Memorandums for those that go into the Country to dispose the Corporations to a good Election for Members of Parliament. To be read by them often.
1. ITs necessary you weigh well the difficulty of your Work, and Consider that you will meet with all manner of Deceit and Combination to frustrate your Endeavours, the Clergy will engage the Centry, and both Endeavour to render you unaceeptable, and your Works fruitless, if not top upon you false Men under the semblance of real Friends.
2. Consider the evil Effects that will attend a Miscarriage in this Matter. 'Tis not only a frustration of the Good expected, but ruinous to your own Interest, & exposing you to Contempt, you must expect that no weakness or inadvertency of yours in this Work will pass unobserved, and the best of your actions mistepresented, and every failing magnified, & that haply to the K. or some of his Ministers, which therefore calls for the highest Care and Circumspection.
3. You have as full an account of the Persons, and things for each Corporation, and place as hath hitherto been Collected, which consider from time to time in the respective places as you come at them, and for your Guidance in these places find one or two of the best, prudentest and acceptablest Person or Persons, and engage them to your Assistance, and know from them the temper and humour of the respective Persons with whom you are to converse, and accordingly endeavous to suit your discourse to their temper and humour.
2. Take from place to place Letters recommendatory for the strengthening your interest and acceptance, get fit and acceptable Persons to accompany you to such Gentlemen as you will have occasion to discourse, for you must expect to meet with discerning Men, and Men of great Parts, and for that purpose be wary in your expressions and conversation, and be not too ready and open in discourse till such Persons become by their own declarations engaged.
5. 'Tis of very great import to this Service, that very good Correspondents by setled in each Town, to whom Letters and Papers to be dispersed may be sent, and who shall receive every Post such Prints and Advices as shall be fit and proper for them, and in this you must consider, that the Persons so to be engaged, must be right Men, not only by Inclination, but also Men of Prudence and Intrest (if possible)
6. Where the Corporations do fix upon their Members, inform your selyes fully what probability there is of their Election, and what methods will be taken in order thereunto, and when you have fully satisfied your selves, that such Persons are right and like to answer the K's expectation (in which by your Instructions you are not restrained to the Persons Named in your List, in case there be Exceptions [Page 2]to any of them, or fitter Persons can be provided). If possibly you can get the Electors to write Letters of Invitation to such their intended Members, that by Subscription under their hands, their Election may be ascertained, and where they shall consent to elect such as his Majesty shall nominate or recommend, that they do in like manner express their desire that such Nomination, and Appointment be made in order to their Election, in which all prudent care is to be had, and the Leading Persons of such Corporations to be consulted.
7. You are from time to time to give an account of all Occurrences that are material, and of all Suggestions, Books, and Libels, that are dispersed in prejudice of his Majesties service.
8. You must be very careful to give a full and distinct account of all the Proceedings every Post, and therein an impartial account of the Sentiments of the Persons with whom you converse, their inclinations, and resolutions, what expedients are necessary to render the Election certain; which account you are to give from time to time to Robert Brent Esq at his Chamber in the Temple. The respective Correspondants are in like manner to send their Letters to him, and to follow such Directions as from time to time they shall receive from him, or Mr. Edward Roberts, to whom they may write, directing their Letters to Mr. Brents Chamber; but not to give an account of your proceedings to any other Persons whatever.
9. You are likewise to consider the Correspondents in each Corporation, whether they are fit and proper, and if not, that others more fit and proper be named, as also to enquire whether the Correspondants do disperse the Books & Papers according to the directions sent them; and particularly, whether they are exposed in Coffee-houses, and Houses of publick Entertainment for the Information of the Country, that in case they be defective therein, it may be rectified.
10. You are to send for the Persons in the respective Counties under-written, & to desire their help and assistance, in managing the Trust committed to you, and to engage them and their Correspondants, that are in the respective, Corporations, to manage such matters and things, as upon debate you shall find requisite to promote this Service, for inclining and disposing Men to Elect Persons you shall agree upon, and engage them in your absence to keep a constant correspondence with Mr. Brent, or Mr. Roberts, that such Advice may be sent from time to time as may be proper.
11. You are also to consider what Employments such Correspondents are capable of, that are in the K's dispose, to the end they may be recommended to such Employments as may compensate for the service they have done, or shall do.
12. You are likewise to inspect the present state of each Corporation, with respect to the Magistrates in being, whether there be any in that are not fit and proper, or whether any are omitted to be put into the Government, which if placed therein, may be useful and serviceable for promoting and securing good [Page 3]Elections, as also any other methods and expedients that have a tendency thereunto.
13. You are likewise to confider what Mayors and Sherins in being are active in his Majesties service, and to be depended upon, and which of them are fit to be removed before the Election, either in order to their being chosen to serve in Parliament, or to promote the Election of others, and to engage the Sheriffs to attend in person at the Election, not only in the Counties, but in each respective Corporation, and to take care of the Returns, and also to give an account of the Inclination and behaviour of the respective Town-Cleks, Clerks of the Peace, and sub-Sheriffs, whose Places render them capable of his Majesties service, in case they be right, but otherwise dangerous and prejudicial thereunto.
14. Inform your selves what Members each Corporation intend to choose, & if they are contrary to his Majesties interest, and you find the Corporation resolved upon them out of prejudice, consider then how to give a divertion to their intentions by seeming to promote such Persons Election, which they observing may create an avertion to them, & dispose them to Elect others, which they are inclyned to, as suspecting those they before designed, to have privately warpt to the K's interest, & thereby room will be made for the Electing such as are right,—
Persons proposed as Assistants to those that go into the Country for
-
Chester
- Sr. Tho. Stanly
- Will Ferner
- Mr. Manwaring
-
Salop
- Tim Seymour
- Rich Newton
- Christop Morrall of Math-Wenlcck. of Salop.
Instructions for those that shall go into Wales.
1. You shall make the K's Declaration the chief subject of your Discourse with such persons as you shall think fit to speak with, &c.
2. You must make it your principal care to settle the minds of people, especially of those that are designed for Members of Parliament, or such who do, or are likely to come up to the K's measures, in relation to the Penal Laws & Tests, against all endeavours, which may be made by the K's adversaries, for diverting the effects of his good intentions, & it being very probable that when-the Parliament shall meet, this will be chiefly endeavoured by some indirect means, as by attempting to make some difference between the K. and his two Houses of Parliament, or eather of them, or by starting somewhat, which may be a despute between the two Houses, you are particulerly to sorewarn and caution all persons who are likely to be Members against this Artifice.
3. You are to assure those that are of the Ch. of England that his Majesty will maintain the same according to his word.
4. You are to engage all people of what perswasion whatever to live friendly together as becomes fellow Subjects, desposing them to unite their endeavours to render effectual his Majesties gratious Intentions, for their ease and advantage, & you are to tell them, that his Majesty will favour them most as shall be of that peaceable disposition, as to sacrifice all private animosities to the publick good.
5. You are to remove as much as may be all fears & jealousies out of peoples minds, by telling them his Majesty only designs the universal happiness of all his People.
6. You are to make acquaintance with the leading active, & interested Men in the Country, or in the Towns and Corporations, who are inclinable to abrogate the Penal Laws for Religion, and the Tests, and ingage them to improve their Interest for effecting it.
7. You are to inform your self (as privately as may be) whether the persons proposed to be chosen, by the list given you, be rightly principled and so disposed to part with the Laws, as may be depended on.
8. You are to inform your self whether the regulations made in the respective Corporations have been of proper persons for his Majesties Service.
9. You are to inform your self, who are the Electers in the respective Corporations and Burroughs, and by what manner Elections are made, who influences them, & who are fittest to be chosen in those places where none are yet proposed.
10.—of the behaviour of the Officers of the several Branches of his Majesties Revenue in relation to Elections, whether they promote his Majesties interest as they ought to do, & further what in them lies the repeal of the Penal Laws and Tests.
11 To acquaint your selves with the Preachers of the Dissenting Congregations, and encourage them to employ their interest, for the abrogating those Laws & Tests, and if you find any of them dissatisfied, inquire who they correspond with in London and give notice of it.
12. To inform your self of some fit person in each Corporation with whom a Correspondance may be held for the knowledg of the true state of the same, and to whom Books and Papers may be sent, to desperse them for the peoples better information.
13. You are from time to time to advise with the Catholick Gentlemen.
14. You are likewise to inform those you converse with that Liberty of Conscience hath been the cause of the Hollanders great Trade, Riches and Power, &c.
15. You shall take care to make all persons understand that the late proceedings against the Bishops were necessary to support his Majesties Declaration for Liberty of Conscience, which the King will always maintain, as likewise his Prerogative on which it is founded.
16. That their Dissobedience and their Petition, were designed only to obstruct the meeting of the Parliament, and to prevent the Establishing of what they apprehend, &c. which is so far from discouraging his Majesty, that he is more resolved than ever to pursue this great work, not doubting to effect it, whatsoever opposition he may meet with.