THE TRUE CHARACTER OF AN ORDINANCE OF PARLIAMENT in general.  Written by Tho. Tel-troth, Clerk to the long-abused Commons in England, Scotland and Ireland. 
Printed at Amsterdam 1647.  
AN Ordirance of Parliament (without the Royal assent) is an illegitimate Monster, or State-bastard, begotten between Pride and Disobedience, and forced upon the Commonwealth to keep: It hath so many fathers, that one cannot tell who had the greatest share in begetting it, unless the Devil the father of Lies, who is the grand cause of its Production; It enters into the world in a confused and monstrous shape, not much unlike to a Bear-whelp, which some Knave or Promoting Varlet in a City or Company licks into a form, and so draws it up, or apparels it in the Cobweb-lawn Rags of his own ignorance, folly, madness or Knavery, till it be dressed up, and made ready to be presented to the gods of this world, to be dipped or sprinkled; The Godfathers consist most of Commons, and many times of LORDS and COMMONS; the Gosips are Mrs. Trouble-state, and Mrs. Wood-have-all; The Holy Synod, (that are always too officious to undo the poor Commonwealth, sprinkles it, and prays over it, which besides THE ORDINANCE (God save us from a gun) which this young babe of grace, (in stead of Crossing,) is marked withal in the forehead when it receives the adoption, with a new Ceremony or Subscription at the tail, made by the Clerk, H El. That hereafter it may not be ashamed to fight under their banners. All which Ceremonies being performed, it is committed to the care of that learned Typographist E. Husbands to be schooled, or taught to speak plain English at his school on Addling Hill: He many times hath a lease of his life, and continues sometimes a year, sometimes more, and sometimes less; he hath a numerous issue, and all named alike; Ordinance is a common Name for them all; only their surnames are all as different as their natures, for there is such disparity between them, that they seldom agree in one and the same thing; therefore it is not much amiss to rank them in order.  
Ordinance for raising men under the E. of Essex, to murder his Majesty's Loyal Subjects, as if than our happy peaceable estate under the government of so pious, good and merciful a Prince, (that all Christendom cannot parallel) had procured such an universal Plague, that nothing could cure the same but the sword, to let out the very heartblood of his nurse the Commonwealth, to the utter ruin of millions, both in lives and Estates.  
Ordinance for the Earl of Straff●rds blood, written in so red a Character, and cried so lowed to heaven for Justice, that it immediately brought the Plague of the bloody-issue over all Ireland, nay and England too; V●x sanguinis fratrum vestrorum clamat de terra. The voice of the blood of their murdered brethren cryeth out of the earth against them: And this voice it is that hath had so powerful and forceable a working amongst them.  
The Ordinance to butcher the Bishop of Canterbury, so eagerly prosecuted by the over-blinde zeal, hate, and malice of his cruel persecuters, that the rather wrought home their own Plagues, than that Martyr's punishment, when they preferred him to more Titles, and greater glory by putting him to death; When they condemned him, than they crowned him, when they killed him, than they gave him life, when they spoiled him, even than they enriched him. Plures efficinem, quoties metimur a vobis, semen est sanguis Christianorum. Our number increaseth so often as you reap us, and the seed of the Church is the blood of Christians. The more the Children of Israel were oppressed the more they increased, and so it is in all true Protestants, as Saint Augustine, saith, 22 de civitat. cap. 7. Resurrectio immortalitatis pullulabat faecundius, cum in Martirum sanguine sereretur, The resurrection of Immortality sprung more fertilly, when it was sown in the blood of Martyrs; The sweet spice yields the better scent when it is bruised or pounded; when you persecute such Men, you but till & manure the ground of the Church; and though you think by such means to root out her corn, you but sow seed, that soon after will spring with a more glorious and plentiful harvest. I might enlarge myself much upon this subject, and tell you of many other things that are not half so strange as true, to remember you of one Timkins, chaloner, His Majesty's Messenger, and many others, that died with no more Law, than you yourselves had Gospel when you condemned thence; These are all notched upon your Parliament-tally, and must for certain (in the end) come to a strict reckoning.  
The great constancy of these men's sufferings inciteth all Loyal Subjects to look the more steadfastly into their Cause, that so by seeking they may find, understand, and believe, and become all as ready to die in the just Cause of so good a King, as these men did.  
If you daily devise to vex and grieve his Majesty with Propositions, which yourselves know before you frame them, that it standeth not with his Majesty's honour, neither can he sign unto them without danger of a perjured conscience, that must needs render him as odious both to God and all honest men, as yourselves are, for the breach of your several Oaths of Allegiance unto him; or if you carry this Royal Ark to any one of your four Prisons, (as the report goeth) you must expect plague-fores, swell, rise, and blanes breaking forth too; it will not be the fear of Prisons, Racking, Hanging, Drawing, nay grinding to pieces that will affright thousand of thousands of Loyal Subjects from their obedience to His Majesty; all the Tyranny you can invent, or inflict upon us, shall be but a testimony and proof of our Allegiance and Fidelity to our Gracious Sovereign, that God hath placed over us; so long as that impregnable Fort Royal holds out, there is not the least doubt of Victory, since it is so strongly fortified with Grace, and armed with the complete armour of Righteousness, man'd with Angels, whose chief Governor is the Lord of Hosts, in whose hand the heart of the King is: If Sir Thomas lay siege to this Fort, (as God forbidden) he'll lose more men before it, than ever the Conqueror did before Bazing-house: But I hope better of that Noble General; and am persuaded, that though never so many rebellious Monsters should rise up against Him, and should imbrue their bloody and cruel hands in the fresh bleeding wounds of Him and his Loyal Subjects, and make never so loud a noise of victory, yet when it cometh to the proof, God will show them (by rueful experience) that all the noise and sound of victory, was but the sound of their own fall and ruin; and his Majesty appear the more glorious, and His Honour not one whit hurt thereby, but much bettered by their treachery.  
Ordinanes for Contributions, Assessments, Excizes, Sequestrations, and an infinite many more force freequarter from the poor Commonwealth, and a thousand firks to pump her dry, and drain all her money into their own Coffers, their notorious ingratitude to the City of London; that so long have upon all pretended occasions whatsoever, emptied not only their veins of blood, but their coffers of money) that so they might enable themselves to undo the Country; and when the Country lies languishing in misery, and past recovery, then to undo the City, imprison the Lord Major (His Majesty's Lieutenant) of the City, with the Aldermen, the chief Merchants and upholders of Trade and commerce, which must at the best prove but an utter undoing of us all in general, both City and Country, both desperately sick, even unto an universal judgement, and must both taste of His Majesty's cup: Lord look upon Him and us, for we are all in great slavery, even whilst they pretend liberty, we are daily bound: the cure of our disease hath proved fatal, and worse than the disease itself; for we have bowed our necks to a heavy-yoake, and are in worse than Egyptian slavery.  
New Monopolies are every day invented, and farmed out to Promoting caterpillars, even for Printing Pamphlets forsooth; Pamphlet- Symmonny for a year and a day, to print the learned Works of the Agitators.  
Ordinance for suppressing unlicensed Pamphlets, must truth be licenced, and lies authorized: Goap Gilbert, five shillings a penny Pamphlet, must the Press be shut up to all but Walker, eldest son to the father of lies: Clerk, Preacher, Ironmonger, Bookseller, Poetaster, and all too little to maintain so goatish a lecher; must Hunscott, that old grizzled thief come to his old trade of breaking open houses, as lately he hath done, and under pretence of searching for unlicensed books, take, steal and carry away what ere they can lay hands on, and be protected by Ordinance? must power be entrusted in the hands of such notoriously known villains, the very scum of mankind, and excrement of decayed nature, that rake hell, and scim the devil, (as the proverb goeth) you will hardly find two the like for all manner of sordid villainies, not to be equalled: these two hounds, with carret-beard Lewis, a whelp of the same litter, hunt up and down continually, seeking whom they may devour: It were well that all honest men would take notice of these Curs, and lend a helping hand to muzzle them, else poor Tell-troath will be worried even to death, and then the abused Commonalty may be still led blindfold by the nose to more new taxes yet? New Assessments and penalties laid upon those that refuse the payment thereof, or to strain presently for the same? Is this the Liberty of the Subject, purchased with so much blood and sweat, and that hath cost us so much money? Shall not poor Tel-troath think ye be imprisoned 40. days in the common- jail, for his saucy blabbing, thus boldly too? Must he pay 40. shillings for speaking truth, that now is forced to sanctuary herself in corners and holes; walk in the dark for fear of persecuters, lame, cold, and clad in rags? Do you think to Ordain or Order any thing so closely, that it shall not be one day revealed, and laid open as clear as the Sun; at which great Assizes, and Higher Court of Parliament, many of you (it is much to be feared) will be committed to the Prison on the lefthand for a longer term than fourty-dayes: Understanding men believe that truth hath rubbed many of your gualed backs, that you kick and winch thus? Truth fears no colours, though you set on all your Ppursuiavants, Beadles, and the Devil and all upon her, she will at length prevail, and maugre all your malice: in the mean time she dispaireth not of some friends, to help and comfort her, in despite of Iron-face, or the learned Stationer at the Exchange, that would have set out a whole Troop at his own charge to foment a new war; surely the very same wise Common-counsel-man, put this new Ordinance for Pamphlets into its swadling-clouts; for himself and his honest Brethren must pay but 10 s. for selling of them, and the poor man that carries them about the streets, must be whipped for a Rogue: Merciful Ordinance! and why not he whipped as well that sells unlicensed books in his shop, as he that selfs them in the street, they both offend alike; and for aught I know, the poor man may be the honester man of the two. But he that prints them must have his Presses defaced; alas poor harmless things, you must be degraded too, and made: or ever uncapable of printing, though your masters, with their wives and families harve in the streets for want of bread.  
O 〈…〉 for the Twentieth part; then why not the 18, 19; and to consequently all the rest; for that power that commands a part of our Estates, will not spare the rest upon occasion; This the King told us once, but we wanted the grace then to believe Him; but now all is gone, it is too late to shut the stable-doore.  
Ord. for Tithes; The Synod have as good stomaches as Bell's Priests; the tenths of the Kingdom will not suffice them, and 4 s. a day to boot: O intolerable; The mercy of God, and the covetousness of the priest is without end: The tenths of right belong to the fatherless, the stranger and widow, yet Sir John would have all, or else to prison, and there lie without bail or mainprize, till the utmost farthing be paid, though the poor wretches have not bread to help themselves and children, 'tis all one to them, they show you no other reason, but the Ordinance for all.  
Ord. for the Directory; The Service-book out of date; what new Religion next must we expect, Shakers'? the Soldiers had the wit to cast dice, lest they should rend the seamlesse coat of our Saviour; Get you some dice, and cast too for shame; should the seamlesse-coat or Church fall to Dr. Burges, what a goodly portion would it be to feast him and his Compu●gators; or to Dr. Gouge; and he'd take use for it, as he doth his money; or to D. Sybalds', 'twill help pay for nursing his illegitimate children; Or to Mr. Sedwick, 'twill do him the feat now, and anon too, and bring that Great Wark to a speedyer end. Good God rescue thy Vineyard from such Boars, that root up her Vines, and divide her tender clusters of grapes; deliver thy Susanna from the hands of these wicked Elders, these diseased pieces of Apocrypha, that no sooner are bound up with the Bible, but they corrupt the whole Text: Ignorance and fat feeding are their best founders; and their life but a borrowed blast of wind; for between two Religions, (as between two doors) they are always whistling: Where the gate stands open, they will always be seeking a stile; and where their learning ought to climb, they must creep tharow; give them advice, you run presently into Traditions, and urge a modest course, they cry out Counsels; and cannot abide to dispute in any place, but Where the meat is best, there they confute most; for their arguing is but the efficacy of their eating; They can better afford you ten lies then one Oath; and dare commit any sin, so it be gilded over with pretences of sanctity; They will not stick to commit fornication, so it be done sinceerly, and for the propagation of the godly; and hate no whore so much as the whore of Babylon. They hold it lawful to steal, so it be from the wicked. They are of so good discourse, that they dare challenge the Almighty, to talk with them ex tempore; last their their devotion is O stinacy, the only solace of their heart's contradiction, and the main end of their sitting, consultations and debates, nothing else but hypocrisy.  
Ordinance to grant the Boys a Holiday, and the thankful boys, in requital, to force the Parliament to make two or three: The King signed to a trienial Parliament, the Synod prayed it into an everlasting-Parliament, to requite His Majesty: Sir Thomas and his Agitators will make it a biennial Parliament, or put a period to the same; and thus all things are out of square, and subject to change and mutabillity, and nothing under the sun firm and permanent, and man more unstable, than any other of the creatures, and is not what he seems to be, his understanding is intricate and full of wind: he is the prima materia, and his intents give him form; he dyeth his means and his meaning into two colours, he baits craft with humility, and his countenance is the present disposition. He wins not by battery; but undermining, and his rack is soothing. He knoweth passion only by sufferance, and resisteth by obeying. He makes his time an Accountant to his memory, and of the humours of men, weaveth nets for his own occasions.   

This Character is licenced according to Order, by Tom Tel-troath, Cler. to the long-abused COMMONS.  
FINIS.