LATELY PUBLISHED In the name of the said Major WITHER.

AMong the many abusive Practises and Pamphlets now fre­quent, there is a Paper lately printed, and sold, called The Doubtfull Almanack; which being Published in the Name of G: Wither, is therefore commonly reputed to have been composed and set forth by Geo. Wither Esquire, lately knowne, by the Titles of Captaine and Major Wither; who ha­ving had a view thereof, and considering how great an impu­dence it is in the Divulger to intitle him thereunto, and how in­jurious, Forgeries of that nature might become if they should be tolerated or passed by without dislike; He doth hereby pub­likely disclaime the said Paper, as neither of his making, nor ju­stifiable in its own nature; And protesteth that though it were as worthy the owning, as he could wish it had been; yet, he is no more ambitious to father other mens best Fancies; then de­sirous to be thought Author of their basest, and most mischie­vous Inventions.

Excuse [...]m therefore if he make hast to send abroad this plea of Di [...]cl [...]imer, especially seeing he conceiveth, there is aswell Malignancy coached in the Discourse, as injurious dealing in the manner of recommending it to the People: For, that which to him appeareth to be principally designed (though it maketh a show of somewhat els) seemeth to be of a very dangerous and seditious consequence; and to be nothing sutable to that Piety and Peace which is pretended by the Author: And if the Peece be well heeded and considered, he conceiveth it will be found an Engine contrived to helpe blow that Flame, which is too much kindled, and to widen that Breach which is too farre inlarged already, and which Flame and Breach, the said Major Wither, up­on whom that paper is falsly fathered, hath seriously (though without thank from the generality of either Party) endeavou­red to quench and close up to his utmost power.

It was not his intention, to expresse any thing in confutati­on of what is contained in the paper, but only to acquit him­selfe from being Authour thereof; yet, for prevention of what evill may els ensue, he thinks it his duty having just occasion gi­ven to signifie what he suspecteth both of the matter, and the Author, which in plain tearms is this; that the Author is some Ma­lignant Incendiarie, who according to the strength of his wit contributeth to that secret Designe, which is prosecuted by other Jesuiticall Projectors to ruine these Kingdomes, and to re-ad­vance Tiranny and the Throne of Antichrist among us; And that to whomsoever he seemes to adhere, that, whomsoever he openly strikes at, and whatsoever he dissemblingly pretends, his main scope is to encrease the Rent, and to divide the Nations, the King, the Parliament, and the People further from each o­ther; and by exasperating the Presbyterians against the Inde­pendents, and the Independents against the Presbyterians, to re­new the war, to the weakning, or tearing of all in pieces, that so either the enraged and untamed Lyons, or Leopards at home may prey upon us; or, that when we have acted over the fabu­lous Battailes of the Frogs and Mice, we may be devoured by the Kites and Eagles from abroad,

And, this may justly enough be suspected, though there were [Page 3]no other probabilities thereof, but the said Authors acting of a lie, in fathering the spurious issue of his brain upon another man without his consent or knowledge, that he might play the In­cendiary with the more security, at another mans hazzard: For he hath sufficiently manifested thereby, that neither he him­selfe nor his Designs, are so honest as they should be; And doubtlesse, if that God had beene in his heart, whose name in his Paper, he hath so often taken in vaine; or, if his zeale to the preservation of purity in Religion had been as hearty and as true as he would have insinuated; that Religion would have in­formed him, we ought not to make a lie for God; much lesse to the injury, or disadvantage of our Brother.

But, by the thanks which was this day given unto the said Major for the Paper, by some who believed it to be his, and by the commendations which is applied thereto by many, the Ma­lignancy of the said Paper seemth to be either none at all, or so couched, that every Reader cannnot discover it; And indeed, the poyson is so cunningly infused, that it may be received, and operate also so insensibly, that the mischiefe may be done, before it will be discovered, that any thing else but a benefit was in­tended. Be pleased therefore, for your better discovery there­of, to examine the Authors parallelling of the King and the Parliament, with David and Absalom. For, though to blind your eyes he confounds you in the parallell, and puzzells you in the Allegorie, with an Application thereof to Sectaries and Schis­maticks, whose insinuations and Treacheries he alludeth to the practises of Rebellious Absalom; yet if you heed his legerde­main and what is cast in, whilest you are looking another way; and what reall Friends of our are covertly stabbed whilest they pretend to be in a furious pursuite of our seeming enemies, you shall find that your Almanack-Maker who usurpes the name of Geo: Wither, is likely to be aswell a fatherer, as a Presager, of the Calamities which his Prognostication saith are yet to ensue.

Let them who yet perceive not this jugling, but take Major Withers Spectacles and read the last five lines of the third page of that Doubtfull Almanack, especially these words in a pa­renthesis, ( a Prince a great while since Davids daies, did himselfe [Page 4]the greatest injurie, when he intended to his people the greatest Boon) consider well these words; for by them, weighed with what precedes and followes you may plainly perceive the Authors opi­nion of a large bounty and indulgence in the King toward his Parliament, and of of a traiterous ingratitude of the Parliament towards him.

In the fourth page he hath these words, Oh! nothing is so favou­able for the Covert of black-Designes, as some exercise of Religion: Be sure that be strongly pretended, when you mainly intend this, and all's well: to act devotion, while one plots villany, frees the Designe, not only from suspition; but procures a good opinion of it; And that this is spoken to insinuate that the Parliament hath under the colour of a Religious Reformation, abused the Kings Grace, and his trust reposed therein, it seems very manifest, by the de­pendence it hath on what goes before, and by the impertinency of that clause to any other purpose: For, the Parallel is not yet restrained to the Sectaries, but relateth to those for whose sake, as he saith, a Prince a great while since Davids daies, did himselfe the greatest injurie by intending the greatest boon to his people; which must unquestionably mean the Parliament and the Priviledges by him granted thereunto, or signifie nothing; as must also that which followes in the fifth page, (mentioning Sadocks and Abia­thars and Gods chiefe Priests in Ordinarie, sticking close to David, &c. For it appears as if purposely inserted, to illustrate the faithfulnesse of the Prelates and those Court-Chaplaines, with their companions of the Clergie, who followed the King when he deserted the Parliament, and tacitly to impute traiterousnesse to those, who adhered thereunto, in their Absalom-like Re­bellion against the King, as he would have it understood by his Parallel.

A little afterward, in the same page, you may perceive him following his falsly applyed Allegorie, to the giving of the Par­liament two other secret wounds, as he perhaps hoped; The one by insinuating, as if they had raised their Armies with no better warrant then Absalom; and to as wicked a purpose, which is inti­mated in these words, though scarce sence; He marched into the field with a puissant Army, and give him but a pitch'd battel, both [Page 5]for King and David; The other wound which he seems to hope he shall give them, is, by intimating that they had unjustly slan­dered the Kings Government, and abused the people with faire promises, to place themselves at the helme; which (he saith) is a wile much practised among us within these few yeares, and whom can he mean hereby but the Parliament, though they have given no just occasion that he should so mean? for neither the Independents nor Presbyterians by themselves can bee said to have assumed on them any Supreme Government.

In the sixth page (though in a confused manner) the Story is made use of also to hint unto the People (as very probably ap­pears) by Davids indulgence to Absalom (notwithstanding his horrible unnaturall rebellion) how tenderly sensible the King is of the great plagues which are like to fall on his Absalom-like Parliament; and yet, how stubbornely they still persevere in their Rebellion against him, yea, this Author seems desirous to have thereby inferred (if his perplexed expressions could have reached thereunto) that the King is and was so far from being an enemie to the Parliament, or from seeking the destruction thereof, that he could be as well content to die for the preser­vation thereof, as David was, for the salvation of his Sonne: If this be not his meaning, it is hard to say what meaning he hath in all that which is inserted of Davids greeving for Ab­salom: And, if that be his meaning, then what opinion he hath, of the Parliaments arming in defence of the peoples Priviledges and safety, it may easily be judged. And if it may justly be insi­nuated, that the King is, and hath-been so affected, as this Prog­nosticator would by his Paralell imply (and as many do now be­gin to perswade the People as farre as they yet dare) then doubt­lesse all the world is not able to excuse the Parliament and their Adherents, from being as trecherous and ungratefull as Absa­lom; Let the King (in Gods name) be justified or excused, or his failings connived at, so far forth as it may stand with justice and charity; yea let that be given to Caesar, which is due unto Caesar, but let Gods due and the Peoples Rights and Priviledges be therewith preserved.

Now to colour over all his malignancy (hitherto not so [Page 6]fully shadowed, but that it might have been descride, with­out some other cloake or evasion) that Authour leads you aside, by improperly making the Sectaries seeme to bee his in­tended Parallel to Absalom; which, how absurdly it will qua­drate with the Story, let the prudent judge. If the Independents or Sectaries (call them what you please) may be so justly paral­lelled with Absalom as this Pamphleter affirmes, let them look to it whom it concernes; The Major, for his part, resolveth to be as wary as hee can, neither to justifie the wicked, nor con­demne the innocent, but to looke to his owne wayes, and his owne heart, as well as he may: And (if his councell might be taken) would advise his brethren of both Parties, that their af­faires might be mannaged with so much justice, prudence and charity, towards all men hereafter, that the wheat may dis­creetly be divided from the straw and the chaffe, by the flaile and the fan; and not purged according to the humour of those Incendiaries, who will set the whole barne on fire, if they be not looked unto in time.

It is plainly enough to be seen without an extraordinary Perspective, and to be fore-seen, without an Almanack, what Designes are now in prosecution, and what will certainely fol­low, if the bitternesse of contradictory Parties be not sweetned with more charity and discretion then yet appears among us; and it is evident how little hope there would be of having it e­ver otherwise, if every man should ingage himselfe as wilfully and as unreasonably, to strengthen one Party, as many doe, and none be as third Persons or Mediums, to cement us together, before the policy which is now working, hath irreconcileably divided us, to our irrecoverable destruction.

Thus much hath Major Wither thought fit to signifie upon the occasion offered by the divulging of the fore-said paper in his name; not for such ends as may be perhaps imagined; but, lest by being silent, he might faile of his duty, and have many o­ther things falsely imputed unto him, and father'd upon him hereafter, to the wronging of himselfe and his Readers, whom he would not willingly permit to be deceived by ought divul­ged in his name. He is neither of Paul, nor of Apollo, nor of [Page 7] Cephas, but as they are of Christ; nor against any but in that which is against him, and his Kingdome: nor hath he so learned him, as wittingly to seek his owne peace, or profit, by dividing from, or by adhering to any Party, to the infringement either of the peace of Christs Kingdome, of these Kingdomes, or of his own conscience: but hath ever endeavoured, according to his power, to put himselfe into such a Christian, and civill po­sture, and so to continue therein, that he may be an instrument of generall reconciliation, and one of those Peace-makers, that shall be numbred among the Children of God, whatsoever he be esteemed among men. And he having hitherto spoken for himselfe in a third person, will now add a briefe conclusion thereunto, in his own Person, and in his proper Straine.