59 withstanding that hellish pouder plott, the papists lost not their creditt at court, where they now wrought no longer by ·Open and direct wayes, bnt humouring the king and queenc in their lusts and excesses, found the most ready way to destroy the doctrine of the gospell, was to debosh the professors. .The court of this king was a nursery of lust and intemperance, he had brought in with him a company of poore Scotts, who comming into this plentiful kingdome, surfetted with riott and debaucheries, and gott all the riches of the land only to cast away. The bonor, wealth, and glory of the nation, wherein Queene Elizabeth left it:, were soon prodigally ,vasted by .this thriftlesse heire, the nobility of the land utterly debas'd by setting honors to publick sale, and conferring them on persons that had neither blood nor meritt fit to weare, nor estates to beare up their titles, but were faine to invent proiects to pill z the people, and pick thei1· purses for the maintenance of. vice and lewclnesse. The generallity of the gentry of the land soone learnt the court fashion, and every greate house· in the country became a sty of uncleannesse. To keepe the people in their deplorable security, till vengeance overtooke them, they were entertain'cl with masks, stage playes, and sorts of ruder sports. Then began murther, incest, adultery, drunkennesse, swearing, fornication, and all sort of' ribaldry, to be no concea.l'd bt1t countenanc'd vices; because.they held such conformity with the court example. Next to this, a greate cause of these abominations was the mixt marriages of papist and protestant famelies, which, no question, was a design of the popish party to compasse and procure, and so successefnll that I have observ'cl that there was not one house of ten, where such a marriage was made, but the better party was corrupted, the child-reus soules were sacrific'd to devills, the worship of God was laid aside in that famely, for feare of distasting the idolater; the kindred, tenants, and neighbours, either quite - turn'd from it, or cool'cl in, ' Pill-pillage, plunder.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=