A LETTER To a FRIEND in the COUNTRY, concerning his Grace the Duke of Buckingham.  
SIR,  
I Do confess the late proceed against the Duke of Buckingham surprises my Understanding more than ever any thing yet has done (in our Nation) since his Majesty's happy Restauration, and especially when we pretend to no Arbitrary Government; but since so infamous a person as Mrs. Le-Mar, and her Son can gain such points of favourable advantage against so great a man; what shall we of a lower degree expect, when any malicious Adversaries will please themselves to be revenged? In my opinion, the Compliment the Grand Signior generally uses to Favourites in disgrace, is much more tolerable, than to let such grand and infamous Impostors reign in their Perjuries and Subornations; not that I speak this in any reflection to his Majesty, whose innate principles of Justice is well known to all the World; but the matter I complain of, is, that his Ministers of State should have impudence enough, to dare to persuade him, to lessen himself so much to appear their Property, for the sake of their own Malice and Envy; and truly the proceed at the Council Table have showed no less, if we had not Testimonies of his Integrity and Love to Justice; for 'tis not equal to hear one party and not another in any cause; and far more abominable to encourage the Impostor, when lights have been so far offered, to make them appear so visibly to all the World.  
Sodomy no doubt is a very grievous sins, for it wrongs the intention of the Creation and Generation of the World; and for that reason, our wise Laws have provided a punishment fit for so horrid a sin; and I do not doubt, but this Great Man detests the abominableness of it as much, or more, than those judging people who wrong him in his Fame and Honour, in thinking and concluding him guilty. I may offer an English Proverb in this Case, and I hope not improper, That the old Woman have never looked for her Daughter in the Oven, but that she had been there herself. If it be a reflection to any one, they have urged it from an impartial hand, bribed to nothing but the Truth, nor for advantage would take the pains to write this. But knowing Truth to be but one thing, and that there is great variety in Wrong, makes me endeavour to defend that single Excellence, seeing that silver Dams stem her course, and would make her obscure her beautiful self, did not a courageous Innocency endeavour to pluck up the Sluice, and let the world see her naked Beauty.  
These cunning, yet silly managers have not wisdom enough to foresee the fatal consequence of their own Ruin, and by the dangerous snare they have laid for this great Duke, always make their own Estates and Lives insecure, when any Enemy that has money enough to engage Subornations, will please to make their lives their sports, to facillitate their own ends.  
And 'tis too practicable a thing now in our Nation to swear people out of all their beings; nor will it ever be otherwise while Money and Encouragement is given to those sort of Hellish Caterpillars, who eat people out of their lives in a formal pretence of Law, Swearing for the King, when every honest Subject that is lost, is taking away both an ornament and a supporter of his Dignity.  
There is another sort of Killing, besides taking away the Life, and that is a taking away a man's Reputation and Honour; and that these Mushrooms have learned from their especial St. Machiavelli, who tells you, Asperse and blacken much your Enemy, and some thing, (though not true) which still is to his disadvantage. This Course the Duke of Buckingham's back-friends have taken, and made several Calumnious Reports of him, and endeavoured to persuade his Majesty, that when he retired from a dangerous prospect of Imprisonment into France, that he was gone to break the King's Measures there.  
I would willingly know from any Learned man, whether his Grace would sell his own Country, betray his Majesty, enslave himself to Popery, and be sure of his own ruin, for revenge to the despicable Earl of D. because he contrived, assisted, and assists this Villainy against him.—  
But still the Snake lies underneath, and 'tis so cowardly a wickednedss, that they which still under hand act, are ashamed to own it, though villainous, and extrajudicial proceed daily are visible.  
Otherwise, why did they trouble the King and Council Table with a business of this Nature? Was it ever heard that Sodomy had a redress where there was no power to give it, or that a Court of no Record ought to hear Crimes of this nature? But I beg the Readers pardon, they would hear but one, and therefore 'tis to be hoped, 'twas to entertain their leisure, vacated by want of knowing what to do at that present time.  
Yet the Consequences of it were very malignant; for a poor petty Sessions at Westminster learned them their Lesson by their proceed; and so expert they were, that the very Jury had papers in their pockets, to interrogate the Duke's Evidences in matters not concerning what they came to evidence; and all to save dear Mr. L. a Pillar of the Congregation of D.  
The Justices looked themselves like Privy Councillors, and sweet Sr. F. like Precedent of the Board, the Crier thought himself no worse than Sr. P. L. but much more impudent: for when the Duke's Witnesses desired to hear what Verdict the chosen Jury brought in he told them fairly, they must remove.  
Then when the victorious Triumph was obtained for honest Mr. L. though matter of Subornation, was positively sworn by two untainted Witnesses, and the Bill for all that, found Ignoramus. Presently the Hector's of the Cause run to an Intelligencer, to let me Mobile see the innocency of the Young man, and scandalously and falsely, (not I believe mistakingly) prints an Infamous Woman brought to swear for the Duke, by Mrs. P. against Mr. L. when there was no such Woman as mentioned in that Paper, nor well known to Mrs. P. but the Woman that then swore before the Jury, was a worthy Widow of a man of great Reputation, and not brought by Mrs. P. nor known to her, that she was to be there.  
But they have nothing to support their scandalous Conspiracy against the D. of Buckingham, but Lies and Perjuries, and they imagine, if they defame his Evidences, they gain a point of mischief, and that pleases these silly underhand Knaves.  
But, Sir, you were pleased in your last to desire an account how this matter came to be scanned before the Council; truly at the first I was as much to seek in that matter, as I presume you are, but very lately enquiring into it, some that Justice Barnsley having taken the Examination of Le-Mar, was sent for the next day to the Tower, to the Lord D. who, although a Traitor under Impeachment, having no just way to acquit himself, but by an illegal Pardon, yet had he the impudence to chastise the Justice for doing but his Duty, and withal, letting him know, he should come to trouble for doing that Act, although it cannot be denied by every honest man, that it was a Legal Action: however within some few days time (according to this Great Lords Prognostication) the Council did interpose in the affair, and ordered the Justice to be turned out of the Commission of the Peace, for daring to venture to take a Confession from Le-Mar, wherein it did manifestly appear, the Lord D. (as the chief Villain) was accused. I am sorry to be thus over-tedious, and therefore shall not further tyre your patience, only this, that since the printed Bawd took the boldness to tell the world of an Order for the prosecution of the Justice, and others for doing their duty, it may not be amiss to inform you, the Effect of that Order in Surrey, as well as Sr. W's Jury in Westminster, the great Lord D. having by his own Attorney, got an Indictment drawn against the Justice for tampering with Le-Mar, was at the charge of a Coach and four Horses to carry Le-Mar, to the Sessions at Croyden in State, there to swear the Indictment, which was so lamely done, that had it not been for Sr. J. B's. Clerk, and the Order of Council, and several Clerks of the Council that took the pains to bring Le-Mar's Examinations taken before them formerly, and to give them for Evidence to the Jury, by the Chair-man's express Order, the Knave in the Tower had lost both his labour and charge; insomuch that the Jury themselves that were awed two or three times together, refused to find the matter; but this silly, silly, as well as the Knave, got a mighty point in this great Action, insomuch that the CRACK-FART of the Nation ought to take especial notice. And here give me leave to observe the difference of the two Sessions, one could not find the Bill with two positive Evidences; at the other, there was not one but the Papers, and the power of the Justice, telling the Jury, that a probability was enough, especially where the Council had ordered the matter.  
FINIS.