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A54586
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The visions of government wherein the antimonarchical principles and practices of all fanatical commonwealths-men and Jesuitical politicians are discovered, confuted, and exposed / by Edward Pettit ...
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Pettit, Edward.
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1684
(1684)
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Wing P1892; ESTC R272
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100,706
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264
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by Thomas Pittis D. D. Chaplain in Ordinary to his Majesty Advice to the Readers of the Common Prayer and to the People attending the same With a Preface concerning Divine Worship Humbly offered to Consideration for promoting the greater Decency and Solemnity in performing the Offices of Gods Publick Worship administred according to the Order established by Law amongst us By a well meaning though unlearned Laick of the Church of England T. S. The Life of the Learned and Reverend Dr. Peter Heylin Chaplain to Charles I. and Charles II. Monarchs of Great Britain Written by George Vernon Rector of Bourton on the Water in Gloucestershire The Crafty Lady Or the Rival of Himself A Gallant Intriegue Translated out of French into English by F. C. Ph. Gent. ERRATA The Reader is desired to take notice of two mistakes which escap'd the Press PAge 22. line 16. for Castles read Cabalâ— p. 29. blot out with Liquors not Symbolical THE First VISION OF GOVERNMENT The CONTENTS The Introduction The Ghost of S. Jerom a Native of Hungary after a relation of the Present State of that Kingdom condemns their Rebellion from the Doctrine and Practice of the Christians of his Time The grand Confederacy against Christian Religion and Government discover'd in a Dialogue betwixt the Ghosts of the late Vizier Cuperlee a General of the Jesuits and of the Earl of Shaftsbury The Reasons why the Fanaticks of England lament the Defeat of the Turks a parallel in some new remarques betwixt them Whether was the more Unchristian to wish the Success of the Turkish Arms before Vienna or of the Moors before Tangier The impious and foolish conceit of preventing Arbitrary Government under the Protection of the Grand Seignior THE Famous Story of the Apparition of Buda in Hungary after the successful Victory which the Christians obtained over the Turks at Barkan is so generally known that I need not relate it again I am sure that when it was first told to me it made such an impression upon my Fancy all that day that I no sooner slept at night but I dream'd at such a swift rate that I was got as far as the Berg Towns famous for those profound and rich Mines of Silver in possession of the Rebells under the Command of Count Teckeley Whether it was my Fear or Curiosity that let me drop down to the bottom of one of them I cannot certainly tell But I no sooner found my leggs again but methought I march't through a dark and narrow Passage at the farther end of which I espied a very old Man with a long white Beard sitting at a Table with a dim Light and a Book before him and laying his right hand upon a Deaths-head he seem'd to weep very bitterly Bless me quoth I Where am I In Limbo Patrum Have I stumbl'd upon one of the Antediluvian Patriarchs What Venerable Sage is this I am resolv'd to know what part of the Chronology he belongs to In order to it I advanced three or four steps with a design to ask him his Name but as soon as he lifted up his head I perceived that it was S. Jerom the most eminent Scholar that ever that * Born at Stridon Nation bred and a worthy Father of the Latin Church I was extreamly amaz'd to meet with him so far under ground and being desirous to know the Reasons of it he prevented my boldness by saying You may wonder to meet with my Effigies or Ghost in any other place under the Sun but in the Chappel of the Nativity of Bethlehem * Sandys Trav. p. 141. where I spent the latter part of my Life in those Religious Duties which became so Sacred a place you may wonder that I who liv'd and dy'd where the Saviour of the World and the King of Glory was born should here appear where the Mammon of Unrighteousness is hatch'd in the Womb of the Earth I should be much more surpriz'd Holy Father said I to meet you upon the surface of it which is all o're stain'd with the Garbage of Insidels steep'd in whole streams of Christian Blood as if they had utterly banisht the Doctrine of that Prince of Peace How cry'd he have the Goths over-run the World again Is my Native Soyl trodden down once more by those impure Barbarians No cry'd I they are not call'd Goths nor Vandals neither but they style themselves The Brethren the Elect Holy Saints and Reformed Christians These are reply'd he fine Titles which some ancient Hereticks usurp'd and abus'd but pray let me know their present case as short as you can I shall with all submission said I give you an impartial account of them to the best of my memory This your Native Kingdom of Hungaria after many revolutions from being a Province of the Roman Empire fell at last into the possession of the Austrian Family which now upholds the small remains of the Western parts of it in Germany Ferdinand the Brother of Charles the Fifth laid claim to it in right of his Wife who was Sister to the unfortunate Ludovicus the Second but the Hungarians made choice of John Sepusio Vaivod of Transylvania who to settle himself call'd in Solyman the Magnificent Emperour of the Turks John Sepusio dying left only an Infant who was Crown'd in his Cradle upon this the Turkish Emperour who had restor'd the Father under pretence of protecting the Son seized the Regal City of Buda with many other Towns and filled them with his own Garrisons upon which the Hungarians seeing their growing danger did with universal consent elect the aforesaid Ferdinand their King as best able to defend them in whose Family it has continued for an hundred and forty years their Elections being matter of Formality only They took the best course reply'd the Father What is the reason that they now revolt from them You must understand said I that these Princes of the House of Austria are great Patrons of the Jesuits a pestilent sort of Hereticks who have poison'd the Christian World with their damnable Doctrines of Deposing and Killing Soveraign Kings and Princes and though one would think this were enough to enflame all the Potentates of the Earth against them yet they have gain'd so much upon the Emperour that upon the account of their forsaking the Romish Superstitions they have not only advised him to abridge them of some of their Civil Rights but to persecute them with extream Rigour for the sake of their Religion upon which a Party of them have renounc'd their Allegiance to their Temporal Lord have set up one of his sworn Subjects against him and to confirm him have recall'd the Turks the Disciples of one Mahomet who has damn'd many Millions of men with his impure Doctrines made up of a monstrous confusion of Arianism Judaism and Paganism and now threatens all Religion with his Blasphemies and all Christendons with his Arms. What! said he looking as austerely upon me as if Ruffinus had peep 't over
it was a Sin to kiss a Woman but not to lie with Her But never in all my daies did I ever so much as hear of such a parcel of Squeamish Hypocrites before as they are that can strain at a Gnat in the Common Prayer Book but swallow a Camel even that very Camel that carries the Alcoran to Mahomets Tomb. THE Second VISION OF GOVERNMENT The CONTENTS The miserable state of the Christians under the Turks the happy condition of the people of England Good Government the reason of it The Malecontents described and exposed The Argument that converted and confirmed a Jew in the Christian Faith He confutes and condemns the Fanaticks for their Rebellious Murmurings and Practices He proves Monarchy to be of Divine Institution and the best of Governments The Monarchy of England the best in the World The design of Hobb's Leviathan and of Nevil's Plato Redivivus they are both in the extremes and both exploded The Ghosts of Hobbs Machiavel and some other modern Politicians quarrel about Preheminence Lucifer not able to decide the Controversie referrs it to Bradshaw He determines for Richard baxter upon the account of that Maxim that Dominion is founded in Grace The Folly of it discovered in his Book entituled A Holy Commonwealth and the Villany of it in the Practices of the late Commonwealth of England WE were now sailing for England as fast as the Winds and swift as our Desires could carry us when by the way methoughts we found a Ienizary floating upon the Seas and half starv'd who had attempted to make an escape in a little Cock-Boat from Malta where he had for some time been detained a Prisoner As soon as he was refreshed with a few Cordials Seignior Christiano knew him very well And turning to me You cannot imagine said he how much I have been beholden to this poor Fellow all along my Travels in Turky and with what fidelity he hath attended me through several dangers and therefore out of meer gratitude I am bound to take care for his Preservation I thought Sir said I there had been nothing in Turky but Tyranny Perfidiousness and Cruelty to be met withal Yes replyed he there is a certain thing amongst them called Good Nature by us for none other Language can express it which influence's some of them with that Candor and Humanity as will make them stand fairer before the Great Tribunal than the Murtherous Zeal of Treacherous and Fanatical Christians But for this we are rather beholding to the particular dispositions of men than to the Constitution of their Government which in it self is unnaturally Cruel and Barbarous therefore because some may say that I have represented the State of the Christians under the Turks to be more desperately deplorable than really it is I do confess that you may meet with Civilities from some particular persons amongst them and that they allow the Graecians the free exercise of their Religion insomuch that at Larissa the chief City of Thessaly the Arch-Bishop even in the time of the Grand Seignior's residence there appears in some splendor in his Cathedral Church of S. Achilleus and at Tornovo a great Town and a Bishops See not far from thence there were not long ago no less than Eighteen Christian Churches and but Three Moschea's But as I told you before these Churches must in time fall to ruine and the reason they are allowed so many is because they being so numerous might upon great extremities of oppression revolt and reconcile themselves to the Latine Church for their Protection However they pay dear enough for that Liberty they have and what do you think of a motion in the Divan of putting most of the Christians throughout all their Dominions to death upon any memorable defeat Therefore what a miserable condition are they in who are like to lose their Religion if the Turks prevail or their Lives if they be routed And indeed they are permitted to enjoy both as the Caloires of Mount Athos do the Treasures of their Chappel which the Turks can surprize and take away when they please The desolation waste and barrenness of those Countreys formerly so rich must needs be occasioned by the Tyranny of that Government wherein the Peasants durst not sow what they fear the Soldiers would reap and they have a saying That were it not for the Timariots there would no Grass grow where the Grand Seignior's Horse sets his foot 'T is true that the very Luxuriant Temperature of some Grounds in so vast an Empire produce Rich Vines Rice with most sorts of Grain Cotton Sesamum c. with little Industry but all the Provinces are vastly altered from that state we read of in Ancient Histories and on the contrary England as much for the better from what it was in former times So that those of England are very wicked that wish the success of the Turkish Arms abroad and very Ignorant or what is worse very ungrateful that dislike their own Government and mutiny against their Prince at home We were now come as far as Greenwich where we landed and the calm and bright Sun-shine Day in the most delightsome time of the Spring invited us to take a walk to the top of the Hill as soon as I had breath'd a little I observ'd that the Turk we brought along with us was almost ravish'd with delight and wonder And surely said he this is the Paradise of the Western World and the Garden of all Pleasures How thick is this Noble Countrey set with shining Palaces in the midst of Verdant Groves intermixt with embroyder'd Plains of divers colours and that vast and splendid City pointing to London stretching it self out in full ease beyond the reach of mine eyes upon the Banks of this large and open River Methinks truly said I to Seignior Christiano 't is as Noble a Prospect as ever I beheld yet I cannot forget that of Constantinople from Scutari or Galata the Towring Moschea's with their gilded Half Moons over-topping the Cyprus Trees put me in mind of the Hesperides of the Poets with Golden Fruit. You might better replyed he have bestowed your hovering fancy upon the Apples of Sodom for how finely soever that City appears at a distance there is not a more confused dirty hole of the bigness in the Vniverse when you are in it the Houses resemble so many Prisons and the Inhabitants are all Slaves 'T is our condition said the Turk to which we were born and in which we must live and die and although some of our Order have like the Praetorian Bands of Rome or the Mammalucs of Aegypt of late years been somewhat too insolent yet the Grand Seignior is Lord of all we have on this side the Grave we eat his Bread and drink his Water and breathe his Air and therefore we must do and suffer his will we may live as long as we can but we must dye when He please we must have Patienza sin a perder la testa