THE PREFACE TO THE READER. WHEN a Roman gentleman had, to please himself, written a book in Greek, and presented it to Cato; he desired him to pardon the faults of his expressions, since he wrote in Greek, which was a tongue, in which he was not perfect master. Cato told him, he had better then to have let it alone, and written in Latin: by how much it is better not to commit a fault, than to make apologies. For if the thing be good, it needs not to be excused: if it be not good, a crude apology will do nothing but confess the fault, but never make amends. I, therefore, make this address to all, who will concern themselves in reading this book, not to ask their pardon for my fault in doing of it; I know of none; for if I had known them, I would have mended them before the publication; and yet, though I know not any, I do not question but much fault will be found by too many; I wish I have given them no cause for their so doing. But I do not only mean it in the particular periods, where every man that is not a son of the church of England or Ireland, will at least do as Apollonius did to the apparition that affrighted his company on the mountain Caucasus ;-he will revile and persecute me with evil words; but I mean it in the whole design, and men will reasonably or capriciously ask, Why any more controversies? Why this over again? Why against the papists, against whom so very many are already exasperated, that they cry out fiercely of persecution? And why can they not be suffered to enjoy their share of peace, which hath returned in the hands of his sacred Majesty, at his blessed restauration ? For as much of this as concerns myself I make no excuse, but give my reasons, and hope to justify this procedure with that modesty which David used to his angry brother, saying, "What have I now done? is there not a cause ?" The cause is this: The reverend fathers, my lords the bishops of Ireland, in their circumspection and watchfulness over their flocks, having espied grievous wolves to have entered in, some with sheep's clothing, and some without, some secret enemies, and some open, at first endeavoured to give check to those enemies, which had put fire into the bed-straw; and though God hath very much prospered their labours, yet they have work enough to do, and will have, till God shall call them home to the land of peace and unity. But it was soon remembered, that when King James, of blessed memory, had discerned the spirits of the English nonconformists, and found them peevish and factious, unreasonable and imperious, not only unable to govern, but as inconsistent with the government, as greedy to snatch at it for themselves; resolved to take off their disguise, and put a difference between conscience and faction, and to bring them to the measures and rules of laws; and to this the council and all wise men were consenting, because by the King's great widom, and the conduct of the whole confederence and inquiry, men saw there was reason on the King's side, and necessity on all sides. But the gunpowder treason breaking out, a new zeal was enkindled against the papists; and it shined so greatly, that the nonconformists escaped by the light of it, and quickly grew warm by the heat of that flame, to which they added no small increase by their declamations and other acts of insinuation: insomuch that they, being neglected, multiplied until they got power enough to do all those mischiefs which we have seen and felt. This being remembered and spoken of, it was VOL. X. I |