45 favage deferts of America could hide and shelter from the fury of the Bishops. O Sir, if we could but see the shape of our deare Mother England, as Poets are wont to give a personal form to what they please, how would the appeare, think ye, but in a mourning weed, with afhes upon her head, and teares abundantly flowing from her eyes, to behold fo many of her children expos'd at once, and thrust from things of dearest neceffity, because their conscience could not affent to things which the Bishops thought indifferent. What more binding then Conscience? what more free then indifferency? cruel then must that indifferency needs be, that shall violate the ftrict neceffity of Conscience, merciles, and inhumane that free choyfe, and liberty that fhall break afunder the bonds of Religion. Let the Aftrologer be dismay'd at the portentous blaze of comets, and impreffions in the aire as foretelling troubles and changes to ftates: I shall beleeve there cannot be a more ill-boding figne to a Nation (God turne the Omen from us) then when the Inhabitants, to avoid insufferable grievances at home, are inforc'd by heaps to forfake their native Country. Now wheras the only remedy, and amends against the depopulation, and thinneffe of a Land within, is the borrow'd strength of firme alliance from without, these Priestly policies of theirs having thus exhausted our domeftick forces, have gone the way also to leave us as naked of our firmeft, & faithfulleft neighbours abroad, by difparaging, and alienating from us all Proteftant Princes, and Common-wealths, who are not ignorant that our Prelats, and as many as they can infect, account them no better then a fort of facrilegious, and puritanical Rebels, preferring the Spaniard our deadly enemy before them, and fet all orthodox writers at nought in comparison of the Jefuits, who are indeed the onely corrupters

of youth, and good learning; and I have heard many wife, and learned men in Italy fay as much. It cannot be that the strongest knot of confederacy should not dayly flak'n, when Religion which is the chiefe ingagement of our league fhall be turn'd to their reproach. Hence it is that the profperous, and prudent states of the united Provinces, whom we ought to love, if not for themselves, yet for our own good work in them, they having bin in a manner planted, and erected by us, and having bin fince to us the faithfull watchmen, and difcoverers of many a Popish, and Austrian complotted Treafon, and with us the partners of many a bloody, and victorious battell, whom the fimilitude of manners and language, the commodity of traffick, which founded the old Burgundian league betwixt us, but chiefly Religion fhould bind to us immortally, even such friends as thefe, out of some principles inftill'd into us by the Prelates, have bin often difmift with diftaftfull answers, and fomtimes unfriendly actions: nor is it to be confider'd to the breach of confederate Nations whose mutual interest is of such high confequence, though their Merchants bicker in the Eaft Indies, neither is it fafe, or warie, or indeed Christianly, that the French King, of a different Faith, fhould afford our neereft Allyes as good protection as we. Sir, I perfwade my felfe, if our zeale to true Religion, and the brotherly usage of our truest friends were as notorious to the world, as our Prelatical Schifm, and captivity to Rotchet Apothegmes, we had ere this feene our old Conquerours, and afterward Liege-men the Normans, together with the Brittains our proper Colony, and all the Gascoins that are the rightfull Dowry of our ancient Kings, come with cap, and knee, defiring the shadow of the English Scepter to defend them from the hot perfecutions and taxes of the French. But when

they come hither, and fee a Tympany of Spanioliz'd Bishops fwaggering in the fore-top of the State, and meddling to turne, and dandle the Royall Ball with unskilfull and Pedantick palmes, no marvell though they think it as unfafe to commit Religion, and liberty to their arbitrating as to a Synagogue of Iefuites.

But what doe I stand reck'ning upon advantages, and gaines loft by the mif-rule, and turbulency of the Prelats, what doe I pick up fo thriftily their scatterings and diminishings of the meaner Subject, whilst they by their feditious practises have indanger'd to loose the King one third of his main Stock; what have they not done to banish him from his owne Native Countrey? but to fpeake of this as it ought would ask a Volume by it felfe.

Thus as they have unpeopl'd the Kingdome by expulfion of so many thousands, as they have endeavor'd to lay the skirts of it bare by difheartning and dishonouring our loyalleft Confederates abroad, so have they hamstrung the valour of the Subject by seeking to effeminate us all at home. Well knows every wife Nation that their Liberty consists in manly and honest labours, in sobriety and rigorous honour to the Marriage Bed, which in both Sexes should be bred up from chaft hopes to loyall Enjoyments; and when the people flacken, and fall to loosenes, and riot, then doe they as much as if they laid downe their necks for fome wily Tyrant to get up and ride. Thus learnt Cyrus to tame the Lydians, whom by Armes he could not, whilft they kept themselves from Luxury; with one eafy Proclamation to set up Stews, dancing, feasting, & dicing he made them foone his flaves. I know not what drift the Prelats had, whofe Brokers they were to prepare, and fupple us either for a Forreigne Invasion or Domestick oppreffion; but this I

am fure they took the ready way to defpoile us both of manhood and grace at once, and that in the shamefullest and ungodliest manner upon that day which Gods Law, and even our own reafon hath consecrated, that we might have one day at least of seven fet apart wherein to examin and encrease our knowledge of God, to meditate, and commune of our Faith, our Hope, our eternall City in Heaven, and to quick'n, withall, the study, and exercise of Charity; at fuch a time that men fhould bee pluck't from their fobereft and faddeft thoughts, and by Bishops the pretended Fathers of the Church instigated by publique Edict, and with earnest indeavour pufh't forward to gaming, jigging, waffailing, and mixt dancing is a horror to think. Thus did the Reprobate hireling Preist Balaam feeke to fubdue the Ifraelites to Moab, if not by force, then by this divellish Pollicy, to draw them from the Sanctuary of God to the luxurious, and ribald feasts of Baalpeor. Thus have they trefpas't not onely against the Monarchy of England, but of Heaven alfo, as others, I doubt not, can profecute against them.

I proceed within my own bounds to fhew you next what good Agents they are about the Revennues and Riches of the Kingdome, which declares of what moment they are to Monarchy, or what availe. Two Leeches they have that still fuck, and fuck the Kingdome, their Ceremonies, and their Courts. If any man will contend that Ceremonies bee lawfull under the Gospell, hee may bee answer'd otherwhere. This doubtleffe that they ought to bee many and over-coftly, no true Proteftant will affirme. Now I appeale to all wife men, what an exceffive waft of Treasury hath beene within these few yeares in this Land not in the expedient, but in the Idolatrous erection of Temples beautified exquifitely to out-vie the Papists, the coftly and deare

bought Scandals, and fnares of Images, Pictures, rich Coaps, gorgeous Altar-clothes: and by the courses they tooke, and the opinions they held, it was not likely any stay would be, or any end of their madnes, where a pious pretext is fo ready at hand to cover their infatiate defires. What can we suppose this will come to? What other materials then these have built up the fpirituall BABEL to the heighth of her Abominations? Beleeve it Sir right truly it may be faid, that Antichrift is Mammons Son. The foure levin of humane Traditions mixt in one putrifi'd Maffe with the poisonous dregs of hypocrifie in the hearts of Prelates that lye basking in the Sunny warmth of Wealth, and Promotion, is the Serpents Egge that will hatch an Antichrift wherefoever, and ingender the fame Monster as big, or little as the Lump is which breeds him. If the fplendor of Gold and Silver begin to Lord it once againe in the Church of England, wee fhall fee Antichrift fhortly wallow heere, though his cheife Kennell be at Rome. If they had one thought upon Gods glory and the advancement of Christian Faith, they would be a meanes that with thefe expences thus profufely throwne away in trafh, rather Churches and Schools might be built, where they cry out for want, and more added where too few are; a moderate maintenance diftributed to every painfull Minister, that now scarfe fuftaines his Family with Bread, while the Prelats revell like Belshazzar with their full caroufes in Goblets, and veffels of gold snatcht from Gods Temple. Which (I hope) the Worthy Men of our Land will confider. Now then for their COVRTS. What a Maffe of Money is drawne from the Veines into the Ulcers of the Kingdome this way; their Extortions, their open Corruptions, the multitude of hungry and ravenous Harpies that fwarme about their Offices declare