IN a Successi●● 〈…〉 ●●ngdome , as ENGLAND is known and acknowledged to be by all Parties now in opposition , There are 3 things which are inalienable from the Person of the KING : they are , 1. The Crowne . 2. The Scepter . 3. The Sword .

The one , He is to carry on His Head , the other in His Hand , and the third at His Side ; and they may be tearmed all three the ensignes or peculiar instruments of a KING : by the first , He Reignes , by the second He makes Lawes , by the third He maintaines them : and the two first are but bables without the last .

1. Touching the Crowne or royall Diadem of England , there is none , whether Presbyterian , Independent , Protestant , or others now in action , but confesse that it descends by a right hereditary Line , ( though through divers Races , and some of them Conquerours ) upon the Head of CHARLES the first now Regnant : 't is His owne by inherent birthright and nature , by Gods law , and the Law of the Land , and these Parliamentmen at their first sitting did agnize subjection unto Him accordingly , and recognize Him for their Soveraigne liege Lord : Nay , the Roman Catholick denies not this , for though there were Bulls sent to dispense with the English Subjects for their allegiance to Queen Elizabeth , yet the Pope did this against Her as he too● 〈◇〉 for a Heretique , not an Usur 〈…〉 he knew 〈◇〉 enough that She had been 〈…〉 timate by the Act of 〈…〉 Parliament .

〈…〉 Crown of England is adorned and 〈◇〉 with many faire Flowers , which are called , royall Prerogatives ; and they are of such a transcendent nature , that they are unforfeitable , individuall , and untransferable to any other : The KING can only summon and dissolve Parliaments : The KING can onely Pardon ( for when He is Crowned , He is sworn to rule in mercy as well as in justice : ) The KING can onely Coyn Money , and enhance or decry the value of it : The power of electing Officers of State , of Justices of Peace , and Assise is in the KING ; He can only grant soveraign Commissions : The KING can only wage War , and make Out-landish Leagues : The KING may make all the Courts of justice ambulatory with His Person , as they were used of old ; 't is true , the Court of Common Pleas must be sedentary in some certain place for such a time ; but that expired , 't is removeable at His pleasure : The KING can only employ Ambassadours and Treat with forain States , &c. These , with other royal Prerogatives which I shall touch hereafter , are those rare and wholsome flowers wherewith the Crowne of England is embellished , nor can they stick any where else but in the Crowne , and all confesse the Crowne is as much the KING'S , as any private man's Cap is his own .

The second regall Instrument is the Scepter , which may be called an inseparable companion , or a necessary appendix to the Crowne ; this invests the KING with the sole Authority of making Lawes , for before His confirmation all results and determinations of Parliament are but Bills or {αβγδ} , they are but abortive things , and meer Embryos ; nay , they have no life at all in them till the KING puts breath and vigour into them : and the antient custome was for the KING to touch them with His Scepter , then they are Lawes , and have a virtue in them to impose an obligation of universall obedience upon all sorts of people , It being an undeniable maxime , That nothing can be generally binding without the King's royall assent , nor doth the Law of England take notice of any thing without it : This being done , they are ever after stil'd the King's Lawes , and the Judges are said to deliver the King's judgments , which agrees with the holy Text , The King by judgment shall stablish the Land : nay , the Law presumes the King to be alwaies the sole Judge Paramount , and Lord chief Justice of England , for he whom He pleaseth to depute for His chiefest Justice , is but stil'd Lord chief Justice of the King's Bench , not Lord chief Justice of England , which title is peculiar to the KING Himself , and observable it is , that whereas He grants Commissions and Patents to the Lord Chancellour ( who is no other then Keeper of His Conscience ) and to all other Judges , He names the Chief Justice of His own Bench by a short Writ only containing two or three lines : Now , though the King be liable to the Law , and is contented to be within their verge , because they are chiefly His owne productions , yet He is still their Protector , Moderator , and Soveraigne , which attributes are incommunicable to any other conjunctly or separately .

Thus the KING with His Scepter , and by the mature advice of His two Houses of Parl . which are His highest Councel & Court , hath the sole power of making Laws ; other Courts of judicature doe but expound them and distribute them by His appointment , they have but Juris dati dictionem or declarationem , and herein , I meane for the Exposition of the Lawes the twelve Judges are to be believed before the whole Kingdom besides . They are as the Areopagites in Athens , the chief Presidents in France and Spaine in an extraordinary Junta , as the Cape-Syndiques in the Rota's of Rome , and the Republique of Venice whose judgments in point of interpreting Lawes are incontroulable , and preferred before the opinion of the whole Senate whence they received their being ; and who hath still power to repeal them , though not to expound them . In France they have a Law-maxime , Arrest donné en Robbe rouge est irrevocable , which is , a Scarlet Sentence is irrevocable , meaning when all the Judges are met in their Robes , and the Client against whom the Cause goes , may chafe and chomp upon the bit , and say what he will for the space of 24 howers against his Judges , but if ever after he traduces them , he is punishable : It is no otherwise here where every ignorant peevish Client , every puny Barister , specially if he become a Member of the House will be ready to arraign and vie knowledge with all the reverend Judges in the Land , whose judgement in points of Law shold be only tripodicall and sterling : so that he may be truly call'd a just King , and to rule according to Law , who rules according to the opinion of his Judges ; therfore , under favor , I do not see how his Majestie for his part could be call'd injust when he leavied the Ship-money , consideing he had the judges for it .

I now take the Sword in hand , which is the third Instrument of a King , ( and which this short discours chiefly points at ) it is aswell as the two first , incommunicable and inalienable from his Person ; nothing concernes his honor more both at home and abroad ; the Crown and the Scepter are but unweildy and impotent naked indefensible things without it . There 's none so simple as to think there 's meant hereby an ordinary single sword , such as ev'ry one carrieth by his side , or som imaginary thing or chymera of a sword ; No , 't is the polemical publique sword of the whole Kingdom , 't is an aggregative compound sword , and 't is moulded of bell-metall ; for 't is made up of all the ammunition and armes small and great , of all the military strengths both by Land and Sea , of all the Forts , Castles and tenable places within and round about the whole I le : The Kings of England have had this sword by vertue of their royall signory from all times , the Laws have girded it to their sides , they have employed it for repelling all forren force , for revenging all forren wrongs or affronts , for quelling all intestine tumults , and for protecting the weal of the whole body politike at home : The peeple were never capable of this sword , the fundamentall constitutions of this Kingdom deny it them ; 't is all one to put the sword in a mad mans hand , as in the peeples ; or for them to have a disposing power in whose hands it shall be . Such was the case once of the French sword , in that notorious insurrection call'd to this day La Jaqueris de Beauvoisin , when the Pesants and Mechanics had a design to wrest it out of the Kings hand , and to depresse all the Peers & Gentry of the Kingdom ; & the busines had gone very far , had not the Prelats stuck close to the Nobility ; But afterwards poor hare-brain'd things they desire the King upon bended knees to take it againe ; Such popular puffs have blowen often in Poland , Naples and other places , where while they sought and fought for liberty by retrenching the regall power , they fool'd themselfs into a slavery unawares , and found the rule right , that excess of freedom turns to thraldom , and ushers in all confusions . If one shold go back to the nonage of the world , when Governers and Rulers began first , one will find the peeple desir'd to live under Kings for their own advantage , that they might be restrain'd from wild exorbitant liberty , and kept in unity ; Now unity is as requisit for the welbeing of all naturall things , as entity is for their being , and 't is a receiv'd maxim in policy , that nothing pres●●ves Unity more exactly then Royall Government : besides 't is known to be the noblest sort of sway ; In so much that by the Law of Nations , if Subjects of equall degrees , and under differing Princes shold meet , the Subjects of a King shold take predency of those under any Republique , and those of a successif Kingdom , of those that are under an Electif .

But to take up the Sword again . I say that the Sword of public power & authoritie is fit only to hang at the Kings side , & so indeed shold the great Seal hang only at his girdle , because 't is the Key of the Kingdom : which makes me think of what I read of Charlemain , how he had the imperiall Seal emboss'd alwaies upon the pommell of his sword , and his reason was , that he was ready to maintain whatsoever he signed , and sealed .

The Civilians , who are not in all points so great friends to Monarchy as the Common Law of England is , say , there are six Iura Regalia , six Regall Rights , viz. 1. Potestas Iudicatoria , 2. Potestas vitae & necis , 3. Armamenta , 4. Bona adespota , 5. Census , 6. Monetarum valor : to wit , Power of Judicature , power of life and death , all kind of arming , masterlesse goods , Sessements , and the value of money .

Among these Regalias , we find that Arming , which in effect is nought else but the Kings Sword , is among the chiefest ; and 't is as proper and peculiar to his person , as either Crown or Scepter . By these two he drawes a loose voluntary love and opinion onely from his Subjects , but by the Sword he drawes reverence and awe , which are the chiefest ingredients of allegiance , it being a maxime , That the best mixture of government is made of feare and love . With this sword he conferrs honor , he dubbs Knights , he creates magistrats , the Lord Deputy of Ireland , the Lord Mayor of London with all other Corporations have their swords from him , and when he entreth any place corporat , we know the first thing that is presented him is the Sword : With this Sword he shields and preserves all his peeple that ev'ry one may sit quietly under his own Vine , sleep securely in his own House , and enjoy sweetly the fruits of his labours .

Nor doth the point of this sword reach only to ev'ry corner of his own dominions , but it extends beyond the seas to gard his Subjects from oppression , and denial of justice , as well as to vindicate the publike wrongs , make good the interests of his Crown , and to assist his confederates ; This is the sword that Edward the third tied the Flower deluces unto ( which stick still unto it , ) when having sent to France to demand that Crown by maternall right , the Counsell there sent him word that the Crown of France was not tied to a distaff , to which scoffing answer he replied that then he wold tie it to his sword , and he was as good as his word . Nor is this publike sword concredited or intrusted by the peeple in a fiduciary conditionall way to the King , but it is properly and peculiarly belonging unto him , as an inseparable concomitant , perpetuall Usher and attendant to his Crowne . The King , we know , useth to maintain all garrisons upon his own charge , not the peeples ; he fortifies upon his own charge , not the peeples : And though I will not averr , that the King may impresse any of his Subjects , unlesse it be upon an actuall invasion by Sea , or a sudden irruption into his Kingdom by Land , as the Scots have often don , yet at any time the King may raise Volunteers , and those who have received his money , the Law makes it felony , if they forsake his service .

Thus we see there 's nothing that conduceth more to the glory , and indeed the very essence of a King then the Sword , which is the Armes and military strength of his Kingdome ; wherfore under favor , there cannot be a greater point of dishonor to a King then to be disarmed , then to have his Sword taken from him , or dispos'd of and intrusted to any but those whom he shall appoint ; for as à minori ad majus . the Argument often holds , if a privat Gentleman chance to be disarm'd upon a quarrell , 't is held the utmost of disgraces , much greater and more public is the dishonor that falls upon a King , if after some traverses of difference 'twixt him and his Subjects , they shold offer to disarme him , or demand his sword of him : when the Eagle parted with his talons , and the Lion with his teeth and ongles , the Apolog tells us how contemptible afterwards the one grew to be among Birds , the other among Beasts . For a King to part with the Sword politic is to render himself such a ridiculous King , as that logg of wood was which Jupiter let down among the froggs for their King at the importunity of their croaking ; 't is to make him a King of clouts , or as the Spaniard hath it , Rey de Havas , a Bean-King , such as we use to choose in sport at Twelf-night .

But my hopes are , that the two present Houses of Parlement ( for now they may be call'd so , because they begin to parley with their King , ) wil be more tender of the honor of their Soverain Liege Lord , which , together with all his Rights and Dignities , by severall solemn Oaths , and by their own binding instruments of Protestation and Covenant , ( not yet revok'd ) they are sworn to maintain , and that they will demand nothing of him which may savour of Aspertè or force , but what may hold water hereafter : But now , touching the Militia or Sword of the Kingdom , I think , under favor , the King cannot transfer it to any other ; for that were to desert the protection of his people , which is point-blank against his Coronation Oath and his Office : What forren Prince or State will send either Ambassador , Resident or Agent to him , when they understand his Sword is taken from him ? What reformed forren Church wil acknowledg Him Defender of the Faith , when they hear of this ? Nay , they who wish England no good will , will go neer to paint him out , as not long since another King was , with a fair velvet Scabbard , a specious golden hilt and chape , but the blade within was of wood . I hope that they who sway now , will make better use of their successes : Many of them know 't is as difficult a thing to use a victory well , as to get one ; there is as much prudence requir'd in the one , as prowesse in the other ; they wilbe wiser sure then turn it to the dishonor of their King : it being a certaine rule , that the glory of a Nation all the world over depends upon the glory of their King , and if he be any way obscur'd , the whole Kingdom is under an eclipse .

I have observed , that among other characters of gallantry , which forren Writers appropriat to the English Nation , one is , that they use to be most zealous to preserve the Honor of their King ; I trust that they who are now upp will return to the steps of their Progenitors , both in this particular and divers other ; that their successes may serve to sweeten and moderat things , and suppresse the popular Sword which still rages ; And it had been heartily wished that a suspension of Arms had preceded this Treaty , which useth to be the ordinary fore-runner , and a necessarie antecedent to all Treaties ; for while acts of hostility continue , som ill favour'd newes may intervene which may imbitter and disturb all : nor can it be expected that the proceedings will goe on with that candor and confidence , while the old rancor is still in action ; 't is impossible a sore shold heale till the inflamation be taken away ; To cast water into a wound instead of oyle is not the way to cure it : or to cast oyle upon a fire instead of water is not the way to quench it ; poor England hath had a consuming fire within her bowells many yeeres , she is also mortally wounded in all her members , that she is still in a high Fever , which hath made her rave and speak idle a long time ; and 't is like to turn to a Hectic if not timely prevented . I p ay God she may have no occasion to make use of the same complaint as Alexander the great made when he was expiring his last , Perti turba Medicorum : too many Physitians have undon me .

To conclude in a word , there is but one only way , under favor , to put a period to all these fearfull confusions ; it is , to put the great Master-wheele in order , and in its due place again , and then all the inferior wheels will move regularly ; let the King be restor'd , and ev'ry one will com to his own , all interests will be satisfied , all things quickly rectified ; till this be done , 't is as absurd to attempt the setling of peace , as if one shold go about to set a Watch by the gnomon of an horizontall Diall when the Sun is in a cloud .

MY last to your Eminence was but short , in regard I had been but a short time in this Countrey , I have now made a longer sojourn here , and taken a leisurely information of all matters ; therefore I shal give your Eminence an account proportionably : For by conversation with the most indifferent , and intelligenc'd men , and by communication with the Ambassadors here resident , I have taken some paines to pump out the truth of things .

I find , that angry star , which hath lowr'd so long upon Europe in generall , hath been as predominant , and cast as direfull aspects upon this poor Iland , as upon any other part : Truly , my Lord , in all probability this people have pass'd the Meridian of their happinesse , and begin to decline extreamly , as well in Repute abroad , as also in the common notions of Religion , and indeed in the ordinary faculty of Reason : I think verily the Ill Spirit never reign'd so much in any corner of the earth by those inhumane and horid things that I have observ'd among them , Nor is it a petty Spirit , but one of the greatest Cacodaemons that thus drives them on , and makes them so active in the pursuance of their own perdition .

To deduce matters from their Originall , Your Eminency may please to understand , that this King at his accesse to the Crown had deep debts to pay , both of His Fathers , and his own , he was left ingaged in a fresh warre with Spain ; and had another presently after with France , and both at one time , but he came off well enough of those : Afterwards never any Countrey flourished in that envied happinesse , and wanton kind of prosperity ; This City of London was grown to be the greatest Mart , and mistresse of Trade , of any in the world , Insomuch , as I have been certainly inform'd , the King might have eaten meerly upon His customes 4000 crownes a day : Moreover , she had a vast bank of money being made the scale of conveying the King of Spaines treasure to Flanders : Insomuch that in a few yeers she had above ten millions of his moneys brought hither , which she might have remitted in specie or in marchandize , and for which this King had five in the hundred for coynage : Yet could he not get beforehand with the world , having a sister with so many Nephews and neeces , having a Queen with diverse children of His own , ( at least 16 of the Blood-Royall ) to maintaine , with divers profuse Courtiers besides , which made Him more parsimonious then ordinary . The Warres then growing more active 'twixt Spaine and France , as also 'twixt Holland and Spaine both by Land and Sea , and divers great Fleets of Men of War as well French ( who were growne powerfull that way ) as Dunkerkers , Spaniards , Hollanders , and Hamburgers , appearing daily in His narrow Seas , and sayling close by His Chambers , the world wondred this King had no greater strength at Sea , in case that any of the foresaid Nations should doe him an affront , as some of them had already done , by denying to dash their Colours to His Ships : Insomuch that in Holland and other places he was pasquill'd at , and pourtrayed lying in his cradle lullaby'd and rock'd asleep by the Spaniard : Hereupon being by advertisements from His Agents abroad , and frequent advice of His Privie Councell at home , made sensible of the danger , and a kind of dishonour he was falne into , and having intelligence that the French Cardinall began to question his title to the Dominion of the Narrow Seas , considering He employed no visible power to preserve it , He began to consult of meanes to set forth a Royall Fleet : but in regard the Purse of the Crowne was lightly ballasted , and that he had no mind to summon the three Estates , because of some indignities he had received in former Parliaments by the Puritan party , ( a race of people averse to all Kingly Government , unlesse they may pare it as they please ) his then Atturney Generall , a great cryed-up-Lawyer , put it in his Head to impose an old Tax called Ship-mony upon the Subject , which the said Lawyer did warrant upon his life to be Legall , for he could produce diverse Records how many of his Progenitors had done the like : The King not satisfied with his single opinion , referred it to His Learned Councell , and they unanimously averred it to be agreeable to the Law of the Land ; yet this would not fully satisfie the King , but He would have the Opinion of His twelve Judges , and they also affirmed by their severall vouches the said Tax to be warrantable ; Hereupon it was imposed and leavied , but some refusing to pay it , there was a suite commenc'd , during which all the Judges were to re-deliver their opinions joyntly , and the businesse being maturely debated and canvased in open Court divers months , and all arguments produc'd pro & con , nine of the said twelve Judges concluded it Legal : Thereupon the King continued the imposition of the said Tax , and never was money imployed so much for the Honour and advantage of a Countrey , for he sent out every Summer a Royall fleet to scowre and secure the Seas ; he caused a Galeon to be built , the greatest and gallantest that ever spread saile : Nor did he purse up , and dispose of one peny of this money to any other use , but added much of his own Revenues yeerly thereunto : So the world abroad cried up the King of England to be awake againe ; Trade did wonderfully encrease , both Domestic and forrein in all the three Kingdomes ; Ireland was reduced to an absolute Settlement , the Arreares of the Crown payed , and a considerable Revenue came thence cleerly to the Exchequer of England every year , the salaries of all Officers , with the pay of the standing Army there , and all other Charges being defrayed by Ireland her self , which was never done before . Yet for all this height of happinesse , and the glorious fruites of the said Ship-money , ( which was but a kind of petty insensible Tax , & a thing of nothing to what hath happened since ) there were some foolish people in this Land which murmured at it , and cryed out nothing else but a Parliament , a Parliament ; and they have had one since with a vengeance .

But before this occasion , it was observed , that the seedes of disobedience , and a spirit of insurrection was a long time engendring in the hearts of some of this peace-pampred People , which is conceived to proceed from their conversation and comerce with three sorts of men , viz. the Scot , the Hollander and the French Huguenot . Now an advantage happened that much conduced to necessitate the convoking of a Parliament , which was an ill-favoured traverse that fell out in Scotland ; For the King intending an Uniformity of Divine worship in all His three Kingdomes , sent thither the Lyturgie of this Church , but it found cold and coorse entertainment there , for the whole Nation , men , women and children rise up against them : Hereupon the King absolutely revoked it by Proclamation , wherein He declared 't was never His purpose to presse the practice thereof upon the Consciences of any ; therefore commanded that all things should be in statu quo prius , but this would not serve the turn , the Scot took advantage hereby to destroy Hierarchy , and pull down Bishops to get their demeanes : To which purpose they came with an Army in open Field against their own Native King , who not disgesting this indignity , Mustred another English Army ; which being upon the confines of both Kingdomes , a kind of Pacification was plaistred over for the present . The King returning to London , and consulting His second thoughts , resented that insolency of the Scots more then formerly : Hereupon He summons a Parliament , and desires aid to Vindicat that Affront of the Scot . The Scot had strong Intelligence with the Puritan Faction in the English Parliament , who seemed to abet his quarell , rather then to be sensible of any nationall dishonour received from him ; which caused that short-lived Parliament to dissolve in discontent , and the King was forced to finde other meanes to raise and support an Army by private Loanes of His Nobler sort of Subjects and Servants : The Scot having punctuall Advertisments of every thing that passed , yea , in the Kings Cabinet Councell was not idle all this while , but rallies what was left of the former Army ( which by the articles of Pacification should have been absolutely dismissed ) and boldly invades England , which he durst never have done , if he had not well known that this Puritan Party which was now grown very powerfull here , and indeed had invited him to this expedition , would stand to him . This forrein Army being , by the pernicious close machinations of some mongrell Englishmen aforementioned , entred into the Bowels of the Country , the King was forced to call this present Parliament , with whom he complied in every thing , so far as to sacrifice unto them both Judge , Bishop , Councellor and Courtier ; yea , He yeilded to the tumbling down of many tribunalls of Justice , which were an advantage to his Prerogative ; He assented that the Prelates , who were the most Ancient and Prime Members of the upper House , and had priority of all others , since the first constitution of Parliament in the enrollment of all Acts , He assented I say that these , who were the greatest prop of His Crown should be quite outed from among the Peers ; He granted them also a Trienniall Parliament , and after that , this Perpetuall ; which words , to the apprehension of any rationall man , carry with them a grosse absurdity in the very sense of the thing : And touching this last Grant , I had it from a good hand , that the Queen was a friend to this Parliament , and your Eminence knowes how they have requited Her since , but the maine open Councellor to this fatall Act was a Scot .

Now the reason which they alledged for this everlasting Parliament was one of the baldest that ever I heard of , it was , that they might have time enough to pay the Scots Army , whereas in one morning they might have dispatched that , by passing so many Subsidies for that use , and upon the credit of those , they might have raised what money they would .

The Parliament finding the King so pliable , and His pulse to beat so gently , like ill-natur'd men they fall from inches to ells in seeking their advantages : They grew so peremptory as to demand all the military strength of the Kingdom , the Tower of London , with the whole Royall Navy , which they found in an excellent equipage , gramercy shipmony ; so that the benefit of Ship-mony , which they so clamoured at , turned most to their advantage of any thing afterwards .

The Scot being Fidler-like returned to his Country with meat , drink , and mony , the King went a while after to keep a Parliament there , wherein he filled every blank , they did but ask and have , for He granted them what possibly they could propound , both for their Kirk and State , many received Honour , and they divided Bishops Lands amongst them : for all which unparallel'd Concessions of Princely grace , they caused an Act already in force to be published , viz. that it should be damnable Treason in the highest degree that could be , for any of the Scots Nation conjunctly or singly to levy armes , or any military Forces , upon any pretext whatsoever , without His Majesties royall Commission ; and this they caus'd to be don by way of gratitude , but how they perform'd it afterwards the world knowes too well .

The King returning to London , in lieu of a wellcom to his two Houses of Parliament ( to whom also before his departure he had passed more Acts of Grace then all his Progenitors , take them all in a lump ) they had patch'd up a kind of Remonstrance , which was voted in the dead of night , wherein they expos'd to the world the least moat in former government , and aggravated to the very height every grievance , all which the King had redressed before ; and this Remonstrance , which breath d nothing but a base kind of malice , they presented as a nosegay to their Soverain Prince , to congratulate his safe return from a forren Countrey ; which they caus'd to be printe● & publish'd before he could give any answer thereunto . The King finding such a virulent spirit still raign in the House , and knowing who were chiefly possess'd with it ( whom he had impeach'd before , but saw he could get no justice against them ) in such an extremity , he did an act like a generous Prince , for taking the Palsgrave with him , he took the first coach he met withall at his Court gate , and went to his House of Commons in person to demand five Members , which he wold prove to be Traitors in the highest degree , and to be the Authors of all these distempers , protesting upon the word of a King , that they shold have as fair & legall a tryall as ever men had ; in the interim he only desir'd that their persons might be secur'd : The walls of both Houses , and the very stones in London street did seem to ring of this high cariage of the Kings , and the sound went thence to the Countrey , whence the silly Plebeians came presently in whole heards to this City , and strowting up and down the streets , had nothing in their mouths , but that the priviledg of Parlement , the priviledg of Parl●ment was broken , though it be the known cleer Law of the Land , that the Parlement cannot supersede or shelter any treason .

The King finding how violently the pulse of the gr●sly seduced people did beat , and there having been formerly divers riotous crues of base Mechaniques and Mariners , who had affronted both his own Court , and the two Houses besides , which the Commons , to their eternall reproach , conniv'd at , notwithstanding that divers motions were made by the Lords to suppresse them , the King also having private intelligence that there was a mischievous plot to surprize his person , remov'd his Court to the Countrey .

The King departing , or rather being driven away thus from his two Houses , by this mutinous City , he might well at his going away have obraided her in the same words as Henry the 3. did upbraid Paris , who being by such another tumultuous rabble driven out of her in the time of the Ligue , as he was losing sight of her , he turn'd his face back , and sayed , Farewell ingratefull Cittie , I will never see thee again till I make my way into thee through thy Walls : Yet , though the King absented himself in person thus from the two Houses , he sent them frequent messages , that they wold draw into A●●s what he had already assented unto , and if any thing was le●t yet undon by him , he wold do it ; therfore he will'd them to leave off those groundles feares and jealousies wherwith they had amus'd both Cittie and Countrey ; and he was ready to return at all times to his Palace in Westminster , provided that his Person might be secur'd from the former barbarisms & outrages : But in lieu of a dutifull compliance with their Prince , the thoughts of the two Houses ran upon nothing but war : The King then retiring into the North , & thinking with a few of his servants only to go visit a Town of his , he was denied entrance by a fatall unlucky wretch , who afterwards was shamefully executed , with his eldest son , by command of his new Masters of the Parlement : The King being thus shut out of his own town ( which open'd the first dore to a bloudy war ) put forth a Declaration , wherein he warn d all his people that they should look to their proprieties , for if Hee was thus barr'd of his owne , how could any private Subject be sure to be Master of any thing he had , and herein he was as much Prophet as Prince ; For the Parlement-men afterwards made themselfs Land-Lords of the whole Kingdome , it hath been usuall for them to thrust any out of his freehold , to take his bed from under him , and his shirt from off his very back . The King being kept thus out of one of his townes , might well suspect that he might be driven out of another , therefore 't was time for him to look to the preservation of his Person , and the Countrey came in voluntarily unto him by thousands to that purpose , but hee made choice of a few only to be his gard , as the Parlementteers had don a good while before for themselfs : But now they went otherwise to worke , for they fell a levying , listing , and arming men by whole Regiments and Brigades till they had a verie considerable Army a foot , before the King had one Musqueteer or Trooper on his side : yet these men are so notoriously impudent , as to make the King the first Aggressor of the war , and to lay upon Him all the ●lood that was spilt to this day , wherein the Devill himself cannot be more shameles . The Parliamenteers having an army of foot and horse thus in perfect Equipage , 't was high time for the King to look to himselfe , therefore he was forced to display his royall Standard , and draw his sword quite out : Thus a cruell and most cruentous civill war began which lasted neer upon foure yeers without intermission , wherin there happen'd more battailes , sieges and skirmishes , then passed in the Netherlands in sourescore yeers , and herein the Englishmen may be said to get som credit abroad in the world , that they have the same blood running in their veines ( though not the same braines in their sculls ) which their Ancestors had , who were observed to be the activest peeple in the field , impatient of delay , and most desirous of battaile then any Nation .

But it was one of the greatest miracles that ever happen'd in this Land how the King was able to subsist so long against the Parlamenteers , considering the multiplicity of infinite advantatages they had of him by water and land : for they had the Scot , the Sea and the City on their side ; touching the first , he rushed in as an Auxiliary , with above 20000. Horse and Foot compleatly furnish'd both with small and great ammunition and arms , well cloth'd and money'd : For the second , they had all the Kings Ships well appointed , which are held to be the greatest security of the Island both for defence and offence , for every one of them is accounted one of the moving Castles of the Kingdome : besides they had all the other standing stone-Castles , Forts , and tenable places to boot : Concerning the last , ( viz. the City ) therein they had all the wealth , bravery , and prime ammunition of England , this being the onely Magazin of men and money : Now if the King had had but one of these on his side , he had in all probability crush'd them to nothing : yet did he bear up strangely against them a long time , and might have don longer , had he kept the campane , and not spent the spirits of his men before Townes ; had he not made a disadvantagious election of som Commanders in chief , and lastly , had he not had close Traitors within dores , as well as open Rebells without ; for his very Cabinet Councell , and Bed-Chamber were not free of such vermin , and herein the Parlementeers spent unknown sums and were very prodigall of the Kingdomes money .