Thomas Dangerfield's ANSWER To a Certain SCANDALOUS PAPER, ENTITLED, The KING'S EVIDENCE Vindicated, as to the Imputation of PERJURY.  
'TIS now come to that pass, that if a Man have a design either to play the Fool or the Knave, the way is ready chalked out for him; It is but pretending he has a Friend in the Country, which has a corn or scruple in his Conscience that very much pains him, and then the busy Casuist betakes himself to his Pen, pretends an Answer to his pretended Friend, and so takes an occasion to follow the steps of the worst of men; who, but lately, hath under the same Notion scarce left a person, from his King to the meanest Subject, on whom he had not made some reflection or other. And these are the usual ways which some men take to expose their Quack-salving Receipts upon the Stage of the World.  
Some such kind of Charletan is that nimble Critic, that pretends to Vindicate the King's Evidence, as to the Imputation of Perjury, in a Letter to a Friend. Such a Letter, which it may be easily believed, never saw the Posthouse, or ever Lodged in Carrier's Pouch: Such a Letter, that he who occasioned it, was an overcurious Nicodemus; and he that Answered it, was a man of too mutable Genius, to make his Argument hold up to a Vindication; A piece of such double-diligience, and of a tincture so agreeable to that of the Meal-Tub, as if Madam Cellier had shamed an Affidavit or two for the delay of her Trial, only in expectation of having Mr. D's. Evidence more plausibly rediculed, for her second delivery. How exorbitantly, and without fear or wit, the Evidence for the King has been hitherto openly attacked in base Scurrilous Pamphlets, and accused of Perjuries, etc. without the least probable ground, is well enough known; but because all those silly Aggressors failed, up starts one of the Holy Catholic stamp, and at a— random-distance in his Party-per-pale habit, with a Py-bald Conscience, thinks to stab their credit in that friendly disguise of a Letter to a Friend. I am sure, as to the Subject, no true Protestant could have pitched upon it, but for mischiefs-sake, and to some bad end (a thing which such a person I hope would not be guilty of): And as for the person, he scorns your Vindication, but strangely admires your confidence in pointing at him so particularly with your base Perjuries, as if your Hobgoblin-Title had only undertaken to Bugbear him alone from his Assertions of too near approaching Truth, because so formidable to the Infernal Crew of your Catholick-party.  
But to descend from the Title to the purulent matter itself, you shall find this same Quack-salving Operator provoking the sick and weak conscience of his tender friend and patient, to disgorge the undigested uncleanliness of his surmised scruples; that so, under the covert of dissembled Protestantism, he might be the better enabled to revive the old wont method of discoursing by Evasions, Equivocations, Mental Reservations, etc. and envenom wounds of his own making, otherwise what can be the meaning of those Repetitions of his pretended Friends words. You mention his Felonies and Perjuries; say you, if such a Villain should be credited, etc. What are these but knaush Insinuations, to call the King's Evidence Perjured, and Villains, under the pretence of a Vindication; but rather to beget a disbelief of his Testimony in the hearts of the people, to create jealousies and fears, to stagger and amuse the more sage persons; and in fine, it could be intended for no other end than dis-unity and confusion; by which officious kindness of his, he has endeavoured to tax me with far greater Crimes, than ever Madam Cellier in the height of all her spleen could invent: But it seems, that what that bold Virago, my open Enemy left undone, this same Tinker of Consciences has undertaken, in the habit of a Friend to accomplish.  
And that you may the better see how he goes on, undermining that Reputation which he pretends to Vindicate, he lays the soundation of his discourse in these words; I say, says he, that notwithstanding all the Felonies and Perjuries you suggest that Mr. D. may have been guilty of; I assert, that his Evidence is as good as that of any Papist, that is a Traitor to a Protestant King.  
And thus you see, while he seems to lick up the Vomit of his Friend, and swallow the filthiness of his disburdened Conscience, he still reserves the Venom under his Tongue; in fine, 'tis a mere Paper-Plot, to nip the buds of good opinion in the spring of Reformation, and blast the fruit which the safety of the King and Kingdom are expecting to gather from it; For do but consider it, and you shall find the whole Conscience Bolus, which this Empiric of a Casuist has prescribed to his Patient in the Country, to be nothing else but a halfpenny Question confidently begged, false grounds, and fictitious surmizes, to make the world believe a thing that never was; a piece of smooth Lestrangism, and Masqueraded Knavery, to debauch the Juries of the Nation in point of my Testimony.  
Otherwise why should he suggest me to be guilty of Perjury, a Crime that among all my miscarriages, was never yet laid to my charge? Certain it is, that even when I was a Papist and Conspirator, it is well known, how tender I was of an Oath, before the Right Honourable, one of His Majesty's Secretaries of State, before whom I refused to Swear for the good of the Catholic Cause, what I knew to be false, though the whole stress of the Sham-Plot depended upon it; for which I was well assured of absolution, and had the fair prospect of a considerable Popish Fortune; upon which refusal I lost my Warrant; and as the Great Allseeing God would have it, broke the neck of that hopeful (but Hellish) design, which was laid against so many Innocents', by a timely discovery, to the Grand detriment of the whole Popish Cause.  
A man of integrity and honest principles, would have been sure of some unquestionable instance, before he surmised or suggested such a Chimerical Scandal, and of such consequence against any person under worse Circumstances than Mr. D. And therefore they that look upon that person (whoever he be) to be a Friend and Vindicator of myself, or any other of the King's Evidence that have yet appeared, are most egregiously mistaken.  
But for all this, I assert, says he, that his Evidence is as good as that of any Papists, that is a Traitor to a Protestant King. Now look ye Mr. Assertor, 'tis not a straw matter what you Assert, since it is so little to the purpose; neither have you any thanks for that Assertion, until you can appear, and make it out more plain, than your villifying-pen has yet done; till which time, on the other side, they assert, That you are a dissembler, a busybody, a man of lost labour, and that which is worse, my equivocating, flattering Friend. But, Sir, know you are quite besides the Cushion, for it is now past the question, Whether or no my Evidence be but as good as that of any Papists, whose principles, as you say, and every body knows, are Equivocations, Mental Reservations, Treasons, Deposing of Kings and Princes, together with all the most Enormous Crimes imaginable; but yet that which is still worse than all those put together, Perjuries; a Sin, which even the greatest Criminals (a Papist excepted) abhors; and will rather choose an ignominious death, than to live by a false accusation.  
Now, Sir, to let you know how much my Evidence is beyond that of any Papists, or Rebel-Traytor. Observe that I am Rectus in Curia, Legalis homo; so that unless you can prove me to have committed what you suggest (which is certain you never can), I boldly tell you, I think myself a better Witness than either yourself, your friend, or e'er a Papist breathing: For what have we to do with a sort of people, whose principle it is, not to keep any Faith with Heretics? or who would be in love with that Religion (if I may call it so) whose bond is Perjury, whose badge is Rebellion? therefore come out from amongst them, be no longer a partaker in their most notorious Villainies, lest you receive also of the Plagues which (undoubtedly) God has prepared for them.  
What a noise have we had with an officious Casuist, who gives himself the trouble of raising a Question, where there is no question to be made; which does but create in us a real Confirmation, that all his Reasons thereupon urged, trite and common Stories, were only the pretence that gave him liberty to scribble. But his main design and drift was quite of another strain; that is to say, to Invallidate my Testimony, by comparing it with that of Popish Traitors and Rebels; and by starting a remote question, and drawing false conclusions from bare surmizes, to give a plaufible opportunity to call one of the King's Evidence Perjured Villain, as a Preparative for the great Trials shortly at hand.  
Sir, you will do well to find some better employment for your uneasy Conscience, which is to apply yourself to the only preserver of Kings and Kingdoms, for your speedy Conversion. After which I could readily embrace you with that sort of tenderness, as is becoming a reformed person and a good Christian.  
T. D.   

London, Printed for Richard Janeway in Queens-head-Alley in Pater-noster-Row. 1680.