their mouth." Which let natural philofophers take notice of (for this fecret in nature was never difcovered before) that lightning makes men's hair ftand on end. But who knows not that little effeminate minds are apt to be amazed at the news of any extraordinary great action; and that then they fhow themselves to be, what they really were before, no better than fo many ftocks? "fome could not refrain from tears;" fome little women at court, I fuppofe, or if there be any more effeminate than they, of whofe number Salmafius himfelf being one, is by a new metamorphofis become a fountain near akin to his name (Salmacis) and with his counterfeit flood of tears prepared over night, endeavours to emafculate generous minds: I advife therefore, and with them to have a care; -Infamis ne quem malè fortibus undis Salmacis enervet. Ne, fi vir cum venerit, exeat indè Semivir, & tactis fubitò mollefcat in undis. They that had more courage" (which yet he expreffes in miferable bald Latin, as if he could not fo much as fpeak of men of courage and magnanimity in proper words) "were fet on fire with indignation to that degree, that they could hardly contain themfelves." Thofe furious Hectors we value not of a rush. We have been accuftomed to rout fuch bullies in the field with a true fober courage; a courage becoming men that can contain themfelves, and are in their right wits. "There were none that did not curfe the authors of fo horrible a villany." But yet, you fay, their tongues clove to the roof of their mouths; and if you mean this of our fugitives only, I wish they had clove there to this day; for we know very well, that there is nothing more cominon with them, than to have their mouths full of curfes and imprecations, which indeed all good men abominate, but withal defpife. As for others, it is hardly credible, that when they heard the news of our having inflicted a capital punishment upon the king, there fhould any be found, efpecially in a free ftate, fo naturally adapted to flavery as either to speak ill of us, or fo much as to cenfure what we had done. Nay, it is highly probable, that all good men applauded us, and gave God thanks for fo illuftrious, fo exalted a piece of juftice; and for a caution fo very useful to other princes. In the mean time, as for those fierce, thofe fteel-hearted men, that, you say, take on for, and bewail fo pitifully, the lamentable and wonderful death I know not who; them I fay, together with their tinkling advocate, the dulleft that ever appeared fince the name of a king was born and known in the world, we fhall even let whine on, till they cry their eyes out. But in the mean time, what fchoolboy, what little infignificant monk could not have made a more elegant ípeech for the king, and in better Latin than this royal advocate has done? But it would be folly in me to make fuch particular animadverfions upon his childishnefs and frenzies throughout his book, as I do here upon a few in the beginning of it; which yet I would be willing enough to do (for we hear that he is fwelled with pride and conceit to the utmoft degree imaginable) if the undigefted and immethodical bulk of his book did not protect him. He was refolved to take a courfe like the foldier in Terence, to fave his bacon; and it was very cunning in him, to stuff his book with fo much puerility, and fo many filly whimfics, that it might naufeate the fmarteft man in the world to death to take notice of them all. Only I thought it might not be amifs to give a fpecimen of him in the preface; and to let the ferious reader have a tafte of him at firft, that he might guefs by the firft difh that is ferved up, how noble an entertainment the reft are like to make; and that he may imagine with himself what an infinite number of fooleries and impertinencies muft needs be heaped up together in the body of the book, when they ftand fo thick in the very entrance into it, where, of all other places, they ought to have been fhunned. His tittle-tattle that follows, and his fermons fit for nothing but to be wormeaten, I can eafily pafs by, as for any thing in them relating to us, we doubt not in the least, but that what has been written and published by authority of parliament, will have far greater weight with all wife and fober men, than the calumnies and lies of one fingle impudent little fellow; who being hired by our fugitives, their country's enemies, has fcraped together, and not fcrupled to publish in print, whatever little ftory any one of them that employed him put into his head. And that all men may plainly fee how little confcience he makes of fetting down any thing right or wrong, good or bad, I defire no other witnefs than Salmafius himself. In his book, entitled, "Apparatus contra Primatum Papæ," he fays, there are moft weighty reafons why the church ought to lay afide epifcopacy, and return to the apoftolical inftitution of prefbyters that a far greater mifchief has been introduced into the church by epifcopacy, than the fchifmns themselves were, which were before apprehended: that the plague which epifcopacy introduced, depreffed the whole body of the church under a mifcrable tyranny; nay, had put a yoke even upon the necks of kings and princes: that it would be more beneficial to the church, if the whole hierarchy itself were extirpated, than if the pope only, who is the head of it, were laid afide,' page 160. That it would be very much for the good of the church, if epifcopacy were taken away, together with the papacy: that if epifcopacy were once taken down, the papacy would fall of itself, as being founded upon it,' page 171. He fays, he can fhow very good reasons why epifcopacy ought to be put down in thofe kingdoms, that have renounced the pope's fupremacy; but that he can fee no reason for retaining it there: that a reformation is not entire, that is defective in this point: that no reafon can be alleged, no probable caufe affigned, why the fupremacy of the pope being once difowned, epifcopacy fhould notwithstanding be retained,' page 197.— Though he had wrote all this, and a great deal more to this effect, but four years ago, he is now become fo vain and fo impudent withal, as to accufe the parliament of England, for not only for not only turning the bishops out of the houfe house of lords, but for abolishing epifcopacy itfelf.' Nay, he perfuades us to receive epifcopacy, and defends it by the very fame reafons and arguments, which with a great deal of earneftnets he had confuted himself in that former book; to wit, that bishops were neceffary and ought to have been retained, to prevent the fpringing up of a thoufand pernicious fects and herefies.' Crafty turncoat! are you not ashamed to shift hands. thus in things that are facred, and (I had almoft faid) to betray the church; whofe moft folemn inftitutions you feem to have. afferted and vindicated with fo much noife, that when it fhould feem for your intereft to change fides, you might undo and fubvert all again with the more difgrace and infamy to yourself? It is notoriously known, that when both houfes of parliament, being extremely defirous to reform the church of England by the pattern of our reformed churches, had refolved to abolith epifcopacy, the king firft interpofed, and afterwards waged war against them chiefly for that very cause; which proved fatal to him. Go now and boaft of your having defended the king; who, that you might the better defend him, do now openly betray and impugn the caufe of the church, whofe defence you yourself had formerly undertaken; and whose fevereft cenfures ought to be inflicted upon you. As for the prefent form of our government, fince fuch a foreign infignificant profeffor as you, having laid afide your boxes and defks ftuffed with nothing but trifles, which you might have spent your time better in putting into order, will needs turn bufybody, and be troublefome in other men's matters, I fhall return you this anfwer, or rather not to you, but to them that are wifer than yourself, viz. That the form of it is fuch as our prefent diftractions will admit of; not fuch as were to be wifhed, but fuch as the obftinate divifions, that are amongst us, will bear. What ftate foever is pestered with factions, and defends itself by force of arms, is very juft in having regard to thofe only that are found and untainted, and in overlooking or fecluding the rest, be they of the nobility or the common people; nay, though profiting by experience, they fhould refufe to be governed any longer either by a king or a house of VOL. III. I' lords. lords. But in railing at that fupreme council, as you call it, and at the chairman there, you make yourself very ridiculous; for that council is not the fupreme council, as you dream it is, but appointed by authority of parliament, for a certain time only; and confifting of forty perfons, for the moft part members of parliament, any one of whom may be prefident, if the rest vote him into the chair. And there is nothing more common, than for our parliaments to appoint committees of their own members; who, when fo appointed, have power to meet where they please, and hold a kind of a little parliament amongst themfelves. And the moft weighty af fairs are often referred to them, for expedition and fecrecy; the care of the navy, the army, the treafury; in fhort, all things whatsoever relating either to war or peace. Whether this be called a council, or any thing elfe, the thing is ancient, though the name may be new; and it is fuch an inftitution, as no government can be duly administered without it. As for our putting the king to death, and changing the government, forbear your bawling, don't fpit your venom, till, going along with you through every chapter, I fhow, whether you will or no," by what law, by what right and juftice" all that was done. But if you infift to know "by what right, by what law;" by that law, I tell you, which God and nature have enacted, viz. that whatever things are for the universal good of the whole state, are for that reason lawful and juft. So wife men of old used to answer fuch as you. You find fault with us for "repealing laws, that had obtained for fo many years;" but you do not tell us whether thofe laws were good or bad, nor, if you did, fhould we heed what you faid; for, you bufy puppy, what have you to do with our laws? I with our magiftrates had repealed more than they have, both laws and lawyers; if they had, they would have confulted the intereft of the chriftian religion, and that of the people better than they have done. It frets you, that " hob goblins, fons of the earth, fcarce gentlemen at home, fcarce known to their own countrymen, fhould prefume to do fuch things." But you ought to have remembered, what not only the fcriptures, but Horace would have taught you, viz. |