The great eclipse of the sun, or Charles his waine over-clouded,: by the evill influences of the moon, the malignancie of the ill-aspected planets, and the constellations of retrograde and irregular starres. Otherwise, great Charles, our gracious king, eclipsed by the destructive perswasions of his queen, by the pernicious aspects of his cabbinet counsell, and by the subtill insinuations of the Popish faction, priests, Jesuites and others. As also from the firing of towns, the shedding of innocent blood, and the cries of his subjects.

The great Eclipse of the Sun. OR Charles his VVaine.

THe Common-wealth may most fitly be compared to the Glo•…•… of the Heavens. The King is the Sun, the Parliament are t•…•… bright Stars; Malignant Counsellours to the King, are the ev•…•… aspected Plannets, such as Bristoll, Cottington, Lord Keep•…•… Littleton, Digby, Jermyn, and others, whereby the King h•…•… been Eclipsed, and hath lost that Light which should rend•…•… him Glorious in the eyes of his People, and brought hims•…•… to the lowest degree of respect amongst his Subjects; A•…•… whereas the King should have been a Sun, shining by examp•…•… and maintaining the Light of the Gospel, hee hath suffered it from the beginning of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Reigne, to be extinguished and put out; wee should have had no Gospel, nor any Fai•…•… but what the King and the Bishops would have forced upon us; This Plot was handso••¦ly carried on by the Bishop of Canterbury, and had not our Brethren of Scotland be•…•… true, Popery had spread it self over this Kingdome, and long since we had been 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Papists and slaves to the King and his Prerogative. For the King was eclipsed by t•…•… Queen, and she perswaded him that Darknesse was Light, and that it was better to be 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Papist, then a Protestant, the Bishops affirmed as much, and the Learned Divin•…•… Preached good Romane Doctrine at Court, and cring'd and bow'd in the pulpit, flatte•…•… the King, pray'd for the Queen, and so got advancement to be Prebends and Dea•…•… of great Cathedrall Churches. The Judges put out the Light of the Kings understa•…•…¦sting, by telling him, That he had an unbounded Prerogative; The Court Politicians info••¦med him that Monopolies and Taxes would make his Subjects obedient, that such mil•…•… beginnings of slavery would make the people fit and apt for subjection, and that t•…•… Counsell-Table would be a terrour to those that were stubborne, and the High Comm••¦sion Court and Star-chamber would serve to Fine, and punish offenders. The light 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the Kings understanding being thus Eclipsed, and the eyes of the Protestant Rel•…•… being put out, we must have groap'd out the way to heaven through Catholike blin••¦nesse, without any light at all, unlesse it were the Wax Candles burning on the Altar, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the Light of Meriting by giving Almes; and the Bishops told the King, it was true Re•…•…¦gion

to pray unto the Lady Mary, and be rul'd by his little Queen Mary, for this was •…•…dolatry, but the way to increase his Royall Off-spring, and Progeny, whereupon 〈◊〉〈◊〉 King being in full Conjunction with this Popish Plannet, the Queen, hee was totally •…•…lipsed by her Counsell, who under the Royall Curtaines, perswaded him to advance 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Plots of the Catholikes, under the colour of mainteining the Protestant Religion. Or∣•…•…nary women, can in the Night time perswade their husbands to give them new Gowns 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Petticotes, and make them grant their desire; and could not Catholick Queen Mary •…•…ink ye) by her night discourses, encline the King to Popery? and make him beleeve 〈◊〉〈◊〉 he had no true obedient Subiects, but Catholikes, that there was no salvation out of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Church of Rome, that his Maiesties Predecessors of famous memory were Catholiks, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the Universities desired the advancement of Popery, all their Colledges being built 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Papists, that it was no disparagement for his Maiesty to acknowledge the Suprema∣•…•… of the Pope, while the Roundheads would take away his Prerogative, and therefore 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Maiestie should protect the Papists, and they would defend his Right, and pray for 〈◊〉〈◊〉 as their supream Governour next under the Pope. The Queen having thus read a •…•…taine Lecture to the King, hee began to be full of Fears and Jealousies, and to look 〈◊〉〈◊〉 a discontented brow upon his Parliament, and came with a swaggering crew of •…•…mmy-Cavaliers to the House of Commons, to take away the five Members, which •…•…le Act, being in vaine attempted, his Maiestie was perswaded, that his Person was 〈◊〉〈◊〉 danger by the comming to Court of a swarming multitude (as he called them) of un∣•…•… factious Brownists, Anabaptists, and Roundheads, and so forsaking the Parliament, he •…•…ed downe from London to York, thinking by his presence to gaine the Love of his •…•…thern Subiects, that is, The Catholikes and Delinquents in those parts, and so fell 〈◊〉〈◊〉 with his Parliament and people, & would not Love them, that were sick of Love for 〈◊〉〈◊〉, but in his Waine, or Charriot (like Phaethon) down he went, with his Evill Coun∣•…•…ors, that governed his affections, made him set England on fire, and engage is in the •…•…mbustion of a civill warre; then he began to set on foot the illegall Commission of Ar∣•…•…, and to get a Guard about him, as bigge as an Army, while his Maiestie made fine •…•…eeches to the Maior of Yorke, and to the Gentry and Yeomen in that County, endea∣•…•…ring to make the Parliament odious, and crying out for assistance against the Parlia∣•…•…nt, that would induce an Alteration of Government, and would all be Kings. The •…•…bitious Clergy, preach't very earnestly for the King; and contributed very largely to •…•…e the King an Army, to maintaine his Right, and the Protestant Religion, but indeed to •…•…hold the Usurping Bishops, who were then ready with Lucifer, to fall down even as 〈◊〉〈◊〉 as Hell.

The Sun of Maiestie, being thus Eclipsed by Errour, by Evill Counsell, and by the •…•…rs of Papists and Delinquents; has summonned by Proclamation, all the Malignants 〈◊〉〈◊〉 assist him in raysing a speedy warre against the Parliament, advising them, that as they •…•…dred Monarchy, and the true Protestant Religion, they should endeavour, under the •…•…our of a Guard, to raise him a great Army.

Hereupon the Malignants began to move forward in a posture of warre against the

Parliament, the Gentry sided with his Maiestie, and the common people were compel'•• or led on by a blind affection to the Crowne.

The Bishops began also to bussell up themselves, and to stand for the King an•• Queene, they remembred that Kings and Queenes had ever been indulgent fathers an•• nursing mothers to the Roman Church, that unlesse they had a King to support their Lub¦berly Lordships, they could not be King in their owne Dioces over the rest of the Cle••¦gie; and besides the Parliament had voted them out of the House, and therefore the•• would with St. Pauls sword fight for the Pope; Bishop Williams somtimes Chancellou•• of England, got himselfe Armes, with a Sword and Gauntlet, to kill Round-heads; he•• saw his Bishoprick was not long liv'd, and hee would not live to see it tooke from him▪ he had rather be kill'd or hang'd, which he deserv'd and his other fellow Bishops, ra¦ther then be outed and cast out of his Dioces and fat Bishoprick; with these fat Bul•…•… that were silent enough in their Pulpits) all the Malecontents ioyned, and all Proiecto•…•… that by Monopolies had made England mourne in foule linen, not for her sinnes, but fo•• want of soape, and some that had heard of William the Conqerour, would have Kin•• Charles be a Conquerour of his owne subiects; but it had beene better for him that he•• had Conquer'd himselfe, Conquer'd his own passion, subdu'd his affection to Poperi•…•… and subiected himselfe to reason, and come home unto his Parliament, then to be carrie•• on by evil councellours to shed the blood of his subiects, giving Commission to Prin•…•… Rupert to butcher and kill his subiects, and fire their houses; and all because they wou•…•… not be slaves, or put on fetters being born unto freedom; but would rather have the Ki•…•… see his errors, and acknowledge what others see and know, and have felt by the rage 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the Kings sword: O therefore let the King encline his Royall heart unto his people, an•• if he will be written valiant to posterity, let him I say, Conquer himself, and return fro•• Rebells and Traitors that possesse him. It is the eye of Justice which they shun, and h•…•… Sword which they fear: But the King hath in this a Prerogative, that he must onely 〈◊〉〈◊〉 tri'd in Foro Conscientiae, in the Court of his own Conscience, and no doubt but Mer•…•… may weigh downe his sinnes, if he would yet put an end to these bloody Warres, and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 friends with his Parliament and people; then he would shine againe in glory, but now 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the case stands all the love and obedience shew'd him by his subjects by the hazard 〈◊〉〈◊〉 their lives, to regain his Royall person, and to preserve their Liberties and Religion, a•…•… not at all regarded, and having lost the light of Reason, the light of Religion, and Mo••¦rall humanity, he doth yet endeavour by the help of the Cavaliers, to cut a passage wi•…•… the sword for the Romish religion to enter into England; yet it must march in upon t•…•… legs of the Protestant Religion, beare the same colours with it, and with Armies in t•…•… West, and Armies in the North all must be wasted and consum'd, and all the Protestan•…•… kil'd, and then the King and the Bishops and the Cavaleirs will alone maintain the Pr••¦testant Religion, and then there would be a strange new Government, if King Charl•…•… could subdue his subiects and bring them to slavery, he might be well called and stile•• William the Conquerour; for he would have his will prefer'd above Law, and as it is 〈◊〉〈◊〉 France, we should not have a bed, a dish, nay a spoone, or a stool to sit upon, but it mig•…•…

〈◊〉〈◊〉 taken from us for the Kings use, the Cavaleirs do shew you how it should be in Eng∣•…•…nd, they plunder and take away all they can finde, the goods of the Round-heads are •…•…eir owne, they have the Kings Commission for it, and if they will not yeeld they will •…•…ke them smoak for it, setting fire to the towne, and though the King be Eclips'd and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 seen in these actions, yet he cannot walke nor ride so invisible but his hand hath been •…•…en in these plundering firing Commissions, Signed with C. R. whereby wee may see, •…•…at R. which stands for the King is to be much blamed; for what the Cavaleirs do, may ••e said to be done by the King, if the Kings affections were not cruelly bent, the Cava∣••eirs actions would not be so bloody nor inhumane; but they know that all his Protesta∣••ions to maintain the Protestant Religion were but complement, and that now hee is so darkned in true glory, that we had need to pray he may recover the light of his Sceprer, •…•…d the love of his subiects, and therefore they will fight it out; desperate diseases must ••ave desperate cures, and the King will pawne his Crowne (if he could get it from West∣minster) to maintaine the Miter, and now fight Dog fight Bear, fight Cavaleir and fight Round-head, you have bark'd long enough at one another, and now the King will have you fight it out, though you fight him out of his Kingdome, and make him and his Ca∣•…•…leirs flie downe Westward, as if his Maiestie had done some mischiefe, he knowes the ••ound-heads will make severe constructions of his proceedings, and that his will first •…•…rried him from his Parliament; but ther's a thing call'd Conscience that doth follow ••fter the King and his Cavaleirs, faster then our Armies can doe, it doth bring in a Cata∣•…•…gue of crimes, and will twich the King by the heart and give him shrewd Items, it is worse then Hamlets Ghost; for it will haunt him every where, and cry unto him, O King •…•…pect revenge for the blood of thy subiects. VVho hath wasted, undone, and ruinated •…•…e most famous Kingdom of England? who hath fir'd the Towns, plunder'd, kill'd, and ••estroy'd his own subiects? who hath given Commission for it? who hath broke his word ••nd his promises made in so many Declarations? who sent for the Irish rebells to come ••ver to kill the Protestants, and who in all this war hath endeavour'd nothing but the •…•…intaining of Popery and his own Prerogative, I fear Conscience doth tell his Maie∣•…•…y it was King Charles; who hath for three yeers together and upward maintain'd an un∣•…•…turall war against his Parliament and people? Conscience replies, King Charles? who •…•…nt into Spaine to learn the Protestant religion, then return'd and married a Catholick Queene? who hath been a chief party in mischief against the Protestants? who harkned 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Queene Maries counsell, and beleeved it more then Gods word, and was angry and •…•…ught with his subiects, and 'tother day hang'd up fourteen Clothiers, was nor the King •…•…en present?

Did hee not come with an Armie from Yorke, which was all composed of Malignants ••nd Delinquents that fled from the Parliament, and of Papists, though His Maiestie ••romised their horses should have Protestant Riders, there were (as I said before) first •…•…e Bishops, or the Bishops Malignant money, which was sent into pay Souldiers that •…•…ould fight under the Popes Banner; and the lack-Latine Priests and Clergie contribu∣••ed largely to the Kings Armie, fearing that for their ignorance and scandalous lives,

they should be thrust out of their Viccarages and Parsonages, and that the Parliamen•• would put Religious Ministers in their places. The young flashing Gentrie that ha•…•… spent their father Patrimonie, in whoring and dicing, these would stake their fortune•• with the King, in hope to get estates and be Knighted for cutting the Protestants throat••▪ The countrey people would have their old wayes, their old fashions, and their old Re¦ligion, their old Homilies, which were better then Round-head Sermons, they woul•• have Feasts and Rush-bearings in the North, and Saint dayes, and give Cakes for a•…•… Christen Souls on All-Soules day, and being Ingram people, halfe Papists and half•• Atheists, they would stand for the King and the old Common prayer Booke, as for th•• Gospel and the Parliament, they knew not what they were, but they were perswaded i•• their countrey consciences, they ought to honour and obey the King.

And thus with an Army of Malignant Nobilitie, Clergie, Gentrie and Common peo¦ple, the King came to Kenton-field, and in some houres space made the ground looke re•• with the blood of his Subjects, is it for this he now hides his face from us, is he ashame•• that so many of his Subjects lives should be lost in one Field, I find no such matter i•• the Story, the King from this Field gets into the West, there to rest himselfe after he ha•• done so good a dayes work in butchering his Subiects at Kenton field, where many thou¦sands fell on both sides, as Sacrifices to his Prerogative.

But the King being now in the West, most of the Malignants coming in unto him, h•• had (as he thought) an invincible Armie, and therefore hee was resolved now with a•…•… crueltie to proceed against the Round-heads, and the Cavaliers proceeded in plunde••¦ing and firing of Townes, and killing all Round-heads; for it was his Maiesties pleasur•• they should so doe; Alasse what needes the King hide himself from the sight of his Par¦liament, and his other Subiects, hee fights but to maintaine his will as a law, or a thin•• above the law called Prerogative: Can Maiestie shine glorious without crueltie? Le•• Subiects hate their King, so they feare him, a few evill Counsellours can protect hi•• from all danger, and hath he not an Armie for a guard? It is then nothing but Consci¦ence, this troublesome thing Conscience, that will be telling His Maiestie of his faults and in despight of Digby, Cottington, and Jermin, will take the King alone, and charg•• the King with many cruell actions, that it hath rain'd blood all his raigne, that thoug•• the Pope and all the Devills in hell should encourage him in this bloudy warre, yet it i•• unnaturall in the sight of God and man, that there is a Hell and Domes-day, and Dam¦nation, as well for Kings, as poor Subiects, that when His Maiestie after a happy raign•• should end his dayes in a good old age, and with the love and honour of his Subiects b•• laid into his grave, what can he expect who hath murdred so many of His Subiects, an•• laid them in their Graves: But alas King, flie not from this Conscience, hide not thy selfe, doe not flie from place to place before the Lord Generalls Armie: Loosing game¦sters will change their places to change their luck, sick men will change their chambers to change their diseases: But thou, O King, that wert wont to cure the Kings evill in thy Subiects, art now made a King of evill consequence and destruction to thy King∣dome, by the influence of evill Councellours, the beames of Mercie, Pietie, Religion▪

Obedience to the Lawes, Omnipotency in goodnesse, not badnesse, Will conformable 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Gods Will, and thy Justice which should empale thy Brow, are took away from thee 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the Cavaliers; so that thou dost not see, or if see, not pittie thy distressed Subiects, •…•…d as long as thou art thus affected, thus darkned in thy Royall Attributes, and wilt be ••nely a King of Rebels and Cavaleirs, thou shalt be like unto Noahs Dove, not in inno∣••ency, but in flying from placs to place, and shalt not finde a place to rest thy foot in, as •…•…ng as this Deluge of blood doth overflow thy Kingdome.

But what a sawcie fellow is this Conscience? Canst thou not meddle with thy match, •…•…d tell poor men onely of their offences? Me thinkes thou should'st have little desire 〈◊〉〈◊〉 follow the Kings campe, when thou wert formerly whipt out of his Court, and out 〈◊〉〈◊〉 all the Courts of Justice; for hadst thou continued in this Kingdome, the Pope and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Majestie, and his Bishops could never have brought about their own ends: but when •…•…ou and Religion were banisht both together, then the Bishops began to laugh in their •…•…awne sleeves, then they thought to have alter'd the Case, and to alter the Table, alter •…•…eir Posture Preaching and Lordly titles, the little Bishop should have been a great •…•…rdinall, and the other Bishops should have governed the Church more Roman, ac∣••ording to the Roman fashion, and it should have beene drest and trickt up with the •…•…ages of St. Anthony, St. Francis, St. Patrick, St. John of Jerusalem, St. Dominick, •…•…d the Lady Marie; then Crosses, should have b••en new builded and painted over, •…•…re should have been little Preaching, unlesse they were Sermons of Libertie and free¦••ome of sports upon the Sabbath-day. And the little Levites the small Lights of the Gospel, should have walked in cloakes downe to their shooes like Jesuites, being in the ••niversities Jesuited in heart as well as habit, the Star-chamber should then have cen∣•…•…r'd Religious men to have their eares cut and clipt, as some were that suffer'd for thy •…•…ke; because Conscience would not permit them to see Poperie and blindnes brought •…•…o this land, to see the light of the Gospel Eclipsed and blowne out by the Divell and •…•…e Bishops; but Conscience what hast thou to do with Kings? may not they be flat∣•…•…r'd that they are Gods; but that thou must tell them they are but men? and that if they •…•…verne not their Subjects according to the known Lawes of the Land, and doe allow •…•…eir Subjects their Rights and Liberties, seeking not to alter but maintaine their Reli∣••ion, they are no better then wilfull bloody Tyrants. Is this thy blunt way of speaking •…•…to Kings? Well as long as thou takest this course, and dost lay before the King his •…•…e, his er••ors, his spilling of blood, with a long Catalogue of private sinnes, never •…•…agine that thou shalt rise in his favour, or be made a Bishop; for there was never any •…•…eat Courtier, Bishop, Lord-Keeper, or any eminent States-man that was created Lord-••onscience, Bishop-Conscience, Lord-Keeper-Conscience; for as soone as they were •…•…vanced to these dignities they had no Conscience at all, but would take bribes in the •…•…y of golden thanks, for giving unjust judgement to the overthrow of the best causes.

Is it not a fault in thee Conscience that the King cannot rest in his chamber, but thou •…•…st make him see strange Dreames and Visions, as the battell at Kenton-field, where so •…•…ch blood was spilt for the King; for this the King doth hide himselfe, is ashamed, and ••clips'd from the sight of his Subjects.

Why dost thou tell him of his Commission of Array, arming his Subjects to kill 〈◊〉〈◊〉 another? This is an old Story, must thou Conscience revive these matters in the Ki•…•… remembrance, and thereby seeke to Eclipse his fame and glory.

Cannot the Cavaleirs plunder the Kingdom all over, and fire Townes cum privile•…•… and shew the Kings hand, giving them Commission for it? but thou Conscience 〈◊〉〈◊〉 make the Kings heart ake for it, and tell him this is the way to be counted a Tyrant, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 to be Eclipsed in the love of his Subjects.

Must not his Maiestie favour Delinquent Lords: but thou Conscience must tell 〈◊〉〈◊〉 they are evill Counsellours, and that he hath almost undone Himselfe and his Poster•…•… by being ruled by these Malignants, who know if the wars should cease, the block 〈◊〉〈◊〉 expect them, or the gallowes, and therefore they will fight to defend the King from 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Enemies, which indeed are themselves, and the King must fight against his Subject•• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 keep them from the hands of Justice, and by this the fame and renowne of King Cha•…•… is Eclipsed.

Cannot the King suffer the Irish to kill so many thousand Protestants, and the•…•… make a Cessation of Armes with them, and to call them his Catholike subiects, and af•…•…¦ward to send for them by ten thousands at a time to aide him in this unnaturall war; 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Conscience must tell the King that this is contrary to his Protestations of maintain•…•… the Protestant Religion, when indeed this war was Bellum Papale, the Popes war, and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 setting up of Popery was alwayes intended: doth not this cruelty, this false dealing, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 bringing over and sending for Irish Rebells, Eclipse the glory of his Maiestie?

Conscience seems thus to reply, I fear neither King nor Subject; The King I tell 〈◊〉〈◊〉 true is in a great Eclipse of light and love of his people, I have shak'd him up soun•…•… and told him that he mockt the people with a smooth pretence of the maintaining 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Protestant Religion, that to defend Delinquents hee should not lay his Crowne at sta•…•… for if he should loose that, he could not stake again, that the dye of war was uncert•…•… that in this war nothing was certain to his Maiestie but losse, losse of his credit, and p•…•…¦haps the losse of his Kingdoms, that it was his fathers glory to write this for his Mo•…•… Beati Pacifici: But his Motto will in succeeding Ages be writ in Caracters of blo•…•… thus, Maledicti Belligeri, Cursed are the war-makers, That all the blood which 〈◊〉〈◊〉 been spilt will be laid unto his Maiesties charge: But the King is Eclipsed still, F•…•… by the Queene in chamber Coniunction with her, and now since by Malignant Coun•…•…¦lers, he hath (with griefe be it written) no Light, no Reason, no Religion left, but a•…•… Ecclipsed, and there is nothing but God and his owne conscience that can discover 〈◊〉〈◊〉 him that great Eclipse of Light which hee now suffers in the West, the causes whe•…•… have been here largely declared, and the King proved to be in a great Eclipse.

FINIS.