The Prince of Orange's Declaration, fhewing the Reasons why he invades England, with a fhort Preface, and fome modeft Remarks on it.

TH

Novemb.

HERE having been various Difcourfes about the Reasonableness and Justice of the Dutch Invafion, the Prince's great Love and Special Care of the Proteftant Religion, and English Proteftants, fet forth in the most charming manner, and the Defperateness of the Proteftant State and Condition, painted in the blackest and most frightful Colours; Our Natural Liege Lord, notwithstanding his Unparal lel'd Grace to all, reprefented as defigning the greatest Cruelty against bis own Subjects; ftrange Stories of ill things whispered, and nothing lefs than a Secret League between His Majefty of Great Britain, and the French King, to extirpate all Proteftants, entred into. These Reports are with so much Art and Cunning Spread, as to *They did Startle the most confidering Proteftants of all Perfwafions, whence to whilft nothing could be more eagerly defired, than a fight of the Prince of the danger range's Declaration. For the Expectations of mest Men are, That hung over Some extraordinary Secrets, fome bidden Works of Darkness should be our heads, reveal'd and brought to light, as generally those, who yet never saw nothing the Prince's Declaration, do ftill believe: But there not being one word lefs dreadof any fuch Treaty, we cannot fee why it is that the Prince comes ful over; and if others impartially perufe the Declaration, we doubt not but 'twill convince them, that they give no Reafon powerful enough to juftifie fo Bloody an Enterprife, as this, in the iffue must needs be.

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We will therefore give you a true Copy of the Prince's Declaration, word for word, as it runs in the Weft:

tho' now

Novemb.

The Declaration of his Highness, WILLIAM HENRY, by the Grace of God, PRINCE of ORANGE, &C. of the Reasons inducing him to appear in Arms in the Kingdom of England, for preferving of the Proteftant Religion, and for reftoring the Laws and Liberties of England, Scotland, and Ireland.

I.

T is both certain and evident to all men, that the publick Peace and Happiness of any State or Kingdom cannot be preferved, where the Laws, Liberties, and Cuftoms established by the lawful Authority in it, are openly tranfgreffed and an nulled:More especially where the Alteration of Religion is endea voured, and that a Religion which is contrary to Law, is endeavoured to be introduced: Upon which those who are most immediately concerned in it, are indifpenfably bound to endeavour to preferve and maintain the established Laws, Liberties and Cuftoms, and above all, the Religion and Worship of God that is eftablished among them; and to take fuch an effectual care, that the Inhabitants of the faid State or Kingdom, may neither bedeprived of their Religion, nor of their Civil Rights: Which is fo much the more neceffary, because the Greatnefs and Securityboth of Kings, Royal Families, and of all fuch as are in Authority, as well as the Happiness of their Subjects and People, depend, in a moft efpecial manner, upon the exact obfervation and maintenance of thefe their Laws, Liberties and Customs.

2. Upon these grounds it is, that we cannot any longer forbear to declare that to our great Regret, we fee that thofe Councellors, who have now the chief Credit with the King, have overturned the Religion, Laws and Liberties of thofe Realms, and fubjected them in all things relating to their Confciences, Liberties, and Properties, to Arbitrary Government, and that not only by fecret and indirect ways, but in an open and undisguised

manner.

3. Thofe evil Councellors for the advancing and colouring this with fome plaufible Pretexts, did invent and fet on foot the Kings

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Dispensing Power, by Virtue of which they pretend, that according Novemb.. to Law, he can fufpend, and difpence with the Execution of the Laws that have been enacted by the Authority of the King and Parliament, for the fecurity and happiness of the Subject, and fo. have rendred thofe Laws of no effect; tho' there is nothing more certain, than that as no Laws can be made, but by the joint. concurrence of King and Parliament, fo likewife Laws fo enacted, which fecure the publick Peace, and fafety of the Nation,. and the Lives and Liberties of every Subject in it, cannot be repealed or fufpended but by the fame Authority.

4. For tho the King may pardon the Punishment that a Tranfgreffor has incurred, and to which he is condemned, as in the Cafes of Treafon or Felony, yet it cannot be with any colour of Reafon inferred from thence, that the King can entirely fufpend. the Execution of thofe Laws relating to Treafon or Felony; unless it is pretended, that he is clothed with a Defpotick and Arbitrary Power; and that the Lives, Liberties, Honours, and Eftates of the Subjects depend wholly on his good Will and Pleasure,. and are entirely fsubject to him; which muft infallibly follow, on the King's having a Power to fufpend the Execution of the. Laws, and to difpenfe with them.

5. Thofe Evil Counsellors, in order to the giving fome Credit to this strange and execrable Maxim, have so conducted the Matter, that they have obtained a Sentence from the Judges, declaring, that this Difpenfing Power is a Right belonging to the Crown; as if it were in the power of the Twelve Judges to offer up the Laws, Rights, and Liberties of the whole Nation to the King, to be difpofed of by him Arbitrarily and at his Pleasure, and exprefly contrary to Laws enacted for the Security of the Subjects. In order to the obtaining this Judgment, thofe Evil Counsellors did before hand examine fecretly the Opinion of the Judges, and procured fuch of them as could not in Confcience concur in fo pernicious a Sentence, to be turned out, an i others to be fubftituted in their rooms, till by the Changes which were made in the Courts of Judicature, they at laft obtained that Judgment. And they have raifed fome to thofe Trufts, who make open Profeffion of the Popish Religion, tho those are by Law rendred incapable of all fuch Employments.

6. It is alfo manifeft and notorious, That as his Majefty was, upon his coming to the Crown,received and acknowledged by all

the

Novemb. the Subjects of England, Scotland, and Ireland, as their King, without the leaft Oppofition, tho he made then open Profeffion of the Popish Religion; fo he did then promife, and folemnly fwear at his Coronation, That he would maintain his Subjects in the free Enjoyment of their Laws and Liberties; and in particular, that he would maintain the Church of England as it was established by Law: It is likewise certain, that there have been at divers and fundry times feveral Laws enacted for the Prefervation of thofe Rights and Liberties, and of the Proteftant Religion; and among other Securities, it has been enacted, That all Perfons whatsoever, that are advanced to any Ecclefiaftical Dignity, or to bear Office in either Univerfity, as likewife all other that. fhould be put in any Imployment, Civil or Military, fhould declare that they were not Papifts, but were of the Proteftant Re ligion, and that by their taking of the Oaths of Allegiance and Su premacy, and the Teft; yet thefe Evil Councellors have in effect annulled and abolished all thofe Laws, both with relation to Ecclefiaftical and Civil Employments.

7. In order to Ecclefiaftical Dignities and Offices, they have not only without any colour of Law, but againft molt exprefs Laws to the contrary, fet up a Commiffion, of a certain number of Perfons, to whom they have committed the Cognisance and Direction of all Ecclefiaftical matters; in the which Commiffion there has been, and ftill is one of his Majefties Minifters of State, who makes now publick profeffion of the Popish Religion,and who at the time of his firft profeffing it, declared that for a great while before he had believed that to be the only true Religion. By all this, the deplorable State to which the Proteftant Religion is reduced, is apparent, fince the Affairs of the Church of England are now put into the hands of perfons who have accepted of a Commiffion that is manifeftly illegal, and who have executed it contrary to all Law; and that now one of their chief Members has abjured the Proteftant Religion, and declared himfelf a Papift; by which he is become uncapable of holding any publick Imployment. The faid Commiffioners have hitherto given fuch proof of their Submiffion to the Directions given them, that there is no reafon to doubt, but they will ftill continue to promote all fuch defigns as will be moft agreeable to them. And thofe Evil Counfellors take care to raife none to any Ecclefiaftical Dignities, but perfons that have no Zeal for the Proteftant Religion,and that now

hide their unconcernedness for it, under the fpecious pretence of Novemb. Moderation. The faid Commiffioners have fufpended the Bifhop of London, only because he refused to obey an Order that was fent him to fufpend a worthy Divine, without fo much as citing him before him to make his own Defence, or obferving the common forms of Procefs. They have turned out a Prefident chofen by the Fellows of Magdalene Colledge, and afterwards all the Fellows of that Colledge, without fo much as citing them before any Court that could take legal Cognifance of that Affair, or obtaining any Sentence against them by a competent Judge. And the only reafon that was given for turning them out, was their refufing to chufe for their Prefident, a perfon that was recommended to them, by the Inftigation of thofe Evil Councellors, tho' the Right of a Free-Election belonged undoubtedly to them. But they were turned out of their Free-holds contrary to Law, and to that exprefs Provifion in the Magna Charta; That no man Jhall lofe Life or Goods, but by the Law of the Land. And now these Evil Councellors have put the faid Colledge wholly into the hands of Papifts, tho' as is abovesaid, they are incapable of all fuch Employments, both by the Law of the Land, and the Statutes of the Colledge. Thefe Commiffioners have alfo cited before them all the Chancellors and Archdeacons of England, requiring them to certifie to them the Names of all fuch Clergymen as have read the King's Declaration for Liberty of Confcience, and of fuch as have not read it, without confidering that the reading of it was not enjoined the Clergy by the Bishops who. are their Ordinaries. The Illegality and Incompetency of the faid Court of the Ecclefiaftical Commiffioners was fonotoriouf ly known, and it did fo evidently appear, that it tended to. the Subverfion of the Proteftant Religion, that the Moft Reverend Father in God, William Archbishop of Canterbury, Primate and Metropolitan of all England, feeing that it was raifed for no other end but to opprefs fuch perfons as were of eminent Virtue, Learning and Piety, refufed to fit, or to concur in it.

8. And tho' there are many exprefs Laws againft all Churches. or Chappels for the exercife of the Popish Religion, and alfo a gainft all Monafteries and Convents, and more particulary againft the Order of the Jefuits, yet thofe Evil Counfellors have procured orders for the building of feveral Churches and Chappels for the exercife of that Religion. They have alfo procured divers

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