Book V. "nor endeavour'd to lay any, until their Virtues brought "them to his Majefty's Knowledge, and Favour? His Majefty faid, if the Contrivers of that Declaration would bet "faithful to themselves, and confider all those Persons of both Houses, whom they, in their own Confciences, knew to "diffent from them in the Matter, and Language of that De"claration, and in all thofe undutiful Actions of which he "complain'd, they would be found in Honour, Fortune, Wif"dom, Reputation, and Weight, if not in Number, much fu"perior to them. So much for the evil Counsellors.

"THEN what was the evil Counsel it felf? His Majefty's "coming from London (where He, and many, whofe affecti"ons to him were very eminent, were in danger every day "to be torn in pieces) to Fork; where his Majefty, and all fuch

as would put themfelves under his Protection, might live, "he thanked God and the Loyalty and Affection of that good "People, very fecurely: His not fubmitting himself abfo"lutely (and renouncing his own understanding)_to_the "Votes, and Refolutions of the Contrivers of that Declara"tion, when they told his Majefty, that they were above "him; and might, by his own Authority, do with his Majefty "what they pleafed and his not being contented, that all his "good Subjects Lives, and Fortunes, fhould be disposed of by their Votes; but by the known Law of the Land. This was the evil Counsel given, and taken: And would not all "Men believe, there needed much power and skill of the Ma"lignant Party, to infufe that Counfel into him? And then,

to apply the Argument the Contrivers of that Declaration "made for themselves, was it probable or poffible, that fuch "Men, whom his Majesty had mention'd (who must have fo

great a fhare in the mifery) fhould take fuch pains in the "procuring thereof; and fpend fo much time, and run fo many hazards, to make themselves Slaves, and to ruin the "Freedom of this Nation?

"HIS Majefty faid (with a clear, and upright Confcience " to God Almighty) whofoever harbour'd the leaft thought "in his breaft, of ruining or violating the Publick Liberty, or "Religion of the Kingdom, or the juft Freedom and Privilege of Parliament, let him be Accurfed; and he should be "no Counsellor of His, that would not fay Amen. For the "Contrivers of that Declaration, he had not faid any thing, "which might imply any inclination in them to be Slaves. "That which he had charged them with, was invading "the Publick Liberty; and his prefumption might be very "strong and vehement, that, though they had no mind to be Slaves, they were not unwilling to be Tyrants: What is Tyranny, but to admit no rules to govern by, but their own 66 Wills?

"Wills? And they knew the mifery of Athens was at the higheft, when it fuffer'd under the thirty Tyrants.

"HIS Majefty faid, if that Declaration had told him (as "indeed it might, and as in juftice it ought to have done) that "the Precedents of any of his Ancestors did fall fhort, and "much below what had been done by Him, this Parliament, "in point of Grace, and Favour to his People; he should not "otherwise have wonder'd at it, than at such a truth in such a place. But when to juftify their having done more than "ever their Predeceffors did, it told his good Subjects (as "most injuriously and infolently it did) that the highest, and "most unwarrantable Precedents of any of his Predeceffors " did fall short, and much below what had been done to them "this Parliament by him, he muft confefs himself amazed, " and not able to understand them; and he must tell those "ungrateful Men (who durft tell their King, that they might, "without want of Modefty and Duty, Depofe him) that the "Condition of his Subjects, when, by whatsoever Accidents "and Conjunctures of time, it was at worft under his power, "unto which, by no default of his, they should be ever again "reduced, was, by many degrees, more pleasant and happy, "than that to which their furious pretence of Reformation "had brought them. Neither was his Majesty affraid of the "higheft Precedents of other Parliaments, which those Men "boldly (his good Subjects would call it wore) told him "they might, without want of Modefty or Duty, make their "Patterns. If he had no other security against those Prece"dents, but their Modesty and Duty, he was in a miserable Condition, as all Perfons would be who depended upon "Them.

"THAT Declaration would not allow his Inference, that "by avowing the Act of Sr John Hotham, they did deftroy "the Title, and Intereft of all his Subjects to their Lands, "and Goods; but confeffed, if they were found Guilty of "that Charge, it were indeed a very great Crime. And did "they not, in that Declaration, admit themselves Guilty of "that very Crime? Did they not fay, Who doubts but that "a Parliament may difpofe of any thing, wherein his Ma"jefty, or his Subjects had a right, in fuch a way as that the Kingdom might not be in danger thereby? Did they not then call Themfelves this Parliament, and challenge that "Power without his Confent? Did they not extend that "Power to all Cafes, where the Neceffity or Common Good of the Kingdom was concern'd? And did they not arro"gate to themselves alone, the Judgement of that Danger, "that Neceffity, and that Common Good of the Kingdom? "What was, if that were not, to unfettle the Security of all

"Men's

"Men's Eftates; and to expose them to an Arbitrary Power "of their own? If a Faction fhould at any time by cunning,

or force, or abfence, or accident, prevail over a Major part "of both Houses; and pretend that there were evil Coun"fellors, a Malignant Party about the King; by whom the "Religion, and Liberty of the Kingdom, were both in dan

ger (this they might do, they had done it then) they might "take away, be it from the King, or People, whatsoever. "they, in their judgements thould think fit. This was Law"ful, they had declar'd it fo: Let the World judge, whether "his Majefty had charged them unjustly: and whether they ( were not Guilty of the Crime, which themselves confeffed "(being proved) was a great One; and how fafely his Ma"jefty might commit the power, thofe People defired, into "their Hands; who, in all probability, would be no fooner "poffeffed of it, than they would revive that Tragedy, which "Mr Hooker related of the Anabaptifts in Germany; who, "talking of nothing but Faith, and of the true Fear of God, "and that Riches and Honour were Vanity; at first, upon "the great opinion of their Humility, Zeal, and Devotion, "procured much Reverence, and Eftimation with the People; "after, finding how many Perfons they had enfnared with "their Hypocrify, they begun to propose to themselves to re"form both the Ecclefiaftical, and Civil Government of the "State: Then, because poffibly they might meet with some op"pofition, they fecretly enter'd into a League of Affociation; "and fhortly after, finding the power they had gotten with the "credulous People, enrich'd themfelves with all kind of "Spoil and Pillage; and juftify'd themselves upon our Saviours promife, The meek shall inherit the Earth; and declar'd "their Title was the fame which the Righteous Ifraelites "had to the Goods of the Wicked Egyptians: His Majesty "faid, this ftory was worth the reading at large, and needed "no application.

ແ

"BUT his Majefty might by no means fay, that He had "the fame Title to his Town of Hull, and the Ammunition "there, as any of his Subjects had to their Land, or Money: "That was a Principle, that pull'd up the Foundation of the "Liberty, and Property of every Subject. Why? because "the King's Property in his Towns, and in his Goods bought "with the Publick Money, as they conceive his Magazine at "Hull to be, was inconfiftent with the Subjects Property in "their Lands, Goods, and Liberty. Did those Men think, "that as they affumed a power of declaring Law (and whatso"ever contradicted that Declaration broke their Privileges) fo that they had a power of declaring Senfe, and Reason, "and impofing Logick, and Syllogifms on the Schools, as well

as

"as Law upon the People? Did not all Mankind know that "feveral Men might have several Rights, and Interests in the "felf fame House and Land, and yet neither deftroy the other? "Was not the Intereft of the Lord Paramount confiftent with "that of the Mefne Lord; and His with that of the Tenant; "and yet their Properties or Interefts not at all confounded? "And why might not his Majefty then have a full, lawful "Intereft, and Property in his Town of Hull, and yet his Sub"jects have a Property in their Houfes too? But he could not fell, or give away at his Pleafure this Town and Fort, as <c a private Man might do his Lands or Goods. What then? σε Many Men have no Authority to let, or fet their Leases, or "fell their Land, have they therefore no Title to them, or In"tereft in them? May they be taken from them, because they cannot fell them? He faid, the purpose of his Journey to "Hull, was neither to fell, or give it away.

cr

"BUT for the Magazine, the Munition there, that he "bought with his own Money, he might furely have fold that, "lent, or given it away. No; he bought it with the Publick "Money, and the proof is, They conceive it fo; and, upon "that Conceit, had Voted, that it fhould be taken from him. "Excellent Justice! Suppofe his Majefty had kept that Money "by him, and not bought Armes with it, would they have "taken it from him upon that Conceit: Nay, might they "not, wherefcever that Money was (for through how many "hands foever it hath paffed, it is the Publick Money still, if "ever it were) feife it, and take it from the owners? But the "Towns, Forts, Magazine, and Kingdom, is entrusted to his cr Majefty; and he is a Perfon trusted. His Majefty faid, he was fo; God, and the Law had trufted him; and he had "taken an, Oath to discharge that Truft, for the good and "fafety of the People. What Oaths they had taken, he knew 66 not, unless thofe, which, in that violence, they had mani"feftly, maliciously violated. Might any thing be taken from "a Man, because he is trufted with it? Nay, may the Perfon " himself take away the thing he trufts, when he will, and in "what manner he will? The Law had been otherwise, and, "he believ'd, would be fo held, notwithstanding their De"clarations.

"BUT that Truft ought to be managed by their Advice, "and the Kingdom had Trufted them for that purpose. Im"poffible, that the fame Truft fhould be irrecoverably com"mitted to his Majesty, and his Heirs for ever, and the fame "Truft, and a Power above that Truft (for fo was the Power "they pretended) be committed to others. Did not the Peo"ple, that fent them, look upon them as a Body but Tempo"rary, and Diffolvable at his Majefty's Pleafure? And could

c

"it be believ'd, that they intended them for his Guardians, "and Controllers in the managing of that Truft, which God "and the Law had granted to Him, and to his Pofterity for "ever? What the extent of the Commiffion, and Truft was, "nothing could better teach them than the Writ, whereby <c they are met. His Majefty faid, he call'd them (and with❝out that call, they could not have come together) to be his "Counsellors, not Commanders (for however they frequentcr ly confounded them, the Offices were feveral) and Coun"fellors not in all things, but in fome things, de quibufdam "arduis &c, And they would eafily find among their Pre"cedents, that Queen Eliz. upon whofe time all good Men "looked with reverence, committed one Wentworth, a Mem"ber of the Houfe of Commons, to the Tower, fitting the "House, but for propofing that they might advife the Queen "in a matter She thought they had nothing to do to meddle "in. But his Majefty is Trufted: And is He the only Perfon Trufted? And might they do what their own inclina"tion and fury led them to? Were they not Trusted by his ce Majefty, when he first fent for them; and were they not "Trufted by him, when he paffed them his promife, that he "would not Diffolve them? Could it be prefumed (and preແ fumptions go far with them) that he Trufted them with a cr power to deftroy himself, and to diffolve his Government, "and Authority? If the People might be allowed to make an "equitable conftruction of the Laws and Statutes, a Doctrine "avowed by them, would not all his good Subjects fwear, he "never intended by that Act of Continuance, that they should "do what they have fince done? Were they not Trufted by cc those that fent them? And were they Trufted to alter the ce Government of Church and State; and to make themselves perpetual Dictators over the King, and People? Did they intend, that the Law it felf fhould be fubject to their Votes; "and that whatfoever they faid, or did, fhould be Lawful, cc because they declared it fo? The Oaths they had taken "who feat them, and without taking which, themselves were "not capable of their place in Parliament, made the one in<< capable of giving, and the other of receiving fuch a Trust; "unless they could perfwade his good Subjects, that his Ma"jefty is the only Supreme Head, and Governour in all "Caufes, and over all Perfons, within his Dominions; and "yet that they had a Power over him to constrain him to "manage his Truft, and Govern his Power, according to "their Difcretion.

"THE Contrivers of that Declaration told his Majefty "that they would never allow him (an humble, and dutiful "expreffion) to be judge of the Law; That belonged only.

"to