A PLEA FOR THE PARLIAMENT, OR, CONSIDERATIONS FOR The satisfaction of such, who are apt to be mis-led by a Malignant Party against the PARLIAMENT, With a palpable and evident Declaration of their chiefest designs therein.  
 insignia  
London, Printed in the year, 1642.   

A PLEA for the PARLIAMENT, OR, CONSIDERATIONS for the satisfaction of such, who are apt to be mis-led by a Malignant party against the PARLIAMENT, with a palpable and evident Declaration of their chiefest designs therein.  
FOrasmuch as it appears, that a malignant party hath endeavoured to raise up strength and to take up arms against the Parliament, consisting of the King Lords and Commons of the land, and to increase their number by many and false reproachful calumnies cast upon them, suggesting unto people many disjointed and invalid positions to ensnare the minds of men, and although by the late Remonstrances there is sufficient satisfaction given to every judicious and intelligent Reader; yet forasmuch as these Remonstrances are many in number, and each of them relating to some particular occurrences or other preceding, some people having seen them all, others but some of them, and others none at all; and for as much as many almost in all places, both in pulpits, discourses, and otherways,( friends to the Popish party) have and do daily endeavour to stir up a most ingratefull and unworthy disrespect unto the Parliament, who may once learn better, when better taught by the Parliaments lash. There are therefore these considerations presenting themselves to every mans view, being almost nothing but what is obvious to every mans knowledge, and for the most part evident in all the late Remonstrances.  
First, that men would consider, when it pleased God after many Prayers and Petitions of the people to grant this Parliament, what were the complaints of the whole kingdom in matters both of Church and State, and the miserable oppressions of mens consciences and properties.  
Secondly, consider what the Parliament hath done with great difficulties to accommodate the desires of the people in this behalf, in suppressing the power of tyrants over mens consciences. Sin taking away all offensive and superstitious innovations in granting liberty to all parishes to choose Lecturers, in opening the mouths of our godly Ministers, in taking away the power of oppressing and tyrannicall Courts of Lordly Prelates in choosing a learned assembly of many godly and able Ministers for the settling of mens judgements, and the healing of the many divisions and unsound opinions amongst us in matters of Religion; and for mens properties how some delinquents this way have been punished, and others detected evil Ministers of Justice( by whom righteous and just causes have miscarried to the undoing of many p●o● widows, fatherless and others, are partly removed, and in a faire way of receiving their demerits; hip-mone●, ●… t and Con●u●…- moneys ●a●ents almost for every thing to the daily draining and oppressing of the subject) are all taken away; and consider also whether any one thing hath been translated or proportion made by them, which doth not in tuitu proprio, loooke at the future peace and good of the kingdom.  
Thirdly consider, whether if this present parliament should unhappily be discountenanced discouraged or dissolved( which God forbid) we should ever have the like, or any; or if by virtue of the act for the ●r●●ani●ll Parliament there should be another whether any man bearing good will to the Common-wealth being chosen, would be encouraged thereunto and so either wee should have none at all or if any, such an one which instead of a remedy should be an inlet of all misery into the Land.  
Fourthly, consider how kingdoms abroad in the world are governed without Parliaments, where Voluntas regis is Lex populi, the pleasure of the King is the rule of the kingdom, and the precipitancie of this kingdom also before this Parliament, into all oppression and misery through the deceitful suggestions and insinuations of wicked counsel about his majesty; and whether we are not looked upon as the envy of other kingdoms by virtue of this onely inheritance of ours.  
Fifthly, consider into what misery, blood and distraction, wee had plunged ourselves two yeeres since( The two nations of England and Sc●tland, imbruing themselves, and weltering in one anothers blood) had not the wisdom of the Parliament then present( consisting for the most part of the same Members as this doth) denied the levying of moneys for the main aiming of that war which should for ever make us thankful for and mindful of a Parliament benefit.  
Sixthly, consider that whereas the Protestant Profession and the subjects liberty, is pretended in all things; what good intent either can or could here be to the one or to the other, either in those former differences between us and our brethen, the Scots, or the present divisions in this kingdom when Papists and popish persons were then the chief Commanders( for the most part) in the English Armies and Papists now and Popish persons and Atheists whose continual assertions are wounds and blood and God damn me or heavens damn me, if wee be not revenged upon these roundheads( a nick-name questionless, originally sprung up from some block-head, having neither wit nor reason in it) these are the main abettors, provokers, projectors and actors in these divisions, whether these aim at the Protestant Religion, whatever they call the Protestant Profession except it be Poper; in all things, supremacy onely excepted, or the subjects liberty, let every man of the meanest capacity judge.  
seventhly consider what tampering there hath been this two or three yeares to raise up civill wars amongst us in the three Kingdoms, First between Us and the ●c●t● then, that now so rife in Ireland, and amongst us divers times, as when the Army in the North was plotted to be brought up against the Parliament, and of late the bold peremptory and unparallelled contempt and reproach cast upon the House of Commons by those unworthy Cavileers which accompanied his majesty to the House of Commons at the accusation of the five Members, their cruelly abusing cutting and mangling of the Citizens, their endeavour to raise up a party at Kingston upon Thames. and now also to do the like in the North, all tending to Civill Warres and mutinies amongst us, and whether the same spirit which worketh so hot in Ireland, hath no factors in Scotland, and amongst us in England, let all men that have the right faculty of discerning judge, and whether they that endeavour to raise up Civill wars in a kingdom can aim at the good of that kingdom let every man that hath not lost the use of reason determine.  
Eightly, consider what unheard of misery, barbarous cruelty savage inhumanity is exercised upon the poor Protestant party in Ireland, by that bloody Popish party and how far those that endeavour to make a party against the Parliament, are acted by the same designs, let those judge & consider who either have or will red the Irish Remonstrance, and observe how these distractions at home( occasioned by the unhappy divisions and distance of his majesty through wicked counsel from his Parliament) encourage the Rebells and hinder the Protestant cause there, whereas a happy concurrence between the King and Parliament might in an ordinary way through Gods mercy have subdued those wicked Rebells long sithence  
Ninthly consider what reproach, scandal and scorn we shall bring upon our whole nation and posterity for ever if we should c●e a Parliament and because they will not suffer us to be made slaves even for their faithfulness and love unto us( when happily their own particular safety and personal Preferment might be better advantaged if they should desert us) if for this we should rise up against them and contend strive and fight for an Iron yoke of perpetual bondage and misery, and whether God may not in displeasure and justice, give us up hereunto, who shall so lightly esteem and so sottishly improve that opportunity, which( long looked for) he hath now put into our hands; and if our posterity will not curs the time that ever it entred into our hearts so to do.  
Tenthly, consider how it can stand with our Protestation, to take up Arms against the whole body of the Kingdom, represented in the Parliament and the Laws of the Land, which wee are all bound by oath to stand to, to the utmost of our lives, liberties and estates & wherein the honour and preservation both of King and kingdom doth consist, and which of those do break their oath, either those that pretending the Kings Prerogative take up Arms against the whole Kingdom represented in the Parliament: or those that shall endeavour to suppress such a malignant party. The King himself having always protested, that for his part( taking God to witness) he desireth nothing more then the peace and prosperity of Religion and Kingdom.  
Eleventhly, consider whereas laws and statutes are pretended, as if the Parliament should do many things illegally, even against the King with this suggestion, that then its high time for the subjects to look to their properties and liberties, whether are to be believed, what is law: either that party that shall affirm this, or that to be law and will not appear to maintain their assertions( the King professing himself to be no lawyer, and therefore his affirmations are nothing else but the misinformations of others) or the Parliament, the makers of new, and interpreters of the old laws, who have all the Judges and chiefest Lawyers in the Land to advice withall, taking this with us, that Salus Populi est Suprema lex? And whether both the law of the Land and the good of the subject was not pretended in all the patenti granted, as appears in the several Proclamations for the same purpose, yea, and in all the high commission and star chamber Courts,( for it had been as much as a mans ears, liberty and estate had been worth, to have affirmed the contrary) and if it were so, let the whole kingdom judge.  
Twelfly, consider whether that all the wholesome laws Benefits and Liberties of the subject this day have not been the birth and fruits of Parliaments and whether the Parliament hath not always been the sanctuary and refuge for all that have been unjustly oppressed and abused, and what remedy could be had by any other appeals whatsoever, when through the wickedness of evil Ministers of Justice, the strength of a mans purse, rather then the righteousness of his cause, hath always been the b●num om●n, the certain promising token of good success: consider therefore, whether we shall not go about to stop, yea to dry up all the springs of our legal privileges, having such long and happy experiences of the benefits thereof, and whether it ever entred into the heart of any of our Predecessors excepting the Papists, to do the least injury to Parliaments.  
Whereas it is objected against the Parliament, that they are furious, seditious, malicious against the King and his royal care, that under other pretences of dangers of farraine and domestic enemies, they take up arms against the King, that they endeavour to destroy the laws of the Land, and Religion amongst us: consider whether that these, and greater then these aspersions, were not cast upon our brethren, the Scots, the odious names of Traytors, Rebels, Factious. Seditious, &c. were cast upon them, it had been almost death for any man to have affirmed the contrary; and yet when things came legally to be debated, all proved otherwise, and his Majesty himself did aclowledge the contrary; and there is no question but( those wicked incendiares between his majesty and his Parliament, being once removed) there will be a clear and mutual apprehension and right understanding between his Majesty and his Parliament, to the mutual joy and comfort, both of his Majesty and his well affencted Subjects in the three kingdoms, and consider whether it is not to be doubted, that the same fire-brands of combustion amongst us now, be not those that were formerly between us and our neighbour Nation, and whether they be not in the same designs of confusion of both Nations still, altering onely the method; beginning in England now, with hopes to end in Scotland, whereas they formerly begun there, with purposes to end here.  
Thirteenthly, consider, that whereas many inconsiderately and others maliciously suggest thus against the Parliament, that their remedy is worse then their disease, for they are eased of their taxations of shillings by Impositions of pounds, subsidy upon subsidy, pole-mony, moneys adventured, moneys lent, &c. But let such consider, that the disease being mortal, the cure may be the more smarting, yet the more salutiferous; and they are not always the worst Phisi●ians that advice often phlebotomy, or blood-letting for a desperate disease, the veins may fill again, when the heart is whole, which sinking, the man dies, when the veins are full.  
It is true, much hath been done this way, but God is not behind hand with us, we have had our penniworths for our penny already; 
witness the Remonstrance of the State of the kingdom set forth by both Houses, the 15. of Decemb. 1641. page. 16.  that which the Parliament hath done( through Gods mercies) mentioned in the second Consideration is worth more than our costs and charges; Moreover, it is not unknown, that the very shipmoney did cost the kingdom above two hundred thousand pounds a year, Coat and Conduct Money, and other military charges, little less than that, few of the Monopolies did prejudice the Subjects above a million yearly, the soap a hundred thousand pounds, the Wine three hundred thousand pounds, the Leather could be little less then both, the Salt could be no less then that; all these, with many other inferior Monopolies are taken away, and because that with the same show of Law, Justice and Reason, the Subjects might have been drained to the utmost penny that they were worth, these procuring the chiefest places and offices, who were most cunning in devising new designs of oppressing the subjects, therfore the roote of all these wrongs( which is more beneficial then all the rest) which was an arbitrary power pretended to be in his Majesty, of taxing the subject and charging their estates without consent of parliament is now declared to be against law by both houses and likewise by an act of Parliament consider also that these present taxations are but for the present, and in a legal way and nothing so great as the former: and for the recovering of poor bleeding Ireland; and the saving of this shaking and staggering Kingdom from ruin and destruction  
And when men have partend with so much as they would once have given to be freed from the High Commission Rods, and star-chamber lash being under them,( as every man might expect to have been) for that which neither Gods nor mans Law calls sin, nay when men have given as much as they would to be freed from slavery, as much as the poor ●ish Protestants would give to be freed from the cruelty of those bloodhound Papists, nay as much as their wives children, estates lives, gospel is worth( for all lies bleeding) let them then complain of their hard bargain and not before: And as for those wicked slanderers of that faithful assembly, who cannot endure to think that others would deal more honestly then themselves in the like trust, that give out as if they would convert the public stock for their personal gain, a clear and just account being given herein to the whole Kingdom, it is to be hoped, that such shall be made public examples for such public slanders.  
Lastly, consider whether( amongst others) there be not a three fold ground of the proceedings against the Parliament according to the three fold condition of the chief actors in these divisions, who are Papists, depending Gentlemen, preferred to high places and offices, whose policy rather then honesty, hath been their rise hereunto, and desperate Caviliers, whose good husbandry it is to put all upon their backs and shift for their bellies.  
FIrst, the Papists see now and well perceive, that the Parliament making progress according to their beginnings will take away the least hopes of ever establishing that Antichristian Religion here amongst us: yea, and take away the very ground work of future Plots and Projects this way: and therefore it stands them now upon, Summo labour with all might and main to adventure upon any design,( though never so desperate) and to give out themselves in their estates lives and livelihoods, usque ad extremum, to the utmost that they can, and therefore now though Iesuites, should be hanged by the half dozens, they will adventure, for now or never must the Pope up or down in this kingdom, and he would not willingly loose his hopes here, though a thousand of his Iesuites should hang for it, for indeed if men would receive it, that is the quarrel in the land, whether Michael or the Dragon, Christ or the Pope shall get safest footing in this iceland, and let any seeing man look back upon all former proceedings, and consider, who hath been preferred to the highest places in the Church? what their carriage hath been therein? how the Preaching of the Word( the confounding weapon of Antichrist) hath been suppressed? what superstitious innovations hath been introduced; who have been promoted into the chiefest places in the universities, what proportion there hath been with the Masse-houses, in candlesticks; tapers, coaps, blasphemous pictures of God & the holy Trinity, crucifixes, crosses, &c. first in the Bishops chapels, then in all the cathedrals of the kingdom, then by little and little in every Parish; Again, What hath been their proceedings at their Commission courts? and what their plot was in their cursed late Canons, and the Et c●tera Oath? and then let him give his Judgement in the point, whether Popery hath not been the mark they aimed at?  
Secondly, for the depending Gentlemen, advanced to high places and Offices, whose aims will hold proportion with that of cardinal Woolsey( for me and my King) making his majesty but the Priest, and scarce paying his tithes out of all their pretendings, their Masters profit, whose veins are full of the blood of the fatherless and the W●dows, and whose houses are built with the ruins of poor innocents, who regard more the blessings and favours of men, then the curses of the almighty for the●r oppression and cruelty, these also know, and well perceive now, that if the Parliament proceed according to their beginnings, they shall not only be exposed to the Justice of their former demerits, but also loose the least hopes of any future favour or practise, because conscious to themselves of an utter impossibility in them ●o ever of becoming honest men, who from their first beginnings of preferment, have cashiered out of their thoughts the fear of God, a good conscience, and the day of Judgement; and therefore they must either run beyond seas, betake themselves to some mean condition or other,( for the Parliament they'll have none but just men, whose proceedings in all their Ministrations must be by the rule of Justice and a good conscience, which is unto them a paradox) or else they must give out their utmost endeavours to the rooting up of this Parliament.  
Thirdly the cavaliers, whose lands, houses, revenues and estates are above in the air; who make great brags of the dangerous attempts they have adventured by sea and land; whose greatest danger of drowning hath been in an Ale-tub or Winetubbs, or of smothering by the smoke of Tobacco; yet they know that it is good fishing in troubled waters, and that England is full of brave Booties, therefore they bestir themselves, and have scarce the patience to forbear their prey till opportunity serves their turn, who are all for the present; and as for the other world, they have past the dreadful sentence against themselves, which is ( horesco referens) God damn me; These three sorts are the leaders and provokers of a party against the Parliament, and incendiaries between His majesty and them: Let the whole world of indifferent men judge and see, if these be not the Parties, and whether these be not their grounds, and yet these are the men looked upon, as the only loyal Subiects, and others as Malignant unto the honour, peace and prosperity of the King and his royal race; Whereas they can give no Testimony of their respects unto his majesty, but by such courses, practices and counsels, which alienateth affections between him and his best Subiects, wherein consists his honour and strength, who are willing to give out their hearts and hands, purses and estates, prayers and tears in his behalf; and the God of all knowledge shall one day judge and discover, whose heats have been most loyal to our dread sovereign, either of the one or the other.  
As for those Noble men whose absence from the Parliament is an encouragement unto this Malignant party, if they come under the two first ranks of Popish, or dependant men; there is no more to be said but this: Their gathering together, and appearing in such courses, is a pregnant testimony and justification of what hath been said of those two sorts, namely; That their design is, Summo Conatu, to root up the Parliament least the Parliament should root up them; but if there be any not under these ranks, certainly either their ingenuity is to labour for pacification, and a happy making up of that Breach between his majesty and his Parliament, or else their Nobility is mero titulo, ittle Noble blood runs in their veins, and Heathens themselves may throw stones at them, whose progenitors have been rendered famous by their heroic acts for their Countries care.  

From all these Considerations, this may be well inferred.  
THat if ever wee would improve ourselves, for God, the King, the kingdom, lives, laws and liberties, ourselves and poor posterity, if we would not see our flourishing Cities made ruinous heaps, our peace and plenty turned into blood and Famine, our dearest Wives ravished and ript up before our faces, our tender childrens brains dashed against the stones, our mutual trading turned into violence and Robbery, our sweet enjoyments of all relations unto murders, rapes, cruelties upon them all, If in a word we would not have the line of Germany and Ireland, to be stretched over our good Land; If we have any love to the Gospel of life and salvation, that the ark of God may not depart, and misery come in upon us, as we would not be exposed to the power and mercies of the bloody Papists, the badge of whose Arch-leader( the Devills first-borne) the Pope, his garments made read with the blood of the Saints, Let every man in his station study peace and union, and endeavour all means of pacification, abhorring the very thoughts of ever taking up arms against either King or Parliament, but to the utmost of our powers, setting ourselves against the incendiaries between them both, that the peace of God, and the God of peace may still rule in the midst of us, that we render not out selves Ludibrium gentium, the mockingstock of nations, by doing that ourselves, which the malice, power and policy of all our adversaries abroad, and enemies at home, by all these fourscore yeers endeavours could never effect, whereby we shall expose the poor Protestant bleeding and panting cause in Ireland to destruction, and revive the hopes, yea and the power of out former oppressors( who if they once get by again, will tear us in pieces, like lions long kept from their prey) and our ruin shall be unto after ages, the everlasting shameful monuments of our blindness and folly; that we should rise up like unnatural Children, and cut the throat of our own mother Nation; That wee should love bond●ge rather then liberty, all nations Countries and peoples, Papists, Jews, Turks, infidels, Devills( if I may say so) will sport at our misery: When God would deliver us, and hath delivered us from all their plots and projects, when in many plots they have had the neck of the whole kingdom, as of one man, upon the brook, and as easy it had been utterly to destroy it, had not the Almighty by a high hand of love and mercy prevented it? and shall wee betray ourselves, then? shall the cloud of blood which hath been a long time impending over our heads, be disburdened upon us, and our reeling, staggering and tottering kingdom, shall fall, and fall, and none shall help it up. It now pants for life and breath, travailing with the peace, plenty, security, Religion, laws, liberties and comforts thereof; and those Worthies who d●y by day give their utmost and unwearied attendance and assistance to further the birth, the strong God shall be unto them their front-guard, and rearward, goodness, power and mercy unto them, and their ammunition of rocks: and his displeasure the certain ruin● and destruction of those, who unhappily, weakly and wickedly have brought it upon themselves.   
FINIS.