Puritanism was the chief fupport of the conftitution, and the best bulwark of the protestant religion against popery and arbitrary government. The King's answers were wholy fophiftical and evafive, and were rather intended to throw a mist upon truth, than direct answers to the petitions of the commons. If thefe anfwers were compo fed zealous foul, (fays the Jefuit) in apprehending the unexpected calling of a parliament; we (the papifts) have not oppofed, but Father furthered it. You must know, the council is engaged to affift the King by way of prerogative, in cafe the parliament fail. You fhall fee this parliament will refemble the pelican, which takes pleafure to dig out with her beak her own bowels. The elections have been in fuch confufion of apparent faction, as that which we were wont to procure with much art and induftry, when the Spanish match was in treaty. We have now many ftrings to our bow, and have ftrongly fortified our faction, and have added two bulwarks more; for when King James lived, he was very violent against Arminianifm, and interrupted our strong defigns in Holland. Now we have planted that fovereign drug Arminianifm, which we hope will purge the proteftants from their herefy, and it flourishes and bears fruit In 'due feafon. The materials that build up our bulwark, are the projectors and beggars of all ranks and qualities; however, both thefe factions co-operate to deflroy the parliament, and to introduce a new fpecies and form of government, which is oligarchy. Thefe ferve as mediums and inftruments to our end, which is the univerfal catholic monarchy: our foundation must be mutation, and mutation will caufe a relaxation. We proceed now, by council and mature deliberation, how and when to work upon the Duke's (Buckingham's) jealoufy and revenge; and in this we give the honour to thofe that merit it, which are the church catholics. There is another matter of conféquence, which we must take much into our confideration and tender care, which is, To flave off Puritans that they hang not in the Duke's ears; they are an impudent fubtile people, and it is to be feared, left they should negociate a reconciliation between the Duke and the parliament at Oxford and Westminster; but now we affure ourselves, that we have fo handled the matter, that both the Duke and parliament are irreconcileable. For fed and drawn up by Laud, as it is reported by hiftorians, they fhew him to have been a confummate diffembler and hypocrite; for who, that are poffeffed of the ufe of their understanding, will believe that either the King or Laud were ignorant of the encrease of Arminianism and Popery, which the King affirms in his anfwers.* It For the better prevention of the Puritans, the Arminians have already locked up the Duke's ears, and we have those of our own religion that stand continually at the Duke's chamber to see who goes in and out. We cannot be too circumfpect and careful in this regard. I cannot choose but laugh to fee how fome of our coat have accoutred themselves; and 'tis admirable how in speech and gefture they act the Puritans, The Cambridge fcholars, to their woful experience, fhall fee we can act the Puritans a little better than they have done the Jefuits. They have abused our facred patron in jeft, but we will make them fmart for it in ear nest, But to return to the main fabric, our foundation is Arminianifm; the Arminians and projectors affect mutation; this we fecond and enforce by probable arguments. We fhew how the King may free himself of his word, and raise a vast revenue without being beholden to his fubjects, which is by way of excise. Then our church catholics fhew the means how to fettle the excise, which must be by a mercenary army of foreigners and Germans; their horfe will eat up the country where they come, tho' they be well paid, much more if they he not paid. The army is to confift of twenty thoufand foot, and twenty thousand horfe; fo that if the country rife upon fettling the excife, as probably they will, the army will conquer them, and pay themselves out of the confifcation. Our defign is to work the proteftants as well as the catholics, to welcome in a conqueror. We hope to diffolve trade, to hinder the building of fhipping, and to take away the merchant hips, that they may not cafily light upon the West India fleet, &c. The Remonftrance of the Commons and the King's Anfwer. The Remonftrance was to this purpose,- -That they thought it their duty to inform his Majefty of the apparent danger of ruin and deftruction this church and commonwealth was in, and of the miferable condition of this kingdom, which of the most happy and flourishing, is like to be the most contemptible nation in the It will appear to any impartial perfon, that the King's anfwers to the remonftrance of the commons is full of evafions, and is altogether equivocal the world. They acknowledge his Majefty's goodness expreffed by his dear and fatisfactory answer to their petition of right. That one of the principal ends of calling parliaments is, that his Majesty may be truly informed of the state of the feveral parts of his kingdom, and how his officers and minifters behave themfelves, which is fcarce able to be made known to him but in parliament; as was declared by his blessed father, who told the commons, it would be the greatest breach of duty to his Majesty, and of the truft committed to them, if they did not deal clearly with him without fparing any, how near and dear foever to him, if they were hurtful or dangerous to the commonwealth. They first of all befeech his Majesty to take notice, that there is a general fear conceived in his people, of a secret working to introduce into his kingdom innovation and change of our religion. For notwithstanding the many good laws to prevent the increase of popery, and his Majesty's fatisfactory answer to the petition of both Houses, prefented to him at Oxford; they find no good effect thereof, but that those of that religion do find extraordinary favours and respect at court; in particular from the Countess of Buckingham, who openly profeffes that religion, which they hoped upon his Majesty's' answer to the aforefaid petition at Oxford, should not have been permitted, nor any of his fùbjects justly suspected, should be entertained in his or the Queen's fervice fome of that religion have had honours, offices, and places of authority lately conferred upon them. Letters of stay of legal proceedings against them have been procured from his Majefty, and commissions granted and executed for compounding with popish recufants, with inhibitions to the ecclefiaftical and temporal courts not to intermeddle with them, amounting to no less than a toleration; their numbers, power, and insolence daily encreasing, especially about London, where they frequent mass at Denmark-house, and other places. That there is likewise a daily growth and spreading of the faction of Arminius who are proteftants in fhew, but Jefuits in opinion, which caufed his royal father to endeavour the suppressing of them. And his Majefty had, by proclamation, declared his diflike of those perfons, and their opinions, who, notwithstanding are much favoured and advanced, not wanting friends of the clergy near his Majesty, namely, Dr Neal, Bishop of Winchester, and Dr Laud, Bishop of Bath and Wells, who are juftly fufpected to be unfound in vocal and unfatisfactory. If Laud was the author of these anfwers, it is manifeft, that he must have had a very mean opinion of the understanding in their opinion that way. And it being now generally held the way to preferment, many fcholars bend the course of their studies to maintain thofe errors, and their books are fuffered to be publifhed, while the orthodox are prohibited. Preaching is discountenanced, and painful preachers, how conformable foever, difcouraged. And in Ireland the popish religion openly professed, popish jurifdiction exercised, and monafteries, nunneries, &c. newly erected, reedified, and replenished. And all these courses, tending to the diftruction of true religion, have been taken here, when the fame is, with open force and violence, profecuted in other countries, and all the reformed churches in Christendom, either depressed or miferably distreffed. The appeal to his Majefty, whether there be not just ground of fear, that there is fome fecret and ftrong cooperating here with the enemies of our religion abroad, for the utter extirpation thereof. They further declare to his Majefty, that his people is likewife full of fear of innovation and change of government, tho' much comforted by his Majesty's answer to their petition of right; and raised again out of the discontent they had conceived for the undue courfes taken the last year for raiting money by loans; than which never were any money paid with more general regret. That notwithstanding his Majefty's gracious answer to their petition of right, touching the billetting of foldiers, they are still continued and reinforced; and tho' many of them are not natives of this kingdom, and of an oppofite religion to ours, they áre placed upon the fea coaft, where they may at the fame time unite with the popish party at home, and join with an invading enemy. That the report of the dangerous design of bringing in German horfe and riders, had turned their doubts into defpair, had not his Majesty affured them they were not intended for any service in England: Yet the fight of che privy feal, the great fum of money paid thereupon, and the commiflions granted to the lords and others of the privy council, to confider of raifing money by impofitions, gave them just cause to suspect, that there were those who might by this, or other means, contrive to change the frame both of religion and government. Thefe men could not be ignorant, that the bringing in of ftrangers for aid, hath been pernicious to moft ftates, but to England fatal; and they hold it beneath any Englishman to think, that this victorious nation fhould ftand ing of the nation, to fuppofe that they would be fatisfied with fuch evafive anfwers. The encrease of Popery and Arminianifm was too palpable to escape stand in need of German foldiers to defend it. That when they confider the courfes aforefaid, the often breach of parliament, the taking of tonnage and poundage without act of parliament, the ftanding commiffion granted to the Duke of Buckingham, to be general of an army here in time of peace, the discharging of faithful and fufficient perfons from judicial places and other offices, they cannot but apply themselves to his Majefty for speedy help and reformation. They pray his Majefty to confider, whether the ill fuccefs that hath accompanied all his late defigns and actions, particularly those of Calis, the Ifle of Rhee, and the last expedition to Rochelle, hath not extreamly wasted that stock of honour that was left unto this kingdom? That with the lofs of our honour, we loft feveral valiant and expert commanders, and many thousand common foldiers and mariners, tho' of fix or feven thoufand, loft at the iile of Rhee, his Majesty received information but of a few hundreds. And this dishonour and lofs hath been purchased with the consumption of above a million of treasure. That many of the forts are weak and decayed; and his Majesty's ftore of powder, which, by order of his privy council, December the tenth, fixteen hundred and twenty-fix, should be conftantly three hundred lafts, befides twenty lasts a month for ordinary expences, is now in the Tower but nine lafts and forty-eight pounds in all; and yet great quantities have been fold out of his Majefty's ftore for private grain; whereof fix lafts fold fince the fourteenth of January last. And tho' by contrac with Mr Evelyn, his ftore ought to be fupplied monthly with twenty lafts, at the rate of three pounds ten fhillings and tenpence a barrel, his Majesty hath been forced to pay above seven pounds a barrel for powder brought from beyond seas; for which purpose, twelve thousand four hundred pounds was impressed to Mr Burlmack last year, and yet not fo good as was to have been had by contract, by one third part. But what the poverty, weakness, and misery of the kingdom is grown into by decay of trade, and lofs of fhips and mariners within thefe three years, they are almost afraid to declare. But for his Majefty's more exact information therein, they befeech him to perufe the kalender of particulars prefented to him with this remonftrance. One reafon whereof is, the not guarding the narrow feas, the regality whereof |