A Sight of the Transactions of these Latter Years, Engraved title page – To the reader
A Sight of ye Tranſ-actions of theſe latter yeares Emblemized with engrauen plats which men may read with out ſpectacles.
Are to be ſould, by Thomas Ienner in his ſhop at the old Exhange
TIME
In a litle wrath I hid my face frō the for a moment; but with everlaſting kindn…es will i hauehave mercy on thee ſaith the Lord thy redeemer. Iſaiah▪ 54. ….
TRVTH
I will mention the Loving kindneſſes of the Lord, and the praiſes of the Lord, according to all that the Lord hath beſtoued on us, and the great goodneſſe towards the houſe of Iſraell which hee hath beſtowed on them according to his … ▪ and according to the multitude of his Louing kindneſſes.
And the fifth Angel poured out his viall upon the ſeat of the …, and his kingdom was full of darkneſſe, and they gnawed their tongues for pain. and blaſphemed the God of … …
To the READER.
THou haſt here (friendly Reader) a reſolution to that riddle, which hath ſo puzzelled and amazed the whole Kingdome, betweene the main parties thereof, Parliamentarians and Royaliſts; namely, who hath been the cauſe, or what hath been the main ſpur or ſpring, of all the late and lamentable deſtractions and diſtreſſes of the three Kingdomes, England, Scotland, and Ireland, theſe five or ſix years paſt; even the very ſame efficient and inſtrumentall cauſe that was of Iſraels ſore plague and puniſhment, 2 Sam. 24. Iſrael had ſinned and provoked the Lord to anger, and God ſuffered Satan to provoke their King to ſin grievouſly againſt God. So, England had grievouſly ſinned, and Gods wrath was thereby kindled, and therefore God ſuffered their King, and his prelaticall, papiſticall, and malignant Subjects, ſoundly to whip and ſcourge, England, even to the fetching of blood out of its …oynes and ſides; And here's I ſay, the riddle clearly reſolved; All this Truth being in this little Emblematicall Treatiſe lively ſet forth, and illuſtrated with neat and pertinent pictures and figures, for the better affecting of the ſight and ſenſe of the Readers therof, and eſpecially for the full making out of the truth of what is therein delivered; viz, That the King, and his unhappy and unholy atheiſticall inſtruments, have been the main moving cauſe (next, I ſay, to our ſins) of all the miſchieves and miſeries which we have all felt and found in this diſtreſſed Kingdome, onelyonly, or mainly, I ſay, for the driving on of that cruell and accurſed deſigne of bringing in an Arbitrary-Government upon this Free-born Nation, to the utter ruine and overthrow of their moſt precious Religion, and Liberties; as thou ſhalt eaſily and clearely ſee and diſcover, in this following Treatiſe and Relation.
A Sight of the Tranſ-actions of theſe latter yeares, Emblemized with Ingraven Plates, which men may Read without Spectacles.
1 Parliament.
1. IN the firſt year of King Charles his Reign, a Parliament being called at Oxford, two ſubſidies were granted, no grievances removed, but the ſaid Parliament ſoon diſſolved.
2. The ſad effects which the diſſolution of this Parliament produced, were the loſſe of Rochell, by the unhappy help of Englands Ships.
3. The diverſion of a moſt facile and hopefull warre from the Weſt-Indies, to a moſt expenſive and ſucceſſeleſſe attempt on Cales.
4. The bloody and unbleſſed attempt on the Iſle of Ree, and thereby a precipitate breach of peace with France, to our great loſſe.
5. A peace concluded with Spain, without conſent of a Parliament, contrary to a promiſe formerly made to the Kingdome by King James, a little before his death; whereby the Cauſe of the Palatinate was altogether moſt ſhamefully deſerted by us.
6. The Kingdom ſuddenly billetted with Souldiers, and a concomitant project ſet on foot for Germane Horſes to enforce men, by fear, to fall before arbitrary and tyrannicall taxations, continually to be laid upon them.
2. Parliament.
7. The diſſolution of a ſecond Parliament at Weſtminſter, in the ſecond year after a declarative grant of no leſſe than five Subſidies, and the ſaid iſſues that flowed on the Kingdome thereupon.
8. As firſt, the violent exacting from the people of that mighty ſumme of the five Subſidies, or a ſumme, equall to it by a Commiſſion for a Royall-Loan, as it was called.
9. Many worthy Gentlemen impriſoned and vexed, that refuſed to pay it.
10. Great ſummes of money extorted from Subjects by Privy Seals and Exciſes.
11. The moſt hopefull Petition of Right, blaſted in the very bloſſome of it.