"Be pleased first to consider the Liturgy of the Church, now generally spoken against by grave and Orthodox Coachmen, Weavers, and Brewers' Clarkes, and growne odious to our she divines, who looke asquint with the very thought of it, what this Liturgy is I know not, nor care not; yet as simple as I am, I beleeve it is a hard word, either Greeke or Latine or both: whence I conclude if no hard word, no Greeke or Latine nor any that know them ought to come within the Discipline of the Church, but plaine Hebrew and English. Let us then avoyd this Liturgy, and if it concerne the Common Prayer, (as my singular good wife saith) then questionlesse if the new Convocation be but as wise as himselfe they will doome it to be burnt, nay and consum'd as the loggs in Lincolne in Feilds were; for it hath caused the Gospell to prosper so slowly under Preaching Tradesmen and Lay Clergymen, who have coupled in laborious conjunction to procreate young Saints in this new faith, making Barnes, Stables, Woods, Saw-pits, old Ditches, Cellers, open houses of Office their private Synagogues, where unseene of the wicked they may doe what I will not speake, but speake I will againe of and against this Liturgy, the Heathen word Liturgy, which if blotted out of the Church, they would encrease and multiply spirituall Children, and make them swarme in Parishes. For having liberty and being strong of spirit, through high fare, they are so zealously impudent that they would go toot in the streetes; but I will conclude with good man Greene's Hebrew Exhortation, Quicquid liber cuquodlibet,—away with the Liturgy, and so say I."
On June 15th, 1642, the House of Commons ordered that Nicholas Vavasor, who dispersed this pamphlet, should be forthwith summoned and brought in safe custody to answer to the House; and the Stationers' Company were called in and were enjoined by the Speaker to be very careful and diligent in searching after anything that was printed which might reflect upon his Majesty; and it was resolved that an ordinance be drawn for preventing the printing or publishing any scandallous or libellous pamphlet that might reflect upon the King, the kingdom, or the parliament, or Scotland, and for suppressing such as already had been printed.[81]
109.
The Petition of the Nobilitie, Gentrie, Burrows, Ministers, and Commons of the Kingdom of Scotland to The Lords of His Majestie's most Honourable Privie Councell. London. Printed by Robert Barker. 1642.
A pamphlet of five pages, of which a copy exists in the British Museum Library. On June 15th, 1642, the House of Commons ordered that Robert Barker, the King's Printer, be required to satisfy the House by what authority he printed this paper, and that he be farther enjoined to stay the sale thereof till the House should take further order.[82]
110.
A Declaration or Resolution of the County of Hereford. 1642.
A printed paper, on a single sheet, commencing thus:—
"Wheras the Kingdom for many yeers past hath groned under Taxes of Loans, Shipmoney, and the like dismall effects of an Arbitrary Government and a high stretcht Prerogative, for the cure of which distempers a Parliament was held to be the onely good old way of Physick to cleanse the Body Politique from oppressing Crudities (which was heartily desir'd) but not by overstrong Purgations to weaken it in the principall Part, charging it to receive a disposition to the like distemper, or a Relapse into the same, or a worse Disease, which instead of restoring it to its primitive vigour and health, must needs drive it to a fatall Period. Such is our misery, such the just judgment of God upon our Sins.
"This wholsome Physick hath not wrought in us that blessed effect, as was either believed by some or hoped for by all men: but as if God had answered our importunity for a Parliament, as hee did the old Israelites for a King in his anger; we drive on with much more haste then good speed to the other extream, which portends no lesse Symptomes of ruine and destruction than the former. So that having maturely considered what hath proved destructive to this or other Parliaments, we may the more easily avoid those Rocks upon which others have split themselves, viz. 1. The venting of particular ends of Avarice and Ambition in the publike Cause. 2. Private Combinations or Chamber conventicles to resolve before-hand what shall be done in the House. 3. Hindring the freedom of speech by imprisonment of their persons. 4. Denying information by the humble way of Petitions from the County, as that most excellent Orthodox Petition of our Brethren of Kent, and of rejecting information of Letters to our Knights and Burgesses. 5. The ready swallowing of informations and jealous rumours against his Majesty, the styling them the malignant party and enemies to the State, which were onely, truely and conscionably his friends. 6. The private if not publike mutinous rabble, which ill Spirit was ready at all times to be raised by a whisper from any of those worthy Members, Emphatically so called, if not exclusively, as if all Justice, Reformation, and Government were onely to be expected from them. 7. The now unheard of State-law and Logick to style and believe that a Parliament that is divided in itselfe, is severed from the King the Head thereof: if they may be remedied (as we hope they are not past cure) we shall rather desire to change some of our Physicians then Physick, there being no better way, nor more necessary to preserve the health of a Common-wealth, than a well temper'd Parliament. Wherefore we as faithfull Subjects to his Majesty, as free-born Englishmen, doe joyne in an unanimous resolution to maintain.