ENGLAND's

PRESENT INTEREST

CONSIDERED,

WITH

HONOUR to the PRINCE,

AND

SAFETY to the PEOPLE,

In ANSWER to this One QUESTION,

What is most fit, easy, and safe, at this Juncture of Affairs, to be done, for quieting of Differences, allaying the Heat of contrary Interests, and making them fubfervient to the Intereft of the Government, and confiftent with the Profperity of the Kingdom?

Submitted to the Confideration of our SUPERIORS.

Lex eft Ratio fine Appetitu.

Published in the Year 1675

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THE

INTRODUCTION.

TH

HERE is no law under heaven, which hath its rife from nature or grace, that forbids men to deal honestly and plainly with the greateft, in matters of importance to their present and future good: on the contrary, the dictates of both enjoin every man that office to his neighbour; and from charity among private perfons, it becomes a duty indispensable to the publick. Nor do worthy minds think ever the less kindly of honeft and humble monitors; and God knows, that oftentimes princes are deceived, and kingdoms languish, for want of them. How far the posture of our affairs will juftify this address, I fhall fubmit to the judgment and obfervation of every intelligent

reader.

Certain it is, that there are few kingdoms in the world more divided within themselves, and whose religious interefts lie more feemingly crofs to all accommodation, than that we live in; which renders the magistrate's task hard, and giveth him a difficulty next to invincible.

Your endeavours for an uniformity have been many; your acts not a few to enforce it; but the confequence, whether you intended it or no, through the barbarous practices of thofe that have had their execution, hath been the spoiling of feveral thousands of the free-born people of this kingdom, of their unforfeited rights. Perfons have been flung into gaols, gates and trunks broke open, goods diftrained, till a ftool hath not been left to fit down on: flocks of cattle driven off, whole barns full of corn feized, threshed, and carried away: parents

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parents left without their children, children without their parents, both without fubfistence.

But that which aggravates the cruelty, is, the widow's mite hath not escaped their hands; they have made her cow the forfeiture of her confcience;' not leaving her a bed to lie on, nor a blanket to cover her. And, which is yet more barbarous, and helps to make up this tragedy, the poor helpless orphan's milk, boiling over the fire, has been flung to the dogs, and the skillet made part of their prize:' fo that had not nature in neighbours been ftronger than cruelty in fuch informers and officers, to open her bowels for their relief and fubfiftence, they must have utterly perished.

Nor can these inhuman inftruments plead confcience or duty to those laws, who have abundantly transcended the feverest claufe in them; for to fee the imprisoned,' has been fufpicion enough for a gaol; and to vifit the fick,' to make a conventicle: fining and distraining for preaching, and being at a meeting, where there hath been neither; and forty pounds for twenty, at pick and choose too, is a moderate advance with fome of them.

Others, thinking this way too dull and troublesome, alter the question, and turn, Have you met?' which the act intends, to, Will you fwear?' which it intendeth not: fo that in fome places it hath been sufficient to a pramunire, that men have had eftates to lofe; I mean fuch men, who, through tenderness, refuse the oath; but, by principle, like the allegiance, not less than their adverfaries.

Finding then by fad experience, and a long tract of time, that the very remedies applied to cure diffention, increase it; and that the more vigorously an uniformity is coercively profecuted, the wider breaches grow, the more inflamed perfons are, and fixed in their refolutions to ftand by their principles, it should, methinks, put an end to the attempt: for befides all other inconveniences to thofe that give them trouble, their very fufferings beget that compaffion in the multitude,