The Popish Royal Favorite, To the reader
TO All who love their God, Religion, Countrey, in SINCERITY.
Dearest Brethren:
YOu might justly repute me (especially since the late solemn Covenant) a perfidious Traytor to God, Religion, and my now bleeding, dying native Countrey, should I wittingly conceal the underhand attempts of any mortall whatsoever, against them. I have therefore by authority of Parliament published these ensuing Letters, Warrants, Papers, extant under His Majesties own, His Councells, Secretaries, Hands and Signets, with sundry Orders made in open Court by Royall direction, for protection of Popish Recusants, Priests, Jesuits, against the many good Laws enacted to suppresse them; by means whereof, and of his Marriage Articles, that dangerous Traiterous Faction hath grown so powerfully great by degrees, and insinuated so far into the Kings affections, that they now threaten a sudden extirpation of the Protestant Party and Religion, out of his Majesties Dominions; a speedy subvertion of our Laws, Liberties, the present Parliament, by open force of Armes; having already fully possessed themselves of His Majesties Royall Person, Issue, Forces, Forts, Affections, bearing chiefest sway in all his late Councels, Proceedings, as we may now clearly discern, to our greatest grief, by many wofull experiences and visible Demonstrations, written in red Capitall Characters of our own English Protestant blood; especially by the late sending for and landing of Irish Rebels to destroy us.
It seems a strange mystery of Iniquity to me; First, that from the beginning of His Majesties reign till this present Parliament, the most zealous, conscientious, pious Protestants have been continually persecuted under the Title of Puritans (the better to colour the design) with extraordinarie rigour by the Prelatical and Popish faction, against the expresse Laws of the Realm, both in the High Commission, Prelates Consistories, Councell-Chamber, and Star-Chamber, to the losse of their Estates, Benefices, Liberties, Eares, Limbs, *Many of them dying in prison.Lives. Yea, thousands of them have been expelled the Realm, or forced to flie into forraign desolate American Plantations for securitie: And yet not one Royall Letter (for ought appears to me) could ever be produced all that time to any Courts of Justice in the lawfull favour of any of them; but many Royall Orders, *See a new …scovery of …he Prelates tyranny.Expresses from his Majesty, have been procured, rigourously to proceed against them; Notwithstanding His Majesties many Printed*Before the …7. Articles, and upon the dissolutions of the two last …abortive Parliaments. Declarations to His Subjects, r…ally to maintain and defend the Protestant Religion, and professours of it, to the utmost of His power. Secondly, that since our late unhappy, civill, bloody wars, till this present, the best and most zealous Protestants (Ministers, people,) both in Ireland and England, have been every where most cruelly Massacred, plundred, tortured, imprisoned, ruined, aimed at, by blood-thirsty Popish Cavaliers; many of their houses, and almost some whol Towns of them (as Banbury, Malborough, Bromingham, O…kingham, and others) fired, sacked, by his Majesties speciall Commission, (as the Incendiaries reported,) or at least by his Royall*See Prince Ruperts his late Warrant. Permission, notwithstanding his many late solemn Declarations, Protestations, Remonstrances, Oathes to maintain the Protestant Religion, the Subjects Liberties, Properties, Laws, and that he took up Armes to no other end but this. Thirdly, that on the other side sundry Popish Recusants and Seminary Priests have, during all his Majesties raign, obtained innumerable Letters of Grace, Protection, from His Majesty, contrary to Law, and Orders of Session in their favour, to stay all manner of proceedings or executions of the Laws in force against them, contrary to the Iudges and Iustices Oathes, till this Parliament, in all Counties of the Realm; and that since this unhappy civill War, the Papists, both in England and Ireland, have been armed against the Parliament by His Majesties speciall Commission, yea put into places of great command, trust, admitted free accesse to his Camp, Court, where they are now most in favour, and preserved from all violence, injury, plunder of His Forces; notwithstanding His many Royall printed Declarations, Proclamations, Protestations, Vows against Popery and Papists, to blinde or delude the over-credulous Vulgar: who now begin to be so well acquainted with these hypocriticall Court-stratagems (execrable both to God and men) that they will no longer be circumvented by them. And is this that brave, reall, royall, Defence of the Protestant Religion so oft protested, proclaimed to the world in Print of late, with deepest Oaths and Imprecations of Divine vengeance, if not cordially intended? aJer. 2. 12.Be astonished Oye Heavens, and horribly afraid at this most grosse hypocrisie, most apparent dissimulation, most palpable contradiction of regall Protestations and Actions, which the greatbRev. 17. 14. King of Kings, andcGen. 18. 25. righteous judge of all the earth will not suffer long to go unrevenged, if not speedily repeuted, reformed.
Far is it from my heart to wish or imprecate the least evill to his Majesty, his Royall Consort, or Posterity, for whose reall happinesse and prosperity I shall ever be a dayly d1 Tim. 1. 2, 3.Orator to the Throne of Grace; yet this I cannot but in loyalty fear, if not informe them, that if they persevere to dissemble thus with God and men, to oppose Papists in words, yet cherish, protect them all they may in deeds, openly siding with Irish, English Popish Rebels against the Parliament and their Protestant Subjects; and professedly arming them, with other Out-landish Papists, to waste, spoil, ruin, destroy their Protestant Kingdoms, Subjects, with Fire, Sword, as hitherto they have cruelly done, *Psal. 83. 4.taking counsell against the Lord, and his Anointed Son, Servants,*Psal. 2. 1, 2, 3, 4, 9. to cut them off from being a Nation, that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance; though Earth be silent, or Men patient at this Scarlet impiety, yet Heaven, God will not be so: but he that sitteth in the Heavens will speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure: he will break them with a rod of yron, and dash them in pieces like a Potters vessell.fPsa. 76. … Psal. 110. 5… Psal. 107. 4. … …ob 12. 21. He who poureth out contempt upon Princes, who is terrible to the Kings of the Earth; who cuts off the Spirit of Princes, yea striks through Kings in the day of his wrath (as he smote, gPsal 135. … 9. to 13. Psal. 136. 10. to 23. Judges 3. Dan. 3. 5. Acts 12. 23.King Pharaoh, Sehon King of the Amorits, Og King of Bashan, all the Kings of Canaan, Eglon, Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, Herod, with infinite other Monarchs.) HehJob 34 19. Rom. 2. 6. who accepteth not the person of Princes, nor regardeth the rich more then the poor, for they are all the work of his hands; but without respect of persons rendreth to every man according to his works; will iLuke 18. 7, 8. Revel. 16. 6. c. 19. 2.most certainly avenge this detestable hypocrisie, with all the blood of his Saints which hath been spilt, and the injuries done to his Elect, who cry unto him day and night; Yea, he will avenge them speedily. For if he, by his Prophet Esay, thus threatned to cut off the King of Babylon and his posterity, onelyonly for destroying his own Land, and slaying his Idolatrous Pagan Subjects that knew not God, Isa. 14. 19. to 23. But thou art cast out of thy grave as an abominable branch, as a carcase trodden under feet: thou shalt not be joyned with them in buriall, BECAUSE THOU HAST DESTROYED THYLAND, AND SLAIN THY PEOPLE. Prepare ye slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers, that they do not rise and possesse the Land; for I will rise up against them saith the Lord of Hosts, and cut off from Babylon the name and remembrance, the Sons and Nephews, saith the Lord. Then what severe judgement may such Christian Kings expect from the God of Heaven, who contrary to their own frequently reiterated solemn publique Vows, Protestations, Imprecations, most inhumanely destroy their own flourishing Christian Realms, with fire and sword; plunder, pillage, captivate, slay, murder, their most pious Protestant Subjects every where without pitty or remorse? If k1 King. 21. 2 King. 9.Ahab, Jezabel, with all their royall Posterity, were utterly cut off, extirpated in a moment, for countenancing Idolaters, and putting Naboth unjustly to death, onelyonly for a pretended blasphemy against God and the King, of purpose to gain his single Vine-yard; then what will become of those Kings, Jezabels, and their posterities, who not onelyonly cherish and protect many Romish Idolaters, Priests, Jesuits; but likewise use their armed power to murder, plunder, ruin many thousands of innocent Protestant Naboths, yea, seize upon their whol estates as forfeited, under a pretence of Treason or Rebellion, and lIohn 16. 2.think they do God good service in it? Certainly, if they impenitently persevere in this their tyrannicall violence, they cannot but expect the self-same judgement which these under went, from that Soveraign God, mDan. 2. 21. c. 4. 17. 27. c. 5. 20. 28.who removeth Kings, and setteth up Kings, and ruleth over the Kingdomes of men, giving them to whomsoever he will: at lest they may justly fear the undergoing of that exemplary sentence given against proud, tyrannicall Nebuchadnezzar, Dan. 4. 32. to 37. c. 5. 20. 21, 22. who when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardned to deal proudly, he was deposed from his Kingly Thron, and they took his glory from him: and he was driven from the sons of men, and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild Asses; they fed him with grasse like Oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of Heaven, till he knew that the most high God ruled in the Kingdome of men; and appointeth over it whomsoever he will: Not like Butchers to slay, but as nPsal. 78. 70, 71, 72.Shepheards to feed and protect his people; not to be aoRom. 13. 2. to 5. 1 Pet. 2. 13, 14. terrour to good works, but evill, to render punishment to evill doers, especially to Popish Idolaters; and praise or honour to those that do well; and to be tender pIsa. 49. 23 …nursing fathers to the Church of God: which God grant all those whom it now concerns, may seasonably and effectually consider. In the mean time it behoves all those who have any sparkes of love to God or Religion in their brests, to have their qEccl. 2. 14.eyes in their heads, not heels; to be as rMat. 10. 16.wise as Serpents, though as innocent as Doves. To take heed, that they walksEph. 5. 15. … Col. 4. 5. … circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise; (weighing all mens actions, not their Protestations) redeeming the time because the dayes are very evill, deceitfull beyond all former ages; yea far more dangerous than most men apprehend them. Let the consideration therefore of the ensuing Papers, together with Romes Master-peece, the English Pope, the Parliaments late Declaration of the rise and progresse of the Irish rebellion, the Articles of the Irish pacification, (to the ruine of the Protesta…t Party there,) with the Parliaments Remonstrances concerning it, the many ships lately… sent from Bristo…, besides those from other parts, with Commissions to transport Irish Popish rebels into England to cut all our throats; with other daily *… See the Mystery of iniquity.fresh experiments of the Papists great power, proceedings, treacheries, to re-erect their own, and root out our Religion throughout His Majesties Dominions, now at last awake, and rouse us all out of our over-long desperate sencelesse security; yea, fully open our eyes to behold the extream imminent dangers, our Church, Religion, Laws, Liberties, Estates, Lives, Parliament, Kingdome, Nation, are now actually threarned with from the prevailing blood-thirsty Popish party, in highest authority and favour with His Majesty, now wholly captivated, possessed, swayed by them, at their wils; and then speedily engage us all, ere it be over-late, with one unanimous consent (according to our late solemn Protestations, Covenants,) to put forth our utmost strength of body, mind, estate, prayers, to prevent that inundation of Popery, that extermination of our Protestant Religion, Laws, Liberties, Parliaments, that utter destruction now menaced to our three united Christian Kingdomes, against which the great Roman Pontif, with all his Antichristian bloody generation of Forraign and Domestick Popelings, have a long time conspired, and now united all their polices, purses, forces, to accomplish their finall devastation, as the ensuing papers will in part descry; which I shall recommend to your most serious perusall, and Gods blessing; the reality of them being so unquestionable, and these Transcrips so consonant to the Originalls, by which they have been diligently examined, that I should but waste time and Paper to trouble you with any other arguments or attestations of their verity, (so well known to the Papists, and all Officers of justice) then such as you shall finde annexed to them in the following pages, by the Collector of them.
Your most affectionate friend, and reall Servant of our Church and Republique, to his power, WILLIAM PRYNNE.
The Popish Royall Favourite. CONTAINING Sundry Letters of Grace, Protection, and Warrants of discharge, granted by His Majesty to notorious Popish Recusants, Priests and Iesuits, to exempt them from all Prosecutions and penall Lawes against them; signed with the Kings owne hand, &c. The Originals whereof are in the custody of Mr. Iohn Glynne Esquire, Recorder of London, Mr. Graves Clerke of the Peace for Middlesex, and others.
CHARLES REX,
WHereas we have received good testimony of the loyalty, and duty of our trusty and welbeloved, William Keeley, in the county of VVorcester; and because he may be subiect to the penalties of the lawes for Recusancy, these are to signifie that we are graciously pleased to extend our speciall grace towards him, and doe hereby will and command, that no indictment, presentment, information, or suit in our name, or in the name of any other, be henceforth commenced, prosecuted, or attempted against him by any Officers or Subiects whatsoever, for, or concerning Recusancy. And if any such shall happen to be, then our will and pleasure is, that upon sight thereof the same shall be discharged and made voyd, or otherwise not prejudiciall to him. Given under our Signet at our Court at VVhitehall, the six and twentieth day of March, in the tenth yeare of our Raigne.
To all and singular our Iudges of Assize, Iustices of peace, Mai…rs, Sheriffs, Clerkes of Assize and peace, Bayliffs, Constables, Informers, and to all other our Officers, and Ministers, whom it may or doth concerne, and to every of them.
CHARLES REX.
WHereas we are well satisfied of the loyalty, duty and affection of our trusty and wellbeloved VVilliam Cobbe of Sa…dringham in the County of Norfolke Gentleman; and because he may be subject to the penalties of the lawes made against recusants, by way of Indictment or otherwise: these are to signifie, that we are graciously pleased to extend our speciall grace towards him, and doe hereby will and command, that no Indictment, presentment, Information, or Suite in Our name, or in the name of any other, be henceforth prosecuted, or accepted against him the said William Cobbe by any of our Officers or Subjects whatsoever, for or concerning recusancy, till We shall signifie Our pleasure to the contrary; and if any such shall happen to be, then Our will and pleasure is, that upon sight hereof the same shall be discharged and made voyd, or otherwise not prejudiciall to him. Given under our Signet at Our Pallace at Westminster, the fourteenth of March, in the tenth yeare of our raigne.
To all and Singular our Iudges of Assize and Barons of our Exchequer, Iustices of Peace, Maiors, Baliffes, Clerkes of Assize and of the peace, Constables, Headboroughs, Messengers, Pursivants, Informers, and to all every our Officers whom it may or doth concerne, and to every of them.
CHARLES REX,
VVHereas ou… trusty and wellbeloved Sir Francis Eaglesfield Knight and Baronet being a recusant, is thereby subject to our lawes and statutes in that case provided. These are to signifie our royall will and pleasure, that no person or persons shall at any time hereafter, sue, prosecute, implead, either by way of Indictment, Information, or otherwise, against the said Sir Francis Eaglesfield, for being a recusant, or cause or procure him to be Indicted or convicted by vertue of any of our Lawes, or Statutes against Popish recusants, till we shall signifie Our pleasure to the contrary. Given under our signet at our Palace of Westminster the sixth day of December, in the tenth yeare of our raigne.
To all our Iudges of Assize, Iustices of Peace, Maiors, Sheriffes, Bayliffes, Constables, Headboroughs, Pursivant…, and to all other our Officers and Min…sters, whom it may or doth concerne, and to every of them.
CHARLES REX.
VVHereas we are well satisfied of the loyalty, duty, and affection of our trusty and wellbeloved Sir Iohn Shelly Knight and Baronet, and the Lady Iane his wife, and because they may be subject to the penalty of the lawes made against recusants, by way of Indictment or otherwise: These are to signifie, that we are graciously pleased to extend Our speciall grace towards them, and doe hereby will and command that no Indictment, Presentment, Information, or suit in our name, or in the name of any other be henceforth commenced, prosecured or accepted against them or either of them, by any of our Officers or Subiects whatsoever, for or concerning recusancy, till we shall signifie Our pleasure to the contrary. And if any such shall happen to be, then our will and pleasure is, that upon sight hereof the same shall be discharged and made voyd, or otherwise not preiudiciall to them or either of them, Given under our Signet at our Court at Greenwich the ninth day of Iune, in the eleventh yeare of our Raigne.
To all and singular the Barons of the Exchequer, Iudges of Assize, Iustices of peace, Maiors, Sheriffes, Bailiffes, Clerkes of Assize, and Petty Constables, Headboroughs, Messengers, Pursivants, Informers, and to all other our Officers and Ministers whom it may or doth concerne, and to every of them. …