IN this great contention now producted in­to mutuall Hostility; such hath been the the Serpentine policy of the Fomenters therof, that it hath bin carried about with such cunning and deceit (taking vantage upon every occasion to render the ratio­nality of the Kingdome (the Iudgment, Votes, and Or­dinances of Parliament) contemptible and destructive to the Common-wealth) that their way is as the way of a Serpent upon a rock beyond delineation; yet in part we may observe their subtility (tanquam anguis in herba) clad in royall Rethorick, vel rectus venit & tortu­osus, vel Leonem agit & savit, vel draconem agit & fallit, Sometimes in menacing Proclamations, sometimes in gracious and perswasive pardons, &c. Thus royalty is abus'd and made a stalking, horse to pernicious ends, as to the griefe of each loyall Subject, to the Primitive [Page 2]constitution or royality of this Kingdome, consistant of of three co-ordinates, a King, and two Houses of Par­liament meeting in one Centure of power, as the three Essentialls in the Deitie indivisible, yet distinct) may be observed in His Majesties Answer to the City Peti­tion; for whereas his Highnesse is humbly supplicated for the safety of this City and Kingdom, to return to the Parliament, the Basis of the peoples safety and founda­dation of regality, wherein those many prosperous by­past years His Majestie hath been invested, but instead of speaking comfortable words unto His people of Perso­nall unity with His royalty, nothing but contempt is virtually cast upon the very foundation of His Office, ascribing (in His apprehension) all Love, Duty, and loy­alty thereto, and to His Person, to none other, but to the inveterate enemies of both, according to the Kingdoms judgment and their own practise, which doth strike at the very essence of the Kingly Office, contract betwixt King and people, to divert it to an Arbitrary usurpation, which is no lesse tyrannicall, than wilfull, wherewith if the City would side, they should not want renewed marks of his favour. For at first observe, He greets them with His good opinion of it, That He doth not entertaine any mis-apprehension of the love and loyally thereof; where­of the greatest part he conceives is full; But what part is this? is it not the same the Wisedom of the State (which is best sensible of its own enormities) adjudgeth its ene­mies If so, his Majesty in his bosom hugs a Serpent for his safety, which I believe; He desires (as He conceives) to be the greatest part, therein pursuing His own ruine; but I hope the Lord will strengthen the hands of the les­ser, and prosper their worke, that they may vindicate His Highnesse, and the Kingdoms safety from that ser­pentine brood, who hatch Cockatrice egges, and weave the spiders webbe; he that eateth of their egges (oh the [Page 3]infelicity of His Majesties appetite!) dyeth, and that which is crushed, breaketh forth into a Viper, their works are the workes of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands, &c. they have made them crooked paths, whosoever goeth therein, shall not know Peace.

And whereas his Majesty pretends He was driven from His Parliament by Tumults, Contrived by some prin­ciple Members of the City, &c.

This often recited PLEA is much to be admired to come from His Majesty, for 'tis not unknown that the morrow after the greatest of those Tumults, he went to London with an ordinary retinue, which if common rea­son may judge, argues His Majesty was not so sore terri­fied and affrighted with feare of his safety as this An­swer imports; unlesse madnesse be ascribed to his Ma­jesty, to expose his person indefensible upon the exor­bitant fury of a multitude, against whose person he pre­tends they were maliciously invected, and most trayte­rously bent; but it is manifest to the contrary, for they went in a petitionary way (no Law being to hinder or prevent Petitioners) and if any extraordinary resort were for any other end, it was not in the least for the offence of the Kings person, (as is pretended) but meerly for a loyall presentation of their lives and persons in the de­fence of the two Houses of Parliament then greatly en­dangered, oppressed and possessed with great feares and jealousies; this was the worst end, (however unhappi­ly misconstrued) that they had: Therefore His Maje­sties Accusation of some principle Members, who are (he sayes) well knowne since, &c. Vanishes into nothing, or ra­ther a meer cavill, to wheell about the now affected un­happy design. To proceed His Majesty in His Answer goes on thus.

But His Majesty desires His good Subjects of London se­riously to consider what confidence His Majesty can have of se­curity there, whilst the Laws of the Land are so notoriously despised and trampled under foot, and the wholsome govern­ment of that City (heretofore so famous over all the world) is now submitted to the Arbitrary power of a few desperate persons of no reputation, but for malice and disloyalty to Him, &c.

Observe in the former clause lie commended the City for Love, Duty, and Loyalty, &c. to him, and in the very sequell condemnes them of malice and disloyalty to him, (which grosse contradiction, I wonder his Councell did not see before it was sealed up) for probation whereof; observe, His Majesty askes what security he can have here, whil'st the Laws of the Land are so notoriously despised and trampled under foot, and the government submitted to an ar­bitrary power of a few desperate persons, for malice and disloy­alty to him, and yet before of that City (by whom those persons were elected to their Offices, even the Lord Ma­jor principally aim'd at) he saith, He doth not entertaine any mis-apprehension of their love and loyalty to him. There­fore if these first words of his Majesty may stand abso­lute, how is the government thereof committed or sub­mitted to them for malice and disloyalty to him, if com­mitted (or submitted as he stiles it) to those persons by them, who are full of love, duty, and loyalty to him: And whereas He Titles it Arbitrary; how can that be Arbi­trary either in institution or execution, which hath the free choice and consent of the Major part in both, accor­ding to the rationality of the Kingdom, and property of the City? and doth act and move ad motum primi mobi­lis, subjecting to the rationality of the Kingdome, the Laws and Ordinances of Parliament? Now arbitrary government to this is absolutely repugnant, for the one [Page 5]admits of the Peoples choice and consent, the other de­nyes both, and compells without either.

And further, His Majesty proceeds to possesse the world with an apprehension of their malice and disloyal­ty, by taking up arms against his consent and expresse commands, the making of collection, &c.

'Tis true, it is against his personall Commands, as withdrawn voluntarily from the station of highest pow­er, for according to the fundamentall constitution of this Monarchy (being a triunall mixture of three Estates in one sublime power) in it can be no subordination or di­vision, but a triple unity limited within the circumfe­rance of Royall power, or else in the intervalls of Parli­ament, or when a King demiseth, with them the triplicity ceaseth, and with him the office dyeth, I mean if it admit of essentiall division or personall concommitance, so that there may be a personal absence or demise from it, and yet the Regality remain absolute; therefore the King (one of this triple unity of State) personally absenting and reje­cting the other two, cannot sensu deviso command Regal­ly, but Arbitrarily, and those his commands in this ab­solute disjunction, are directly opposite and destructive to the other two estates; therefore in this sence, as He is a KING, his consent and commands before mentio­ned, are none at all, but meerly personall and irregall, for regall commandes are tempered and compounded of the reason and judgement of the whole Kingdom, not of the will of one man; so then the Army raised by the Au­thority of Parliament is not against the Kings consent or command Regall; for Regall consent, command, and authority, is the inseperable adjunct of this triunity; the King and two Houses of Parliament. And whereas therein the King sayes; That all possible means Trea­son [Page 6]and malice could suggest to them, have been used to take away. His life from Him, and to have destroyed His Royall Issue. Hence observe, how odious and contemptible He would make the other two estates (contrary to His many Protestations and Declarati­ons) that the hearts of people might in the highest measure be en­raged against the faithfull members and Authority thereof, to their and its utter dissolution and destruction. Whence His Majesty should have this horrible mis-conception, I know not; surely His Counsell found not this Diabolicall clause within the confines of their Declarations, Ordinances, Votes, Remonstrances, and Peti­tions, nor yet read it in the secret characters of their hearts; but if the litrature of the heart by the outward actions and Indices of the minde, their many Declarations and Petitions, &c. may be read, I am sure envy it self, nor the quintecense of malice can pos­sibly and justly tax that Honorable Assembly of such nefarious guilt, to kill the King, and destroy His Royall Issue; oh monstrous Treason, and impious imputation not to be thought of a Parlia­ment! and never I believe layd to their charge before, for tho it reflect more neerly upon the Army, yet though it transpenetrates on them, have they not, and do they not still labour with all the wisdom and policy they can to rescue His Person, from His perniti­ous, pestilent, and desperate seducers, that His Throne might bee established in righteousnesse an judgement (the very life of Kingly glory) on Him and His Posterity generation after generation?

And whereas he sayes, What hope His Majesty can have of safety there, Whilst Alderman Pennington, &c. commit such outrages in oppressing, robbing, according to their own discretion, &c.

His Mai [...]sty may understand, that what they do is not Arbitrary and at their own discretion, but by Authority and Ordinance of Parliament, executing Justice and Judgement (forceable com­pulsion upon obstinate resistance) on such as are able and shall not contrary to their Protestation, defend and supply with their for­tunes, the unresistable necessities of the State; so that what they do in pursuance of the Ordinance of Parliament, is not to be as­cribed to their discretion, as actions absolute and irrelative to the Regallity of the Kingdom, and so meerly Arbitrary, but in sub­mission and obedience to the Legislative power of the Land, which hath not only instituted and authorized the thing and them to it, but the means, order and manner of its accomplishment: therefore [Page 7]their actions are of obedience and not of arbitrary discretion, and so their exaction of legall mulcts is no robberry, no more then the execu­tion of the hangmans office is murther, and the Tax it selfe, which his Majesty asketh, if it be so defend the Subjects liberty and right? To wit, to take the twentieth part? is conducent thereto, in regard it is done for the generall defence of the liberty and propertie; of the subiect, w ^ch cannot be without extraordinary expence; therefore in case of iminent necessity, and actuall hostility, (the Judgement of the state finding it conducent to its safty, which is the end to all politique constitution) the means of effecting and defending the same, which must trangresse the bonds of ordinary supply, is no more repugnant and destructive to the liberty and property of our goods, &c. then the liberty and pro­perty it selfe is to them.

But if it be objected (as in divers scandalous Pamphlets is expressed) that those judgements, votes and ordinances of these two estates, doth destroy the other namely the King, and that they are the cause of our ca­lamities, which till they be buried in oblivion will not cease, and there­in all property and liberty of subject is smothered and destroyed.

For resolution, let those that would have the King personally the ab­solute supream head and power of the Land, without Parliament and its inseperable adjunct the judgements, votes and ordinances thereof, know, that therein they make that head an empty scull, or at best a po­litique head without reason; for deprive the politique head of the King­dom of its votes, judgements, &c. The reason of the Kingdom, and it re­maineth irrationall, and the government thereof vanishes into meere madnesse, fitter for Bedlam then a Common-wealth; if this seeme haish, let them further know, that as much as in them lyes, they labour to make that head as blind as Bartimeus: For as the reason of man is the eye of his soule, so the Votes and Judgement of the two Houses are the two eyes of that head; so that those that would extinguish their Votes, &c. (though they extend to the twentieth part) I tell them plainly that therein they pluck the Kings eves out, and they say a blind man swallows many a fly, yea some as bigg as forraign Ministers: and be sure whilest those Flyes buze about his Majesty, we shall hear nothing but hum drum, which noyse threatens greater damage to the true Regality of the King and the liberty of the subiect, then the twentieth part, or the Judge­ment and Ordinances of the state. Whereas his Maiesty promises the Ci­ty to return unto them with his Royall, and without his Martiall attendance, provided they shall supprese all force and violence unlawfully raised there, and shall apprehend and committ to safe custody the persons of those men, &c.

This is like Sampsons fire-brands to the Philistims corn, an absol [...] invitation to a bloody and direfull insurrection, and yet a little [...] he sayes, His desires is to be with them, that the Trade, Wealth and [...] thereof may be revived: But first they must stand up in opposition and destruction of the State, power, and Authority Leg slative of the King­dome, and present-con [...]usion and desolation of the City, veiled unde [...] the terms of defending themselves, and suppressing any force, &c. and [...] apprehend and commit to safe custody the 4 Men: all which is as much [...] say, He does not intend to recide in the City (as well as he loves it) [...] it be destroyed; for let any rationall man iudge, how it is possible bu [...] the City must be sweltred in its own bloud, the streets filled with dea [...] bodies, and their houses plundred and fired, if such a prevalent insurre­ction should be, as His Maiesty would ingage the Citizens into suppress [...] the Militia and Parliamentary power thereof by force; Is this the Trad [...] Protect [...]on and glory he would bring to the City? this much deviat [...] from that of David, when he cryed out, Lo, I have sinned an [...] dealt wickedly, but these sheep what have they done? let thy hand I pr [...] thee, be upon me and my fathers house, but not on the people that they shoul [...] perish. And for the apprehension of the 4 Men, the maner of it is alto­gether repugnant to His severall expresses and Protestations, God so [...] with Me and Mine, as all my thoughts and intentions are for the observ [...] ­tion and preservation of the Laws of the Land; is this the observation [...] the Laws, that affords not them that for their obedience to the Parl [...] ­ment, which every man may claim for his right, due Processe and tryal [...] if this import the infringement of justice, what confidence doth his [...] verall Protestations give us of the common right and property of [...] goods? But to proceed, His Majesty gives them only this warnin, Th [...] whosoever shall contribute or take up Arms under the Earl of Essex &c. [...] shall deny them the benefit of His protection, and shall not only signifie to [...] His Forreign Ministers, That such person shall receive [...] advantage by [...] ­ing His Subject, &c. Hence may be observed, That His former Answer [...] Protestations and Declarations were slender fidutiaries for the people trust; for that which formerly was contested and protested against [ [...] God so deal with me and mine, and We are confident no sober hon [...] man in our kingdoms can believe that We are so despetate or senslesse [...] entertain such designs] is now openly menaced; therefore what [...] the sober honest man think of all his former expresses in that kind? [...] itus acta probat: he may conclude, the ordinance of Militia not incon [...] ­stent with the kingdoms safety, the fears of Forreign force not causl [...] and thus threatned his adherents to the Parliament most safe.