THE devil'S AN ASS: OR, The Policy of Hell made plain to the dwellers on Earth. Being A SERIOUS Reflection upon the late Inhuman Rebellious WAR.  
Wherein is Laid Open the Folly as well as wickedness of that horrid sin of Rebellion.  
By T. B.  
London, Printed 1660.   

Gentlemen, having heard of a seditious Libel, now lately cast abroad, I could not but remember the evil consequence of such things formerly, and therefore cast in my, Mite to the Loyal Treasury, which, if prosperous by your acceptation, I shall be encouraged to proceed.   

THE devil'S An ASS.  
HA' my beloved, are you thereabouts with your bears? I thought the Devil had been a cunninger knave, than to think to play over an old Game, when the World is so sensible of that piece of Roguery. What! Mazarin and the Scot, with an infinite swarm of I know not what tatterdemallian vermin, and confused rabble of whining Sectaries! and fierce John— too, with his reverend beak, must be goosified once more, to save forsooth (when indeed their Aims were to destroy) our Capitol. O rare Rogues! is there yet such impudent folly to be found in this so lately Chastised Nation? Can the Devil besot these wretches so, as that they should be insensible of so stupendous a Providence, as the restoring of our Sovereign, Laws, and Liberties together; nay this Miraculous cure being wrought, when the Nation gasped as it were for its last breath, and that without the least Force, might convince, (if possible) the Devil himself of folly, in endeavouring to cross so clear a Providence; and all men not absolutely bewitched, and besotted with schismatical, and Rebellious Incantions of Atheism, Irreligion, and plain fight against God himself, who shall not, not only rest satisfied, but rejoice in this happy recovery of our Church and State, from Anarchy, Rebellion, and Confusion, to a probable way of Unity, Peace, Concord, and consequently all possible happiness. But I shall in great earnest endeavour to show the World by what means, honest, poor, ignorant people have been drawn in, and ensnared by the Devil and his Agents, to their own destruction; and as God is more wise, and more Powerful than he, how that proverb hath been verified upon the infernal Father of Sectaries, and Heretics, Give him rope enough, and he will hang himself. By the permission of the Almighty, and for our Trial, that Grand Master of Politics hath played the highest game within these twenty years in England, Scotland, and Ireland, that ever the World heard of; for he hath domineered Generally, and particularly over good and bad: over the Estates, Persons, and sometimes lives of the former, in the hearts, heads, and minds of the latter: How many miserable Jobs have we seen, who, not only lost their children, cattles, and all outward comforts, but even wanted the liberty of a dunghill, and potsherd to scratch their sores, and were not permitted so much as the air, only because they breathed Loyalty, and fidelity.  
But this was not his highest project. The World knows it were impossible for the Devil to deceive any considerable part of men in his own likeness, or that any man should be in love with Hell torments, under their true notion and appearance. But the course he ever took to ensnare and catch men, was to sugar over his baits, to put on the garb of Sanctity, and extraordinary zeal, when he would persuade to Heresy, and ever-fought against the Church with, and endeavoured to turn her own Weapons of Sanctity and patiented suffering, against her own breast. But yet could never before bring the World in love with sin, yea the greatest of sins, Rebellion, murder, Rapine, usurpation, and what not unheard of inhumanities' till these late times, which to demonstrate fully, would require an indefatigable pen, and large volume, the subject is so large; however, I will say what I can within the narrow compass of a sheet: and first to the means he used to bring this about.  
1. It is to be understood, the Devil can work only by natural means, having attained no supernatural excellency, what ever ignorant people suppose, and are fooled into the belief of by that Father of lies. Now for the particulars, he who knows any thing, cannot be ignorant that there were some abuses in the Court of our late King of blessed memory as there ever were, are, and must be in all Courts and Concourses of people and power under Heaven, this weakest imaginable, did that spirit of darkness, joining with the fittest opportunities, make the strongest, pretence to raise the emulous ambition and avarice of those he made his instruments to colour all the detestable, impudent, lying pasquils and satirical libels those Engines of Hell than cast out against our Court, Church and State. I need not insist upon the depraved nature of man, how credulous of any evil, nor of the common experience of the dire execution of those paper-shot, but only remind those at the stern, to be careful to crush such scorpions in the shell, since 'tis plain, the same brood is now hatching.  
The Ratsbane of Rebellion being thus laid in every corner of the Nation, yet wanted the full operation upon the spirits of the vulgar, till those afterwards called Non-conformists, persons some way disappointed in their expected preferments, by the merits of better men, and thereby incensed, became inveterate inveighers against all Authority, and by the stygian waters of their pestiferous Lecture-Sermons so intoxicated the deluded people, that they who before lived in the enjoyments of peace, plenty and contentment in their stations, begin to think themselves above their Neighbours in Sanctity, and preach the promise that the Saints should inherit the Earth, and thought it grievous to be top't by their Lords, and the Prerogatives of the King and Peers.  
3. When these Kirk Dragons had performed their parts with wonderful dexterity, than Lucifer draws out his state Engineers, who now by the encouragement of a confused cry of rabble, dispute, first privately, then publicly, the privileges of the people against the Prerogatives of the King, deny first one, and then all: and all this was honeyed over with the Title of The Free born People of England, which indeed proved so taking, that the Parliament generally began to think it a fine thing to be equal to, or above their Sovereign, and in fine, from one degree of infatuation to another were come to that, they raised Arms against his late Majesty, and having run on so far in rebellion, as to the cutting off many of the gallantest Persons in the Nation, and exhausting the Treasury and Kingdom indeed, by their rebellious War, the more active had no way left, but to maintain those wickednesses, they had perpetrated by attempting higher, and so proceeded to the murder of their only too patiented and good King. Then were they cocksure, enjoyed the Nation by Conquest, and none were endured, but who could with hellish impudence slander and vilify the sacred Person as well as Relations of our gracious Sovereign, concluding their Empire was as lasting as their spirits unlimited: but when these Vermin came to drink freely of the waters of prosperity, their Poison worked so highly, they became obnoxious to all the World, and this bait of the Devil grew as useless, as odious, and at last Lucifer and his Instruments were forced to quit their Dominion to God and his Anointed, to which God be praise and glory, for ever and ever.  
Thus you see by a familiar instance the methods of iniquity, the means of the most accursed machinations of Hell, and the designs of that first of Rebels the Devil, to bring all men into his own condition, as it is reported, to be natural to those who are infected with the Plague, to reduce all men as far as they are able into their own miserable condition. Now that you may see the folly as well as misery of rebellion, let us trace it from the very first rise. Was not the Devil himself whom Rebels themselves wonder at for that Masterpiece of sin, the first Precedent of Rebellion and Apostasy? Did not he lead the game to all the World? And who will not tremble to think of becoming a Proselyte to the Prince of torment? Consider the policy of your grand Master, who because he could not be content to continue a loyal subject in Heaven itself, is become a tormented Devil in the lowest Hell? And (to be short) you who snarl, libel, etc. against our gracious Sovereign, consider whether your case be any thing different from that proud rebellious Angel, who slighted the Incarnate as you do the Anointed of God: but that, as his Creation, so his capacity, and consequently his sin and punishment, are and will be higher. But still his folly and yours, who in your capacities, might equally enjoy happiness, as is hath already in part, will more manifestly if you proceed, appear to be more than bestial: which God forbidden:  
FINIS.