A LETTER TO A NOBLE LORD at London from a friend at Oxford, upon occaſion of the late Covenant taken by both Houſes.

I Have received your Lordſhips Letter of the tenth of this inſtant, with much more trouble and ſadneſſe of mind then any thing you have ſent me this whole ill yeare: All your Decla­rations, Votes, Ordinances, and Orders with your Generals powerfull Commiſſion to kill and ſlay all good people, made not halfe that impreſſion in mee (though I have not beene ender in letting you know what I thinke of the beſt of thoſe) as your Sacred Vow and Covenant (as you call them) which with Mr. Pym's Speech at the Common-hall of the diſcovery of the great Plot, (I received incloſed in you Letter) hath done. Are all your humble and earneſt deſires and ſolicitations for Peace, all your Pangs and Throwes for a Reformation in Religion, delivered at laſt of a Sacred Vow and Covenant againſt both? Have you at laſt thought fit to tell the World that there is no poſſi•ility or hope of Peace, but by blood and deſolation? Have Mr. Burroughes, and Mr. Caſe ſo perverted all•…ts of Scripture, and Sergeant Wilde, and Mr. Glyn ſo confounded all Rules of Low, that your Conſciences are growne ſo dead to the one, and your Underſtandings ſo dull to the other, that in plain Engliſh, you promiſe God Almighty to aſſiſt any body as kill the King, and ſet up new Covenants of your owne,2 point blanke againſt your Oathes of Allegiance and Supremacie, and publiſh all this to the people as the Articles of your new Creed? And yet that your Lordſhip ſhould tell me that your affe­ction and duty to the King continues ſtill the ſame you have pre­tended it, that you have ſtill not only the ſame deſire, but the ſame hope of peace; and that you are confident that the Anabaptiſts and Browniſts (whom me thinkes you have ſworne to defend) will ſhortly ſhip themſelves for another Climate, is ſo ſtrange to me that Amazement it ſelfe is not more confounding. You tell me of a trick your Lordſhips have found out, to ſave your harmelſſe from any ob­ligation by this Oath, a Salvo to all your other Oathes Lawfully ta­ken, and thoſe being in a Diameter contrary to this, you have upon the matter engaged your ſelves to nothing by this new Covenant, and ſo having cunningly evaded the deſign of the Contrivers: Oh (my Lord) can you pleaſe your ſelves with theſe ſhifts? Is this the Wiſdome, Vigilance, Integrity, and Courage of the Higheſt Court of Judicature (for ſo the Houſe of Peers in Parliament is) to lead the people by their Example to ſo ſolemne an Act as a Covenant with God Almighty, which at the inſtance you tooke it you intended ſhould ſignifie nothing? Will the poor people of England, whereof it may bee too many have looked upon your example with Reve­rence, and thought many things fit or lawfull onely becauſe you did them, when they ſhall finde that you have vowed in the preſence of Almighty God, the ſearcher of all hearts, as you ſhall anſwer at the great Day, when the ſecrets of all hearts ſhall bee diſcloſed, that you will according to your power aſſiſt the Forces raiſed and continued by both Houſes of Parliament, againſt the Forces raiſed by the KING; wi•l they (I ſay) thinke that your Lordſhip intended nothing by this Vow, but what you were obliged to by your Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacie, that is, to defend the KING, to the utmoſt of your po­wer, againſt all Conſpiracies and Attempts whatſoever, which ſhall bee made againſt His Perſon, His Crowne, and Dignity, and to doe your beſt endeavour, to diſcloſe, and make knowne to Him all Treaſons and Conſpiracies which ſhall be againſt Him, to your power to aſſiſt all Ju­riſdictions, Priviledges, Preheminences and Authority belonging to Him, or united to the Imperiall Crowne of this Realme, and indeed to doe all things which by this your new ſacred Vow you have for­ſworn3 to doe? Will this Salvo reconcile all thoſe contradictions? and is this ſubtilty the firſt fruirs of your Humility and Reverence of the Divine Majeſty, your hearty ſorrow for your owne ſinnes, and the ſinnes of the Nation, and your true intention to endeavour the amendment of your owne wayes? For Gods ſake (my Lord) talke not of preſerving the true Reformed Proteſtant Religion, and oppoſing Papiſts and Popery, when your Actions deſtroy the Elements of Chriſtianity, and admit a latitude to your Conſcience to introduce Atheiſme, and Rules which the Turkes in pure naturall honeſty abhorre and deteſt. Get your ſelf to an opinion and avow it boldly, ſee what you hazard, and ply your game out above board, be a deſperate Gameſter, if you cannot be a skilfull one, and ſo be capable of advantage by good lucke; but to be couzened and cheated to ſerve other mens turnes, and to helpe to couzen your ſelfe by little ſhifts and evaſions, makes you be hated by them you ſerve, deſpiſed by us, and will make you be laughed at when you are dead.

But (my Lord) admit you were indeed too hard for them by this Salvo, and by the interpoſition of three or foure other words (in order to the ſecurity of preſervation of the true Reformed Proteſtant Reli­gion, &c. according to your Power and Vocation, &c.) had notably reſerved a liberty to your ſelves of complying with your former Oathes; That Oathes were to be intercepted according to the In­tention of the Perſon that takes them, (which being an inſtrument between God and Us, and ſo every Covenant being to bee taken ſtrongeſt againſt our ſelves, cannot be admitted) yet if another man who hath taken this Vow believes himſelfe obliged by it, to the ut­moſt Act even againſt the Life of the King, hath not he reaſon to believe that you have bound you ſelfe to aſſiſt that Perſon in what he ſhall doe in purſuance of that Oath? I would I were able to make an anſwer for you; but admit further, that in all the promiſo­ry part which containes what you will doe, or what you will not doe, that you were ſafe, and had enga•ed your ſelfe to doe no more or no leſſe then your Duty: pray conſider the poſitive part, what Salvo have you for that? you doe beleeve that there hath been and now is a Popiſh and traiterous Plot for the ſubverſion of the true Reformed Proteſtant Religion, and the Liberty of the Subject, and that in purſu­ance thereof a Popiſh Army hath beene raiſed, and is now on foote in di­vers4 parts of this Kingdome: which Army you imply to bee the Ar­my rayſed for the King, and therefore you promiſe to aſſiſt againſt it. Now it ſeemes your Lordſhip doth not believe the Preamble to be conſiderable, or any part of the Oath, for I am ſure you cannot believe any Popiſh or Trayterous Plot to bee on this ſide; where the Treaſon is, the Law will judge, and where the Papiſts are will beſt be found in the Muſter-Rolls of both Armies; you have had whole Troopes of that Profeſſion, and no fault found with their Religion, till they have given over being Rebells: whileſt they are with you, they defend the true Reformed Proteſtant Religion, but when they revolt to their Allegiance they are Papiſts, and ought to be disbanded: indeed you take the courſe to compell the King to doe His duty by driving them to Him for Protection, which he can­not deny to His Subjects, but you keepe them from performing their duty in aſſiſting their Prince, by ſtripping and plundering, and lea­ving them naked to the World. In good faith (I ask Pardon of Di­ſcretion and Truth for being ſtartled) your confident diſcourſes of Popiſh Armies and Supplies from Papiſts made me once imagin the King might in truth receive ſome notable ſupplies from the perſons of that profeſſion, and it was not hard for mee to believe that that party which felt ſo much rigour and cruelty from you, and were ſure to ſuffer an utter extirpation if you prevailed, ſhould willingly ſacri­fice all they had to that Sovereigne Power which might mercifully allay that fury, and preſerve them ſtill in the number of his Subjects; but I find there is a narrowneſſe, a vulgar ſpiritedneſſe, and a ſcan­dalou•par•imony in all Religions, even theſe men will have the comfort of being ſtarved with money in their purſes, for I am a•…­red by thoſe who are converſant with thoſe Accounts, that all the money His Majeſty hath received from all the Papiſts of England, ſince He hath beene put to rayſe and continue theſe Forces, is not halfe ſo much as is in truth due to Him by the Law, upon thoſe mo­derate Compoſitions made with them: And for any aſſiſtance Hee hath by their perſonall ſervice you have long ago heard (and I have reaſon enough to believe) that the Papiſts in all His Armies will not make one Regiment: how many more you have, and how many more you would be glad to have, your Lordſhip can better judge then I.

Well, there hath beene a treacherous and horrid Deſigne lately diſ­covered, to ſurprize the Cities of London and Weſtminſter, and God knowes what, and you doe abhorre and deteſt that wicked and treache­rous Deſigne. Tis well done, whether you know it or not: but what may this treacherous Deſigne be, that Mr. Pym ſayes, would have deſtroyed the City and the Kingdome, and in their Ruines have buried Re­ligion and Liberty? Another Gunpowder Treaſon, like that of the Proteſtation againſt the firſt Remonſtrance? The King hath ſent a Commiſſion (for now it is printed, all the World knowes what it is) to certaine perſons to uſe their utmoſt power to ſuppreſſe thoſe who are in Rebellion againſt Him, and aſſiſt thoſe who are oppreſ­ſed by them. Is there one Popiſh or popiſhly affected perſon in that Commiſſion, or to be imployed in the whole Deſigne? Is there one clauſe in it on the behalfe of Papiſts, or againſt the Liberty of the Subiect? Indeed it may ſeeme ſtrange that the King ſhould ſo much conſider that Apoſtate City, (where the rage of ſome, and the tameneſſe of others, have made up one generall Guilt) as to of­fer them any countenance to relieve themſelves: but that it ſhould be a horrid and treacherous Deſigne, when you have in all the Counties of England, Commanders of your Militia and Commiſſi­oners even at this preſent to aſſeſſe, rate, and collect Money for the maintenance of your Rebellious Army, for the King to be willing to have an Army in London or Middleſex, whereby all other Armies, and that too might be ſpeedily disbanded, will need an Orator no leſſe powerfull then Mr. Pym, or his Excellency himſelfe, (who in in theſe nice Arguments is the better Orator) to make evident to the World. Believe it (my Lord) whileſt there is one honeſt man left in that City, there will be alwayes a Plot to reduce it to its Loyal­ty, and to deſtroy this wicked Rebellion: neither will that unpara­leld Act of inhumanity executed upon the two famous Citizens of Briſtol (who will live gloriouſly in the Annals of this Nation, as the ſtout Champions and Martyrs of Allegiance, when the name of their Murtherer (Fienes) ſhall not be mentioned but with infamy) ſo far fright good men from their Duty, that your wilde fury will rage long uncontrould.

Another of your Propoſitions is, that you doe believe in your con­ſcience, that the Forces raiſed by the two Houſes of Parliament, are raiſed7 and continued for their juſt defence, and for the defence of the true Prote­ſtant Reformed Religion and Liberty of the Subject, againſt the forces rai­ſed by the King: Does your Lordſhip in truth beleeve this? Take it in peeces. The two Houſes of Parliament, being convened by the Kings ſole Writ, to adviſe with Him about the great Affayres of the Kingdome, formed their Courſels with ſuch ſucceſſe, that in above fifteene Moneths, (time enough to have reformed and repayred all former miſtakes and irregularities in Church and State) they never found the leaſt nonconcurrence with them from His Maje­ſty in any particular propoſed for the eaſe or benefit of the Com­mon wealth; what was during that time done by His ſingular Ju­ſtice and exceſſe of Bounty is ſo well and particularly known to all the World, that if your Treaſon and Rebellion were away, there would be ingratitude enough left to make you odious to the pre­ſent, and infamous to ſucceeding Ages. When did the firſt Act of your defence begin? Not till you came to Edgehill; then I muſt con­feſſe, you were put to it: for it cannot bee denied, the King went eight Miles out of His way to finde you; from thence you tooke your ſtile of defenſive Arms; except you will needs date them from the tenth of January, when you had been overun by the Law, if that defenſive Army of the City had not been raiſed to reſcue and pre­ſerve the good Lord of Kimbolton, and his five pretious Members from a legall proceeding.

In this ſenſe you have, I confeſſe, beene much upon the defenſive part, otherwiſe you never pretended ground or Argument for your taking Armes, but Feares and Jealouſies, no danger of an aſſault from an active Enemy; except ſome few Papiſts under ground, whom your vigilancy hath kept ſtill there. When you firſt voted your great Generall, and rayſed your wanton Army, it was to fetch up the King to you from Yorke, not to defend your ſelves againſt him: and you cannot but know you were ſo farre from being in danger to be aſſaulted, that ſetting aſide your acts of hoſtility in your Votes and Ordinances, by which you had ſurpriſed Forts, Townes, and the whole Navy, when you had a formed Army of Horſe and Foot (I beleeve much greater then you have now) the King had not ſo many Muskets, as you had Cannon, nor ſo many Swords as you had Companies; and on my Conſcience (I will ſo7 farre excuſe you from intending it ſhould come to this) if you had thought He could have got any, your Lordſhip and many more of your good friends, who for quietneſſe ſake have done much miſ­chiefe, would have prevented theſe troubles. But why are you leſſe aſhamed to be couzened ſtill then to confeſſe you have been ſo; you expreſſed well in your owne honeſt Speech, how much you have beene deceived, truſt them no more that deceived you, much of that is fallen out you then foreſaw, the reſt will follow, it is a mi­ſery to foreſee, and not to prevent, at leaſt bearing a part in doing the miſchiefe which you foreſee muſt deſtroy the Doers. Remem­ber you were told there was no deſigne againſt Biſhops to alter the Government of the Church, you ſee they are now inconſiſtent with the Proteſtant Reformed Religion, and a new way muſt be found out of Goverment; and then as M. Martin, and M. Morly uſe you now, M. Caſe and M. Calamy will uſe you then, betweene both, you will be a great Lord. Remember you were promiſed when this Army was firſt raiſed, there ſhould be no fighting, no Reſiſtance, (and in truth when you ſaw Votes could enable you to raiſe Armies, who had no power, it is no wonder you beleeved they could keep the King from raiſing any who had Power) that the King ſhould be brought gently up to you, and you ſhould have what Places you pleaſed: There hath been fighting and reſiſtance, the King is not yet brought up to you, & I do not find the places are like to be diſpoſed as you deſire. You were aſſured all poſſible re­gard was to the ſafety of the King, & you were your ſelf required by your Proteſtation to promiſe to defend His Perſon, you have ſince been aſſured in what danger His Perſon hath been, by the aſſault of your Army, and you are now compelled to ſweare you will aſſiſt that Army againſt him; When will you thinke your ſelfe couzened enough to abhorre theſe men? doe you not yet apprehend that theſe men every day whilſt they perſwade you they intend a Peace, doe ſomewhat to make Peace impoſſible? Is the impriſoning the Kings Meſſengers who come to move you to Peace; the accuſing the Queene of high Treaſon for loving Her Husband, and for doing that for which the preſent Age muſt reverence and poſterity will envy Her; the murthering of the two good men of Briſtoll in cold blood (a murther that will call for Vengeance from God, and Ju­ſtice8 from the King till a full expiation) and this new ſacred Vow, excellent ingredients towards a Peace? Are you awake, and doe not ſee thoſe things throwne in only to make Peace impoſſible, but content your ſelfe with a Vote that your Armes are defenſive, when all the diſtractions and all the Violence throughout the King­dome are the effects of thoſe Arms.

The next Article of your Creed is, that theſe godly Forces of yours are for the defenſe of the true Proteſtant Reformed Religion; This indeed hath alwayes beene your care, and your Reputation, but give me leave to tell your Lordſhip I much feare you rather hate that which is not the Proteſtant Religion, then love that which is. I will not grieve your memory by repreſenting to you the happy flouriſhing ſtate of the Proteſtant Religion in this Kingdome, till your Counſells diſturbed and endeavoured to de­face it. Let Vs onely conſider what you have acted and what you have deſigned towards this defence, and to uſe your owne phraſe of your Covenant, in order to the Security and preſervation of this Religion. There is not a Godly, Learned, Orthodox Divine in England, whom you have not traduced, impriſoned, or eminent­ly reproached and diſcountenanced, even thoſe whoſe Learning and Integrity firſt gave credit and reputation to your great Refor­mers; you have not only difuſed and ſuppreſſed that Excellent Book of Common-Prayer, (the firſt and glorious inſtance in this Kingdome of the true Reformed Proteſtant Religion) but ſcurri­louſly and prophanely reviled and ſcoffed at it, to the ſcandall of Chriſtianity; you have carried your ſelves with ſuch impious and deboſh behaviour in Churches and Conſecrated places, commit­ting ſuch horrid and Beaſtly outrages, that the Heathen themſelves would tremble at the mention of them, and all this out of pure zeale to the true Reformed Proteſtant Religion. This you will ſay is done withou your Conſents by the diſorderly Souldiers, whom you can­not reſtraine. By your Lordſhips favour you have very pretty Votes of one or both Houſes which directly encourage thoſe Souldiers to moſt of this. What remedy have you provided for theſe diſor­ders, if the King concurred with you in all you propoſe to your ſelves? You have preſented Him a Bill to pull downe the whole Fabricke of Church Government, to leave Hereſie, Inceſt, Blaſphe­my,9 and Adultery, as unpuniſhable as any other Acts of good fel­lowſhip, to take away His Supremacy, and ſo cancell the Oath you have all taken to Him, and to take away Biſhops, and ſo cancell the Oath He hath taken at His Coronation to defend and protect them, and have not yet ſo much as fancyed amongſt our ſelves into what ſhape you will lick that monſtrous Chaos you would pro­duce, this you leave to your Synod, of ſuch men, as moſt of them no Schooles or Nurſeries of Learning ever knew, men never knowne or heard of but by their Faction, Treaſon, and Rebellion, ſuch who never had title or ſubſiſtance in the Church of England, till your Votes, as Patron and Ordinary, impoſed them upon Pariſhes, and over Cures in the places of thoſe, whoſe Religion was not Rebel­lion. Oh (my Lord) can you forget the excellent times in which you were borne, and the happy times in which you have ſince li­ved, the flouriſhing ſtate of Religion here in Doctrine and Diſci­pline, in the Lives and Learning of ſo many reverend Divines famous throughout Chriſtendome, can you ſo much forget this, to beleeve theſe courſes, the way to defend the true Reformed Proteſtant Religion? If you were a Proteſtant two yeares ſince, I am ſure they are none whoſe directions you now follow; Is the countenancing and joyning with Anabaptiſts, and Browniſts, (names as odious to you, and ſo mentioned by you even in your laſt Letter, as the Papiſts) to advance the Proteſtant Religion? But 'tis no wonder when you take your Rules of Allegiance and Fide­lity from Traitors and Rebells, that you ſhould take your directi­ons of Religion from Hypocrites and Schiſmatiques. I doe not know your face better then your heart in this point, you are no more of my Lord Sayes mind in Religion, then Biſhop Wren is; when you have recovered the Courage to love Truth againe, this Clauſe if there were nothing elſe in your Covenant, will take your Sleep from you, and leave you no comfort, but in the Charity of thoſe you have indeavoured to deſtroy.

A word now of the Liberty of the Subject, the laſt pretence of your Army, and I have done. In ſo ſad an Argument I ſhould not be merry with you, and ſay, that by this Liberty of the Subject, you meane Liberty in every Subject, to doe what he liſt, which indeed ſeemes to be the proper buſineſſe of your Army, and yet I10 would you would leave men this liberty, that you would not com­pell them to be worſe then they have a minde to be, and you would be contented to abſolve them from the Law, and truſt them with their owne inclinations; though you pull downe the Incloſures, uſe no violence to hunt them from their knowne Pathes; let their owne love of Liberty lead them, without being driven by your fury: Conſider the liberty of the Subject before you found out this device to defend it; How ſtrongly was it guarded and fenced by knowne, cleare, excellent Lawes, not capable of any dammage or inconvenience, to which there was not a proper reparation and re­medy prepared: if any little breaches had been made in this Fence (for in compariſon of the gappes you have ſince made in it in one howre, what was done in 16 yeares before was but little) with what diligence, Induſtry and Bounty did His Majeſty comply with you to make them up, and ſo finiſhed the Worke, that if you had not taken all this monſtrous paines to deſtroy it, you Country now had beene the wonder and envy of Chriſtendome, in Peace, and all the Ornaments of Beauty, Plenty, and Luſtre which Peace de­ſires to be adorned with: What preſſure or violation was offered to this Liberty when you firſt tooke up your defenſive Armes? See now to what degree you have advanced it, as it hath reference to our Goods, Eſtates, your Ordinances of ſequeſtration, your weekly Aſſeſſements, and your order for the twentieth part, abundant­ly expreſſes your Care; as it hath reference to Our Perſons, the full Gaoles in all places, and the very many Houſes you have tur­ned into Gaoles for the ſafe keeping of Our Liberty, will bee rare Monuments to Poſterity, as it concernes Our Conſcience, you need no other Evidence (though you have ſtore) then this your ſacred Vow and Covenant. If this be your courſe to defend Liber­ty, I would you would for variety ſake practiſe ſome way to de­ſtroy it, it may be it might prove the more Sovereigne Remedy to the Common-wealth: Tis Mr. Pyms third Obſervation of the evill Conſcience of thoſe who were in the late Plot, they that pretended to take Armes to defend their owne Property, obtained a Commiſſion to violate the Property of others, they would take the Aſſertion of the Lawes of the Land, but aſſumed to them ſuch a power, as was moſt contrary to that Law, to ſeize upon their Perſons without due pro­ceſſe,11 to impoſe upon their Eſtates without Conſent, to take away ſome lives by the Law Martiall; This is a Text I hope your Lord­ſhip will beleeve, and is ſo truly an inſtance of evill Conſcience, that if His Majeſty had uſed theſe words in any of His Meſſages or Declarations, they had beene voted at leaſt an imputation up­on both Houſes, and a Cenſure of their Proceedings. But Mr. Pym may Libell againſt you (and in earneſt you will finde moſt of his ſpeechs to be ſuch) without breach of Priviledge, hee hath found out too new Conſervators of our Liberty which wee never heard of till now, inſtead of King, Lords and Commons, The Par­liament, (that is the cloſe Committee) the City, and the Army are the three vitall parts of the Kingdome, in which (he ſayes) not only the well being, but the very life and being of it doth conſiſt, and yet they perſwade your Lordſhip they are willing to disband this Army. You will ſay theſe Invaſions upon Liberty are the effect of theſe diſtempers, which 'tis your buſineſſe to ſuppreſſe, which being done the Subject ſhall have no more cauſe to complaine. But, my Lord, We that live at a diſtance have well obſerved that the prin­ciples and foundations for all this miſchiefe were laid, long be­fore your Miſtreſſe Neceſſity was owned by you, long before your Armes were raiſed; all your rapines, all your Plundrings and Impriſonings are not more deſtructive to the Liberty of the Subject, then your Votes of the fifteenth of March, your aſſuming power ſo to declare Law, that what you ſaid or did, was therefore Law be­cauſe it was yours. How many men were impriſoned and undone by you, expreſly againſt the Law and the Petition of Right? How many Acts of Parliament ſuſpended, and actions done by you in a Diameter, contrary to Acts of Parliament, ſo that in truth all your exceſſes ſince which you excuſe by imputing them to your Army, and the raiſing that Army, are but ſuperſtructures upon the foundations you laid in your calmeſt and moſt undiſturbed Government, and there is nothing that you of the moderate Party have ſince refuſed to con­ſent to, which might not very well have followed from ſome of thoſe propoſitions which even your ſelves have before admitted, defended, and contrived.

I have troubled your Lordſhip longer in this Argument then I meant, and have the vanity to believe, that your often reading this12 over, though it be no more then you knew before, may make ſome impreſſion in you, do not thinke that which is in it ſelfe ſimply ill can be made good by a Vote, or that the word Parliament can give Reputation to Actions abſolutely wicked in themſelves: Mr. Pym tells you in this goodly Speech of his, that a Parliament is but a Carcaſe when the freedome of it is ſuppreſſed, that is it bee deprived of its owne Liberty, it is left without life or power to keepe the Liberty of o­thers: Alas (my Lord) though you will anſwer no other part of my Letter, tell mee upon your Honour, would you have taken this laſt Covenant, if you had had liberty to have refuſed it, if you had not, where is your freedome of Parliament? Can you yet look upon that Aſſembly with reverence? Thinke of their number, thinke of their quality, think ſadly of their Actions, and you will eaſily find a way (and there is but one that I know) to evade your Covenant: It was unjuſtly, impiouſly, impoſed upon you, raſhly, unlawfully (to ſay no worſe) taken by you, you ought no•, you muſt not keep it ▪ But that is not enough, winde yourſelfe out of this Labyrinth with Courage and Magnanimi•y, and in your•…vening doe ſomwhat that may redeeme the faults of the day. Conſider that theſe men who by your Aſſiſtance proſper in their bad wayes, are doing their owne buſineſſe, and every day make a Progreſſe to their owne ends. My Lord Say, ſince all honeſt men have been undoing, hath bette•ed his own Eſtate above twenty thouſand pounds, beſides advancing his younger ſonnes to full and ample Revenues: Mr. Pym hath ſwet to purpoſe, and hath thrived ſo well in two years, that he is your equall at leaſt. They who abhorre Biſhops revenge themſelves at your charge, and every Action that advances that Deſigne is more pleaſant to them then life. Your great Generall hath the Sovereigne delight of oppoſing the King, and having his Health dranke with lowd Muſicke. Pennington, Ven, Fulk, and Manwaring are from broken, beggerly, contemptible Varlets, become your fellow Peers, and no doubt when they have reconciled your Lordſhips and the Commons into one Houſe, will have the negative voice, which you two have ſ•atched frō the King, depoſited in their hands. That vitall part of the Kingdome, the City, will never be truſted in your Cuſtody who have managed all the reſt ſo ill. If any Accident ſhould happen, Providence or Victory to defeat them, theſe men13 have been good and wary Husbands, and have the fortitude to love any Country equall to their owne; Is your Lordſhip of a conſtituti­on fit to mingle with theſe men? Is your Revenue improved, or Ex­chequer inlarged ſince theſe troubles? Is any one deſigne of yours ſatisfied by your concurrence, or can you be content to die a Peere of New-England, or the Iſle of Providence? Is not your Reputati­on and intereſt with all good men loſt, and have you one friend left whoſe face you knew a yeare before this Parliament? Theſe are Melancholique conſiderations, but you muſt paſſe through them, and then if ſome Noble, at leaſt honeſt reſolution doe not poſ­ſeſſe you, reſolve to dye the laſt of your name, and to leave this Character behind you, That notwithſtanding all your diſcourſe and pretence of Religion, you would have turned Turke, if the Major part of both Houſes, and the ſtronger part of the Kingdome had required you to take a Covenant to that purpoſe.