December. r 'when I was in Bed, a kind of Order by three Lords to 'be gone out of my Palace before Twelve that fame morning After all this, How could I hope to be safe, fo 'long as I was in the power of one, who had not only done this to me, and invaded my Kingdoms, without any 'juft occafion given him for it, but that did by his firft 'Declaration lay the greatest Afperfion on me that malice 'could invent, in that clause of it which concerns my Son ? I appeal to all that know me, nay, even to himself, that ' in their Confciences neither he nor they can believe me. in the leaft capable of fo unnatural a Villany, nor of fo little common Sence, to be impofed on in a thing of "fuch nature as that. What had I then to expect from one, who by all Arts hath taken fuch pains to make me "appear as Black as well, to my own people, as well as 'to all the World befides? What effect that hath had at home, all Mankind hath feen, by fo general a defection in my Army, as well as in the Nation amongst all forts of 'people. . 'I was born free, and defire to continue fo; and tho' "I have ventured my Life very frankly on feveral occafions, for the Good and Honour of my Country, and "am as free to do it again (and which I hope I shall yet "do, as old as I am, to Redeem it from the Slavery it is like to fall under) yet I think it not convenient to expose my felf to be fecured, as not to be at Liberty to effect it; 'and for that Reafon to withdraw, but fo as to be within Call whenfoever the Nation's Eyes fhall be opened, fo as to fee how they have been impofed upon by the Specions Pretences of Religion and Property. I hope it will please 'GOD to touch their Hearts, out of His Infinite Mercy, and to make them fenfible of the ill condition they are in, and bring them to fuch a Temper that a Legal Parliament may be call'd; and that amongst other things. which may be neceffary to be done, they will agree to Liberty of Confcience, for all Proteftant Diffenters, and that, thofe of my own Perfwafion may be fo far confidered, and have fuch a fhare of it, as they may live peaceably and quietly, as English men and Chriftians ought to do, and *not to be obliged to Tranfplant themfelves, which would * be be very grievous, especially to fuch as love their Coun- December. try: And I appeal to all men, who are confidering men, and have had experience, whether anything can make this Nation fo great and flourishing, as Liberty of Confcience: Some of our Neighbours dread it. 'I could add much more to confirm what I have faid, but now is not the proper time. Rothefter, Decemb. Having now attained that period of time I defigned, what followed being the Methods of Redreffing the Dif orders we fell into by the Desertion, and the re-fettling the Government again, I must defire my Reader to make a Stand with me, and to confider what it was could poffibly work upon the Apprehenfions of this Prince, to perfwade him at firft to entertain the Thoughts of leaving his People, and withdrawing into a Foreign Country. When the Prince's Expedition was firft certainly made known to him, he was refolved to have had a Parliament, upon a Belief, that he should have been intirely Master of the Lower Houfe, by reafon of the Regulations, and other means then lately ufed; but yet it is probable he would have examined them man by man, before they (hould have met. But when all this was out of doors, and the Charters restored, he dreaded nothing more than a Parliament, and the rather, because the Prince had in his Declaration infifted, That all the Violences and Disorders which have overturned the whole conftitution of the English Government, may be fully redreffed in a Free and Legal Parliament: This contained under it thefe things, which he would certainly have perished, rather than to have fubmitted to them, by concurring with a Parliament. I. The first thing is, The Examination of the Birth ef the Prince of Wales, (as he is call'd) the but Queftioning P 2 December. ftioning of which, was a Stab at the Heart of this Prince, as appears by his laft Letter. And the Reflections on the Bishop's Petition mention that as a thing not fit to be referr❜d then to a Parliament. I will not blame them for this, confidering the proof they were able to make of it. II. The next thing was, that Juftice would certainly. have been demanded against all the Inftruments of our former Calamities, whom he had pardoned; and was in Honour bound to protect, at least, not to punish thofe whom he had hired or perfwaded, or perhaps forced almost to become Criminals, III. The third was, the confenting to the intire Ruine of the Means or Hopes of ever fettling Popery in England, and to the hanging fome, and attainting others of the Priests and fefuits, for doing their kind, and what their Rules, Oaths, and Vows oblige them to.. IV. He forefaw fuch a Parliament would not only for ever damn the Ecclefiaftical Court, and Difpenfing Power, but would in all probability retrench much of his Revenue, and more of his Legal and Ancient Prerogatives, especially after the Prince had got all the Forts into his Hands, and reduced the English Army to nothing. And this alone was a-thing he would hardly have confented to, though nothing. elfe had been asked. V. The Prince, he forefaw, would have infifted on the having fome Forts in his hands, and the Parliament for their own fecurity, and for the fixing a Faith which had not been over nice, would have joined with him: So, faid he, if I ftay, I fhall be a Nominal, rather than a real King of England, and only ferve as an Inftrument to ruine my Religion, my Friends, the Monarchy, and the Child, and after all, do and hear what is worfe (to me) than a Thoufand Deaths AB At first he alledged, That the Disorders the Preparations December. to repel the Invafion caufed, would not fuffer a Parliament to meet. Secondly, After the Prince was landed, that all the Countries he had under him would not be free. Thirdly, That all that had joyned with him, ought not to fit, but when he faw the whole Army and Nation (the Roman Catholicks excepted) of the fame mind, mere force drove him to confent to Call a Parliament; and when he had again confidered the Confequences of it, he at laft refolved to throw up the Crown all at once, rather than to fubmit to all thefe Hardships. He feems to have had at the fame time a fluttering hope, that (1.)We would never be able long to agree, after he had made it impoffible for us to have a Legal Parliament, by burning the Writs (2.) That the Church of England Principles would, when the fear and diforder was over, form for him a potent Army in the Nation. And (3.). That the French King would lend him potent Forces, and good store of Money; and if he recovered the Throne by force, he should be freed of all thefe Miferies, and have what he only wanted before, a Popisk Army,. to infure the Slavery of England for ever. Now I would defire thofe Proteftants, who pretend, now. too late, to be fo zealous for him, to confider, whether what I have faid would not have been expected from him by them, for their Security; and what they would have done, had he called a Parliament, and refufed them all. thefe things, and have infifted, That they should have taken his Word as to the Birth of the Prince of Wales, have fuffered him to have been educated in France, and have fuffered the Army, the Prerogative, the Minifters, and the Revenues to have continued entirely as they were, upon a Promife, He would have used them better for the fu ture? If they fay No; They would have had, the beft Security that Law or Reafon could have required: Then all the hard things I have mentioned muft have been granted them, and I much queftion, whether he would now return, to the Throne on those terms.. If: December. ་ If they fay, we ought however to have treated with him’ have offered him terms; I fay, it would have come to a feparate Treaty and the Church, the Liberties of the Nation, and the Government, would have been ruined that way; and when all had been done, no Bond (that he could have broken) would have held him longer than the Neceffity had continued. The only Advantage we could pretend to have by the coming over of the Prince of Orange with an Army, was to force the King to what he would never have yielded without that Force.. Now when he had accordingly paffed his Word to the Nation, in the Proclamation of the Thirtieth of November, That there should be a Free Parlia ment; and to the Prince of Orange, in his Meffage by the three Lords, That he would confent to every thing that could reafonably be required for the Security of thofe that come to it; and yet without any Provocation would burn the Writs, and refolve to withdraw his Perfon before thefe Lords could poffibly return him any Answer (for he promised the Queen to follow her, who went away the day before him.) I fay, this breach of his Word fo folemnly made and given both to the Nation and the Prince, fhew that he was not Mafter of himself, but turned about by others whither they pleafed. Now fuppofe the Prince had fuffered him to continue at Whitehall, and to call a Third Parliament, what affurance could he have given, that in the end of another forty days we should not have the fame trick play'd us, and then in March Of April have been left in the fame state of Confufion we were in in December, to the certain ruine of thefe three Kingdoms, and Holland into the bargain. And when all had been done, the Scruples would have been the fame they are now, the Obligations of the Oath of Allegiance the fame, and the fin of Depoling a Lawful Prince, who refolved to do the Nation no Right, would have been much greater and more fcandalous, than barely to take him at his Word; and fince he had left the Throne empty, when he needed not, to refolve he should afcend it no more. 7 Laftly. |