And you Gentlemen, the rest of my an­cient friends and fellow-Students, God, whose Judgements are inseru­table, before whom the wisdome of the children of men is but foolish­nesse, hath beene pleased to lay his afflictions on me with a heavie hand, glorified be his Name in all his Works; But no one among all the numbers of my miseries hath, or does more afflict me then that I am by my misfor­tunes made incapable of serving you and that famous Nurse of good Letters, your University (of which I had some­times the honour to be Chancelor) with that intire zeale and devotion, which my intentions aimed at: man purposeth and God disposeth, otherwise had his Almighty Will beene concurrent to my wishes, my indeavours should have ren­dred Oxford the glory of the Christian world for good lite­rature; but mens hopes resemble much the Sunne, that at his rising and declension casts large shadowes, at noone, when he is clothed in all his brightnesse casts little or none at [Page 4] all; when wee are farthest from our expectations, they ap­peare neerest to our hopes: our hopes feeding our imagina­tions with the prosperity of our intents, which then ap­proch swiftly to ruine, like quite spent tapers, that give a sud­den flash ere they extinguish. It was just so with mee, who now in stead of all the honours I possessed, am a prisoner; and so like to continue, and would take it as an ample testimo­ny of God Almighties mercy to me, were I but assured to carry my gray haires downe to the grave in peace; but his Will be done, in earth as it is in heaven, I shall indeavour to make the best of my sufferings, that I may say with the Psalmist, It was good for me that I was in trouble. And surely I shall so demeane my selfe towards God, my King, and the Common-wealth in this my durance, that in my very enemies I shall beget compassion, in you my friends a hearty sorrow for my miseries, which have taught mee that true Dictamen of wisdome, that I shall advise all, especially you of mine owne Calling, the Clergie, never to meddle with things above your reach, I meane State affaires, but to devote your selves solely to the service and worship of God, the true feeding the flocks committed to your charge; for dangerous it is to meddle with the Councell of Kings, especiall for those who have professed themselves Ministers of the Al­mighty, on whose Lawes they ought onely to meditate; the affaires of State being Theatres on which whosoever acts his part, though it appeare to him comicall in the beginning, the end will produce his owne tragedie, if hee looke not with the greater care to his performance; as it happened to that most famous Clergie-man of all our Nation, that great Cardinall Woolsey (whom some in a merry mockery) have [...]naptly made my paralell in dignity and fortune, who loden with disgraces, jam sumus ergo pares, not long before his departing-minute exclaimed, that if hee had served God but with halfe that integrity he had done the King, he would not have so deserted him in his old age. How I have served my King, then whom no man ever had the happinesse to [Page 5] serve a more gracious Master, the world must be my judge, how I have performed my duty to God of that, my owne conscience; nor shall I strive to give the world satisfacti­on in that point, onely desire them to remember that di­vine command; Iudge not lest you be judged: howsoever I have demeaned my selfe, it is enough I now suffer, with­out either repining at the Will of the Almighty, or expro­bating mine accusers with the least accusation of malice, though never man hath had so many scandalous abuses cast upon him: none ever (considering my Calling) having been made so notorious a subject for ridiculous Pamphlets and Bailads; but it is not I alone that have indured injuries of that nature, they have fallen with the same licencious petu­lancie upon my betters, and I have long since studied that Precept of the Wise man, when a foole reviles thee, regard him not, and so enough of this matter, and all other; but the maine cause of my writing to you, impute this need­lesse Exordium to my humane weaknesse, which is al­wayes prone to tediousnesse in relation of its misfor­tunes, to those it is confident will lament and pitie them: An instance whereof wee have in children, who use to be­mone themselves to their Mothers and Nurses, purposely to have them bemone them. But to my businesse: It is not un­knowne to you Gentlemen, nor to me, though darknesse and the shadow of death have even incompassed me round, what Myriads of increasing mischiefes these times have produced in this languishing and almost expiring Kingdom, diffencions, wars and blood-sheds, raigning in every place, fellow Subjects, like the ancien Sword-players, in the Ro­man Cirques and Amphitheatres, butchering one another merely for their delight in blood,

May fitly be applyed to the condition of our now distressed Countrey, whose soule is, as it were, divided from the body, and itselfe only the carkasse of that England it was formerly. [Page 6] The Kings gracious Majestie by fatall feares and mis­constructions being seperated from the body of the Common-wealth, the Honourable the high Court of Par­liament; and if any comfort can arrive to make a man love his misery or take delight in his inthrallment, certain­ly I have, that my durance was inflicted on mee before this sad and lamentable breach (which heaven in its great mercy soone knit up) happened betwixt his Majesty and his Parliament; for, had I been at liberty, and injoyed the gracious care of my Soveraigne as formerly, surely I had not beene to have had that aspersion cast upon me as the author of this distraction (such a fatality is alwayes attendent on persons high in the favour of their Prince, to have all the misfortunes of the Common-wealth inflicted on them, who may be perchance, not onely innocent, but have also indeavoured to have diverted from the State those mischiefs of which they are suspected by some, and by some concluded to have beene the maine incendiaries: and surely I could wish, so my sufferings might have impeached the impe­tuous current of the Klngdomes miseries, that I had un­dergone a thousand deaths before this dis-junction had falne out betweene the high Court of Parliament and his Majesty, who being, as I am informed, now with you at Oxford, and intending there to reside, I thought my selfe ingaged in conscience to intimate my intentions to you, and to give you that counsell, which if any one had given me in my prosperitie, I might, perchance at this instant, not have beene unhappy. I know there are among you divers of great and able soules, take heed, I beseech you, lest you pervert those excellent gifts which God and edu­cation hath conferred upon you, by intruding your selves into the affaires of the State, and inverting Religion to advance and cherish the present distractions. The King is now amongst you, a good and gracious Prince hee is, as ever heaven blest this Land with, doe not you any ends whatsoever, increase the number of those [Page 7] Malignants, who have given fire to all the Cedars of Le­banon at once kindled a flame, which in a moment hath almost burn'd up all the glories of this Kingdome; let nei­ther the disgraces cast on the Clergie by some factious spirits without the licence or patronage of the Parliament, incense you to cherish the distractions betwixt his Majesty and that honourable and wise Assembly, nor hope of preferment se­duce you to it; for credit me, who hath more experience in such affaires then many of you, though the beginning of pro­ceedings of that nature may in faire and specious outsides court your imaginations, their period will be nothing but confusion and bitternesse to the undertakers, as other sinnes are, which like subtile Panthers, display their gorgeous spots to intice the traveller to gaze upon them, till the carelesse wretches are surely in their reach, and then they assault and devoure them. It is ill going betweene the barke and the tree, (sayes the Proverb) take heed of it; there is as neere a relation betwixt the King and his Parliament, and though they may a while be separated, that violence cannot be long lived; it will at last conclude in the ruine of those that have caused this seperation, they will be sure to suffer. It cannot be but offences must come, but woe be to them from whom they come; mischiefes alwayes meet their Catastraphes in the destruction of their authors. Since then his Majesty hath graciously beene pleased to honour your University and City with his Royall presence, like good Samaritans, indeavour to powre Balme and Oyle into the wounds of the Common-wealth; labour as much as in you lies, to compose these dis­sensions: it is your Calling to propagate Peace as well as the Gospell, which is the testimony of peace, given by the King of Peace to the children of men; you may informe his Majestie even out of your Pulpits, and boldly, that no­thing is more perquisit to the duty of a Soveraigny than to acquire and advance the good of his Subjects, which can no way so well and suddenly be effected as by a faire Accom­modation of peace betweene his Royall Selfe and his high [Page 8] Court of Parliament: And as an incitement to mo [...] [...] Majestie to thinke of it, if such a wretched man as I be not quite lost to his memory, tender this to him as the hum [...] Petition of his unfortunate servant, that his goodnesse [...] vouchsafe to reflect on my sufferings, who am impossibili [...] by his absence of ever comming to my triall, and so likely to end my dayes in a prison. But this onely as the least mo­tive, because it is for my selfe, but further beseech his High­nesse from me, to looke with a compassionate and tender eye on the Religion, Nobility and Commons of this unhap­py Kingdome, and by a speedy reconciliation with the ho­nourable the high Court of Parliament at once finish all their miseries. And lastly, pray you signifie to his Majestie, that I lay my life downe in all humility at his Royall feet, be­seeching God day and night for his prosperitie, peace and happinesse, desiring no longer life for any end, but this, to see his Majestie, the glory of our Israel, returne to his Ierusalem, all differences attoned betwixt him and his Parliament, which are the continuall prayers of his Highnesse humblest servant, and your true friend,