A
LETTER
TO
A
GENTLEMAN
ABOUT
THE
Election
of
Members
For
the
COUNTY
of
CAMBRIDG
,
To
serve
in
this
present
PARLIAMENT
;
With
some
Reflections
upon
a
late
Libellous
Paper
Entituled
,
A
Letter
to
a
Friend
upon
the
Dissolving
of
the
late
Parliament
,
and
the
calling
of
a
new
One
;
together
with
a
List
of
those
who
were
against
making
the
Prince
and
Princess
of
Orange
King
and
Queen
.
Which
Reflections
are
made
to
warn
all
their
Majesties
good
Subjects
,
on
this
Occasion
,
of
the
Malice
and
Scandal
of
the
said
Libel
.
SIR
,
YOU
Have
already
received
an
Account
of
the
Election
of
Members
to
serve
in
this
present
Parliament
,
for
the
County
,
University
,
and
Town
of
Cambridge
;
but
were
not
therein
acquainted
with
that
restless
Spirit
of
Malice
,
and
Sedition
,
which
will
be
satisfied
with
nothing
less
,
than
the
ruin
of
the
Government
in
Church
and
State
,
and
the
Introduction
of
Popery
,
and
Arbitary
Power
among
us
;
As
plainly
appeared
by
the
Dissenters
adhering
to
,
and
approbation
of
the
practices
of
the
last
Reign
,
in
order
thereunto
;
And
particularly
in
this
County
,
relating
to
the
election
there
lately
made
;
towards
the
effecting
of
whose
foremention'd
designs
;
they
dispersed
that
Scandalous
and
Libellous
paper
,
Entitled
,
A
Letter
to
a
Friend
&c.
to
this
County
,
University
,
and
Town
of
Cambridg
;
as
they
have
done
in
all
other
parts
of
England
,
to
prevent
the
honest
Free-Holders
and
Members
of
the
several
Corporations
of
England
,
from
giving
their
Votes
for
any
of
those
Worthy
Patriots
of
our
Church
,
and
State
,
Printed
in
the
said
Scandalous
Paper
;
And
for
the
more
effectual
obtaining
this
their
Malicious
Design
;
they
in
this
County
spread
the
Venom
thereof
in
their
CONVENTICLES
,
using
Vile
,
False
,
and
Scandalous
Reflections
upon
some
of
the
said
persons
therein
named
;
which
coming
to
the
knowledg
of
the
Magistrates
of
the
University
,
and
Town
of
Cambridg
,
they
upon
strict
enquiry
into
the
matter
of
the
said
Libellous
Letter
,
caused
the
following
Paper
to
be
printed
and
dispers'd
thro'
the
whole
County
,
that
by
this
example
other
places
might
be
warned
against
this
Poysonous
and
Infectious
Libel
.
The
true
Copy
of
which
Paper
is
the
following
.
WHEREAS
a
False
and
Scandalous
Libel
hath
been
Printed
and
Dispers'd
abroad
against
several
Gentlemen
of
Worth
and
Quality
,
and
of
known
Affection
to
the
present
Government
;
and
in
particular
against
Sir
Levinus
Bennet
Baronet
,
and
Sir
Robert
Cotton
Knight
,
two
of
their
Majesties
Justices
of
the
Peace
of
this
County
of
Cambridg
;
Suggesting
that
they
were
against
King
William's
and
Queen
Mary's
,
being
King
and
Queen
,
thereby
Insinuating
,
that
they
are
disaffected
to
the
present
Government
;
which
Suggestions
are
altogether
False
and
Malitious
.
The
aforesaid
Gentlemen
having
alwaies
,
and
in
multitudes
of
Instances
signaliz'd
their
affection
both
to
the
King
and
Queen
,
as
likewise
to
the
Protestant
Religion
;
and
to
the
end
such
False
and
Malicious
Scandals
and
the
spreders
thereof
may
be
brought
to
Condigne
Punishment
:
It
is
desired
by
those
Gentlemen
,
that
all
good
men
will
make
discovery
to
some
Magistrate
of
all
such
Persons
who
shall
be
Instruments
in
Spreading
and
Publishing
of
such
False
and
Scandalous
Reflections
.
Imprimatur
,
-
James
Johnson
,
Vice-Chancellour
,
-
John
Pepys
,
Mayor
.
I
must
likewise
further
crave
leave
to
tell
you
,
That
the
Forementioned
Paper
had
so
good
an
Effect
upon
the
Free-Holders
of
this
County
,
as
likewise
upon
the
Members
of
the
University
and
Town
of
Cambridg
,
that
they
have
Chosen
for
their
Representatives
in
Parliament
,
Men
of
Honest
and
Moderate
Principles
;
Firm
to
the
Establish'd
Government
in
Church
and
State
;
whom
we
doubt
not
,
but
will
upon
all
Occasions
approve
themselves
steady
and
Zealous
for
the
Wellfare
and
True
Interest
of
both
.
I
cannot
therefore
but
much
dislike
the
Example
of
the
Author
of
that
Malitious
Libel
,
who
durst
have
the
Confidence
to
invade
the
Previledg
of
Parliaments
,
in
Publishing
the
names
of
their
Members
,
which
is
notoriously
done
in
the
foremention'd
Paper
;
for
which
Reasons
I
have
carefully
forborne
the
mentioning
of
the
Names
of
those
,
who
would
have
given
up
all
the
Corporations
of
England
to
the
Regulators
of
the
late
Reign
,
who
consisted
cheifly
in
many
places
of
Papists
,
as
well
as
Disenters
,
and
others
,
who
were
for
giving
up
the
Penal
Laws
and
Test
.
Those
GREAT
BULWORKS
OF
OUR
SPIRITUAL
AND
CIVIL
RIGHTS
.
Nor
must
it
be
omitted
,
how
much
the
Grace
and
Goodness
of
the
King
was
abused
,
who
did
not
only
intend
an
Indemnity
and
Pardon
to
all
his
Subjects
,
at
his
Accession
to
the
Crown
,
in
imitation
of
all
his
Royal
Predicessors
;
who
did
the
like
;
but
for
the
more
effectual
Grant
of
the
same
,
did
out
of
his
abundant
Grace
to
his
People
,
and
for
quieting
their
Minds
,
leave
it
to
the
Parliament
to
frame
the
same
for
the
greatest
Security
and
Advantage
that
could
be
contrived
;
which
those
Men
were
so
far
from
prosecuting
,
That
notwithstanding
all
the
Endeavours
made
by
those
worthy
Patriots
of
our
Country
(
Aspersed
by
the
forementioned
Libel
)
to
answer
the
King's
most
just
Desires
,
these
irreconcileable
Spirits
would
never
suffer
it
to
pass
;
thereby
making
the
Government
grievious
,
and
hazarding
its
Destruction
,
that
so
they
might
more
easily
make
that
Change
,
or
a
worse
,
which
they
falsely
and
maliciously
impute
to
the
honest
and
well
affected
People
of
this
Nation
.