IT hath been all the Clamour of late, Forty one, Forty one, is now com­ing to be acted over again, we are running in the very same Steps, in the same Path, and Road, to undo the Nation, and to ruine Kingly Government, as our Predecessors did in Forty, and Forty one. We run the same Courses, we take the same Measures, latet Anguis in Herbâ; beware of the Presbyterian Serpent, who lurks in the Affairs of Eighty, being of the very same Complexion, Form and Shape, as that of Forty and Forty one. These are the daily and weekly Cries of several Pam­phleteers, to amuse the Loyal Subjects of His Majesty, who dread and abhor the Evil and Fatal Consequences of Transactions begun abòut those times, or not long before; and no doubt but that they are also whisper'd into the ears of His Sacred Majesty, with no little advantage, of raising Fears and Jealousies in his Royal Breast. And truly no man can blame His Majesty, for being fearful of such an Evil, under which his Royal Father lost his Life, and by which himself for so long a time, was debarred of his Crown, and so severely suffered. But who are these who thus continu­ally alarm the Breast of their Prince, and daily endeavour to conjure up many sad and troublesome Thoughts, many jealous and distrustful Cogi­tations, [Page 2]and several suspitions, doubts and scruples, concerning the Faith, Loyalty, and Allegiance of His Majes [...]ies Subjects? I will suppose them (as well as those who trumpet the same into the ears of the People, to beget in them also the same passions) to be two sorts of men: Either they are such as are really Papists, and by this way, designingly do en­deavour the Ruine both of the King and his People, and the Subversion of the Protestant Religion, and the bringing in and setting up the Popish Religion; or else they are such who really lying under mistakes, do speak according to their Consciences, being true Protestants. Lovers of their King, and there establish'd Religion, and thorow the prospect of what has past by reason of the evil and detestable Contrivances of some wicked and Rebellious men, have such an Aversion to all Dissenters, that they have not only contracted an hatred against them, but they are grown highly jealous of all things that come from them, and thorow this very ab­horrency of the former evil Consequences, are almost ready, not only to disbelieve the Plots of the Jesuits, and the Papists, by to think them to be cunning Contrivances of the old Presbyterians, to bring again both the King and the Nation into new Snares and Troubles, according to the old President of Forty and Forty One. As the former may be said to endea­vour our Ruine out of Malice and Design, so these may be said to do it out of blind Zeal. It were happy for the Nation, if the great heats and souls of Scribling Pamphleteers were laid aside, and that both parties would seriously weigh things in the Balance of Equity and Judgment; for whilst passion and heat bears sway on either side, we cannot judge rightly of things; for our fears and jealousies on both sides encrease upon every Occasion, and Suspition is apt to pervert the most innocent intenti­ons: So that whilst these troublesome passions, stand as a vail between King and People, the one dares not trust or confide in the other, and both are apt to loose that mutual Obligation or Knot of Unity (that makes happy a Kingdom and) which ought to be inseparably between them.

I shall not go about to make known the many Pressures and Griev­ances, the people of England have suffered in these late years, nor the several miscarriages of the Councellors and Instruments belonging to the State, which have in great measure been publickly attested and noted by the late Parliament, in their Votes and Addresses to His Majesty. Nor will this sheet give way to shew the very many Causes of just Com­plaint, the people may have for all those fears and jealousies, they seem to lie under, and with which they are upbraided, as if they had no real Cause, but were afraid of their own shadows; but certainly if we believe that there hath been a detestable Plot, to take away the Life of His Ma­jesty, and to subvert the Protestant Religion, and to bring in Popery, the mention of that horrid Conspiracy, for which so many have suffered, might be enough to justifie the fears of the People of England, who dread nothing more, than the Change of their Religion, on which both their Lives and Property depend.

I beseech you consider how rashly these men judge the face of Affairs, after the fancied Image of Forty One: and cry out with so much heat on [Page 3]all that offer to [...] or appear in the behalf of the People, or stand up for their Properties and Priviledges, or that complain of Grievances and miscarriages. What Age can you note, that evil and corrupt Members got not into the sway of the State? What times so pure, that have be­got no Grievances and Miscarriages? What Prince read you of so God­like, as not sometimes to give the Reins to his Passions; even David a man after God's own heart, and Solomon the wisest of Princes, by many foul slips shewed that frailty is not altogether eloinged from Royalty. If then in Forty One Grievances were complained against, Miscarriages noted, evil Councellors impeached, Petitions promoted; and if now the same causes hapning, the people run so far the same King's High-way for Redress, must therefore the fatal Consequences of Forty One be needs the Effect of Prayers and Petitions, of humble Supplications, and of regular and justificable Means by Parliament? and must therefore all that appear with Petitions and Complain against Popery, and such as would endea­vour to bring in Arbitrary Government, be branded for Designers, Facti­ous, Seditious, and Rebellious, as those of Forty one?

But alas! 'twas not Forty One which ruined the Kingdom, and pull'd down Monarchy, 'twas the after spawn, that got life through War and Blood; for most of those persons, that at first were active against evil Councillours, and for the Redress of the peoples Grievances, when they saw things carried to extremity, and beyond the Intention of their Loyalty, either left them of themselves, or were secluded by those Traitors, that run to the Achme of Treason, not to be named; and which all true English-men hope may never be acted on the English Stage, to contract Guilt and Odium on the Nation.

I dare say, amongst those now branded by these sort of men for facti­ous, and runners of the Race of Forty One, to obtain the Goal of Re­bellion, there are many thousands who really, and from their hearts love the King, and would venture their Lives and Fortunes in his Service: And indeed, what prospect of safety can the Nation have, after the Life of his Majesty? whom God long preserve.

But that we may the better compair this Bugbear Forty, and Forty One, with our Eighty, I have drawn a brief Scheme, of the similitude and disparity of either, in the matters of Affairs, then and now; and so let the World judge, and all sober men judge, how like they are one to another, that all this mighty Cry is made.

By these few heads, as they occurred to memory, you may see how like and unlike the Portraitures of the Monster Forty one, and the Loyal Eighty, are one to the other, and it may be concluded, because men then eat, drunk, slept, and talk'd, and because they now also do the same, that these are the very same men, and are taking the same Courses they did in Forty One; as these men endeavour to make the World believe, the Presby­terians are new minting their old Coin of 41. But we trust, that the Mercy of God, the Wisdom of his Majesty, and the Loyalty of the People, will be security enough against those dreadful Consequences, so much threatned to scare both King and People, as if they had a desire to set them together by the Ears; Which God in Heaven avert, and let all good People say AMEN.