YOurs I received, and am ſorry to find in it, that any want of power in his Majeſty, ſhould put you into a diſ­content; and at this time for you to, deplore the diſſatisfaction of your own intereſt, more then the condition ſo Royall a friend is in, to give your merit a recompence to encou­rage it, as well as a due Character to ſet it off. I confeſſe a narrowneſſe of fortune may excuſe the generouſeſt ſpirit from mirth, but let us conſider how narrow and ſmall a compaſſe of Air our Sovereign has had yet to breath in, and we may the readier acquieſce in our own limits. When our party ventured for the King, we eſteemed the eſtabliſhing of his Happineſſe a ſure foundation of our own. We have brought our deſires to a hopefull iſſue, and may make our ſelves rich in the fauour of Di­vine Providence, let but a ſober and ſolid progreſs in our cure hinder the making our beſt mediator for that Providence miſerable. I mean the King, whom God has given us for our goods, and he having the beſt Sacrifices of our2 Loyalty, will forme a recompence for us with the beſt endeavours of his friendſhip. Nor are his ſufferings leſs to ſee us want happineſs, then ours to finde it, as yet not in his power to make us happy. 'Tis no ſmall benefite for us to live in Peace as we are, and to know that what we have is by his coming confirm'd our own. And Heaven has a greate hand in this, that if we have any ſubſiſtency by endeavours or eſtate, we may quietly and to our comfort imploy the one and enjoy the other. Juſtice and the ballanced principles of the Law ſhall guard the innocent, nor ſhall Tyranny any more Uſurp the Regall Throne, nor oppreſſion burden us by an Imperiall pretence of power. Now we have the beſt of Governments, and worthieſt of Governours to protect us. This can no way bedenyed or diſputed in the birth­right, and our affectionate imbracing of ſo good a Prince, enthroning him in our loves as well as obedience. I believe you ſo candid an interpreter of my actions, as not to think me an undeſerving labourer in his Majeſties affairs: and I ſhould be loath to conclude ſo ungratefully, as to want patience till he is as wel able as willing to make me live by ſome3 fruitfull acknowledgement of what I have done for him. Plunder and Sequeſtration have raſed the Crown and ſheepcoate alike, nor can ſo great a goodneſs as his riſe and be fixt in any ſplendor, and an honeſt merit live poor and forgotten. He has yet little elſe but his title King, and we are as well ſettled in our conditi­on by being ſtiled his friends. He adores the God of goodneſſe, therefore loves our being ſo good to him. He honours true Religion moſt, therefore cannot love us leaſt, who are his partners in ſuffering for, and profeſſing that Religion he accounts the trueſt. From all this, Reaſon concluds, that we have his heart to love us, and cannot want his hand, when it is ſtrong enough, to reward us and cheriſh us. We have enough of him, if we know how to manage it to our own good without doing him hurt. The beſt way to make him all ours, is to let him find a certainty of his being wholly his own. That cannot ſo well be done by acknowledg­ing and gratefully rewarding any one particular ſervice only, as by promulgating his good and gracious acceptance of any one who deſires to be true, loyal, and ſerviceable to him: By this he will multiply his friends, in giving a lar­ger4 compaſs to his friendſhip. Suppoſe the ſmiles of proſperity upon ſin in former times made ſome, moſt, nay all theſe, his, and our ene­mies; Charity cannot but frame a better con­ſtruction in us, then to judge that all have their converſion to what is good, becauſe, and onely becauſe feare of puniſhment keeps them from being ill. Vertue has a brightneſs in her to diſ­pell ignorance, but not alwaies an inherent power to conquer iniquity. Her own nature enobles her with the firſt, and ingenuous diſ­poſitions procure her an Army for the laſt. Nor is it the divine will that ſhe ſhould force her way into mens hearts by cruelty, but con­vert mens hearts from being cruel by her excel­lency. Our conjectures will have the better ſtamp given them by our enemies, when they find us to credit a poſſibillity of their growing our friends. The ſureſt way of bringing ill men to goodneſs is to ſhew the convenienteſt inlets, and not to barr them out by aſſurance of non-admiſſiion. This way, and the beſt of waies has the beſt of Kings, our Great and Gracious Charles, taken: To let them know that ſo far as they can be good, he can welcome their goodneſs, and not only for their converſion5 pardon their worſt of ills, but alſo accept with a due reſentment their beſt of actions. And this civility of his to them, will cauſe no ſmall reflection of his favours upon us: When he conſiders upon that turgency of merit na­turally flowing in his old friends, what and how much it overpoiſes thoſe ſmall ſtillititious droppings io his new ones. This he will make worthy, both of his ponder and affection. His power is made yet but of ſlender Cion's, and it may periſh for want of ſappage, if the in­creaſe as well as goodneſs of his friends be de­nied to nouriſh it. When he is ſtrong enough then he wil venture at the choice of his friends, and placing of his friendſhip. We have had pa­tience to looſe all with him, let us not now in­curre the repute of ſuch poor ſpirits, as to have leſs in our deſires to get by him, then we had in our hazard for him. We ſhall ſcarce be thought men, when that vertue is rather forced upon us, then loved by us. I have known thoſe whom we call the worſt of people, namely the Papiſts, when the Laws of our land have taken away two parts of their Eſtates for their Religion, they have willingly endangered the third part, and their lives out of their zeale to6 loyalty. What can our judgements call that e­minency of cuurage in them but good, ſince they are ſuch true friends to their principles, in God Almightie's ſervice, and moſt willing to e­ſtabliſh Gods annointed ſervant. I wiſh our principles and their zeale, had a nearer relation. For let us conſider them all along in their ſuf­ferings and allegiance, and we ſhall find them to wave their own conſiderations in any govern­ment, ſo that they might live and be acknow­ledged ſerviceable in enthroning a true and lawfull governour. I have heard a propoſition urged very high in arguments, which you pleaſe to make a hint at. viz. hat the pillars of the Church, are the beſt ſupport of King and people: and our ſlackneſſe in eſtabliſhing au­thority in divine truth, muſt needs weaken ſu­premacie in popular affection. I ſuppoſe you finde an anſwer to this in his Majeſties Roy­all character; that tender conſciences ought to be allured by gentleneſs and fraternall kindnes, and not tortered to believe by any predomina­tive coercion. I dare affirm that his Majeſty knows the love of a ſubject is moſt ſincere to him, when that ſubject is a moſt fervent ſer­vant in his principles towards God. And con­ſequence7 will inſtruct us that what power E­cleſiaſtick has the Kings Cloſet and Cappell to ſpread its Juſter in, it will gaine more hearts to it, by a due performance of Piety, then it can by any rigour or ſtrictneſs in its jurisdiction a­broad. But our prayers and beſt wiſhes ought to be the greateſt ſticklers in theſe matters. Let not our cenſures prove us buſie in ſuperior a­ctions, nor conclude them ill in themſelves, be­cauſe they do not readily ſquare with ourgood: Steares of ſhips will not endure a paſſengers correction. And that moſt Illuſtrious pilot of our Kingdoms will rather be ſlow in proſecute­ing his own intereſt, then want induſtry to re­munerate his friends affection. God preſerve him in peace and plenty, and the leaſt ſufferer with him ſhall neither find trouble nor penury.