Some Paradoxes Presented for a NEW-YEARS-GIFT by the Old, to the New ORTHODOX, serving for an Index to the REVOLUTION.
TO make it the blackest of Crimes in the Fanaticks to depose Charles the First, because he was their Sovereign Lord the King; and yet to make it no fault in Church of England men to depose James the Second, Son of Charles the First, who is as much their Sovereign Lord the King.
2. To keep a Fast still for the heinous Sin of beheading the Father; and yet observe a day of Thanks giving for turning out the Son.
3. To pretend a Reformation from former Abuses in Church and State; and to be neither reformed from the Authors of them in Politicks or Morals; nor the Principles or Measures that lead to them.
4. To make it a Capital Offence in King James, that he imprisoned the Bishops for refusing to read his Proclamation; and to think it Just to deprive the very same Bishops, both ex Officio and Beneficio, to live upon Alms; because they scruple to own a new King out of the Line, and King James alive.
5. To make the preservation of the Lineal Succession a great reason for the Revolution; and at the same time to build the Revolution upon the breach of it.
6. To complain only of the Errors of Ministers of State; and yet only punish the King, that by our Law is impunable, because he cannot personally err.
7. To assert the Crown is Elective, and the Government in the People; and yet plead Prerogative to excuse giving the Royal Assent to the People's Bills.
8. To make this Revolution to pass for a Reformation; and yet in less than four years time to see a necessity to make farther Legal Provision against Imprisonments, false Witnesses, partial Tryals, corrupt Judges and Pensionary Parliaments.
9. To Reverse the Attainders of Russel, Sidney, &c. and yet Brow-beat a Bill of Trials, that might prevent the like hardships again.
10. To complain of the corruption of Judges, by the power or practice of the Crown, in picking and changing them at pleasure; and at the same time reject a Bill to render Judges honest and bold in their duty.
11. To violate Law it self, rather than not overthrow Prerogative in King James; and yet alledge Prerogative now, to excuse and evade the security of our Freedoms.
12. To pretend to free and frequent Parliaments, according to Law, for prevention of Bribery and Corruption, both in Choice and Session; and yet to continue a Parliament three years, against several Statutes in force, that require a Parliament ( and not only a Session of a Parliament) should be held once every year.
13. To complain of Regulation of Corporations; and to prefer the choice upon a Regulation, before one upon antient Usage.
14. To think it Bribery in Charles the Second's time, at least Corruption, to take off Sir Thomas Osborne, and Sir Thomas L-by Employments; and yet now think it none, or endure it patiently, in Sir Ed. Seymour, Sir Rob. Rich, Sir John Trevor, Colonel Austen, &c. who have so visibly changed their Sentiments, since their Preferment.
15. To pay twenty two Millions for four years War; which is five Millions and a half a year, and yet loose half as much more by Sea, and almost no-body paid, but Foreigners, and our Enemies for all that gaining ground daily upon us.
16. To be Roaring at Popery with Popish Consederates; and against Arbitrary Government with Caermarthen and Nottingham.
17. To think the French Popery so much worse than the Spanish; and the House of Bourbon more an Enemy to Protestants, than the Bloody House of Austria.
18. To have so tender a sence of the Protestants of France; and Confederate with the cruel Persecuter of those of Hungary.
19. To make it a Crime in the French King to invade the Principallity of Orange; &c. and none in the Prince of Orange to invade England, Scotland, and Ireland.
20. To hope to conquer France, more at unity than our selves, three times bigger and better skilled in War, with a wife King at the Head of it.
21. To imagine we can out last France at War, when, besides what we lose, we spend yearly three times our constant Revenue, and in Debt besides, and that that King with all his Expences, comes within the compass of his common yearly Revenue more than two Millions.
22. To hope to save England by the ways and methods that most sensibly decline and exhaust it, rather than by timely Accommodation.
What can we say of the Authors of such Paradoxes?
He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so that their Hands cannot perform their enterprize.