and Impartiality of what He relates, may be believ'd not to have made any wilful mistakes.

However, all things of this Nature must be submitted, as this is, with great deference to the judgement of the equal Reader; who will meet, in his progress through this work, with many Paffages, that, he will judge, may difoblige the Pofterity of even well meaning Men in thofe days; much more then of fuch as were crafty, cunning, and wicked enough to defign the mischiefs that ensued: But he fhall meet with none of Malice, nor any but fuch as the Author, upon his best information, took to be Impartially true. He could not be ignorant of the Rules of a good Hiftorian (which, Cicero fays, are fuch foundations, that they are known to every body) That he should Not dare to fpeak any Falfehood; and should dare to speak any Truth. And we doubt not, but through the whole progress of this Hiftory, be will be found to have given no occafion of fufpecting his writings guilty of partial favour, or unjuit enmity; and we hope, that the reprefenting the Truth, without any mixture of private Paffion or Animofity, will be fo far from giving offence to any Ingenuous Man of this time, that it will be received rather as an Inftruction to the present Age, than a Reproach upon the last.

Moreover, the Tenderness that might seem due, out of Charity, good Manners, and good Nature, to our Country Men, our Neighbours, or our Relations, hath been indulged a long Space of time, and might poffibly be abufed, if it should not give way, at last, to the usefulness of making this work publick, in an Age, when fo many Memoirs, Narratives, and pieces of History come out, as it were on purpose to justify the taking up of Armes against that King, and to blacken, revile, and ridicule the Jacred Majefty of an Anointed head in distress; and when So much of the Senfe of Religion to God, and of Allegiance and Duty to the Crown, is fo defaced, that it is already, within a little more than fifty Years fince the Murther committed on that Pious Prince, by fome Men made a Mystery to judge, on whofe fide was

the

the Right, and on which the Rebellion is to be charged. We hope therefore it will be judged neceßary as well as ufeful, that an impartial Account of the most material Paffages of thofe unhappy times fhould at last come out"; and that We fhall have the general Approbation, for having contributed thus far to Awaken Men to that Honesty, Fuftice, Loyalty, and Piety, which formerly English Men have been valuable for, and without which it is impoffible any Government, Difcipline, or Authority can be long maintain'd.

There is no doubt, but this good King had fome Infir mities, and Imperfections; and might thereby be misled into fome mistakes in Government, which the Nation, in Parliament reprefented, might have reformed by moderate and peaceful Counfels. But the Reformation loft it's Name, and it's Nature too, when fo many Acts paffed by him in Parliament, that did restrain the Prerogative of the Crown from doing the Mifchiefs it had been taxed with, had not the effect they ought to have met with, of reftraining the People too from farther demands; and when the inordinate Ambition, Anger, and Revenge of fome of the great Leaders could not be limited within any Bounds, till they had involv'd the Nation in Blood, deftroyed many Thousands of their own Country Men, and fellow Citizens, and brought at last their own Soveraign to lofe his Head on a Scaffold, under a pretended form of an High Court of Justice, unprecedented from the beginning of the World; and, to Finish their work, bad overthrown all the Laws of their own Country, in the Defence of which, they would have had it thought, they had been oblig'd to draw their Swords.

Without question, every body that fhall duly confider the whole Account of thefe Tranfactions, will be able to impute mistakes, miscarriages, and faults enough to both. Sides: And we fhall leave them to their own fedate and compofed Reflections. But We cannot omit making this one Obfervation, that where any King by ill Judgement, or ill Fortune, of his Own, or Those entrusted by him in the chief Adminiftration of his Government, happens to

fall

fall into an Intereft contrary to that of his People, and will purfue that mistake, that Prince must have Terrible Conflicts in the courfe of his Reign, which way foever the Controverfy ends: On the other hand, that People, who, though Invaded and Oppreffed in their just Rights and Liberties, fhall not reft fatisfied with reasonable Reparations and Securities, but, having got Power into their hands, will make unjustifiable Ule of it, to the utter Subverfion of that Government they are bound in Duty and Allegiance to Support, do but at last make Rods for their own Backs, and very often bring upon themselves, from other hands, a more fevere Bondage than that they bad Shook off.

To demonftrate this General Obfervation, let it be confider'd in particular, what was the Advantage this poor Nation gain d from all the Victories obtain'd over King Charles in the Field, and, afterwards, in the Imprifoning, and Profecuting him to Death: What amends did it make for the Infringement and Prejudice, they complain'd of, in their Rights and Liberties, to fet up the Protector Cromwell, who, under a Thousand Artifices and Cruelties, intended no other Reformation, but, inftead of Whips, to chaflife the poor People with Scorpions; and, instead of their Idol Common-wealth, which fome had vainly imagin'd to Themselves, to make himself that very hated thing, a King, which had been fo abominable in his own Sight? And after him, what did all the other feveral forts of Government, fet up fometimes to gratify the Ambition of one Party, and fometimes of Another, end in, but fo many feveral ways of Oppreffion; which, after many Tears spent in Exhaufting the Blood and Treasure of their Country, at length made way for the happy Restoration of the Son, and Family of that King (whom they had Jo Barbarously brought to an untimely End) with the utmost Scorn, and Derifion of all that pretended to Rule in His flead?

Here We might defcend into Particulars, to make out. the other part of our Obfervation, by giving instances, how some of our own Kings have, unhappily, been led

into very dangerous mistakes in their Government; and how many Tears have passed almost in one perpetual Strife, and unfortunate Contention between the Prince and the People, in Points of the highest confequence; and efpecially thofe which have brought the Prince, fometimes, under the disadvantageous fufpicion of being inclined to the love of Arbitrary Power, and favouring the Popish Religion; than which the most mortal Enemies to the Crown of England cannot poffibly contrive, or wish, more miferable circumstances for it to be involv'd in. But We are rather defirous to draw a Veil over all the Calamities, that have proceeded from this Caufe; as well because the impreffions those mistakes have made, and the marks they have left behind them, will not easily be worn out; as that it might look like infulting over Their Misfortunes, who have been the Chief Lofers by them; which We have, in no kind, the Inclination, or the Heart to do: Neither would we be thought to give Countenance, by what We write, to the Opinions of thofe, who would Juftify the Rifing up in Armes of Subjects, to do themfelves Right in any Controverfy between them and their King

Non hæc in fœdera

The Nature of our excellent Government hath provided, in the Conftitution of it, other remedies, in a Parhamentary way; wherein both the Prerogative of the Crown, and the Rights of the People may be better fecured. And befides, We know to whom Vengeance peculiarly belongs, and that He who challenges that Power to Himfelf, will not fuffer it to be Communicated to any other.

But We Should think our felves very fortunate, if, in the Reflections we have been making on this Subject, We have represented the Truth, on both Sides, with that Fairness and Impartiality, in the perplexed condition of our Own Affairs, that all Princes may fee and judge, that it can never turn to their Advantage, to be in an Intereft contrary to that of their People, nor to give their Subjects

Subjects unreasonable Provocations. For (as in other Cafes, where the Laws both of God and Man are too often broken, though very strict and pofitive, fo in this point too). the People may not always be restrain'd from attempting by force to do themselves Right, though they Ought not.

And we hope no lefs, that the People will be convinced, that it were wifer and better for them, to obtain the Redress of their Grievances by fuch ways, as the Ancient Laws of this Kingdom bave provided: and that the Conftitution of King, Lords, and Commons, is the bappieft Compofition of Government in the World; and Jo fuited to the Nature of English Men generally, that though it be expelled for a Time, yet it will return.

We would therefore heartily wifh both for Prince and People, if either of them fhould be guilty of any irregular Deviations from their own Channels, that they who are injured would content themselves with gentle Applications, and moderate Remedies, left the laft error be worfe than the first: And above all, that whofoever may have a thought of Ruling in this Land, may be throughly convinced in his own judgement, that it is a Crown of Briers and Thorns that must be fet on his Head, without he can fatisfy all reasonable Men, that it is his fixed Principle and Refolution, inviolably to defend our Religion, and preferve our Laws.

Upon the whole matter, We have often wonder'd, and reft fill amazed, that any Prince fhould care to Govern a People against their Nature, their Inclinations, and their Laws. What Glory can it be to a Prince of a great Spirit, to fubdue, and break the Hearts of his own Subjects, with whom he should live properly as a Shepherd with his Flock? If two Lovers, who should pass their time in renewing, repeating, and returning all the Offices of Friendship, Kindness, Tenderness, and Love, were, instead of that, unluckily contriving always to Crofs, Oppofe, and Torment one another, what could be the effect of fuch a Conversation, but Vexation and Anguish in the beginning, a fhort liv'd Correfpondense, and Hatred, and Contempt in the conclufion?