The outcry of the Scotish Presbytery: And [...]he rest of that false and beggerly Nation, who have been ever ready, and still would be contented to lose their owne Countrey if they might gaine ours.
ALas deare Brethren, did wee ever thinke you would so forget your Solemne League and Covenant, such a cord, as wee had thought with it, to have drawne wheresoever wee had pleased: have wee so cheerefully adventured our lives (for your Goods) even with as much willingnesse as any one among us, would change his Scotch Hobby, for an English Gelding? did wee take in New Castle in a timely manner, ere you were compelled to burne the stooles you sat on, and helpt you to coales, when the Cavalieres threatned to kill you with agues? did wee give the King into your hands, to be disposed of at your pleasures in hope afterwards, in gud faith to be aw Kings, and Leards over you, and yet have you s [...] little love to us, as to slight our proffred friendship, and to refuse to draw with us in one yoke, to retard the settling of [Page 2] the Presbyterie, the onely way under God to make you a free, and happy N [...]tion (as we our selves at this day) who have but in one parish not containing above thirty houses at least twenty Lords, consisting of Ministeriall, and ruling Lay-Elders, who use us their inferiours, with such clemency, and ingenuity, that speake wee with never so much warinesse, act wee with never so much civillity, let our carriage be never so steddy, wee cannot speake without their censure; act without their reproo [...]e, shape our gestures according to their prescription, & so consequently cannot walk without the compasse of their verge. Ah deare brethren, had you joyned with us in one & [...]he same Religion, how sweetly had wee now drawne together in one yoke, then wee could have taken up that sweet saying of Hamor the son of Sichem, should not your goods, and your Cattle be ours, ah deare B [...]ethren, instead of ado [...]ing that venerable Geneva Gentleman, Sir Iohn Presbyter, the Dagon of Scotland, you have let him fal [...] upon the [...]hreshold of Ashod, so that his hands and feet are cut off, and he lyeth groveling on the ground, and no man is found to lift him up; yea, you have suffered one to write his last Will and Testament, who hath abused the trust reposed in him, with a meere mock will, hath given ridiculous Legacies to the principall of our Presby [...]erian Bulls, D [...]. Sibbals D [...]. Burges, Mr. Case, and Mr. Callamy, writing an abusiv [...] Epitaph over his Tombe, sufficient to make him infamous to Posterity: Alas deare brethren, wee had not the least thought that you would be oreswaied by the Independent party, resident in the Army, whose protestations are notorious, that they have fought for lib [...]rty of conscience the only gap to all manner of licentiousnesse, who are men of all Religions, and consequently of no religion; [Page 3] O had you beene but ruled by Bunce, Langley, Biggs, and Adams, you had never permitted that Army to enter in at your City Gates, had you not faithfull Waller, Pointz, and Massey, who poore man for all his good servises, you suffred to be affronted in the heart of your City, while a Schismatick was seene to throw a durty bunch of carrots in his face, which manifestly bedawbed his carrot beard; yet he like a valliant mastive that scorneth to returne snap for snap with his inferiours, to wit little mungrills, passed along with much Maj [...]sty, and only waved his sword about his head, to give signall what he was, whom they bespattered, having the aforenamed for your Cou [...]sellors, and these for your Generalls, you had little reason to suspect your inability to fight with the Independents, you could not chuse but have prospered in your designes, for you had had the effectuall prayers of the Presbytery, the Classicall Nationall and provinciall Assemblies; besides according to our Scottish angury, there was a good omen which prognosticated your future successe, an Owle, which in stead of the Eagle, we take to be [...]oves harnesse bearer, lighted upon the chiefest Steeple in Edenborough, and there after much howling, while most of the City ran to behold her, she spake with an humane voyce, though you must understand, something Parrat like, saying; The City is in Armes, The City is in Armes: Now, deare Brethren, you must know wee guessed this happy Bird to have come from London, to found the Alarum to us, and relying with much confidence on the words of Bubo, we rejoiced in your resolutions, so stedfastly fixed to oppose that devouring Army; but alas, alas, contrary to our hopes, you have in stead of fighting against them, lovingly imbraced them, and let them in to [Page 4] your bosomes, and what can we expect, nay it is without question, that by them instigated, Presbytery will never be setled amongst you, nor ever must wee hope that you will be conformed to the forme of our Presbyteriall Government, and so we utterly disappointed of our hopes, to enjoy those golden dayes againe in England, which we once had under gud King Jemy, when enamoured of the clusters of the English Chanaan, wee used all meanes to get ground on this side Jordan, alias Tweed, & at length became possessors of fayre Vineyards, and were able to vie Lordships, with the wealthiest English, thankes to our gud King: but now those passages are blockt up, and our deare B [...]ethren whom we had hoodwinckt, and prepared to entertaine any change, though to their owne prejudice, render our government odious, especially to tender consciences, and our deare Brethren now looke upon us as underlings, not considering that wee came meerely with an intention (for all their goods) and account us onely ingaged (necessity requiring it) as mercenaries and hirelings to the English Parliament, not considering that we entred with them in a solemn League & Coven [...]nt, out of a pious intention, that our S [...]o [...]ch Oats might bee exchanged for English Wheat, and our lowsie dublets for fresh clothing; and whe [...]eas before we had some hopes to see our desires fulfilled, now those hopes are vanished into ayre, and the Scotch governement generally detested by reasonable men: therefore seeing it is so, that our deare Brethren have hearkened to the desires of the Independents, wee shall bee inforced to force that government upon them, which they once seemed so willingly to imbrace: for we are valiant enough, and have one advantage abo [...] other men, (in possessing little) and therefore we feare [...] conquest; [Page 5] for our Country affoordeth little of worth or invitation, that may allure men to a warre.
Our deare Brethren, to our unspeakable griefe, do now begin to indevor to preserve themselves from our worldly encroachments, under the pretence of Religion, alas, they have found out, that though wee present it in a new dresse, called Reformation, that [...]t is like to proove no other then an Assasination of the Monarchy, and a reducing of the old privados to oppresse them more rigrously with new ones; [...]hey have found, how wee seeke to skrew our selves in, by our Ingeneers of the Clergy, to whom wee have promised if they will make us Lords to allow them power to rule joyntly with us, but aw for pity all our pretences, equivocations, false glosses, and sophistications are so apparent, that in gud faith wee drad mickle, wee fall nere be pinniond, and that the Army will rather establish Episcopacy then Presbytery; but what greatly disturbeth us, the D [...]rectory, that new edition of the old Common-prayer booke is crusht even in the bud that pithy vollume which Bifield and Robrough spent so many houres in composing, correcting, and augmenting to their expence of time, and losse of sleepe; yea and credibly not without the decey of their wits, lies now like an old ERRAPATER, in a Farmers house sometimes taken down, only to wonder at, alas, alas good Directory, she and we are equally despised of our deare brethren, and wee feare, thou maiest as soone be read in Pauls by Dr. Burges, as our Scottish Government be established in England, for woe and alas, our grand defender Mr. Prin is forced away from his Inne, he alone would have stood in the gap, and have apollogized for us, had he remained in London, but now wee may adde a tenth query to his owne nine; whether [Page 6] or no Mr. Prin hath not divulged the barenesse of that cause he lately so stifely maintained, by running away when the time called him to justifie it: Finally deare Brethren since it is so, that contrary to our expectations, you intend every man to be a Lord of his owne, wee cannot but bewaile in briny teares your owne wisedome, and our owne losse, and shall be contented, for such is our affections to you, to let you enjoy your owne with safety, untill wee shall come a second time (for all your Goods.)