The Copy of a LETTER Sent to the KING BY Sir Jo. Meldrum. London, Printed for Joseph Hunscott. Octob. 18. 1642. Most Gracious Sovereign, IT is held a common Tenet, That an Apology doth imply an offence; Whereof if I were conscious to myself in the least breach of Allegiance, due to Sovereignty, I would not blush in the ingenious acknowledgement of my guiltiness; but would (in all humility) throw myself down at Your Majesty's feet, though culpable in nothing else (so far as my conscience doth suggest) but of a great averseness in disposition, and a great reluctation I have had within myself, against all the late proceed have been attempted in Your Majesty's Service; which (if it should be found criminal) there are not many of Your Majesty's best advised and best affected subjects or servants of any quality, who stand either for the glory of God, The Honour of Your Majesty, or, The peace and happiness of the Kingdom, who (in foro conscientiae) can plead guiltless in that point: And if there be any of a contrary sense (who are considerable) It will appear (upon a strict search) That flattery, spleen, or emulation, hath rather transported them then any thing else, will be found essential, to make such a breach as the Kingdom is threatened with; which (unprevented) may bury them and their posterities in the ruins thereof. The Zeal I have had to Your Majesty's Father's Service in Ireland, in settling the Province of Ulster; and to Your own Service at Rochel (which in my time hath had no example) will vindicate me from any aspersion may be cast upon me, either of ingratitude, or disloyalty: And that all Your Majesty's favours have produced no other effects to me, but to have been made the subject of all calumnies, and detraction, that malice could brand me with, and a deep engagement in 2000l debt, after the spending of 36 years of time in Your Majesty's Fathers and Your own Service. I did adventure upon a great freedom of discourse with Your Majesty at Newcastle, upon the subject of War; which if it had taken any impression (suitable to the sincerity of my heart) as a business of so high a Nature did require, Your Majesty might have avoided many unhappy accidents which have encountered all Your Attempts since that time; which cannot be interpreted to have sprung from any other source, th●n from the rashness, arrogancy, and ambition of some presumptuous spirits, who have drawn Your Majesty upon ruinous Precipices, which could not but bring forth the like wretched effects: Their aim was at nothing so much, as at the disgrace and overthrow of all Your Majesty's well-affected and loyal subjects and servants, who were not stamped with the Character of the time; and to engage Your Majesty in their unhappy Interests of ambition, gain, malice, revenge, despair, and emulation; as if Your Majesty's Crowns, and their desperate Fortunes, had had but one and the same Centre; as if both had been cast in one Balance, to stand or fall, in the distractions of the times. When I did look upon the lamentable posture of three Kingdoms, reduced to a great height of desolation and misery: When I did perceive that no corner in all Your Dominions that could afford one good man, that was sensible of the purity of Religion towards God, of the Honour, Peace, and Safety of Your Majesty and Kingdoms; who did not groan under the exorbitances of the time: And when there was small probability (unless by miracle) that Your Majesty's Diadems could retain that ancient lustre and beauty, nor those Halcyon days of public prosperity Your loving subjects and their Ancestors had formerly enjoyed, under the Reigns of your Royal Progenitors (whilst they kept a regular course of Government with their Parliaments.) I could find no better way to do Your Majesty a more agreeable Service, then by stopping the course of a Civil War, so far as could fall within the compass of my endeavour, to embrace any fit opportunity offered (as to cast myself within Hull) whereby my real and affection to the public good might be demonstrated, in a service for the common Interest of Your Majesty and the Kingdom; which whosoever shall go about to separate, cannot but expect such fearful events as ordinarily do accompany all such, who would entertain and foster a woeful Divorcement betwixt a Prince and his People; a wretched division betwixt the head and the members; which (of necessity) must bring forth prodigious issues, as may not only shake the foundation of Monarchy, but also overflow the fertile and pleasant fields and valleys of this Kingdom with streams of innocent blood, which might be more safely reserved for more advantageous, and more honourable employments, then profusedly s●ent, in the ripping up of the bowels one of another, of Your Majesty's good subjects, by an intestine War, which will divide the father from the son, the brother from the brother, and the nearest kinsman from his dearest friend; and that (which is most deplorable) the ground of the War must arise from the unsettled and unconstant appetites of some factious and turbulent spirits, overladed with the bitterness of their own passions and interest, and at such an unseasonable time, when a more just, and a more honourable subject for a War, cannot be long wanting, if the unseasonable distempers of the time could allow your Majesty's good subjects a little time to breathe in the calm air, and happiness of a blessed peace, until such time as France and Spain (by their mutual clashings) have so far debilitated each other, that both might run the hazard to be made the Stage for Your Majesty's just indignation, provoked by the affronts have been put upon Your Majesty's Father and Yourself, in the unjust detention of the Patrimony of a Grandchild of this Crown, if there were a happy atonement with Your Majesty's loving subjects, strongly cemented by a strict correspondency with the netherlands Provinces, whose friendship or immunity may do more good or hurt to these kingdoms, than the friendship or immunity of France and Spain joined together. The miserable sense of that War in Italy, by the pertinacious obstinacy of Charles the eighth, which was stirred up and fomented by the ignorance and ambition of that proud Prelate, the Bishop of S. Malo, which did draw on his shameful expulsion out of Italy, at the expense of his reputation, and hazard of his life: The deplorable event of that War, violently prosecuted by Charles the more hardy than wise Duke of Burgundy, against the Swisseses, which had no other ground but unmeasurable ambition, and the refusal of redress to some of the Swisseses, who had but a Cart full of Sheepskins taken injuriously from them, going to their Market, by the Count of Romont, which was paid home by the loss of his Baggage, by the loss of his reputation, by the loss of his Family (which for four Generations, had stood in competition with the Emperor, and the French King) and in the end, by loss of his life. The vast and profuse consumption of more men and money, spent by the King of Spain in that Belgic War, then might have reduced Italy and France to that Austrian servitude (aspired unto by Charles the fifth, aiming at a fifth Monarchy) which if it had in time been nipped in the bud, might have been easily prevented, by hearing the humble Petitions of a handful of his subjects, oppressed with the Tyranny of the Spanish Government, may serve as example of terror to all great Princes, who (at the appetites of their servants) will embark themselves in such extricable errors, as are often accompanied with sudden and unfortunate events. Many great and honourable Actions have been brought to happy and, glorious conclusions, by Princes who have relied upon the valour and affection of their loving subjects; which (being wanting) the examples of good success have been no less rare, then of black Swans, either in ancient or modern Stories. The hearty acclamations of joy at Your Father's entry to the Crown of England, the public exultations at Your Majesty's safe return from Spain, will challenge a more kindly retribution, than the exposing of the Fortunes and lives of Your good subjects to the inhuman butcheries of an intestine War, which (like a Gangrene) hath already overrun the greatest part of Europe, and may (by the revolution of time, whereunto all sublunary things are subject) kindle such a fire here amongst Your good subjects, which will not be quickly extinguished, by all the plots & practices of the time, nor without some hazards to your Sceptres. Especially when strangers (being invited by our distractions) if they have power, ambition, and sense of revenge, may endeavour to be sharers with Your Ma.tie good Subjects, in the felicities of this Island, as the only place in Europe, which hath been long exempted from the thraldom and bondage of War, which undoubtedly they would have attempted before this time, if God (in his gracious providence and care of this Island) had not suffered France and Spain to be deeply embarked over head and ears: The common quarrel of invasion which Princes never forget, if they can find an opportunity to remember, The Jesuitick plots to extirpate the whole body of Protestants in this Island, which (as it was in former times, the only safe Sanctuary and protection of all that suffered under the tyranny of Rome) may (by these Machinations, rooted here too deeply) become a Cage for unclean birds to nestle therein, and disturb the peace of these Kingdoms, as a powerful effect of too much implicit trust put in some, who will prove in the end Your Majesty's greatest enemies, and of too much neglect of others, who will be found the best supporters of the dignity of Your Person, and Crowns. And if there be a War really intended, there is a necessity of a more solid foundation than the protection of evil and unadvised Ministers, whom Your Majesty's Predecessor Henry the fourth of England, would have rather offered up as public Victims to an offended Commonwealth, than that three Kingdoms should lie pitifully exposed to the hazards of a public conflagration; which God in his mercy avert: I must rather account him an ignorant Mountebank than a skilful Physician, who adviseth his patient to apply a more violent remedy, than the nature of the disease will comport with, orherwise the remedy may prove worst then the disease: Nor shall I ever account him for a faithful servant, who persuadeth his Master to embrace any action, which may more conduce to the advancement of any private interest of ambition, gain, malice, revenge, despair, or emulation, then to the safety of his Master's repuatiton and honour: Your Majesty doth well know, the different Characters antiquity hath put upon the two favourites of Alexander, Hephestion and Craterus, the one loved Alexander out of conscience, duty, zeal, and love as his Sovereign, the other loved the King for his magnificence, pomp, glory, and power; Alexander had to raise his fortune, and to make him great, not unlike to the legionary Soldiers that followed Germanicus, recorded by Tacitus, to have said fortunam meum potius quam me forebatis, or such Court Parasites, who do rather look upon the fortunes, than persons of great Princes: I pray God Your Majesty have not too many of the one, and too few of the other kind of Servants; Pardon Dread Sovereign this freedom of spirit, which no extremity, no power, no punishment can restrain, And which cannot but burst forth in this excess of passion and grief, to see Your Majesty so inclinable to give way to all such courses, which can presage no less than a fearful revolation, if Your Majesty should continue in a constant course of being inexorable to the persuasions, counsels, and petitions of Your loving Subjects, inviting Your Majesty to adhere to your great Council of Parliament, who are only able to make Your majesty no less happy & glorious than any of your Royal Progenitors: God grant that in end, Your Majesty may be sensible of the Common calamities your good Sebiects are involved in, and that some proper occasion may be represented, whereby every true and loyal Subject may be encouraged, to offer up his sacrifice of blood, for the honour and safety of Your Majesty and your whole Dominions, whereof none shall be more prodigal Than Your Majesty's most humble and faithful Servant, JO. MELDRUM. FINIS.