those two Court Parasites and Ear-Wiggs Mountague and Manwaring who poysoned the Ears of King Charles the First with such infectious Doctrine that proved to be fatal to the King and Kingdoms 'T is true indeed both Montague and Manwaring were doom'd and condemn'd for the same in open Parliament Sentenced and Fined and made incapable of all Ecclesiastical Benefices and Promotions But King Charles was so much in Love with these two wicked Levites and their Doctrines that soon after the Parliament was dissolved he punished them with two Fat Bishopricks That the World may know for what Manwaring was thus Rewarded by the King I shall produce three of his pernicious Assertions out of his two Sermons before the King Printed under the Title of Religion ond Allegiance 1. That the King is not bound to observe the Laws concerning the Subjects Rights but that his Will in Imposing Loans and Taxes without consent in Parliament doth oblige the Subjects Conscience Upon Pain of Eternal Damnation 2. That they who refused the Loan did offend against the Law of God and against the Kings Supreme Authority and thereby became Guilty of Impiety Disloyalty Rebellion c. 3. That Authority of Parliament is not necessary for the raising of Aids and Subsidies and Dr. Sibthorp Vicar of Brackley printed a Sermon which he Preached at the Assizes at Northampton and Dedicated to the King wherein he Poysons his Country with these vile Positions 1. That it is the Prince's Duty to direct and make Laws his Text by the way was Rom. 13. 7. Render therefore to all their Dues he justified this by that Opposite Proof Eccles. 8. 3 4. He doth whatsoever pleases him Who may say unto him what doest thou 2. That all Antiquity is absolutely for absolute Obedience to Princes in all Civil and Temporal Things 3. That if Princes command any thing which Subjects may not perform because against the Laws of God of Nature or Impossible yet they are bound to undergo the Punishment without Resistance and so to yield a Passive Obedience where they cannot Exhibit an Active One. P g Sh k and others have largely since that time obliged the World with these Enslaving Doctrines As this King took great care to Reward such Ministers as these so he was resolved to make Examples of those Pious and Worthy Clergy-men that stood up against the Oppressions of those Times for Brevities Sake I shall instance but two of the many that might be Named The first was that Good Man Dr. Abbot Archbishop of Canterbury because he could not in Conscience comply with the King who with Menaces required him to License that abominable Sermon of Siâ—throps before mention'd and thereby make that Good by Divinity which had been done against the Laws And when the Lord Conway Secretary of State was sent with a threatning Message from the King to him this good Old Man persisted in his Refusal saying with the Psalmist I shall not be affraid of any Evil Tydings for my heart is fixed trusting in the Lord. The King instantly Suspended this Archbishop and also confined him and committed the Archiepiscopal Jurisdictionâ— to five Bishops all of the New Church of England and Sibthorp's Patrons viz. London Durham Rochester and Oxford and honest Laud of Bath and Wells The second was Dr. Williams Bishop of Lincoln who also felt the heavy Oppression of this Protestant King In the first Year of his Reign he was Lord Keeper of the reat Seal but upon his appearing in Parliament against the Kingdoms great Grievance the Duke of Buckingham he was Disgraced und-Sequestred from the King's Presence and Council Table In his second Year he was accused for speaking publickly against the Loan and also for refusing to give way to proceedings in his Courts against the Puritans The King Imprison'd him in the Tower but this good Bishop out-living his Imprisonment upon the King 's throwing the Gauntlet he came to a Tryal of Skill for the Old English Liberties and he resolutely said Nolumus Leges Anglia Mutari and took Command in the Parliament's Army and bravely asserted his Country's Liberties with his Sword If I should proceed to relate how this King dealt by the Nobility and Gentry both Lawyers and others that stood up for the Laws of the Land and Liberties of the People this Tragical Story would swell to too great a Bulk for a Preface I shall therefore give a short Account of the matters contained in the following Treatise viz. that He Favoured Protected and was Ruled by the worst of Men both Clergy and Laity Secondly That He highly favoured Papists Thirdly That He Govern'd by an Arbitrary Power and raised Money upon his Subjects without Act of Parliament which is directly against the Constitution of the Government of England and of a most dangerous Consequence to the People of England for when ever such a Power is Established in these Kingdoms the People may bid a sad farewell to all their Felicity for they would soon undergood the same Miserable Fate the poor People of France have done ever since that King violated their Magna Charta call'd the Edict of Nants c. which is to be Taxed according to that Prince's Will and Pleasure Fourthly That he was not that Pious Prince the mad World without reason would represent him to be of all these you have too many Instances in the following Treatise which for the satisfaction of Mankind contains not onely 26â— Articles or Charges against this King but also the following Tracts all of which were never Printed at large in any one Book before viz. The Popes Letter to King Charles I. and King Charles his Letter in Answer thereunto calling the Pope Most Holy Father c. The Articles of Marriage made in Favour of Papists with France King Charle ' s Commission to the Irish Rebels and Philem Oneles and Rorie Macquire ' s Declaration thereupon King Charles II's Letter to the Court of Claims of Ireland in behalf of that great Rebel the Marquess of Antrim to restore him to his Estate for that the said Marquess had made it appear that what he acted in that Rebellion was done by the Express Orders and Commands of Charles I. His Father King Charles I's Warrant by Secretary Nicholas to the King's Printer Commanding him to Print no more thâ—n Forty Proclamations that Proclaimed the Irish Rebels An Abstract of those Strange Articles of Peace that King Charles the First made with the Irish Rebells The two Letters he writ to assure the Rochellers of his relieving them and the miserable and deplorable Remonstrance those poor People made to him upon his Sacrificing them to the Mercy of the French King The Earl of Anglesey ' s Memorandum Dr. Anthony Walker and Mrs. Gauden ' s Proofs that Eicon Basilice was not Writ by King Charles but by Dr. Gauden Bishop of Exeter That Copy of the Kings and Pamelia ' s Prayers taken out of Eicon Basilice and Sir Philip Sydneys Arcadia
A DEFENCE OF THE PARLIAMENT of 1640. And the PEOPLE of ENGLAND AGAINST King Charles I. And his ADHERENTS CONTAINING A short Account of some of the many Illegal Arbitrary Popish and Tyrannical Actions of King CHARLES I. unjustly called the Pious Martyr together with the following Tracts c. 1. The Pope's Letter to King Charles 2. K. Charles's Letter in Ans. thereunto 3. The Articles of Marriage made in Favour of Papists with France 4. King Charles his Commission to the Irish Rebels And 5. Philem O Neal and Rorie Macquire's Declaration to the Irish thereupon 6. King Charles II's Letter to the â—â—urt of Claims of Ireland in behalf of that great Rebel the Marquess of Anâ—â—m to restore him to his Estate for â—t the said Marquess had made it apâ—r That what he acted in that Rebelâ— was done by the Express Orders 〈◊〉 Commands of Charles I. his Father 〈◊〉 King Charles I's Warrant by Secreâ— Nicholas to the King's Printer â—manding him to Print no more 〈◊〉 40 of those Proclamations that â—claim'd the Irish Rebels 〈◊〉 An Abstract of those strange Artiâ— of Peace King Charles I. made with â—rish Rebels 9. King Charles his two Letters to the Protestants of Rochel wherein he assured them of Relief against the French K. 10. The Misérable and Deplorable Remonstrance those poor Protestants made to him upon his Sacrificing them to the Mercy of the French King 11. The Earl of Anglesey's Memorandum Dr. Anthony Walker and Mrs. Gauden's Proofs That Eicon Basilice was not Writ by King Charles but by Dr. Gauden Bishop of Exeter 12. A Copy of the Kings and Pamelia's Prayers taken out of Eicon Basilice and Sir Phillip Sydny's Arcadia which agree almost in every Word 13. Twenty Articles against that wicked Prelate Lâ— 14. To give a clear Demonstration of this holy Martyr's Religion and Piety see his Declaration for the Lawfulness of Sports and Pastimes on the Lord's Day Printed at large in this Book LONDON Printed 1698. TO THE READER IT is not the least of Man's Unhappiness that he is the greatest Enemy of his own Interest having Opportunities for his own Advantage he lets them slip and by Brutish Incogitancy rather than Natural Impotency as our Parents at first he is soon cheated into his own Misery his present Contentment is his chiefest Atchievement and he will have his Will tho' it be his Woe He is apt to kill his Friends as the Jews did Christ for their Endeavours to Save him and to Court his Enemy as Eglon did Ehud whose Design was to Slay him The great Controversy between the Advocates for King Charles the First and his wicked Favourites and the Friends of the Parliament and People that were necessitated to Resist him could never have been spun out into above 40 Years length had the dim Eyes of dull People been clear'd up to a true discerning of their Friends from their Oppressive Foes How apt have the Idolizers of King Charles the First been with the Army of the Assyrians to travel to Samaria instead of Dothan and with the Jews to gratify Caesar in Crucifying their Saviour Whereas heretofore they generally reputed for Saints those faithful and couragious Barons who lost their Lives in the Field making a glorious War against Tyrants for the Common Liberty Such as Symon de Mamfort Earl of Leicester against Henry the Third Thomas Platagenet Earl of Lancaster against Edward the Second c. I cannot willingly ascribe the Love of Tyranny and Oppression to the Natural Disposition of an English Man but rather to two other Causes the first is the Clergy of all Ranks whose Pulpit Stuff from before 1640 till now hath generally been the Doctrine and perpetual Infusion of Servility and Wretchedness to their Hearers and their Lives most commonly the Types of Worldliness with a slender Pattern of Vertue Righteousness and Self-Denial in their whole Practice The Second is I attribute it to the factious Inclination of most Mendivided from the Publick Interest of their Country by several Selfish Ends and Humours of their Own who may truly be call'd Sacrificers of the Common Welfare of Mankind to their own private Advantage that they might thereby attain to their Ambitious Purposes Dryden as I am inform'd gives this true Character of these Sort of Men viz. Mark those which Dote on Arbitrary Power and you 'l find them either Hotbrain'd-Fools or Needy Bankrupts 'T is a wonderful and amazing thing to find so great a part of Mankind fondly and foolishly Doting nay which is more Unchristian with a sort of Idolatry Idolizing this Prince when they are not capable of giving to the World a clear Demonstration of one good Act he did designedly for the Benefit of his People Certainly if his Virtue and Piety towards God and his Country had been in the least conspicuous his mighty Adorers have been defective in their Panegerical Encomiums of him for I must with the greatest Assurance declare that neither by reading the Defences of him or Conversation with the greatest of his Advocates could I find the least Cause to Esteem him a Saint or to clear him from the Tyrannical Oppression nay from the Blood and Misery of England so justly laid to his Charge by the Parliament of 1640 and those worthy Patriots that join'd with them Let the Advocates for Tyranny and Arbitrary Power say what they will to the contrary I am confident the People of England have a great Esteem and Value for a King that Governs according to Law and in all his Actions aims at his People's Good equal with his own and if at any time they betake themselves to Arms against their Prince 't is his and not their Fault Neither is it rational to believe that the Generality of the Nobility Gentry and Commonality of England would without an apparent Cause and Necessity engage in a Bloody Civil War and thereby run the hazard of their Lives and Fortunes And he that shall consider impartially in a Civil or Religious Sense the Quality of those that espoused that King against their Native Country will find the Parliament and those that joined with them did infinitely exceed in all respects the Party that assisted that King For it is notoriously known that the Popish and Superstitious People throughout the Kingdom were united as one Man for the King against the Parliament and if we consider them in a Civil respect were not all the Pattentees Monopolizers Cruel Usurping Oppressors but Lords Knights and Gentlemen the Pillars of the Star-Chamber Councel-Table High Commission Court c. were not these the great Abettors and Supporters of that Bloody War against the Parliament and People of England Were not his Clergy for the generality of them a wretched Parcel of Court Sycophants that gave vent to those Plaguy-Doctrines of Non-Resistance Absolute and Arbitrary Government after the Mode of France in Loans Free-Quarter Ship-money Monopolies c. during the Oppressive Ministery of Buckingham Stafford and Laud that countenanced
by the charitable Protestants of England for their relief in Equipping Ships to be sent to the Assistance of the French King against the poor Protestants of the Isles of Rhee and Rochell 18. That without doubt had a great hand in the Notorious Irish Rebellion wherein above 150 thousand poor Protestant Souls were most Barbarously Murthered and this will more plainly appear by reading the Commission given by this King in the 17th Year of his Reign dated from Edinborough and also the Commission thereupon of Peilem Oneale and Rorie Macguire to all the Papists both English and Irish within the Kingdom of Ireland both which for the Readers better satisfaction are Printed at large in this Book and also a sheet of Paper call'd Murther will Out containing King Charles II's Letter to the Court of Claims in Ireland 1663. Requiring the then Commissioners to restore the Earl of Antrim to his Estate for that he had made it appear he had acted nothing but by Order and Commission from King Charles I. read the Letter at large Take notice this Earl of Antrim had been a very great Rebell yet restored for serving that King in murthering his Protestant Subjects neither can any impartial Men think that King Innocent of this Wicked Act if they consider how Treacherously and Basely he delt with the Protestants of England of the Palatinate of the Isles of Rhee and Rochell What Articles he made with France in favour of Popery upon his Match what a mighty Influence his Popish Queen had over him how he employed in great Places of Trust not only great Favourers of Popery but also many profest Papists and was very much Advised and Govern'd by their Counsels to the great Sorrow and Misery of his poâ—r Protestant Subjects as also that in the Summer before that dreadful October 1641. a Committee of the most Active Papists all afterwards in the head of the Rebellion were in great favour at White-Hall and admitted to many private Consultations there with the King in the Queens Presence and those Irish Priests departed not thence till within two Months before that Bloody Rebellion and Massacre It was at that time I morally believe that King Charles favoured the Irish Massacre and the Irish Papists were so well assured of it that they called themselves the Queen's Army and said they had good Warrant in Black and White for their Proceedings and cryed out against the Parliament of England as the King's Enemies He that has a desire of being satisfied how great a favourer King Charles was of Papists let him read Mr. Pinn's Book called The Royal Court Favourite He was very much advised by the then Parliament to send early Relief to the poor Protestants of Ireland but it is notoriously known how backward he was therein and that he suffered them to be Sacrificed to the cruel Mercy of the Irish Cut-Throats It is also plain that the Parliament had long and often requested the King to Declare the Irish Rebels yet was this rare Protestant Martyr so Tender of the Poor Catholicks Reputation for Acting according to his Commands that no less than three Months past before he would gratifie the House of Commons with Proclaiming them Rebels and when he had against his real inclination thus done he was resolved That but a small number should be Printed and Published and in order thereunto the following Warrant was sent to the King's Printer from his Secretary of State IT is His Majesty's Pleasure that you forthwith Print in very good Paper and send unto Me for his Majesties Service Fourty Copies of the Proclamation inclosed leaving convenient space for his Majesty to Sign above and to affix the Privy Signet underneath And His Majesties Express Command is That you Print not above the said Number of Copies and forbear to make any further Publication of them till his Pleasure be further Signified for which this shall be your Warrant White-Hall Jan. 2. 1641. Edward Nicholas See here what special care was taken that a few only should come to the knowledge of this Proclamation when at the same time it was well observed he dealt far otherwise by the Scots for they were more sharply Proclaimed and those Proclamations with great care and dilligence dispersed throughout the whole Kingdom and ordered to be read in all Churches accompanied with Publick Prayers and Execrations But his Aversion to the Proclaiming and Proceeding against the Irish Rebels is not to be much wondred at for they call themselves The Queen's Army and declared that they Rose to maintain the King's Prerogative and the Queen's Religion against the Parliament much more might be collected from divers Authors of this Tragical Story which for Brevity Sake I shall now omit 19. That to his Eternal Infamy against all Laws both Humane and Divine caused A Declaration to be Published concerning the Lawfulness of Sports Pastimes c. on the Lord's Day and gave Archbishop Laud an Order under his Hand to see that this Declaration was Printed Read the Order and Declaration Printed at large in this Book and also King Charces II's Declaration after his Restoration It is a wonderful and amazing thing that there can be found amongst us such Clergymen and Gentlemen that against all Reason and Truth shall make a Saint nay a Martyr of this as you see Pious King How these Men at the Great Day of Judgment will be able to Answer for the many abominable Lies and Blasphemies they have been Guilty of in Defending this King's Tyrannies and Oppressions and Deifying him after a most scandalous Rate is a Mystery to me The Publication of this Licentious Book was so apparently destructive to Religion and so dishonourable to God and the King That the Pious and Sober Clergy of that time absolutely refused either to Read it or to permit it the said abominable Declaration to be Read and how barbarously and unchristianly they were used for their Refusal is too well known 20 That gave Wicked Arbitrary and Tyrannical Orders Instructions and Commissions to the Earl of Strafford Lord Lieutenant of Ireland all which the said Earl took such care to Execute that the Parliament which was made up of Grave Able and discerning Persons fell so severely upon him that they caused him to be Committed to the Tower Impeached him and soon after caused him to be according to his deserts Beheaded He pleaded the King's Authority for what he had done but the Commons saw no reason to acquit him 'T was observed that tho the King and Queen would not publickly Solicite for his Relief yet several secret Instances were made by them both to save him that had obeyed their Commands c. But the just Cries of the People c. necessitated the King against his Will to sign the Warrant for his Execution And having now given a short account of the Earl of Strafford I think it proper for the satisfaction of all those good People that desire to be rightly informed for what Laud
Archbishop of Canterbury was most justly Beheaded The House of Commons having proof that he had a great Hand in all the Arbitrary Proceedings and Dealings with Rome December 18th 1640. they Voted him to be a Traytor and Mr. Hollis was sent to the Lords to Accuse him of High-Treason which he did immediately assuring the Lords that in convenient time there should be a charge put in against him to make Good the Accusation desiring that he might be sequestred from the House and Committed which was forthwith done by the Lords The Articles wherewith he was charged consist of these Heads c. 1. For that he had Treacherously endeavoured to subvert the Fundamental Laws and Government of the Kingdom of England and instead thereof to Introduce an Arbitrary and Tyrannical Government against Law 2. That he had laboured to Overthrow the Authority of Parliaments and the Force of the Laws of the Kingdom of England 3. That he had laboured to corrupt and pervert the Ministers of Justice 4. That he himself had corruptly bought and sold Justice in his Seat 5. That he had put a New Book of Cannons in Execution against Law Vide 2 Vol. 2d Part of Rushworth's Hist. Collect. Fol. 1365. sequent 6. That he had Traytorously assumed to himself a Pap̄al and Tyrannical Power both in Ecclesiastical and Temporal Matters 7. That he had laboured to subvert the Protestant Religion and instead thereof to set up Popish Superstition and Idolatry 8. That he had prefer'd notorious Papist to Places of Dignity 9. That he had chosen to himself a Chaplain Popishly affected 10. That he had kept Confederacy and Intelligence with Popish Priests and Jesuits 11. That he had cruelly persecuted Godly Ministers 12. That he had laboured to make Divisions and Discord between us and other Churches 13. That he had stir'd up War and Enmity between his Majesties two Kingdoms of England and Scotland 14. That he had Slandened and Incensed His Majesty against Parliaments 15. That he had laboured to slander Parliaments with the Nick Name of Puritans and commended the Papists for harmless and peaceable Subjects 16. That he had Traytorously indeavoured to advance the Power of the Council Table the Cannons of the Church and the King's Prerogative above the Laws and Statutes of the Realm 17. That he had Wittingly and Willingly Harboured Countenanced and Relieved divers Popish Priests and Jesuits and particularly one call'd Sancta Clara alias Damport a dangerous Person and Franciscan Fryar and did also provide Maintenance and Entertainment for one Monsieur St. Gyles a Popish Priest at Oxford knowing him to be a Popish Priest 18. That he had threatningly said there must be a Blow given to the Church such as had not been yet given before it could be brought to Conformity 19. That he punished divers Ministers in Prosecution of the last Cannons made by himself 20. That he had wickedly and malitiously Advised His Majesty to dissolve the last Parliament and presently after it was Dissolved told His Majesty That then he was absolved from all Rules of Government and left free to use all extraordinary Ways for his Supply These were the chief Heads of the Charge against that Proud Popish and Arbitrary Prelate for which he was sent Prisoner to the Tower After some close Inquiries and Examinations taken from the Informations of the late Lord Deputy of Ireland it was sufficiently known that the Archbishop was the Conduite Pipe through which the Popish Party made the pernicious Seed of Division run so smoothly that he was the Wicked Instrument they made use of to stir up the Division between the two Kingdoms of England and Scotland and between the Protestants of the Church of England and the Presbyterians These heavy charges being made good against this Bishop and he most righteously executed for these his notorious Evil Actions Why are most of our Clergy and some of our Laity so wicked as to vindicate him and without the least Reason or shaddow of Truth cry him up for a Blessed Martyr that had violated all the Laws of the Land and was so great a Cause of most of the Miseries of England That to prevent the Peoples being too Religious advised and highly promoted the Declaration of Sports on the Lord's Day a time so odious in the sight of any thing of a Christian that it ought never to be forgotten 21. That after he had compleatly acted the part of a great Tyrant and thereby had justly lost the general Love Esteem and Affection of the best Protestants of the three Kingdoms He willingly consented that Bishop Gauden Bishop Duppa c. should compose a Book and call it His Portraicture or Picture and this Book the King was to own as his that it was composed by him when God knows he had neither so much Piety nor Capacity as that Work re-required though as a Noble Peer lately said Let that Book be Written by the King on by any body else there is little in it that deserves Esteem The design of this Book was three-fold the first was By the Lies thereby to justifie the King 's Arbitrary and Illegal Actions secondly Heavily to load the People of England with Rebellion c. for standing up for the legal Liberties and Properties belonging to them though absolutely forced thereunto to prevent the Inundation of Misery and Popish Slavery that the King and his wicked Court Favourites were then bringing on the three Kingdoms thirdly The cunning drift of the Factious and Defeated Party design'd to make the same Advantage of his Book as they did before of his Regal Name and Authority and intended it not only for a Defence of the King 's former Actions but also for promoting their own future Designs As for the Book who ever is the real Author has no occasion to value himself for that Work two things being with the greatest ease to be prov'd upon him First That he is a most Notorious Lyer both as to his Assertions of the King's Innocency of those sad matters justly laid to his Charge and also of his many unjust Accusations of the People of England and secondly That he was a Thief and had so much Piety as to have recourse to the famous Sir Philip Sydney's Arcadia a Romance in the time of his Troubles and from thence to steal the Prayer of Pamelia to an Heathen Diety being under Imprisonment not finding a suitable Form in the Liturgy Psalms of David or any other places of the sacred Scripture And that the Reader may be satisfied of the Truth of this Piece of Thievery I have thought fit to Print both Prayers in Collums one against the other That of Pamelias may be found in Pembrook's Arcadia p. 248. 13 Edit Printed 1674. That of King Charles I's is call'd a Prayer in time of Captivity Printed in a Great Folio call'd the Works of King Charles and also in his Eicon Basilike The King's Prayer Pamelia ' s Prayer to the Heathen Deity O