Some observations upon the tickling querie (viz.) whether the admitting of a popish successor be the best way to preserve the Protestant religion, with other passages touching the history of the succession and other pamphlets / by a gentleman in the countrey to his friend in London.

Some observations upon the tickling querie (viz.) whether the admitting of a popish successor be the best way to preserve the Protestant religion, with other passages touching the history of the succession and other pamphlets / by a gentleman in the countrey to his friend in London.

Table of contents

Title page

Some Obſervations, &c.

Some Obſervations, &c.

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SIR,

VVE Return you our humble thanks for your conſtant communicating to us your City-Pamphlets, for though generally there is neither much wit nor truth in moſt of them, yet they give us ſome divertiſement to obſerve how induſtrious they are to ſow the Tares of Diſloyalty and Sedition in the heads and hearts of the People: But, God be thanked, we do not find that it takes much effect, at leaſt, about us, for we knowing their Deſign, and having, many of us, ſeen the Cheat acted once before, are not ſo eaſily prevail'd upon to renounce our Loyalty to the beſt of Kings, and our veneration and obedience to the beſt Religion in the World, only to reſcue a company of furious Zealots from thoſe puniſhments they know their ill actions have deſerved, and which they think cannot be ſafe but by attempting greater.

As for your Intelligences and Mercuries, that call themſelves Proteſtant, certainly they are the laſt Effort of the Pope and the Devil to make the Word odious in the World, and certainly are as great a Scandal to the true intention of the Word Proteſtant, as Popery is to Chriſtianity. And though the Word it ſelf doth not ſignifie Religion (no more than the late Proteſtation of the Lords at Oxford made them one jot the more Religious.) For the true and proper diſtinction between us and the Papiſts is the Reformation, and at this day thoſe whom we call Proteſtants of France, ſtile themſelves Ceux de la Religion reformée, and their Church, l'Egliſe reformée. However time and uſe thoſe great Arbitrators of Words, have made the Word Proteſtant, familiar and ſignificative amongſt us, and is not ſo large as, No Papiſt, (as ſome would have it) ſo as to include Turks and Jews and what not: but hath its ſober ſignification, and with us ſignifies, Thoſe in the Communion of the Church of England Eſtabliſhed by Law at the times of the Reformation in the Days of King Edward the Sixth, and Queen Elizabeth, and ſo continued down to this Day. But as for thoſe Sham-Proteſtants, thoſe Scribling-Bermicham, and as they call themſelves Diſſenting-Proteſtants, are no more Proteſtants in the true Notion of the Word, than one that denies a thing can be ſaid to affirm it, or one that diſſents can be ſaid to aſſent. And as the Word took its Origin from thoſe gallant Proteſting Princes of Germany againſt the Edict of Spire: ſo it were not much matter if it were laid aſide, when it is uſurped by ſuch Seditious and Scandalous Perſons, who ſhame the Word.

Your other Books of The Hiſtory of the Succeſſion, Character of a Popiſh Succeſſor, and ſuch like, What do they but Rake in the Kennels of Hiſtory, and pick up all the black and unjuſtifiable Actions of ſeveral Ages to make good their own Seditious Principles, and think themſelves good men, if they can find any upon Record as bad as themſelves: It being as illogical from thoſe many Rapes that have been made upon the Legitimate Succeſſion of the Crown, by thoſe ſeveral Bold Uſurpers and Ambitious Pretenders to Royalty through the Aſſiſtance of diſcontented Grandees and [Page] Clergy-Men, to prove this an Elective Monarchy, as to prove the Lawfulneſs of Robbing upon Shooters or Gads-Hill, becauſe de Facto it hath often there been put in Execution.

But it is an eaſie thing to perſuade men that are reſolved upon the Point; and though we know they would ſtick at no villany to compaſs their Ends were it once in their power, yet they pleaſe themſelves to ſee how many Gudgeons they catch, with theſe ſpecious Baits of Precedents and Hiſtory, which neither they themſelves believe, nor hope they will prevail upon any thinking men, yet knowing how willingly the Zealous Party are led by the Noſe, they venture to print any thing, rather than ſeem to ſtarve their Cauſe, or let their Mad Admirers cool into Soberneſs and Loyalty. How much more ingenuous aud beneficial to Mankind were it for theſe Men to have obſerv'd to the World how Funeſt and Tragical both to Prince and People, moſt of thoſe Uſurpations have been, though otherwiſe confirmed, as they call it, by Parliaments; What Seas of Blood have been let out of the Veins of Noble and Simple, what Ruins and Deſolations have attended the Defence of their ill-obtained Regalities, where as 'tis ſaid in ill-gotten Goods, vix gaudet tertius haeres: ſo in theſe Parliamentary Titles they never were of long continuance; but the Reſtleſs Nation through an innate Loyalty and Secret Love and Acknowledgment of the Sacred Right of Succeſſion, was alwaies rowling and never quiet, till the Crown was Fixed upon the True and Legitimate Heir. And how little Knowledge in Judicial Aſtrology would ſerve the turn to predict the ſame Effects from the ſame Cauſes? And how eaſie to imagine that they may at laſt be Cudgell'd into that Loyalty and Obedience, which now they willingly Forfeit, and after a vaſt Expence of Blood and Treaſure be glad to return to that bleſſed Peace and Protection we now enjoy, but do not value.

Ay, But the Proteſtant Religion will be deſtroyed under a Popiſh Succeſſor? And we are under more ſtrong Obligations of Conſcience to defend our Religion, than we are to defend the Title of any Prince whatſoever: And it is a greater Offence to God Almighty to introduce Idolatry than to deſtroy Monarchy: And ſeveral other pretty Arguments to prepare the People to Rebel for Conſcience ſake. To theſe and a great many more I ſhall not trouble my ſelf nor you to make any Remarks upon, as ariſing rather from miſtaken Zeal, than from Solid Reaſoning: But I ſhall only touch upon their beloved, darling Querie, over which they hug and tickle themſelves, and make ſuch an Oration, as if they had gotten ſome ſignal Victory; Viz.

Whether the admitting of a Popiſh Succeſſor, be the beſt way of preſerving the Proteſtant Religion?

Now if there can be any Rational Account given of this Paradox, or that any one can make the Queſtion it ſelf conſiſtent with Religion or Policy, erit mihi magnus Apollo. But though I ſhall not undertake ſo ſeemingly difficult a Province, as to Anſwer the Querie, as they term it, Categorically, yet you will pardon me if I give you my ſlight thoughts of it.

And Firſt I muſt diſſect it into parts, As whether the Admiſſion of a Popiſh Succeſſor be in our Choice or no? Or, Whether God Almighty hath left it to the Liberty of every People to Chuſe their Prince? And if ſo, Which of the People is to do it? And if Religion hath any influence upon his being admitted, Then another Querie may be, Whether the admitting a Preſbyterian Succeſſor be the beſt way of preſerving the Proteſtant Religion? And ſo an Independent, Anabaptiſt, or Quaking Succeſſor. Then I am to Ask, [Page] What you mean by Proteſtant Religion, whether that Eſtabliſhed by Law, or ſome other, or all other but that? For if we may judge by the Querents, we know there is nothing leſs in their thoughts than being over ſolicitous to preſerve that Religion, which they brand with theſe ridiculous Terms of Toriſm, Tantiviſm, Maſqueradiſm, and ſuch like ingenious Titles: For which Reaſons the Querie might be, Whether Popery or Presbytery is the readier way to deſtroy the Proteſtant Religion? And indeed this is a Querie too hard for me to determine, I know the Papiſts have Will enough, but the Presbyter hath conſtantly had the better of them, as having better advantage, being a ſeeming Friend and ſo leſs ſuſpected; And indeed the Papiſts deſpair of doing any great miſchief but through their ſides, and by their aſſiſtance. And I do extremely wonder, that Men of Parts, as ſome of the Faction certainly are, ſhould be ſo gull'd with malicious Zeal againſt the Religion Eſtabliſhed by Law, that they are content once more to be the Papiſts Journey-Men and Tools, as they in their Prints confeſs they were, when they would Divert the Odium of the Late Rebellion, and Murdering the Late King, of Ever-bleſſed Memory, from themſelves upon the Papiſts, who they acknowledge inſinuated themſelves into their Councils, to their Armies, their Pulpits, and what not, (I was going to ſay their very Beds.) So that whilſt the innocent Presbyter had no other Ends but advancing the Kingdom of Jeſus Chriſt, and making the King a Glorious King, according to the Covenant, The Jeſuitical Independents ſnatched the King out of their hands (who was their King, by one Title more than any other Party could pretend, as having bought him of the Scots, and that at a great Rate, and ſome of them knew for what End too) and, God knows much againſt their will, Cut off his Head; while on the other ſide, the more ingenious Villains of the two, the Independents, own the Fact, but tell them they could never have done it, had not they held him by the Hair.

Thus the King was once Murdered, and the Religion Deſtroy'd by the Zeal of the Presbyter, under the Conduct of the ſubtle Jeſuit. And now we ſee, Since the great Plot againſt the King and the Church of England hath failed, having been ſo happily and fully Diſcovered, by that neverto-be-forgotten Doctor Oats, and the reſt of the concurring Evidence, the ſly Jeſuit hath betaken himſelf to his old ſlights of Plowing with the zealous Diſſenters, as the ſaid Doctor Oats ſo Prophetically Swore and Foretold in his firſt Diſcovery, aſſigning the very places and ſtages on which they were to Act, as he ſaid ſuch and ſuch going for Scotland, and mingling themſelves with the diſcontented party there, who no doubt play'd their parts ſo well, as to ſtir up ſome Zealots to Murther the Late Biſhop of St. Andrews; others to the Late Rebellion there, which was ſo happily Suppreſſed by the Courage and Conduct of his Grace the Duke of Monmouth. But that which is moſt ſtrange is, that it ſeems that the very Blood which was there drawn from the Rebels, hath by ſome energetick influence infected ſome of thoſe that drew it; who have ever ſince been ſuſpected, at leaſt, very much to favour the Party and abett the Principles of thoſe they chaſtiſed. Myſterious Victory! where on one ſide their Bodies, on the other their Minds were interchangeably led Captive. Nay more, That Victory of the Dukes was ſo ill reſented by that Party here that have a ſecret compaſſion for all inſucceſsful Rebels, (and probably the Jeſuits the Doctor mentioned and theſe were all of a complexion) that ſome had like to have loſt their Intereſt, for puſhing that Service farther than was intended they ſhould have done, and deſtroying ſo many of thoſe [Page] daring and precious Souls they might hereafter have occaſion to make uſe of.

But to return to our Tickling Querie, and the little ones in the belly of it; though indeed it is the moſt diſingenuous thing in the World to make Queries and lay ſome ſtreſs upon them, which they themſelves know have no foundation in reaſon or practice. For if it be as clear as the Sun that in ſuch a Kingdom as we are in, viz. an Hereditary Kingdom, where the Succeſſion hath been continued down for ſo many Ages (ſaving ſome interruptions by Uſurpers, which never laſted long, and coſt the Nation ſo dear as was before hinted) we are no more concerned in the Qualifications of a Legitimate Succeſſor, than we are in the Froſty weather in May, or the no Rain in April: But if God in his Wiſdom ſhall think fit by ſending us a Popiſh Succeſſor (as they call him) for to revenge and puniſh a ſinful and peeviſh Nation, or for the Tryal of the Faith and Courage of thoſe that call themſelves Proteſtants, what have we to do but receive him, as we ſhould do all other Chaſtiſements, with all Veneration and Submiſſion, and beg of him to give us Grace to make the right uſe of thoſe Afflictions, that is to amend our Lives, and be ſo much the better, by how much the Times are the worſe.

As for the Writer of the Character he hath taken indeed a great deal of pains to repreſent his Popiſh Succeſſor in all the diſmal and frightful appearances that wit or malice could handſomely invent, on purpoſe to ſcare unwary people out of their wits firſt, and then out of their Loyalty and Allegiance as well towards the Poſſeſſor as the Succeſſor; for to ſpeak the plain Truth, the Arguments as well as the Deſign is clearly againſt both, at leaſt they know there is no plauſible way to prevent the Succeſſor, but by uſing the Poſſeſſor ſo ill, that he may be forc'd at laſt to yield to their importunities, and paſs ſuch Laws as may either totally Exclude, or ſo modifie and ſhackle the Succeſſor, that it ſhall not be in his power to do half the harm the Character threatens us with. And here naturally falls in a Queſtion, Whether a King in poſſeſſion with the Advice and Conſent of his three Eſtates Aſſembled in Parliament (the Mint and Fountain of all our Laws) can Legally do the one or the other, that is, either Exclude or Modifie? And though it be a dangerous thing to queſtion what a King ſo fortified may or may not do, yet we ſee every day, ſeveral undertaking and determining the Queſtion on either ſide, and that poſitively; So that we are left, in aequilibrio, which ſide to take, as our Affections and Intereſt moſt incline us. And though I will not be poſitive on either ſide, I ſhall only put this Querie:

Whether if it were clear, or granted, That they could not Exclude, whether then they could not Modifie?

I know that the Current of Opinions is, That all Modifications are ineffectual and deluſory, nothing but a total Excluſion will ſerve the Turn. Now if they would be ingenuous and would Confeſs that they are of Opinion, That nothing but an Excluſion will ſerve their Turns, I ſhould be a little of their minds, for being conſcious to themſelves how far they have provok'd him, they judging by their own Charity, conclude themſelves unpardonable, and therefore for their own Security muſt endeavour to wheedle the whole Nation into the ſame degree of Guilt to ſave them harmleſs. But we hope the Nation is not ſo mad yet, to involve themſelves in ſo great Sin and Danger only to gratifie or ſecure a few diſcontented Republican Deſperado's.

[Page] Therefore to leave that Queſtion to them of thoſe Principles, give me leave to put you a Caſe that on this ſubject was urged by one of our Company (and he a very honeſt man too, as we take him at leaſt.) I would willingly be ſatisfied, ſaith he, why the King in Poſſeſſion with the Advice and Conſent aforeſaid, foreſeeing that by a Popiſh Succeſſor at any time, it is more than probable, not only the Religion Eſtabliſhed, but the very Laws and Government will be in danger of ſuffering ſuch convulſions as may hazard the Ruin and Downfall of Monarchy and Religion both, whether (ſaith he) they may not make ſuch Laws and Proviſions, as may in humane probability prevent or alleviate ſuch diſmal conſequences. As for inſtance, without reflecting upon the D. Y. whether he be a Papiſt or not, nor if he were ſo, whether he be the worſe (as the Character aſſerts) for being one of the moſt Accompliſhed Perſons in Europe: We are only to enquire, ſays he, whether if the Religion Eſtabliſhed by Law in England, be a Religion worth our care, and that certainly by all lawful means we may endeavour its Preſervation and continuance among us, and its conſignation to our Coſterity; And that the Religion in England is ſo implicated and involved with the Laws and Government, that one cannot be invaded but the other muſt be in danger, and if it be neceſſary to preſerve either or both, and that it is not conſiſtent with Reaſon to expect this from a Popiſh Succeſſor at any time; Then whether it be not in the Lawful Power (I will not add, ſaith he, the Duty and Obligation) of the King in Poſſeſſion with the Advice and Conſent aforeſaid, to make and paſs a General Law by Act of Parliament, That no Papiſt whatſoever ſhall at any time hereafter be capable of Inheriting the Crown, with ſuch other circumſtances as ſhall be thought neceſſary for ſuch an Act. And firſt, ſaith he, here is no wrong done to any man (for the D. Y. is not yet convict of being ſo) for if the Modes and Qualifications be lawfully laid, then 'tis not the Law but you that exclude your ſelf, and the Subjects are excuſed by a Law (as great as that which requires them to take the Oath of Allegiance) from ſubmitting to ſuch an unqualified Perſon. Now though it is urged by ſome (continues he) That in Hereditary Succeſſions, no Limitations can be laid by any Power upon Earth to bar the Inheritance, being founded by a Law paramount to all humane and poſitive Laws, viz. The Law of God and Nature: Yet give me leave, ſays he, to ask theſe Gentlemen, whether the Laws of God and Nature have more force here in England, than in any other part of the World? We know very well that by the Laws they ſpeak of, Proximity of Blood is only to be regarded, without any other conſideration, either of Religion, Manners, Sex or Age, even to Ideots and Madmen. How then comes it to paſs, that in France an Hereditary Monarchy of the firſt Magnitude, the Crown is Limited to the Heirs Males, for whether the Salique Law be as old as Pharamond, as they pretend it is, or whether it were only made to ſerve a Turn to exclude our Edward from his Natural Right to that Crown, in Right of his Mother, it will not be worth the while to enquire at this time a-day, de Facto, it is ſo, and hath been, to the Excluſion of all Females and their Iſſue to this very time. And though ſome would ſeem to juſtifie the practice with a Diſpenſation from Heaven, becauſe there is ſuch a paſſage in the Scripture, Lilia nec nent nec laborant, yet that will ſcarce paſs with any but ſuch as interpret Scripture A la mode de France. So in Portugal, where they admit of Females to Inherit the Crown, yet they are Limited to ſuch as Marry within that Kingdom, and this upon pretence of the Law of Lamego; a freſh inſtance of which is now upon the Stage in the Infanta of Portugal, who being to Marry with the Duke of Savoy, in order to make their Iſſue capable of Inheriting the Crown of Portugal, The States of the Nation were Convened, and their [Page] Conſent required, for diſpenſing with that Law for this time, and in that Caſe. And by vertue of that Law the late Duke of Braganza (Father to the preſent King and Prince Regent of Portugal) was declared King, having Marryed Catherine, a younger Daughter, yet Marryed within the Kingdom; whilſt the Iſſue of Mary though elder Daughter Marryed to the Duke of Parma, were Excluded, according to that Law of Lamego. In Poland (though it be yet an Elective Kingdom) yet their very Elections are Confin'd and Limited to one that is a Roman Catholick. And ſo in ſeveral Parts of Germany their Chief Magiſtrate muſt be alternatively a Romaniſt and a Lutheran. Now if all this be well done in theſe Countries notwithſtanding the Divine, Natural Right of Succeſſion by proximity of Blood; And if every Nation is bound by the higheſt Law to take care, Ne quid detrimenti Reſpublica capiat; And we ſee other Countries do and have made Laws which they judge moſt convenient for the good of thoſe reſpective Countries even to the Limiting the Succeſſion; How comes it to paſs that we in England are deprived of this Liberty that other Countries take in preſerving themſelves and their Government entire and unſhaken.

Another Queſtion of this nature and probably as important as the former was urg'd by another Friend, viz. In Caſe the Wiſdom of a King in Poſſeſſion by the Advice and Conſent aforeſaid: ſhould make ſuch a Law to Deprive all Papiſts from Inheriting the Crown, and ſhould Declare, That ſuch and ſuch Overt Acts ſhould be a ſufficient conviction in Law to affect ſuch Perſons of being ſo, and then Entayling the Crown upon the next Proteſtant Heir in Succeſſion: How then ſhould good Subjects behave themſelves in ſuch a juncture?

And ſeveral other Queries incident hereunto we had, which I ſhall not trouble you with at this time, but intreat you to give us your thoughts of theſe I have mentioned, as freely as we have imparted ours. And though theſe ſort of Queſtions ſeem a little to confirm or favour the Tickling Querie I mentioned at firſt; give me leave to ſay thus much to this and all other Queries of this nature?

Firſt, That the Proteſtant Religion of the Church of England, Teaches us no other Doctrine than what was Taught by the Apoſtles themſelves, that is, Obedience and Submiſſion to Kings and Governours: and that not becauſe they are of this or that Religion or Perſuaſion (as they now term it) but purely and abſtractedly for Conſcience Sake, It is the Ordinance of God, and he that reſiſteth ſhall receive to himſelf Damnation.

Next, That we ought continually to bleſs God for, and earneſtly pray for the long Life of our moſt Gracious Sovereign (never one more truly termed the Light of our Eyes and the Breath of our Noſtrils) and then theſe captious Queries are needleſs of themſelves.

But if it ſhould pleaſe God to change the Scene, and ſend us a King of another Temper, I am ſure that then the beſt way to preſerve the Proteſtant Religion is, to be of the ſame mind ſtill, that is to Fear God and Honour the King, and we need not fear but that the God whom we ſerve, who hath the hearts of Kings in his hands, will ſo order things, that by our peaceable Converſation in ſuch a juncture, moſt of thoſe diſmal apprehenſions we are terrified with, will blow over, or if it ſhould prove a ſtorm, it will be either not violent or not long. And this is ſo peculiarly the Doctrine of the Church of England, that I think I may Challenge all the Churches of the ſeveral perſuaſions in the World, to ſay and prove they hold this Doctrine; for certainly if it were ſo, Thoſe deſperate Tenents of Murdering of Princes, &c. would never have been heard of in the World; And [Page] whether the Jeſuit or the Presbyter be moſt guilty in that particular, both in Doctrine and Practice, would be a ſubject too long and too odious for to be comprehended within the compaſs of a Letter. To conclude then this great Caſe and anſwer this curious Querie as poſitively as I can, I ſhall be bold to affirm, That if Almighty God in his Providence ſhould pleaſe to ſend us a Popiſh Prince, The beſt way to preſerve the Proteſtant Religion in the Purity of her Doctrine, is not only to admit him, but ſubmit to his juſt Authority in all his Lawful Commands. We know no Arms but thoſe of the old Chriſtian Martyrs, Prayers and Tears: We are alwaies ready to Fight for, never againſt our Prince. We fear Hell more than Smithfield; And aſſuredly if the Princes of the World would impartially weigh the Purity and Simplicity of the Doctrines of the Church of England, the Innocency and Decency of her Ceremonies, the Regularity and Decorum in her Offices and Adminiſtrations, the Integrity and Candour of her Principles and Manners, they would not only conclude her to be the beſt Tranſcript of the Original Copy of Primitive Chriſtianity that is left in the World, but the beſt ſecurity to Eſtabliſh the Thrones of Kings, and the beſt Rule for Subjects to learn and practiſe that due Obedience they owe to Governours. Oh! that I could add, That the Lives of her Profeſſors were anſwerable to the Doctrines and Principles of their Profeſſion. For 'tis ſuch a Paradox, as well as Burthen of Spirit to all True, Sober Proteſtants, to obſerve that generally thoſe that walk moſt ſtrictly in their Lives, and pretend to have a degree of Sanctity and Holineſs above other Men, they have no proportion of Submiſſion and Deference to their Lawful Superiors both in Church and State, with other Men of leſs Sanctity or Parts. Whilſt on the other ſide thoſe that pretend to have the greateſt Loyalty for their Prince, and Obedience to all in Authority under him, do commonly give themſelves too great a Liberty in their outward Converſation, and Indulge themſelves too much in their ſenſual enjoyments, to the reciprocal ſcandal one of another; for whilſt one ſide takes advantage and ſays, Look what Lives theſe Loyaliſts lead: the other returns, Obſerve what Principles theſe Zealots hold, thereby encouraging and hardning each other in their half-Chriſtianity. And without peradventure it will never be well, till one ſide adorns his Loyalty with a Holy-Life, and the other crowns his Zeal with Loyalty and Obedience. Then ſhould we be the happieſt People alive, under whatever Diſpenſations of Providence we may poſſibly fall. Thus begging your pardon for troubling you with our Country Conceptions, We kiſs your hands and remain,

Your Faithful Servants, &c.

THE END.

§

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SOME OBSERVATIONS UPON The Tickling Querie, (Viz.) Whether the admitting of a Popiſh Succeſſor, be the beſt way to preſerve the Proteſtant Religion? WITH OTHER PASSAGES TOUCHING The Hiſtory of the Succeſsion and other Pamphlets.

By a Gentleman in the Countrey to his Friend in London.

In illa tempora perventum eſt quibus nec vitia nec remedia pati poſſumus. Liv.

LONDON: Printed for Joanna Brome, at the Gun at the Weſt-End of St. Pauls, MDCLXXXI.

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Title statement

Some observations upon the tickling querie (viz.) whether the admitting of a popish successor be the best way to preserve the Protestant religion, with other passages touching the history of the succession and other pamphlets / by a gentleman in the countrey to his friend in London.

Gentleman in the countrey.

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1681

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Text Creation Partnership,

Place of publication

Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) :

Date

2008-09 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1).

ID [DLPS]

A60816

ID [STC]

Wing S4542

ID [STC]

ESTC R17822

ID [EEBO-CITATION]

11936250

ID [OCLC]

ocm 11936250

ID [VID]

51184

Availability

This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal. The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission.

Series

Early English books online.

Notes

(EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A60816)

Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 51184)

Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 513:42)

Source

— Some observations upon the tickling querie (viz.) whether the admitting of a popish successor be the best way to preserve the Protestant religion, with other passages touching the history of the succession and other pamphlets / by a gentleman in the countrey to his friend in London., Gentleman in the countrey..

Extent

[2], 7 p.

Printed for Joanna Brome ...,. London :: 1681.. (Reproduction of original in University of Pennsylvania Library.)

Creation

Created by converting TCP files to TEI P5 using tcp2tei.xsl, TEI @ Oxford.

Editorial practices

EEBO-TCP is a partnership between the Universities of Michigan and Oxford and the publisher ProQuest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by ProQuest via their Early English Books Online (EEBO) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). The general aim of EEBO-TCP is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic English-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in EEBO.

EEBO-TCP aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the Text Encoding Initiative (http://www.tei-c.org).

The EEBO-TCP project was divided into two phases. The 25,363 texts created during Phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 January 2015. Anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source.

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Text selection was based on the New Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature (NCBEL). If an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in NCBEL, then their works are eligible for inclusion. Selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. In general, first editions of a works in English were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably Latin and Welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so.

Image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. Quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in Oxford and Michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet QA standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. After proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. Any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. Understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of TCP data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. Users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a TCP editor.

The texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the TEI in Libraries guidelines.

Copies of the texts have been issued variously as SGML (TCP schema; ASCII text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable XML (TCP schema; characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless XML (TEI P5, characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or TEI g elements).

Keying and markup guidelines are available at the Text Creation Partnership web site.