Persian monarchs (then
their sovereigns) so to do, albeit they were not free subjects, but
vassals, and one of them the servant of Artaxerxes, then by conquest
king of Judah also.

Nor hath this doctrine or practice been deemed seditious or
unwarrantable, by the princes, that have sat upon the English throne,
but justified and defended by Queen Elizabeth of blessed memory, with
the expense of much treasure and noble blood, in the united provinces of
the Netherlands combined not only without, but against the unjust
violence of Philip, king of Spain; king James followed her steps, so far
as to approve their union, and to enter into a league with them as free
states; which is continued by his majesty now reigning, unto this day;
who both by his expedition for relief of Rochel in France, and his
strict confederacy with the prince of Orange, and the states general,
notwithstanding all the importunity of Spain to the contrary, hath set
to his seal that all that had been done by his royal ancestors, in
maintainance of those who had so engaged and combined themselves, was
just and warrantable.

And what had become of the religion, laws, and liberties of our sister
nation of Scotland, had they not entered into such a solemn league and
covenant at the beginning of the late troubles there? Which course
however it was at first, by the popish and prelatic projectors,
represented to his majesty, as an offence of the highest nature, justly
deserving chastisement by the fury of a puissant army; yet when the
matter came afterwards in cool blood to be debated, first by
commissioners of both kingdoms, and then in open parliament here, (when
all those of either house, who are now engaged at Oxford, were present
in parliament, and gave their votes therein) it was found, adjudged and
declared by the king in parliament, that our dear brethren of Scotland
had done nothing but what became loyal and obedient subjects, and were
by act of parliament publicly righted in all the churches of this
kingdom, where they had been defamed.

Therefore, however some men, hoodwinked and blinded by the artifices of
those Jesuitical engineers, who have long conspired to sacrifice our
religion to the idolatry of Rome, our laws, liberties and persons to
arbitrary slavery, and our estates to their insatiable avarice, may
possibly be deterred and amused with high threats and declarations,
flying up and down on the wings of the royal name and countenance, now
ca