CERTAIN PROPOSITIONS OFFERED TO THE CONSIDERATION OF THE Honourable Houses OF PARLIAMENT.  
LONDON, Printed in the Year 1642.   

PROPOSITIONS OFFERED TO THE CONSIDEration of the Honourable Houses of PARLIAMENT.  
May it please your Honours,  
BEing that your four notorious Victories over the Cavaliers (that at Worcester, that at Keinton, that at Brainford, and that lately at Malborough) have now as you promised, taught the present Age, and will hereafter teach the succeeding, what it is to run into so heinous crimes; And whereas things stand now so, that you need not any longer hire Mr Booker to calculate Path-ways on your side; These your great Conquests (which will terrify Historians from writing them) and these your glorious Felicities (which are even burdensome to yourselves) having given you leisure to hearken to the sighs and groans of the people, to whom you promised a Through reformation: That you may in some part satisfy their expectations, the time of good tidings (which the King's men commonly call Christmas) being now at hand, I have thought fit to present unto you these few ensuing Considerations, which upon mature advice I presume you will find to be of much weight with yourselves, and of much concernment to the Commonwealth.  
1. That the time of gaming being now come in, you would be pleased to take into your serious consideration that scandalous Pack of Cards, which hath, upon the Coats, names unfit for Regenerate ears; as Hercules, Alexander, Julius Caesar, and Hector of Troy, and such like; and that you would change them into Old Testament Names, as the Kings to be David, Josiah, Solomon, Hezekiah: the Queens, Sarah, Rachel, Hester, Susanna: and the Knaves lastly, Balaac, Achitophel, Tobit, and Bel. It is not without ground conceived, that the Israel of God would be well pleased now and then to recreate themselves at New-Cutt, and some such other games, if they had Kings and Queens of the Circumcision, and Knaves of the Covenant. Or if some men out of an holy dislike to Antiquity, should desire to have Modern Kings and Queens, and Knaves; that upon the four Kings you would put the Names of any four of the five Members, and upon the four Queens any four women belonging to them, and upon the four Knaves, Calamy, Martial, Downing, and Burges. For as yourselves have served us in making men take up Arms against the King, and these Ministers have served you in absolving them that were Captives, of that Oath which the King gave them, not to bear Arms against Him; so both of you deserve to have your memories kept fresh in Statues: and how that may be done more conveniently than this way, I see not.  
2. That seeing you have a very useful gift, and a great Talon in Multiplying things to the advantage of the Common cause, and that many eyes see more than few, and so may do more good to the Commonwealth, you would be pleased to consider, if it were not worth the labour to employ some skilful men in the making of two sorts of Dice: Confiding Dice, and Malignant Dice; the Confiding to be eyed with Caters, Cinques, and Sices: and the Malignant with nothing but Aceses, Deuxes, and Treys; the which Dice are to be so ordered, that the Confiding may be sold to the Confiding, and the Malignant to the Malignant; that so we may make a lawful and holy game for you. But provided, that for fear we be suspected of false play, it be ordered that these Dice be thrown out of Parliament Boxes.  
3. That during all this good tide, there be no Hazard allowed, but with an eye upon the Commonwealth: and that instead of the Night that is usually destined to the profit of the Butler, there be a Night destined to the two Houses of Parliament, and that the Burgesses of every town (who through the thinness of affairs may conveniently now be dispensed with) go down into their several Countries to look to the Boxes; who for ministering to the Commonwealth in such a service, shall have a considerable allowance out of the gains. This I conceive (next to the showing of the Monstrous Lord with the five Members, in Fairs and Markets) will most conduce to the swelling of the Public Burse: and it is very fit that you, that have undergone the burden of affairs, should have a share out of all the Losses of the Kingdom.  
4. That there be no Masking, Mumming, Blindman-buff, Leading Hoodwinked, or such like Gambols, during the Twelve days, Acted or performed in any place, but in either, or both houses, or some of the Courts where the Committees sit, or lastly (which is accounted the fare fittest place) in some of the City Halls, where there hath been a conference between the Members, and the Aldermen: It being a great usurpation upon the privileges of this Parliament, that any one (without your leaves) should lie hid in any dress or disguise, so as to see all the rest, and not be seen himself of them.  
5. That being your sage Counsels have thought fit to vote down Stage-Players root and branch, but many even of the well-affected to that Reformation have found, and hope hereafter to find, Playhouses most convenient, and parry places of meeting: and that now in this Bagpipe Minstralfie week (I mean, this red pack of leisure days that is coming) there must be some Interludes whether you will or no: You would be pleased to declare yourselves, that you never meant to take away the calling of Stageplays, but reform the abuse of it; that is, that they bring no profane plots, but take them out of the Scripture all (as that of Joseph and his brethren would make the Ladies weep: that of David and his Troubles would do pretty well for this present: and doubtless Susanna and the two Elders would be a Scene that would take above any that was ever yet presented) It would not be amiss too, if instead of the Music that plays between Acts, there were only a Psalm sung for distinction sake. This might be easily brought to pass, if either the Court Play-writers be commanded to read the Scripture, or the City-Scripture-Readers be commanded to write Plays. This as it would much advantage our Part, so it would much disadvantage the King's: for as by it we should gain a new place of Edifying, so Captain Trig, and the rest of the Players which are now in service, would doubtlessly return to their callings, and much lessen the King's Army.  
6. That instead of Carols, which Farmers sons, and servants sing on Christ's Birthday before they may eat or drink, you take order, that by some of your best City-Poets (who will write certainly to their capacity) there be some songs made of the great deeds that his Excellency did at Worcester, and Edge-hill, in which 'twould do admirably well, if there were inserted a mention of that honorary sum of five thousand pounds which you presented him with after his Triumph through Kings-street; that so, if Posterity should chance to question (as all certainties, you know, may be more then questioned) whether he got the victory or no, they may be compelled to this Dilemma; either to acknowledge His Nobleness that would receive so little for conquering, or your Liberality that would give him so much for being beaten.  
7. Being Nativity-Pies must be eaten with Spoons, and at the good time the good old people bring out Plate older than themselves, among which there are most commonly the Twelve Apostles, that is, a dozen of Sainted spoons, so that their very instruments of eating are so many Idols, it is more than wished you would take away those Apostles, as being now scandalous superfluities: and that your own heads (as you can best agree among yourselves) were fixed upon them: which next to that I mentioned of the Cards, would be a pretty kind of Statue to keep up your glories.  
8. Being your Papers (which a while very handsomely thrust out Epistles and Gospels in many places) are not now read in Churches, and that they begin nor to be prevalent, but with the ignorant of your own party, and some few of the King's servants, which are paid by you, as well as by Him, and therefore may be called Double-Pentioners: That (it being now a time when much fruit and spice is to be vented) you would send all your Declarations, Messages, Answers, Replies, and such like weekly productions, to the Grocers, with a command, that they make up their fruits, and spices in no other paper but them, which Art will disperse them, not into every shire but into every house; so that no necessary business, that requires paper, would be done without them.  
9 And lastly, That as the Revenues of Bishops, and Cathedrals, and many Lay-Land-Lords are already set apart for public disposal, so you would opportunely advise of a way to sequester all New-yeares-guifts (as Capons, Turkeys, Hens, Geese, and such things as will live) for the use of the King and Parliament, and command them to be immediately after the Day brought up to London; and withal, that for their better safety, your own High Sheriffs (which we hear you are now pricking) may raise a posse Comitatûs to conduct them in Droves from Shire to Shire. This I conceive will relish well with the ordinary sort of Citizens, who begin already to be nice Stomached, and shortly will be able to get down nothing but what falls from Heaven.  
These grand Considerations I thought fit to present to you, because you have now carried up things to that height, that the people expect nothing little from you. They are but few in number, but your wisdom is great, and it is easy to add to another man's Invention.  
And thus I have discharged my duty to you, without which I should not have thought I had closed the Year as a Subject, and a true Member of the Commonwealth.  
FINIS.