Treasons Masterpiece, Title page – Preface
Treaſon's Maſter-piece: OR, A CONFERENCE Held at WHITEHALL BETWEEN OLIVER The late USURPER, AND A COMMITTEE OF The then pretended PARLIAMENT;
Who deſired him To take upon him the Title of KING of England, &c. with an intent to exclude the ROYAR LINE.
WHEREIN Many of the Leading-men of thoſe times did, by unanſwerable Arguments, aſſert and prove MONARCHY to be the only legal, ancient, and neceſſary form of Government in theſe Kingdoms.
Collected by a faithful hand.
LONDON: Printed for Daniel Major, at the Hand and Scepter in Fleetſtreet, near St. Du…ſtan's-Church. 1680.
THE PREFACE.
IT may be ſaid (and that very truely) That this Iſland of Great Britain, which (though ſo called) is but as it were a Span of ground, if compared with many Iſlands in the Univerſe, hath been a greater Stage or Field of Blood for many Centuries of years laſt paſt, than any other Iſland or Nation in the world, though of far larger Dimenſions, and capacity of People. And what hath been the occaſion of thoſe tragical Revolutions which have happened therein (eſpecially in the laſt Age) is too eaſie for any impartial man to judge, if he obſerve the Series of the ſeveral Paſſages from 1641, to 1659.
The ſtrange Jealouſies of the Government which had crept into the minds of the People, and the deſire of Change (a thing natural to the Vulgar) together with the ſubtile Artifices of the principal Engines of the late Confuſions; who ſtimulated the Diſloyalty of the People under a ſpecious pretence of Piety and Reformation, (when indeed nothing but Covetouſneſs and vile Ambition, as the chief End, and Rebellion as the means to attain to that End, lay like the Snake in the Graſs) did diffuſe ſuch a general Infection through the Veins of the whole Kingdom, as if nothing but the Swords of the Incendiaries could have been the Inſtruments to let out that ill Bloud. They directed their Points againſt the credulous People as well as againſt the King, who they ſaid had offended: They ſlaughtered many and many thouſands of poor cheated and deluded men, as well as embrued their hands in the bloud of their ſacred and lawful Soveraign: They deceived their ignorant Fellow-ſubjects, as the Turkiſh Emperours are mentioned in Story to impoſe upon their common Souldiers; who when their Armies were to ford any unpaſſable River, were wont to perſwade them, that as many of them as would throw themſelves in, and make a Pile with their Bodies which ſhould fill or dam up that depth, ſhould be ſure to go to Elyſium.
Thus did theſe Time-Reformers wade through the Gore of the ignorant People, till they had arrived to the deſired ſhore of their Luſt and Ambition. But no ſooner were they gotten into the Seat of Supremacy, but they fell out amongſt themſelves (like ſo many Robbers for a Booty) who ſhould have the greateſt ſhare in the Spoil and Havock they had made of a Rich and Opulent Kingdom; and who ſhould be the Governours to preſcribe Laws and Methods of Regiment over the People. And at laſt the ſtronger Party of them found it was neceſſary to keep that Power they had by Arbitrary Government, viz. force of Arms; ſuch a Force as before they dreamt was intended againſt them.
And when they ſaw their illegal form of No-Government was not like to be long-liv'd, and found by Experience that the Nation could be no longer ſupported under, nor relieved from the Exorbitancies of their confuſed Anarchy, then they had Wit enough to prove by Arguments, that MONARCHY was the onelyonly LEGAL, ANCIENT and NECESSARY Form of Government; though they had not ſo much Honeſty as to reſtore that King to his Throne who had Right to rule over them, but endeavoured to ſet up an Uſurper: From whence may be concluded, That it was not Monarchy alone they firſt ſtruck at, but the utter Excluſion of the Royal Line.
And this Artifice had certainly taken effect, had it not been prevented by the under-hand Policies of Lambert, and ſome others of the then Ringleaders: for though Cromwel made a ſeeming Denyal, yet it might have been fatal to have truſted him too far.
And now, Reader, having ſaid this, I think I need not make any Apology for the publiſhing the enſuing Collection at ſuch a time as this is; a time which looks ſo black and diſmal, which ſeems to be, as it were, the Ghoſt or repreſentation in Effigie of 1641: a Time wherein the Government is threatned by two vaſt Extreams, and ſeems to ſtand inter Scyllam & Charybdim. And I could heartily wiſh that a due Conſideration of what is herein contained, may ſerve to the converting the mindes of ſeveral perſons, who, I fear, are almoſt ready to revive the Good Old Cauſe, and act over the old Tragedy again.
And ſeeing Regal Government is the great Baſis on which the Welfare of this Kingdom ſtands, I wiſh that all Engliſh men would be ſo far from thinking of the alteration of this admirable Conſtitution, as to bleſs Almighty God that we have a King already; ſuch a King, whoſe tranſcendent Clemency towards us, hath far exceeded our deſerts; ſuch a King, to whom (next under God) we owe our Laws, Religion, Wealth, Liberty, and Property; and who graciouſly condeſcended to paſs An Act of Oblivion upon his Reſtauration. Therefore pray for an Eſtabliſhment of the preſent Government to the end of days, as prayeth
A hearty lover of his King and Country, C. C.