The Modest CAVALLIERES ADVICE: Together with a Letter to the Inhabitants of the Isle of VVight, where his Sacred MAIESTY Is now remaining.
Printed in the Yeare, 1647.
The Modest Cavaliers Advice, together with a Letter to the Inhabitants of the Isle of VVight, where His Sacred Majesty is now remaining,
I Shall present this little Pamphlet unto your view, in this doubtfull and dangerous time, not only to shew you the dependency betwixt our King and Kingdome; but also to comfort and strengthen you against all feares that are or may be interjected by the subtlety and mallice of our Adversaries, or our owne misconceit or diffidence; for as I finde the enemy busily practising to discourage us, and to raise false fires to affright us, so wee our selves (as melancholly persons) are apt to misconstrue all things, and to imagine the worst, upon the sight of every shaddow; there are many that labour to effect a division betwixt us, by offering faire resemblances, and great promises of preferments, but I trust the generall disposition of an honest hearted Cavalier is not to waver, that is to simile those persons which are light of love, who desire to shift their old approved friends for fresh Sutors, and prefer the change of an adulterous bed, before the marryed; if any there be which by chance may be allured by this strumpet of the night, I verily believe in the morning their eyes will be enlightened, and take it to be but a fit or throw of passion, which wil be easily cast [Page 4] off with more loathing and detestation, then it was pursued with longing: I write not this to detect any of unconstancy; but only to stand as a Centinell, or Watchman to give warning at the comming of so many blood thirsty deceivers: And for the State it selfe (I meane that maine Axeltree whereon our Kingdome turnes) which is the sincerity of our King to his friends, I doe assure my selfe it is the same it was, and that wee onely move whilst he remaines constant; many may imagine otherwise as simple Passengers sailing swiftly by the shoares, or continent, suppose the Trees, Steeples, and Towers to goe backwards: Let us not be distracted and affrighted with our owne shaddowes; ignorance makes us Infidells; lo wee are brethren, yet I must confesse that Brethren oftentimes wax suspicious each of other; but let us agree, for suspition raiseth rumours, and those rumours, though false, may in time beget and nourish a dangerous hate betwixt us; that which I write may make us more confident of each others love, or at least shall have that effect in us, untill we behold the issue, which I hope at the last will be happy: The Bell rings out, and I heare the sound and report it gives on both sides; upon the Parliament side all men feare the passages, and carriages of all things, and considering these things, are very liberall and free in their discourses, and making their feares great, as indeede the cause requires: On the other side, some shallow brained Traytours are doubtfull of the King, and being filled with mad jealousies and feares, prosecute his Majesty with all kinde of Calumny: Reproaches, and Pasquills are day by day invented, huancries countenanced, and the inventers of them rewarded; base Libells and Scandalls are cast abroad thick and threefold, one upon the neck of another, wherein not only the King, Queene, and all their Royall Progeny; but also all his Majesties Loyall Subjects are very basely abused: This comforts me, and assures me that they persecute none of their owne, and therefore behold his Majesty, and all that love him to be their utter enemies.
Theeves and Traytours have alwaies a knawing in their consciences, and as the Phrase is, simile, simile gavdent, they can't endure any that displayes their plots, and will not bee Adjutators in these bloody designes: Let this assure us, that his Majestie is the [Page 5] s [...]me we would have him, but for my owne part I comfort my selfe especially, and desire you would be comforted against all feares or plots layed or plotted against us out of two considerations. First, the goodnesse and mercy of our God. Secondly, the wisedome and pollicy of our King. First, let us consider wee have a good and glorious God watching over us, who will not suffer his truth to be extinguished, but as he hath hitherto miraculously preserved it, so still he will continue to doe the same: The Lord visits the transgressions of his children with the rod, yet will he not utterly take his mercy from them, nor suffer his truth to faile: Let us then rest in peace, for hee that keepeth us doth neither slumber nor sleepe, and let the remembrance of those many former deliverances, which he hath wrought for us, assure us of the like fatherly care and protection still, if wee faithfully and constantly depend upon his mercifull promise. Secondly, remember the wisdome of our King, which is so renowned, as for it, he is admired of all, and let this comfort us, and assure us that God hath not given him so much light for nothing, much lesse for evill: Let us thinke that since he hath beene served by us with so much obedience, that hee will so much neglect his owne honour and safety, or our lives and liberties, as to leave us in the hands of our enemies, or abase us in the eyes of Rebells, to leade us, or suffer us to be led into temporall or spirituall captivity: Let us thinke alwayes, he cannot forget those rebellious persons which have fought severall times against him; nor yet the many attempts and practises which they have used against his Person, Crowne, Dignity, and the truth he professeth, nor that God will suffer him to sleepe securely in the armes of such, as he knowes watch only for opportunity to destroy both Church and State, as also him and his: Our love to his Royall Progeny must needes assure our love to him, and the hate of others to them, assure their inward hate against him; and for such as perswade otherwise, that our love to the King, or his children, and hate to the adverse Party, proceedes either out of discontent, or a vaine humour in us leading to disloyalty; let their lies turne upon their owne pates, and let evill happen to them that evill thinke; there are subtile enemies which labour to breed jealousies betwixt him and his Subjects, knowing it to be for their greatest advantage, [Page 6] and the only, and chiefest plot to blemish and cloude the glory and magnificence of Monarchy, they would alienate the heart of the King from his people, the people from the King, and friends from each other; yet thinke, it cannot sinke into his Majesties breast that such friends and servants, who have not onely spent and lost their estates, but hazarded their lives dayly and hourely, should intend the least hurt to him who is the defender of their faith; it is for Turkes and Heathens to become bloody Traytors, and it is for Tyrants to suspect their friends: Good Princes who are Fathers of the Common-wealth, cannot nor will not doe thus, whilst in themselves they see no cause of their subjects hate; it is our enemyes plot to stir up our heady and hasty humours, by pulling our quills, and racking our Estates, and so by degrees draw us cleane off from that former affection we bore to our Soveraigne; Let me tell you, Conscientia mille testes, and for my part, I had rather go to heaven with a few, then to hell with a multitude. His Majesty cannot but see the actions of the publique enemy, as well as we, and much better; and therefore though you suffer with him for a while, yet be you quiet, that their intents and projects upon you may bee frustrate: Thinke now, the King is making his owne Chronicle; and assure your selves, that though he hath some imperfection in his speech, yet he meanes speedily with his pen, or at leastwise, he can answer all their Propositions with a non placet, but what need I speake more? He that can answer so well, will never so far contradict his owne words with repugnant actions, as thereby to race his Armies, to staine the honour he was borne unto, and which he hath made good and bettered hitherto, by high and mighty enterprises of act and admonition against so many perfidious Members; but thinke therefore, that all this time, he is acting his part in Insula Vectis, that hee hath a better game to play, that hee is working his master peece in the publique market, and trying his exact skill in King craft, with the Hogle Mogle Parliament of England, and the Grand Committee of Lords and Commons: The Lyon may awake, breake loose, and teare his Keepers or else leade, whilst he seemes to be ledd, and then the world shall see, that neither the opinion of his sincerity in the truth, nor of his unmatchlesse wisedome and pollicy, were vaine mistakings, and at [Page 7] last our David finde a meanes to overthrow these crafty Achitophels; then the Church shall tryumph, and be comforted, the Common-wealth florish, his honour shall be eternized; neither shall you repent of your patience, or of your sufferings, nor I of my paines or perswasions to this end, wherein I rest satisfied with an assurance of his Majesties favourable eye towards all his loving subjects, as also Gods gracious mercies herein, and that we shall see our desire upon our enemies, which is a condigne punishment upon those who have assisted Rebells against so loving and gracious a Prince.
To the loyall Inhabitants of the Isle of Wight.
The distance of places are not so farre, but that you may easily heare and perceive the divisions which are amongst us; for since the Kings departure, the Parliament men are ready to run besides themselves, as also when it was night there was no small stirre among the Soldiers, what was become of Peter, since it was veryfied that an Angell of the Lord hath delivered him out of the hands of these Herods (who the next day thought to have killed him) and hath sent him unto you: I shall intreat you loving Countrymen, not to be astonished or amased, but entertaine him as a loving and gracious Prince, observe his commands punctually, you have time by the foretop, make use of it, for in the end you will finde it chronicled, and your eye shall see it, your everlasting praise: Religion hath taken a seaven yeares voyage, and we hope may happily arive at one of your Ports; the Rebells here, goe on presumptuously in their constant course, in taking part with the Serpent against the seed of the Woman; and still desire to be knowne fierce persecutors of all true hearted Royallists: Liberty of life they have voted onely to themselves, and through the great title of a Parliament, thinke to prescribe Lawes to all Christendome; no man that doth evill, can ever hope to hear well from any but cowards or flatterers; and for those they have enough, witnesse the innumerable Committee men, and those honourable Gentlemen belonging to the Excise: I never thinke upon these Caterpillers and Locusts, but they stirre up a sad humour, [Page 8] sighes from my very heart, and teares from my eyes for the destruction they are like suddenly to bring upon this Kingdome, unlesse the Lord (out of his great mercy) sends us a strong Easterly winde and blow them to Tyburne. I have read a story of a Lyon, who seemingly slept securely in his Den whilst the Hunters were pitching coyles round about him; a Pismire perceived the danger, and stung the Lyon to awake him, with Tandem resurges, he futiously start up, and would wreake his anger upon the presumptuous Pismire; to whom the Pismire cryed, My Lord, first looke about you; hee did so, and espying the snares of the Hunters, escaped them: I leave the Reader to make application. O abominable Treason, is this the way to make him a glorious King: O Lord incline not my heart to any evill thing, to practice wicked workes with men that worke iniquity, especially against the Lords Anoynted; the Lord I hope will keepe him from all the snares which they have privily layde for him: Let the wicked fall into their owne nets, whilst (hee being guiltlesse) shall escape: save Lord, let the King of Kings here us when we call, and let all good people say, Amen.