traordinary book. The excellent author evinces, that justice requires, that tyrants and destroyers of

2. That the commons were obliged to observe and obey the king's messages, in giving precedency to the matter of supplies, preferable to the redress of grievances, and to depend on royal promises, for time and opportunity to dispatch other business.

3. That the commons had no right and power of enquiring into the demeanour of the king's ministers and nearest servants, and impeaching them for misde

meanours.

4. That the king could, in his courts below, take cognizance of, and censure the debates of the commons.

5. That the king could, by warrants signed with his own hand, arrest and imprison his subjects; and especially the members of parliament, for what they said and did in parliament.

These illegal and destructive acts of power King Charles I. claimed as his prerogatives, and exercised them as long as he was able, with great rigour, and extraordinary circumstances; and how such a general oppression, and rendering the two estates of lords and commons of no signification, can make the memory of this prince blessed; or, how his suffering in the manner he did, in defence of such absolute, law-giving power, that was inconsistent with the constitution, and with the reasons upon which it is founded, can render him a holy and blessed martyr, is past my comprehension. I

the commonwealth be compelled to reason. Charity challenges the right of relieving and restoring the oppressed. Those that make no account of these things, do as much as in them lies to drive piety, justice, and charity out of this world. that they may never more be heard of.

I asked one of these gentlemen, if he knew who was the author of this book; for it was ascribed to various men. He told me, that the learned Hubert Languet was the reputed author, as we find in De la Mare's eulogium upon him; but De la Mare was misinformed by Legoux. The great Du Plessis was

*

should rather chuse to say, that since that monarch would not act for the protection, happiness, and safety of his people, but by a continued exertion of sovereign power, endeavoured to oppress and ruin them, and change the form of government, his arbitrary principles brought him to a dismal extremity. This, as before observed, is the truth of the case. May his death be a warning to future English kings; that they may govern with parliaments, and exert their power for the protec tion, safety, and happiness of the people.

* The great Du Plessis de Mornay was born on the 5th of November, 1549. He wrote several excellent: books, and one that is invaluable, on the Eucharist, against the papists, which was published in 1598. This book produced the famous conference between Du

the author. D'Aubigne*, whose word is sterling, affirms it. See here, said Mr. Seymour, the second

Plessis Mornay and Cardinal Perron, at Fontainbleau in the year 1600. The victory at this conference is by the papists ascribed to Perron but the protestants, with more justice affirm, that Du Plessis was victor at Fontainbleau. Jacques Davy du Perron, bishop of Evreux, published at the time, a book on this conference, in which he gives a pretended true account of it, and illustrates and defends his cause: but to this the great Mornay replied, and made a poor devil of Perron. See those pieces, reader, and you will be finely entertained; for, Perron, though a papist, was a great man. Du Plessis died at his barony La Foret in Poictou, Nov. 13, 1623, aged 74; having retired to his country seat after Louis XIII. had taken from him the government of Saumur.

Cardinal Du Perron, born Nov. 25, 1556, was trained up in the reformed religion with great care; but went off to popery, on the preferments offered him by Henry III. As, on the contrary, Du Plessis Mornay had been educated a papist, but became a protestant, to the loss of the greatest preferments.-It was Du Perron that converted to popery the famous Henry Sponde, bishop of Pamiers, and abridger of the Annals of Baronius, dedicated to Perron; and, in conjunction with Cardinal D'Ossat, he made a papist of Henry the Fourth of France. It was owing to the management of this Car

* See Note page 46.

volume of D'Aubigne's History, book ii. ch. 2. p. 108, "il paroissoit un autre livre qui s'appelloit Junius,

dinal de St. Agnes, in the conclave, and to D'Ossat, that that wicked fellow, Paul V.* was created pope, and Cardinal Baronius lost the popedom. Bellarmine, however who was likewise one of the fifty-nine cardinals in that conclave, might have had it, but he refused it. Those things we find in the Lettres de Guy Patin, Vol. I. in Godeau Melanges Critiques, apud Antillon, and in the Histoire des Conclaves. Cardinal Du Perron, died at Paris, in 1618, aged 63.

Leo XI. who reigned but twenty-five days, died in the fifty-third year of his age, in 1605; was succeeded by Paul Borghese, alias Paul V., who died 28th of Jan. 1621; aged 68; having for his successor Ludovisio, called Gregory XV.

D'Ossat was born Aug. 23, 1536. His five volumes of Letters are a master piece in politics, and next to Father Paul's History of the Council of Trent, are the best books you can look into, reader, for an exact and full description of the artifices of the Court of Rome. Remarkable was the saying of this Cardinal, when Henry IV. of France was stabbed; "If there was the least pretext for such assassinations, they ought to be

* So Marbais, a doctor of divinity, who knew this pope well, assures us, vid. Requeste a l'Empereur, Lcyde, p. 223.

1613

Du Défense contre les Tyrans, fait par M. Du Plessis, renommé pour plusieurs excellens livres." And again

contrived and executed by the heretics, whom the king separated from and abandoned, and thereby gave them reason to be afraid of him; but they never made the least attempt of this kind, neither against him, nor the five kings his predecessors, though their majesties made the most cruel butcheries of the Huguenots." D'Ossat died at Rome: March 13, 1604, in the sixty-seventh year of his age.

Baronius was born Oct. 30, 1538. His Ecclesiastical Annals, in twelve volumes, folio, containing the history of the church for twelve centuries, ending at the year 1198, have been well called the twelve labours of the Roman Hercules. It is a prodigious work. The reading, the erudition the judgment, the order, and method of the author are amazing; but an unhappy prejudice for papal rights, and Romish pieties, attaches him continually to the Roman cause, without the least regard to truth, and makes it plain, that he was not as he affirms, assisted from above in this work. The most judicious of the Roman Catholic writers say, a souhaiter qu'il eut ete exempt des preventions que son education et son païs lui avoient inspirees." Isaac Casaubon, in his fine Exercitations, says with much justice of this great man; qui denique merita sua in ecclesiam, si immoderato partium studio non corrupisset, dignus erat sine controversia, cui omnes et veteres et recentiores,

66

"Il seroit