that then environ'd him forc'd from him indeed a faint kind of Compliance with their desire at first he made a show of Issuing out Writs for calling a Free Parliament but so strong was his Inclination to have none but such a pack'd House of Commons as might serve the Great Turn he had so long aim'd at that before half the Writs were sealed all the Scheme was altered in a moment and things went on in the old channel again Here was a demonstration with a witness how far the late King was inclin'd to call together the Representative Body of the Kingdom And he that could not be brought to it at so pinching a juncture as that was can never in reason be thought a hearty Friend to Free Parliaments Upon calling this Representative Body he will inform himself what are the United Interests and Inclinations of his people Sure he cannot be yet to learn what those are and he has had too many and too remarkable occasions not to be ignorant of them He could not but be so much acquainted with the Interests and Inclinations of the People of England as to see a rooted Principle of Liberty in opposition to Slavery predominant in every English breast and yet all that did not hinder him from a form'd Design of overturning the very fundamental Constitution that rendred that Principle of theirs warrantable He could not but know that the Inclinations of the Generality of the People of England were averse to the Religion of Rome and that their Interests were quite opposite to that Hierarchy Yet this did not dissuade him from making more steps in four years time towards the reconciling this Nation as the then Court-Phrase was to the Church of Rome than was made in France it self from the Death of Henry 4th till about three years before the Edict of Nants was revok'd for good and all But with the Concurrence of this Representative-Body he will be ready to redress all Grievances and give all those Securities of which we shall stand in need There was a time when scarce one single step was made in the Government but what deserv'd well the name of a Grievance and how well these Grievances were redress'd is worthy of our Enquiry The late King was not warm in the Throne when he ventur'd fairly to give us a taste of what he was afterwards to do He order'd a part of the Revenue that expired with his Brother's Death to be levied for his own use and that by virtue of his own Edict without an Act of Parliament A little after this he would needs send a solemn Ambassy to Rome to lay his Crown and Kingdoms at the Pope's Feet A Compliment few Kings ever made lest it should be taken in good earnest The Slights his Ambassador met with there were not able to mortify his Zeal in the least degree As he had sent a Splendid Ambassy to the Pope so he could not rest till he obtained the Glory of seeing a Nuncio sent hither whom he not only caressed himself but made it a Crime even in the greatest Peers of the Kingdom to refuse to attend at his Publick Entry a Minister whose Character was in it self High-Treason by the Law of England After the Storm rais'd by Monmouth was over he plainly tells the Parliament then sitting That he will employ Roman Catholicks in his Army that was as much in plain English as if he had said Gentlemen I judge it fit to tell you I think not my self obliged to govern any longer according to Law now that by your kind Assistance I am rid of a Competitor in the Throne After this we were not to expect any fair Weather all that followed was Thunder and Lightning The Penal Laws and Test must be taken off and the Dissenters cajol'd to consent to what at last was to ruin them as well as the Church of England Till a packt Parliament could be got to do this Job a Dispensing Power was set up that upon the matter was to supply the place of an Act of Parliament This devouring Monster altogether unknown to our Ancestors was not only to swallow up all Laws that stood in the late King's way towards the Grand Design but was to have the Force of a Law in it self as strong as any ever made by King Lords and Commons It was this Paramount All devouring Power claim'd by King Iames that produc'd afterwards the Ecclesiastical Commission the Suspension of the first Bishop of England the dashing in pieces the Ancient Rights of Magdalen College the Imprisonment of the Bishops in the Tower and a great many other things too long to be mention'd here All these were Grievances of a deep dye and yet neither Prayers nor Tears Submissions nor remonstrances could prevail with him to mitigate the weight of any of these blows They were heavy Grievances and he knew and was told every day they were so And how ready he was to redress them the whole course of that Reign testifies In the same sence he is willing to redress our grievances he may perhaps be willing to give us those securities we stand in need off Thanks to his love for what we do not want We know no better nor more natural securities than our Laws are they are the only sence next to Providence we trust in and while they are not violated we are safe But had not we those Securities before and did not the Late King break through them Could any Law in the world be exprest in more positive terms than that of the Test And yet this well-twisted rope like that of Sampson's of old prov'd but a thred of towe when the fury of King James 's Zeal came to touch it We likewise declare upon our Royal Word that We will protect and defend the Church of England as it is now established by Law And secure to the Members of it all the Churches Universities Colledges and Schools together with their Immunities Rights and Priviledges This is not the first time the Late King has promis'd all this and done quite otherwise King Charles the 2d was scarce yet cold clay when in the speech he made to his New Councel He told them He would make it his endeavours to preserve the Government both in Church and State as it was then established by Law And afterwards adds That he shall always defend and support the Church of England and the Members of it I cannot see how larger promises could have been made And this last is but a repetition of the former Yet how well they were kept we have number'd up instances enough already Thanks to Heaven and to the Laws already made the Church of England and the Members of it are much better secured than King Iames's Royal word can possibly do it though he had never given us ground to call the truth of it in question Having so strong Barriers already we were errant fools to trust our safety to so weak props that have
fail'd us so often before We also declare We will with all earnestness recommend to that Parliament such an impartial Liberty of Conscience as they shall think necessary for the Happiness of these Nations We have not altogether forgot what kind of Liberty of Conscience the Late King always aim'd at a Liberty fatal to and inconsistent with the safety of the Protestant Religion and infallibly destructive to the Church of England A Liberty that was to end in the exalting the Romish Religion to a pitch in England that was not even the interest of wise Roman-Catholicks themselves to wish But why recommend to a Parliament Liberty of Conscience Might not the Dispensing Power supply all defects as it did before And if the Late King has an unquestion'd right to emit a Declaration for Liberty of Conscience when and how he pleaseth which was Treason in effect to Controvert some years ago then it 's altogether a piece of folly to trouble a Parliament with it This one Engine was like Goliah's Sword has none like to it and it would indeed be a disparagement to use any other when that is so ready at hand on all occasions But alas the word Impartial Liberty has unluckily slip'd in in the Declaration How came any body to dream that an Impartial Liberty of Conscience would ever please the Protestants of England An impartial Liberty is a Liberty of equal extent to all And does King Iames think the people of England would be willing there should be a Liberty of Conscience granted to the Roman Catholicks equal to what the Laws have already secured in favour of the Protestants In this sence all the Bishopricks and Livings of England must be divided Impartially into equal parts we must have one Roman-Catholick Archbishop and the other a Protestant and thus it must be with the rest of the Dignities and Livings of the Church The truth is when King Iames comes back we shall be heartily content with this division and think we well escape too if he takes no more than one half But who shall be security to us we shall lose no more We further declare We will not dispense with or violate the Test. And as for the dispensing power in other matters we leave it to be explained and limited by that Parliament A very Gracious Promise and a mighty Condescention He will not dispense with the Test as he did before tho still he has a Right so to do if he pleases for we were often told in the last Reign That this Dispensing Power was one of the brightest Iewels of the Crown and in a Royal Declaration for Liberty of Conscience to the Neighbouring Kingdom he told them plainly he dispensed with all Laws to the contrary by virtue of that Absolute Power every body was obliged to obey without reserve So that here is indeed no more than a simple Promise not to make use of that Power to dispense with the Test which he has an undoubted Right to still whereas the Law and the People of England say there is no such Power lodg'd any where and nothing but an Act of Parliament can suspend or make void an Act of Parliament in this case But pray how does this Promise Not to violate the Test agree with the Notion the late King always express'd he had of it He was pleas'd in his Closettings of Gentlemen constantly to inculcate into them the unjustness of the Test in it self how contradictory it was to that Christian Charity which ought to be among his Subjects how contrary to the very Law of Nature it self that any body should be incapacitated to serve their Countrey upon the account of their Religion These were the Common Places the late King had constant recourse to in all his Arguments for taking off the Test And in a great many Papers publish'd at that time by Publick Authority the same frightful Ideas were again and again represented If this Test then be such an unjust thing in it self if it be so contradictory to the Rules of Charity and the Law of Nature how comes it about now that he is resolv'd not to violate that which according to his Principles he is indeed obliged to abolish But Promises cost nothing especially when the Performance is never intended We declare also That we will give our Royal Assent to all such Bills as are necessary to secure the frequent calling and holding of Parliaments The free Elections and fair Returns of Members And provide for impartial Trials And that we will ratifie and confirm all such Laws made under the present Vsurpation as shall be tendred to us by that Parliament Here is a very comprehensive Paragraph and deserves well to be taken into consideration by pieces He will give his Royal Assent to all such Bills as are necessary to secure the frequent Calling and Sitting of Parliaments We all know the reason of putting in this Clause at this time But instead of frequent Parliaments if King Iames were once again upon the Throne we would rather there were none at all Since nothing can be of more dangerous consequence to England than the sitting of such kind of Parliaments as that which King Iames always aim'd at Doubtless we should then have a Representative Body to give it in his own Words that would render all Representations of the People in Parliament for the time to come utterly needless We might expect to see our Liberties and Laws given up to the Will of a Prince all at once and all the struggles between the Prerogative and Rights of the Subject put an end to at one blow in the entire resigning up all Pretences to these last for ever So far then would the calling of Parliaments be a terror to us that ev'ry Session of them would be but so many new Links added to our Chain till all remaining impressions of our former Liberty were intirely swallowed up in an irrecoverable Slavery The Freedom of Election and fair Returns of Members are two things diametrically opposite to the late King 's former Measures And he does or at least may know the Temper of this Nation better than to hope to succeed in his Designs by the means of a Parliament freely constituted of true Englishmen Slavery is a Pill will never go down with them And it 's only to a pack't House of Commons that those of King Iames's Religion can ever owe their long experienced Triumphs That he will provide for Impartial Trials we do not at all doubt if he mean Trials without favour or prospect of mercy for of those the last Reign was but one continued Instance and indeed no body can blame the late King for not executing Justice to the full But this is not all There are yet greater Blessings in store for us He will Ratify and Confirm all such Laws made under the present Vsurpation as shall be tender'd him by that Parliament Good God! where have we been all this time with
our distinction of a King de Facto that some People have coin'd to save both their Credit and Estates Our Law says expresly That whatever is done by a King in Possession is sufficiently valid But here the late King at one dash and I believe without thinking on what he had promis'd us a few lines before does plainly insinuate that he is resolv'd to stand to what has been Enacted by a King in Possession not because it 's Law but out of meer compliment to his new Parliament So we have here a standing Law since the days of Henry the 7th torn up by the Roots and one of the most necessary provisions for the Publick Safety unhing'd And if this be not all over the Dispensing Power or rather worse I refer it to every body of common Sense However if if it be any mitigation of sorrow to have Companions in it we shall have the pleasure to see our de Facto Gentlemen come in for their share of a Publick Calamity in which their nice distinction will stand them in no stead as probably some of them vainly hop'd And in that Parliament We will also consent to every thing they shall think necessary to re-establish the late Act of Settlement of Ireland made in the Reign of our Dearest Brother And will advise with them how to recompence such of that Nation as have followed us to the last and who may suffer by the said Re-establishment according to the degree of their Sufferings thereby Yet so as that the said Act of Settlement may always remain Intire And if Chimny-money or any other part of the Revenue of the Crown has been burthen some to our Subjects We shall be ready to exchange it for any other Assesment that shall be thought more easie There was certainly a great measure of confidence requir'd to mention the first part of this period without a Blush The Abolishing the Act of Settlement in Ireland was the Late King's Master-piece In England he made only one step after another in order to overthrow our Legal Constitution But in Ireland he was pleas'd and that in a Parliamentary way at one blow to overturn the Great Charter by which the Protestants of that Island enjoy'd their Estates The true reason of this difference in his treating them and us was because here he had not yet been able to get a Parliament according to his mind but there he found just such a one as he wish'd for They went thorough-stitch without the least hesitation and struck home at the Root of the English Liberty in making void the Act of Settlement which was the only Pillar it lean'd upon But now he will consent to the re-establishing that Act of Settlement Very probable the only best time for a man to shew his real Inclinations is when he is Master and may do it without controul By what the Late King did in Ireland we may best judge what he inclines to do of himself for there he was Master of his own designs having few or none but those of his own Religion and Principles about him and consequently none to oppose him If then it was that he shewed such an open Hatred against the Protestants of Ireland as at one dash to send some Hundred Thousands of them a Beging by making void the Fundamental Law to which they ow'd their Bread what are we justly to expect from him in England if we by an unexampled piece of Folly bring him back to be our Master here But tho he designs to re establish the Act of Settlement in Ireland He will not permit his dear Irish to suffer by it no they are to be recompenced according to the degree of their sufferings This period must certainly be a very reliâ—ning one to the many Thousand Protestants of that Kingdom who have been ruin'd by the Irish and who cannot think of them without a just horrour for the Barbarities they committed in the two last Rebellions We are to have Golden Days when those whose Hands are yet reeking in Protestant Blood are to be recompenc'd for shedding it Strange We must be the most abject Slaves that ever were if we can hear this with Patience And what signs has the Englâ—sh Nation yet given of so gross stupidity that incouraged the Contrivers of this Declaration to banter us at this rate it had been time enough to have told us this when the wreath is about our Necks and we groaning under the weight of our Chains but beforehand while we are yet free to entertain us with such a dismal prospect is a piece of Policy I believe very few are able to fathom He puts a mighty Obligation upon us in being ready to exchange the Chimney money for any other Assesment that shall be thought more easy The truth is this is wisely enough propos'd and upon a very reasonable foresight If ever the Late King return Chimney-money must certainly sink no Protestant that can flee will be very desirous to stay in England and consequently from that and a thousand other Calamities wasting us there must necessarily come to be a vast number of Houses without Fire or Smoke for want of Inhabitants Thus â—e have sincerely declared our Royal Intentions in terms we think necessary for setling our Subjects minds and according to the advice and intimations we have received from great numbers of our Loving Subjects of all ranks and degrees who have adjusted the manner of our coming to regain our own Right and to relieve our People from Oppression and Slavery After this we suppâ—se it will not be necessary to enumerate the Tyrannical Violations and Burthens with which our Kingdoms have been oppressed and are now like to be destroyed We have a great many too too recent grounds to know the late King 's Royal Intentions towards us without running to this Declaration to search for them The truth was he could not in some sense be call'd a dangerous Prince as people are inclinable to call those that hide their Designs from publick view He was open enough in all he aim'd at and whether it was from his Natural Temper or that he thought himself sure of Success he was never at much pains to disguise his Intentions but instead of working under ground our ruin he push'd it on with a high hand and like Alexander the Great tho upon a more ignoble occasion he scorn'd to steal upon us a Victory But all this openness was only when he was upon the Throne at the Head of a good Army now the case is quite alter'd and a little disguising is thought proper in his present Circumstances We know of no Oppression and Slavery we lye under at present If our Taxes be thought heavy in themselves they are not so if we consider they are given to ward off the greatest Miseries that can befal a Nation and we must be a base People indeed if we think our Religion and Liberty can be too dear bought Now we
surpass the renown of his Ancestors by making the Conquests I have hinted at it 's not to be doubted but he will push the harder for it the next time we give him an opportunity of doing it And to encourage all our Loving Subjects of what degree or quality soever to set their Hearts and Hands to the perfecting of so good a Work and to unite themselves in this only means of Establishing the future Peace and Prosperity of these Kingdoms We have thought fit to publish and declare That on our part We are ready and willing wholly to lay aside all thoughts of Animosity or Resentment for what is past desiring nothing more than that it should be buried in perpetual Oblivion They must indeed be his Loving Subjects that set their hearts and hands to the perfecting the work of the Late King's Restoration for none that have a true love for their Country will venture upon it If this work of Restoring him to the Throne be the only means of establishing the peace and happiness of these Kingdoms Then Popery and Slavery must be quite other things than we took them to be We fondly imagin'd our Lives and Estates could not be better bestow'd than in warding off from our selves our Country and Posterity those two But now our late Declarationmakers have found out the secret for instead of being such affrightful things as we believ'd they are the only means to establish our peace and happiness and indeed they and the Restoring of King Iames are reciprocal and must of necessity go hand in hand together He is ready and willing to lay aside all Resentments for what is past desiring nothing more than that it should be buried in perpetual oblivion It 's hop'd we may without offence believe him to be willing to lay aside all Resentments in the same sense as we believe him to have been always most willing to condescend to such things as might give fullest satisfaction to his people and the rather that in believing this last we arrive at the highest pitch of Faith even that of belieivng against sense But does he really desire that all that 's past should be buried in oblivion Certainly he has all the reason in the world so to do and they deserve to be branded for fools that doubt his Sincerity in that point But though the Late King should yet it s hop'd the people of England are not yet willing to bury in oblivion what 's past The sense of the hazards they were in was too great to be so soon forgot And yet we are heartily content they should be no otherwise remembred than as the Shipwrack'd Mariner retains the impression of the Shelve on which he once was in danger to split that is in order to shun it for the time to come And do therefore by this our Declaration under our Great Seal solemnly promise our free 〈◊〉 and Indemnity to all our Loving Subjects of 〈◊〉 degree or quality soever who shall not by Land or 〈◊〉 oppose Us and those we shall think necessary to accompany our own Person in this just attempt to recover our Right or in such a number of days after our Landing as we shall hereafter express shall not resist those who in any parts of our Dominions shall according to their Duty assert and maintain the Iustice of our Cause Beseeching God to incline the Hearts of our People that all effusion of Blood may be prevented and Righteousness and Mercy take place And for that end We further promise to all such as shall come to and assist us That We will reward them according to their respective Degrees and Merits Here is a touch of that mighty Act of Indemnity we are to be blest with upon the late King's Restoration An Indemnity which it 's hop'd we shall never stand in need of and yet one express'd in such words as would stand us in no stead tho we should come to plead it He pardons all but such as shall oppose him by Sea or Land A comprehensive Exception and fully as wide as that Universal one mention'd in his Declaration last year The word Oppose may receive a thousand different Interpretations at the Bar and God have mercy on us if ever it come to that For the late King was always careful enough to pick out Judges sufficiently inclin'd to put what Interpretations on Words or Things best pleased their Master However it be we know above One hundred thousand people excepted by this Clause at one blow all our Army by Land and all our Fleet at Sea They will certainly fall under the word Oppose tho they should never strike a stroke in the Quarrel the receiving a Commission to Oppose Him among the rest of Their Majesties Enemies will admit of no favourable sense in the case How far all the rest of the Nation may fall under the Exception it 's only to stretch the meaning of the words a little and they are all in the same Category with those that appear in Arms against him for there is an opposing of him in the Parliament-House in the Pulpit in one's Chamber and in a thousand other ways which a clear witted bene placito Judge can easily find out As to his Promise of Rewarding those that shall come in to him he has been always very careful that no body repent their good Service to him Witness the Parliament that had stuck so close to him in the affair of Monmouth's Insurrection whom he turn'd out of doors when the Danger was over and the Prelates of the Church of England who had adher'd to his Interest in the matter of the Bill of Exclusion upon whom afterwards he rubb'd all the Affronts were in his power and in fine witness a great many Protestants that had serv'd him effectually against Monmouth in keeping the Crown on his Head whom he afterwards turn'd out of their Employments to make way for his Rascally beloved Irish. We do further declare That we will with all speed call together the Representative Body of our Kingdom And therein will inform our selves what are the united Interests and Inclinations of our People and with their concurrence will be ready to redress all their Grievances and give all those Securities of which they shall stand in need What sort of Representatives the late King aim'd at when he sat on the Throne we have hinted at before They were only such as would break in upon our Laws and Constitutions to favour those that were design'd to be our Executioners at least the Instruments of our Slavery A Principle to have such and only such Representatives was so rooted in the breast of that Prince that even when the greatest danger came afterwards to threaten him he could not bring himself to the Temper of calling any other tho most of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal begg'd him earnestly so to do as the only means to settle the then troubled state of his Affairs The difficulties