WHat's here! another paire of Spectacles? No, it shall not need, the world's well amended; such as of late appear'd to be meer Barbarians both in their carriage and expressions are now recove­red, come home, and grown penitent! their sights are cleer'd already, and the mistak's discovered, as will appeare by this their vo­luntarie recantation in honest English, their owne Countrey language.

Why how have wee beene couzened, how blinded, how inchan­ted? when we consider how unreasonably our reasons have miscarried, we cannot but doubt that ther's more Art then honesty at Oxford; Is this England? Is this our own Countrey? Were we bred and borne here? Had our Parents and Kindred of whom wee descended, their births and buriall here? and is't possible we should forget all this, or remember [...] without in­finite love and affection to this deare mother of us all? But we have been basely deluded, and have had villanous conceits conjured into us; we have not onely neglected our duties, but contrary to reason, and in contempt of all Lawes Divine and humane, we have either in words or actions, or both, shew'd our selves agents in, or furtherers of the most horrid designe against our own Countrie, that ever the devill put his. Instruments upon: from which we have nothing to cleer us, but that that condemnes us, our [Page 3]ignorance. But we are now become sencible of our faults and follies, and willing to confesse them with shame and sorrow.

When Consideration our new Pilate had discovered the Rocks we were running upon, we presently alter'd our course, and steer'd for the Ile of Se­curitie, for upon notise taken of the lading, the fraight was found to be of no lesse value then the prosperity of three Kingdomes, besides our own lives, 'twas time to look about us: and now we have scap'd the danger, we cannot but thinke it our dueties to expresse as well our sorrow for our er­rours, as joy for our deliverance, that we may once againe be held wor­thy the society of Christians.

We are not the first that have been mistaken, but we must confesse inge­niously that we are the first that ever were so fowlie mistaken, and led ( by Will with a Wispe) so farre out of the way. It had been much for one of us to have plotted the death of his own Father, to have set a Town or two on fire, or (by the Popes advice) have indeavoured to poyson a Prince for being a Protestant, the least of these had been enough to have brought a black day, and a blacker night upon him, but we have been favour­ers of a hell-bred conspiracie, wherein Religion, Lawes, Liberties, Father, Mother, Prince, people and all were to suffer, a businesse of so strange a nature that no Heathen Chronicle can fit it with a name. Thus had igno­rance brought us so neer the brink of confusion that providence seem'd to have much adoe to recover us. All our crie was wont to be, Shall wee not fight for our King! shall wee fight against our King? When allas wee knew not what we said; but now our eyes are open we cannot but confesse that we have abus'd the King, abus'd the State, and abus'd our selves all this while; wee acknowledge that wee have deseru'd the reproachfull name of Malignants, and may be asham'd to say, Wee have had either eyes or understandings, wee have made so ill an use of them. VVee have cryed up the Papists, and cry downe the Protestants, we have digni­fied the Court, and vilified the Parliament, we have exalted the King in his Title, and pulled him down in his power, we have extoll'd the Prerogatiue and slighted the lawes; and in all this we have assisted his Majestie in a quar­rell against himself, been his enemies in taking his part, and in standing for him betraid him. Allas what durst the Papist have undertaken, if we had not countenanc'd 'em, and what could they have effected if we had not assisted them? when the Plot was throughly digested, and the intelligence di­spearc'd, that the poison newly taken began to worke; when the name Round-head became odious to it's own God-fathers and God-mothers, and when we were made to beleeve that all the best people in England were [Page 4]Annabaptists and Brownists, then the Catholikes began to be couragious and cry Vive la Roy. Then they began to fall to worke for themselves that had serv'd out their times with the Devill, and wee forsooth must be their journey-men that we might afterward become sharers in their flame and ru [...]ne: In all their damnable proiects (by our compliance with 'em) their worke has been promoted, and their crime lessen'd, such has been their subtilitie, and our simplicitie; so that though they are before us in villanie, we are before them in infamie: They have their old and well beloved Rom [...]n Ca [...]oick Religion to plead for the, but allas we (many of us) have no Religion at all to excuse us; indeed wee have stood most for Po­pery bec [...]e that has stood most for ignorance, and wee have ma [...]e li [...]e doubt of salvation, because wee have beene alwayes fur­nish'd with a pleasant conceit, that 'tis an easie matter to goe to hea­ven blinde-fold. Thus wee have indeavour'd to wrong our owne soules, insure the State, and dishonour his Majestie; VVas it like that wee should be friends to the King, when we were enemies to the Kingdome? is't possible that men should be so blinde, so stupid, so mad as to conceive that the most horrid murthers and massackers that ever were heard of, could be begun, countenanc'd and continu'd for the honour of his Majestie, can wee without shame confesse that we thought it faire play for the basest Re­bells i'th world to kill the best Subjects by Authoritie (for they have so publisined it, and were never yet repreved for saying so) who would have thought that the broade Seale had been so broad as to reach into Ireland for such a purpose? But we were still kept to our Byas, by Declarrations and Proclamations (O remembor bleeding Ireland) by reading of which our eyes became so daz [...]'d, that 'twas long before wee could discerne truth from selfhood; And then againe we were intoxicated with whimsies of (this they say, and that they say,) They say the King fights for the Protestant Reli­gion; they say he will goe over himself, and quell the Rebells in Ireland: They say he would faine come to London, and complie with his Parliament, but his wicked Counsell will not suffer him, and a hundred more saies, That seem'd to be pretty stuffe, and to have a good colour, so that we were migh­tily taken with 'em for a long time; but at last wee heard of other Saies, Northerne Saies, and VVesterne Saies. They said, The King is comming up with an Armie to London, to break up the Parliament: they say, Hee was loth to have his good Subjects of Ireland any longer proclaim'd Rebells, who have murdered about 200000. Protestants. They say he hath sent for them to come over hither to wash off that blood with as much more here; and many other Saies of the same weaving, and the same colour, crimson [Page 5]Saies, or scarlet Saies, stuffs of so deep a dye, that 'twill hardly be wash'd out withall the raine will fall betwixt this and Domes-day. Now these Saies we lik'd not so well, but as the former had inveagl'd us to be constant hun­ters, so these spoil'd all the sport, and utterly frighted us out of the Forrest of fooles. Indeed these bloody Saies were the first motives that drew us into a consideration of our fearfull condition, and so by degrees to become Reformadoes in Colonell Round-heads Regiment. In which we doubt not but to make it appeare by our valours, that wee are friends to our King in fighting for our Countrie. And our hearty desires are, and shall ever be, that his Maiestie would seriously consider (since he will fight) whether it be not better to fight to make his enemies his friends, then his friends his enemies, and to protect and preserve his people that would preserve His glory, then to set good and bad both together by the eares, till there be none left but a few fatherlesse children, that when they shall come to pray for him, will be put out with the sad remembrance of their Fathers death.

But since wee must fight, let us (if it be possible) mix reason with our rage, at least in our controversie of words, what ever wee doe in our blowes. Is it not madnesse for a man to say, He fights for his King, that fights against his Countrie; is not the King a man? and what makes a man a King; if a King cannot be King without a Kingdom, then whether is hee more friend to the King, that fights for the Kingdom that makes him so, or he that fights to destroy it? Are your eyes open yet? you that say ye fight for the King, when ye fight to take away the Inheritance with the Title? But when you have granted this Trueth (which cannot be dem'd, then you fall upon his command, his will and pleasure, which you call his Prerogative; this must be granted him, and so if his will and pleasure be to have his Peo­ple destroy one another, his Prerogative that should preserve his Power must bring it to nothing, and then you have done him good service. Fie, fie, you are blinde still, if Spectacles will not helpe you, the fault's not in your fight; y'are wilfull and obstinate, you have not discretion enough left to in­form you, that the house y'are pulling downe will beat your own braines out. VVe that have been in the fire, are glad we have scap'd with singing, and if we come there againe, we deserve to be burn'd; but our resolutions are now not so much to shun the flame, as to quench it, not to leave it bur­ning, but to put it out, he that help's not now, does but hinder, and hee that shewes not himself a friend, must needs be taken for an enemie. VVe are now in a Purgatory from whence we shall never be redeem'd with sleepe and silence, (and the onely prevalent Praiers of the Papists will hardly be [Page 6]purchased) wee must pray to the King of Kings (for here we are dispised) to stand for us, if we humble our selves, and pray as we ought, hee'l heare and helpe us, if we can once get into his favour, we shall not need to feare the Plotts of the Papist, the rage of the Rebell, nor the might of any Mo­narch: If we will be content to be rul'd by him, serve and follow him, hee'l put us into such a posture, that if the Prince of Darknesse shall bring up all his reserve, and joyne 'em with those already in armes in his service, they shall never prevaile against the Gospel, and then we shall march against our enemie with courage, and fight without fear, if we lose our lives, then wee are sure to get well by the bargaine; not a man that dies in such a cause, in such a quarrell, in such a condition, but gaines a better Kingdome for him­self, then that he redeems with losse of his life for another.

Are not these good incouragements my masters? who would not fight for a Kingdome? Come, you that are behinde hand with the Covenant (or have taken it with an ill resolution) lift up your eyes a little, see how glori­ously the heavens look, and consider their Maker, yee have sworne many thousands of Oathes, enough (indeed) to damne you (i [...] God should be as harsh with you, as you have been with him) spare one now for a good pur­pose, doe as your betters have done, enter into Covenant with your Maker, and then ioyne with those that had rather loose their lives, then live to see the King lose his Kingdomes through the malitious practises of the Known enemies to God and Religion; this is the only way for ye to shew that ye love the King, and to bring you into favour with God, that sets up, and pulls down at his pleasure.

If you have honours, this is the way to increase 'em, if you have estates, by this meanes ye may preserve them, if you have honest friends, this is the way to keep 'em; but if ye want all or either of these, this is the way to pur­chase 'em: Is't not wonderfull that all men generally should be so apt and active with hazard of their lives to purchase gold and glory, and that now there should be a generation of men living, that will hardly be intreated with the gaine of both, to procure their owne safeties? how many of us have al­ready paid deerly for our obstinacy? and hazarded our souls by loosing our estates, an unparral'd marke of mallice. VVe have given to help on out ruines willingly, and by that meanes, have been forc'd to give againe for our preservations against our wills: wee have parted with a great part of our estates, for the hurt of the Kingdom, and a small part given for the preserva­tion of it has undone us; O miserable wretches! we have studdied Ob­jections against the present taxes by the Parliament, and defences against the former by the King; unlawfull Monopolies, then to pick our purses for [Page 7]ever, and keep us without Parliaments we talke of with content, but legall impositions now, to help put an end to our miseries, and to end with them, we cannot indure. This has been our best condition, and (indeed) the con­dition of the best of us; For many of us have run our selves by worse pra­ctises into greater perills, we have had strange hopes to become gainers by changing our constant securities for apparent dangers; wee have left our houses in the City, where we might have liv'd safely, and gone to our loving friends at Oxford, that we might be undone quickly; we have been alwayes forward to receive the Cavalieres into our habitations, and they have been alwayes as forward to carry away that we had at parting. How many hou­ses, how many Townes, how many Cities, hovv many Counties have by our favouring that party, been brought to misery; looke upon Yorke the fountaine of that River of calamity, that keepes still the vvinding current through Lincolnshire, Lancashire, Cheshire, Darbishire, Staffordshire, Notting­hamshire, Warwickshire, Lecester-shire, Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, Barkshire and Oxfordshire; (vvhere it hath so overflovvn, it has almost spoil'd the whole Countrey) from whence he runnes on in his Malig­nant course tovvard Bristow, Tanton, and Exeter, and by the vvay consider vvhat a multitude of people in all these parts have been guilty of their ovvn undoings, and therefore deserve no pitty, but hovv many thousands of In­nocents (besides) have they been the destruction of, for which they are to answer? Allas poor York, thou hast suffered wonderfully in thy own person, thank thy Malignants; these unnaturall warres were first bred in thee, and now thou art like to be buried in them. Thou art full of Souldiers within, and begirt with Souldiers without, thou wer't the first City that raised them, and art like to be the first razed by them; how ever thy affrightments are great, and thy inward distractions no doubt are worse then thy outward al­larmes, who are our friends saies one, they that are our enemies saies ano­ther, who fights for us, they that fight against us, our enemies are within, and our friends are without, what shift shall we make to be conquer'd? wee perish if we prosper; these are strange words, and they must needs be strange warres, when the City is in more danger by them that defend it, then by those that raise Batteries against it.

When you have seen enough herein to make you sorrowfull, conveigh your thoughts to Redding, there you shall finde all quiet enough now, (at least in outward appearance) but the poore people have a warre still with­in them, they grieve at their povertie, yet a number of them have gained by their losses, for humilitie's better then riches, there's a great deal lesse pride [Page 8](now) then there was, and a great deale more repentance, but all the Coun­trey cries out, we are undone by 't, and Redding must not onely beare his owne blame and losse, but be subiect to a perpetuall reproach for undoing his neighbours, this 'tis to be drunke with Maligo. Then surveigh Bristoll, and consider their bargaine, they have got the purchase they long'd for, and that some of their great ones (before) hang'd for, whose example could not fright the rest out of their humours, but made them more eager in persuit of the gaine and honour they dream's of; O how fearfull they were of being preserv'd; many that had hardly praid of a moneth before, fell now to their devotions, with such zeale, that God heard their prayers, gran­ted their requests, and made 'em slaves and beggars: and now they have nothing to say, but that they are miserable, and have deserved it: But that that heightens their callamitie, is the prosperous condition of glorious Glocester, in whose story they read such fidelity, and valour, so much honestie and honour, that they are asham'd to looke upon their owne.

But to make an end with Thee Worcester, (that hast taken a course to make an end of thy selfe) in former ages, a Citie, now (to thy owne peo­ple) a prison; thou wer't wont to looke beautifully, be clad richly, fear daintily, and trade freely, now thou look'st ugly, goest beggerly, fearest hardly, and livest slavishly; it seemes Obstmacie hath so bewitch'd thee, that misery and infamy are thy choice familiars; But 'tis pittie thou shouldest be suffered to perish, though thou desirest it: no doubt the Par­liament will consider what thou hast been, and be a meanes shortly to re­cover thee thy auncient Immunities, and make thee a Citie againe, whe­ther thou wilt or no.