A loyal subiects looking-glasse, or A good subiects direction necessary and requisite for euery good Christian, liuing within any ciuill regiment or politique state, to view, behold, and examine himselfe in, that he may the better frame the course of his life, according to the true grounds of the duties of an honest and obedient subiect to his king, and to arme himselfe against all future syren songs, and alluring intisements of subtill, disloyall, dissembling, and vnnaturall conspirators, traitors, and rebels. Collected for the most part out of both olde and later writers, whose names are in the next page set downe. Wherevnto are brieflie added sixe speciall causes of vndutifull subiects disloyaltie. By William Willymat.

To the Christian Reader.

GReat, sundrie, and manifold (good Christian Reader) are the enormi∣ties, inconueniences, and mischiefs, which the lack of the right vse of Gods most sacred word, and the diligent care to be gouerned and ouer-ruled by the same, do bring, breede, and en∣gender among mortall men. O subtill serpent, ô deceiptfull and too diligent Sathan, euermore and euery where prying, seeking, and hunting like an hungrie and roaring Lyon for thy pray, when irre∣ligious Macheuillians apt schollers of that Italian hel∣hound, desperate carelesse Atheists, obstinate dis∣sembling corner-creeping Papists, temporizing car∣nall and verball Protestants, brainsick, heady, and male-contented Puritanes, and such other like right borne children of this world, haue once cast of the care, the knowledge, the vse and practise of that true lightsome Lanterne of Gods word, which should haue serued to guide their actions, and giuen light vnto their feete, whereby they might haue troden in the right pathes of all goodnesse, how busie, dili∣gent, and readie art thou then with thy legions of reprobate Angels, to stuffe and possesse, the blinde, ignorant, obstinate, wilfull, rebellious, male-conten∣ted hearts, and busie braines of such men, with am∣bition, enuie, malice, heart burning, discontentment of minde, murmurings and grudgings, dislike and contempt of the most Christian, and best gouern∣ment, as not fitting nor agreeing with their humors. slandering, euill speaking, and back-biting, such as

are in lawfull authoritie, conspiracie, treason, sediti∣on, rebellion, and infinite other mischiefes, too ma∣ny and too tedious here to recite. How true this is, as at sundrie other times heretofore, so also now hath it proued it selfe by these last discoueries of some of our English disloyall, vnnaturall and traiterous plot∣ting practises and conspiracies. The buildings, and very foundations whereof, the close and cunning conueying whereof, yea though it were in the very fruite of a tree, the mightie Lord God our onely buckler, shield and sure fortresse, according to his former accustomed goodnesse and mercifull dea∣lings (in our late Queene Elizabeths raigne) hath vnto vs, reueiled, and detected, yea dissipated, frust∣rated, & vtterly confounded, he for his holy names sake worke in our hearts vnfeined thankfulnesse for the same. Now for as much as God hath appoyn∣ted admonitions and exhortations to encounter temptations, least perhaps the deuill that old experi∣enced and throughly practised enemie of mankind, the chiefest author of these and all other such wick∣ed and abhominable attempts should againe sug∣gest and ingest the like lewde motions into the hearts of any mo, either forrein malignant supplan∣ters, or homeborne malitious, ambitious, and male-contented conspirators. I haue here endeuoured my selfe to set forth for an admonition or warning before the eies of all such as haue not consented nor yeelded to any such wicked and diuilish enterprises of treasons and conspiracies, this present treatise fol∣lowing, A loyall subiects Looking-glasse, or a good sub∣iects direction, wherein euery true hearted & good

meaning, yea and euery wauering minded, vnstable and simple ignorant subiect may behold, see, and learne how to behaue himselfe, and dutifully to liue vnder the gouernment of higher powers, whether they be supreame Magistrates, Emperours, Kings and Princes, or else inferior subordinate magistrates and officers, adhibited by the higher powers to the administration of things for the gouernment of the common-wealth. Herein I haue laboured to set be∣fore the eyes and hearts of all sorts of subiects, what duties they owe, and are bounden by the plaine and expresse word of God, to performe to their superi∣ours, of what degree or place so euer: A treatise I suppose very requisite and necessary for these our enuious, malicious, ambitious, self-louing, self-wilie proud and rebellious dayes. Those good & learned authors both olde and of later times, whom I haue principally leaned vnto as my chiefe guids, directors and good maisters, in the penning of this present Looking-glasse, yee may see set downe by their seue∣rall names before the epistle dedicatory. I haue here∣in followed the maner of those Cookes which com∣ming into Gardens to gather herbes, cast their eyes round about them, and looke vpon all, and crop and take but those only which are most conuenient and needfull for their vse and purpose at that time: Likewise haue I chosen & excerpted out of the fore∣named writers, but those things only which I thought would serue best, and most conueniently befit this present matter and time, and them for the helpe of the memorie of the readers, and for the readie finding out, and speedy turning vnto any seuerall

point or matter herein entreated of, I haue digested into seuerall chapters, according vnto the seuerall duties which are due vnto Magistrates set in autho∣ritie. I am not ashamed to yeeld and plainly to con∣fesse, that I haue collected this present treatise, for the most part thereof (though not all) out of the drift, sence and meaning, yea and now and then the very words of other mens writings, for I deeme it a sounder, a surer, and a safer course, to walke in the pathes and tread in the steps of former learned and allowed writers, that so I might alwayes haue suffi∣cient authoritie for mine opinions and allegations, then to range at randon in writing, and setting a∣broach mine owne inuentions, seeing that, Nihiliam dici potest quod non sit dictum prius. I weigh not, and I passe not for the virulent and malicious cauils, of neuer pleased Momus-like enuious back-biters, so that by my labours I may do any good, or be an in∣strument to helpe to auoide any euill in this Church and common-wealth wherein I liue: which happie successe that this my present treatise may haue, I pray thee gentle reader helpe me with thy zealous prayers to the Almightie, the onely giuer of all good gifts, to whom only be all worthy honor, praise and dominion for euer and euer.