Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A48313
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A letter to Dr. E. Hyde in answer to one of his occasioned by the late insurrection at Salisbury.
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Ley, John, 1583-1662.; Hyde, Edward, 1607-1659.
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1655
(1655)
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Wing L1882; ESTC R21394
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12,255
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18
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wraped up in mine if the treaty were seriously and sincerely intendped on his part But when I expressed my conceit that he was set on by you to make me an offer and but an offer and that only for your advantage he would not then own it with any relation unto you either as an efficient or finall cause of any motion toward a contract betwixt us nor did he in effect as you suggest give me you would say bid me for he gave me nothing as good as 300 li. And for the reason you render of being raised in the contribution that might have and in probability had no farther operation upon you then was commensurate with your concupiscence after a large portion of the parsonage which made you fear the fifths claimed by you would be so much the lesse as the charge was the greater upon the whole It was not then the sin of your civility that Mr. Day made such an offer at that time but your sin of hypocrisie now in pretending it was done to gratifie me Dr. H. Truth is I should have been contented with Fifths after that proportion and had rather have lost my share of 20 li. per annum then have given the Parishoners occasion of exacting upon you Answer Truth is It is weil Sir that there is some truth in your Letter though but a word yet is not that word so truly brought in by you as it should be for it leadeth in a sentence which no discreet man who knoweth you will believe to be true viz. that you had rather lose about 4 livre. a year then that I should be raised but the eighth part of that sum in the Military Assesment If you looke to be believed while you so lavishly bely your selfe that you may be mistaken for a moderate man you must finde out an example for Solomons Aphorisme Prov. 14. 15. The simple believeth every word Dr. H. But now you say since I make so ill use of all that I can do only to try how much I am content to suffer it is high time for me to send this letter of demand Answer But now c. I must therefore henceforth expect you will be more curst then you have been because you conceive you have been too kinde heretofore yet must I not think the worse of you for all that because you give two reasons for the change of your dealing with me 1. That you have done all you can to give me content that 's your meaning if you write sense though your form of words reach not so far 2. That I have abused your goodnesse by ungratefull returns only to try the extent of your patience He is well worthy I confes to be visited with the Rod who will not be won by the spirit of meeknesse and supposing me such an one you come to this resolution It is high time for you to send this letter to demand c. For your first reason that you have done all you can c. I am sure Sir you have done all you can to get all you could from me though never so much to my discontent and damage and this I can aver upon 4 years deare bought experience of such an inordinate desire in you as the Apostle calleth The root of all evill 1 Tim. 6. 10. Your second reason is That I have made ill use of your favourable usage of me only to try how much you are content to suffer You mean this because of my Book against the payment of a fifth part wherein I give reasons why I resolve to give it over and not to pay that unrighteous Tribute any more But why do you say it is only to try how much you are content to suffer what needeth that when I know almost ever since I knew you you were not content to suffer the losse of a Groat which you might either gain or save by any pretence of right may I not upon just cause conceive so of you when being to pay you 19 livre. 12 s. 2 d. upon very dear rates for over-worne utensils the first year of my comming to Br. you tooke the whole summe not abating so much as the odde two-pence of so hard a bargain and you know well enough by my Book that I refused to pay fifths not to try your patience but to free my selfe from your oppression And why do you say Now since you make so ill use of all that I can do Did I make any ill use of your pretended kindnesse in March last when your Letter beareth date or in November the last year when I sent you my printed Acquittance the next day after I received it from London That I doubt not as I said before is the ill use you mean If so why did you not write unto me until four moneths after Why were you so silent so long when that which so much offended you came to your notice so soon Why was it high time toward the latter end of March and no sooner Sir to deal plainly with you not my self onely but all who well know you and are best able to judge of you because they are men of sound judgement not swayed by partiality or passion to whom I have imparted the substance and circumstance of Mr. Day his offer and your demand by letter for their opinion on them both unanimously conceive and confidently say that your Now and high time point like the finger of a Dial to the high affronts of publick authority by the Cavaliers at Salisbury-Assizies and their high hopes of a general Insurrection of the people at home and the Invasion of great forces from Princes abroad whereof if I should say it is very probable you were not ignorant before the Plot brake out into open Rebellion I could render reasons which by judicious men will not be thought either feigned or frivolous and it will not be your wisdome to urge me to prove the presumption against you And though you may haply say that which you do not think it is but my uncharitable misconceit of you I can truly testifie that a man of worth and note in both Counties where you and I live told me you were under such suspicion of disloyalty to the present Government that you were to have been secured if some ill news which at that time made the greatest noise had proved true But that the time of plotting acting and giving out hopeful expectations of happy success to the destructive designe of your discontented party against the Lord Protector and all those who in conscience as well as in affection were engaged with him in the same common cause was the time when you were animated to resume your project upon me by Mr. D. his mediation of whom I have no minde to say any more then his relation to you extorteth from me and presently upon that to send me the letter to which I now addresse an answer may thus appear Vpon Monday morning the 12th of March Sir Ioseph
the rule you bring to me would you were your condition such as I have sincerely set down mine à pag. 16. ad 22. of my printed Acquittance be content to pay a fifth part as you would have it to any one who needeth it no more then you do you know you would not Do then but as you would be done by And you would do as I do if you had no higher thoughts of the Parsonage of Br. then I have For though you very much advance the value of the Benefice as you call it the Pastorall charge as I finde it is so little beneficiall to me all receits and disbursments rightly calculated that weighing the benefit and burthen in all kindes together I had just cause to write thus to Mr. Vicechancellor of Oxon. November 22. 1654. I will say thus much and will make my word good by my deed if I be put to the triall that I am so far short of competent contentment in that condition wherein I am at Br. chiefly through what I have suffered by you and your most and worst affected followers that I shall be very willing to do service to any good people elsewhere though with a great deal lesse wages then I am thought to have here but have not if I may have a fair call to another place and a conscionable discharge from this where I am And which may be more to your satisfaction if you want not faith to believe the truth I have made offer of all mine interest in Brightwell without any capitulation at all to a man of as excellent parts and as potent friends as any I know who if he accept it will easily acquit himselfe from your unrighteous and unreasonable exaction Howsoever Sir I had rather according to the conditions promised resolve to leave Brightwell then still to worke under such a rigorous Taske-master as I have found and felt you for four years together The other part of your counsell to me wherewith you close up your Letter is Dr. H. Not to give any occasion of breach or quarrell to him who desireth to expresse himselfe Your affectionate Friend to serve you Ed. Hyde If a breach and quarrel be not yet made by your unjust demand and my just deniall of fifths with reasons for it in print I shall not give you any greater occasion of it then I have done for for that â—â—tter I shall but deny to pay them still and that upon the same grounds But if a breach and quarrel be made already and I believe you take it so your counsell commeth too late and you should rather have proposed some means to make up the breach to take up the quarrel you would seeme to be peaceably disposed when you professe a desire to expresse your selfe mine affectionate friend to serve me But how feeble is your affection if it be true for it is but a desire a desire but to expresse that is so to shew and declare your selfe that you may appear such a friend how false your profession if you act contrary to it And how should I think otherwise when you pretend love and intend Law For having heretofore used to send to me by your friends Mr. H. and Mr. Wh. you sent me this last Letter by a professed Lawyer as though thereby you meant to tell me that if I will not be lead by your Letter to do what you would have me you would compell me by Law to conformity to it and for that Sir you may take your course and when you take up the Sword you shall not God willing finde me unready to betake me to my Buckler And so I subscribe my selfe Yours to serve you at the Bar of any Court of Iustice or Equity when you serve me with Processe to attend you there John Ley. Brightwell April 6. 1655. ERRATA Page 8. line 3. read the same summe p. 10. l. 4. r. for your return thither Postscript SIR YOV have since I wrote this Letter turned my suspicion of your professed friendship into undoubted assurance of your dissembling with me By sending a Bailiffe on Saturday May 12. to attach me or to take Bond for my appearance on Monday May 14. in the Court of Common Pleas Which sodain warning was not by his choice but yours as the date of your Letter of direction to him for serving the Sheriffes Warrant upon 〈◊〉 sheweth Hereby he that hath but halfe an eye may see you meant not like a good Minister to disturbe my preparations for the Sabbath and as unlike a good Christian to distresse me by want of time to take Counsell how to apply my selfe for my just defence in the Suit commenced by you I would not I did not serve you so when I sent you my Book against you by a Messenger of purpose the next day after Ireceived it from London that you might have as timely intelligence of the publishing of it as I could give you Howsoever Sir you may perceive my readiness to perform my promise to you which was To serve you at the bar of any Court of Justice or equity when you serve me with Processe to attend you there for that day viz. Monday forementioned though your summons were so short I came to Westminster where you had put into the Court no Declaration against me So forward were you to shew your teeth before you could bite which may give occasion of caution and that may be also some cause of security to him who sincerely subscribing to the Christian sentence of “ “ Amicos deligere omnium est inimicos solorum Christianorum Tertul. ad Scapul Tom. 2. p. 162. item Tertullian had rather notwithstanding your harsh and hasty dealing with him entitle himselfe your Respondent Christianus nullius cst hostis Ibid. or Defendant then your Adversarie J. Ley. FINIS Colleg. Conimbricens in lib. Aristot. de memoria Reminiscentia c. 10. col 18. §. 13. 1 Cor. 4. 21. “ The copie of this Letter is in the last page of mine Acquittance * Quod valâ—e volumus facile credimus “ Plutarch in his precepts of policie p. 300. of his Morals