I Received yours, and have conſidered of your Motion for my Vote. I confeſs I have one to give, and am reſolv'd to beſtow it on an honeſt Gentleman, if I can. Your Friend may be ſo, for any thing I know; but the Character you give of him in your Letter is not ſo taking with me, as peradventure you think it is, as to fetch me ten Miles to Vote for him. You tell me he is a Moderate man: what you mean by that piece of your Character I do not know; whether you mean it as to the King, or the eſtabliſht Government in Church, it matters not; he cannot be a fit man for this Election, when the moſt zealous men for King and Church are the fitteſt now to ſecure us from thoſe Plots that are on all ſides againſt Monarchy and Epiſcopacy, and to defend us from a Commonwealth-Government in the State, and Presbytery or worſe in the Church; both which are ſo plainly drove at and intended: and I fear your Moderate men will rather pull down, than keep up and preſerve the preſent Eſtabliſhments amongſt us. I my ſelf have felt and ſeen too much miſchief by a Change in Government, ever to give my Aid and Aſſiſtance a Second time to its Alteration or Downfal. I formerly have been inclin'd to believe Moderation would be the beſt way to preſerve the Government in Church and State, and beget the King and Church many Friends, and confirm and ſecure them for ever. But ſad experience hath found the contrary; and nothing hath ruin'd All, and made the Enemies of our Government ſo high, ſo ſawcy and inſolent, as Lenity. Had they bin kept at firſt to their Duty and Allegiance, and felt the Effects of Diſobedience, they would not have grown to ſuch a Formidable Height of Preſumption as now they are, and been ſo ungovernable.

As for your Burgeſſes Principles in Religion, which you warrant are ſo ſound, they do not appear ſo to me. I have ſome reaſon to ſuſpect them, you word them ſo cunningly, in an unuſual Phraſe, According to the pureſt Reformed way. He may be what he pleaſe, even an Anabaptiſt or a Quaker, for any thing I ſee in that Character. Purity of Reformation is the language of them all, and each Faction pretends to be the pureſt; and where to rank him, I cannot tell.

And for his Principles in Politicks, I have too much ground to queſtion them too, from what you ſay of him, That he is a ſtout Oppoſer of the Court; the King, I doubt, you mean, if not Monarchy. And in that you tell me he is a good Countryman, I muſt for ever be jealous of him, and of that ſort of men, and believe for two Reaſons them to be Men of Dangerous and Miſchievous Principles, to both Church and State. I conſeſs I have formerly lookt upon them as their Title beſpoke them, as a very Loyal true-hearted ſort of Gentlemen, that rather meant a great deal of good, than hurt to Church and State; and deſigned to carry it even betwixt Court and Country, and not to deſtroy the Prerogative, and to graſp at all Power, nor to Incloſe Soveraignty in the Commons Houſe, and make the King himſelf a Duke of Venice, and his Antient Court and Counſel inſignificant Cyphers. But as things have been lately managed by that ſort of Men you call Country-men, I muſt except againſt them,

1. Becauſe the worſt Principled Men in the whole Nation, are the Men that uſurp the Title of Countrymen, and have it beſtowed upon them; and the Beſt and moſt Faithful Subjects His Majeſty hath, and thoſe that have approved themſelves always ſo, are the perſons that onely are blackned with that diſgraceful Name of Courtiers, which makes me think there is a Snake in the Graſs; ſo that I have no reaſon to think ſo well of your Countryman, nor ſo ill of the Courtiers as you and others do, and would have me. I am inclined to believe there were ſome Covetous and Ambitious men at Whitehal, in and about Sixty, that ſought their own Intereſt more than the King's and Countrey's, and caſt off the beſt Subjects His Majeſty had, becauſe impoveriſht; and brought into Place and Power his worſt Enemies, to the manifeſt diſcouragement of Loyalty and good Principles. And this unequal diſtribution of Preferments and Places, did no doubt exaſperate the Kings ſuffering Friends. But now, by the Jeſuitical and Fanatick cunning, thoſe private piques are improved to an univerſal implacability againſt the Court, and all that belong to it; and as they have ordered the buſineſs, every perſon about the King and Court, except their own Party, muſt be the object of the peoples Fear and Malice: and though the complaint againſt the Court was firſt the ſuffering Cavaleers onely, and not the Fanaticks, becauſe their Dad's were then uppermoſt, and rul'd the roaſt; yet ſince of late years Counſels have gone ſomewhat againſt them, now 'tis their complaint chiefly: for this muſt be obſerved, that when the Godly Party are not uppermoſt, things cannot go well; and they muſt cry out of Ill Management, and bad Miniſters of State, and evil Counſellors, and Addreſs for their Removal, that ſo there may be room for themſelves: for certain it is, there is no ſuch grievance under any Government, as for them to be under; Dominion being Founded in Grace, they have a palpable wrong done them, if they be not at the Stern; and thoſe Miniſters of State that ſhall dare but adviſe the contrary, ſhall be Enemies to God and Religion, and diſaffected to the Countries Intereſt; and if poſſible, be made a Sacrifice to Popular Rage and Fury: ſo that I find the worſt Principled Men, are the beſt Countrymen, in the peoples eſteem; and thoſe in the Houſe of Commons that fly moſt briskly in the face of the King and his Friends, and do moſt confront the Court and Biſhops, are the peoples Darlings. And ſince I have ſeen, and ſufficiently prov'd, what kinde of men the Oppoſers of the Court generally are, in the laſt Country-mans Parliament, and what they all along aim'd at; I deſire to be excus'd from being concern'd in my Vote for a Country-man any more.

2. Becauſe alſo the Notion is founded upon this moſt Seditious and Peſtilent Suggeſtion, That neither the King nor Court are friends to the Country. For if that be not neceſſarily ſuppos'd in the Diſtinction of Country-man in oppoſition to the Court, how could a mans bare Attendance on the King, and being his Servant, make him liable immediately to the Peoples Wrath and Cenſure, if he did not receive his Malignity to the Country from Him who gave him his Preferment and Place? For certainly, if a man muſt be forthwith accounted an Enemy to the Country (as we ſee he is) for no other reaſon, but becauſe he is a Courtier, and neer to the King; He then that is the greateſt Courtier, and made him ſo, muſt be ſuppoſed to be their Greateſt Foe; and no queſtion but 'tis the King they mean, if they durſt but ſpeak out; for otherwiſe, how could it come to paſs, (as we ſee now it doth) that all that are about the King, and thoſe eſpecially that he loves beſt, be they never ſo Honeſt and Faithful, or Wiſe or Juſt, muſt forthwith be counted Dangerous and Miſchievous men to the people, and all Arts muſt be uſed to Remove or Ruine them; when perhaps juſt before their Advancement to their Princes Favour, they ſtood fair enough in the peoples eſteem; and they then Commenced Villains, when they were preferr'd. And I pray tell me how could this happen, if the people did not believe the King to be the Countreys Greateſt Foe, and the main Deſtroyer of their Rights and Freedom. And for this conſideration it is, that I ſhall forbear to anſwer your deſires, as to your hopeful Burgeſs. I could wiſh you and others would be wiſe in time, and take heed of being drawn into Rebellion and Miſchief before you are aware. The Government we live under is Eaſie and Gentle; and none that I know of have any juſt cauſe to complain of it, or to deſire or endeavour a change in it. I profeſs I do not ſee what reaſon there is, for thoſe common and ſtale Clamours of Arbitrary Power, and the Tyranny of King and Court; if any thing looſes, and hath done for the laſt Age, 'tis the Prerogative; nay, it hath ſcarce enough left to ſecure it ſelf from Contempt and Scorn. I cannot obſerve the leaſt deſign in the King, or any about him, to deprive the people of any of their Priviledges, but rather the contrary, to enlarge them, and to make them more and greater; witneſs that unparallel'd and moſt Gracious Condeſcention of his the laſt Seſſion, about Securing our Religion and Property after his Death, if the next King ſhould prove a Papiſt; which had it been accepted of, we and our Poſterity might have been happy; but it did not ſeem good or Thanks-worthy to your good Countrymen.—

And why, after this, and a many more Generous and Noble Acts, His Majeſty ſhould be repreſented amiſs to His People, as one that meant them no good, and yet proffers them ſo much, is ſtrange; and why the whole Kingdom ſhould ſo obſtinately chooſe thoſe Countrymen the ſecond time, that were ſo backward to do them good, To ſecure Religion, and Try the Lords, I cannot ſee. Therefore (my Friend) give me leave to be plain with you in this caſe, that I have ſeen ſo much miſchief already, and fear ſhall ſee more and more, from that ſort of men you would have my Vote for, and call Countrymen, that I would as ſoon beſtow it upon the Five Members of the Long Parliament, if they were alive, as on theſe, and ſhould look for as much good from them as theſe. And I hope the Name of Countryman, as it ſtands oppoſed to the King and Court, will be in a little time as odious to Wiſe, Loyal, and Good Men, as ever theirs was.

And ſo you know my mind as to your Burgeſs, but this ſhall not keep me from doing the utmoſt Service I can for you in any other matter, and from being ſtill