OF all Kingdoms in Christendome, there is none comparable to this of England, and of all Princes in the vast world, there is none to be paralel'd to our gracious Soveraign; who for his Piety and Clemencie, Prudence, Ju­stice, Fortitude, and Temperance, may be a Pattern to other Potentates, and a President to succeeding Monarchs. This is our felicity, but hinc illae la­chrymae, here's our misery; Never did any King or Kingdome suffer more then this Kingdome hath done. What with the Romish Rebels in Ireland, and the seditious schismaticks in England, the King is grievously discontented, and the Kingdome mi­serably distracted. Masses amongst the Romanists, and Conventicles amongst the Separatists, the Popish Superstitions of the one, and the Factious [Page]Innovations of the other are the two main grounds of all the disturbances of the peace and tranquili­ty of this Church and State. The Papists and the Sectaries are the two malignant parties. These are the Ionahs that have rais'd the tempest, these are the Achans that have troubled our Israel.

Tis true, there is a malignant party on both sides, both in the North, and in the South: The former is not so far distant from us but wee easily see the storm is a comming (from little Spring flow great streams) and the latter is so neer us, that wee have long discerned the Clouds gathering toge­ther.

I pray God in his good time stay the violence of the one, and dissipate the disaster of the other, that the glory may be his, and the comfort ours.

It cannot be denyed, that the Parliament (being the representative body of the whole Nation, the great Councell of the King and His Kingdome) is the supreamest Court of Judicature, to which all other Courts are inferiour, and therefore it is im­possible that such an aggregate body as that Ho­nourable Assembly is, should do any injury, vel ex [...]dio, vel ex livore; yet there may be some obstru­ctions, which haply may intercept and hinder the free intercourse of their proceedings.

In like manner we must acknowledge that the King can do no wrong, it is a maxime in the Law. If injury be committed, wee must not impute it to His Majesty, but reflect it upon the desperate Ca­valeirs, those ill-affected spirits, who may justly be termed the malignant Party.

Alwayes we must be circumspect and carefull to preserve the Honour and Dignity of His Ma­jesty: For he is Fons Justitiae; in which sence wee may as truly say that he is Sol Iustitiae. Like the Sun he shines gloriously in the Meridian of His Splendor; and yet sometimes by the Interpositi­on of the Clouds, hee doth not appear so comfor­tably (as oterwise he would) to his people. What those Clouds are, which at this time are about His Majesty we are not so dim-sighted, but wee may quickly discern. Caetera quis nescit? That our Sun hath of late dayes bin obnubilated and Eclip­sed, the cause is not in himself, but in the Clouds, those wandring Clouds, that have too much pre­sumed upon the glorie and splendor of his grace and goodnesse.

These at Yorke, and many more here in London, are the malignant Partie (in whom wee may not confide) who have bereav'd and rob'd his Majesty of his Native and wonted Luster, They have in­jua [...]ously distempered the head and the whole bo­die, and they have furiously made the breaches wi­der, and the wounds deeper.

In the number of these I shall ranke a Calumnia­ting Pamphleteir, whose impudence was grown to that hight of impietie, that hee durst with those Gyants Theoumakein, strike at Majestie it selfe, the annointed of the Lord, and the breath of our No­strils.

He was not ashamed first to compose, then to expose to the publike view of the world two fay­ned Letters, with an impious intent to defame His Majesty, for his so long absence in person, farre di­stance in residence, and much difference in Coun­cels from his great Councel, the Parliament, I am perswaded, that this plot was first invented at Rome next transported to France, from thence brought over to England, and here arriv'd at London, with a malicious purpose of this detracting Conspirator, to make our King distastfull to the ears and hearts of his people. Sure, he was some ill-affected Papist or some malignant Btownist, that durst attempt such a design against our most gracious Sovereign, who as he hath beene formerly educated from his cradle, so he hath ever since continued, and to his dying day alwais will (for the honor of his Crown) in the true Reformed Religion of the Church of England. Certainly, he was no good Christian to God, nor true Subject to the King, that dares say or think his Majesty is not of the true Protestant Religion.

There are two things remarkable in the Frontis­piece of that Pamphlet, both above and below. That above is, Behold! a word of attention and ad­miration. In which Ecce you may behold (and I do as much admire at) the Pamphleteers spleene and malice. The word somtimes is used Ironice, in a de­riding and vilifying way: So Pilate said of our Sa­viour, Ecce: Rex, Behold your goodly and hopeful King. That below is, in the year of Discoveries, in­timating what an Act hee had performed in the [Page]Discovery of his Novelty. I do not a little wonder at the Printer, how hee durst venter upon the Im­pression; and yet I need not much marvell, for quid non mortalia pectora cogit Auri sacra fames? what will not the cursed love of money make men do in these dayes? But I pray God that all those who conjecture or harbour ill in their private thoughts of or to the King, bee brought most deservedly to publique shame. This is my wish, and this is my hope, many will say that thought is free, and there are too many (I know) that dare speak what they think, and what they will, breaking forth into most ignominous speeches, such reproachfull and most odious termes, that our eares may tingle to heare them, and our hearts tremble to think on them. Tis now grown an ordinary sin, and the common crime of these times (even at our very Commons and Ordinaries) to talke irreverently and disgrace­fully of the Kings Majestly. There was a Rascall (some call him Round-head) the same day that scandalous Pamphlet came forth, was not ashamed to say that his Majesty was a Papist when he was Prince of Wales, and is little better now he is King of England. Hence it is, that in love and loyalty to my gracious and Royall Sovereign, I was instiga­ted to vindicate His Majesties honour from such fowl aspersions of calumny and detraction, which by factious and seditious spirits have of late been cast upon him.

The impudence of some slaves is so frontlesse, that they no more mind the King then I do a me­chanick, and dare prate treason in their cups, as [Page]confidently, frequently, and familiarly amons [...] their Comrades, as they will take tobacco upon their Alebenches. This is the iniquity of the bas [...] sort of people, whose practice is to despise Domi­nion, and speak evill of Dignities, as St Iude spea­keth. O the cursed malice of this Generation! Oh the mischievous multitude of this truly malignant Party. They may be aptly assimulated to the Di­vell himself, for they are Leg on many. They are so many in number, that like the flyes of Egypt, they swarm in all places of this Land. The action (or [...] ­ther faction) of these men is such, as proclaimes them to affect an Ataxie, and to hate all order and conformity. Let them pretend what they will, they intend all that is ill. Their Religion is no­thing but Rebellion, their sincerity sedition, their Faith Faction, their Conscience conspiracy, their zeal fury, their devotion distraction, and (in the end to themselves) destruction, and there I leave them

Let me now direct these subsequent lines to my native Country-men, that as they are all Subjects to one King, so they would submit themselvs to his legall Commands. Let them not by tumultuous uprores provoke his Maje­sty: let them endeavour to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace, and let us all pray unto the King of Kings for a happy union between the King and his par­liament, that they may both be of one mind and comply together. We are all bound by the law of God to honor our King as our dearest parent. The very name of K is il­lustrious, his Dignity glorious. Ther's a kind of Divinity in Monarchy. Divisum Imperium cum Iove Caesar habet, Vno minor est Iove. In all causes and over all persons, aswel Ecclesiasticall as Civill, the King by Gods grace is Su­pream Head and Gubernator, next under his (reator: in­feriour to none but to God himself. To whose blessed tuition, let us daily commend him in our frequent Ori­zons.