THe Parliament haveing maturely considered of the manifold lyes, and ementitious Pamphlets, that have beene published to the great ignominy and dishonour of the State, did appoint a select Committee for the restraint of all Libells: And ordered, that all lying Pamphlets should be sup­pressed, and nothing Printed without Licence.

The temporizing Poets have broached such impudent scur­rility, and ementitious Pamphlets out of the inexhaust min­tage of their roving fancies, that the whole City is embroy­dred with nothing but incredible lyes; that jars so much in the wearied eares of the World, that the scarce-breathing mandrake could not digest the same. These Needy-braines to purchase some commodious vailes from the foamy vapour of a scurrilous humour, did strive to set their unconcocted wits to the highest pin, that lying and Non-sence were the two coincedant twins, that alway distilled from the nasty dregs of their Satyricall quills. One of these Poeticall Sa­tyres, though he was a Night-Walker, and in nocturnall dark­nesse A Poet. once escaped the Counter, and another time Newgate yet he was the Arch-conduct of their harsh-tuned Chorus: another did Bray like an Asse, and became his Secondary, and although he yeelded the precedency to the former (for he Ano­ther Po­et. was the most lying knave) yet he was not so nihilate a Cy­pher, but that he challenged the second place in an Arithme­ticall Ano­ther Poet order to himselfe: Another Harberd his froathy Muse [Page] in the Rheumaticke exhalations of muddy taplash, which made his fancy so extreamly dull, that when he writ any thing, every What lack you Sir, or Stationers Apprentice could conceive it to be Harberts Lye. Thus these three, like Triple-headed Cerberus, nursed their viperous muses in Acharon, and fomented them in Stygian gall, greedily byting the fame of every Delinquent, whom they will not permit onely to suffer quietly Parliamentary Justice, but they also will nettle them afresh with their goosequil cen­sure. Since the Earle of Straffords death, there have been a­bove three hundred lying Pamphlets printed to my credi­ble enumeration. First, then the Lord Lievtenants Speech The names of the lying pamphlets fabulously fathred upon him in the Tower; but protested a­gainst by such eminent Persons as accompanied him some time before his execution: his Vltimum Vale: his pittifull Elegies fathred upon himselfe: his amorous Re-greet to Clo­riuda: his Ghost, & suppositions Dialogue betwixt him, and the Lords Grace of Canterbury: Canterburys Dreame: Lam­beth Faire, where such rascally stuffe is imployed to the con­sumption of paper, as the perusall of it would make an Horse breake his halter, as is vulgarly said: with his Recantation pen­ned by an Amsterdamian pedant: & his Potion lately ministred by an Antimonian Empyrick: with his Tooles, composed by a company of fooles: and his Last Will and Testament. To see the Metropolitan of a flourishing State thus opprobiously a­bused, is an insufferable thing, and ought not to be tollerated: yet if he be culpable, & peccant, the Law is sufficient to curb him, & he ought to suffer according to its censure: but to see his grave made before his eys with lying libels: or to encoun­ter with such extreams, as the blasting tongue of infamy, is an act of higher suffering, then the just censure of Law may permit. Then many other of the Clergy have beene most ig­nominiously [Page] abused: as in the Articles against D. Beale, and D. Cosins, and M. Squire of Shorditch, they were all Poetically feigned, and ementitious: wherein they were high­ly impeached, as if the Articles had beene presented to the Parliament, when they were meere fictitious: the Dia­logue betwixt D. Cousins, and a Fellow of his Colledge: The Coppy of a Letter sent from the Lord Finch to him: Newes from Sir John Sucklin: Foure Letters sent from the Scot­tish Commissioners to the Parliament in England, Mr. Sea­kers Speech to the King at His Royall Arivall in Scotland: and His Majesties Answere to the same, were all most shamefully feigned? Which did not onely Derogate from his Imperiall sufficiency, but was also a high dishonour to his Majestie. The Lord Balberino's Speech, The Marquesse of Hameltons, and Generall Lashley's Speech in the Scottish Parliament, with the Dukes of Lenox, were all fictitiou [...]; and fabulous: And diverse Pamphlets published concerning some trecherie that was there found out, were all lyes: Then Sir William Parkins, and Sir Nathaniell Coppingers Speeches, In this Parliament, with three o­ther very false. A Gunpowder and a Wildfire Plot in Ire­land were Poeticall, Irelands Complaint, and Petition, were both false: Yea there are so many lyes concerning Ireland Printed, that my Paper would be to little to de­scribe them all, they amount to 37. more lyes in Totall. Dolesull Newes from Edenborough since his Majesties depar­ture from thence: News from Newcastle, Durham, and Con­stantinople were all lyes. A Dialogue betwixt the King of France, and Spaine, with the French, and Spanish Fleet arrived at Ireland were both false. The Scot­tish Volunteeres Victorie, and a glorious overthrow of the [Page] Rebells by the Scots, with Sir Kenelme Digby's Victory, were all fabulous. Fourteene Orders from the House of Commons were shamefull lyes, the Parliaments Care for the Tower were false. A terrible Plot against London, and Westminster, with the Twelve Bishops conspiracy in the Tower, were not true: The Papists Plot against the City, The Jesuites Plot against the Parliament, and their confession before they were carryed to Tyburne, were e­mentitious. Suffolke, Norfolke, Huntington-shire, S [...]me [...]set-shire, and the first of Hartfordshire Petition were all [...]bsurd f [...]: the first of the Apprentices of London, and Wo­mens Petition were false. The Coblers end, or his last Ser­mon and the Leathersellers, and Button-makers Sermons were all fictitious. The Parliaments Answer to Buckinghamshire Petition: Newes from Hell, Rome and the Inns of Court: The Papists Petition to the Pope: Lunsfords Letters found one at Temple B [...]rre, and another in St. Pauls Church, were both feigned. Yea if I should enumerare every par­ticular lye, I should both trespasse too farre on (gentle Reader) your patience: and loose my selfe in the irre­miable Laborinth of those inumerous fictions, neither could this Paper containe them all: but as I aforesaid, they amount in all to the number of above three hundred. Now I can accuse none, but these temporizing Pamphlet-mon­gers, who for a little mercenary gaine, and profit, infused plenty of Gall, and Wormewood into their lying, and Sa­tyricall lines. What a base humour is this in you, Poeti­call Needy-braines, who for a sordid gaine, or desire to have the Style of a witty Raylor, will thus impoyson your pen, and puzzle your sterile pates inventing such sencelesse, stig­matick, ballad Balderdash: as our very Street-Cantors, who would warble pleasantly through thr nose like an Am­sterdam [Page] Zelot, at the insurrection of the flesh against the Spirit, for a Pot of Huffes Ale, and a huge Subsidy toast: shrug to heare it, and with an honest scorne hout at it? Oh what a lamentable thing it is to suffer the sentence of such penurious, pennilesse wits, who wholly resolve their inke to gall, for a little mercenary gaine: or to purchase a paire of decayed Trouzes at the second hand, to cover their nakednesse: whose lying Libels are woven up in braine-sick fancies. Well! Poets draw submissively nearer: and with an humble attentive eare attend the delivery of my definite advice unto you: Be Penitentiall, and give a serious recantation to the world for all your lying Pamph­lets, and confesse all your infamous abuses to the State: yee had better I say confesse so, then at the Gall-house: this is my advice, which if you will embrace, I know it would give more satisfaction to the Spectacle of the World.