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But if this were the worft, you might be born with, as a thing more becoming the Contempt, than the Anger of Men; but who can preferve any Patience, that does but think upon that Prodigy of your Injustice, as well as Inhumanity, to accule the King, after his Death, of what you were afhamed to charge him with, when alive? For what you fay concerning the Death of King James, you will become the Scorn of your own Party, for they never us'dit farther than they found it of advantage to fome Design they had in Hand; as when they would move the King to grant their Propofitions, they made it ferve for an Argument to him; if he would Sign, he should be ftill their Gracious King, if not, he killed his Father. But when they found he would not be convinced with fuch Logick, they laid it utterly afide, for (without doubt) they had not loft an Advantage fo ufeful as they might have made it in the Charge, had they not known it would have coft them more Impudence to maintain, than they should need to ufe in proceeding without it; but let us confider your Student's Might, with which

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you firft fay you are fatisfied, and yet after have it as a Riddle. First, he was observed to hate the Duke, but in ftantly, upon the Death of King James, took him into his fpecial Grace and Favour, of which you conceive this Art must be the Caufe. Believe me, your Conjecture is contrary to all Experience, and the common manner of Princes, who ufe to love the Treafon, but hate the Traytor; and if he had been fo politick a Tyrant, as you would defcribe him, he would never believe his Life fafe, nor his Kingdom. his own, while any Man lived, (much lefs his Enemy, whom fuch a King would never truft) of whofe Gift and Secrecy he held them both; nor is it likely that he, who would not fpare the Life of his Father to gain a Kingdom, fhould fpare the Life of his Enemy to fecure it. As for his diffolving the Parliament, I believe not only all Wife Men, but all that ever heard of this will acquit him, whether he did it to avoid the Duke's Impeachment, you cannot prove; but if you could, you muft confider, that in fuch Cafes, Princes may as well protect their Favourites from Injury as Juftice, fince no Inno

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cence can serve them, if they lie as open to the Queftion, as they do to the Envy of Men.

But for the better Satisfaction of those you appeal to, I fhall add this: It is most certain, that this Humour of Innovation began to ftir in the firft Parliament of this King, and grow to an Itch in the Commons for the Alteration of Government; to which end they first refolved to pull down the chief Inftrument thereof, the Duke of Buckingham But having then no Scotch Army, nor Act of Continuance, to affure their Sitting, all the Wit of Malice could never invent more politick Course than to Impeach him, and put this Article (true or falfe) into his Charge; for thus they were not only fure of the Affections of the People, who (out of the common Fate of Favourites) generally hated the Duke, and are always pleased with the Ruin of their Superiors, but fecured from the King's Interpofition, whom they believed, by this means, bound up from protecting the Duke, (tho' he knew his Innocency) left the Envy and Fancy of all fhould fall upon himself; but the King, who understood their Meaning, and knew this was but in order to their

further Attempts, (which always be gin with fuch Sacrifices) fuddenly dif folved the Parliament, and, by his Wifdom and Policy, kept that Calamity fixteen Years after from the People, which the very fame Courfes and Fate of these unhappy Times, have fince brought upon them. But you have taken more Pains to prove him Guilty, fince his Death, of the Rebellion in Ireland, altho' with as little Reafon or Ingenuity, only you deal fairly in the Beginning, and tell us what Judgment and Confcience we are to expect from you, when you fay, as a ground of all your Proofs, If you meet a Man running down Stairs, with a bloody Sword in his Hand, and find a Man ftabbed in the Chamber, though you did not fee this Man run

to the Body by that Man which you met, yet if you were of the fury, you durft not but find him guilty of the Murther. I hope not, before you know whether the man killed were fent by the King to fetch the Man you met, for then you may fay it must be in his own Defence: Truly you are a fubtil Enquirer, but let us hear fome of the clear Proofs; First, He durft never de

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ny it abfolutely; befides the notorious Falfhood of that, it is moft fenfeless to imagin, that he who had wickedness enough to commit fo horrid an Act, fhould have the innocent Modefty not to deny it, when he durft not own it. He fent Thanks to Muskerry and Plunket, by Ormond, which you are confident his height of Spirit would never have done, if he had not been as guilty as themselves; and may not Ormond, that carried the Thanks, be, by the fame Reason, as well proved guilty as the King? What's next, If he had not been guilty, he would have made a thonfand Declarations, and bave jent to all Princes in the World for Alfistance against fuch Hell hounds and Bloodhounds, &c. That was impoffible to be done, without fending to the Pope, and then you would have proved it clearly indeed. But the Copy of his Commiffion to the Irish Rebels, is in the Hands of the Parliament. 'Tis moft certain they never believed it themselves, else it had not been omitted in the Charge. But now for an Argument to the purpose; after the Irish were proclaimed Traytors and Rebels by the King, their General Council made

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