OCR Text |
Show Obfor'llationJ upon a Libell, publijhed, ln Anno, •5 9 2. And fo, I imagine, it. was con~rted, in to ~om~ other ufe? like to that Gathering, whtch was, for the Fortiftcatrons of Pam, fave that, the Gathering, for flfrH, came, to a much greater, thoug~, (as I have heard,) no compettt;tt Sum. And for t~e Lottery., 1t was but a Novelty, devifed, and joUor:re_d, by fome p~rtu:ular per font) and onel y allowed by the State, betng as a Ga1n of Hazzard: Wherein if any Gain was it was, becaufe many Men, thought Scorn af~er they had falle~, from their greater hopes, to fe:tch their ;ddMonfJ!. Then he mentioneth Loanes, and Pri'llJ Seo.les; Wh.crein he fheweth great Ignorance, and Indifcretion, confidering the Payments, back again, have been, very C~ood, and Cer tain; And f!JHeh, for her JHajeflies HonoHr. Indeed, 111 other Prrnces Times it was not wont, to be fo: And therefore, though the Name, b; not fo pleafont, yet the Vfe of them, in our Times, have been with finall Grievance. He reckoneth alfo , new Cu{iomes upod Cloathes, and ne-11' Impoft upon Wines. In that of cloatbeJ, he: is .deceived; For the ancient Rate of Clifiome, upon C!oathes was not raifed, by her Majefly, but by ff2.!!_een Mary,a Ctttholique f!2!!een: And hath been, commonly, continued by her Majef!y; ~xce~t, he mean, the Computation, of the odd yards, whtch, 1n finct Duty, was ever anfwerable; Though the Error, were bpt lately, looked into, or rather, the ToUeratJOn, taken away. And to that of Wines, being a Forrain Merchandize, and but a Delicacy, and ot thofe whicb_mi~ht be forborn, there hath bee~, fome Encreafo of Impofltion, which can rather make, ~he Price of Wine Higher, t hf!l the Merch4nt poorer. Lafrly, touchtng the Number of subjidies, 1t is true, that her Maje.fty. in refpefr, ofhergreatCharge.r, ofher Warr.r, both by Sett, and Land, againfr fuch a Lord ofTreaJ"re, as is the K~~g of spain: Having, for her part, no_Indies,nor Jvlines;And the ljtVenues, ofrhe Crown, of England, bemg fuch, as they lefft: grat'e, upon the People, then the RevenueJ, of any Cro.wn, or S ate in E7trope; Hath, by the A./Jent, ofi'arliament, accordmg to the an~ cient C~tflomes, of this Realm,received, divers Subfldies, ofher Peo pic; which, as they have been employed, upon the Defence, and prcfervation)of the SHbjefJ; Not upon Exceffive BHildings,nor upon Immoderate Dtmativer,Nor upon Triumphs and Pleafures;Or i any the like veines, of Dijfipation, of Treafore;. which have been \Familiar, to many Kings: So have they been y1elded, with great i good will, and cheerfulnefs; As may appear, by other kinds of Benevolence, prefented to her, likewife, in Parliament;. which her Jt1aJe.fty, nevertheleffe, hath not put in Ure. They have been Taxed alfo, and Affeilfed, with a Tery Light, and Gentle Hand; And they have been f pared, as much, as may be; As may appear, in that, her Majefly, now twice, to f pare the subject, hath fold, of her own Lands. But he, that iballlook, into other Countries,and confider the Taxer, and Tallaget, and Impojtions, and Ajjifes, and the like, that are every where in ufe; Will find, that the Englifh llfa1!, is the moft Mafter, of.his own Valuation, and the leafi bit-ten O!fervationJ upon 11 Libell, publijiJed, ln Anno, 1 59 2. ten in_his Purye, of any Natio11, of Europe. Nay, even at this Inftant, In the King dome of spain, notwithfianding the Pioners, do fiill wo:k, i!l the Indian Minu, the Jefoites, moft, play the Pioner.r, and M11u, tnto the sp~niards Purfes; And under the Colour of a Ghoflt.? Exhortation, contrive the greatefi: ExaCtion, that ~ver was, tn any Re4lm. Thus much, in .Jnfwer,. of thefe Calumniatio.n!, I have t bought good to note:> touching the prefent flate, of England: which ftate is fuch, that whofoe er, hath been,an Architell, in the Frame thereof, under the BleffingofGod, and the Vertue.rofoar Soveraign nee-ded not, to be athamed, of his Worf<: ' 3· Of tbt Proceeding•, ~g£~inji the pretended Catho- 1iques ; Whether they h•ve been Violent, or M9- derate, and Necclfary. . · I Find, qer Majefties Proceedings, generally, to have been grounded, upon two Principles: The one; That Confciences, are not to be Forced, but to be Wonn, and reducecl, by the Force ofTrNth, by the AideofTime, and rhe Vfe, of all good Meanes, of lnflrulJion, or Perfwa .. jon. The other; That caHjes of Confcience, when they exceed their Bounds, and prove to beMatterof .FafJion, leefe their Nature; And that soveraign Princes, ought, dill:incHy, to punifh the Prallife, or Ct111tempt, though coloured, with the Pretences, of C onfcience, and Religi1n. According to thefe two Principles, her Mttjefly, at her C omming~ to the Crown, utterly difltking, of the Tyranny, of the Chur&h of Rome, which had ufed, by Terrour, and Rigour, to feek Commandement:> over Mens Faiths, and con{ciences; Although, as a Prince, of great Wi(dome, and MagnanimiiJ, ibe futfered, but the Exer'ife of one Religion, yet her Proceedings, towards the Papijil, was with great Lenity; Expecting the good Effects, which Time might work in them. And therefore, her Maje.fty, revived not the Lawe.r, made in 2Bo, and 3 5o, of her Fat herr Rai:n; Whereby, the oath of supremacJ, mought have been, offered, at the Kings Pleafure, to any SHbjelJ, though he kept his Confcience, never fo mod~fily to himfelf; And the B.efufall, to take the fame Oath , without Further . Circumfiance, was made Treafon: But, contrariwife~ her Majejiy, not liking, to make Windower, into Men~ Hearts, and Secret Thought.r:Except tl)e Abundttnc~ of them, did overflow,into Ouvert, and Exprejfe, Al1s, and A_ffirmatio1u; Tempered her Law fo, as it , re• |