A Copy of a LETTER Sent to the most Illustrious and High borne Prince RUPERT By the grace of God Count Palatine of the Rhine, Duke of Bavaria, etc.  
Translated out of high Dutch.  
Printed according to Order.   woodcut of portrait of man 
London printed by Moses Bell, 12. Aug. 1644.   

A Copy of a Letter to Prince rupert's Highness, translated out of high Dutch.  
SIR,  
THe love and honour which I own and bear to the most Illustrious Palatine Family, enforce me to address myself unto your Highness, a Branch of that Princely Stem, of extraordinary expectation to restore by Resolution and Arms, to their just Possessions and Dignities, Princes of an Electoral House of the Roman Empire, and of the Blood Royal of Great Britain (made the scorn and mockery of the House of Austria) which neither by Treatis nor Threaten could hitherto be effected. It is (Sir) to let you know that which none about you will; or (if they would) dare tell you the truth, in that those Counsels and Actions which now in England you so eagerly prosecute, tend extremely to your dishonour and weakening. Persons which are much interessed in matters, may be thought not altogether fit to be consulted touching the things in which they are engaged, that I, who am of neither Partee, now in Arms, may hope to be heard without prejudice, and that you will esteem those of your own side in like or worse condition, who being Papists, they, and none but they, can by killing of the servants of God, be meant to think they serve God; or necessitous persons, whom Caesar telleth you have no hope but in a Civil War, are far the greatest number; the first undertakers, and most obstinate prosecutors of all that side with you. And glad I am that this Paper will not fear to tell you how much you dishonour yourself by fight, not only on the side, but even for the cause of such men, who have been and still are in the number of the greatest enemies of your House. Such are those very persons which have been the Complotters, and are the Fomenters of that Civil War. Those (I mean) who in the Breach of Bohemia instilled their venom into your Grandfather King James his ears, That your Father's most just Title by a lawful Election to that Kingdom, was no other than by usurpation, and that the Prince Elector was thereby the cause of the present troubles in Germany. In the cause of the Palatinate, where no pretence of Usurpation could be fastened (it being your Father's birth right) they dealt more subtly, but as falsely as in that of Bohemia, When it had been too open and palpable to have dissuaded the King wholly from assisting his only Daughter in recovering her Dowry, and her children their Patrimony. Your kind enemies one while by sending too little aid, and that for the most part unseasonable, other times by wasting opportunities in tedious Embassies, or setting on foot cross Designs, were the cause that the Palatinate was rather betrayed then neglected. And what is the end and scope you aim at, but the destruction of them who never assembled since the first of your sufferings, but did highly resent and take to heart your wrongs and sufferings and made such large offers for the redressing of them, and so earnestly pressed the sudden and serious taking the matter in hand that the business of the Palatinate (what pretence soever could be made) was the principal cause of dissolving the Parliament in the one and twentieth year of that King. And although it cannot be said thereupon, that the Prince Electors 'Cause was (for that of Bohemia was very odious) wholly laid by, yet was it never committed (as was desired) to the managing of the Parliament, nor their Counsel asked in it, lest it should have been put into their hands who would have dealt in it Bona fide.  
But how hath the influence of the favour of your Royal Uncle the King of great britain toward you, expressed clearly by the liberal aid sent into Germany unto the King of Sweden, with respect and reference unto the sufferings of his only Sister and Princely Nephews been stopped, by sending very little supply of men or money after the first? How have Ambassadors dispatched from the Protestant united Princes in Germany, which had regained a very considerable part of that Country, sent unto the King for aid, to keep at lest what they had gotten, been sent away without effect? Nor could it be otherwise, until by the Prince Electors an, your Personal repair to the Court of England, and standing somewhat betwixt his Majesty your Uncle, and your whispering enemies, you obtained some supply of both kinds. But lest you should mistake, and think them some others than those which gave the counsel in King James his time, or that you are not now fallen among those very Councillors and men of their election, compare the practices of them in King James his time with those which in the reign of King Charies even to this day they have not diverted from, and you shall find still the same things. Which of those men whom then you might suspect to be your enemy, hath since this Parliament been made your friend? and how was the reconciliation made? What though some that were then Counsellors are now dead? of them undoubtedly some you suspect not, others were not the principal Agents, for since their death the same Counsels notwithstanding. Some forces were sent at the beginning of the troubles of the ●alatinater under the reign of your Royal Grandfather, the like was sent in behalf of the Prince Elector to the Swede at his first advancing into Germany. Very little supply went from England, yet some, both to your Father from King James, and to Him also and your Brother from King Charles. Ambassadors were often sent, and as often deluded in both times, And as before, while a Fleet was rigged, and sot sail to Algiers for the conquering of the Pirates, the Emperor, Spaniard, and their Allies over-ran the Palatinate. So lately, when it was feared by your enemies, that the King's patience toward the Emperor and Spaniard for his Sister's sufferings and her children's, would shortly come to am end (for it was determined that, if Justice were not done in the Prince Electors Cause before such a time, his Majesty would endeavour by force of Arms himself to do it) a plot was contrived to turn the edge of the King's anger upon the Pirates of Sally with another Fleet, that the great Pirate of Christendom might once more illude the Just and Royal Indignation of King Charles conceived against the Emperor. Touching this Parliament, I have heard that the consideration, or rather memory of your great Cause, preoccupied the vehement resolution of the States then assembled. Was not this preventing of the Houses undaunted constancy to appear in the matter, an Art (which your Adversaries are not now to learn) to wring the work from the Parliament, and mould it after their own fashion? Howsoever you cannot doubt of the principal moving cause which wrought any thing in that work, arose from that present assembling. In so much that neither your wrongs had been in any more hope of redress then before (and yet hitherto it hath been only a war of many months, and two more joint Ambassadors) or yourself (great Prince) of liberty, but for their sakes whom you seek to destroy. What may it possibly be then which provoketh you thus against that Kingdom? Is it the Justice of the quarrel for which you fight? For your Religion, I suspect it not, for had that been altered, questionless they had released you before this time. Yet I know you have been often and craftily dealt withal during your restraint to alter that. And this I cannot pass by, the providence of God, who so appointed that you should not fall into the hands of your enemies till you had actually levied war against the Emperor, and that your liberty could not be obtained until the assembling of the Parliament, that the Kingdom of England might have therewith to stop your mouth touching the Justice of their Cause, and to upbraid you with ingratitude toward them who were the chief Instruments of your present freedom. For if to fight against the forces of the Emperor be to fight against the Emperor, what doth the English Parliament to day, you did not in Germany yesterday? And to all intents and purposes of that kind, your Royal Grandfather of blessed memory furnished your Father, and so did King Charles the Prince Elector and yourself. Or is Prince Rupert less subject to the Emperor than the Parliament of England to their King, that they must even to the hazard of all obey his personal commands, who may so err, that the Kingdom enwrapped in the safety of the Parliament, may be destroyed? when if Prince Frederick and Prince Rupert should fail, or be destroyed by the injustice of the Emperor Ferdinand, Prince Maurice may succeed; and if he miscarry, a younger brother; so that there is no such danger either of the common wealth of the Palatinate, or of the Illustrious Family, if both the Prince Elector and yourself should (which God avert) suffer much more than the loss of Patrimony. Let this be fare from the thoughts of any reasonable man. Why do I seek for any other inducement? plainly that which drew you to that party could be no other than respect of particular advantage, hoping by so strictly adhering to the King your Uncle's side, to wind yourself so fare into his favour, 〈◊〉 now at last (if his Majesty shall prevail) no let may hinder 〈◊〉 from taking Arms for you, as you for him. Yet give me 〈◊〉 to tell your Highness, that so soon as th●● 〈…〉 abroad of a grant of your liberty, I presently apprehended that the Spaniard and their faction had some thing to do for you in the troubles of England, which were then in conception, because they had never been so kind unto you till that time and in your common Cause the two Ambassadors could obtain nothing which was equal. So at length have your enemies, when they had before hindered your Allies from arming to assist you, and afterward when with much labour some appeared for you, disarmed them, and armed yourself against yourself. Then which what can be more done to your dishonour and damage? But in case victory shall be with the Parliament, it is much to be feared that the sufferings of your House, more than twenty years neglected, will not easily be taken into their thoughts; or if every Branch, besides yourself and Prince Ma●rice, be thought worthy of the Kingdom of England's help and charge, notwithstanding their extreme burdens and late troubles, the Commons of England will except against you both, as not willing to have new burdens laid upon their shoulders, for their sakes by whom they have already groaned under so many. If on the other side the Partee you sight for shall be victorious, it is not to be hoped that those Counsellors, and their creatures, who have dealt so perfidiously by your Royal Father, by the Prince Elector your Brother, and your whole Family (for now they have that King's ear more obnoxious than ever they had before, those noble Lords who were and are your friends, being retired from the Court) will change their Religion, their Natures, or Dependencies, being Persons in heart, if not in public profession, Papists. or Pensioners unto the Spaniard, or dependants of the one or the other. Will those which now fight for and with Papists in ●ritantie, undo what they have effected there by fight against Papists in Germany? And as Prince Rupert may not expect any assistance by all reason of Religion and Conscience from the Catholics of Britain (which now and in this Cause are his greatest friends) against the Emperor and Catholic King; so neither from King Charles against them by the law of Gratitude (forsooth) the one of which released the Prince out of prison and sent him to his Uncle, the other protecteth the King's Ships, though he takes the Parliaments by reprize.  
To the more indifferent party it will be sufficient to say, The French are too potent; Protect the Spaniard in Artois and Flanders in point of State, or make them believe the Palatinate not worth the recovering, although your enemies account it well worth the keeping. But that the Prince may not think of Germany, persuade him to the conquest of Madagascor, and entitle him to the Duchy of Cumberland, which are seated fare enough from his own Country. Although your Highness could not but have taken it better, and with less suspicion, to have a promise made you of restoring unto you that which is properly your own. But I assure you (Sir) whatsoever yourself, or some of you may intent, You all fight for the King of Spain. And that you may the better know what these men are like to do for you in time to come, consider with yourself what they have already done; They have drawn you either from peaceable abiding with your Royal Mother and the Prince Elector at the Hage, or from pursuing your Right and Patrimony in Germany, by joining with the Princes of the Evangelicall Union, to hazard your life in Battles, Sieges, Skirmishes, in which if valiant Prince Rupert shall lose his life, the King of Spain can be no loser. They have thrown the envy of all their Cruelties, Spoils, and Villainies in Prince rupert's face, in every troop almost (I hear) pretending his Authority, and using his name to all their Outrages; and (what in them lieth) drawn the whole Electoral Family into hatred, and by these things into fear of a helpless condition. For it is the Kingdom of England (under God) which must perform for that House (if ever it be done) the great work of Restauration. Lay down therefore now at length (High bo●●e Prince) your Arms; and although the Kingdom of England for all it hath done, or meant to have done for you, deserve to be thus rewarded, be not cruel to yourself and Princely Family. Sir, pardon me, I have told you the truth. God open your eyes and heart also.  
FINIS.