Some Remarks Upon a Scandalous LIBEL Intituled The Declaration of James Duke of Monmouth c HAving lately perused a printed Paper intituled The Declaration of James Duke of Monmouth c. I thought it my duty as a true subject of England a true Protestant an honest man and a lover of truth to discharge as far as in my Power it lyes All true Subjects true Protestants and honest men from the Imputation of being any ways concern'd in abeting soe villanous a Cause Next I shall endeavour to vindicate His present Majestie and Parliament under Hîm assembled together with those subordinate Gouvernours Insinuated or intended in the said Declaration from any irregular proceeding in their administration of Justice And lastly I shall answer such particular accusations as the Authors of the said Declaration have falsly and impudently laid upon His Maj. or any under Him as they concerne his own Royal Person the Protestant Religion ' or our own lives liberties or Properties To the first I doe affirme that all the true Subjects true Protestants and honest men within the Kingdome of England have promis'd and sworne to oppose to the utmost of their power with theire lives and fortunes All such Noblemen Gentlemen and Others now in Armes who will own or are supposed to have signed agreed to or are meant to be Included in the said Traiterous Declaration To prove this I referre the Readers to the Oaths of Alleageance and Supremacy generally taken by all Subjects as also the several addresses of all the Counties Shires and Corporations within the Kingdome of England but more particularly to the late unanimous Addresse and votes of Both Houses of Parl. about the 23 of May last as also of June 13th That they would assist His Majestie with theire lives and fortunes against Argyle and James Duke of Monmouth and there Adherants and all Rebels and Traitors and All Others whatsoever that shall assist them or any of them And when I come to speake of Parl. I shall make it evidently appeare that this present Parl. is the true legal and only Representative of all the Subects of England And I doubt not but our neighbour Nations are already convinct That the Kingdoms of Great Brittaine detest and abhorre this said traiterous Declaration and all Persons abetting or Subscribing it To the second The said Declaration setts forth that His present Majestie usurped the Crowne That he avows Himselfe to be of the Romish Religion That he hath cald in multitudes of Priefts and Jesuits That he hath govern'd arbitrarily by collecting the Customs and Excise sence the death of the late King That his Judges are suborned and fo rs worne That the present Parl. is packt by false returns Illegal Chartres with a great deal more of such stuffe which oblidg'd them to be take themselus to Arms. These accusations help to make up soe absurd and ridiculous a libel that it wants the Common Excuse of plesantrie and witt and indeed deserv's nor a sober answer But least strangers should possibly be impos'd upon for want of that true knowledge of our English affairs and Government which Englishmen are suppos'd to have I shall bieifly answer every particutar Objection First His Majesties right to the Crowne is so evident and cleare that I chalenge all Historians Civil Lawers or Examples in Christendome to sett forth a Title in an Hereditary Kingdome freer from Usurpation then His own both as to matter of Law and matter of fact For supposeing King Charles the 2d dyed without legitimate Issue His present Majestie is acknowledged by his Enemies as well as by all Christendome to be indubitably the next and Immediate Heir to His Brother His accession to the Crown was so peaceable that there was not so much as one sword drawn nor one single man rais'd to promote him to it or support him in it it was in plain words resigned and delivered to Him by His Royal Brother upon his death bed He was as peaceably proclaim'd and Crown'd As peaceably acknowledged by voluntary aderesses from all parts of His Dominions By all forrain Princes By the States of Hôlland and Those who have there at present the next and most Immediate right to succeed after Him and even by Amsterdam it selfe and all this unanimously acknowledged and conferm'd by the two Parl. of England and Scotland and universal Concurrance of Ireland All this would be so plain that the most ignorant might comprehend it were it not that James Duke of Monmouth hath been and still is believed to have a legitimate and legal right to the Crown of England Scotland France and Ireland with the Dominions thereunto belonging In answer to this I doe affirme that were the said Noble Dukes right to the Crowns of England c. legitimate and legal as he pretends yet as his circumstances have hitherto stood His present Majestie is noe Usurper To prove this further I must acquaint those who have not heard it if any such there be that the said Duke was not only never ownd by the King Privy Councel or any Parl. which hath ever sett sence the late Kings happy restoration But he hath been as publickly solemly and legally disclaim'd and disown'd to be the Kings legitimate son by them All as possibly the nature of the case would admittt He as thankfully himselfe accepted the honour of bring declared the Kings Natural Son when from Mr James Croftes the reputed son of the late Lord Crofts he was by the mere favour and goodnesse and recommendation of His present Majestie prefer'd to that and those high Titles which he lately enjoyd And the late King himselfe when he was upon his death bed and sensible that he could not out live 24. hours and by consequence had noe apprchensions of popish poysons or blunderbesses or could be influenced by Popish Motives or Instigations was so fair from declaring him His legitimate Son or leaving his Crown unto him That he left him not soe much as his blessing which indeed he had obstinately forseited by being a treble traitor to his King his Country and to his Father and by giving publickly the lye to his late and present Majestie by that Gentleman like trick with which he took his last leave of white hall Now when these known circumstances besides many more too long to be sett forth shall be duly considered let all sober and Impartial men judge whether there be the least probable grounds to believe this pretended legitimate and legal right and whether it be morally possible that the King should be soe unjust and unnatural as to disinherit his only Son Whom he so long and so truly loved and moreover should confirme it too even at last when neither hopes nor danger could prevent Him from declaring the truth The pretended right therefore of the Duke of Monmouth being so highly improbable or at least doubtful I say in this case altho the Duke of Monmouth had a concealed right yet in the mean time until
and series of His private as well as publick actions are soe notoriously known through the whole world that all Christendome with the Kings and Princes thereof would unanimously concur and beg to become His Compurgators and from theire souls abhorr and detest those most villanous men and worst of Traitors who soe falsly maliciously and sawcily have dar'd to profane the Sacred Caracter of soe Incomparable a Prince but that I may undeceive some Innocent men and strangers to Our Country who it may be have been poysned by the false reports false Oaths and perjuries of these profligate out lawd and insolent Traitors I must humbly beg His Majesties leave that I may speak to two of those particulars of which being my self an eye witnesse to the one and a competent and Impartial Judge of the other I perswade my selfe that according to the truth of these two cases Those who shall peruse these Papers will equally judge of the rest The first is that of the burning of London The beginning of that fire with its growth and progres is now as generally known as its end I shall only their fore say this That being my selfe present most part of the time both by day and by night and a sufferer in that fire as well as my neighbours I had many several occasions to be very nere His present Majestie then Duke of York and I doe testifie That His diligence care and pains in stopping that dreadful fire was almost equal to any particular sufferer in it That His compassion and affliction for its progres both in words and actions seemd soe great as if He Himselfe had been the only Sufferer and His advice in quenching those flames soe pressing and soe reasonable that had not mens fears outrun theire dangers or had His advice been vigorously followed in all moral probabilitie they had put a much earlier stop to that vast conflagration and all honest men are throughly and fully convinct that His then Royal high the Duke of York did no more directly or indirectly contrive as they call it the burning of the City of London then of the soe much celebrated Temple of Diana soe many thousand of yeares sence at Ephesus The second case Is the poysning His Majestie of bless'd memorie Indeed the horror of soe damd and false an accusation with the stupendious inveterate malice of Jams Scott late Monmouth and his most accursed associates doth almost confound my thoughts and stop my pen However I must say in general That had it pleas'd God Almighty in his great mercy to us to have sent an Angel from heaven and assured us that he would take in his due time His late Majestie from us but by a death soe natural that there should not be the least circumstantialt conjecture of violence I dare be bold to affirme that the witt of man could not have found out or desired a kind of death more natural and free from the suspicions of humane malice then that of the late King In particular the manner of the Kings being taken with the first fitt was Apoplectical the Effects Apoplectical the Method and cure of his first fitt by Cupping Scarifying and suchlike accordng to the rules of art in those cases answerd Apoplectical indications the lettle distortion of this Mouth and failing in His speech Apoplectical every circumstance soe much Apoplectical that His last fitt was plainly and truly for told Him according to the Nature of such Apoplexies many hours before their was any outward appearance of the fitt His Body when opend His gutts vitals brains and All were soe farr from showing the least suspicion of poyson that they sufficiently declared an Apoplexie the unanimous concurrance of all his Phisitians pronounc't a natural death And were all these circumstances with many more insufficient to prouve the same yet the soft hearthy tears alone of that Undaunted Hero King James the second would convince Opinias trite and incrudulite it selfe thatt was impossible He should with soe much sorrow lamant a Death which as they urge He not only had desird but contrived whilst the Hypocrisie of the bravest of men must have exceeded the vile dissembling art of the most mercinary slave And I defye Brinvillers were she now alive with all the art of Indian or Siciliane Poysoners to invent a dose which should soe fully in all points Circumstances resemble such a natural Apoplexie as that which caried off our late Blessed Soveraigne I have only one objection to answer which how frivolous soever it be yet since it is particular and believed by some men I beg leave to speak to it they say then that when the late King perceved he was poysned he should with great passion utter these words Good Lord what have they done unto me Now as some circumstantial truths have been ever mingled with material falshood like leafe gold over bitter pills to make them passe the better soe I must ingeniosluy confesse that I have heard His Majestie should have spoken some such words as those but good God upon how different an occasion from what it is now applyed I have been credibbly then told that after the King was recouvered from his first fitt in which his Chyrurgeons had cupt Him sacrifyed and cutt him upon the shoulders and other parts the King not knowing what had past whilst He was sencelesse and feeling at last the smart and pain of those wounds which in His fitt he had received being surprised at what he had not felt before should say some such words as those Good Lord what have they done unto me Thus we see Innocencye brought to support the fowlest malice and truth it selfe enjag'd to confirme the most accursed lye Yet notwithstanding all this James Duke of Monmouth declares he will prosecute James Duke of York as he calls His present Majestie for the aforesaid villanous and unnatural crime in pursuance of a vote torevenge the Kings death upon Papists he shoold have said for such was the vote in case he came to an untimely end until he hath brought Him to suffer what the laws adjudged to be the punishment of soe execrable a fact and in a particular manner being deeply sensible of that barbarous and horrid parricide committed upon his father doth resolve to persue the said James Duke of York as a mortall and bloody Enemie and will endeavour as well by his own hand as by the assistance of his friends and the law to have Justice executed upon him Gently gently yong man and put not your selfe into passion dog days are coming on and if you heat your blood too much phlebo to my in the Jugular veyne will prove your only cure But to be serious Never was villanous cause supported by a more sutable argument one of the most glorious Princes and worthiest of all mankind must be hectord thus and suffer if they could compasse it for an Imaginary crime which was never committed by any mortall besides themselves in their
Impudent Declaration and that in pursuance too of a vote for scandalous soe unreasonable and unjust that it must remaine a blott to all Parliaments and publik Assemblies which time it selfe can never wipe off I have spoke what is sufficient concerning the death of the late King and shall only give you the cause and motive of that noble vote Whilst the late popish plott supported by the Testimonies of that most execrable perjurd villaiu Titus Oates And some others as infamous as himselfe was most in vogue The house of Commons out of a furious zeal to preserve the Protestant Religion had almost forgott Christianitie and rashly past a vote that if the late King should come to an untime end they would revenge His death upon the Papists This how unjust soever it was seemed yet tender and kind towards the late King But oh the malice of those cursed heads who having imposd upon and deceived many of that mistaken Parliament had formd a Plott soe hellish and soe bloody that nothing but the barbarous in humanitie of it ever made the truth of it suspected However it being by Gods great mercy and providence who is the Protector of Innocence not only discoverd and prevented but made soe notoriously plain that the whole nation is fully satisfyed of its truth I shall acquaint you with the case That voting Parl being dissolvd the heads neverthelesse and promoters of the plott mett in Caballs as was legally and fully examined and proved where at last a resolution was taken as at first designed that the late King should be ass assinated by theirs own accomplices Rumbold Walcup and others and immediately the odium and punishment of theire own horrid crime was to be Throwne and executed not only upon all Papists but upon their Bratt Prelacy as Argile terms the Church of England soe with one most monstrous bloody Regedical stroake they intended to have subverted the Government and extirpated root and branch all those who had been ever faithfull and loval to the King and our ancient Monarchie or true sons of the Church of England And the pious double Apostate head and Capt. Generall of the Protestant forces as Monmouth stiles himselfe together and in company with the said Rumbold and others the intended murderers of his deare Father King Charls 2. is now desperately and openly endeavouring to accomplish that cursed designe which by the especiall providence of God wanted then its damnable effect Now if All this and every particular of it be not true then not only our own nation but all the Christian Princes of Europe are miserably deceived who sent theire Ministers to congratulate the the Kings happy deliverie from those bloody villains and traitors The adresses to the same effect from all the Courties Shires and Corporations in England meer delusion and mockerie Witnesses of their own faction and all concurring circumstances meer eheat and leger demain the Judges of our Land deaf and blind and the most legall tryalls in open Court by 12. substantiall Gentlemen and Citizens against whom the criminalls themselves had noe exceptions the premeditated resolutions of violence and injustice But on the other side if what we have now affirmd and every materiall part of it be true as heaven and earth know it is what then shall we say to these incorrigible dissembling traitors and most bloody minded Rebells Heare all yee people hearken thou O earth and all that therein is And let the Lord God be wittnesse against you even the Lord from his holy Temple Mich. 1â— v. 2. For St Edmund bury Godfry and the Earl of Essex their case was examined with all the strictnesse and Justice that possibly the Law in such cases doth or can afford and the devil himselfe could not have invented greater lyes then have been published concerning the latter by some of the rebells but to speak more particular to that would require a larger volume Sydney Russell and those other Traitors who were executed for theire treasons had not only all imaginable Justice but much more favour and mercy shown them then any of those Papists who before had sufferd Armstrong indeed was not permitted to plead to the meritt of his crimes not that there wanted either treasons or wittnesses to have hangd him ten times over as was publickly offerd in the Court but he being befor out lawed for treasons by due course of Law and not appearing or or sunendring himselfe voluntarily with in the time prefixt he could noe more have the benefitt of that law from which he fled but was ipso facto guilty and lyable by Law to the punishment of treasons except His Maj. out of his meer grace and by the power of His Royal prerogative had pardoned his out laury and had set him in statu quo prius which I say being a meer act of mercy as that of pardonning a man already condemnd it is in the Kings Royal breast to have mercy on whom he will have mercy and since the King was pleased upon this Occasion to refuse it Armstrong can noe more complain of Injustice then any robber or traitor that has been executed these 100 Years As for our Religion lives liberties and pooperties we enjoy them with such an entire happy lawfull freedome that we are envied by all the subjects of Europe nor is there an empire Kingdome Commonwealth or Goverment in the whole world under wich subjects may live more happy and secure then in our own these are besides soe fenced and hedged about as the Declaration sayes that I defye the witt of man and power of Parl. to adde one word which shall not rather enflave then en franchise ruine then support them The Protestant Religion as it is now profest hath been soe established and confirmed by acts of Parl. for more then these 100 Yeares that except a Protestant Parl. and other then such there can never be should introduce poperye and with theire our hands deliver up that power which they doe and may and are soe tenacious to preserve the Protestant Religion must eternally flourish in England whilst Kings and Parliaments endure In a word our Religion lives liberties and properties an soe well founded soe strongly fortifyed and soe carefully protected by Our most Gracious Soveraigne King James the second that with the machinations and conspiractes of James Duke of Monmouth some years hence not the present open hostilities and detestable Rebellion of James Scott Argyl with their Accomplices and the assistance which they vainly and injuriously to all Government flatter themselves they shall receive from forraine powers will ever be able by the blessing of God so violate them or break in upon us Thus I have spoken what is I hope sufficient at least what is punctually true concerning those several points of which I intended to discourse for the rest of his insignificant rayling canting staff I think it not worthy of a further reply for I perswade my selfe that what hath been already said will satisfye al impartial Readers but nothing will convince the positive and the prejudic't His promises and his threats which are vastly great are equally ayrie and ridiculous and this Chymerical Hero woul have done mutch better to have employed his thoughts upon some new conquest in Terra Ausirali incognita or of the world in the moon then thus unjustly wickedley and bloodily endeavour to disturbe the peace of three Kingdoms which detest his principles and disown his pretensions For those Protestant Kings Princes and Governours whom he impudently invites to partake with him in his rebellion as it is a publick afront and unpardonable injurie to them all soe I doubt not but they will all as publickly disown both him and his adherants To conclude if ever Rebellion was grounded upon the falsest of pretences it is this If ever rebellion was raisd by the worst of of men against the Best of Princes it is this and lastly if the most notorious barefac't sinns of fornication adulterie cold murder and repeated apostacies rapes and incest were lost in the whole world besides they might be found in James Scott the pretended double head and twice apostat popish Capt. Generall of the Protestant forces and false protectors of the reformed Protestant Religion O Lord God the Avenger shew thy selfe clearly Exalt thy selfe O Judge of the World and render a reward to the provd they prate and speak feircely all the workers of Iniquitie vaunt themselves but the Lord is my refuge and my God is the rock of mine hope and he vvill recompence them in their vvickednesse and destroy them in their ovvn malice Yea the Lord our God shall destroy them AMEN God save King James the II.