But not long had his excellency anchored upon those Neptune. streams, but he received advertisements from the Diamond, and other frigates, that had been scouting forth, that had been scouting forth, that a great fleet of Hollanders, consisting of at least two-hundred sail, was riding between Dover and Calais; whereupon, Major Bourn was commanded forth, with the great Andrew, the nimble Saphir, the famous Garland, and twenty-seven other stout men of war, as a forlorn to the navy, to engage the enemy, if possible.

After him sailed Sir George Ayscue, with thirty-five sail, as a reserve; and, within shot of the said squadron, the general bore up with the great ship, called the Commonwealth, and the rest of the fleet, flanking Sir George. The Dutch, perceiving their resolute motion, endeavoured to get Calais-point, but Sir George, to prevent them, bore up to the lecward, by which means he got the wind of the Dutch fleet, and hath now engaged them. The Zealand ships lie at the head of their fleet, anu seem to be very resolute for action. Vice-admiral Evarson hath attempted to fire some of our ships, but was prevented; for Major Bourn, commanding the guard that night, received advertisements, from one of his scouts, of the near approach of some of the enemy's ships, and prepared te receive them; which he so effectually performed, that two of his fire-ships were soon waylaid, and the rest dissipated; insomuch that De Witte and Ruttyer endeavour to decline engagement; but it is a thing impossible, for we now have them pretty fast upon the hug, and question not, by divine assistance, but to give them a sudden turn, by reason they are divided, having diversity of opinions, and manned with English, Flemings, Scots, Walloons, Switzers, and Germans. This great blow is suddenly expected; yet something further I should have insisted on, but I am forced to draw to a period, by reason the pacquet-boat is falling of, and our ships ready to engage.

Aboard the Ruby, Septemb. 25, 1652.

As touching our further victorious success against the Hollanders, it is confirmed by letters from Captain Stoaks, commander of the Dragon, to the council of state; who, having discovered two sail upon the coast of France, made up to them, and found them to have Swedish colours; but, coming aboard them, he discovered them to be Guiney ships, laden with gold ore and elephants teeth, and several letters, directed to Amsterdam, and other places in Holland, which, with other circumstances, gave cause to believe, that the lading of the said vessels belonged to the Dutch; whereupon, the captain brought the said ships into Plymouth, where they now remain The officers of these prize ships say, that the gold ore and elephants teeth, and other lading therein, are worth about fourscore-thousand pounds; the said captain likewise took a pickroon of twenty-four guns, and twenty-four men, which he likewise brought into harbour.

By an express from Dover, thus: The Dutch fleet, under De Witte, came in sight of this town, at the back of the Goodwin, on the tenth instant; and, on the eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth, plied to the westward; the fourteenth, they lay between Calais and Boulogne; the fifteenth, they came on this side with six frigates, and gave chace to a

Sandwich pink, but she got safe into the Downs; the sixteenth, De Witte, with about thirty sail, came to this side again, having gotten sight of eight sail, coming to the westward; bore up to them, and, between Foulkstone and this town, put the Swan frigate on shore, and three Mor laix men, laden with linnen-cloth, and two or three small men of this town, most of them ashore; the Mary fly-boat, and Brier frigate, got past them to this town, but exchanged several shot with them. Thus it pleased God to preserve them all. De Witte himself came very near the shore, and let several broad-sides fly at our ships, that were stranded, and Sandgate castle returned him several guns. Towards night he stood over to the French coast, to the rest of the fleet; and, that tide, all our ships got off, but not without some damage, only the Swan frigate got a bulge, which made her unserviceable at present; the seventeenth, he lay at half sea over, betwixt Boulogne and this town; the eighteenth, he came to the back of the Goodwin with sixty sail, being resolved to play some feats against the English, or else never to return to his own country.

De Witte is joined with Ruttyer, having seventy of the greatest ships that ever yet were set forth. Stout Evarson, of Zealand, is vice-admiral, whose mariners are famous, and were once accounted the stoutest enemy that ever sailed upon the seas. But, truly Mr. Launsman, though you now usurp a privilege upon small game, the butter-box of your trifling honour may. perchance, melt away, in a hot day, with the English. For know, that injuries, in this kind, evermore prove like stones thrown up into the air; they may touse lustily for a while, like the aspiring sound of a trumpet, but, at last, they must of necessity fall down upon your ambition, to dissolve the injustice of your imperious spirits. They are grown so high and imperious, that they begin to truss up poor Englishmen in several places, as a faulcon does wild ducks, especially about the coast of Norfolk, where, on Sunday, the twelfth instant, they adventured into the very harbour at Wells, and took away some vessels. This sudden exploit caused divers gentlemen, and others, with their families, to return higher into the country.

By an express from Yarmouth, it is certified, that there is a fleet of seventy sail of colliers lying ready to be convoyed for London; and that there is another great fleet also in readiness at Newcastle, with thirteen sail of island vessels of Captain Worm's fleet; but from him, and the rest, we yet hear no news. We hear that Colonel Airs and Doctor Chamberlain being bound for Ireland, through distress of weather, the vessel was in great danger by a storm, and, it is much feared, the passengers are cast away.

The Hollanders have agreed to send a navy to the East-Indies, with commission to destroy and depopulate those places of the English; they are old excellent at the routing of you in high language, but are not a little moved, that you have gotten so many considerable prizes from their merchants.

From France they write, that the prodigious force, and matchless valour of the Duke of York, causeth great admiration in the enemy's camp, who have felt wonderful and strange exploits, and yet the vanquished continually find his grace and favour; for, upon beating up of some of the Spanish quarters, a French colonel persuaded him to use

the benefit of the advantage, which the darkness of the night afforded him. No, no, said he, it fits me not to hunt after night-stolen victories. Malo me fortuna pæniteut, quam victoria pudeat. I had rather repent me of my fortune than be ashamed of my victory.

From the navy, further thus: We have received advertisements from Genoa, that eight of our ships, whereof four are men of war, and four merchantmen, have had a great dispute with nine Dutch men of war, and, after a short conflict, with great gallantry and resolution performed on both sides, it pleased God to crown the English with victory, and to deliver into their hands five of the enemy's best ships; but three got off, though, notwithstanding, they were much rent and torn; the other was sunk. These five, with those two, taken by Captain Stoaks, make up the whole number forty-seven; wherein were found great store of rich merchandises, ammunition, and, at least, seven hundred pieces of ordnance; which is a great weakening to the States of Holland, and no little discouragement to their mariners, to see their own ships manned forth against them.

These particulars from Captain Stoaks were confirmed by a letter to the council of state, on Sunday last, being the twenty-sixth of this instant, September, 1652.

CRY AGAINST A CRYING SIN,*

OR

A just complaint to the Magistrates,

Against them who have broken the statute-laws of God, by killing of men merely for theft. Manifested in a petition long since presented to the common-council of the city of London on the behalf of transgressors. Together with certain proposals, presented by Colonel Pride, to the right honourable the general council for the army, and the committee, appointed by the Parliament of England, to consider of the inconveniencies, mischiefs, chargeableness, and irregularities in their law.

JER. v. 4, 5, 6.

Therefore I said, surely these are poor, they are foolish; for they know not the way of Jehovah, nor the judgment of their God.

I will get me unto the great men, and I will speak unto them; for they have known the way of Jehovah, the judgment of their God; but these have altogether broken the yoke, and burst the bonds.

• Vide the 295th article in the catalogue of pamphlets.

Therefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them; a wolf of the evenings shall spoil them; a leopard shall watch over their cities; every one that goeth out thence shall be torn in pieces, because their transgressions are many, and their backslidings are strong.

HOSEA V. 10, 11, 12.

The princes of Judah were like them that removed the bound; I will pour out my wrath upon them like water.

Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment, because he willingly walked after the commandment.

Therefore, will I be unto Ephraim as a moth; and to the house of Judah

as rottenness.

HOSEA viii. 12.

I have written to him the great things of my law, but they were counted as a strange thing.

Printed at London, for Samuel Chidley, dwelling in Bow-Lane, at the sign of the Chequer, 1652. Quarto, containing thirty-four pages in red letter.

THE PREFACE.

THIS little book reflecteth upon all those, who have broken the sta tute laws of God, by killing of men merely for theft. Let such sinners who are the judges, or executioners of such over-much justice, be ashamed, and confounded for defiling the land with blood; if they hold on this their wonted course, now the light of lawful liberty breaketh forth, will not the land spue them out? For the earth crieth against this sin, which cannot be cleansed in an ordinary way, without the blood of him that sheddeth it. This is one of the abominations of the time, for which the saints ought to mourn.

It is long since this following petition was presented to Thomas Andrews, Esq. the then lord mayor, and to the aldermen and commoncouncil; but, had they done but their duties, I had no need to print and publish these books in red letters, and present the same to them in the midst of their jollity, and to the learned judges of the land; yea, to the commissioners of oyer and terminer, and goal-delivery, at the sessions at Newgate, before whom I appeared, to put them in mind of their duty, and of the law of God, which they had forgotten, and rested too much upon an arm of flesh; yea, if they had done what they were bound in conscience to do, and had observed that most righteous law, to which they were sworn, it would have saved me a labour of going to the council of state, general council of the army, or the parliament. Now, seeing little fruit yet appears, for the establishing of the laws of God in this nation (for the lives of men are taken away merely for unvaluable trifles) I am once more pressed in spirit to publish the same, in manner and form following. Thus sound

ing an alarm against the workers of iniquity, that they may repent, and turn from their evil ways; so delivering my soul, and clearing myself of that blood-guiltiness, which lieth upon others, and especially upon rich men, who are called to weep and howl for the miseries that shall come upon others. For the bread of the needy is the life of the poor, and he that defraudeth him of it is a murderer, and the scripture saith, "Thou shalt take no ransom for the life of a murderer that is guilty of death, but he shall surely be put to death.' But I hope, that some righteous men will take the matter into serious consideration, these our endeavours tending not only to the good of those transgressors, who have not deserved death by the laws of God, but also, of those who put them to death unjustly, lest the justice of God take hold upon those who are the causers of it, and that the like punishment be inflicted justly upon them, which they inflict upon others unjustly. And, indeed, I do admire that men who profess to be governed by God's laws, and stand against tyranny, should bave a finger in such a work! Surely, such men, though they pretend never so much religion, are not fit to pray, nor to be played with: For, when they stretch forth their hands, God will hide his eyes, and, though they make many prayers, he will not hear them whose hands are full of blood.'

To the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and Commons in common council assembled.

The mournful petition of many inhabitants of the City of London, in the behalf of many thousand transgressors.

Sheweth,

THA

HAT, forasmuch as the righteous God exacteth no more of sinful man, than his iniquities deserve, no magistrate is to punish a wicked man for his iniquity, beyond the rule of equity; that, seeing it is evident, that whatsoever is good is of God, and the contrary of Abaddon; and that no man's will, though great, is good, unless it be correspondent to the will of him who is greater than the greatest; nor the law of any authority whatsoever, unless it be according to the law of him, who is higher than the highest: Therefore, when great ungodly men have, by their own wills, and inhuman laws, for many years, destroyed not only the righteous for conscience-sake, but also the wicked undeservedly, this was iniquity to be punished by the judge, though done by judges themselves, who, by their over-much righteousness, and over-much wickedness, the people abetting them, have brought death and destruction upon this land, and the hand of the Lord is stretched out still, against this sinful nation, and unless they repent, they shall surely perish.

That the head of this land is the sinful city of London, who, instead of bringing forth monthly good, for the healing of the nation, doth bring forth that which tendeth to the destruction thereof; grey hairs being sprinkled here and there upon them, and they not aware; for they consider not, how many are destroyed every month, by the law ofman,