as they are to devoure honesty and all honest men, that are desirous
to serve their God in Sincerity, and obey their lawfull King
and his Posteritle; What devillish devises can the whole Brood of
Hells Councell-Table invent to disturbe a World of Commonwealths,
more then our grand Juncto, Plutoes pretended English
Parliament hath done? to swallow Protestations, Oaths, and Covenants,
and at will and pleasure to violate them again is nothing,
but to subscribe to the New Engagement, a new invension to seduce
poore souls, is honest and lawfull by the power of the great
Authoritie; Nay, Banishment, Imprisonment, and Death to any
that shall refuse to take it: and after that they have taken it,(then
forsooth) a new-found Oath must follow to make sure worke for
the Devill, and that must be to confirme their Engagement, and
to sweare (that forsworne Oath to him 'that takes it) That the
Mirror of Kings dyed lawfully, and suffered, justly, and that this present
Government (though diabollicall) is the true Government, which
I for my part verily beleeve to be so, the true Government leading
to Perdition and utter Destruction; this viperous brood hath
set such traps to catch me, that I could not appeare in any likenes
as I would, and therefore I pray my friends to excuse my constrined
neglect, and this Sheets imperfectnesse, and now for this present
Engagement I shall relate you a very pleasant and true Story.
An honest plaine within the juridiction of London, being loath to
lose his Estate, (as all honest mea must doe that will not take it)
comming before two Justices for such uses selected, was no sooner
in their presents, but he begins to vimit, to the amazement of the
Just Asses, who demanded of him what he came there for, and in
so beastly a mannor, he answered, he could not help it, but was come
to take the Engagement and kept on vomitting continually, which
forced them to dispatch him away with all speed, who no sooner
tooke his Certificate from them, and under their hands and seales
(having first of all payed his money) but he begins to rowle his
Certificate in as small a Roule as he possible could, and immediately
before their faces swallowed the same; which when they saw,
they demanded of him the reason why he did so, who modestly
replyed, but he hoped now to keepe this Engagement having cleared
his stomack (as hee said hee thought he had) from so many Oathes,
Vowes, and ovenants, as he had formerly taken, so with the rewrad
of a Knave from Knaves, he departed.
There was likewise another Gentleman in London, that writ