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england_n king_n lord_n privy_a 5,184 5 10.8596 5 true
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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A41264 The fidelity of a loyal subject, of the kingdom of England: or, An honest act of fidelity to King James, King William, and the whole kingdom. 1698 (1698) Wing F848; ESTC R213732 3,745 4

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The Fidelity of a ●●●al Subject of the Kingdom of England OR An honest Act of Fidelity to King James King William and the whole Kingdom THE Oath of Fidelity which is sworn by the Subjects of this Kingdom to the King is sworn to him not as he is a Natural Person and no more but as a Political person and Principal Member or Head of a Great Body Politick the Kingdom and comprehends Fidelity to the Whole Body and to all the constituent Parts of it to the Common Interest of the Lords and to the Common Interest of the Commons So that who ever sets up for a Separate Interest of any One to the Prejudice of any of the other is no Faithful Subject of this Kingdom but a Traytor and violates his Allegeance to the whole Nay tho' it be in Appearance or Pretence for the King it doth in effect but betray his true Interest so that he may justly be punished as a Traytor for it One and a considerable part of true Fidelity is to assist as much as may be to the Discovery of all such things as are of great Concern either to the whole Body or to any of the Great Parts of it to be fully and plainly Understood And therefore having with some Pains and Study made a plain Discovery in my apprehension that the Whole is in a very evil and Dangerous Case in respect of Religion and that the State is likewise in a very Bad Case in some things and in a very Doubtful Case in others of greatest Concern to the Whole and Considering this Obligation aforesaid I have thought it my Duty in Discharge of my Fidelity to impart my Discoveries in the most proper manner and to the most proper Persons I could That is What concerns matters of Religion to the Assembly of the Clergy and what concerns matters of State to such as are in Authority in the State as Privy Counsellors and Members of Parliament And I have begun to do what I could as occasion serv'd in both Upon a Review of the Reformation I observed that King James had been very hardly used in my apprehension and thereupon writ a Letter to an Honorable Person of the Privy Council as followeth My Lord HAving lately had special Occasion to review the Proceedings of the Reformation here in England and consider that matter more particularly than heretofore I had done I did observe not only a great deal of indirect Illegal Arbitrary and unjust Dealings and so much Corruptions brought in instead of what was pretended to be Reformed as made that which was a good Cause at first For there was great need of a Reformation an ill one by ill Management but moreover that the Principles of the Reformation upon which it was acted though false in themselves yet being made Law do plainly justify King James as to a considerable part of the matters alledged against him And the rest being neither Proved nor so much as brought to a fair Examination and his Abdication being not Voluntary but only Fuga Metus causa I who have hitherto asserted King Williams Right upon the Principles of the True English Government not minding the Innovation made at the pretended Reformation am now quite at a loss what to think and what to do Only if the things alledged be true though there be no Proof God knows it and I can be content to sit still under his Providence But if they be not true it will be in vain to presume upon the ●●●e Peace For there remains an Apparent Cause for a Civil War And the Righteous God who Restored King Charles the 2 d. can as easily Restore King James the Second And therefore I conceive it not only an Act of Justice to King James but of Fidelity to King William that he be imminded to consider in time What is fit to be done in this Case as well as of Providence for Preservation of the Peace of the Nation least some Unexpected Occurence should surprise him with a sudden Change of the Minds of the People I would not have him be deceived by Trusting to his Possession or his Forces or the Prejudice of the People against Popery but take Care that Right be done and that the Peace of the Kingdom be preserv'd at least that there be nothing wanting in him to either This I thought my Duty to acquaint his Majesty or some of his Council with and none more fit than your Lordship and my Lord Arch-Bishop to whom I have written more largly concerning other matters of the Reformation and something of this in Conclusion And now I think it is time for me to take leave of Church and State and to retire 15 Jan. 97 8. Your Lordships humble Servant I had before as is said in the Letter written to the Arch-Bishop to the like purpose in the Conclusion of a long Letter concerning matters of Religion but it came not to his Hands till long after But upon 6 May last in a Booksellors shop I unexpectedly met with the Brief History of the Times by which I was Convinced That the pretended Popish Plot was nothing but a very Wicked and abominable Contrivance of Dr. Tounge and Titus Oates And by that and farther Inquiry into the whole matter that Sir Edmundbury Godfrey did undoubtedly fall and Cool in the Place and Posture he was found in and was not Strangled by any other Hands as with much ado in more than 2 days time was found by the Jury perswaded by the Coroner and two Chirurgions procured by his Brothers who desired to Save his Estate And therefore that the Nation is concerned to be Cleared of the Guilt of much Perjury and Innocent Blood Afterwards as unexpectedly came to my Hands the History of that Plot for which the E. of Essex was committed and the Lord Russel suffered by which I was likewise convinced of the Reality of that Plot but whether or how far those Noble persons in particular were concern'd in it is not Necessary to be re-examined or the Earls Death farther inquir'd into And about the same time meeting with some of Mr. Lobbs acquaintance I understood by them something of what he had Informed them concerning some Caballs of the English in Holland and what part was acted here at the Court in England And tho' I will not say I was convinced by Reports which I had only at the second hand yet that there was a very Notable Part acted here in the Court of King James is so apparent as makes me much Suspect That it was not Popish Councels but most Abominable Protestant Treachery by which he was induced to those things which were design'd to Insnare him and that the Success of that Wickedness has been a very Great Temptation to divers privy to it to their Excesses even to Infidelity and Apostacy and all manner of Impiety and Wickedness which have appeared more monstrous and Impudent in this Reign than ever before And this Suspicion is confirmed by