He says that many pious ministers of the word of God,
some thousands of them, do now beg their bread: and told me how
highly the present clergy carry themselves every where so as that
they are hated and laughed at by every body; among other things,
for their excommunications, which they send upon the least
occasions almost that can be. And I am convinced in my
judgement, not only from his discourse, but my thoughts in
general, that the present clergy will never heartily go down with
the generality of the commons of England; they have been so used
to liberty and freedom, and they are so acquainted with the pride
and debauchery of the present clergy. He did give me many
stories of the affronts which the clergy receive in all places of
England from the gentry and ordinary persons of the parish. He
do tell me what the City thinks of General Monk, as of a most
perfidious man that hath betrayed every body, and the King also;
who, as he thinks, and his party, and so I have heard other good
friends of the King say, it might have been better for the King
to have had his hands a little bound for the present, than be
forced to bring such a crew of poor people about him, and be
liable to satisfy the demands of every one of them.
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