Ephemeris parliamentaria, or, A faithfull register of the transactions in Parliament in the third and fourth years of the reign of our late Sovereign Lord, King Charles containing the severall speeches, cases and arguments of law transacted between His Majesty and both Houses : together with the grand mysteries of the kingdome then in agitation.

A Letter which was found among some Jesuits that were lately taken at London and addres∣sed to the Father RECTOR at BRUXILLS.

FAther Rector, let not the damp of astonishment seiz upon your most ardent and zealous soul in apprehending the sudden and unexpected calling of the Parliament: we have not opposed, but rather furthered it, so that we hope as much in this Parliament as ever we feared in Queen Elizabeths dayes, You must know the Coun∣cel is ingaged to assist the King by the way of Prerogative in case the Parliamentary way should fall, You shall see this Parliament will resemble the Pellicane which takes a pleasure to dig out with her beake her own bowels. The election of the Knights and Burgesses have been in such confusion and by such apparant faction as that which we were wont to prove heretofore with much art and industry, (when the Spanish match was in treaty) now it breaks out naturally as a botch or boyl, and spets and spews out his own ranckor and venom, You

may remmber how that most Famous and Immortall Statesman the Count of Gondomar fed King Iames his fancy and rocked him a∣sleep with the soft and sweet sound of Peace to keep up the Spanish Treaty, Likewise we were much bound to some eminent Statesmen of our own Countrey to gain time, in procureing those advantagious Sessions of Arms in the Pallatinate, and in admiring the worth and Honour of the Spanish Nation, and vilifying the Hollanders, remon∣strating to King Iames that State was most ungratefull both to his predecessor Queen Elizabeth and his Sacred Majestie, that that State was more obnoxious then the Turk, and perpetually injured his Majesties Subjects in the East Indies, and likewise they had usurped from him the regallitie of the narrow seas in fishing upon the English coasts. Had the Spanish match taken effect, which was broken by the heat and violence of your furious Enemy the Duke of Buckingham, certainly if King Iames had diserted the Hollanders, Those great Statesmen had but one means to further their great and good de∣signes, which was to seiz on King Iames, that none but the Puritans faction, that plotted nothing but Annarchy and his confusion were advanced to this most happie Union. We steered on the came course, and have made use of Annarchall election, and have prejudicated and anticipated the great one the Duke of Buckhingham, that none but the Kings Enemies and his are chosen of the Parliament, and that the Parliament vows to begin where they have left, and will never give over till they have exterpated him and his posteritie. On the other side the same parties, who are to be admired for their indefitigable industrie, incessantly foment revenge and jelousie in most of the Parliament men, and especially they work upon the pride and vain glory of such as have been imprisoned: acknowledging that they are the onely Martires and Worthies of the Country. London is as much distempered as ever Florence was, for the companies are at great odds, and the common Councel have opposed the Magistrates against the old custom in the election of the Knights, which hath bred a great heart burning in the City, that twice a day we can di∣vulge what we list in Pauls, and upon the Exchange, & we have already rendered our irreconciliable Enemy the Duke as odious as a Toad, so the people are apt to believe any thing against him. We hope to be revenged on that Ball of Wilde-fire the Duke shortly, and quench his fury: you shall see the same sword that hath wounded us, drawn upon the wound with an oyl that we have annointed, it shall make us whole, and this shall be done: the Parliament is a great ship that hath dashed twice against the same rock, and we have so wrought upon the several complexions of Parliament-men in charging the most temporate and wiser sort, that the best way to overthrow the Duke, is by humble Petition to his Majestie. With the violent sort we have taken a contrary course, by working upon their passions and intreating their fancies with probabilities and presidents, which

never were heard of that favourites; have but Parliament proofs, they may wrastle for a time, but at last the Parliament hath ever overthrow them upon their backs, we incourrage them withall the wits we have to fall upon the Duke, and perswade them now is the time or never, the King being in such apparant necessity, insomuch that we assure our selves that God hath so forsaken and infatuated them, that they shall not onely strike and dash upon the same rock again; but split and wrack in the bottomless sea of destruction, We have now many strings to our bow, and have strongly fortified our faction and have added two Bulwracks more, for when King Iames lived, you know, he was very vehement against Arminianisme (inter∣rupted with his pestilent wit and deep learning) our strong designes in Holland, and was a great Friend to that old Rebell and Heretick the Prince of Orange, now we have planted that Soveraign drug Arminianisme which we hope will purge the Protestans from their Heresie, and it flourishes and bears fruit in due season, The materials which builds up the other Bulwarks, are the projectors and beggerers of all ranks and quallities whatsoever, both those factions copula∣ted to destroy the Parliament, and introduce a new species and form of government which is Oligarchal, Their factions serve as direct medicines and instruments to our ends, which is the univer∣sall Catholick Monarchy, our foundation is imitation, this Immita∣tion will cause a relaxation, as so many violent diseases in the body, as the Sone, Gout, and to the speedy destruction or perpetuall and insufferable anguish of the body, which is worse then death it self. We proceed with counsel and mature deliberation when and where to work upon the Dukes jealousie, and revenge, In this we give the honour to those that merit it▪ which are the Church Catholicks. There is another matter of consequence which we take much into our consideration and tender care, which is to stave the Puritans that they hang not upon the Dukes ears, they are impudent subtill people, and `tis to be feared least they should negotiate a reconciliation betwixt the Duke and the Parliament, It is certain the Duke would have reconciled himself to the Parliament at Oxford and Westmin∣ster, but now we assure our selves we have so handled the matter, that both the Duke and the Parliament are irreconciliable. For the bet∣ter preventing of the Puritans, the Arminians have already blockt up the Dukes ears, and we have those of our own Religion, which stand continuall Centinel at the Dukes Chamber dore to see who goes in and out, we cannot be two carefull and circumspect in this regard. I cannot chuse but laugh to see how some of our coat have ac∣cooted themselves, you would scarce know them if you saw them; and it is admirable how in speech & gesture they act the Puritans, the Cambridge Schollers to their wofull experience shall see, how we can ect the Puritans a little better then they have acted the Iesuites: they abused our Patron S. Ignatius in jeast, but we will make them

smart for it in earnest. I hope you will excuse my merry digression, for I confess unto you, I am at this instant transported with joy to see how happily all instruments and means, as well great as less, operate to our purposes. But to return to the maine Fabrick, our foundati∣on is Arminianisme, Arminians and projectors, as it appears in the premisses affect mutation, this we see in force by all probable Argu∣ments, we can in the first place take into our consideration the Kings Honour and his present necessity, and we shew how the King may free himself of his wardships as Lewis the 11. did, and for his great splender he may raise a vast revenew, and not beholding to his Sub∣jects, which is by way of imposition and excise, we instance in the low Countries, and shew what a mass of monies they raised to pay their Armies by Sea and Land, meerly out of excise. Then our Church Catholicks shewed the means of this excise, which must be by a mer∣cinary Army of Horse and Foot; For the Horse we have made it sure, they shall be forraigners and Germans, who will eat up the Kings revenews and spoil the Countrie wheresoever they come, though they should to be paid: what havock will they make then when they are not dayly paid▪ surely they will do much more mischief: Then the Catholick Army of 10000▪ Horse and 20000. Foot shall be taken over, and in pay before the mercinary Army suffocate the Country, Then the Souldiers and projectors shall be paid out of the confiscati∣on of the Country, to be had of the Souldiers, then they must con∣sequently mutiny, which is equall advantagious to our superlative design, which is to work the Protestans as well as the Catholicks to wellcome a conquest, and this is by this means we hope instantly to dissolve Trade, hinder the building of shipping in propounding probable designs, and putting the stay upon expedition, as that of Cales taking away the Merchants ships and feeding them with hope to take the West-Indies Fleet, which is to seek a needle in a bottle of hay: his Catholick Majestie shall not want our best intelligence, be∣sides he hath so many pistashawes and carvils which are spread a∣broad to discover, so you cannot be surprized in any harbor when Trade is ruined and shipping decayed, What will become of Noble∣mens and Gentlemens revenews▪ the Yeamen and Formers, in which consists the infantry of this Kingdom, they will turn Rogues and resemble the object peasants in France, who are little better then slave. Trade and shipping is so much decayed already, that London is as it were beseiged for want of fewel, Sea coles are at 30 shillings the chaldren. When things are brought to this perfection, which we hope will be by that time his Sacred Majestie hath setled his affairs in Germany; all the people in general will linger for a conquest, missing their means and revenews, which should maintain and sup∣port them, according to their several ranks and qualities; Then we assure our selves that the Lands which were rent and torn from the Church by that ravenous Monster Hen. 8. shall be restored by our

mighty Protector his Catholick Majestie, to the recalling of those that are exiled, and deliver thousand of souls, which suffer persecution at home for the testimony of a good conscience. Joyn your prayers with ours, importuning the blessed Virgin and all the hoast of An∣gels and holy Martyers to intercede for us, and we doubt not God will make hast to help us. Thus hoping to see the Count Tillies and Marquess Spinola here about Iuly come twelve-moneth: I rest. In the mean time we pray for a happy success in Germany and the L••w∣Countries.

From the County, &c.

Your loving friends I. W. I. I.