THE SEAMAN'S DIAL, OR, THE MARINER'S CARD: Directing unto the safe Port of CHRISTIAN OBEDIENCE.  
And showing the reasons which moved the Author, A Sea Commander, to return unto his Loyalty, and the service of his Sovereign.  
As it was sent in a Letter to a private Friend, to be published from him unto the Seamen; and is by this Friend thus entitled:  
And Dedicated unto the consideration, and commended unto the practice of all honest true hearted Seamen of England.  
Printed in the Year 1648.   

The Seaman's Dial, etc.  
Gentlemen, and dear fellow Seamen:  
I Would not ways have you to wonder, that notwithstanding the Oaths I have taken, and the engagements I have made, together with my credit, and the trust the Parliament put in me, I should nevertheless leave the Parliament, and now betake myself unto the service of my Sovereign gracious King Charles, in which I am resolved to live and die.  
For my Oaths, the Solemn League and Covenant, bind us unto the preservation of Religion, and Liberties, and to maintain, and defend the King's Person and Authority.  
Concerning Religion, since we took the Covenant that is almost quite lost, and that which ought to be but One, is now increased into so many, that the Religion of these times, is like unto a Common-Queane, that hath borne a Child unto every Whoremaster in the Parish, and hath as many names and surnames for her Bastards, as she hath had Fornicators for their Fathers; and therefore is it that since we left the old Protestant Religion of the Church of England, which King Charles well maintained, Anabaptists, Brownists, Famelists, Erastians', Quakers, Shakers', Independents, and many more Sects which are unworthy the naming, are so ripe amongst us, because we have left our first love, and our first faith, and are gone almost every one as the Scripture says, a whoring after our own inventions; so that the truth and life of Religion is even quite lost in us; and you know fellow seamen, that there was never so much cunning and cozening, and such deceit in trade amongst us, as since these holy professors began to increase: Besides how for our wavering, and fickleness in Religion are we marked and pointed at beyond the Seas: And no marvel we are become a scorn unto others, if we consider how much worse and more corrupt we are grown in our manners; for since this new preaching and praying came amongst us, I see no amendment in our lives, only our professors can sinne with more secrecy and cunning, and do allow that unto themselves under some name in Religion, which they condemn in others, whoring, and cheating, and lying, and dissembling, being no faults in these men, when they will openly rail at the merriments or drunkenness, which I do not excuse of other men; as though Almighty God, and they say so too, would see no sin in these Saints, and you may observe this sort of men, much more ambitious and covetous than other men are: You see that our old honest preaching, which gave us instruction for our conversation towards God and man, and to lead our lives in all honesty and godliness of living, is turned into railing against the King, and the Bishops, and the Cavaliers, and our old government in Church and Commonwealth, under which God did much more bless us then now; yea not only the Ministers, but every other man preaches amongst us, and men that cannot well read will be expounding the Scriptures, though St. Paul says there are many things in them hard to be understood.  
And since the book of Common-prayer, which I have heard, the Martyrs of the Protestant Religion gathered together was suppressed, every man prayeth and prates as he pleaseth, and men are become more confident and familiar with God, and be much less humble than ever the Saints, or Christ himself were in their prayers set down unto us in the Scripture, praying for nothing but what may please them, or for a blessing upon the plots of the Parliament; yet these who do thus destroy Religion, are we see the men whom the Parliament principally encourage, which sure cannot be thought the preservation of Religion according unto the Covenant.  
For our liberties, though I cannot I praise God much complain myself, yet I have heard ten times more stories of the oppression of the Subjects since the Parliament sat, then in the whole Reign of King James, and King Charles; yet we know how many worthy Commanders and Seamen have been put out of their places, and cast into prison, [as straddling, Kettleby, Ashly, and others,] unto the utter undoing of their wives and children, without any examination or offence proved, but merely for suspicion that they loved the King; were plainly see there is no Law, but the will of the Parliament, and whereas before it was lawful to sue the King himself in any of the Courts, now a Parliament man must not be touched: And who can say that ever he could get any justice against a Parliament man by a Petition unto the Houses?  
In the Covenant we have sworn to defend the King's Person and Authority; yet we know that he hath been long kept so strait a Prisoner, that the meanest Subject would have thought himself very much wronged to have been kept so long in prison without a hearing; for the King's Authority, the very name of that is scarce left us, when it is become a great fault to pray for the King, or to drink unto his health; although God's word bids us pray for Kings, 1 Tim. 2.2. And if the least sign of duty, and well wishing unto him can be discovered; it is proof enough to put a man out of any place of profit or trust. You see how well the Parliament have maintained the King's Authority, when that they have voted that no further Addresses be made unto him, and when the Army have in their Declaration told us, That they are resolved to settle the government without a King, and against him, and against all that take part with him; which is the same thing, as to say, That they will have no King at all to reign over them: There can be no man so silly sure, as to think that the Parliament or Army ever think to have a King, when they will not proceed against Rolph, who hath three witnesses to prove against him a design to take away the King's life by the persuasion of the Army, because no doubt many of both Houses had their hands with him in the plot.  
For the Covenant, though I could have been well contented that I had never taken it; I believe I have kept it better in leaving the Parliament, than I should have done by staying in their service; for they have put down both Religion, and the King, and broken the Covenant in every point, but in pulling down the Prelates, and that it must be thought was to get the Bishop's Lands for themselves; for Popery, we see they pass not much of it.  
The Covenant was for the preservation of Religion, and liberties, and to maintain the King's Person and authority, this Oath I took, and so far will keep it (God assisting) preserve to my power the Protestant Religion, which the Parliament practise to suppress; and defend the King, whom the Parliament would depose: they were the ends for which I took the Oath; I break not my Oath and trust, when I keep the end of my Oath and trust, which were to preserve Religion, and defend the King; if they will (as they do) destroy both, it is they have broke their Oath and trust; and not I; for I would never have undertaken a trust to destroy these two things, which every Christian ought to serve and honour, his Religion and King, which since the Parliament (as all men see) have done, let them trust unto themselves, and their Sectaries; no honest man that hath a conscience unto God, can keep such a trust, unless he will commit the greatest sin against God, and his own Conscience: and therefore dear fellow Seamen be no longer abused by the devices of the Parliament, but return unto your duty of obedience unto God and the King, Give unto God the things that are Gods, and unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's Matt. 22.21. join your hearts and hands with us your Brethren now in the King's service, to restore the protestant Religion, and his Majesty's Religion ought to be one and the same, we ought not to halt between two Religions, 1. Kings 18.19. There are now instead of two Religions more than the Moon hath changes in the year: let us set up the old protestant Religion, used in King Edward's days, in blessed Queen Elizabeth's days, in King James his happy days, and in the Reign of King Charles, which was a prosperous time, until the Parliament Ruled, and suffered him not to Reign: Let us restore the King who hath been more wronged then ever Prince was; God's word commands us to honour our King, not to think ill of him, much less to speak ill of him, and surely least of all to lift up our hands or sight against him, which whosoever doth shall receive unto himself damnation, 1. Pet. 2.17. Exod. 22.8. Eccl. 10.20. Job 34.18. 1. Sam. 26.9. Prov. 30.31. Ecle. 8.2. Rom. 13.1. Our King is a good King, a most gracious Prince, tender of his Subjects, loving to his Queen, careful of his Children, courteous to his people, bountiful to his Servants, zealous towards God; his whole life was never stained with a foul fault, what man is there in both the Houses like him for conversation? what leading man is there amongst them that may not be marked forth by some sin? let us then lend our help unto him, and pull down his Enemies: The strengths of the Kingdom (whereof the Navy are the chief) are by the Law the Kings; I have heard that what in the time of Peace is a private man's property if it be a strength (put to the case a Castle or ship of defence) during time of war becomes the Kings, by the Law of the Land: the Parliament have wrested the King out of his Rights, out of the strengths of the Kingdom, both by Sea and Land: It is in your power in part to right him, and to deliver unto him not only what is always his own, the Royal Navy, but also what this war makes his the use of all vessels of defence.  
The Seamen are the wall of this Island, do your duties, there is no man can put a trust upon you or you receive any, but that which stands with your duty to your Prince, which you own unto him, and whilst you do you make no breach of trust unto any other; for you do but what honesty requires, give every man his own, and this we ought to do, or otherwise you join with them that wrong the King, in not giving unto him what the Laws of the Land give unto him: for suppose a man take away a purse of money upon the highway from another and gives me who know not be came by it by robbery, this purse to keep, afterwards I certainly find that the money is not his, but an honest man's from whom he took it by violence: unto which of the two (think you) am I bound to restore the purse? whether unto him who gave it me in trust to keep, or unto the true owner? Certainly unto the true owner, when I know him to be so, and not unto the robber; for than I make myself a thief with him; for he cannot trust me with that which is properly another man's, and the Laws of God and man, bids us give unto every man that which is his own; and so would I wish you dear fellow Seamen to do, and what I speak unto you, I speak likewise unto the Watermens; that Company hath always been a Nursery of able Seamen.  
By this course ye shall not only do what every Christian ought to be careful of, your duty to God and your King, but also exceedingly relieve your Country, and benefit yourselves; for you know the great decay of trade, and how the Merchants (by whom the most of you live) are almost beggared, which hath borough such great want upon many of you, and your poor families; only the Seamen have not been so poor since the memory of man, and surely because of our disobedience unto our Sovereign King Charles is this great curse come upon us, we were first used to serve the Parliaments wicked turns against the King: Return then honest hearts unto your King, and doubt not but you will recover your losses, and gain God's blessing upon you; we have great encouragements to gather and keep together to do this good work, we have able and good Churchmen with us, who have not turned about with the winds of new doctrines; we have many well borne Gentlemen amongst as Commanders, we have the King's Son, his Highness the Doke of York our Admiral; we stand up for our Religion, our King, and our liberties, all which the Sectaries trample upon, and would pull down.  
His Highness the Prince of Wales hath declared. 1. The reestablishment of the Protestant Religion. 2. To rescue his Majesty from imprisonment that he may si● with the Parliament, and enjoy his rights. 3. That the two Houses of Parliament may be restored unto their fieedome. 4. That the King ●ome may be eased of Excize. 5. That the Army of Sectar●s may be dub nded. 6. That all t●xes and Cesses may be taken off. 7. That the narrow Seas may be protected for the carrying on of a free trade for Merch aunts ships. 8. I hat the City of London may enjoy their Privileges and rights: These are the th●●gs we stand up for, and doubt not through God's blessing to go through stitch: If you like these matters, than a God's name send us your help; and so I commend me hearty unto you all, and pray God to direct you unto this duty, that our Land may again rejoice under the Government of our Sovereign, which now mourns under the Tyranny of the Parliament: for when the Righteous are in authority the People rejoice; but when the wicked beareth rule the people mourn, Prov. 20.2.  
From the Downs, Aug. 10. 1648. W. B.  
FINIS.