Selections from the Observator (1681-1687) Part 3

_Q. But to what End do they all this?_

_A._ To make the Government _Odious_, and _Contemptible_; to magnifie their own Party; and fright the People out of their _Allegeance_, by _Counterfeit Letters, Reports_, and _false Musters_, as if the sober and considerable part of the Nation were all on their side.

_Q. We are in Common Charity to_ allow, _for_ Errors, _and_ Mis-reports, _and not presently to make an Act of_ Malice, _and_ Design, _out of every_ Mistake. _Can you shew me any of these_ Counterfeits, _and_ Impostures _that you speak of? These_ Cheats _upon the_ People, _and_ Affronts _upon the_ Government?

_A._ Yes, yes; Abundantly. And Il'e give you Instances immediately upon every poynt you'l ask me: Only This note, by the way; That let them be _mistakes_, or _Contrivances_, or what you will, they all run Unanimously _against_ the Government, without so much as one Syllable in _favour_ of it: Which makes the matter desperately suspitious.

_Q. Let me see then, in the First place, where any_ Affront _is put upon the_ Government.

_A. Some Persons_ (Says Smiths Prot. Int. N. 7.) _in_ Norwich, _&c. who have a greater stock of_ Confidence, _and_ Malice, _then_ Wisdom, _and_ Honesty, _are so far transported with_ Zeal _to serve the_ Devil, _or his_ Emissaryes _the_ Papists, _that they are now Prosecuting several_ Dissenting Protestants _upon_ Stat. 35. Eliz. _&c._ (And so the Protestant-Mercury, _N._ 15.) _Some People at_ Norwich, _are playing the_ Devil _for_ G.o.dsake: _several honest, peaceable_, Protestant Dissenters, _having been troubled for not coming to_ Church, _or having been Present at_ Religious Meetings &c. Now what greater _Affront_ can there be to _Government_, then This language, _First_, from an _Anabaptist_ that is a _Professed Enemy_ to _all Government_; and _Secondly_, from a _Private Person_, Bare-fac'd, to arraign a _Solemn Law_: A _Law_ of this _Antiquity_; a _Law_ of _Queen Elizabeth's_, (a Princesse so much Celebrated by our _Dissenters themselves_ for her _Piety, Good Government_, and _Moderation_;) a _Law_ which, upon Experience, has been found so _Necessary_, that the bare _Relaxing_ of it, cost the _Life_ of a _Prince_, the _Bloud_ of _two or three hundred thousand_ of his _Subjects_, and a _Twenty-years-Rebellion_? To say nothing of the dangerous Consequence of making it _Unsafe_ for _Magistrates_ to discharge their Dutyes, for fear of _Outrages_, and _Libells_.

_Q. Well! but what have you to say now to the_ Kings Authority, _his_ Administration, _and his_ Privy Council.

_A. Smith_ (in his _Vox Populi, P._ 13.) saith, that _the King is oblig'd to pa.s.s or Confirm those Laws his People shall Chuse_, at which rate, if they shall tender him a Bill for the _Deposing_ of himself, he is bound to _agree_ to't. _Secondly_, in the same Page, _he Denies the Kings Power of Proroguing, or Dissolving Parliaments_; which is an _Essential_ of _Government_ it self, under what Form soever, and he's no longer a _King, without it_. And then for his _Administration, P._ 1.

the _Anabaptist_ charges upon his Majesty [_those many surprizing and astonis.h.i.+ng Prorogations, and Dissolutions_ (as he has worded his Meaning) _to be procur'd by the Papists_.] And then, _P._ 15. he wounds both the _King_, and his _Council_, at a Blow; in falling upon _those that make the King break his Coronation-Oath_; arraigning his _Council_ in the _First_ place, and the _King himself_ in the _Second_; and that for no less then the breach of _Oath_, and _Faith_.----Wee'l talk out the Rest at our next Meeting.

_London_, Printed for _H. Brome_, at the Gun in S. _Pauls_ Church-yard.

=Numb.= 13.

THE OBSERVATOR.

In _QUESTION_ and _ANSWER_.

=SAt.u.r.dAY=, May 14. 1681.

_Q_. _But which way lies_ your _Humour_ then?

_A._ My way (you must know) lies more to _History_, and _Books_, and _Politicks_, and _Religion_, and _such as That_, But take this along with you too; that I am for turning over of _Men_, as well as _Books_; for that's the Profitable Study when all's done.

_Q. Pre' thee commend me to the_ Common Hangman _then, If He that_ turns over _the most_ men _be the_ Greatest Philosopher. _But how_ turning over _of_ Men?

_A._ That is to say, I _Read_ Them; I _Study_ them; I speak of _turning over_ their _Actions_, not their _Bodys_. And Pray observe my _Simile.

Every_ Action _of a mans_ Life _resembles_ a Page _in a_ Book. D'ye Mark me?

_Q._ I _were to Blame else, But what are the Authors that you would recommend to a bodys Reading?_

_A._ Why thereafter as the Subject is, As for _History_; ye have _Clarks Lives_, and _Examples_; _Lloyd's Memoirs_; the _Popes Warehouse_, &c.

For _Politicks_; There's Mr. _Baxters Holy Commonwealth_, the _a.s.semblys Catechism_, The Letter about the _Black Box_, &c. For _Law_, ye have Mr.

_Prinn's Soveraign Power of Parliaments_; _Smiths Vox Populi_, &c. For _Morals_, There's _Youth's Behaviour_; And then For _Deep Knowledge_, ye have _Brightman's Revelations Reveal'd_; _Lilly's Hieroglyphicks_; the _Northern Star_, _Jones_ of the _Heart_: All Excellent Pieces in their kinds, and not Inferior (perhaps) to any of the Ancients.

_Q. I was never so happy as to meet with any of these Authors. But what d'ye think of_ Cornelius Tacitus?

_A._ A _Talking, Tedious, Empty Fellow_.

_Q. Well but is not_ t.i.tus Livius _a pretty Good_ Historian?

_A._ Ha Ha Ha. That Same _t.i.tus_ is an Errant _Puppy_, A _d.a.m.n'd, Insipid, Lying c.o.xcomb. t.i.tus Livius_ a good _Historian_ sayst thou? Why if I had a _Schoolboy_ that writ such _Latin_ I'de tickle his _Toby_ for him.

_Q. But what's your Opinion of_ Caesars Commentaries _then? I mean, for a_ Narrative?

_A._ A _Narrative_ d'ye say? Deliver me from such _Narratives_! Why 'tis no more to be compar'd to the _Narratives_ that are written _now adays_, then an _Apple_ is to an _Oyster_.

_Q. But however He was a very_ Brave Fellow, _was he not_?

_A._ He was an _Arbitrary_, Oppressing, Tyrannical _Fellow_. And then for his _Bravery_, he did pretty well at the Battel of _Leipsick_, and after that, at _Lepanto_; and when you have said that, you have said all.

_Q. You have read all these Authors, have you not?_

_A._ Why verily I _have_, and I have _not_. They are a company of _Lying, Ridiculing Rascals_; They do not _AFFECT_ me at all: they are below me, they are not worth my notice.

_Q. What would I give to be as well vers'd in_ History, _as you are_?

_A._ And that's Impossible, let me tell ye; Utterly Impossible: For I reade just six times as much as any other Man. I have Read more _Folio's_ then ever _Tostatus_ read _Pages_. In one Word; I reade as much in _one hour_, as any other man reads in _six_.

_Q. Why how can that be?_

_A._ Why you must know I have a notable Faculty that way. I read ye _two Pages_ at a _view_: the _Right-hand_ Page with _one eye_, and the _Left_ with _t'other_, and then I carry _three Lines_ before me at a time with _each eye_.

_Q. But can ye_ Keep _what ye_ Reade, _at this rate_?

_A._ I _remember_ six times more then I _reade_; for I supply all that was left out, and yet 'tis a wonderfull thing, I cannot for my heart's blood remember _Faces_. I dare swear I have taken one man for another twenty times; but I am altogether for _Things_, and _Notions_, d'ye see, and such like; _Countenances_, let me tell ye, don't _AFFECT_ me; And yet I have a strange aversion for the two Faces I saw with you t'other day.

_Q. What D'ye mean_, Kings-man _and_ Church-man?

_A. Devil's-man_ and _Damms-man_: A couple of _Canary-Birds_, I'le warrant 'em: But _Kings-man_ is better yet then _Duke's-man_.

_Q. Why do ye talk thus of men of Quality, and Considerable Families?_

_A._ Well! but I may live to see their Honours laid in the dust tho' for all that. Prethee why is not _Circingle-man, Lawn-sleeve-man, Mitre-man_, as good a name as _Church-man_? Pray what Family is this same _Church-man_ of, for I know a world of the _Name_? He's of the _Prelatical House_, I suppose, Is he not?

_Q. Well, and is he ever the worse for that?_

_A._ Only _Antichrist_ is the _Head_ of the _Family_. Come let me talk a little roundly to ye. How many sound _Protestant Divines_ may there be of that House now, d'ye think, in _England_, and _Wales_, and the Town of _Berwick upon Tweed_? not above _Six_, if I be a _Christian_, and all the rest are _Tantivy's_, and wors.h.i.+ppers of the Beast: But I may live yet to have the scowring of some of their Frocks for 'em.

_Q. Prethee when didst thou see Mr._ Sancroft?

_A._ Not a good while; but _Harry_ and I had a Crash t'other day yonder at _Greenwich_.

_Q. What's become of_ L'Estrange _I wonder?_

_A._ Who! _Towzer?_ that _Impudent Dog_; That _Tory-Rascal_; That _Fidling Curr_. He's in the Plot with _Celiers_, and young _Tong_, as sure as thou'rt alive, and as Rank a _Papist_ (let him swear what he will) as ever p.i.s.s't.

_Q. But has he not taken the_ Sacrament _to the_ contrary?