most exorbitantly fined Thirty thousand Pound and imprisoned for a Trivial Matter And the Lord Lovelase was treated as a Criminal only for saying that the Subjects were not bound to obey the Orders of a Popish Justice of the Peace SIR I am the more brief in setting down the Matters charged upon the late King the same being yet fresh in the Memories of all Men but I shall be something more particular and large in representing the Father's Tyranny in regard Time has placed us at a greater Distance from it That King Charles the Second went off by Poisoned Chocolate to make way for his Brother when Matters were well prepared to set up the Romish Idolatry is a thing generally believed And so it was that King James the First was so dispatch'd as they may see who will turn to the Earl of Bristol's Speech in Parliament and his Articles against the Duke of Buckingham and to Sir Dudly Diggs his Speech at the Delivery of the Impeachment against the Duke at a Conference with the Lords and also to the thirteenth Article of that Impeachment which charged the Duke with a very suspicious Plaister and Potion administred to that King Well right or wrong King Charles ascended the Throne upon the twenty seventh of March 1625 and at the first gave the World a Prospect what was to be expected from him for he instantly took the Duke of Buckingham and Laud then Bishop of Bath and Wells into admired Intimacy and Dearness and made them the Chief Conductors of all Affairs in State and Church and that aspiring Prelate had the Guidance of his Conscience The Duke's Mother and many near about him were Papists and he advanced Men Popishly devoted to places of the Chief Command in the Court and Camp The Good Archbishop of Canterbury Doctor Abbot speaks thus of him He was talented but as a common Person yet got that Interest that in a sort all the Keys of England hung at his Girdle and it appeared that he had a Purpose to turn upside down the Laws and the whole Fundamental Liberties of the Subject and to leave us not under the Statutes and Customs which our Progenitors enjoyed but to the Pleasure of Princes Three Parliaments in the beginning of this Reign found and declared this Duke the Cause of all our Miseries and Disasters The Grievance of Grievances The Character of Laud by the same Great Man Archbishop Abbot was this He was the inward Counseller with Buckingham and fed his Humour with Malice and Spight His Life in Oxford was to pick quarrels in the Lectures of the Publick Readers and to fill the Ears of King James with Discontent against 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that took pains in their places and 〈◊〉 the Truth which he called 〈◊〉 in their Auditors It was an Observation what a sweet Man this was like to be that the first observable Act he did was the Marrying the Earl of D. to the Lady K. when it was notoriously known that she had another Husband who had divers Children living by her The Bishop of 〈◊〉 Dr. Williams procured for him at the first the 〈◊〉 of St. 〈◊〉 which he had not long enjoyed but he began to undermine his Benefactor and verily such is his aspiring Nature that he will underwork any Man in the World so he may gain by it This Man after the Death of the Duke of B. was the sole Favourite and was preferr'd to the Bishoprick of London in his way to Canterbury But to return to our King He obliged himself as yours did by his 〈◊〉 Oath to observe keep and 〈◊〉 the Laws Customs and Franchises of the Realm Which had he 〈◊〉 says Archbishop Abbot all things had 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in 〈◊〉 But he broke the Oath of Protection and Justice which he took to his People as the whole History of His Reigh shews To give you some few of the Innumerable Instances which may brought therein In the beginning of his Reign he married Henrietta Maria of France Besides the General 〈◊〉 upon that Marriage he agreed to Private Articles in favour of Papists viz. that those who had been imprisoned as well Ecclesiasticks as Temporal should be released That Papists should be no more molested for their Religion c. Hereby a Toleration little less was instantly granted to Papists who without fear of Laws fell to their Practice of Idolatry and scoffed at Parliaments at Law and all Their Numbers Power and Insolence daily increased in all parts of the Kingdom especially in the City of London which seem'd to be overflowed with Swarms of 〈◊〉 This King wrote to the Pope and by his Letter saluted Antichrist with the Title of 〈◊〉 Pater Most Holy Father He procured the Pope's Dispensation for his Marriage which was solemnized by Proxy according to the Ceremonies of the Romish Church Pursuant to his Private Articles with France he instantly granted a Special Pardon to twenty Popish Priests of all Offences against the Laws and he built a Chappel at Sommerset-House with Conveniencies for Friers who were permitted to walk abroad in their Habits The Lords and Commons percieving the Protestant Religion to be undermined and all things apparently tending to an Innovation and Change of Religion in the Kingdom They presented to the King a Petition for advancing true Religion and for suppressing Popery He by his Answer assured them of performance yet the very next day after that promise made He assumed to himself a Power to dispense with the Laws of the Twenty first and Twenty seventh of Queen Elizabeth and of the third of King James in granting Pardons to Baker a Jesuite and many other Papists which passed by immediate Warrant and were recommended by the Lord Conway Secretary of State without the Payment of the Ordinary Fees The Secretary being called to answer this in Parliament very boldly said that he never hated the Popish Religion That the King commanded the granting the Pardons and that no Fees should be taken This King as well as yours made Papists Lords Lieutenants Deputy-Lieutenants Justices of the Peace c. As you may see by the Petition of the House of Commons wherein they complained of the increase and countenancing of Papists and named about One hundred Popish Lords Baronets Knights Esquires c. who held Places of 〈◊〉 and Trust in England and Wales And I shall here remember you that as his Secretary of State did not hate Popery so Weston whom he made Lord Treasurer of England died a Papist He granted a Commission to certain Commissioners to compound with Papists for all Forfeitures for Recusancy from the Tenth Year of King James whereby they made their Compositions upon very easie Terms And he inhibited and restrained both Ecclesiastical and Temporal Courts and Officers to intermeddle with Papists which amounted to no less than a Toleration In Ireland the Popish Religion was openly 〈◊〉 without control and practised in every part thereof Popish Jurisdiction being there generally exercised and avowed Monasteries
way of Loan and the Commissioners were ordered to certifie to the Council-Board the Names of all Rcfractory Persons particularly He demanded One hundred thousand Pounds of the City of London and the Magistrates representing the People's Excuses the Council commanded them to proceed therein threatning that upon their Failure His Majesty would frame his Counsels as appertained to a King in such extreme and important Occasions He also required the City to set forth Twenty Ships Manned and Victualled for three Months The Mayor Aldermen and Common-Council petitioned for Abatement of the Number of Ships demanded but were answered That Petitions and Pleadings were not to be received That as the Commanded was to all in general and every particular of the City so the King would require an Account both of the City in General and of every particular That the Precedents of former Times were Obedience not Direction and that Precedents were not wanting for the Punishment of those that disobey the King's Commands The Deputy Lieutenants and Justices of Dorsetshire being commanded to set forth Ships insisted That the Case was without Precedent but they were severely checked for that instead of Conformity they disputed and were told That State Occasions were not to be guided by ordinary Precedents The Persons of Quality who refused to subscribe to the Loan were put out of the Commissions of the Lieutenancy and Peace as they were who refused to comply with your King's Humour and were bound to appear at the Council-Table where as Refractory Persons they were committed to Prisons or put under 〈◊〉 these were Persons both of Note and Number as the Prisons in London demonstrated and as you must conclude when you read these following Names and know they were of that Number viz. Sir John Elliot Sir John Heveningham Sir Nathaniel Barnardiston Sir John Strangwayes Sir Walter Earle Sir Thomas Grantham Sir Thomas Wentworth Sir Harbottle Grimston Sir Edward Hambden Sir Thomas Darnel Sir John Corbet Sir William Armin Sir William Masham Sir William Wilmer Sir Erasmus Drayton Sir Edward Ayscough Sir Robert 〈◊〉 Sir Boauchamp Saint-John Sir Oliver Luke Sir Maurice Berkley Sir John Wray Sir William Constable Sir John Hotham Sir John Pickering Sir Francis Barrington Sir William Chancey George Ratclif Richard Knightly John 〈◊〉 William Anderson Terringham Norwood John Tregonwell Thomas Godfrey Thomas Nicholas John Dutton Henry Poole Nathaniel Coxwell Robert Hatley Thomas Elmes William Coriton and George Catesby Esquires besides above twenty Eminent Citizens of London and many other Gentlemen of good Note Sir Peter Hayman upon his refusal of the Loan was commanded to go upon the King's Service beyond the Seas others of a meaner Rank were either bound to appear before 〈◊〉 Lieutenant of the Tower to be enrolled for Soldiers to be sent for Denmark or were impress'd to serve in the King's Ships Now can it be imagined that there could be found a Man so hardened in Wickedness as to avow these unheard of Violences which trenched into all we had Yes there were in that as in every Age Pellings and 〈◊〉 amongst the Clergy Base Sycophants Aspiring Time-servers the Vile Descendents of Cambyses's Judges who being demanded Whether it were not lawful for him to do what in it self was unlawful they to please him answered That the Persian 〈◊〉 might do what they listed at that Rate those lying Prophets our slattering Gentlemen of the Cassock to scandalize the Laws and subvert Parliaments prated to this King They told him All we had was his JURE DIVINO and perswaded him who was most ready to believe it That the Right of Empires was to take away by strong Hand Of these Doctor Manwaring in two Sermons before the King printèd under the Title of Religion and Allegiance inculcated this Doctrin 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 King's 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 Doctor Sibthorp Vicar of Brackley printed a Sermon which he preached at the Assizes at Northampton and dedicated to the King wherein he obliged his Country with these Positions 1. That it is the Princes 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 apposite Proof Eccl. 8. 3 4. He doth whatsoever pleases him Who may say unto him What doest thou him I shall not be afraid of any Evil Tidings for my heart is fixed trusting in the Lord. But the Bishop of London appeared more plyable and gave Licence to this Sermon and it came out approved by my Lord of London as a Sermon learnedly and discreetly preached The King instantly suspended the Archbishop and also confined him and committed the Archtepiscopal Jurisdiction to five Bishops all of the New Church of England and Sibehorp's Patrons viz. London Durham 〈◊〉 Oxford and honest Laud of Bath and Wells The Commons Impeached Manwaring for his Sermons and by the Judgment of the House of Lords amongst other Penalties he was disabled from holding any future Ecclesiastical Preferment or Secular office The King granted him a Pardon of all 〈◊〉 and he was presented to the Rectory of Stamford Rivers in Essex and had a Dispensation to hold it together with the 〈◊〉 of S. Giles in the Fields I shall in this Place remember you That 〈◊〉 Bishop Doctor Williams of Lincoln as well as the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Heavy 〈◊〉 of this your 〈◊〉 King In the 〈◊〉 Year of his Reign the Bishop of Lincoln was Lord Keeper of the Great Seal but upon his appearing in Parliament against the Kingdom 's great Grievance the Duke of Buckingham he was Disgraced and Sequestred from the King's Presence and the 〈◊〉 Table In his Second Year he was 〈◊〉 for speaking publickly against the Loan and also for 〈◊〉 to give way to Proceedings in his Courts against the Puritans and Doctor 〈◊〉 charged him that he should say He was sure the Puritans would carry all at last The King now imprisoned him in the Tower and so the 〈◊〉 King was not without a Presidont when he sent seven Bishops thither Well this Good Bishop out-living his 〈◊〉 when upon the King's 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 we came to a Tryal of Skill for the Old English 〈◊〉 he resolutely said NOLUMUS LEGES ANGLIAE MUTARI and took a Command in our Army and bravely asserted his 〈◊〉 Liberties with his Sword Having thus Sir shewed you that the King which I Abdicated made no more Bones of Pious 〈◊〉 Bishops when he found them standing in the way of his Tyranny than he did to whose 〈◊〉 you lent your Hand I shall now proceed to
Nunneries c. were erected in Dublin and most of the great Towns and filled with Men and Women of several Orders The Men whom he preferred to Bishopricks generally speaking were unsound in their Principles they set up for a New Church of England and corrupted our Religion in Doctrin Worship and Discipline These laid new Paintings on the old Face of the Whore of Babylon to make her shew lovely These were ready to open the Gates to Romish Idolatry and Spanish Tyranny which you well know did in that day threaten our Nation to as high a Degree as that of France hath done of late These particularly Neal Bishop of Winchester and Laud of Bath and Wells were complained of by Remonstrance in Parliament for countenancing and cherishing Papists and Persons Popishly affected and depressing and discountenancing Pious painful and Orthodox Preachers how conformable soever And Bishop Laud being advanced to London was charged by a Petition of the Printers and Booksellers to the House of Commons that the Licensing of Books being wholly restrained to him and his Chaplains he allowed Books which favoured Popery but denied to license Books that were written against it Mountague one of this King's Chaplains published a Book intituled An Appeal to Caesar and another Book intituled A Treatise of the Invocation of Saints In these Books he asserted many things contrary to the Articles of Religion This being taken into consideration by the House of Commons in the King' s first Year They voted that Mountague endeavoured to reconcile England to Rome and instanced that he maintained these Positions 1. That the Church of Rome is and ever was a True Church 2. That Images might be used for the Instruction of the Ignorant and for Excitation of Devotion 3. That Saints have not only a Memory but a more peculiar Charge of their Friends and that it may be admitted that some Saints have a peculiar Patronage Custody Protection and Power as Angels also have over certain Persons and Countries by special Deputation That he impiously and prophanely scoff'd at Preaching Lectures Bibles and all shew of Religion c. That his Scope and End in his Books was to encourage Popery and to draw the King's Subjects to the Roman Superstition and consequently to be reconciled to the See of Rome The Commons prayed that Mountague might be punished and his Books suppress'd and burnt The Pious Archbishop Abbot had disallowed and sought to suppress the Appeal to Caesar but it was approved by Laud and his Set of Bishops and printed and dedicated to the King Laud solicited the King to shelter Mountague from the Prosecution of the Commons and upon the occasion of that Prosecution said I seem to see a Cloud arising and threatning the Church of England God for his Mercy dissipate it The King appeared incensed at the Prosecution and sent a 〈◊〉 to the Commons that Mountague 〈◊〉 his Chaplain and he had taken the business into his own hands He afterwards granted him a Pardon of all 〈◊〉 and made him Bishop of Chichester It sufficed not to introduce an Innovation and Change of Religion at home This King to the Dishonour of our Nation formerly the Sanctuary of oppressed Protestants the Scandal of our Religion and the high disadvantage of the Protestant Interest throughout Christendom did at this time his sirst Year also Lend Eight Ships which he equipped with the Subsidies given for the relief of his distressed Protestant Sister the Electress Palatine and the poor oppressed Protestants of the Palatinate to the French King to fight against the miserable Protestants of Rochel Of this Squadron Captain Pennington in the Vantguard went Admiral The Commanders and Mariners protested against the service though tempted with Chains of Gold and other Rewards and returned with the Ships into the Downs declaring they would sink rather than fight against those of their own Religion The Duke of Rohan and the French Protestants solicited the King not to let the Ships go again and had good words and hopes from him Nevertheless he wrote a Letter to Pennington Dated the Twenty Eighth of July 1625. Strictly requiring him without delay to consign the Vantguard into the hands of the Marquess D' Essiat for the French King's Service and to require the seven other Ships in his Name to put themselves into the Service of the French 〈◊〉 to his promise And commanding Pennington in Case of backwardness or refusal to use all forcible means to compel them even to sinking Pennington hereupon went back and put his Ship into the Absolute Power of the French King and commanded the rest so to do but the Mariners refused declaring they would rather be hanged at home than surrender their Ships or be Slaves to the French and fight against their own Religion And they were making away but Pennington shot and forced them all in again the Neptune excepted which in Detestation of the Action Sir Ferdinando Gorges to his Eternal Honour brought away All the English Men and Boys except one Gunner who at his Return which is somewhat remarkable was slain in Charging a Piece of Ordnance not well sponged declined the Service and quitted the Ships refusing to serve against the 〈◊〉 In September following these Ships were actually employed against the Rochellers almost to their utter Ruin The 〈◊〉 boasted that the Uantguard mowed the Hereticks down like Grass By these Means were these good Good People wholly lost They indeed held the Town till the Year 1628 but were reduced to incredible Misery having lived long upon Horse-slesh Hides and Leather Dogs and Cats There were at length but about four thousand left alive of fifteen thousand Souls many dyed with Famine and they usually carried their Coffins into the Church-yard and therelaid themselves in and dyed A sad Story never to be forgotten in the History of our Blessed Martyr's Reign SIR Having thus shewed you how Rome was found to eat into our Religion and fret into the Banks of it the Laws and Statutes of the Realm I shall now lead you to the Remembrance of this King's Administration in Civil Matters and how it fared then with the Subject in the Points of Liberty and Property and shall evince That he took our Goods from us against our Wills and our Liberties against the Laws That he plucked up the Root of all Property We were almost grown like the Turks who send their Janizaries and place the Halbard at the Door and then are Masters of all But not to hold you in Generals This King in the very beginning of his Reign levyed twelve thousand Soldiers and contrary to Law required the Countries to furnish the Charge of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Conduct Money He appointed Commissioners to Try Condemn and Execute Delinquents by Martial Law against the known Laws of the Land and some were executed thereby He struck directly at the Property of the Subjects Goods and having dissolved the Parliament he contrary to many Laws issued Commissions for raising Money by
Flattery and Slavish Sycophancy at a most bold wild and impudent rate calls such a Man as this The best of Kings A Man according to God's own Heart therefore to vindicate my self in treating the Doctor as I have done I tell him in his own slovenly 〈◊〉 Language in his Sermon upon the thirtieth of January 1683 dedicated to that Viper Jeffryes That such a superlative Piece of Putid Imposture may well stir an honest Man's Choler and provoke him to spit some of it in the Villain 's Face And now Sir wiping my Mouth as good Manners require after this so foul Pollution I take my leave of you declaring that I will ever approve my self King William's and Queen Mary's and my most Dear Country's Most Affectionate Loyal Dutyful and Obedient Subject and Servant Edmund Ludlow Postscript THough King Charles the First hated nothing more than to Govern by Precedent yet he would not pray without it and none of the Liturgies suiting his Fancy he had recourse to a Romance as you may here see The Prayer of King Charles stiled A Prayer in Time of Captivity printed in a great Folio called The Works of K. Charles and also in his Eicon Basilice O Powerful O Eternal God to whom nothing is so great that it 〈◊〉 resist or so small that it is contemned look upon my Misery with thine Eye of Mercy and let thine infinite Power vouchsafe to limit out some proportion of deliverance unto me as to thee shall seem most convenient Let not Injury O Lord triumph over me and let my Fault by thy Hand be corrected and make not my Unjust Enemies the Ministers of thy Justice But yet my God if in thy Wisdom this be the aptest Chastisement for my unexcusable Transgressions if this ungrateful Bondage be fittest for my over-high Desires if the Pride of my not-enough humble Heart be thus to be broken O Lord I yield unto thy Will cheerfully embrace what Sorrow thou wilt have me suffer only thus much let me crave of Thee let my Craving O Lord be accepted of since it even proceeds from Thee that by thy Goodness which is thy self thou wilt suffer some Beam of thy Majesty so to shine in my Mind that I who in my greatest Afflictions acknowledg it my noblest Title to be thy Creature may still depend confidently on thee Let Calamity be the Exercise but not the Overthrow of my Virtue O let not their Prevailing Power be to my Destruction and if it be thy Will that they more and more vex me with Punishment yet O Lord never let their Wickedness have such a Hand but that I may still carry a Pure mind and stedfast Resolution ever to serve Thee without Fear or Presumption yet with that humble Confidence which may best please Thee so that at the last I may come to thy Eternal Kingdom through the Merits of thy Son our alone Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen The PRAYER of PAMELA to an Heathen Deity being under Imprisonment In Pembroke's Arcadia 〈◊〉 Edit 13. printed 1674. O All-seeing Light and Eternal Life of all things to whom nothing is either so great that it may resist or so small that it is contemned look upon my Misery with thine Eye of Mercy and let thine insinite Power vouchasafe to limit out some proportion of Deliverance unto me as to thee shall seem most convenient Let not Injury O Lord triumph over me and let my Faults by thy Hand be corrected and make not mine unjust Enemy the Minister of thy Justice But yet my God if in thy Wisdom this be the aptest Chastisement for my unexcusable Folly if this low Bondage be fittest for my over-high Desires If the Pride of my not-enough humble Heart be thus to be broken O Lord I yield unto thy Will and joyfully embrace what Sorrow thou wilt have me suffer only thus much let me crave of Thee let my Craving O Lord be accepted of thee since even that proceeds from Thee let me crave even by the noblest Title which in my greatest Affliction I may give my self that I am thy Creature and by thy 〈◊〉 which is thy self that thou wilt suffer some Beam of thy Majesty to shine into my Mind that it may still depend confidently on thee let Calamity be the Exercise but not the overthrow of my Vertue let their Power prevail but prevail not to Destruction let my greatness be their Prey Let my Pain be the Sweetness of their Revenge Let them if so it seem good unto Thee vex me with more and more Punishment But O Lord let never their Wickedness have such a Hand but that I may carry a pure Mind in a pure Body and pausing a while and O most gracious Lord said she whatever becomes of me preserve the Virtuous Musidorus FINIS 〈◊〉 's first Collections To publish a good was made then a Sin by this Bishop of London and an ill one a Vertue and while one came out with Authority the other could not have a Dispensation So that we seemed to have got in Expurgatory Press though not an Index and the most Religious Truth must be expunged and suppressed in order to the false and secular Interest of some of the Clergy He might indeed have a more early sight of the Cloud than any Man living because 't was of his own raising A Deo Rex à Rege Lex Title-page of Pelling's Sermon 30. Jan. 1683 dedicated to Jefferyes But we find different Doctrin in Bracton and Fleta they tell us That Rex Angliae habet Superiores viz. Legem per quam factus est Rex ac Comites Barones qui debent ei fraenum ponere The King of England hath for Superiors both the Law by which he is constituted King and which is the Measure of his Governing Power and the Parliament which is to restrain him if he do amiss Eraction lib. 2. cap. 16. Fleta lib. 1. cap. 17. Dolbier was a Papist March 17th 1627. This might be the first but 't was not the last time that the University hath made an Election in contempt of the Parliament We here have Dr. Edw. Pelling's MIRROUR OF PRINCES 〈◊〉 of Martyrs Wonder of Ages and the Honour of Men laying down his living Opinion of the Constitution of our Government and according to his then Judgment passing a Sentence of Death upon our Parliaments And seeing the 〈◊〉 told CAPTAIN SIMMONS of the WONDER TAVERN with his goodly Petitioners 〈◊〉 Sissan Owen and 〈◊〉 and the rest of his Parishoners upon the Thirtieth of January 1690. That his most Noble Martyr BEING DEAD YET SPEAKETH I do put in an early request to him on behalf of the Commons of England that he would oblige them upon the next Madding day the twenty Ninth of May in letting them know what his Matchless Saint now speaks and in particular what he says about their Right to Annual Parliaments for 't is to be hoped that by this Time if he be kept 〈◊〉 from ARCHBISHOP LAUD he may be set right in this great Point of English Parliaments