Murder will out, or, The King's letter justifying the Marquess of Antrim and declaring that what he did in the Irish rebellion was by direction from his royal father and mother, and for the service of the crown.

A Copy of the Remonstrance of the Sieur Vincent, to the King of Great Britain, drawn out of his own Journals.

SIR,

THE Grief which obliges us to fill the Ears of Your Majesty with our Cries, and to Reiterate them so often, ought to be extream to the last Degree. Behold us now, Sir, prostrate at your Feet, to Wash them with our Tears, and God Almighty Grant, that we do not in a little time, come to Sigh out our last Breath, with the News of the Desolation of our City. We know not how, Sir, to conceal it from You, the Sence we have of Her being at Her last Gasp, puts us into Despair; seeing the Succours which Your Majesty hath made us hope would be ready, hath been deferred from day to day for many Weeks together.

SIR, the City of Rochell did by us beg of You, with all the Humility they were capable of Expressing, to receive them into your Protection, and You as Solemnly agreed to it; since they have had at divers times, all the Assurances possible, as well from your own Month, as under the Hand of Your Majesty, that you would never abandon them: Whereupon by a Miracle of Constancy, they have held our hitherto firm a whole Year, contending with the Horrours of a most gastly Famine, that thereby they might give Your Majesty, full leisure to send them the Succours You were graci∣ously pleased to promise them; and thus constant and unshaken were they, even when all Europe, believed they ought to have despaired, in that after they had Relief, as they thought seve∣ral days in their sight, it returned without effecting, or attempting any thing. And though our Enemies have from

thence taken occasion to make them divers Overtures of Ac∣commodation, which their extream Necessities seemed to Counsel them to hearken unto; yet they chose rather to run the Hazzard of their utter Destruction, then to be wanting in the least to the Promises we had Sworn for them to Your Majesty, or to shew they had the least Diffidence of your Pro∣tection.

After all this, Sir, shall it be Recorded in the History of Your Reign; That they perished in your Hands without having reaped any other Fruit of the Good Will Your Majesty hath professed towards them, and of the Assurance they have therein relied upon; then the rendring them irrecountable to their King, from whom otherwise they might have hoped to have found Grace and Favour!

Pardon, Sir, this, from a People who see themselves upon the very Threshold of their Sepulchers, if they cannot avoid Sighs which may seem undecent in your Royal Presence. It is common for those that are near their End, to finish their Lives with Groans. In the Name of God, Sir, so long as there remains any Breath in us, and before we do quite Ex∣pire, command your Succours to hasten to our Assistance; pro∣vided that diligence be yet used, we will remain Caution to Your Majesty with the Peril of our Heads, that they will ar∣rive time enough to save us. As to the Impossibilities that some may be willing to find in it, permit us to tell You freely, Sir, That those are only founded, either in their fear, or their very little Affection for us; and that besides the Report which some Persons unsuspected, have made to Your Majesty, we beseech You, be You judge, whether our City, which is within fight of the Digne and Pallisade, and carriage of her Cannon, would send time after time to implore Your Assistance, if they thought it would be unprofitable to them, and if having every day offers of Capitulation upon advantagious Conditions, if they would hearken to it for themselves alone, they would be so imprudent to neglect the opportunity. But we are ready if

it shall please Your Majesty to permit it, to take upon us the first Risques and Hazzards of the Execution, to the end that we may be justified to all the World in the sincerity of our Pro∣ceeding; and that it may not be imputed to us, that we are prodigal of the Blood of Your Majesties Subjects to ill purpose, to be sparing of our own: No, Sir, there is no such impossibi∣lity as what some would pretend.

The only Cause of our Fears, comes from the slowness and continual neglects from one Day to another, and one Week to another, which makes our hopes Recoil. After the Return of your Fleet, we comforted our selves with the Promise that was made us by Your Majesty, That it should depart again within fifteen days; but when after twenty were past, there were added fourteen more to them: And after that, we found divers other neglectful Disappointments, that have now taken up two Months compleat; Good God, Sir, How long has that time seemed to those miserable Wretches that have not Bread! We know very well the good Inclinations Your Ma∣jesty hath for our Weal; as also we have had most certain Proofs of the Duke of Buckingham, your high Admiral, his passionate applying himself for us, as also the same of the Lords of your Council; but shall we not be excusable, if seeing the Effects thereof crossed, by all these Delays? We entertain Jea∣lousies, that Your Majesty is not well served, and that there is some secret Hand, which clandestingly obstructs, that which the Zeal of others endeavours to advance. It is ordinary for Men in misery to be suspicious, and possibly here we are not injurious∣ly so; indeed we do not know any Person on whom to deter∣mine our Diffidence, nor have we any intention to call to mind any thing that is past; may that, Sir, remain buried in Eter∣nal Oblivion, and for the future at least, let those to whom Your Majesty shall give your Commands, answer so well your kindness to us, with their Affection and Diligence, that with∣out any farther delay, your Fleet may put to Sea, and deli∣ver us yet out of the Cruel Arms 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Death〈◊…〉〈◊…〉

If, Sir, upon this occasion, you will please to Discern those who serve you Faithfully, from other Men (if there be any such) let Your Majesty be pleased to hold it indubitable, that all those who under any pretext whatsoever, shall Counsel the least Delayings, do it from an ill Intention, there being none can pretend ignorance of the dreadful Necessities to which our City is reduced, and that one single days delay more, may be the cause of its ruine. Have therefore some considerati∣on of it, we beseech You, by the Tears and pitiful Cries of more than Twelve Thousand poor languishing Souls, whom Hunger devours, and who are all ready to Perish, by the Interest of above a Million of others, who without doubt will see themselves Buried under our Ruins, and who will find the Knife at their Throats, the very next day after we are lost.

By the Glory of your Scepter, under the Sanctuary of which we are come to put our selves, and which it hath pleased you to tender us for our Security; by the Magnificent Title of De∣fender of the Faith, which obligeth Your Majesty to relieve those that are Oppressed for that very Reason; in short, by the Faith and Word of a King, which it hath pleased You of your Grace to Engage us, permit not, Sir, our Innocent Blood to reflect upon your Crown, to stain it to Ages that shall succeed us, and at present to cry against Your Majesty before God and Man.

This is that, Sir, which our Consciences, and the Duty we owe to our Afflicted Fellow Citizens, oblige us to come and represent a new to Your Majesty, in whose Charity, Magna∣nimity, Piety, and inviolable Fidelity, we hawe such Confi∣dence, That we assure our selves, God will take this in good part, and in convenient Consideration: And since that all our Supplications tend to make You be pleased, to cause your Fleet to set Sail with all possible Diligence, and to afford your Pre∣sence at Portsmouth, where it is so absolutely necessary, that without it, we can scarce hope for any success.

We therefore do in all Humility supplicate Your Majesty, immediately to put in Execution the Resolution you have ta∣ken of going thither; and here, Sir, we fall upon our Knees before Your Majesty, with most Ardent Prayer to God, that it will please him to make us find more and more Favour in your Sight, that even we, who now Supplicate You, may come a∣gain to render to You, our most humble and grateful Acknow∣ledgments, as to our Great Deliverer, from whom, next to God, we shall hold our Estates, Honours and Lives, and the memory of so signal a Deliverance, we may leave to our Children, to the end that they may Celebrate it after us.

Yet, all these Sufferings, and the lamentable Estate of the Rochellers, nor the sad and pressing Remonstrance of their Deputies (enough to melt the Heart of any One, but a Cruel faithless Tyrant) were Efficatious enough to oblige that Wicked Court, to let this third Fleet set sail before September following, under the Command of the Earl of Lindsey, who arrived before Rochell towards the latter end of the said Month; but instead of succouring the City, breaking the Digue, and opening the Passage, to get in Provisions, which the King had made them to expect, and which they had already almost swallowed in their hopes. That Commander had set on Shore the Lord Mountague, (unknown to the Deputies that were on Board, and to the Duke of Soubize) who went straight to the French King's Camp, where after some Conferences with the Car∣dinal, with whom (as was then reported) he had con∣certed the Delivery of the City to the King, which was very far from giving it any Succour. He went Post for England, to give an Account of it to his Master. After the English Fleet had been a Month in the Road without doing any thing, and without sending the Besieged Army any manner of Victuals, which were on Board: Then the poor Rochellers, who were not able to hold out no longer, saw plainly how they were Abused and Betrayed; so

hereupon they resolved (no more to expect the Illusory Succours of the English, and the vain Hopes of assistance from them, to deliver up the City; and whilst the Lord Montague was going for England, and to return to the French King with the Effects of his Negotiation, they re∣solve to throw themselves into the Arms of the King, their Sovereign, in hopes after all, by their Repentance for their so long Obstinancy, to obtain his Grace and Fa∣vour.

And about the end of October, their Agreement was made among themselves, and Signed: And the first of November, the King made Entrance into Rochell, where he found the Inhabitants more like Skeletons, than Men and Women. And this King had more compassion than the hard-hearted Oppressor of England, for he was so sensi∣bly touched with that sad Sight, that he could not refrain letting fall some Tears.

On the 5th. of November, the English Fleet, after ha∣ving been a Month and six days in the Road, and seen from thence the Reductien of Rochell to the Obedience of the King, set sail, carrying a long with them a great par∣ty of French, as well as Victuals, they had brought from England.

27. That was an Exorbitant and Outragious T— up∣on the People of Scotland, as appears in many particulars; to recount some of them Briefly,

1. In overturning their Church Government, Establish∣ed by many Acts of Parliament, and obtruding upon them Laud's Liturgy, and Popish Ceremonies, after that wicked Bishop had sent his Liturgy to Rome to be approved there.

2. In denying them (the undoubted Right of all Sub∣jects) to Petition for Redress of their Grievances.

3. In dissolving their Synod and Parliament, Burning the Pacification made with them, by the Hangman's hands;

and Imprisoning the Lord's sent by them, to Petitiom him to perform his Sollemn Promises, and Redress their Grie∣vances.

4. In levying Doctrines against them, and raising a Ci∣vil War, to justify himself in the Violation of their Laws. A Civil War it was, said the Great Lord Digby, seeing we are of the same Religion, and under the same King. And

5. In attempting to make use of the Love and Affecti∣on of the English, to Enslave and Ruin the Scotish Na∣tion.

It is not improper here to observe.

1. That the Scotish Covenant was not a new Invention or Innovation, but Established by the Law of Scotland, and taken by King James the First, seventy Years before King Charles the Second took it.

2. That Bishops and Clergymen in Conjunction with Pa∣pists, abetted and assisted this T— in the violation of the Laws, when the Bulk of the Nobility, Gentry, and Peo∣ple of England, appeared undauntedly in Defence of the Laws and Liberties of the Kingdom.

3. That Popery hath greatly spred in Scotland ever since Laud's Superstition was introduced here, the Number of Papists not exceeding 600. And therefore Presbetery be∣ing now restored by a Law, it may be reasonably hoped, that it will reduce many who have been deluded into that Idolatry.

4. That Princes are not always to trust to the Insinua∣tions and Suggestions of Scotish Bishops; seeing that when they instigated King Charles I. to Dissolve the Synod and Parliament, he was seduced by them into a belief. That the Scotish Covenanteers were a contemptible Number, and their Party in Scotland was sufficient to deal with them.

5. That the Scots were not Rebells in taking Arms to Assert their Rights, and Vindicate the Laws and Liberties of their Countrey.

That the horrid Imposition of Laud's Popish Liturgy, did occasion the Troubles of Scotland, is very manifest from Dr. Burnet's (now Bishop of Salisbury) his Memoirs of Duke Hamilton, for he saith, Page 30. The Liturgy had some Alterations from the English, which made it more Invi∣dious and less Satisfactory.— The Imposing it, really va∣ried from their former Practices and Constitutions.— Pag. 33. The Lords Petition'd, complaining against the Liturgy, and Book of Canons; offering under the highest Penalties, to prove they contain'd things both contrary to Religion, and the Laws of the Land, pag. 36. The Earls of Traquaire and Roxbourgh, by Letter to the King, advised him to secure the People of that which they so much apprehended, the fear of Innovation of Religion, saying, that they found few or none well satisfied, pag. 33. The Earl of Traquaire went to Court, and gave Account, that all the Troubles were occasi∣oned by introducing the Liturgy; with which, scarce a Mem∣ber of Council (except Bishops) was well satisfied: Neither were all these Cardinals for it, for the Archbishop of St. Andrews, from the beginning, had withstood these Designs, and the Archbishop of Glascoe, was worse pleased.

Their Commissioners in their Charge against Laud, ex∣hibited to the Parliament of England, 1641. say, pag. 11. &c. This Book inverteth the Order of the Communion in the Book of England, of the divers secret Reasons of this Change, we mention one only: In joyning the Spiritual Praise and Thanksgiving, which is in the Book of England, pertinently after the Communion, with the Prayer of Consecration before the Communion; and that under the Name of Memorial or Ob∣lation, for no other ends, but that the Memorial and Sacrifice of Praise, mention'd in it, may be understood according to the Popish meaning; Bellarmin de Missa. Lib. 2. Chap. 21. not of the Spiritual Sacrifice, but of the Oblation of the Body of the Lord.

The Corporal Presence of Christ's Body, is also to be found here; for the Words of the Mass-Book, serving to this purpose, which are not to be found in the Book of England, are taken in here: Almighty God is inca•…•…'d; That of his Almighty Goodness, he may vouchsafe so to Bless and sanctifie with his Word and Spirit, these Gifts of Bread and Wine, that they be unto us the Body and Blood of Christ.— On the one part, the Expressions of the Book of England, at the delivery of the Elements: Of feeding on Christ by Faith, and of Eating and Drinking in Remembrance, that Christ died for thee, are utterly Deleted.

To prove that Laud did send this Liturgy to Rome to be approved of; Read a Book of Good Credit, Entitled, New Survey of the West Indies, Wrote by a Reverend Di∣vine of the Church of England, Mr. Thomas Gage, Minister of Deal in Kent, 'tis in pag. 280. in the Folio Edition; He there tells you, That being a Fryar, he went to Rome with Letters of Recommendation to Cardinal Barbarini, the Pope's Nephew, Entituled, The Protector of England: That com∣ing acquainted with Father Fitzherbert, of the English Col∣ledge of Jesuits, he highly praised Archbishop Laud, and said, That he not long since sent a Common Prayer Book (which he had composed for the Church of Scotland) to be first viewed and approved by the Pope and Cardinals; and, That they liked it very well for Protestants to be Trained up in a Form of Prayer and Service; yet the Cardinals (first giving him thanks for his Respect) sent him word that they thought it was not fitting for Scotland; that Father Fitz∣herbert told him, he was Witness of all, this being sent for by the Cardinal to give him his Opinion about it, and of the Temper of the Scots. And that Laud hearing the Censure of the Cardinals, concerning his Intention and Form of Pray∣er, to ingratiate himself the more in their Favour, Corrected some things in it, and made it more harsh and unreasonable for that Nation.

This Good Man, Mr. Gage, after he had here related the matter as above, expresses himself thus: This most True Relation of Archbishop Laud, I have oft spoke of in private Discourse, and publickly in Preaching; and I could not in Conscience omit it here, both to vindicate the just Censure of Death, whi••h the Parliament gave against him, and to reprove the ungrounded Opinion and Error of some Ignorant Spirits, who have since his Death, highly exalted and cryed him up as a Martyr.

'Tis worthy of Notice, that these Passages (making Laud to appear a great Villain) were by the means of Priest Craft left out of the Impression in Octavo.

Something like this of Mr. Gage, may be found in Bi∣shop Burnet's Memoirs of Duke Hamilton, fol. 83. he re∣lates, That in the Year 1638. one Abernethy, who from a Jesuit, turned a zealous Presbyterian, spread a story in Scotland which took wonderfully, of the Liturgy of that Kingdom, being sent to Rome to some Cardinals to be Re∣vised by them; and that Seignior Con, (the Popes Nun∣cio to the Court of England) had shewed it to Abernethy at Rome, and though Con denied it afterwards, as is pre∣tended, yet it doth not follow that what Abernethy asserts, was false, for it is well known, that Con being a Jesuit, might Lye for the Holy Church.

If I had time, and that this Book would not be too large, I could produce very many more instances of King Charles his Tyrannical Oppressing his Subjects of England, Scotland and Ireland. I shall end this Melancholly Story with the Heads of the many Articles of Mis-government of that Prince, viz.

His taking Buckingham, Laud, and many more Evil Counsellors into the highest Favour, and being Govern'd by them.

His Popish Match, and Private Articles, in favour of Popery.

His receiving a Letter from the Pope, and sending him an Answer, calling him most Holy Father, &c.

His Pardoning 20 Popish Priests, &c. pursuant to the Private Articles of Marriage.

His most unchristian like Betraying the Isle of Rhee and Rochell, a sad Story.

His plucking up the Root of all Property, by taking the Peoples Goods against their Wills, and their Liberties a∣gainst Law.

His giving Commissions to Try and Execute his Subject by Martial Law.

His Raising Money by Loans against Law.

His requiring London, and other places, to set out Ships for him at their own Charge.

His Billotting Soldiers (many of which were Papists) on his poor Subjects.

His giving Commissions to several Lords to raise Money by way of Excise.

His ordering his Treasurer to pay 30000 l. to buy a large number of German Horse, with Arms, both for Horse and Foot, to be brought to England against the Parliament.

His causing Mr. Chambars, a Merchant, to be fin'd 2000 l. for complaining of the hard Usage the Merchants of Eng∣land had.

His oppressing, and Imprisoning all Ranks and Orders of Men Unjustly.

His threatning the House of Commons, if they would not give Money.

His shameful betraying the Palatinate, and keeping the Charity of England from them.

His having, without doubt, a great Hand in the wicked Irish Rebellion.

His large Demonstration of his Piety, by ordering a De∣claration of Sports on the Lord's Day.

His giving Wicked, Arbitrary, and Tyrannical Orders, Instructions and Commissions to the Earl of Strafford, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, and endeavoured to save him from the Parliaments Just and necessary Prosecution.

His suffering the Bishops, Gauden and Duppa, to com∣pose a lying Book, call'd, Eicon Basilice, and to put it out in his Name, the better to justify his evil Actions against his People.

His causing the Star-Chamber and High Commission Courts to be made use of, to the great Grievance of the People of England.

His falsely charging with Treason, and unjustly impri∣soning the Lord Mandevil, Mr. Hollis, Mr. Strode, and many others, and would produce no Witness against them.

His Tempting and Incouraging his English and Irish Ar∣mies to come and Destroy the Parliament.

His dealing most Basely and Treacherously with the Par∣liament whilst Treating at Uxbridge.

His having a hand in the untimely Deaths of King James the First, and Prince Henry.

His being an Exorbitant and Outragious Tyrant upon the People of England.