A LETTER To His Grace the D. of MONMOUTH, this 15th. of July, 1680. By a true Lover of His Person, and the Peace of the KINGDOM.  
May it please Your Grace,  
THE many Discourses that of late have been bandied up and down by all Parties in this Kingdom touching your Gràce, hath been a great trouble to those that are your Real Friends, who have not had an opportunity of communicating to You their Sentiments of the present Clamours that concern Your Grace: And they cannot yet adventure to do it for want of that Intimacy and Interest that some Ill Affected Persons have with Your Grace, which hath administered so much Noise and Talk among the Vulgar, and hath been so highly Detrimental to You, both in respect to Your Interest in the King's Favour, and the Honour your Grace has attained to by your Heroic and Generous Actions, both at Home and Abroad, enough to make the whole World your Friend.  
Sir, I have no Design in this Address to YOU. but Humbly to Represent to Your Grace, what Sad Consequences have befallen the Persons of Princes and Great Men, by adhering to Flatterers, and Evil Counsels, especially such as propose ways to the highest Honours imaginable, and yet at the same time lay a Foundation for their Eternal Dishonour and Ruin. Thus have I seen Ambitious Men after they have been raised up from a Mean Fortune, become the greatest Statesmen and Favourites of their Prince, and at the same time been undermined by Flattering and Deceitful Persons, even to their utter Ruin: Instances enough there may be found in Records of latest Times. Not that by this I any ways Reflect upon the present Circumstances of Your Grace; For YOU are a Person whom no Man has a greater Veneration and I onour for than myself; Yet my Lord, when I consider what strange Sentiments the People have had of late concerning the present State of the Government, and what great Influences some Ill Affected Persons have over them, to make them fit for any Project that shall be proposed for the Alteration thereof; I cannot but with great and just Complaint, and Indignation too, say, that they deserve not the least Shelter in that Government, the Support of which only proceeds from Peace and Unity among ourselves.  
My Lord, When a Nation grows weary of Government, it's high time for the Prince to look narrowly after the little Politicians that are Designing its Alteration and Ruin; And no one can better serve the Interest of his Prince and Country, then by finding out, and discovering the Intrigues of such Men; And when found out, to make them Loathsome and Obnoxious to the People. This aught to be the Duty of every Loyal hearted Subject: And, as I am sure 'tis your Grace's Duty, so 'tis highly Your Interest; For by the Destruction of the Monarchy of England, and Government thereof no Ends can be served, but those that lead down to the Chambers of Death.  
That such Men are abroad, and now at work in order thereunto, is not unknown to many of the King's old and true Friends; who, though they have not been advanced to such high places in the Government, nor rewarded for old Faithful Services, (through the Artifice of some late cunning Statesmen,) as others that never were (or scarce ever will be) Faithful to the King and Kingdom's Interest; yet have they both Hearts, and Wills, and Abilities too, (when ever lawfully commanded,) to oppose, and Dissipate too these LEADERS in the common wealth ●action. And my Lord, 'twill be all our Interests so to do; For let such Men pretend to what they will, by advancing in the Opinion of the Vulgar such a Man to day and to morrow deliver over another to the Rage of the People, by Loading and Branding him with odious Terms; 'Tis a Thousand to one but the next day Him in they had so advanced in the Opinion of the People, shall be made the Object of their Scorn.  
When My Lord, We seriously Consider, and Reflect on the past Actions of Men of such Principles as these, We cannot but Loath and Abominate them: Oh how Happy is our Government, What a Good King, What Admirable Laws, What an Excellent Religion have we? (if rightly and truly observed,) and yet not contented, but seek after new Paths that lead to Confusion and Ruin of all. My Lord, Before Government was settled in the first Ages of the World, that Eternal Rule of Justice of Doing to all Men as you would they should do unto you, was an Obligation even to the very Heathens themselves; That bound Contracts, kept Promises, affirmed Truth, made Subjects Obedient, and Princes just: Why shall such Men pretend to Christianity, and not mind the Laws and Duties thereof. This Excellent Religion bids us by an express Precept, (though to a Heathen Prince,) render to Caesar his Tributes and Deuce; It's true, in all other particulars it was necessary that the Instances and Minutes of Justice be appointed by the Laws and Customs of the several Kingdoms and Republics, and therefore it was that Christianity so well combined with the Government of Heathen Princes; Because, whatsoever was naturally Just, or Declared so by the Political Power, their Religion bound them to observe, making Obedience to be a double Duty; a Duty both of Justice and Religion. — Thus the Christian Loyal Subject.— But for the Democratical Man, that is never quiet under any Government so long as it serves not his own private Interest; what Security can any Kingdom have of Him, neither Laws nor Counsels, Oaths nor Engagements shall oblige Him to Duty and Obedience when He sees it necessary to give a blow to the Government; from such Persons, and such Company, it behoves all good Subjects to have no communication with.  
My Lord, These are the Men that have made such a Bustle of late, with their Plots and Contrivances to bring Us into Confusion: Now as Your Grace is both by Duty and Interest obliged, so let the Humble Request of your True and Real Friends, persuade You to mind no other Interest besides that of the Common Good; You are in the Eye of the People, and Beloved by all, for those Expressions of Goodness, and Valiant Acts You have performed both at Home and Abroad; It's much Lamented, and taken to Heart by your best Friends, that there are a sort of Men who have made it their Business of late to advance You Higher than the Wisdom and Favour of the King has made you; We do say They are Your Enemies, and seek after Your Ruin, though We doubt not at all that any of their pernicious and Self-designing counsels shall ever Sway with so Noble and Prudent a Prince as Your Grace, to derogate in the least from those Innate and Imbred Principles in Your Soul; of Loyalty and Obedience to the best of Kings, &  
These are the Men, that would (with Joab) send for the Wise Woman, to persuade King David to admit of a Return for Absalon his Son; and when they had effected it, leave him to himself, till Anger and Passion had set Fire to the Field of Joab: These are the Men, that would have advised Absalon to make Chariots, and to take 50 Men to run before him, and appoint his Time and Station, besides the way of the Gate, to inquire of the Tribes of Israel that came up to the King for Justice, what their Controversies and Matters were; These are the Men that would advise young Absalon, that since David had appointed no one to hear their Grievances, (which was a Political Lie,) and relieve their Oppressions, to wish, O that I were made Judge in the Land, that every Man that hath any Suit or Cause, might come to Me, and I would do him Justice. In short, these Principled Men were they that set on Absalon to steal away the Hearts of the People from the King; These are they that advised him to go to Hebron to pay his Vow; And These were the Men that led him into Actual Rebellion against his Father, and to be destroyed by some of the very Hands that had assisted him in those pernicious Counsels.  
So that from hence we may conclude, that the greatest safety in this World consists in being Peaceable, and of a Submissive Spirit; A Spirit so Eminently seen by all People in Your Grace under the present Circumstances, that You have won the Hearts of all Worthy Persons, and Loyal Hearts.  
Now from what has been said, I hope it will not give the least Offence to You; For I do protest to Your Grace, I am so much Your Entirely Affectionate, and Devoted Servant, that next to my Allegiance to my KING, and my Steadfastness to the Royal Interest, I Declare, I would in Defence of Your Person in any Just ●ause Sacrifice my Life and Fortune, with which I will conclude,  
York, the 15 of July 1680. My Lord, Your Graces Most Affectionate Servant, C. F.