peace they should have God to be their Enemy Bidding them not dote upon that Treaty saying that there was as much distance between that Treaty and Peace as between Heaven and Hell And How can ye hope for truth since there are so many Prophane Lords such an Un-preaching and un-gifted Clergy so many Erroneous Papists perverse Bishops so many Irish Rebels who are the chief Assistants at Oxford I tell you these Lords come hither with Hearts full of Bloud Towards which Blessed Peace as they call'd it a mongst other things to the absolute Ruine of Monarchy they there demanded no less than the utter Extirpation of the Protestant Religion as it stood Establish't by Law with the Patrimony of the Church to boot as a Prey to themselves and the Scotts who would serve God if I may fitly call it a Service in Barnes or Stables at a cheaper Rate which makes me call to mind that Expression of Sir Walter Raleigh in his History of the World Where making mention of the Care which Moses had of all things that concern'd the Worship and Service of God which Care of his all Ages have in some Degrees imitated Says thus it is now so forgotten and cast away in this Superfine Age by those of the Family by the Anabaptists Brownists and other Sectaries as all Cost and Care bestowed and had of the Church wherein God is to be Served and Worshipped is accounted a kind of Popery and as proceeding from an Idolatrous Disposition in so much as time would soon bring to pass if it were not resisted that God would be turned out of Churches into Barnes and from thence again into the Fields and Mountains and under the Hedges and the Offices of the Ministery Rob'd of all Dignity and Respect be as contemptible as those places All order Discipline and Church Government left to newness of Opinion and Mens Fancies Yea and soon after as many kinds of Religion would spring up as there are Parish-Churches within England every Contentious and Ignorant Person Cloathing his Fancy with the Spirit of God and his Imagination with the Gift of Revelation In so much
stiled a great Teacher in Israel who being in private conference with Obediah Sedgwick and one Alliston and askt by Alliston whether it were possible to end the War by a Treaty No said he we will never Treat unless we may have all granted which we formerly demanded Nay if the King should grant that now we should not agree For if the King had put down Bishops and Cathedrals at first we would have given him all their Lands But should he do it now we would not give him any of their Revenues For we must have both Church-Lands and Delinquents Estates also and all little enough to pay the Parliaments Debts and Recompence those who have Suffered for us and reward such as have laboured in our Cause Whosoever therefore observes their Demands by those Propositions presented to His Majesty at Oxford and the Passages of the Treaty at Uxbridge thereupon will find that their Commissioners did not much swerve from Mr. Marshals Principles And now I mention this Treaty for Peace at Uxbridge I cannot but take notice of a Memorable Accident First That whereas the Buckinghamshire-men were the first of all the Counties in this Kingdom that came in a Tumultuous manner to Westminster 11 Ian. 1641. with a Petition on the behalf of the Lord Kimbolton and the five Members which gave Countenance to the many Exorbitant Practises that after ensued and had Thanks returned them by the two Houses So were they the first County that Attempted to Petition for Peace But coming towards Uxbridge in great Numbers for that purpose were by Authority of the Commissioners there from those at Westminster met by a Regiment of Horse and Forced to return home with their Petition Sir Iohn Lawrence one of the Principal of them with others being sent up to Westminster and Committed to Prison for going about to Exhibite such a Malignant Petition as they call'd it CHAP. XLVI HAVING now done with these Observations let us see what Resemblance that great Rebellion of the Barons above four hundred Years since had with this Touching which I shall chiefly make use of what that Learned Antiquary Sir Robert Cotton Kt. and Barronet who died many Years since hath written thereof in that brief discourse of his Intituled A short view of the long Reign of K. Henry the third No other disquiet did the State then feel but such as is Incident in all Malice to Authority The Commons greedy of Liberty the Nobility of Rule The greatest in trust for publick Affairs being still shot at by the aspiring of those that doom themselves less in Imployment than they are in Merit That the Surfeit of a long Peace perchance having let in some abuses from whence the Commons to whom days present seem ever worst commend the foregon Ages they never remembred and condemn the present though they know neither the Disease thereof nor the Remedy To these Idle and usual Humours fell in some of the Young and Noble Spirits who being as truely ignorant as the rest first by sullying the Wisdome of the present and greatest Rulers making each casual mishap their Errors seem to decipher each Blemish in Government and then by holding certain imaginary and phantastick Forms of Common Wealths flatter their own Belief and Ability that they can mould any State to these general Rules which in particular Applications would prove Idle and Gross Absurdities Amongst this Unequal Medley there were of the Nobility Richard Earl of Pembroke Gloucester and Hartford Darlings of the Multitude Some for the merit of their Fathers whose Memories they held Sacred as Pillars of publick Liberty and Opposers of encroaching Monarchy These by force would effect what the other did effect by Cunning. The Lords still frustrate of their Malicious ends began to sow on these late grounds of the Peoples Discontents quaerelas ambiguos de principe sermones quoque alia turbamenta Vulgi and took it up a fashion to endeare and glorify themselves with the sensless Multitude by depraving the King's Discretion and Government Neither was the Church without a busy part in this Tragick Work For Walter Bishop of Worcester and Robert of Lincoln to whom Mountfort and his Faction praecordialiter adhaerebant were far engaged In such Designs Church-men are never wanting and the distast of the present Government as well in the Church as Common-Wealth will ever be a knot of Strength for such Unquiet Spirits who as well frame to themselues some other form of Government than the present in the Church as in the Temporal State as that which with the giddy Multitude winneth best Opinion and did at this time sute the Peoples Humours so much distasting the new Courts of the Clergy their Pomp c. A fair Pretext was it to those Factious Bishops to use their bitter Pens and Speeches so far against Religious-Orders Ceremonies and State of the Church that one of them incurred the Sentence of Excommunication at Rome and Treason at home For he injoined the Earl of Leicester in remissione peccatorum ut causam illam meaning his Rebellion usque ad mortem assumeret Asserens pacem Ecclesiae Anglicanae nunquam sine gladio materiali posse firmari It was not the best Doctrine that this Man could plant by Liberty or War when the first Church rose by Fasting and Prayer True Piety binds the Subject to desire a good Soveraign but to bear with a bad one and to take up the burthen of Princes with a bended Knee rather in time so to deserve Abatement than resist Authority To Suppress these Troubles and supply the King's Extremity a Parliament was called much to the liking of those Lords who as little meant to Relieve the King as they did to quiet the State their end at that time being only to open at home the Poverty of their Master to lessen his Reputation abroad and to breath out their own Passions freely whilst those times of Liberty permit Here they began to tell him he had wronged the Publick State in taking to his Private Election the Iustice Chancelour and Treasurer that should be only by the Common-Council of the Realm They blame him c. to have hurt the Common-Liberty by Non-Obstantes in his Patents to make good Monopolies for private Fauourites c. And that Sir Robert Passelew had torn from the Borderers of his Forest under pretence of Incroachments or Assarts great Sums of Money And therefore they wonder that he should now demand relief from his so pill'd and poled Commons Upon new grant of the great Charter admittance to his Council of some Persons Elected by the Commons c. They spare him such apittance as must tye him to their Devotion for a new supply Thus Parliaments which before were ever a Medicine to heal up any Rupture in Princes Fortunes are now grown worse than the Malady saith from thence more Malignant