you have he should repent and think himself bubbled out of Three Kingdoms but we shall injure him in such a supposition and the neighbouring Nations of the same perswasion you would by all means have him to be of and that may be a cause to induce him to be so should disrelish your unequal proceedings and should rise up against you W. Are those the Bugbears do you think the Protestants are not able to cope with the Papists nee'r fear we would make a Battel Royal for Religion and make Europe to be but one Cock-pit B. But we know there are some that are no Papists that can disrelish injuries done to Monarchs our Trade felt that in Moscovy after our King 's barbarous murther so that this side wants no real Fears no more than your other Jealousies but supposing the Three Estates of Scotland should not joyn with the King to turn him out there W. Why then there let him be King that has been objected and so answered already in a Piece of ours entituled Some serious Considerations touching the Succession by an Impartial hand B. I know it and there you divide the Union once thought happy by the Nation the foresight of wise Henry the VII and the joy of Q. Elizabeth W. Well since you have met with that Piece you may remember too were you so pleas'd that after his death the Kingdom must revert to the Crown of England B. I commend him he had spoil'd all if he had not laid it so down in his Scene but what if it will not and they should make an Act to the contrary W. Pish but it must our Crown would be the next lawfull Successor B. Do you think the Scotch men that have had the reputation to have fewer Fools among them than are Wise among the Irish can't easily learn a Lesson that is set them and is not an Act of theirs by as lawfull Authority of as much force against you as one of yours against them W. We don't intend to make any Laws against our Sister Kingdom of Scotland onely against I. D. of Y. exclude him being King of England and Ireland B. And perhaps they intend not to make any Laws against their haughty Sister of England onely against onely exclude them out and their Heirs from ever inheriting the ancient Kingdom of Scotland so that you would give them their Chair again W. Why then we will make an Ireland of it we have some that have conquer'd it once already B. But what if by a Law and Act of Parliament when they can hold it no longer they should by a Clause throw it into the Lap of France the Scotch and they were never such mortal Enemies would you bring the English Navy up the Tweed to bear upon them as they march'd into England that and the Commons according to the late Act of Parliament refusing Free Quarter would make the Nation sensible who are the Abettors of the Interest of France and what evil their Politicks would prevent come let us not by Forestalling Providence bring a curse and ruine upon our selves let us do what is right and just and God will protect us W. Though the Angel of my God whom I serve should appear to me and certify me not a hair should fall from the head of any in this Nation by the Clouds that seem to threaten us yet we ought altogether as much to go on in our Proposals as St Paul in much the same case would not let although he was so ensur'd the Seamen leave the Ship means must not be omitted the Cart Wheel may else stick B. Some Divinity of the old strain means may nay must be us'd but not contrary to the known will of that God you serve to the suspicion of that Providence he so signally in your supposition promises you and without a further intimation of that Spirit not contrary to but consonant with common reason such were St. Paul's means but here all along you see Arguments more prone to breed mischief than prevent any and to bring a War upon our selves and Posterity and that Providence whom we dare not trust may with a great deal of Justice avenge it self upon us in this World as well as in the next W. Well then since you say means may be us'd with reason and the Parliamentary power we find may do us more harm than good what if the King alone should set him by B. You will fix up your staff there will you W. If we may and I am sure we can bring a great many stories if that will do any good from ancient Nations and Kings that did so the people of Rome before Rome was Rome as it is now that is before the Pope had a great House there and became Dominus fuc totum Dominus Deus noster Papa had now and then for a breakfast a Kingdom given them by the Will of a deceas'd King and so ours may give all the three Kingdoms away at a clap and save all the bloudy Noses you might see in the Scotch clouds and we will make an Address that shall be as dreadfull as our Ordinances of old to stand by whomsoever he shall pitch on with our Lives and Fortunes B. Well then you find you have nothing else to do but to get him in the mind W. And we had nothing else before I wish we could do it but once but they that should have not gone about it the right way they never yet offer'd any thing more for that and passing whatever Bills they should think needfull which perhaps might have been an hard bargain but the relieving Tangier and standing by him in all the Alliances and Foreign Leagues he should make had they offer'd him his Ship-mony his Courts of Wards and Liveries to have a perpetual hanc upon his two Houses again with his free Quarter that they got by slurring on him and a round sum in hand somewhat might have been done in order thereto our Coyners had grafted a story upon the Duke's last departure that with tears in his eyes he should bid his Brother remember if he did part with him to sell him as dear as he could we thought to have set the last Parliaments a bidding for him as for a Stock at Gleeke B. But they found his Majesty never design'd any such thing none of his Friends in the House ever gave the least glimpse to it but he promis'd 't is said an Earl to doe it if he could but satisfie his Conscience as well as he told him they could satisfie the Laws W. Conscience in Kings they should as Ambassadours are sent abroad to lie for the good of the Nation be damn'd or stand fair for it for the good of their people but we can sear that up and I wonder he told not his Majesty so we could have made a Fast for that besides their Politick Capacity excuses ' em B. These are Hairs of the old Dog but suppose you were put to prove your
the Kings wear their Crown by the Laws the Laws backing them in it yet 't is as true Kings of England wore their Crowns before and when there were no Laws and they were made by the Authority of the Crown and more for the good and security of our natural Crowns than through any want in the politick one and they are to them if any thing like that other mettal in Archimedes's golden Crown W. Hold no further we shall stop you else as we do others we have a way that if any but in the theoretick discourse runs the Crown of England up to its pitch and tells how fine feather'd 't was before 't was stript we presently ball they would have it so again and if they talk of any little Prerogatives we run them to the extremities in every thing what you would fain have him a King of France or the Great Turk send for what moneys he hears you have nay more from misinformation and though they disown any such thing yet presently runs into their head that Democratical Hectors saying I 'de stab and kill any Officer the King should send to command the least hair of my head and though we dare not but own the King can have no High Court of Justice against him and should he commit violence he must be turn'd over to the last Tribunal yet they think to escape themselves for downright murther These are the men that give ground to your Politicians in Coffee-houses how far they may traduce Government and not commit Treason and one not us'd to their discourse would be ready to make Affidavit that they spoke broad-fac'd Treason B. Were my necessities never so great and my heart never so villanous I should not love this trade of dancing upon the High-ropes I should be afraid of a slip and then I am gone I love to have my heart go with my words but not to have the Hangman my Interpreter but does no one Staly himself does the Pitcher never break W. No no now and then it gets a filthy crack or two when your Whitehall Bullyish Captains come to a City Coffee-house they get a kicking down stairs and a broken Rib or two but they would make them pay sauce enough were it not for their scurvy Protections and they Pocket it the quieter in hopes to make some nimble-heel'd Esq pay one day for all and make them amends B. I perceive then these Hectors in the Cause are meer Bully-Sandyâ— that will take a kicking if they can but nimm a little mony and your Setters are men of no practice that would force some this way sure these are the Causes Forlorn-hope and the very Pictures of Liberty and Property but does not His Majestie 's Honour-Guard his Attorney General never meet with these Privateers and clear the Coast W. They are swift Sailers and His Majesty is not furnish'd with Advice-boats a little Intelligence-money on this side the Narrow Seas not all beyond them might do the Jobb were it not for the extraordinary mercy of a moderate minded Jury which we seldom fail to find or make so that a man were he constrain'd to one had better run the risk of Scandalous words against His Majesty than against any of his Protesting Lords and His Majesty would he condescend to take the Privilege of a Peer as the House of Lords did to sit in the House of Commons when their own House was voted useless he should as they did find greater respect shewn him B. A pretty device to Commonwealth a Nation the point so long desir'd and so long tugg'd for ever since forty the King to be one of the Three Estates would come very easily how safely then might old Noll's own Major remember Pryn's own Principles and forget his Prince's immunities and rewards to him and send a sawcy Message to a Minister that he was out in his Prayer because he pray'd for the King as distinct as he is from the Three Estates but have you no more W. No more that appear upon the Stage but we have the Proposals of many Well-willers taken in there read and considered by a select Committee and the next Session in brief ript up to the whole Assembly how far usefull they may be to the Grand Cause in a fine set curt Speech then in this issue of the Brain we contradict our other practice and will not let the Father be the Godfather too but the whole Divine Camp Christian it B. As the Popes change their names you give them a clear quite contrary name to what the subject matter of the Proposals are as if a Book was writ to pull down the King ruffle the Lawn Sleeves you would call it the building up of Sion would you not W. The people else would not know what it was design'd for they would be afraid 't was Treason else B. 'T is pity these underhand Retailers of Treason should not be as well look'd to as your Wholesale Plotters W. Projectors have ever had the liberty to lay down their Hypotheses they enforce none to follow them people are left to their liberty B. And they should tast the fate of Projectors to be ruin'd for pitching upon such Subjects W. But we have a way now to ensure our Projectors we never let a Book signally calculated for the clipping the Wings of the raging Prerogative and excrescencies of Christ's pure Church but it comes recommended to the great Assembly of the Nation the two Houses of Parliament so that we way get a general Protection for them we seldom or never let any Piece by our good will goe abroad but about that time and then they pretty well swarm we have some that let fly against this part of the Prerogative others against that and so on the same method we use against the Church so that he that compiles them all together in a Body will find Monarchy and Episcopacy quite run down in all their branches B. Quite run down in all their branches A modest expression to palliate broad-fac'd Treason against King and Church the Government as it is now establish'd their writings to me are overt acts of their intentions and though they can't perswade those they recommend their treasonable projects to nor the King himself to Un-crown himself and H. N. or whoever was the author of the New Modell'd Government Plato Redivivus ought to be brought to the King's Bench Bar with his Papers as much as Coleman and suffer upon the same reason if not upon the same Law as they are guilty of the same Crime of Treasonably designing the Subversion of Monarchy and the introduction of another form of Worship shall Treason fare the better for being bare-fac'd and highly recommended to the three Estates Or is your Treason like to Wenching grown The great and bare-fac'd Sinner let alone The Underlings and Modest pay for all And these alone are caught because they 'r small They should fare no better nor worse than their Brother Plotters
hands to but our grand Assembly that shall then meet will dispose of all things I doubt not to our interest however we must swarm then more or less and I believe we shall imitate things in nature send out our young ones with a Leader or so but the Old Stock ought to remain behind perhaps we may take some little City Lecture or other and put an end to the contest between the two Universities send a little Man of God to out-preach an Army of them then shall our Cause come in repute again and be more glorious than ever the abus'd and therefore discontented Clergy man finding our interest shall consult his own and satisfâ— his revenge too and shall sue to us as much as they do now to Bishops to be preferr'd long neglected worth shall flee to us as to a Sanctuary and generously disdain naked hopes for his Camelion diet worth though no where seated but in the fancy or taking thought but for some small atchievment if not rewarded for that is restless till it takes some course to vent its Gall like the poor Mariner in Columbus's Ship that first spied Land because he receiv'd no reward for so blest a discovery wreak'd the revenge though 't was upon himself and turn'd Mahometan and there is a way Divinity tells us of shooting another man through ones self and no one then shall think himself longer bound to continue a Son when he has once found the Church has ceas'd to be a Mother as these were the generous Principles that first in Aerius rais'd us up so they have continued us and will yet billow us up higher B. You are good Tradesmen in Divinity and deservedly cry up Faith as true Sons of Abraham as the circumcis'd that now as their Forefather entertain Faith even against Hope against all manner of reason but should the Dice miraculously favour you and run once more high on your side you would I fear Massacre the Land and execute what 't is said the tenderness of but one Officer prevented before the Church of England stands in an Aequilibrio of danger and steers it self between the two Gulphs 't is equally dangerous to encline to this or that onely a Sword is more welcom than a Saw the Character of a Committee is as dreadfull nay more than that of a Popish Successor the last wants no language to set it out in the possibility of its raging extent and the actual raging extent of the first can be reach'd by none the Oratours must do there as your Geographers in Terra incognita leave a space and draw nought but Savage Beasts unknown to the Woods of Africk and congeal'd sighs and groans like Du Bartas his words under the Pole W. These are Bugbears that fright none but Children but as long as the Gog-Magog in the North remains the true object of the Nations fears we shall not easily be made Tools of B. But what if those Clouds of Dissatisfaction should be dissipated and the object of all your fears should be the subject of an universal joy and he should declare himself openly to the World a Protestant according to the Church of England by as good Testimonies as the Law requires what do you think then W. I think then none of us either would or by interest was bound to believe him do you think we would have such a cheat put upon us in a moment to be outed in all our measures we would have those that should look through such fig-leaves we would boldly tell the World he has a Dispensation for it that it was no more than what we suspected and fear'd we would shew them his cunning in not taking it sooner onely out of hopes to perswade the credulous World of the reality and sincerity of the conversion bawâ— out there is more danger now than before and if ever the fatal blow comes 't will be when he is in a better capacity to fool the Nation and act his own part the securer pity the sinking condition of the Nation when 't is onely our selves that are so and I 'de undertake knew I a man of our Party who contrary to his desert had the luck to be drown'd could I know it before I 'de easily perswade him though contrary to the express promise of God the whole World was drowning with him so far wide of the Mark should we make their Arrows fall B. I see you can preach down God's Grace in a trice W. That 's our Trade against our Enemies we should notwithstanding such a turn should it happen take our own thoughts for truth and go on in our Expedients for putting by I. D. of Y. from inheriting the Crown Imperial did you never see any I am sure we spar'd no pains or cost to spread them o're the Nation B. Yes several W. How do you like ' em B. Like ' em W. Why they are pretty Engines let me tell you to widen breaehes to keep open the Bleeding Vein they are more usefull to us than the Invention of Gunpowder prov'd to the Papist were it not for them and our Champion in the House of Commons Expedients would have been hearkned to and then there would have been such a calm that there would be no recreation for us Porpoises B. For what is transacted in the House I meddle not with but as for the Proposals in general to the Nation I look upon them as Seeds of Rebellion and the ground-work of as many Bloody Noses for Posterity as ever our Predecessors had W. Which do you fault there are many B. They are all of the same Leaven nothing but a Medly of Rebellious Principles to build the Superstructure on as founding Dominion in Grace to the scandal of the Reform'd Church and closing with their seeming Enemy the Papist grounding the Origine of Sovereignty in the People hunting in after-Principles for Principles of Nature as Salus Populi Suprema Lex interpreting Texts of Scripture by their own Passion worse than Quakes by his new Light assuming the same power God himself us'd in the Oeconomy of the Jews of setting up and pulling down Kings and in profane Histories writing the Originals of the greatest Usurpations to be copied out in our time palliating Texts of Scripture that expresly forbid their Madness with Fig-leaves such as Do not evil that good may come of it they cover it with a distinction from the Schools unknown to Christianity of a minus malum against a positive good in a word you will ransack Heaven and Hell to accomplish your Designs and after all you are afraid which way to turn him by lest you should open a Gap to ruine your selves W. We fear not that B. Don't you so let 's see by what Authority would you have him turn'd by by the King 's alone or joyntly with the consent of the two Houses W. By the last by an Act of Parliament that 's a sure way B. But what if you have not his Consent or if
Concessions That the sole power of the King can dispose of the Crown at his pleasure how would you doe it W. Easily B. How W. As thus The Crown may be dispos'd of by some Authority but the King with the necessary concurrence of the three Estates must not because that might do us perhaps more injury therefore the King alone may B. This is an Argument onely to convince those that long to be convinc'd with never so small a one this is made for your selves how would you convince the next Heir put by as to the right of it W. We would convince him by dint of Sword B. But how would you convince the other part of the world that might look upon this as a piece of injustice and perhaps right him in his Cause we are making again a Cock-pit of Europe W. If it come but once to that we have those that shall draw Declarations as well nay much better than their Swords B. But would not the Elder Brothers of the Nation 't is they that constitute the two Houses of Parliament have taken it ill to have had the next Heir have put their Noses out of joint by the importunities of their Fathers pretended Friends because they fancy'd the Eldest would have prov'd the hardest Masters W. How sillily you talk now that could not be done the Laws of the Land were their security they lay not at the pure will of their Predecessours their Estates are most of them entail'd upon them and you know in an entail'd Estate a superiour power is requisite towards the cutting them off either the Courts of Judicature a special Act of Parliament or the King's consent together with the Parents as in descent of Honours B. I profess I highly admire the Law as being the effects of great Reasoning nay so great a friend it is to it that it disowns it self if it comes otherwise or any ways contradicts what we hold reasonable to be believ'd our Religion in the whole or in its parts Now that Law thinks that in an entail'd Estate which I presume modestly the Crown may be thought to be the best holding in England sure the next Heir cannot be put by without an Authority supream to the Paternal or that deriv'd from it Now in private Estates there is a supreme to the immediate Paternal power such as Courts of Judicature and special Acts of Parliament by vertue of which they hold those and keep them from other people but in the case of the Crown there is no power supreme to the Possessour but the power of the Donor which is God himself so that we must have in reason we see a Revelation first before a Disinherison and if any thing is done contrary to Reason the Law says 〈◊〉 is 〈◊〉 in it 〈◊〉 and the parity of Reason no one endued with it can deny between an entall'd Estate of private persons and the Crown and the denying a descent in an entail'd Estate not cut off by a superiour power to the next Heir would for the present Gavelkind the best Estates in England and make better for the younger Brothers than Burrough-English or a War W. Here are two or three things in which I fear you have over-shot your self in as first what is all this to the purpose if in private Estates the Laws require a supreme power we can make a Law that shall wipe off all that and enact quite contrary B. If you can make Acts of Parliament against the Common Law of the Land which was in being before the Parliament I hope you can't make them against Reason too this Law was thought ever reasonable and the contrary may look suspicious W. We can make a Law that that Law it self that invalidates all other Laws if not reasonable shall be kick'd out of doors but another thing you say there is no supreme power to the Possessour's but the Donor's which is God c. how then can yone King By his powerfull inherit as I have heard a great many that would be thought most Loyal and most Orthodox maintain but I believe they were men that fear'd the consequences of a Popish Successour as bad as they hated the growth of Parliamentary power B. Great fears great preferments and great sins may so enslave a Soul as to make him sordidly flatter the Prince to the detriment of his Crown and Dignity W. But I highly dislike one thing more that Monarchy should come from God these Church-buildings of yours will one day ruin the Nation but what if it should come from the People what say you then I think I spoil your Mag-pies nest for you B. Though that is gratis dictum yet this will bring us to Scotland again and hunt over the old Game I thought you had quitted that hold before come 't is much the best and truest way to throw all upon the Almighty no single Monarch then like King John can make overtures of his Kingdom to an African Mahomentan shall we be less afraid of parting with the three Kingdoms at the Princes pleasure than with the single Town of Tangier if we give the Level to the People the Crown and they will draw one one way and the other another so that our Whimsies would but fever our Body Politick and cause a restless motion in it thus we find that axiome as true in that Body as in the Natural all things are in a restless motion till they come to their proper Centre W. If you puzzle the Cause thus with Objections 〈◊〉 body yet haâ— taught us to make answer to and Consequences of Conclusions our Politicians have not or will not see I must though I know your manner of Education and living get you view'd see if you can't be found to have some lines or lineaments in your face or body that will verily perswade some to fancy they have seen you saying Mass a strong fancy brings a strong belief and belief 's above knowledge so that any one may safely swear you Priest Regular or Secular of what Order soever Dominican or Jesuit if he can but strongly fancy you so B. This is Plot-saving Doctrine as good as Scissars and Sieve or Key and Bible to make the Patron go halfs to detect his â—â—n Some by Peter and some by Paul will find out whether the suspected be a Roman Catholick then if of any Order if so of which that once found 't is but opening the Catalogue of their names and there 's the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as quick a way and almost as sure as the High Court of Justice where the breath of the Lord became the breath of the People and mens Heads were poll'd off your Women can sit at home and play the Destinies spin the thread of Men's Lives but who can lay any thing to the Saints charge W. I begin to suspect you think lightly of the Plot and the King's Evidence you are a Heretick I fear if not a down-right Atheist in our modern policy what I warrant you you would make little of the Plot. B. I shall not make so much of it as some others I fear have and will I shall never build upon it either Wealth or Revenge list unrais'd Armies the Rabble instill fears into 'em and so far proceed till there remains nought to secure the Authours and followers but to put Weapons into their hands and then commit the horridest outrages against Church and State that your paper Ammunition your Declarations and Pardons might not make them disband I can tell you the end as you have told me the beginning and so fare you well FINIS