AN HUMBLE REMONSTRNCE TO THE King's most Excellent Majesty, in vindication of The honourable Isaak Pennington, Lord Major of the honourable City of London, Alderman Foulkes, Captain Venne, Captain Manwaring, Whom his Majeste desires to be delivered to custody, to answer an accusation of treason against them. Desiring that His Majesty would make them no let to his return to his Parliament nor hinder the accommodation of peace. LONDON, Printed for T. Wright. MDCXLIII. An humble Remonstrance to the Kings most Excellent Majesty. Most gracious Sovereign, THough warlike glory doth so much fasten the eyes of some about your sacred Majesty upon her reputation, that as (Ambrose saith) they think fortune to be preleall, and to belong only to the field, Amb. offic. lib. 1 39 As those did, who persuaded King Antiochus to raise forces against Zion, to destroy the City, who therefore raised an Army of an hundred thousand footmen, and two thousand horsemen, and thirty two Elephants, insomuch that the Sun shining upon the Armour and golden Shields, the mountains glisteren therewith, and gave lights as lamps of fire; what was the event? when he thought to conquer by his army, he contracted a covenant of peace with them; 1. Macc. 16. Surely your best subjects had rather see you peaceably in your height of glory, sitting in your royal throne with your Parliament, in that splendour and glory, which would protect your sacred person, crown and dignity, from those many dangers to which you are now exposed by being separated from them; from your ancient Court, from your City of safety, with so many Papists and Popish officers about you, with so many soldiers, Commanders under foreign Princes near you; pardon us to speak (dread Sovereign) you are near and dear unto us, you are our life and the breath of our nostrils: It is dangerous both to you and us, to have so many young raw heads, great Malignants, and dangerous Cavaliers about you, and yourself at a distance from your Parliament. Ennius' an ancient Roman saith well, moribus antiquis res stat Romana virisque, old manners and old men uphold Rome; To whom Augustin doth agree with T●●ly, that it was spoken as out of an Oracle for neither the men unless the City had had such manners, nor the manners unless the City had such men, could either have founded or preserved a Commonwealth of that magnitude, justice, and empire. And therefore before these our days the predecessors conditions did still make the successors excel, and the worthy men still kept up the privileges of honourable antiquity. Agust. Civi. Dei. lib. 2. ch. 21. In your two Houses of Parliament, most gracious Sovereign, is your best safety, there is the fountain of law and manners, there are your Ancients, and Worthies, to determine of that law; there is your highest Court of justice, your great Council, your royal throne in the highest sphere of magnitude, there are those statutes which your and our predecessors established, by which we excel other nations. In a word, there are those good and happy laws that makes you our King, and we your subjects: Oh do not think most royal King, that there can be such safety in your Army, as with your Parliament; guilt hopes, cracked fortunes, desperate conditions, may abuse your goodness there, which can have no hope here: It was this service that the Signior Ambassador from Spain (Gundamor that Arch-plotter of mischief boasted before the Council when he returned) that he had done, One of the princepall services (saith he to the Pope's Nuntio, in the open Council) in working such a dislike betwixt the King, and the lower House, by the endeavour of that honourable Earl and admirable Engine a sure servant to us and the Catholic Cause whilst he lived) as the King (speaking of King james your royal father of happy memory) will never endure Parliament again, but rather suffer absolute want, then receive conditional relief from his subjects, besides the matter was so cunningly carried the last Parliament, that as in the Powder plot t●e fact effected should have been imputed to the Puritans (the greatest zealots of the Calvinian sect) so the proposition which dammed up the proceed of this Parliament, how soever they were invented by Roman Catholics, and by them intended to disturb that Session yet were propounded infavour of the Puritans, as if they had been hammered in their forge (as is expressed in vox populi more at large) Consider most gracious King, how dangerous it is to hearken to such Incendiaries of mischiefs, what was the end of this but intended for the overthrow of all Peace, Church, and State as the Inquisitor himself said: how (said he) if this act of the Kings wherein he is most earnest and constant should so fare thrive as it should effect a perfect union both in the Church, and Commonwealth, I tell you in my conceit it would be a great blow to us, if by a general meeting Peace should be concluded, at which we see their politic King aims. Whereas it is your Royal will, and pleasure to require that the Honourable Isaac Pennington Lord Major of the Honourable City of London, Captain Venne, Master Foulks, Captain Manwaring, should be apprehended and committed to custody to proceed against them as guilty of high treason, before you will return to your Parliament: May it please your most excellent Majesty to think on them as innocent, and clear from all suspicion of treason or treachery against your Sacred Majesty, and more loyal, and faithful subjects in doint their duty to you in obedience to the High Court of Parliament, than those that smother their hypocrisy in Martial attendance on you against your Parliament and Metropolitan City. 1 They have been dutiful subjects to you in obeying the Ordinances of your Parliament, made for your Honour, and for the safety, and good of the Kingdoms concerning which King james your Royal Father said in the upper House of Parliament, in the presence of the Lords, and Commons together before him, I protest (said he) that your welfare shall ever be my greatest care and contentment, and that I am a servant it is most true, that as I am Head and Governor of all the people in my Dominions who are my natural vassals and subjects, considering them in number and distinct ranks; so if we will take the whole people as one body and mass, then as the Head is ordained for the body, and not the body for the Head: so must a righteous King know himself to be ordained for his people, and not his people for him, for although a Knig and people be Relata, yet can he be no King, if he want people and subjects. But there be many people in the world, that lack a Head, wherefore I will never be ashamed to confess it my principal Honour to be the great Servant of the Common wealth, and do think the prosperity thereof, to be my greatest felicity, etc. At the beginning of Parliament 1. Anno 1603 March 19 King james speech printed by Robert Barker Printer to the Kings most excellent Majesty. How much then did it concern these, and us all to perform our best and truest duty and allegiance to you and them, bringing thither our grievances, that by them the Law might be laid to the cause, as Lod Vives brings in Sallust in his Wars of Catiline speaking of the ancient Romans he saith thus, The Law is a civil equity either established in literal Laws or instilled into the manner by verbal instructions. Good is the fountain, moderator and reformer of all Law all which is done by the prudence of the great judges of the Law adapting itself to the nature of the cause, and laying the Law to the cause, not the cause to the Law. August. Civit. Dei, L. Viu. lib. 2. cap. 17. Who are these great Judges but the Parliament? 2. They have been dutiful subjects to you in opposing the enemies of your Crown and dignity, which are of many sorts. 1 The Papists, these your faithful subjects have; and daily seek by all opportunity to find out, & prevent their damnable sedition: when was there ever a Parliament, against which they were not ever great disturbers, & secret underminers, as of that of the Gunpowder treason. It cannot, saith King james, be enough admired, the horrible, and fearful cruelty of their device, which was not only for the destruction of my person, nor of my wife and posterity alone, but of the whole body, of the state in general, wherein neither should have been spared, or distinction made of young nor old, of great nor of small of man, nor of woman, the whole Nobility, the whole Reverend Clergy, most part of the good Preachers and the most part of the Knights and Gentry, yea, and if that any in this society were favourers of their profession, they should all have gone one way, the whole judges of the Land the most part of the Lawyers and the whole Clerks: and as the wretch himself which is in the Tower doth confess it was purposely devised by them, and concluded to be done in this House that where the cruel Laws (as they said) were made against their Religion, both place, and persons should all be destroyed, and blown up at once. King james speech last Sess. Parliament. 1605. These be the Incendiaries against whom this Land is provided with so many good and wholesome Laws. How many Emperor's Kings, and Princes, have they deposed, murdered, and poisoned from time to time, yea the Popes themselves, how few is there of them that die a natural death in their beds? but against Protestant Princes. Churches, and Kingdoms, they never cease to conspire all they can invent to overthrow and bring them to ruin. These indeed they have been careful to find out, and to bring to condign punishment, or at least to disable them of doing mischief witness some of their quarters on the gates, others in several prisons, though some cannot yet be discovered. 2 To punish those that make, or cause the continuance of the separation between you, and your Parliament, divers of the Clergy that labour to make the breach greater, by railing against such things, as nothing at all concern them, also all such who are of evil life and conversation, not fit to meddle with matters of State. 2 Many Printers who do accustom themselves to fill the Kingdom with scandalous lying Pamphlets. 3 Those who cause any tumults in Churches. 4 Such as have spoken words, and done actions that may give occasion of suspicion to judge them for such who are malignants and hinderers of accommodation between your Majesty, and the High Court of Parliament. 3 All manner of traitors whatsoever. 4 All kind of offenders according to Law, etc. 3 They have been dutiful subjects to you in their sense and fellow feeling of the miserable effects of the same condition of Ireland, and their readiness to help them: Dread Sovereign, they are known to have been so active herein, that they have neglected their own private profit, the care of their own houses and families, to promote and help forward all the assistance they can possible in each of their several places. 1 They have been earnest suitors to God in their behalf by prayer which is a thriving way to help a nation, as David prayed for the redemption of Israel, O that the salvation of Israel, were come out of Zion, when God bringeth back the Captivity of his people, jacob shall rejoice and Israel shall be glad. Psal. 53. 6. this he prayed because that the eyes of the Lord are open upon the righteous, and his ears are open to their cry. Psal. 34.15. So these are and have been earnest suitors to God for the poor distressed Kingdom of Ireland. 2. They to express that these their prayers have not been dissembling, (like many who are ready to tell us a fine tale of dissimulation, commiserating the bleeding condition of the Protestant Church, when indeed and truth, they rejoice to see it, & labour to make the breach the greater, witness that scandalous Pamphlet entitled the City's complaint, seconded with another entitled the complaint of the Clergy, written by a professed Papist, (calling us in plain terms monstrous heretics but these dread Sovereign,) are not such they have not been only ready to pray for them, but they have also been always ready to pay to help them, they have given largely to relieve them, according to each of their estates; hearing that poor Kingdom groaning under that burden of popish cruelty, to which they first thought to have subjected us, as Troy was by the treacherous seditions of L. Saturninus Tribune, C- Caesar Servilus, Praetor, and M. Drusus, whence there arose not only civil slaughters, but they broke openly out into confederate war, which brought all Italy into most miserable and desperate extremities, whence it is strange to record what fields were pitched, what blood shed, and what murder stuck upon the face of all Italy, as far as the Romans had any power or seigniority. Augusti civet Dei. lib. 3. chap. 26. And even in such a miserable condition is Ireland now in, and such a condition had we been in ere now, had not almighty God kept us: these men have been ready and willing to relieve and help this poor Kingdom of Ireland, are they to be blamed for this, God forbidden. 4. They have been very active and studious to preserve your Kingdom from plots and conspiracies, especially your Metropollitan City of London. 1. They have found out many insendaries of mischief, and have found quantities of shot, powder, arms, etc. about their houses. 2. They have caused their dangerous intents to be discovered, to murder some of the Members of your honourable Houses of Parliament; to bring foreign forces from beyond the Seas, to spoil the City if not to blow it up; to rescue Delinquents from the hands of justice. 3. They have caused the City to be strongly guarded and prepared in times of greatest danger: At such times (notwithstanding all their care) such hath been the boldness of the Papists in the very hart of the City, theat the Priests and Friars have been taken notice of to revile them, and call them Round-head fellows, etc. We have had women with their beads in their hands open, and their Crucifix in their breasts; and the Papists have called after the trained bands, and bid them go like a company of traitors and Rebels, or to that effect; certainly if Your Majesty would be pleased to clear these men, and call for the execution of justice against the Priests and Jesuits, and subdue the Papists, it would procure more safety to your Majesty's person, Crown and dignity, which was indeed a great reason of the making of those Laws against them; as once an Ambassador from Spain said at his return home of England, when he had made a speech before the Council there; I have bend myself saith he to weaken them (namely England) and strengthen us (namely Spain) and in all these have advanced the Catholic cause, but especially in procuring favours for all such as favour that side, and crossing the other by all means: and this I practise myself, and give out to be generally practised by others, that whatsoever suecesse I find, I still boast of the Victory, which I do to dishearten their hearts, to make them suspicious one of another, especially between their Prince and their best statesmen; and to keep our own in courage, who by this means increase, otherwise would be in danger to decay: Gundemour's speech in vox populi, printed Anno 1620. Surely your faithful Subjects have not been Traitors or disloyal Subjects; in discovering and preventing these plots and dangerous designs, which the Papists and their Agents contrived against us. May it therefore please your most Excellent Majesty to consider of the lives and conversation of these men, and you shall we hope find them such as your Kingdom cannot afford you, (nor any Kingdom in the world their Prince) more truly loyal and faithful subjects than they, and that really from the very sentor of their hearts, not in smothered Hypocrisies, as it is to be feared too many now near your Majesty do; who when it shall please God that there shall be an accommodation of peace between You and your two Houses of Parliament, will for aught we know be as ready to serve a Foreign Prince against you, as now they are to encourage you against your Parliament. 1. These men are none of them Separatists, but do constantly repair to the church with the congregation, though they do desire that your Majesty would be pleased to join with your Parliament, in the calling of an Assembly of Divines for the settling of a thorough Reformation. 2. They are true protestants of the Church of England, and enemies of Popery and traditions of men, & desire to advance the kingdom of Jesus Christ, the propagation of the gospel and the peace of the Church and State. 3. They are men fearing God, and living in an honest & religious way, not given either to cursing, swearing, drinking, cozening, usury, gaming, etc. but honest godly men, such as are examples to those about them. 4. They are men who were never tainted with, or taxed for any crime in violation of the law in any point. 5. They were, & are forward & willing to take the oath of Allegiance and Supremacy, & to bind themselves in the strongest tye that can be to your Ma: in duty and obedience, because they know what the duty of a subject is to his King; and therefore with their estates & lives are ready to defend & maintain the honour of your Crown and dignity: Most Royal Sovereign; we do humbly implore your Ma: to return to your high Court of Parliament, and harken not to those 〈◊〉 of mischief, that labour to work an ill affection 〈…〉 them: or to such your truly loyal sub●●●●●… 〈…〉, it's a 〈…〉 that 〈…〉 so to settle your hearts ease in this Jordan, it would cure all the diseases in your Kingdom; We do observe saith the father, that an acquiring council, honesty of life, the prerogative of virtue, the use of good will, the grace of frugality doth much avail, for who looketh for clear water in a pond of mud, who fetcheth water to drink out of troubled pits, etc. how can there be place to council, where there is no place to peace and tranquillity. Ambrose. Chrisost. Hell lib. 2 cap. 12. With your great Counsel the Parliament, you will find the fountain of law and honesty, the prerogative of virtue, the good will and loyal subjection of all your people, presented to you in the House of Commons, the representative Body of the Kingdom, and a Council that will make you greater than any of your predecessors, by their wisdoms and care through the blessing of Almighty God; there is the fountain which your presence will set open, for England, Scotland and poor distressed Ireland to wash in, that they may be healed: O how doth poor distressed Ireland bleed with the rebellion of the papists, and how doth this Kingdom of England mourn in the month of war, the joy and only hopes of the Papists here: O most gracious King return to your Parliament, and we doubt not but these woeful tragedies will end; we should have all our grievances relieved if we did but enjoy your presence; for whereas now your sacred person is at so great a distance from your Parliament, that what they do here is much cumbered with prevention of many dangers and evils, and being done, meets with many obsticles before it can have admittance to your Majesty's presence; and how many and how great enemies it finds there experience shows; whereas, was your presence daily with them, they would counsel and advise with you in such a way, as you would soon comfort all our people. 1. By passing such Bills as they have made ready for you, for the clearing of divers great matters of difference both in Church and State. 2. By putting an end to War, and contracting an inseparable union between you and your people, which would produce many great and happy blessings for all your Kingdoms and people. First, this Kingdom would then discourage those hopes which now the enemies hath at home and abroad. Secondly, it would discourage the Rebels in Ireland to see us settled in Peace. Thirdly, It would give us an opportunity to help the distressed Protestants there, by sparing but part of that great expense, and sending part of our Soldiers to them (which are raised in a strange and dangerous War in our own bowels) to them. Fourthly, It would settle your Kingdom of Scotland, and free them also from many fears and jealousies wherewith they are now replenished. 3. By bringing Delinquents, and such as have been the grand causer of these distractions to punishment, which would be a means to prevent all such future disasters, and settle you, your Parliament and Kingdom in a sweet and happy Peace and union. 4. By settling a constant Trade, which now is distracted through all your Kingdoms; the increase of Trade, advanceth a Kingdom to great happiness, and is attended with many comforts, both to the King and people. First, It would replenish your Majesty's Coffers, both the Custom and Tolledge thereof. Secondly, It would make your poor Subjects that are Tradesman, the more able to pay and furnish the Nobility and Gentry with such Money, as their lands and places require. Thirdly, It would enrich the estates of all your poor Subjects. Fourthly, It would fill the Kingdoms with both Money and Commodities. Fiftly, It would make you great, by being a King over such a plentiful and prosperous Country; whereas now all is in a contrary way, by reason of your absence from us, and the maintenance of two Armies in the bowels of the Kingdom. 5. Hearing all our grievances in your Houses of Parliament, the proper place of helping us. 6. By enjoying your presence, which to us is above all the rest; That there is not a settlement, and an happy Reformation amongst us; it is a great grief to us, Wars are a horrible trouble, that the Incendiaries of mischief are not stopped, increaseth our misery; want of Peace, is want of comfort, and want of Trade, takes away our livelihood, and our grievances are not relieved, but that your Presence is kept from us; This aggravates all the former miseries, were we relieved in all, and you at such a distance from us and your Parliament, it were too little to comfort us; but do you but return, and then all our misery is ended, let us but enjoy the Presence of your sacred Majesty, and then our joy will be full. We are your humble and loyal Subjects, and we are deeply wounded to find misapprehensions of the love and loyalty of this your City, as if they should do any thing to give you cause of fear, or cause you to suspect there loyalty; should your Majesty return to your Parliament, and think better of them, you would find them better Subjects, and prevent that desolation and destruction, which doth now threaten your sacred Majesty, and the whole Kingdom; and you would find more fidelity in your Parliament, and from us, than with them whose hypocrisy is smothered in our distractions. And to clear the innocency of our hearts, we do protest before Almighty God, as we hope for a blessing on us and ours, That we are no ways conscious of any disloyalty, and abhor all thoughts thereof; who are ready to make good their Protestation, even to the last drop of their dearest bloods, and that with as much Loyalty, love, and duty, as ever Citizens expressed towards your Majesty, or any of your Royal Progenitors in their greatest glory. And we would be hearty glad, that Armies of our Kingdoms might cease to devour our own bowels; and part of them be transported with their means to relieve the miserable oppressed Church of Ireland, from the cruelty of the Papist there; and two parts of them be transported to redeem the Palatinate for your royal Sister and her Posterity, that she and they might again be settled in their former honour; and that the rest may remain at home to defend our own Kingdom: That the Honour and safety of your Crown and dignity may be secured, your honour advanced, the propagation of the Gospel established, and the Church and Kingdom settled in Peace, to God's glory, your Majesty's Honour, and your and our happiness, to the memory of everlasting Posterity. FINIS.