First, I Shall observe to your Honours, the Prodigious and Immence summs of Mony that have been Expended this War in about seven years, which I Conceive is more than has been Rais'd in many Ages past, even down to the Norman Conquest, all which, together with the Ill Management, has brought the Nation to such distress, by the great Decay and Ruine of Trade, and Universal Poverty of the middle sort of people, That the poor are grown to such vast Numbers, and do daily increase to such a degree, That if a speedy stop be not put to our Grievances, they will in a manner ere long be ready to eat the rest of the people up alive; And further, it is sad to consider how a certain Cabal of Men, have made a prey of the publick all this War, for 'tis Demonstrable that a Moyety of what has been Expended this Reign, (had it been Committed to the Management of wise and faithful Men) might with Gods blessing have given Laws to Europe, and long before this time, have brought our Enemies to a lasting, honourable and well Grounded Peace. Whereas those that have hitherto been Intrusted, have Acted as if they were not willing to Con­quer our Enemies too soon, but rather desired to turn the War into a Trade, and to squeese out even the very Marrow of the People to Inrich themselves; for to our shame be it spoken, the Enemy at this day seems to be almost upon an equal Bal­lance with us, and the War as likely to Continue as ever.

Secondly, That whereas during this great Action, and the raising such vast summs of Mony, there ought to have been the greatest Care and Strictness Immaginable to have examin'd Accounts and Punish'd all Tardy Officers, the direct Contra [...]y has [Page 2]been practic'd, hardly any Accounts having been Regularly or strictly Examin'd, Numerous, great and Notorious Frauds, and other Crimes pass'd over in silence, and those that according to Oath and Duty, have discover'd and laid open any Miscarri­ages in the Government, have been shamefully oppress'd, Persecuted and Ruin'd, for the Incouragement of Offenders, and the Terrour of all honest Men, to avoid all Acts of Duty for the future. For,

Thirdly, The present Navy-Board, has been publickly accus'd of horrible practi­es in wasting the publick Treasure: 1. By fraudulent Contracts. 2. By Countenan­cing, Incouraging, and Advocating vast Embezelments of the ^* Kings stores. 3 By driving a Misterious and Diabolical Trade in the poor Saylors Tickets, which are generally sold at 10 or 12 shillings in the pound loss, to a Cursed crew of Extorti­oners, kept up and Incourag'd by the Navy-Board, who ought to suppress them, also thousands of poor Creatures are Robb'd of their Right, by the horrid Customs of putting Queries and Runs upon the Saylors Pay, the blood of whose perishing fa­milies does now cry aloud for Vengeance against the Nation, their dreadful Miseries having been hitherto disregarded, tho often laid open in Print, and offered to be pro­ved.

By all which Cursed Practices the Commissioners of the Navy, have gotten vast Estates: some of them, that were Clerks, and not worth Two Hundred Pounds at the Revolution, have openly and publickly laid out about Twenty Thou­sand Pound in purchases, besides the vast summs of Money lying by them: Whereas admitting they have been Commissioners of the Navy seven years, their Salary at 500 l. per Annum, is but 3500 l. And for such Men to make such purchases, besides the Charge of Maintaining their Families, keeping their Coaches, &c. I conceive is one clear Demonstration of the publicks being Cheated. But further, some of these Gentlemen have been accus'd, of being disaf­fected to the Government, holding Constant and Private Consults with the Kings known Enemies, such as pay double Taxes. All which crimes and many more too long to insert, have most part been prov'd before the Admiralty, &c. And the rest laid before them and offer'd to be prov'd, but have all been quash'd in a strange and unaccountable manner, and the Navy-Board hath Contrary to Law, Justice, and the Interest of the Nation, been protected, and kept in their Employments, to this day; whereby they and all the Numerous Train of their subordinate offenders, have been Incourag'd in their Crimes, to the great Ruin of the King and Kingdom.

Fourthly, The Lords of the Admiralty (under whose Jurisdiction the Navy-Board is) have been publickly accus'd for Stifling, Concealing, and Incouraging their Crimes, and Discouraging and Ruining those that laid them open; part of which has also been prov'd against their Lordships, and the rest offer'd to be prov'd; But all has been strangely quash'd, and their Lordships remain in Commission at this day, as if no Evil had been laid to their Charge.

Fifthly, The present Commissioners for Sick and Wounded, have been likewise accus'd by Mr. Baston, one of their Clerks (who laid down his Employment) of horrible Crimes, of holding an unlawful Correspondence with the French all this War, to the betraying the Kings Councils, and also using the French Prisoners here in so barbarous a manner, by cheating them of their Allowance of Victuals, &c. [Page 3]that thousands of our Poor English Captives in France lost their Lives, and Perish'd through the Cruelty of the French, only by way of Reprizal; also they were ac­cus'd of Cheating the King in their Accounts, and using the Sick and Wounded Seamen barbarously in the Hospital at Plymouth, with other great Miscarriages; all which was twice fully prov'd against them, almost two years since, in a Juditial Manner, by his Majesties special order: 1. Before the Lords of the Admiralty, and 2. Before the Lords of the Council, and two Reports made of the truth thereof; and also the aforemention'd Crimes, have been a third time prov'd against them, before the late Commissioners for stating the publick Accounts, where some of [...]heir Witnesses appear'd to be Notoriously perjur'd: And lastly the said Mr. Baston, at the opening the present Session of Parliament, Printed and Publish'd, his case, (Containing only matter of fact) being a full Account of the Crimes three times prov'd against the said Commissioners, all which i [...] quash'd, and Law, and Justice, stopt from taking place, and the said Commissioner. Viat Armis, Incourag'd, sup­ported, upheld, and kept in their Employments to this Day.

AND now it may be considered, If the aforesaid Crimes had ever been call'd to sincere and hearty Examination, and any of those persons punish'd in earnest, that were found to be Criminal, then all the Corruption and Fraud in the Government might have been soon laid open: For the horrible Cabal of the Nations Destroyers, would have been divided, and they would have Impeach'd and Accus'd one ano­ther, when they saw the Government was resolv'd to proceed against them in Ear­nest.

But on the contrary, all imaginable Care has been taken to hush up, and stifle all manner of Crimes, by discouraging, persecuting and Ruining such persons as have, according to Oath, and Duty, endeavour'd to lay them open; and also the worst, and most abominable Criminals, Traitors to God and their Country, have been en­couraged, protected, and preferr'd; All which pernicious Examples have tended not only to confirm Tardy Officers in their Wicked Practices, but also to debauch those few Honest Gentlemen that were left in publick Employments: For it is in Effect giving Publick Notice, with divers Evidences of woful Examples, That the way to keep an Employment, and get an Estate, is to break the Law, betray ones Coun­try, and act all manner of Wickedness. And that on the contrary, to practice Ho­nesty, neither to Cheat King or Country, nor suffer others to do it, without discover­ing the same, and to discharge ones Duty faithfully, in all the Branches thereof, is the certain way to be utterly Ruin'd, Begger'd, and Destroy'd.

And now certainly, no Considering Man can be much surpriz'd at the breaking out of the present Damnable and Hellish Plot, to Assassinate His Majesty's Sacred Person, and subvert the Government: But rather admire the wonderful Providence of God, that his Majesty has sat safe in his Throne so long, in regard so great a Number of his known Enemies have been Thrust into, and hitherto Kept in his Ser­vice: And how our King or Country can be safe with so few real Friends, and so ma­ny and powerful Enemies both at home and abroad, is beyond my apprehension to Conceive; Nay, 'tis Demonstrably plain, that our Enemies at home, By their Su­perlative Covetousness, Fraud, Pride, Negligence, Ignorance, &c. Have done us much more mischief than all the power of France this War; for the Cabal of our Enemies at home are so Strong, and their Power so Great, That his Majesties Royal Person with the Laws, Estates, and Liberties, of his loving Subjects, seems to be Be­sieg'd and Surrounded by them, and to call aloud for your Honours Assistance to Disperse this Wretched Crew, before they grow too strong for the Parliament it self, Or till our wickedness spreads it self so far, that all come to be Offenders, and so our Crimes grow too Bulky to be ever Examin'd into at all, and reduce us to such a wretched Condition, as to verify the Words of the Poet Lucan, who says: Where all offend the Crimes unpunishable, And then our utter and final Ruin must unavoida­bly follow.

God grant there may not be Cause to Record of this Nation in Ages to come, That notwithstanding the wonderful Revolution that God wrought for them, and Rescued them from Popery and Slavery; and notwithstanding the great advantage of a Wise, Good, Valiant, and true Protestant King to Reign over them, and also the [Page 4]Immense Riches they possess'd, and all the other Advantages of the Strength, Num­ber, Courage and Bravery, of their Forces, by Sea and Land, &c. all which was more than sufficient to have soon lower'd their Enemies, and brought them into subjection. Yet were they, by their own sordid Covetousness, and Wickedness within themselves, shamefully brought to Beggery, Ruin and Slavery. I say, God grant we may not give our own Posterity, and other Nations, this Cause to Curse and Contemn us.

The above Grievances have been publickly complain'd of, and offered to be pro­ved, for these several Years pass'd, as also laid open in Print the last Session, and this Session of Parliament, by me and others, tho hitherto quash'd or over-rul'd: And I having this Session of Parliament Exhibited a Petition and Articles in the House of Peers (where it is now depending) Complaining of the aforesaid Corruptions and Grievances; and having humbly pray'd in my said Petition, That the Matters therein contain'd may be brought to a Legal Hearing, I do again make the same Humble Request in the behalf of my Country; (which has been, and is sorely Op­press'd by the aforesaid Evil Practices;) and shall think it my Duty to persist in the same, until I be Legally heard, or Commanded by the Government to Cease: being able fully to prove whatever I have set forth.