Some Remarks Upon a Scandalous LIBEL, Entitled The Declaration of James, Duke of Monmouth, &c,  
HAving lately perused a printed Paper, entitled The Declaration of James, Duke of Monmouth, etc. I thought it my duty as a true subject of England, a true Protestant, an honest man, and a lover of truth, to discharge (as far as in my Power it lies) All true Subjects, true Protestants and honest men from the Imputation of being any ways concerned in abeting so villainous a Cause.  
Next, I shall endeavour to vindicate His present Majesty and Parliament under Hîm assembled, together with those subordinate Gouvernours, Insinuated, or intended in the said Declaration, from any irregular proceeding in their administration of Justice.  
And lastly, I shall answer such particular accusations as the Authors of the said Declaration, have falsely and impudently laid upon His Maj. (or any under Him) as they concern his own Royal Person, the Protestant Religion' or our own lives, liberties, or Properties.  
To the first, I do affirm that all the true Subjects, true Protestants, and honest men within the Kingdom of England, have promised and sworn to oppose to the utmost of their power with their lives and fortunes, All such Noblemen, Gentlemen and Others now in Arms, who will own, or are supposed to have signed, agreed to, or are meant to be Included in the said Traitorous Declaration.  
To prove this, I refer the Readers to the Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy generally taken by all Subjects, as also the several addresses of all the Counties, Shires and Corporations within the Kingdom of England; but more particularly to the late unanimous Address and votes of Both Houses of Parl. about the 23, of May last as also of June 13th. That they would assist His Majesty with their lives and fortunes against Argyle, and James, Duke of Monmouth, and there Adherants, and all Rebels and Traitors and All Others whatsoever that shall assist them or any of them. And when I come to speak of Parl. I shall make it evidently appear, that this present Parl. is the true, legal, and only Representative of all the Subects of England. And I doubt not but our neighbour Nations are already convinced, That the Kingdoms of Great Britain detest and abhor this said traitorous Declaration, and all Persons abetting or Subscribing it.  
To the second: The said Declaration sets forth that His present Majesty usurped the Crown. That he avows Himself to be of the Romish Religion; That he hath called in multitudes of Priefts and Jesuits. That he hath governed arbitrarily by collecting the Customs and Excise sense the death of the late King. That his Judges are suborned and for'rs worn. That the present Parl. is packed by false returns, Illegal Chartres, with a great deal more of such stuff, which obliged them to be take themselves to Arms. These accusations help to make up so absurd and ridiculous a libel, that it wants the Common Excuse of plesantrie and wit, and indeed deserves nor a sober answer. But, least strangers should possibly be imposed upon for want of that true knowledge of our English affairs and Government, which Englishmen are supposed to have, I shall bieifly answer every particutar Objection.  
First, His Majesty's right to the Crown is so evident and clear, that I challenge all Historians, Civil lawyers or Examples in Christendom to set forth a Title in an Hereditary Kingdom freer from Usurpation then His own, both as to matter of Law, and matter of fact. For (supposeing King Charles the 2d. died without legitimate Issue) His present Majesty is acknowledged by his Enemies as well as by all Christendom, to be indubitably the next, and Immediate Heir to His Brother. His accession to the Crown was so peaceable, that there was not so much as one sword drawn, nor one single man raised to promote him to it or support him in it: it was in plain words resigned and delivered to Him by His Royal Brother upon his death bed; He was as peaceably proclaimed and Crowned; As peaceably acknowledged by voluntary aderesses from all parts of His Dominions: By all foreign Princes; By the States of Hôlland and Those who have there at present the next and most Immediate right to succeed after Him, and even by Amsterdam itself: and all this unanimously acknowledged and confermed by the two Parl. of England and Scotland and universal Concurrence of Ireland. All this would be so plain that the most ignorant might comprehend it, were it not that James, Duke of Monmouth hath been and still is believed to have a legitimate and legal right to the Crown of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland, with the Dominions thereunto belonging: In answer to this, I do affirm, that were the said Noble Dukes right to the Crowns of England etc. legitimate and legal as he pretends, yet as his circumstances have hitherto stood, His present Majesty is no Usurper. To prove this further, I must acquaint those who have not heard it (if any such there be) that the said Duke was not only never owned by the King, Privy Council, or any Parl. which hath ever set sense the late Kings happy restoration, But he hath been as publicly, solemnly and legally disclaimed and disowned to be the King's legitimate son by them All, as possibly the nature of the case would admittt: He as thankfully himself accepted the honour of bring declared the King's Natural Son, when from Mr James Croftes (the reputed son of the late Lord Crofts) he was by the mere favour and goodness and recommendation of His present Majesty preferred to that, and those high Titles which he lately enjoyed: And the late King himself, when he was upon his death bed, and sensible that he could not out live 24. hours, and by consequence had no apprchensions of popish poisons, or blunderbesses, or could be influenced by Popish Motives or Instigations, was so fair from declaring him His legitimate Son, or leaving his Crown unto him; That he left him not so much as his blessing, which indeed he had obstinately forseited by being a triple traitor, to his King, his Country, and to his Father, and by giving publicly the lie, to his late and present Majesty, by that Gentleman like trick with which he took his last leave of white hall. Now when these known circumstances (besides many more too long to be set forth) shall be duly considered, let all sober and Impartial men judge, whether there be the least probable grounds to believe this pretended legitimate and legal right, and whether it be morally possible, that the King should be so unjust and unnatural, as to disinherit his only Son, Whom he so long, and so truly loved, and moreover should confirm it too, even at last, when neither hopes nor danger could prevent Him from declaring the truth: The pretended right therefore of the Duke of Monmouth, being so highly improbable, or at least, doubtful, I say in this case, although the Duke of Monmouth had a concealed right, yet in the mean time until this right could be legally and peaceably proved and granted to him, His present Majesty cannot be reputed, either in reason, in Law, or in conscience an Usurper. This accusation therefore is (as I said) ridiculous and frivolous. His Majesty's next pretended crime is, that he owned Himself bairfaced to be of the Romish Religion. Indeed it seems strange, that the Son of a King, and pretended Heir to three Kingdoms: Should have yet to little honour in him, as to impute it a crime to a Prince to practise publicly the Religion which he professeth. Must hypocrisy be the badge of reformation? And must Integrity and sincerity be judged criminal by the pretended restorer of the truwe Christian faith? Ah James Scott, God who is the Searcher of hearts, knows how well thy principles and thy practices agree; And I must say (for I am no flatterer) 'tis to be believed that were your inward man as truly known as your outward man hath been (notwithstanding those several shapes through which it hath lately run) the r's not a Turk but would be ashamed to accept of thee for a partner much more a Protector of his faith. Thirdly we are told that His Majesty Hath called over multitudes of Prieses and Jesuits. Supposeing this were true, I can scarce tell of what nature his fault would be; But this I certainly know, that the indiscretion of those multitudes who went over, Isunpardonnable, since they know how they are exposed and lvable not only to imprisonements, but even to the sentences of death itself; And for once I will advance a Negative against a single affirmative, and say (upon much better grounds than they affirm) that His Majesty hath never called in such multitudes of Priests and Jesuits as is pretended, but on the contrary I have good reason to believe that he doth totally discountenance all such, except those few who may be employed for the service of His own Chapel. 4tlv It is objected, That His Majesty hath governed arbitrarily by collecting the Customs and Excise sense the death of the late King: Alas Gentlemen, doth all this noise and up roar against Arbitrary Power, absolute Tyranny etc. conclude in this one single pretended Instance of it? The case than is this: The Parl. of England had granted to the late King (upon good causes and considerations the fornamed Customs and Excise during His life: The King dies, and His present Majesty by Proclamation with the advice of His Privy Council, order the Collection of the same until the meeting of the next Parl: Some reasons I have heard given; and they were these, First, because these Customs and Excise being granted to the late King towards the Support of the navy, and for the defence of the Kingdom against its Enemies, if the effect be necessary, the cause must equally continue and the defence of the Kingdom, being the safety of the people which is the Suprema Lex, the means to procure this safety is always supposed to be also granted, for qui dat finem dat etiam media, especially sense the Customs so collected, were to continue no longer then until such time as a Parl. could conveniently Assemble; Besides, the Merchants themselves agreed generally to the payments of these Customs, and declared, that (without any consideration of the King in the case) the abrupt stopping of the said Customs, would prove more prejudicial to the Merchants universally, than the payment of them could possibly be. Thirdly, the collection of these said Customs was not only reasonable and necessary, but in the Opinion of eight of the twelve Judges (as these noble declaring Gentlemen confess) it was also Judged legal, and according to the constant Custom and ancient practice in such like cases. And lastly, the Parl. being Assembled, was so far from calling the Judges to account for their Judgement, or the officers for their collection, that they immediately confirmed the same to His present Majesty as they had formerly done to the late King. Now let the world Judge what reason these violent men have to take up Arms, against their lawful King and Governor (which neither reason nor religion could ever Justify) upon the pretence of arbitrary power and Tyranny, when this case of collercting the Customs, resolved by the Judges as a foresaid, is the only single Instance which they have produict for either: men and Brethren examine yourselves for ye know not what Spirit ye are of.  
But to obuiate and preclude my answer to the aforesaid case of the Customs, these Gentlemen have branded our Judges with the Infamous Titles of suborned and foresworn: In deed I know not how far these reverend Judges of the Land, and administrators of Justice amongst us (made also by the late King) may be guilty of two such crimes as perjurye and subornation, but this I will affirm, that if so many men born of good families, of honourable Education, learning, wisdom, piety, and of irreprochable lives and conversations can be capable of committing such enormous offences, I can never reasonably hope to see the Benches free from corrupt mercenary and the worst of men, no, not when James Duke of Monmouth and his Rebels shall have taken care for the future for debarring ignorant scandalous and mercenary men from the administration of Justice, and that the judges shall hold their places by the ancient tenure of quamdiu se bene gesserint, or that the wisdom of his imaginary Parl. shall have settled some way and method for the approbation of such as shall be advanced to the degree and dignity of Judges.  
And lastly, that no consideration might stop the progress of their villainous designs, and having made way for the execution of them by the condemnation of the King with all His Ministers and Judges, they now fall foul upon, and profane their pretended sacred Idol, Parl. and tell us that this present Parl. is a Company of men, packed together by false retuns, illegal Chartres and other corrupt means. And so by the way leaves no hopes of a true legal Parl. whilst the sun and moon endure; for if James Duke of York a Traitor, Tyrant, and a popish usurper (as they call Him) hath been able with out force to pack such a Parl. in which there are as many; Rich, Noble, Honest worthy Gentlemen, as any Parl hath ever known how shall we hope that the true Protestant James Duke of Monmouth backed by his pretended legitimate and legal right, together with the power of the sword should not be much more able to pack a Parl. of the greatest rebels Traitors Schismatics and villains (to the destruction of all good men) that any age hath ever yet product The Experience of this hath been sufficiently seen in the late rebellion, for which (with the murder of the blessed Martyr King Charles the first, his partner and accomplice Argyle, is not ashamed Blaspemously to return the glory to God. But to come to the merit of the cause, I must acquaint you how the constitution of Parliaments hath been for ne'er 500 Years, which is a sufficient time for our purpose, without searching farther into Antiquity: I shall tell you then, that the Parliamentaire Representatives of the Nation were chief the Barons of England, and Knights of the several Shires, & Counties therein: These two remain with little or no alteration from that time to this, and to show how far the said Knights may be taken at this day, for the Representatives of the Common of England, I must also Inform you. That every Knicht of the sheir; is chosen by the Major part of all such Commoners who wish in the said shires or Counties, have the value of 40 sh. per ann. freehold in the said shires or Counties: Which privilege comprehends so great a number of Householders, that there are few men excluded besides servants and some farmers who are often times strangers come in unto us: And the Election of these Knights of the Shires & Counties remains as it anciently was, without any alteration Illegal Chartres, or any false returns or corrupt means other then what might have been used ever sense their first Institution, and may continue to the end of Parls and time. Illegal Chartres than have no relation to Knights of the Shires, because there neither are, nor never were any Charters in the case, and if any false returns have been made, or corrupt means used, the Parliament itself when fully Assembled is Judge of the right att this day, as formerly at any time it had been; Thus we see how far, Knights of the shires may be representatives of the Commons of England, and where the abuses or corrupt means in the choice of them, are to be Judged and rectified.  
The accusation then of Illegal Chartres is applicable to Corporations only, which from the King's Charters or Grants have received the Privilege of sending Burgesses or Parl. men to Parliaments; To explain this, I do again affirm (and I challenge all the complotters of this Rebellious Declaration to show the contrary) that this privilege of Corporations began not until the time of King John who reigned about the year of our Lord 1199. Which was ne'er 140. Years after William the Conqueror and who was the founder of many and called the Patron of all Corporations: The Occasion in short was this: King John, to Balance the Power of his rebellious Barons erected several Corporations, and out of his mere favour and benevolence, granted Chartres to them upon several Conditons and limitations, by which they had the Privilege of choosing and sending Burgesses to Parl. From hence we must observe these things. 1st. that this Privilege of Corporations was no ancienter than the time of King John, and by consequence not a fundamental part of the English Monarchy, which was antecedent so it and the Creator of it 2. This privilege ever proceeded from the mere grace and benevolence of our Monarches, and lastly that it was granted upon several conditions, which when broken, their Charters were forfeited in Law, and their Privileges ceased: And accordingly during this interval of time, the Charters of several Corporations, even that of London itself) were forfeited suspended, and some times taken away. This then being the true case of Chartres and Corporations, we must next observe That King Charles 2d. finding several corporations had notoriously broken, or not performed those conditions by which they held their Charters, He citys them in a legal way by quo warrantoes to try thire Case at Law, whereafter a full hearing, (even to the content of the parties concerned) with the assistance of the most learned Council that England afforded (as in the case of the Charter of London) the verdicts have been given for the King, and many other Corporations sensible of there guilt, or desirous to have the Conditions of their Charters altered, having surrendered there old Charters into the hands of the late King, His said Majesty out of his mere grace and favour. did either confirm the old Chartres, or granted new ones with such conditions and limitations, as in His Princely Wisdom He thought most fit, according to the undoubted right of King John, and the rest of His Royal Progenitors. Now by virtue of these Charters, and according to the Powers and Privileges therein expressed, those Corporations have chosen and sent their Represeutatives or Burgheffes to his present Parl. And this being the exact State of the case, I appeal to all men of sense and reason, whether these Charters can be called Illegal, or their Burgesses (being duly chosen according to them) a Company of men packed together by corrupt and fraudulent means. And this confirms what I att first averd, that this present Parl. being the true, legal and only Representative of all the true Subjects of England, the whole Nation hath by them detested and abhorred this traitorous Declaration and all the Rebels concerned in it.  
I come now to the third and last head which contains the false impudent and particular reflections of the late Duke of Moumouth against His Majesty's sacred Person, in which he is not ashamed like a base villain, to call him murderer, Assassim, Traitor and suchlike, and instanceth the murder of Sir Edmund Bury Godfrey, the death of the late Earl of Essex, and that even of the late King His most dear beloved Brother. He mentions also the burning of the city of London, and subordination of false witnesses; Now let all men of honout, and men of arms Judge, whether this be like a Declaration of war upon the pretence of a legal and legitimate right to three Kingdoms, or rather the most scurrilous and saucy Invective of some mean poor spirited railing fellow, who shows himself at lest hereby to be the true Son of that impudent scandalous abandoned woman his Mother, who after Monmouth was borne became a common strumpett so many Persons now alive whom I know, and could name: Hold not thy tongue o God of my praise, for the mouth of the wicked, and the mouthful of deceit, are opered upon me; They have spoken to me with a lying tongue, They compessed me about also with words of hatred, and fought against me without a cause, They have rewarded me evil for good and hatred for my friendship; let his days be few, and let another take his charge, let his posterity he destroyed, and in the generation following, let their name bt put out, Psal. 109.  
It would be impertinency and great presumption in me should I pretend to answer crimes, which are so far from being suspected to be true, that I am persuaded they are not believed by the Slanderers themselves: Besides, as the truth of most of these cases hath been legally discovered and attested, so neither time nor place will permit me to infert the several trials and Evidences, which have been given in them. I am sufficietly convinced, That the most unspotted honour, and most Royal, Heroick, generous and pious principles, and actions of His present Majesty, even to niceness Itself, through the whole course and circumstances of his life, and series of His private as well as public actions, are so notoriously known through the whole world, that all Christendom, with the Kings and Princes thereof, would unanimously concur, and beg to become His Compurgators, and from their souls abhor and detest those most villainous men, and worst of Traitors, who so falsely, maliciously and saucily have dared to profane the Sacred Character of so Incomparable a Prince: but that I may undeceive some Innocent men and strangers to Our Country who it may be have been poisoned by the false reports, false Oaths and perjuries of these profligate, out laud, and insolent Traitors; I must humbly beg His Majesty's leave, that I may speak to two of those particulars, of which being myself an eye witness to the one, and a competent, and Impartial Judge of the other, I persuade myself, that according to the truth of these two cases, Those who shall peruse these Papers, will equally judge of the rest.  
The first is that of the burning of London: The beginning of that fire, with its growth and progress is now as generally known, as its end: I shall only their fore say this: That being myself present most part of the time, both by day and by night, and a sufferer in that fire as well as my neighbours, I had many several occasions to be very ne'er His present Majesty, than Duke of York, and I do testify, That His diligence, care, and pains in stopping that dreadful fire, was almost equal to any particular sufferer in it; That His compassion and affliction for its progress, both in words and actions, seemed so great as if He Himself had been the only Sufferer; and His advice in quenching those flames so pressing, and so reasonable, that, had not men's fears outrun their dangers or had His advice been vigorously followed, in all moral probability, they had put a much earlier stop to that vast conflagration; and all honest men are throughly and fully convinced, that His then Royal high: the Duke of York, did no more directly or indirectly contrive (as they call it) the burning of the City of London, then of the so much celebrated Temple of Diana (so many thousand of years sense) at Ephesus.  
The second case, Is the poisoning His Majesty of blessed memory; Indeed the horror of so dammed and false an accusation, with the stupendious inveterate malice of Jams Scott late Monmouth, and his most accursed associates, doth almost confound my thoughts, and stop my pen: However, I must say in general: That had it pleased God Almighty in his great mercy to us, to have sent an Angel from heaven and assured us, that he would take (in his due time) His late Majesty from us, but by a death so natural, that there should not be the least circumstantialt conjecture of violence, I dare be bold to affirm that the wit of man could not have found out or desired a kind of death more natural and free from the suspicions of humane malice, then that of the late King. In particular, the manner of the Kings being taken with the first fit, was Apoplectical, the Effects, Apoplectical the Method and cure of his first fit by Cupping, Scarifying and suchlike, (accordng to the rules of art in those cases) answered Apoplectical indications, the little distortion of this Mouth, and failing in His speech Apoplectical, every circumstance so much Apoplectical, that His last fit was plainly and truly for told Him (according to the Nature of such Apoplexies) many hours before their was any outward appearance of the fit, His Body when opened, His guts, vitals, brains and All, were so far from showing the least suspicion of poison, that they sufficiently declared an Apoplexy, the unanimous concurrence of all his Physicians pronounced a natural death: And were all these circumstances, with many more, insufficient to prouve the same, yet the soft & hearthy tears alone of that Undaunted Hero King James the second, would convince Opinias' trite and incrudulite itself, that was impossible He should with so much sorrow lamant a Death, which (as they urge) He not only had desired but contrived, whilst the Hypocrisy of the bravest of men, must have exceeded the vile dissembling art of the most mercenary slave: And I defy Brinvillers (were she now alive) with all the art of Indian or Siciliane Poisoners to invent a dose which should so fully in all points & Circumstances resemble such a natural Apoplexy, as that which carried off our late Blessed Sovereign, I have only one objection to answer, which, how frivolous soever it be, yet since it is particular, and believed by some men, I beg leave to speak to it: they say then that when the late King perceved he was poisoned, he should with great passion utter these words, Good Lord, what have they done unto me? Now as some circumstantial truths have been ever mingled with material falsehood, like leaf gold over bitter pills, to make them pass the better, so I must ingeniosluy confess, that I have heard His Majesty should have spoken some such words as those, but good God, upon how different an occasion from what it is now applied, I have been credibbly then told, that after the King was recouvered from his first fit, in which his Surgeons, had cupped Him sacrifyed and cut him upon the shoulders, and other parts the King (not knowing what had past whilst He was senseless, (and feeling at last the smart and pain of those wounds which in His fit he had received being surprised at what he had not felt before, should say some such words as those Good Lord, what have they done unto me? Thus we see innocency brought to support the foulest malice, and truth itself enjaged to confirm the most accursed lie: Yet notwithstanding all this, James, Duke of Monmouth declares he will prosecute James Duke of York (as he calls His present Majesty) for the aforesaid villainous and unnatural crime in pursuance of a vote torevenge the King's death (upon Papists he should have said for such was the vote) in case he came to an untimely end, until he hath brought Him to suffer what the laws adjudged to be the punishment of so execrable a fact and in a particular manner being deeply sensible of that barbarous and horrid parricide committed upon his father doth resolve to pursue the said James Duke of York, as a mortal and bloody Enemy, and will endeavour as well by his own hand as by the assistance of his friends and the law to have Justice executed upon him. Gently gently young man and put not yourself into passion, dog days are coming on, and if you heat your blood too much phlebo to my in the Jugular vein will prove your only cure. But to be serious: Never was villainous cause supported by a more suitable argument, one of the most glorious Princes and worthiest of all mankind, must be hectord thus, and suffer (if they could compass it) for an Imaginary crime, which was never committed by any mortal, besides themselves in their Impudent Declaration, and that in pursuance too of a vote for scandalous, so unreasonable and unjust that it must remain a blot to all Parliaments and public Assemblies which time itself can never wipe off. I have spoke what is sufficient concerning the death of the late King, and shall only give you the cause and motive of that noble vote:  
Whilst the late popish plot (supported by the Testimonies of that most execrable perjured villaiu Titus Oates. And some others as infamous as himself) was most in vogue. The house of Commons, out of a furious zeal to preserve the Protestant Religion, had almost forgot Christianity, and rashly past a vote, that if the late King should come to an untime end they would revenge, His death upon the Papists. This, how unjust soever it was, seemed yet tender and kind towards the late King; But oh the malice of those cursed heads, who, (having imposed upon, and deceived many, of that mistaken Parliament) had formed a Plot so hellish and so bloody, that nothing but the barbarous in humanity of it, ever made the truth of it suspected: However it being (by God's great mercy and providence who is the Protector of Innocence) not only discovered and prevented, but made so notoriously plain that the whole nation is fully satisfied of its truth; I shall acquaint you with the case. That voting Parl: being dissolved, the heads nevertheless and promoters of the plot met in Cabals, as was legally and fully examined and proved, where at last a resolution was taken (as at first designed) that the late King should be ass assinated by theirs own accomplices Rumbold, Walcup and others, and immediately the odium and punishment of their own horrid crime, was to be Thrown and executed, not only upon all Papists, but upon their Brat Prelacy, as Argile terms the Church of England; so with one most monstrous bloody Regedical stroke, they intended to have subverted the Government, and extirpated root and branch all those who had been ever faithful and loval to the King and our ancient Monarchy, or true sons of the Church of England, And the pious double Apostate head and Capt. General of the Protestant forces (as Monmouth styles himself) together and in company with the said Rumbold and others, the intended murderers of his dear Father King Charles 2. is now desperately, and openly endeavouring to accomplish that cursed design, which (by the especial providence of God) wanted then its damnable effect: Now if All this, and every particular of it be not true, than not only our own nation, but all the Christian Princes of Europe are miserably deceived, who sent their Ministers to congratulate the the King's happy delivery from those bloody villains, and traitors; The addresses to the same effect from all the Courties, Shires and Corporations in England, mere delusion and mockery; Witnesses of their own faction, and all concurring circumstances, mere eheat and leger demain, the Judges of our Land, deaf and blind; and the most legal trials in open Court by 12. substantial Gentlemen and Citizens (against whom the criminals themselves had no exceptions) the premeditated resolutions of violence, and injustice. But on the other side if what we have now affirmed, and every material part of it be true (as heaven and earth know it is) what then shall we say to these incorrigible dissembling traitors and most bloody minded Rebels? Hear all ye people, harken thou O earth, and all that therein is, And let the Lord God be witness against you, even the Lord from his holy Temple. Mich. 1● v. 2.  
For St Edmund bury Godfrey, and the Earl of Essex their case was examined with all the strictness and Justice, that possibly the Law in such cases doth, or can afford, and the devil himself could not have invented greater lies; then have been published concerning the latter, by some of the rebels, but to speak more particular to that would require a larger volume. Sidney, Russell and those other Traitors, who were executed for their treasons, had not only all imaginable Justice, but much more favour and mercy shown them, than any of those Papists who before had suffered. Armstrong indeed was not permitted to plead to the merit of his crimes, not that there wanted either treasons or witnesses to have hanged him ten times over (as was publicly offered in the Court) but he being  outlawed for treasons, by due course of Law and not appearing or or sunendring himself voluntarily with in the time prefixed, he could no more have the benefit of that law from which he fled, but was ipso facto guilty and liable by Law to the punishment of treasons except His Maj. out of his mere grace, and by the power of His Royal prerogative had pardoned his out laury and had set him in statu quo prius; which I say being a mere act of mercy as that of pardonning a man already condemned, it is in the King's Royal breast to have mercy, on whom he will have mercy, and since the King was pleased upon this Occasion to refuse it, Armstrong can no more complain of Injustice, than any robber or traitor that has been executed these 100 Years.  
As for our Religion, lives, liberties and pooperties, we enjoy them with such an entire, happy, lawful freedom that we are envied by all the subjects of Europe; nor is there an empire, Kingdom, Commonwealth or Government in the whole world, under which subjects may live more happy and secure then in our own; these are besides so fenced and hedged about (as the Declaration, says) that I defy the wit of man, and power of Parl. to add one word which shall not rather enflave than en franchise, ruin, then support them. The Protestant Religion, as it is now professed, hath been so established and confirmed by acts of Parl. for more than these 100 Years, that except a Protestant Parl. (and other than such there can never be) should introduce popery, and with their our hands deliver up that power, which they do, and may and are so tenacious to preserve, the Protestant Religion must eternally flourish in England, whilst Kings and Parliaments endure. In a word, our Religion, lives, liberties and properties an so well founded, so strongly fortified, and so carefully protected by Our most Gracious Sovereign King James the second, that with the machinations and conspiractes of James, Duke of Monmouth some years hence, not the present open hostilities and detestable Rebellion of James Scott, Argyl, with their Accomplices, and the assistance which they vainly (and injuriously to all Government) flatter themselves they shall receive from foreign powers, will ever be able (by the blessing of God) so violate them, or break in upon us.  
Thus I have spoken what is, I hope, sufficient at lest what is punctually true, concerning those several points of which I intended to discourse: for the rest of his insignificant, railing canting staff. I think it not worthy of a further reply, for I persuade myself that what hath been already said, will satisfy all impartial Readers, but nothing will convince the positive and the prejudiced. His promises and his threats which are vastly great, are equally airy and ridiculous, and this Chimerical Hero will have done much better to have employed his thoughts upon some new conquest in Terra Ausirali incognita, or of the world in the moon, than thus unjustly, wickedley, and bloodily endeavour to disturb the peace of three Kingdoms, which detest his principles and disown his pretensions.  
For those Protestant Kings, Princes, and Governors whom he impudently invites to partake with him in his rebellion, as it is a public affront, and unpardonable injury to them all, so I doubt not but they will all as publicly disown both him, and his adherants.  
To conclude, if ever Rebellion was grounded upon the falsest of pretences, it is this. If ever rebellion was raised by the worst of of men, against the Best of Princes, it is this, and lastly, if the most notorious, barefaced sins of fornication, adultery, cold murder and repeated apostasies, rapes and incest, were lost in the whole world besides, they might be found in James Scott the pretended double head, and twice apostate popish Capt. General of the Protestant forces and false protectors of the reformed Protestant Religion.  
O Lord God the Avenger, show thyself clearly, Exalt thyself. O Judge of the World, and render a reward to the proud, they prate and speak fiercely, all the workers of Iniquity vaunt themselves, but the Lord is my refuge, and my God is the rock of mine hope, and he will recompense them in their wickedness, and destroy them in their own malice, Yea the Lord our God shall destroy them. AMEN.  
God save King James the II.