A Public PLEA, Opposed to A PRIVATE PROPOSAL, OR, Eight necessary QUERIES Presented to the Parliament and Army's consideration, in this morning of Freedom, after a short, but a sharp night of Tyranny and oppression.  
By one who hates both Treason and Traitors.  
May 28. th'. LONDON: Printed for L. Chapman, at the Crown in Popes-Head-Alley. 1659. May 28   

A PUBLIC PLEA, Opposed to A Private PROPOSAL. Or, Eight necessary Queries, etc.  
1. WHether it be not a needful Testimony of thankfulness to God, who hath wrought so happy a change in the Commonwealth, and dissolved a new syranny (become hereditary) so unexpectedly, so speedily, so easily, and without bloodshed, that the Parliament appointed a solemn Thanksgiving for such a signal mercy received, both in behalf of the whole people, delivered from so manifest a slavery against all our fundamental Laws, and also in reference to themselves, whom God hath so highly honoured as once more to make them his chosen instruments, and to put into their hands so great an opportunity to make this Nation, with the Dominions thereof, a happy, free, and flourishing Commonwealth?  
2. Whether they be not obliged more than ever any other preceding Parliaments were, to choose and bring into all their Counsels, Committees and Offices (Military and Civil) men of unbiast judgements, and unblameable conversations, who have not acted arbitrarily under the usurped power of a single person in despire of Parliaments. And whether it be not proper for this present Parliament, who changed the Government from a Kingly to a Commonwealth, to introduce speedily into their steads (who have so shamefully forsaken the Good Old Cause only) such as would not act in the Counsels of Oliver, nor in the Army, or were otherways for their fidelity outed of their Commands, nay, most arbitrarily cashiered, imprisoned, banished, and oppressed in their persons and estates? until such be rewarded and restored (in all respects) who will not suspect the present power in all their other enterprises, how spacious soever?  
3. Whether therefore the present Representative ought not to lay aside in themselves, and zealously to oppose in any of their Members all perpetuation of power, ambitious selfseeking designs (how cunningly soever covered, or contrived) and to have ever in their minds that precept of our Saviour given expressly to such as should be Christian Magistrates in future ages, whereby he plainly pleads against all Courtly pride and pomp in Christian Governments, as Heathenish and unholy, forbidding them to be like the Kings of the Gentiles, exercising Lordship over the people; to be called Benefactors, Protectors, or by any other such like proud, vainglorious titles? ye shall not be so, but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve, Luke 22. whereby is signified the moderation which ought to be in Christian Governors, looking more at their burden, and the discharging of the trust which they have undertaken, than any outward Honours or Commands over others, which only puff up Aspirers, transforming them into Parasites and Apostates, Courtiers and Canaanites on the Good Old Cause?  
4. And since it hath pleased Almighty God of his mercy so highly to honour our Army (at least the honest Officers and Soldiers in it) as to touch them with a Remorse for their failings, and backslidings from that Good Old Cause, against all Monarchy, Tyranny, or usurpation upon spiritual or civil Liberties, to which God by his continual prospering them, and they by their frequent Vows, Remonstrances, and Declarations have so often born witness, and now, also hath given them both grace to confess openly, and power to make amends for what they have through infirmity done amiss, by restoring the Parliament to their Supreme Authority, from whence they were most audaciously, and lawlessly expelled; whether it would not be yet their Christian duty, and worthy of so good beginnings, to examine seriously their own hearts between God and themselves, how they can hope to make their confession of their backsliding appear real, sincere, or sufficient in the sight of God or man, so long as they do not only not confess withal, and lay open the enormous faults and misdoings, but also extol and magnify the unhappy memory of their Grand backslider, who either seduced, or compelled them to those errors and sins for which they now profess to be so truly penitent?  
5. Whether any man who truly hates his sin, can love or praise the memory of him who was not only the Associate, but the Author thereof? especially considering, that what ever he did worthy of praise, he did before the time of his breach of faith to his Superiors, and whilst he stood fast and fixed to the Good Old Cause, wherein God prospered him; he never since having done any thing from the time of his aspiring to Monarchy against his faith and manifest judgement, but lived to his own sorrow and perpetual disquiet, day and night; nay, which is worse, to the sorrow, astonishment, and scandal of all good men, (who little expected such things from him) and dying disappointed of his utmost designs, left the State Bankrupt of Treasure, Honour or Interest, by unprofitable Wars without advice of Parliament, and the Commonwealth impoverished by decay of Trade; and lastly, the Army deprived of many faithful Officers (yet too honest (for aught we find) to be taken in) reduced to those Arrears which they themselves complain of in their late Representation, such as they never felt, nor are like to feel under the liberal pay of a free Commonwealth, if God in mercy, and men in Justice vouchsafe to make us such?  
6. Whether it were not an Act of prudence in the Parliament, becoming true Statesmen, to look back upon the Records and Examples of former ages, what hath been done heretosore by Nations or Commonwealths delivered from Tytanny, to their Tyrants living or dead, to their Memory, Posterity, and Relations; to the Tarquins, to Manlius Capitolinus in Rome, only for affecting Monarchy, though before he had saved the Capitol and their Gods from the Gauls. What turned Collatinus further off his Consulship into banishment? fell it not thus forth in the free State of Florence, with Cosmus the first founder of Tuscan Tyranny? As the Commonwealth of Greece highly honoured such as suffered for their Country, so did she not (on the contrary) not only deprive such of all place and power, but also deeply punish all Tyrants and Traitors to the Supreme power of our Sovereign Lords the people? did they not thus serve Catiline and his Crew of deceitful Senators? thus Milan served the Swissers: thus the Hollanders, in the infancy of the Belgic freedom, served their Parasites and Apostates, striving to strangle their Liberties by conspiracies and complots. How ●ared Themistocles, Miltiades, Cumillus Coriolanus, etc. for their over-ingrossing of power? what became of others, whose statues were tumbled down, and whose bones and dust was tossed into Tiber? and marked with other ignominies?  
7. To do by their example in such a manner, is it not a duty incumbent upon us (rather then to reward their infamy with our own reproach in their remainders) so as no ambitious Hireling hereafter may presume upon the like Apostasy, by hoping that either himself shall escape punishment dead or living, or that his posterity at last shall go away with good rewards for his Treason and Treachery, which to this man and his family hath for ever blotted out the memory of his former merits?  
8. Lastly, is it not a happy presage of a public spirit, where a people are zealous and jealous in pursuance of their public Liberties, in not permitting any such growth of power as may probably or possibly supplant it? And seeing the least error or male administration of Government, is, or ought not to be easily forgiven, how stands it us upon for the future to take Tyranny by the foretop; to consider our Counsellors elected, and our good old Martial Officers rejected? Have not the late practices of notable and abominable memory, taught us to trace Tyranny forth of one form into another? in this sense ought we not to eye substances before shadows, lest swerving from the Rules of a free State, or through ignorance of the principles thereof, we appear unarmed against the Rapes of old, and upstart Aspirers, or Monsters of mankind, coveting to consume their Country?  
FINIS.