Just weights and measures

(<S)Y
( i )
Here beinglately difperfed a Pamphlet, entituled, Btt-
ter Late then N'evef, Wherein the Author acknowledg-
eth Hereditary Monarchy cah only quiet and render Hap¬
py the Minds of En^lijh-Wlen: That Monarchy is and
ought to be Limicted : And that confidering the divided' Se£b of
iEngla.nd,as well upon Principles of Policy, as Religion,an Univerfal
and Impartial Toleration 'ought to be Eftablilh’d: And he likewife '
has an Englijb dread of an Arbitrary and Military Government. All
whichTopicks of his Difcourfe favour of a moderate & En^lijb tem¬
per. And fince his friendly Admonitions feem more particularly
t6 be dire&ed to the Stau-Whiggs, and he out of a more peculiar
kindnefs to that fet of Men (of which, I fnppofe he is) lays before-
themfomepf their Faults, I who wilh well to every Opinion of
mankind, beg their leave to reprefent Candidly and Calmly to each
of them the Caufes of thofe Misfortunes of which they complain,
and of which they can, humanly fpeaking, fee no End.
rdefire I may not be thought an Enemy to Kings, nor difrefpeft-
ful to the Church of England, if I fay, Vajfive Obedience is next to
an impoffible Dqdrinc, unlefs the flattering Divines would preach
Original Contrafte to Kihgs. This Belief in the Church has pro¬
ved,a Sandy Foundation for the State to build upon; and thofe very
Men that have fo largely filled the.Hiftory of it, have not only over-,
look’d their own Writings, but all the Stated taros which would
have feciired King ^»iM,and us from Ltmcaftrun Convulfions. The
King can do no wrong, the King is unaccountable in his own Per-
fon, C5r. would not fervethe turn of thofe that were to preach
Court-Sermon^ or foleamize the Aniverfary of King Charles's Mur-
ther. Not only thofe who had a hand in his Blood, but every body
who was in the War againfl: him, were never to be forgiven in this,
or the World to come. Sr. Egbert Fillmore's Patriarcha was the only
Model of Government. And Sr. Roger s Obfervators, the Guides of
all our Clergy. Our Judges and Jiiries determined that all Infur-
reftioris, whether made, or only intended, muft end in the Civil
or Natural Death of the King, tho’ we are Deholding to (pine in
JPopijh Times for Magna Charta, &c. which had a happier Accomo¬
dation. Thelc Church of England. Homilies, and Epifcopal Judicial
ProceedingSj'naufeated all Men of feverer Reafonings; & whilft the
People were Harangued and puhifti’d into Non-Renftance, our DU
vines were betterBred then to teach their duty to Princes. They for-'
got to tell what Common Care belongs to a Common Father. The
Coronation Oath was Unmention'd, left it (hould fmell of Corn-
pad; and Kings were to be fare Divino, that Bilhops might be fo
too. And for thofe Notions, how difficult (bever, they areto be
maintained; they perfecute;d the Puritans and Fanaticks into Re-
bellion, and the Papifts into Plots: Whilft to fpeak the truth, the
Penal Laws Sacramental Tejls, have been all along but formal
Combinations againft them; And the greateft Sticklers for Uncon-
trolable Power have cozened, defer ted, and fought againft their
Rightful and Lawful Soveraign, asfoon as ever they fancyed their
own Chuxch Property, their Great Diana was in danger, and that
their fellow Subjeds might (hare in Places. But a King has lately
feen that thefe Men have not the Patience of Job, as much as they
toragM of their Paffive Vertue, For they did not ferv.e the Ifing for
Nought i and therefore 1 hope, if he is Reftored, he will know
that mankind are Governed by their/aterey? ; he will believe that
■fince mbft menare guilty of all Riot and Debauchery, are Ambi¬
tious, Covetous and Prophane, contrary to the more evident Prin¬
ciples of their Religion; he can’t exped they1 will be ravag’d in their
.Fortunes, and hazarded in their Liberties and Lives, upon fuch a
Contefted Principle. I hope our former Seautefeux will be more
mode ft upon the thirtieth of January tand the fifth of November ; and
tho’ they have their Churches, that they will keep the Peace there,
they not being able now to throw the firfi flone. And further,! hope,
with their good leave, tho’ I am not an Enemy to Church ones, we
may fettle a Civil Comprehcnfion.
But that our Diffenting Brethren 'may be fit for it, I muft humble
them a little with the Repetition of their Faults; The Parlbnshave
told them enough of carrying the late Civil Wars beyond an honeft
and National Defign, kave enough, reproach’d them with the Mur*
ther of King CW/ef thefirftyCsV. But! will reproach them only
with their Follies in the two laft Reigns, fince it is bafe to triumph
too much over them who are an opprefled People ftill J And befides,
that the Late difcourfe touches fomething upon them. I will not,
tho’ they pra&ife the contrary, tax them with what they have Writ
againft Depofing Princes when they have managed the Controverfie
&^g\ci^ttheE<man-C aiholickj'-, but that which I will with the late Au¬
thor blame them for,is that they are fo eafily gull’d into Difcontents
and Fadion againft fuch Princes of whole Inclinations, or Circum-
ftances they might make ufe for the good of themlelves & Country.
King Charles the Second was forced frorp the Liberty which he pro-
mifed at Breda; but when he put out his Declaration of Indulgence^
the,Church-Whifpers, and fecret Promifes made the DijfentfrsTooii
fly in his Face. They fiiould have left him and his Church-
Parliament to difpute the Prerogative, apd been glad he made ufe;
of it in favour of thept; by this means they would have proved
that it is only Perfection that made them Difloy'al; and though t
would not have had them flatter a Difpenfing Power, they, might
lawfully have Exerciled that Liberty that is the Right of Mankind.
And tho’ Epman-Caiholickf might have been the better for it, art
Incorporation of all our Seds into the: National Intereft .will in all
times be the Natural confequence of an Llniverfal Liberty of Con¬
fidence, and that would have been for England's Welfare, as well
as for the Dijfenters Bale. You muft either Bimilh, or exped Con*:
fpiracies from anySed you Will hot be equal tp. But hitherto I
have blaeied the Dijfenters, for too little Manners, in the next Reigti
they have too much, and turn Tory-Conventiclers, and Court-Pa-
rafites ; my Lord Plaufible could not be no more Civil to a Egman-
Catholic^ then many of tha Phan and s in King James's time, and
their Addrefles to the j^Jng were afieded and Canting Adulations.
They drew in a Efng to venture all upon their narrow Bottom, and
then left His Intereft,, as foon as .the Difobliged Church had call’d
over a Champion to Invade him. Tho’ the Bilhops' (as it hath
been affirm’d to me) when he was coming, would have Compound¬
ed for all other Mifcarriages, if they might havb been Reftored to
their Power of Perfecution: For thiy
offered toput out sthjbhorrence of fuch , ^ would by no means
an I^afon, provided the ^ would
Cclll III his Declaration Of Liberty* to preferve their ConfcienceSyfa*
He offered to call a Parliament, and ertficed all their Preferments;
fettle it by Law ) but fure the Bilhops Foit0, theif Honour be
thought Uberty it felfunlawful,fince
that would not ferve their turn | Yet mm their, having refiufied their
with the Clamours ofthofe Swearing word to the. council for their
Church-men, the Dijfinterf ; royn'd, iAppearance (which eccafioned
and were very eafily engaged in their |f||
Confpiracy, againft a ^ who Re- andL wijh thofe who adlifed the
leafed twelve Thoufand Of them at reading tbeDeclafation,would a*
his coming to the Crown, and kept muck repent.Andl dare fay thofe
many others out of Goals, afid pre- &00JBiJbops at this day are very
ferred fome, tho' I allow too few/ In
In this Xjng S time you had the fulh ej}ablijhed,and is conftftent
greateft opportunities of Eftablilh- with the Liberties of England,
ing Religious and Civil matters upbn
Juft and Lafting Foundations, upon Solid Securites, and to hatfe
been Immixed with all the Rights & Priviledges of the reft of youn
fellow Subjefts. : But feme fawn’d, -and fome Rail’d, and all con¬
tributed to deftroy, what might have jnade us the Enyy of th<p
whole World. You are not much the better for the Change; you
arc not let into the Government, the Sacramental Teft is ftill in Be¬
ing; And therefore I will be more tender upon your Faults.
Now the E^man-Catholiefs muft expeft their (hare, who had at
leaft through Indifcretion, too much in bringiag about the Efvolit-
tion, as well as they have in keeping out Kjng James They be¬
lieve Miracles in Politicks,as well as in Religion; and with their few
Hands and indifferent Heads, are for mighty Undertakings; and
tho’ our Laws had not put them upon an equal, nor, to fpeak plain¬
ly, an equitable Foot, were for engroffing all things. . I will not
lay open their former Faults, by which they abufed a Kjng out of
his Throne, and ran a Risk of their own extirpation ; I fear thefe
things are but too much remembred. But the greateft Folly of all,
has been their foolilh and villanous Projeft which they have talked
as fiUily over, of Conquering their Hatwe Country, a Defign too
Barbarous for an Indian to dream pf ; one would think too Vifioil-
ary for any Mortal; And who can wonder that Exglijb Men hate
thefe Noify Sparks, who are avowedly in a Plot againft their Li-
. berties, their R .merries, and their Lives ? Thefe Wretches have
> a Zeal without ivnowledge, without knowledge of the Strength
of their Native Country, the united Befiftahde fuch. a Project
, will find, or the Inclinaciops of the Kfng, who'upon all occafioos,
not only in private, reproves the hot and indifereet talk of fuch
People, but in his Publlck Difcourfe daily dilcourages their Folly,
by declaring how D if agreeable fuch things are to his Mature, Preju¬
dicial to his Intereft, and Inconflftent with his Egfolutions, “ He
“ hath often told them, that though in Italy and Spain railing agiinft
“ Proteftants, and in Sweden and Denmark agnrft Catholicks, may.
“ be mere excufable; yet in his Dominions it is falfe Policy, as well
“ as falfe Zeal, efpectally in Catholicks who are iht leffer number, and
u not the National Church. There is hardly a Mormngpajfes that he
il does-not entertain them at bis leave with the Accom.pts of the Ser-
“ vices, and Sufferings 0/Proteftants/sr hid Father, Brothtr, mi
“Nimfdfi