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A30774
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A letter from Mercvrivs Civicvs to Mercurius Rusticus, or, Londons confession but not repentance shewing that the beginning and the obstinate pursuance of this accursed horrid rebellion is principally to be ascribed to that rebellious city.
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Butler, Samuel, 1612-1680.
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1643
(1643)
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Wing B6324; ESTC R5573
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26,143
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35
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poores stock it selfe be invaded and spent in this Warre while â—hose that fed them are left in this unnaturall Rebellion Nay how many disconsolate parents have you in the Country that sent their Children hither to this City and gave great summes with them to bind them Apprentises to Trades Manufactures hoping that hereafter they might live like men nay perhaps some of their Mothers out of an overweaning opinion might fancy to themselves hopes that they might live to see their sonnes Lord Majors of London and why not that now sit mourning and wringing their hands and curse the day not onely in which they sent them hither but in which they were borne not because they have lost a Legge or an Armâ— or returned maimed so that all they can hope for is to have entertainment in an Hospitall and that no longer neither then till the Kings maimed Souldiers shall come and tell them that that Charity was never provided for men disabled fighting against their King but because they have lost their lives and not onely their lives but their pretious souls too dying in a grievous sinne in the very act of Rebellion methinks you in the Country if there be any bowels of compassion yearning over the fruit of your bodies if there be any sense of that eternall condition that doth attend them after this life if there be any hope of the joyes of Heaven or feare of the Torments of Hell should be very sensible of this And though God hath manifestly fought against them for the King giving him victory in many Battailes when all humane helpes and advantages were on the Robells side though God hath miraculonsly and beyond the hope of man restored unto Him the hearts of the people which the heads of this Rebellion by slanders had stolne from Hâ—m thâ—ugh from small and contemptible beginnings in the eyes of His enemies few or 〈…〉 for Hâ—m but God and the justâ—ce of his Cause God hath prospâ—red Him into many mighty Armies which â—ender him formidabâ—e to the proudest and stoutest of the Rebells â—â—ough every Victory hath beene seconded by a 〈◊〉 of peace and with an overture of pacification so that as himself speâ—kes in 〈◊〉 Declaration Puâ—lished Iuly â—â—â—643 He could not probably 〈◊〉 unden the Scandalous Impâ—â—â—tion which haâ—h usually 〈◊〉 His Messages of pâ—ace 〈◊〉 they proceed from tâ—e Wâ—akâ—esse of His Pâ—â—er â—ot lâ—ve of His People Lastlyâ—though like aâ— indâ—â—gent Father of Râ—bellious Children He hath 〈◊〉 his City and VVood it by many pardons many and often repeated Acts of Grace and Favour to recall us to our former Loyalty 〈…〉 we were Loyall yet inconsiderate unthankfull wretches as we are we overlooke or sleight all these invitations For 〈…〉 we have added this as the complement of our other Râ—bellions that whether more unthankfully or undutifully I â—â—â—â—not tell we have cast dirt in our Soveraignes faâ—â— and 〈◊〉 the fooâ—stpes of Gods Anoynted as if he were guilty of all 〈◊〉 Miseries which at this time threaten the subversion of this Naâ—â—on we will no longer wrong our King secretly through 〈◊〉 sides of His evill Counsellors or Cavallers but â—hrage him 〈◊〉 and poynt blanke as in that most seditious Declaration or what every you will call it presented by Sir Dauid VVatkins and that broken Citizen out at elbowes called Satten Shute to the Common-Councell and by them to the remainder of the 〈◊〉 House if it be not breach of priviledge to call it so How willing have we obâ—yed every Commandement except God and the Kings How forward have we beene to imploy the large Revenues of our severall Companies and Brotherhoods as heretofore to excesse and gluttony so now to support this Rebâ—llion how ready even bâ—yond our Abâ—lities have we bin to submit to every Tax and illegall Impistion even to the bondage and slâ—very of 〈◊〉 bâ— which we are not so much Proprietaries of our owne as Stewards or Cashieres to the heads of the Rebellion and all this to no other end but to keepe up the Rebellion wee have not only protected supported the Kings Mortall Enemies but as much as in us lay have persecuted all His Friends or if but suspected to stand well-affected to Him and the Justice of his cause not sparing the effusion of Iâ—nocent blood as that of M. Tomkins and M. Chaloner which like the blood of Abel calls loud to Heaven for vengeance on this bloody City and Qâ—â—stionlesse will in time be heard For not Content to buy these mens bloods with great summes of monies which could not be advanced but on this Condition that M. Tomkins and M. Chaloner be delivered up to their pleasure and murthered for a strange Conspiracy called Obedience to the King but being dead in an unheard of barbarousnesse they presse into the houses where their dead bodies lay before their Funeralls and thinking they could never be sure enough of so great a guilt they will not beleeve that they are dead unlesse they force the houses to see the bodies of them whom themselves had murthered Insomuch that to avoyd further violence and rage of the Citizens they were faine to set open the doores where their bodies say and expose them to the view of all that so they might glut themâ—elves with beholding that sad spectacle which themselves had made That the Kings Gracious offers of Peace have beene sleighted and rejected with scorne and Conâ—empt and His Messengers that brought them contrâ—ry to the Law of Armes and Nations Imprisoâ—ed That those miserablâ— distractions which have rent and 〈◊〉 this flourishing Kingdome are so farre from being closed that they are rather made wider That the sword of Warre so long dâ—vouring is not yet sheathed except in one anothers bowells That this Kingdome is still made the Scene of Marthers Rapines Oppression and Pâ—nderings and whereon all the horrid acts of rage and injustice are every day acted and the Nation put almost out of hope ever to injoy her former Peace and plenty is our fault and ours wholly Had not the heads of this Rebellion beene animaâ—ed by this City and Incouraged by promises of more supplies of men and Moâ—ies They had long 〈◊〉 this layd downe their Armes and come with halters about their necks and cast themselves at the Kings feet submissely begging those Pardons which they have presumptuously rejected Time was when the two Houses gave a Law to the City now it is come to that passe that the City prescribes to the Reliques of the two Houses They must not Conclude of Warre or Peace without consulting the City if they doe they reckon without their Hoste Nay though Fairfax be utterly routed in the North and William once sirnamed Conqueror be totally defeated in the West yet they can neither be perswaded nor beaten into thoughts of Peace on the 20 Iuly last no longer agoe many Thousâ—nds as the printed Paper tells you preferred a Petition to the House of Commons presented by M. Norbury of
the Cursitors office and Iohn Haâ— an Atturney of Guild-Hall both pernicious men which as it evidently shewes their Obstinate aversion from Peace so it is the most desperate divellish slander that ever yet durst looke the World in the Face for first they tell the House of Commons and in them the World That the King without any touch of Conscience and in defiance of God hath raised an Army of Papists Out-lawes and Traitors for the Robbing Burning Murthering and destroying of His Relgiious Honest and well meaning People And then knowing not onely their Interest in but their power over the House of Commons they doe not so much Petition as Coâ—â—and them to accept of their assistance for the raysing a new Army and in expresse Termes prescribe unto them and limit them to a Committee of their owne nomination for the seizing and receiving of such Summes as the willing shall thinke fit to offer or they shall thinke fit to extort from the â—â—willing for this service And that you may Judge of the whole Bunch by some they name Pennington the pretended Lord Major Strode one of the five Members Harry Martiâ— Plunder-master-Generall and Dennis Bend Burgesse of Dorchester and Pâ—â—riarch Whites owne disciple a man of a double Capacity to be a Rebell and finding themselves more alone in these undertakings then they did imagine like desperate Traitors they call on the whole Kingdome aâ— one man according to the intent of the late Covenant to joyne with them in this Rebellion And having thus taken a course to raise new forces on Saturday the 29 of Iuly at a Common Hall they voted Sir William Waller Generall of their new intended Army whom to indeare the more they interest him in the Governement of the City hoping that being as mad as his Lady he will hold up the Rebellion as long as he can and then be one of the last to runne away I meane not from Battell for in that hee shewed himselfe as forward as the foremost but from Iustice and the due reward of his disloyalty By all which it is most evident that this Languishing Rebellion had before this day gasp'd its last and given up the Ghost had not this Rebellious City by its wealth and Multitudes fomented it and given it life If therefore Posterity shall aske who broke downe the bounds to those streames of blood that have stained this earth if they aske who made Liberty captive Truth criminall Rapine just Tyranny and Oppression Lawfull who blanched Rebellion with the specious pretence of defence of Lawes and Liberties Warre with the desire of an established Peace Sacriledge and Prophanation with the shew of Zeale and Reformation Lastly if they aske who would have pulled the crown from the Kings head taken the government off the hinges dissolved Monarchy inslaved the Lawes and ruined their Countrey say 'T was the proud unthankefull Schismaticall Rebellious Bloody City of London so that what they wanted of devouring this Kingdome by cheating and couzening they meane to finish by the Sword That therefore these dangerous defluxions and continuall not small distillations but floods of Men Money Ammunition and Armes descending from the Head City and Metropolis of the Kingdome may not for ever dissolve the nerves and luxate the Sinewes of this admirably composed Government it will highly concerne this Nation to looke about them to undeceive themselves and to consult their owne peace and safety by joyning with their Gracious Soveraigne in chastizing these rebellious insolences reducing this Stubborne City either to Obedience or Ashes Yet that the World may not thinke that this inundation of wickednesse wherein the Divels of Rebellion rage in the Children of disobedience hath involved all of us in the same disoyalty let not good Brother the name Rusticus neither deterre you as if it were a Solecisme to tell the Murthers Robberies Plunderings and other Ouâ—rages committed in the City nor deprive us a handfull of faithfull Subjects in comparison of the Rebells the Puritans Brownists and Anabaptists of so great an Opportunity to justifie our Innocence Let the Country know that we have been at the charges to undoe not onely them but our selves too the Collosse which we have built is fallen on the builders the Fire which we have kindled devoures the bellowes which first blowed it up some of us repent of our fond credulity to be deceived and fooled by the empty name of a Parliament God grant it be not too late yet how ever let Posterity know this too that the King hath his Martyrs in London all are not in the Country And to make this good secretly as much as the close obstructions of the wayes of conveyance will permit you shall not faile of Intelligence from Your affectionate Brother MERCURIUS CIVICUS London Aug. 5. 1643 1641. The French Hist. p. â— 805.