Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A44223
|
A defence of King Charles I occasion'd by the lyes and scandals of many bad men of this age / by Richard Hollingworth ...
|
Hollingworth, Richard, 1639?-1701.
|
1692
(1692)
|
Wing H2502; ESTC R13622
|
26,155
|
45
|
certain Essex Doctor of Divinity who has assisted this Objection to the utmost of his power with a false Story which I will presently refute and set the whole in a true and proper Light Ans I could never obtain Leave of my self to believe that any Man could write at that divinerate but he that felt the Miseries that suggest such Thoughts and Heavenly Meditations the various Conditions of men good men wonderfully help them in their Retirements and Solitudes to Divine Intercourses and Aspirations and he that could counterfeit such things and make such Appeals to God without being in such Conditions as those Appeals suppose must be rather next to an Atheist than a good Christian And if the Essex Doctor had any value for the Memory of his deceased Friend he would certainly have forborn telling it in all places with a more than usual Confidence as he hath done and that for this one reason The Story in short that he tells is this That Dr. Gauden then of Bocking in Essex made this Book and sent him then his Curate to the Press with it which command he obey'd and accordingly did so carry it in order to its printing Now the Truth of the Story is thus There was one Mr. Simmons a learned and pious Minister who lived near Dr. Gauden in Essex and who out of a true Affection to His then Majesty's Person and Cause writ a learned Defence of the King with which the King was so pleased that he presently resolved that this person should have the perusal and correction of his Book and accordingly sends it by a trusty Messenger The Book when looked over by him did so affect him and no wonder that he could not forbear sending for his Neighbour Gauden in order to make him happy with himself in the sight and reading of such an inestimable Jewel Dr. Gauden would not be denied the kindness of taking the Book home with him for a few days which upon importunity Mr. Simmonds knowing the Dr. a Well-wisher at that time to the King granted Dr. Gauden presently falls to transcribing of it and in some days with great Labour and Application finishes it and so returns the Original to Mr. Simmonds again Within a while the great Storm coming upon the King which at last God knows wholly overset him Dr. Gauden out of a true Affection to his Master the King hoping thereby to do him Service sends his Copy by the Hands of this Doctor to the Press And so far and no farther was he concerned in it And whereas it is said that Dr. Gauden told King Charles the Second he made the Book the Truth of the Story is this That he putting in for the Bishoprick of Worcester and meeting with some opposition from Bishop Sheldon the King asked him what Pretences he had to so great a Favour he answered That he put out his Fathers Book which Answer tho' true in some sence yet being ambiguously spoken as it got him the Bishoprick so it also gave Rise to the late Earl of Anglesey's Memorandum which hath made so great noise in the World But to put all things out of doubt concerning this Book give me leave to tell this Story I was not many weaks ago in Conversation with Sir John Brattle a worthy person and who hath long enjoy'd a considerable Office in the Royal Mint with whom discoursing about King Charles the First and particularly of the Suspicions raised of the Truth of the Book he frankly told me and assured me the Truth of this Story That in the year 47. King Charles having drawn up the most considerable part of this Book and having writ it in some loose Papers at different times desired Bishop Juxon to get some Friend of his whom he could commend to him as a trusty person to look it over and to put it into an exact method the Bishop pitched upon Sir John's Father whom he had been acquainted withal for many years who undertaking the Task was assisted by this his Son who declares he sate up with his Father some nights to assist him in methodizing these Papers all writ with the King 's own Hand Thanks be to God Sir John is yet alive and is ready to give the same Account to any man that asks him And whosoever after this will suspect this Book is certainly a man of that temper who will keep up his Prejudices against this Great man in spight of all Evidences though as clear as the Sun at Noon And for my own part I must tell him that I think it not worth the while to attempt his further satisfaction because nullum remedium Deus posuit contumariae God Almighty hath not provided a Remedy for Resolved Stubbornness in the ordinary course of dealing with Men and if nothing but Miracles will convince them I have no Commission to pretend to them FINIS
both King and Parliament the one to see and hear of the Destruction of his own Children as I may justly call them and the other to hear so frequent Tidings not only of the loss of their Fellow-Subjects Lives but also of the ruine of their Lands and Houses Do not they both strive which should most court each other to Peace And do not they abate of their former Demands as well as stiff Adherencies Methinks the Cries and Losses of the poor innocent Inhabitants of the Kingdom should pierce their Ears and melt their Hearts and make them forget all their former Passions and Resentments Why truly to give the two Houses their due they did at this time send Proposals as if they had been truly assected with the Nations Miseries but in the mean time I am sorry I can say no otherwife they were such Proposals as they could upon all reasonable and fair Considerations and Debates with themselves expect no good Success of because they could not but know before-hand they would be denied insomuch as the King had told them again and again where he would stop and how far he would go especially as to Church-Affairs Nothing less in these Proposals would satisfie them than the abolishing by Act of Parliament the whole Hierarchy to which he was sworn by his Coronation-Oath settling the Militia as they pleased themselves the King 's disbanding his Army made up of the best Nobility and Gentry of the Kingdom and withal which was a greater Assront to Majesty than could be supposed to them in coming to demand the five Members He must be obliged as it were and in effect to beg those Members Pardon for wronging them with what he thought and could by good Evidence prove Matter of Truth Which certainly was but to seem to desire Peace and at the same time to resolve to continue the War But now the next thing to be considered is after these Proposals how the King manages himself and what steps he makes towards a Peace and truly I think according to my poor Judgment he now acts according to what he alwaies pretended and solemnly avowed to wit as a true Father of his Country for he proposes That his Revenue Magazines Towns Ships and Forts may be restored to him that what hath been done contrary to Law and his Right may be recalled and that he will consent to the execution of all Laws concerning Popery or Reformation Nay he further tells them That he had given up all the Faculties of his Soul to an earnest endeavonr of a Peace and Reconciliation with his Subjects So that to me hitherto the Fault lies not at His Majesty's door say the Enemies to his Memory what they please for let them but abate of the rigour of their Demands and not ask him things wholly inconsistent with his Honour and Conscience with his Crown and Dignity and the issue of Blood is stopped presently and the Nation restored to its former state of Peace for still he stands ready and prossers again and again to sign any Bill that in his own and the Judgment of many Wise and Good men about him who were true lovers of their Countrys Licerties and Properties was necessary for making the Nation more happy in its Privileges than it had been in all Ages before And truly it so I see no Cause for continuing a Destructive War in the Bowels of the Kingdom nor for standing upon their Points at that rigid rate they did especially when so many of their Brethren and fellow-Members of both Houses upon great dissatissaction at their Proceedings had left their station and took in out of Principles of Loyalty and Duty with their Master's Cause venturing both their Lives Families and Estates upon it which no man can believe wise men would have done if they had not seen great Reason to question the Integrity of the prevailing part of the Parliament So that hitherto there appears no just Reason for those many scandalous Reflections that in Coffee-houses and other places of publick Intercourse or private Communication are made upon this great and excellent man And thus ended the year 42 all the King's Proposals and Condescentions being neglected and slighted The year 43. begins with a Treaty for Peace at Oxford Commissioners for the Parliament being the Lord Northumberland the Lord Wenmain Mr. Peirepoint Mr. Hollis c. who were civilly treated both by the King himself and many of his great Officers which Treaty was managed not by Commissioners on the King's side but by himself And truly he that reads it over must needs confess that His Majesty deserved the Commendation Mr. Whitlock who was one of them in his Memorials gives of him to wit That in this Treaty the King manifested his great Parts and Ability strength of Reason and quickness of Apprehension with much patience in hearing what was objected against him wherein he allowed all Freedom and would himself sum up the Arguments and give a most clear Judgment upon them This is Mr. Whitlock's Character And to let all the World see his readiness to do every thing which might reasonably answer the Kingdoms Expectation and make it happy he tells these Commissioners That he hath nor denied any one thing proposed to him by both Houses which in Justice could be required of him or in reason expected And the Truth of it is had not their Demands been so very high in this as well as in other Treaties which a man must think were made on purpose by the prevalence of a designing self-interested Party to continue the War I am certain Peace had ensued upon this Treaty for the King still like a tender Father groaned under the Oppressions of his Honour and Conscience were not concerned in order to put an end to that desolating War And therefore that this Treaty had no better effect was not the King's fault but of those that bound up their Commissioners to such narrow limits that His Majesty without doing Injustice to the Essentials of Regality could not comply with the Proposals that were offered And this he complains of himself That they bound up their Committee in that manner as to Time and Power as might wholly render it ineffectual 'T is true after the Commissioners returned home the Lords and Commons put out a Declaration upon the Proceedings of this Treaty which I shall no ways reflect upon but only tell the World the King presently put out an Answer to it which whosoever will be pleased to read will find His Majesty the same person still a man of true Honour and Conscience and ready to serve all the Needs and Conveniencies of his Country and no ways deserving those Reflections which were made by his Subjects at that time to render him odious to his People and I do desire the present Maligners of this Great Person to read over his Declaration in answer to the Parliaments and then tell me whether he designed any Tyrannical and Arbitrary Power and was