Narrative of what was Spoken by Mr Prynne 2

A true and full Narrative of what was done and spoken by and between Mr. Prynne, other secluded Members, & Army Officers, &c.

ON the 7th. day of this instant May Mr. Prynne walking to Westminster-Hall, (where he had not been six days before,) meeting with some old secured and secluded Members of Parliament, summoned by King Charles his Writ and Authority, for these only ends (expressed in all writs of Summons to the Lord's, and of Elections issued to Sheriffs of Counties for electing Knights, Citizens, and Burgesses of Parliament, and in the Indentures themselves by which they were retorned Members;) To confer and treat of certain, great and arduous affairs, concerning the defense of the King Kingdom, and Church of England, and to do and consent to those things which shall happen to be therein ordained by Common counsel, (of the King, Lord's, and Commons,) touching the aforesaid businesses: which Parliament began at Westminster the third day of November, 1640. They shown him a Declaration of the Officers and Counsel of the Army, made in such hast and confusion, that they mistook the Month wherein they made it, dating it April 6. instead of May 6. published by them that morning, (which Declaration the day before, was presented to the Speaker of the said Parliament, at the Rolls, by divers Officers of the Army, in the name of Col: Fleetwood, and the Counsel of officers of the Army, in presence of many Members of the said Parliament ) containing their earnest desire, That those Members who continued to sit since the year 1648. until the 20 th. of April, 1653. would return to the exercise and discharge of their trust, (expressed in the foresaid Writs and Indentures alone by those who empowered, elected, and entrusted them as their Representatives, without any other new trust whatsoever, inconsistent with or repugnant to it) Promising their readiness in their places as became them, to yield their utmost Assistance to them to sit in safety, for improving the present opportunity for settling and securing the peace and freedom of this Commonwealth; praying for the presence and blessing of God upon their endeavors; who after they had sat many years in performance of the trust reposed in them by the people, and being in the prosecution of that Duty assembled in Parliament at Westminster, upon the 20 th. day of April 1653. were then interrupted and forced out of the House from that time until this very day : Of which force they seem in their Declaration unfeignedly to repent, by an actual restitution of the Members formerly forced thence, much more then of that greater and more apparent force of whole Regiments of Horse and Foot drawn up to the house itself in a violent manner, where they seised, secured Mr. Prynne, with above forty, and secluded, forced away above 2 hundred Members more of the Commons House, only for the faithful discharge of their Trusts and Duties therein, according to their Oaths, Protestations, Vows, Covenants, Consciences; wherein most think they first turned out of the way, by wandering into other ways from righteous & equal paths ; which Members though they do not particularly invite to sit again, yet they having proved no breach of trust against them, do not in the least measure intimate, that they would forcibly seclude them from sitting if that Parliament should be publicly voted still in being by virtue of the Statute of 17 Caroli c. 7. as they in their Counsel of the Army have actually resolved, by their invitation of the Members thereof to sit again, as Mr. P. & those Members who shown it to him conceived upon their perusal thereof. Mr. P. being after informed, that the Old Speaker and sundry Members of the long Parliament were then met in the painted Chamber to consult together in order to their meeting again in the House, was moved to go thither to them, which he refused, because it was no place where the House of Commons ever used to meet or sit as an House, but only as a Committe upon conferences with the Lord's: Soon after Mr. P. heard by some Members and others, that the old Speaker and about forty Members more, with the Mace carried before them, were gone from the Lord's House into the House of Commons, & there sat as an House by virtue of the Statute and their old Elections by the Kings Writs; Upon which there being then above 30 of the old secluded Members in Decemb. 1648. in the Hall ; they did think fit and agree, that to avoid Tumult, about 12. or 14. of them, in the name of the rest, if freely admitted without any seclusion, or engagement; in a friendly manner, should desire to know of them, Upon what account they did now sit there thus suddenly and unexpectedly, without giving any convenient notice or summons to all the rest of the Members to sit with them? If only by virtue of the Act of 17 Caroli ch. 7. thus penned. Be it enacted and declared by the King our Sovereign Lord, with the Assent of the Lord's & Commons, That this present Parl. now assembled shall not be dissolved, unless it be by Act of Parliament to be passed for that purpose; Nor shall any time or times during the continuance thereof, be prorogued or adjourned, unless it be by Act of Parliament, to be likewise passed for that purpose. And that the House of Peers shall not at any time or times during this present Parliament, be adjourned, unless it be by themselves or their own Order. And in like manner, That the House of Commons shall not at any time or times during this present Parliament, be adjourned, unless it be by their own Order. And that all and everything or things whatsoever done or to be done, for the adjournment proroguing or dissolving of this present Parliament; shall be utterly void and of none effect: Then they intended to send for the rest of the Members walking in the Hall to come in unto them: and to move, that all surviving Members of this Parliament, might by joint consent particularly be sent to, and invited to meet and sit in the House at a convenient day, before any Vote or Order passed by thē then sitting, thus suddenly convened without any notice (which would be interpreted rather a surprise, and un-Parliamentary practice, both by the absent Members and the whole Nation, than any obliging Parliamentary Vote or Order of the House) and more discontent than invite or unite the absent unsummoned Members, than unite them, making the rent greater than before. And when they were there assembled, that in the first place they might freely & fully debate this Question, (wherein there were different Opinions between the Members themselves, and other learned Lawyers;) Whether this Parliament was not actually dissolved by the late Kings forcible death, (which is clearly Mr. P. his opinion formerly published) Or, Whether it was not still in being, by virtue of this Act, notwithstanding the Kings death, or any other thing or things done already by the Army-Officers or others for the adjourning, proroguing or dissolving thereof? If it should upon such debate be Voted by the Majority of the House to be really and legally dissolved ; they held it their duties and theirs now sitting, to acquiesce therein, and act no farther as a Parl. But if voted still in being, they all held it their duty, to sit and join their best Counsels and Endeavors to settle the Government, Peace, Safety of our distracted Church and Nations, now more shaken, unsettled, endangered in their apprehensions than ever, and would submit their private contrary Opinions in this (as in all other Votes) to the over-ruling Judgment of the whole House; as the only hopeful way to revive the ancient Constitution, Rights, Privileges of Parliament; and resettle us upon lasting foundations of Peace and Prosperity.

Upon these Resolutions alone, & none other, which Mr. P. intended to propose to those then sitting, he went to the Lobby door of the Commons House, accompanied with Sir George Booth, Mr. Arthur Annesley, Sir John Evelyn, Mr. Th. Gewen, Mr. Charles Rich, Mr. Montague, Mr. Ri. Knightly, Mr. Hungerford, and one or two more; which being shut to keep out the people crowding on the stairs to get in, through whom they could hardly pas; Mr. P. knocked twice or thrice, but could get no admittance, till the door being opened to let out M. Nye & some other Ministers, Mr. P. with Sir Geo. Booth and Mr. Annesly, being foremost, pressed into the Lobby ; and then the door being shut & bolted again, Mr. P. unbolted & held it open till the rest came in; where they finding Mr. John and Mr. James Herbert standing in the Lobby, acquainted them with their intentions to go then into the House, who resolved to go in with them. Coming all up towards the House door, which was shut and kept Guarded (as it presently appeared) by some Officers of the army ; Mr. P. required them, to open the door to let them in, being all Members of the old Parliament ; who thereupon demanded; Whether they had continued sitting in it since 1648. to 1653? M. P. & the rest all answered, That being Members of the old Parliament, they would give no account to thē or any others of their sitting, but only to the House itself whereof they were Members, being contrary to the Privilege of Parliament, which they & others were obliged inviolably to maintain : Upon which demanding their names, they said; that if they would send in a Note of their names to the House, and they ordered them to come in, they should be admitted. Whereto Mr. P. replied, We yet knew not who were within the House, nor whether they were yet sitting, nor upon what account they sat; nor was it agreeable with the Custom or Privilege of Parliament for one Member to send tickets to his fellow Members for free admission into the House, being all equals, and having an equal right freely to enter into it at all times, as well as they; nor was it their duty thus to capitulate with Members, but obey their just commands in opening the door: Which they still refusing, Mr. P. demanded, Who and what they were, being all strangers to them? and by whose authority, or order they thus forcibly kept them out? They answered, they were Officers of the army, and had sufficient Authority to keep thē out, if they had not sat since 1648. till 1653. Mr. P. demanded, From whom they had their warrant, since they could have none from those within, being but newly entered; and none else could give thē such a warrant, nor they within before they heard them, and gave good reason for it; demanding them to produce their Order, if they had any in writing, that they might know by whose authority they were thus forcibly kept out; demanding their several names twice or thrice, wherewith they refused to acquaint them. Upon this M. P. told them, They doubted of their Authority, Orders thus to seclude thē, because they were either ashamed or afraid to tell thē their names, when as they told them theirs: That they knew not whether they were Officers of the Army, or not, unless they knew their names, that so they might inquire the truth of it, or saw their Commissions: And if they were Army-Officers indeed, they had published a printed Decl. in all their names that morning, inviting (as they conceived) all Members they formerly secluded, to return & sit again in the House to discharge their trusts: wherein they professed their former force upon, & seclusion of them, to be a Backsliding, and wandering into UNRIGHTEOUS PATHS; which they seemingly repented of; promising to yield their utmost assistance to them to sit in safety; and praying for the presence and blessing of God upon their endeavors: And if now within few hours after this Remonstrance published, they thus highly and publicly violated it in the view of all there present, by returning to their former Backslidings and Unrighteous paths; in secluding those who were Members afresh, and violating their own Declaration, none would henceforth credit them, or it. Upon which one of them told M. P. He knew he was none of them who sat since 1648, till 1653. therefore they were not bound to let him in, being not within their Declaration. Who retorted, he thought their repentance had been universal, not partial; of all their forces upon the House and Members, especially of their greatest Dec. 6. 1648. when they not only secluded, but secured and imprisoned him and 40 more in Hell, and other places, & forced away 3 times as many more for discharging their trusts, & asserting the true GOOD OLD CAUSE; against their Commissions, trusts, Protestations, and printed Remonstrances; which if they would look back upon and well consider (as they proclaim they had don in their New Decl.) they would find to be one of their greatest Backslidings where they first turned out of the way, w ^ch caused God to withdraw his presence and GOOD SPIRIT FROM THEM ever since, and give them up to the prosecution of a New Romish GOOD OLD CAVSE, which had brought us into that posture, and occasioned those vicissitudes of dangers, and caused God in his Providence to make all Essaies to settle us, utterly ineffectual; to convince them of, and reclaim them from their Error : which they now pursued afresh, as vigorously as ever: That for his own part after his Impisonment by them against both Law and Privilege in 1648. in sundry places, he was again forcibly seised by some of the Army in his House in 1650. and kept a close Prisoner near 3. years under armed guards of Soldiers in 3. remote Castles far distant frō those then sitting: Therefore they could not make their unrighteous Imprìsonment of him then without any cause or hearing, a just ground to seclude him from sitting now. But all these expostulations of M. P. and others, not prevailing, they desired all present to take notice and bear witness of this high affront and breach of Privilege in this their forcible seclusion: And so departing Mr. Knightly meeting Major General Lambert in the Lobby, complained to him of this Forcible seclusion; who gave him a civil Answer to this effect; That things were now in an hurrie, and their entering at this time into the House might cause some disturbance, but doubted not such course would be taken by the Officers of the Army in few days, that none should be forcibly secluded : and so they went from the Lobby into the Hall from whence they came, acquainting those Members they left there with the premises.

After some conference with one another, it was thought fit they should meet about 4. a clock in the Evening under Lincolns Inn Chapel, and in the mean time that everyone should inquire, what old secluded, or secured Members were now in town, and how many Members of the long Parliament were yet living, chosen or sitting before December 6. 1648. when they were first forcibly secluded by the Army. Some met accordingly, and upon conference found, there were about 80 secluded Members now in London and Westminster ; being near double the number of those sitting that day; and above 300 Members of all sorts yet living, chosen or sitting in the Commons House before Decemb. 1648. over and above those that now sat; all which they conceived ought in justice to be summoned by the Speakers Letter, freely to meet and sit in the House at a convenient time to be agreed upon : In order whereunto some ten of them met in the Counsel-Chamber of Lincolns Inn (where the old Speaker used to sit in Counsel as a Bencher with the rest of the Benchers concerning the affairs of the Society) as the fittest place to write down a Catalogue of all the surviving Members names, by the help of their Memories and the printed list of them; which having finished, they departed, agreeing to meet in Westminster Hall about 9 of the clock on Monday morning, whither M. P. carried the list of the names formerly written, digested into an Alphabetical order, to communicate it to other Members, Those that sat meeting on the Lord's day, adjourned their House till ten of the clock Monday morning: But the Courts not sitting in Westminster -Hall that day, Mr. P. found the Hall very thin, & few Members in it whiles he was standing in the Hall expecting those who promised to meet there, he was twice informed one after another, that there were no Guards at all at the House Door, that any person might freely go into it without examination, there being but few Members within, and the Doors standing open. Whereupon he spake to 4 or 5 Members there met, to go along with him into the House, and if they were freely admitted, to give notice of it to the rest to follow after if they pleased: Some of them were unwilling to go being formerly repulsed, thinking it better to make a Narrative of their former forcible seclusion on Saturday, and to signify it by a Letter directed to the Speaker, subscribed with their names, which Mr P. conceived superfluous, since the Door now stood feeely open to all without any Guards to seclude any, and that, as he apprehended, in pursuit of Major General Lamberts promise to Mr. Knightly: And it would be idle to complain of that force by Letter, wherewith they might now acquaint those then sitting by their own mouths, if there were cause. Upon which ground, M. Prynne, Mr. Annesly, and Mr. Hungerford about ten of the clock went to the House, where the doors of the Lobby & House were at first knock opened to them by the ordinary Door-keepers, upon their telling thē they were Members, (there being no Guard at either door:) who delivered to each of them as Members, a printed Paper intitled, A Declaration of the Parliament assembled at Westminster, Saturday 7. May, 1659. They found not about 9. of 10. of those who sat, within the House, who courteously saluted them: After some short discourses, Mr. Annesly, and Mr. Hungerford leaving Mr. Prynne in the House, (out of which he resolved not to stir upon any occasion, for fear of a new forcible seclusion) went back into the Hall to acquaint the Members in it, they might freely enter if they pleas • d : Mr. Annesly returning, was forcibly kept out from re-entering by some Soldiers, sent thither (as he conceited) for that purpose. Wherwith he acquainted Mr. P. by a Note, desiring to speak with him at the House door; which being opened, Mr. Annesly pressed to go in to speak with him, but was denied entrance, unless he would give his paroll presently to come out again and not stay in : whereupon he said, Though they had often broken their parolls with them, yet he would not break his parol; but would come forth so soon as he had spoken with M. P. which he accordingly performed. After this Mr. P. had conference with divers Members as they came in, who said they were glad to see him in health, and meet him there again. The House being thin, M. P. turned to the Statute of 17 Caroli, c. 7. reading it to himself; and after that to two other Members: telling them, it was a doubt, whether the old Parliament was not determined by the Kings death, notwithstanding that Act; which was fit to be first freely debated in a full House, before ought else was done. Upon which they demanded, Why he came amongst them, if he made a scruple, or thought it to be dissolved? Who answered, to have it fully debated and resolved in a full and free House. After which Sir Arthur Haslerigge coming in, Mr. P. saluted and told him, He was glad to meet him again in this place: who presently answered, he had nothing to do to sit there as a Member, being formerly secluded. Whereto he replied, he had as good right to sit there as himself, or any other Member whatsoever, upon the account of the old Parliament, if in being: having acted, written, suffered more in defense of the rights and privileges of Parliament, than himself, or any sitting with him. Upon which Sir Henry Vane coming in, and stepping up to them, said in a menacing manner: Mr. Prynne, what make you here? you ought not to come into this House being formerly voted out, I wish you as a friend quietly to depart hence, else some course will be presently taken with you for your presumption : which Sir Arthur seconded, telling him, If he refused, that there would be a speedy course taken, and a charge put in against him, for his meetings on Saturday, and actings against the House. To which he replied, He had as good, if not a better right to sit than either of them: That he knew of no Vote to seclude, nor of any there who had right or power to vote him out, being equally entrusted with themselves for the whole Nation, and those he represented: That he was never convicted of any breach of his Parliamentary trust, and hoped they would have both the justice and patience to hear, before they voted him out: And then he doubted not to make it appear, themselves were greater Infringers of their trusts, and more worthy to be voted out than himself. As for their Charge and menaces, he was no way affrighted with them: It being as free and lawful for him and other Members, to meet and advise together both as Members and Freemen of England, for preservation of themselves, the people's Rights and Parliaments Privileges, when forcibly secluded, as they did on Saturday; as for themselves, or the Army Officers to meet privately and publicly both in and out of the House, to deprive them of their privileges, as they had oft times done of late: That these high menacing words, were a very ill performance of their New published Declaration, delivered him at the door : That they were resolved (by the gracious assistance of Almighty God) to apply themselves to the faithful discharge of their legal Trust; to assert, establish and secure, the Property and Liberty of the People in reference unto all, both as Men and as Christians:) which if they should publicly violate, & null by any unjust charge, or proceedings against him, who had saffered so much, both as an English Freeman, Christian, and Member too (by their 3 years close imprisonment of him without cause or hearing) under their new FREE-STATE, when first erected, and now again upon their very first reviving of it, though a Member, only for coming into the House and meeting with other Members, to claim their rights: It would highly reflect upon their intended new Free State, and make all out of love with it. After which, they going up with other Members into the Committee Chamber, to consult how to dispose of or get him out of the House, about half an hour after they all came down into the House, where Mr. P. continued sitting: the Speaker being come in the interim, they first concluded to go to prayers, then to sit as an House: whereupon all taking their places, Mr. Prynne took his place too where he usually sat before, resolving not to stir thence: which Sir Arthur and Sir Henry observing, after some whisperings with the Speaker and others next them; though the Cushion was laid, and order given to call in the Chaplain to pray, yet they countermanded it, telling the Speaker,

Upon which they all rising, Mr. P. continued in the House till most of them (being about 42. with himself in his computation) were gone out, lest they should return and sit so soon as he was gone, his presence there, being the sole cause of their not fitting. Mr. Prynne then going out after them, found a guard of Soldiers with Halberts at the door, and a Troop of Horse in the Palace Yard; which were purposely sent for to keep out the other Members, and Mr. P. if he returned, as the sequel proved. Mr. P. having acquainted some secluded Members in the Hall with these passages in the House; who agreeing to send a letter to the Speaker touching their forcible seclusion on Saturday, he returned to Lincolns Inn, where he dined in the Hall: immediately after dinner he repaired to Westminster, with a resolution to go into the House if admitted; or protest against the force if secluded by the Army Guards there placed: he found an whole Troop of Horse, in the Palace yard, and a Company of Foot on the Stairs, and Court of Requests, drawn thither to keep him and other Members out; whereupon he walked in the Hall til past 3. a clock, expecting the Speakers coming, with whom he intended to enter; At last, being informed that he went the back way without the Mace, and was gone into the House; Mr. P. to avoid tumult (a company of unknown persons in the Hall going after to see the issue) went purposely forth towards the Abby, till all were gone from the steps; and then going up only with one of his acquaintance, (no Member) he found the door and stairs before the Lobby strictly guarded with Red-coats, who with their Halberts crossed the door and steps so thick that none could pass: whereupon Mr. P. demanded entrance, saying, he was a Member; and they being ignorant who he was, permitted him to pass through their pikes into the Lobby, but secluded his friend from going up with him. When he came at the House door to enter, several Officers of the Army there placed (one of them sitting in a chair) told him, That he must not enter, and that they had special Order to keep him out of the House : Wherupon he Protested against this their forcible double seclusion of him, as an high contempt and breach of Privilege, contrary to their own and the sitting Members Declaration published that day; demanding in the name of all the Commons of England, and those for whom he was elected, free admission for himself and other Members they kept out by a visible force of horse and foot ; which was a worse and more real levying of war against the Parliament, then the beheaded King or his party were guilty of; Yet notwithstanding all these brands they have publicly laid upon them, (which they and others never yet wiped of by any public Answer as the formerly secluded Members had refuted those base aspersions and calumnies the Army had falsely cast on them) they had now invited those very Members to return and fit again without secluding any of them, and engaged to yield them their best protection, as the Assertors of the Good Old Cause, who had a special presence of God with them, and were signally blessed in the work: yea as the only Instruments for settling and securing the peace and freedom of this Common-wealth: Therefore they had far greater reason to call in him and the other first secluded Members than thus forcibly to exclude and ascribe and give to them alone the Supreame Authority of the Nation which they have engrossed to themselves without the people's Vote or Election in whō alone they have formerly voted it; A presage of their subsequent Free-State proceedings, when once settled in their Government, and a strange contradiction; Wherefore they should much more invite him and others they formerly and now afresh have forcibly secluded, against whom they had not the least Exceptions, to settle us again in peace and freedom, which they had done when they sat, had they not secluded them. After which one of the Army Officers told Mr. Prynne, he had deserted the Good Old Cause: To which he replied, That the true Good Cause for which they were first raised, was only to defend the Kings person, Kingdom, Parliament, all its Members, Privileges, and secure them against all force and violence whatsoever, which cause they had not only deserted but betrayed, and fought against, contrary to all former Engagements, to which cause he adhered, and desired entrance to maintain it. To which he answered, That indeed was once their Good Old Cause; but now it was not so, for since they had pursued another Cause: Mr. P. replied, that then they were real Back-sliders therein, and their Cause neither old nor good, but bad, new and destructive to the former old one. In conclusion Mr. Prynne pressed them to tell him their names, which he desired to know; They answered they would not tell him: He then told them, That certainly their Good Old Cause was in their own Judgments and Consciences very bad, since they durst not own it by name : They answered, That Mr. Annesly the last day when they refused to tell their names, as they do now, had inquired out some of them, from whom he might learn them. In conclusion when he could not prevail, he told them, they declared themselves and those now siting arrant Cowards,, and their magnified Good Old Cause to be very bad, since they were afraid of one single person without Arms, when as they were a whole Army of armed men, and had above 40 voices to his one, yet were afraid to admit him in, for fear he alone should blow them all up with the breath of his mouth, and goodness of his cause. And so departing, he met Mr. Prydeaux in the Lobby, and desired him to acquaint those within, that he was forcibly kept out of the House by the Soldiers, who beset the passages to keep out what Members they pleased ; Then returning again into the Hall, a secluded Member he there met pressing him to know what passed in the Lobby: he related the sum of what was done and said, which divers pressed about him to hear, and some common Soldiers among others; who when he had ended his Relation, said, he was an honest Gentleman, and had spoken nothing but truth and reason. After which meeting with Colonel Oky in the Hall (who came over to transport him from Jersy into England, they had some discourse touching his forcible seclusion, and the great scandal and ill consequences of it; which divers pressing to hear, Mr. P. went out of the Hall to avoid Company, and meeting with the Member who drew up the Letter to the Speaker, perused and signed the fair Copy, and so departed to Lincolns Inn without any Company.

This being an Exact Narration of the truth, substance of what passed between Mr. P. the Army Officers, and those now fitting, on the 7th. and 9th. of this instant May, both in the Lobby, House, and elsewhere, Mr. Prynne being since necessitated to publish it, to prevent and rectify the various misreports thereof. He shall now relate, (as a Corollary thereunto) the true and only reasons then inducing him (after earnest Prayer to God for direction and protection in this Grand Affair) to press the admission of himself and other Members into the House, to correct the manifold contradictory censures of what he then did and spoke.

Some have been staggared and amazed at it, as if he were now turned an Apostate from his former principles, acting both against his Judgment and Conscience, to cry up, and make himself a Member of that old Parliament, which he publicly printed to be dissolved above ten years since, by the Kings death; Others have censured it for a rash, foolish, and desperate attempt.

A third sort condemn it as a seditious, tumultuous if not treasonable Action, prejudicial to the public peace and settlement, deserving severe exemplary punishments.

A fourth Classis doom it, as a scandalous Act, dishonorable, destructive to our Religion.

A fifth sort cry it up, as a most necessary, heroic, rational, zealous Action, deserving everlasting honor, praise, thanks from the whole English Nation, and a necessary incumbent duty as a Member of the old Parliament, (though legally dissolved) being pretentionally now revived against Law, Truth, by those very Army Officers, who six years past ipso facto dissolved, and declared it to be dissolved; yea have held many new Mock-Parliaments of their own modelling since, all proving abortive, by forcible ruptures as the long Parliament did.

It is not in Mr. Prynne's power to reconcile or control these contradictory censures; neither was he ever yet so foolish or vain-glorious, as to be any ways moved with the censures, opinions, or applauses of other men; nor so ambitious, covetous, as to pursue any private interest of honor, profit, revenge, &c. under the notion of public Liberty, Law, Reformation as many have done; nor so Sycophantical as to connive at others destructive exorbitances, guilded over with specious Titles; this being his constant rule, to keep a good Conscience in all things both towards God and man, Acts 24.16. to discharge his public trust, duty towards God and his Native Country, though with the probable hazard of his life, liberty, estate, friends, & what else may be precious to other men; to trust God alone with the success, reward of his endeavors, to let others censure him as they please; to fear no Mortal or power whatsoever in the discharge of his duty, who can but kill the Body, Mat. 10.23. (nor yet do that but by God's permission) being utterly unable to touch the Soul, but to fear him alone who can cast both Soul and Body into Hell.

The only ground, end, motive, inducing Mr. Prynne thus earnestly and timely to get into the House, was no ways to countenance any unparliamentary Conventicle or proceedings whatsoever, nor to own those then sitting to be the old true Commons House of Parliament, whereof he was formerly a Member, as now constituted, much less to be the Parliament itself then sitting; but to discharge the trust to which he was once unvoluntarily called without his privity or solicitation, by an unanimous election, a little before the last Treaty with the King, having refused many Burgesships, freely tendered to him with importunity, both before his election at Newport and since, being never ambitious of any public preserments, which he might have easily obtained, had he but modestly demanded, or signified his willingness to accept them. After his election against his will and inclination, he came not into the House till the Treaty was almost concluded, (and that at the request of divers eminent Members) only with a sincere desire to do that cordial service for preservation of the King, Kingdom, Church, Parliament, Laws, Liberties of England, and prevention of those manifold Plots of foreign-Popish Adversaries, Priests, Jesuits, Sectaries, seduced Members, Army-Officers, and Agitators, utterly to subvert them, which other Members overmuch or totally neglected, coldly opposed, or were totally ignorant of: What good service he did in the House during that little space he continued in it, is fitter for others then himself to relate. How fully he then discovered to them the true original Plotters, fomenters of that Goad Old Cause, now so much cried up and revived, how strenuously he oppugned, how truly he predicted the dangerous consequences of it, since experimentally verified beyond contradiction, his printed Speech Decemb. 4. 1648. can attest, and his Memento, whiles he was a prisoner: For this Speech & good service of his in discovering, oppugning the New Gunpower-Treason then plotted and ripened to perfection, to blow up the King, Parliament, Lord's, Laws, Liberties, Religion at once, violently prosecuted by the force, Remonstrance, and disobedient practices of the rebellious Army Officers and Soldiers, he was on the 6th. of December 1648. forcibly seised on at the Lobby -Door as he was going to discharge his trust, and carried away thence by Col. Pride and others.

How unhumanly, unchristianly Mr. Prynne (seised with other Members at the House door Decemb. 6.) was used by the Army-Officers, who lodged him (& them) in bell on the bare boards all that cold night, almost starved him (and them with hunger and cold at Whitehall the next day, imprisoned him many weeks in the Strand, and after seised, kept him (by a new Free-state warrant) a strict close Prisoner in three remote Castles nigh three years, for his Speech in the House, against their most detestable Treasons, and Jesuitical proceedings against the King, Parliament, Privileges, and Members of it, is elsewhere at large related: This being all he gained by being a Member, and for asserting that true Good Old Cause against the new Imposture now cried up afresh, to turn our ancient Kingdom into a New Republic, and our Parliament of King, Lord's, and Commons, into a select, unparliamentary juncto, or forty or fifty Members of the old dissipated House of Commons, elected, empowered only by the Army, not People, to act what they prescribe, to extirpate King, Lord's, Monarchy, Magistracy, Ministry, Laws, Liberties, Properties, and reduce them all under Jesuit •• oe at first, and our foreign Enemies Vassallage in conclusion. Mr. Pry •• e then being most clearly convinced thereof, by what he formerly published as a Member in his Speech and Memento, and since in his Epistle to a New Discovery of Free-State tyranny, his Jus Patronatus, his historical and legal Vindication of the fundamental Laws, Liberties, Rights, Properties of all English Freemen, A new Discovery of Romish Emissaries, his Quakers unmasked, and in his Republicans Good Old Cause truly and fully anatomised ; wherein he infallibly demonstrates, their converting of our late English Monarchy into a new Common-wealth, or elective Protectorship to be the ancient projected moddles of Father Parsons, and other Jesuits, and Tho. Campanella the Italian Frier specially recommended by them to the pursuit of the King of Spain, who prosecuted it all he could to promote his universal Monarchy, and so much rejoiced at it, that he was the first foreign King who presently sent an extraordinary Ambassador to congratulate the accomplishment, applaud the constitution of, & enter into a League of Friendship with it; whose flattering panygerick in his Great Catholic Kings name, in praise thereof, and what an honor it was to them, that he was the first foreign Prince that owned them for a Common wealth, made the Commons House so intoxicated, that they gratified him in all his requests, and pursued all his designs, only to ruin us and the Netherlands, laid down by Campanella, De Monarchia Hispanica, c. 25, 27. by furnishing him with many thousands of Irish forces, quarrelling with the Hollanders, maintaining above three years bloody wars with them, with infinite loss and expense to both Nations, taking the French Kings Fleet, provisions merely designed for the relief of Dunkirk, whereby he presently regained it to our prejudice: And on the other hand Cardinal Richlieu of France, the great Incendiary of Christendom, and somenter of all our Domestic wars in his life; the French King and Mazarine by his instructions in writing after his death, vigorously pursued this very design: His instructions to this purpose (recorded by Conte de Galeazzo Gualdo Priorato, an excellent Italian Historian) are very memorable, who relates; That Cardinal Richelieu Anno 1642. (after he had involved the King, Parliament, and Ireland in a bloody Civil war) being near his death, delivered these politick instructions for the King his Master to pursue for carrying on his designs in relation to England with success; That above all other things he should endeavor to keep the Government of Great Britain divided and dis-united, by aiding the weaker party, that the other might not make itself too powerful; By cau • ing the three Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland to be divided, either by nominating other Kings (elective of another family, accomplished by erecting an elective Protector) or by moulding them into a Common-wealth (as our Republicans have formerly and now done again) Yet with this caution, That when they are reduced into a Common-wealth, so to order the matter, That it may not be united into one, but divided How punctually Cardinal Mazarine prosecuted these instructions ever since, and accomplished them at last, the Letters taken in the Lord Digbyes Cabinet, printed by the Parliaments order, 1646. and O. Cromwell's late intimate correspondency with. Mazarine, discover. And how much the Jesuits and Catholics in France in November 1648. approved, applauded the turning of our hereditary Monarchy, which they, irreconcila • lie hated, envied, as well as the late King, and turning the Old Parliament into a new Republican Representative, and that all their hopes to effect it were in the Army, to whom they wished all prosperity therein: you may read in a Letter sent from thence by the Armies Agent to a sitting Republican Member, soon after published by Mr. Prynne who got the original.

Mr. Prynne knowing all this, and clearly discovering a fresh combination between the Sectaries, Republican, Anabaptistical, Jesuitical, levelling party, to pursue their designs afresh, and accomplish what they formerly attempted in the short Mock-Parliament of their own election, creation Anno 1653. and what was then passionately recommended to them by John Canne, the Anabaptist in his Voice from the Temple (dedicated to them) as their Generation work, which God and all his people then expected and required from them; even to extirpate the Church, & Ministry of England, Advowsons, Glebes, Tithes ; and demolish all Parish Churches as Antichristian ; to extirpate the Law root and branch under pretext of reforming and new-moulding it; to sell all Corporation and College lands, and set up a popular Anarchy, or tyrannical Oligarchy among us, under the disguise of the Old Dissolved Parliament, sitting from 1648. till April 20. 1653. after six years violent ejection of them with highest scorn and reproach, yet now invited by them to sit again to effect these Romish designs to our utter Confusion, but secluding all those who were like to obstruct or defeat them. Upon this consideration Mr. Prynne as a secluded Member of the old Parliamemt, wherein he detected oppugned all these Treasonable Designs heretofore, and since its dissolution by the Kings beheading, held it his bounden duty to prevent, defeat them now, and nip them in the bud; whereupon so soon as those now sitting entered the House, he assayed to go into it, with as many old secluded Members as he could, there being 80 of them in London : For although his judgment be, that this Parliament is quite dissolved by the Kings beheading, as he oft declared in print: yet since the Army-Officers and those now sitting with sundry others, pretend it still in being, and under that pretext alone have acted all their public Tragedies, and Innovations, he conceived himself bound in Conscience upon their Concessions, to endeavor to prevent these mischiefs, and do all Public good he might, with better warrant and reason than most Ministers, Lawyers, Justices, Magistrates, Members of late Parliaments, (as they style them) have prayed for, complied with, acted in, under those late Governors, Governments, & mock Parliaments (as he is confident some now sitting among them in this new Convention believe it dissolved, and yet go in only to prevent and allay those mischiefs which others violently pursue) which their own Consciences, and our laws resolve them without scruple to be utterly illegal; whereas this old Parliament, whereof he was a Member, was most legallie summoned and convened beyond dispute, and hath the color of a legal Act or Parliament for its continuance, which those since have wanted: of which Act the greatest part of those now sitting taking advantage, notwithstanding their new Instruments, Declarations, Petitions, Advises, Addresses, and Sessions in other new Parliaments since; and it being a great dispute now among most secluded Members, whether that Parliament was not yet alive though the King be dead? the majority of their Voyces over-ruling his private Judgment, as in all other Parliamentary Votes and proceedings, gave a present sufficient call, warrant to him and others to enter the House to debate it, and act what and as they did; which will satisfy all those who censure it as unwarrantable or contradictory to his judgment: especially when they shall hear what he really intended to propose to the sitting Members when he got into the House, had they not gone out to prevent it.

1. He intended to inform them of those destructive Jesuitical ends and designs, forementioned, which they were now purposely called in to accomplish, carrying along Thomas Campanella, Richilieus Instructions, with other Books, papers of theirs, and some printed Copies of the Republicans and others Good Old Cause truly and fully anatamised, now put out and published, to dis-engage them from its pursuit at the first, before they were engaged therein by any Votes or Actions, if he could but gain audience or patience to hear them pressed on their Consciences Viva Voce. But their unparliamentary adjourning on purpose to prevent it when he was in, and forcibly resecluding him by armed Guards when once out, he held himself bound in Conscience, to publish that to them and the the world in print, which he was not permitted liberty to speak, as he formerly did (when forcibly imprisoned and kept from the House by the Army as now, upon the like account) in his Brief Mememto to the present unparliamentary Juncto, from his Pison-Chamber at the Kings Head (which they soon after took of) Jan. 1. 1648.

2ly. He intended to propose, That all armed Guards of Soldiers in or near the Cities of London or Westminster, might by public Proclamation be removed to a convenient distance thence, according to the ancient Custom, Presidents, and Privileges of Parliament, prohibiting not only all armed forces, but the very bearing of any Arms or weapons in or near the place where the Parliament did sit, under severest penalties, lest they should over-awe the Members, or any way interrupt their proceedings: which the undutiful mutinous Officers, Soldiers, now in and near the City, (though raised purposely to protect the Parliament and its Members from all force whatsoever) have frequently done, nay forcibly secluded, imprisoned, ejected the Members themselves sundry times, yea turned the now sitting Members out of Doors, and now again on Saturday last, and this very Morning secluded him, and sundry Members when they came to enter in.

3ly. That all the Lord's, all secured, secluded Members of the old Parliament, not sitting after Decemb. 8. 1648. now about the City, (being double in number to those now sitting) might presently be called and freely admitted into the House; And all living Members of the old Commons House elected or sitting at or before that time, might by the Speakers Letter be desired in all their names, to meet together in the Commons House forty days after, (the ordinary time limited in most writs of Summons, or Resummons of Parliament) and nothing acted or voted in the interval as a House of Commons, till they were all assembled, after their ten years seclusion, dissipation by the Armies force and war upon them. This sudden, unexpected Clandestine, stealing into the Commons House, of about 41, or 42. Members alone, without any general notice given thereof to all the other surviving absent Members, or places which elected them; sitting presently as an House of Parliament, accompanied with a present forcible seclusion of all but their own Confederates, being a most unparliamentary practice, conspiracy, surprise, unworthy Saints, or persons of Honor, destructive to the very being, Privileges of Parliament, injurious to the whole Nation, as well as absent and secluded Members; yea contrary to their own Republican Votes, Principles ; That the Supreme Authority of the Nation resides only in the Generality of the people: That it cannot be transferred from them to any others, in or out of Parliament, but by their free consents and elections: That their Representatives in Parliament ought to be equally distributed throughout the Nation: No Member to be secluded when duly elected; and all things to be carried only by majority of Voyces. Contrary to the principles of Law, Equity, common Justice, Reason, which resolve, that public Acts of Parliament bind all men, because they all are Parties and Assenters to them by their election of Knights, Citizens, and Burgesses empowered, entrusted by them, and present when they passed by their common assent ; Which they cannot be, when the far greater number are absent, secluded, and have no notice of their present sitting: Contrary to common Right, and that just Maxim inserted into some ancient Parliament Writs of Summons and elections to Sheriffs, quod omnes tangit ab omnibus approbetur, that which concerns all ought to be approved by all. And not only so, but this their surreptitious fraudulent sudden sitting and acting by themselves as a Parliament, if they proceeded would make them far more criminal and guilty of highest Treason, than King Richard the 2d. of old, impeached and, dethroned in the Parliament of 1 H. 4. amongst other Articles for this That the said King in his last Parliament at Salop, purposing to oppress his people, subtly procured and caused to be granted, That the Power of the Parliament by the consent of all the States of his Realm, should remain with certain Persons, to determine, after the Parliament dissolved, certain Petitions delivered in the same Parliament, at that time not dispatched. By color of which Concession the persons so deputed proceeded to other things, generally touching that Parliament, and that by the Kings will, In derogationem status Parliamenti, & in magnum incommodum totius Regni, & pernitiosum exemplum: In derogation of the State of the Parliament, and to the great disprofit, (prejudice) of the whole Realm, and permitious example: And that they might seem to have some kind of color & Authority for this kind of their proceedings; the King caused the Rolls of the Parliament according to his Vote, to be changed and deleted, contrary to the effect of the foresaid Concession : which is likewise mentioned in the printed Act of 1 H. 4. c. 3 and thus amplified; That a certain power was committed by authority of Parliament to certain persons, to proceed upon certain Articles comprised in the Rolls of the Parliament thereof made, and by authority aforesaid divers Statutes, Judgments, Ordinances, and Stablishments were made, ordained, and given erroneously and dolefully, in great disherison and final destruction, and undoing of many honorable Lord's and Liege-people of the Realm and their Heirs forever : whereupon that whole Pariament of 21 R. 2. with all the circumstances and dependents thereupon, were wholly reversed, revoked, voided, undone, repealed, and annulled forever. If this then were so high a crime and breach of royal Trust in King R. 2. even by consent and authority of the whole Parliament and three Estates. subtly to procure the power of the whole Parliment to remain in the hands of certain Persons which themselves approved of; who exceeded their Commission and acted generally as a Parliment: And if this was a grand derogation of the state of the Parliament, a great damage to the whole Realm, and permitious example for posterity; for which in the very next Parliament they impeached, deposed him, and nulled all these proceedings forever. Then questionless their former sitting, acting in the Commons House from December 7 1648. till Apr. 20. 1653. and now again, without, yea against the consents, Votes of the Parliament, 3 Estates, & secluded Members, their repealing, altering, the very Acts Ordinances of the Lord's and Commons concerning the Treaty with the King, and sundry others; their nulling the Act for Trienial Parliments, the continuance sitting of the Lord's in this Parliament, their • eclaring themselves alone to be the Parliament of England, beheading the King himself, their dis-inheriting the whole House of Lord's and their Heirs forever of their Parliamentary Session, Judicature, Privileges, as much as in them lieth; and thousands more of their real and personal Estates; their forcible secluding, securing the greatest part of their Fe • low-Members, then, and now again by the Armies power, and sitting under their fo • ce (which by their own Declaration of August 6, and the Armies in pursuit the • eof August 8. the Speakers Letter, July 29. 1648. yea Sir Arthur Hasterigges own Speech, and others of them, the very two last days they sat in the last Convention, nulls all they voted or ordered) must needs be a more execrable transcendent crime by thousands of degreees, a greater derogation to the state of the Parliament and its Privileges, of more fatal consequence to the whole Kingdom, and of far more pernicious example, than this Act of his, eternally to be expleded, declared null, void to all intents in itself, and demeriting the Highest censures, that the Justice of Parliament can inflict, being a more superlative Treason and High Misdemeanour than this Kings, or Canterburies, impeached by the whole House of Commons, and many of them thus act • ng, sitting, That to preserve himself from being questioned for his Trayterous courses, he hath labored to subvert the rights of Parliaments, and the ancient course of Parliamentary proceedings : this being the last Article of his impeachment, for which amongst others he lost his head, Which Presidents Mr. Prynne would have pressed them viva voice seriously to consider, at which they must needs stand mute and astonished not having one syllable to reply.

4ly. He would have propounded, That when all the Members met together, They should in the first place debate this point, whether the old Parliament were not actually dissolved in point of Law, by their beheading the King, notwithstanding the Statute of 17 Caroli c. 7? which though themselves by their former and present sitting by pretext thereof, the Army-Officers heretofore and now again deny, and many secluded Members hold still to be in being, yet for his own opinion he held, and had published it to be dissolved notwithstanding this Act, and to be Casus omissus out of it, which he was ready to maintain against all Opponents, by these reasons,

1. Because it hath been f • equently resolved by Parliaments themselves, the Reverend Judges, and our Law-books, as 1 H 4 rot. Parl. n. 1, 2, 3. 1 H. 5. Rot. Parl. n. 16. 4 E. 4. f. 44. Cooks 4. Instit. p. 44. by King Charles own Declaration, 13 Junii, 3 Caroli, and his Judges and Counsel then, that the deposition, and death of the King doth actually dissolve the Parliament, and that the new King cannot hold and continue the old Parliament sitting, or prorogued at his Ancestors death, the Parliament of 22 R. 2. being dissolved by his resignation of his Crown, and the Parliaments of 14 H. 4. & 24 Jacobi, by the deaths of these two Kings, and by like reason the last Parliament of 16 Caroli by his violent death.

2ly. Because the Parliament is no standing Court, sitting at certain seasons by positive Laws, but summoned, constituted by the Kings writs of summons, and royal Prerogative, when and where he pleaseth; and adjourned, prorogued, dissolved by his writ alone in point of Law and practice in all ages at his pleasure ; sitting sometimes longer, sometimes shorter, and sometimes prorogued to another day, place, or countermanded after summons, upon just occasions, as the Parliament, & Clause Rolls, the Act of 16 Caroli c. 1. and other Statutes resolve. Now all writs of summons being actually abated by the Kings death which made them, as well as all Commissions, Patents of all Judges, Justices, Sheriffs whatsoever, and other writs, informations in the Kings name and behalf, as the Statute of 1 E. 6. c. 7. Cooks 7 Report f. 29, 30. Crookes 1 Part. p. 1, 2.10.11.97, 98. and other Lawbooks collected by Asb, Discontinuance de Proces 16. and Reattachment 7. determine. The writs of summons, and likewise of Parliament must needs abate likewise: And the Lord's being made Judges, and the Commons Members of that particular Parliament only by the Kings writ: his death must determine their Parliamentary Judicature or Authority, sitting during the Kings pleasure, as well as the Judges, Justices, Sheriffs Patents, and all other Commissions whatsoever.

3ly. Because every Parliament heretofore, & in the reign of K. Charles, by the very recitals of the Writs, is called: 1. In the name and by the authority only of the King regnant (in his natural capacity, accompanied with his politick ) by his Christian name, Carolus Dei gratia Rex, &c. expressed in it, not generally by the Office King but Carolus Rex. 2ly. It recites it to be called De avisamento Consilii nostri : 3ly. It stiles it quoddam Parliamentum nostrum · 4ly. That the occasion of calling it, was about certain arduous businesses Nos et defensionem Regni nostri, (& Jura coronae nostrae, &c. in many ancient writs) contingentibus: 5ly. That his intention in calling it, is Quia cum Pralatis, Magnatibus et Proceribus dicti regni nostri, or nostris Colloquium habere volumus et Tractatum. 6ly It summons them thus; Vobis mandamus, &c. quod personaliter intersitis Nobiscum, or ad Nos, such a day and place, Nobiscum et cum caeteris Praelatis, Magnatibus, et proceribus praedictis tractaturi, vestrumque consilium impensuri, super negotiis antedictis. 7ly The Knights, Citizens, Burgesses and Barons of ports in the Commons House are summoned to do and consent to those things which shall happen by God's favor to be then ordained De Communi Consilio super Negotiis antedictis (in sundry Writs styled by the King, Negotia Nostra, Negotiorum nostrorum, &c. ) which clause is thus explained in Claus 36 E. 3. d. 16. cl. 37 • . 3. d. 22. cl. 38 E. 3. d. 3. cl. 39 E 3. d. 2. cl. 42 E. 3. d. 22. cl. 47 E. 3. d. 29. ad consentiendum biis quae per Nos, ac dictos Magnates et Proceres ordinari contigerit favente Domino. From all which particular clauses in the very writs of summons, it is undeniable, that the Parliament of 16 Caroli, was ipso facts dissolved by the Kings death: 1. Because this Parliament was summoned particularly by King Charles in his natural as well as politick capacity, not in his politick alone, nor yet by or for him, his heirs & successors; who ceased to be both Charles and a King of this Realm by his death 2ly. The Counsel by whose advice it was summoned, was his not his heirs and successors Counsel. 3ly. The Parliament convened, his Parliament alone, not his heirs or successors, both of them ceasing to be his Counsel or Parliament by his decease. 4ly. The subject matter for which it was summoned. Divers urgent and arduous businesses concerning Vs, not our heirs or successors, and the defense of Our (not their) Realm of England: who was no more Us, and the kingdom no more his kingdom, so soon as he lost his life. 5ly. The end of summoning this Parliament, was only this, for the King himself to have a conference and Treaty with the Prelates and Nobles, and for them to be personally present with Vs, not our heirs or successors, to give Vs their Counsel, &c. not our heirs and successors: All frustrate, made impossible, and absolutely ceasing by his death: because when once dead, they can neither parlie, confer, nor treat with the King himself, nor the King with them, nor be personally present with Him for that purpose: unless they will aver, that a mere dead headless King can really confer, treat, parly, consult, advise with his living Prelates, Lord's, Parliament, and they with him, & be Parliamentally present with each other in the Lord's House neither of which they dare admit into it, for fear the King if living, and Lord's too, should afright them out of it, as the Kings ghost, yea the memorial of it though dead, might justly do. 6ly. The mandatory part being in the Kings name alone; to summon them to treat with and give their Counsel unto Vs concerning the foresaid businesses relating to Vs and the defense of Our Realm, Our Businesses aforesaid, not our heirs and successors He and his businesses all ending when he expires, the Parliament must of necessity determine. 7ly. The Parliament ceasing to be the Common counsel of the King and his kingdom, and nothing possible to be ordained BY US, (the King, not his heirs and successors) Prelates, Nobles in Parliament, without his concurrent Vote, or when he is dead; unless a dead King can give counsel, make Ordinances, give his royal assent to Bills when deceased. It must inevitably follow, that all the Authority, causes, grounds, ends for which the Members of this Parliament were all summoned to treat, consult, and give their advice to the King himself determining, and becoming impossible to be performed by his death; the Parliament must of necessity expire and be dissolved, even as the natural body ceaseth to be and remain a living man when the Head is quite cut off: If then those now sitting (who cut off the Kings Head, the Head of the Parliament, and thereby destroyed that temporary body politick) will have their Conventicle revived by this Act, they must set on his head again, raise him alive out of his Grave, and bring him back into the House, to impeach, condemn, decapitate them in this true High Court of Justice for this their beheading him in their Court of Highest Injustice. Which Mr. Prynne presumes they dare not do, least his revived Ghost should scare them thence, or justly retaliate their transcendent Treachery.

4ly. If any man by his will, deed, the King by his Commissions, the Parliament by a special Act or Order, shall authorize, impower any 3. persons jointly to sell lands, give livery and seisin, execute any Commission, as Judges, Justices, Commissioners, Auditors, or Committees of Parliament, if any one of them die; both the survivors jointly or severally can do nothing, because their authority, trust was joint, not several, and jointly, nor seperately to be exercised. If there be not 40 Commoners in the House, they cannot sit or act as an House, nor dispatch the least affair; no more can any Committee of either House, unless their Number be sufficient to make up a Committee, as the orders and custom of Parliament appoint: Therefore, the Parliament of England being a Corporation, compacted jointly of the King, Lord's, and Commons House, and three estates, The death of the King necessarily dissolves the Parliament, notwithstanding this Act, which did not alter the Parliaments Old constitution, but establish it. The Kings personal absence from his Parliament heretofore and of late, was reputed very prejudicial to it; and his calling away some Lord's, Great Officers, and other Members from it, a high way to its present dissolution, in his life. Therefore it must much more be dissolved by his death; and the Lord's and Commons forcible seclusion both before and since it by the Army and sitting Members; they having Vocem & locum in quolibet Parliamento Angliae, as our Law-books, Statutes and their Patents resolve.

5ly. The principal end of calling Parliaments is, to enact new and necessary Laws, and alter, repeal such as are ill or inconvenient; as the Prologues of our printed Statutes, our writs of Summons, Law-books, attest, and all accord. But no new Act of Parliament can be made, nor no former Acts altered, repealed, but by the Kings royal assent; who hath a Negative voice to deny, as well as Affirmative to assent to them, as well as the Lord's and Commons, as all our Parliaments, Judges, Law-books, Parliament Records, Treatises of Parliaments, the printed Statutes in each Kings reign, more particularly, the Statutes of 33 H. 8. c. 21. 1 Jac. c. 1. in the close resolve; Yea, both Houses acknowledged it in all contests with the late King, our Kings Coronation Oaths, and all our ancient Saxon Kings Laws attest it. Therefore his death must needs dissolve the Parliament, notwithstanding this Act, because it could make no Act for its dissolution, nor declare, alter, repeal any other Law, without his royal assent.

There are but 2. Objections made by any sitting or secluded Members against these Reasons, that his death should not dissolve the Parliament. The 1. is this, which the Republicans themselves formerly and now insist on, That the King doth never die in judgment of Law, and that there is no Interregnum, because the Crown immediately descends to his right heir, who by Law is forthwith King de jure and de facto, before his actual Proclamation or Coronation ; as the Statute of 1 Jacobi ch. 1. Cooks 7 Rep. f. 10, 11. Calvin's case, and other Books resolve.

To which Mr. Prynne Answers 1. That this argument is but an Axe to chop off their own heads, and supremacy, as they did the Kings; and the Objectors now sitting must either renounce their sitting, acting, Knacks, Declarations against the late King, Kingship, and the House of Lord's, or quite disclaim the Objection: For if the King never dies: Then by their own confession and our Laws, we are still a Kingdom, not a Republic; yea Charles Steward, as heir to his beheaded Father, was and is still de Jure & de facto the lawful King of England, and supreme Lord and Governor of our Church, Kingdom, there being no Interregnum, ever since his Fathers death; and then what becomes of all their absurd, illegal Knacks against his Regality, and Kingship itself, (of which they are forced now to pray in aid to make themselves a Parliament) of their Mock-Parliament, without King and House of Lord's; of their perfidious treacherous Engagements against both, and Supreme Authority of the Nation which they have tyrannically usurped? 2ly. Though the King in genere, or rather Kingship itself, never dies, yet the King in Individuo may, and doth oft times die : and if the successive deaths of all our Kings since we were a kingdom be not a sufficient proof thereof; the very Objectors and John Bradshawes beheading the late King, and putting him to such a shameful public death, as no Pagan nor Christian lawful King of England ever formerly suffered by perfidious, perjurious, treacherous Subjects since it was an Island, (against our Laws and Votes of Parliament in the Highest Court of Injustice created by them for that end) is a sufficient evidence, that the King of England dieth as well as other men, (as they all must likewise do in God's due time) unless they will make the World believe to expiate their Treason, that they did not kill the King in cutting off his head, but that he is still alive, because some others (as is reported) did reunite and sow it to his body, when severed from it by them. But of this enough, since M. P. presumes they will henceforth rather renounce their Parliaments being, than bottom its present existence upon this bloody foundation, and their exploded Kingship.

The 2d. Objection is from the words of the Statute of 17 Caroli, c. 7. which declareth, enacteth, That this present Parliament now assembled shall not be dissolved, unless it be by Act of Parliament : In the Negative: Ergo, It shall not be dissolved by the Kings death, being no Act of Parliament, nor any Act of Parliament yet made for its dissolution.

Whereunto Mr. Prynne answers: 1. That the sole end, scope of this Act was not to provide against the dissolution of the Parliament by the Kings natural, or violent untimely death, not then thought of, (he being in perfect health, likely to live many years by the course of nature, and to survive all the ends for which this Act was made,) but to raise credit for the Parliament to provide monies by this Act, to prevent the untimely dissolution, proroguing, adjourning of this Parliament by the Kings own regal power : He having prorogued, dissolved all former Parliaments during his Reign in discontent, by his Regal power (not death) against the Lord's and Commons wills. 2ly. This is entitled, An Act to prevent Inconveniences which may happen by the untimely adjourning, proroguing, or dissolving of this present Parliament, and the Prologue, Body of the Act, provide jointly and severally against all three, to wit, the untimely proroguing, or adjourning, as well as dissolving of this Parliament. But no Parliament ever was, is, or possibly can be untimely prorogued, or adjourned, by the Kings death, but only by his actual Regal will and power: Therefore the dissolving of it, intended by this Act, must be only an untimely dissolution by his actual will, Commission, writ, and regal power, alone, by which his former Parliaments were prorogued, dissolved against the Lord's and Commons assents, not by his death, whether natural or violent, being against his will, and no part of his Regal Supremacy, but only of his human frailty 3ly The Inconveniences the Commons feared would ensue by the untimely dissolution of this Parliament, and endeavored to prevent by this Act, are thus expressed in the Prologue. Whereas great sums of money must of necessity be suddenly advanced and provided for relief of his Majesty's Army, & people of the Nothern parts of this Realm, and to prevent the imminent danger this Kingdom is in, and for supplying of other his Majesty's present and urgent occasions, which cannot be so timely effected as is requisite, without credit for raising the said money: which credit cannot be obtained, untiil such Obstacles he first removed as are occasioned by Fears, Jealousies, Apprehensions, of divers of his Majesty's Subjects, that this present Parliament may be adjourned, prorogued, or dissolved, (1.) before Justice shall be executed upon Delinquents, (2ly.) public grievances redressed, (3ly.) a firm peace between the two Nations of England and Scotland concluded, (4ly.) and before sufficient provision be made for the repayment of the said monies, so to be raised: all which the Commons in this present Parliament assembled, having duly considered, do therefore humbly beseech your most excellent Majesty that it may be declared and enacted. And be it therefore declared and enacted by the King our Sovereign Lord, with the assent of the Lord's and Commons in this present Parliament assembled, and by authority of the same, That this present Parliament now assembled shall not be dissolved, unless it be by Act of Parliament to be passed for that purpose, &c. By which it is undeniable, 1. That the Commons when they petitioned for, the King when he declared, enacted, & the Lord's and Commons when they assented to this Act, did never think of, or intend to provide against a dissolution of this Parliament, by the Kings untimely death, nor of a future dissolving it by an Act of Parliament by his Successors or others after his decease; but on the contrary, presupposed the continuance of his life, and of this Parliament thereby, till all the inconveniences they recite were prevented, and a new Act passed by him and them jointly to dissolve this Parliament when these Inconveniences were prevented and things effected: Which is irrefragable, 1. Because they declare in Terminis, The speedy advancing and providing of monies, for the relief of his Majesty's Armies, and people of the Nothern parts (not their subsequent Armies) and the supply of his Majesty's present and urgent occasions, (not their own) and the Fears, Jealousies, and App • ehensions of divers his Majesty's Loyal Subjects, &c. • o be the only ground of their humbly beseeching his Majesty for this Act. All which presuppose his life, being, preservation, and the Commons great care of complying with him as their Sovereign Lord, without the least thought of his untimely death since happening, or secluding the King or his Poûeritie, out of this and all future Parliaments by color of this Act, as those now sitting have done point-blank against it. 2ly The Fears, Jealousies, and Apprehensions they had occasioning this Act, were only these, That this Parliament might be adjourned, p • orogued, dissolved, 1. Before Justice shall be duly executed upon Delinquents, (then in being and complained of, as Strafford, Canterb • ry, the Ship-money Judges and others, not new Delinquents since, not then dreamed of. (2ly.) Before public Grievances redressed (hose then complained of, not others arising afterwards.) 3ly. Before a firm peace between the two Nations of England and Scotland concluded, (by reason of the former not subsequent breaches between them and the King) 4ly. Before sufficient provision to be made for the repayment of the said monies to be raised, (not for the Parliaments subsequent Armies and occasions) but for his Majesty's Army and people in the North, the preventing the then imminent danger of this Kingdom, (not of our new Common-wealth, or dangers since arising) and for supply of other his Majesty's present (not future) and urgent occasions. But none of these four particulars could be accomplished by the Lord's or Commons alone af • er his Majesty's death, but by the King alone, or by his concurrence with them whiles living: Yea they were all actually accomplished in his life time, long before his death.

all passed and published by the King himself, Anno 16 & 17 Caroli 1640. & 1641. at least 7. years before his beheading: It is most certain, that all these ends of making this Law, (as the Prologue thereof, and the word THEREFORE in the Commons prayer, infallibly declare) were fully accomplished by the King in his life, so long before his untimely death: Therefore none of thē now remaining to be performed; & all acted since their accomplishment by those now sitting, being diametrically contrary to this Act, these ends, and occasions of it; this Parliament must of necessity be beheaded, expired with the King; and cannot survive his death. 4ly. The words, That this present Parliament assembled shall not be dissolved, unless it be by Act of Parliament to be passed for that purpose, nor shall at any time or times during the continuance thereof, (twice recited in the subsequent clauses) be prorogued, or adjourned, unless it be by Act of Parliament to be passed for that purpose ; can be intended of no other but that present Parliament, which passed this Act: which consisted of The Kings Majesty our Sovereign Lord (by whom this and all other Acts passed or to be passed, was declared and enacted; and this intended Act likewise) not of his heir or successor after his death; and of the Lord's and Commons House then in being; not any new House of Lord's or Commons succeeding after their deaths then sitting: Therefore when the King was cut off by an untimely death, and thereby an impossibility accruing to dissolve it by an Act of Parliament within the words or intent of this Act; it must of necessity be dissolved by his beheading: Impossibilities making Acts of Parliament to perform them merely void, as our Law makes Impossible conditions ; 5ly. This Act and those who made it, must have and had a retrospect to the Writs whereby it and they were summoned, and the ends, things therein expressed: But they all determined, and became Impossible after the Kings beheading; Therefore the Parliament must be destroyed with him: since cessante causa, cessat effectus, & cessante primativo, cessat derivativum, as all our Lawyers, Law-books, and natural reason resolve. 6ly. The last Clause of this Act, That everything and things whatsoever done or to be done, (to wit, by the King or any other) for the Adjournment, proroguing, or dissolving of this present Parliament, contrary to this Act, shall be utterly void and of none effect, do clearly ex • lain the meaning of this Act to be this, That it extends only to things done or to be done by the Kings will and power, as to his Commissions Proclamations, Writs, Warrants, Precepts, to adjourn, prorogue, or dissolve this Parliament, (as he had done others heretofore) here declared to be utterly null and void ; not to his death wherein he was only passive, being forcible against his will and the Parliaments too: which death no Parliament can make null and void, in respect of the Act itself; so as to restore him to life, though the whole Parliament, and our three Kingdoms may and ought to null it, in respect of the illegal manner of his Execution, not to be paralleled in any Age. 7ly. The Commons themselves in their Remonstrance of the State of the Kingdom 15 Decemb. 1641. Declared, That the abrupt dissolution of this Parliament is prevented by another, (this) Bill; by which it is provided, it shall not be dissolved, adjourned, without the consent of both Houses: Yea the Lord's & Commons in their Declaration of May 19. 1642. declare, That excellent Bill for the continuance of this Parliament was so necessary, that without it we could not have raised so great sums of monies for his Majesty's service, and Common wealth as we have done; and without which the ruin and destruction of the Kingdom must needs have followed (as since of the Kingdom, and Parliaments too by pretext thereof.) And we are resolved the Gracious favor of his Majesty expressed in that Bill, and the advantage and security which thereby we have from being dissolved (by him;) shall not encourage us to do anything which otherwise had not been fit to have done, Which whether these formerly & now sitting have performed, let their own Consciences resolve. After which the Lord's and Commons in their humble Petition to his Majesty, Jun. 17. 1642. desire, That your Majesty having passed an Act, That this Parliament shall not be dissolved but by Act of Parliament, your Majesty would not do anything tending thereunto, by commanding away the Lord's and great Officers whose attendance is necessary thereunto. (Therefore the sitting Members abolishing the whole House of Lord's, and their secluding most of the Commons Members by this Petitions concession must dissolve it, Both Lord's and Commons in their Declaration 26th. Maii, 1642. add. We hope the people will never be carried away with a noise of words against the Parliament, to make any such equitable construction of the Act for the continuance of this Parliament; as may tend to the dissolution thereof, (by the Declaration of the King, which they Answer in this) and their own destruction therein. By all which passages it is apparent, That this act provided against everything or things, done or to be done by the Kings Will or Prerogative, without the Houses consent for the dissolution of this Parl. not against its dissolution by his death. 8ly. The King (and his party too,) did thus interpret it more than once in these passages. In his Majesty's own Answer to the Declaration of the Lord's and Commons of 19 May, 1642. We expressed a great trust in our Houses of Parliament, when We devested our Self of the power of dissolving this Parliament, which was a Just, Necessary, and proper Prerogative: to wit, when done by virtue of his Prerogative, which this Act devests him of, not by a Natural much less a Violent death, No part at all of this Prerogative, but highest Act against it, to its and his dissolution. In his Answer to the Petition and Propositions of both Houses, 2. June 1642. We were willingly contented to oblige our Self for the present exigent to raise monies, and avoid the pressure (no less grievous to us than them) the people must have suffered by a long continuance of so vast a charge as two great Armies, and for the greater certainty of having sufficient time to remedy the Inconveniences, when during so long an absence of Parliaments, as for the punishment of the Causers and Ministers of them, We yielded up our Right of dissolving our Parliament, expecting an extraordinary moderation from it in gratitude, for so unexpected a Grace, and little looking that any Malignant party should have been encouraged or enabled to have persuaded them. First to countenance the Injustices and Indignities we have endured, and that by a new way of satisfaction for what was taken from us, to demand of us at once to confirm what was so taken, and to give up almost all (and now more than all) the rest. And in his Answer to their Petition of 10 June 1642.

From all which premises it is apparent, That the King himself and both Houses of Parliament did never intend by this Act to prevent the dissolution of this Parliament by the Kings natural death, (the Act of God they could not prevent) nor yet by his violent beheading (which then they neither intended nor foresaw) but by his own voluntary Act and Royal prerogative, by which he formerly adjourned, prorogued, dissolved Parliaments at it his pleasure. 9 lie. It is resolved in our Law-books, That if an Act of Parliament refer to or confirm a thing which is not, or a thing which is utterly against Common law, Reason, Justice, as for a man to be a Judge or Witness in his own case) or a thing that is mis-recited, or repugnant, or impossible to be performed, there the Common-law shall control and adjudge such an Act to be merely void, Plowdon f. 398, 399, 400. Cook 8 Reports, f. 118. a. b. Ash. Parliament, 13. Hobards Reports p. 85.86, 87. But it is repugnant to Reason, Justice, Nature, the intention of the Writs of Summons, yea a thing impossible, that the King should treat and confer with his Parliament after his death, or the Parliament not determine by it. Therefore were it particularly provided for by this Act, it had been void in Law, (as if this Act of Parliament had declared, That a marriage between man and wife shall not be dissolved by the death of either of them, but continue indissolvable by death, against Nature, experience, Scripture, Rom 7.1, 2, 3.) much more then when not expressed nor intended by this Act, as the premises evidence.

Xly. Admit the Parliament still continuing by this Act, yet those now sitting neither are nor can be so much as an House of Commons, much less the Parliament within that Act, for these unanswerable Reasons,

1. The House of Commons within this Act, were a full and complete House, consisting of above 500 Members; those now fitting in May 7, & 9. but 42. viz. Mr Will. Lenthal, Quondam Speaker, Henry Martin, Lord Monson, Mr. Chaloner, Mr. Heningham, Alderman Atkins, Alderman Penington, Th. Scot, Corn. Holland, Sir Arthur Haslerigge, Sir Henry Vane, Sir James Harrington, Mr. Whitlock, Mr. Prydeaux, Mr. Lisle, Col. Ludlow, Mich. Oldsworth, John Jones, Will. Purefoye, Col. White, Henry Nevill, Mr. Say, Mr. Meston, Mr. Brewster, Col. Bennet, Serjeant Wilde, Mr. Goodwin, Mr. Lechmore, Col. Ingoldesby, Mr. Blagrave, Mr. Gold, Col. Sydenbam, Col. Byngham, Col. Air, Mr. Smith, Augustine Skinner, Mr. Down, Mr. Dove, John Lenthal, Rich. Salaway, John Corbet, Col. Walton ; there being 300. Members more of the old Parliament yet living, besides those who are dead. 2ly. Those then sitting went in openly like a House, upon 40 days general Summons by Writs, setting without Guards, secluding none of their Fellow-Members by force. Those now sitting stole sodenlie into the House, in a surreptitious manner, without any notice given to the people of the Nation, or to those for whom they formerly served, or to the absent Members, or those then in London, or Westminster-Hall, who were not of their combination: setting Guards of Army-Officers at the Door, (who conducted them thither,) and presently secluded Mr. Prynne, and the other Members who upon the first notice of their sitting came to know upon what account they sat: taking forcible possession with Soldiers, and strong hand of the Commons House, and keeping themselves in possession thereof by force against the secluded Members & majority of the House, contrary to the Statutes of 5 R. 2. c. 7.15 R. 2. c. 2. 8 H. 6. c. 9. 31 Eliz c. 11. against forcible entries and deteiners; the Statute of 7 E. 1. the Liberty, Privilege, Rights, and Usage of Parliaments: A practice utterly unseeming such transcendent Saints, Patriots of public Liberty, as they boast themselves, & that Honor, Justice, Honesty, Synceritie, Gravity, Wisdom, which becomes all Members of a Parliament, and Reformers of all public Grievances, Frauds, and indirect practices in others. 3ly. That old House of Commons had a special care of providing for the Kings Army, his urgent and present occasions: professed themselves his loyal Subjects, and him to be their King and Sovereign Lord ; humbly besought his most Excellent Majesty, that it might be declared and enacted by him, that this Parliament might not be dissolved, prorogued, or adjourned, but by Act of Parliament ; acknowledging they could make no such Act without his Majesty's Royal assent, and that both the King and Lord's House were essential Members of the Parliament within this Act. But those sitting since 1648. till 1653. and now again thus entering the House, by pretext of this Act, have renounced, abjured, and professedlie engaged against all this, to which they are direct Antipodes ; Therefore no Commons House within this Act. 4ly. The Commons House within this Act, was that House which was then in being when this Act passed, dulie elected by the people by the Kings Writs, not the Army-Officers, and pursued the self-same ends recited in the preamble, for which this Act was made and assented to by the King and Lord's. But this New House was created, constituted, not by the Kings writs, or people's election, but the Armies swords, and conspiracy, 7 years after this Act first passed; then disowned, and turned out of Doors above 6 years by the Army; and now re-inducted into it by their armed Votes and force to serve their ends, not to pursue those mentioned in the Act, accomplished many years since, and now becoming impossible. Therefore they are not so much as an House of Commons within this Act, and the Army-Officers and Soldiers who formerly thrust them out, & now recall them; may do well to consider that Gospel-Text, Gal. 2.18. If I build again the thing I destroyed, I make myself a Transgressor, even against this very Law, as well as the law of God, and other laws of the Land.

XI. If they are not so much as a Commons House of Parliament, much less then are they the lawful Parliament of England, in any sense within the letter or meaning of this Act, no more than so many of the old Gunpowder Popish-Traitors, (had their Treason taken so good effect in blowing up King James, the Lord's whole House, and majoritie of the Commons House there assembled, as their late new Powder-plot hath done) had been the only lawful Parliament of 3 Iac. they destroyed, in case they had entered then into the Commons House with the Mace before them, and created, styled themselves alone the Parliament of England, as a right devolved unto them by Conquest or Succession; which had they presumed to do, no doubt the whole English Nation would have risen up against them as one man, and never have so far dishonored themselves, their Religion, or Country, as to own and submit to those Jesuitical Romish-Traitors, only for destroying of their lawful King, Lord's House, and English Parliament itself, as the only true old English Parliament then re-assembled. The Reasons are unanswerable,

1. Because the whole House of Commons then sitting in its primitive splendor, fullness, freedom, was by its own quadruple acknowledgement in it, no more but the Commons House, and one Member of this Parliament, not the Parliament itself; never owning, owning, but professedlie disclaiming itself to be the Parliament, or present Parliament within this Act. 2 lie. Because this Act was made not by the Commons alone without the King or Lord's concurrence, but by the King as their Sovereign Lord, declaring and enacting, and the Lord's and Commons, as jointlie assenting thereunto. 3 lie. Because it is most absurd to conceive, that the King and Lord's by passing this Act, to continue this Parliament as then constituted, till dissolved by Act of Parliament, did ever intend to seclude themselves quite out of it, or to make the Commons House alone an absolute independent Parliament, without both or either of them; though five times specially providing by name for their Parliamentary interests; Or that they or the Commons intended to make each of themselves a distinct Parliament without the other, and so to erect three New Parliaments at once, by providing against the untimelie proroguing, adjourning, or dissolving of one; The King and Lord's both jointlie and severallie having the self-same Arguments from this Act to prove each of them a several or joint Parliament without the Commons, by the Commons own intention in passing this law, as the Commons have to justify themselves to be a Parliament, now they have secluded and engaged against them both, and will admit of neither as Members of their Parliament, when as this very Act precisely prohibits the King to dissolve, prorogue, or adjourn the Parliament, or either House thereof; or the Lord's to prorogue or adjourn, much less dissolve the Commons House, or the Commons to prorogue or adjourn, much less dissolve the Lord's House, declaring and enacting, That at any time or times during the continuance of this Parliament, the Lord's House shall not be adjourned (nor yet the Commons House) but only by their own respective Orders, and by themselves alone, declaring, enacting everything and things whatsoever done, or to be done to the contrary, to be utterly void and of none effect. 4 lie. Because this Act both in the Title, prologue and body, prevents only the untimely proroguing, adjourning, and dissolving of this present Parliament at any time or times during the continuance of it, but by Act of Parliament or themselves, styling it 8. several times, this present Parliament, and giving it no other Title, yea it precisely describes it to be, a Parliament only of King, Lord's, and Commons, as it was when this Act was made, and so to continue till its dissolution. But the Parliament now sitting, was not this present Parliament, being not then known, heard of, nor imagined ever to start up in After-ages, by any who made or consented to this Law, it being created only by the Army 7 years after this Act, and now revived full 18 years after it, without any King or House of Lord's, and protesting, engaging against them both as no Members of it. Neither can they pursue any one of those ends for which this Parliament was continued. Therefore they are doubtless beyond dispute, no Parliament at all within the words or intention thereof, their own Consciences, Reason being Judges, (whatever they pretend) nor yet by their own Republican principles, a free and equal Representative of the people.

6 lie. By the Law and Custom of all Nations, Nature, Reason, Justice, Equity, the laws of England, and of all public or private Ecclesiastical, Civil, or Militarie Councils or Corporations, the Majority of persons, Members, Voyces, Votes, are always reputed the Parliament, Council, Synod, Corporation, and do, yea ought of right to bind the lesser part; as well in making Laws, Ordinances, as Elections, and all else that concerns the public. Yea the General and General Counsel of the Army-Officers in their Petition to those and others now sitting in Parliament, and draught of an Agreement of the people for a secure and present peace, framed, prepared, and presented to them, to be established and subscribed by the people, January 20. 1649. not only subscribed thereto: but proposed, That 150 Members at least be always present in each sitting of the Representative, at the passing of any Law or doing of any Act whereby the People are to be bound, saving that the Number of sixty may make the House for Debate; or Resolutions that are preparatory thereunto. Therefore the 42 Members secretly skipping into the House, secluding the rest, May 7, & 9 being not the 10th part of the Members of the old Parl. now surviving, by all Nations Laws, Consents, can be no Parliament, nor House of Commons within this Act; nor pass anything to bind the Majoritie of the Members or people in any kind whatsoever; what ever any imprudent, illiterate, shameless, nameless Scriblers, or themselves (against their own Reasons, Consciences, Judgments, principles, resolutions) pretend to the contrary: but dare not once affirm in good earnest. It being a received Maxim in all Ages Populi minor pars Populum non obligit.

6 lie. It is a rule in our Lawbooks, That all Statutes ought to be interpreted according to Reason, and the true mind, meaning, intention of those that made them : but it is most certain, That it is against all reason, and the true intents, minds, meaning of the Makers of this law, to make a Parliament without a King, or House of Lord's, or Majoritie of the Commons-House: Or that all or any of them, when they made this Act, did ever dream of such a Juncto as this now sitting; Or to seclude themselves, and resign up their own interests, freedoms, privileges, right of sitting in Parliament with them, to constitute them the only Parliament of England, as every line, syllable throughout the Act demonstrates. Therefore they neither are nor can be a Parliament within it, neither can the Bedlam, Turkish, Bruitish, unreasonable Argument of the longest Sword, or Army-logic, nor the petitions, addresses of any Crack-brained Sectaries, and vulgar Rabble of inconsiderable illiterate people, nor the presence of any Lawyers sitting with, or acting under them as a Parliament, to their own and their Professions dishonor, make them so in their own, or any Wisemens, or Judicious, honest Lawyers Judgment whatsoever. And therefore out of Conscience, shame, justice, prudence, and real Christianity, (have they any left) they must needs disclaim themselves to be a Parliament, and no longer abuse the Nation, or others under their disguise. All with Mr. Prynne, if admitted would viva Voce have pressed home upon them, but being forcibly secluded by their Guards, because unable to answer or contradict his Law or Reason, he now tenders to their view, and the Judgment, Resolution of the whole English Nation, to whom he appeals, with this public Protestation.

That if they will freely call in all the surviving Members of the Lord's and Commons House, sitting till December 1648. without secluding any by force, or new unparliamentarie Impositions or seclusive Engagements, which they have no power to impose: If they upon a free and full debate shall resolve, the old parliament to be still in being, and not actually dissolved by the Kings beheading, notwithstanding his premised Reasons to the contrary; He will then submit his private Judgment to their Majority of Voyces in this, as well as in all other Parliamentary debates, and contribute his best assistance and advice as a Fellow-Member, to heal the manifold breaches, prevent the approaching ruins of our endangered Church, Realms, Parliaments, Laws, Liberties, Peace, and establish them upon better foundations than those now sitting (to promote their own and the Armies interests rather than the people's or Nations) are ever likely to lay. Who if they can prove themselves a true and lawful English Parliament within this Act, without either King or House of Lord's, or this their clandestine, forcible entry into and seclusion of their Fellow-Members out of the House, and Actings in it to be lawful, equitable, righteous, honorable, parliamentarie, Christian, and such as well becomes either Saints, Members, or true good Englishmen, by any Records, Parliament Rolls, Acts, Presidents of like kind in former Ages, Law-books, Customs, Common or Civil-law, Scripture, Divinity, Reason, Ethics, Policks (except Machiavils, and the sole Argument of the longest Sword, the most brutish, unjust, unchristian, Turkish of all others) Mr. Prynne will then publicklie declare them to be that in truth, which as yet he neither can nor dares to acknowledge them to be so much as in appellation, either as a Member of the Old Parliament, a Covenanter, a Protester, a Lawyer, a Scholar, a Man, an Englishman or a Christian. And hopes, that upon the perusal hereof they will as much disown themselves to be the Parliament within this Act, or any lawful Parliament of England even in their Judgments, consciences, much more in actings, for the premised Reasons, as he or any other secluded Members do; not out of any spirit of contradiction, but Conscience, and common duty to themselves, and their native Country.

That which principally elevated, yea inflamed Mr. Prynne's zeal, both now and heretofore, with all his might to oppose all late public Innovations, changes of our ancient Government, Parliaments, Laws, was this sad and serious consideration, which he shall with all earnest importunity entreat, advise all Army-Officers, Soldiers, sitting or secluded Members of the Lord's or Commons House, with all well-affected persons to the safety, settlement of our Religion, Church, State, throughout our three Nations, most seriously to lay to heart, and engrave upon their Spirits, not to read it as they do News-broks, (only to talk of them for a day or two) but as they read the evidences of their Inheritances, whereby they hold all their earthly (yea heavenly) possessions, that they may remember, act according to it all their lives.

That William Watson (a secular Priest of Rome ) in his Dialogue between a Secular Priest and a Lay Gentleman, printed at Reims, 1601. in his Quodlibets, printed 1602. and William Clerk a Secular Priest, in his Answer to Father Parsons Libel, 1604. p. 75. &c. (then best acquainted with the Jesuits designs against England of all others) did in precise terms publish to the English Nation, in these their printed Books, a That Father Parsons the English Jesuit, (the most active professed enemy to our English Kingship, Kings Realm, Church, Religion) & his Consederate Jesuitical Society, did so long since) give out and prophesied, That they have it by Revelation, and special command from God, that their order and Society was miraculously instituted for this end, to work a dismal change amongst us, wherein all Laws, Customs, and Orders must be altered, and all things turned upside down: and that they being the only men who have the name, Title, and authority of Jesus, by them it is, that this marvelous change and alteration shall be wrought, in such sort as from the beginning of the world was the like never heard of before to this present That this Jesuit Father Parsons in his Book Of the Reformation of all the States of England, as he prescribes a Reformation of the Prince, Court, Counselors, Noblemen, Bishops, Prelates, Pastors, Universities, Lawyers, and Laws, in all which he will have strange Metamorphoses, so he will have the Court of Parliament itself brought to better order, to effect all these dismal changes. That the way whereby he & they intended to bring about all these changes was, to bring all England into an uproar; for common Soldiers to examine their Sovereigns what Titles they hold by, and by infusing this their Jesuitical principle into the Soldiers and people, That every Pecope or Tartarian multitude, getting once the title and style of a public State, or Helvetian Common wealth, may alter, change, innovate the Course, Inheritance, and Succession of the Crown and Lands under them▪ to make the Island a Iaponian Island of Jesuits, and infeoff themselves by hook or crook in the whole imperial dominion of Great Britain, putting all the whole Blood Royal of England to the Formidon, as but Heirs general in one Predicament. For their better accomplishment whereof this William Watson subjoins his own opinion in these words

Mr. Prynne having some year since diligently observed all these passages, with sundry others of this nature, in those Secular Priest-books, and comparing them with Campanella de Monarchia Hyspanica, c. 25.27. & Cardinal Richlieues Instructions forecited; having likewise read in the Jesuits own printed Books, That they had no less than 931 Colleges and Seminaries of Jesuits erected in several parts of the World, within the space of 120 years, and no fewer than 15 Colleges and Seminaries in Provincia Anglicana, in the English Province in the year 1640. wherein they had 267. Socii Societatis, Fellows of their own Society, besides Novices, and 4 Colleges more of English Jesuits beyond the Seas, and no less than eight Colleges of Irish, and several Residenciaries of Scottish Jesuits in Ireland, Scotland, and other places: And being assured by the public Speeches of Oliver Cromwell himself, first to an Assemblie of Divines and others at Whitehall 1653. and after to his new modelled Parliament at Westminster, September 4. 1654. published in print, p. 16, 17. And being withal assured by sundry persons of credit, That there were many Jesuits under the habit of Soldiers, listed in the Army, and others of them under the disguise of Physicians, Apothecaries, Travelers, Captains, Merchants, Factors, Tradesmen, Anabaptists, Ranters, Seekers, Quakers, and other Sectaries, dispersed throughout all places, to carry on and accomplish those dismal changes, so long since predicted, projected by Father Parsons and the Jesuits. Yea, being further assured, by an eminent Divine and others more than once, from the mouth of a Noble English Lord, returning from Rome about 4 years since, That the Provincial of the English Jesuits, when he went to see their College in Rome, assured him, they had then above fifteen hundred of their Society of Jesuits in England, able to work in several Professions and Trades, which they had there taken upon them, the better to support, and secure themselves from being discovered, and infuse their Principles into the vulgar People. That the Great Anabaptist, styled, The Administrator of Hexam near Newcastle, in the North, since removed to Colchester, was lately a Papist (if not) a Priest or Jesuit ; that Ramsey the Scottish Jesuit was purposely sent over into England by the Pope & Jesuits An. 1653. under the notion of a Jew, to infuse new Notions into the Anabaptists & side with them, who thereupon addressed himself to Paul Hobson the Anabaptist, a Grand Army-preacher, and this Administrators Congregation, where he made a public profession, with a public Confession of his Faith, which they printed, whereupon he was publicly dipped by this Administrator at Hexam, and received as a Member into their Anabaptistical Church, who much gloried in it, till within few weeks after, he was by the Major and Ministers of Newcastle clearly discovered, to be a gross Impostor, yea a Scottish Jesuit, and sent up by them to London ; where after some restraint he was enlarged without any punishment, and not long since, twice boldly entered into the University Schools at Cambridge, desiring conference with Mr. Smith the Hebrew Lecturer there, with whom he discoursed in Hebrew ; professing himself, to be Soul and Body for the Catholic Church of Rome: That Eleazar Ben-Isaiah, and his Brother Joseph, 2. Grand Jesuitical Impostors, at the self-same time under the Notion of converted Jews, were dipped by the Anabaptists; maintaining Dipping, not Sprinkling to be the only Baptism of Jesus Christ, and the Anabaptists to be the only strong and glorious Christians, in their printed Book, dedicated unto our new Republican Parliament & Counsel of State, 1653 Which Mr. Pr. (soon after his enlargement frō Pendennys Catile) meeting with, discovered them to be gross Impostors, one of them a Trooper in P. Ruports Army ; who after a Collection made for him (as a Converted Jew ) at Dursty in Glostershire, by Mr. Woodward on the Lord's day, drank five jugges of Bear, with sundry pipes or Tobacco, whereby to digest his Lord's day Supper, and disgorge his Sermons: then locking his Chamber Door in the Inn, he ran to the Maid he had sent to warm his Bed, and attempted to ravish her ; whereupon she crying out, & the Boy of the House (being about 11 a clock at night) endeavoring to raise the Neighbors, he thereupon fled from thence, (since which Mr. Prynne heard no more tidings of him.) And having since that most clearly discovered to the whole Nation (in his Books, entitled, The Quakers Unmasked, and New Discovery of Romish Emissaries, printed. 1655. and 1656.) That the Franciscan Freers and Jesuits were the first Erectors of our new Sect of Quakers, (Ignatius Loyola the Jesuits Founder, being first a Soldier, then a Quakers next a Speaker, last of all a professed Jesuit ; as his Disciples now are, first Jesuits, then Quakers, Speakers, Soldiers before or after;) That Maurice Conry an Irish Franciscan, late Provincial of the English Franciscan Friars, (having 15 extraordinary faculties granted him to exercise here in England ; as to absolve all Heretics in England, of what Nation soever; to admit men into his Order ; To dispence with Oaths, with saying Canonical Hours, the Ceremonies of the Mass, for keeping Heritical Books, and other particulars which might discover any of them to be Freers, or Papists: to authorize, print what Books he allowed; concealing both the Name of the Author, Printer, place, Non obstante Consilio Tridentino :) came over into England, under the disguise of a Spanish Captain, having sundry Pasports from the King of Spain's Officers in the Low Countries, to raise men for his service in England and Ireland, where he continued during the Regency of our Republicans ; After which in the year 1653. he procured a pass and protection to all Officers by Sea and Land under Ol. Cromwell's own hand and Seal, to pass and repass about his occasions to and from Ireland ; all which were taken about him in Bristol, 20 November 1655. and the very Originals under Seal brought to Mr. Prynne ; who published some of them in print; yet after near two years imprisonment at Bristol, upon a Habeas Corpus brought by Conry, he was turned over Prisoner to Newgate, to be tried as a Popish Priest, and let go thence (by direction as was conceived) before the Sessions, and never inquired after since. Mr. Prynne discovering all this and much more, and being most fully assured, that all the Rebellions in the Army since 1646. against the King, Parliament, Members, and all the late Changes, Revolutions of our Government ever since, proceeded originally from the Jesuits, and Romish Agents powerful influences upon the seduced Army-Officers, Soldiers, Sectaries, and Republican Members. And long since taking special notice, that during the Armies & Republicans proceedings against the King, & in hammering out their new Common-wealth; all the most eminent, zealous, religious Members of the Commons House, most opposite to Jesuits, Papists, Popery, were totally secluded, secured by the Army, and their Votes, Protestations, Advices, with the Addresses, Disswasions of all the Godly Ministers of London and other parts, yea ( William Sedgwicks, their own Chaplains,) totally rejected with highest contempt; and the Counsels of the most desperate Jesuits, and popish Agents (flocking to London from all foreign parts, and walking freely in the Streets whiles the Members were under strictest restraints) vigorously pursued: So all their subsequent Actions demonstrated to him and all considerate Protestants, whose Creature their New Republic originally was, and for whose service it was created, as these memorable particulars evidence.

1. They did quite set aside all those 5. strict excellent Bills against Jesuits, Seminary Priests, Popish Recusants, and the exercise of any their Romish Superstitions in any place within our Realms, which the secluded Members, and Army-Officers too at first, eagerly pursued; and the King in the Treaty of the Isle of Wight assented to at the first without any scruple: For which the Jesuits in France, at general Meeting there, presently resolved to bring him to Justice, and take off his Head by the power of their Friends in the Army ; as the King himself was certified by an express from thence, and wished to provide against it, but two days before his removal by the Army from the Isle of Wight, in order to his execution.

2ly. They totally set aside and repealed by express Votes and printed Knacks, the very Oaths of Supremacy and Allegiance, as unlawful Oaths, which themselves took and ought to take before they sat or could sit as Members in the Commons House ; by the Statutes of 5 El. c. 2. & 7 Iac. c. 6. which Oaths were specially made (by the great wisdom, care and piety of our Protestant Parliaments, purposely to detect the persons, and prevent the plots, conspiracies, Assasinations, Treasons, Usurpations, and new Gun-powder plots of the Romish Jesuits, popish Priests, Papists, and their Instruments, against the Lives, Crowns, Prerogatives of our Protestant Kings, Princes, their Royal posterity, Realms, Parliaments, our protestant Church and Religion, as the Statutes of 1 Eliz. c. 1. 5 Eliz. c. 1. 3 Jac. c. 4. 7 Iac. c. 6. and other Acts, with King James his Apology for the Oath of Allegiance, and sundry learned Treatises in defense of these Oaths, declare at large: Which Oaths were refused, opposed only by the most Jesuited and desperate Papists, at home and abroad: but approved by the moderatest and loyallest Priests and Lay-Papists who writ in justification of them; and repealed to their greatest joy and advantage, by our Jesuitized zealous Republicans.

3ly. They discharged, absolved themselves, and all other Members, Subjects, Officers, who had taken these Oaths (as most had frequently done) from the future Observation of them, and of their Solemn Protestation, Vow, League, National Covenant, made in pursuance of them; contrary to this express Clause in the Oath of Allegiance, I do believe, and in Conscience am resolved, That neither the Pope, nor any Person whatsoever, hath Power to absolve me of this Oath, or any part thereof, which I acknowledge by good and full Authority to be lawfully administered to me, and do renounce all Pardons and Dispensations to the contrary. And all these things I do plainly and sincerely acknowledge and swear, according to the express words by me spoken, and plain and common sense of the said words, without any equivocation or mental reservation, And I do make this recognition and acknowledgement, Heartily, Willingly, and Truly, upon the Faith of a Christian. Yet these faithless Republicans, who took this Oath as Members, (and several times else upon other occasions) thus atheistically, like so many absolute Popes, against all Laws of Nations, Nature, absolved themselves and all others from it, and set it, with the Oath of Supremacy, Covenant, Protestation, quite aside like old Almanacs out of date.

4ly. Not content herewith, they imposed a new Engagement, diametrically contrary to these Oaths, the Protestation, Vow, Solemn League and Covenant, which everyone must subscribe with his hand, To be true and faithful to their New Common-wealth as established by them, without a King or House of Lord's, putting all English Freemen whatsoever into a New-praemunire, upon a bare suggestion only before proof or conviction, and disabling them to sue in any Court of their Republic, or to receive or enjoy any degree, office, augmentation, or preferment whatsoever Spiritual, Ecclesiastical, Civil, or Military, or sit as Members then (and now again) unless they would publicly subscribe it: Which Engagement thousands of our Godly protestant Ministers, Gentry, Freemen refusing to subscribe, were thereupon barred of their Actions, Executions, Judgments to recover their just Debts, Rights, Inheritances, Goods, Offices; denied their degrees of Learning, ejected out of their Benefices, Headships, Fellowships, Vice-Chancelorships, Augmentations, Offices, Freeholds, Callings, against all rules of Law, Conscience, Justice, Equity, Religion, the Fundamental Laws and Liberties of the Land, their Native Birth-Rights, after all their Contests, Wats, Contributions, Prayers, Fasts, endeavors for their defense: And all by these Free-State-Men. A Tyranny, Treachery, Perjury, Apostasy, transcending any since the Creation, yet most eagerly pursued by them all their Reign, to the utter ruin of many conscientious, honest Protestants, and great rejoicing of all Jesuits and Popish Enemies both at home and abroad.

5ly. The very first Act of Justice they did, by the first Commission of the peace they passed under their New Republican Great Seal for Middlesex, at the first Sessions held under them at Hix-hall, Febr. 1628. was the enlarging of a dangerous Jesuits, and another old seducing Papist, formerly imprisoned in the New prison : the only Acts done in this first Session, as th • se present then informed Mr. Prynne with much regret: Which was seconded with the subsequent enlargement of other Jesuits, Priests, Papists, elsewhere imprisoned: whereas on the contrary they shut up Sir William Waller, Sir Will. Louis, Sir John Clotworthy, Major General Brown, Comissary Coply, Mr. Prynne, Mr. Clement Walker close prisoners in sundry remote Castles divers years together, without any cause expressed, and Mr. Gewen with other Members, several Monthes, and sundry Godly Ministers, Protestants of all sorts throughout the Land, as well Paliamenteers, as former Cavaliers ; yea beheaded Mr. Love, an eminent Protestant Minister, and other Protestants, but not one Papist in their illegal High-Courts of Justice, erected by them, against all our Laws, whiles these Romish Locusts were thus enlarged, unprosecuted, and had free liberty to wander up and down our three Nations, and act what they pleased to work our Kingdoms, Churches, and Religions ruin.

6ly. The first who publicly owned them for a Common-wealth, congratulated this their glorious change, achievement, and entered into a League with them, was the most Catholic K. of Spain, the Popes, Jesuits, chief Patron and Propagator of their Catholic Faith and designs: whose interests they prosecuted during all their Republican domination.

7ly. They entted into a bloody invasive war against their Brethren of Scotland only for owning their rightful Sovereign King CHARLES, after his Fathers beheading, according to their Laws, Oaths, Duties, and Solemn League and Covenant; invaded their Country without any provocaion, slew many thousands of them with fury and cruelty in the Field; starved, destroyed hundreds of them taken prisoners by them, and sold others of them into foreign plantations for Slaves; imprisoned, sequestered, banished most of their zealous Godly Protestant Ministers, Nobles, Gentry; took all their Cities, Castles, Forts, Amunition, Arms, conquered, inthralled their whole Kingdom, put them under intolerable Taxes, Tributes, and Iron-yokes of armed Governors, Garrisons still continued amongst them to our cost. destroyed their presbyterial and civil Government; and for an everlasting Monument of this their barbarous unbrotherly kindness, and gratitude towards them for their former assistances, not only kept Solemn public Thanksgiving-Days throughout their Republic for their Slaughters of and Victories over them, but hanged up all their Ensigns in Westminster Hall, and transported all their Records close prisoners to the Tower of London, where they yet continue.

8ly. They instigated the Dutch to set aside the Prince of Orange his Family, and put them out of the superior Commands, places of Trust, they formerly merited and enjoyed, out of malice to the beheaded Kings Progeny ; mutined the States against each other, and then entted into a most costly, bloody, dangerous, unchristian War with those our old Protestant Friends and Allies, continuing all their Regency, to the loss of many thousands of gallant Protestants lives, the ruin of sundry Familyes, the great weakening, impoverishing of both Nations, the scandal, detriment of the Protestant Religion, the griefs of all foreign Protestant Churches. the great joy and advantage of both our professed Popish Adversaries, and King of Spain especially; who long since designed both our ruins, by these very practices, prescribed to him by campanella in direct words, as those who please may read at large, in his Book De Monarchia Hispanica, c. 25. & 27.

9ly. They freely permitted (if not encouraged) all their Republican Government, Diurnallists in their News-Books, and those scurrilous, gross Impostors, Lily, Culpepper, and other Prognosticators in their Almanacs, besides sundry other Scriblers insufferably to revile and rail against our Oxthodox, Godly, Protestant Ministers, especially Presbyterians, to prophecy their downfull extirpation, execution, banishment, the utter ruin of them, their Tithes, Glebes, Presbytery, to incense both Soldiers and people to disown their Ministry, detain their Tithes, revile, abuse their persons, as being worse than any Priests, Jesuits, and greater Enemies, Traitors to their Republic than they, (who readily complied with it as a Child of their own begetting.)

Xly. They permitted many thousands of Popish Primers and other Books to be freely imported, and above thirty thousand Popish and Atheistical pamphlets of all sor • s, against our Church, Religion, Ministers, to be printed and vended in England without control, as the London-Stationers (moved out of Conscience) declared and published to them in their Beacon fired 1652. and Sciatilla, which Book was presently answered by the Beacon quenched, subscribed by Colonel Pride (the new Faux ) and other Army-Officers, (though writ by a Jesuit as Mr. Prynne was credibly informed) and presented to those then sitting at Westminster, erecting them against the Stationers and their Beacon fired, as a New- Gunpowder-plot, to blow up the Army, Parliament, and New Common wealth, though a true, honest, harmless, pious, timely Discovery of the Papists and Jesuits designs to blow up our Religion, Church, Ministry, Amongst other popish Books then printed, Mr. Prynne met with one as far as Pendennis Castle in Folio, inittuled, The Holy Court, written by Edmund Causin a Jesuit, translated into English by Jesuits, dedicated to our Queen Mary, and the Duchess of Buckingham, printed in London by William Bentley, 1650. and sold by John Williams in Paul's Church-yard, as the Title page attests, having the Jesuits Badge, and S. J. (Societatis Jesu ) in Capitals printed in its front. In which Folio Book (consisting of divers Tomes) Tom. 1. p. 30 to 38.63, 64, 68, 74, 75. Tom. 2. p. 168. Tom. 3.425 to 430.461, 462. Tom. 5.173, 174.304 to 319. and other pages, The Popes Supremacy, prayer to Saints and Angels, Purgatory, Mass, Transubstantiation, and all other points of grossest popery were not only maintain • , assered▪ but our very Protestant Religion branded for Heresy, our late Queen Elizabeth, our Ministers and all other Professors of it reviled, censured for damnable Heretics, as Mr. Prynne then observed.

11ly. Themselves in divers of their printed Declarations, Knacks, and their Instruments in sundry Books, (as John Goodwin, Markham, Needham, Melton, and others,) justified, maintained, the very highest, worst, treasonablest, execrablest, of all Popish and Jesuitical, Unchristian tenets, practices, Treasons, as the murdering of Christian Protestant Kings, (under the notion of Tyrants) the blowing up of Parliaments, the subverting of Kingdoms, the altering of all settled Laws, Governments, the forcible usurpation of others Crowns, Honors, Officers, Estates, without Right or Title, by force, murder, treachery, the breach of, dispensation with, absolution from all sacred Oaths, Leagues, Covenants, Promises, Contracts, rebellion, against all lawful Superiors, and the open Violation of the 5, 6, 8, 9 & 10. moral Commands of God himself, under the pretences of public Justice, Necessity, Self-preservation, Reformation, Religion, public good, safety, advancement of the Gospel and Kingdom of Jesus Christ, repaid with their own ejection.

12ly They closed in an offensive and defensive League with Owen Ro Oneal, and the popish Irish bloody Rebels, against Marquess Ormond, Inchequin, and the Protestant party there who had been the Parliaments chief Generals and Officers, against the Rebels; in opposition to Monarchy; and when (to couler the odium of it) Col Monk was questioned in the House for making this League with them, as done without their privity; and one of them moved, That he might be committed for it to the Tower ; that famous Saint Henry Martin, stood up and reto • ted, T • at he desired the Tower might be rather committed unto him for t • is good service : What high places of trust by Sea and Land he hath been advanced to since for this service, is very well known; whereas Marquess O • mond, the Lord Inchequin, and other Protestants in Ireland, who faithfully served the Parliament against the Irish Rebels, and bare the brunt of the first wars against them, were yet the very first persons excepted in their printed Catalogues, and News-Books, from all manner of pardon or composition either for their Lives or Estates, and are quite stripped of all their Lands in Ireland, out of odium unto Monarchy, the Kings posterity. And all this to advance the Protestant Religion and Christ's Kingdom by and under their New Jesuitical Republic, the quite contrary way.

These 12. particulars, like so many true, good, honest sworn Grandlury-men, impanelled by Mr. Prynne, out of mere zeal to his native Countries, Church, Religions preservation, will give in a true impartial verdict, whose proper child, our New Commonwealth, whose Instruments the Guardians of it, but Goalers of all our liberties under it, have been and now are again, and whose works they do. He shall subjoin a few sad Observations of like nature, during their Infant Republics second wardship under their late Protector, to promote the Protestant Cause and Religion.

1. His making peace with the Hollander after he had dismounted the Republican Grandees to set up himself in their places; was in itself a Christian, pious, prudent, and commendable Act, beneficial to both Nations. But if the principle motives of it were, a vast sum of money from the Dutch, put into his private purse (as some report;) or a desire to eclipse the Honor, power of the Prince of Orange, their chief Protector and his Family; to banish the late Kings Royal posterity, and Adherents out of the Netherlands, and leave them no subsistence, nor being there amongst Protestants of our and their Religion, to force them to seek new Quarters amongst Jesuits, Papists, and cast themselves wholly on their Charity, on purpose to pervert them in their Religion, and destroy both their Souls & Bodies at once, which is visible and irre • ragable, they being all actually exiled thence by special Articles upon the peace with the Dutch. What Protestant can think upon it but with horror, as the highest Act of Impiety, cruelty, barbarism, injustice, uncharitableness, and malice ever yet recorded of any professors of Christianity in the Protestant Religion.

2ly. His quarrelling with the King of Spain, in hopes to gain his Indian Mines, and sending such a Fleet, with so many thousand English Protestants and Soldiers thither, upon the bare project of Gage, a Jesuited professed Papist and Spainiolized Priest, who had lived there sundry years under the Spanish King as a Priest, (all whose family and relations have been desperate popish enemies to our Religion. King, Kingdoms ) with the disasterous success and fruits thereof, to the expense of such vast sums of our own Treasure, the loss of so many thousand protestant Soldiers, Mariners, and undoing, endangering of our other American plantations; if rightly weighed, was in truth rather a Spanish and Iesuitish plot to ruin us and our religion, than to advance them; as Mr. Prynne at first reputed them, predicting the ill event before it happened.

3ly. His closing with France and the French Cardinal Mazarine, upon the breach with Spain, of purpose to banish poor distressed K. Charles (whom he drove out his 3 Protestant Kingdoms, banished out of Holland: (deprived of all charitable supplies or hopes of relief from either for his necessary subsistence;) and banish his Brother the Duke of York who had a command & great repute in the French Army, with all their Dependents out of France too, that he might the more securely establish himself and his posterity in their hereditary Kingly power, dominions, and leave them no place to hide their heads in, (the effect, and chief end of that peace;) and that in pursuit of Cardinal Richelieus forementioned Instructions to ruin our Monarchy, Kingdoms, and work his infernal designs against us,) was such an inhumane, unchristian policy, as very ill accords with our Savior's express precepts, Mat. 5.44. &c. Lu. 6.27, &c. Rom. 12.20, 21. But I say unto you, love your Enemies: Therefore if thy Enemy hunger feed him, if he thirst give him drink: Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with goodness. And a President hardly paralleled.

Alas how shall the memorable Heroic charity, generosity, piety, justice, of our Norman Conqueror King William, (censured by this new Conqueror and his Army Saints, as the worst of Tyrants in sundry Pamphlets;) and of his Sons, William Rufus, and Henry 1. towards Edgar Atheling Heir to the English Crown after the death of Edward the Confessor (when he took it from him by the Sword, under pretext of King Edwards last Will, and being next Heir to him in blood, not as a Conqueror by war:) Who though after his Oath of Homage, Fealty, and Subjection to William, twice set up, as Heir to the Crown, by the English Nobility in opposition to him, twice routed by him in the Field, driven into Scotland, and quite left destitute of forces, friends and supplies to gain the Crown ; yet upon his repair to him in Normandy, without any precedent Articles for his security, Anno 1069. he not only pardoned his former insurrections, but gave him a large gratuity, entertained and lodged him in his own Court divers years, allowing him a pound of Silver for his honorable maintenance every day (a great sum in that Age:) After which when he desired to go into Apulia to the holy wars, Anno 1089. he furnished him with many Ships and 200 Soldiers : whence he returning after the loss of Robert his chief Commander and best men, though the Emperors of Greece and Germany whom he visited in his recesse thence, honourably received, and proffered to entertain and maintain him in their Courts according to the greatness of his birth all his life time; yet he contemning all their proffers, out of a desire to enjoy his native Country, returned into England, where he was courteously entertained by William the Conqueror as before, till his death. After which Edgar siding with, Robert Duke of Normandy his eldest Son, against William Rufus the younger: he thereupon Anno 1091. deprived him of all the honors conferred on him by Robert, and banished him out of Normandy into Scotland : But afterwards upon the accord between the 2 Brothers touching the Crown, and peace with Scotland, he was reconciled to King Rufus, and returned into England, where he lived securely without the least restraint; and was in so great favor with Rufus, that in the year 1097. he sent him as General into Scotland with an Army to restore his Nephew Edgar Son of Malcomb (who married Edgars Sister) to the Crown, which his Uncle Dufnald had invaded after Malcombs death, to expel Dufnald, and make Edgar King. Which having effected, he returning again into England, lived there quietly without the least danger or restraint all Rufus his reign, and some years under King Henry the first, betaking himself in his old Age to a retired private Country life, and died in peace, as our Historians then living record. Oh that there were the like Charity, Ingenuity, Christianity, Piety in the Saints of this Iron Age, against whom these 3. first Norman Kings shall rise up and condemn in the day of judgment, when Christ himself will pronounce this heavy sentence against them for all their pretended Saint-ship : Depart ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels, for I was an hungered and you gave me no meat, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, (no not out of my large hereditary Revenues of three Kingdoms you have forcibly invaded against your Oatht;) I was a Stranger and you took me not in, (no not into my own Protestant Realm, Court, out of which you thrust me by violence, neither would you permit those of Holland and France, where I was a Stranger to take me in, but enforced them to banish and cast me out after their former entertainment of me as a stranger,) I was naked, but ye clothed me not, (but stripped me and mine stark naked out of our Inheritances, Wardrobes, and all we had,) sick and in prison, (into which you cast both me and mine) and you visited me not, yea made it High Treason for any to do it, or so much as to pray for me in this my distressed condition, notwithstanding God's own Evangelical precepts to the contrary, 1 Tim. 2.1, 3. 1 Pet. 2.17. Acts 10.5, 12. 2 Cor. 1.9, 10, 11. 2 Thes. 3.1, 2. Rom. 15.30, 31, 32. If the most righteous and charitable Saints shall scarcely be saved in this great day, O where shall these ungodly, unrighteous, uncharitable, and transcendently malicious Sinners (not Saints) appear? O that they would sadlie consider it and repent thereof, as the only means to avoid this fatal doom of Christ at the last day. This truth they cannot, dare not deny with their Tongues, but they contradict it by their lives,

O that our Harpyes and Beasts of prey, (who have obliterated the tenth Commandment out of all their Decalogues as the Papists have done the second) would lay it close to heart, being Saint Augustine's 21. Sermon to them, as well as Mr. Prynne's: The rather, because the night before O. Cromwell Pro. died, Mr. Prynne then being at Swainswick near Bath (having never dreamed of him before) dreamt he was dangerously sick at Bath, and that he then sent a special Messenger to him importunatly desiring, he would presently repair to Bath, for he was very sick, and desired much to speak with him : Whereupon (though he never saw him since 1647.) he presently went to Bath: where finding him lying on his bed, he told Mr. P. he was very sick, and had sent for him to tell him what he should do in this condition. Mr. Prynne thereupon forthwith answered, That he could give him us better nor other Counsel than that of Saint Augustine (asserted by all Divines as an undoubted truth) Non Remittetur peccatum nist restitnatur ablatum : That there was no remission of Sin without full restitution of Rapine: Therefore he must forthwith restore the banished King to his Crown and Kingdoms, of which he had most unjustly deprived him; the Parliaments to its just rights, freedoms, and privileges, which he had utterly subverted; and the people to their fundamental Laws, Liberties, Properties, of which he had most unjustly and perfideously defrauded them more than any man, against his Oaths, trust, duty, under pretext of defending them; repent of all the blood he had shed▪ and mischief he had done; then there was hope of mercy and pardon for him both from God and Men, otherwise there was none at all for ought he knew. At he standing mute, as much amazed, without any Reply, Mr. Pr· thereupon departed, without more words; and the next morning told this dream to his Sister, and sundry others, telling them he was confident he should hear some strange news of Cromwell very speedily, since he never dreamed of him before; and within three days after he heard of his death about 12. hours after his dream. O that all other Usurpers of others Estates, Offices, Lands, places, by blood and rapine, would sadly consider of it, and make real restitution of them before they die! then would our peace be soon restored without war or bloodshed: and their souls saved; which else in all probability will be damned, without real restitution when possible to be made.

4. His relieving, interceding for the massacred persecuted Protestant Albigenses in Piedmont, charitable Collections for them and others, was a Christian work, worthy applause: But his giving just provocation to Popish Princes abroad, by the Jesuits instigation, to extirpate their Religion, as a very Seminary of Treason, Sedition, Rebellion ; and to massacre, eradicate them as a Company of Traitors, Antimonarchists, Regicides, Hypocrites, Rebels, and Seditious persons ; from his own and his Confederates Antimonarchical principles, practices, Treasons, Rebellions of this kind, both against their King, Parliament, Monarchy, their confederated Brethren of Scotland and their K • ng, as being all of one Religion, persuasion; his accommodating the King of Spain with whole Regiments of bloody Irish Papists, who had embrewed their hands in so much Protestant blood in Ireland, and were the chief Instruments in murdering these poor Protestants; his negligence in examining the misimployment of this and other Collections under him for distressed foreign Protestants; the greatest part of which are yet in the Collectors hands, or diverted otherwise. Was in truth but first to kill, wound, plunder; and then relieve them when too late.

5. His Confederacy with the King of Sweden to invade the Kingdom of Poland, and usurp that Crown by force, (without right or colorable Title,) upon pretext to advance the Protestant cause, relieve the Protestant Churches & propagat the Gospel there ; had some specious show of zeal to Religion: But to do apparent evil, that good might come of it ; to engage in such a war to propagat the Gospel of peace, which ended in the total extirpation of all the Protestants and their Churches in Poland, whence they are now totally extirpated, as himself related in his Briefs, papers for their over-late relief: and produced a new bloody war (wherein he also sided with him) against the King of Denmark, a Protestant King, the Marquess of Brandenburgh, the Dutch, and other our Protestant allies, sadly divided against each other, in late bloody battles by Land & Sea, to the endangering of all the Protestant Churches throughout the world, and engaging them all in a New War, and our three N • tions (in all probability) against our Protestant Brethren, (now the Popish Kings are reconciled, and ready to destroy us all) being broken in pieces amongst ourselves, impoverished, butchered by one another, rather like savage beasts, than men or Christians; and that in direct pursuance of Campanellius, Richelieus, and other Jesuited Plots, who expressly write: That the Catholics are to use all arts and means to divide the Protestants, Lutherans, Calvinists, and Sectaries one from and against each other, by various arts and means, and all occasions laid hold of for that purpose, that they may with more ease oppress, destroy them all; and that they ought not to neglect the opportunity to accomplish their utter extirpation when their monies are exhausted, their forces weakened, and they divided by their intestine wars. The best means being thus to destroy them by themselves, till they (like the Kite in the Fable) shall devour the Frog and Mouse together, during their combats with each other; Was such a Machiavilian Policy to advance the Protestant cause, as Mazarine and the Jesuits suggested to him on purpose to effect their ruin; as all Wise men, and his own Creatures now over-late discern: and Bedlam Hugh Peters in his Letter to a Great Army-Officer, the 10th of this instant May.

6. His endeavor to bring in the Jews with their Synagogues and Jewish Ceremonies, under a pretended hopes of their long-desired Conversion, but • eal intended expectation to finger Two hundred thousand pounds of their gold at present, and all the rest in future when transplanted ; to set up their Antichristian Judaism, in direct contradiction to our Savior Jesus Christ ; and at the very self-same time, by his printed Declaration 24 Novemb. 1655. and private Instructions to his New Basha's (or Major Generals) to eject, silence at one blow (without conviction, hearing, or the least legal proceeding) many hundreds of Ministers, Schoolmasters, Scholars of the late Kings party (though learned, orthodox, godly, pious, peaceable, formerly indemnified and admitted to exercise their functions) and prohibit them anymore to preach, marry, administer the Sacrament, pray, teach School in any public place, or private meeting of any other persons, than those of their own family, or in any Gentlemens houses as Chaplains or Tutors to their Children, under pain of 3 Moneths imprisonment for the first, 6 months for the 2d. and perpetual banishment for the 3d Offence: And to punish them as Rogues and Vagrants, if they wandered abroad to beg their bread, on purpose to starve both them, their wives, families, or enforce them to fly into foreign Popish Realms, (being excluded out of the Netherlands) and there turn Papists to preserve their lives ; when all Priests, Jesuits, Sectaries whatsoever, and Jews themselves had so much Liberty under him; Was such a transcendent Barbarism, Impiety, and High way to extirpate our Religion, (as pious learned Archbishop Usher told him when he mediated for their liberty, and could not prevail, as he told Mr. Prynne and others with tears, which brake his heart soon after) as the Pope, and Jesuits themselves could not have invented the like; and exceeded all foreign persecutions against Protestant Ministers in Piemont, Bohemia, and Silesia, by Popish Princes, being of a different Religion, but be a pretended Protestant Zealot.

7. His Extending not only his Toleration but real Protection to all Sects whatsoever, except POPERY and PRELACY, and passing the late Bill 1657. (put on by the Presbyterians) against Papists, might savor of some disgust against those of the Romish Religion: But his extraordinary intimacy with Cardinal Mazarine, Sir Kenelm Digby a most dangerous Jesuited Papist lodged by him in Whitehall, (a chief Instrument of the union between him and Mazarine, ) and sundry other Papists, Jesuits, Popish Priests: His suspending all penal Laws, Executions against Popish Priests, Jesuits, though sometimes taken in their pontificalibus at Mass, and soon after released: His protections under hand and seal to sundry of them, particularly to Maurice Coury, Provincial of the Franciscans in England : Their coming over in greater swarms of later times, than ever heretofore, without restraint, as himself printed as well as declared in his public Speeches: His endeavors to stop the late Bill against Papists the very morning he was to pass it, by his Whitehall Instruments, who moved its suspension for a time, as not suiting with present Forein correspondencies ; (against whom it was carried by 88. Votes, That it should be carried up with the rest then passed: ) With the Copy of his Letter to Card: Mazarine, (in many good hands, affirmed to be real not counterfeit) excusing his passing this Bill, as carried on by a violent Presbyterian party much against his with yet it should not hurt them though passed, &c. which accordingly fell out: The large expressions made to those of Dunkirkin his name by their Gov: Lockert, to protect them in the full and free exercise of their Romish Religion as amply as ever the King of Spain did: with other particulars of that nature: And his great encouraging of all sorts of Sects headed, acted by disguised Jesuits, Priests, Friers, as M. P. hath elsewhere fully evidenced: Are demonstrations beyond all exceptions; what an Advancer he was of the true Protestant cause and Religion.

8. His undermining, subverting all our Fundamental Laws, Liberties, Properties, (and Parliaments too) in the highest degree, by his own and his Army-Officers, Councils, new printed Folio Ordinances, Instruments, Taxes, Excises, High Courts of Injustice, Major Generals Commissions, Instructions, Proceedings, by committing sundry persons Close prisoners (some of them to foreign Islands) without any cause expressed, legal trial or conviction dive • s months, years, by warrants under his own or his Councils hands: His stopping returns of Habeas Corpora, when granted, or removing the Prisoners to new remote prisons: His seising, securing the persons, horses, arms of thousands, and banishing them from London time after time, upon mere forged Plots, Fears: His disbenching his own Judges for not complying with his illegal will: His oft styling MAGNA CHARTA, MAGNA FARTA with highest indignation: Committing 3. Lawyers to the Tower at once as Traitors, for daring to argue an Habeas Corpus against his illegal Commitment, and Whitehall Ordinance for Excise in Conyes case (a president not to be paralleled:) his prohibiting all Lawyers, Solicitors, Judges, and Courts of Justice whatsoever under him, to plead, act, or admit any proceedings, or legal trial at Law against his illegal Ordinances and absolute commands, under pain of his highest indignation: His defrauding most Patrons of their livings and lapsing them, (by his own Ordinances, Instruments) into his own hands, refusing their honestest, ablest Clerks, without any cause assigned, and denying them the benefit of Quare Impedits after judgment given upon them by his own Judges. All these are clear demonstrations to Mr. P. beyond contradiction; That our Infant Commonwealth both in its birth, growth, progress under its old Guardians, and New Protector, was but the Jesuits, Popes, Spaniards, Mazarines, and our Popish Enemies new Creature, and Instrument to ruin our Protestant Church, Religion, King, kingdoms, Laws, Liberties: The very name of Magna Charta itself (for which our ancestors heretofore spent so much blood and treasure in reality, and we of late only in pretence) being so exec • able to our New Free-States men, that in September 1650. it was expunged out of a Petition M. P. drew for Mr. Luttrel, (to • ave Dunster Castle the habitation of him and his ancestors, from being pulled down over his head before hearing or Notice, by an Order issued for that purpose and put in execution) to John Bradshaw and their Free-State Council at Whitehall, by their Attorney Prideaux order, because it would distaste them: and a Great Fart was more savory to Olivers red nose than it: all in pursuance of the Jesuits old Plot: as you have heard out of Watson's Quodlibets: This M.P. shall a little infist on, because of a present design against our Laws now eagerly pursued.

The late Parliament in above one hundred Declarations, Ordinances, Orders, Votes, made this their principal Charge against the Kings Jesuitical Counselors, and the Popish Forces raised by him, against the Parliament, that they endeavored the subversion and extirpation of our ancient fundamental Laws & Government: and that one of the chiefest causes of their taking up arms and raising Armies against them, was for the necessary defense and preservation of these ancient Good old Laws and Liberties, (the Inheritance and Birthright of every English Freeman) whereby not only his Majesty's Regal Authority, but the Peoples security of Lives, Lands, Livings, Privileges, Liberty, (both in general and particular) are preserved and maintained, and by the abolishing, innovating or alteration of which, it is impossible but that present confusion will fall upon the whole State and Frame of this Kingdom : as the whole Parliament of 1 Jacobi ch. 2. expressly declared long since in the Prologue of that Act, the late long Parliament in sundry Declarations ; Yea King Charles himself in his Declaration by advice of his Council, to all his Subjects, Dec. 15. 1641. Exact Collect: p. 28, 29. his Answer to the Lord's and Commons Petition, April 9. 1642. Ibid. p. 140. to their Declaration May 4. 1642. p. 163, 164. and elsewhere, the Defense whereof against invasion, subversion, he made the ground of raising Forces against an Anabaptistical party & faction in the Parliament, intending to subvert and extirpate them root and branch, as you may read at large: Ib. p. 326, 443, 451, 514, 515, 555, 556, 561, 562, 579, 619. A Collection of Ordinances, p. 28, 38, 39, 116, 117. Yet notwithstanding all these Parliament Declarations and Commissions in pursuance of them; the Army-Officers, Soldiers, by the Jesuits suggestions, have been so far intoxicated, as to attempt the utter subversion and extirpation both of our Laws (and Lawyers too) for whose defense they were principally raised, in pursuit of Father Parsons forementioned design, under pretext of reforming them: though the bare indirect attempt to subvert them in a far inferior degree, was adjudged HIGH TREASON in Straffords and Canterburies cases, for which they both lost their Heads AS TRAYTORS, and in the Case of the Ship-money Judges in the long Parliament.

That they have prosecuted this design in England to subvert our Fundamental Common Laws, and Great Charter of our Liberties, is most apparent by their proceedings in their Mock Parliament, and printed Vote 20 August 1653. Ordered, there should be a Committee selected To consider of a New Body of the Law, and the Government of this Commonwealth: Compared with A True state of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland, &c. printed 1654. p. 15, 16, 17, 18. which assures us, That there was a strong prevailing party in that Assembly, whom nothing would satisfy, But a total eradication of the whole Body of the Good Old Laws of England, (the Guardians of our Lives and Fortunes) to the utter subversion of Civil Right and Propriety, &c. And our two Jesuitical Prognosticators were so confident of it (as if the Stars in heaven had concurred herein with the Jesuits and Anabaptistical Conventicle then on earth) that in their scurrillous Prognostications they predicted the downfall not only of all our Ministers, and their Tithes, but of our Laws and Lawyers, Prognosticating, in the months of January, February, September, October, and December 1654. That the Laws & Lawyers of the Nation should be pulled down to the ground; That the Great Charter itself should be called into question with other Liberties, as not suiting with English men's brains at this time ; That the Crabtree of the Law should be plucked up by the roots to hinder the future growth thereof; There being no reason are should now be governed by the Norman Law, since the Norman Race is taken away by the same instrument (the sword of Conquest) which brought it in. They are the very words of these false Prognosticators, who have many such like passages in them both before and since. Which, compared with the late speeches of many Common Soldiers: That there should be no more Terms in Westminster Hall: That they hoped very speedily to see not only the Lawyers gowns, but the Lawyers themselves hanged up over the Courts in Westminster Hall, where the decayed Scots colors hung, to supply their vacant places: That it would be a goodly sight, to see all the Trees in St. James's Park hung with Lawyers and their gowns ; with sundry such like speeches, since May 6. 1659. All these compared together, (with what Mr. Prynne hath frequently heard the Soldiers say during his near 3. years close Imprisonment under them, and their New Republic in Dunster, Taunton, and Pendennys Castles) That they hoped ere long to see and leave neither one Lawyer, nor Parish Priest throughout England, Nor yet steeple, steeple-house or Bells, which they would sell, or cast into Ordinance to fight against the Dutch, &c. with some Petitions and Pamphlets now on foot to the like tune; and the Army-Officers fresh Proposal, to those now sitting and their Votes thereon; for the reformation of our Laws, &c. Are an infallible evidence to him, that all our former, late, and present changes of this Nature, for which this formerly ejected Repvblican Conventicle is now reassembled, are the mere proiections of the All-swaying Jesuits, to work our Laws speedy ruin. It being their professed practice even in other foreign Popish kingdoms, to subvert their fundamental Laws, especially those which concern the inheritance, succession of the Crown, and Liberties of the Subjects; for which take these two Testimonies even from foreign Papists themselves. The 1. in that memorable Peece, Consilium de recuperanda et in posterum stu • ilienda Pace Regni P • loniae per Iesuitarum ejectionem, presented to the Parl. of Poland, An. 1607. out of which they were soon after banished. Hic autem vos notare velim ejusdem pestis Iesuitici non minorem efficatiam esse in oppugnanda et expugnanda Republica, e • terendis Legibus, quoties nempe sentiunt, se ab his, in instituta sua venatione, impediri. Et quod ad Leges attinet, hae politicae tineae, Illas praecipue arrodere consue verunt et exedere; quibus jus successionis in regno continetur, Libertasque et Pax publica firmatur. Which he proves by several prefidents of their shaking abolishing the very fundamental Laws of this Nature, in France, Hungary, Styria, Austria, Carinthia, and elsewhere: and that with such success, ut obtritis Legibus quibus praedictarum Nationum libertas nitebatur, partem earum penitus appresserint, partem ad extremam desperationem adigererint: In praedictis Provinciis alicubi Illustribus et Antiquissimas Nobilitatis Familiis publice diem dictum esse intra quem se, aut coram Iesuitarum Tribunali sistant, aut relictis patriis sedibus alio migrent. And is not this the sad, desperate condition of many ancient Noble Protestant Families, Knights, Gentlemen and others, both in England, Ireland, Scotland, and of the Royal Protestant Family, since our late Warrs, Changes of Government, Parliaments, and extirpation of all our Fundamental Laws, Liberties, Properties, by the Jesuits and their Instruments? O let our whole Nation and Republican Members too (once shamefully ejected by those now calling them in) consider, consider, consider this over and over, and lay it close to heart: least closing with the Jesuits now again in this New Convention, as they assuredly did in the Old since December 1648. till April 1653. they incur that sad fate of King Henry the 4th of France ; who after the execution of some and banishment of all Jesuits out of France, upon John Castles one of their disciples stabbing him in the cheek, with an intent to murder him; and afterwards recalling, favoring, flattering them by building a stately College for them, entertaining one of them for his Confessor, and bequeathing his very heart unto them, to be interred with them after his death, together with a very large Legacy of Plate and Lands ; yet they soon after procured their desperate Assassinate and Disciple Ravilliac to stabb him to the heart, in the open street in Paris, An. 1610. A Just reward for his neglect, contempt of his Parliaments timely admonitions in sundry Remonstrances presented to him, never to trust or recall them more; and the notable Epigram against the Jesuits, tendered to him by a true Philopater, Anno 1603. wherein there is this memorable passage in relation to their subversion of all ancient Fundamental Laws.

M. Prynne considering all these particulars, and knowing that this sudden re-assembly of the old ejected Republican M • mbers, now fitting, originally proceeded from the Jesuits projection, solicitation, and Anabaptistical Sectarian party formerly combining with them, in all their proceedings against the late King, (at whose execution the Queens own Conf • ssor was present in a Soldiers habit, flourishing his sword when his head was off as well as other Jesuits, Popish Priests, overjoyed with that spectacle) the secluded Members, the House of Lord's, and transformation of our Kingdom into a Commonwealth, to accomplish their remaining designs, left unfinished; pro • ected in terminis by Father Parsons and the Jesuits, and violently pursued in the short Mock-Parliament nominated at Whitehall by the Army-Officers themselves, 1653. viz: To eradicate the National Church, Ministers, Ministry of England, Advowsons, Tithes, Glebes, with Parochial Churches, Chapels, as Antichristian, and leave not one stone of them upon another: Which John Canne (the new-voted Diurnall-man ) in his Voice from the Temple, then dedicated to them, particularly excited them to, with all speed and earnestness, as their Generation-work, expected, required of them by God and all the Saints of the Land) To sell all the Crown, Colleges, Universities, and Corporations lands yet remaining, to support and pay the Jesuited Army (kept up so long on purpose to ruin, eat us out.) M. Prynne thereupon, held it his bounden duty, both as a Member, Lawyer, Englishman, and former Patriot of his Countries Liberties, against all Jesuitical Underminers of them and our Protestant Religion, truly & fully to discover the same to the whole English Nation, Army, and those now sitting; and to press it home upon their Consciences by this his Narrative, whether they will hearken to, believe, obey it, or not, since he was forcibly secluded from doing it by Speech: having sufficient warrant, encouragement, and protection for it, (as he apprehends) from God himself, Ezech. 2.4, 5, 6. and Jer. 1.18, 19. For they are hard of face, and stiff hearted; Therefore (Son of man) I do send thee unto them, and thou shalt say unto them, thus saith the Lord. And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious House) yet shall know, that there hath been a Prophet among them. And thou Son of man, be not afraid of them; neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou doest dwell among Scorpions; Be not afraid of their Faces, nor be dismayed at their Looks, though they be a Rebellious House. And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether th • y will forbear. But thou Son of man, hear what I say unto thee (and O that all the seduced Army, Republican Members and their confederates would now hear and obey it too) Be not thou rebellious like that rebellious House. For behold I have made thee this day, a defensed City, and an iron pillar, and brazen walls against the whole Land, against the Princes thereof, and the Priests thereof, and against all the people of the Land (engaged against thee and thy true Good Old Cause) And they shall fight against thee (by sundry scurrillous Pasquils, Petitions, Slanders, Reproaches, and armed secluding Guards) but they shall not prevail against thee. For I am with thee, saith the Lord, (as well now as in all former Engagements, Trials for this Good cause) to deliver thee, The assurance whereof hath made him so resolute, as singly by himself, to encounter an whole armed Host and House, at once, and throuh God's blessing to rout them in a manner by his bare presence, and their Good Old Cause in a great measure by his single Opposition: The sole praise whereof he desires to render wholly and solely to the Lord of Hosts, and God of the Spirits of all Flesh, and not in any kind or part to himself, a mere worm and not a man, an earthen V • ssel: yea one of the weak, base, despised things of the world, and a thing that cannot, whom yet God can and may make use of, to confound the things that are mighty, and to bring to naught things that are, that no Flesh shall glo • y in his presence, and that the excellency of the power might be of God and not of him ; who hath promised, that One of his faithful people shall chase a thousand, and two, put ten thousand to flight, (in a true Good Old Cause and Quarrel) for the Lord their God be it is that fighteth for them as he hath promised. What then might all the secluded Members and old Lord's House do, and all the well affected Orthodox Protestants in our three Nations, had they but hearts, wisdoms, courage to join their Counsels and endeavors together, ( according to their Solemn League and Covenant) to vindicate their true Old Cause and Parliamentary privileges, against all inconsiderable Oppugners and Subverters of them.

Mr. Prynne ; having neither Wife nor Child to provide for, not much to care for, and never yet desiring any New Office, Advancement or Employment in this present world, nor receiving the least reward for all his faithful public services, nor recompense for his manifold losses, sufferings, expenses for the Public to whom he hath ever been a faithful unmercinarie Servant, is in good hopes, that the serious perusal of the premises, will convince the Good Old Cause now cried up, to be a cheat of the Jesuits put upon the Army, (as Hugh Peters apprehends, stiles it in his Letter, the 10th. of this May, to a chief Officer of the Army,) and also wipe off all the Mis-reports, Scandals, Reproaches, Censures, yea acquit him from the heavy charge of Sedition, Mutiny, Treason, against the Infant House and Republic, cast upon him for his actions or discourses here related, by those who are really guilty of these Crimes in the highest degree, by subverting our ancient Kings, Kingdoms, Kingship, Parliaments, Peers, Privileges, Laws, Liberties, Properties, Oaths, by their Jesuitical plots and innovations, and making a prey of all the public wealth, Lands, Revenues of the Crown, to enrich themselves, and maintain a seditious Army, utterly to devour the small Remainder of our public and private wealth almost drained to the dregs; and bettay us into the hands of our foreign Enemies, when they have left us neither hearts, hands wills, money, nor means, manfully to resist their invading power, and reduced us to that slavery, as rather to live under any foreign Tyrannie, than an oppressing Sword of their own domineering Hirelings. As for the thing they style Sedition, it is but scorsum itio, when a sew confederated Innovators shall separate themselves from the General body or Assembly of the Kingdom, Church, Parliament, House, whereof they are Members, and act a part by themselves, as a divided Republic, Church, Parliament, House, without and against the Generalitie, and true lawful Members, and separate them from their company. And if this be truth, as our Statutes, Lawbooks, Casuists, Canonists, and Historians accord, we shall know in whose Hearts, House Sedition truly dwells. And if Aristotle Aquiuas, Angelus de Clavasio, and p sundry others who write of Sedition, may be credited; He who disturbs the Rule or Government of any unlawful Usurper is no seditious Person, because such a usurped Government or Power is not ordained for the common good, (whatever pretended) but for the private advantage of the Usurper, Therefore the disturbance of such a Usurper hath no • the reason of Sedition ; yea, it is to be commended, because it freeth the Generality of the People from a Tyrannical Power usurped over, or forcibly imposed on them against their wills, and it is the usurping Tyrant only who truly is seditious, as they all define in direct words. And whether Mr. Prynne and other secluded Members and Lord's, being five times their number, or those who seclude them be seditious, let the whole Kingdom resolve.

Mr. Prynne not knowing whether he shall have the like opportunity again; shall for a Conclusion of this Narrative address himself, and direct some things he intended to have spoken.

1. To the Army-Officers and Soldiers, Remember I beseech you in the bowels of Jesus Christ, what your own Army-Chaplain John Sedgewick in his Justice upon the Armies Remonstrance, from St. Albons, Nov. 16. 1648. and Rebukes of that evil Spirit that leads them in their Counsels and Actions, hath written to them therein, and to the Lord Fairfax then General, and the General Counsel of war, in his Epistle Dedicatorie to them, when they first espoused their present Good Old Cause. His words are home and piercing,

O that you would now do so in good earnest, as you pretend only in your Declaration of May 6. 1659. and yet go on still in your former Trespasses, for which God will wound your hairy Scalps. O consider, that Jesus Christ, whose Servants ye pretend to be, is both a King of Glory, & a King of Saints: That the Gospel you profess is the Gospel of the Kingdom, (not Republic) yea, the Kingdom of God, and of Heaven in Gospel-language: Upon which account they are now styled Heirs of the Kingdom, and shall hereafter inherit & possess this Kingdom, receive the Crowns, wear the Royal Robes, sit upon the Thrones provided for them in it. How then have the Enchanters of Rome, Spain, France, so far insatuated your understandings, blinded your Judgments, intoxecated your Brains, perverted your Wills, corrupted your Affections, seared your Consciences, engaged your unralie Passions, as notwithstanding all this, to make you Bedlam mad, against all Kings, Kingship, Kingdoms, Crowns, Scepters, Thrones, Principalites, and Kingly power, as to a abhor, and engage against both the things themselves and their very names, yea to extirpate them root and branch, against his express Evangelical procepts, word and practice of all his Saints in either Testament, to dote upon such a strange Utopian Common-wealth, and new Freestate, the very names whereof, much less the things, you find not once in Scripture in your sense, and never yet read of in the militant or triumphant Church of Christ. Let Mr. Prynne a little expostulate the case with you, not as a Lawyer but as a Christian. Do you indeed believe the Scripture, to be the very will and word of the Great King, the Sovereign Lord, and Judge of all the Earth, and of Jesus Christ, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lord's, and King of Saints, which you are bound in Conscience, under pain of eternal damnation to believe and obey? If not, proclaim it as loud to the world with your Voyces, as you do by your Swords, Actions; and then all will know you in your Native colors, to be no Saints but real Atheists, and all reasonings with you will be in vain. But having better persuasions of you, That you believe the Scripure to be the only rule of your Consciences, Judgments, Lives, both as Soldiers and Christians. Then answer clearly to these interrogations; The Lord of Hosts himself most peremptorilie and precisely commands you, To fear God, honor the King, 1 Pet. 2.17. Rom. 13.7. Yea to fear the Lord and the King, (coupling both these together as inseparable) and not to meddle with those who are given to change, Prov. 24.21. How can, how dare you then dishonor, vilitie, reproach, destroy, both your natural Kings, and Kingship too, without the least fear at all of God or the King, and change them into a New Republican Conventicle? He commands you to subject yourselves to the King as Supreme, both by the Ordinance of God and man, and that for the Lord's sake: and avoiding scandal to Religion, 1 Pet. 2.12, 13. To be subject to the Higher Powers, and amongst them more especially to Kings and Principalities; and that not only for fear of wrath, but for Conscience sake, for these Reasons clearly expressed: Because they are of God, and ordained by God: Because they are the Ministers of God for your good. Because they are God's Avengers to punish you, if you disobey, resist, or do evil; Because they who resist them resist the Ordinance of God, and shall receive to themselves damnation, Rom. 13.1. to 8. Tit. 3.1, 2. With what face, heart, confidence, conscience, then can or dare you, not only not submit, subject yourselves to, but exalt yourselves above, against your lawful Sovereign Kings, and Higher powers, so far as not only to resist, but destroy their Persons, Powers, Kingships, Principalities themselves though God's own Ordinance ? and that out of pretended Zeal and Conscience too; and hope to receive a Crown on Earth, or in Heaven for it, when as God himself denounceth Damnation to you, for your very unwarrantable resistance of them alone, and much more for their destruction, God requires you to make Prayers, Supplications, Intercessions, and giving of thanks first of all FOR KINGS, that YOU may live a peaceable and quiet life (under them) in all Godliness and honesty, for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior. To make prayers to the God of Heaven FOR THE LIFE OF THE KING AND OF THE KINGS SONS, Ezra 6.12, 13. To pray with all the primitive Church and Saints of Cod, Psal. 72.1. Give the King thy Judgment O God, and thy Righteousness unto the Kings Sun: How can, how dare you then, not only neglect these Duties, but prohibit, condemn, punish them, as no less than High Treason in others? and not only fight, but curse, revile, pray against the King, and the Kings Sons too, and take away their lives, livelihoods, instead of praying for them, reputing it both your godliness, honesty, yea a Duty acceptable, and well pleasing unto God: Hear O Heavens, and tremble O Earth at this great impiety; God commands you Eccles. 8.2. To keep the Kings Commandment, and that in regard of the Oath of God: And dare you against all your Oaths of Fealty, Homage, Supremacy, Allegiance, Protestation, League, Covenant, printed Declarations, and your own Propositions 1 August 1647. That the Kings Person (and Royal issue) may be restored to a condition of safety, honor, and freedom in this Nation, without diminution of their personal Rights doth abjure, eradicate King, Kingship, and the Royal Posterity ; that you may no more keep nor obey any of their Superior Commands, and prefer the Commands of any undutiful Army-Officers, (raised only to defend the King and Parliament from all force and violences) before both their Ordinances, Proclamations, Commissions, Votes, to both their ruins? God enjoins you not to Curse the King no not in your thoughts, & not to revile or speak evil of the Ruler of your People, Eccles. 10.20. Exod. 22.28. Acts 23.5. Tit. 32. And can you, like those wicked Idolaters, Isaiah 8.21. Curse your King and your God, and look upward : and like those unjust, carnal, brutish Beasts, (made to be destroyed, and reserved to the day of Judgment to be punished) despise Dominion, speak evil of Dignities, Kings, Kingship, 2 Pet. 9. to 14. Jude 8.9, 10. for which the Cospel itself denounceth, Woe unto you, perishing in the gain-saying of Core, Jude 11 that you shall utterly perish in your own Corruption, and receive the reward of unrighteousness, 2 Pet. 2.12, 13. Christ himself more tha • once enjoins you in the Cospel, To render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, to wit, all his Dues, Tributes, Custom, Fear, Honor, Mat. 22.17, 21. Mar. 12.16, 17. Lu. 20.22, 24, 25. Rom. 13.7. how can or dare you then wrongfully forciblie take away and detain from your rightful King & Caesar, not only all these his Dues and Crown-lands too, but his very Crown & life to boot, & instead of making restitution of them to his Son when he came to demand the fruits of his Fathers Vineyard, do and say with those wicked Husbandmen in the Gospel, Mat. 21.38, 39. Lu. 20.14. this is the Heir come let us kill him, and the Inheritance shall be ours, and cast him out of the Vineyard. O remember the sad doom which Christ himself and all his Auditors have denounced against you for it in these Texts, & Luke 19. 27. then tremble at it. If all these Precepts will not affect nor reform you, Consider, That it hath been the general constant importunate desire of all Nations, and God's own People too, (wherein God himself hath gratified them) to set up Kings to judge, rule them, and fight their battles, Deut. 17.14, 15. 1 Sam. 8.5.19, 20, 22. Jer. 25.18 to 27. For all the people unanimouslie to rejoice, and express their gladness, contentment, satisfaction delight, triumph, at their Kings solemn inaugurations, with Trumpets, Feasts, Shouts, Acclamations; & to echo out this unanimous public Ovation, again and again, God save the King, Let the King live, O King live forever, and to use the self-same expressions in all their private and public Addresses 1 Sam. 11.24. 2 Sam. 16.16. 1 Kings 1.25.34, 39. 2 Kings 11.12. 2 Chron. 23 11. Ezra 6.10. Psal. 72.10, 15. Dan. 2.4. c. 3.9. c. 6.6.21. Mat. 21·5.9. And will you be Antipodes to all other Nations, yea to God's own people in all Ages, and cry out still with united shouts, O do not save but destroy, crucify, behead, extirpate, King and Kingship too; away with them, away with them from the earth, let them never live but die, die, and that for evermore? What madness, what frenzy is this? When the wicked Jews cried out to Pilate against our Savior Jesus Christ, (who was born King of the Jews, Mat. 2.2.) away with him, away with him, crucify him, crucify him. Pilate himself used this Argument to repress their fury, Behold your King, shall I crucify your King. At which they were so non-plussed, that their Chief Priests had no other Answer but this to evade it, We have no King but Caesar, If thou let this Man go thou art not Caesar's Friend, whosoever maketh himself a King speaketh against Caesar: upon which he deli ••• ed him over to them to be crucified. And when Pilate put this Title on his Cross, Jesus of Nazareth, King of the IEWS, the Chief Priests were angry at it, and said to Pilate, write not King of the IEWS, but that he said, I am King of the Jews ; being all convinced, that it was a most barbarous, shameful, inhuman, worse than Jewish act, for any Subjects or people to crucify their lawful King, though in a way of Public Justice; whence the Apostle thus reasons, 1 Cor. 2.8. That had the Princes of this world, (and Jews themselves) known or believed Christ to be their King; they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory, And shall you not prove then far more transcendently impious, treacherous than the worst of Jew, of Mortals ; not only in your former crucifying, beheading your undoubted, known, lawful, hereditary King, which they abhorred to do, but his Kingly Office and Posterity too; if you cry still, away with them, away with them, wittingly, willfully, incessantly, their blood be on us and our Children after us; And will not the wrath of God come upon you and yours to the uttermost for this your high provocation, as it did upon these Jews, if you do not speedily repent of it? 1 Thes. 2.15, 16. It was the loyalty, piety of David, (a Man after God's own heart, a gallanter Commander, Soldier, Conqueror, than the best & greatest of you;) when he was persecuted in the Field by his Sovereign King Saul and his Army, hunted as a Partridge from place to place to take away his life, and had several opportunities to destroy him without danger put into his hands, and was twice importuned by his rude Soldiers to slay him, or permit them to do it; that he rebuked this evil spirit and counsel in them, and gave them this Answer, The Lord forbid that I should do this thing unto my Master, that I should stretch forth my Hand against the Lord's Anointed, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord, destroy him not, FOR WHO CAN stretch forth his hand against the Lord's anointed AND BE INNOGENT: And when the Amalekite brought tidings to him of Saul's death, telling him, that he had slain him by Saul's own command ; and presented him with his Crown and bracelets, expecting a great reward from him for those good tidings, being formerly anointed by God to succeed him: He gave him no other answer nor reward but this; How? wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thy hand to destroy the Lord's anointed? Thy blood be upon thy head, for thy mouth hath testified against thee saying; I HAVE SLAIN THE LORD'S ANOINTED. And he called one of the young men and said, Go near and fall upon him; And he smote him that he died. And David and all the men that were with him • ent their clothes, and lamented with a most pathetical lamentation over Saul ; recorded forever in sacred writ, 2 Sam. 1.12. to the end. The like reward he gave to the murderers of Ishbosheth his competitor, 2 Sam. 4.10, 11, 12. And can you then conceit you were guided by the holy Spirit of God which dwelt in David? Or that you deserve the Title, of men after God's own heart, of Saints, of honorable, pious Commanders, Soldiers, for speaking, declaring, acting against your K. diametrically contrary to him in all these particulars: and glorying in it as your highest praise, valor, Saintship? His tender heart smote him to the quick, for cutting off only the skirt of King Saul's garment privily, (when he refused to offer the least violence to his person, as his Soldiers counseled him) because he had cut off Saul skirt : and will not your Adamantine hearts, ( harder than the nether Milstone) yet smite you with the least compunction for cutting off KING CHARLES HIS HEAD publicly, and parting not only his Garments amongst you, (as the Soldiers did our Savior's, when they crucified him) but his Crown and Kingdoms too? After David succeeded Saul in his Throne, his Captains, Soldiers, People, were so careful to preserve his life from the least appearance of danger, That when he would have gone out to Battle against his rebellious Son Absalom, who usurped the Crown: They answered him, Thou shalt not go forth, for if we fly away or half of us die, they will not set their hearts on us, but now thou art as ten thousand of us; yea they swore to him at another time, Thou shalt no more go out with us to Battle, least thou quench the light of Israel, 2 Sam. 21.17. And when Absalom was slain, All the People were at strife through all the Tribes of Israel, saying, Absalom whom we anointed over us is dead in Battle: Now therefore why speak ye not a word of bringing the King back? Whereupon they earnestly contended who should be the fi • st that should bring back the King, 2 Sam. 19.9, 10, 14, 15, 41, 42, 43. And can you then not only professedly go out to Battle against the King himself and Parliament too, against all Parliament-Votes, O • dinances, Declarations, Commissions, by which you we • e raised, • or their mutual defense : but destroy and slay them both, in cold blood, after the Battle ended by a Friendly Treaty, to prevent all accord between them, and instead of bringing the King again to his Royal City, Parliament, Throne, in peace and safety from the Isle of Wight, not speak one word the • eof, but bring him only back again, to a most disloyal, illegal bloody execution, & not repent of, but persevere in this unparalleled treachery against his son, even after your anointed Absalom (who engaged you in these unsaintly, unsoldierly, Un-English Treasons) by the stroke of God himself is dead, and his Son set aside by yourselves, through divine retaliation? In few words, can it ever be your honor, glory, a Saint • , to be the Instrument • , Executioners of God's wrath and vengeance upon your own Native Kings, Kingdoms, Churches, Country, to oppress, consume, and eat out all their public, private Wealth, Revenues, and burden them with endless Taxes, Excises, to maintain your needless, useless forces, only to over-awe, overturn them all, yea our Parliaments, Laws, Liberties, with your own new-modelled Governments, and Governors too, one after another, till they all be brought to total and final desolation? To do the works of Assyrians, Babylonians, Turks, Goths, Vandals, the Roddes of God's anger, his Battle-axes, the staff of his indignation, to shake, destroy Churches, Kingdoms, Nations, Persons, and make them desolate ; yea worse than the worst of these, who never shoke, destroyed their own Kings, Kingdoms, Countries, but their foreign Enemies or Neighbors, against whom God sent them in his wrath, for their crying provocations, to break them in pieces and tread them down like mire in the Strees? If you repute this your glory, and resolve to persist therein, without speedy and sincere repentance of the mischiefs you have done, consider and read over, over and over again at your leisure, the taunting proverb, severe judgments, divine and final reward, menaced to, inflicted by God himself by an irreversible decree, and irresistable power, upon the King of Babylon himself, his royal Posterity, the City of Babylon, the whole Assyrian Host, Nation, Kingdom, for shaking, destroying, breaking in pieces other Kings, Kingdoms, Nations, and God's own people too for their sins, (as you have served your own Kings, Kingdoms, Churches, Parliaments, Nations, Laws, Liberties, against all Oaths, and Obligations, to the contrary) recorded at large in sacred writ, Isaiah, 14.4. to 30· c. 31.8, 9. Jer, 50.17, 18. ch. 51. throughout. And then sleep quietly in your Beds, and bless yourselves in these your successful Wickednesses if you can; in respect of your present earthly prosperity, or your Posterityes after you. As for your eternal Estate in another World, consider that dismal Text, Psal. 92.6, 7. A brutish man knoweth not, neither doth a Fool understand this: when as the wicked spring as the Grass • , and when all the workers of Iniquity do flourish, it is that they shall be destroyed forever. & Ps. 9.16, 17. It hath been your business of late years, and now again, (after your seeming repentance for it in your new Declaration, May 6.) to shut our Kings, Lord's, honestest faithfullest Members of the Commons House out of Parliament, and forcibly to seclude them when they knocked for entrance, yea to cast some of them into Hell, and other Prisons for discharging their Trusts, and Mr. Prynne beyond all others. O take heed, that when you shall come t • knock at Heaven Gates for entrance, and cry, Lord, Lord, open unto us, you receive not that Answer recorded in the Gospel from Christ himself; I tell you, I know you not whence you are, Depart from me all ye workers of Iniquity into the lowermost Hell, and everlasting chains of Darkn • sse, where there shall be weeping and gnashing of Teeth; when you shall see Abraham, Isaac (yea the secluded Mem • ers) in the Kingdom of God, (which no Murderers, Rebelli • us, S • ditio • s, Unrighteous Covetous Persons, Plunderers, Traitors, n • P • rnitious D • stroyers, S • bverters of Kings, Kingdoms, Parliaments, shall inherit,) and yourselves shut out forever.

You all pretend you are setting up Christ's Kingdom, and propagating his Gospel amongst us by your Arms, Swords, Pistols, and Army Predicants: But we read in the Gospel, •

But that ever they did set up Christ's Kingdom, and propagate the Gospel by their Swords and Arms otherwise than this, the Gospel itself is silent: Yea God himself in precise terms resolves, Never was the Kingdom, Gospel, Church of Jesus Christ promoted, advanced in any Age or place by war, & Swordmen; but many Churches have been utterly destroyed, extirpated, depraved, corrupted; none ever edified, planted enlarged, much less reformed by them. Our present Army-Saints, and new Military-Apostles by their fighting, praying, preaching, fasting, instead of promoting the Gospel, Protestant Religion, and Church of England, have almost totally subverted them, by broaching, countenancing, protecting all sorts of Heresies, Blasphemies, Sects, Schisms, Errors, Opinions, Religions, setting up new Conventicles of Sectaries, Seducers in all places, opposing, slighting, traducing the very Church, Doctrine, Ministry of England ; the very Function, Ordination of Ministers, by decrying, detaining their Tithes and former maintenance, as litigious, Jewish, Antichristian; by swallowing up all the Lands, Revenues of Bishops, Deans, Chapters, Arch-Deacons, and a great part of our Ministers maintenance by sequestrations, and monthly Contributions to maintain their Army Evangelists, now ready to swallow up the remainder that is left, and continuing in a body for that purpose, by the very Jesuits instigation, who not only professedly teach in their public University at Madrid, the Art of War by Land and Sea, the making of Guns, Gunpowder, fireworks, all manner of Military Engines, of which they read Lectures, as most agreeable to the Name, Profession of their Martial Father Ignatius, as Alphonsus Vargas a Spanish Priest records; but boast, That the General of the Jesuits, can bring into the Field more Soldiers, of his own order, in a shorter time than any Christian King whatsoever: and likewise expressly affirm, That their Gopsel and Religion is to be propagated, set up; the Heretics, and Evangelical Sectaries, who resist them, refuted, extirpated, abolished with Fire, Armies, Sword, and War, in England & elsewhere, as Jacobus Cruciger (Rector of the Jesuits at Lansperg ) in his explication of the Rules of their Order, Parlus Windeck, De extirpandis Heresibus Antid. 10, 11. p. 404, 412, 480. Thuanus, Hist. l. 65. p. 238. l. 66. p. 299. Franciscus Verona. Apol. pro Johanne Castle. par. 5. c. 13. Hospinian, Hist. Jesuitica. l. 4. p. 212, 213, 214. Hasenmullerus, Hist. Jesuit c. 1. & Spec. Jesuiticum, p. 61. unanimously attest. O then discern at last whose Gospel, Kingdom, you are now propagating by your Army, Arms, and Westminster Conventicle, not Jesus Christ's, but the very Jesuits, his greatest Underminers.

Many of you (especially Millinaries, and Fifth Monarchy-men, ) pretend, that Jesus Christ is now coming to reign personally on Earth a thousand years, and that you shall all reign together, as Joynt-Kings with, or Vece-royes under him. But the setting up of a New Republic and Aristocracy, is wholly inconsistent with this Kingdom and Monarchy of Christ you now expect; which suites only with a Temporal King and Kingdom. How this Opinion will accord with Christ's own description of it, John 18.16. My Kingdom is not of this World, or Paul's, Rom. 14.17. The Kingdom of God is not meat and drink, (nor yet Arms and Armies,) but Righteousness • and Peace, and Joy in the Holy Ghost, (which Soldiers, Armies usually destroy, not produce, or propagate) let those who maintain it, consider. When Mr. Prynne was kept close Prisoner in Pendennis Castle by John Bradshaws and our New Republicans illegal warrant in July, 1651. some four days after his imprisoment there, divers Officers and Soldiers of the Garrison, who had long debated every day for sundry Months befo • e, their present expected personal reign of Christ on Earth, repaired to him, to know his Opinion conce • ning it, as he was taking fresh Ai • in the Bowling-Alley, standing in a ring about him: Upon which he fi • st demanded their Opinions of it: when they had all fully utte • ed their Conceits in the Affirmative with much confidence; M. Prynne briefly answered, That now they had beheaded one of our Kings, and almost conquered another, and o • r 3. Kingdoms, they though • ght, talked of nothing but being all Kings themselves, and of reigning person • lly on Earth cheek by joll with Christ himself, as his Fellow-Kings, no Earthly King being fit to be a Companion for such transcendent s • blinated Saints as they thought themselves. But they were all most grossly mistaken: for that very Text of Rev. 20.4, 5. (which he read out of one of their Bibles) whereon they principally g • ounded thei • Opinions and Reign, was pointblank against them. And I saw the Souls OF THEM THAT WERE BEHEADED, (not of them who took off their own Christian Protestant Kings and Nobles Heads) for the Witness of Jesus, and the word of God, and which had not worshipped the Beast, nor his Image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, nor in their hands, and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years : (is it not added on the Earth, and Chap. 22.5. rather proves their reign to be in the New Jerusalem in Heaven.) But the rest of the dead, (who were not thus beheaded) lived not again, ) (much less then reigned with Christ,) till the thousand years were past. By which it is most apparent, That if Christ shall reign personally on Earth for a thousand years, as they all conceived, and that this time was now at hand: yet not one of them should, or possibly could reign with him, if this Text be Umpire: For the words are most positive, that none else shall thus reign with Jesus Christ a thousand years, but only the souls of those who were beheaded for the testimony of Jesus Christ, &c. It being expressly averred in the affirmative; then in the Negative, But the rest of the Dead lived not till the thousand years were past. Upon which account, the late King, and other Protestants whose Heads they had cut off, and those Godly Christians they had slain, murdered in the Wars; and perchance himself and others who had lost their Ears, Liberties, Estates, and were shut up close Prisoners, for the Testimony of Jesus Christ, and had not worshipped, but opposed the Beast of Rome, his Image, Superstitions, innovations, Proceedings against the late King, Parliament, Religion, nor received the mark of the Beast in their Foreheads or hands, might peradventure reign with Christ a thousand years. But as for themselves and other Army Saints, who made it their business, and reputed it their honor, Saintship, to cut off the Heads of their own Christian Kings, Nobles, Brethren; to destroy Kingdoms, Parliaments, & their Privileges; secure, imprison, close imprison their Members, worshipping the very beast and his Image, and visibly receiving his mark in their Foreheads, hands, by these their Jesuitical practices; keeping up an Army and Iron-Sword still drawn amongst us, to the great oppressing, undoing of their Native Country, of purpose to keep off the wooden Cross of Jesus Christ, which he expressly enjoined them with self-denying Spirits to take up daily, and follow him, and that other Cross, their own Consciences tell them, these perfideous, treacherous practices of theirs justly demerit, they could have no ground at all from this or any other Text to reign with Christ in his Heavenly or earthly Kingdom, out of which these their seditious, unrighteous, and bloody practices did eternally exclude them, as the 10, 14, 15. verses of this very Chapter, Rev. 22.11, 15. 1 Cor. 6.8, 9, 10. Gal. 5.20, 21. resolve. Therefore if ever they desired or expected thus to reign with Christ, they must all presently repent of these their former Exorbitances, put off their Swords from their sides, take up Christ's daily cross, lay down their own heads upon the Block, and then willingly cheerfully lose them, not for their 7 reasons and Rebellions, but for the Testimony of Jesus Christ, and the word of God, and opposition of their former treasonable Plots of the Beast of Rome; then they might expect to reign with him, otherwise they had no hopes by the resolution of this Text, and that paralleled place, 2 Tim. 2.11.12. which excellently explains it; If we be dead with Christ, we shall also live with him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: If we deny him (by refusing to suffer with or for him) he will also deny us. With which words these formerly confident Swordmen were so non plassed, that they had not one word to reply, and gave over all future discourses of this subject ever since, being as unwilling to lose their Soldiers pay or Heads for the testimony of Christ, as the young man in the Gos • el was, To sell all he had and give it the poor, to gain eternal life and Treasures in Heaven

Lastly, consider, That as it is the highest glory, excellency of God himself, the greatest comfort, felicity, security of his Church, Saints, that he is the living God steadfast forever, Dan. 6.26 That he is the Lord and changeth not, Mal. 3.6. That with him is no variableness, or shadow of change, James 1.17. That he is the same immutable God forever, from everlasting to everlasting: That his Counsels, thoughts of heart, purposes, truth, faithfulness, commands, loving-kindness, Covenant stand fast, firm, unalterable to all generations, forever and ever, Psal. 3 11. Psalm 90.1, 2. Psalm 100.5. Psal. • 02.16, 17 Lam. 5.19. Hebr. 8.13 Psal 110.4. So it is the most transcendent Honor, Dignity, Glory of God the Fathers, and Jesus Christ's Kingship, Kingdom, and the chief consolation, exultation, Beatitude of their Subjects and chosen Saints; That the Lord is, and fitteth King forever; That he is an everlasting King, which reigns and shall reign forever and ever; that his Kingdom, Dominion, Throne, are all everlasting, established, and enduring for evermore, forever and ever, throughout all Generations; that they cannot be moved, and shall have no end, Psalm 10.16. Psal. 29.10. Psal. 9 • .8 Psal. 45.6. Psal. 145.13. Psal. 146.10 Isaiah 19.7. Dan. 4.3.34. c. 7.14, 27. Jer. 10.10. Mar. 4.7, Lu. 1.32, 33. 2 Pet. 1.11. Rev. 11.15. Hebr. 12.28. Lam. 5.19. So also it is

as is most apparent by Josh. 24.15, 16. to 28. P • all. 15, 4.1. Chron. 28.7, 8, 9. Prov. 24.21. Psal. 57.7. P • all. 46.1, 2, 3. Ps. 27.1, 3. Jer. 2.11. Rom. 8.35, 36, • 6, 37, 38, 39. 1 Cor. 15.58. cap. 7.37. Heb. 6.18, 19. Col. 2.5, 6, 7. 2 Thess. 2.17. c. 3.3. Eph. 6.13, 14. Col. 1.23. Acts 20.24. c. 21.13, 14. Rom. 13 1, 2, 3. 1 Pet. 2.13, 14, 15. Tit. 3.1. 2 Chron. 13.5, 6. c. 11.13, 14, 15, 16, 17. c. 23.1, 2, 3, 4, &c. c. 26.1. c. 33.24, 25. 2. Sam. 7.13, 20, 29. 1 Chron. 17.13, 14, 22. to 28. c. 22.10.2 Chron. 9.8. c. 21.7. Ez. 37.45. Prov. 29.14. worthy special observation. But it is the sin, shame, reproach, infamy, dishonor, r • in of any Nation, Church, people • , kingdom, State, Counsel, person, to be addicted to changes, unstable, variable, inconstant, fickle, mutable, t • ss • d to and fro, backward and forward, upward and downward, this way and that way, like children, fools, reeds, Vanes, weathercocks, empty, clouds, wandering stars, the restless sea and its waves, t • ssed and turned about with every wind and storm; like wild asses, dromedaries, traversing their ways ; or whorish women gadding about to change their lovers, ways, and doting upon every Novelty or New lover they meet with, as Gen. 49.4. Ps. 78.8, 9, 10. to 40. Ezech. 16.25. to 60. Jer. 2.11. to 37. Pro. 7.11.12. Jam. 1.6.8. Hab. 1.14, 15. Pro. 24.21, 22. I • ay 24.5. Ps. 106.20. Mat. 11.7. Rom. 1.23.25. Acts 28.6. 2 Pet. 2.1, 2, 14. to 22. c. 3.17. 2 Tim. 3.6, 7. Eph. 4.14. Jude 6, 12, 13, 16, 24. resolve. Why then are you always ringing the changes in our Church • , Kingdoms, Parliaments, Government, Religion, modelling, unmodelling, chopping, changing, altering, building them up and pulling them down again from day today, against all Oaths, Vowes, Covenants, Laws, Establishments, Policy, Prudence, Justice, Safety, Settlement, by which you become the highest transgr • ss • rs, Gal. 2.18? Is this to show yourselves Saints, men of God, or prudent Senators or Statesmen? No, no: but to be that generation of spoilers and treacherous men, (no more to be believed, trusted by any, though you speak fair words, may swear and vow) who have spoiled and dealt very treacherously with your brethren and the House of your Fathers, (who raised, entrusted you for their defense and preservation;) against whom God denounceth a Woe, and answerable retaliation in conclusion: to be spoiled and dealt treacherously with yourselves, (as some of you, your new Protector, and those now sitting have been already dealt with, and others who made them treacherous) Is. 33.1. Jer. 12.1, 2, 6. c. 3.4. Yea such Neighbors, brethren as will utterly supplant, deceive, slander their very nearest, dearest relations, whose habitation is in the midst of Deceit; whom God himself commands us to take heed of, and not to trust, for they are all an assembly of treacherous, double-minded men, unstable in all their ways; empty clouds carried about with a tempest; raging waves of the sea which cannot rest, foaming out their own shame, casting out mire and dirt; wandering stars, to whom are reserved the Hackness of darkn • ss • or ever, as three Prophets, and 3 Apostles resolve in express terms, Isaiah 57.20, 21. Jer. 9.2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Mich. 7.5, 6. Jam. 1.6, 7.2 Pet. 2.17. Jude 12, 13. O therefore now at last repent, repent with greatest grief, shame, horror of this you. Treachery, Inconstancy, and harden not your hearts as in the day of temptation and provocation, (Decemb. 6. 1648. & May 7. 1659.) when you erred in your hearts, & wandered out of the way of G • d, peace, truth, justice, righteousn • ss, hon • sty, piety, duty, into such J • s • itical paths, wherein there is nothing but wasting and destruction (as God resolves, & all men find by 11 years sad experiment,) else he will swear in his wrath, you shall never enter into his rest.

If these Evangelical, Scriptural Expost • lations will not persuade you, to sound a present retreat, & sue out a Bill of divorce from your false Good Old Cause for our future public safety, peace settlement; M. P. shall then entreat you to believe your own Declarations: In your last, May 6. 1659. you truly declare to the world That the only wise God in the course of his providence, hath disappointed; all your endeavors, and rendered all (your) means to obviate the dangers and settle these Nations in peace and prosperity, UTTERLY INEFFECTUAL. Will you know the true reason of it? It is because ever since you have interrupted and forcibly dissoved the Treaty of Peace between the late King and his Parliament, Decemb. 6. 1648. you have walked in such crooked counsels, paths of iniquity, blood, violence, Treason, destruction, as whosoever goeth therein shall NOT KNOW PEACE, and have neither known nor pursued the true way of Peace ; as God himself resolves you, if you dare credit him, Isaiah 59.2. to 16. which you may do well to study. If you will not believe God, nor Mr. Prynne herein, pray then believe your own selves, whiles in your right senses, before the good spirit of God departed from you, and now pursue that only way to our peace and settlement you then at least 4. times successively prescribed. In your humble Remonstrance from his Excellency and THE ARMY under his command, presented to the Commissioners at St. Albans, 25 June 1647. p. 12. these are your own printed words: We do f • rther clearly confess, We do not see how there can be any peace to the Kingdom from or lasting▪ without a due consideration of and provision for the Righ • s Quiet▪ and Immunity of His Majesty's Royal Family and late partakers. And herein we think that tender and equitable dealing (as supposing their case had been •• rs) and a Spirit of Common love and Justice diff • sing itself to the good and preservation of all, will make up the most Glorious Conquest over their hear • s (i • God in mercy see it good) to make them and the whole people of the Land lasting friends, The like words, expressions to the same effect you use in your Representation of the Army, 14 June 1647. & in your Generals Letter to both Houses of Parliament, 6 July 1647. Declaring it the General sense of all or most of the Officers of the Army, to avoid all Harshness, and afford all kind usage to his Majesty's person, Family, and late Party; as the most honorable, prudent, and Christian way and the most hopeful course▪ to take away the present and future seeds of Warr amongst us to posterity▪ and to procure a lasting Peace and a Government in this distracted Nation: And in your Proposals 1 A • g : 1647. for The settlement of a firm peace, you have the like expressions again: as Mr. Prynne in his Speech in Parliament, Dec. 4. 1648. (p. 79, 80, 81, 82.) evidenced to the House of Commons, persuading them to pursue this only way of Peace, and not your quite contradictory Remonstr: 20 Nov. 1648. (when debauched by the Jesuits, the only way to unsetlement, tumults, wars, desolation) as experience hath now sufficiently demonstrated. O therefore now at last embrace, pursue this true and only way to safety, peace, settlement by your own quadruple Resolutions: and then we shall soon have peace, quietness safety, and assurance forever.

Mr. Prynne having thus discharged his Conscience towards the Army-Officers and Swordmen ; the Primum mobile of all our late, present motions and commotions, wheeling about all the rest, he shall in the second place address himself to their subordinate, selected Westminster Conventicle, now fitting under their force and lure, to act, vote what they prescribe them; forcibly separating their old fellow Members from their company ; and himself above all others, who hath lost, suffered, spoken, written, acted more from time to time for God, Religion, Laws, Liberties, Properties, Parliaments, and their privileges, against all Jesuitical underminers, than all of thē put together, notwithstanding all discouragements, ingrate requitals from them and others. He shall only desire them in relation to the old and newly secluded Members, to answer than one expost • larie Text, Mal. 2.9. Have we not all one Father? Hath not one God created us? (yea one Mother, Church, Country engendered, nourished, entrusted us all alike:) Why then do ye deal treachero • sly every man against his brother by profaning the Covenant of our Fathers? As for your New erected, revived Republic; you so much dote on; Wherein ye have reigned as Kings without (yea against) us, and we would to God ye did reign, that we also might reign with you ; He shall desire you for your own, our Churches, Religions sake, safety, honor, to consider its Papal, Jesuitical, Antichristian, Spanish, French originals, and its sad effects, to their advantage, and the ruin of our Religion, already discovered, which you cannot gain say: To weigh his former expostulations with the Army-Officers, Soldiers, and these few Scriptural (to omit many other Political, Historical considerations, beyond all refutation, and more to be valued than all Politicks of carnal heads or hearts,) to enamor you again with hereditary Kings and Kingship, which you have so rashly, brutishly, persidiously abjured, out of mere self-ends and interests, having not the least syllable in Scripture to justify either the forcible bloody manner of erecting, new modelling your Illegitimate Commonwealth, or your adopting it in the place of our old Kingdom and Kingship.

First of all consider, that as Jesus Christ himself is a King by birth and inheritance, Mat. 2.2. Lu. 1.32, 33. So it is also his supremest, royallest Title, Attribute in the very Gospel, that he is King, & Lord of Kings, Lord of Lord's, the Prince of the Kings of the Earth, and the head of all Principalities and Powers: Now the abolishing of Kings, kingship, Princes, Lord's, divests Jesus Christ himself of these his most royal Titles and Soveraigntie; Because he is thus styled only in relation to earthly Kings, Princes, Lord's, who rule and reign over Kingdoms, Nations, by, for, through, under him, as his Ministers, Officers, Viceroys, Deputies, and are appointed, commissioned, accountable to, judged, removed by him alone ; as subordinate Kings were by the Emperors, Kings of Babylon, Assyria, Parthia, and our Edgar, who were styled, King of Kings, because Kings were Subjects to them, held their Crowns by, from, and under them, and did homage to them as their Subjects, as you may read at large in Mr. Seldens Titles of Honor, part 1. ch. 3. sect. 2. and Dan: 2.21.37, 38.47. c. 4.17.25. many of these Kings losing this Title of King of Kings, when their subordinate Kings and kingdoms revolted, ceased, or escheated into their own hands: In relation to these Titles of Christ, it is expressly prophesied, Ps. 72.10.11. The KINGS of Tarshish, and OF THE ISLES shall bring presents, (principally intended, ve • ified of this our Island of Great Britain, which had the fi • st Christian King we read of in all the world, Lucius ; the first Christian Queen, Helena ; the first and most glorious Christian Emperor, Constantine the Great ; the first Christian King who opposed, abolished the Popes Supremacy, Henry the 8. the first Protestant King who by public Acts of Parliament abolished both the Pope and Popery, and established the reformed Protestant Religion; & the first Protestant Queen who did the like; to wit, King Edward the 6. and Queen Elizabeth ; and more devout pious Kings, Queens, martyred for religion, canonized for SAINTS, and reputed such in the Churches of Christ and Kalendars of Saints, than any other Kingdom or Country in the world, how great or populous soever, as our own and foreign Histories record to our immortal Honor.) It then follows, the Kings of Sheba & Seba shall offer gifts: yea, ALL KINGS shall fall down before him (in way of adoration, & by their president and leading example) all Nations (under them) shall serve him. How can, how dare you then abolish Kings, Kingship, Lord's (especially in our Island) without committing the highest Treason, not only against our Kings and Lord's; but the Lord Jesus Christ the King of Kings, and Lord of Lord's, Since REGNUM ANGLIAE EST REGNUM DEI, & IPSE SIBI REGES PROVIDEBIT: as our Historians inform us:) And can you resist his power with all your armed forces? are you stronger than he, when he shall enter into judgment with you for depriving him of these Title?

2ly. Consider, It is God's special promise, covenant made to Abraham the Fat • er of the Faithful, Gen: 17.6. I will make thee exceeding fruitful, I will make Nations of thee, & Kings shall come out of thee ; And his extraordinary blessing on Sara, v: 16. I will bless her, & she shall be a Mother of Nations, & Kings of People shall be of her. 3ly, It was Judah his blessing, Prerogative, Gen. 49.8.10. Thy Fathers children shall bow down before th • e: The Scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a Law-giver from between his feet until Shiloh come. 4ly, When Balaam prophesied of the happiness & prosperity of Israel, he useth these as the highest expressions thereof, N • m. 23.21. &c. 24.7. The sho • t of a KING is among them: and his KING shall be higher than Agag, and his Kingdoms shall be exalted : 5ly, It is recorded by the Spirit of God, 2 Sam. 5.12. David perceived, that the Lord had established him King over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for his people Israel's sake. And when God (after he made him King over them) had promised by the mouth of the Prophet Nathan, 2 Sam: 7.10. Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more, neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them, as before time, under their Judges: How did God effect this promise? but by establishing an hereditary kingdom amongst them in David, during his life, whom he caused to rest from all his Enemies round about: And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy Fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and will establish his Kingdom. And thine House and thy kingdom shall be established forever before thee, and thy Throne shall be established forever, Ver: 11, 12, 16. How much holy David was transported, yea ravished with this News from heaven, and with what enlargement of Spirit he bl • ss • d God for, and prayed for the accomplishment of it, as the greatest blessing and confirmation of his people Israel by God himself, v: 23, 24, and the highest honor, blessing, to his own house, you may read to the end of the Chapter. Thus again amplified by him in his Speech to his Princes, to his Captains of thousands, of hundreds, Officers, and other mighty men, 1 Chron: 28.4. to 10. The Lord God of Israel chose me before all the house of my Father to be King over Israel forever; and he hath chosen Judah to be Ruler, of the house of J • dah the house of my Father; and among the sons of my Father he liked me, to make me King over all Israel; and of all my sons he hath chosen Solomon my son to sit upon the Throne of the Kingdom of the Lord over Israel. And he said unto me, I will be his Father; Moreover I will establish his kingdom forever, if he be constant to do my commandments and my judgments, as at this day. Now therefore in the sight of all Israel, the congregation of the Lord, and in the audience of our God, keep and seek for all the commandments of the Lord your God, that you may possess this good Land; and leave it for an Inheritance for your children after you forever. An hereditary Kingdom being the chiefest means and blessing under God to preserve the inheritances not only of the Princes, Nobles and mighty men, but even of Colonels, Captains, and Soldiers themselves, in God's and David's computation; who lost all they had, by • orsaking their lawful Hereditarie Kings, and were carried into captivity. 6ly, The accomplishment of this Promise to David, & his seed, was reputed an extraordinary blessing to the Israelites, not only by King David, Solomon, God himself, the people o • Jerusalem and the whole Land, as you may read in the 1 of Kings 1.36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 45, 46, 47, 48. c. 2.4.12. c. 3.6, to 15. c. 8.20, 25, 26, 27. worthy perusal: but even by foreign Kings and Queens: Witness that memorable Letter of Hiram King of Tyre to Solomon, 2 Chron. 2.11, 12. Because the Lord hath loved his people, he hath made thee King over them. Bl • ss • d be the Lord God of Israel that hath made heaven and earth, who hath given to David the King a wise son, endued with prudence and understanding, that might build an House for the Lord, and an house for his kingdom. And that speech of the Queen of Sheba to him, 1 King • 10.9. 2 Chron: 9.8. Blessed be the Lord thy God which delighteth in thee to set thee on his Throne to be King for the Lord thy God: Because the Lord thy God loved Israel to establish them forever, therefore made he thee King over them to do Justice and Judgment. And the Lord magnified Solomon exceedingly in the sight of all Israel, and bestowed su • h royal Majesty, Honor, and such riches on him and his people too, as had not been bestowed on any King or people before him, 1 Chron: 29.25, 28, 30. 2 Chron: 1.9. to the end. Chap. 9.9. to 30. Neh. 13.26. 7ly, God himself records by King Solomon, Prov. 20.8.26. A King that sateth in the Throne of Judgment scattereth away all evil with his eyes, and bringeth the wheel over the wicked, Prov: 29.4.14. The King by Judgment stablisheh the Land ; Yea the King that faithfully judgeth the Land, his throne shall be established forever : And he resolve definitively against all Opponents, Eccles. 10.17. Blessed art thou o Land, when thy King is the son of Nobles. 8ly, God himself doth specially promise the Succession and Continuance of Hereditarie Kings and Princes as a blessing, reward to his people for their obedience to his Commandments, and chief means of their perpetual continuance in honor, peace and prosperity, Jer. 17.24, 25, 26. &c. 22.4. And it shall come to pass, if ye diligently hearken unto me saith the Lord, to hallow the Sabbath day, and do no work thereon, then shall there enter into the Gates of this City, (mark it) Kings and Princes sitting upon the Throne of David, riding in Chariots, on Horses, they and their Princes the men of Judah, and the Inhabitants of Jerusalem, and this City shall remain and flourish forever.

9ly. It is very remarkable, that though divers of the hereditary Kings of David's posterity were very wicked and idolatrous, yet God himself (though King of Kings, who setteth up Kings, and pulleth them down, and disposeth of the Kingdoms of the earth to whom soever he pleaseth) by reason of his Oath and Covenant made to David, would neither remove, nor disinherit them, though he did very sorely afflict and punish them for their iniquities, Ps. 89, 3, 4, 20. to 38 2 Sam. 7.11. to 18. 1 King. 11, 12, 13, 39. Of this we have a memorable Scripture-Presidents 1 King. 15. 3, 4, 5. Abijam King of Judah walked in all the sins of his Father, which he had done before him, and his heart was not perfect before the Lord his God, as the heart of David his Father. Nevertheless for David's sake did the Lord give him a lamp in Jerusalem, to set up his Son after him, and to establish Jerusalem; Because David did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, So 2 Chron. 21.5, 6, 7. Jehoram reigned 8 years in Jerusalem, and he walked in the way of the Kings of Israel, like as did the House of Ahab, for he had taken the Daughter of Ahab to wife, and he wrought that which was evil in the sight of the Lord. Howbeit the Lord would not destroy the House of David, because of the Covenant he had made with David, and as he promised to give a light to him and to his Sons forever Which Texts compared with Psal. 132.1, 12, 13, 14. infablibly ratify these thtee conclusions. 1. That as God's Covenant and Oath made to David, and his Royal Posterity, did not determine by David's death, but extended to all his Posterity after him; so our Oaths of Fealty, Supremacy, Allegiance, and Solemn League and Covenant, made to the late King, his Heirs & Successors in precise terms, determined not by his death, but remain to his Royal Posterity, and are perpetually to be performed to them, under pain of highest perjury, guilt, punishment, as is most apparent if compared with Gen. 50.25. Exod. 13.19. Josh. 24.32. Josh. 9.15, 18, 19, 20, 21. 1 Sam. 20.16, 17, 23, 42. c. 24.21, 22 2 Sam. 9.1, 3, &c. c. 21.1. to 10. 2ly. That the Sins and wickednesses of David's posterity, did not cause God himself to break his Oath and Covenant with them, or judicially to deprive or disinherit them of their Crowns and Kingdom, contrary to his Oath and Covenant, which he held inviolable and immutable, Ps. 89.3, 4.34 Psal. 132 11, 12. Heb. 6.17, 18. Much less then may we or any other Subjects, who are but men infringe our Oaths, Covenants to our sacred hereditary Kings and their posterity for their sins or wickedness, nor disinherit thē of their Crowns, Scepters, Lives, Realm, Ps. 15.4. Ec. 8 2. 3ly. That a hereditary succession of Kings in the Royal Line, though many of them be wicked, is yet a special means ordained by God for the establishment, peace, perpetuity of their kingdoms and people: which else would be unsettled, distracted, consumed, destroyed by civil wars, distractions, and Usurpers of the Crown, destroying, murdering one another, as the kindom of Israel was after the revolt of the ten Tribes from the house of David, whose hereditary kingdom continued at least 134 years after the total destruction & captivity of the Kingdom of Israel : whose revolt from the House of David produced naught else but a Succession of very wicked, idolatrous Kings and Usurpers, endless wars, miseries, public Idolatry, Apostasy from God, all sorts of Sins, rapines, and perpetual Captivity, as the books of Kings and Chronicles resolve, especially 2 Kings. ch. 17. In which revolt and rebellion, it is observable, that all the Priests and Levites, and all the Godly men throughout the revolting Tribes of Israel, who set their hearts to seek the Lord God of Israel, left their possessions and went to Jerusalem, and strengthened the kingdom of Rheboboam the Son of Solomon against the Usurper Jeroboam, as the Scripture records for their honor, 2 Chron. 11.13, 14, 15, 16. 10ly. Upon this very reason God himself records, that when Athaliah had slain all the seed Royal but Joash, and usurped the Royal Throne for six years space, Joash being but an Infant, Jehoiadah the High Priest hid him from this Usurper till he was seven years old, and then entering into a Covenant with the Captains of Hundreds, Rulers, and Levites, they all assembled at Jerusalem, & entered into an Oath and Covenant, That the Kings Son should reign as the Lord hath said of the House of David.

This Joash being afterwards slain by the conspiracy of his Servants against him, Amaziah his Son, reigned in his stead by hereditary Succession, who when he was established in the kingdō slew his Servants that had slain the King his Father, but not their Children, according to the Law of Moses. After this Ammon the Son of Manasseh succeeding his father, worshipping his Idols, following his Sins, and trespassing more and more without humbling himself; his Servants conspired against him, and slew him in his own House. But the People of the Land slew all that had conspired against King Ammon, and made Josiah his Son King in his stead, (not disinherited him for his Fathers and Grand-Fathers crying Sinner,) as the only means ordained by God for their safety, peace and settlement. Which sacred Presidents of God's own registering, and his peculiar people's making in obedience to his Commands, for our imitation in like cases, are a more real, sacred means to our present peace, safety, establishment, than any the Army-Saints, Sectaries, Jesuits, and Westminster Conclave can prescribe, and the Parliament, Statute of 27 Eliz. c. 1. have declared, enact • diit to be legal, as well as scriptural. 11ly. When God himself promised restitution from Captivity, and resettlement, re-establishment to his people, he doth it by promising the restitution of their lawful hereditary King and kingdom to them, and the re-uniting of their kingdoms (formerly divided by rebellion against, and revolt from the House of David and hereditary Royal line into one, Mich. 213. c. 4.8. Their King shall pass before them, and the Lord on the head of them) even the first Dominion, the Kingdom shall come to the Daughter of Jerusalem. Zech. 9.9. &c. Rejoice greatly Oh Daughter of Zion, behold thy King cometh unto thee: be is just and having Salvation, &c. and his Dominion shall be from Sea to Sea, and to the end of the Earth, Isaiah 32.1, 2. Which is likewise repeated and amplified Ezech. 39.23, 24 Zeph. 3.13, 14. Jer. 23.4, 5 c. 33.14, 15, 16. Which Texts, though mystically meant of our King and Savior Jesus Christ, hereditary Son of David, according to the flesh, sitting upon his Fathers Throne, and ruling forever over his mystical Kingdom and Church, as is evident by comparing them with Isaiah 9.6, 7, 18. Dan. 7.27. Lu. 1.32, 33. yet since King David, Solomon, and other pious Kings of Israel, , and their hereditary kingdom, were types of our Spiritual King Jesus, and of his everlasting, spiritual kingdom, And Christ Jesus under the very Title, Name, Notion of an hereditary King alone (not of an Optimacy, Oligarchy, Popularity, Democracy, or elective King) is thus prophesied to be a Savior, Redeemer, Restorer, Establisher, Preserver, Defender of his captivated, oppressed, inthralled, dissipated, divided, unreformed Subjects, Kingdom, Church, People; and his perpetual presence with and reign over them, is made the only ground of the restauration, unity, felicity, prosperity, safety, perpetuity of his kingdom and people, as David, Solomon, and other good Kings of Israel were to their Subjects during their successiive Reigns: and seeing Christ's mystical Church and Saints, are always thus styled his Kingdom, a Kingdom, but never a Free-State, or Common wealth, at least but once, Eph. 2.12. the only Text throughout the whole Bible, where this word is mentioned in any kind, and that not in opposition, or contradistinction to a Kingdom, but as the very same thing with it, (as our Kingdom in some Statutes is styled a Common wealth ) as being the excellentest, honorablest, durablest, freest, happiest, of all other forms of Republic, under which general name it is comprised. It thence infallibly follows, that an hereditary Kingship, kingdom, is the best, happiest, durablest, securest, honorablest, desireablest of all other Governments whatsoever, being the very Government of Jesus Christ himself, who according to the flesh was born King of the Jews and sits upon the Throne of David his Father, Mat. 2.2. Lu. 1.32, 33. and was not chosen King by his Saints, like an Elective King; but elected them to be his Subjects ; as he expressly resolves, John 15.16. 1 Pet. 1, 2.9. Rev. 17.14. And that the restitution of this our ancient Kingly Government, (not of a new Jesuitical, Spanish; Outlandish Republic) is the true and only way to our restauration, redemption, peace, settlement, safety and future prosperity; as the Parliament and most excellent preamble of the Statute of 25 H. 8. c. 22, (worthy perusal) resolves. Wherein after many long intestine civil wars for the Title, succession of the Crown, and Soveraigntie of our Realm, The Nobles and Commons assembled in Parliament, calling to mind, That the unity, peace, and wealth of this Realm, and the Succession (and Inheritance) of the Subjects in the same, most specially and principally above all worldly things, (let our Republicans, and Westminster Juncto observe it well) consisteth and resteth in the certainty and surety of the procreation and posterity of the Kings Highness, in whose most Royal person at this present time is no manner of doubt nor question, (as the Statutes of 1 Jac. c. 1, 2. resolve, there was none at all in King James or King Charles ) did thereupon by this special Act, and a strict Oath, declare and establish the surety, title or succession of the Crown of England in him and his Heirs forever, upon which dependeth all our joy and wealth, as they more at large express. 13ly. God himself in direct terms declares, that it is a matter and badge of honor and prosperity for any Nation to be advanced from a Commonwealth or Principality into a Kingdom, Ezech. 15.13, 14. Thou didst prosper into a Kingdom. And thy renown went forth among the Heathen for thy beauty, for it was perfect through my comelynesse, which I put upon thee saith the Lord : which compared with Rom. 13.1. Let every Soul be subject to the Higher Powers, for there is no Power but of God, the Powers that are ordained of God, Col. 1.16. For by him are all things created that are in Heaven, and that are in Earth, visible or invisible, whether they be Thrones or Dominions, or Principalities, all were created by him, and for him Tit. 3.1. Against which Scriptures (worthy your particular perusal) no one Text can be produced, to prove it a blessing, benefit, honor to any kingdom or Nation whatsoever.

15ly As for your new magnified Common-wealth and Aristocracy, preferred by you before our Kings and Monarchy,

1. Consider that of Prov. 28.2. For the Transgression of a Land many are the Princes (or Governors) thereof but by a man of understanding and knowledge the State thereof shall be prolonged: And compare it with Hosea 10.3. For now they shall say, We have no King because we feared not the Lord what then should a King do to us: Lam: 5.16.8. The Crown of our head (to wit, our King, c. 4.20.) is fallen: woe unto us that we have sinned: Servants have ruled over us, there is none that delivereth us out of their hand. And then you must needs confess; that your subversion of our Kingly Government by one single person, to set up a Polarchie and New Republic under many Servants & Governors, is in God's own, his Churches, people's account, an heavy judgment, vassalage, bondage on them for their transgressions, sins, and a matter of great lamentation, woe, Ezech. 19.12, 13, 14. not a blessing, ease, liberty, means of their happiness or establishment.

2. Consider, that you cannot derive the Pattern of your New Commonwealth from the Scripture, Gospel, Church, or presidents of God and Jesus Christ; but only from the Old Heathen, bloody Romans, after their Regifugium ; who were always altering their Government from one new form to another, continuing not long in any one condition, till settled in an Emperor, and Empire ; and at last in a Regal Roman Pontiff ; in which state it hath continued almost 1700. years; and the new Jesuitical models of Parsons, Campanella, Richeliev, Mazarine, Spain, France, recommended to you from Antichristian Rome to work our ruin; Or at leastwise from the old seditious Grecians and Athenians ; who are thus branded in Historians, Omnino ad commutandos Reipublicae Status erant versatiles, et omnium propensissimi ad vicissitudines ; (as you and the Army-Officers now are) which proved their utter ruin; and caused endless wars and tumults between themselves, till they were subdued, enslaved by the Macedonians, Persians, Romans, and other foreign Kings; as you may read at leisure in Thucydides, Diodorus Siculus, Xenophon, Plutarch, Arrianus Justin, Bp. Ushers, Annals-Veteris Testamenti ; whence Heniochus an ancient Greek Comaedian, compares Aristocracy, and Popularitie unto two scolding Women, who coming amongst the Grecians, put all things into tumult and disorder, making them bedlam mad against each other to their utter desolation.

And have they not produced the self-same Madness, Furie, and sad effects among the Army, yea and our 3. kingdoms? How then can you, or any wise men, but only TOM OF BEDLAMS, be any longer in love with either of them, and prefer them before Kings and Kingship: when as yourselves, as well as other Members, declared, resolved in two Declaratoins of 12 April 1646. of 17 Decemb. and in the Votes of Novemb: 9. & 23. 1647. That the Agreement of the People for a Representative and Republic (without a King and House of Lord's) are not only Seditious, but destructive to the very Being of Parliaments, and the Fundamental Government of the Kingdom, by King Lord's and Commons. And is this then the way to peace or settlement? If the Foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do to save or settle us? O therefore let not that brand of the Holy Ghosts own imposing rest • any longer on you, Ps. 82.5. They know not, neither will they understand; all the Foundations of the earth are out of course: And although you say, think you are God's, and are all the children of the most high in this pursuit, yet you shall die like men, and fall like one of the Princes: yea be buried in your own and your Republics ruins again, with greater infamy, shame, loss, than you were on April 20. 1653. when you were shamefully turned out of House and power together by those who now recall you, and yet will not take warning.

Mr. Prynne is in good hopes, that all these undeniable, unanswerable Scriptural considerations will fully convince and convert our Republican Conventicle, (and Army-Officers too) from their Jesuitical destructive modle of A Common-wealth, unto the love and restitution of our ancient hereditary Kings, Kingship, as the only Divine, Saint-like, Gospel, safe, probable way to our future lasting peace and settlement, which he intended to have propounded to them.

Finally, if you are resolved, notwithstanding the premises, to Act as a Parliament without your secluded fellow Members, King, or House of Lord's, then follow the Presidents of all your Protestant Predecessors in these particulars.

1. Take into your saddest considerations the great increase, disguises of dangerous Jesuits and other Romish vipers now amongst us, which A. B. a Jesuit in his Mutatus Polemo: Or, The Horrible Stratagems of the JESUITS lately practiced in England, during the Civil Wars, and now discovered by him, a RECLAIMED ROMANIST, employed before as a Workman of the Mission from his Holiness ; dedicated by him to your own President Bradshaw ; published by SPECIAL COMMAND of your New Republic ( London Printed for Rob. White 1650.) thus relates to yourselves and the world, p. 3, 4.

What impressions the News of his Fathers decollatiō made upon him ; what use the Cardinal and Jesuits made of it, to induce him and others to Popery ; and what endeavors were used by the Jesuits to make up a peace between the Spanish and French to invade England, and make it their prey if he would turn Papist, under pretext of restoring him to his Crown, you may read in this Jesuit, p. 33, 34, 35, 36. and in Militiere his Victory of Truth, dedicated to King Charles after his Fathers death, to pervert him in his Religion, as the only means of his restitution. These Passages of this Jesuit, (who stiles himself, p. 39. The faithful Servant of the Commonwealth of England. • dedicated to President Bradshaw himself, and printed by his SPECIAL COMMAND, and our Republican Governors now sitting, Ann. 1650. (when Mr. Prynne was committed close Prisoner by them without hearing, or accusation) will justify the truth of all his former Discoveries ; That your beheading the King, and degrading our Kingdom into a New Free-State, was the very French Cardinals, Spaniards, Popes, and Jesuits plot, to ruin both our Protestant Kings, Kingdom, Church Religion, even by your own confessions, and that it gave unto them strong arguments, to persuade the Kings posterity and party forever to abominate our Religion, as many of them have done upon this very account, though the King himself, and his Brothers yet continue constant (through God's mercy) against all provocations; to their eternal honor, but your perpetual infamy, who have put them upon such direful Temptations.

2. Before you engage in any other Business, peruse all former Acts and Petitions of our Protestant Parliaments since 1 Eliz. to this present against Jesuits, Seminary Priests, Papists, Popery ; the manifold mischiefs, dangers accruing by their increase, toleration, and s • spe • sion of our Laws against them ; the causes of their growth amongst us, and remedies to prevent the same: Then put them all (with the Oath of Abjuration, and 5. Bills against them, assented to by the late King in the last Treatie) into immediate, impartial vigorous execution.

3. Imploy faithful, knowing, stout, active persons, with sufficient power, and encouragements to discover, detect, apprehend them, under what ever disguise and shelter they now secure themselves: Especially take diligent care to ferret these Romish Vermin and Troublers of our Israel out of all your Armies, Garrisons, Camps, and all Sectarian separate Congregations, the Boroughs wherein now they lurk securely, by putting them all to the Test of the Oaths of Abjuration Supremacy and Allegiance.

4. Permit no Seminary Priests, Friers, Romish Emissaries of any Nation, but especially no Jesuits of any their 4. ranks to remain in our Realms, or Dominions: it being impossible to enjoy any peace, settlement in Church or State, or to expect any dutiful obedience, quiet in or from the Army, whiles these firebrands of Sedition, Treason, remain within our coasts: upon which account they have been by sundry Proclamations of Queen Elizabeth, King James and King Charles, not only banished out of England, Scotland, Ireland, and all their Dominions; but likewise out of France, Germany, Poland, Bohemia, Austria, M • ravia, Transylvania, Hungary, Venice, and other Popish Kingdoms, States, as well as out of the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, and Protestants Territories: as the Authors of all their Wars, Troubles, Tumults, Insurrections, Rebellions, Treasons, Regicides, and the public P • sts of Church and State.

5. Put no arms into Anabaptists or Quakers hands, (formerly decrying them, as unlawful) lest London become another Munster, and England another Germany, in few months space.

6. Since Christ Jesus, who is truth itself, hath laid down these 3. Gospel-maxims of infallible verity: Mat: 7.15. to 21. Lu. 6.43. &c. That Ravencus wolves in sheeeps clothing, as well as trees, are and shall be known by their fruits. John 8.44. You are of your Father the Devil, for his works ye do. Rom. 6.16. That to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey. If all the premises infallibly convince your Consciences, Judgments, as they will and must do, That all the forementioned fruits you have produced since December 4. 1648. are the proper fruits of Jesuits and Romish wolves in sheep's clothing ; yea the very worst, sourest of all their Fruits and Powder Treasons: That the works you have done in murdering our Protestant King, destroying our Parliaments, Kingdoms, Government, Laws, secluding your fellow-M • mbers and Lord's House by force, erecting your New Republic, and Parliamentary Conventicle, &c. are the Works of the Jesuits and Devil ; That you have yielded up yourselves as obedient servants unto them in every of these, against your own former Oaths, Protestations, Vows, Covenants, Declarations, Commissions, Principles, Professions, Judgments, rightly informed consciences: the Votes, Obsecrations, Disswasions of your Fellow Members, and most endeared Protestant Friends, Ministers, Relations: the Indentures, Desires of those Counties, Burroughs you represent: And that the very Principles, by which you have acted since Dec. 1648 and now again, a • e the very Jesuits principles; as you may read at leisure in Johannes Mariana, De Rege & Regum Institution, l. 1. c. 6. Creswels Philopater, Franciscus Verona Constantini, Apologia pro Johanne Castellio et Jesuitis; Jesuitae Reinaldi liber, De Iusta Reipublicae Christianae in Reges Impios et Haereticos authoritate, &c. published under the name of William Ross, in Ludovicus Lucius Historia Jesuitica, l. 2. c. 3. Hospinian Hist. Jesuitica, l. 3. & 4. & Speculum Jesuiticum, printed 1644. wherein you may truly view your Jesuitical Physiognomies, heads, perrewigs, instead of your old genuine Protestant complexions, brains, notions, hair. And if the present fresh Address • s, Petitions of Anabaptists, Quakers, Sectaries, from Southwark, Warminster, Hertfordshire, Kent, and other places to the Army-Officers, and yourselves, with their late listings in the Army, affronts to Ministers in their Churches, ejection of some of them to intrude themselves, already budding forth, sufficiently discover whose Servants you are, and whose drudgery you must execute. O then immediately abjure, rescinde, and null them all with highest indignation, and persist no longer in any such destructive ways, counsels, projects, under any pretext, consideration, interest or persuasions whatsoever: But rather remember Mr. Oliver Saint-Johns words (now sitting amongst you) in his Argument at Law against the Earl of Strafford (printed by the Commons house special Order) p. 64. In this I shall not labor to prove; That the endeavoring By Words, Counsels and Actions, to subvert the fundamental Laws and Government of the Kingdom is Treason by the Common Law: If there be any Common Law Treasons left, nothing Treason if this he not, to make a Kingdom no Kingdom : And then consider Sir Edward Cooks memorable Observation (published by the Commons Order) 3 Instit. c. 2. p. 35, 36. It appeareth in the holy Scripture, That TRAYTORS never prospered, what good soever they pretended, but were most severely and exemplarily punished (in conclusion:) which he proves by the examples of Corah, Dathan, and Abiram, Num. 16.31, 32. c. 27.3. Athaliah, 2 Kings 1.1.16. Bigthan and Teresh, Esth. 2.21.23. c. 6.2. Absalom, 2 Sam. 18.9.14. Abiathar, 1 King. 2.26, 27. Shimei, 2 Sam. 6.5, 6. 1 Kings 2.8.46. Zimri 1 Kings 16, 9.18. Theudas, Acts 5.36, 37. and Judas Iscariot, the Traitor of Traitors, Acts 1.18. Mat. 27.5. Peruse over all our Books, Records, Histories, and you shall find a principle in Law, a rule in Reason, and a trial in experience, That Treason doth ever produce fatal and final destruction to the Offender, and never attaineth to the desired end (two incidents inseparable thereunto.) And therefore let all men abandon it as the most poisonous Bait of the Devil of Hell, and follow the precept in holy scripture: Fear God, honor the King, and have no company with the Seditious Felix quem faciunt aliena pericula cautum. So he.

Now because M.P. finds some Grandees of his own Profession sitting in the House to countenance and make up this Unparliamentary Juncto, he shall desire them in the first place seriously to consider, how much they have formerly and now again dishonored themselves, and the whole profession of the Law, in sitting in, complying with acting under, such illegal Anti-Parliamentary Conventicles, Powers, Changes, Changers; yea crying them up for legal English Parliaments, Powers, obeying, executing all their illegal new Knacks, Orders, Ordinances, as Acts of Parliament in civil, criminal, real or personal Causes, against all Records, Law-books, presidents of former Ages, their own Judgments, Oaths, Science, Consciences, to the intolerable scandal of their Robe, the injury, abuse of the whole Nation, the prejudice of all their lawful Superiors and the Public, the encouragement of usurping Traitors, Tyrants, Oppressors, in their ways of wickedness, the ill example of most others, and their own just reproach.

2ly. To observe, How God in his retaliating Justice, hath recompensed this their willful prevarication upon their own heads, by turning many of them out of their respective places of Judicature, honor, profit, (the ground of this their sinful compliance) with infamy, dishonor, reproach, even by the very Persons with whom they unworthily complied, and those especially in present power, who had neither been an House of Commons, much less a mock Parliament, without their presence and compliance.

3ly. That the base unworthy, unchristian compliance of the Lawyers and Clergy of England, with our late traiterous Innovators, Usurpers, out of base fear, sordid covetousness, ambition, self-saving, or self-seeking, to the prejudice, ruin of King, Kingdom, Parliament, Lord's, Law, hath brought an universal odium upon them, with those with whom they most complied, as well as others, the Army Officers and present Juncto, under a pretext of Reforma • ion, designing both their ruins through the Jesuits Politicks, who now bear greatest sway, having turned many of them with scorn and contempt out of their former places of Judicature, beyond their expectations, and reviled both their persons and professions, to their faces, as a Generation of sordid Temporizers, and useless, faithless persons, not fit to be entrusted anymore, but discarded out of their new lawless Republic, which hates both Law and Gospel, as warranted by neither, and repugnant unto both.

4ly. That the only way now to regain their lost Honor, and preserve both our Laws, Liberties, Religion, establish future peace, settlement, and prevent impendent ruin, is, to endeavor to restore our ancient, hereditary, just, legal Kingship, Kings, Governors, Government, with all their necessary invaded Prerogatives, Lands, Revenues, Rights, Jurisdictions, and inviolably to preserve them with their lives and estates against all conspiracies of Popes, Jesuits, and foreign enemies to subvert, and undermine them in any kind; as the several memorable Parliaments and Statutes of 29 H. 6. c. 1. 31 H. 6. c. 1. 39 H. 6. c. 1. 25 H. 8. c. 22. 2 E. 6. c. 26. 7 E. 6. c. 12. 1 Eliz. c. 3.4.20. 5 Eliz. c. 1.29.30. 13 Eliz. c. 1.2. 23, 24 18 Eliz. c. 21.22, 23 Eliz. c. 1.13.14. 27 Eliz. c. 1, 2.28.21. 29 Eliz. c. 7, 8. 31 Eliz. c. 14, 15. 35 Eliz. c. 2.12, 13. 39 Eliz. c. 26, 27. 43 Eliz c. 17, 18. 1 Jac. c. 1. 3 Jac. c. 1, 2, 4, 5, 25, 26. 7 Jac. 6, 22, 23. 21 Jac. c. 32, 33. & 3 Car. c. 5, 6. in their respective preambles and bodies (worthy our most serious review in the Statutes at large) resolve, being more to be credited, pursued, than all the rash Jesuitical suggestions, votes, and inconsiderable resolutions of any unparliamentarie Conventicle, or upstart Pseudo-Politicians, advancing themselves to the helm of our new Republic, by color of the Statute of 17 Car. 7. Which Bill by the Commons House resolution in their Remonstrances of 15 Dec. 1641. seems to be some restraint of the Regal power in dissolving of Parliaments, not to take it out of the Crown, but to suspend the execution of it for the time and occasion only, which was so necessary for the Kings own security, and the Public peace, that without it they could not have undertaken any of those great things, but must have left both the Armies to disorder and confusion, and the whole Kingdom to blood and rapine, Therefore the Parliament must needs determine by the Kings death, as he hath infalliby evidenced beyond contradiction.

In the last place, Mr. Prynne shall most importunately beseech all the ancient Nobility, secluded Members, well-affected Gentry Clergy, Commonalty of the English Nation (which had never so many effeminate, false heads, and hearts as now, many Jesuit, Priest, Monk, lurking under the disguise of womanish Perewigges brought into fashion by them) as they now tender their own private, or the public safety, weal, settlement, and preservation of our endangered Church, Religion, Kingdom, Parliament, Laws, Privileges, Properties, and prevention of their impendent ruin. First of all seriously to consider, lament, cast off, reform, their own late, present, monstrous sottish stupidity, sleepiness, self saving, self-seeking Spirits, and most unworthy, un-manly, un- English, unchristian pusillanimity, cowardice, fear of a few contemptible Mercinary mortal men, who shall shortly die, and become as dung upon the earth ; and their gross breach of all public Oaths, Protestations, Leagues, Covenants, in not opposing, resisting them manfully in their several places and callings; Which hath been the principal cause of all the public Changes, Innovatons, Oppressions, Grievances, Exorbitances, Insolencies, they have hitherto suffered by their own armed hirelings, and are the saddest symptoms of our approaching imminent desolation : if not speedily repented, redressed, redressed, ere it be over late. 2ly. To pursue these Gospel advises, 1 Cor. 16.13. Watch ye, stand fast in the Faith, quit ye like men, be strong. Gal. 5.1. Phil. 1.27, 28. Stand fast in the liberty, wherewith Christ hath made you free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of Bondage; in one Spirit, striving together with one mind for the Faith of the Gospel, (the fundamental, Laws, Liberties, Government, Privileges of the Nation) And in nothing terrified by your Adversaries, which will be to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God. 3ly. Do you all now publicly, resolutely, constantly, unanimously, (according to the tenor of the Solemn League and Covenant) claim, assert, vindicate, and endeavor to preserve with your Lives and Fortunes, the Reformed Religion, Worship, Doctrine of the Churches, the Rights and Privileges of the Parliaments, the Laws and Liberties of the Kingdoms of England and Scotland, and the Kings Majesty's Person, Authority and Posterity, in the defense and reformation of the true Religion, and Liberties of these Kingdoms.

For which end, in a brotherly, friendly, Christian, yet stout and resolute manner, demand publicly of the General Counsel of Army Officers, and their Westminster Conventicle.

1. By what lawful Commission, Authority, or Warrant from God, our Laws, or the generality of the people of England (whom they have voted the Supreme Authority, and whose Servants they pretend themselves) they have formerly and now again, forcibly secluded the whole House of Lord's, and Majority of the Commons House, from sitting in our Parliamentary Counsels, or the Old Parliament if yet in being, and made themselves not only a Commons house, but absolute Parliament without a King or them, contrary to the very Letter, scope of the Act of 17 Car. c. 7. by which they pretend to sit?

2ly. By what Authority they presume to turn our most ancient, glorious, famous, honorable, first Christian Kingdom, into an infant, base, ignoble, contemptible Sectarian Free-State or Commonwealth, and disinherit our hereditary Kings and their Posterity, against all our Laws, Statutes, Declarations, Remonstrances, Oaths, Vows, Protestations, Leagues, Covenants, Customs, Prescription time out of mind, Liturgies, Collects, Canons, Articles; Homilies, Records, Writs, Writers, and their own manifold obligations to the contrary for their inviolable defense, support, and preservation, only in pursuit of the Jesuits, Popes, Spaniards, and French -Cardinals forecited plots; And who gave you this Authority?

Which all Members of the long Parl. & those now sitting ratified, not only by hundreds of printed Declarations, Remonstrances, Ordinances, but likewise by a Religious Protestation, Vow, and Solemn National League and Covenant, (publicly sworn and subscribed with all their hands, in the presence of God himself, and by all the well-affected in these three Kingdoms ) but by all our ordinary public Liturgies, Collects, Directory Articles, Homilies, Prayers before Sermons, in all or most of their Families, Closet-Prayers, yea Graces before and after meat, wherein they constantly prayed to God, (according to the practice of the Saints in the Old and new Testaments, the Primitive Church of God, and Heathen Nations, & of the Church, Parliaments of England themselves, in all Ages,) not only for the health, life, wealth, safety, prosperity, preservation, salvation of our Kings and their Realms, but likewise of their Royal Issue and Posterity. That there might not want a man of that Race to sway the Scepter of these Realm, so long as the Sun and Moon shall endure, or to the like effect And if they cannot sufficiently satisfy your judgments, consciences, in this particular, nor answer the precedent reasons in defense of our hereditary Kings & Kingship, against their Utopian Republic, Then take up the peremptory resolution of all the Elders, and Tribes of Israel, when oppressed by Samuel's Sons Mis Government, turning aside after filthy lucre, and perverting Judgment, 1 Sam 8. and say resolutely to them, We will have no New Common-wealth nor Unparliamentary Conventicle to rule over, oppress, ruin us, Nay, But we will have a KING (our own lawful hereditary King) to reign over us, that We also may be like all other Nations, (yea like ourselves and our Ancestors in all former Ages) and that our King may judge us and go out before us, and so put a speedy end to all our present & future Changes, Wars, Troubles, Fears, Dangers, Oppressions, Taxes; and restore us to our pristine Peace, settlement, unity, amity, security, prosperity, felicity, upon the Propositions assented to by his beheaded Father in the Isle of Wight, whose Concessions the Ho: of Commons without division, after 3. days and one whole Nights debate, (4 Dec. 1648. notwithstanding all the Armies menaces) Resolved upon the Question, to be a sufficient Ground for the House to proceed upon for the settlement of the Peace of the Kingdom: upon better terms, and greater advantages, than ever they have yet enjoyed, or can possiibly expect from any New Free-State, or other New Army Government or Governors whatsoever. The old Parliaments, Statutes of 25 H. 8. c. 22. 26 H. 8. c. 3. & 1 Eliz. c. 5. (the most impartial Judges in this case) long since resolving, that it is, and of very right and duty ought to be the natural inclination of all good people, like most faithful, loving, and obedient Subjects, sincerely and willingly to desire and provide for the supportation, maintenance and defense of the Person, Crown, Royal estate and succession of their dread Sovereign King, upon and in whom all their worldly Joy and wealth, and the surely of them all, next under God, doth principally depend ; as we have experimentally found by all the miseries, Oppressions sustained under our late New forms of Governments and Governors, whose little fingers have been heavier than our Kings whole loins ; and the counsels, proceedings, of our young raw Statesmen, more pernicious, exorbitant than the old ones under our Kings. Which should engage all to return to their old Kingly Government.

4ly. If they will not upon any terms be served up to such a degree of Christian, or old English Resolution, as thus to expostulate with their servants, hirelings, and fellow Members, after so many high and bloody contestations with their lawful Sovereign in Parliaments, and the field, when their Laws, lives, liberties, Church, Religion, Kingdom, and all earthly comforts were less endangered than now in their own judgments; Mr. Prynne shall then entreat them only to take so much courage, as over-timorous King Jehoshaphat and his cowardly people did, when three confederated foreign Nations came up to invade and destroy their kingdom; and to act as they did then. First, let them appoint a public Fast throughout the Kingdom, City, Country, and use the self-same prayer as they used. O our God, wilt thou not judge them! for we have no might against this great company, (no nor that little Conventicle, inconsiderable handful of Army-men & Sectaries now combined against us) but our eyes are unto thee ; Annexing t • it this prayer of David, Ps. 140. Deliver us O Lord from the evil man, preserve us from the violent men, which imagine mischief in their heart, continually are they gathered together for war. Grant not, O Lord, the desire of the wicked; Further not their wicked devices, lest they exalt themselves, Let the mischief of their own lips cover them; let them be cast into deep pits, that they rise not up again: Let not an evil speaker be established in the earth; Let evil hunt the men of violence to their overthrow: Then pursue the Prophets advice from God unto them. Hearken ye all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, thus saith the Lord God, Be not afraid nor dismayed, by reason of this great multitude (much less of this small Conventicle) for the battle is not yours, but God's. To morrow go out against them, ye shall not need to fight in this battle: only set yourselves (in array against them) and stand still: (keep your ground, fear not, submir not to their power, usurpations, impositions in any kind) and the Lord will be with you; Whereupon they rose early in the morning, and went out against them with their Priests before them, singing praises and Psalms of thanksgiving to God. And when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the children of Ammon Moab, and Mount-Seir, which were come against Judah, and they smote one another; For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against them of Mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them; and when they had made an end of them, everyone helped to destroy another. And when Judah looked upon the multiude, behold they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped. Whereupon Jehoshaphat and his people gathered up their spoils for 3. days space together, they were so great; and on the 4 th day they blessed the Lord, and returned with joy to Jerusalem, (without the loss of any one man's life, or one stroke struck by them) because the Lord fought against the enemies of Israel. Imitate but their example herein; go out only courageously against these Invaders of your Countries Rights, Liberties, Privileges, without fear or dispondencie; Own not their encroached Parliamentary power, Acts, Impositions, Edicts, Taxes, Excises in any kind; Keep fast your purse-strings, and part with no farther pay to your Army-Saints, till they obediently submit to your commands, as their Masters, and acknowledge themselves to be your mercinarie Servants, not your sovereign new Lord's, Masters: Then without anymore fighting, bloodshed, danger to your persons or estates, you shall soon behold hold the Mungrel multitude of Anabaptists, Quakers, Sectaries, Republicans, Uanists, Cromwellists, Jesuits, Papists, now combined against you, divided against each other (as you see they are pretty well) and every of them will help to destroy one another, as they begin to do; and their Westminster new-convened Un-Parliamentary Conventicle thrust out of doors by themselves again, with greater scorn, infamy, derision, damage to them, than heretofore: as Obad. 10.15. Ezech. 35.15. Deut. 32.35, 36.41, 42. Ps. 7.15, 16. Ps. 9.15. Ps. 140.11. Prov. 12.2, 3, c. 24.21, 22. Mich. 3.9· to 13. Hab. 2.12, 13. Rev. 13.10. c. 17.6. c. 16.4, 5, 6. Mat. 7. 2. Judge. 1.6, 7. may assure both you and them, compared with God's late wonderful providences of this kind upon all sorts of Innovators : So as you may sing, They are brought down and fallen, but we are risen and stand upright. But if you neglect or refuse to follow this advice; beware lest through your unworthy cowardice and negligence in this kind, you become not a speedy prey to these ravening wolves, now likely to transform London into another Munster, and England into a second G • rmanie ; as in the year 1534.

Mr. Prynne having thus fully, faithfully, sincerely discharged his duty, and satisfied his own conscience; is resolved to lie down quietly, to take his rest, and hope for the salvation of his God ; concluding with the words of St. Paul in a like case, 2 Tim. 4.6, 7, 8.16, 17, 18. I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which God the righteous Judge shall give me at that day. At my first answer no man stood by me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge: Notwithstanding the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the Lyon, And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me to his heavenly KINGDOM; to whom be glory forever and ever, Amen.

Isaiah 8.9. to 16. Associate yourselves O ye people, and ye shall be broken in pieces; gird yourselves and ye shall be broken in pieces; take counsel together, and it shall come to naught; speak the word and it shall not stand: for God is with us. For the Lord spake thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me, that I should not walk in the way of the people; saying, say not a Confederacie, to whom this people shall say a Confederacie, neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid. But sanctify the Lord of Hosts himself, and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread, and he shall be for a sanctuary.

Ps. 26.3, 4, 5. O Lord, I have walked in thy Truth; I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers. I have hated the Congregation of evil doers, and I will not sit with the wicked.

Pro. 29.25. The fear of man bringeth a snare, but he that putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.

Ps. 18.46, 48, 50: Ps: 144.10. The Lord liveth, and bless • d be my rock, and let the God of my salvation be exalted. He delivereth me from mine enemies, yea thou liftest me up above those that rose up against me; thou hast delivered me from the violent man: Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the Heathen, and sing praises unto thy name. It is he that giveth Salvation unto Kings, that delivereth David his servant from the hurtful sword. Great deliverance giveth he unto his KING, and showeth mercy to his anointed; To David and to his seed for evermore.

Thomas Campanella De Monarchia Hisp: c. 30. Omnis haeresis cum ad Atheismum delapsa est per sapientem Prophetam in veritatis viam reducitur; habent enim heresies periodum suam ad modum Rerumpublicarum; quae à Regibus in Tyrannidem; à Tyrannide in Statum Optimatium, et inde in Oligarchiam, atque tandem in Democratiam, & in fine rursus in statum Regium revolvuntur.

ERRATA.

Page 34. l. 15. dele it ; p. 35. l. 4. Melston, r. Millington, p. 41. • . 18. Precope ; p. 48. l. 10. r. 1648. p. 49. l. 38. erecting, r: exciting ; p. 69. l. 16. both, r. doth ; p. 75. l. 7. as, r. was.