doth demonstrate your fpirit is rather united to evil than good; what elfe can be the reafon that Sir Henry Vane's expell'd your houfe, for framing only a form of government, never received nor practifed, (tho I defire not to be understood, as adjusting his act, or condemning yours fimply confidered) and Oliver St John, one that was both, yet he can keep his feat, have impunity, and rule the roaft? it is true, the act was private and perfonal, yet did it, and the fecluding major Salloway liberally discover the complexion and temperature of your house.

Again, you kifs and hug them that fcorn and hate you, and flight fuch as faithfully ferved you. Your declaration (a pitiful, dull, confused, faplefs piece) courteth the clergy and the lawyer, a brace of birds, that ever yet have endeavoured to pick out your eyes; oh! Lord, what fad fate muft needs attend that power that ac.counts it their intereft to exalt their eminenteft enemies, and fhake off their fureft friends? was it the lawyer brought you back to the exercife of your power? or did he not rather laugh and fcorn you? was it Oxford and Cambridge, Calamy and Cafe, that fteered your fleet, raifed your fiege, incenfed your foldiers fo, as they would either die or fet you in your feats again? was there no Sectarian put their neck in the noofe for you? and did what none elfe either could or dared to do? and mut they now defpond, hang their heads, and be afhamed to look their friends in the face, thro your abufe of the adventure of their blood?

Furthermore, 'tis a great difcouragement to your friends, to fee the giddinefs and inftability of your actings. One day folemnly thank colonel Rich for his good fervice; the next, confpiring to cut his throat: if he did indeed ferve you, your latter proceedings are ugly; if otherwife, your thanks was grounded upon ignorance; fo that whether he ferved you, or ferved you not, you do much differve yourfelves by fuch actings. For the veil is too thin, all men do fee and fay, 'tis not Rich or Ludlow, but the whole Sectarian party; feme among yourselves defign to ruin; and to the end, they may the better ufher in the exiled intereft.

Moreover confider, can you at once fuppress the Sectarian and keep out the king? I know not what you may imagine, but the wifeft without doors think

2

otherwife.

otherwife. Now if this be impoffible, that an ideot may make the inference, then look how much you lay afide the Sectarian, juft fo much you lay afide your ftrength, and propagate the intereft of Charles Stuart. How behoveful therefore is it, that you eye this evil betimes, and fuffer not your forces nor fleets to be baptized too much into the Boothian fpirit; enfeebling yourselves, and laying further preffures and difcouragements upon the hearts of your friends. Many other difcouragements I might enumerate; but your time is precious, fo alfo is mine.

IV. Your trade's decayed. I prefume you will give me your faith (without proof) that it is fo: how it came, and why it continues, every one fatisfies himself with his own reafon, and therefore I shall spare my pain and your trouble: only let me tell you, this is the dame of all idleness; and no vice can be your friend, if you intend a common-wealth. Lack of imployment first foments, then fofters difcontents. No men of mettle will starve while meat is to be had, if they cannot have it by a civil imployment, they will by a military, and if you cannot lift them, others fhall: for it is not choice but neceffity which brings them to you. Thus you fee how nature hath diftreffed your affairs, and all men lay all their lacks on you. A fpeedy applying of your felves therefore effectually to remedy this diftemper, is certainly your duty, or this fingle evil, which is not eafily buried, will fink you.

V. Your treasure's exhaufted; yet would not this disease be incurable, were not your army and navy in arrear: invert therefore that proverb, that mony answers all things, and you will take a true accompt of your own condition: how you will fill the empty purfe, confidering the difficulties, as well foreign as domeftick, that you must encounter, is worthy your ferious thoughts. You may affefs, but the humour of a free parliament, fupported by all the art and interest of the royalist and fecluded members, gives too good reafon to doubt the collections will be but flow in the country. Add hereunto, the enemies you make yourfelves, (to wit) all the Sectarian interest, (who certainly will most unwillingly maintain their oppreffors) together with their general want of trade, as aforefaid; and I fear you will find such a dulnefs, as (if I mistake

not)

not) your exigents cannot endure: how hardy you are, I know not, but I affure you this confideration hath a very grim and gaftly afpect, and hath in very legible characters (at least in my apprehenfion) the death of our cause engraven on it. I fhall not fo much as mention the infinite inconveniences that are intailed to this; only will fay (what you may obferve) this army ferves you not on principle, but for pay; I will not deny but there are among them that would have me by the ears, fhould they know I faid fo: but deceive not yourselves: could Dick have kept them, they had never been yours; and they ftaid with Fleetwood till they had eat up the three last months affeffment; nor had they left him yet, could he have got or lent them more. Lafly, Your enemies increase, and that both in number and nature; for you create enemies to yourselves, and this with fo great an induftry, that were I an alien, I should think it your intereft to do fo; for no man ever could imagine any power fhould be fo bufily occupied in kicking off its fafteft friends. Are not your old enemies enough, but you must make new ? this carries conviction with it, that you intend to take your old enemies for new friends, but woful is this advice; and unavoidable ruin will be the effect, and if you enter not into new councils, farewel for ever the old caufe. The ways to fave you, are but two. Efpoufe again and indulge the Sectarian intereft; for a little time will tell you, you cannot keep out the king. without their aid. His intereft or theirs you must make yours. The prefbyters alone cannot preferve you if they would, and three parts of four would not, if they could; think not I fpeak at random.

The other is, the fpeedy filling up your house: contempt's upon you, because of your paucity; nor will the fecluded members give up their claim, till others are in the room.

Befides, as you are, you are not a competent reprefentative for fo large a territory as England is. Many places have none to reprefent them at all, and you have oft declared no laws fhall be made, nor money raised, but by the peoples reprefentatives in parliament, fo that you yourselves have tied their purfe; nor will you get it open without knocks till then. Moreover, your enemies increase upon you, because no man fees you

have any maw to this work, but rather think of keeping the power in your own clutches. This alfo is the reafon of your want of trade, becaufe every wife man fees you cannot hold it as you are; and no man will manage affairs, and adventure his ftock, whilft affairs of ftate are at this uncertainty; and they who would mind their business, and imploy themselves and others, growing idle, and their monies lying dead, become enemies to you, as the cause thereof, nor can any excufe be formed for you.

To conclude, how many would be thorow common-wealth's-men, faw they you fo? but whilft you are uncertain, fo are they, and judge it imprudent to outface the power; to abjure monarchy, and the monarch alfo, till the ftate doth it; after you is good manners, because if you vary, they are undone? would you tie any fafter than yourselves? that is most unrighteous; if you will referve a turn to the king, quarrel not with others for being referv'd alfo; lead the van therefore over Rubicon, doubt not enough will follow, but it must be alfo for a free, juft, and equal common-wealth; not that one party or perfwafion muft have all the magiftracies in their own hands, and all the reft as fervitors attending it; no, this is but the name, it is the thing you must fet up, or the name of Charles Stuart will be better, and find more followers than it. Sirs, your veffel's leaky, and your pump too little; carreen her quickly, or you fink paft all recovery. This is the humble, but hearty advice of,

Your Faithful Servant

S. L-e.

Mola

Mola Afinaria: or, the Unreasonable and Infupportable Burden now prefs'd upon the Shoulders of this Groaning Nation.

T

Jufque datum Sceleri.

To the READER.

HE following excellent Piece intituled, Mola Afinaria; which (altho' Mr Prynne's name, by way of irony, is put to it) was certainly written by the author of Hudibras ; as appears by the remainder of the title, which runs thus: or the unreasonable and infupportable Burthen now prefs'd upon the Shoulders of this groaning Nation, by the headlefs head, and unruly rulers, that ufurp upon the liberties and privileges of the oppreffed people: Held forth in a remonftrance to all thofe that have yet found and impartial ears [obferve that farcafm] to hear, and duly weighed in the fcales of equity and juftice: wherein is demonftrated, what flavery the nation muft fubject itself to, by allowing the lawfulness and ufurped authority of the pretended long parliament, now unlawfully and violently held at Westminster. The Matto, Jufque datum Sceleri; taken from the first book of Lucan's Pharfalia, is à propos to the fubject; and the title is made fo extravagantly long, in derifion to Mr Prynne's titles to all his works, which generally comprehended the whole fcope of them. Ab ovo ufque ad mala, without any occafion of a preface. But, nevertheless,

are

now

we

very well affur'd, that this piece is the performance of Mr Butler, because the ingenious Mr Wood, in his Athene Oxonienfes confirms it; and as it is very Scarce and valuable, we may reasonably fuppofe 'twill find the fame kind entertainment, among all that love monarchical government and epifcopacy, as the other fubjects which flow'd from his as truly loyal as unparallell'd pen.

Mola