A parallel BETWEEN THE LATE TROVBLES IN SCOTLAND, AND THE PRESENT TROVBLES IN ENGLAND.  
Written by a private Gentleman.  
LONDON, Printed for W. C. 1642.   

A parallel between THE LATE TROVBLES IN SCOTLAND, AND the present troubles in England, written by a private Gentleman.  
IT hath been always held a rule, or maxim, among all Nations, and Countries, to make the defence of Religion the chief ground or cause of their warres, sometimes for mere politic ends and by respect● ▪ sometimes to plant religion where it is not, and sometimes to regulate it where it is; Amongst these three, the last seems most dangerous, because it seldom happens but under the territories of one and the same Prince, and so produceth the miserable effects of Civill Warres.  
But to come to my present purpose, wherein I intend briefly and comparatively to discourse of the late troubles that have happened both in Scotland, and England.  
And because my Needle hath not been touched( being the first that hath written upon this subject) if I vary in the compass, or meet with a rock, I shall expect some favour, although I will not sue for any special pardon, as not worthy of it, for he that follows himself, followeth the worst Master that is.  
The cause of those great troubles in Scotland, was the Innovation of Religion, and violation of the ancient laws and Statutes of the kingdom as sufficiently appeared by their several petitions and declarations. The chief Actors, plotters, and contrivers of those distractions and distempers were the Prelates, Bishops, Popish affencted clergy, and Papists joining themselves with a malignant party, ill affencted to the true Protestant Religion, which had a wicked and malicious intent and purpose to enthrall and bring into bondage and slavish subjection, both the souls, Persons, and Estates of three kingdoms at once. And by making use of the great favour, power, and authority of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the clergy began to sail after a Cynosure, which was elivated to the thirty six degree, and followed the example of Thomas Becket Archbishop of Canterbury, in the time of Hen. 2. who forswore himself( by denying the power of the King) to enlarge the power of the Pope, and to bring the Cannon Law into this Land. In the passage whereof Hen. 2. played Adreftus part, and stabbed himself.  
In England, as in Scotland our grievances chiefly consist of two kinds, either such as concern the Innovation of our Religion, or such as concern our laws and Liberties, as hath likewise often been declared, and set forth by many petitions and declarations.  
The fountain from whence these evils have sprung, and so consequently, our present distractions hath by too much experience been found to arise from those Incendiaries of mischief, the prelates, Popish Bishops, and Papists.  
To stir up those distempers in Scotland, the prelates join with Papists( who are never wanting to use there best skill and utmost power to stir up warres and division between kingdoms,) and finding the Archbishop of Canter●urie the onely Instrument to act the plot, he being the Darling of times( as itis said of Mounford in the time of Hen. 3.) first they labour to advance his greatness comperable to that of anselm Archbishop of Canterbury, tempore. Ed. 1. which took on him to be equal with the King, saying in one of his Epistles that the Plough of the holy Church was drawn by two Oxen of equal strength and beauty, the King and himself.  
The Archbishop being gotten to this hight, the rest of the prelates and clergy, want not Ambition to climb after him, their Canons and decrees must be of that force and authority, that none dare to dispute on the lawfulness of them like, the Cannons of that learned Synod in the reign of Richard 2. when Thomas arundel was Archbishop of Canterbury where they decreed that none should dispute upon the Articles determined in the Church, nor should doubt the authority of those decrees, the offenders to the contrary should be pronounced heretics. Such were the miseries that began to overtake us, by the potent greatness of these aspiring spirits, that they will not onely be content with that power which anselm was so puffed up with that he boasted of it; to be of equal authority, with the King, in the Church ▪ government, but they will be above him, the King must commit the whole sway of all ecclesiastical government into their hands; nay that will not serve their turns( which was to much) but they encroach into temporal jurisdiction also ▪ But as Swydas saith, for Priests to be temporal Iudges is to knit that which will never be twisted, and for a divine to meddle in secular affairs, is as if a bide in the air should with the Mouldwarpworke in the earth.  
To season this lump of matter, every kingdom hath many distinct and particular laws and customs, after a settled government, not before, as a batch of bread consists of many distinct loafes, after the distinction which before is contained vndistinguished under one Lump. A man consists of many distinct members, which at the first conception was not distinct.  
In Scotland, and likewise in England before the settling of a Civill government, their laws were not distinct, both participating of that general Law of humane policy, or rather barbarous customs were onely gained by the dime light or knowledge of heathenish understanding; since the dividing of these two Isles into kingdoms, their laws have been distinct which were not so before.  
But least by treating of the laws of these two kingdoms, I should wade too deep, and drown myself in a stream I never came at, I will return again to my present purpose, and give a short view of the miserable effects that have ensued by the Counsels and endeavours of these croaking frogs, or rather Spiders of the Common wealth, that by continual issuing forth their deadly poison, have cracked the Venus glass of peace and tranquillity.  
When Scotland first perceived their Religion betrayed, their laws violated, and their Liberties enthralled, and that these Incendiaries( like those favourites to Hen. 3. which were afterwards banished for it) had insinuated so far with his Majesty, that their sovereigns ear was stopped from hearing their just complaints, they openly declared their grievances to the world, and desired Iustice against the infringers of their Peace.  
Now their enemies malice against them is more enraged, they perceive their wicked ends were not onely like to bee frustrate, but their lives and fortunes endangered, they begin to strengthen their party, and turn their Invective counsels to advice his Majesty, that their petitions are scandalous, their Declarations and behaviour rebellious; and so labour to force by the terror of an Army, that which policy and threats could not accomplish. And so like Guido, Godfrey, and their followers, begin 
Temp. H. 3.  to act the part of their lawless rage, by seeking utterly to destroy all those that withstood their wicked enterprises, and by Projects and many heavy taxes oppressing, and in a tyrannical manner keeping this kingdom in slavish subjection, intending hereby to cut, off and overthrow two flourishing kingdoms at once.  
And although at this instant there were no present Levies of arms by the malignant party, openly intended against England, yet it plainly appeared that by endeavouring to engage the two nations in blood, the design against England was as great( if not greater) then that against Scotland.  
I shall not crush ou● my notes in this behalf, in any new divisio●, and the portion I shall allow, will not be large, therefore in the next place I shall onely give a touch, that when things were brought to this head, the jesuits and Papists( which are always thirsty after blood) now plot and contrive the forwarding of those warres, as the onely means to promote and advance the catholic cause. And perceiving that the want of money, was likely to prove a great hindrance to that design, they begin to make great proffers, hereby they onely will be deemed his Majesties best subjects, and as if the taxes under which the Protestants groaned were to light a burden for them, they will lay great taxes upon themselves, a servant that hath not above 40. revilings Per annum, must give five towards the promotion of this cause.  
And that the near union and correspondency between the prelates, and them, might be duly observed, the clergy go hand in hand with them, in this large contribution: and last of all, to show they wanted not affection to the catholic cause they grant large subsidies in their Synod under the name and colour of an aid. And no doubt such was their zeal( or rather their malice) that to have effected this work they would have Imitated their predecessors in the time of Hen. 2. which sold their Challices to advance their own ends.  
These persons being now in the hight of their glory, might justly have most cause to question their strength. crystal that fairly glistereth doth quickly break. And as the assent of usurped royalty is slippery; so the top is shaking and the fall great.  
All the strength and policy of this malignant party, not being able to defend them from sudden and most eminent danger, two Parliaments are forthwith summoned, one in England, and another in Scotland, his majesty being graciously pleased to make sweetness and Clemency the entrance to settle these distempered states. Now the currant began to run smooth and clear, all rough waves seem to be past, the sun shines bright and clear, the clouds are a little disperse, and the strength of our hopes gave us almost full assurance of a happy success, but when these mischievous Spirits, perceived that the wisdom and faithful advice of the Parliament in England, carried great Antipathy with their Counsels and endeavours, they prevail with his majesty to go into Scotland, and grant their demands( thinking it easier to contend with one Parliament, then with two) and his Majesty complying with the Parliament in Scotland, gave great assurance to our thirsty hopes, that his majesty would not be less ▪ gracious to his, Subjcts in England.  
At his return, he is received with great acclamations of joy, many professons of a true desire, & promises really to perform the like work in England, are made unto us and the Parliament, begins to move in its proper orb.  
But here me thinks my discourse wants one of the three dimensions. It is wide, and broad enough, but it wants depth, to show the sudden revolution & change of these things. And indeed it might seem very strange, and a thing beyond example, if we should not consider the reason, and occasion of summoning these Parliaments, and the rather, if we consider with what wisdom, mildness, temper, and Iudgement they have proceeded.  
But experience teacheth us, that great actions are seldom effected without much pains, and great dificulty; especially, when they meet with strong and apparent opposition, and as these Parliaments were not called out of any love or affection thereunto, but merely by compulsion, and constrant, to avoid a present danger, which there was no other means to escape; so now the malignant party perceiving that in case this Parliament, should be suffered to go on prosperously, their former plots would not only be made frustrate, but the knot so broken, and their wings so clipped, that they should never be able to put in practise any notorious acts suitable to their desires.  
Now they begin to muster up their forces a new, and endeavour not onely to destroy some members of either house, but the very essence and being, not onely of this Parliament, but of all Parliaments hereafter.  
Here me thinks, this skeyne in my hand is so twisted with the disparity between the effects of these two Parliaments of England, and Scotland, that I cannot without entangling wind it upon a proper bottom.  
The Parliament in England, hath been ever held the sovereign cure to heal all distempers of the kingdom, and the surest and safest counsel for the Kings of this Land to follow, being Magna Concilium Regis, especially in case of war, which was the reason that Edw. 3. being much encouraged to go with the King of France to the holy 
Rot. Parliament ▪ 6. E. 3  warres, and being advised thereunto by his council, refused to go without taking aduise of his Parliament, and caused a Parliament to be summoned for that very purpose? By which councils of Parliament many great breaches & ruptures, have been made up, and great distempers & distractions settled in a very short time, but such hath been the un-heard of opposition, that hath been made against this Parliament, through the continual multiplicity of new businesses, occasoned by the new plots and devices framed against them, by the Malignant party, that without eminent danger to the whole state and kingdom, they have not had time to punish offenders; nor means( his majesty being seduced by their wicked Counsels,) to redress grievances, having sufficient work to under prop and uphold the tottering fabric of this distempered kingdom, so that herein stands the disparity between the affairs in Scotland and England, that the Parliament there by reason of his Majesties grace and goodness, in complying with them, did effect that in three moneths, which the Parliament in England hath not been so happy to accomplish in 20 ▪ Moneths.  
Me thinks, my notes in this place, have the virtue of a Looking-glasse to show and represent that which is before, as well as that which is behind, In that behalf this short discourse being fully look't upon, as in a glass, may show the apparity of the causers, Agents, and effects of the troubles, both of England and Scotland to be the same, onely some few particular persons may be changed, or removed. I shall trouble you but with one example, we may remember that the principal actor( of the clergy) in the plotting and contriving of these troubles in their birth; was the Archbishop of Canterbury, but( according to the prophetical speech of King james, he brought up a bide to pick out his own Eyes) the Archbishop of york, hath now gotten the staff out of his hands, and acts his part more to the life: then ever he had been able to have done himself. Now also great proffers are made by these clergy, and the Papists towards the advancing of a Civill war in England, And although this that I have spoken be sufficient for my present purpose, yet Me thinks I hear Tilbury speak. It cannot fall within the compass of mans knowledge to utter the malicious intents of these persons, but as Pliny sheweth, that all Homers iliads were written in a Nut-shell, the whole matter of my discourse being perused, it may be you shall judge all sh●ll ▪ and no kernel, therefore I will not further enlarge myself for my mettall is melted, and my bellows by often blowing, have let out all their breath.  
FINIS.