^——
E%% A T A„
PAge 9. line 5. for fervd read feenPd.
P. 11. 1. 21. f. wanted r. wonted.
P. 13. 1. 15. f. infiltuted r. intituled.
P. 14. 1. 12. gutque ipfe &c, put in after good Behaviour,
1. 7.
P. id. 1. 10. f. from r. for.
I.31. r. £7 Law deter mine d-> before.
P. 17. 1. 1. f. r. a.
1. 6. 0/.
1. 10. f. thefe r. that.
P. 27. I.5. f. then r. when.
1.15. put the Comma after Mercy.
1. ult. r. did remain, and dele the reft:.
P. 28. 1.1. after muff add not.
1. 3. dele not.
1.9. after a add it.
1.12. f. for read from.


(2 )
Nothing but a Liberty of .Printing, given or ta¬
ken, can hinder his Caufe from being yet rendred
Vile, and his Afhcs from being trampled on, with¬
out Rebuke, by every florid Vindicator of Murders
in Form, but without colour of Law.
Thofe Times which thefe Interefted Writers
would juftify, are far from fuch as com¬
mends, Wherein a Man might think what he , and
utter what bethought.
But fure I am, no Age is worthy of fuch an Hi-
ftorianas Tacitus, wherein any Man may not pub-
lilh without Penalty whatever he will fet his Hand
to, and for which he ftands ready to anlwer the
Law: without Submitting to the partial or weak
Judgment of a mercenary Licenfer; who will take
care that thofe fcurrilous Reflections upon our happy
Settlement, and its Worthy Inftruments, which he
licenfes, may pafsuncorrecfed.
For want of fit Liberty, Princes have been abus'd,
and Foundations fap'd, without publick Notice:
and whoever has feen and ventured farther than o-
thers, has been thought juftly to fuffer for being
righteous over-much.
Be it as it will: As the Intereft of my Country
has ever had the Afcendent over my AffeCtions, be
That, and Truth, my Licence.
The Cowardife of King James the Firfb, as it
made him betray the Protectant Intereft Abroad,
naturally bred in him a Diftruft of his People, and
fervile Compliances with Foreign Princes,from whom
he apprehended any Danger. This made himear-
neftly follicite a Match for his Son Charles with
the Infanta of Spain. The Father's Fears, as it is
to be hop'd, rather than the Son's Inclinations, oc-
cafion'd that flatt'ring Letter to the Pope which


(4)
mong themfelves may often proceed to great
Heights, they never fail in joining againft Prote-
ftancy.
Nor is it now to be doubted, but the Papifts
animated the Epifcopal Party againft Scotland,
and againft the Moderate of their own Mem¬
bers here. And infinuating themfelves into the
Leaders on the contrary Side, perfwaded them
to break off all Treaty with a Prince, who
would gladly then have yielded very far, and was
not of a Religion which could difpenfe with the
breach of Oaths or Promifes.
I find no Reafbn to disbelieve Bifhop Bramhal and
Dr. Du-Moulin, who offer Proofs, That that King's
Death was but inpurfuance of Popifh Relolutions.
The Anarchy which followed is a large Blot in
our Annals. The wileft of Cromwefs Councilors
law, that this Government could not fubfift without
Kingly Power. And though his Reputation and
Policy, for a while, kept up the or
Regency, 'tis a Queftion whether the then King of
Scots would not have turn'd him out, if he had
lived a little longer. However, the determination
of his Power, or any lucky Accident to the King,
naturally made way for the other's reaffuming the
Regal Authority.
Yet while he was out of Poffellion, many of
thofe, who upon his Return made the greateft
faoafts of Loyalty, had either drawn their Swords a-
gainft him, or fervilely flattered the Ufurpers. Nor
were the Papifts the moft backward in fuch Sub-
miffions.
No Prince ever came to the Crown with greater
Opportunities of making this Nation Happy, and
the Proteftant Religion the prevailing Intereft over
Ciiriftendom, than K. C. 2. w But


( 8 )
eafe their trouble of meeting for the future ; which
made them firft look about them to fecure the conti- -
nuance of their Salaries: And from that time, being
jealous that their Matter was not fo fincere towards
them,as their Truth to his feparate Intereft might re¬
quire, they began to think of their being
Men.
But to return to the former part of that Reign.
Was it not enough to raife any Man's Indignation,
to oblerve that King, often pointing at a threadbare
Cavalier, who had wafted his Fortune, and moft of
his Blood, in the Service of his Father and Himfelf,
to tell his Courtiers, There goes as brave a Man as
ever drew Sword in our Quarrel, and yet not to re¬
lieve him from ftarving.
The Papifts, who under-hand played the Puppets
which came upon the Stage, heightned the Relent-
ments of lome for former Sufferings, and the Jealou-
fies of others, left many fhould lhare with them. And
as the Kjng could have an eafy Abfolution for breach
of his Word at Breda, the prevailing Faction gave
him Colour for it, by taking the Matter upon them-
lelves.
And to countenance their not coming to that Tem¬
per, which the Nation expe&ed, the firft Sham-plot
was railed upon Proteftants: Great numbers of them
were imprifoned without pretence of Law, but
meefly for fighing for Liberty, or fhaking their heads
at the miftaken Change. The Commitments were
fb illegal, that they were forc'd to make an Aft to in¬
demnify them for this violent Oppreffion of innocent
Men; not being then lb harden'd and flelh'd with
Succeffes againft the Englijh Liberties, to be paft
fear, as they were upon the like Violences after¬
wards.


( " )
up in all publick Places, to fhew Men how dange¬
rous it was to prefer ones Country before the humour
of a prevailing Fa&ion.
Then Court-Divinity and Law had almoft run
down Religion and Civil Right.
A Conformity to the fafhionable Mode of Wor-
fhip was preft, as neceffary to Salvation ; and who¬
ever denied that the Kjng could Laws of his
fble Authority ; Or, that the Power which
makes, repeals, and difpenfes with Laws, was inle-
parable from his Perfon, was thought no good
Chriftian, or good Subjed.
The Scripture was thought to teach the Law of
the Land, that to give Authority to Scripture, and
the Kjng to both. Nor is it to be wondred, that
Men of dudile Reafons fhould hold this, when it
was affirm'd by one of the Leaders, that If the
Kjng he GodHs Vicegerent, he is upon that account
as much above all, as God. is.
Thefe ftrains of Loyalty from the Pulpit, were
ecchoed back from the Benches at Weftminjler, and
in the Country, and followed with inhuman Wor-
ryings of all Oppofers, till the late King mounted
the Throne, with the univerlal Acclamation of
that Set of Men, who were in fuch a tranfport of
Joy, that one would be tempted to think that
they law the Day which their Wilhes, Prayers,
and Endeavours had mark'd out as the utmoft li¬
mit to their Defiles.
That Kjng, as he had reafon, fell a courting that
Party, which had not only lecur'd the Crown to
him, but put it in great meafure into his Power
to manage, according to the Abfolutenefs of his
Inclination; not only by the Advantages over the
Conftitution which they had put into his Hands,
but
o


( n )
but by the Salvo for Prerogative, which fome of
themhaddefignedly added to the Coronation-Oath,
without Precedent or tolerable Pretence.
And though they were much difpleafed that he
fhould fo foon unmask, and take away the Colours
which they vvere fond of, for impofing upon their
credulous Party the Belief of his being aProteftant,
whereby he deprived them of that Reputation with
which they pretended to ferve the Church of Eng¬
land of Arbitrary Power: yet ftill they vowed
Lives and Fortunes. And they who knew what
Referve had been in his Coronation-Oath for a Prero¬
gative above or befides the Law, thought themfelves
obliged to pay that Obedience which they fancied
he was thereby intituled to exaft, as if the per¬
verting the Oath by a Confederacy, could alter the
Condition of an Englifh King.
When the unhappy Duke of Monmouth, (who
with the Roman Marcellus, experienced the fbort and
unhappy Careffes of the People,) was drawn into the
Snare laid for him, they not only inculcated the Du¬
ty of Fighting to maintain the late King in his Sta¬
tion, (which many of them think themlelves not ob¬
liged to, in relation to this,) but without any Regard
to Proof or Juftice, join'd in, or encouraged the
clapping up all, who by their known Zeal for the
Religion and Laws of their Country, gave them
the leaft Apprefhenfion of an Inclination to join
with the Duke, or to refcue the Conftitution from
them who had long made a Prey of it.
And if any Men had the Hardinefs to move for
an Habeas Corpus, the exorbitant Bail which they re¬
quired at their Difcharges, and the recording them
as entred into it, for the good Behaviour ; when no
fuch thing was mentioned at the time, nor would


(. 15' ),
Ends, than the juft Prerogatives of the Crown
could countenance, or the Con cage of his Party o*
therwife attempt.
And while the nobleft Patriots were fingled out
for Deftru&ion, the People, like the hardned Jews,
headed by their Priefts, were taught to cry, Crucify.,
Crucify-
During which Ferment, the Fundamental Rights
of the Nation were, with Safety to the Managers,
fhatter'd and betrayed by unprefidented Judgments,
for the Diffolutionof Corporations, and dilpenfing
with Laws; treacherous Surrenders of Charters,
contrary to Oaths to maintain their Priviledges to
their Powers : which had certainly obliged Men to
load the Courts of pretended Juftice with the ex¬
torting them all, and not to commit that 111 them-
felves, which they might fear from others.
I know they will fay that many of them had not
Money to make Defences i which could be no Pre¬
tence for giving-greater Countenance to the Defigns
of the Court by a Surrender, than they could have
had by Judgment by Default.
The molt would extenuate their Guilt, as if it
would have been to no Purpofe to hold out, but dan¬
gerous to provoke a Court relblved upon having
them one way or other.
Thefe Men ought to confider that the Succels the
Court had in this Enterprize, was owing to the
Encouragement many of themfelves gave in Practice
as well as avowed Principle. And if all had given
what Delays they could, in all Probability it had
defeated the Defign : However they ought to have
expended God's Blefling in doing their Duty ; and
whoever omitted it out of Fear of provoking Men
in Power, may, with Mr. Bobs, make the outward
; A&s


C '7 )
waded and diftinguifh'd into nothing, and not con¬
cerning the Conftitution of our Government; or a
confelling that Clergy-Men had gone beyond their
Sphere. And the aliening that no Laws can dero¬
gate from the Power of the Prince,was to dwindle in¬
to the Mean in g-«# no more,than that the Prince does
n«t forfeit his Power if he goes beyond them. And
though all the Rights of the Soveraign Power which
makes, repeals, and difpenfes with Laws, «\ivas main¬
tained to be lo infeparable from his Perlon his
mojl illegal Commands had the Authority of Soveraign
Power ; Yet the Difpenfing Power was denied to have
been ever allowed by them: And indeed they did
not expert to have had it fo foon turned againft them
that gave it.
Yet all this while the Principles were not re¬
nounced, but lay like Goliah's Sword, for the Uleof
the Sari&uary. And as without the Spirit of Pro¬
phecy, it was foreleen that it would be us'd again
upon occafion, the prefent Ufe of it as a Spiritual
Weapon of lome, who would appropriate the
Church of England to their Fatlicn, even againft
this Government, may fufficiently juftify the re¬
minding them of the Service it did them in the
Reign of King Charles the Second, and at the be¬
ginning of his Brother's.
And he who obferves how proud lome are of that
Off-Icouring which they feemed to caft away, will
not condemn thole Freedoms with fuch Men, which
the Caufe of our Country makes neceffary.
It muft be owned that fome Diffenters, and others
who had fignalized themfelves by their Sufferings
for their Country, finding a Relaxation of thole Se¬
verities under which they had laboured till they
were fpent, a&ed like Men newly come out of a
D dark


( 18 )
dark Houfe. Their By.es were dazled, and their
Heads turn'd round at the furprizing Change.
Thele fawn'd upon the late King, almoft as
grofly as their OpprelTors had done. And they ei¬
ther balely, or imprudently, promis'd to promote
the Repeal of thofe Laws which tl?e beif Fence
they then had againft Popery, without providyig
for any other Security.
Some, 'tis likely, thought to over-reach the
G&t by'fuch mental Relervations as are ever to be
condemned. Others being too far tranfported with
Refentment, were rather fqr putting themfelves in¬
to the Hands" of Papifts, whole Cruelties they had
only read in Story, or heard of at a diftance, tlian in¬
to theirs, who they were fure would fliew them no
Mercy.
Thefe Men I muft leave to inherit their own
Shame. But I believe they are as few, as Men who
deferve the Name of Regulators, who went from
Corporation to Corporation, to model them after
the Humour of the Court. Whole Parts admit of but
two Excules.
The Firft is, That what they did was according
to a Power given the King, by thole very Men who
complain of it.
The other is, That if the chief Rule was to take
in Men of the Intercft oppofite to them who had
been in Power, in all probability it was the Occafi-
cn of having the Corporations in much better
Hands' than they had been in. And that they
would be more regardful of their Oaths than the
Surrenderees had been.
The moft of them who have gone under the Cha¬
racter of Whigs, were fucb, whom no confideration
whatever could draw an Hair's breadth from what
t


V
( 21 )
diftrufted God's Providence, but a&ed contrary to
his Ordinance.
2. To them, who always confultcd their own
Fears, or other Paflions as weak j and knowing that
it was Criminal in themlelves to enter upon any
Treaty with their Prince, becaule of their com¬
mon inability to deny any thing which he lhould
infift upon, (which was evident enough in their
giving up Charters for Fear of provoking) would,
like Mr. Hobbs, make their own timid frail Na¬
ture a Rule to Mankind 5 as if they who had upon
all Occafions fhevvn, that neither the moft difmal, or
the moft flatt'ring Profpe&s could alter their Refolu-
tions, lhould, of a fuddain, receive a transfufion of
Sheeps Blood from the others, and their Veins had
fwallovv'd up all the Manhood.
3. To them who were for Ingroffing all Eccle-
fiaftical and Civil Preferments to themlelves, and
Men of their Super-conformity,and therefore vvgre
for keeping all things upon the lame narrow Bot¬
tom; left if there were a Relaxation of Terms or
Penalties, even to Proteftants, there lhould have
been too many Sharers in thofe Benefits which
made them cry lo loud for the Church of England
by Law eftablilh'd. By which many of them
meant, not lo much the Common Proteftant Reli¬
gion profefs'd in this Nation, as thole Diftinations,
which while they enrich'd one Party of Proteftants,
dilabled all others from aflifting againft the Com¬
mon Enemy, and loaded the Men of Noile with
Demetrius his Character.
If this Proteftant Nation had, during the kft.
Reign, had the guarding their Religion and Laws,
in fuch a manner, as not oply the Wifdom of Par¬
liaments might provide, but our Conftitution has •
ailow'd


( 22 )
allow'd at all times, when all confidence betw een
Priiice and People vva£ broken,' cbuld.it be irna-
gin'd |!iat, in this Age of. Light, Pcipcry could have
made Tucli advances as it did, with that . ftrairii'ng
of Prerogative, to which the Court had been en¬
couraged, even vvheri it was as evident that it
was intended, as when it "ralhly appear'd barc-
'Nof.can'they''.who.wefo .for' Expedients to feciire
the Succeluoh to a Papift in Reverfion, juftly con¬
demn fuch points of Liberty as have often been ob-
tain'dof PofTdfors, as Matters of meer Right: or
elfe, as fiich, left to the People undifputed.
The particulars I forbear to mention, not becaule
I cannot I hew and prove them ; but becaule fome of
them have long lain buried in the venerable Ruins of
Antiquity, and ought not to receive Prejudice in be¬
ing named, when one cannot ilay to clear the Ho¬
nour of their Delcent.
Much lefs can they, who were or are for Recei¬
ving the abdicated Kjng, with or without Terms,
upbraid thofe who were for Treating, before they
knew of his prefent Majejiies generous undertaking
our Relcue.
And when it was to be apprehended, that if the
Jate King could have the Advantage of taxing all
Parties with an obftinate Refufal, to liften to Terms
for their Security, the Numbers of Irilh which
were actually here Ihould have been follow'd by
French Dragoons: arid he might have gain'd the
lame advantage over thole who would liften to no
Equivoients or Expedients, which it is but too vili-
b(e that his Brother did. '
Nothing more expoles a Party, than to find thole
very things in which'they feenfd to place the effe'n-
• ' -