senting the like vain terrours, to divert and diffipate the zeal of those reforming princes of the age before in Ger-many. And if we credit Latimer's fermons, our papifts here in England pleaded the fame dangers and inconveniencies against that which was reformed by Edward the Sixth. Whereas if those fears had been available, chriftianity itself had never been received. Which Chrift foretold us would not be admitted, without the cenfure of novelty, and many great commotions. These there fore are not to deter us. He grants reformation to be a good work," and confeffes "what the indulgence of times and corruption of manners might have depraved." So did the forementioned pope, and our grandfire papifts in this realm. Yet all of them agree in one fong with this here, that they are forry to fee fo little regard had to laws eftablished, and the religion fettled." 66 Popular compliance, diffolution of all order and government in the church, fchifms, opinions, undecencies, confufions, facrilegious invafions, contempt of the clergy and their liturgy, diminution of princes;" all thefe complaints are to be read in the meffages and speeches almost of every legate from the pope to those states and cities which began reformation. From whence he either learned the fame pretences, or had them naturally in him from the fame fpirit. Neither was there ever fo fincere a reformation that hath escaped these cla mours. He offered a "fynod or convocation rightly chofen." So offered all thofe popifh kings heretofore; a course the most unfatisfactory, as matters have been long carried, and found by experience in the church liable to the greatest fraud and packing; no folution, or redress of evil, but an increase rather; detefted therefore by Nazianzen, and fome other of the fathers. And let it be produced, what good hath been done by fynods from the first times of reformation, Not to juftify what enormities the vulgar may commit in the rudeness of their zeal, we need but only instance how he bemoans "the pulling down of croffes" and other fuperftitious monuments, as the effect "of a po pular pular and deceitful reformation." How little this favours of a proteftant, is too eafily perceived. What he charges in defect of "piety, charity, and morality," hath been also charged by papifts upon the best reformed churches; not as if they the accufers were not tenfold more to be accufed, but out of their malignity to all endeavour of amendment; as we know who accufed to God the fincerity of Job; an accufation of all others the most eafy, when as there lives not any mortal man fo excellent, who in these things is not always deficient. But the infirmities of the beft men, and the fcandals of mixed hypocrites in all times of reforming, whofe bold intrufion covets to be ever feen in things moft facred, as they are moft fpecious, can lay no juft blemish upon the integrity of others, much lefs upon the purpose of reformation itfelf. Neither can the evil doings of fome be the excufe of our delaying or deserting that duty to the church, which for no refpect of times. or carnal policies can be at any time unfeasonable. He tells with great fhow of piety what kind of persons public reformers ought to be, and what they ought to do. It is ftrange that in above twenty years, the church growing ftill worfe and worfe under him, he could neither be as he bids others be, nor do, as he pretends here fo'well to know; nay, which is worst of all, after the greatest part of his reign fpent in neither knowing nor doing aught toward a reformation either in church or ftate, fhould spend the refidue in hindering those by a feven years war, whom it concerned, with his confent or without it, to do their parts in that great performance. It is true, that the "method of reforming" may well fubfift without "perturbation of the ftate;" but that it falls out otherwife for the moft part, is the plain text of fcripture. And if by his own rule he had allowed us to "fear God firft," and the king in due order, our allegiance might have ftill followed our religion in a fit fubordination. But if Chrift's kingdom be taken for the true difcipline of the church, and by "his kingdom" be meant the violence he ufed againft it, and to uphold an antichriftian hierarchy, then fure enough it is, that Chrift's kingdom could not be fet up without pulling. down down his and they were beft chriftians who were least fubject to him. "Chrift's Government," out of queftion meaning it prelatical, he thought would confirm his: and this was that which overthrew it. He profeffes "to own his kingdom from Chrift, and to defire to rule for his glory, and the church's good." The pope and the king of Spain profefs every where as much; and both by his practice and all his reafonings, all his enmity against the true church we fee hath been the fame with theirs, fince the time that in his letter to the pope he affured them both of his full compliance. "But evil beginnings never bring forth good conclufions :" they are his own words, and he ratified them by his own ending. To the pope he engaged himself to hazard life and eftate for the Roman religion, whether in compliment he did it, or in earneft; and God, who ftood nearer than he for complimenting minded, writ down thofe words; that according to his refolution, fo it fhould come to pafs. He prays against "his hypocrify and pharifaical washings," a prayer to him moft pertinent, but chokes it straight with other words, which pray him deeper into his old errours and delufions. XXI. Upon his Letters taken and divulged. THE king's letters taken at the battle of Nafeby, being of greatest importance to let the people fee what faith there was in all his promises and folemn proteftations, were tranfmitted to public view by fpecial order of the parliament. They difcovered his good affection to papists and Irifh rebels, the ftrict* intelligence he held, the pernicious and difhonourable peace he made with them, not folicited, but rather foliciting, which by all invocations that were holy he had in public abjured. They revealed his endeavours to bring in foreign forces, Irifli, French, Dutch, Lorrainers, and our old invaders. the Danes upon us, befides his fubtleties and mysterious arts in treating; to fum up all, they fhowed him governed by a woman. All which, though fufpected vehemently *The fecond edition has the old word straight. mently before, and from good grounds believed, yet by him and his adherents peremptorily denied, were by the opening of that cabinet visible to all men under his own hand. The parliament therefore, to clear themselves of afperfing him without caufe, and that the people might no longer be abufed and cajoled, as they call it, by falfities and court impudence, in matters of fo high concernment; to let them know on what terms their duty ftood, and the kingdom's peace, conceived it most expedient and neceffary, that thofe letters fhould be made public. This the king affirms was by them done without "honour and civility;" words, which if they contain not in them, as in the language of a courtier moft commonly they do not, more of fubftance and reality, than compliment, ceremony, court-fawning and diffembling, enter not I fuppofe further than the ear into any wife man's confideration. Matters were not then between the parliament, and a king their enemy, in that ftate of trifling, as to obferve thofe fuperficial vanities. But if honour and civility mean, as they did of old, difcretion, honefty, prudence, and plain truth, it will be then maintained against any fect of those Cabalifts, that the parliament, in doing what they did with those letters, could fuffer in their honour and civility no diminution. The reafons are already heard. And that it is with none more familiar than with kings, to tranfgrefs the bounds of all honour and civility, there fhould not want examples good store, if brevity would permit: in point of letters, this one fhall fuffice. The duchefs of Burgundy, and heir of duke Charles, had promised to her fubjects, that the intended no otherwife to govern, than by advice of the three eftates; but to Lewis the French king had written letters, that she had refolved to commit wholly the managing of her affairs to four perfons, whom the named. The three eftates, not doubting the fincerity of her princely word, fend ambaffadors to Lewis, who then befieged Arras belonging to the duke of Burgundy. The king, taking hold of this occafion to fet them at divifion among themfelves, queftioned their credence: which when they offered offered to produce with their inftructions, he not only fhows them the private letter of their duchefs, but gives it them to carry home, wherewith to affront her; which they did, the denying it ftoutly; till they, fpreading it before her face in a full affembly, convicted her of an open lie. Which, although Comines the hiftorian much blames, as a deed too harsh and dishonourable in them who were fubjects, and not at war with their princefs, yet to his master Lewis, who firft divulged those letters, to the open fhaming of that young governess, he imputes no incivility or difhonour at all, although betraying a certain confidence repofed by that letter in his royal fecrecy. With much more reason then may letters not intercepted only, but won in battle from an enemy, be made public to the beft advantages of them that win them, to the discovery of fuch important truth or falfhood. Was it not more difhonourable in himfelf to feign fufpicions and jealousies, which we first found among those letters, touching the chastity of his mother, thereby to gain affiftance from the king of Denmark, as in vindication of his fifter? The damfel of Burgundy at fight of her own letter was foon blank, and more ingenuous than to ftand outfacing; but this man, whom nothing will convince, thinks by talking world without end, to make good his integrity and fair dealing, contradicted by his own hand and feal. They who can pick nothing out of them but phrases, shall be counted bees: they that difcern further both there and here, that conftancy to his wife is fet in place before laws and religion, are in his naturalities no better than spiders. He would work the people to a perfuafion, that "if he be miferable, they cannot be happy." What should hinder them? Were they all born twins of Hippocrates with him and his fortune, one birth, one burial? It were a nation miferable indeed, not worth the name of a nation, but a race of idiots, whofe happiness and welfare depended upon one man, The happiness of a nation confifts in true religion, piety, juftice, prudence, temperance, fortitude, and the contempt of avarice and ambition. They in whomfoever thefe virtues dwell eminently, need not |