MAJOR Wither's Disclaimer: BEING A Disavowment of a late Paper, ENTITLED The Doubtful Almanac. Jan: 8th 1646  
LATELY PUBLISHED In the name of the said Major WITHER.  
AMong the many abusive Practices and Pamphlets now frequent, there is a Paper lately printed, and sold, called The Doubtful Almanac; which being Published in the Name of G: Whither, is therefore commonly reputed to have been composed and set forth by Geo. Whither Esquire, lately known, by the Titles of Captain and Major Wither; who having had a view thereof, and considering how great an impudence it is in the Divulger to entitle him thereunto, and how injurious, Forgeries of that nature might become if they should be tolerated or passed by without dislike; He doth hereby publicly disclaim the said Paper, as neither of his making, nor justifiable in its own nature; And protesteth that though it were as worthy the owning, as he could wish it had been; yet, he is no more ambitious to father other men's best Fancies; then desirous to be thought Author of their basest, and most mischievous Inventions.  
Excuse ●●m therefore if he make haste to send abroad this plea of Di●cl●imer, especially seeing he conceiveth, there is aswell Malignancy coached in the Discourse, as injurious dealing in the manner of recommending it to the People: For, that which to him appeareth to be principally designed (though it maketh a show of somewhat else) seemeth to be of a very dangerous and seditious consequence; and to be nothing suitable to that Piety and Peace which is pretended by the Author: And if the Piece be well heeded and considered, he conceiveth it will be found an Engine contrived to help blow that Flame, which is too much kindled, and to widen that Breach which is too fare enlarged already, and which Flame and Breach, the said Major Wither, upon whom that paper is falsely fathered, hath seriously (though without thank from the generality of either Party) endeavoured to quench and close up to his utmost power.  
It was not his intention, to express any thing in confutation of what is contained in the paper, but only to acquit himself from being Author thereof; yet, for prevention of what evil may else ensue, he thinks it his duty having just occasion given to signify what he suspecteth both of the matter, and the Author, which in plain terms is this; that the Author is some Malignant Incendiary, who according to the strength of his wit contributeth to that secret Design, which is prosecuted by other Jesuitical Projectors to ruin these Kingdoms, and to re-advance Tyranny and the Throne of Antichrist among us; And that to whomsoever he seems to adhere, that, whomsoever he openly strikes at, and whatsoever he dissemblingly pretends, his main scope is to increase the Rent, and to divide the Nations, the King, the Parliament, and the People further from each other; and by exasperating the Presbyterians against the Independents, and the Independents against the Presbyterians, to renew the war, to the weakening, or tearing of all in pieces, that so either the enraged and untamed Lions, or Leopards at home may pray upon us; or, that when we have acted over the fabulous Battles of the Frogs and Mice, we may be devoured by the Kites and Eagles from abroad,  
And, this may justly enough be suspected, though there were no other probabilities thereof, but the said Authors acting of a lie, in fathering the spurious issue of his brain upon another man without his consent or knowledge, that he might play the Incendiary with the more security, at another man's hazard: For he hath sufficiently manifested thereby, that neither he himself nor his Designs, are so honest as they should be; And doubtless, if that God had been in his heart, whose name in his Paper, he hath so often taken in vain; or, if his zeal to the preservation of purity in Religion had been as hearty and as true as he would have insinuated; that Religion would have informed him, we ought not to make a lie for God; much less to the injury, or disadvantage of our Brother.  
But, by the thanks which was this day given unto the said Major for the Paper, by some who believed it to be his, and by the commendations which is applied thereto by many, the Malignancy of the said Paper seemth to be either none at all, or so couched, that every Reader cannot discover it; And indeed, the poison is so cunningly infused, that it may be received, and operate also so insensibly, that the mischief may be done, before it will be discovered, that any thing else but a benefit was intended. Be pleased therefore, for your better discovery thereof, to examine the Authors parallelling of the King and the Parliament, with David and Absalon. For, though to blind your eyes he confounds you in the parallel, and puzzells you in the Allegory, with an Application thereof to Sectaries and Schismatics, whose insinuations and Treacheries he alludeth to the practices of Rebellious Absalon; yet if you heed his legerdemain and what is cast in, whilst you are looking another way; and what real Friends of our are covertly stabbed whilst they pretend to be in a furious pursuit of our seeming enemies, you shall find that your Almanac-maker who usurps the name of Geo: Whither, is likely to be aswell a fatherer, as a Presager, of the Calamities which his Prognostication saith are yet to ensue.  
Let them who yet perceive not this juggling, but take Major Withers Spectacles and read the last five lines of the third page of that Doubtful Almanac, especially these words in a parenthesis, (a Prince a great while since David's days, did himself the greatest injury, when he intended to his people the greatest Boon) consider well these words; for by them, weighed with what precedes and follows you may plainly perceive the Author's opinion of a large bounty and indulgence in the King toward his Parliament, and of of a traitorous ingratitude of the Parliament towards him.  
In the fourth page he hath these words, Oh! nothing is so favovable for the Covert of black-Designes, as some exercise of Religion: Be sure that be strongly pretended, when you mainly intent this, and all's well: to act devotion, while one plots villainy, frees the Design, not only from suspicion; but procures a good opinion of it; And that this is spoken to insinuate that the Parliament hath under the colour of a Religious Reformation, abused the King's Grace, and his trust reposed therein, it seems very manifest, by the dependence it hath on what goes before, and by the impertinency of that clause to any other purpose: For, the Parallel is not yet restrained to the Sectaries, but relateth to those for whose sake, as he saith, a Prince a great while since David's days, did himself the greatest injury by intending the greatest boon to his people; which must unquestionably mean the Parliament and the Privileges by him granted thereunto, or signify nothing; as must also that which follows in the fifth page, (mentioning Sadocks and Abiathars and Gods chief Priests in Ordinary, sticking close to David, etc. For it appears as if purposely inserted, to illustrate the faithfulness of the Prelates and those Court-Chaplaines, with their companions of the Clergy, who followed the King when he deserted the Parliament, and tacitly to impute traiterousnesse to those, who adhered thereunto, in their Absalom-like Rebellion against the King, as he would have it understood by his Parallel.  
A little afterward, in the same page, you may perceive him following his falsely applied Allegory, to the giving of the Parliament two other secret wounds, as he perhaps hoped; The one by insinuating, as if they had raised their Armies with no better warrant than Absalon; and to as wicked a purpose, which is intimated in these words, though scarce sense; He marched into the field with a puissant Army, and give him but a pitched battle, both for King and David; The other wound which he seems to hope he shall give them, is, by intimating that they had unjustly slandered the King's Government, and abused the people with fair promises, to place themselves at the helm; which (he saith) is a wile much practised among us within these few years, and whom can he mean hereby but the Parliament, though they have given no just occasion that he should so mean? for neither the Independents nor Presbyterians by themselves can be said to have assumed on them any Supreme Government.  
In the sixth page (though in a confused manner) the Story is made use of also to hint unto the People (as very probably appears) by David's indulgence to Absalon (notwithstanding his horrible unnatural rebellion) how tenderly sensible the King is of the great plagues which are like to fall on his Absalom-like Parliament; and yet, how stubbornly they still persevere in their Rebellion against him, yea, this Author seems desirous to have thereby inferred (if his perplexed expressions could have reached thereunto) that the King is and was so far from being an enemy to the Parliament, or from seeking the destruction thereof, that he could be as well content to die for the preservation thereof, as David was, for the salvation of his Son: If this be not his meaning, it is hard to say what meaning he hath in all that which is inserted of David's grieving for Absalon: And, if that be his meaning, than what opinion he hath, of the Parliaments arming in defence of the people's Privileges and safety, it may easily be judged. And if it may justly be insinuated, that the King is, and hath-been so affected, as this Prognosticator would by his Parallel imply (and as many do now begin to persuade the People as fare as they yet dare) then doubtless all the world is not able to excuse the Parliament and their Adherents, from being as treacherous and ungrateful as Absalon; Let the King (in God's name) be justified or excused, or his failings connived at, so far forth as it may stand with justice and charity; yea let that be given to Caesar, which is due unto Caesar, but let Gods due and the People's Rights and Privileges be therewith preserved.  
Now to colour over all his malignancy (hitherto not so fully shadowed, but that it might have been descried, without some other cloak or evasion) that Author leads you aside, by improperly making the Sectaries seem to be his intended Parallel to Absalon; which, how absurdly it will quadrate with the Story, let the prudent judge. If the Independents or Sectaries (call them what you please) may be so justly parallelled with Absalon as this Pamphleter affirms, let them look to it whom it concerns; The Major, for his part, resolveth to be as wary as he can, neither to justify the wicked, nor condemn the innocent, but to look to his own ways, and his own heart, as well as he may: And (if his council might be taken) would advise his brethren of both Parties, that their affairs might be managed with so much justice, prudence and charity, towards all men hereafter, that the wheat may discreetly be divided from the straw and the chaff, by the flail and the fan; and not purged according to the humour of those Incendiaries, who will set the whole barn on fire, if they be not looked unto in time.  
It is plainly enough to be seen without an extraordinary Perspective, and to be fore-seen, without an Almanac, what Designs are now in prosecution, and what will certainly follow, if the bitterness of contradictory Parties be not sweetened with more charity and discretion then yet appears among us; and it is evident how little hope there would be of having it ever otherwise, if every man should engage himself as wilfully and as unreasonably, to strengthen one Party, as many do, and none be as third Persons or Mediums, to cement us together, before the policy which is now working, hath irreconcilably divided us, to our irrecoverable destruction.  
Thus much hath Major Wither thought fit to signify upon the occasion offered by the divulging of the foresaid paper in his name; not for such ends as may be perhaps imagined; but, lest by being silent, he might fail of his duty, and have many other things falsely imputed unto him, and fathered upon him hereafter, to the wronging of himself and his Readers, whom he would not willingly permit to be deceived by aught divulged in his name. He is neither of Paul, nor of Apollo, nor of Cephas, but as they are of Christ; nor against any but in that which is against him, and his Kingdom: nor hath he so learned him, as wittingly to seek his own peace, or profit, by dividing from, or by adhering to any Party, to the infringement either of the peace of Christ's Kingdom, of these Kingdoms, or of his own conscience: but hath ever endeavoured, according to his power, to put himself into such a Christian, and civil posture, and so to continue therein, that he may be an instrument of general reconciliation, and one of those Peacemakers, that shall be numbered among the Children of God, whatsoever he be esteemed among men. And he having hitherto spoken for himself in a third person, will now add a brief conclusion thereunto, in his own Person, and in his proper Strain.  

This Brat, to him that got it, I return;  
Or, to the Parish, where the same was born;  
Lest half the misbegotten in the Town,  
To find a father, at my door be thrown:  
Or, lest they shame me; or, may me constrain  
To father more, than I can well maintain.  
For, you already in most houses find  
So many several children, in this kind,  
Of my begetting; and, I have at home  
So many too, not strong enough become  
To walk abroad) that I much more had rather  
To let my neighbours those Escapes to father,  
Then father theirs; although it be no shame  
To have them known, and called by my name.   

This Bastard is not like me in the pace,  
Nor in the language; neither in the face,  
Nor in condition, so resembling me,  
As that, it mine, it may appear to be.  
For, when two Parties I do guilty know,  
I strike not one, and let the other go,  
But give them all their due, without regard,  
Or fear, of what may follow afterward;  
Though oft thereby I fair preferments lose,  
Displease my Friends, and multiply my foes.   

I am not so reserved, as to make  
(As this man did) a Doubtful Almanac,  
Of that which might be certainly foretold,  
If they whom it concerns regard it would.  
Nor will I do it, though I shall be sure  
Of such requital while my days endure.  
And they who doubt this, shall their error see,  
As often as occasions offered be.   

But ere I next adventure on the Press,  
I mean to get myself another Dress;  
And come forth clear from dirt, late sprinkled on me.  
Mean while, I'm pleased, that they who wrong have done me,  
Should brag a while; and have a time to show  
Their malice: and that I my friends may know.  
Yea, I am pleased a while to be your Debtor,  
For answering the late injurious LETTER,  
Writ by the KNAVE OF SPADES, or by his CLERK,  
And published by the DEVIL in the dark.  
Till than therefore, my Readers all, adieu;  
And be to me, as I shall prove to you.   Geo. Whither.  

Printed by R. Austin. 1647. 1646