A SPEECH MADE BEFORE THE LORDS IN THE UPPER HOUSE; BY FRANCIS ROUS Esquire, March the 16th. 1640.  
AGAINST Dr. COUSINS, Dr. MAYNWARING, and Dr. BEALE; Upon the Complaint of Mr. PETER SMART.  
AT LONDON, Printed for JOHN WRIGHT, junior. MDCXLI.   

A SPEECH MADE BEFORE THE LORDS IN THE Upper HOUSE; By Mr. FRANCIS ROUS Esquire; March the 16th. 1640.  
Against Dr. COUSINS. Dr. MAYNWARRING, and Dr. BEALE.  
My LORDS,  
I Am commanded by the House of Commons to present to your Lordships a Declaration and Impeachment against Dr. COUSINS and others upon the Complaint of Mr. PETER SMART: which Mr. SMART was a Proto-Martyr, or, first Confessor of note in the late days of Persecution. The whole matter is a tree, whereof the branches and fruit are manifest in the Articles of this Declaration; which being read, I shall with your Lordship's favour discover and lay open the root.  

The Declaration was read, and then He proceeded thus:  
My Lords:  
I Am now to discover the Root of Master SMARTS Persecution.  
Your Lordships have heard of a great Design to bring in Popery; you have heard of Armies of Soldiers, and particularly of the Popish Irish Army, the burden and Complaint of the Commons. But there is another Army not so much spoken of, and that is an Army of Priests: for since Altars came in (so they delight to be called,) it is a saying of Gregory the Great, that when Antichrist comes, Praeparatus est excercitus Sacerdotum: there is an Army of Priests ready to receive him; this is fulfilled in our time; for certainty this Army of Priests doth many ways advance the design and plot of Popery. A first is by the subversion of our Laws, and Government: our Laws and Popery cannot stand together; but either Popery must overthrow our Laws, or our Laws must overthrow Popery: but to overthrow our Laws, they must overthrow Parliaments; and to overthrow Parliaments, they must overthrow property; they must bring the Subject's goods to be arbitrarily disposed, that so there may be no need of Parliaments; this hath been done by Dr. MAYNWARING (whom we find wanting yet not in the seats, but in the Bar of the Lords House) and the like by Dr. BEALE: and I think it was the Intention of the late Cannons.  
A second way, by which this Army of Priests advanceth the Popish Design, is the way of Treaty. This hath been acted both by writings and conference; Sancta Clara himself saith, Doctissimi corum quibuscunque egi; so it seems they have had conferences together; And Sancta Clara on his part, labours to bring the Articles of our Church to Popery; and some of our side strive to meet him in that way: we have a testimony that the great Archpriest himself hath said; It were no hard matter to make a reconciliation, if a wise man had the handling of it. But I verily believe that as the State of Papacy stands, a fare wiser man than he cannot reconcile Us, without the loss of our Religion. For the Pope being fastened to his Errors, even by his Chair of inerrability, he sits still unmoved, and so we cannot meet, except we come wholly to him. A man standing in a Boat tied to a Rock, when he draws the rope, doth not draw the Rock to the Boat; but the Boat to the Rock. And Sancta Clara doth (in this somewhat honestly) confess it: for he saith that he dealt in this way of Treaty, not to draw the Church to the Protestants: but the Protestants to the Church.  
A third way is a way of violence, this violence they exercise partly by Secular Arms, and partly by Priestly Arms, which they call Spiritual: for Secular Arms, we have their own confession, that the late war was Bellum Episcopale; and we have the Papists confession, that it was Bellum Papale: for in their motives, they say, that the War concerns them not only as Subjects, but as Catholics, for so they falsely call themselves: and if it be so, then Bellum Episcopale, is also Bellum Papale: in the Episcopal War, the Papal cause is advanced: For the Spiritual Arms, thus they come to execution.  
When a great Man is coming, his Sumpters, his Furniture, his Provisions go before: the Pope's Furniture, Altars and Copes, Pictures and Images are come before; (and if we believe Dr. COUSINS) the very substance of the Mass; a certain sign that the Pope was not fare off. Now these forerunners being come, if any man resist them, Fire comes out of the Brambles and devours the Cedars of Lebanon: the Army of the Priests falls upon him with their Arms of Suspension, Sequestration, Excommunication, Degradation, and Deprivation. And by these Arms hath Mr. SMART been oppressed and undone. He falls upon their Superstitions and Innovations, and they fall upon him with their Arms, they beat him down, yea they pull him up by the roots, taking away all his means of maintenance and living; yet they leave him life to feel his miseries: Ita foriunt, ut diu se sentiat mori; there is no cruelty to Priestly cruelty; these are they that did put our very Saviour to death: the Calling is Reverend, but the Corruption of it most pernicious; Corruptio optimi pessima: I know no reason of this change, except it be that of the Apostle: Because when they knew God, they did not worship him as GOD, but made a God of the World, placing the excellency of Priesthood in Worldly pomp and Greatness and gave the glory of the invisible GOD to Pictures, Images and Altars: therefore God gave them up to vile affections, to be implacable, unmerciful, and without natural affection. But whatsoever the cause is of their Corruption; certainly their Arms have fallen heavy upon Mr. SMART, and Priestly cruelty hath cast him into a long misery, from which he could get no release by any Priestly mercy.  
And now it is prayed, that as these Delinquents by the cruel oppressions of M. SMART have advanced the Cause of Popery; so they may in such a degree of justice be punished, that in them Priestly cruelty and the very cause of Popery may appear to be punished and suppressed, and that Mr. SMART suffering for the Cause of protestancy may be so repaired, that in him pious Constancy, and the very Cause of protestancy may appear to be righted and repaired.   
FINIS.