THE

PREFACE

TO THE

READER.

THE nation is in too high a ferment for me to expect either fair war, or even fo much as fair quarter, from a reader of the oppofite party. All men are engaged either on this fide or that; and though Conscience is the common Word, which is given by both, yet if a writer fall among enemies, and cannot give the marks of their confcience, he is knocked down before the reasons of his own are heard. A preface, therefore, which is but a bespeaking of favour, is altogether useless. What I defire the reader should know concerning me, he will find in the body of the poem, if he have but the patience to perufe it. Only this advertisement let him take beforehand, which relates to the merits of the caufe. No general characters of parties (call them either Sects or Churches) can be fo fully and exacly drawn, as to comprehend all the feveral members of them; at least all fuch as are received under that denomination. For example:

there are fome of the Church by law established, who envy not liberty of conscience to Diffenters; as being well fatisfied that, according to their own principles, they ought not to perfecute them. Yet these, by reafon of their fewness, I could not distinguish from the numbers of the reft, with whom they are embodied in one common name. On the other fide, there are many of our Sects, and more indeed than I could reasonably have hoped, who have withdrawn themfelves from the communion of the Panther, and embraced this gracious indulgence of his Majesty in point of Toleration. But neither to the one nor the other of these is this fatire any way intended: it is aimed only at the refractory and disobedient on either fide. For thofe, who are come over to the royal party, are consequently fuppofed to be out of gunshot. Our physicians have observed, that, in process of time, some diseases have abated of their yirulence, and have in a manner worn out their malignity, fo as to be no longer mortal; and why may not I suppose the fame concerning fome of thofe, who have formerly been enemies to Kingly Government, as well as Catholic Religion? I hope they have now another notion of both, as having found, by comfortable experience, that the doctrine of perfecution is far from being an article of our faith.

It is not for any private man to cenfure the proceedings of a foreign prince; but, without fufpicion of flattery, I may praise our own, who has taken contrary measures, and thofe more fuitable to the fpirit of Christianity. Some of the Diffenters, in their addreffes to his Majefty, have said, "That he has

"reftored God to his empire over confcience." I confefs, I dare not stretch the figure to fo great a boldness; but I may fafely say, that confcience is the royalty and prerogative of every private man. He is abfolute in his own breaft, and accountable to no earthly power, for that which paffes only betwixt God and him. Those who are driven into the fold are, generally speaking, rather made hypocrites than

converts.

This indulgence being granted to all the fects, it ought in reason to be expected, that they should both receive it, and receive it thankfully. For, at this time of day, to refuse the benefit, and adhere to thofe, whom they have esteemed their perfecutors, what is it elfe, but publicly to own, that they fuffered not before for confcience fake, but only out of pride and obftinacy, to separate from a Church for those impofitions, which they now judge may be lawfully obeyed? After they have fo long contended for their claffical ordination (not to speak of rites and ceremonies) will they at length submit to an epifcopal? If they can go fo far out of complaifance to their old enemies, methinks a little reason fhould perfuade them to take another step, and fee whither that would lead them.

Of the receiving this toleration thankfully I shall say no more, than that they ought, and I doubt not they will confider from what hands they received it. It is not from a Cyrus, a heathen prince, and a foreigner, but from a Christian King, their native fovereign; who expects a return in fpecie from them, that the kindness, which he has graciously fhewn

them, may be retaliated on those of his own perfuafion.

As for the poem in general, I will only thus far fatisfy the reader, that it was neither imposed on me, nor fo much as the fubject given me by any man. It was written during the last winter and the beginning of this fpring, though with long interruptions of ill health and other hindrances. About a fortnight before I had finished it, his Majesty's declaration for liberty of confcience came abroad: which, if I had fo foon expected, I might have spared myself the labour of writing many things which are contained in the third part of it. But I was always in fome hope, that the Church of England might have been perfuaded to have taken off the Penal Laws and the Teft, which was one defign of the poem, when I proposed to myself the writing of it.

It is evident that fome part of it was only occafional, and not first intended: I mean that defence of myself, to which every honeft man is bound, when he is injuriously attacked in print; and I'refer myself to the judgment of those who have read the Answer to the Defence of the late King's Papers, and that of the Dutchefs (in which laft I was concerned) how charitably I have been represented there. I am now informed both of the author and supervisers of his pamphlet, and will reply, when I think he can affront me: for I am of Socrates's opinion, that all creatures cannot. In the mean time let him confider, whether he deserved not a more fevere reprehenfion, than I gave him formerly, for ufing fo little respect to the memory of those whom he pretended to anfwer; and

at his leifure, look out for fome original treatise of Humility, written by any Proteftant in English, (I believe I may say in any other tongue :) for the magnified piece of Duncomb on that subject, which either he muft mean, or none, and with which another of his fellows has upbraided me, was tranflated from the Spanish of Rodriguez; though with the omiffion of the feventeenth, the twenty fourth, the twentyfifth, and the laft chapter, which will be found in comparing of the books.

He would have infinuated to the world, that her late Highness died not a Roman Catholic. He declares himself to be now fatisfied to the contrary, in which he has given up the caufe: for matter of fact was the principal debate betwixt us. In the mean time, he would difpute the motives of her change; how prepofterously, let all men judge, when he seemed to deny the subject of the controverfy, the change itself. And because I would not take up this ridiculous challenge, he tells the world I cannot argue: but he may as well infer, that a Catholic cannot fast, because he will not take up the cudgels against Mrs. James, to confute the Proteftant religion.

I have but one word more to fay concerning the poem as fuch, and abftracting from the matters, either religious or civil, which are handled in it. The first part, confifting moft in general characters and narration, I have endeavoured to raise, and give it the majestic turn of heroic poefy. The fecond, being matter of difpute, and chiefly concerning Church Authority, I was obliged to make as plain and perfpicuous as poffibly I could; yet not wholly