The Simple Cobler of Aggawam in America Part 4

I can never beleeve that _Majestas Imperii_, was ever so simple as to think, that if it extends it self beyond its due Artique at one end, but _Salus Populi_ must Antartique it as farre at the other end, or else the world will be Excentrick, and then it will whirle; and if it once fall a whirling, ten to one, it will whirle them off first, that sit in highest chaires on cushions fill'd with Peac.o.c.ks feathers; and they are like to stand their ground fastest, that owne not one foot of ground to stand upon. When Kings rise higher than they should, they exhale Subjects higher than they would: if the _Primum Mobile_ should ascend one foot higher than it is, it would hurry all the nether wheeles, and the whole world on fire in 24 houres. No Prince exceeds in Soveraignty, but his Subjects will exceed as farre in some vitious Liberty, to abate their griefe; or some pernicious mutiny, to abate their Prince.

_The crazy world will crack, in all the middle joynts.

If all the ends it hath, have not their parapoynts._

Nor can I beleeve that Crownes trouble Kings Heads, so much as Kings heads trouble Crownes: nor that they are flowers of Crowns that trouble Crowns, but rather some Nettles or Thistles mistaken for flowers.

To speake plainer English, I have wondred these thirty yeares what Kings aile: I have seen in my time, the best part of twenty Christian Kings and Princes; Yet as Christian as they were, some or other were still scuffling for Prerogatives. It must be granted at all hands, that _Praerogativae Regis_ are necessary Supporters of State: and stately things to stately Kings: but if withall, they be _Derogativae Regno_, they are but little things to wise Kings. Equity is as due to People, as Eminency to Princes: Liberty to Subjects, as Royalty to Kings: If they cannot walk together lovingly hand in hand, _pari pa.s.su_, they must cut girdles and part as good friends as they may: Nor must it be taken offensively, that when Kings are haling up their top-gallants, Subjects lay hold on their slablines; the head and body must move alike: it is nothing meet for me to say with _Horace_,

_Ut tu fortunam, sic nos te Car'le feremus._

But I hope I may safely say,

_The body beares the head, the head the Crown; If both beare not alike, then one will down._

Distracting Nature, calls for distracting Remedies; perturbing policies for disturbing cures: If one Extreame should not const.i.tute its Anti-Extreame, all things would soon be in _extremo_: if ambitious windes get into Rulers Crownes, rebellious vapours will into Subjects Caps, bee they stopt never so close: Yet the tongues of Times tell us of ten Preter-royall Usurpations, to one contra-civill Rebellion.

Civill Liberties and Proprieties admeasured, to every man to his true _suum_, are the _prima pura principia, propria quarto modo_, the _sine quibus_ of humane States, without which, men are but women. Peoples prostrations of these things when they may lawfully helpe it, are prophane prost.i.tutions; ignorant Ideottismes, under naturall noddaries; and just it is that such as undersell them, should not re-inherit them in haste, though they seeke it carefully with teares. And such usurpations by Rulers, are the unnaturalizings of nature, disfranchis.e.m.e.nts of Freedome, the Neronian nullifyings of Kingdomes: yea, I beleeve the Devill himselfe would turne Round-head, rather then suffer these Columnes of Common-wealths to be slighted: as he is a creature, he feares decreation; as an Angell, dehominations; as a Prince, dis-common-wealthings; as finite, these pen-infinite insolencies, which are the most finite Infinites of misery to men on this side the worlds dissolution: therefore it is, that with G.o.ds leave, he hath sounded an alarm to all the _susque deques_, pell-mels, one and alls, now harra.s.sing sundry parts of Christendome. It is enough for G.o.d to be Infinite, too much for man to bee Indefinite. He that will flye too high a quarry for Absolutenesse, shall stoope as much too low before he remounts his proper pitch: If _Jacob_ will over top his brother out of G.o.ds time and way, he will so hamstring him, that hee shall make legs whether he will or no, at his brothers approach: and such as over-run all humane measure, shall seldome returne to humane mercy: There are sins besides the sin against the Holy Ghost, which shall not be expiated by sacrifice for temporall revenge: I mean when they are boyled up to a full consistence of contumacy and impenitency. Let absolute Demands or Commands be put into one scale, and indefinite refusalls into the other: all the Goldsmiths in _Cheapeside_, cannot tell which weighs heaviest.

Intolerable griefes to Subjects, breed the _Iliaca pa.s.sio_ in a body politick, which inforces that upwards which should not. I speak these things to excuse, what I may, my Countrymen in the hearts of all that look upon their proceedings.

There is a quadrobulary saying which pa.s.ses current in the Westerne World, That the Emperour is King of Kings, the _Spaniard_, King of Men, the _French_, King of a.s.ses, the _King_ of _England_, _King_ of Devills.

By his leave that first brayed the speech, they are pretty wise Devills and pretty honest; the worse they doe, is to keep their Kings from devillizing, and themselves from a.s.sing: Were I a King (a simple supposall) I would not part with one good English Devill, for some two of the Emperours Kings, nor three of the _Spaniards_ Men, nor foure _French_ a.s.ses; If I did I should thinke my selfe an a.s.se for my labour.

I know nothing that _Englishmen_ want, but true Grace, and honest pride; let them be well furnisht with those two, I feare they would make more a.s.ses, then _Spaine_ can make men, or the Emperour Kings. You will say I am now beyond my latchet; but you would not say so, if you knew how high my latchet will stretch; when I heare a lye with a latchet, that reaches up to his throat that first forged it.

He is a good King that undoes not his Subjects by any one of his unlimited Prerogatives: and they are a good People, that undoe not their Prince, by any one of their unbounded Liberties, be they the very least.

I am sure either may, and I am sure neither would be trusted, how good soever. Stories tell us in effect, though not in termes, that over-risen Kings, have been the next evills to the world, unto fallen Angels; and that over-franchised people, are devills with smooth snaffles in their mouthes. A King that lives by Law, lives by love; and he that lives above Law, shall live under hatred doe what he can. Slavery and knavery goe as seldome asunder, as Tyranny and Cruelty.

I have a long while thought it very possible, in a time of Peace, and in some Kings Reigne, for disert Statesmen, to cut an exquisite thred between Kings Prerogatives, and Subjects Liberties of all sorts, so as _Caesar_ might have his due, and People their share, without such sharpe disputes. Good Casuists would case it, and case it, part it, and part it; now it, and then it, punctually. _Aquinas_, _Suarez_, or _Valentia_, would have done it long ere this, had they not beene Popish, I might have said knavish; for, if they be so any where, it is in their Tractates of Priviledges. Our Common Law doth well, but it must doe better before things doe as they should. There are some _Maximes_ in Law, that would be taught to speake a little more mannerly, or else well _Anti-Maxim'd_: we say, the King can doe a Subject no wrong; why may wee not say, the Parliament can doe the King no wrong? We say, _Nullum tempus occurrit Regi_ in taking wrong; why may wee not say, _Nullum tempus succurrit Regi_ in doing wrong? which I doubt will prove as good a Canon if well examined.

Authority must have power to make and keep people honest; People, honesty to obey Authority; both, a joynt-Councell to keep both safe.

Morall Lawes, Royall Prerogatives, Popular Liberties, are not of Mans making or giving, but G.o.ds: Man is but to measure them out by G.o.ds Rule: which if mans wisdome cannot reach, Mans experience must mend: And these Essentialls, must not be Ephorized or Tribuned by one or a few Mens discretion, but lineally sanctioned by Supreame Councels. In _pro-re-nascent_ occurrences, which cannot be foreseen; Diets, Parliaments, Senates, or accountable Commissions, must have power to consult and execute against intersilient dangers and flagitious crimes prohibited by the light of Nature: Yet it were good if States would let People know so much beforehand, by some safe woven _manifesto_, that grosse Delinquents may tell no tales of Anchors and Buoyes, nor palliate their presumptions with pretence of ignorance. I know no difference in these Essentialls, between Monarchies, Aristocracies, or Democracies; the rule will be found par-rationall, say Schoolmen and Pretorians what they will. And in all, the best Standard to measure Prerogatives, is the Ploughstaffe; to measure Liberties, the Scepter: if the tearms were a little altered into Loyall Prerogatives and Royall Liberties, then we should be sure to have Royall Kings and Loyall Subjects.

_Subjects their King, the King his Subjects greets, Whilome the Scepter and the Plough-staffe meets._

But Progenitors have had them for four and twenty predecessions: that would be spoken in the Norman tongue or Cimbrian, not in the English or Scottish: When a Conquerour turnes Christian, Christianity turns Conquerour: if they had had them time out of minde of man, before _Adam_ was made, it is not a pin to the point in _foro rectae rationis_: Justice and Equity were before time, and will be after it: Time hath neither Politicks nor Ethicks, good nor evill in it; it is an empty thing, as empty as a _New-English_ purse, and emptier it cannot bee: a man may break his neck in time, and in a lesse time then he can heale it.

But here is the deadly pang, it must now be taken by force and dint of sword: I confesse it is a deadly pang to a Spirit made all of flesh, but not to a mortified heart: it is good to let G.o.d have his will as hee please, when we have not reason to let him have it as we should; remembring, that hitherto he hath taken order, that ill Prerogatives gotten by the Sword, should in time be fetcht home by the Dagger, if nothing else will doe it: Yet I trust there is both day and means to intervent this bargaine. But if they should; if G.o.d will make both King and Kingdome the better by it, what should either lose? I am sure there is no great cause for either to make great brags.

_Pax quo carior, eo charior._

_A peace well made, is likeliest then to hold, When 'tis both dearly bought and dearly sold._

I confesse, he that parts with such pearles to be paid in old iron, had need to be pityed more by his faithfull friends, than he is like to be by his false flatterers. My heart is surcharged, I can no longer forbear.

_My Dearest Lord_, and my more than _dearest King_, I most humbly beseech you upon mine aged knees, that you would please to arme your minde with patience of proofe, and to intrench your selfe as deep as you can, in your wonted Royall meeknesse; for I am resolved to display my unfurled soule in your very face, and to storme you with volyes of Love and Loyalty. You owe the meanest true Subject you have, a close account of these open Warres: they are no _Arcana imperii_. Then give mee leave to inquire of your Majesty, what you make in fields of blood, when you should be amidst your Parliament of peace: What you doe sculking in the suburbs of h.e.l.l, when your Royall Pallaces stand desolate, through your absence? What moves you to take up Armes against your faithfull Subjects, when your Armes should bee embracing your mournfull Queen?

What incenses your heart to make so many widdowes and Orphans, and among the rest your owne? Doth it become you, the King of the stateliest Island the world hath, to forsake your Throne, and take up the Manufacture of cutting your Subjects throats, for no other sin, but for Deifying you so over-much, that you cannot be quiet in your Spirit, till they have pluckt you downe as over-low? Doe your three Kingdomes so trouble you, that they must all three be set on fire at once, that when you have done, you may probably runne away by their light into utter darknesse? Doe your three Crownes sit so heavy on your head, that you will break the backs of the three bodies that set them on, and helpt you beare them so honourably? Have your three Lamb-like flocks so molested you, that you must deliver them up to the ravening teeth of evening Wolves? Are you so angry with those that never gave you just cause to be angry, but by their too much feare to anger you at all, when you gave them cause enough? Are you so weary of Peace, that you will never be weary of Warre? Are you so willing to warre at home, who were so unwilling to warre abroad, where and when you should? Are you so weary of being a good King, that you will leave your selfe never a good Subject? Have you peace of Conscience, in inforcing many of your Subjects to fight for you against their Conscience? Are you provided with Answers at the great Tribunall, for the destruction of so many thousands, whereof every man was as good a man as your Self, _qua_ man?

Is it not a most unworthy part for you to bee running away from your Subjects in a day of battel, upon whose Pikes you may come safe with your naked breast and welcome? Is it honourable for you to be flying on horses, from those that would esteeme it their greatest honour, to beare you on their humble shoulders to your Chaire of Estate, and set you down upon a Cushion stuffed with their hearts? Is it your prudence to be inraged with your best friends, for adventuring their lives to rescue you from your worst enemies? Were I a King, pardon the supposall, I would hang that Subject by the head, that would not take me by the heels, and dragge me to my Court, when he sees me shifting for life in the ruined Countrey, if nothing else would doe it; And I would honour their very heels, that would take me by the very head, and teach me, by all just meanes, to King it better, when they saw me un-Kinging my selfe and Kingdome: Doe you not know Sir, that, as when your people are sicke of the Kings-evill, G.o.d hath given you a gift to heale them? so when your selfe are sicke of it, G.o.d hath given the Parliament a gift to heale you: Hath your Subjects love been so great to you, that you will spend it all, and leave your children little or none? Are you so exasperated against wise _Scotland_, that you will make _England_ your foole or foot-stoole? Is your fathers Sonne growne more Orthodox, then his most Orthodox father, when he told his Sonne, that a King was for a kingdome, and not a kingdome for a King? parallell to that of the Apostle; the husband is but by the wife, but the wife of the husband.

Is _Majestas Imperii_ growne so kickish, that it cannot stand quiet with _Salus Populi_, unlesse it be fettered? Are you well advised, in trampling your Subjects so under your feet, that they can finde no place to be safe in, but over your head: Are you so inexorably offended with your Parliament, for suffering you to returne as you did, when you came into their house as you did, that you will be avenged on all whom they represent? Will you follow your very worst Councell so far, as to provoke your very best, to take better counsell than ever they did? If your Majesty be not Popish, as you professe, and I am very willing to beleeve, why doe you put the Parliament to resume the Sacrament of the Altar, or Consubstantions in saying, the King and Parliament, the King and Parliament? breaking your simple Subjects braines to understand such mysticall Parleenment? I question much, whether they were not better speake plainer English, then such Latine as the Angels can hardly construe, and G.o.d happily loves not to perse; I can as well admit an ubiquitary King as another, if a King be abroad in any good affaire; but if a King be at home and will circ.u.mscribe himselfe at _Oxford_, and proscribe or discribe his Parliament at _Westminster_, if that _Parliament_ will prescribe what they ought, without such paradoxing, I should think G.o.d would subscribe a _Le Dieu le veult_ readily enough.

Is your _Advisera_ such a _Suavamen_ to you, that hath been such a _Gravamen_ to Religion and Peace? Shall the chiefe bearing wombe of your Kingdome, be ever so const.i.tuted, that it cannot be delivered of its owne deliverance, in what pangs soever it be, without the will of one man-midwife, and such a man as will come and not come, but as he list: nor bring a Parliament to bed of a well-begotten Liberty without an entire Subsidy? Doe not your Majesty being a Schollar, know, that it was a truth long before it was spoken, that _Mundus est unus aut nullus_, that there is _Principum purum unum_, which unites the world and all that is in it; where that is broken, things fall asunder, that whatsoever is duable or triable, is fryable.

Is the _Militia_ of your Kingdome, such an orient flower of your Crowne, which all good Herbalists judge but a meere nettle, while it is in any one mans hand living? May not you as well challenge the absolute disposall of all the wealth of the Kingdome as of all the strength of your Kingdome? Can you put any difference? unlesse it bee this, that mens hearts and bones are within their skins, more proper and intrinsecall, their lands and cattell more externall: dare you not _concredit_ the _Militia_, with those to whom you may betrust your heart, better then your owne breast? Will they ever harme you with the _Militia_, that have no manner of _malitia_ against you, but for mis-imploying the _Militia_ against them by the _malitia_ of your ill Counsellours? What good will the _Militia_ doe you when you have wasted the Realme of all the best _Milites_ it hath? May not your Majesty see through a paire of Spectacles, glazed with inch-board; that while you have your _Advisera_ in one hand, and the _Militia_ in the other, you have the neckes of your Subjects under your feet, but not your heart in your owne hand? doe you not know that _malum est, posse malum_?

Hath Episcopacy beene such a religious Jewell in your State, that you will sell all or most of your Coronets, Caps of honour, and blue Garters, for six and twenty cloth Caps? and your Barons Cloakes, for so many Rockets, whereof usually twenty have had scarce good manners enough to keepe the other six sweet? Is no Bishop no King, such an oraculous Truth, that you will p.a.w.ne your Crowne and life upon it? if you will, G.o.d may make it true indeed on your part: Had you rather part with all, then lose a few superfluous tumours, to pare off your monstrousnesse?

Will you be so covetous, as to get more then you ought, by losing more then you need? Have you not driven good Subjects enough abroad, but you will also slaughter them that stay at home? Will you take such an ill course, that no prayers can fasten that good upon you we desier? Is there not some worse root than all these growing in your Spirit, bringing forth all this bitter fruit? against which you should take up Arms, rather then against your harmlesse Subjects? Doe you not foresee, into what importable head-tearings and heart-searchings you will be ingulfed, when the Parliament shall give you a mate, though but a Stale?

Methinkes it should breake your heart, to see such a one as I, presume so much upon your clemency and too much upon your Majesty, which your Selfe have so eclipsed by the interposall of your Selfe between your Selfe and your Selfe, that it hath not ray's enough left to dazle downe the height of my affections to the awe of my Judgement.

Tres-Royall Sir, I once againe beseech you, with teares dropping from my h.o.a.ry head, to cover your Selfe as close as you may, with the best shield of goodnesse you have: I have somewhat more to say, which may happily trouble not your Selfe, but your followers, more than what is already said. There lived in your Realme and Reigne two whom I may well tearme Prophets, both now in a better Kingdome; whereof one foretold two things concerning your Majesty, of these very proceedings, long before they began; which being done and past shall bee buried in silence: the other made this prediction about the same time.

_King =Charles= will joyne Himselfe to bitter Griefe, Then joyne to G.o.d, and prove a G.o.dly Chiefe._

His words were in prose these, King _Charles_ will come into fetters, meaning strong afflictions, and then prove as good a King, as such a good King of _Israel_, whom he then named, but I need not: he was as inwardly acquainted with the minde of G.o.d, as fervent and frequent a Beadsman for your welfare, and had as religious Opticks of State, as any man I know: foure other Predictions he made, full as improbable as this, whereof three are punctually performed. A good Christian being sometime in conflicts of Conscience, hurried with long tentations, used this speech to my selfe, I am now resolved to be quiet, for I plainly see, G.o.d will save me whether I will or no: If your Majesty would be pleased to thinke so in your heart, and say so with your mouth, all the good Subjects you have, would say, _Amen_, till the heavens rang, and I hope you have few so bad, but would say, _So be it_.

Much lamented Sir, If you will please to retire your Selfe to your Closet, whither you may most safely come, and make your peace with G.o.d, for the vast heritage of sinne your Intombed father left upon your score, the dreadful Imprecation he poured upon the heads of his tender posterity in _Summersets_ and _Overburyes_ Case, published in Starchamber by his Royall command; your owne sinful marriage, the sophistocation of Religion and Policie in your time, the luxury your Court and Country, your connivance with the Irish butcheries, your forgetfull breaches upon the Parliament, your compliance with Popish Doegs, with what else your Conscience shall suggest: and give us, your guilty Subjects example to doe the like, who have held pace and proportion with you in our evill wayes: we will helpe you by G.o.ds a.s.sistance, to poure out rivers of tears, to wash away the streams of blood, which have beene shed for these heavy accounts; we will also helpe you, G.o.d helping us, to beleeve, that there is hope in _Israel_ for these things; and Balme enough in his _Gilead_ to heale all the broken bones of your three kingdomes, and to redouble your honour and our peace: His Arme is infinite; to an infinite power all things are equally faisable, to an infinite mercy, all sinnes equally pardonable.

The Lord worke these things in us and for us, for his compa.s.sions sake in Jesus Christ.

Sir, you may now please to discover your Selfe where you think meet; I trust I have not indangered you: I presume your Ear-guard will keep farre enough from you, what ever I have said: be it so, I have discharged my duty, let them look to theirs. If my tongue should reach your eares, which I little hope for; Let it be once said; the great King of great _Britaine_, tooke advise of a simple Cobler, yet such a Cobler, as will not exchange either his blood or his pride, with any Shoo-maker or Tanner in your Realme, nor with any of your late Bishops which have flattered you thus in peeces: I would not speake thus in the eares of the world, through the month of the Presse for all the plunder your plunderers have pillaged; were it not somewhat to abate your Royall indignation toward a loyall Subject; a Subject whose heart hath been long carbonadoed, _des veniam verbo_, in flames of affection towards you. Your Majesty knowes or may know, time was, when I did, or would have done you a better peece of service, than all your Troopes and Regiments are now doing. Should I heare any Gentleman that follows you, of my yeares, say hee loves you better than I, if it were lawfull, I would sweare by my Sword, he said more than his sword would make good.

Gracious Sir, Vouchsafe to pardon me my no other sins, but my long Idolatry towards you, and my loving you too hard in this speech, and I will pardon you your Treason against me, even me, by committing Treason against your Selfe my Lord and King;[4] and your murther, in murthering me, even me, by murthering my deare fellow Subjects, bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh, and of yours also. If you will not pardon me, I will pardon my selfe, dwell in my own clothes as long as I can, and happily make as good a shift for my proportion, as he that hath a lighter paire of heeles: And when you have done what you please and what you can, I am resolved to be

_As loyall a Subject to your Majesty when I have never a head on my shoulders, as you a Royall King to me, when you have your three Crownes on your head,_

Theod: de la Guard.

[4] I speake in termes of Divinity not of Law and am deepely grieved that I am forced to such necessary over boldnesse.

_Sir_,

I Cannot give you over thus; I most earnestly implore you, that you would not deferre to consider yourselfe throughly, you are now returned to the brinke of your Honour and our Peace, stand not too long there, your State is full of distractions, your people of expectations, the importune Affaires of your Kingdome perplexedly suspended, your good Subjects are now rising into a resolution to pray you on to your throne, or into your Tombe, into Grace with your Parliament and People, or into Glory with the Saints in Heaven; but how you will get into the one, without pa.s.sing first through th' other, is the riddle they cannot untye. If they shall ply the Throne of Grace hard, G.o.d will certainely heare, and in a short time mould you to his minde, and convince you, that it had and will bee farre easier to sit downe meekely upon the _r.e.c.t.u.m_, than to wander resolutely in obliquities, which with Kings, seldome faile to dissembogue into bottomlesse Seas of sorrows.

Dearest Sir, be intreated to doe what you doe sincerely; the King of Heaven and Earth can search and discover the hiddenest corner of your heart, your Parliament understands you farre better then you may conceive, they have many eares and eyes, and good ones, I beleeve they are Religiously determined to re-cement you to your Body so exquisitely, that the Errors of State and Church, routed by these late stirs, may not re-allee hereafter, nor Themselves be made a curse to the issue of their own bodies, nor a Scoffe, to all Politique Bodies in Europe. The Lord give your Majesty and all your Royall Branches _the spirit of wisedome and understanding_, _the Spirit of knowledge and his feare_, for His mercy and Christ his sake.

I Would my skill would serve me also, as well as my heart, to translate Prince _Rupert_, for his Queen-mothers sake, _Eliz._ a second. Mismeane me not. I have had him in my armes when he was younger, I wish I had him there now: if I mistake not, he promised then to be a good Prince, but I doubt he hath forgot it: if I thought he would not be angry with me, I would pray hard to his Maker, to make him a right Roundhead, a wise hearted Palatine, a thankfull man to the English; to forgive all his sinnes, and at length to save his soule, notwithstanding all his G.o.d-d.a.m.ne mee's: yet I may doe him wrong; I am not certaine hee useth that oath; I wish no man else would. I dare say the Devills dare not. I thank G.o.d I have lived in a Colony of many thousand English almost these twelve yeares, am held a very sociable man; yet I may considerately say, I never heard but one Oath sworne, nor never saw one man drunk, nor ever heard of three women Adulteresses, in all this time, that I can call to minde: If these sinnes bee amongst us privily, the Lord heale us. I would not bee understood to boast of our innocency; there is no cause I should, our hearts may be bad enough, and our lives much better. But to follow my businesse.

Prosecutions of Warres betweene a King and his Parliament, are the direfull dilacerations of the world, the cruell Catastrophes of States, dreadfull to speake of; they are _nefanda & n' agenda_: I know no grounds can be given of them but two: Either upon Reason founded upon some surmisall of Treason, which my reason cannot reach: I could never conceive why a rationall King should commit Treason against a reasonable Parliament; or how a faithfull Parliament against their lawfull King: the most I can imagine, is a misprision of Treason, upon a misprision of Reason. Hee that knows not the Spirit of his King, is an Atheist. Our King is not _Charles le simple_ sometime of _France_: he understands not our King that understands him not to bee understanding. The Parliament is supposed Omniscient, because under G.o.d they are Omnipotent: if a Parliament have not as much knowledge and all other vertues, as all the Kingdome beside, they are no good Abridgement of the Common-wealth. I beleeve Remonstrances have demonstrated enough concerning this point of Reason, to give satisfaction to such as satisfaction will satisfie.

Or upon Will.

The Will of a King is very numinous; it hath a kinde of vast universality in it, it is many times greater than the will of his whole kingdome, stiffened with ill Counsell and ill Presidents: if it be not a foot and half lesser than the Will of his Councell, and three foot lesser than the Will of his Parliament, it is too big. I think it were well for a King if hee had no will at all, but were all Reason. What if he committed his morall will to Divines, that were no Bishops? his Politicall, to his Parliament, and a Councell chosen by Parliament? that if ever it miscarry, they may blame themselves most, and him least. I scarce know any King that hath such advantage as ours; his three kingdomes lye so distinct and entire, that if he please, he might keep them like three gardens without a weed, if he would let G.o.d keep his will, without wilfulnesse and rashnesse.

I have observed men to have two kindes of Wills, a Free-hold will, such as men hold in _Capite_ of themselves; or a Copy-hold will, held at the will of other Lords or Ladies. I have read almost all the Common Law of _England_, and some Statutes; yet I never read, that the Parliament held their will in such a _Capite_: their Tenure is _Knight-service_, and good _Knight-service_ too, or else they are to blame. And I am sure, a King cannot hold by Copy, at the will of other Lords; the Law calls that _base tenure_, inconsistent with Royalty; much more base is it, to hold at the will of Ladies: Ap.r.o.n-string _tenure_ is very weak, tyed but of a slipping knot, which a childe may undoe, much more a King. It stands not with our Queens honour to weare an Ap.r.o.n, much lesse her Husband, in the strings; that were to insnare both him and her self in many unsafeties.

I never heard our King was Effeminate: to be a little Uxorious personally, is a vertuous vice in Oeconomicks; but Royally, a vitious vertue in Politicks. To speak English, Books and tongues tell us, I wish they tell us true, that the Error of these Wars on our Kings part proceeds only from ill Counsellours.