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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A53892 A Letter from a gentleman in London to his friend in the countrey, on the occasion of the late tryal of Stephen Colledge R. P. 1681 (1681) Wing P100; ESTC R19564 4,035 4

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A LETTER FROM A Gentleman in London to his Friend in the Countrey on the Occasion of the late Tryal of STEPHEN COLLEDGE SIR WHen I had the Happiness to see you last I remember upon our Discoursing concerning the Popish Plot you seem'd to have a more Charitable Opinion of the Phanatical Party than ordinary for that they appear'd so mighty solicitous for the Security of His Majesties Person and of the Protestant Religion by Clamouring for a Strict Prosecution of that Damnable Conspiracy But by this time and upon this new Face of Affairs you are Convinc'd no doubt that they deserv'd not your good Thoughts and hold their Devilish Practices in just detestation for Colledg's Tryal is a Clear Proof I wish it were the onely one they had afforded us that when they pretend the greatest Loyalty to their Prince 't is only for a Cloak to cover some Exeorable Design they have in hand They are most certainly Sir Wolves in Sheeps Cloathing Men that will Judas-like betray with a Kiss But if it happens that their Perfidious Practices come once to be detected and any One Criminal brought to the Bar of Justice with what Zeal does the whole Faction appear in His Defence They Impeach the Credit of the Kings Evidence Exposing them by the Names of Papists Irish Tories c. and Exert their Malice against all that dare believe what is Attested or that Pretend to Maintain the King's Authority and the Law against the Designing Contrivances of these Indefatigable Workers of Iniquity They will at any rate procure Persons to Oppose and Confront the Kinks Evidence by positively asserting any thing that may tend to invalidate their Testimonies and rather than appear deficient will produce Witnesses only to make a noise in the World or thereby to insinuate into the Minds of the too-Credulous Vulgar a belief of their Innocence And these forsooth must all be heard though perhaps they speak scarce One word to the purpose This is wonderfully apparent in Colledg's Tryal in which besides the many Remote Circumstances multiplied by Colledg's Witnesses a Plain and Gross Falshood appears by Comparing the 53th 54th and 55th Pages with the 56th Page 53. Dr. Oates affirms that the whole time of Alderman Wilcox's Treate at the Crown-Tavern without Temple-Bar was spent in a Philosophical Discourse betwixt himself and Mr. Savage and for the Truth of it Appeals to the Testimonies of Mr. Thomas S. and his Brother The former viz. Mr. Thomas Smith Concurrs with the Doctor and says P. 54. that all the Discourse was about some Points in Philosophy and Divinity concerning the Existence of GOD and the Immortality of the Soul and was confident that nothing of Treason could come from Colledg for that he fell asleep All which and much more was opposed to Mr. John Smith's Testimony and from thence Colledg inferrs Thus you see My Lord Smith's Testimony is false And that he might make the thing more Conspicuous he calls in Mr. Samuel Oates who P. 56. out of his Extraordinary Zeal to the Cause peremptorily undertakes to illustrate the Point and gives a Relation of all the Discourse above mentioned which he says and is very confident in it was about Matters of Common Discourse Matters of Eating and Drinking c. and that there was not a word mention'd of the Existence of God or the Immortality of the Soul which plainly Contradicts and gives the lye to both Dr. O. and the said S. From whence it is Evident how much these men prefer the Interest of their Party before Loyalty Truth or Justice And yet these are the men that Applaud themselves so much upon their Religion And to set the fairer Gloss upon their Pernicious Enterprizes they shelter their Horrid Conspiracies under the Notion of Godliness and True Protestantisme It now is as it formerly was their Work and Endeavour to Lessen the Kings Authority which is the only way to make it void and they Act and Labour the First out of a Design to make it subservient to the Latter It is not Policy you know for People to Declare their Designs at first for without a plausible pretence for the carrying them on thereby to Blind the Eyes of the Adverse Party it 's improbable they should prove any otherwise than ineffectual 'T is a proverbial saying Ingenium vires superat And a War cannot be maintained if it be not as well upheld by Stratagems as by Force In our late Troubles the pretence was to Rescue the King out of the hands of Wicked Council But having once done that as they supposed they not only afforded him no better but took away his Authority clap't him up in Prison and there kept him secure till they convey'd him to the Scaffold And which was an augmentation to their Wickedness they did not do this only to make themselves Supreme but looking upon themselves as the Highest Authority they thought they might thereby lawfully do this and far more fancying the King to be more subject to their Wills than ever their Allegiance bound them to His Sovereignty Nay and to so great a height is the impudence and insolence of some Hot-Headed Phanaticks now grown that they are so far from detesting and repenting of that Barbarous Villany that they still justifie it impudently reflecting on that Sacred Martyr And others of them that are more wary endeavour to shift off that abominable impiety by Arguments strong enough perhaps to work upon the simplicity and credulity of a fort of ignorant People who yet are not now surely any longer to be blinded with such specious pretences since it does so evidently appear that they want not a Will to act a second part of that dismal Tragedy They rail with open mouth against the Papists 't is true and with a pretended shew of Loyalty and Zeal for the preservation of His Majesties Person do seemingly detest and abhorr their deposing and King-killing doctrine But then at the same time you see they are secretly undermining the Established Government endeavouring and designing the utter extirpation of Monarchy and consequently the destruction of the Royal Family They stick not to accuse the Kings best and most eminent Friends nay the King himself of a Design to introduce Popery and Arbitrary Power And at the same time are doing their best to divest His Majesty of His Regal Power so to introduce a Republick These are the men that take such care for the Preservation of His Majesties Person the Protestant Religion against the Designs of the Papists And truely they had pitch'd upon a ready way to effect it For First as has been depos'd upon oath they intended to seize His Sacred Person And And then if He would not comply with their unjust Desires or the Priests that herd amongst them did not do this business to serve him as they did His Royal Father So that tho' His Majesty had through the unparalell'd care of this Godly Party escap'd the