VOX POPULI: OR THE people's Humble Discovery, OF Their own loyalty, AND His majesty's ungrounded jealousy.  
LONDON, Printed, Anno 1642.   

VOX POPULI.  
THE people's HUMBLE DISCOVERY, Of their own Loyalty, and His majesty's ungrounded jealousy.  
ALthough the Charms of rhetoric have stained your majesty's Declarations, Answers, Proclamations, Speeches and Messages, with all the gall, and opposition, that possibly could be infused to exasperate us into the Nature of bad Subjects; yet are we resolved to depart from nothing, that may oblige, and court your Majesty to continue our gracious King.  
Your evil counsellors have tempted your Majesty in all they could to divide your individual Person from your regal Authority; and we have vowed in the presence of God, with all the power, and industry we have, to keep them unseperable: which being inconsistent with the Malignity of that counsel, which daily joins itself closer to your majesty, and divides us, we are necessitated to employ that power for the separating that malignity from your Majesty, which else will be the ruin of us all, both King▪ and People.  
That there is Malignity, The strong siding for the Lord Straford, and for the Votes of Popish Lords in Parliament; The difficult yielding to such good Acts, as began to establish our Peace, and adventuring to question the same at your majesty's return from the North by a Quaere of the freedom of this Parliament; The many Attempts for dissolving us; The late and slow disarming of the Papists; The enticing many worthy men of quality to Petition against established Votes, to the great disturbance and dishonour of both the Houses and then incensing them to sacrifice the Peace and Liberty (if not the Lives) of themselves, and the whole kingdom to their inconsiderate Revenge; and lastly, the uniting all those into one Army by an illegal Commission of Array, do abundantly testify to all men's Consciences (but such, whom passion, and not malice hath carried from us, we hope wisdom and Religion will restore unto us) Besides▪ what Malignity hath been wanting in shameful Reproaches, provoking scoffs, false Constructions, prejudicate Censures, scandalous libels, treacherous Plots, both at home and abroad, in slugging all proceedings, that tend to the safety of England, or Ireland; in making cheap the repute of Parliaments; and lastly, both in the invitation and consent of deserting the Houses to attend and countenance your majesty's strange distance from your Parliament, and taking up of arms against it.  
We would not accuse your Majesty, our hearts abhor it; nor will our laws suffer it, unless they speak, and proceed to extremities: although your Majesty endeavour much to be thought the sole Agent: But (as our Laws instruct us) we accuse such Counsellors, and instruments of regal commands, without which the regal Office cannot stand: though we do not instance in all the particular Authors, the causes of all things being found, but with difficulty: for such, as dare do ill, will not want so much self-love, as to conceal it, having the lives and livelihood of them and theirs at stake to bribe their secrecy; until such time, as they grow bold in wickedness, and discover themselves, or that He that seeth in secret, brings them forth to be rewarded openly.  
And in this loyal care of your sacred person, and tender respect of your Princely honour, finding that besides the daily discourse of successive dangers (which seemed to be countenanced by your Majesty) and of unsupportable Grievances past, and present, both in Church and State, with the slow, and difficult reparations of either; the People had also strengthened a jealousy from the intercourse of Letters between the Pope and your majesty, than Prince in Spain, from your preferring the embraces of a Catholic, before a Protestant, to be the Consort of your royal bed, and bosom; from the increase of Papists, Priests, Jesuits, and a papistical Clergy, and Ceremonies throughout the Land: and the general decrease, and several persecutions of Protestants, and faithful Preachers; from the common boast even of Papists themselves, that you were of their Religion, and all your majesty's most secret Counsels were first known to them: from the sharp & eager proceedings against Scottish Protestants, and slow proceedings against Irish Papists, and rebels: And lastly, from the earnest Reprieve of Priests or Jesuits at first; and afterwards of 6. Priests & Jesuits; and high Accusation desperately prosecuted against 6. Members of our Houses of Parliament; that your Majesty had certainly given up your Faith unto the Sea of Rome. So that being also inflamed by the Rebellious and prodigious Massacres of Ireland, there remaining no oaths, nor Execrations sufficient to satisfy jealous people from Princes, that once give up their belief unto that Sea, which allows no Oaths, nor Faith to be kept to such, whom they shall pronounce heretics, as they do us, and imposeth a Conscientious obedience, secrecy, and assistance to all their dismal Stratagems: We resolved without publishing the disease (as a sovereign Remedy) to settle the Militia, and thereto counselled your Majesty.  
But what is council, if not followed? And what are your majesty's Acts without council? Surely if your majesty's Acts out of Parliament are guided, and are not authentic, but by advice of your majesty's attorney, Judges, or privy councillors, and they have power to Declare so; shall the Great council of Parliament go less, that gives to all them being, and includes them? Or shall the Orders of any of their Courts be legal, and shall not those of the Parliament be much more?  
In this advice therefore, and resolution of the Militia (which your majesty used, when there was no need) we yet most humbly and earnestly in this extreme need and necessity of the Subject persist, until your majesty remove the just occasions of fears, and accord to a sufficient cure of Jealousies, by putting the people's safety into the people's own hands: whose Jealousies are no whit abated by your majesty's absence from Parliament, and raising of contrary Forces, and sending of several Menaces, and returning to your old counsels; and the Papists cheerful interessing themselves in; and rejoicing at all your proceedings, they all appearing like so many several Omens of the people's return to their old Ceremonies▪ and to their old Grievances, or worse: Nor can we suffer those who by the council of the Nation have done faithful service to the Nation to perish for their faithful service.  
The Acts of Sir John Hotham, and the rest employed for the Militia, and for the navy, had general commands and instructions to authorise them, and have had particular approbations to confirm them: they must not suffer, and we live; nor shall so great a sin make our Nation odious to God and man, if we can help it. It is not the allegation of a minor part of Parliament can abuse the wiser, and more Religious sort of your Subjects, since all men know, that each man's Vote is of equal power, and freedom in Parliament, and the voices of a few cannot out echo a great many; whatsoever therefore is there concluded, cannot but by plurality of voices, which truly makes the Parliament, and the dissenting party makes up the faction, if they persist: or, if it should so fall out, that the major part (through neglect, or confidence in them remaining) absent themselves, then are their Votes no less included in the persons remaining then the Votes of the whole kingdom in the fullness of Parliament: If any be deterred from this freedom, it argues guilt, or cowardice, either of which should pronounce such a one unworthy a trust of so great importance, none being called to the bar, but such, as speak directly opposite to the published or concluded orders of the House, or wilfully to move sedition by distrrcting the sense of the House, to the great hindrance and dangerous delay of more necessary affairs: or else the consciences of men (convinced with their reasons and propositions) would soon engage the major part in their behalf, and not against them: which thing likewise may be said of those multidudes coming with congratulations to confirm such, as freely discharge their duties; it being the duty of all to speak the sense of the major part of the people, and such confirmations but the tokens of it; and if this were not so, we run the greater hazard in your majesty's displeasure, than the dissenting party in the disassenting of their equals.  
We do avow all our proceedings to be by the Law of God, the integrity of our own consciences, and the Law of the Land, the interpretation whereof, whether it be sitting to be delivered up unto your majesty's Arbitrament, and such as your majesty will advance thereunto, or to remain in Parliament (wherein the liberty and votes of Subjects are preserved) your majesty may judge, or which of these your people will consent to.  
As for arbitrary power (which only is incident to Kings and Princes, who setting up their will for Law, forsake the benefit of counsel) it cannot possibly in any kind be a just aspersion on a Parliament, which is itself a council, the greatest council, and the very proper foundation of all laws of the kingdom.  
We do confess in this your majesty's absence and dissent, we find a want of that harmony, which should make all our Orders▪ as well pleasant and delightful, as good and profitable; and we grieve no less for your majesty, who in this remoteness divest your royal Person of all that glory and authority, which should accompany your royal actions.  
What should your Majesty pretend any fear, when your undaunted courage left such a testimony to the contrary, in your passing with so small attendance through the City, and dined there, even then, when the news of Ireland had galled the memory afresh of former plots, and the zeal of people stroke into flame for the dangers of Parliament, and were imbittered with the remembrance of hardly escaped burdens of Monopolies and ship-moneys, Court of Honour, Starchamber, High Commission, and the Canons? Or what could less partake of fear, than such a desperate assault of the privileges of Parliament in your own most royal Person, with such an uncouth sort of attendants, the very day before?  
And as there was no sign of fear in your majesty, so was there no cause of fear from us, or from any your majesty's Subjects, to whom (had we entertained the least disaffection or disloyalty) there wanted not opportunity in any of those times to have endeavoured our own ends; but so far were we from any such attempt (as the malignant persons do falsely belch upon us) that we not only calmed the minds of people but brought them to undergo those charges towards the English and Scottish Armies, which those malignant persons had brought upon your Majesty: Having therefore these great testimonies of love and loyalty, what can your Majesty fear or suspect? unless you could yet retain a resolution to consent, or be an actor in some more horrid design▪ that could provoke your people beyond all what is past, to forget their resolutions of affections and allegiance to your Majesty; but sure your royal presence will discuss all fears and jealousies, which your continued absence cannot but foment.  
We all have sworn Allegiance to your Sacred Person as King▪ we did not the same, when you were Prince, nor is it longer of force unto your royal father, that then was King: when your Majesty recedes from your Kingly Office, you are so far absent from the object of our allegiance; there is no difference of benefit to him that hath eyes, and to him that hath none, if light be wanting. All our oaths depend upon the oath your Majesty hath taken; O, then return unto your Parliament, and so unto your people; return unto your Parliament, and so unto your lawful power; return unto your Parliament, and so unto your State and Glory; where when your royal assent hath confirmed those necessary privileges, which may keep whole the consciences and estates of your most loyal Subjects, all this our body falls into atoms▪ and your majesty alone remains in glory, to be beheld the preserver of those privileges, which all our long and faithful endeavours have consulted with your Majesty.  
FINIS.