No More Learning

The REHEARSAL.
9
And your predecessor Bays was famous for his rehearsal. And your marks deserve a rehearsal as well as his. It's a pity they shou'd go at once reading over. They will bear chewing the cud upon them, for they rise in ones And your past is a great post, as you tell us,
stomach.
no less than the vindicating the revolution For which
our party to be sure, wou'd choose an able-hand. And the others fay, you are now worth answering, not for
your sense, but your quality. As being the mouth and pillar of the whigs and dissenters. So that if they can overthrow this one Goliah, the armies of the Philistines
will fly before them.
O. I own my self the champion of the caa/f . And de
fy the armies of divine right, of all your tantivy— high flying, &c. They wou'd go to heaven for government, but we are ySw of the rar/Æ. And there we will sick.
Yet we will not lose good words neither, we can make use of them as well as they. And then who can tell "which is which? don't you observe, country-man, how I fay, that providinte has put me into this publick post
ofvindicating the revolution ?
C. Right! master. That was a noble stroke ! you are
now providentia divina, the episcopal stile. And you
make the arch-bishep of Canterbury (Laud) a reverend father in Satan, this is turning their cannon upon them.
We only change stiles with them* And you know ex change is no robbery.
O. Since they dare enter the lists with me, come let
vis go backward, and begin my Observator of Saturday, Jug. 5.
C. Which of them, master Bays ? for there came out two that day.
O. A dog of dogs, ason of a Jesuit ! some rogue or other has put a trick upon me. B tit I'll be even with him.
You shall see how I'll claw hkn off in my . next. But,-
man,
you'll easily know mine by thesense. Mine be gins with the meaning of the word Cassandra. And V call her a madprophetess. What do they fay to that ?
C. They *
10 The REHEARSAL.
C. They fay you fye, an' plea/e your honour. That she was not mad, but a true prophetess, according to the
And that they were mad who would not believe her, when she foretold the destruction of Troy by the Greeks. That London was call'd new Troy, and that there are a parcel of Greeks within her walls, cover'd with a wooden-horse of pretence to religion, liberty, and proper ty, who will come out armed men, and set her on fire, as
story.
did once before, if she believe not Cassandra in time. That these Greeks wou'd have us pull down the walls of our laws, the corporation and test acts, which exclude dissenters from places of power and /r»y? , to let in this horse, which we must not look into, as being/i- cred to the Gods, tho' we hear the clashing of armour with in. That the Observator with the rest of his gang, calling to arms, and furbishing up the fame basket-hilt-
they
swords and muskets, which they made use of at Marjlon- moor and Edge-hill and vowing destruction to the high- church, that is, to all who wou'd not have the church as low as they wou'd make and threeitning to bind our kings in chains, to cut them in pieces, drag them about
the streets, &c. As Cassandra has faithfully told us,
part 2. upon the Observator.
O. make no question but that author'/ prophecies •will
ha•ue the same fate which hers formerly had; and that is, to be contemn all, but those who are as mad as him-
self.
C. blister upon that tongue wou'd you have old
England run the fate of old"Troy never to take warning
Not to believe true prophecies till they are fulfill'd in her
d,straction?
O. did not mean that, man.
C. No, but you said it.
O. You must never take my meaning my mumping. No matter what fay. You know my mind. But there another thing wherein they resemble each other, and that that his prophecies, as well as hers, are inspir'd
the devil.
C But
by
is
is, I A I
I
d by
is, ;
by
;
!
?
.
it :
The REHEARSAL. u
C But the story makes her prophecies to be true. And the moral of it is to express the fatality there is upon those whom God has determin'd to destroy That no ad
vice, or ever so plain demonstration will take place with them.
And he does not pretend to prophste ; but from plain matter offact, from what has been done ; and is just now a doing, pursuant to the avow'd principles of the
Grecians-^ evil-beasts, always lyars, he gives warning of the danger to all true Trojans.
O. But they fay, he has an advantage over me, because he uvrites with impunity against the government, and 1 am perfecuted for writingfor it.
C. You are quite out of your story. For, they fay, that he writes for the government, and you against it. That you set up principles upon which no government
whatever can be fase. By placing the power in the peo ple, whence nothing can follow, but eternal ri volution
and confuston. That upon this head, you justify the re bellion offorty-one, and the dc-nllation of K. Charles I. as is plainly made oat in Cassandra. That after you had been told of all this, and even when you were writing
against his Cnsscndra. no longer ago than Saturday, July 29th, you fay, speaking of K. Charles If. that ifhe had'
pretended to oppose them (his subjects) they might have had recourse to another lust vindication of their rights. So that, by this, their rebellion (as high-fyers call'd
against his Father, and all that follow'd upon was lust vindication their rights. And the Ryc-houfe-plot, and all the other plots we had against K Char. II. was another lust vindication. And then, how my queen free from our just vindications you must clear this, Observator, for will- sufser no harm to be done to my
queen.
O. do in that fame Observator of last July 29.
where sinding fault with many forts of people, put iti this caution, but still keeping to my old distinclion, betwixt
the government and ministry o/"England. What that thing you- call the ministry
G. AU
a 6
C.
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is
it y
? I is
it,
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a it)
12 The REHEARSAL.
O. All that are imploy'd in the administration of the government, these are the ministry; especially those in the
highest sosts are chiefly call'd the ministry.
C. And is not my queen the chief minister of them all ? O. Yes, country-man, she is the chief minister of the•
government. And she is but a minister, as having no other power, by our principles, but the administration of. the laws. For, look ye, she might otherwise grow ty-- rannical, and get a£ottf the /«•uf/. Therefore we place no. other powe r in the crown, but what we call the executive
that to execute the laws which we make. ;
power,
C. Then my queen only the chief hang-man. Ibid
you have care ofmy towel. will not sufser my queen to be abus'd. that the employment you have found' out for her but, Mr. Bays, take away the ministiy, where the government
O. Let the government lOok to that. What that to me? but, country-man, we wou'd not have the ministry quite taken away, but only chang'd, that is, put inta
eur hands;- because iwcou'd manage better.
C. Tfrat for your selves. But would not that
displease others, who wou'd as fain manage as you
O. Thou mean'st the church-party, the high-flying,
jure-divino-men, but there no danger of them they are for passive-obedience and nen-rrststance. They are
flaves by principle.
C. And you wou'd have my queen trust to that, wou'd ye? ".
O. Ay marry wou'-d I. '.
C. Yet you tell us, in your last Saturday's Observator,
Aug. That my queen's father, and her grand-father were both ruin'd these fame high-fiyers. If that be true,
they are dangerous folks, and no more to be disoblig'd, than the honest dissenters. And being much more in
number, and of greater estates and interest in the country (as we sind the election of our parliament men) they must be courted, and have the ministry put into their hands. And if they be jealous of mixt ministry, where we have
pare, then we must out for all together. How will yon do with that Bays. O. Why
?
by
by
a ?
a
a
is ? .
5.
is
is
;
is
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The REHEARS AL.
13
0. Why, we will huff and ding. And appear greater, if not in number, yet in noise. And you know, that carries it with the mob. And having the mob in Lon don, we appear to have all the nation.
Besides, I'll tell thee, country-man, these church and monarchy-men are lazy, they think that right will carry it against might. And they lie still, and let us run over them, what care they ? they have their reserve ofsuffer ing at last. And think they' shall be rewarded for it in another world. But they will rather be condemn'd
as sooh, upon their own principles, and as unprofitable servants, who wou'd not make use of their talents ; and let the cause of. God, as they call fink through their negligence. This renders them, tho' much superior to
us number and estates, parcel only of individuals, many single men. No man of them looks further than to himself. They know not the mystery of caballing, and carrying on their business joint concert, and common-purse; as in our glorious expedition, had suc ceeded- at the Rye-house, and others the like. Our mo ney always ready.
We never starve our cause. We grudge not water to our pump, that may give us
great deal more.
And I'll tell thee, more, now open thy head, country
•word goes for law. And others will submit tho' they
different judgment. And when any thing, thought necessary to run among the people, we have our missaries, and can disperse as nimbly as the alarm of the Irish-maffacre in 68 Thus, upon the occasion of
the hill against occafional conformity, we gave the word, that the design of was to bring in young Perkin. Tho'
had no more relation to him, than to the Czar of Mus
Yet took and with this we have taken true p^ins to blacken the house of commons all over the nation,
man, and take in. We common-wealth-men are
go- vern'd monarchically. And the monarchy-men are direct lommon-wealth. Every man among them his own master. And when they meet, hardly three ofthem will agree. But there are two or three among us, whose
be of
covy.
it
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it !
it
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a
8- a it
is
a
it
is aaso
is
in
by it
it,
REHEARSAL,
by our legions and millions, and numerous pamphlets.
And we hope have prevented any of these friends to the church from medling any more with us. The sirst that opens his mouth, shall be a Perkinite, without any doubt !
14
The
and if this frights them, the towns our own !
can raise the fame cry, upon any other occasion. And there is none but will bear as well as this. In short, they are asleep, and we are awake.
C. Ohi-ave! brave! thou hast set me right again.
was almost staggering. had rather be in the nvreng with men that understand bufiness; than dully and creef-
ingly in the right, to make nothing on't But
on our side? my Bays. If be, then have at 'em.
the lano
O. I'll warrant thee, my boy, and loyalty too. And thus prove against the high-flyers. Loyalty is de rived from the French wordloy andheis the truly loy-
Al person that demeans himsels according to the laws the land, that pay the respect to the king or queen which he
obliged to do laws.
C. And no more, my sweeting, not that thy mean
ing
O. Yes, without doubt. For that wouM be trans
gressing of the law: and then the law being of the peo ples making are the peoples laws, as have often told thee; and they, who make the law, must certainly have the expofition of that law. And so the people, that is, thee and and who else pleases, may interpret the law as we please, and pay no more respect' to the king or queen than we please. But may depose them, cut them to pieces, drag them about thestreets, Sec for their treason
against us, that ihepeople.
C. But what do you fay to those acts of parliament
quoted in Cassandra, par. 1. 15, and 22.
which de clare the right of the crown, in the proximity of btood, to
bejure-divino And that neither, or bot houses of par liament, nor the people either collective or representatively, have any coercive power over the king
And the very revolution seems to favour this, in that the convention did not proceed against K. James, as hav
ing,
for we
?
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is I
?
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it by
p.
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The REHEARSAL.
ing forfeited his right, notwithstanding of all the male-
objected against him ; but they went a new way to work, by abdication. For who dare fay, that if he had stay'd, his fin the immortal K. William would have hurt a hair of his head, or taken the crown fiom his father ? which he abhorr'd and detested in his
second declaration, as a wickedness of which he was not
capable; and that the report of such a in him, was
rais'd only by Jesuits and papists, to the glorious «K&ofhis imsafion. And it is observable, that in his
first declaration sent from the Hague, he lays nothing at all upon the king, but upon the ministry. Tho' it hap pen d, that all the thunder did light upon the king, and' most of the fame ministry were still continu'd. We see then who must pay for the defects of the ministry, upon
which you have been sosevere ! this makes my heart ake for my queen. I tell you again, I will have no barm come to her. Do what you will with the mi
nistry.
0. But what if these cannot be separated?
C. Then you are a rogue in grain: I now see
your defign, and my queen shall know it. But for old ac quaintance, 111 give thee to thy next Observator to ex
plain thy self. Else, instead of thy fiinful of october, ex> pect a towelling that will do thee more good.
administrations
t$
O. Thou'rt an unconstant sellow, backward and for
ward, I know not what to- make of thee. Sometimes
tiffing, then towelling.
C. That is to fay, I am an honest man, and speak
day.
my mind freely, just as it alters, if it were ten times aI
Iam no more book-learned than thy self. But have . some mother-wit. And can see as far into a mill-stone as another. And now I see plainly, that all
thy working is directly against my dear queen. There were objections against some of her father's ministers. But thou halt rogud and knavd all her ministry from top to bottom, not sparing the prince himself her dear
bufiand. As is fully shew'3 ia Cassandra, and thy own
faid'st words quoted, of which I am a witness, for thou *
3
i6 The REHEARSAL,
it all to my self, and much more than is there set down. Is not the plain consequence then, that she must be serv'd as her father was, and as his father was ? The objection against whom was his ministry too, and evil counsellors. We know where that will end.
Which of all thy ministry that thou woud'st have in,
can boast such a glorious victory, during their ten years war, as is now obtain' d by the duke of Marlborough ? This cuts thy cronies the whigs to the heart. They had rather no good shou'd be done, than not by themselves ; that they may have handle still to blacken the ministry . Does'nt thy back ake for the scandalous character thou
hast given of this duke of Marlborough ?
O. I wish I had those words in again. I'll speak
twice as much goodof him now. May be, the other may be forgotten. But I am not well. I'll talk no more with. th. ee tonight. Get my bed'ready.
From &flt. August 12, to,§at. August 19, 1704. N° 3.
Of the ministry. And the revolution.
- Coun. 'T Am as proud of my new/a/? , iai&trObservatof, X as you are of yours.
Obs. What post hast thou got ? honest countryman.
C. Since thou wert made the publick vindicator of the Re•volution, the town (I will not be so prophane and con ceited as thou art, to put it upon providence) has made
me thy Rehearser. something like it ? if not of providence,
Is not that thy secretary, master, or' and thou being now a publick minister^ yet of legion, of our sovereign lord the
people, then I amsecretary ofstate, am I not ? and hence
forth I must counter-fign thy Observators, and be answer able for them.
gone
But I begin in an ill time. For thy last Wednesday's Observator, Aug. 9. is lakgVdzX. all over the town, and despisd by our. own friends. For want of fense thou arc
' .
The REHEARSAL.
17 gone to rhime. And thy verses are such doggrel, and full of nafiiness, as turns every bodies stomach. Therefore I'll go back to thy former Observators. And we'll talk a
little of the subject of the ministry we were last upon.
0. I wou'd have thee well instructed in that point, be
cause it is of great consequence. Know then, that the
tories and highfyers call the king (or queen) the minister of God, and as such, accountable only to God. And all that have commission from the king, they call the king's mini
And these are they whom they mean by the mini stry, and so include not the king under that denominati
on, but those only who are put in authority under him. But on the other hand, we whigs (now country-man take notice) do include the king (or queen) under the name
of the ministry, as being set up and made by the people, and so are ministers of the people, and accountable to them, for their male administrations ; to be deposed and even ex ecuted by them, as any other common malefactor. And the king (or queen ) is likewise answerable for all those ministers whom he (or she) employs under him (or her) Therefore when we blacken and defame the ministry, it is adirect attacking of him (or her) who employs them. By this method we carry'd our ends against K. Char. I and K. Jam. II. And hope to carry them on still. Besides,
my dear country man, the ministry being, the life and soul of the government, without which the government is dead, and nothing but a word, for what government is it that is not
sters.
And how can it be adminijlred without
a? I
ministry Therefore when still keep
administred?
old
betmiixt the government æk^ministry of England,
as I told thee i this is parting offoul and body, which we call death. And it is a direct dissolution of xbe. government. But these dunder-heads do not see it. I'll tell thee, country man, I'll undertake, as filly a fellow as I am, to break, any government in. the world, if they'll give me. leave to' blacken and asperse the ministry, as publickly and bravely as 1 do in England. To tell them/, as I do in my Obser-
•vator of last March 1 1,
court to any indictment, where 1 expect to have fair play,
to
my
distinction
am ready to in 1703. answer
18 The REHEARS AL.
and not be condemned without being heard: Which will hi
the practice of our courts of justice, as long as our present
judgis are in being.
Then to fall upon our admirals and generals, and name
them by name, as I do Sir George Rook in many of my Observators, even in my last of Aug. i 6. and represent him in most scandalous manner.
And to fay of another great general, as I do in my Ob-
servator of May I 3, 1 704.
in a fighting army, under a general that voe now dearly want, •who did not use to return from the war, SINE
O dear liberty and property ! who wou'd live in a coun try where he cou'd be restrain'd from this ?
In short country-man, we will have none that are for the church to be either judges or generals, or admirals, oi in any other office, either ecclefiastical, civil, or military. We'll talk them out, we'll rail them out ; we'll obser•vd- tor them all. We can make one an hero, for being al ways beaten, if he be on our side. And let the others
clade victor; and then ride in triumph over his quein in a medal.
Jight or not fight, we'll be at 'em. In mine of Saturday
last. Aug. 1 z. I was upon the admiralty again and the
I name, the re turn of the Tholoun squadron, the affairs s/'Ponts, the late inglorious action of Gray don, the treachery at Ca- maret, with many other like instances. Then I bring my charge home upon the government, that the actors in those dishonourable Jcenes have been so sightly punifi9d. This will stir up the mob, to think all wrong at court. And
whole management of our sea affairs :
you know the next thing is, to think of a remedy.
That bull-dog of Cassandra has chas'd me from one to another, till he brought me (part 2. p. 17. ) where I fall foul upon his royal highness the prince himself, and tell him plainly, that the highest office in England, is not above the law e/'England. And that the laws c/'England weri made to detect and punish offenders. This put me a little
agast, but I was claps d on the back, and bid stand to That had party wou'd stand me, who had greatei
It has been my to be fortune
I a
by
it-
if I
prosecuted for so saying
prove ; as it has
The REHEARS AL.
19
nxiori than this for me to do. And so I did. And an swered boldly in my Observator of last July 19. That a« to the charge of nojustice being done by the prince or his auncil, for the publicksafety, but the guilty persons si;ll
in court, open
continud to be employ d, notwithstanding the prooss made of their embezzlements of the stores, Use. I answer, That it
is matter offact, which I ready
am
ponied before the right honourable the house oflords.
been
am to
C. And had you nojustice there neither ? Is not this a fort of an accusation against the justice of the lords too ? Why did you not go to my queen ? I am sure she wou'd have done you justice.
O. I have told thee often, that the crown itself is but an office, like that of the lord mayor orsheriffs ; which is
already
the reason I give in my Observator (Vol. 2. N. 25. ) 'That the regal dignity can never be hereditary. And being but
an office, you know, the highest office in England is not above the law of England, &c. as I apply 'd it to the prince. And it is her ofsice, not his, that is the highest office in England. And I told thee last time we met, that
J owe her no more respect than according to the loy.
force ?
Inow to arat! NowI'llbe begin smell
C. Oho!
upon thy Bones, in behalf of my dear queen, for all thy French. Thou fay'st thy loyalty is limited by law. And thou wilt give no more. Wilt thou give as much then ? And we shall agree. Wilt thou own those acts of parlia ment quoted in my last, that there is no coercive power over my queen, either in lords, commons, or the people ? That none of them, nor all together have any legiflative power without the queen ? Or, wilt thou fay, that this is not law ? That these acts of parliament are not still in
Or, that an act os parliament is not law ? Thou
titpegg'd down, Bays, thou must answer directly to these
things. They are plain questions. And thy loy and loy
alty will not help thee. If thou shuffle, or give a cart load of ill names, it will but make thee more ridiculous. And I'll tell thee, not only I my self, but all my honest
country-men, who have been so long led by the nose by thee,
20 The REHEARSAL.
thee, will quit thee, for a scoundrel, who can'st talk an<J rave at random, but i«raa nothing, nor C3. rift. an/kver to any thing. Thou hast appeal'd to the7•an>. Let'the" /ai«
then bejudge. Ifthou can'st not answer to these a£ls
of
parliament here objected, thou art gone ! gone ! as dead as a herring. And the /aw which thou hast abus'd may take hold on thee, tho* thou think'st that there will' be no righteous proceedings in any of our courts ofjustice,' as long as our -present judges are in being, thou; wast then out of their clutches. And thought'st'itwould never be day.
Gr whose hands thou might'? come into.
Thou must answer likewise for calling the abdication
of the late K. James, a depofing of him, and divesting him. of ailhis' regalities, and 'making him a fugitive on the earth. As thou do'st in thy Obfervator, Vol. 2. N. 89. Whereas, to avoid all these odious imputations, and the breach of our laws, which allow not of depofing our
kings, the wifdom ofthe convention found out the abdica tion. And thou, like a blockhead, mak'st them all one. Thou a vindicator of the revolution! Thou mak'st the revolution as black as the 30th of "January. In which thou do'st rejoyce, and compar'st them together, as equally glorious acts. Did our fore-fathers (fay'st
thou) de-truncate the father? Did not we depose the
son ? And may not future ages examine the difference be- . t-ivixt the decollation, and the abdication? Is this a vindi cating of the revolution ? If great stresshad not been laid upon the vacancy of the throne, and the abdication (to' avoid the odium of a depofition ) these words had not en- dur'd such tough debates. And thou now givest them
up, after thy master Julian Johnson, who wou'd have it an ab-renunciation. And made afool of that too.
O. Andthou'lt make a fool df me too, if I have been writing all this while against the revolution.