which has appointed Liturgies, and Forms of Common-Prayer, feems to inftruct us, that God is pleafed when huge Numbers join in the fame Petition. Why fhould not then fuppliant Subjects, with like Humility, and in like manner, addrefs themselves to the God on Earth? especially fince Kings cannot know our Defires, or our Grievances, till we ourselves inform them what they are. I remember fome wicked Councellors of Darius did once obtain a Law to be made, that none fhould petition any one but the King for thirty Days; but there never yet was found fo abfurd a States-man as to advife a Law, that Subjects thould not fupplicate their Prince. 'Tis probable it would be well for fome Favourites, who are near a King, if fuch a Right could be taken from the People, for then all their falfe Suggestions and Informations might pafs undiscovered; but 'tis impoffible that a King fhould long be fafe in fuch a Condition. I will suppose a malicious Statefman, intending to raise a Jealousy in the Mind of the Sovereign, should inform him in dangerous Times, that he was not beloved by his People, and that he was not to truft them: How could the Subjects in such a case recover the Prince's good Opinion, in the Abfence of a Legal Representative, but by humble and affectionate Addreffes; Or fuppofe fome good Proteftant Prince fhould be fo unfortunate, as to have fome Counsellors near him who are concealed; and others, whofe Erimes make them fear Parliaments; it is eafy to fuppofe, that the one fort will be filling his Ears with Stories, that a great part of his Kingdom are inclined to Popery; and the other fort, that the best of his Subjects are quite out of Love with Parliaments, as factious and feditious Affemblies. Into what unfortunate Circumftances would fuch a Prince be apt to fall, if his People were precluded from addreffing themfelves, and opening their D-fires to him!

*

I might go on to trouble you with infinite Inftances of this Nature, but thereis no want of any in fo plain a Cafe: 'Tis the Doctrine of our Church, that the only Arms of Subjects, are Prayers, Petitions, Supplications and Tears; and they are no Friends either to the King or Church, who would difarm us of these. My Lord Chief Juftice Hobbart tells us, that it is lawful for any Subject t petition to the King for Redress in an humble and modeft manner; for (fays he) Accefs to the Sovereign muft not be fhut up in cafe of the Subjects Diftreflest. It was one of the Crimes for which the Spencers were banifhed by Parliament, that they hindred the King from receiving and anfwering Petitions from great Men, and others.

And as it is our unquestionable Right, fo in all Ages the Ufage has been by Petition, to inform our King of our Grievances. In the Reign of King Ed. II. and Ed. III. Petitions were frequent for Redress of publick Grievances, and for Parliaments, especially out of Ireland (though that is a conquer'd Nation,) as may be seen in the clofe Rolls of the Reigns of thofe two King. One Inftance I will give you for your Satisfaction, but I will tire you with no more, for that would be endless.

'Tis Clauf. 10. Ed. II. M. 28. intus pro communitate Hiberniæ. Rex Dil&& fidelibus fuis fufia Cancellar. & Thefaur. fuis Hib falutem ex parte populi noftri terræ prædict. per Petitionem fuam coram nobis & Concilio noftro exhibitum nobis ft cum inftantia fupplicatum, quod cum, Dan. ch. 6. Hob. 220. Wrenham's Cafe. + Vet. Magn. Chart. Exil. Hugi. De Spen

&c.
cer 51.

Clauf 10. E. II. M.. 28. intus Pro communitate Hibernia.

In the 5th Year of King Richard the H. The whole Body of the Realm petition'd, that the most wife and able Men within the Realm might be chofen Chancellors.

King Henry VIII. told his Subjects then in Arms against him in Yorkshire, that they ought not to have rebelled, but to have applied themfelves to him by

Petition.

King James by a Proclamation published in the 12th Year of his Reign, begins thus: The Complaints lately exhibited to us by certain Noblemen, and others of our Kingdom of Ireland, fuggefting Disorders and Abuses, as well in the Proceedings of the late begun Parliament, as in the Martial and Civil Ge-vernment of the Kingdom, We did receive with extraordinary Grace and Favour.

And by another Proclamation in the 12th Year of his Reign, he declares, that it was the Right of his Subjects to make their immediate Addreffes to him by Petition; and in the 19th Year of his Reign he invites his Subjects to it.

*And in the 20th Year of his Reign he tells his People, that his own and the Ears of his Privy-Council did ftill continue open to the juft Complaints of his People; and that they were not confined to Times and Meetings in Parliament, nor reftrained to particular Grievances; not doubting but that his loving Subjects would apply themselves to his Majefty for Relief; to the utter abolishing of all those private Whisperings and caufelefs Rumours, which without giving his Majesty any Opportunity of Reformation by particular Knowledge of any Fault, ferve to no other purpose but to occafion and blow abroad Difcontentment.

+ It appears, that the Houfes of Lords both Spiritual and Temporal, nemine contradicente, voted Thanks to thofe Lords who petitioned the King at York, to

call a Parliament.

And the King by his Declaration printed in the fame Year, declares his Royal Will and Pleafure, that all his loving Subjects, who have any juft Caufe to prefent or complain of any Grievances or Oppreffions, may freely address themselves by their humble. Petitions to his Sacred Majefty, who will graciously hear their Complaints.

Since his Majefty's happy Refloration, the Inhabitants of the County of Bucks made a Petition, that their County might not be over-run by the King's Deer; and the fame was done by the County of Surry on the fame Occafion.

'Tis time for me to conclude your trouble: I fuppofe you do no longer doubt, but that you may join in Petition for a Parliament, fince you fee it has been often done heretofore nor need you fear how many of your honeft Countrymen join with you, fince you hear of Petitions by the whole Body of the Realm; and fince you fee, both by the Opinions of our Lawyers, by the Doctrine of our Church, and by the Declarations of our Kings, that it is our undoubted Right to Petition. Nothing can be more abfurd than to say, that the Number of the Supplicants makes an innocent Petition an Offence; on the contrary, if in a thing of this publick Concernment, a few only should addrefs themselves to the King, it would be a thing in it felf ridiculous; the great End of fuch Addreffes being

to acquaint him with the general Defires of his People, which can never be done unlefs Multitudes join. How can the Complaints of the diffufive, Body of the Realm reach his Majefty's Ears in the Abfence of Parliament, but in the actual Concurrence of every individual Perfon in Petition? for the perfonal Application of Multitudes, is indeed unlawful and dangerous.

* Give me leave, fince the Gazette runs fo much in your mind, to tell you (as I may modeftly enough do, fince the Statute directs me) what Anfwer the Judges would now give if fuch another Cafe were put to them, as was put to the Judges 2 Jacobi.

Suppofe the Nonconformists at this Day (as the Puritans then did) should follicit the getting of the Hands of Multitudes to a Petition to the King for fufpending the Execution of the penal Laws against themfelves; the prefent Judges would not tell you, that this was an Offence next to Treafon or Felony, nor that the Offenders were to be brought to the Council-board to be punished; but they would tell you plainly and diftinctly, that if the Hands of more Perfons than twenty were follicited or procured to fuch a Petition, and the Offenders were convicted upon the Evidence of two more credible Witneffes upon a Prosecution in the Kings-Bench, or at the Affizes, or Quarter Seffions, within fix Months, they would incur a Penalty not exceeding One Hundred Pounds and three Months Imprifonment, because their Petition was to change a Matter established by Law. But I am fure you are a better Logician than not to fee the Difference which the Statute makes between fuch a Petition which is to alter a thing established by Law, and an innocent and humble Petition. That a Parliament may meet according to Law, in a time when the greatest Dangers hang over the King, the Church, and the State. * Temp. Car. II. + Stat. 13 Car. II. c. 5.

The ROMANISTS best DOCTOR, who by one Infallible Remedy, perfectly cures all Popish Difeafes whatsoever in a Quarter of an Hour's Time, or half and Hour at utmost, by an approved Dofe which never yet failed his Patients. Which approved Remedy may once a Month be had at Tyburn, neer Paddington, of that Eminent Phyfician of long Practice, JOHN KETCH, Efq; Phyfician in Ordinary to the POPE: A fmall Dofe whereof being rightly applied, and compounded with a Grain or two of his Holinefs's Abfolution, and free Pardon, cordially adminiftred, fends the Patient bolt-upright to Heaven in a String, without calling at Purgatory by the way. It likewife perfectly cures thefe Popish Distempers following, though of never fo long Continuance: viz. Treafon, Murder, and Rebellion. And all other Popish Contrivances whatfoever, with the utmost speed imaginable, and without the leaft Hindrance to Chriftian Honeity. The aforefaid Remedy takes immediately away the Popish Clap, known by these following Symptoms, viz. Treafonable Contrivances against the King, Kingdom's, and Country's Good, which it cures with speed beyond Imagination. It likewife quenches all Popish Zeal to the Roman-Catholick Caufe, not got by Innocency,

33

as is by fome CONCEIVED. This Remedy will be delivered to any Patient at Thirteen-pence Half-penny the Dofe; provided they be legally condemned, but to Roman Catholicks, Gratis, provided they can bring his Holiness's Hand and Seal to certify they have been Actors in the late treasonable Defigns on foot, in that horrid bloodthirty Plot. Together with a Letter teftimonial from his Holiness to St. Peter to admit you without Scruple, yet the Hand being old Roman, St. Peter himself does not well understand it. To prevent your mistake, you may certainly find the Doctor every ExecutionDay, at the Sign of the Jefuits-Cap at Tyburn, between the Hours of Eleven and Twelve at Noon, ready to afford you his Remedies aforefaid, in order to your immediate and speedy Cure.

Remarkable Cures performed by this Eminent Phyfician, and his Predeceffors, fince Queen Mary's Days laft, of fiery Memory.

GENTLEMEN,

To the intent I may no way deceive your Expectations, I fhall here give you a particular of fome feveral Perfons cured by me and my Predeceffors, and refer you to your own Judgment, whether I speak more than we have performed.

N the Year 1582, my Grandfather cured Mr. Babington and the reft of his Accomplices, for attempting the Murder of Queen Elizabeth, of happy Memory, being fourteen in number: He cured them in two Days time, with only one Dofe to each Perfon adminiftered. Thefe Perfons having been in Spain, Italy and France, where meeting with no Cure, their Malignity raging worse than ever, upon their first coming hither they were freely difcharged of the fame. Their Distemper being a bloody-thirfty Attempt upon the Queen Majefty's Perfon; which was perfectly diffolved with the first hempen Doze. I could give you an Account of fome more cured by my aforefaid Grandfather, but hope thefe fuffice.

In the Year 1605, my Father cured Guido Faux of a Malignant Fever, which was fo wonderfully ftrong, that it had like to have blown up both King and Parliament; He no fooner came into his Clutches, but of roaring Lions he made them as tame as Lambs, and fent them to Pluto's Territories without Bail or Mainprize.

At the fame time he not only cured him, but the reft of his Accomplices, beyond Expectation.

In the Year 1660, my Father Gregory cured Major-General Harrison, Hugh Peters, Oliver's Jefter, and several more, of a violent Madness; which Frenzy attained to fo high a pitch, as made them destroy their Father, the most gracious King living, and turned Religion and Epifcopacy out of doors; they were cured with one Swing on the High-Rope.

Since which, my Father Dunn hath Cured several Fifth-Monarchy-Men under Captain Venner, who ftunk fo much of Popery, that he could hardly distinguish at the hour of Death what they were, yet they were perfectly cured by my first

Dofe;

Dofe; which had likewife this fingular Operation, that it not only cured them, but fome Scores, if not Hundreds befides; upon whom my Medicine fo far operated, as through Fear they never fince durft attempt the like Rebellion.

Since that he cured one Hubert, a Frenchman, of a feald Head, miferably fcorched by the Fire in 66, yet he is forced to fing Lacrimy, in respect only one poor Foreigner fhould partake of his Phyfick, whereas many of his Countrymen deferve the like. Thus much for Cures performed by my Father and Grandfather; now to my own.

First, I cured Mr. Stayly, living in Covent-Garden, London, of a bloody Defign against his prefent Majefty.

Secondly, Five remarkable Jefuits, Gaven and his Fellows, who, though they died as innocent as the Child unborn, have reafon to blefs me for fending them to Heaven before their Time.

Next, I perfectly cured Ireland and Groves, who were fo well fatisfied with my Cure, that they gave me my Fee with confiderable Interest.

Gentlemen,

These are but a Touch for a Taste of my Cures; I hope in my next to make an Addition of fome Perfons now in Cuftody, and then I hope to render myfelf eminent: I hope it is not only my Defire, but the Request of all true Proteftants, to put a final Period to Treafon; and then I fhall have Work enough. You may speak with me at the Hour, Time, and Place aferefaid.

MONARCHY afferted to be the best, most ancient, and legal FORM of GOVERNMENT: In a CONFERENCE had at WHITEHALL with OLIVER CROMWEL, and a Committee of PARLIAMENT, April 1657, made good by the Arguments of Oliver St. John, Lord Chief Juftice; Lord Chief Juftice Glynne, Lord Commiffioner Whitlock, Lord Commiffioner Life, Lord Commiffioner Fiennes, Lord Broghill, Mafter of the Rolls, Sir Charles Wolfely, Sir Richard Onflow, and Colonel Jones, Members of that Committee. First published in 1660, and, as Anthony a Wood fays, by Nath. Fiennes.

The PREFACE.

T may be faid (and that very truly) that this Island of Great Britain, which (though fo called) is, but as it were a Span of Ground, if compared with many Inlands in the Universe, hath been a greater Stage or Field of Blood for VOL. III.

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