IT is not unknowne to all the world, espe­cially to the Inhabitants in and about the Citie of London, with what desperate and fame-wounding aspersions my repu­tation, and the integritie of my intenti­ons to God, my King, and my Countrey, hath been invaded by the malice and furie of Malignants, and ill-affected persons to the good of the Common-wealth. Some charging mee to have beene the Promoter and Patronizer of all the innovations, which have been obtruded upon the Ecclesiasticall government of the Church of England. Others, of more spitefull and exor­bitant spirits, alleaging that I only have been the man, who hath begot and fostered all the so lamented distractions, which are now rife in this Kingdome. And though such calumnies are ever more harmfull to the authors, than to those whom they strive to wound with them, when they arrive only to the censure of judicious persons, who can di­stinguish formes, and see the difference betwixt truth and [Page 4] falshood; yet because the scandals inflicted upon my inno­cence, have been obvious to people of all conditions, many of which may entertaine a beliefe of those reproachfull re­ports, though in mine owne soule I am far above those ignominies, and so was once resolved to have waived them, as unworthy my notice; yet at last, for the assertion of my integritie, I concluded to declare my selfe in this matter, that all the world, but such as will not be convinc'd, either by reason or truth, may heare testimony of mine inno­cence. To passe by therefore the Earle of Straffords busi­nesse, in which some have been so impudent, as to charge me of too much partialitie and malice, I shall declare my selfe fully concerning the rest of their aspersions: namely, that I have promoted and fomented the differences and schismes now abounding in the English Church.

How unlikely this is, and improbable, shall to everie in­different man be quickly rendred perspicuous: for that I am, and ever was, and so will dye a faithfull son of the Pro­testant Religion, without having the least relation in my be­liefe to those grosse errours of Anabaptisme, Brownisme, and the like, everie man that hath any acquaintance with my conversation can beare mee righteous witnesse. These being but aspersions cast upon me by some of the disconten­ted Clergie, and their Fautors and Abettors, because they might perhaps conceive, that I had been a maine instrument in extenuating the haughtie power and ambitious pride of the Bishops and Prelates; which if I had been (as I only delivered my opinion, as a member of the House of Com­mons) that attempt or action of mine had been justifiable both to God and a good conscience, and had no way con­cluded me guiltie of revolt from the Orthodox Doctrine of the Church of England, because I sought a reformation of some grosse abuses crept into its government, by the cun­ning and perversnesse of the Bishops and their Substitutes. For was it not high time to seek to regulate their power, who in stead of looking to the cure of mens soules (which [Page 5] is their genuine office) they inflicted punishments on mens bodies, banishing them to remote and desolate places; after stigmatizing their faces, only for the testimony of a good conscience. When not contented with those insufferable insolencies, they sought to bring in unheard of Canons into the Church, Arminian, or Papisticall Ceremonies, whether you please to terme them, there is not much difference; im­posing burdens upon mens consciences, which they were not able to beare, and introducing the old abolished super­stition of bowing to the Altar: and if it savoured either of Brownisme, or Anabaptisme, to endevour to suppresse the growth of those Romish errours, I appeale to any equall minded Protestant, either for my Judge and witnesse. Nay, had the attemprs of the Bishops desisted here, tollerable they had been, and their power not so much questioned as since it hath been. For which they saw, the Honourable, the High Court of Parliament, begun to look into their enormities and abuses, beholding how they wrested Religion like a waxen nose, to the furtherance of their ambitious purposes: then Troy was taken in, then they began to despaire of hol­ding any longer their usurped authoritie; and therefore as much as in them lay, both by publike declamations and pri­vate councels, they laboured to foment the civill differences betweene his Majestie and his Parliament, abetting the pro­ceedings of the Malignants with large supplyes of men and money, and stirring up the people to tumults by their sediti­ous Sermons. Surely then no man can account me an ill son of the Common-wealth, if I delivered my opinion, and passed my vote freely for their abolishment, which may by the same equitie be put in practice by this Parliament, as the dissolution of Monasteries, and their lasie Inhabitants, Monks and Friars were in Henry the Eighths time: for without dispute, they carried as much reputation in the Kingdome then, as Bishops have done in it since, and yet a Parliament then had power to put them downe; why then should not a Parliament have power to do the like to these, [Page 6] everie way guiltie of as many offences against the State as the former? For mine own part I attest, God Almightie the knower of all hearts, that neither envie, or any private grudge to all, or any of the Bishops, hath made me adverse to their function; but meerly my zeale to Religion and Gods cause, which I perceived to be trampled under foot, by the too extended authoritie of the Prelates, who accor­ding to the puritie of their institution, should have beene men of upright hearts and humble minds, shearing their flocks, and not flaying them, when it is evident they were the quite contrarie.

And whereas some will alleage, it is no good argument to dissolve the function of Bishops, because some Bishops are vicious: to that I answer, Since the vice of those Bi­shops was derivative from the authoritie of their function, it is verie fitting the function which is the cause thereof be cor­rected, and its authoritie devested of its borrowed feathers: otherwise it is impossible, but the same power which made these present Bishops (should the Episcopall and Prelaticall Dignitie continue in its ancient height and vigour) so proud and arrogant, would infuse the same vices into their Suc­cessours.

But this is but a mole-hill to that mountaine of scanda­lous reports that have been inflicted on my integritie to his Sacred Majestie: some boldly averring me for the author of the present distractions between His Majestie and his Par­liament, when I take God, and all that know my procee­dings, to be my Vouchers; that I neither directly, nor indi­rectly, ever had a thought tending to the least disobedience, or disloyaltie to His Majestie, whom I acknowledge my lawfull king and Soveraigne, and would expend my bloud as soone in his service, as any Subject he hath. 'Tis true, when I perceived my life aimed at, and heard my selfe pro­scribed a Traytour, meerly for my entirenesse of hearrt to the service of my Countrey, was enformed that I, with some other honourable and worthy Members of the Parliament, [Page 7] were against the privileges thereof demanded, even in the Parliament House by His Majestie, attended by a multitude of men at armes, and Malignants; who I verily beleeve had for some ill ends of their owne, perswaded His Majestie to that excesse of rigour against us, when for mine owne part, (my conscience is to mee a thousand witnesses in that be­halfe) I never harboured a thought, which tended to any dis-service to His Majestie, nor ever had an intention preju­diciall to the State: when I say, notwithstanding mine owne innocence, I saw my selfe in such apparent danger, no man will think mee blame-worthy, in that I took a care of mine owne safetie, and fled for refuge to the protection of the Parliament, which making my case their owne, not only purged me and the rest, of the guilt of treason; but al­so secured our lives from the storme that was ready to burst out upon them. And if this hath been the occasion, that hath withdrawne His Majestie from his Parliament, surely the fault can no way be imputed to mee, or any proceeding of mine, which never went further, neithe [...] since His Majestie, nor before then, so far as they were warranted by the known Lawes of the Land and authorized by the indisputable and undeniable power of the Parliament, and so long as I am secure in mine owne conscience that this is truth, I account my selfe above all their calumnies and falshoods, which shall returne upon themselves, and not wound my reputation in good and impartiall mens opinions.

But in that devillish conspiracie of Cataline against the State and Senate of Rome, none among the Senators was so obnoxious to the envie of the Conspirators, or liable to their traducements, as that great Orator and Patriot of his Countrey, Cicero; because by his counsell and zeale to the Common-wealth, their plot for the ruine thereof was dis­covered and prevented; though I will not be so arrogant, to parallel my selfe with that Worthy, yet my case (if we may compare lesser things with great) hath to his a verie neere resemblance, the cause that I am so much maligned and re­proached [Page 8] by ill-affected persons being, because I have beene forward in advancing the affaires of the Kingdome, and have been taken notice of for that forwardnesse: they out of their malice, converting that to a vice, which without boast be it spoken, I esteeme as my principall vertue, my care to the Publike Utilitie. And since it is for that cause, that I suffer these scandals, I shall endure them with pati­ence, hoping that God in his great mercie will at last recon­cile His Majestie to his High Court of Parliament, and then I doubt not but to give His Royall Selfe, though he be much incensed against mee, a sufficient account of my integritie. In the interim, I hope the world will beleeve, that I am not the first innocent man that hath been injured; and so will suspend their further censures of me.