A third and fourth part of Pegasus: taught by Bankes his ghost to dance in the Dorick moode, to the tune of Lachrymæ. In two letters from Oxford, July 1. 1648.

Another Letter from the same hand.

SIR,

YOur friend here presents his service to you, and will needs an∣nex to this Relation the notice of these few circumstances.

1. That the destruction which is now wrought, is by the hands of five Divines onely, men whose calling excludes them from all Judicature, did not their being Presbyterians give them title to it. O the mercy of the Lord Bishops in the High-Commission, which, though they had the power of Queen Elizabeth, and King James, and King Charles among them, the Canons to direct and authorize them, and many of the ablest Counsellours and Civilians to assist and joyne with them, did never, in all their reigne, so horribly declamed at for tyranny, censure to utter ruine so many guilty irregulars, as these five Musimans or Turkish Pres∣byters have proscribed sober, innocent regulars in one morning! O what a crime it was in the Star-chamber to crop three mens eares for sedition at one Session, (and never another such in the whole age) a thing that was

never pardon'd that Court, or those that sate in it, till those Stars were fetcht downe from heaven, and laid in the dust, and the chiefe actor my Lord of Canterbury pursued by one of those Blood-hounds, till he was per∣mitted to lap in full streames of his heart-blood in exchange, and by way of retaliation for the droppings of his eares? But now the Civil murther of 63. in a morning, the capitis mulctatio, the cutting them off from their people, the throwing them out into the high-wayes and hedges, leaving them none but their Father in heaven, of whom they may beg their daily bread. This is an essay and taste of the more moderate, refined Govern∣ment, that we have swum to, through such a red sea, or mare mortuum, the huge clemencie, and mercy of these Presbyters.

2. That of all the Lay-men that were of the Committee, there is not one barbarous enough to joyne in this act, or so hard-hearted as to be present at it. You remember how the Bishops were not permitted to re∣maine in the House at my Lord of Straffords sentence, they must not be within the scent of blood, though 'twere onely to give a stop to the effusi∣on of it: But now none but Divines (but remember againe Divines of what denomination, Presbyterians I warrant you) are thought fit to be, the Butchers of this Jury: No, the parties, accusers, witnesses, and, after all that, the Judges on this Bench, to pronounce this bloody sentence; For his third note, is,

3. That the five men are M. Reynolds, Dr. Wilkinson, M. Rogers, M. Chey∣nell, and M. Wilkinson, (you know the characters of each) men voted in∣to, and now well-nigh possest of three of the greatest Colledges, and five of the fairest preferments in the towne, onely this slaughter was necessary to be wrought, to smooth the passage, and facilitate the admission of these Mufti's into their Seraglio's. And wanting Janizaries to serve, and to be pandars to their lust and rage, they are turned the assassinats them∣selves, and must first lay waste the Province, before they can dare think of ruling in it; O fo•• an Eliah now to these Ahabs, with his [Hast thou kill'd, and also taken possession?] But when they are left to their desart-governments, Conscience I doubt not will be a thousand Prophets to them, and present each of them daily, as that Tyrants phansie did him with the gaping dismall head of Symmachus, &c. with the spectacle of a young gasping Scholar sprawling at his feet, and howling in his ears this not over-cheerfull Anthem, Thus saith the Lord, in the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine.

4. That every of these bloody men is so stricken already with the guilt and shame of their facts, that each of them single disclaimes (to all that come to expostulate it) the having any thing to doe in it, when yet the

number of five is the least that can make a Committee, and so nothing can be done, if any one dissents; and then All of them together lay it upon the Committee at London, tying the upper linke of this fatall chaine to Jupiter Rouse's Chaire, which makes your friend take boldnesse to aske you these two questions:

First, Whether the Committee at London are all so tame Cheynell or Wilkinson-trodden creatures as to commit all this fury upon their bare instance and directions, and then to give them leave to cast all the odium of it upon them: If a couple of tall raving Presbyters can thus inspire and possesse them all, as perfectly as they did their fellow-may-pole-Pem∣broke here, then I must more pitty them, then I have done the proscribed Scholars; these being plunder'd of their Lively-hoods only, but those of their Soules; the Scholars only fitted for Suttons hospitall, but they for Bethlem.

His second Question is, if that Committee having only power from the Houses to regulate the Ʋniversity at first, and since to provide effectu∣all remedies, &c. have so far exceeded their Commission, as to vote the Answers of these men; High contempts of Authority of Parliament, when no one did any more, then to professe it against his Oathes and Consci∣ence to submit to this visitation; and most only profest themselves to want satisfaction, and therefore desired farther time to consider, before they were forced to give Answer. His question, I say, is, Whether there be never an House of Lords and Commons to call this Committee in questi∣on, for exceeding their Commission, and to repeale these enormous acts of Arbitrary power, and returne the Scholars to their Books again, before the rest of the foure hundred (sevenscore more already, they say, pickt out of their next Breakefast) be sent a grazing after them. If you have accesse to any Member of either House, I hope you will let this ring in their eares, or else you have put off your just kindnesse to

July the 1. 1648.

Basilius Philomusus.

FINIS.