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A40040 The history of the wicked plots and conspiracies of our pretended saints representing the beginning, constitution, and designs of the Jesuite : with the conspiracies, rebellions, schisms, hypocrisie, perjury, sacriledge, seditions, and vilefying humour of some Presbyterians, proved by a series of authentick examples, as they have been acted in Great Brittain, from the beginning of that faction to this time / by Henry Foulis ... Foulis, Henry, ca. 1635-1669. 1662 (1662) Wing F1642; ESTC R4811 275,767 264

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Long-Parliament I. Whether or no if the King and two Estates can extirpate the third then the King Lords Spiritual and Temporal cannot turn out the Commons as well as the King Lords Temporal and Commons exclude the Bishops II. Whether or no when the King and two Estates have turn'd out the third the King with another Estate cannot also turn out the second And lastly when only the King and one Estate remains the King as Supream cannot seclude that also III. And if these things will bear a good Consequence Whether the Presbyterians whose chiefest confidence was in the Long-Parliament but esecially the Commons have not brought their Hoggs to a fair Market But these People did not only overthrow Episcopacy but struck also at the root of Monarchy it self by their pleadings against the King's Supremacy making themselves not only equal to but above him And this not only when assembled in Parliament but when they are so far from having any Authority there there being no such thing then sitting that they are separately so many private Subjects obliged only to follow their own occasions for in this capacity I suppose they make themselves when they alledge for a Rule Rex est major singules minor Vniversis considering they place this in their Remonstrance as distinct from Parliaments But how weak this Position is let Parliaments themselves be our Judges And I do not love to reason against Authentick Records When God tells us expresly that Whoredom is a grievous sin 't was blasphemy in John de Casa to write in the vindication of Sodomy When Ignatius Irenaeus and other ancient and authentick Authors assure us that Presbytery was subordinate to Episcopacy in the first Century 't is folly in our late Schismaticks to dream of or introduce a Parity When Parliaments acknowledge themselves Subjects to his Majesty for any to conclude thence their Supremacy are in my judgement no less guilty of ignorance than that simpleton of Athens who fancied all the ships and other things to be his when he had no more interest in them then I have relation to the Crown of Castile The Lords and Commons tell us plainly what little signs they have of Superiority in these words Where by divers sundry old authentick Histories and Chronicles it is manifestly declared and exprest that this Realm of England is an Empire and so hath been accepted in the World governed by one Supream Head and King having the Dignity and Royal Estate of the Imperial Crown of the same unto whom a Body Politick compact of all sorts and degrees of people and divided in tearms and by names of Spiritualty and Temporally been bounden and ought to bear next to God a natural and humble obedience c. And in many other Statutes do they acknowledge themselves the King 's most humble faithful and obedient Subjects But more especially in those two of Supremacy and Allegiance in which they acknowledge the King the Supream under God both of Civil and Ecclesiastical affairs and so swear Allegiance to him each Parliament-man before he sit taking both the Oaths as all other Subjects do Whereby they clearly renounce not only Priority but Parity by which all their Cavils bring nothing upon themselves but Perjury Against this Supremacy of our Kings though it be under God and Christ John Calvin rants in his usual hot-spurr'd zeal calling them Blasphemers and Fools who durst first presume to give such a title to a King And in obedience to this Supream Head of Geneva and Presbytery doth his dear Subject and Disciple Anthony Gilby and others of that Fraternity shoot their Wild-fire against the same Statutes of England by which they shew their Schism and Madness more than Christian Prudence Besides all this our Laws make it Treason to compass or imagin the death of the King Queen or his eldest Son to leavy Warr against the King or any way adhere to or assist his Enemies But for any to commit Treason against the Parliament especially for those who have the King on their side I see little reason because I have express Law to the contrary which tells us that any one who shall attend upon the King in his Wars and for his Defence shall in no ways be convict or attaint of High Treason ne of other offences for that cause by Act of Parliament or otherwayes by any process of Law whereby he or any of them shall loose or forfeit Life Lands Tenements Rents Possessions Hereditaments Goods Chattels or any other things but to be for that deed and service utterly discharged of any vexation trouble or loss And if any Act or Acts or other process of the Law here after thereupon for the same happen to be made contrary to this Ordinance that then that Act or Acts or other process of the Law whatsoever they shall be stand and be utterly void How this Act hath been since violated Compounders Sequestrators and Decimators will best inform you And what a pitiful ridiculous and extorted Comment the Noddles of the Long-Parliament made upon this Act may be seen in their Declarations by which you may view both their ignorance and their malice These are Presidents enough to satisfie any man in the Parliaments subjection to the King it being in his power to constitute them not they him in him being the only Authority to call and dissolve them not any such being in themselves He can pardon Malefactors not they without his consent The death of the King dissolves the Parliament though their breaking up reflects nothing upon him He can call them where he pleaseth but they not remove his Court They Petition him by way of Subjects not he them The King of England can do no wrong and never dyeth being alwayes of full age the breath of the former being no sooner expired but the next Heir is de facto King without the Ceremony of Proclamation or Coronation And whether a Parliament can do no wrong or no I leave to many men now in England to judge The Kings power hath been such that he hath call'd a Parliament with what limitations he pleas'd as King Henry the fourth's Parliament at Coventry in which no Lawyer was to sit And whether too many Lawyers in a Parliament doth more good or bad hath been oft discours'd of in late times And 't is the King hath the power of the Sword not the Parliament as their own Laws tell us for in the year 1271. Octob. 30. We find this Statute To us i. e. the King it belongeth and our part is through our Royal Seignory straitly to defend i. e. to prohibit or stop force of Armour and all other force against our Peace at all times when it shall please us and to punish them who shall do contrary according to the Laws and Usages of our Realm And hereunto they are bound to aid us as their Soveraign Lord at all seasons when need shall be And the meaning
party I could also tell you how Mr. White once a great Brother in Authority scandalized those who adhered to the King in the late Wars And what wicked Epithets another Brother threw upon the Book of Common-Prayer and severall others as Prynne Vicars Leyton and others mentioned in this Book But that it would be too tedious both for my self and Reader Should I tell you of the abominable railing scolding and brawling of Barlee Bagshaw and Baxter three noted B's you would bless your self to see these people who pretend to all Sanctity and Holiness to have so much of the Devil in their mouths Thus have I stopt their rage against me by making them more angry And if this do not satisfie them I shall treble it the next time yet might all this have been spared if they would as patiently permit others to tell them the Truth as they will impatiently throw Lyes and Scandals upon their betters But these People do not love to be touch'd on their sores though it be to cure them They say 't is one way to find a Thief to note who blusheth at the discourse of stealing but these men are farr from that sign of Grace Tell them but of the sins belonging to their Religion as Treason Schism Perjury c. they will presently fly in your face though take no great notice of other Peccadiglio's like the Baker in the Play who took all names and reproaches without any offence but being once by chance call'd Mealstealer was so inraged that he would have spoiled all their sport unless they had left off such close Reflections And thus much in part to pay them home with their own Coyn. As for the Author whilst a School-Boy he was too much sway'd to Presbytery and delighting in the Stories of our Times had none to peruse but May Vicars Ricraft and such like partial Relators By which means believing with the Ignorant all things in Print to be true was perswaded to incline to the wrong side But a little before his going to the University lighting by chance upon Dr. Bate's Judicious Book Elenchus Motuum he found the Laws and true Government to be opposite to his former Readings and therein the knavery and jugling of their Opposers strange things which he had never heard of before Which with some other assistance so farr prevail'd with him that in a short time he threw off Father Schism and ever since like little Loyal John in the Epitaph For the King Church and Bloud-Royal He went as true as any Sun-Dial As for the Learned in History neither Preface nor Book was intended for them And as for those who are not somewhat studied this way though they are not able of themselves to search out the Truth yet are they not obliged to believe all in Print If they finde something in these Papers not agreeable to the Canting Tales of every zealous Brother let them not censure mine as false because the other pretends himself to be a Saint These People though they make a great deal of noyse being commonly the most ignorant and partial in Humane Story To say no more If we believe every thing in Mr. Clarke's Story-Books we shall with him make wicked men Saints Rebels good Subjects and Schismaticks the best Church-men which all should desire to be really perform'd who wish the Honour of his Majesty Peace of the Church Prosperity and Happiness of the Nation St. George's day 1662. The Contents of the Chapters BOOK I. CHAP. I. Nothing so wicked but some will undertake and vindicate Pag. 1. CHAP. II. The Life of Ignatius Loyola the first founder of the Jesuits Pag. 6. CHAP. III. Some Observations of the Jesuits Political Constitution Temper and Actions especially relating to our late Troubles Pag. 10. CHAP. IV. The helps and assistance which the Calvinist Presbyterian and Jesuite afford one another for the ruine and alteration of Kingdomes with their Plots to destroy the Government and Tranquillity of England Pag. 15. CHAP. V. The Originall of the Commons in Parliament That the Clergy is one of the three Estates and the King supream above all Pag. 30. CHAP. VI. The Priviledges of Parliament and that in some Cases they are null and voyd Pag. 38. CHAP. VII The beginning of the Presbyterians with the wicked Principles of the Ring-leaders of that factious Sect. Pag. 42. CHAP. VIII The Rebellious Actions of the Presbyterians in Scotland till the death of King James Pag. 45. CHAP. IX The illegal malepert and impious plots and designs of our Schismatical Presbyterians in England in the Raigns of Q. Elizabeth King James and K. Charles till the beginning of the Wicked Long Parliament Pag. 59. BOOK II. CHAP. I. THe mischievous and impudent contrivances and innovations of the wicked Long Parliament 1. Their false slaunders thrown upon the Court and Church 2. Their affection to and siding with the chief of the Schismatical Incendiaries 3. The impudence and seditiousnesse of the Lecturers thrust amongst the simple people by the power and cunning of the Parliament 4. Their designs to alter the frame of the Civil Government 5. Their plots to overthrow Episcopacy Divine service and the Orthodox Clergy 6. Their stirring up the people to Tumults whereby they frighted the King and Queen from London 7. The small esteem which the Commons had of the King and Nobility whereby it is plain that it was not the King but the Parliament which occasioned and began the Warrs Pag. 73. CHAP. II. The Abominable Hypocrisie and jugling of the Parliament and Army till the horrid murder of his Majesty Pag. 106. CHAP. III. The inconstancy villany and monstrous Tyranny of the wicked Army till the happy Restauration of the King Pag. 119. CHAP. IV. The grand perjury of the Parliament and Army Pag. 130. CHAP. V. The wicked Sacriledge of the Parliament and Army Pag. 133. CHAP. VI. That some through ignorance and acredulous disposition prompting them to embrace their specious pretences might be charmed to side with the Parliament though really designed no dammage either to the Kings person or Authority Pag. 141. BOOK III.   THat the Presbyterians were not willingly and actively instrumental for the uncapitulated Restauration of his Majesty Pag. 149 CHAP. II. The wickednesse of our Presbyterians in throwing Aspersions upon his Majesty and instigating the People to Rebellion by assuring them in the Lawfulnesse of Subjects fighting against their Kings Pag. 171. CHAP. III. The small or rather no Authority that the Presbyterians allow the King to have over them Pag. 197. CHAP. IV. THat the Presbyterians are but Conditional Subjects no longer obedient to their King or acknowledging Him then he serves their turns and is subservient to their fancies Pag. 207. CHAP. V. I. The wicked Reproaches the Presbyterians cast upon the present Episcopal Church 2. What small reason they have to desire Toleration from the King and Episcopal Party since they deny the same to them with their scandals upon the Church as Popish
declared that he could not in Honour and Conscience consent for by them he was not only devested of all Regal Authority but the Church ruined and his Loyal Party bound to suffer what deaths and miseries the Parliament please then they impiously Vote that no more addresses should be made to the King nor none received from him whereby they dash all hopes of a future settlement by the Kings ruling over them contrary to their former Vows and Protestations so that their seeming friendship by Treaties seems to me not unlike that of Rhadamistus King of Iberia whereby he betray'd well-meaning Mithridates King of Armenia to his destruction This action with their Vote against the Queen and that concerning Sir Fairfax's Commission doth not a little or'e-cloud the Presbyterians who think they come off with honour when they deny it was them but the Independants who beheaded his Majesty But what little difference there is in the offence let others judge The Presbyterians by this Vote of Non-address actually deny the King to be their King by professing themselves his enemies for ever and thereby they not subject to his Kingship or Rule And the Independents take him acknowledg'd thus by consequence by the Presbyterians to be no King and in the notion of no King behead him And what suitable intentions they had for more then disowning him may be collected from them selves in the reasons inducing them to such a Vote which were because he was a coutinual breaker of promise and trust His punishing of Prynne Burton Bastwick and such like dicturbers of the peace His Wars with Scotland His accusing some of the Members not forgot by some then in Parliament His raising War against or rather defending himself from the Parliament and such like accusatious which they call Tyranny And that He hath wholly forgotten his duty to the Kingdome they meant themselves and so thus conclude These are some of the many reasons why we cannot repose any more trust in him and have made those former resolutions that is the Votes against any more addresses Yet they say they will settle the Government though it seems without them so that the Army might very well tell us that these Votes were understood by all To imply some farther intentions of proceeding in justice against him and settling the Kingdome without him To this the Presbyterians cannot reply that the Army forced them because it is utterly denied by the Souldiery who look upon themselves with sorrow and shame because they were so slack in putting such a good action forward as they accusingly affirme themselves Nor can they say that they were out voted by the Independent-faction because 't is well known they were far the greater number till they were Secluded the House almost a year after And whether their thus Voting and Scandalizing his Majesty was done more like Presbyterians then good Subjects let those judge who know that it was once enacted Treason To attempt any harm to the person of the King Queen c. or deprive them of their Dignity Title or Name of their Royal Estates or standerously and maliciously pronounce by express writing or words that the King should be Heretick Schismatick Tyrant Infidel or Usurper or to hold from him his Castles Holds or Marches or Artillery or Ordnances of War Yet were the intentions of Parliament more severe against his Majesty the Army and others would be as wicked as the best of them of which some authentick testimonies will not be amiss And first you shall have the story of some pure Rogues chickens of the Parliaments and Armies own breeding and I warrant you brave boys for King and Parliament though their zeal for the latter devoured the former as appears by their Loyalty James Symball Deputy-Keeper of Winchester-house Prison said King's head upon the Tower-block Francis Wade being urged to drink the King's health denied it his reason was because the King was no King but a Tyrant having put the Parliament out of his Protection and so the whole Kingdome Robert White a Souldier on the Parliaments party being demanded what he would have done to the King had he met him in the head of his Army answered He would have as soon killed him as another man Words as full of Loyally as Harry Martin of chastity or the Rump of true piety If Doctor Chayfield must be brought upon his knees by the Long-Parliament for saying From all Lay-Puritans and all Lay-Parliament-men good Lord deliver me If Sir John Lamb must undergo the same punishment for setting up Organs If Master Hollis the Burgess for Newark upon Trent must be banished the Parliament-house for saying that the Scotch Army should be prosecuted with all rigour and extremity and speedily expulst the Kingdome by main force If Master Smith must be committed to the Gate-house onely for speaking against the Parliament If a poor Printer must be condemned to the same prison onely for Printing an Elegy in commendation of the Earl of Strafford If the Lord Digby's speech in the behalf of the Earl must be voted to the flames onely for being Printed And his Brother-in-law Sir Lewis Dives be condemn'd as a Delinquent onely for ordering the same to be Printed a thing allowable to all other Parliament-men If these and many more severe judgements be thought fitting by the Parliament what punishment is meritorius for the former verlits for vomitting out such hellish assertions against his Sacred Majesty But for all this you shall see how cleverly they came off as if with Saint Dominick they had never committed a sin worthy damnation or rather had been as innocent as the child unborn For though at first they were committed to prison by Serjeant Creswell Yet was it soon taken notice of by the Adjutators in the Army a sort of underlings secretly put on by Cromwell whom they call their Patron and Protectour to carry on his designs in the Army every Regiment having two who used to meet in Juntos and there consult for the seducing the rest of the Souldiers these Rabscallies who neither must nor durst be denied present the case of the former fellows to Sir Thomas Fairfax their nominal General desiring their releasment from their Tyrannical sufferings for so they call it He accordingly writes to Speaker Lenthall Upon which the Commons order the business to be consider'd by the Committee of Indempnity and to relieve them as they see cause and so how they came off you may judge The imprisonment of these men made such a noise in the Army that it presently flew as far as Yorkshire and was there taken notice on and by the Adjutators in Pointz his Army amongst other things sent up as a grievance to Fairfax Nor was this action then let alone but was the next year brought upon the stage again by the Sectaries of London Westminster and Southwark complaining of the imprisonment of such good
and this also the Protestation and Covenant bound them to keep But how these were observed and that by the Parliament itself every Member therein having taken the two Oaths is not unknown And if these allow'd them to fight against the King or at least to kill him I shall lament my Baptism and put no more trust in my Creed When the Rump had perjured themselves by beheading their King they frame an Engagement obliging all to take it or else to have no benefit of an English-man the words of which were these I do declare and promise that I will be true and faithful to the Common-wealth of England as it is now established without a King or House of Lords This was taken by all the Officers and Souldiers of the Armies who return'd their Subscriptions in Parchment-Rolles to make the work more sure and lasting and besides them many others took it But the Army kept not long to this their Solemn Engagement for they not only rooted out the Rump but alter'd the Government again to a single Person by making Oliver Cromwell Protector whose Council by Order of his Parliament was to swear Fidelity and Allegiance to him and every Member of Parliament both then and for the future did and was to swear Failty to him thus I A. B. Do in the presence and by the Name of God Almighty promise and swear That I will be true and faithful to the Lord Protector of the Common-wealth of England Scotland and Ireland and the Dominios and Territories thereunto belonging as Chief Magistrate thereof and shall not contrive design or attempt any thing against the Person or lawful Authority of the Lord Protector This Oath in behalf of Protectorship and a single Person lasted not long for the Army having overthrown Richard and again restored the Rump another Oath was ordered to be taken in these words You shall swear That you will be true faithful and constant to this Common-wealth without a single Person Kingship or House of Lords And after all this as if one Oath signified nothing some of them took a new-found-out Oath of Abjuration against Kingship though poor Souls only to their own shame and confusion And this was the pretty invention of the hot-headed Knight Don Haslerigo one of Burges's Principles to abominate and hate all Bishops but to imbrace and love their Lands dearly but this fault is not only incident to them it being the main reason that there is such a skip-jack as an English Presbytery Such horrid Perjury as this and such abominable Villanies committed by our late Parliaments made them not a little guilty of the highest Sacriledge The Parliament-House where the Commons now sit being formerly St. Steven's Chappel built by King Steven The consideration of which might have moved honest men to have acted more religiously though these men only sate there to ruine both it and the Church It being a knack amongst our new Saints to pull down Churches for the Propagation of Religion an action of more malice than reason being as ridiculous as the wise-men of Gotham to put Saltfish into a Pond to multiply or to hedge in the Cookow and as simple as Maestro Nun̄o Divinity Professor in Valladolid who made a great deal of clutter to borrow Boots and Spurs because he was to ride in a Coach But of this no more only if those men be not perjured who swallowed these contradictory Oaths I shall allow my self not only irrational but bemoan my condition because not born one of the old Aegyptian Heathens whose Religion punish'd such sins with severe death CHAP. V. The wicked Sacriledge of the Parliament and Army THe Schoolmen and others make a threefold Sacriledge viz. either by taking away from or violating in a holy place a holy thing or secondly an holy thing from or in a place not holy or fanctified or lastly a thing not holy in or from a holy place And that there are some places and things holy I suppose few but those who are wickedly interested in Church-Lands will plead ignorance For though this or that originally be not really holy of it self yet the Dedication and Consecration of them by the Church to holy uses makes them holy to the Lord. For saith God devoted things that a man shall devote unto the Lord. every devoted thing is most holy unto the Lord. And these things once offer'd unto the Lord are not to be profaned And if any through ignorance sin against this He shall make amends for the harm that he hath done in the holy thing Belshazzar's sin was not so much for being drunk with Wine but his sacrilegious drinking out of the Vessels of the Temple Those who rob God of his Tithes and Offerings are severely curst and an express command against exchanging or alienating those things which are holy to the Lord as the Lands of his Church How highly did God punish those who regarded not his Temple every man running unto his own House and what little impression hath this made upon England where most forsook the Church drawing themselves to illegal Conventicles and such private Houses never intended for such publick duties 'T is noted as a great aggravation of King Ahaz iniquities for destroying the holy Vessels and shutting up the doors of the Temple though amongst our late rebellious Reformers such actions were esteem'd a true token of holiness Jehoash King of Judah took all the treasure and holy things out of the Temple and sent them to Hazael King of Syria for a bribe and was recompenced by being slain by his Servants But our Innocent King was murdered by those who had fed their Brethern with Monies impiously rent from Church-Lands whereby their Villanies were doubled to make them more serviceable to their cloven-footed Master who set them on work The wisest man that ever was assureth us That it is a snare to a man who devoureth that which is holy and after vows to make enquiry Out of which words a learned Writer observes That he is guilty of death who sins against God either by alienating taking away or keeping back those things which are holy or consecrated to the Lord. Ananias and Saphiras act is held by Divines as a true pattern of Sacriledge for which they suffer'd death by a special judgement of God as Achan in the old time was stoned to death St. Paul admires that any man should be so wicked as to commit Sacriledge and our late Sectaries wonder that any should stand in aw of it Our Saviours whipping the buyers and sellers and such like out of the Temple is no small sign what respect should be held to our Churches not to be turn'd into Exchanges as is well known the once famous Cathedral of St. Pauls was For Confirmation of this many heavy examples of Gods judgements against those who have either violated his Church or alienated his Messengers Lands might be drawn
who neither cared for them nor their sitting nor any else that would not dance after them and Geneva For they are resolved for Jack Presbyter and therefore being informed that the Lords Order for the Common-Prayer had been read in Churches and not their Declaration they drew up an Order and sent it to be printed enjoyning that their aforesaid Declaration should be read in all Churches And so severe were they in this point that they put Dr. Haywood of St. Giles to some trouble for not permitting their Order to be read though he had not only his own Conscience and the Lords Order but the Law of the Land to testifie his justness And what more ridiculous then to astonish the people into discontents and sidings by reading to them at the same time two contrary Orders and that of the Commons being quite against the Laws of the Land Thus did the Commons batter down Religion as Captain Jones in the Poet did the Jesuites more by strong hand then reason yet had they left one thing undone which was the extirpation of Episcopacy root and branch to bring which villany about they Voted them to have no place in the House of Lords nor to meddle with any secular affairs But here before they went any further they were somewhat troubled at the King because he being then in Scotland had sent Mr. Warwick Orders to draw up five Congé d'Eslire's for five new Bishops there being then so many Sees vacant but in this strait Mr. Stroud thinks it fitting to Petition the King to stop these five till they had dispacht the charge against the other Bishops Yet what need they care whether the King make Bishops or no since they are resolved never to acknowledge them to be so for they can with the same ease cut off all as one Therefore seeing the King for Bishops they bend themselves more resolutely against them and so prepare their charge against those formerly accused and for the Champions to mannage this Combate Pymme and St Johns by the commendations of one another are chosen The death of the first is noys'd by report and the honesty of the latter is not unknown to any The Parliament was something stopt in their proceedings against Bishops by the Irish Rebellion yet having taken some breath they sent a message to the Lords desiring that the 13. Bishops might speedily come to answer And not long after as an incouragement to the factious they released Simmonds a Printer who had been in custody for printing a Book against the Common-Prayer yet the very same day was Walker the Iremonger imprisoned only for Printing a Book concerning Mr. Prynne though the first deserved as much hanging as the latter Imprisonment and from these men the Bishops might well expect good justice But still they sit and Vote in the House of Lords which vext the Sectaries to the guts because they could not tell how to get them out handsomly for they had no great confidence in their Articles of Canons and Constitutions and whilest they Voted there the Orthodox Party would still exceed At last some ill spirit or other put it into the noddles of Isaac Pennington Captain Ven and such combustible humours to raise such tumults against the Reverend Fathers the fear whereof should either keep them from the House or bring some ruine sacrilegiously to be acted upon them And accordingly up cometh the Rabble of London to the Parliament House crying out No Bishops no Bishops And at last got the Bishop of Lincoln then going to the House with the Earl of Dover into the midst of them where they had like to have squeez'd him to death And having thus begun many hundreds of them come again the same day with Swords and Staves causing great uproars both in Westminster and London not only to the affrightment of the Bishops but the King and Queen and the next day also assaulted Westminster Abby These Tumults obtain'd the end of their Contrivers keeping the Bishops from the House pelting of them with stones as they endeavoured to go By which they drew up a Petition to the King how that the Tumults kept them out and therefore protested against all things that should be done in the House of Peers in time of their thus violent seclusion Which did trouble the Parliament so much that one Mr. Weston of the Commons House thought he had spoke bravely when he moved that the Bishops might be sent to Bedlam But Glyn and others were cleerly for High Treason which accordingly was done and ten of them sent to the Tower and two to the Black Rod. And thus their businesse being don the great tumults ceas'd the Presbyterians sang Victoria whilst the reverend Church of England lay in the dust miserably trod upon by a Schismatical zeal yet had they they nothing to accuse the Bishops of and so were forced to release them all but two against one of which they could say nothing for if they could they would and whether the cry of the others bloud be yet stopt I know not How were the Country cheated with swarms of Petitions against this Ecclesiastical Order yet in this none more ridiculous then the Londoners One troup of Tradesmen petition against Bishops and their reason was because their being was the decay of trading and in the clause of all gave a notable lash at the House of Lords Nor is this all but the very Porters 15000 said to be in number Petition too and affirm that they cannot indure the weight of Episcopacy any longer and therefore must have redress Nay the very women by the pushing on of their hot-headed associates thought themselves so much concerned in these Church-affairs that they must petition too And these as fit persons to apprehend Chuch-government as the simple Cockney country-businesse who thought a bush hung about with black moles skins to be a black pudding tree yet these sort of Fanaticks are apt to have abominable discretions for thus the Scots some years before in their Petition against the Common Prayer Book begun it thus We Men Women and Children and Servants having considered c. Most miraculous Children Born like Adam at the top of understanding O the happiness to spring from the loins of a Covenanter who as it was said of the Lady Margaret can bring forth men instead of children Certainly these children were akin to that boy of Cracovia in Poland which had not only teeth but spake the first day of its birth but when he received Christianity lost that faculty And probably had these covenanting Children women and such like known more of Christianity then these did they had never acted so violently against Church-government Or it may be they were somewhat related to that other child born in the same City which spoke distinctly at half a year old yet nothing but mischief was by it uttered distruction to all Poland and that
upon this last change have call'd those irrational who questioned the jus divinum of Episcopacy And how many of our Presbyterians have declared their perpetual adhearing to their Covenant against our present Church-government yet since the Change have taken contrary preferments with a pretty distinction that they onely swore against the wickedness accidentally happening to such forms These Non-conformists have been originally the main enemies as far as sword would go against the late King and This present yet now that he is restored none courts the rising Sun-more then they and that with thwacking Rodomantado's of their activity for his Restauration and what danger and jeopardy they have incurr'd for his cause which puts me in mind of the first Reformation in Scotland When the Scriptures were allowed to be read in English then those who had ever scarce read ten sentences of it would chop their acquaintances on the cheek with it and say This hath lain under my beds feet these ten years Others would glory O! how oft have I been in danger for this book How secretly have I stoln from my wife at midnight to read upon it All which was done meerly to curry favour the Governour being then held one of the most servent Protestants in Europe And how far this story quadrates with our Presbyterian temper may be seen by the sequel discourse I have seen some men in the Rump's time when condemn'd to death for Felony by the then Judges earnestly plead their former siding with and activity for the Parliament thinking thereby to gain so much favour from the Judge who had been formerly brothers in one and the same iniquity as the procurement of a Reprieve if not a pardon But now the plea is so much alter'd that the same Faction pretends to hold forth some small favours to the present King as a badge to denote the bearers so stuft with Loyalty as to be capable of the greatest trust When the Father was alive then they fought against him to make him more glorious And now that the Son 's restored they onely sent the Earl of Warwick to pelt him beyond seas to learn humility because Affliction and Presbytery are the best Tutors to that vertue For rather then He or his Father should suffer any real damage or hurt they would do just nothing Which cal●s to my remembrance the flatterer Afranius who swore to Caligula then sick that he would willingly dye so the Emperour might recover who upon Caligula's restoration to health was by command slain that he might not be for sworn Whether Afranius meant really or no I know not but this I am confident of That our Presbyterians take little care of any oaths tending to the safety and peace of King and Country and therefore take what liberty they please to protest knowing his Majesties mercy is such that he had rather give them time to repent for their former wickedness and perjury then put a period to their beings by the mode of Trussing as they had done formerly to many of his most faithful Subjects Americus Vespacian the Florentine had the confidence to denominate the best Continent of the West-Indies by his name though if he had not had the benefit of Colono or Colombo of Genua his observations he might as soon it's probable have found out Nigra Rupis or the certain Station of Ophir as have seen that other world And if the ever to be honour'd Duke of Albermarle had not contrived and as I may say of himself wrought out the happy Restauration of his Majesty The Brethren alas would as soon have found out the ten tribes as of themselves endeavoured the King's return unless upon Tyrannical Conditions So that if Virgil took it ill that Bathyllus had robb'd him of the honour but of one Distick the Duke of Albermarle hath no reason to favour those people who would pluck from him the greatest glory that in possibility could be thrown upon a Subject If the Presbyterians did any thing advance his Majesties Restauration it must either be by Chance or Industry As for the first they cannot expect any thanks since this event proceeded not from resolution but rather contrary to their desire or at least expectation The Ape little thought by putting on his Master's Cap to cure him of a Pluresy and he who wrote to the Lord Monteagle did not think thereby to discover the Gun-powder plot The Surgion had no intention to destroy Charles II. King of Navarre by burning the thread too carelesly and what resolutions the Presbyterians had to restore our Charles II I must yet plead ignorance till better informed but I am confident they would never willingly have this way pleasured King Charles the first And that they ever so much troubled their thoughts with the King as to make his Restauration a part of their business is hitherto as far from my discovery as the true situation of the old Towns in Ptolemy or the Northern bounders of America I hear not of any of their actions in England when his Majesty was beyond seas before his agreement with the Scots I hear of none of their designs here to assist the King or their own Brethren for him in Scotland I know of no assistance that they afforded or brought to the King when he marched for Worcester but have heard of some who have then opposed him with all their might Nor am I informed of their activeness in any of the many Plots against Oliver and if in none of these things they have been stirring their Grand Plea of Loyalty must fall to the ground unless they did his Majesty good service by being obedient and faithfull subjects to the Rump and Oliver sworn enemies to the King and in this case their plea cannot be so ingenious as that of the immortal Poet John Cleaveland I remember Antonio de Torquemeda tells a story of some men and their horses that were carried to Granada in Spain by the advantage of one Cloak though they thought they had onely been getting their dinners not thinking of such a journey And if the Presbytery did any service for the King it was I suppose after this manner when they never dreamed of it Nay I do not so much as hear the whispering of any relief till the other day of monies or such like conveniencies that they assisted the King with or any of his distressed followers Major General Massey and Captain Titus excepted and that but a poor pittance too some 400l between them not for any design but a supply of personal necessities And the reason of this beggerly liberality was not so much because they were sufferers for the King as that the former had done good services for the Presbyterian Parliament as Master Love himself doth more then hint besides this we will not forget the huge summe of 40l to Coll. Bampfield and his man Yet as a pretty token of their Loyalty they keep a great deal of clutter concerning the