John Milton Prose: Major Writings on Liberty, Politics, Religion, and Education by Milton John

Author:Milton, John [Milton, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Wiley
Published: 2012-11-04T20:00:00+00:00

IV. Vpon the Insolency of the Tumults.97

Wee have heer, I must confess, a neat and well-couch’d98 invective against Tumults; expressing a true feare of them in the Author, but yet so handsomly compos’d, and withall so feelingly, that, to make a Royal comparison, I beleeve Rehoboam the Son of Solomon could not have compos’d it better.99 Yet Rehoboam had more cause to inveigh against them; for they had ston’d his Tribute-gatherer, and perhaps had as little spar’d his own Person, had hee not with all speed betak’n him to his Charret. But this King hath stood the worst of them in his own House without danger, when his Coach and Horses, in a Panic fear, have bin to seek, which argues that the Tumults at Whitehall were nothing so dangerous as those at Sechem.

But the matter heer considerable, is not whether the King, or his Houshold Rhetorician have made a pithy declamation against Tumults, but first whether these were Tumults or not, next if they were, whether the King himself did not cause them. Let us examin therfore how things at that time stood. The King, as before hath bin prov’d, having both call’d this Parlament unwillingly, and as unwillingly from time to time condescended to thir several acts, carrying on a disjoynt and privat interest of his own, and not enduring to be so cross’d and over-swaid, especially in the executing of his chief & boldest Instrument, the Deputy of Ireland,100 first tempts the English Army, with no less reward then the spoil of London, to come up, and destroy the Parlament.101 That being discover’d by some of the Officers, who, though bad anough, yet abhorr’d so foul a deed, the K. hard’nd in his purpose, tempts them the 2d time at Burrow Bridge, promises to pawn his Jewels for them, & that they should be mett & assisted (would they but march on) wth a gross body of hors under the E. of Newcastle.102 He tempts them yet the third time, though after discovery, & his own abjuration103 to have ever tempted them, as is affirmd in the Declaration of no more addresses.104 Neither this succeeding, he turnes him next to the Scotch Army; & by his own credential Letters giv’n to Oneal and Sr John Hinderson, baites his temptation with a richer reward; not only to have the sacking of London, but four Northern Counties to be made Scottish; wth Jewels of great value to be giv’n in pawn the while.105 But neither would the Scots, for any promise of reward, be bought to such an execrable and odious treachery; but with much honesty gave notice of the Kings designe, both to the Parlament and City of London. The Parlament moreover had intelligence, and the people could not but discern, that there was a bitter & malignant party grown up now to such a boldness, as to give out insolent and threatning speeches against the Parlament it self. Besides this, the Rebellion in Ireland was now broke

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.