A Plain Dealing and Plain Meaning Sermon, Vindication of author
TO fill up the void place of my paper, I thought good to add a teſtimony or two conducent to my purpoſe in the preceding Vindication, and that from a witneſſe not to be ſuſpected of partiality in this matter; And that is Dr. Laud, Archbiſhop of Canterbury, taken out of his own Diary or Day book of every days obſervations under his own hand, and found with him by Mr. Pryn, when he ſearched him and his Lodgings in the Tower. And this I have in a Book publiſhed by Mr. Pryn, intituled, A breviate of the Life of William Laud, &c. where page 21. you have this paſſage recorded.
June 14. This day John Baſtwick, Dr of Phyſicke, Henry Burton Batchellor of Divinity, and Will: Pryn Barreſter at Law, were cenſured for Libels againſt the Hierarchy of the Church.
June 26. The ſpeech I then ſpake in the Star-Chamber, was commanded by the King to be Printed, and it came out June 25. I ſuppoſe the firſt June 26. ſhould have been June 16.
And this now manifeſtly evidences, their ſufferings were not for any offence againſt the Civill State: And what power that Biſhop then had to tyrannize, and how they did rage for things of their proper concernment.
And what was the cauſe of the tumults in Scotland (which we all know led in the tumults in England) the ſame Biſhop (who beſt knew it) will tell you. In the ſame page, thus.
April 29 1638. The tumults in Scotland about the Service-Book, offered to be brought in, began July 23. 1637. And continued increaſing by fits, and hath now brought that Kingdom in danger; No queſtion there is a great concurrence between them, and the Puritan party in England, a great aym there to deſtroy me in the Kings opinion, &c.
Mark here. Theſe 3. men ſuffered in June 37. and the Tumults began the next monethmonth following, and ſo went onwards: And did they proſper?
And he here acknowledges theſe tumults began about the Service-Book: Which what a one it was, and how differing from ours, you may read in another Book of Mr. Pryns, entituled, Hidden works of darkneſs brought to light, diſcovering the practices uſed to uſher Popery into our Realms.
I'le add one teſtimony more out of the former Book, page 22.
Thurſday, Decemb. 5. The KING declared his reſolution for a Parliament, in caſe of the Scottiſh Rebellion: The firſt movers to it were my Lord Deputy of Ireland, my Lord Marqueſs Hamilton, and my ſelfe: And a Reſolution voted at the Board to aſsiſt the King in extraordinary wayes, if the Parliament ſhould prove peeviſh, and refuſe, &c.By the Board, he means the Councel-Table.
Obſerve here now, who, and why, and whence came all our Troubles. And how per fas, aut nefas, it muſt be carried on (as it was) to his, the Kings, and the Kingdoms undoing: And ſee, if the Parliament anſwer not their ends, in this good Biſhops language, they are peeviſh.
THE END.
End of the text · Ralph Farmer, A Plain Dealing and Plain Meaning Sermon (1660)