An humble DESIRED UNION between PREROGATIVE And privilege.  
Showing, That if one draw too hard one way, and the other another, the whole commonwealth must be in danger to be pulled in sunder.  
The Serpent AMPHISBENA.  
This double headed SERPENT is a Wonder,  
It draws two ways, and tears the womb in sunder:  
The woeful EMBLEM of a troubl●d STATE,  
Where civil wars do threat to ruinate.  
Imprinted at London by Richard Olion. 1642.   

An humble DESIRED UNION BETWIXT PREROGATIVE and privilege.  
COncord or discord have been, are, and will be either the raising or ruin of Kingdoms, and commonwealths. And as 2 heads are too many for one body, (as the Picture of the African Serpent shows) either to rule or to be ruled when the wills and affections are violently extended to contrary attractions then such distractions are the forerunners of destructions; And what true English understanding heart doth not moan, grieve and is filled with horror and amazement to see know, and feel the calamity of this sometimes flourishing famous renowned Kingdom to see it transformed into an Acheldama, & so many of our fertile fields and pastures turned into the horrid shapes of so many Golgotha's, this land that hath had so many innumerable undeserud blessings from God, that it hath long been admired of, and esteemed the Eden, or paradise of the world, the support to all our foreign friends and the scourge and terror of our Enemies, to be so suddenly changed and Metamorphosed, so rent and torn with factions divisions and contentions that her peaceful bowels are ripped up and her entrails plow●d with the slaughtering swords of her own unnatural and undutiful sons when God's commandments which were wont to be the rule and guide of all our Actions are now slighted contemned and trampled under foot, when too many do preach and teach the breach of both the first and second table, and in stead of exhorting men to Peace and Unity, they thunder and bluster war and bloodshed: But all the world may know that such Pastors and Teachers were not sent by him whom they pretend and feignedly seem to serve, for the eternal Prince of Peace never gave any of his servants any command or Commission to raise war, (especially domestic, civil uncivil war, and surely those nimble talking tongue-men that talk so hotly of battles, they would not willingly be at one themselves, and th●y do know chat a whole skin is a good cover to sleep in.  
The Weapons that God's Ministers should use in their Warfare, was wont to be prayers and tears only; all the persecuted and martyred Protestants that suffered in the bloody reign of Queen Mary, had no other arms to oppose Authority; no Imprisonment, Banishment, loss of goods, Fathers, Mothers, Wives, Sons, Daughters, kindred or friends, could shake their loyalty; no Racks Tortures, or tyrannical Torments, nor Death in most cruel ways of flame, fire and faggot, could alter the Allegiance of Protestants in those times, so that there was not any one of them did attempt at any time to raise divisions to disturb either the Queen or State; therefore if we be of the same ancient Religion which they then professed, and hath been since maintained these 84 years in this Kingdom, than we have more reason than they had to be obediently thankful for it, because we do (or may) enjoy the blessings and benefits of it in secure peace and tranquillity which they could not.  
Love is the Livery which the servants of our Saviour doth wear, for he saith, By this shall all men know that you are my Disciples if ye have love one to another, Joh. 13. 35. Now love and peace have no communion or fellowship with War, especially in one and the same Kingdom, betwixt one and the same Nation, pretending to profess one and the same Religion: nor do these men show themselves to be Christ's Ministers or Disciples that stir up division betwixt us, for every Kingdom divided against itself shall be brought to nought, and every City or House divided against itself shall not stand: Matthew 12. 25.  
In the reign of King Richard the first, (surnamed Cor de lion or lion's heart) there was a Bishop in this Land that Rebelled against the King who was taken in a battle and clapped in Prison, the news of the Bishop's imprisonment being carried to Rome, the Pope (Benedict the 2) sent a Letter to the King for the Bishop's enlargement, wherein he declared that the Bishop was a servant of God, a Reverend Father, and likewise the Pope wrote that he was his son: to which Letter the King returned an answer to the Pope to this effect, May it please your holiness, If this be a Habit or coat for a churchman, and one of your sons, I pray you Judge, for I took him fighting in this Coat of complete Armour: The King thus sending and the Pope seeing the Armour sent this reply, May it please your majesty, such a garment as this belongs to no Son of mine, and therefore as he is in prison, there let him lie for me.  
It were well if every man and woman were at deadly war with their transgressions, such a war would make our peace with God, and the God of Peace would give us the blessing of his peace, which passeth all understanding.  
How can peace be expected if we continue in our wickedness and wallow in Impieties, esteeming peace at that low rate as if it were not worth the praying for, or the desiring for without any command from Authority, some strange opinioned men have thrust out of the Church that needful prayer, Give peace in our time O lord; Almighty and most Merifull Father, is omitted and neglected, the creed is left out, and unbelief and infidelity hath intruded too much into the room of it and the commandments are not repeated, and in the place of all these is crept in a confused mass of Toutalogicall Long-winded Repetitions, with the fearful Instigations and Incitements to provocations of Hostility and mischief.  
Mr. John Stow relates in his Chronicle, pag 697, that in the 25 year of Queen Elizabeth's blessed reign, Anno 1583. on the 4 and 6 of June, one Elias Thacker and one John Copizg were hanged at St Edmondsbury in Suffolk for dispersing libels and Pamplets against the book of Common Prayer, which were written by one John Browne one of the first mad Apostles of the Sect of the Brownists.  
There are no Protestants but will confess, that that Queen (of happy and famous memory) was a true defendresse of the Faith professed by the Protestants, that she hazarded her life for it divers times, in the bloody reign of her Sister and in the whole course of her 44 years' reign many Romish Treasons were plotted and attempted against her only because she maintained that book, which was then no mass-book (though now it be esteemed so) and if any Popery had been then perceived to be in it, that glorious and godly Princess would never have protected it, neither would two great Protestant Kings (since her reign) have professed and maintained it 40 years, yet I am of opinion that somethings may be omitted in it some things reformed some things dissolved, but the most correspondent to Scriptures manners and good life, I hope shall be ever upheld and maintained by all understanding Protestants.  
Thus the vain scattering opinions of some self-willed, some ignorant, some Ambitious, some Presumptuous, and some malicious, Turbulent spiriits have drawn the Church and State several ways, that the poor commonwealth (which is the body of the kingdom) is almost pulled in twain, as is Emblematically showed in the Picture of the two headed Serpent.  
There are too great a number that have gotten the wisdom of the old serpent but there are few that are possessed with the Innocency of the Dove, the old Serpent is a malicious breaker of Peace and a diligent labourer for war, his only business is to make us wicked and he knows that for the sins of a people God sends War for a punishment, 1 Kings. 8, 35 37. He knows war doth plunge a Nation into misery and that the breach of all God's laws is Attendant upon war, and Inseparably join with it; Pride (like a Gentleman Usher) goes before destruction odious swearing Impious profanation, damnable disobedience, execrable murders, shameless adulteries, Incests, Rapes, and deflorations, lawless Stealing and plundering and all the Crimes and Calamities that may bring poor and miserable mankind to destruction are Incident to war, and continual waiters on Mars and Bellona.  
Yet there is nothing more uncertain than the events of war nor is there any thing more unsure than the success of a battle for though it be never so prudently pondered by the most wise and valiant counsel of the best and most expert Leaders, though the plot be contrived by the best judgements of the most knowing Commanders, as how to gain the advantage of ground wind, sun, how the Front, Van, rear, Flanks, Wings, and body of an Army shall or may prevail and be victorious; yet all these serious consultations have found most strange alterations, and as a man that presumes to reckon without his host is quite out and must begin again, for. 
They are most blind, with ignorance besotted,  
Who think wars council in a Chamber plotted,  
Must be so acted with the dint of sword,  
As it was wisely talked of at the board  
Me thinks the proverb should not be forgot,  
The wars are sweet, to those that knows them not.  But if there were any sweet content in war, it may rather be, so either in a foreign war abroad against Turks, Infidels, jesuitical Papists, or any of Gods and our Nations Enemies such wars as those may not only be Tolerable, but Commendable, Profitable, and Honourable; But for Englishmen, for Britain's, for Protestants, to war against Protestants, the Fathers against their sons, and the sons against their Fathers, when one Brother shall sheathe his sword in the bowels of another, when a King is against his Subjects; and Subjects against their sovereign, this kind of war is unpleasing to God, and a good King, unprofitable distasteful to true and loyal Subjects, and dishonourable to all.  
God forbid that Prerogative of Kings should be too much stretched or diminished any way, or that privilege should shrink to enslave or pinch the liberty of freeborn Subjects: Our King doth know that if he defend the Faith the Faith will save him: and he further knows that he must maintain his laws, or else his laws cannot defend him: The King knows, that though Kings are called Gods on earth yet they are but Gods of earth (or earthen Gods) and loyal Subjects do obediently love and honour the King. Good Kings may be compared to Lightning because as Lightning doth never hurt wool or any soft unresistible substance, but it violently penetrates, breaks and melts Trees Rocks, and metals, so a good King doth never proceed in wrath against mild and gentle natures. I would we could think upon the great mischiefs that the divisions betwixt Scylla and Marius brought to the Roman Empire, the massacres that long continued in Italy between the Guelphs and Gibelines, or the unnatural dissension that bloodily imbrued this Kingdom 80 and odd years betwixt the royal Families of York and Lancaster, and as Brothers in one House do often jar and disagree, yet if one of them be injured by a stranger, the other will take his part, so let all Englishmen or Britain's, King and Subjects, great or small (like Brothers) take it to heart how they are all abused (by the common enemy) the rebels in Ireland, and God grant that the King may be defended from all false friends and fierce enemies, that we may all be united in peace here, and jointly and unanimously relieve the oppressed and distressed calamities under which our poor Protestant Brethren have so long suffered, and do still groan under in Ireland.  
These shall be the daily prayers and humble desires of John TAYLOR.  
FINIS.