SOME OBSERVATIONS UPON THE Posture of our Affairs, ON THE DEATH OF OUR LATE Most Gracious QUEEN.   

SOME OBSERVATIONS UPON THE POSTURE OF Our Affairs, ON THE DEATH Of our late most Gracious Queen.  
LONDON: Printed in the Year 1695.   

SOME OBSERVATIONS UPON THE Posture of our Affairs, ON THE DEATH OF OUR LATE Most Gracious QUEEN.  
'TIS not intended that this Paper should make any new Discoveries, neither my Business nor Inclination leads me among the Men of Intrigue in our State-Affairs; but the Conduct of our Rose-Tavern Club, our W—ns, our G—ys, and the rest of 'em, in a late Juncture, carries so many Marks of their dangerous Designs in it, that no private Person in his idle Hours can pass it over without some Reflection.  
They will pretend, if it comes in their way, and they can by that means serve a Turn, That there is not such a Creature as a Republican now in England; that, like Wolves, they had once a footing here, but their whole Race is now extinct: Yet upon the occasion of the least change in our Government they cannot contain themselves; Had we not an Instance of their  in Monmouth's Rebellion? Did not the same Temper and Inclinations appear plainly in the Convention upon the settlement of our present Government? Nor have they been wanting to put in their Claim upon the loss of the late most excellent Queen; the Thoughts of the Princess Anne, so near as Heir Apparent of the Crown they cannot hear; she is the support to the Succession of our Hereditary Monarchy, for tho' one Link by the Act of Settlement is taken out, the Chain is not broken; and besides, she is a visible Security to the Church of England: and therefore, if possible, they are to step between her and the Throne; all they can do at present is to endeavour to make her odious to the People. To this purpose they industriously spread their Rumours in the City and elsewhere, That she was not reconciled to our good Queen before she died, but carried herself unhandsomely and barbarously to her in her sickness. And at the same time they were never more enraged, than when they knew how far the Native Goodness of her Royal Highness led her upon that Sad Occasion, and with what a Tenderness all Messages from Berkley-House were received by the late Queen, and with what a kind Regard from his Majesty, in the Condition that both were under, it was safe neither for the Queen nor Princess to come together; but these Gentlemen, while with False Reports they Asperse the Princess in Public for her Ill Carriage to the Queen, in their Private Conversations they Curse her for the Messages she sent, and one of 'em cried at that time, God Damn Her, who put that into her Head?  
'Tis not observed that the Jacobites themselves show any Dependence upon the Princess, they know they have no Ground for any Expectation there, and yet these Gentlemen report, That the Princess Treats underhand with the late King James to bring him in, and it has been whispered by them in the House of Commons, That it is necessary to have an Act of Parliament to secure the Kingdom from this Pretended Danger which their own Wicked Designs creates and spreads abroad; they would have a Law upon a bare Suggestion of their own fomenting, in a Case that would be High Treason in the Princess, if proved, as well as in any other: But we know what they mean, 'tis the Act of Settlement that they would defeat, and because they dare not yet directly set themselves against it, they desire by these Arts to weaken it, tho' 'tis notoriously known they have felt the Pulse of several in the House of Commons about it, in Plain Terms, and not under the Colour of other Pretences Strange Weakness of Human Nature! that there should be some Cheats, which, tho' never so long practised, and tho' never so often exploded, should still obtain among Men. Has not the Name of Liberty, when made use of to undermine a Settled Government, ended in Universal Slavery, and the Specious Pretences of Religion, when opposed to that Establshed by Law, introduced a General Corruption of all the Common Principles of Justice and Virtue, and whatever is esteemed most sacred among Men? Once, within the memory of several of us, we have experimented what a Commonwealth would do in England, and then some at the Helm were sober, just and brave, Religion and Justice they pretended to make the Foundation upon which to build their Government, yet this soon fell into confusion: And shall we now see the same thing attempted again, but with greater Disadvantages? 'Tis now attempted by a Sett of Men, who are so far from any sense of Religion in themselves, that they will not allow of so much as the Form of it in Public; Men, that are either Bankrupts in their Fortunes, or Cowards in their Persons; Men, that have spent their Estates in the most scandalous open Debaucheries, and now turn Patriots to repair them; that were never known to be at any Divine Service whatsoever, except when they receive the Sacrament in the Church of England, to qualify them to take a Place that they may destroy it; Men, that Vapour and give Ill Language in the House of Commons, where no Man ought to give an Affront, because it must not there be resented: But tho' some of these Strut in the House, they Speak as tamely when they are out of it.  
What such Men as these can expect from a Commonwealth, I cannot imagine; for were it come to that, Power would fall to the bravest and best amongst us, and then their Qualifications of Cowardice and Knavery will render them contemptible, as they deserve to be. 'Tis our Misfortune in England, and his Majesty feels the greatest share of it, That the Party, that these Gentlemen manage, is so great, that they can obstruct Business, if they are not employed in it: Many Instances in the House of Commons we have had of this, but the King knows they cannot be sincerely for him, who are open Enemies to all Kings; that they cannot be for the good of the Government settled by Law, who are restless in their endeavours to bring all things into confusion: But the Exigence of our Affairs, during this great War, necessitates his Majesty to make use of some of them; were their Characters as well known by the generality of the People, as they are by those that have the opportunity to observe their Actions more nearly, they would not have interest enough to call themselves a Party; but the greatest part of Mankind are guided by the appearance of things, and consequently easily liable to be deceived: But it is hoped, that the bold Measures they were taking in the late Juncture, of which I have given some hints, has a little exposed 'em to the World; they would not have stopped so soon, but the happy Reconciliation between the King and Princess, for the present, ended their career: The continuance of this Happy Union is what every good Man prays for, and they only lament; 'tis so public now, that they cannot deny it; yet they surmise, that it cannot last long, and you may know them by their feigned Doubts, whenever the fair Correspondence between the King and Princess is spoke of; but, blessed by God, it is gone so far, that it has forced them to be quiet in that matter.  
The next thing they turned their thoughts upon, is to promote an Act of Abjuration, in relation to the late King; this is a Masterpiece, and only fit for the scrutore of a Secretary of State; this is intended to render all the Church of England-men uncapable of serving our King, and will reduce his Majesty, contrary to all Maxims of State and Reason, to be the Head of their Party, instead of being undoubted King of all England. 'Tis Wisdom in every Government to make its Foundation as wide as may be, and shall we now, in time of danger, make the Foundation of ours narrower? The Laws of our Land know no such term as the word Abjuration, in the sense they would impose it upon the Subject; no Oath can be imposed upon the Subjects of this Realm, other than what is imposed and enjoined by Act of Parliament, and that only concerning lawful and indifferent things; but this new Oath they would introduce, is, in the opinion of many of the King's true and faithful Subjects, contrary to the Law and Word of God and Nature, and there was nothing like it ever heard of in the Practice or Laws of our Kingdom, till these Gentlemen, two Years ago, promoted it in the House of Commons, where it was thrown out: In a word, it is against Reason, Conscience, Honour or Policy, either to require it or take it; 'twas in such Practices as these that the Tyranny of the late Civil Wars consisted, but they never proceeded to impose such an Oath, Subscriptions were once required, but that was when the Army enslaved, and a Committee of it governed the whole Kingdom.  
Let these Gentlemen flatter themselves in their own vain Imaginations as long as they please, let them contrive the building their own Fortunes upon the ruin of the Public, every true Englishman knows, that we have a good Government settled in the Person of our King; that the Monarchy is secured by the Act of Settlement; and that the Church of England, as established by Law, is suited for the preservation of the present King, as well as of all other, in their due Prerogatives; that the Hereditary Monarchy is part of the Constitution of our Government, and that the Church of England has been long made so too; that the Church and State, as they are framed and supported by our Laws, are so adapted the one for the other, that their Welfare is reciprocal, and their Interests are so interwoven each with the other, that to pull down the Monarchy, the Church must be undermined.  
And this is the Source of that Rage that these Gentlemen show upon all occasions against it: The Doctrines and Principles of the Church cannot offend their Consciences who pretend to no Religion, why do they then oppose it, but because they apprehend it obstructs their other Designs.  
While we cheerfully and vigorously carry on the War against our Enemies abroad, under a Prince that is Virtuous, Wise, and Brave, let every honest Heart join in their Prayers against these Enemies to our Peace as Home, That God Almighty would abate their Pride, assuage their Malice, and confound their Devices.  
FINIS.