IT may appeare a strange and presumptuous insolence in a private person of almost no name nor knowledge, to engage himselfe as it were the champion of the publicke Fame, wounded and delacerated by this Declaration (if his it be) of Prince Ruperts▪ But since no man of more eminence has undertaken the quarrell, though my modesty deterr'd me, as that of the Prince of Poets Virgil, when he was to write his AEneiads:

Yet my reason assur'd me it was a dire and dreadfull inju­stice that such a malicious aspersion should be intruded on the best ornament of the High Court of Parliament, (it's in­nocence) and so resolv'd, as the Poet speaks of one;

I am entred the Lists against that mighty Mars of the Ma­lignants, Prince Rupert, and doubt not having Minerva's shield, the buckler of truth, to protect me, not onely to come safe off (but in the eyes of all indifferent Judges) victorious from this combate.

Briefly then to his preamble, I shall only note in it the tur­bulent acrimony and unjust malice of his spirit, that dares so manifestly and falsly charge the time with odious and im­possible [Page 4] untruths against His sacred Majesty, when surely no time has ever been more carefull to preserve His Majesties honor, no persons more diligent in searching out the Authors of scandalous Pamphlets against His Majesty, nor punishing them when found, then the High Court of Parliament. Witnesse their exemplary justice on Walker the Ironmonger, and their serious endeavours to have found out the writer as well as the Printer of that calumnious Pamphlet, intituled King James His Iudgement; because there were some clauses in it that might be interpreted reflective on the honour of His Majesty, which Prince Rupert surely more afflicts in stri­ving to fixe those suppos'd aspersions on His credit, then ever His people here have done, who have been alwayes ready to defend it: Nor could he have ever had occasion, to say the King is only guilty of being too good to be our King. Surely His Subjects duty had according to it's quality answered His Royall goodnesse, had not such perverse, though more crafty Malignants then Prince Rupert is, by their sinister Councels infascinated as it were the Royall and gracious disposition of His Maiesty, and alienated him from hearkning to the ad­vise of that supreme Councell, which hath alwayes beene the glory and safety of his royall Progenitors, the Honou­rable the high Court of Parliament.

Next, for his particular challenging the right Honourable the Lord Wharton, of deluding the City with an untruth, concerning the battell at Edge-hill, and casting aspersions of inhumanity and desire of plunder on the Prince Rupert and his Troopers; for the last, Ex factis tuis iudicabo te, O prin­ceps: Could there be a greater or more Iuculent expression of desire to plunder, then was at that battell demonstrated in the said Prince and his Troopers; when forgetfull of their owne and their companions safety, in the heat and fury of the fight they fell to pillaging the Waggons, where surely some boyes and women, left there, not to guard the Carri­ages, but to be secured by their guards, were barbarously murdered. For the other clause of the victory, it was not [Page 5] onely testified by my Lord Wharton, but justified by the Ge­nerall and the whole Army: Nay Prince Rupert himselfe convinceth himselfe of untruth in that businesse, when hee saith ironically, (For that they slew as many of ours as we did of theirs, is as true as that they beat us at Sherburn Castle, &c.) That we beat them at Sherburne Castle is apparent, why else did the Marquesse quit it, but that he was vanqui­shed? It must needs be granted then by his owne confessi­on, that wee were victorious over them at Keinton also. And surely though the Prince in threatning language seems to upbraid my Lord Wharton of faint-heartednesse, that No­bleman (bating the reverence he beares the Princes blood, as he is the Kings Nephew) dares let him understand, even in the way of personall encounter, that a reall English Ba­ron as much detests to utter untruths, as any titular German Prince whatsoever.

For his extenuating the guilt of himselfe and Souldiers, concerning inhumanity to women and children, though we may in a charitable modesty beleeve more hath been impu­ted to the Prince himselfe then he hath committed, yet we can no way acquit his Souldiers, whose rapacity and barba­risme no Tartars have ever equalled: and if when any con­quest is won, or victory in a battell, the glory of it is onely devolved on the Generall, as it is; the Souldiers valour be­ing no theame for Fame to discourse on: it is in my opinion a kind of justice, that the souldiers infamy as well as honour should be cast on the Generall. So that our Pamphlets may be excused, for saying Prince Rupert perpetrated such and such villanies, they by that intended his Souldiers did them. Which questionlesse was no falshood, as their divers ra­pines in Leicester-shire may sufficiently testifie. And I much admire the Prince should so much forget the Nobility of his extract, as to strive to acquit his men of plundring; an untruth so manifest, that impudence it selfe would blush to patronize it; witnesse their demeanour at Alisbury, A­bington, Ockingham: nay, Oxford it selfe, which with all [Page 4] [...] [Page 5] [...] [Page 6] hospitality entertained them, hath not escaped their avariti­ous cruelty, as that good Alderman Nickson can sufficient­ly testifie; whom they rifled of at least six hundred pounds. And for our Souldiers rifling the Countesse Ri [...]ers and La­dy Lucas house, Souldiers they were not, nor any of them at that time listed in his Excellencies army, but rude Country people, that knowing those houses to be receptacles of De­linquents, thought it was iust to rifle them: Not that they were abetted by the Parliament to do so, but led on by their owne fury; the Parliament daily setting out Proclamations to restraine the insolence of their Souldiers, and which I am certaine was nevet yet done nor thought on by Prince Ru­pert; promising and taking order for restitution of such mo­nies and goods as have by their Souldiers been ravished from the righteous owners.

But were there no grosser errours (I am loth even impli­citely to give the Prince the Lye in the most modest phrase) included in that Declaration, these were pardonable: Hominesque Deosque invadet, (like the Gyants that waged warre with Heaven) nothing escapes its malice; It taxes our party for imprisoning those for Delinquents, who stand loyall to their Prince. Who shall be judge of their loyalty, Prince Rupert, or the Parliament? Surely that which is the originall of our Lawes, the fountaine of our municipall constitutions (the Parliament) is better acquain­ted with those Lawes and Constitutions then any stranger, though it were Lycurgus himselfe; and therefore, can fullier censure and define when those Lawes and Constitutions are violated.

For the Earles, Judges, Lords, Bishops, Knights, and the like, that he sayes stuffe the prisons in London, are they not open Delinquents or principall Abettors of this Kingdomes miserable distractions? Wilde Beasts, that it were very fit should be chain'd up, lest they should destroy us, and yet suf­fer they no more or stricter imprisonment here, then those whom they have as prisoners doe there; witnesse Captaine Wingates inthralment and others.

[Page 7]For the [...]ling the mouths of the most grave and learn'd Divines, or else imprisoning them whom the Prince hath nam'd, I will in charity impute it to mis-information; the world knowes there is no such matter. 'Tis true; Doctor Heywood and some other of the Arminian faction, that preach'd and printed divers things against the peace of the Common-wealth, are worthily therefore in durance; but for our only countenancing of ignorant and sedious teachers, none but those who are the sourses of sedition themselves will cast that unworthy appellation on those reverent and learned Divines.

For the loosenesse and incivility which the Prince would excuse in himselfe and souldiers, with the generality and community of such vices in all great armies, it is the onely thing in his Declaration that may seeme to challenge the priviledge of being admitted for a truth; were it not im­mediately attainted by the succeeding falshood, viz. His wish that there were no more Papists in the Parliaments Army then in theirs. I shall now have occosion to overcome the Prince at his owne weapons, and dare him to name one Papist of quality or trust, nay, one souldier of that sect in all the Par­liament Army. In theirs, Serjeant Major Ashton is conspi­cuous, besides my Lord Herbert, who (not in the Army is a member of it) is a notorious Papist, so are divers of his Commanders. With my Lord of Newcastle, birds of that fea­ther flocke together in numbers: and I would faine know of Prince Rupert, of what Religion he takes the Earle Rivers to be, surely a Church-papist at least in all the worlds opini­on. For his gracious Majesty, none ever durst be so dis­loyally impious, to deny him to be the true and best defen­der of the Protestant Faith, and therefore Prince Ruperts testimony of it to us, who already believe it, is unnecessary and uselesse: And for the trophees the Prince boasts of his owne sufferings for the Protestant Cause in Germany, what honours hee refused, and what close imprisonment hee was threatned if hee would not change his Religion, in Gods [Page 8] name let him injoy the glory of that constancy, none will be so malicious to deprive him of the least scruple of his merit; yet is this no sufficient proofe that hee fights now for the same Cause as he seemes to intimate.

For the exercise of his valour against the Irish Rebells, I believe every man may joyne with him in his wishes; but whereas he maliciously sayes, he fights to defend the King, Re­ligion and Lawes of a Kingdome, against Subjects who are up in armes against their Lord and Soveraigne; paralelling the Cause of this Kingdome with that of Ireland; there hee shewed all those former aspersions to be but Molehils to this Mountaine of calumny.

First, the Irish are Papists, and have beene ever on all oc­casions rebellious, tooke up armes, as the sequele hath wit­nessed, to re-invest their owne nation with the Sovcraignty of that Kingdome; we are Protestants, his Majesties most faithfull Subjects, the Parliament here, not taking up armes for any other end, then to secure their owne lives, and the Subjects Liberties, the knowne Lawes of the Kingdome, nay, to preserve the King himselfe, and rescue him from those seditious and malignant Councellors, who have inthrall'd, as it were, both his body and mind. And so much in answer to Prince Ruperts Declaration, wherein, if I have not suf­ficiently vindicated the credit of the Cause from his calum­ny, I submit to censure, and hope to meet an indulgent remission for my error.