THE VISIONS OF Government WHEREIN The Antimonarchical Principles and Practices of all Fanatical Commonwealths-men and Jesuitical Politicians are discovered confuted and exposed By EDWARD PETTIT M. A. and Author of the Visions of Purgatory and Thorough Reformations Morosophi Moriones pessimi LONDON Printed by B. W. for Edward Vize at the Sign of the Bishop's Head over against the Royal Exchange in Cornhill M DC LXXXIV TO THE High Potent and Noble PRINCE JAMES Duke Marquess and Earl of ORMOND in ENGLAND and IRELAND Earl of Ossery and Brecknock Viscount Thurles Baron of Arclo and Lanthony Lord Licutenant General and General Governour of His Majesties Kingdom of Ireland Lord of the Regalities and Liberties of the County of Tipperary Lord Chancellour of the famous Vniversities of Oxford and Dublin Lord High Steward of His Majesties Houshold One of His Majesties most Honourable Privy Council in England Scotland and Ireland and Knight of the Most Noble Order of the GARTER May it it please Your Grace I Humbly presume to take this opportunity of congratulating the late Deliverance of your Grace's Noble Son his Excellency the Earl of Arran under whose Care and Conduct the flourishing Kingdom of Ireland injoyces both Peace and Plenty at this day and I hope Your Grace will be pleas'd to accept of these honest labours of my Pen in defence of that Monarchy which you have so long assisted with your Counsels so often vindicated with Your Sword My Lord There never was a wiser Government never a more Gracious Sovereign never a more faithful Subject than Your self All your Princely Vertues will make Your Grace an Illustrious Pattern to the Ages to come who cannot be parallel'd by any that are past He that compar'd Your Grace to Barzillai did it because among all David's Worthies there was none that for Greatness Fidelity and long Experience might compare with You and yet You as far exceed his recorded Merits as the Irish Seas do the little River of Jordan May the ever-living God make Your Grace as far excel him in length of daies by adding to Your Illustrious Life those which in his Divine Wisdom he has been pleas'd to take from Your Right Honourable Father and from Your Noble Son the late Earl of Ossery and thus make up to us our loss here upon Earth and Yours with a late but glorious Immortality with them in Heaven This is the hearty Prayer of all that Fear God and Honour the King and in particular of Your Grace's most humble and obedient Servant EDWARD PETTIT THE CONTENTS VISION I. THe Introduction The Ghost of S. Jerom a Native of Hungary after a relation of the present State of that Kingdom condemns their Rebellion from the Doctrine and practice of the Christians of his time The Grand Confederacy against Christian Religion and Government discovered in a Dialogue betwixt the Ghosts of the late Vizier Cuperlee a General of the Jesuits and the Earl of Shaftsbury The reason why the Fanaticks of England lament the defeat of the Turks A parallel in some new Remarques betwixt them Whether was the more Unchristian to wish the success of the Turkish Arms before Vienna or of the Moors before Tangier The impious and foolish conceit of preventing Arbitrary Government under the Protection of the Grand Seignior p. 1 VISION II. THe miserable state of the Christians under the Turks the happy condition of the people of England Good Government the reason of it The Malecontens described and exposed The Argument that converted and confirmed a Jew in the Christian Faith He confutes and condemns the Fanaticks for their Rebellious Murmurings and Practices He proves Monarchy to be of Divine Institution and the best of Governments The Monarchy of England the best in the World The design of Hobbs's Leviathan and of Nevil's Plato Redivivus they are both in the extremes and both exploded The Ghosts of Hobbs Machiavel and some other modern Politicians quarrel about Preheminence Lucifer not able to decide the Controversie referrs it to Bradshaw He determines for Richard Baxter upon the account of that Maxim that Dominion is founded in Grace The Folly of it discovered in his Book intituled A Holy Commonwealth and the Villany of it in the Practices of the late Commonwealth of England p. 45 VISION III. THe monstrous Loyalty of the Fanaticks Their several Ridiculous Policies the growth and design of the late Hellish Conspiracy The two fundamental Principles of the Good Old Cause First That All Civil Authority is deriv'd Originally from the People The extreme villany and folly of this Proposition throughly examined and by a Civiliz'd Cannibal condemn'd The Second That Birthright and Proximity of Blood give no Title to Rule or Government and that It is lawful to preclude the next Heir from his Right of Succession to the Crown The great impiety and folly of this Proposition fully discovered and condemned by an Indian of New England The Authors and Abetters of them both exposed The great Wisdom and Goodness of our present Gracious Sovereign in securing to this Monarchy the right and lineal descent of the Crown p. 147 VISION IV. THe wicked Policy of raising a mean or evil opinion of the Sovereign in the minds of the Subjects The trivial and unreasonable occasions of such an opinion a pleasant instance thereof in the Case of the Salique Law it is condemned by an Hermaphrodite Better that the Sovereignty should be in one Woman than in five hundred men The Sovereignty of England in a single Person The Heresie of the Whiggish Lawyers Those that 〈◊〉 of the Antiquity of Parliamentes and those that vilifie them are Commonwealths men and enemies both of King and Parliament The Characters of several Commonwealths-men good advice to them A Panegyrick upon the King the Duke the Royal Family and all the True-hearted Nobility Gentry Clergy and Commonalty of this Realm an hearty Prayer for them p. 217 Books Printed for and are to be sold by Edward Vize at the Bishop's Head over against the Royal Exchange in Cornhill A Discourse of Prayer Wherein this great Duty is stated so as to oppose some Principles and Practices of Papists and Fanaticks as they are contrary to the Publick Forms of the Church of England established by her Ecclesiastical Canons and confirmed by Acts of Parliament A Discourse concerning the Tryal of Spirits Wherein Inquity is made into Mens Pretences to Inspiration for publishing Doctrines in the Name of God beyond the Rules of the Sacred Scriptures In opposition to some Principles and Practices of Papists and Fanaticks as they contradict the Doctrines of the Church of England defined in her Articles of Religion established by her Ecclesiastical Canons and confirmed by Acts of Parliament A Spittle Sermon Preach'd In Saint Brides Parish Church on Wednesday in Easter Week being the Second Day of April 1684. Before the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor the Court of Aldermen and the Sheriffs of the now Protestant and Loyal City of London These three
by Thomas Pittis D. D. Chaplain in Ordinary to his Majesty Advice to the Readers of the Common Prayer and to the People attending the same With a Preface concerning Divine Worship Humbly offered to Consideration for promoting the greater Decency and Solemnity in performing the Offices of Gods Publick Worship administred according to the Order established by Law amongst us By a well meaning though unlearned Laick of the Church of England T. S. The Life of the Learned and Reverend Dr. Peter Heylin Chaplain to Charles I. and Charles II. Monarchs of Great Britain Written by George Vernon Rector of Bourton on the Water in Gloucestershire The Crafty Lady Or the Rival of Himself A Gallant Intriegue Translated out of French into English by F. C. Ph. Gent. ERRATA The Reader is desired to take notice of two mistakes which escap'd the Press PAge 22. line 16. for Castles read Cabalâ— p. 29. blot out with Liquors not Symbolical THE First VISION OF GOVERNMENT The CONTENTS The Introduction The Ghost of S. Jerom a Native of Hungary after a relation of the Present State of that Kingdom condemns their Rebellion from the Doctrine and Practice of the Christians of his Time The grand Confederacy against Christian Religion and Government discover'd in a Dialogue betwixt the Ghosts of the late Vizier Cuperlee a General of the Jesuits and of the Earl of Shaftsbury The Reasons why the Fanaticks of England lament the Defeat of the Turks a parallel in some new remarques betwixt them Whether was the more Unchristian to wish the Success of the Turkish Arms before Vienna or of the Moors before Tangier The impious and foolish conceit of preventing Arbitrary Government under the Protection of the Grand Seignior THE Famous Story of the Apparition of Buda in Hungary after the successful Victory which the Christians obtained over the Turks at Barkan is so generally known that I need not relate it again I am sure that when it was first told to me it made such an impression upon my Fancy all that day that I no sooner slept at night but I dream'd at such a swift rate that I was got as far as the Berg Towns famous for those profound and rich Mines of Silver in possession of the Rebells under the Command of Count Teckeley Whether it was my Fear or Curiosity that let me drop down to the bottom of one of them I cannot certainly tell But I no sooner found my leggs again but methought I march't through a dark and narrow Passage at the farther end of which I espied a very old Man with a long white Beard sitting at a Table with a dim Light and a Book before him and laying his right hand upon a Deaths-head he seem'd to weep very bitterly Bless me quoth I Where am I In Limbo Patrum Have I stumbl'd upon one of the Antediluvian Patriarchs What Venerable Sage is this I am resolv'd to know what part of the Chronology he belongs to In order to it I advanced three or four steps with a design to ask him his Name but as soon as he lifted up his head I perceived that it was S. Jerom the most eminent Scholar that ever that * Born at Stridon Nation bred and a worthy Father of the Latin Church I was extreamly amaz'd to meet with him so far under ground and being desirous to know the Reasons of it he prevented my boldness by saying You may wonder to meet with my Effigies or Ghost in any other place under the Sun but in the Chappel of the Nativity of Bethlehem * Sandys Trav. p. 141. where I spent the latter part of my Life in those Religious Duties which became so Sacred a place you may wonder that I who liv'd and dy'd where the Saviour of the World and the King of Glory was born should here appear where the Mammon of Unrighteousness is hatch'd in the Womb of the Earth I should be much more surpriz'd Holy Father said I to meet you upon the surface of it which is all o're stain'd with the Garbage of Insidels steep'd in whole streams of Christian Blood as if they had utterly banisht the Doctrine of that Prince of Peace How cry'd he have the Goths over-run the World again Is my Native Soyl trodden down once more by those impure Barbarians No cry'd I they are not call'd Goths nor Vandals neither but they style themselves The Brethren the Elect Holy Saints and Reformed Christians These are reply'd he fine Titles which some ancient Hereticks usurp'd and abus'd but pray let me know their present case as short as you can I shall with all submission said I give you an impartial account of them to the best of my memory This your Native Kingdom of Hungaria after many revolutions from being a Province of the Roman Empire fell at last into the possession of the Austrian Family which now upholds the small remains of the Western parts of it in Germany Ferdinand the Brother of Charles the Fifth laid claim to it in right of his Wife who was Sister to the unfortunate Ludovicus the Second but the Hungarians made choice of John Sepusio Vaivod of Transylvania who to settle himself call'd in Solyman the Magnificent Emperour of the Turks John Sepusio dying left only an Infant who was Crown'd in his Cradle upon this the Turkish Emperour who had restor'd the Father under pretence of protecting the Son seized the Regal City of Buda with many other Towns and filled them with his own Garrisons upon which the Hungarians seeing their growing danger did with universal consent elect the aforesaid Ferdinand their King as best able to defend them in whose Family it has continued for an hundred and forty years their Elections being matter of Formality only They took the best course reply'd the Father What is the reason that they now revolt from them You must understand said I that these Princes of the House of Austria are great Patrons of the Jesuits a pestilent sort of Hereticks who have poison'd the Christian World with their damnable Doctrines of Deposing and Killing Soveraign Kings and Princes and though one would think this were enough to enflame all the Potentates of the Earth against them yet they have gain'd so much upon the Emperour that upon the account of their forsaking the Romish Superstitions they have not only advised him to abridge them of some of their Civil Rights but to persecute them with extream Rigour for the sake of their Religion upon which a Party of them have renounc'd their Allegiance to their Temporal Lord have set up one of his sworn Subjects against him and to confirm him have recall'd the Turks the Disciples of one Mahomet who has damn'd many Millions of men with his impure Doctrines made up of a monstrous confusion of Arianism Judaism and Paganism and now threatens all Religion with his Blasphemies and all Christendons with his Arms. What! said he looking as austerely upon me as if Ruffinus had peep 't over
unexpectedly summoned to appear there was but being told that it was the highest Court of Politicks and that he was to give an account of his Writings he began to tremble exceedingly and seeing so grave and venerable an Assembly imagined they had been all Saints and verily thought Lucifer had been one of the Apostles or Primitive Patriarchs therefore addressing himself with all submission I hope said he Reverend Fathers that at this Time and in this Place I shall vindicate my self from those unjust aspersions which the subtlety and malice of some men have cast upon my Name and Memory for this whole Age last past charging me with three things First That I should vilifie Monarchy and preser Democracy before it To which I answer * In a Letter to Zenobius Buon-delmontius That if I speak largely in Commendation of the latter it ought to be considered that I was born bred and employed in a Free City which was then under that form of Government and if you read my History of Florence you will find that it did owe all its wealth greatness and prosperity to it what I said of the glorious Atchievements of the Commonwealth of Rome was to shew the perfection of that Government in its kind but not to propose it by way of Imitation for all other people for how can any man pretend to write upon Policy who destroyes the most essential part of it which is obedience to all Government therefore I protest that the animating of private men either directly or indirectly to disobey much less to shake off any Government how Despotical so ever was never in my Thoughts or Writings and I alwayes did and ever will declare that in every Monarchy the interests of the King and People are the same At this there was a murmuring all over the Court and Lucifer seem'd somewhat displeas'd upon which some that stood by me said as we have cheated the world above fourscore years about this man and made his memory stink among the True Protestants who have at the same time an esteem for Politicians vastly more Diabolical so for diversion we will ee'n sham the Devil himself for once and away Silence being made Machiavel went on The second thing objected against me is That I should encourage Princes to Perjury and Breach of Oaths and Promises To which I answer That any man that reads my Book entituled The Prince with ordinary charity may perceive that 't is not my intention therein to recommend the Government of those men there described to the world much less to teach them to trample upon good men and all that is sacred and venerable upon earth If I have been too punctual in describing those Monsters and drawn them to the life in all their Lineaments and Colours I hope mankind will know them the better to avoid them my Treatise being both a Satyr against and a true Character of them I speak not of Great and Honourable Princes such as the Kings of France and England and others who have the States and Orders of their Kingdoms with excellent Laws and Constitutions to frame and maintain their Government and who reign over the Hearts as well as the Persons of their Subjects I speak only of those Vermin bred out of the Corruption of our own small Commonwealths and Cities or engendred by the ill blasts that come from Rome as Olivaretto da Termo Borgia the Baglioni and the Bentivoglii At this Lucifer grew so impatient that he had certainly broke loose if some of his Counsellors had not advised him to Moderation and Hypocrisie for a little while and then Machiavel went on The third thing said he laid to my charge is that I have vilified the Clergy and abused the sacred Orders of the Church of Rome To this I answer That 't is they have vilified and abused themselves insomuch that if the Apostles of Christ should be sent again into the World they would take more pains to confute the Gallimaufry of Opinions and Innovations in that Church than they did to preach down the Traditions of the Pharisees and the Fables and Idolatry of the Gentiles and would in all probability suffer a new Martyrdom in that City under the Vicar of Christ for the same Doctrine which once animated the Tyrants against them As for Government this I must say That whereas all other false worships even of Heathens have been set up by some Politick Legislators for the support and preservation of Government This false this spurious Religion brought in upon the ruines of Christianity by the Popes hath deform'd the face of Government in Europe destroying all the good Principles and Morality left us by the Heathens themselves and introduc'd instead thereof Sordid Cowardly and Vnpolitick Notions whereby they have subjected mankind and even great Princes and States to their Empire and never suffered any Orders or Maxims to take place where they have power that might make a Nation Wise Honest Great or Wealthy Lucifer burst out into such a fury that the fire flew out of his eyes for very wrath crying How aborninably am I cheated and abused by these Politicians I thought that I had been sure of as good a Secretary as ever managed the affairs of the Kingdom of Darkness and on the contrary he is for bringing our whole Mysterie of Iniquity to light For my part I do not know whom to trust or which way to turn my self Are you my friends And is this your Politician that has made such a noise in the world How comes this to pass May it please your Mighty Darkness replyed one of the Jesuits it was necessary that we should reproach this man to all the world who had been so severe upon the Church and Court of Rome and besides from his character of Tyrants and Usurpers we took occasion to render Just Princes odious to their People as if they observed those Maxims of Breach of Oaths and Promises and in the mean time have taught the people to practise them in good earnest So that in lieu of this one Politician we can pleasure you with hundreds much more serviceable to your Mighty Darkness In the mean while we will strip him of all his Infernal Honours and Titles he has so long enjoyed so that he shall no longer be called Old Nick 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nor shall his Disciples be quibbled again into the highest form of Politicians with the Honourable and Redoubted Pun of Match-less Villains Take him away therefore Guards let him make room for persons vastly more deserving of this High Court. The next that came was Hobbs who seem'd infinitely vex'd that Machiavel had had so long an Audience and therefore with a kind of snarling scream he told them That he thought truly that he did not only deserve to be heard most of all but first of all too considering the great service he had done for the President of that Honourable Court For have not I Sir said he to