Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	henry_n	ireland_n	king_n	10,468	5	4.3478	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A48008	A letter from a gentleman of the Romish religion, to his brother, a person of quality of the same religion, perswading him to go to church, and take those oaths the law directs proving the lawfulness thereof by arguments not disagreeable to doctrines of the Roman Church.	Gentleman of the Romish religion.	1674 (1674)	Wing L1399; ESTC R9395	26,026	47

the point which commands the Oath was not so plain as the Law-makers by late passages seem to make it I say since many good Catholick Casuist Priests have writ in defence of the taking it in former times I will omit to press that further which to me appears plain resolving however if you shall send me your doubts of this or any other point discussed herein that I will readily answer them to the best of my skill being satisfied in my Conscience that I have said nothing herein scandalous to Catholick Religion it self nor to any one but such that make that the sheeps raiment for wolvish designs So Brother once again I desire you to take into your serious consideration what it is to lose a good Estate not for conscience but ignorance to make your self uncapable of doing service to your Prince when there may be occasion but above all what scandal you stamp on the Religion you profess if you obstinately and without reason shall persist in disobedience to every thing the Law appoints the Subjects of this Nation to do As for your expectation of assistance from the King it is one of the most unreasonable things examine it rightly that can enter into the heads of men whether you take it quadrate to his personal or rational Interest For alas to say the Catholicks of this Nation were all loyal or rather truly not disloyal to his Father and him is but to make a History of a very short Age. For all the World knows that it is as possible for Catholicks to be Rebels if it consists with their Interests as any other men for he that should deny this might as well affirm we had no such thing as Rebellions in England before Henry the Eighth's time which I suppose if he would consider how King Johns Charter of Priviledges was extorted from him he would by no means assert But alas let us say what we will on this side the Water our Brethren in Ireland we know too well led the dance to all the late mischiess except now I reflect on it they were out-posted by the Covenanters of Scotland But indeed it is a folly to expect that any Religion being once become an Art will refuse to have recourse to the Sword against being opprest and I am afraid it is much for want of numbers proportionable the best of them are quiet in such circumstances But however supposing the best that all Catholicks were loyal and that their Principles made them so is that an Argument sufficient to make the King provoke all his other Subjects to be otherways by his Indulgence to them who are not as one man to a hundred of the Nation Which is most reasonable that you dear Brother should strive as far as you can by the Rules of your Religion to comply with the Law for your own advantage or that the King should be forced to stop the course of it to his own prejudice to comply with your nice obstinacy meerly because he has your bare word that you will be very serviceable to him If another Rebellion shall on that account arise I am confident the case thus stated as certainly it does at present stand all rational men nay the Pope himself would conclude that the King in not medling but letting the Law and you tug for it is much in the right Nor could he himself were he a Subject of any Catholick Country expect more friendship or favour So for whose sake this happens to you is not material so it is and is like to be Therefore let me once again advise you go to Mass at seven to Church at nine and if Mr. Politick scruples giving you Absolution for your sins except you confess that for one send to me I 'le find you one shall venture his neck in the point to serve you for twenty pounds a year which you may easily save out of the two thousand that is demitia except you follow my counsel and deal with none but honest Catholick Priests not Roman Courtiers Men that aspire to be Provincials nay perhaps General of their Orders for their sturdy tricks in opposition to our Laws These things I have said are great truths that you will thank me for one day if you follow the advice if not you will repent your self when you shall be ashamed not to persist contrary to reason in what you so unreasonably began I could Brother have said much more to the Point which it may be I will add as I find you relish this till when I shall remain saying Paters and Aves for the opening of your understanding to your own good So farewel FINIS

if ever they would have strained the point it would have been in detection of Jesuits and Roman Priests a people they have long strove wholly to extirpate as appears by the punishment provided for them which is not only made capital but of the highest nature any English Law has yet prescribed yet they never went so far as to force them that were suspected upon Oath to purge themselves which had they done none could have been left alive in the Nation For I have this opinion of them not one would upon such examination deny himself except he intended to desert his Faith And this the Makers of those Statutes as well knew as the late Usurpers over all the Laws Rights and Priviledges of this Nation did when they took that never-failing Method of examining them upon Oath and detected though not executed all they tryed that way But the lawful Princes and Parliaments of this Kingdom have always avoided opening so dangerous a gap to perfect slavery for it would be less unreasonable for men on corporal Oath to declare whether they were guilty of Treason Murder Theft Forgery Adultery or any other notorious crime against the Law of Nature and the Nation than that they should be forced to discover thoughts which if not reduced into practice could concern the good or ill of no person but themselves and yet when known should bring them under heavier penalties than some of the other crimes For this reason till I see it I may justly believe there will never be such a way appointed in our Law for searching mens soles whatsoever probability there hath been of it lately As for the late Test that can no ways be brought in objection against me since Nations may prescribe what Gates they please through which any person is to arrive at preferment in it And it is not at all unnatural or unpracticable that a proper Oath be provided for any one that takes an Imployment nay it hath always been the Law and Custom of this Nation since Christianity if not before for every person to submit to some sort of Oath before he entred upon any trust in the Common wealth insomuch that the Kings themselves are not wholly exempted from it Now it is not at all more unreasonable that one general Form over and above such particular ones should be prescribed by the Law-makers at their directions for all such as seek preferments to comply with or not be capable of them for what I receive but of Grace cannot be called a penalty if I want and under that head fall all imployments in a Kingdom that are either of profit or honour For I suppose the being hindred from those of trouble will by no person be esteemed a grievance So the imposition of the late Test cannot be called a purgation of men by their personal Oaths to bring them under legal Penalties Nor can indeed the Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy it having been the Method of all Common-wealths to prescribe some Form to the Subject whereby to own the Government and that is in themselves discretion all Nor ought we to suppose a Government can be malicious to its Members or that it would lay snares for them but rather that whatever they prescribe proceeds from the desire of general security they still framing their Oaths so that they know all good Subjects may take them if any cannot or will not it lies upon such to quit the Protection of that State and no ways obliges the State to comply with their obstinacy And this last word for ought I know doth too much belong to those that first brought up the custom amongst Catholicks of refusing the two aforesaid Oaths of which more hereafter In the mean time I only affirm that we ought not to omit doing our duty to the Laws as far as they now bind us because there may come such as we may no ways be able to comply with But it is an hundred to one too that may never happen from the reason aforesaid and it would be more unlikely if there was a general compliance in the mean time to those things all rational men know Roman Catholicks might do nay which many known wise and devout men of them have in former times and do at this present practise as I could instance beyond all controversie if I pleased in this thing at present treated of which is going to Church But Brother I know it would be needless to you as well as prejudicial to them and therefore I shall forbear names in a thing so notorious only be you as wise and do not be led by the nose to infallible ruine by the bold nay sawcy assertions of Fellows whose business is to secure themselves command over your conscience no ways belonging to them that they may thereby be Masters of such part of your remaining Estate as shall be necessary to their plenty or prodigality which if they contrary to their duty and function sought not why should they study false Positions and impose them on you meerly to insnare your Estate They ought surely to open the narrow way to Heaven at least as wide as it might be and not lay stumbling-blocks in our ways never found out but in this miserable nook of the World nor no where taught or thought on but by our Missionaries from Rome and our traiterous Fugitives that on Religions first alteration fled thither For such being guilty of hainous Treasons against our Princes sought first to justifie their villanies by pretences of Religion having by their pernicious false and damnable Doctrines and Positions not only done vast hurt to the honest Professors of that but have placed upon it scandals not to be wip't off but with the end of time it self And these Wretches being grown desperate with the ill success of their damnable designs daring not to return into that Kingdom against which they had so traiterously practised sought to involve all the moderate Party which stayed behind into ruine in revenge of their not unanimous joyning with them in their black Attempts on the Persons of our lawful Princes and Governours These were the persons that suggested to the Popes motives for those idle Bulls so sent in contradiction of their more solemn declared intention if any such did come which we are now ways obliged to believe did or could but if they had or did 't is not at all material they being no more significant in England than a Letter Mandatory from the Grand Signior would be And indeed some of these pretended Bulls contained such Commands to their beloved Catholick Children here as they were pleased to call them in contradiction to their Excommunication that they should unanimously have Petitioned the King that both the Original and all the Copies of them might have been solemnly burnt by the common Hangman Nay any person that knew him ought upon pain of damnable sin to have discovered the bringer of them in that if a Priest he might have received