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Show ..A Letter, to Sir Gcor~e Villiers, &c. Submiffion, and Confor~ity, ). for ~he refior~ng, o[Doetor Bur-it, to Preach; And I w1fh, llkew1fe, that 1f Grates In'! fuoul~ fhink good, ( af~er he ~s free from the State,) to. chufe hun , ~or their Preacher, h1s MaJefly fuould not be agamfr It; For cenam- 1y, we fuould watch hin1 well, if he fh~uld flye fo.rth; .So as he cannot be placed in a more fate Asdttory. Th1s 1uay feem a Trifle , but I doe' a[urc you , I doe fcarce know a particular, wherein you may open, more honeft Mouthes, to [peak Honour of you, than this. And I doc extremely dcfire, there may be a full Cry from all forts of People, (efpecially the bcft,) to fpeak, and to tr~mpet out, your Commendations. I pray you take it to Heart, and doe fomewhat in it. I re"ft. Your devoted and Bounden Servant. ---.-----:---...,._........,._.......,..... ______________ __ A Letter t; Sir George Villiers, of A dl1ice, concerning Irel~ nd · From Gorhambury, to Windfore. . ) July 5· t6t6. S 1 R Becaufe I a1n uncertain, whether his Maieft)', will put to a p~im, fome Refolutions, touch~ng Ir~land, now at windfore; . I thought it Iny duty, to attend h1s Marefty, by my Letter, and thereby to fupply_ my Abfence. For the Re~ewing, of [orne fo~mer commifions, for Ireland; And the Frammg, of a new Commiffion, for the Wards , and the .Alienation, ( wluch appertain. properly to me, as his Maiefties Atturnt;·, and have been accordingly · referred by the Lords;) I will undertake, that they are prepa. red, with a greater care, and better applications, to his Majt{fies Service in that Kingdom, than heretofore they have teen. And therefore of that I fay no n1ore. And for the Inftru8ions, of the new Deputy, they havebeen.fet d~wn, by thetw~ Secretaries, and· read to the Board; And bemg thmgs, of an ordmary nature , I doe not fee, but they may pafs. But there have been three Propofitions, and Coun[els, which have been frirred, whjch feem to me, of very great Importance; ~herein, I t~1i~k n:y Self bound, to deliver to his Mai1fy, my Advtce, and Optmon, 1f they iliould now come in ~eftion. The firil: is, touching the Recufant MagiftraterJ of the Towns, of rreland, and the Commonalties themfelves, their Eleetours, what {ball be done? W hich Confultation arifeth, frmn the late Advenifcmems, of the two Lord1· Jufticer, upon the Inftance, of the two Towns, Limrick, and Kilkenr;y; In which Advertifements, they reprefent the Danger only, witllOUt giving any Light, for theRe-medy - ·- .. ·- - - - A Letter, to Sir George Villier~, :!''· ____ I medy; Karter wanly lor tul:lllielvcs, man a Q:rl:cnb l ~ to their Dudes, and rlaces. ...., Inti is point, I humbly pray his Maie~y,to n:.mcmber, th at t~1e Refufcll is not, of the 0.1th ~r AUe!,iatJCe, ( whil\1 is nor cn:1tl:ed in Ireland;) but of the 0 .1tiJ o( Supremacy, which cuttetl1 dc~p, into I 0at.ter of Con[cien~e. Alfo, that his. ~aj~11y w~ ll , out of the dcpm, 1 of ius Excellent W 1fdom, and Prov1 1ence, dunk, and as it were, I calculate with 1imfdf ; W hether Time, will make n1ore, for the C aufe of Religion, in Irtland, and be frill more, and more, propitious ; Or whether Deferring l{cmedics, will not make th~ Cafe more difficult. For if Ttme, give his Mai~11y Advantas:re, what needeth precipitation, tO extreme Remedies? Bm if Ti~t, willtnake the cafe Inore defperare, then his Majefty'> cannot begin, tOO foon. Now in my Opinion, Time will open, and facilitate Things, .for Reformation of Reltj!,:iort t i1ere; And not fhut up, or lock out, tne fame. Fo:r firfi, the Plantations goingon, .and being, principally, of Proteffanrs, cannot but mate tne other parry, in Time: Al[o, his Majefties Care, in placing good Bifbop_s, and good Dh·im~; In amplifying the Colledge .then~; And mlookmg, to the E ducation, of wards, and fuch like; As they arc~ tne· moil: Natural · Means, fo .are they like, to be the moit e:ffcetua l, and happy, for the Weeding out of Popery, without ui111g the ~emporal Swar~; s.o that, I think, I may truly conclude, that dYe R1pcnefs of T'lme, 1s not yet come. . !herefore my Advice is:, in all Humblencfs, that th1s. h.azar- . dous Courfe, ofProceeding, to tender the Oath, to the Ma:<iftrates of Townr, proceed not, but d~e by degrees : And yet, ~o preferve the Authority, and ReputatiOn ; of the former Cour.-ctl, I would have fomewhat done; which is, that there be a proceeding, to Seizu·u, ofLihertie1; But not, by any ACt ·of Power, but by. ~o warranto, or Scire faci~M ; which is a Legal Courfe; And will be the VVo~k of three, or four, Termes; By which time, the Matter will fomewhat cool. But I would not, (in any cafe,) that the Proceedings, iliould be with bot 1 Tow;iS, which ftan-1 now in con~ cmpt, but with one of them, onely: choofing that, which fhall be thought mofi: fi~. For if his Majefty, proceed with botb,then all we Towns, th~t arc In t~e like cafe will think it a common Caufe; And that It 15j but their Cafe to~ day, and tneir own too morrow. Butifhis M~ie~y proceed, but with one, the Apprehe~fion , and T~rrour, w1ll not be fo ftrong; For they will think; 1t m~ y .be their Cafe, .to be [pared, as well, as proiecured; And th1s ts the beft. Advt~e., that I · can give to his Majefty, in this Streight; And of th1s Op11110n, [ec-med my Lprd chanceller, t~ be. . . . . The Second Propojition 1s thls: I: may b.e, h1s MaJefty w~U ~c moved, to reduce, the Number, ofh1s Counctl, of Ireland, whtch 1 ~ now almoft Fifty, to Twenty, or the like Number; In rcJpeCt, that ~-·--.... ! 77 --- |