IT is held a common Tenet, That an Apologie doth imply an offence; Whereof if I were conscious to my self in the least breach of Allegiance, due to Soveraignty, I would not blush in the ingenious acknowledge­ment of my guiltinesse; but would (in all humility) throw my self down at Your Majesties feet, though culpable in nothing else (so far as my conscience doth suggest) but of a great aversenesse in disposition, and a great reluctation I have had within my self, against all the late proceedings have been attempted in Your Majesties Service; which (if it should be found criminall) there are not many of Your Majesties best advised and best affected subjects or servants of any quality, who stand either for the glory of God, The Honour of Your Maiesty, or, The peace and happinesse of the Kingdom, who (in foro conscientiae) can plead guiltlesse in that point: And if there be any of a contrary sense (who are considerable) It will appear (upon a strict search) That flattery, spleen, or emulation, hath rather transported them then any thing else, will be found essentiall, to make such a breach as the Kingdom is threatned with; which (unprevent­ed) may bury them and their posterities in the ruines thereof. The Zeal I have had to Your Maiesties Fathers Service in Ire­land, in setling the Province of Ʋlster; and to Your own Ser­vice at Rochell (which in my time hath had no example) will [Page 4] vindicate me from any aspersion may be cast upon me, either of ingratitude, or disloyalty: And that all Your Maiesties favours have produced no other effects to me, but to have been made the subiect of all calumnies, and detraction, that malice could brand me with, and a deep engagement in 2000^l debt, after the spending of 36 yeers of time in Your Maiesties Fathers and Your own Service. I did adventure upon a great free­dome of discourse with Your Maiesty at Newcastle, upon the subiect of War; which if it had taken any impression (sutable to the sincerity of my heart) as a businesse of so high a Nature did require, Your Maiesty might have avoyded many unhappy accidents which have encountred all Your Attempts since that time; which cannot be interpreted to have sprung from any other source, th [...]n from the rashnesse, arrogancy, and ambition of some presumptuous spirits, who have drawn Your Maiesty upon ruinous Precipices, which could not but bring forth the like wretched effects: Their aym was at nothing so much, as at the disgrace and overthrow of all Your Maiesties well-affected and loyall subiects and servants, who were not stamped with the Character of the time; and to engage Your Maiesty in their unhappy Interests of ambition, gain, malice, revenge, despair, and emulation; as if Your Maiesties Crowns, and their despe­rate Fortunes, had had but one and the same Center; as if both had been cast in one Ballance, to stand or fall, in the distractions of the times. When I did look upon the lamentable posture of three Kingdomes, reduced to a great height of desolation and misery: When I did perceive that no corner in all Your Dominions that could afford one good man, that was sensible of the purity of Religion towards God, of the Honour, Peace, and Safety of Your Maiesty and Kingdoms; who did not groan under the exorbitances of the time: And when there was small probability (unlesse by miracle) that Your Maiesties Diadems could retayn that ancient lustre and beauty, nor those Halcyon dayes of publike prosperity Your loving subiects and their Ancestors had formerly enioyed, under the Raigns of your Royall Progenitors (whilst they kept a regular course of Go­vernment with their Parliaments.) I could finde no better way to do Your Maiesty a more agreeable Service, then by stopping [Page 5] the course of a Civill War, so far as could fall within the com­passe of my endeavour, to embrace any fit opportunity offered (as to cast my self within Hull) whereby my real and affection to the publike good might be demonstrated, in a service for the common Interest of Your Maiesty and the Kingdom; which whosoever shall go about to separate, cannot but expect such fearfull events as ordinarily do accompany all such, who would entertain and foster a wofull Divorcement betwixt a Prince and his People; a wretched div [...]sion betwixt the head and the mem­bers; which (of necessity) must bring forth prodigious issues, as may not onely shake the foundation of Monarchy, but also overflow the fertile and pleasant fields and valleyes of this Kingdome with streams of innocent blood, which might be more safely reserved for more advantagious, and more honora­ble employments, then profusedly s [...]ent, in the ripping up of the bowells one of another, of Your Maiesties good subiects, by an intestine War, which will divide the father from the son, the brother from the brother, and the neerest kinsman from his dearest friend; and that (which is most deplorable) the ground of the War must arise from the unsetled and unconstant appe­tites of some factious and turbulent spirits, overladed with the bitternesse of their own passions and interest, and at such an unseasonable time, when a more iust, and a more honourable subiect for a War, cannot be long wanting, if the unseasona­ble distempers of the time could allow your Maiesties good subiects a little time to breathe in the calm ayr, and happinesse of a blessed peace, untill such time as France and Spain (by their mutuall clashings) have so far debilitated each other, that both might run the hazard to be made the Stage for Your Ma­iesties just indignation, provoked by the affronts have been put upon Your Maiesties Father and Your Self, in the uniust detention of the Patrimony of a Grand-childe of this Crown, if there were a happy attonement with Your Maiesties loving sub­iects, strongly cemented by a strict correspondency with the Ne­therland Provinces, whose friendship or immunity may do more good or hurt to these kingdoms, then the friendship or immunity of France and Spain ioyned together. The miserable sense of that War in Italy, by the pertinacious obstinacy of Charls the eighth, [Page 6] which was stirred up and fomented by the ignorance and ambi­tion of that proud Prelate, the Bishop of S. Malo, which did draw on his shamefull expulsion out of Italy, at the expence of his reputation, and hazard of his life: The deplorable event of that War, violently prosecuted by Charls the more hardy then wise Duke of Burgundy, against the Swisses, which had no other ground but unmeasurable ambition, and the refusall of redresse to some of the Swisses, who had but a Cart full of Sheep-skins taken iniuriously from them, going to their Mar­ket, by the Count of Romont, which was paid home by the losse of his Baggage, by the losse of his reputation, by the losse of his Family (which for four Generations, had stood in com­peti ion with the Emperour, and the French King) and in the end, by losse of his life. The vast and profuse consumption of more men and money, spent by the King of Spain in that Bel­gick War, then might have reduced Italy and France to that Austrian servitude (aspired unto by Charls the fifth, aiming at a fifth Monarchy) which if it had in time been nipped in the bud, might have been easily prevented, by hearing the humble Petitions of a handfull of his subiects, oppressed with the Ty­ranny of the Spanish Government, may serve as example of terrour to all great Princes, who (at the appetites of their ser­vants) will embark themselves in such extricable errours, as are often accompanied with sudden and unfortunate events. Ma­ny great and honorable Actions have been brought to hap­py and, glorious conclusions, by Princes who have relyed up­on the valour and affection of their loving subiects; which (be­ing wanting) the examples of good successe have been no lesse rare, then of black Swans, either in ancient or modern Stories. The hearty acclamations of joy at Your Fathers entry to the Crown of England, the publike exultations at Your Maiesties safe return from Spain, will challenge a more kindely retribu­tion, then the exposing of the Fortunes and lives of Your good subiects to the inhumane butcheries of an intestine War, which (like a Gangrene) hath already over-run the greatest part of Europe, and may (by the revolution of time, whereunto all sub­lunary things are subiect) kindle such a fire here amongst Your good subiects, which wil not be quickly extinguished, by all the [Page 7] plots & practices of the time, nor without some hazards to your Scepters. Especially when strangers (being invited by our distra­ctions) if they have power, ambition, and sence of revenge, may endeavour to be sharers with Your Ma^ties good Subjects, in the felicities of this Iland, as the onely place in Europe, which hath been long exempted from the thraldom and bondage of War, which undoubtedly they would have attempted before this time, if God (in his gracious providence and care of this Iland) had not suffered France and Spain to be deeply embarqued over head and ears: The common quarrell of invasion which Princes never forget, if they can finde an opportunity to remember, The Jesuitick plots to extirpate the whole body of Protestants in this Iland, which (as it was in former times, the onely safe Sanctuary and protection of all that suffered under the tyranny of Rome) may (by these Machinations, rooted here too deeply) become a Cage for unclean birds to nestle therein, and disturb the peace of these Kingdoms, as a powerfull effect of too much implicite trust put in some, who will prove in the end Your Majesties greatest enemies, and of too much neglect of others, who will be found the best supporters of the dignity of Your Person, and Crowns. And if there be a War really intended, there is a necessity of a more solid foundation then the prote­ction of evil and unadvised Ministers, whom Your Majesties Predecessour Henry the fourth of England, would have rather offred up as publike Victims to an offended Commonwealth, then that three Kingdoms should lye pitifully exposed to the hazards of a publike conflagration; which God in his mercy avert: I must rather accompt him an ignorant Mountebank then a skillfull Phisitian, who adviseth his patient to apply a more violent remedy, then the nature of the disease will com­port with, orherwise the remedy may prove worst then the disease: Nor shall I ever accompt him for a faithfull servant, who perswadeth his Master to imbrace any action, which may more conduce to the advancement of any private interest of ambition, gain, malice, revenge, despaire, or emulation, then to the safety of his Masters repuatiton and honour: Your Majesty doth well know, the different Characters antiquity hath put upon the two favorites of Alexander, Hephestion and [Page 8] Craterus, the one loved Alexander out of conscience, duty, zeale, and love as his Soveraign, the other loved the King for his magnificence, pompe, glory, and power; Alexander had to raise his fortune, and to make him great, not unlike to the [...]egionary Souldiers that followed Germanicus, recorded by Tacitus, to have said fortunam meum potius quam me forebatis, or such Court Parasits, who do rather look upon the fortunes, then persons of great Princes: I pray God Your Majesty have not too many of the one, and too few of the other kinde of Servants; Pardon Dread Soveraign this freedom of spirit, which no extremity, no power, no punishment can restrain, And which cannot but burst forth in this excesse of passion and grief, to see Your Majesty so inclinable to give way to all such courses, which can presage no lesse then a fearfull revolation, if Your Maiesty should continue in a constant course of being inexorable to the perswasions, counsells, and petitions of Your loving Subiects, inviting Your Maiesty to adhere to your great Councell of Parliament, who are only able to make Your maiesty no lesse happy & glorious then any of your Royall Progenitors: God grant that in end, Your Maiesty may be sensible of the Common callamities your good Sebiects are involved in, and that some proper occasion may be represented, whereby every true and loyall Subiect may be encouraged, to offer up his sacrifice of blood, for the honour and safety of Your Maiesty and your whole Dominions, whereof none shall be more prodigall Then