ALthough it must needs be granted, that (as the Poet sings) pax est dul­cissimarerū; Peace (especially married to truth) is a most sweet & pre­cious temporall blessing, and a most amiable and desirable thing; And that, that of the Apostle, Ro. 12. 18. is most true, If it be possible, as much as in you is, have peace with all men; And although I therfore do most justly and ingenuously acknowledge, that our most renowned Parliamentary Worthies doe most holily and honourably both before God and all good men in en­tring into Treaties and Propositions for peace, and thereby doe most pru­dently and piously l [...]berare animas suas, and stop the slanderous mouthes of malignants: yet it must be as necessarily granted that it is a most essentiall part of prudence, to be most carefull and circumspect in the managing the results and settlement thereof unto such safe and secure issues for succeeding times, and (if it be possible) for the more certaine avoyding of future dange­rous after-claps, as themselves, and the Subject may receive certaine content and comfort therein for future times, especially after a promised and (though most deeply) protested reconciliation with popishly affected, and atheisti­cally principled Malignants formerly offended with their Protestant Peers and people. In which respect, O the most sad and sanguine, O the base and bloody after claps, and calamitous, catastrophes, and most lamentable events which have followed and fallen upon the plain and honest-hearted peace­defiring people and Protestant Subjects of popish Princes, under the name and vicious vizard of pretended and protested peace, forsooth, end recon­cilement with them! Most worthily, therefore, saies the fountain of truth, the Spirit of God, by the pious Prophet David, though he himselfe was a very vertuous and holy King, Put not any trust in Princes, nor in any sonnes of [Page 2] men. Which is most true, not onely in respect of the brevity and shortnesse of their lives, but also of the inconstancy of their words and promises; for; how did Ioab one of Davids Princes or famous war-worthies, under shew and semblance of pretended love and peacefull embracements, most treache­rously murther both Abner and Amasa, two other most renowned worthies of Israel, whom, otherwise, in open hostility he could hardly have wronged? And how was that ancient and famous City of Troy (so renowned by Poets pens, especially Homer and Virgil; we will not dispute the authenticknesse of the history, but onely make use of the morality of it) sodainely, even in one night, so ruinated and depopulated, that as they sang of it, Seges, nunc, ubi Trojasuit. And all under the Sinonian deceit, and fraudulent pretence of a holy (or rather hollow) horse, by Pallas or Pelasgan art and policy built and brought into the walls of Troy; which in one night, I say, utterly ruina­ted that most renowned City, which ten yeers siege and war before could never conquer or overcome: So that, seeing the Trojans would not timely listen to Laocoons counsell or wary watch-word, Timeo Danaos & dona fe­rentes, they were therefore made a proverb to posterity, by a Serò sapiunt Phryges.

But, what need so far fetcht and ancient examples, since we have so many manifest and remarkable ones of this kind, more modern and neerer home? Wherof (for brevities sake) I wil only instance in two most eminent ones, and most pertinent to our present purpose; the one out of France, the other out of Germany: both which being seriously read and ruminated, let the wise reader rightly judge, and truly tell me, whether our present most renowned and pious Parliament, both eminent and excellent Lords and Commons, yea and the most loyall Senate, and City of London too, with them, have not extraordinary need and great cause to take speciall care and caution, with all Christian providentiall wisdome and circumspection, as our good and most wise God (being first sought unto) shall enable them, how they make a peace, and how farre they will trust and rest on the fairest promises, and profoundest Protestations, that Princes or Courtiers can make unto them, especially, as I said, being popishly, or atheistically, and malignantly princi­pled, and in their deepest and deerest relations and engagements addicted and devoted to Popery, Atheism, and Malignant, enemies of true piety and honesty.

The first serious example (then) most pregnant to this purpose, shall be that of Charles the ninth, King of France, Anno 1571 the yeere of that most execrable, base and bloody massacre at Paris. Oh the most horrid and hateful, the most deep and devilish dissimulation of the King, and his (then) Queen­mother, meerly and mainly under a colour of love and reconcilement to that most famous Admirall of France (a most wise, magnanimous and pious Pro­testant, [Page 3] yea, (under God) the maine pillar and prop of the French Prote­stants) and by deepest vowes and promises of peace and high priviledges and immunities, for his sake, to all the rest of the protestants in France: And yet all this onely to ensnare and entrap this most renowned Admirall (and with him the rest of the prime protestant Peers of France) into their pitfall at Paris, there the more commodiously, (or rather accursedly) to massacre and murther them, (as afterwards they did) in a most barbarous and butcherly manner; but to give you a few most materiall particulars for the most full clearing of the thing. Oh how did this King Charles, at the first, (with most exquisite Machivilian hypocrisie) bind himselfe by most deep vowes and protestations, yea and execrations of himselfe, on the contrary, to give the Admirall full assurance of his faire and cleare intent and resolution to settle and confirm all acts and edicts, and all desiderable priviledges, for the ad­vancement and confirmation of the league and religion of all his protestant Subjects in France, backt most firmly (so see to) with the marriage of his daughter to the young King of Navar, a protestant Prince, and by this meanes also in a speciall manner got the foresaid renowned Admirall, the King of Navarr, the young Prince of Conde, another Protestant Peere of France, and all or most of the most eminent protestant Nobility of France, joyfully and unjelously to assemble together at Paris, (the ap­pointed Theatre of the ensuing Tragedy) for the more solemn cele­bration of this mischievous marriage; How did the King also at this time (to take away all jealousies and mistrusts) receive the said Admirall (being now, by these wiles drawne to Court) with all French complements, and eve [...] extream demonstrations of love and embracements, yea with large and liberall recompences of all the Admirals losses, sustained in his wars, by the gift of 100000 Frankes; besides the present grant (for one whole yeere) of all the revenues which his brother the Cardinall of Chastillon enjoyed, be­ing then lately deceased in England, gave him a place in his privy Councell, advised with him touching the managing of his greatest wars, then in Flan­ders, and made shew to be governed by his onely advise and counsell; yea, honoured him with the most plausible name of Father, and treated with him so familiarly, that the popish party began to murmur and say that Charles their King not onely favoured that Hugonet, (for so in France they nick­name the Protestants, as our malignants and papists in England call true Christians, Puritans and Roundheads) but would, they scared, shortly himself also become a Hugonet; yea, I say, so extraordinarily and so extreamly (as I may say) did the King seem, thus, to hug and honour this most Noble and renowned, grave and godly Admirall, to free him from all suspitious and relucting jealousies, which sometimes were put into him, by the advisement of some of his deare and faithfull protestant friends, that (like honest hearted [Page 4] good Gedaliah, touching Ismaels treacherie) he could, now, taste no admo­nitions, or feare any unfaithfulnesse, his honest-meaning spirit was so trans­ported with the Kings counterfeit countenance and bewitching words. But now see, how (when all things were ripe for the ensuing wicked worke) all those favours and faire worde, all K. Charles his deep vowes, promises and protestations proved but so many sugred baits to swallow down, the smooth­lier, the Kings most base and bitter pils of horrid and inhumane treachery. For, when as, I say, the designed day was now come, and all things ready for plotted and resolved ruine and destruction; First, this good aged Admirall securely reading a petition, was suddenly shot at with a Harguebuse, which instantly tooke off the forefinger of his right hand, and sorely wounded his left arme; whereof the King being presently certified by the King of Navarr and the Prince of Conde, ô how he swore and tooke on, for seeming sorrow! ô how he vowed with most bitter execrations to take such speedy and severe revenge on the actors of this outrage, as to make his justice exemplary to all the world, and fully satisfactory to the good Admirall and all his friend [...]! Whereupon great search was made, and the Harguebuse found, but the actor having a brave Spanish gennet at the doore below waiting on him, was fled and gone, and there was all was done. For, all this proved but a prepara­tory to a far more bloody Scene and accursed Catastrophe, now instantly intended: for now, the good Admirall being conveyed into a bed-chamber for cure, within a day or two, at most, after this, the Duke of Guise (by the full consent of King Charles, the Queen-mother, and others privy to the plot) set strong guards of Swissers and such like bloody villaines about the Admirals lodgings and bed-chamber, whereinto a servant of the said Dukes first boldly enters, and with a naked Sword runnes at the good aged Admi­rall, as he lay wounded in his bed, and instantly and desperately thrust him through his body with his Sword, then doubles the blow on his head, ano­ther shoots him into the body with a pistoll, a third sorely wounds him on his legs as he lay, and then they cast that most Noble and renowned perso­nage dead on the floore, whom living and in health, the proudest papist in France durst not (in a martiall w [...]y) looke in the face. This done, the devillish Duke of Guise caused his dead body to be cast out of the win­dow to him, into the street, and those butcherly villaines hurld him downe headlong unto him, who having wiped the blood from his besmea­red face, he said, Now I know tis he, and so despightfully spurning him with his foot, he left him, and then set forward the rest of the murtherous and massacring work all over Paris: in which interim, they left not this noble Admirall, thus, but an Italian (of the Duke of Nevers houshould, one of the complotters) cut off his head, and instantly carried it to the King and Queene-Mother, who joyfully causing it to be enbalmed sent it shortly [Page 5] after, as a choice present to the Pope, for an assurance of the death of his most capitall enemy in France. Nay the rage of these French Romish Tygers rested not here, but like so many mad-Dogs, the rest of the ignoble rabble ran to his dead Corps, and one cuts off his hands, another his privy-members, and for the space of three dayes, they dragged his dead carkasle (as the Grecians did Hectors about the walls of Troy) with all inhumane indignity, through the streets of Paris, and then hang'd up his (thus) poore mangled body, by the heels on a Gibbet, and ceased not this most horrid and hellish massacre, till they had most lamentably murthered at least 10000 Protestants, men, wo­men and children in Paris, besides many thousands more in other parts of France, at the same time. Yea and yet to adde more to all the impiety of this popish (& therfore faithlesse) King: He sending, now for the King of Navarr and the Prince of Conde, gave them both to understand, even from himselfe, that all this was done by his own speciall command, and with all, perempto­rily resolved the death of both these young Princes too, if they on his threats had not (as wretchedly they did) renounced their religion, turning Romish Catholike (against the light of their consciences) to save their lives and en­joy their honours. And thus you have summarily seen the sad effects of this most perfidious princes former deepe vowes, promises and protestations; And therefore, let all the World judge, whether, in this case, that be not most true.

That is;

The other example is little inferiour to this former, for Popish barbari­ty, and perfidious disloyalty, and that was of Ferdinando, late Emperour of Germany, father of the now present Emperour, which in brief was thus.

After that this Ferdinando had (for his disloyall violation of the Bohe­mian Lawes & immunities, especially by introducing the Jesuits among them to tyrannize over their Bodies Estates and Consciences) been deposed and dispossessed of that Kingdom; (over which, being Electorate, the Nobility & whole State of Bohemia had chosen him their King) afterward by the un­animous consent of the said Nobles and Magistrates, the Prince Palatine of the Rhine, unhappy son in Law to King Iames of England, was in his stead chosen to be their King, according to the fundamentall Lawes and power of that Kingdome: But not long after it so pleased the Lord (the Almighty and most wise disposer of all things) that at the great battell fought neere Prague by Bucquoy, the said Emperours Generalissimo, the Palsgrave, the fore­said new elected King of Bohemia's forces were quite defeated and over­throwne by the said Bucquoy; and, thereby, the famous and ancient City of Prague was reduced by conquest to the obedience of Ferdinando, this being [Page 6] about 24 or 25 yeares agoe. Now the Emperour though thus re-estated, by the sword, and in some measure re-established in the Bohemian throne, yet, in the first place, to weave and insinuate himselfe the more into the hearts and affections of the Nobility (for the more sure and infallible effecting of his secretly intended devilish designe) and the heads of the Inhabitants of that City, which was the metropolis of that whole Kingdome; he thought it most fit, and accordingly put in practise with dexterious Machivilian craft and policy, to make most deepe vowes, protestations, and promises of full and free pardon and mercy for what was past, and a fuller fruition and en­joyment of his love and favour and of their rites and priviledges, than ever formerly they had enjoyed from any of his predecessours: which hee accordingly forthwith performed with all present possible confirmations, and carried himselfe in a very plausible and exceeding well pleasing deport­ment, every way, to them, for the space of above one halfe yeare, at the least. But, at last, about the expiration of a such like distance of time, the Emperour pretending some important and weighty affaires of the Kingdome to be consulted of and consented to by him and his whole Nobility, for the more successefull and peacefull settlement of the state of the Kingdome and their immunities, he summoned them all that were, then, absent from the City, to make their appearance at Prague, at a day and time prefixed, who (by rea­son of the Emperours so faire and friendly carriage to them, all this while, and there so full and free enjoyment of their promised priviledges and law­full immunities) not suspecting any evill, much lesse such a bloody Trage­dy to be acted on them, as afterward they found and felt, in obedience to his Imperiall Majesties command and gratitude for his great favours, they readily and cheerefully assembled together according to their summons at Prague; where being met, together with the magistrates of the City, and most kindly saluted and entertained with all expressions of seeming love and affection, within a day or two after, they were all by a strong guard of armed souldiers, prepared and appointed thereunto, unexpectedly brought upon a great stage, privately built up and prepared for this purpose, where the headsman stood ready; and they all, thus sodainly ensnared and utterly unarmed, both prime Nobility and chiefe Magistrates of this City, who had had a hand in the Emperours former deposing and expulsion, did every man of them suffer the losse of his life, by the fury of a treacherous sword; and (which makes the abomination of this perfidious cruelty and treach­ery the more odious and execrable) the Emperour had appointed and pla­ced about 60 D [...]ummers underneath the stage, who (much like the cruelty of that tyrannicall Emperour Phalaris, with Perillus his roaring brazen-Bull) should with incessant importunity, beat upon and rattle their D [...]ums, du­ring all the time of the Execution, that so the noise, cries or complaints [Page 7] of all these innocent Nobles and Gentlemen dying on the stage above, might not be heard or pittied, in their just exclamations of the Machavilian and most abominable craft and cruelty executed on them. But, in vaine did this faithlesse Emperour Ferdinando thinke to keep that from the eares and knowledge of men which had already with a crying noise (like murthered Abels innocent bloud) reached the eares of the omniscient and bloud­avenging God, who soone cut short the thread of his life, and ever since and before his Death made hiswhole most unhappy Empire to him and to his bloudy Son after him a lamentable Golgotha and stage of little else but ra­pine, ruine and destruction. Now, both these so pregnant presidents and ex­amples, so eminently pertinent to our present times may be (me thinks) most remarkeable Memento's and worthy warning▪peeces to us in England, even to our most renowned Lords and Commons in Parliament, and to the most loyall and active eminent Citizens of London, to take speciall and extraor­dinary care, and with great wisdome and circumspection to be very cautious and heedfull what Peace they make, and what vowes, promises and deepest protestations (though backt with ever so heart-amazing curses) and execra­tions they trust and rest on, whereof already the rotten-hearted Royalists and Atheisticall crew of impious Oxonian Malignants have not been wanting, and all in the Kings Name, at least, to cheat, gull, and abuse the Kingdome and bring our precious Patriots into their base and bloudy snares, and all forsooth under a colour and pernicious pretext of Peace and future safety and security, whereas indeed they intend nothing lesse, and ayme at nothing more, than the ruine and destruction of their precious Lives and Estates, and (which is most deare to them, and us all) the extirpation of the true religion. And so much the rather do I the more seriously desire to presse this season­able caution, at this time, because, even now already (as indeed it hath beene the constant practise of our Oxonian adversaries in all the times of their pre­tended Treaties) they apparently shew they goe but about to cheat and gull us to our faces, with bare shewes and pretences of peace and all well meaning towards us, having, indeed, honey and butter (an acknowledgement of our Parliament at Westminster to be the parliament of England) on the tip of their Tongues, but gall and wormwood at the root of their hearts: nothing but pence, pacifications and priviledges, at that time, when Branford sorely bleeds, Bristoll must be betray'd and divers dangerous Fine-designes are set on foot, yea, so many and so mischeivous, that they know not which to set upon first, thus, heretofore and all along. And is it better or is there fairer play above board, now ad [...]ies than hath been heeretofore. If it be so, let Reding, Lyn-re­gis, Plimouth, Abington and Dover, at this time witnesse, even now in the nick of time of this present pretended, accommodation and treaty of peace wherein, let all the World judge (with us) if they aim at any thing els, than [Page 8] gros [...]y to gull [...]s, and (as the sad and bad Catastrophe of all) to get us into their treacherous trap and pernicious pit-fall, for certaine ruine and a mer­cilesse massacre even of all the best and most honest and loyall subjects of the whole Kingdome; and hereof, truly, we have had, I say, too foule and fre­quent experiences, namely, that their dissembled words of peace have ever done us more mischiefe than all their sharpest swords of War. And if they have been thus hot, hasty and fool-hardy after the murther and massacring of the Kingdomes most innocent ones (witnesse, with the rest, that desperate and most bloudy designe of Ianuary the fourth 1641 in the house of Com­mons in Parliament, countenanced and attempted with our King Charles his own person) apparently to our faces, even then, and now (though now ada [...]es more craftily) when we have power to oppose them. O what may we fear for the future, when they may have fully or ra­ther foulely and faithlesly got our famous Patriots (by a fallacious accommodation) into their resistlesse pawes and power, as those forementioned most memorable examples have remarkably manifested, tis possible may be. Certainly a little length of time is not like to les­sen their intestine malice and malignity, but believe that to be most true which the Poet sung of Juno, (with a little inversion) Manet alta mente reposita, Invidia Principum. And let, I say, all popishly and atheistically principled Princes, and their semblable adherents protest and pre­tend what they please and what they can, let us in the strength and wisdom of our God, stand wisely alwaies on our guard, and still look on them all with just and most jelous vigilancy, suspition and circumspection, having oft in remembrance that pretty and pertinent apology (which I have read) of the Cat and the Mice, with which I will conclude all I have h [...]erin to say, which is thus related. The Cat having along time craftily preyed upon Mice, the poore creatures, at last, for their safety contained themselves within their holes; but the Cat finding his prey to cease, as being too well known to the Mice that he was their inveterate enemy, and a Cat; he deviseth this course following, viz. He changeth his hue, getteth on a religious habite, shaveth his crown, and walkes gravely by the holes: And yet, perceiving that the Mice still kept their holes, and looking out suspected the worst, he most formally & fatherly said un­to them Quod sueram non sii, frater, caput asp [...]ce tonsum; that is, I am not (brothers) as I was want to be, No more a Cat, my coat and shorncrown see. Hereupon, some of the more credulous and bold mice among them ventured forth; and were presently snatch'd up and devoured: But the rest seing this, when afterwards the Cat came, thus, to intice them againe, to come forth, they would no more adventure out, but when he call'd unto them, as before, they kept in and answered, Cor tibi restat idem, vix tibi praesto sidem. Talke what you can, we will you not believe, you still retaine a Cats heart to deceive. Thus let us (as Solomon advises the sluggard to learne of the Pismire) learn vigilancy of these Mice; And when we deale with dissemblers (as now we do) let us wisely and warily consider, that the best, safest and surest way (by Gods blessing and assistance) is, that old and plain well known rule, fast bind, fast find. Yet, trust and seek God herein, above all; But, put no confidence in popishly affected Princes or Machivilianly principled Courtiers or malignants. Now the God of grace and wisdom make us all wise unto salvation, and give our most honorable and pious Patriots understanding in all things. Amen and Amen.