The Petition and Argument of Mr Hotham, Prefatory letter 2
To my moſt dear and ever honoured friends, the Fellows of Peter-houſe in Cambridge.
Gentlemen of our ancient Society,
WHen I caſt my eye upon your experienced great worth, and the unparallel'd happineſs I have long enjoyed in my converſes with you, I cannot but wiſh my ſelf able to erect ſome laſting monument, whereon to engrave my deep ſenſe of both to perpetuity.
But my ſhort power ſinking ſo infinitely beneath my own deſire, and your deſert, I am enforced rather then be altogether unfruitfull, to preſent you with this barren Eſſay of my endeavours for our common freedom: which coming now to ſee the publike light, is (next to our generall Protectors, to whoſe Honourable inſpection over us, we muſt needs ſay, we owe our preſervation) devoted to your ſervice and acceptance.
I know you will a little wonder at this opener appearance of this Petition and Argument, which I think you never looked I would have been ſo adventurous as to have ſuffered to ſee ſo much light as it did in your view before the Committee.
For, to appear againſt the intereſt of a man ſo generally befriended, by ſome upon point of ancient acquaintance, & opinion of his holineſs; by others upon his high merit in the ſeceſſion from his former principles and party he was a head of, to an abſolute complyance with the ſtrongeſt ſword, even to a preaching up the preſent powers Authority, out of the very ſame Texts and Principles which were formerly made uſe of by the Regal-Paraſites, to eſtabliſh that blind obedience we all declared and fought againſt; for a meer ſervant of principles to contend againſt a ſerver of times, ſuch a good loyall ſubject, and perfect tool of State, that hath like the complying Knight of old, confeſt even Boots and Spurs and all, and reſolved all his former ſtiffe principles into that one of a ſupple, ſervile obedience to the ſtrongeſt ſword, was, I know both you and all men elſe will ſay, a deſperate attempt, and more ſmeling of juvenile heat, then a ſedate wiſdom.
I confeſs, if my love of Juſtice, and honourable eſteem of our Judges integrity had not been much ſtronger then any humane hopes of ſucceſs, I had never imployed my endeavours upon ſo improbable an adventure.
But you know my profeſt principle hath alwaies been, that a true Chriſtians motions ſhould be guided by that one ſingle internall principle of righteouſneſs, that where duty cals to action, there our work is ſimply to contribute an endeavour, leaving ſucceſſes to him that is Lord of all: That that man is not worthy the name of a Chriſtian, nor fit to be an inſtrument of any remarkable good, that will not prodigally adventure the loſs of his repute, as well as labour in miſcarriages, for the poſſible accompliſhment of a righteous end.
Whereupon ſome of you may poſſibly remember, that when we were upon that firſt attempt of petitioning the Committee againſt the Maſters man, being made Fellow of our Colledge, and the intruſion of young Lads into the Colledge-government, though I both owned and cordially joyned with you in thoſe (I think) juſt requeſts, yet I alwaies ſaid we were thus far comparatively unjuſt, in that we unbecomingly ſpent our pains in hewing at a few excrementitious branches, and did not rather lay the Ax to the root of the tree, viz. the Maſter himſelf, and his uſurped prerogative, who by denying us our right of elections, had been the true originall of all thoſe miſchiefs.
For as for thoſe youngſters, they having no truſt upon them to the contrary, if they did a little over▪ eagerly ſeek their own promotion, it was but a private error, a ſin of their age, rather then judgement.
But for Doctor Seaman, a Patriarchiall pretender to Religion, and entruſted with the Patronage of the Colledge rights, to betray them and us to his own corrupt deſign of new modelling the Colledge, and molding up a party devoted to his own ends, was in him an unpardonable tranſgreſſion, and in us eſpecially, who had appeared againſt leſſer offenders, not altogether excuſable to ſuffer it without endeavouring a remedy.
Dat veniam Corvis, vexat cenſura Columbas.
But you perhaps not thinking fit to engage againſt an intereſt apparently too ſtrong for us, or deſiſting upon other reaſons beſt known to your wiſdoms, I thought fit however to acquit my ſelf from the blame of my own Conſcience by my ſingle engagement againſt that deſtructive prerogative, which I was the rather willing to do upon my own ſingle adventure, becauſe if I prevailed, the Community would be a gainer; if not, the loſs of labour, and the diſrepute was only my own.
Beſides, I was ſure you were all throughly perſwaded of my ſouls candor in the attempt, and that none of thoſe by-reſpects our Malignant and ungodly Maſter charged me with, but only the publike good was my ſole and ſincere aym, both in this and other tranſactions, wherein I have appeared croſs to his deſigns. And ſo whatever error I might commit in the management of this affair, I promiſed my ſelf from you, whoſe cenſure I only valued, an eaſie pardon.
Yet in all this proſecution of our cauſe of liberty, you ſee I have hitherto acted with ſuch tenderneſs to him I oppoſed, as to aym only at the removall of his hurtfull prerogative, not his perſon: but ſeeing he hath to his former miſcarriages added this Capitall tranſgreſſion, of ſeeking to caſt a publike diſgrace upon the Preſident and whole Society, whoſe honour and immunities he was bound to defend, I hope it will not be thought injuſtice if that perſonall charge againſt him (which if produced before, would have come in only as a needleſs ſupernumerary motive to the enforcement of my Petition) being reſerved as yet intire, be in its due time, when ſome formalities yet wanting ſhall be ready, produced againſt him to his amotion.
And if it ſhould ever be our good hap to diſcharge our ſelves of ſo unneceſſary a burthen, I ſee for my own part no reaſon why the Kingly Office in Peter-Houſe may not well be aboliſhed, and he who ſhall a… Preſident be elected yearly to ſupply the place, content himſelf for his pains with the ſtipend allowed by the Founder, and ſo the State become exonerated of the charge of that augmentation.
Nor do I ſee why we ſhould diſtruſt that Government in our Corporation, of which all the Corporations throughout the whole Nation have ſuch ample experience, eſpecially we having found by a more then ſix years experience of our own, that all the good ends of Government have been attained with us by a Preſident and Fellows in the Maſters abſence, much better then in his preſence.
Yet I ſpeak not this at all in relation to other Colledges, whoſe Conſtitution may be different from ours, and who have perhaps found great benefit redounding to their Communities from their ſeverall Maſters vigilancy and faithfulneſs to the common intereſt.
But I hope the Maſter of our Colledge will be ſo wiſe in his generation, as to cut off the Clue from theſe remote deſigns, by making uſe of that old Statute, de promotis, together with that preſent intereſt he hath in many members of the honourable Committee, to rid me firſt out of his way, a thing moſt of you know he hath oft threatned me with, but could never yet by ſuch means get me to bate him one Ace of my open oppoſition to his deſigns, where my judgement engaged me to it.
I know moreover what obſtructions he is able to lay in my way (without once being ſeen in it himſelf) whenſoever I ſhall come to lay claim to my Lancaſhire inheritance, but it is my reſolution, God willing, to go on as juſtice ſhall call, ſtraight forward, without looking aſide either to the right hand, or to the left.
Nor ſhall the hazard either of my fellowſhip, or five or ſix hundred pounds a year to boot, deter me from doing ought wherein I may advance a publike good, with reſpect to that worthy Society, to whom I ſhall, while I enjoy life, endeavour to approve my ſelf.
A moſt affectionate and faithfull Servant, Ch. Hotham.