WHither so fast Aulicus

I beshrew you for following me so close Master Britanicus, you have tired me out of a Lordship, a li­ving, a Clerkeship, a Knighthood, or something of note, that I should have had for my good service had not you been, and broke the heart of me, and the neck of my designes.

What news from Rupert, Aulicus? he hath lately had a great fight I heare.

Yea, marry, Brit that doth a little revive me, for hee hath raised the Siege at Yorke, taken Generall Lesley, beaten the two other Generalls, wounded Sir Thomas Fairfax, and totally routed them, and this is true I will take my oath of it, for I have the Kings hand for it, and he hath Prince Ruperts hand for it, and so have all the Embassadours in England, and he that brought the news first was made a Knight for his labour.

In this manner you get all your victories, and your Deplorations and Proclamations, and thus you make all your Protestations in print, well so we get them, we will give you leave to have the Kings hand for them. But what is the rea­son you travel in your shirt, Aulicus? are you so hot?

To tell you the truth I was even now with a holy Priest in his house, that was troubled with an Ague, and hee put off his Wastcote and ran away, and I ran so fast after him that I was quite out of breath, and so extreame hot, that I was forced to put off my doublet to coole my selfe.

But I could tell you a better story of Rupert, hee was once a prety young man, and this Kingdome did love him well, and gave him his maintenance, but the Emperour got him, and gave him good quarter, and popery and the young man came over, and lit into ill company at Oxford, amongst Priests and Prelates, Jesuites and Bishops, and bad Courtiers, and there he hath lived with his good Vncle, spoyling and robbing, and killing and plundering, and hopes to be King [Page] himselfe shortly, if his Majesty looke not to him, for hee doth all he can to get the love of the Cavaliers, a dangerous de­signe. Now, what a horrible thing will this be, to set up such a bloudie Prince, but the reason is this, The Papists and grand Malignants feare, that the Scots and wee together shall get our King, and have him good again, and then they are undone. But I dare say no more, I must be secret, only this. And it is thought if he cannot be King, he intends at least to undoe the Kingdome, that his Majesty and himselfe shall bee both alike, the King no better then his Nephew. Is not this a malicious Prince thinke you?

You dishonour that noble Prince, whose resolution is so valiant, that all the Roundheads in the Kingdome shall be stain, rather then his highnes will let his Vncle be advised by the Lords and Commons at Westminster.

For prince Ruperts highnesse, we heare of his highnes, and were it not for the Parliament hee would shortly bee too high for his Majesty▪ Is it not a shame for the English Nobili­tie to let him alone in his designe, that would grow higher then the King himselfe, if not higher by the head, yet by the Crowne. Are these the good Subjects that set up a wanton young Prince, to court his Majesties Armies to himselfe, to fight for the King so long, till nothing but his Throne be a seat commensurate to his person?

Can you blame the Prince, for doing what hee doth when he sees his uncle cannot subdue the Kingdom by force of Armes? why should not he massacre the Rebels that abuse so good a King, that hath done and suffered more, then all his predecessors since the conquest?

We acknowledge it with sad hearts and hands, hee hath done more then any of his predecessors, what doe you meane Aulicus, to goe about to vindicate Rupert, who hath set the King against his grand Councell more then ever his predecessors have done, proclaimed his Parliament Traitors, suffered them to be called pretended houses more then ever [Page] his predecessors hath not Rupert protected delinquents [...]g [...]i [...] Law and Justice? set up a standard for Papists and Forreig­ners, tollerated Priests end Jesuites in his campe, betrayed the Kingdome of Ireland to the mercie of bloudy Rebels by not drawing the English Forces thence. Aulicus this is your mea­ning, you say true Rupert hath fomented her Majesty to con­tinue this war, to divide the King from his people: to pawne his jewels, and to provide him armes and ammunition to de­stroy the Kingdome, and to bring his Majesty into these straights whilst himselfe doth kill fire and plunder, and spill whole Rivers of bloud, till the Thames and the Severne, and Trent and Humber, and Owse, flow down in crimson streams? That the Bishops may have way to bring in Popery and Li­bertinisme, the Priests preach Arminianisme, evill Councel­lours bring in Tyranny, and a civill war eats up the bowels of the Kingdome. And Iermine and Digby, Bristol, Cottington, Rateliff, Davis, Dupper, Goring, and Nicholas, may be the only Councell to advise with the King against the Parliament, more then ever was knowne before, and suffer thee Aulicus to raile, jeare, blaspheme, abuse miscall the Parliament with­out contradiction, and therefore I will follow thee and never leave till all thy villany be discovered, and I hope to see an end of thee and thy basenesse both together.

You are very hot upon it Britnnicus, but for all your curses and imprications I hope to see all the remnant at West­minster that sit voting whilst the Kingdome is involved in bloud, and all the Roundheads and Citizens on your side one day to be cut off, man, woman and child, for refusing thus to obey your King.

I pray thee tell me Aulicus, where doth the rem [...]ant remain, almost 300 sit at Westminster, and at Oxford but a matter of a hundred withall the Strangeways; and all the Jo­sephs, and the Iames, unlesse you reckon those in the Dutches of Buckinghams closet; and whether is it not better to sit vo­ting at Westminster, then to sit doting in a beane field, as Ru­pert [Page] did under the blosumes when hee was vouted lately at Yorke, who hath been all this while not only involving but dissolving the Kingdome, dis-parliamenting that great Councell. It is true the Kingdome is in bloud, but who ope­ned the veines of the Protestants, and let out the bloud of our brethren of Scotland, and made the streames of Tine run crimson, It is true, our Parliament fits and votes, and Rupert involves it in bloud, and our Parliament is the only pole and center the Kingdome rests on, their residence and combining fixes the State and Nation and keeps it from confusion. This is that which hee would slay: for hee knows the being of a Parliament, the essence of such a Senate shews vigour and strength, and activity in all the parts, and all the powers, and engines, and machinations of the Enemy is to disarme, to murder, to massacre, to unprivilegde this Parliament.

The Prince is wise and valiant, and those that are about him are so tender of his honour, that they will not leave his Highnesse, whilst they have one drop of bloud in their bodies, is this great work that they are about to subdue, and utterly root out you and all the faction, that will not throw their necks under the feet of his Highnesse, in obedi­ence to King Charles.

Indeed you may call Rupert his Highnesse, for hee hopes to be higher then his Majestie, if all be true I hear from thence, Rupert is fitting his head for a Crowne, and hath a Montero: which he means to make use of under it; if his head be not too little for it: as it must needs be indeed. But what shall that Kingdom do where he gets the Crown? for he will presently send it after the Jewels. But before the Crowne be set upon his head, I would first have his head at a reasonable distance from the wilder part of his bodie.

You would have him beheaded then, would you, tru­ly that were a thousand pities, for if hee were gone, I thinke we should never have such a Champion againe to follow the businesse home; hee subdues all where hee comes, and spares [Page] neither man, woman, nor child. The last Sunday I was m [...] ­ditating of his Majesties Coronation, and then you would no think how it troubled mee to consider of the Treasons, and Covenants, and close Committees, and looking in my Ca­lender, I found the noble Prince Rupert recorded the very next day after his Majesties Coronation in M. N [...]worths Al­manack, this was a providence?

This is a malignant Oxford papisticall trick, to put Rupert so close to the Coronation, how dare you thus goe a­bout to inaugurate the wild Prince, I warrant thou wouldest be the first that would worship him if hee should come to the Crown, and he bad fair for it, before his routing at York, the soulderie began to admire him, and hee rid in state upon the trappings of his successe, and one said, It is pitie your High­nesse is but a Commander of horse you are worthie to com­mand a Kingdome, an other whispers him, that the peoples eyes are upon him, and the yongman rid farre higher in his saddle then hee doth now: Would it not have been a prettie feat to have seen him conquer an inheritance for himselfe in the name of his Majestie: but God be blessed, hee is now cut short▪ and we hope shortly to see the hot spirited yongster see all his hopes quite frustrate.

Oh if you had seene how hee was beloved in Lanca­shire; you would not offer to speake so, when hee was there with his Armie before the fight? hee did much increase it, with the Catholikes of those parts: hee set on the Commissi­on of Array with successe, and the Earle of Derbies Depen­dants resorted to him, and Colonell Goring hath beene so a­ctive since his libertie; that hee never took rest since his lodg­ing in the Tower: and with a great Armie the Prince mar­ched like the swift clouds, to raise the siege at York.

God be thanked, that Cloud did much obscure the North, but it is now dissipated, and God hath given his ser­vants, a glorious victorie over the Enemies of their Religion and libertie. The plundering Prince with his Irish Rebels [Page] papists, and other desperate Russians were totally routed, and defeated, 3000 of them being [...]aine on the place, and 1500 taken with 3 peece of Ord [...]ance, 10000 Armes with all their Ammunition, bag and baggage, 100 and odde Colours. And whilst our souldiers were in the heat of execution, Prince Ru­pert was much beholding to the gallantrie of his Horse who in the conclusion surpassed all the rest of his followers in swiftnesse.

Indeed the Prince was sent to relieve York, but hee hindred them, and fought with the Roundheads against the Councell and advice of the Commanders.

It pleased God it should be so, that so by this means hee might be routed; but it hath so displeased the Earle of Newcastle, that hath left his Commission behind him, and it is brought up to the Parliament, but hee is fled after his plunder, and so I warrant you will Rupert after him shortly.

No such matter, The Prince hath rallied his m [...]n again, and recruted himselfe, and is foure or 5000 [...]rong a­gain; and hopes to recrute his honour too. The papists have not quite taken off their hopes from him; it is hoped hee will doe well enough with his horse to rang up and down till the popish Irish good subjects come over to joine with him for the defence of the Protestant Religion, and the liberty of the Subject.

We believe the Irish are preparing to come, because we heare Rupert [...]s to meet the [...], but sure it was not the Pidlers, but our Cannons at the Leaguer, that made him dance in the Bean field, till he was so fain to lie downe and sing—the lamentation of a totall routing.

You will talke of great matters: as you did of the ta­king of Yorke, Newcastle, Oxford: but you see wee keepe them still, and vvere very neer the taking of Hull, which we hoped vvould have been delivered up to us.

Indeed Aulicus this is that which hath done us [...] mischief. You have had them amongst us [...]ho h [...] acted for you: We found in Ruperts Sumpter such [...] have discovered all your tricks, and vvee see now how you come to cheat us of Towns and Castles formerly, and hovv you come by all your intelligence of our proceedings. There vvee found C. R. which certified hovv vvilling and ready Sir Iohn Hotham vvas to deliver up Hull to the Marquesse of Nevvcastle. There vve found a discovery of the Lord Roch­fords intelligence given to the Kings forces, for vvhich the King had signed his Pardon. You may vvell presume upon Victories, and go on in your plots and contrivements against us: vvhen you can have intelligence from a Peere out of our owne house of Lords. But novv vve shall look to you here­after, and labour to prevent the same as well as vve can.