The vnkinde desertor of loyall men and true frinds [sic]

CHAPTER 12. If Ormonds attendance, and service vpon the King in his baniishment, met with sufficient recom∣pence and reward; (Book 12)

THis querie you may take to be somth∣ing extravagant, such another, as if one had doubted whether it be day, even when the sun shines, and is scorching of the earth, putting men into such heat and sweat, as they must of all necessity put of theire Cloathes; however this querie is quickly resolved, by calculating the yearly rents Ormond had before the warre, and conferring the same with this his present estate, in doeing of this, the work is don,

and your question resolved; what rent say you had hee Immediatly before the warre? 7000. pound sterling noe more? in as much, as that vast estate of his was engaged to men in long Leases, Morgaged, and incumbred with Annuitys; what then is his present rent and estate? neare vpon eighty thousand pound starling annuall rent (and I doubt whether any subject in Europe have the like estate, som say hee hath more,) but how coms it that a man, that came home naked and bare after soe many yeares toe and froe in the World, (as severall other noble men in po∣verty and need) came soe suddainely by such vast acquisitions? This is quickly an∣swered; all was made over to him by the kings grant, as for Example, Six Corporations, (which his Ancestours never had) all the estates of his house lea∣sed, soe that the leasors are constrained to begg, hee had alsoe conferred vpon him the estates and lands of many honest faith∣full subjects; all this and more bestowed vpon him by his Majestyes free grant; now see you whether his service and attendance vpon his Majesty, be plentifully requited or noe? My Sentiment of Ormonds acqui∣sitions

I delivered in the case of Sir Robert Lynch as above, now whether the King hath duly and legally bestowed other mens estates vpon his Grace, is left to every mans thought, to think what hee will; however I am of this opinion, that (all being well considered by his Majesty, and this portentous liberality to that noble man, well examined,) his Majesty will finde but little content or joy therin, nay to the contrary, his Royall hart will be in an ocean of unquietness, seeing soe many deserving families numberless widdowes, Innocents and orphans, deprived of theire propper right, forced both at home and abroad to unspeakable wants, consumed by hunger, vermin, and miseries, and all this, to raise up the greatness of one man's familie, that was great enough of it selfe; If the Law of God or nature will allow of soe many thousand Innocents to perish and be destroyd, by depriving them of theire rights and livelyhood, is a maxim that toucheth much his Royall wisdome, for it is written, that God will have a care of the widdowes and fatherless, and in due tyme will cha••••ife a••d oppress the op∣pressors of those; thousands of Innocents

are sacrificed in this our age, to increase the estate of one man, can Iustice suffer this? can the mercifull breast of a merci∣full King endure to see soe many specktacles of woes and miseries without reliefe? will not God at long running looke downe vpon these vnlawfull proceedings? cer∣tainly hee will, and to the confusion of the possessors.

But Let us grant the parents of those Innocent creatures ran into a Rebellion, (as Ormond, Clarindon, and others falsly suggested to the King) have the little babes, (not borne at that tyme) been rebells? What have they don against the Crowne? Must they all perish and suffer for theire Parents crimes? (crimes only Imputed to them, but never proved;) God himselfe sayes, Filius non portabit iniquitatem patri••.

The childe shall not beare the iniquity of his Father;

but Ormond says the con∣trary, let them suffer and perish for the errours of theire Parents, soe that I may be thereby both great and wealthy; Iustitia Iusti (sayes the Holy Ghost) super eum, et impie∣tas i••••pij super eum, The Iustice of the Iust fall vpon him, and the Impiety of the Impious vpon him; the quite contrary is in this case, for

the Iust have not found Iustice, nor mercy, the Innocent children (of the supposed rebells) are punished as Impious, left naked and to noe mercy. Saint Ierome his saying is not regarded in this place, N••t virtutes, nec vitia parentam liberis Imputentur,

Let not the virtues, or vices of the pa∣rents be Imposed to the Children;

there is a God above all, when hee comes to examine those open injustices, Clarindon Ormond and others and the rest (instruments of the ruine of soe many thousand honest families) will not appeare, all will be made more cleare to theire confusion; but wee must leave the Innocent to God, who though hee is pleased to Chas∣tise them with the Rod of his anger (out of his secret and Iust Iudgments, the which wee must adore) yet the cruelty of those afflicters, (who plunged as in an ocean of Calamities) will not escape his seveare sentence and Iustice. What a ridicu∣lus conceipt is it, of some of Ormonds flat∣terers, who tell the World, Ormond waited on the King out of meer affection, and therby lost his estate and fortunes at home: truly noe man hath bine wiser (if it be wisdome to deuest and robb honest men

of theire estates,) then Ormond in his a••∣quisitions, which as the World sees, are great, but the Malediction of God doth follow things unjustly aquired, and likely the bread hee now eates dipped in the teares of widowes, and blood of the Innocent doth not taste sweetly:

I could not heare of any had the fortune that Ormond had in the time of the Kings exile, hee was still neare the King, knew all his Arcana, had the comfort and honour to suffer with his King, (a sufficient recom∣pence for all his attendance) and at the same tyme his Lady (a wise woeman) was honoured and comforted by Crumwell; and her Ghildren much carressed by his Children, soe Gratious was this Lady in Crumwells tyme, and in his eyes, that shee obtained three thousand pound or more for her Ioynter per Annum; who more inward with the King then Ormond? who more respected by Crumwell then the Lady of Ormond? and shee well requited Crumwels kindness, to his relations, cheefly to his sonne Harry, vpon the Kings restauration, who obtained vpon her knees from the King (as wee have been informed) that Harry Crumwell might enjoy the estate given him

in Ireland by his Father in the tyme of his Protectourship, among other lands hee had that of Mr, Sedgrave of killeglan a good and ancient familie, which estate hee sold to one Sir Patrick Moledy knight, who possesseth it to this day, and the relict of said Sedra∣••es Mistris Iane N••ttingam (a good and vertuous Lady) lives very poorly and in a sad condition with her Children, without Ioyn∣ter or relief; and soe my Lady Dutches of Ormonds solicitations for Harry Crumwell, weare for the Childe of him that murthered the Kings Father and against a poor widow and her babes, a wedow whose Father and Kindred were ever faithfull to the Crowne, and were not these think you Godly, and misterious prayers and intercessions?