THough I am yet a stranger to your Person, I have heard so much of your Integrity and candour, and zeal for God and all good men, that I cannot but believe you will think your self con­cern'd in the news which at present I mean to send you. It will suggest an opportunity of doing some right to the no­less injured then excellent D ^r. Pierce, President of S. Mary Magdalen College in Oxford. How great a blessing his Example and Government have been unto that flourishing Foundation, since his Prince's favour and his own emi­nency of merit fix'd him there, they that envied all have been so unable to conceal, that attempting oft to find a fault, where their utmost malice had not wit enough to descry one, they thought fit at last to accuse his vertues, and in stead of blasting his matchless reputation, have by that very project undone their own. The Terrae Filii (who mistake it for a part of their office to revile Authority, and be factiously Scurrilous,) had a design to traduce him this last Act, (as they did, to some purpose, many more of great Rank, besides the King himself, and my Lord of London.) But the one of them was so loudly hist and exploded for his paines, that we could not well understand by what he had a mind to expose himself. The other, with an impudence great as his profanation, in a place no less Sacred then S. Mary's Church, and before an assembly of both Universities, and other persons of quality, spoiled the Ballad I am here inclosing, by turning such plain Eng­lish [Page 2]into worse Latin, and not fearing to abuse the Text and Sermon both together, still concluded his ribaldry with an [Ab initio non fuit Sic.] Ought it not to be for a lamen­tation, that a Sermon made publick by most express com­mand from his Majestie, and for its extraordinary worth and usefuless translated into foreign languages, & coun­treys abroad, should be thus set up as a Mark at home, for most unclean & invenom'd Tongues to shoot their arrows at (even bitter words,) whilst the Romanists themselves were but examining their quiver for much more civil and Christian Shafts? That God's Word and Servant should be thus blasphemously trampled on by Professors of the Re­ligion they presume so to shame, and resolve to wound through one of it's stoutest Champion's sides, rather then allow him the barely-just honour of having preach't and publish't it's vindication? Others there are, who madly spurning at the bonds which they know not how to break or to cast off from them, are so vext at the strictness of his impartial and Christian discipline, that (like the proud enraged waters, still foaming against the Banks which restrain their Insolency,) finding how much he hath lessen'd the Drunkard's company, they would needs make him their Song, and be reveng'd upon him in rhyme. So much of it as hath been gathered piece-meale, I here present unto your view; when I shall first have assur'd you, that the cutting down of the Walnut-Tree, objected in the fourth Stanza, was not by command of the President, but, without his knowledge, by order of the Bursars, (who are entrusted by the College with affaires of that nature;) much less is the Bowling-green made a Turnip-garden (as some Cambridge-men and others, whose curiosity was tempted by the confi­dence of that report, to let their own eyes undeceive them, can abundantly testify:) though (for very weighty [Page 3]reasons, and upon serious deliberation,) it was voted down by the farr major part of the whole Society; which is the very same power that does commonly lease out the Colledge Lands, and sure much rather may freely dispose of their Recreations. All else here mentioned (by such as have hated to be reform'd, and would not chuse the fear of the Lord,) was apparently done in such perfect conformity to the Sta­tutes of the College, the Canons of the Church, and the Law of the Land, that if I had not before told you so, you would have concluded this charge to have proceeded either from the Ale-house, or the Antipodes. And therefore I leave you for a while, to reade and pitty these Poetasters, who thus have gratified the Papists, and sham'd themselves.

AND now, Sir, I hope you do not imagine that Satan's Journymen have in earnest so farr befriended M ^r Presi­dent as to give you a perfect catalogue of the numerous Re­formations which he hath wrought; and which however sto­mack't at by the Scandalous and incorrigible, are by Them that sincerely love God and Goodness lookt upon with great kindness & veneration, I will add, with Thanksgiving unto so Exemplary a Governor, who under God is the Author of them. To reckon up his Contrivances and Methods of ad­vancing the College Interest and honour, and the many ways he hath studyed of promoting piety and learning within the walls he hath adorned with rich patterns of both, would make my Letter become a volume. That I be not so tedi­ous, let me desire you to inform your self as well of the Clemency as Justice which hath been shewn to D ^r Yerbury, out of the Narrative that was printed for private use, (if at least you can come by a Copy of it,) whilst I give you no more Accompt of the Drunkard's Darling then will con­sist with my own and the Carrier's haste.

This overgrown Batchelor of Arts, nicknam'd a Doctor, having an early ambition to climb above his betters (the first temptation, wise men think, to his other crimes,) did disloyally scrape an cringe to Cromwell's Vicechancellor for a Degree, and (as if he had at the same instant bid defi­ance to authority, when he bow'd thus low to court-Usur­pers,) at the election of the President he earnestly endea­vour'd to frustrate the Letters of the King, affirming to the face of the then Bishop of London, that he could not vote for whom he thought worthiest, (however sworn so to do,) because the King in those letters had commanded him to do it. Yet so farr was the President from loving Yerbury the less, that he seemed to favour him much the more. I do not mean the more for his Enmity to the King, but for op­posing his Removal to Oxford, who had lately set up his Rest in Kent. Insomuch as the President hath often said, That if he had ever broken his Oath by not executing the Statutes, or by shewing partiality to any member of the Col­lege, Dr. Yerbury was the man, out of Lenity to whom he had so offended. I cannot give a better instance then in the several gross Cheats and Defraudations, which in the President's first Audit he could not chuse but discover in Dr. Yerbury. For in a Bill (at one time) of above Ten pounds, he did not only give an unstatutable Accompt, but an Accompt so sadly Scandalous, that neither the President Dr. Oliver, nor the Vice-President Mr. Foreman, were able to write their Approbations. Which although Dr. Pierce who succeeded Dr. Oliver was not able not to observe in his very first entrance upon his Office, (which fortun'd to be in a time of Audit,) yet he was able to forgive it, and pass it by, without compelling him to refund it, (as by Statute he should have done,) for fear an Act of meer Justice should [Page 8]be mistaken for Revenge, by being done upon a man who had been against him. Thus one crime in Dr. Yerbury had made it safe for him to commit many more. For, as then it did appear by another Bill (of nine pounds wanting thre [...] pence,) he had pocketed up the College mony, of which he gave no Accompt, yea he publickly confessed (when an Ac­compt was required of him) that he was utterly unable to give up any. In which case, notwithstanding there was Fur­tum notabile, which according to Statute was to be punished with Expulsion, besides the restitution of so much mony; yet so tender was the President of this unthankfull man's honour and safety too, so unwilling to be doing Cor­rective Justice immediately after his Instalment, especially on a person who had oppos'd his being there, (such was the benefit of offending against a Mercifull man, who took a great delight in forgiving Enemies,) that making the best of so bad a matter, he only made him make Restitution, not of all the whole Summe, but of less then half. Would you not think that so much goodness should have led this Fel­low to better life? at least to gratitude towards a Governor who had been so excessively sparing to him? Indeed he pro­mised no less when he protested his Amazement at so much Goodness. But what can be looked for from one who at once is a Cromwellian and an Italianized Doctor? Had I time to shew at large how he hath taken all occasions to af­front and revile his obliging Governor, (to whom he swore due Reverence and Obedience;) how he hath all along con­spir'd with a Factious Party in the College, whom Thomas Goodwin left behind him unconverted to the King, and whom the King hath suffered there by his gracious Act of Obli­vion only; how, with them, he hath acted against the Wel­fare and Peace of that noble College, especially for the sup­porting of the Maudlintide Market, buying and selling of [Page 9]Resignations, and of Suffrages in Elections, (for the put­ting down of which this President will be thank't in the next Generation, though he is envyed for it in this;) how he that charged good Subjects with disloyalty, did scruple to vote against a Regicide, whom yet he basely underboard had discovered to be such; how he hath impudently boasted of his Dissimulation, confessed Slanders and Lyes which he was proud not to retract; how he shew'd himself void of common honesty, by Embezelling the Revenue of that chari­table place, which had so long allow'd him bread, and yet was so immodest as to pretend he had a right to a place of Trust; first contending for a Bursarship, to gratifie his Ava­rice; then for the office of a Vice-president, to stop the mouth of his Ambition; I say, had I time to enlarge on these, and on a very great number of other Crimes, which are as notorious as they are loathsome to such as knew him in the College, you would admire at their Impudence who have dishonour'd themselves by his Commendations, and though you never had heard of his multiplied [...], yet you would need nothing more to make you perfectly con­vinc't, that there were too many causes of his Expulsion.

Leaving him to repentance, and his Abettors to reproch, and you to make what use you please of this short Intelli­gence, I crave the favour of your acquaintance, (at least for his sake, in our Zeal to whose cause we so well agree,) and your favorable leave to write my self,