A DEFENCE OF THE Duke of Buckingham, Against the Answer to his Book, And the Reply to his Letter.  By the Author of the late Considerations. 
I Remember at the time when Chancellor Hyde was at his height at Court, a Poor Woman who got her Living by a piece of Ground which her Old Husband used to Digg, carrying her Garden-stuff one day to Market, and not Selling it, comes Home exclaiming, that she could not Sell her Beans and Cabbages; and should never have any good Market any more, so long as that filthy Hyde was Chancellor.  
I know not the AUTHOR (whosoever he be) of the Discourse which came out for an ANSWER to His Grace the DUKE of 〈…〉; but the Argumentation of the Gentleman has really, as to the main point of his answer to the design of that Generous DUKE (when the rest is Impertinence) the force only (and prejudice) of what was said by this Woman.  
There are some in the Nation that have been, and that are for Liberty of Conscience; some that have been, and that are of the Wisest of the Nation (such as my Lord Bacon, and my Lord Chief Justice Hales) who have shown their Minds still against the Stiffness of these Churchmen, who never would be got, when time was, to condescend in lesser things for the sake of greater. And there comes this Gentleman now, and he Argues, That therefore all the Plots, all the Rebellions, all the Evils that have befallen the Kingdom, must be Imputed to such Men, and such Principles.  
The Argument really is the Reasoning of this Woman: Socrate ambulante fulguravit. Socrates going abroad, it Lightened; This Lightning did a great deal of hurt; Therefore Socrates must be sent to Newgate: Therefore Liberty of Conscience must be put to Death. I deny the Argument.  
These fanatics (say these Disputers) are unquiet; Therefore they must be Prosecuted. I say, No; but therefore give them Liberty of Conscience, and they will be unquiet no more. A Carrier had two Horses, one of them being Galled through the negligence of his Man, the Man unknown to his Master gets the Saddle fitted to his back, and all is well: One day a New Hostler, perceiving nothing, puts on the false Saddle; The Horse going out, Winches, and casts off his Pack. The Master being enraged, falls a beating the Horse; but the Man that understood the matter, does but change only the Saddles, and both the Horses go quietly along.  
I will appeal to any Man of Sense, though of never so little Reason, whether Ease, Happiness, and Plenty are likeliest to make People Turbulent, or Oppression? Take off the thing that pinches, take off Prosecution, do but change the Saddles, and set them both aright, and see then whether the Churchmen or the fanatics, and Catholics will be most Governable. Let this King give that Liberty which his Predecessors refused, and you shall see whether this King will not be beloved above all that went before Him. I pray go over to Holland, go any where else, where Liberty is granted, and see, if People Rebel in such Places. I am ashamed, that Men should have need of Spectacles to see the Sun!  
There are some, I know, upon the Duke of Buckingham's sending out these Papers, have aspersed him for another Shaftsbury, as if he would make himself Head of the fanatics: There are others apt to cry out, He is undermining the Protestant Religion, and designs Popery: But as I know that my own self do design nothing but the Public Benefit, so do I judge of his Graces undertaking: That is, as the undertaking of a Person over whom a great Reason, and the Love of his Country does predominate, with Indifferency to the Churchmen, the fanatics, and also those of the Romish Persuasion.  
The Truth is, The attempt of the Duke at this time for Liberty of Conscience, looks to me to proceed from such a Spirit as the Erterprises of Dion, Epaminondas, Timoleon, and such like, who were Liberators of their Country: In comparison of whom, the Conquests of Caesar, Alexander, and Pyrrbus, who sought themselves and their own Greatness, were but Spoil and Latrociny. The Papers Writ against him, the Duke himself hath thought fit to take Notice of in a Letter, which Letter having one thing in it that is enough to make him Print it, [to wit, The Explanation of the King's Promise] the rest of it I count comes to this Signification, That the Author is by no means to be made his Grace's Match, but to be left to others: Unto whom also, one of them being come out already, I'll leave him.  
Neither, indeed, is the Field here proper for his Grace to Descend into; it being the Parliament House only, which is the fit place; where this cause is to be Fought, where he will meet with his Equals, and where we shall know who shall carry it.  
As for the Replyer to the Duke's Letter, who Insists only upon the same thing, which the Answerer does, the Distractions, Miseries, Regicide, in the late Times, and therefore the Government must Fence against them by denial of Toleration, I must add (this being nothing still but the Fallacy non causae pro causa before) that, As the Answer is not worthy the pains of the Duke, so the Reply does require no Body's. Although indeed, in the Paper of Considerations moving to a Toleration, come out since both, there is one little Parenthesis, viz. [Stated Rightly, that is, of All, so far as they are Tolerable, whereof the Wisdom of a Parliament is the fittest Judge] does Preoccupate all Objections, and stops the Throat of this Flap-Mouth Argument.   

Entered according to Order.  
LONDON, Printed for W. C. 1685.