not, fince, being a prophet, he might have made scripture of purpofe to have proved him a tyrant and a traytor, as we did law to condemn the late king after he was put to death. But tho' David was wifer than his teachers, he was not fo wife as we were: 'tis true, for his own advantage he knew how to make the filly Philistines believe he was mad; but I am miftaken if we have not out-done him this way too, and made the wifeft think us fo. But to return to the purpofe; fuppofe, Sir, the army should have occafion to give this honourable houfe a purge again, you would be loth it fhould work here; and truly I do not know what other way you have to avcil it, unless we should make use of that place where the affembly of divines lately fat, which for my part I like very well, if it were nearer; and certainly they have no reason to take it ill, for it is according to the example of the best reformed churches. And I know no reason why we may not as well fit there, and make fowre faces at our own charges, as they did at the charge of the common-wealth. For my own part (did not the common good provoke me to it) I have as little reafon to fpeak as another, and perhaps lefs; for my breeches are made close at the knees and fo better fitted against a mischance. Befides, I know the worst of it; for I believe you have often heard what I have fuffer'd in the fervice of my country. But let that pafs; tho' it were the worse for my reputation and my breeches, it was the better for my body and my foul too, for I have edified much by it: 'tis true, the boys hold their nofes, and cry, fough, when they fee me in the streets; but what of that? a wife man knows how to make advantage of the greatest difafters, and fo have [ done. For there was a time, Mr Speaker, when this honourable houfe had like to have been a foul house; and when was that? why truly it was when the apprentices came hither to fhew us one trick more than ever we taught them: then did I take this worshipful chain off my neck, and very politickly put it into my codpiece; for I knew well enough, that no body in this town, where I am fo well known, would venture to look for it there; and I was not mistaken, for here you fee I have it ftill. The fame thing I did at another time, and that was when (as you well remember) apiece of plaifter falling from the roof, fome of the members cry'd, treafon! and many made hafte to get out of the houfe, houfe, as fast as they could, fo did not I. No, Sir, I refolved to ftay by it; and therefore having put my chain into my codpiece, I crept under the bench, in this very place where I now fit, and there I lay close, till I heard fome that were near me fay, they smelt gun-powder; but then I knew it was a mistake, and so 1: proved indeed: but if it had been otherwife, no danger fhould have made me forfake my duty. No, Sir, I have been fo faithful to this houfe, and fo conftant to my principles, that I have not changed so much as my feat, fince the happy beginning of this parliament. In this very place did I fit then, on both fides of me fat two members that proved malignants, for they took fnuff at fomething that fell from me in my zeal to the caufe, and ran to Oxford to the king. Their eftates are long fince fold, for which the common-wealth may thank me; for verily, Sir, I have not been all together an unprofitable member according to my talent, and the difpofition of what was in me for my bowels have been oft poured out for the profperity of this houfe, and I hope my converfation hath held forth much of the in ward-man, as may be fufficient to fatisfy the well-affect ed by whom I am intrufted: and as for any backbiters, I forgive them freely. Alas! they hurt themselves, and hot me; for if they get any thing by dealing with me that way, they must have good luck - - - Sir, I have used the more freedom with you, because I have fome pretence of your pardon? for I believe you have often obferved, that when any thing has fallen from any of my fellow-members, that the house has refented, it has been presently laid to my charge, and I have always taken it upon me freely; for I fhall never refuse to ferve this houfe in any fenfe whatsoever. I fhall therefore humbly move, that you would be pleased to order this honourable houfe to adjourn for a convenient time, until the house be emptied, and made fweet again; for if we should fit here before, it will not be in the power of any man to own so much stink as will be laid to my charge. A 1 I A Coffin for the Good Old Caufe, &c. Sirs, r is a folemn and facred faying, That a wife man forefeeth an evil, and preventeth it, but fools go on, and are punished: that there is fuch an imminent evil impending, as your eye hath not feen fince first you fat in your feats, or wore fwords by your fides; fuch an evil as will (if the wisdom and goodness of God prevent not) be the inevitable ruin of that intereft you have been the afferters of, is most certain; or no less than all your friends in England are in an extream error. But a little to convince you hereof (because man is a rational creature, and ought not to ftir one step in any act, but as he is led thereto by the light thereof) I fhall endeavour to fpread before you the danger, and then pray the father of mercies to give you hearts to do your duty in preventing it. I. Your army is unfettled. VI. Your enemies increased and heightned. I. That your army is unfettled, is moft certain ; neither can the course you take fettle it, but difcompofe it more every minute; for you fill it with strange faces, which will make as ftrange effects. It is true, the heads of regiments (yea and captains) that have been capital offenders, it is not your prudence to trust; but for the inferior fry, (who ever yet have been the fastest friends to your power, and the publick) to be turned out by wholefale, without a fair and legal hearing, is not for your own honour, nor interest. You have feen how little a colonel fignifies, where his acquaintance is but green; foldiers love to be lead by them they have bled withal. Again, how many men have you turned out even for their judgments fake, that never finned against your 05 powers powers at that rate, as many that are kept in? if an Anabaptift should have behaved himself equal with one of another perfwafion, let their incouragement be equal alfo: how will you perfwade the people you intend a common-wealth, whilft thus partial in your petty proceedings? it is not what he is, but what he hath done, ought to be the queftion to all. I know a quaker in arms, that eminently ferved you; yet meet I not with one that is willing to ferve him. If you will call in the conduct of the army, as in 46. (which was as prefbyterian as ever) they will lofe it before a year be over, as then they had. The Anabaptift was thicker in office than any other perfwafion, but immediately before this turn, yet could he not keep it, nor ftem the tide, when the turn came; and just is it with the great Jehovah, that that party that pretends to common liberty, and yet grafps at all, fhould lofe even what he already hath. Much reafon might alfo be urged for this; for naturally all parties confpire against any that alone enjoys the power, as nine at a table would at the tenth, when he ingroffes the entertainment of the whole. Moreover, that party that is fo induftrioufly fet upon incroaching all, can leaft be credited, becaufe of their many former defections, and attempts to betray the caufe: Love was belyed, if not a prefbyterian, and Booth no lefs. I fpeak it not to reflect, for there are that I love and honour of that perfwafion, as convinced they do indeed deferve it, both as truly pious perfons and friends to the publick: as of the other hand, I do believe there is more than a remnant of that opinion, royal. Whereas the fectarian party cannot be charged by envy itself, with treafon of that nature, nor is this a bare furmife iffuing from a jealous brain, whilft we fee even one of the commiffioners refufe the oath against the Stuarts claim, and Sir Anthony-Afbly Cooper fan old cavalier) made a colonel, whilft his malignancy incapacitates him to be a member of the council. Officers generally are most civil, and pocket up injuries filently; but when you come to model the troops, as you have done the conduct, your work will recoil; or if you do it not, your new officers will have no command over the old foldiers. Thus the further and faster you go in your fettlement, the more unfettled are your you; like one that mends his pace when his way is wrong. II. Your houfe is divided. I will only remind you of the word of the Lord Chrift, from whofe lips never came guile, and who certainly may be believed. 4 houfe divided against itself cannot ftand; which carries conviction with it, that your ruin (except preventted) is ready to enter. And I think, you think, the cause and you must fall together. ་ III. Your friends are difcouraged many ways, and for many things; your new modelling the army, putting the fword into the hands of rigid, royal, neutral fpirits, that never yet were judged worthy to be trusted with the caufe, that never bled, nor fought, nor prayed for it; that have neither courage nor conduct. They fee you prone to pardon a fpirit beneath your own, but not above; they that would carry you back, or halt you in the work, but not they that would prefs you forward they see you fhrunk, and lefs in your publick declarations than many years ago; you were taller by the head and fhoulders in your publick words and works, in 49 and 51, than now; they faw greater reafon to rejoice at what you faid and did then, than now; they had higher hopes of true liberty, both as men and christians then, than now; which fhews that the rebukes that have been upon you, have not been fanEtified, nor you bettered and improved thereby. At your first fitting you were an apparent bleffing to the nation, which begat in all good people longings for your return again, in hopes to find you yet better; but not so: you were a fecond time interrupted, and good men ingaged for your return, with heighten'd expectation you would rule righteously and purely for God and your generation; but behold worft of all, I befeech you to lay it to heart, examine, and fee what is the reafon you dye and wither in the esteem of good men; fee whether you have answered those private and perfonal obligations to good people at Portsmouth, the Fleet, London, and every where, which made them not value their lives for your fakes: and fee whether all this gives not great ground of fear, that your (and our) glafs is run, and an overflowing fcourge juft ready to feize upon us. Again, leffer faults in good men are punifhed feverely,. while greater in others are let go fcot-free; which 06 doth |