Blood-fhed and Cruelty had been proved upon Antrim: but he undeniably fhewed that he had acted by the KING'S Warrant in what he had done and King Charles II affirms, and gives it under his Hand, that all his Altings with the bloody Irish were authorised, directed and approved by his Royal Father. Accordingly Antrim was acquitted, and his forfeited Eftate restored; the Guilt therefore of his Actings must lie at ANOTHER'S Door.

p.9.

CHA P. XV.

Who began the War; the KING or the PARLIAMENT? And whether it can, without the greatest Impropriety and Injustice, be filed a Rebellion.

T has been warmly difputed, on which Side the War first began. Whether the King or "the Parliament were the Aggreffor? He that "believes the King's Conceffions were a fufficient Tindal's Cont. "Guard against any Invafions of the national Li"berties, and that his Majefty really intended for "the future to govern by Law, muft co..demn "the Parliament for Requiring a farther Security, "and deem the two Houfes Authors of the War. "On the other Hand, he that thinks the King "had unwillingly confented to the Acts limiting "his Prerogative, and would have revoked them "whenever it had been in his Power (which Lord "Clarendon himself very strongly infinuates to "have been his Majesty's Intention) must throw "the Blame of the War upon the King, for not "Agreeing to a farther Limitation of his Prerogative, at leaft for a Time."

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King Charles endeavoured to establish Principles which tended to fubvert the Constitution of "the Government; as, that Parliaments owed "their Being to the Conceffion of the Kings; and "that this Conceffion might be revoked, and the "King might govern and tax his People without "Parliament-That the King was above the Laws "That the Parliament had no Right to meddle "in Affairs about which the King did not ask "their Advice-That to complain of the Admi"nistration was want of Refpect to the King"That the Parliament at moft had but a Right to represent the Grievances to the King, which "done, the Redress of them was to be patiently "waited for at the King's Hands-All thefe Rapin, Vol. X. Principles, tis easy to perceive, tended to efta- pag. 7, 8.

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"blish a Defpotick Power, The King endea> "vour'd upon all Occafions to inftil thefe Princi

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ples into the Minds of his Subjects; and to "establish them upon Inftances, taken here and there, of the Conduct of his Predeceffors. He was feen, by his Actions, to draw from them "the most extenfive Confequences; to fill the Kingdom with Monopolies; to compel his Subjects to lend or give him Money; to diffolve "Parliaments for not allowing his Principles; to imprison fuch Members as ventured to speak freely; and even to declare publickly that he "would call no more Parliaments. There was "then NO MIDDLE WAY: His Pretenfions were either to be yielded; or oppofed with open Force"

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-That is, there was no Choice left, but for the Nation to fit ftill, and to have the Chain of Defpotick Government riveted upon its Neck; or elfe, to take Arms, and ftand up in Defence of its Conftitution, its Liberties and Rights. To the glorious STAND, which was then made, we owe it, under GOD, that our Freedom is preferved:

K

Welwood, p.

72, 73.

ferved

and that we are not now a Nation of abject and helpless Slaves; groaning under the Yoke of arbitrary Rule.

That Subjects greatly oppreffed have a Right to take Arms and to stand upon their Defence, King Charles himself before all the World exprefsly avowed, "For he not only affifted the Rochellers, "taking Arms against their Sovereign, after the "War was actually begun; but we have Reafon "to believe he encouraged them to it at first. He "fent a Gentleman to the Duke of Roban folicit"ing him to the War. Buckingham by his Secretary "made many Speeches and fent many Meffages "to the People of Rochel to excite them to Arms. "The King with his own Hand fent them two "Letters to encourage and confirm them in the "War they had undertaken; promifing to exert "the whole Power of his Kingdom for their De"liverance: and enters into a League with them, " in which is this Expreffion, That the ROCHEL"LERS may be deliver'd from the Oppreffions they groan under-Hence then it most clearly and undeniably follows from the King's own Principles and Conduct, That the Groaning under great Oppreffions, will justify Subjects in Taking Arms for Deliverance.

To call this War therefore a Rebellion, is to call Light, Darkness: and is to load with Infamy thofe Characters which merit immortal Honour, and which ought ever, and will ever be remembered by Pofterity with Veneration and Esteem. The Senfe of the Nation, particularly of the very Houfe of Commons which restored King Charles II, with Relation to this Matter, appears in their Treatment of Lenthal, a Member of that House: who, having rafhly faid, "He that first drew the "Sword against the late King; committed as great "an Offence as he that cut off his Head," was brought

brought upon his Knees at the Bar of the House, Chillingand there feverely reprimanded by the Speaker; worth's Life, who declared it as the Senfe of the Houfe," That P. 301.

thofe who drew the Sword, did it to bring Delin"quents to Punishment, and to vindicate their just "Liberties: And that Mr. Lenthal's Words are an "bigh Reflection upon the Justice and Proceedings "of the Lords and Commons in their Actings "before 1648."

1681.

Clarendon's, Nalfon's and otherHiftories which call this War a Rebellion, as alfo the Form of Prayer for the 29th of May, it is carefully to be remember'd, were compofed in the Reign of Charles II, when the Regal Authority was carried to its utmost Height; and the Doctrine of Paffive Obedience and Non-Refiftance were preached violently throughout the Nation: when all in Holy Orders were obliged to fubfcribe and declare, That it was not lawful upon ANY PRETENCE WHATSOEVER to take Arms against the King: And when the two Universities, the Fountains of Literature, had with the utmost Solemnity affirm'd and decreed, That Kings de- Address from rived not their Power from the People but from Cambridge, GOD, and that to Hime ALONE they are accountable: That it belongs not to Subjects to create or tó cenfure, but to honour and obey their SOVEREIGN; who comes to be fo, by a fundamental bereditary Right of Succeffion, which no RELIGION, no LAW, Oxford Deno FAULT, nor FORFEITURE can alter or diminish: cree, 1683, And that to affert it lawful to refift Kings, is impious, feditious, fcandalous, damnable, beretical, blafphemous and infamous to the Chriftian Religion. If thefe Principles indeed were true, the War waged by the Parliament was undoubtedly a Rebellion. But the Wisdom of Providence quickly brought the Nation to an Acknowlegement that they were not true; and to an open, most folemn Rejection and Disavowal of them. A great Part of the NoK2

bility,

bility, Bishops and Gentry of the Land invite a foreign Prince, WILLIAM Prince of Orange, to rescue it by Force of Arms from the Tyranny of King James, and promise to affift him. Oxford now thinks that lawful and meritorious, yea does the very Thing, which five Years before it had folemnly decreed impious, blafphemous, damnable and heretical: it invites the Prince thither; affures him it would declare for him, and offers him their Plate. And the Reprefentative of the whole Kingdom, both Nobles and Commons, in an illuftrious Convention approve the Taking Arms against their Sovereign when he became tyrannical: and declare, that by his Refusing to rule according to the Conftitution, and going about to overthrow it, he had forfeited his Right to the Allegiance of his Subjects; and might lawfully, yea ought to be refifted and opposed.

For any therefore who approve of that glorious Event which we call the REVOLUTION, and of the Title of his prefent Majefty and his Family to the Throne (under whom we have enjoy'd the Bleffing of a gentle Government, beyond what the happiest of our Ancestors could boast) for any fuch to call this War of the Parliament against King Charles a Rebellion, muft argue extreme Ignorance, and fhew them to be felf-condemned.

CHA P. XVI.

Who were chargeable with Killing the KING?

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T

HE War being commenced it was waged at firft with equal Succefs; but "afterward with Difadvantage to the Parliament. "Wherefore as the King had refolved to call in

"the