without reflection or diminution to any Man, I think he knows the work of a Juftice of Peace as well as any Man in England, I except no Man: And for his Integrity he may fet all Men at defiance to accufe him of the leaft partiality in the ditcharge of his truft: And I do know that no Man made it more his bufinefs than he did, that he might ease and ferve the Country: For as his Ability was not Inferiour to that of any other Man, fo did he most duly put the Laws in execution, especially those against the Papifts: And therefore Sir on the behalf of my Country I must complain, and demand to know the reafon why he was put out, we are greatly hurt, we are deprived of a great affiftance and relief, and we cannot be quiet till we are fatisfied in that particular. And my Lord Chancellor or the Privy Council (whichfoeyer of them it is that put him out) will they not tell us why? Are they afham'd to own the cause? What will it not bear water? I hate this as I do Arbitrary Power and Popery: Brave World, that we must be debarr d of the benefit of our Laws, for if they are not executed they fignifie nothing: It is that which gives Life to our Laws: And they that do execute them are put out of Office, this is a fair ftep to Arbitrary Power, to deprive us of the benefit of the Law. It is the fame thing not to have Laws, as to have Laws and not executed I fay no more, least I may feem to fpeak in my own cafe, for I do not defire to have any thing done as to my own particular, but as to the Gentleman whofe Character I have given you, and his Name I will acquaint you with, it is Sir Thomas Manwaring, you must give me leave to be importunate, and prefs it again and again, that he may be again put into the Commiffion of the Peace.

A

SPEECH

For Banishing the

PAPIST S

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Would be as backward to commit oppreffion, as I will be to do any thing that God has forbidden me: For in all our Actions betwixt Man and Man, both Publick and Private, if we obferve that Golden Rule, to do as we would be done by, we cannot err: And if my Confcience fhould tell me that I tranfgrefs'd that Law when I give my Vote to banish the Papifts I'll affure you I would not violate either that Rule or my Confcience; I would now be filent, and give my Vote the other way.

But that Rule does not fo ftrictly tye us up, as that we must forget our felves, our Pofterity, our Laws, or our Religion, it does not oblige any Man to hurt himfelf to fave another; neither does it require that a whole Kingdom fhall be loft to fave particular Men: For Charity begins at home; but when the Papifts are confidered in their Principles and Practices, then let any Man deny if he can, that the Papists themselves are not the cause of whatever happens to them.

I will mention but one or two of their Principles, because I doubt not but every Gentleman here is very well informed of them.

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The first that I will speak to is this, That Faith is not to be kept with Hereticks: And this Liberty extends to every thing, both as to Religion, and Worldly Affairs: It's the fame thing to them whether they speak Truth or no when they have to do with a Heretick, as they esteem every Man that is not of their Faith, fo that you cannot tell when to believe them, nay, though they fwear it, for to` Equivocate is a great part of their Religion.

The next is this, That it is meritorious to promote their Religion, without regard had to the way or means of effecting it; though it be by Butchering their King, Murthering Father or Chil dren, proftituting their Wife, or overthrowing the Government Be it never fo unnatural or repugnant to Gods Commands, and agreeable to thefe two are all the rest of their Principles: So that I would fain fee how it is poffible to live in quiet with a People whofe Religion obliges them to destroy all Converfe or Humane Society, to Murther their Neighbours, Affaffinate their King, and Subvert the Government when it is in their Power; for my part I cannot fee how they can or are fit to live, but with People of their own. Faith and belief: Brutes and Chriftians can never live and Converse together; for none but Men of their Principles can live in fafety with them.

And agreeable to their Principles has been their Practice all along: What Rebellion, or to use their own word, Commotions have we had, but their hand has been chiefly in it I know they would caft the Odium of the late Wais upon the Presbyterians, they may well be afforded to lye for their Caufe, who will do every thing elfe for it, though never fo Inhumane or Unnatural; they

may

may well deny that Plot, when they have the Impudence to deny this, and to caft this alfo upon the Presbyterians; but why fhould they not lye in thefe cafes, whofe Religion is a Lye: But it's very well known who began the Late War, there is no Man but is fenfible that the Papifts carryed on the business against the Scots: It is too notorious that a great Woman imployed her Agents to the Papifts, to incourage them to contribute to that Work I'll not name her, because of the Act of Oblivion, and befides She is dead; I believe every one knows who I mean.

The Papists have renounced the Government, they have forfeited the Benefit they might have by the Laws, in that they will not take the Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy, or when they do fwallow them, it is with fuch Mental Evafions, that they don t think themselves to be obliged or bound by them, which in effect is a denying them; and what are thefe two Oaths, but a reafonable Security that the Government requires them and all others to give; and he that denyes to affure the Government that, he will to the beft of his power maintain it, does in plain English acknowledge another power, and that when he has an opportunity he will do his best to deftroy this, and bring in that: Is that Government obliged to pre ferve them, who will deftroy it ? Are they to have any benefit of the Laws, who will not obey them? They have renounced the Government, they have denyed the Kings Authority, and therefore they are to be used as Enemies to both; and then what feverity is it to banish fuch People?

For what must we do? It's plain that whileft they are here we fhall never be in quiet; there is fomething in their Religion that obliges them to be unquiet; for what reafon had they at this time to plot or disturb us, had not they all things at Hearts-eafe; they cannot expect to be in fo good a condition if they had a Prince of their own choofing; they were free from all chargeable and troublesome Imployments and Offices, their Estates were not burdened with the Forfeitures due by Law, an eafie hand was layed upon them, and the way to preferment was by being of their Religion, they had got into almost all the profitable Imployments, they were above, and we below; they had what they desired, and yet all this would not do.

But if this be too much, then let us do with them as the Children of Ifrael did with the Gibeonites, they had made a League with them, that they fhould live amongst them, but leaft they might do them harm: They made them Hewers of Wood and Drawers of Water, Joshua 9. notwithftanding the League: And if the Papists must live amongst us, let us give their Eftates to the King to ease our own, and reduce them to fuch a Condition, that fince they will not live at peace with us, let us put it out of their power to hurt us.

If they must live amongst us, and have their Estates, I fhall humbly propofe that we may know them, let them wear a particular Habit, or carry fome Mark whereby they may be diftinguish't from the rest of the Nation: In Rome the Whores wear a peculiar Garb: In the time of a Plague we fet a Mark upon the Houfe that is Infected; and fhall thefe Feople have none, who are

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