IT hath beene ever held a rule or Maxime amongst all Nations to make the defence of Religion the chiefe ground or cause of their War; sometimes for meere politick ends and by respects, sometimes to plant it where it is not, and sometimes to regulate it where it is; Amongst these the last seems most dangerous, because it seldome happens, but within the Territories of one and the same Prince, and so produceth the miserable effects of Civill War. But to come to my present purpose, wherein I intend in a comparative manner briefly to discourse of the late troubles that have hapned in Scotland, and in England.

And because my Needle hath not beene toucht (being the first that hath written upon this subject) If I vary in the Compasse, or meet with a Rocke, I shall expect some favour, although I will not s [...]e for any speciall passon as not worthy of it: for hee that follows himselfe follows the worst Master, that is.

The cause of all those troubles in Scotland, was innovation in their Religi­on and violation of the ancient Laws and Statutes of the Kingdome, as did sufficiently appeare by their severall declarations. The chiefe plotters and con­trivers of those distractions and distempers were Bishops, Papists, and a ma­lignant par [...]y of others, that were ill affected to the Protestant Religion, who had a malicious and wicked intent to inthrall and bring into bondage both the souls, persons, and estates of three Kingdoms at once. And by making use of the great favour, power, and authority of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Clergy began to fail after a Cynosure, which was elevated to the thirty sixt degree, and began to follow the steps of Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury in the time of Hen. 2. who forswore himselfe (by denying the power of the King) to inlarge the power of the Pope and to bring the Canon Law into this Land, In the passage whereof Hen. 2. playd Adrestus part, and stabbed himself.

In England (as in Scotland) our grievances are of two kinds, either such as concern the innovation of our Religion, or such as concern our Laws and Li­berties as hath been often declared both by Petitions and Declarations. The fountain from whence these our evils have sprung hath (by too much experi­ence) been found to arise from the before named Incendiaries of mischief, the Papists and Popish affected Clergy, with other of that malignant party. The Papists who are never wanting to use their utmost power and best skill to stir up Wars and dissentions betweene Kingdomes joyned themselves in their plotting and contriving with the Archbishop, as finding him a fit Instrument to work upon, being the darling of the time, as Mounford was in the time of Hen. 3. the Clergy were gotten to that height that they commanded both per­sons and causes, their authority was advanced to that Supremacy and Great­nesse, that none might so much as question their doings. No doubt, but these men now thought themselves as great as Anselme Archbishop of Canterbury, did in the time of Edw. 1. who took on him to be equall with the King, say­ing in one of his Epistles to the Pope, that the Plough of the holy Church is drawn by two Oxen. of equall strength and beauty, the King and himselfe. Now they intended to make their Cannons and Decrees of that force, that none should dare presume to dispute on the lawfulnesse of them, like that [Page 3]learned Synod in the Reigne of Rich. 2. when Thomas Arundel was Arch­bishop of Canterbury, where they decreed, that none should dispute upon the Articles, determined in the Church nor doubt of the authority of those Decrees: the offenders to the contrary should be pronounced Hereticks. Such was the misery that began to overtake us by the potent greatnesse of these aspring spirits, that they incroached temporall Jurisdiction, and would have had the whole sway in their own hands: but as Suidas saith, for Priests to be temporall Judge, is to knit, that which will never be twi­sted, and for a Divine to meddle in Secular affaires is as if a bird in the Ayre should with the Mouldwarp worke in the earth.

To season this lump of matter every Kingdome hath many distinct and particular Laws or Customes after a government once setled not before: as a batch of bread consists of many distinct loafs after the distinction which before is contained undistinguished under one lump. A man consists of many distinct members, which at the first conception was not distinct.

In the next place I will give a touch of the effects that have hapned by the plots, counsels, and endeavours of these croaking Frogs, or rather Spi­ders of the Common-wealth, who by issuing forth their deadly poyson, have crackt the Venice glasse of our peace and tranquillity.

When Scotland perceived their Religion betrayed, and their liberties inthralled, and by the power and policie of these Instruments their Sove­reignes eare stopped from their just complaints they openly declared their grievances and desired justice against the Infringers of their peace; where­upon their Enemies, perceiving the ends were not only likely to be fru­strate, but their lives and fortunes questioned, they turned their invective counsels to advise his Majesty, that their Declarations were libellous their Petitions and behaviour rebellious. And so began to inforce by the ter­rour of an Army, that which policy could not accomplish. And like Gui­do Godfrey and others in the Reign of Hen. 3. began to act the part of their lawlesse rage by seeking utterly to destroy all those, that withstood their malicious and wicked enterprises, and by projects, and many heavy taxes oppressing the people at home, hoping by force to overthrow and cut off one Nation at a blow, and so to dreane the purses, and poll the estates of the other, that there should be no ability to gain-say them. And although at this instant there was no present Levies of Arms against the Subject in England, yet the danger and successe both of an offensive or a defensive war do oftentimes prove to be of equall hazard, from which I conclude, that the designe against England at that time was the same, and as great if not greater, then against Scotland.

I will not crush out my notes in this behalfe in any new division, and the portion I shall allow will not be large: therefore in this place I will come to give a touch, that when things were brought to this head, the Je­suits and Papists (who are alwayes thirsty after bloud) now plot and contrive by all meanes the forwarding of these Wars as the only way to promote the Catholike cause. And perceiving that the want of money was likely to prove a great hindrance to their designe, they began to make great proffers, they will now be deemed his Majesties best Subjects. And as if the taxes under which the Protestants were too light a burthen, they will lay greater upon themselves: an hired servant that received not above forty shillings per annum, must pay five shillings towards the promotion of this cause. The Bishops and other of the Clergy who desired to goe hand in hand with them under colour of an Ayd, grant large Subsidies in their Synod. And therein shewed such forwardnesse that no doubt to ad­vance those Wars they would have imitated the Clergy in Hen. 2. time which (although for another purpose) sold their Chalices to advance their own ends: And it is to be observed, that the before-mentioned persons that were (as I have said) the chiefe Agents and promoters of the Wars and difference between the two Nations England and Scotland, are the only Incendiaries and causers of the present difference betweene the King and the Parliament.

These persons when they were in the height of their glory, might justly have most cause to question their own strength; Christ all that fairly gli­stereth doth quickly break, and as the ascent of usurped Royalty is slippe­ry, so the top is shaking and the fall great.

A Parliament was now called in Scotland, and likewise another in England, his Majesty being gratiously pleased to make sweetnesse and clemency the entrance to settle these distempered States, and (though it be a matter much questioned by those that observe the successe and event of things, whether his Majesty did it by compulsion and politick counsell ra­ther then out of affection to his Subjects, or desire and intent to settle the distempers of both Kingdoms) he begins first with Scotland, heares their Petitions, grants their desires, and settles all their grievances.

Here the current began to run smooth and cleere, now all rough waves seem to be gone and past, the Sun shines bright and cleere, and the strength of our hopes gave us almost full assurance of the like happy successe.

His Majesty hastens his return from Scotland, declares his hearty desire to effect the like work in England, he is received with exceeding great ac­clamations [Page 5]of joy; some assurance is now given to our thirsty hopes; the Parliament begins to move in its proper Orbe. But here (me thinks) my discourse wants one of the three dimensions. It is long and broad enough, yet it wants depth to shew the occasion or reason of this sudden change.

Great things wee know are seldom effected without much difficulty (e­specially when they meet with strong opposition.) The malignant faction begin again to muster their forces, they perceive that if the Parliament should be suffered to goe on prosperously, their present plots and enterpri­ses would not only be made stustrate and void but the knot so broken and their wings so clipt, that they should never be able to put in practice any more notorious Acts sutable to their desires.