ANIMADVERSIONS ON THE LATE VINDICATION OF Slingsby Bethel Esq Wherein the Ancient and Laudable Customs of the City of LONDON Are asserted against the scandalous Reflections he has made upon them. IN A LETTER TO THE LORD MAYOR AND Court of Aldermen.  By a Loyal Citizen. 
My Lord and Fellow Citizens,  
AS it has been the opinion of many worthy Members of our City (since the Election of this Sheriff) that we did very ill to call a Person to that Office from his private station in the Country (tho' not so qualified for this place by the Laws as some others were) so it has been of very great trouble to us to find him not answer either the Design or Honour of such our Election.  
'Tis his pleasure to acknowledge he was getting an Estate by Trade when the Rebellion broke out in England; and that I suppose fitted him afterwards to bear a part in that blusterous Government, as to have the honour to be nominated a Steersman in that Committee of Safety, which had like to have ruined the whole Commonwealth.  
And yet, 'tis true, a man may be of very ill Principles in 1658. and become a wonderful good man again in 1660. when his beloved Estate and safety, begins to be called in question; which made the pleasant Fellow, who (walking with a great Lantern and Candle lighted at Noonday, on the 29 th'. of May, on the King's Return) said, That he had been seeking for a Round-head all that day, but verily and truly could not find One from Westminster to Aldgate.  
But to come to the point: Was there ever such a man of Virtue heard of since Adam (that managed a Trade) who thus confidently avers, That his conversation has been such, in all his dealings in the World, as to deserve no reproach from any man upon Earth? We all well know, that in Traffic and Trade in the World the justest man falls seven times a day, as occasion may offer.  
And 'tis to be supposed, that a man that gets an overgrown Estate amongst us in a way of Trade, cannot get every penny so exactly just as not to be liable to the reproach of any Tongue whatsoever; surely if that had been true which our Sheriff affirms, he had never fallen under the present obloquy. But—  
Now after all this, since you called him forth from his private retirement to the Honour he now enjoys: Behold, (good man) how he calls in one of the Prophets to testify against you, for maliciously reproaching, scandalising and making his Office troublesome to him. Why now, let any man judge if ever Sheriff (since Richard the Ill's time) was so abused by his fellow Citizens: surely we have not lost our manners and due regards to that Honourable Office, have we? Come let us but impartially inquire into the reasons of these things.  
First he says, We charge him with being a Papist and a Jesuit; and to colour our Lies call in the King's Evidence to testify against him; Why truly this could not be said but by an errand Tory, or some Masquerading Fellow; no loyal, honest or sober Citizen could have offered such an affront to his Worship; And yet Dr. Oats is a shrewd man too at guessing;— But however, we may say there was an odd Jesuitical Principle that actuated in the late times, to do even such things as Jesuits would if they could; and so possibly there may be colour for some such tittle tattle among the People at the Election in Southwark: But when Dr. Oats comes to Town he will clear this point.  
And for the Election in Southwark, I may freely say this, That the Commoners did very discreetly in Electing two unquestionable Loyal Persons, Capt. Rich and Sir R. How; And in such Elections there do not want reflections on each Candidate; for I have been told that some of the Sheriff's party did bespatter them too with the Title of Abhorrers, and I overs of Arbitrary Power; so that 'tis pretty even on both sides.  
As for what he is accused of in being a Soldier of the late times, I am apt to believe his Worship says truth; But what to say to that malicious whisper of words spoken by him at Hambrough about the King's Death, I leave that to be decided by Law; only a man would think our Sheriff no good King's man, since he is thus traduced by Persons of the same Rank and Place he dwelled in, and his daily Companions.  
But for the next malicious slander, of his being one of those in Vizards that assisted at the Death of His late Majesty; I profess I wonder any person should be so confident to accuse him; for after all the imaginable care and scrutiny to find the Truth, (by the Council and the Parliament) upon His Majesty's Return, they never yet could learn who those bloody Villains were that murdered our dear Sovereign o● blessed memory; so that we might as well have said they were two of Oliver's Chaplains, as well as our Sheriff and another person in Masquerade; so far I must do him all the right I can. As to the story of the Waterman's coat, 'tis very odd; such a thing might be; for all men are not in a good humour with Watermen at all times: tho' a King's Waterman (to some constitutions) is more obnoxious than a City Waterman. And so much for that point too.  
But I shall now come home to the matter in hand (so far as concerns us Citizens) in taking notice of our Sheriff's Vindication.  
As for his House-keeping, he does very elaborately let us know that he does not dwell in a Garret, (nor hired Cellar or Pantry I suppose) and that if we had not angered him, in choosing Mr. Pilkington (a mere Commoner) Alderman of the Ward, and gave him the go-by, he would have dwelled in a larger (tailor's) House, and established his Tables, and taken in Officers, etc. Why truly this is a very good reason for a man to be angry with House-keeping and maintaining any part of the Repute and Honour of the City; and so, for aught I see, we must be contented with it; for there is an honourable thriftiness as well as an honourable prodigal lavish House-keeping, especially among the Magistrates of the City of London; and for a man to relieve poor distressed Citizens, and Prisoners, and others in want, when the Law of the Land provides for them otherwise, is a thing so lavish and prodigal, that no Sheriff of London ought to evade it, especially when the loss of being Alderman of the Ward and Knighthood is in the case. And then when a man consults the wholesome Laws against excess of Feasting, which our Sheriff says are the most wholesome, (nay more wholesome Laws than the 35 th'. of Eliz. or 16 th'. of our King ten to one:) why truly no man breathing would feast every day, or endure it in his House.  
When I came to one Paragraph, (which is a quotation out of some modern Jesuit) I protest I stood amazed to hear of a meritorious congruity as well as condignity; Now where there can be no congruity, there ought to be condignity, that's most clear; and therefore since we could not agree to make him Alderman of the Ward, 'tis fit he should tell us of it by the way of condignity. And so much for a meritorious congruity.  
But since the preferment is gone, and we have abused him into the bargain, he tells you, That he cares not a F— for't, for he has tasted morepleasure in a retired Life, than ever to thrust himself into troublesome and lofty places: which yet to me seems strange; for if he had continued in his state of privacy, and paid the usual Fine to the City, he might have been excused as well as others have been, and consequently undergon no reproach; but some think 'twas a fit time for such men to up and be doing something against Popery and Arbitrary Government, and to preserve Liberty and Property, etc. to hinder wholesome Laws made against Protestant Dissenters from being put in execution: Truth is, I must needs say, that we that had so much throng and sweat to choose him, ought not to bespatter him at the rate we have done; for he could not honestly deny us when we chose him so freely, as he saith; But yet not so freely neither, but that there was tugging and pulling at it, and a world of pother made by the Tory and Tantivy party, viz. the folks of the Church of England, or the old Protestants, who were generally against it.  
Then, in the next place, comes in three or four Paragraphs of Rhetorical Harangues upon the City to show a further reason of not keeping up the Port and Grandeur of his Office by generous and public House-keeping. Now here lies the point; Can any Lord, Knight, Gentleman, Citizen, Stranger or Foreigner possibly make a meal out of a dish of Sheriff's Paragraphs? Can any of the poor Prisoners in any of the Gaols feed on a Basket of Paragraphs? If they can, much good may they do 'em; I had, for my part, rather dine with my Countryman Sheriff Cornish (who I hear retains a Western kind of generous Hospitality) than at such a Feast.  
The next Paragraph is to display the several Achievements and common Customs of the City, and (much like Jordan's annual Lord Mayors Show) tells us what we observe and practise in relation to maintaining the public Honour and Reputation of the City, but begs your pardon for appearing in them himself on all occasions. First, because my Lord Mayor was not well lately. Secondly, that the Easter Sermons were at Sepulchre's, when they should have been at the spital. And another reason may be too possibly, because a Bishop and a Dean preached; the latter having lately wrote an excellent piece against Protestant Dissenting Brethren.  
But now we are at House-keeping again, and we will show more and stronger reasons for no Feasting than for feasting: And first, he says, 'Tis of no honour to the City, but a reat prejudice and scandal to the Government. (Still our Worship saves our Bacon.)  
2dly. That 'tis customary to feast Companies on set days, and entertain particular Friends on others: From which I conclude our Sheriff loves not this formal Feasting. 3dly. That the Honour the Sheriff gets by such feasting is not tantamount to the charge, though two Guinies be given by every Liury-man for his double Treat and Spoon. I'll assure you a very good caution these hard times to our City Liury: men: But then, 4thly. and beyond all, his Worship compares this generous, honourable and hospitable way of the Sheriff's Feasting to a poor Countrey-wedding, the way being to invite a great many to a great Feast, (which however is beyond some Sheriffs too, by your leave,) on purpose to get Money and Household stuff for them to begin the World with▪ Now how the comparison will hold in this case let any man judge: But then we Liury-men must have a care what we do now, for we are forbid to hearken to either Master or Wardens this year, since the Sheriff resolves not to accept of our Guinies, for the several reason's beforementioned.  
Well, in the next place, you the several former Sheriffs, that have emulated one another in Feasting on private days, and out-vy'd each other in splendour and gallantry, (now one would think this should mean the King's being treated at supper at some of your Houses not many years since,) I say you are severely rebuked, and for aught I perceive compared to the wantoness of Jerusalem, who with so much fullness of Bread and Idleness provoked the heavy Judgements of God to fall upon them. Now whether your sort of Feasting be like theirs, that's the point: for my part I think hospitable House-keeping and feeding the poor and needy (as we may see at Lambeth House every day, and other good Houses) are very laudable and honourable things, in no wise offensive, to God, to Religion and good Custom; I think far from that riotous Feasting at Jerusalem. And so much for Feasting without a Meal.  
And now who would think that this very sin of Feasting should make our Sheriff carefully and tenderly afraid, lest an Angel he sent from Heaven with the Plagues of Sodom on our City too? God forbid we should ever requite the Lord so for his stupendious Goodness to us in our late Deliverances from the hands of Popish Conspiracy and Lanatick Rage, and I am, with his Worship's favour, and on better grounds and reasons, more afraid that the Whoredoms, false Oaths, rebellious Witchcrafts (that stink in the Nostrils of Heaven) will bring Judgements on us, as in the Case of Korah Dathan and Abiram, than Innocent Feasting, by Sheriffs or other Citizens. And so much for this point too at present.  
But to conclude: Methinks among all the Worthy and Loyal Booksellers in our City, Mr. Sheriff might have pleased to have chosen one out of them to Print and Expose his Vindication, rather than Frank Smith (his Prisoner for Treason, as some say;) but however, every man to his fancy; for my part I would never have his Name to any thing I shall ever write, for this very reason. That he never yet Printed any thing (save our Worship's Vindication) but was either Tinkerly Heresy, or Seditious Naked Truth, or Welsh Glosses on Divine ones: And so I wish him a safe Deliverance, and our Sheriff well out of his troublesome Office; Taking my leave and subscribe,  
Tower Hill May 2 1681. My Lord and Fellow Citizens Your Lordship's Servant▪ And Faithful and Honest Brother Citizen, W. W.   

H●amb●rough: Printed for the use of the English Merchants.