dom, and the privileges of parliament, against any force which shall oppose them.' And in this we were daily confirmed and encouraged more and more, by their many subsequent declarations and protestations which we held ourselves bound to believe, knowing many of them to be godly and conscientious men, of publick spirits, zealously promoting the common good, and labouring to free this kingdom from tyranny and slavery, which some evil instruments about the King endeavoured to bring upon the nation. As for the present actings at Westminster, since the time that so many of the members were by force secluded, divers imprisoned, and others thereupon withdrew from the House of Commons (and there not being that conjunction of the two houses as heretofore) we are wholly unsatisfied therein, because we conceive them to be so far from being warranted by sufficient authority, as that in our apprehensions they tend to an actual alteration, if not subversion, of that which the honourable House of Commons, in their declaration of April 17, 1646, have taught us to call, 'The fundamental constitution and government of this kingdom,' which they therein assure us, if we understand them, they would never alter. Yea, we hold ourselves bound in duty to God, religion, the King, par liament, and kingdom, to profess before God, angels, and men, that we verily believe that which is so much feared to be now in agitation, ‘The taking away the life of the King,' in the present way of tryal, is, not only not agreeable to any word of God, the principles of the protestant religion (never yet stained with the least drop of the blood of a King) or the fundamental constitution and government of this kingdom; but contrary to them, as also to the oath of allegiance, the protestation of May 5,1641, and the solemn league and covenant; from all or any of which engagements, we know not any power on earth able to absolve us or others.' In which last, we have sworn with hands lifted up to the most high God, That we shall with sincerity, reality, and constancy, in our several vocations, endeavour, with our estates and lives, mutually to preserve and defend the rights aud privileges of the parliaments, and the liberties of the kingdoms, and to preserve and defend the King's majesty's person and authority, in the defence of the true religion, and liberties of the kingdoms; that the world may bear witnesses with our consciences of our loyalty, and that we have no thoughts or intentions to diminish his majesty's just power and greatness. And we are yet farther tied by another article of the same covenant; 'Not to suffer ourselves, directly or indirectly, by whatsoever combination, persuasion, or terror, to be divided or withdrawn from this blessed union and conjunction, whether to make defection to the contrary party, or to give ourselves to a detestable indifferency, or neutrality, in this cause which so much concerns the glory of God, the good of the kingdoms, and honour of the King; but shall, all the days of our lives, zealously and constantly continue therein against all opposition, and promote the same according to our power against all lets and impediments whatsoever.' And this we have not only taken ourselves, but most of us have, by command of the parliament, administered it to others, whom we have thereby drawn in to be as deep as ourselves in this publick engagement. Therefore, according to that our covenant, we do in the name of the great God, (to whom all must give a strict account) warn and exhort all who either more immediately belong to our respective charges, or any way depend on our ministry, or to whom we have administered the said covenant (that we may not by our silence suffer them to run upon that highly provoking sin of perjury) to keep close to the ways of God, and the rules of religion, the laws and their vows, in their constant maintaining the true reformed religion, the fundamental constitution and government of this kingdom (not suffering themselves to be seduced from it, by being drawn in to subscribe the late models, or Agreement of the people,' which directly tends to the utter subversion of the whole frame of the fundamental government of the land, and makes way for an universal toleration of all heresies and blasphemies, directly contrary to our covenant, if they can but get their abettors to cover them under a false guise of the Christian religion) as also in preserving the privileges of both houses of parliament, and the union between the two nations of England and Scotland; to mourn bitterly for their own sins, the sins of the city, army, parliament, and kingdom, and the woful miscarriages of the King himself (which we cannot but acknowledge to be many and very great) in his government, that have cost the three kingdoms so dear, and cast him down from his excellency into a horrid pit of misery, almost beyond example. And to pray that God would both give him effectual repentance, and sanctify that bitter cup of divine displeasure, that the divine providence hath put into his hand; as also that God would restrain the violence of men, 'that they may not dare to draw upon themselves, and the kingdom, the blood of their sovereign.' And now, we have good reason to expect that they who brought us under such a bond, and thereby led us into the necessity of this present vindication and manifestation of our judgments, and discharge of our consciences, should defend us in it. However, we resolve rather to be of their number that tremble at his terrors who is a consuming fire, and will not fail to avenge the quarrel of his covenant,' upon all that contemn it, than to be found among those who 'despise the oath by breaking his covenant (after lifting up the hand') although it had been made but in civil things only, and that with the worst of men. C. Burges, D.D. Preacher of the Word, in Paul's, London. Will. Gouge, D.D. Pastor of Black-friers. Edmund Stanton, D.D. Pastor of Kingston. Thomas Temple, D.D. Pastor of Battersey. Edmund Calamy, Pastor of Aldermanbury. Jeremiah Whitaker, Pastor of Magdalen's, Bermondsey. Nicholas Proffet, Minister at Fosters. Thomas Thorowgood, Minister at Crayford. Henry Roborough, Pastor of Leonard's, Eastcheap. William Blackmore, Pastor of Peter's, Cornhill. Ralph Robinson, Pastor of Mary's,, Woolnorth. Thomas Wheatley, Minister at Mary's Woolchurch. Benjamin Needler, Pastor of Margaret's, Moses. Nathaniel Staniforth, Minister of Mary's, Bothaw, Stephen Watkins, Minister of Mary's, Overies. Jacob Tice, Pastor of Botolph's, Billingsgate, John Stileman, Minister at Rotherhithe. Josiah Bull, Pastor of North Cray. Jonathan Devereux, late Minister at Andrew's, Holbourn. Paul Russell, Preacher at Hackney. Joshua Kirby, Minister of the Word. Arthur Barham, Pastor at Hellen's. NEWS FROM PEMBROKE AND MONTGOMERY, OR OXFORD MANCHESTERED, By Michael Oldsworth and his Lord, who swore he was Chancellor of Oxford. And proved it in a speech made to the new visitors, in their new convocation, April 11, 1648. As here it follows word for word, and oath for oath. Printed at Montgomery, 1648. Quarto, containing eight pages. Mr. Visitors, IAM glad to see this day, I hope it will never end; for I am your chancellor. Some say I am not your chancellor, but dam me, they lye, for my brother was so before me, and none but rascals would rob me of my birth-right. They think Marquis of Hertford is chancellor of Oxford, because, forsooth, the university chose him. S'death, I sit here by ordinance of parliament, and judge ye, gentlemen, whether he or I look like a chancellor. I'll prove he is a party, for he himself is a scholar; he has Greek and Latin, but all the world knows I can scarce write or read; dam me, this writing and reading hath caused all this blood. Some say, I love not the university, but, I say, they lye. I love her, I count her my mother, for I had four sons there. You know what a coil I had e're I could get hither; Selden did so vex us with his law and his reasons, we could get nothing pass; you saw I was fain to swear him down, and Mr. Rous, Gurdon, Mildmay, Wentworth, Prideaux, Scot, and other friends, voted bravely, else Selden had carried it. S'death, that fellow is but burgess for Oxford, and I am chancellor, and yet he would have the parliament hear his law and reasons against their own chancellor. I thank God, and I thank you. I thank God I am come at last, and I thank you for giving me a gilded bible; you could not give me a better book, dam me I think so; I love the bible, though I seldom use it; I say I love it, and a man's affection is the best member about him; I can love it, though I cannot read it, as you Dr. Wilkinson love preaching, tho' you never preach. What? cannot a man be a doctor of divinity but he must preach? I hope you'll confess I have gotten you good places; if I had not stuck to you, how could you have thrown out Bayly, Sheldon, Fell, Potter, Oliver, Hammond, Morley, and the rest? and then to what end had you been visitors, if you got not their places? You know Hammond is my own godson, and they say he is a scholar; s'death, I love you, what care I for deep scholars? Mr. Cheynell, I thank you, you have been kind to me; you have broke your brains again for me, and I have given you another head, for I made you head of St. John's, and for your sake have thrust out Bayly, his wife, and nine pretty children. Master Reynolds, I kared you would have left us, for you pretended to take no man's place from him, but, I thank God, you are of another mind, for you have both a man's place and a woman's place, you have all that belonged to Fell, his wife, and all his children. Mr. Wilkinson, you love me, and I am glad of it, they say, you hate your enemies to the bottomless pit; I have given you my own chaplain's prebend, and dam me, while he served me, he was an excellent scholar. Mr. Corbet, I love you too, I have made you orator of the university; it was my godson Hammond's place, I hope none will blame me for displacing my own godson; you are now my godson, for you are orator. I hope you'll speak for me, I cannot speak for myself; you have a tongue now, though you want eyes; what cannot a man be a visitor, though without eyes? Mr. Langley, I love you also, I have made you doctor of divinity; malignants say, it is impossible to make you a doctor, but, hang them, they lye, for you were created doctor, and nothing can create but God and a chancellor; nay, I have made you head of Pembroke college, I cannot make you governor, for a rogue, they call him Poyer, is governor of Pembroke, and, dam me, I think the king will make Poyer to be Earl of Pembroke. Master Harris, you are an old man, I have made you head of Trinity college, I love an old head; Dr. Kettle was an old head before, but he loved us not, I love an old head new made. Sir Nathaniel Brent, I know you love me, for you are judge of the prerogative court; the parliament gave it you, you are a good man, and that's a good place; they say you have no civil law, what is that to the purpose? you have an ordinance of parliament; a man may be a civilian by an ordinance of parliament, else why the devil have we sat seven years? my father said, that a parliament could do any thing but make a man a woman, and a woman a man. Mr. Rogers, you look as if you loved me, and I have made you a doctor; they call you Aaron, I hate them for it, for I hate Aaron, he was a priest, and I would have all priests and Jesuits hanged. Mr. Cornish, I love you, though your wife plays tricks with you; they say she gads abroad, because you are a sickly weak man, but I have given you Dr. Wall's place, for the weakest goes to the wall; you must give me leave to clinch, for those that have no wit must be content with clinches. Mr. Palmer, I have made you head of All-Souls, and have turned out Sheldon; I hope you love me, for you are a physician, and never any physician was head of All-Souls; they say their statutes do keep you out, hang their statutes, I'll keep you in; you are a member of the House of Commons, and a member of parliament may be head of any house. What? must the parliament be tied to oaths and statutes? I have, for your sake, clapped Sheldon in prison, was it not high time? dam me, he hath more brains than all we together, you saw to-day what tricks he put upon me: I could not speak to him but he made it nonsense, so as I was forced to cry him mercy four several times; but I have Sheldon'd him by the heels, and he deserves it. S'death, is he not clerk of the closet? I love no clerks of the closet, I am not one myself, dam me if I be. There is a young rogue, one Palmer, I hope, Mr. Palmer, he is not your name |