AN

ANSWER TO THE PROPOSITIONS

MADE BY THE

ENGLISH AMBASSADORS,

As they stile themselves,

The nineteenth of March, in the great assembly of the high and mighty Lords, the states-general of the United Provinces. As also, to their memorials of the sixteenth of April, and the ninth of May, 1651, respectively. And likewise, to the thirty-six articles of the desired treaty. As it was delivered by the Honourable Sir William Macdowal, knight, resident for his Majesty of Great-Britain, after his return to Holland, in the said Great Assembly. June the seventeenth, 1651.

My son, fear thou the Lord and the King, and meddle not with them that are given to change.

For their calamity shall rise suddenly, and who knoweth the ruin of them?

Prov. xxiv. 21, 22.

Printed at the Hague, by Samuel Brown, English Bookseller, 1651. Quarto, containing sixteen pages.

THE said pretended ambassadors have offered, and withal required strict confederacy, and holy league, as they term it betwixt the commonwealth of England, and the United Provinces, alledging to that end,

I. The ancient and successive contracts, and mutual friendship betwixt both.

II. The advancement of trade and traffick.

III. A conformity in the reformation of religion.

IV. The like success and blessings upon both.

V. An answerable change in the condition of both states; as likewise in the restored liberty of the people. Hinc inde.

Which specious motives, and inducements, viewed aright, and laid in a just balance, will appear, by their favours, to have no warrantable ground; for the clearing of which, the high and mighty States are desired to look back, and consider:

I. That, formerly, all contracts have been made, betwixt the successive Kings of England, their lawful heirs, and the high and mighty States

general, and not with England, as is alledged. Not to look further back, the sovereignty of these countries was offered to Queen Elisabeth, of happy memory, in the year 1585, which she in wisdom thought fit to decline; but, withal, assisted the States, with five-thousand foot, and one-thousand horse; as likewise advanced to their Lordships, before the year 1596, in the space of eleven years, eleven-hundred thousand pounds, sterling, according to the calculation of her Majesty's counsel lors and high treasurer for the time.

Her royal successors, James and Charles, of immortal memory, in the years 1608, 614, 1635, respectively, have not only assisted these States, in their great straits, in a very considerable way, but also engaged with their Lordships, offensive and defensive; and that without any the least communication had with the people of England concerning it. And if a ratification of such an alliance should be concluded with a factious commonalty here, and that they might at pleasure disturb the republick, and turn matters upside down. What an anarchy and woful confusion would ensue, as now, alas! we see too plainly follows in England? Truly, if that people had been so inclined, and governed, as they now are, by those, who regni causa, have violated the rights; and to make purchase of the Lord's vineyard, have murthered him, and oppose, with their utmost power and malice, the inthronement of his lawful heir, their undoubted sovereign, the Low Countries should not have obtained such real friendship and advantage from them.

Besides that, the now prevailing party is not the hundredth part of the people in England, in comparison of those, both of the clergy, nobility, gentry, and commons, who cordially adhere to the King's just interest, and passionately groan to be delivered from the continued oppressions of those cruel task-masters, whose little finger lies heavier upon them, than all their King's whole loins.

And an eminent member of the late House of Commons, formerly a sufferer, in his memento affirms, that there are in the three kingdoms ten-thousand to one, who firmly and affectionately cleave to his Majesty.

In kingdoms and republicks, as politicians speak, it is the very same people now, as those that lived an hundred years ago; as likewise, that it is the same ship, although all the planks be renewed; but if the keel be destroyed, and the form o: government and fundamental laws be utterly abolished, non idem populus, nec eadem navis; it is not the same people, nor the same ship.

Moreover, by all proofs it is sufficiently known, that the predecessors of the now prevailing party in England were then so mean and inconsiderable among the people, that they were thought utterly uncapable of having the least hand in the former favours, shewn to these States.

II. Trade and traffick, which they call the common interest of a state, are juris gentium, common to all nations; consequently, not to be carried on by monopolies, and damage of a third party, especially the eldest, and sometime the most considerable ally of this estate. Amicitias, saith Polybius, ita institui par est, ne qua vetustior amicitia et societas violetur.

It is remarked by most of the authors of the Netherland history, that their Lordships predecessors upon a time, being more moved by the impositions of the Duke of Alva, of the ten and one-hundred penny respective, than for the violence offered to religion, and therefore compared to the Gargasenes, who preferred their swine before their Saviour, were the more severely punished by God.

And shall the high and mighty States now hazard their religious and high esteem in the favour of those, who, in regard of commerce, enlarging of their limits, and usurped power, are big with such monstrous mysteries? And of whom it was said long before their troubles:

Gens tacitis prægnans arcanis ardua tentans.

Who derive their power and authority merely from themselves, as formerly hath been said, in the dominion of the Chaldeans over the Jews, and of Cinna and Carbo amongst the Romans, who, in the time of Sylla, made themselves consuls without any court election: Violent imperia, saith one to Cæsar, sunt magis acerba quam diuturna. The rather, because no nation under the sun is so subject to a change as England, even while they lived under their lawful sovereigns. The Earl of Warwick, called the Titular King, in eleven days, Edward the Fourth in twenty, Henry the Seventh in one day, as a Cæsar veni, vidi, vici, brought the English successively to their obedience.

Commerce and traffick are plausible pretences, but often accompanied with great jealousies, especially betwixt neighbouring republicks; the which, like twins struggling for the primogeniture, are in a continual emulation for profit and preheminence. And, therefore, compared to an alluvics, where the increase of one is the decrease of the other. Insomuch, that grave and judicious statesmen have judged it would be more safe and profitable to these States, that England continued a monarchy, than to be tumbled into a commonwealth, confirmed by a prognostication of a person of credit with them, living at London, given out the sixteenth of October last, alledging and applying with much confidence, against the United Provinces, Jerem. li. 13.

III. Concerning the pretended conformity in religion, in the third place, which, under the blessed and glorious government of Kings, as a palladium and lamp, did out-shine all other nations, it is, alas! now become a Pandora, out of which, tanquam ex equo Trojano, do issue so many monstrous sects, heresies, and blasphemies, and is consequently so deformed, as being utterly destitute of discipline, and differing in most points of doctrine, that it is nothing like the religion here professed, nor indeed religion itself.

A good religion, as an upright and lively faith, issues forth into good works; insomuch that, in the primitive church, the Christians were discerned from the infidels only by their holy life, according to the proverb, Christiani non suntCassiani; but alas! how many not only Cassii,but alsoAlbü, and Nigri, are now-a-days to be seen? Witness, besides the treatises intitled, Defensio pro Carolo rege, Vindiciae pro capite regis Anglia, Elenchus motuum, Mr. Prynne's memento, Theatrum tragicum, Vox veritatis, and

others, two declarations also of the eighteenth of January, 1648,long before that lamentable catastrophe, by divers preachers, and learned divines, in and about London; subscribed by one-hundred and twenty-six of them mourning over, and complaining of horrible and scandalous abuses, as in the church, so in the civil, or rather military government, and strongly refuting their flattering of themselves in their continued success, which may next be considered of.

IV. For as Solomon saith, That there be just men, to whom it happeneth, sometimes, according to the work of the wicked So again, there be wicked men, to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous.

Successes often are a punishment, as sometimes given for a blessing, where only those are to be valued, whose principal aim appears to be the true advancement of God's revealed will in his word; which, as it strictly commandeth obedience to Kings, and those in authority under them, so it doth severely punish sedition and rebellion against them, not sparing the curse of condemnation to those, who comply with, and adhere unto them. Neither hath the great Turk come far short of (that undoubted blessing) good success, the now prevailing party justify their cause, and measure its righteousness by, though they may seem to disavow him.

Finally, the resemblance made for the manner of the recovered liberty of both states, to use the expression of a great personage, is not more different than milk and ink, both in regard of the ancient condition of the people on both sides, and the way of attaining to it.

The Low-Country men, especially the Batavi, have been reputed by all ancient writers, for a free people, neither subject to the Romans, whom they did acknowledge only Civilli, as Tacitus saith, nor to any directors, counts and governors, which were constituted by themselves.

The English have more than a thousand years been governed by Kings, all sprung from the same royal stock, to whom they have successively sworn obedience and loyalty

The King of Spain, after a war of almost eighty years, hath in two solemn treaties, the one before the twelve years truce, and the other in the la.e concluded peace, acknowledged the United Provinces to be a free state, and that privative. Whereupon his Catholick Majesty, for himself and his successors, hath disclaimed all pretences of sovereignty here.

Whereas Charles the First, that blessed martyr, whose innocent blood, like that of Abel, cries loud to the highest heaven for vengeance against those who now sit upon his throne, not only was, but was ever by them acknowledged for their lawful sovereign; instead of disclaiming his royalty over them, as must be, if the resemblance stand compleat, was both divested of his power, and deprived of his life; and his princely successor, so far as in them lieth, kept back and disabled from the exercise of his undeniable power over them; whereof let them find an absolute parallel from the creation until now.

In Israel King Ahab did tyrannise, and, as a man sold unto sin, above others provoked God's wrath against him. In Rome there was Nero,

more like a monster than a man. Amongst the Christians, Christiernus in Denmark, Wenceslaus in Bohemia, who was likewise emperor, behaved themselves so wickedly, that it was said of them, That they had cast off human nature. Nor much unlike to them was Richard the Third, called, The tyrant of England, yet none of all these was ever condemned to die by the sentence of their subjects. Insomuch that it is observed, that the Israelites, after they had deserted their King Rehoboam, although an oppressor, never enjoyed a happy hour, but were infested with continual wars, both civil and foreign, till at last they were utterly destroyed, and carried captives into Babylon.

Of Nero it was said, Primum damnati principis exemplum; I add, Postremum, non mactati tamen, as in this case. The confederate provinces were first forced in their religion, their persons and goods seized, and one hundred-thousand of them killed. The prevailing party in England, after those insolent and high affronts done to his Majesty, before his constrained removal from his court at Whitehall, took up arms, gave out commissions, levied men, according to his Majesty's last true and undeniable words, and seized upon the regalia, before he once put himself into a posture of defence.

In the Low-Countries their liberty was, more majorum, fully restored to them, without prejudice to any man.

In England, religion and liberty are shamefully trampled under foot, and the House of Commons so dismembered, and its privileges violated, that the eighth part of ten were beyond all parallel cast out, as the declaration and protestation of the secluded members, Feb. 13, 1648, doth testify.

The proceedings of the high and mighty States are approved and justified by all the world; on the contrary, those of the English condemned and abhorred, and by themselves confessed as irregular and un-. warrantable; and a most pregnant proof and probatio probata, of their wrong, as is contained in the said declaration of the ministers.

The which premisses the high and mighty States being pleased to take into serious consideration, according to their accustomed wisdom and justice, and calling to mind those divers treaties betwixt the King's royal predecessors, and their lordships, in his Majesty's person, yet firmly standing. And seeing likewise divers of their lordships resolved for a punctual observation of a neutrality, since the year 1642, between the late King, his Majesty's father, of blessed memory, and his parliament, the which, by the partial confederacy with the one party, now laboured for, will, in all appearance, be violated and infringed.

Therefore their lordships are earnestly intreated not to hearken to the said propositions, as being prejudicial to the King my gracious master's interests, and dangerous to this state; likewise that the acknowledging them for a free republick, which possibly the condition of the times, and benefit of trade, hath occasioned, be not drawn into a farther consequence, much less an occasion given thereby, forgetting Joseph's sufferings, that the afflicted be yet more afflicted, their liberty retarded, and their calamity lengthened.

His Majesty's affairs, God be praised, are yet in a very good and hopeful condition, far better than some of his royal predecessors, who