will agree almost in every Word Twenty Articles against that wicked Prelate Land and to give a clear Demonstration of this Holy Martyrs Religion and Piety His Declaration for the lawfulness of Sports and Pastimes on the Lord's Day is printed in this Book at Large To conclude If all these and many more sad matters of Fact already in this and other Books produced to the World will not be of force enough to satisfie the generality of Mankind that they have been most notoriously imposed upon by the Clergy and some of the Laity in their Defence of King Charles I. against the Parliament of 1640. and People of England I shall conclude that nothing but the coming down of an Angel from Heaven will be able to convince them of their Error I shall therefore leave them to God and end all with this hearty Prayer That he would be pleased so to open their Eyes that they might see what will make for the Peace and Happiness of these Kingdoms and no longer promote and keep up those Unhappy Divisions that are yet amongst us after above 40 Years Controversie on this Melancholly Subject ERRATA PAge 2. line 5. read Immerited p. 4. l. 11. r. Gorges p. 4. l. 15. r. Desert f. Defect p. 4. last line r. Coat p. 5. l. 24. r. that p. 6. l. 12. r the King p. 6. l. 25. r. Bath p. 9. l. 13. r. Prins p. 10. l. 25. Dele and also King Charles II's Declaration after his Restoration p. 12. l. 23. r. Papists p. 14. l. 10. r. things f. time p. 15. l. 10 r. proportion p. 18. l. 5. dele it p. 18. l. 9. incert to after Relations p. 21. l. 21. r. Wentworth p. 21. l. 28. r. Suspiria p. 23. l. 3. r. dismiss p. 27. l. 25. r. have done p. 28. l. 27 r. Zyons p. 37. l. 18. r. alia p. 39. l. 21. after imaginable 〈◊〉 to enslave his people p. 44. l. 25. r. Article p. 46. l. 12. r. therein p. 48. l. 12. r. irreconcilable p. 50. l. 29. r. have p. 51. l. 34. dele not p. 54. l. 19. r. cordially f. Cardinals ENGLANDS Black List OR A short Account of some of the many Illegal Arbitrary Popish and Tyrannical Actions of King Charles I. falsely and unjustly call'd the Pious Martyr of ever Blessed Memory I shall not pretend to describe them Gradually or Annually but as they Occur 1. HE took in the Duke of Buckingham to be one of the chief Conductors of all his Affairs notwithstanding the said Duke was impeached for a very suspicious Playster and Portion administred to King James the First See the Earl of Bristols and Sir Dudley Digg's Speeches against him in Rushworth The Duke's Mother and many near about him were Papists and advanced Men popishly Devoted to places of the chief Command in the Court and Camp Three Parliaments in the beginning of this Reign found and declared this Duke the cause of all their Miseries and Disasters the Grievance of Grievances yet King Charles would against all Justice protect him 2. He made that wicked Bishop Laud who was afterwards deservedly beheaded another of his Favourites by whose precious Councils poor England hath notoriously suffered to write his Life according to his Actions would sufficiently darken the Lustre of those immerite and impious Encomiums given by that Notorious Jacobite Mr. Wharton The Pious Dr. Abbatt then Arch Bishop of Canterbury hath in his Writings given a sad account of him 'T is said that Archbishop Sancroft had a great hand in putting forth this Book 3. His Marrying Heneretta Maria of France a violent Papist and agreeing to private Articles in favour of Papists viz. That those who had been Imprisoned as well Ecclesiastical as Temporal should be Released That Papists should be no more molested for their Religion by which means the Papists grew impudent and Scoff'd at Parliaments and Law Read the Articles at large in this Book 4. That received a Letter from the Pope and writ him an Answer saluting Antichrist with the Title of Sanctissime Pater Most Holy Father That Procured the Pope's Dispensation for his Marriage which was solemnized by Proxy according to the Ceremonies of the Romish Church See the Pope's and King's Letter at large in this Book 5. That pursuant to his Private Article with France immediately Granted a special Pardon to twenty Popish Priests for all the Offences they had Committed against the Laws and Built a Chapel at Somerset-House with Conveniencies for Fryars which were permitted to walk abroad in their Habits Baker the Jesuit was one of many that was Pardoned after the Lords and Commons had sent a Petition to him for advancing the True Religion and suppressing of Papery He made Weston who died a Papist his Lord Treasurer and preferred so many Papists to places of great Trust as Lord Lieutenants Deputy Lieutenants Justices of the Peace c. That the Commons of England complain'd by their Petition of near One Hundred of all Ranks he restrain'd the Ecclesiastical and Temporal Courts from intermedling with Papists which was little less then a Tolleration He not only Schreened but Pardoned Mountague his Chaplain whom the Commons had Voted had endeavoured to Reconcile England to Rome and instanced that he maintain'd these Positions That the Church of Rome is and ever was a True Church That Images might be used for the instructions of the Ignorant and for Exortation of Devotion That Saints have a Memory and 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 Countrys by special Deputation That impiously and prophanely scoffed at Preaching Lectures Bibles and all shew of Religion and though the Commons prayed that for these and other matters Mountague might be Punished and his Books Burnt yet the King would do neither but Pardon'd him as aforesaid being incensed at the Commons prosecuting a Man after his own Heart 6. That to the great Dishonour of England the Scandal of the Protestant Religion and the great Weakening of the Protestant Interest abroad Did lend Eight Ships Equip'd 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 Captain Peâ—nington in the Vantguard went Admiral the Commanders and Mariners protested against the Service though tempted with Chains of Gold c. Declaring they would sink rather then fight against their own Religion The Duke of Rohan and the French Protestants sollicited the King not to let the Ships go again and had good Words and Hopes Nevertheless Ordered Pennington by Letter Dated the 28th of July 1625. without Delay to Consign the Vantguard into the Hands of the Marquess de Effiat for the French King's Service and to require the seven other Ships in his Name to put themselves into the
by the charitable Protestants of England for their relief in Equipping Ships to be sent to the Assistance of the French King against the poor Protestants of the Isles of Rhee and Rochell 18. That without doubt had a great hand in the Notorious Irish Rebellion wherein above 150 thousand poor Protestant Souls were most Barbarously Murthered and this will more plainly appear by reading the Commission given by this King in the 17th Year of his Reign dated from Edinborough and also the Commission thereupon of Peilem Oneale and Rorie Macguire to all the Papists both English and Irish within the Kingdom of Ireland both which for the Readers better satisfaction are Printed at large in this Book and also a sheet of Paper call'd Murther will Out containing King Charles II's Letter to the Court of Claims in Ireland 1663. Requiring the then Commissioners to restore the Earl of Antrim to his Estate for that he had made it appear he had acted nothing but by Order and Commission from King Charles I. read the Letter at large Take notice this Earl of Antrim had been a very great Rebell yet restored for serving that King in murthering his Protestant Subjects neither can any impartial Men think that King Innocent of this Wicked Act if they consider how Treacherously and Basely he delt with the Protestants of England of the Palatinate of the Isles of Rhee and Rochell What Articles he made with France in favour of Popery upon his Match what a mighty Influence his Popish Queen had over him how he employed in great Places of Trust not only great Favourers of Popery but also many profest Papists and was very much Advised and Govern'd by their Counsels to the great Sorrow and Misery of his poâ—r Protestant Subjects as also that in the Summer before that dreadful October 1641. a Committee of the most Active Papists all afterwards in the head of the Rebellion were in great favour at White-Hall and admitted to many private Consultations there with the King in the Queens Presence and those Irish Priests departed not thence till within two Months before that Bloody Rebellion and Massacre It was at that time I morally believe that King Charles favoured the Irish Massacre and the Irish Papists were so well assured of it that they called themselves the Queen's Army and said they had good Warrant in Black and White for their Proceedings and cryed out against the Parliament of England as the King's Enemies He that has a desire of being satisfied how great a favourer King Charles was of Papists let him read Mr. Pinn's Book called The Royal Court Favourite He was very much advised by the then Parliament to send early Relief to the poor Protestants of Ireland but it is notoriously known how backward he was therein and that he suffered them to be Sacrificed to the cruel Mercy of the Irish Cut-Throats It is also plain that the Parliament had long and often requested the King to Declare the Irish Rebels yet was this rare Protestant Martyr so Tender of the Poor Catholicks Reputation for Acting according to his Commands that no less than three Months past before he would gratifie the House of Commons with Proclaiming them Rebels and when he had against his real inclination thus done he was resolved That but a small number should be Printed and Published and in order thereunto the following Warrant was sent to the King's Printer from his Secretary of State IT is His Majesty's Pleasure that you forthwith Print in very good Paper and send unto Me for his Majesties Service Fourty Copies of the Proclamation inclosed leaving convenient space for his Majesty to Sign above and to affix the Privy Signet underneath And His Majesties Express Command is That you Print not above the said Number of Copies and forbear to make any further Publication of them till his Pleasure be further Signified for which this shall be your Warrant White-Hall Jan. 2. 1641. Edward Nicholas See here what special care was taken that a few only should come to the knowledge of this Proclamation when at the same time it was well observed he dealt far otherwise by the Scots for they were more sharply Proclaimed and those Proclamations with great care and dilligence dispersed throughout the whole Kingdom and ordered to be read in all Churches accompanied with Publick Prayers and Execrations But his Aversion to the Proclaiming and Proceeding against the Irish Rebels is not to be much wondred at for they call themselves The Queen's Army and declared that they Rose to maintain the King's Prerogative and the Queen's Religion against the Parliament much more might be collected from divers Authors of this Tragical Story which for Brevity Sake I shall now omit 19. That to his Eternal Infamy against all Laws both Humane and Divine caused A Declaration to be Published concerning the Lawfulness of Sports Pastimes c. on the Lord's Day and gave Archbishop Laud an Order under his Hand to see that this Declaration was Printed Read the Order and Declaration Printed at large in this Book and also King Charces II's Declaration after his Restoration It is a wonderful and amazing thing that there can be found amongst us such Clergymen and Gentlemen that against all Reason and Truth shall make a Saint nay a Martyr of this as you see Pious King How these Men at the Great Day of Judgment will be able to Answer for the many abominable Lies and Blasphemies they have been Guilty of in Defending this King's Tyrannies and Oppressions and Deifying him after a most scandalous Rate is a Mystery to me The Publication of this Licentious Book was so apparently destructive to Religion and so dishonourable to God and the King That the Pious and Sober Clergy of that time absolutely refused either to Read it or to permit it the said abominable Declaration to be Read and how barbarously and unchristianly they were used for their Refusal is too well known 20 That gave Wicked Arbitrary and Tyrannical Orders Instructions and Commissions to the Earl of Strafford Lord Lieutenant of Ireland all which the said Earl took such care to Execute that the Parliament which was made up of Grave Able and discerning Persons fell so severely upon him that they caused him to be Committed to the Tower Impeached him and soon after caused him to be according to his deserts Beheaded He pleaded the King's Authority for what he had done but the Commons saw no reason to acquit him 'T was observed that tho the King and Queen would not publickly Solicite for his Relief yet several secret Instances were made by them both to save him that had obeyed their Commands c. But the just Cries of the People c. necessitated the King against his Will to sign the Warrant for his Execution And having now given a short account of the Earl of Strafford I think it proper for the satisfaction of all those good People that desire to be rightly informed for what Laud
have Countermanded it and have sent Ships to make them change their Design that they had taken to come back I shall shortly send you some number of Ships to reinforce it and with the help of God the Success will be happy for that Deliverance Your Good Friend CHARLES R. And on the 21st in the Morning there came to Rochell from England a Soldier bringing another Letter from the King Dated 27th of May Old Stile sealed with the Arms of England which was as followeth Gentlemen I Have been troubled to here that my Fleet was upon the Point of Returning without Answering my Commands which were to force the Entry of your Provisions whatever came of it and have given it new Orders to Return into your Road and not stir untill it hath relieved you with Victuals or that I have sent them an Additional strength for which I have caused Men to work with all Diligence Be assured that I will never Abandon you and that I will imploy all the Force of my Kingdom for your Deliverance untill it please God to bless Me with giving you an assured Peace Given at Our Palace at Westm. May 27. 1628. Old Stile GENTLEMEN Your Good Friend CHARLES R. Whosoever shall carefully Read and Consider these two Letters and the Sollemn Declarations there and observe how contrary to his Royal Word he Sacrificed these Poor Protestants will have cause to harbour the worst of thoughts of this King and to blush at the horrid Impudence and Impiety of those Wicked Wretches that would make a Saint and a Martyr of him And to demonstrate this Treachery I shall incert a Copy of the Remonstrance made by one of the Deputies of the City of Rochel because it will very much illustrate the Subject and be as an Eternal mark of Infamy to the Memory of that Prince and deserves to be Engraven on Brass and Wrote on Marble that so the Remembrance of it may never be lost it is as followeth A Copy of the Remonstrance of the Sieur Vincent to the King of Great Britain drawn out of his own Journals SIR THE Grief which obliges us to fill the Ears of Your Majesty with our Cries and to Reiterate them so often ought to be extream to the last Degree Behold us now Sir prostrate at your Feet to Wash them with our Tears and God Almighty Grant that we do not in a little time come to Sigh out our last Breath with the News of the Desolation of our City We know not how Sir to conceal it from You the Sence we have of Her being at Her last Gasp puts us into Despair seeing the Succours which Your Majesty hath made us hope would be ready hath been deferred from day to day for many Weeks together SIR the City of Rochell did by us beg of You with all the Humility they were capable of Expressing to receive them into your Protection and You as Solemnly agreed to it since they have had at divers times all the Assurances possible as well from your own Month as under the Hand of Your Majesty that you would never abandon them Whereupon by a Miracle of Constancy they have held out hitherto firm a whole Year contending with the Horrours of a most gastly Famine that thereby they might give Your Majesty full leisure to send them the Succours You were graciously pleased to promise them and thus constant and unshaken were they even when all Europe believed they ought to have despaired in that after they had Relief as they thought several days in their sight it returned without effecting or attempting any thing And though our Enemies have from thence taken occasion to make them divers Overtures of Accommodation which their extream Necessities seemed to Counsel them to hearken unto yet they chose rather to run the Hazzard of their utter Destruction then to be wanting in the least to the Promises we had Sworn for them to Your Majesty or to shew they had the least Diffidence of your Protection After all this Sir shall it be Recorded in the History of Your Reign That they perished in your Hands without having reaped any other Fruit of the Good Will Your Majesty hath professed towards them and of the Assurance they have therein relied upon then the rendring them irrecountable to their King from whom otherwise they might have hoped to have found Grace and Favour Pardon Sir this from a People who see themselves upon the very Threshold of their Sepulchers if they cannot avoid Sighs which may seem undecent in your Royal Presence It is common for those that are near their End to finish their Lives with Groans In the Name of God Sir so long as there remains any Breath in us and before we do quite Expire command your Succours to hasten to our Assistance provided that diligence be yet used we will remain Caution to Your Majesty with the Peril of our Heads that they will arrive time enough to save us As to the Impossibilities that some may be willing to find in it permit us to tell You freely Sir That those are only founded either in their fear or their very little Affection for us and that besides the Report which some Persons unsuspected have made to Your Majesty we beseech You be You judge whether our City which is within sight of the Digne and Pallisade and carriage of her Cannon would send time after time to implore Your Assistance if they thought it would be unprofitable to them and if having every day offers of Capitulation upon advantagious Conditions if they would hearken to it for themselves alone they would be so imprudent to neglect the opportunity But we are ready if it shall please Your Majesty to permit it to take upon us the first Risques and Hazzards of the Execution to the end that we may be justified to all the World in the sincerity of our Proceeding and that it may not be imputed to us that we are prodigal of the Blood of Your Majesties Subjects to ill purpose to be sparing of our own No Sir there is no such impossibility as what some would pretend The only Cause of our Fears comes from the slowness and continual neglects from one Day to another and one Week to another which makes our hopes Recoil After the Return of your Fleet we comforted our selves with the Promise that was made us by Your Majesty That it should depart again within fifteen days but when after twenty were past there were added fourteen more to them And after that we found divers other neglectful Disappointments that have now taken up two Months compleat Good God Sir How long has that time seemed to those miserable Wretches that have not Bread We know very well the good Inclinations Your Majesty hath for our Weal as also we have had most certain Proofs of the Duke of Buckingham your high Admiral his passionate applying himself for us as also the same of the Lords of your Council but shall we not