these unnaturall Brauls your Declarations signified that the separation of his Majesty from Westminster was the originall of our unhappinesse and that the chief intent of raising your Army was to bring the King from some evill Counsell in honour and safety to sit with you at Westminster and that it was impossible ever to have a safe and wel-grounded Peace without his Majesties personall concurrence in Parliament and you often protested by word of mouth in our Common Hals and many Declarations in the publike view of heaven and earth that you would not destroy but maintain our Religion and our Lawes that you would live and dye with us stand and fall with us that you would never leave us till you had made us free and lo now our freedom now we have gained you your wils for any thing we may since imagine to the contrary upon your private enemies the King's Faithfuls we must be slaves to you and your Mechanick Substitutes and your Raggamuffin Army and if we petition for our Soveraigns liberty and our own easment we must be worse used then Israel by their Aegyptian Task-masters we must be butchered and pillaged as our Surrey Brethren at Westminster and as the Petitioners in Kent murdered and stript in every Town and Lane where they were found and now your six weeks talk of setling the Kingdom is come to a design of disarming the Counties where you martch one by one and doubling your Army and Assessements and subjecting us unto a Military power Thanks for the freedom you intend us we must keep you an Army of Rogues and Knaves to murder and plunder us every where and to protect you traitors and your unjust Committees from tryall of Law and making up your accompts you would have it so you are wise enough to know that Rebellion cannot subsist longer then it keeps an Army in the field and we have wofull experience of the abuses and charge of it though Kentish Bumpkins be content with Bag-puddings and Essex Calves with Butter-milk if we must wade thorough the red Sea unto our Liberties we will send you out your Westminster Buls of death and plunder against such as rise against you and do your worst we shall shortly ease our selves of your Army and you too and we hope such Cavaliers as served their King for love will joyn with us to restore him and repair our infringed freedoms and vindicate themselves robbed and plundered of their Estates in time of War by you and your agents contrary to the Statute of Hen. 7. you know it well you dishonest and shamelesse and forct to pay great sums of money since at Goldsmiths-Hall to the utter undoing of many of them you might by as good Law have robbed upon the Road in times of peace as sequestred any for serving the King of this Country or compelled loanes of Money from us to help forward your traiterous designs against the King and Kingdom but you think to make white your black actions with more wilfull murders You will try by the King's Commission of Oyer and Terminer not Rebels but those that rise to suppresse them this is your conscience your honesty thus regard you the murdering killing and slaughtering the Subjects of this kingdom the tearings rendings and crippling of poor people the burning wasting and plundring of mens estates the wofull bitter and sad complaints and showrs of tears shed in corners secret closets by many men whose former quality with the remembrance thereof makes them wipe their eyes and counterfeit cheerfulnes in the sight of men thus salve you the sores of this kingdom When the Essex Calves as you stiled them as they have proved since then a little sensible of their Masters sufferings and their own and the kingdoms ill usage and calling to minde some former specious Declarations and treasonable courses directly contrary thereunto repair unto Westminster in that most unquestionable way for the Subject as Warwick daigned to call it petitioning the restitution of the King and the Countries ease the Houses after thet uppers thanks for some respects in the Petition and the saucy Commons mentioning some former services desire a further patience and the Petition shall be geanted they will settle the kingdom by Dooms day or when they can continue War no longer for in stead of disbanding their Army they prepare for second brauls they put the City and kingdom into a military posture under Independent Officers and fight with Major Generall Laughorn Colonel Powell and Poyer yet they say their quarrell is against Cavaliers and the people must rise for them now a traieterous and perfidious Juncto that seeks to enslave them to an arbitrary power and an Army as for the Parliament before Our Brethren of Surrey petition and the Houses send for the Rogues then at White-hall to fall upon them making Westminster formerly a Court of Justice where men had right a field of blood and theft Our Brethren of Kent resolving to petiton but fearing a Surrey welcome arm for their defence against the Army and instead of receiving their Petition they delude them with Treaties and wiles till they had got their Rebell Army into the County amongst them and then they send it Orders to fall upon them to slaughter and plunder all that should desire to have an old King and a new Parliament which was sufficiently observed by the Souldiers for none could passe the Road uncut or unmurdered and unstript and when they came into their Quarters they would with drawn Swords and spanned Pistols swear and curse and tell the women they would have rost-meat or they would broyl a piece of their Huâ—bands heads neither were they contented to feast whiles they stayed but at remouall let sellars of Beer upon the floor knock out the bottoms of Milk-vessels and spoyl all These be the civill Souldiers they have so oft talked of Essex appears for the assistance of Kent and they first bribe far and other knaves to decline the businesse and then send Whaley in amongst them to play like prnks there as in Kent Sussex presents its Petition by the number limited in the Declaration to bring it and they tell them as the others six weeks before they are upon the businesse of setling the Kingdom yet they spent the last moneth in making Orders for the sale of the Duke of Yorks Horses and for Lincolns man passage to France for Hungerfords comming from Ireland hither and such like most weighty affairs the past of the moneth they have spent in voting the spoil of Kent and Essex in framing Plots at Derby house and Westminster to be fathered upon the Cavaliers and to be discovered by the Major and other their own Agents in preaching to the people of a common enemy against the Parliament City and Kingdom in slandering our Presbyterian quarrell to be that of the Cavaliers already ended in proclaiming themselves The Parliament of England and their Independent Faction the City and Kingdom and apparelling all men in the goodly cloathes of Rebellion and Treason that rise against their Rebel-selves that would destroy Religion and Law the King and his Posterity and Crown themselves and Successors On Friday last they Vote the disarming of the Kingdome as their Armies marrch and subjecting us to a tyrannicall arbitrary power of themselves and their Souldiers to lay us so open by disarming us to the invasion of Spaine and France our prist in and potent adversaries was high treason in the Earle of Straford and the Lord Cottington in the beginning of their Sessions and yet now 't is their Act it must be otherwise Thus have I recapitulated a little the mischievous projects of this lewd and wicked IUNCTO those that went away to the Army in August last and doe desire all who have any zeale to Religion love to Monarchicall government sence of the sufferings and imprisonment of the King affection to their oppressed Brethren in the severall Counties or desire to preserve the liberty and property of the Subject that they would arme in each corner of the Kingdome and by force command that which will not otherwise be had FINIS
THE ANATOMY OF WESTMINSTER IVNCTO OR A Summary of their Designes aginst the KING CITY and KINGDOM Written by Mercurius Elencticus IN bodies Politicke the Repersentative as it is made up and chosen by the body Collective so should it ever act for the good of the same but it is more common then commendable for men betrusted with other mens good to behave themselves to their trustees hurt There be foure Cases wherin a body Collective is not bound to a body Representative but ought in conscience to dissent from it and protest against it First when a body Representative acts in a direct evident and obvious manner against the expresse will and Word of GOD. Secondly when in like plaine and direct manner it acts against the apparent welfare peace and good of the Kingdome Thirdly when it acts after the same manner against its own proper end and being Fourthly when it acts beyond the bounds limits and extents appointed it The tearmes a little changed were once the Parliaments And all which granted as cannot be denied the serious examination of the proceedings of a Prevailing party in the two Houses yeelds matter and reason sufficient for our utter dislike of and protestation against them And that will appeare if we consider first Their ungodly proceedings in matters Religious and Divine Their dispoyling of Churches their shutting the mouthes of Oxthodox Ministers that would not Preach Diurnall Doctrine their taking away our Common Prayer Booke their not onely tolerating but encouraging and emboldening of all manner of Schismaticks and Hereticks sedicious incendiaries Sectaries and seducers of the People Socinians Arrians Anabaptists Antinomians Erastians Familists Shakers Seekers Brownists and Independents contrary to the knowne Statute Lawes of this Kingdome yea Electing of them before others into the most considerable places of profit and trust in Martiall and Civill affaires and under a pretence of a Christian respect unto tender Consciences designing a toleration for all these Contrary to the expresse rule of Sacred Scripture commanding earnest contention with them and contrary to their Faith given our Brethren of Scotland as you may see by the Covenant and Scottish Declaration Secondly they tell us that the solemne League and Covenant doth not oblidge unto a suppression of those who out of a pretence of weake and tender Consciences but indeede treasonable Designes against the King and Kingdome refuse to subscribe unto Presbyterian government and say that it is a most putide and irrationall thing once to conceive that any such thing was ever intended by the Parliament in the imposing hereof witnesse their Reply to our City Remonstrance of the 26. of May 1646. in which also they urge foure reasons to prove the same and are not ashamed to stile these limbs of the Divell these first borne of Satan a party of as cordiall friends as ever they had since the Warre began Thus doe they make Religion but a Veile to shrowd themselves under while they get a shoot at a Crowne at Prince and People a thing which from the very beginning of their Sessions they onely aymed at and have since onely pursued For whereas they were called by tha King ad Concilium onely and to acquaint him with the oenour of our Petitions delivered them instead of discharging their Dutie they straightway begin to destroy a third Estate in Parliament root out the heads of the Clergy Next to usurpe the Militia from the King and settle it in themselves Contrary to the minde of the Convention when it was full and free and contrary to the paterne of heaven and earth The power of a Kingdome being disposed unto one Vice-Roy not to a multitude save as Substitutes in severall ranks under that one as that one is under him whose right by Creation it is And for carrying on the said Designes they raise Tumults in December and Ianuary 1641. and by the seditious rabble of our City drive away the dissenting Members and as it were new mould the two Houses and in March after they seize and dispose of the Navie and Cynque Ports under a pretence of providing against danger winding themselves into the strength of the Kingdome for a Designe which appears by consequents pretences being not to be beleeved where following actions run Crosse and Counter For presently they shew more confidence then feare though long before as also now againe we have nothing else More audaciousnesse against the King then solicitude for the Kingdome and daily endeavour to subvert and destroy not preserve and maintain the fundamentall constitution and government of the Realme and Parliament Neither is it long after till they discover their intentions against his sacred Majesty as since August last they have done against the City and Kingdome Martin sayes openly in the House and the House reproves him not for it that the Kings Office is forfeitable and that the welfare of this Kingdome did not depend upon his Majestie nor any branch of the Royall race and Ludâ—â—â— that he was not worthy to be King of England And surely this was the minde of the Houses else these cursed villains had not gone unpunisht then nor Hamond nee sinor themselves May 26. impudently declared that they should not want duty or modestie if they followed the highest Presidents of those two rebellious Parliaments that deposed and murdered Edward and Richard both the second Nor had they denied the Kings negative Vote in Parliament nor had they but to deprive the King and Crown of all power of Legislation and government presented and so earnestly urged those Bils for nominating the Privie Counsellours and chiefe Officers of State and for Reformation of Church-government and Liturgie as they forsooth liked and to order the Militia as they pleased and to approve of Commanders for Forts and Castles and to admit such Peeres as should be made hereafter to sit and Vote in Parliament A Bill for the Kings leaving to tryall and punishment of Law such ill Councellours or Officers as then were or after might be would have bin sufficient to have secured this Kingdome from any harme or danger by any ill Counsell whatsoever This the King might and would easily have granted and this might have contented them if care of the Kingdomes welfare had been their ayms But ambition and avarice makes them seeke for the rule and power out of the Kings hands which is not his to part withall power onely of creating Substitutes under him being given him by the originall owner thereof it is a fine thing to sit at Westminster and Vote and make Ordinances at will and pleasure and send for the Kingdomes Money and have it And for making good of what they had taken from and declared against and for the carrying on of what they had proposed to his Majesty viz. to detain the Forts the Militia and Navie from him which acts be high treason by the Statutes of Hen. 8. and Edw. 6. themselves know it well and to take from him and from
the Crowne of England the power of Law-making and governing and to depose and destroy him and his royall race together with Monarchy they sent the late Earl of Essex whom they perswaded all was Law they did as himself averred and whom they have since well requited with untimely end through the streets of our City to raise an army of deluded fooles pretending to redeem a captived King from evill Counsellors but indeed to captivate him which since the war was ended the sillyest may plainly see and that their jealousies and fears and their pretences of Reformation liberty were meer stratagems and delusions to bring about their traitrous designes against the King and Crown against the Church and against us the free-born people of England Else why shut they up the King in prison Why Voted they no more addresses to him Why put they forth that traiterous Declaration against him These things have not been done by the people of this Kingdome to any Prince whom they have not soone after deposed and murdered Else why turned they their Army in August last against our City and why made they that saucie Ordnance soone after to distraine by Souldiers for what Taxations they should at any time charge upon the Countrey and why doe they not disband this hereticall rascall Army but imploy it every where to murder and plunder those that Petition the settlement of Peace Why drave they away the eleven Members Why tooke they downe our châ—ines and why lye they yet lurking about our City Why did they displace and imprison Sir Iohn Geere and the other Aldermen Why invaided they our Freemens priviledges in making new Officers and such as we cannot confide in Men that seeke not to preserve but enthrall our Liberties that study not to advance the Publique but their own private interests that intend their own rather then the Cities profit and security Why restore they not the Miliâ—ia of the City into those hands it was in before August last how shall we thinke they cease their Designe against us when none of all these is accomplished Looke to it Brethren there is mischiefe still intended though those at Westminster will needs have us beleeve otherwise When the discovery of this last design by Everard came unto our knowledge the Major and Common-counsell confederates with them in the businesse for the promoting of a new War with our Presbyterian Brethren petition this perfidious prevailing party in the Houses and in their Petition to colour the businesse do closely take in the Parliament into the then present danger with the City as if the Army acted or consulted any thing which they had not first rules for from Westminster and likewise intimate the Cities resolutions to adhere to this wicked Jancto that every day stiles it self The varliament of England according to the solemn League and Co-Penant and this must have thanks and be published in print to perswade the people whether they will or no that they be yet the representitative Body of the Kingdom that such Officers as they have made in the City since Aug. last without consent of the free-men be the representitative body of the City that all is well 'twixt the City and this Iuncto as if there had bin no starting from first pretended principles now that viz. the Covenant which the other day was declared to be but for discovery of the Parliament enemies must oblige to an engagement in a second War contrary to the expresse tenor of it to set up Independency thus do they one while court Religion a Mistresse another while use her as a slave But good Master Wisdoms of Westminister you shall find a wronged party of Presbyterians both in City and Country for whom you still lye in wait though you would fain seem to relinquish your designs will call for satisfaction from you and your jugling implements of the City and Kingdom It is not your now so often proclaiming your selves The Parliament of England nor the Major and Common-Counsels petitioning you nor your sly conjunctions and courting of one another with thanks and Declarations of mutuall assistance nor Preachments by Proxies in Tipling houses and Ordnaries That there nor is nor can be any difference 'twixt our City and you nor your re-calumniating the Cavaliers and fathering of plots upon them which your selves invent at Derby-house and discover by the Major nor your new Brittannicus of Grays-Inne whom you hire for five pound per week to write anew those forgeries wherewith you formerly abused the King and his faithfuls and deluded us shall make us forget your August-tricks nor your four Bils which you sent so privately to his Majesty at Carisbrook-castle that but for our Brethren of Scotland we had not yet heard of them nor your close restraint of the King when he refused to sacrifice us and our posterity to your insatiate ravenousnesse by signing them nor your late traiterous Declaration against him nor your designs of taking off his head if the Kingdom would have thanked you for that your Declaration and liked of such horried Murder nor your continued detention of him to the daily decay of Trade and ruine of many of us You have brought the Parliament of England to a low ebbe a Iuncto of most desperate Rebels most cursed Traitors your selues that went from Westminster to the Army in August but for the carrying on of your Designs now ready to be quashed and slurring over the discoveries you will needs take notice of the good affection of the City to adhere unto the Parliament according to the Covenant very willing and nimble are you to apprehend and publish to the world any thing which might make our City your friend or at least stop insurrections against you you fear the tryall of Law and perswade that there is no dislike 'twixt it and you since the time it refused to joyn with you in a Petition for a general pardon and you easily condiscend to put up our chains but for an In let when you have devoured up the petitioning Counties and murdered those that desired to bring you to the tryall of Law you make Skippon an Army Officer and not to be trusted by our City Major Generall and you put the Militia of the City into Independents hands Thus doe you play with our City as a Cat doth with a Mouse catch her and let her go and catch her again but at last ever devours her and then prudent Citizens what good doth putting up your chains and you run back to your propositions presented at Hampton-court as if that were sufficient satisfactions and should reconcile you after so many and foul falsifications of Word and breach of Covenant with our Brethren of Scotland and those proud and traiterous designs you have discovered of late against our City and Kingdom and detaining of the King in prison and making no just accompt of those vast summes You and your Substitutes have had from us In the beginning of