OTES'S Petition, To the KINGS most Excellent Majesty, and to the Lords and others of His Majesties most Hon^ble Privy Council. The humble Petition and Complaint of Titus Otes

THat your Petitioner according to his Duty and Allegiance which he owes, and is always bound to pay to your Majesty and the Go∣vernment Establish'd by Law, did in the month of September, in the year 1678. Discover a most Horrid, Hellish Popish Plot against your Majesty and the Protestant Religion and Government, to the amazement of your Majesty and the Privy Council, as appears by the several Proclama∣tions issued out by your Majesties Order, with the Advice of your most Ho∣nourable Privy Council, which your Petitioner is, and will be ready to pro∣duce when thereunto commanded by your Majesty.

That your Majesty was so highly sensible of the great danger your Person was in, and your Government, by reason of that Conspiracy, that you were graciously pleased to proclaim several solemn Fasts and days of Humiliation, and did will and require your Loving Subjects to joyn in Hearty Prayers and Supplication with your Majesty unto Almighty God for the Blessings of the Discovery, and for the farther Discovery thereof; and in several of your Ma∣jesties most gracious Speeches to your Houses of Parliament, hath been plea∣sed to express, How unsafe your Majesty was till the said Plot was searched to the bottom.

That several Roman Catholicks (Priests and others) were Apprehended, and Committed, Indicted and Convicted, Attainted and Executed upon your Peti∣tioners Evidence, together with the Evidence of others, the Attainders of which persons remain (as your Petitioner believes) upon Record.

That (upon the Evidence of your Petitioner and others) four Parliaments declar'd in their VOTES. That there was an Horrid Popish Plot for the Destruction of your Royal Person and your Government, and the Subversion of the Protestant Religion as by Law Established

That Roger L'Estrange, whom your Petitioner hears is now a Justice of the Peace, (though turn'd out for several Misdemeanors in the year 1680.) hath Defam'd and Arraign'd the Justice of the Nation, in Ridiculing the said Popish Plot, and the Discovery and the Discoverers thereof, in certain Scandalous and Seditious Pamphlets of his call'd the Observator, and in several other Pamphlets.

That the said Roger L'Estrange pretends in some of those Seditious and Scandalous Pamphlets, That he is authoriz'd so to do by one or both your Secretaries

That the said Scandalous and Seditious Pamphlet, appears to countenance Popery in your Protestant Government, and the Popish Party have been much encourag'd by the same, to Revile and Threaten your Petitioner; he the said L'Estrange pretending that he had Authority for so doing.

That your Petitioner hath born the Scandalous Reflections and Aspersions, upon the account of his Discovery of the said Plot, from the said L'Estrange this four years with Patience; and had the Scandals only touch'd your Peti∣tioner, I would not have complain'd to your Majesty and this Honourable Board; But since the said L'Estrange Scandalously vilifies the said Discovery, and calls in question the Justice of your Government, your Petitioner there∣fore thought it sit to apply himself to your Majesty and this Board for Redress.

OTES'S Letter. For the Right Honourable Sir Leoline Jenkins Knight His Majesties Principal Secretary of State at Whitehall.

I Gave your Honour the last Friday the trouble of a few Lines, in which I told you, that I had business of Importance with the King and Councel; your answer was, That I must apply my self to a Justice of Peace, or Courts of Justice: The business I had with the Council, is a Complaint against Roger L'Estrange Esq who in several Libels of his called the Observator, and other Seditious Pamphlets, hath (as I humbly conceive,) Vilified and Ridicul'd the Evidence of the Popish Plot, and Arraigned the Proceedings of the Govern∣ment, upon the said Plot; And to give himself a reputation in this his Illegal course, he pretends in one or more of those his said Ob∣servators, that he hath Authority or leave from some of His Majesties Ministers for so doing; which I dare not believe. Your Honour knows, that His Majesty was so sensible of the danger he was in, by reason of that Horrid Conspiracy, that he did not only recommend the strict examination thereof, to His Houses of Parliament, but also was pleased to acquaint them, how unsafe he was till it was searched out to the bottom. Besides this, three Fasts were Proclaimed, Appointed and kept, which the King himself strictly kept, and com∣manded all His Loving Subjects so to do; several have been Execu∣ted; and several Parliaments have Voted, That there was an Horrid, Hellish Popish Plot; Now all these things considered, I could ne∣ver have imagined that any private Persons, could have been so bold with the Government, as to use such Reflections upon their Proceedings, and call in question the Veracity of the Testimony of that Evidence, which was justified by His Majesties Council, and the Parliament, and the Courts of Justice; I thought I should ne∣ver have liv'd to have seen the day that the Plot should be call'd in question, which the King had own'd in his several Proclamations; But since it is so, I must pray your Pardon, if I cannot apply my self for Redress in that way and method your Honour was pleased to order: For I humbly conceive that it is the Government that is abused, and therefore in Conscience and Honour it i• bound to vin∣dicate its Proceedings from such Aspersions as are cast upon them by the said L'Estrange and his Confederates; I would not use any me∣thod or way to injure the worst of my Enemies, but that the Coun∣cil will take my hard usage from the said L'Estrange into serious Consideration, and cause the said L'Estrange to be Silenc'd, and Re∣paration to be made me. To that end, I have in this sent a Petition to the King and Council, which I would have presented if I might have had the liberty to appear at Court, in which I pray for Redress; I hope God will put it into your hearts to do me right. In the mean time,