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EPI S T L E

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WHIG S.

OR to whom can I dedicate this Poem, with fo much justice as to you? 'Tis the reprefentation of your own Heroe: 'Tis the Picture drawn at length, which you admire and prize fo much in little. None of your Ornaments are wanting; neither the Landfeap of the Tower, nor the Rising Sun; nor the Anno Domini of your New Sovereign's Coronation. This must needs be a grateful undertaking to your whole Party: Especially to those who have not been fo happy as to purchase the Original. I hear the Graver has made a good Market of it: All his Kings are bought up already; or the value of the remainder fo inbanc'd, that many a poor Polander who would be glad to worship the Image, is not able to go to the cost of him: But must be content to fee him here. I must confess I am no great Artist; but Sign-poft painting will ferve the turn to remember a Friend by; especially when better is not to be bad. Yet for your comfort the lineaments are true: And though he fate not five times to me, as he did to B. yet I have confulted Hiftory; as the Italian Painters do, when they would draw a Nero or a Caligula; though they have not feen the Man, they

can help their Imagination by a Statue of him and find out the Colouring from Suetonius and Tacitus. Truth is, you might have spar'd one fide of your Medall: The Head wou'd be feen to more advan tage, if it were plac'd on a Spike of the Tower; a little nearer to the Sun; which would then break out 10 better purpose. You tell us in your Preface to the No proteftant Plot, that you shall be forc'd hereafter to leave off your Modely: I suppose you mean that little which is left you: For it was worn to rags when you put out this Medall. Never was there practis'd fuch a piece of notorious Impudence in the face of an Establish'd Government.

I believe, when he is dead, you will wear him in ThumbRings, as the Turks did Scanderbeg; as if there were Virtue in his Bones to preferve you agains Monarchy. Yet all this while you pretend not only zeal for the Publick good; but a due veneration for the Perfon of the King. But all men, who can see an inch before them, may easily detect thofe grofs falla cies. That it is neceffary for men in your circum Stances to pretend both, is granted you; for without them there could be no ground to raise a Faction. But I would ask you one civil question, What right has any man among you, or any Affociation of men, (to come nearer to you) who, out of Parliament cannot be confider'd in a publick Capacity, to meet, as you daily de, in Factious Clubs, to vilify the Govern ment in your Difcourfes, and to libel it in all your Writings? Who made you fudges in Ifrael? Or how is it confiftent with your Zeal for the publick Welfare, to promote Sedition? Does your definition of loyal, which is to ferve the King according to the Laws, allow you the Licence of traducing the Executive Power, with which you own he is invested? You

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complain that his Majefty has loft the love and con fidence of his People; and by your very urging it, you endeavour, what in you lies, to make him lofe them. All good Subjects abhor the thought of Arbitrary Power, whether it be in one or many: If you were the Patriots you would feem, you would not at this rate incenfe the Multitude to affume it; for no fober man can fear it, either from the King's Difpofition, or his Practice; or even, where you would odiously lay it, from his Minifters. Give us leave to enjoy the Government and the benefit of Laws under which we were born, and which we desire to tranf mit to our Pofterity. You are not the Trustees of the publick Liberty: And if you have not right to petition in a Crowd, much less have you to intermeddle in the management of Affairs; or to arraign what you do not like: which in effect is every thing that is done by the King and Council. Can you imagine that any reasonable man will believe you respect the perfon of his Majesty, when 'tis apparent that your Seditions Pamphlets are stuff d with particular Reflections on him? If you have the confidence to deny this, 'tis eafie to be evinc'd from a thousand Paffages, which I only forbear to quote, because I defire they fhould die and be forgotten. I have perus'd many of your Papers; and to show you that I have, the third part of your No-proteftant Plot is much of it ftolen, from your dead Author's Pamphlet call'd, the Growth of Popery; as manifeftly as Milton's defence of the English People, is from Buchanan, de jure regni apud Scotos: Or your first Covenant, and new Affociation, from the holy League of the French Guifards. Any one who reads Davilla, may trace your Practices all along. There were the fame pretences for Reformation, and Loyalty, the

Same Afperfions of the King, and the fame grounds of a Rebellion. I know not whether you will take the Hiftorian's word, who says it was reported, that Poltrot Hugonot, murther'd Francis Duke of Guife by the inftigations of Theodore Beza: Or that it was a Hugonot Minifter, otherwise call'd a Presbyterian, (for our Church abhors fo devilish a Tenet) who firft writ a Treatife of the lawfulness of depofing and murthering Kings, of a different Perfwafion in Religion: But I am able to prove from. the Doctrine of Calvin, and Principles of Buchanan, that they fet the People above the Magifirate; which, if I miftake not, is your own Fundamental; and which carries your Loyalty no farther than your likeing. When a Vote of the House of Commons goes on your fide, you are as ready to obferve it, as if it were pass'd into a Law: But when you are pinch'd with any former, and yet unrepealed Act of Parlia ment, you declare that in feme cafes you will not be oblig'd by it. The Paffage is in the fame third part of the No-proteftant Plot; and is too plain to be denied. The late Copy of your intended Affocia tion, you neither wholly justifie nor condemn; But, as the Papifts, when they are unoppos'd, fly out into all the Pageantrys of Worship; but in times of War, when they are hard prefs'd by Arguments, lie close intrench'd behind the Council of Trent, So, now, when your Affairs are in a low condition you dare not pretend that to be a legal Combination; but whenfoever you are afloat, I doubt not but it will be maintain'd and justify'd to purpose. For indeed there is nothing to defend it but the Sword: 'Tis the proper time to fay any thing, when men have all things in their power

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