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<DATE>2009-12-23</DATE>
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<NAME>Pip Willcox</NAME>
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<DIV1 TYPE="preamble">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>The PREAMBLE, to all the Free-borne People of <HI>ENGLAND.</HI></HEAD>
<P><HI>_BRethren</HI> and <HI>Fellow-Commons;</HI> God and the world knowes, that the well-affected party of this Kingdome (di&s;cerned by their voluntary aide to the Parliament) having tryed all po&s;&s;ible and fair means, as much as any People for number and power of any Kingdom or Nation ever did, by Prayers, A&s;&s;i&s;tance, Concurrence, Attendance, Petitions, Oblations, Informa|tions, and Di&s;coveries, as well of Trea&s;ons, as of utter de&s;olations, and per|ceiving them&s;elves now at la&s;t to be in a far wor&s;e condition, both in num|ber and power (their Lives and E&s;tates, yea and precious time al&s;o being &s;o far &s;pent) then they were at the fir&s;t; and be&s;ides, like to loo&s;e all, and &s;carce|ly to have (or leave) &s;o much as their Lives, Lawes, or Liberties for a prey.</P>
<P>And &s;eeing, by manifold examples of grievous experience, that neither Pe|titions can be ea&s;ily accepted, ju&s;tice truely admini&s;tred, the Pre&s;&s;es equally opened, the cryes of the poor heard, the teares of the oppre&s;&s;ed con&s;idered, the &s;ighes of the Pri&s;oners regarded, the mi&s;eries of the widow and Father|le&s;&s;e pittyed, nor &s;carcely any that are in di&s;tre&s;&s;e relieved but Lawes any way wre&s;ted, mo&s;t of our freedoms re&s;trained, Ordinances, Prote&s;tations, Oathes, and Covenants &s;lighted, the hearts of all E&s;tates, King, Parliament, Prie&s;t and People obdured, the wicked for the mo&s;t part ab&s;olved, the ju&s;t often|times condemned, and mo&s;t of all in Authority perjured, not only by brea|king that &s;olemne Oath, which them&s;elves did make, and compelling others to take, but neverthele&s;&s;e, by per&s;ecuting tho&s;e who make Con&s;cience to keep it, even becau&s;e they will not break it. In deep, &s;ad, &s;erious, and lamentable con&s;ideration of all the&s;e grievous proceedings, and as much by feeling the &s;mart, as hearing, &s;eeing or knowing the verity thereof, chiefly the Opre&s;&s;i|ons, taxations, In&s;urrections, Rebellions, Pre&s;ecutions, Violences, Robbeies, Seque&s;trations, and Combu&s;tions, I with my poor one <HI>Talent,</HI> in &s;tead of him that hath Ten, out of a dutifull and con&s;ciencious love, tender and pittifull re&s;pect to my Nation, now in this her great defection, and apparent de&s;ola|tion, chiefly for the remnant thereof (who mourn in &s;ecret, both for her great abominations, &s;ins, de&s;olations, and their own particular tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions, and who doubtle&s;&s;e are marked to e&s;cape the fury of Gods fearfull indignation;)</P>
<P>Have u&s;ed my be&s;t endeavours here, both to &s;hew the maladies and reme|dies of this &s;ick, &s;wouning, bleeding, and dying Nation, that if God hath not ordained it, like <HI>Babell,</HI> to &s;udden, inevitable and utter de&s;truction, it may yet be cured, and a remnant re&s;erved, according to the Lords u&s;uall dealing in all his vi&s;itations, remembring his tender compa&s;&s;ions and mercy, even in the mid&s;t of his mo&s;t fearfull judgements and &s;everitie, that in de&s;pight of Sathan and all his in&s;truments, they may doe ju&s;tice and judgement, and prai&s;e him in &s;incerity.</P>
<CLOSER><SALUTE>Farewell.</SALUTE></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
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<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB N="1" REF="2">
<HEAD><HI>ENGLANDS BIRTH-RIGHT</HI> Ju&s;tified <HI>Again&s;t all Arbitrary &V;&s;urpation, whether</HI> REGALL <HI>or</HI> PAR|LIAMENTARY, <HI>or under what Vizor &s;oever.</HI> With divers <HI>Queries, Ob&s;ervations</HI> and <HI>Grievances</HI> of the People, declaring this Parliaments pre&s;ent Proceedings to be directly con|trary to tho&s;e fundamentall Principles, whereby their Actions at fir&s;t were ju&s;tifyable again&s;t the <HI>King,</HI> in their pre&s;ent Illegall dealings with tho&s;e that have been their be&s;t Friends, Ad|vancers and Pre&s;ervers: And in other things of high concernment to the <HI>Freedom</HI> of all the <HI>Free-born People</HI> of <HI>England;</HI> By a Well-wi&s;her to the ju&s;t cau&s;e for which Lieutenant Col. <HI>JOHN LILB&V;RNE</HI> is unju&s;tly impri&s;oned in <HI>New-gate.</HI></HEAD>
<P>In the 150. <HI>page</HI> of the Booke called, An exact Collection of the <HI>Parliaments</HI> Remon&s;trances, Declarations, &amp;c. publi&s;hed by &s;peciall Order of the Hou&s;e of <HI>Commons,</HI> March 24. 1642. we find there a Que&s;tion an&s;wered, fit for all men to take notice of in the&s;e &s;ad times; which followeth.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Que&s;t."><HI>NOw in our extreame di&s;tractions, when forraigne for|ces threaten, and probably are invited, and a malig|nant and Popi&s;h party at home offended, The Devill hath ca&s;t a bone, and rais'd a Conte&s;tation between the KING and PARLIAMENT touching the</HI> MILITIA. <HI>His Maje&s;tie claims the di&s;po&s;ing of it to be in Him by the right of Law; The</HI> Parliament <HI>&s;aith,</HI> Rebus &s;ic &s;tantibus, <HI>and</HI> nolenti Rege, <HI>the Ordering of it is in them?</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;."> _WHich Que&s;tion, may receive its &s;olution hy this di|&s;tinction. That there is in Laws an equitable, and a literall &s;en&s;e. His Maje&s;tie (let it be granted) is in|tru&s;ted by Law with the <HI>Militia,</HI> but it is for the good and pre&s;ervation of the Republick&punc; again&s;t Forraign Inva&s;ions or dome&s;tick Rebellions. For it cannot be &s;uppo&s;ed that the <HI>Parlia|ment</HI> would ever by Law intru&s;t the King with the <HI>Militia</HI> again&s;t them&s;elves, or the Common-wealth, that intru&s;ts them to provide for their weal, not for their woe. So that when there is certaine ap|pearance
<PB N="2" REF="3">
or grounded &s;u&s;pition, that the Letter of the Law &s;hall be improved again&s;t the <HI>equitie</HI> of it (that is, the publick good, whe|ther of the body reall or repre&s;entative) then the Commander going again&s;t its <HI>equity,</HI> gives liberty to the Commanded to refu&s;e <HI>obedi|ence</HI> to the Letter: for the Law taken ab&s;tract from its originall rea|&s;on and end, is made a &s;hell without a kernell, a &s;hadow without a &s;ub&s;tance, and a body without a &s;oul. It is the execution of Laws according to their <HI>equity</HI> and <HI>rea&s;on,</HI> which (as I may &s;ay) is the &s;pi|rit that gives life to Authority the Letter kills.</P>
<P>Nor need this <HI>equity</HI> be expre&s;&s;ed in the Law, being &s;o naturally implyed and &s;uppo&s;ed in all Laws that are not meerly Imperiall, from that Analogie which all bodies Politick hold with the Natu|rall; whence all Government and Governours borrow a proporti|onable re&s;pect; And therefore when the <HI>Militia</HI> of an Army is com|mitted to the Generall, it is not with any expre&s;&s;e condition, that he &s;hall not turn the mouthes of his Cannons again&s;t his own Soul|diers, for that is &s;o naturally and nece&s;&s;arily implyed, that its need|le&s;&s;e to be expre&s;&s;ed, in&s;omuch as if he did attempt or command &s;uch a thing again&s;t the nature of his tru&s;t and place, it did <HI>ip&s;o facto</HI> e&s;tate the Army in a right of Di&s;obedience, except we think that obe|dience binds Men to cut their owne throats, or at lea&s;t their com|panions.</P>
<P>And indeed, if this di&s;tinction be not allowed, then the legall and mixt <HI>Monarchy</HI> is the greate&s;t <HI>Tyranny;</HI> for if Laws inve&s;t the King in an ab&s;olute power, and the Letter be not controlled by the equity, then whereas other Kings that are ab&s;olute <HI>Monarchs,</HI> and rule by Will and not by Law, are <HI>Tyrants</HI> perforce. Tho&s;e that rule by Law, and not by Will, have hereby a <HI>Tyranny</HI> confer'd upon them legally, and &s;o the very end of Laws, which is to give bounds and limits to the exorbitant wills of Princes, is by the laws them&s;elves di&s;appoint|ed, for they hereby give corroboration (and much more ju&s;tification) to an arbitrary <HI>Tyranny,</HI> by making it legall, not a&s;&s;umed; which Laws are ordained to cro&s;&s;e, not countenance: and therefore is the Letter (where it &s;eems ab&s;olute) alwayes to receive qualification from the equity, el&s;e the fore&s;aid ab&s;urdity mu&s;t follow. <HI>So farre the Parliaments own words.</HI></P>
<P>It is confe&s;&s;ed by all rationall men, that the <HI>Parliament</HI> hath a po|wer to annull a Law, and to make a new Law, and to declare a Law,
<PB N="3" REF="3">
but known Laws in force &amp; unrepealed by them, are a Rule (&s;o long as they &s;o remain) for all the <HI>Commons</HI> of <HI>England</HI> whereby to walk; and upon rationall grounds is conceived to be binding to the very <HI>Parliament</HI> them&s;elves as well as others. And though by their legi&s;la|tive power they have Authority to make new Laws, yet no free-man of <HI>England</HI> is to take notice (or can he) of what they intend till they declare it: neither can they, as is conceived, ju&s;tly puni&s;h any man for walking clo&s;ely to the knowne and declared Law, though it cro&s;&s;e &s;ome pretended Priviledge of theirs, remaining onely in their own brea&s;ts.</P>
<P>For where there is no Law declared, there can be no tran&s;gre&s;|&s;ion; therefore it is very requi&s;ite, that the <HI>Parliament</HI> would declare their Priviledges to the whole <HI>Commons</HI> of <HI>England,</HI> that &s;o no man may through ignorance (by the <HI>Parliaments</HI> default) run cau&s;ele&s;ly into the hazard of the lo&s;&s;e of their lives, liberties, or e&s;tates: for here it is acknowledged by them&s;elves, that their Power is limited by tho&s;e that betru&s;t them; and that they are not to doe what they li&s;t, but what they ought, namely to provide for the peoples weal, and not for their woe: &s;o that unknown Priviledges are as danger|ous, as unlimited Prerogatives, being both of them &s;ecret &s;nares, e&s;pe|cially for the be&s;t affected people.</P>
<P>It is the greate&s;t hazard and danger that can be run unto, to di|&s;art the onely known and declared Rule; the laying a&s;ide whereof brings in nothing but Will and Power, lu&s;t and &s;trength, and &s;o the &s;tronge&s;t to carry all away; for it is the known, e&s;tabli&s;hed, declared, and unrepealed Law, that tells all the Free-men of <HI>England,</HI> that the Knights &amp; Burge&s;&s;es cho&s;en according to Law, and &s;ent to make up the <HI>Parliament,</HI> are tho&s;e that all the <HI>Commons</HI> of <HI>England</HI> (who &s;end and choo&s;e them) are to obey.</P>
<P>But take away this declared Law: and where will you find the rule of Obedience? and if there be no rule of Obedience, then it mu&s;t ne|ce&s;&s;arily follow, that if a greater and &s;tronger number come to a <HI>Parliament</HI> &s;itting, and tell them that they are more and &s;tronger then them&s;elves, and therefore they &s;hall not make Laws for them, but they will rather make Laws for them, mu&s;t they not needs give place? undoubtedly they mu&s;t.</P>
<P>Yea&punc; take away the declared, unrepealed Law, and then where is <HI>Meum &amp; Tuum,</HI> and Libertie, and Propertie? But you will &s;ay, the
<PB N="4" REF="4">
Law declared, binds the People, but is no rule for a Parliament &s;it|ting, who are not to walke by a knowne Law. It is an&s;wered: <HI>It cannot be imagined that ever the People would be &s;o &s;otti&s;h, as to give &s;uch a Power to tho&s;e whom they choo&s;e for their Servants;</HI> for this were to give them a Power to provide for their woe, but not for their weal, which is contrary to their own foregoing Maxime; therefore doubt|le&s;&s;e that man is upon the mo&s;t &s;olid and firm ground, that hath both the Letter and <HI>equity</HI> of a known, declared, and unrepealed Law on his &s;ide, though his practi&s;e doe cro&s;&s;e &s;ome pretended Priviledge of <HI>Parliament.</HI></P>
<P>And whereas by an Act made this pre&s;ent <HI>Parliament, Anno</HI> 17. <HI>Caroli Regis,</HI> intituled,</P>
<P>An Act for Regulating of the <HI>Privie Coun&s;ell,</HI> and for taking away the Court, commonly called, <HI>The Star-Chamber.</HI></P>
<P>It is there declared, That the Proceedings, Cen&s;ures and De|crees of the Star-Chamber, have by experience been found to be an intollerable burthen to the Subject, and the means to introduce an Arbitrary Power and Government, and that the Councell-Table have adventured to determin of the E&s;tates, and Liberties of the Sub|ject, contrary to the Law of the Land, and the Rights and Privi|ledges of the Subject. Which Laws are there recited, as fir&s;t <HI>Magna Carta,</HI> and the 5. <HI>Ed.</HI> 3. 9. and 25. <HI>Ed.</HI> 3. 4. and 28. <HI>Ed.</HI> 3. 3. the la&s;t of which &s;aith, That it is accorded, a&s;&s;ented, and e&s;tabli&s;hed, that none &s;hall be taken by Petition, or &s;ugge&s;tion made to the King or His Councell, unle&s;&s;e it be by Indictment, or pre&s;entment of good and lawfull people of the &s;ame neighbourhood, where &s;uch deeds be done; in due manner, or by Proce&s;&s;e made by Writ originall at the Common Law, and that none be put out of his franchi&s;e or Free|hold, unle&s;&s;e he be duly brought in, to an&s;wer, and fore-judged of the &s;ame by the cour&s;e of the Law; and by another Statute made in the 42 <HI>Ed.</HI> 3. 3. it is there inacted, That no man be put to an&s;wer without pre&s;entment before Ju&s;tices, or matter of Record, or by due Proce&s;&s;e and Writ originall, according to the old Law of the Land.</P>
<P>Therefore for the Subjects good and welfare in future time, it is Inacted, That from henceforth no Court, Councell, or place of Ju|dicature &s;hall be erected, ordained, con&s;tituted, or appointed within this Realme of <HI>England,</HI> or dominion of <HI>Wales,</HI> which &s;hall have, u&s;e,
<PB N="5" REF="4">
or exerci&s;e the &s;ame, or the like juri&s;diction, as is, or hath been u&s;ed, practi&s;ed, or exerci&s;ed in the &s;aid Court of Star-Chamber; that then who&s;oever &s;hall offend, or doe any thing contrary to the pur|port, true intent and meaning of this Law, then he or they &s;hall for &s;uch offence, forfeit the Sum of five hundred pounds of Lawfull mo|ney of <HI>England,</HI> unto any party grieved, his Executors or Admini|&s;trators, who &s;hall really pro&s;ecute the &s;ame, and fir&s;t obtaine judge|ment thereupon, to be recorded in any Court of Record at <HI>We&s;t|min&s;ter,</HI> by Action of debt, Bill, Plaint or Information, wherein no E&s;&s;oine, Protection, wager of Law, aid, Prayer, Priveledge, Injuncti|on, or Order of Re&s;traint &s;hall be in any wayes prayed, granted, or allowed, nor any more then one imparlance, &amp;c. And the <HI>Petition of Right,</HI> which may be &s;aid to be more then a bare Law (for it is a Declaration of the <HI>equity,</HI> true intent and meaning of <HI>Magna Carta,</HI>) and other the good Laws of the Land, which provides for the peo|ples freedome (and binds all, as well the tru&s;ted, as tho&s;e that tru&s;t) as appeares in the Parliaments Prayer to the King, which is, That no Free-man hereafter be u&s;ed contrary to what is before expre&s;|&s;ed, &amp;c. which they &s;ay is the Rights and liberties of the Free-men of <HI>England,</HI> unto which the King an&s;weres, <HI>Let Right be done accor|ding to the Lawes and Cu&s;tomes of the Realme;</HI> But this An&s;wer ad|mitting &s;till a Di&s;pute what was the true intent and meaning of the <HI>Lawes</HI> and <HI>Cu&s;tomes</HI> of the Realm.</P>
<P>They Petition the King again to give a more full &amp; &s;atisfactory an|&s;wer, which he doth, and &s;aith, <HI>Let Right be done, as in the Petition is de&s;ired;</HI> and among&s;t other things there expre&s;&s;ed, it is declared to be contrary to law, to impri&s;on a man without cau&s;e &s;hewed or expre&s;|&s;ed, and al&s;o that it is contrary to <HI>Law,</HI> to force a man to an&s;wer to Que&s;tions concerning him&s;elf, or for refu&s;all, to commit him to pri|&s;on. <HI>So far their own words:</HI> And therefore it were well that both Par|liament-Committees, and all County-Committees, and other Magi|&s;trates in this Kingdom would compound with all tho&s;e hone&s;t and Free-men that they have at their own Wills unju&s;tly committed to Pri&s;on contrary to the true meaning of this <HI>Law,</HI> before by the &s;en|tence of the <HI>Law</HI> they be forced to pay 500<ABBR>l.</ABBR> to every man they have &s;o unju&s;tly Impri&s;oned.</P>
<P>From the <HI>equity</HI> and letter of which <HI>Lawes,</HI> It is de&s;ired that our learned Lawyers would An&s;wer the&s;e in&s;uing QUERIES.</P>
<P N="1"><PB N="6" REF="5">1. <HI>Whether the Letter and</HI> equity <HI>of this Law doe not binde the ve|ry Parliament them&s;elves, during the time of their &s;itting, in the like ca&s;es here expre&s;&s;ed, to the &s;ame Rules here laid downe? Which if it &s;hould be denied,</HI> Then</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>Whether the Parliament it &s;elf, when it is &s;itting, be not bound to the ob&s;ervation of the Letter and</HI> equity <HI>of this Law, when they have to doe with Free-men, that in all their actions and expre&s;&s;ions have decla|red faithfulne&s;&s;e to the Common-wealth? And if this be denied;</HI> Then</P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>Whether ever God made any man law-le&s;&s;e? Or whether ever the Common-wealth, when they choo&s;e the Parliament, gave them a lawle&s;&s;e unlimmitted Power, and at their plea&s;ure to walke contrary to their own Laws and Ordinances before they have repealed them?</HI></P>
<P N="4">4. <HI>Whether it be according to Law, Ju&s;tice, or Equity, for the Par|liament to Impri&s;on or puni&s;h a man for d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">ing what they command him, and by Oath injoyne him?</HI></P>
<P N="5">5. <HI>Whether it be legall, ju&s;t or equall, that when Free-men doe en|deavour according to their duty Oath, and Prote&s;tation, to give in In|formation to the Parliament of Trea&s;on acted and done by Sir</HI> John Lenthall, <HI>again&s;t the State and Kingdome, and long &s;ince communica|ted to &s;everal Members of the Hou&s;e of</HI> Common<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">, <HI>but by them concealed and &s;mothered; and now by Gods Providence brought upon the &s;tage a|gaine, and during the time that Inqui&s;ition is made of it before the Com|mittee of Examination, before any legall charge be fixed upon Sir</HI> John Lenthall, <HI>or be required to make any An&s;wer or Defence, that he &s;hall be pre&s;ent to out-face, di&s;courage, and abu&s;e the Informers and Witne&s;&s;es in the face of the Committee, without any check or controll from them?</HI></P>
<P><HI>And &s;ometimes, while they are &s;itting about the Examination of his Trea&s;on, that he &s;hall &s;it down be&s;ide them with his hat on, as if he were one of them, and that he &s;hall injoy from the Committee ten times more fa|vour and re&s;pect, then the ju&s;t, hone&s;t, and legall Informers again&s;t him; who by &s;ome of the Committees them&s;elves, while they are &s;itting, are threatned, jeared, nick-named, and otherwayes mo&s;t &s;hamefully a|bu&s;ed.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Yea, and the friends of the Informers for the State are kept without doores, and the friends of the accu&s;ed admitted to come in alwayes with|out controll, and during the Examination of the Information, that the Committee &s;hall refu&s;e to remove the Informers out of Sir</HI> John Len|thalls <HI>cu&s;tody of</HI> Kings-bench, <HI>to another Pri&s;on, although they have been
<PB N="7" REF="5" MS="y">
truly informed, that he hath &s;et In&s;truments on work to murther them, and al&s;o importuned to remove them.</HI></P>
<P N="6">6. <HI>Whether it be nor mo&s;t agreeable to Law, Ju&s;tice and Equity, that &s;eeing Sir</HI> John Lenthall, <HI>having &s;o many friends in the Hou&s;e concer|ned in the bu&s;ine&s;e, that he &s;hould not rather be tried by the &s;ame Coun|cell of Warre in</HI> London, <HI>where Sir</HI> John Hotham <HI>and his Sonne were, then at the Parliament, his principall crime being again&s;t the Law Mar&s;hall, as theirs was?</HI></P>
<P N="7">7. <HI>Whether to an&s;wer to an Indictment, when a man is demanded Guilty or not Guilty, be not a criminall Interrogatory, concerning a mans &s;elfe, and &s;o a man not by law bound to An&s;wer to it, e&s;pecially &s;eeing to a Con&s;ciencious man, who dare not lie, it is a great &s;nare, who if he be indicted of a thing he hath done or &s;poken, dare not plead, Not Guilty, for feare of lying, and if he plead guilty, he &s;hall become a &s;elf-de&s;troyer (con|trary to the law of Nature, which teacheth a man to pre&s;erve, but not de|&s;troy him&s;elf) in declaring that which peradventure all his Adver&s;aries would never be able to prove again&s;t him.</HI> And</P>
<P><HI>Whether it be not more &s;uitable and agreeable to the true intent of</HI> Magna Carta (<HI>expre&s;&s;ed in the</HI> 28. <HI>Chap. thereof) where it is &s;aid,</HI> No Bailiffe from henceforth &s;hall put any man to his open Law, nor to an Oath upon his owne bare &s;aying, without faithfull Witne&s;&s;es brought in for the &s;ame, and to the true intent and meaning of the <HI>Petition of Right,</HI> and the Act made this pre&s;ent <HI>Parliament</HI> for the aboli&s;hing the <HI>Star-Chamber, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P><HI>For a free-man to have a charge laid again&s;t him, and his Adver&s;aries brought face to face to prove it, and then the Accu&s;ed to have liberty to make the be&s;t defence for him&s;elf he can, which was the practi&s;e among&s;t the very Heathen</HI> Romans, <HI>who had no light but the light of Nature to guide them,</HI> Act. 25.16.</P>
<P>Yea, Chri&s;t him&s;elf, when his enemies endeavoured to catch him by <HI>Interrogatories,</HI> he puts them off, without an An&s;wer. <HI>Luke</HI> 22.67, 68.70. <HI>Chap.</HI> 23.3.</P>
<P>Yea, when the High <HI>Prie&s;t</HI> asked him about his Di&s;ciples, and his Doctrine, He an&s;wers, <HI>Hee ever taught openly,</HI> and therefore &s;aith he, <HI>Why aske ye mee? aske them that heard me, for they know what I &s;aid,</HI> John 18.20, 21.</P>
<P>Hence ju&s;tly it is conceived, that the <HI>Parliament</HI> may not con|demne that man for contemning their Authoritie, who refu&s;eth to
<PB N="8" REF="6">
an&s;wer to Interrogatories before them (the &s;upreame Court,) who an&s;wereth to Interrogatories in the like ca&s;e before an inferiour Court, but you will &s;ay, it is the u&s;uall practi&s;e of the COM|MON-LAW, the Que&s;tion is, whether that practi&s;e be ju&s;t or no? or whether any Law in practi&s;e in the KINGDOME of <HI>England</HI> doth binde the Free-men thereof, but what is made and declared by Common Con&s;ent in Parliament? and whether or no is there, or ought there not to be a plaine platforme agreed on, and laid down by the Parliament concerning things of &s;o high con|&s;equence to all the Commons of <HI>England?</HI> and &s;eeing the Parlia|ment hath taken care that the <HI>Bible</HI> &s;hall be in Engli&s;h, that &s;o <HI>Lay|men</HI> (as they call them) may read it as well as the Clergy, ought they not al&s;o to be as carefull, that all the binding Lawes in <HI>England</HI> be in Engli&s;h likewi&s;e, that &s;o every Free-man may reade it as well as Lawyers (&s;eeing they have <HI>Lives, Liberties</HI> and <HI>E&s;tates</HI> as well as the other) and peaceably enjoy them no longer then they continue in the ob&s;ervation of the <HI>Laws</HI> of this Kingdom; whereof they are Members: and &s;eeing the Lawyers are &s;o full of broyles and contentions, and grow &s;o rich and great thereby; have not the peo|ple cau&s;e to beleeve they drive on an Intere&s;t of their owne, di&s;tru|ctrive to the Peoples well-fare; yea juggle, and put fal&s;e glo&s;&s;es upon the <HI>Law</HI> (meerly) for their own ends: Seeing &s;o great a part of it is in an unknown tongue, (which the Commons call <HI>Pedlers-french,</HI> or <HI>Heathen-Greeke,</HI>) even as our State Clergy did in the daies of old, before the Scripture was tollerated to be in Engli&s;h, in which dayes they could ea&s;ily make the poor people beleeve the Poopes unwrit|ten verities were as binding as Scripture Rules, which the <HI>Lawyers</HI> have given the Commons ju&s;t cau&s;e to fear, is their pre&s;ent practi&s;e with law Ca&s;es; many of which are be&s;ides the Rule of the Statute-law, and al&s;o again&s;t Ju&s;tice, Equity and Con&s;cience, tending to no other end, but to in&s;lave the People?</P>
<P N="8">8. <HI>Whether it be not ju&s;t and equall, that &s;eeing</HI> Monopoli&s;ers <HI>were thrown out of the Hou&s;e about Foure yeeres agoe, as infringers upon the Common-right of all the free-men of</HI> England, <HI>in &s;etting up Pattents of</HI> Soape, Salt, Lether, &amp;c. <HI>why &s;hould not tho&s;e be partakers of the &s;ame ju&s;tice now, that have been chief &s;ticklers in &s;etting up greater Paten|tees then ever the former were?</HI></P>
<P>As fir&s;t the Patent of ingro&s;&s;ing the Preaching of the Word only
<PB N="9" REF="6">
to &s;uch men as weare Black and rough garments <HI>to deceive, Zech.</HI> 13.4. and have had a Cannonicall Ordination from the Bi&s;hops, and &s;o from the Pope, and con&s;equently from the Divell, although the Spirit of God doth command every man that hath received a gift, <HI>to mini&s;ter the &s;ame one to another, as good Stewards of the manifold grace of God,</HI> 1 Pet. 4.10, 11.</P>
<P>And although ignorance and blindne&s;&s;e be &s;o univer&s;all all over the Kingdome, experience teaching, that where that mo&s;t abounds they draw their &s;words &s;oone&s;t again&s;t the Parliament and Com|mon-wealth (and &s;o con&s;equently again&s;t them&s;elves, and continue the longe&s;t in their Rebellion, as now wee have woefull experience, yet the&s;e grand Monopolizers will neither goe among&s;t them them|&s;elves, nor &s;uffer others without &s;evere puni&s;hment to in&s;truct and teach them the Principles of Chri&s;tianity, or Morallity, by means of which they become de&s;troyers and murderers of &s;oules and bodies, and enemies to the very Civill &s;ocieties of Mankind.</P>
<P>The &s;econd Monopoly is the Patent of <HI>Merchant Adventurers,</HI> who have ingro&s;&s;ed into their hands the &s;ole trade of all woollen Commodities that are to be &s;ent into the <HI>Netherlands,</HI> the mi&s;chie|vou&s;ne&s;&s;e you may at large read in a late di&s;cour&s;e con&s;i&s;ting of mo|tives for the inlargement and freedome of trade, e&s;pecially that of Cloath, and other wollen manufactures ingro&s;&s;ed at pre&s;ent contra|ry to the law of Nature, the law of Nations, and the lawes of this Kingdome, by a company of private men, who &s;tile them&s;elves <HI>Mer|chant Adventurers,</HI> the fir&s;t part of which Di&s;cour&s;e (the &s;econd be|ing not yet come out) are to be &s;old by <HI>Stephen Bowsell</HI> in <HI>Popes-head-alley.</HI> Wool being the &s;tapell Commoditie of the Kingdome, and freee by the lawes and Con&s;titutions of the land, for all the Free-men of <HI>England</HI> to trade in. 12. <HI>H.</HI> 6. 6. and 21. 13. the injoy|ment of which is &s;o e&s;&s;entiall a Priviledge to all the Commons of <HI>England,</HI> that who&s;oever gives it from them, and by any pretended Patent or Authority what&s;oever, a&s;&s;umes it to them&s;elves, are cul|pable of the greate&s;t of puni&s;hments what&s;oever, as tho&s;e that are guilty of Robbing the Free men of <HI>England,</HI> of their birth-right and Inheritance, and yet the pre&s;ent <HI>Farmers of the Cu&s;tome Hou&s;e,</HI> and their A&s;&s;ociates are guilty of this capital crime, for if <HI>Naboath</HI> would not part with his Vineyard (which was his Inheritance) to the King, although he would have given him as much money as it
<PB N="10" REF="7">
was worth, or a better for it, 1 <HI>King.</HI> 21.2. there is no rea&s;on why the free men of <HI>England</HI> &s;hould have &s;o great a part of their <HI>Birth-right,</HI> as this is, taken from them by force and violence, whether they will or no, as their multitude of Petitions to the Parliament yet unan&s;wered, doe declare.</P>
<P>The third <HI>Monopoly,</HI> is that in&s;ufferable, unju&s;t and tyrannical Monopoly of Printing, whereby a great company of the very &s;ame Malignant fellows that <HI>Canterbury</HI> and his Malignant party en|gaged in their Arbitrary <HI>De&s;ignes,</HI> again&s;t both the Peoples and <HI>Par|liaments</HI> ju&s;t Priviledges (who turning with every winde, doe endea|vour by all po&s;&s;ible means, as well now as then, to &s;ell and betray the Kingdome for their own gaine,) are inve&s;ted with an Arbitra|ry unlimmitted <HI>Power,</HI> even by a generall Ordinance of Parliament, to print, divulge and di&s;per&s;e what&s;oever Books, Pamphlets and Libells they plea&s;e, though they be full of <HI>Lyes,</HI> and tend to the poy|&s;oning of the Kingdom with unju&s;t and Tyrannicall <HI>Principles.</HI></P>
<P>And not only &s;o, but mo&s;t violently (even now in Parliament time, which &s;hould be like a cryed <HI>Faire,</HI> and each one free to make the be&s;t u&s;e of their <HI>Ware,</HI> both for the bublick, and their own pri|vate good) to &s;uppre&s;&s;e every thing which hath any true Declarati|on of the ju&s;t Rights and Liberties of the free-borne people of this Nation&punc; and to brand and traduce all &s;uch Writers and Writings with the odious termes of Sedition, Con&s;piracie and Trea&s;on, but to countenance and authorize &s;uch as &s;hall calumniate them, and &s;o both accept &amp; reward &s;uch men far better then their mo&s;t faithfull &s;ervants and be&s;t advancers, ju&s;t as the Bi&s;hops formerly did again&s;t both the <HI>Scots,</HI> and the Parliament them&s;elves.</P>
<P>They doe not re&s;t here neither, but are yet further authorized with a generall Ordinance of this very Parliament, contrary to all law, ju&s;tice, equity and rea&s;on, under pretence of &s;earching for &s;candalous Books, to call numbers of deboy&s;t men with Smiths and Con&s;tables, yea and the trained Bands al&s;o (when they plea&s;e) to a&s;&s;i&s;t them, and in mo&s;t bold and tumultuous manner to break open and rifle, even the Parliaments owne (in all their greate&s;t dangers, troubles &amp; di&s;tre&s;&s;es) mo&s;t faithfull friends Hou&s;es, Che&s;ts, Truncks and Drawers; and from thence to rob, &s;teale, and felloniou&s;ly to carry away &s;uch of the Po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ors proper goods, choice Linnens, and be&s;t things, as they plea&s;e, as well as Books new and old, after they
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have put the owners them&s;elves out of doores, and commanded Con&s;tables to carry them before a Committee, and from thence to Pri&s;on.</P>
<P>Where they may without any con&s;ideration rott, if they will not either betray both a good Cau&s;e, and &s;ome other of the Par|liaments be&s;t friends, when they had few others, or el&s;e &s;ubmit to their unju&s;t lawes; be&s;ides, it is a common thing for &s;uch lawle&s;&s;e men to breake in, and &s;earch hone&s;t mens &s;hops, when neither the owners nor any of theirs are pre&s;ent to &s;ee what bu&s;ine&s;&s;e they have there.</P>
<P>And yet as unju&s;tly as all the re&s;t, they doe not onely allow the weekly printing, divulging and di&s;per&s;ing of <HI>Oxford Aulicus,</HI> and o|ther Malignant Books and Pamphlets, tending to the ruine both of the <HI>Kingdome</HI> and <HI>Parliaments Priviledges,</HI> but likewi&s;e the &s;ending of Printing matterialls to the King, whereby to Print down both Power of Parliament, and freedome of People.</P>
<P>All which unju&s;t dealings doe come to pa&s;&s;e al&s;o with the privity of the Ma&s;ters and Wardens of the <HI>Stationers</HI> Company, as was o|penly proved to their faces at their publick Hall; who therefore like wi&s;e men perceiving the Plague afarre off, would not goe on &s;till and be puni&s;hed, but mo&s;t cunningly, both to hide them&s;elves, and their treachery again&s;t the well-affected party, and divide their &s;poile, &s;o unju&s;tly obtained by lying in waite for blood, they have now procured by this their good &s;ervice to the Parliament (as they did to the Bi&s;hops) the forme or power of a <HI>Stationer-Committee</HI> in <HI>London</HI> among them&s;elves, that they may henceforth without ei|ther Cen&s;ure or Re&s;i&s;tance of <HI>Higher Powers,</HI> both ab&s;olve the wick|ed, and condemne the ju&s;t, and &s;o doe what&s;oever they li&s;t.</P>
<P>The next <HI>Monopoly,</HI> it is to be feared will be upon <HI>Bread</HI> and <HI>Beere,</HI> for as ju&s;tly may there be a Monopoly upon them, as upon the former.</P>
<P>Oh <HI>Engli&s;hmen!</HI> Where is your freedoms? and what is become of your <HI>Liberties</HI> and <HI>Priviledges</HI> that you have been fighting for all this while, to the large expence of your <HI>Bloods</HI> and <HI>E&s;tates,</HI> which was hoped would have procured your <HI>liberties</HI> and <HI>freedomes?</HI> but rather, as &s;ome great ones Order it, ties you fa&s;ter in bondage and &s;lavery, then before; therefore look about you betimes, before it be too late, and give not occa&s;ion to your Children yet unborne to
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cur&s;e you, for making them &s;laves by your covetou&s;ne&s;&s;e, cowardly ba&s;ene&s;&s;e, and faint-heartedne&s;&s;e; therefore up as one man, and in a ju&s;t and legall way call tho&s;e to account, that endeavour to de&s;troy you, and betray your Liberties and Freedomes.</P>
<P N="9">9 <HI>Whether it be not more agreeable to Equitie, Law, Ju&s;tice, and Con&s;cience, that the badge of a Malignant, or a man uncapable of hearing Office in the Common-wealth, or being cho&s;en to &s;it in Parlia|ment, as one to make Laws, &s;hould not rather be, for being di&s;affected to common Freedome, and having either in pur&s;e or per&s;on declared his di&s;affection thereunto, in any ways a&s;&s;i&s;ting the Common enemy, who hath drawne his &s;word, to de&s;troy the freedome of the Common-wealth, which by the Law of this Land is granted unto the Free People thereof, (by means of which all &s;uch have disfranchi&s;ed them&s;elves) then for re|fu&s;ing out of Con&s;cience to take the</HI> Nationall Covenant?</P>
<P>Which was fir&s;t ordained to beget Unity between the Nations, but as &s;ad experience teacheth, in its effects produceth nothing le&s;&s;e among&s;t us, &s;etting us at as bitter a Warre and conte&s;tation a|mong&s;t our &s;elves, (almo&s;t as wee have with our profe&s;&s;ed enemies) who before this unhappy make-baite came among&s;t us, were knit together in love and affection as one man again&s;t the common ene|mies of our Liberties, <HI>Peace</HI> and <HI>&s;afety,</HI> and had no upbraiding one another with being a <HI>Covenanter,</HI> or an <HI>Anti-Covenanter,</HI> which breeds con&s;tant heart-burnings among&s;t us, and which if it be not by &s;ome wi&s;e, moderate and di&s;creet means) prevented, is likely to bur&s;t out into a dangerous flame in the mid&s;t of us, &s;o that our be|ing knit fa&s;ter to God, and each to other by a band of Unity, is here|by fru&s;trated.</P>
<P>Secondly, the Preamble of the <HI>Covenant</HI> it &s;elfe &s;aith, that the ta|king of it is not the chiefe part of it, but the keeping of it, the bene|fits of it being &s;ure and &s;tedfa&s;t to us, when wee are &s;ure and &s;tedfa&s;t in the Ob&s;ervation of the things Covenanted: &s;o that if there be not the Ob&s;ervation of them, the ends and intention of it is voide and fru&s;trate; but it is ob&s;erved that many of tho&s;e that authori|&s;ed it, and fir&s;t took it, within a little after, runne both out of the Hou&s;e of Peeres and Commons to the King to <HI>Oxford,</HI> and drew their &s;words again&s;t it, to de&s;troy it, and &s;o became wilfully perju|red, and the mo&s;t part of the re&s;t that &s;till remaine, have been very
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active in &s;etting up things quite contrary to the true and declared intent and meaning of the <HI>Covenant.</HI></P>
<P>As fir&s;t, it tyes all tho&s;e that take it without re&s;pect of per&s;ons, to indeavour the extirpation of Popery, but contrary hereunto there is an Ordinance lately made for the &s;trict payment of <HI>Tythes,</HI> to the <HI>Clergy,</HI> for their maintenance, although it be one of the grea|te&s;t branches of <HI>Popery</HI> that ever was e&s;tabli&s;hed in <HI>Rome,</HI> the taking away of which in any place where <HI>Popery</HI> is profe&s;&s;ed, is a more di|rect way to root up <HI>Popery,</HI> then the taking away all things el&s;e pro|fe&s;&s;ed by the Papi&s;ts, for the Clergy are &s;uch greedy dogges, as the Prophet calls them, that they can never have enough, <HI>being &s;heep|heards that cannot under&s;tand, &s;eeing they all look to their owne way, every one for his gaine, E&s;ai.</HI> 56.10, 11. that they will be of any Re|ligion where riches or profit is to be had, and will be &s;ure to avoide and hate that Religion that brings in no profit to fill and cram their fat guts, <HI>who bite with their teeth, and prepare warre for tho&s;e that putteth not into their mouthes.</HI> Micah. 3.5. Be&s;ides, <HI>Tythes</HI> is a Jewi&s;h Ceremony aboli&s;hed, as all the re&s;t by the death of Chri&s;t upon the Cro&s;&s;e, <HI>Heb.</HI> 7.5.12.28. <HI>&amp;</HI> 8.5. <HI>&amp;</HI> 9.9.15.26.28. the e&s;ta|bli&s;hing of which againe, <HI>is the denying of CHRIST'S death, and a &s;etting up of</HI> Mo&s;es <HI>and the Ceremoniall law:</HI> for as the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, <HI>Gal.</HI> 5.3. <HI>For I te&s;tifie againe to every man that is Circumci&s;ed, that hee is a debter to doe the whole law,</HI> yea &s;aith he, <HI>Chri&s;t is become of no ef|fect to &s;uch a man,</HI> &s;o &s;ay I, Hee that compells you to pay Tythes, compels you to keep the whole Law, which who&s;oever goes about, is fallen from Grace. <HI>Gal.</HI> 5.4. Againe, the p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="3 letters">ent of <HI>Tythes</HI> is an unju&s;t and unequall thing in a Civill &s;en&s;e, for that the Prie&s;ts who are not one for a thou&s;and of the re&s;t of the Inhabitants in the Kingdome &s;hould have the tenth part, yea, or rather the &s;eventh part of all things a man hath (&s;aving his Children) con&s;idering that they never labour for it with their hands, nor earne it with the &s;weat of their browes, nor be&s;tow any kind of Charges, is the mo&s;t unju&s;t thing in the world, and &s;o intollerable oppre&s;&s;ing a burthen, that the <HI>Free-people</HI> of <HI>England</HI> are not able to beare it, as the Peti|tions pre&s;ented by divers per&s;ons already to the Hou&s;e, and tho&s;e many Petititions that are in agitation both in the City of <HI>London,</HI> and many Shires in the Country doe and will fully declare.</P>
<P>A &s;econd thing &s;worne to in the Covenant, as other branches of
<PB N="14" REF="9">
Popery is, <HI>to root out and exterpate Prelacy</HI> (as there it is expre&s;&s;ed, <HI>Church-Government by Archbi&s;hops, Bi&s;hops, their Chancellors and Commi&s;&s;aries, Deanes, &s;ub-Deanes and Chapiters, Archdeacons, and all other Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall Officers depending on that Hierarchy,</HI>) and yet the &s;ame men have e&s;tabli&s;hed the Bi&s;hop's Prie&s;ts, and &s;ervants, who have no other calling in the world whereby to &s;tand, but what they had from them, as both the Ordinance and the Prie&s;ts them&s;elves confe&s;&s;e, and yet by vertue of this Papall, Prelaticall Call, they In|&s;titute and ordaine a Generation of <HI>Antichri&s;tian Officers,</HI> to fill the Kingdome (contrary to the <HI>Covenant</HI>) as full of Popery and Popi&s;h Officers, as ever it was in the Bi&s;hops dayes: the drivers on of which de&s;igne <HI>(if they have taken the Covenant,)</HI> are every man of them perjured.</P>
<P>But you will &s;ay though the <HI>Parliament</HI> and <HI>Prie&s;ts</HI> acknowledge the <HI>Bi&s;hops</HI> to be Antichri&s;tian, yet the pre&s;ent <HI>Prie&s;ts</HI> &s;ay, they were not ordained by them as Bi&s;hops, but as Presbiters, who had their Calling from the Pope, not as a Pope, but as a <HI>Pres|byter.</HI></P>
<P>To which I An&s;wer, the Devill was an Angel of Light, but is now a Devill; the que&s;tion is, Whether now hee doth tho&s;e actions that he doth as an <HI>Angel of Light,</HI> or as a <HI>Devill?</HI> Even &s;o, (admit for Di&s;putations &s;ake only it &s;hould be granted,) the <HI>Pope</HI> was once a <HI>Presbyter,</HI> but is now a <HI>Pope, Antichri&s;t, the man of &s;inne, and &s;onne of Perdition,</HI> as is confe&s;&s;ed by the <HI>Prie&s;ts</HI> them&s;elves, The Que&s;tion therefore to them is <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="2 letters">ether the <HI>Pope</HI> doth the actions that he doth as a <HI>Presbyter,</HI> or as <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 word"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">nd <HI>Antichri&s;t</HI> the Pope; againe, the Bi|&s;hops, as they them&s;elves confe&s;&s;e, are <HI>Antichri&s;tian,</HI> and as <HI>Antichri|&s;tian</HI> hath petitioned again&s;t them to this very <HI>Parliament,</HI> that &s;o they might be extirpated <HI>root</HI> and <HI>branch.</HI></P>
<P>The Que&s;tion now to the <HI>Prie&s;ts</HI> is, Whether the <HI>Bi&s;hops</HI> did tho&s;e actions that they did after they were made <HI>Bi&s;hops,</HI> as <HI>Anti|chri&s;tian Bi&s;hop,</HI> or as JESUS CHRIST'S <HI>Presbyters?</HI> and if they were <HI>Antichri&s;tian,</HI> then &s;urely tho&s;e that are made by them are the &s;ame, and not in the lea&s;t degree any better, for the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, <HI>Heb.</HI> 7.7. without all contradiction, <HI>the le&s;&s;e is ble&s;&s;ed of the greater,</HI> therefore for the&s;e men to &s;ay, <HI>they are better then tho&s;e that made them,</HI> is a meer rediculous foppery; Chri&s;t him&s;elfe telling all &s;uch men, <HI>they are very fooles, Matth.</HI> 23.16, 17, 18, &amp;c. where in the like
<PB N="15" REF="9">
ca&s;e hee &s;aith unto the <HI>Scribes</HI> and <HI>Phari&s;ees; Woe unto you blinde guides, which &s;ay, Who&s;oever &s;hall &s;ware by the Temple, it is nothing, but who&s;oever &s;hall &s;weare by the gold of the Temple, he is a debter. Yee fooles and blind: For whether is greater, the gold, or the Temple that &s;anctifieth the gold? and who&s;oever &s;hall &s;weare by the Altar, it is no|thing, but who&s;oever &s;weareth by the gift that is upon it, hee is guilty. Ye fooles and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the Altar that &s;anctifieth the Gift. Who&s;oever therefore &s;hall &s;weare by the Altar, &s;wea|reth by it, and by all things thereon: and who &s;hall &s;weare by the Tem|ple, &s;weareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein:</HI> read likewi&s;e the 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 10.17. <HI>Ho&s;ea.</HI> 9.4.</P>
<P>From all which places, to my under&s;tanding, it cleerly ap|peares, that no man what&s;oever can be in&s;tated into any Of|fice what&s;oever by an <HI>Antichri&s;tian Power,</HI> but his <HI>Functi|on</HI> is as <HI>Antichri&s;tian</HI> as his that made him, for as <HI>James</HI> &s;aith, <HI>chap.</HI> 3.11. <HI>Doth a fountaine &s;end forth at the &s;ame place &s;weet water, and bitter?</HI> therefore in the words of the <HI>Prophet</HI> E&s;ai. <HI>chap.</HI> 5.20. <HI>I &s;ay, woe unto them that call evill good, that put darkne&s;&s;e for light, and light for darkne&s;&s;e, that put bitter for &s;weet, and &s;weet for bitter.</HI></P>
<P>But if this be not enough to prove them <HI>Antichri&s;tian,</HI> but that yet they think the &s;tream of <HI>Presbyterian</HI> impo&s;ition of hands is run &s;o cleer from the Apo&s;tles to the Pope, and from the Pope to the Bi|&s;hops, and from the Bi&s;hops to them, I would faine know of them how they will be able to prove, that it purely came through the hands of <HI>Pope JOANE,</HI> or where they will ever finde in the <HI>New Te&s;tament,</HI> that ever a woman in their &s;en&s;e was a <HI>Presbyter,</HI> or ever laid her hands upon other <HI>Presbyters,</HI> to ordaine them.</P>
<P>Thirdly, How they will be able to prove their &s;ucce&s;&s;ion to come truly to them, &s;eeing there hath been &s;ometimes two <HI>Popes</HI> at once, and &s;ometimes three, and each excommunicating the other as fal&s;e, how they will be able infalibly to make it appeare, that their <HI>Ordi|nation</HI> came from the true <HI>Pope,</HI> and not from the fal&s;e? Or how out of the <HI>New-Te&s;tament</HI> they will ever be able to prove, that a Bi&s;hop, Pa&s;tor or Teacher, did ever lay his hands to ordaine ano|ther Bi&s;hop, Pa&s;tor, or Teacher? and till they be able &s;atisfactorily to an&s;wer to all the&s;e <HI>Queries,</HI> I &s;hall account them as <HI>Antichri&s;tian</HI> as the Bi&s;hops, and as papi&s;ticall as the <HI>Pope</HI> him&s;elf, and every man a perjured man that hath taken the <HI>Covenant,</HI> that doth not earne&s;t|ly
<PB N="16" REF="10">
endeavour to extirpate and root them out, their power and In|tere&s;t being &s;o de&s;tructive to the Peace, Safety and Freedome of a Nation, as all ages, times and places doe fully declare where they have had footing; and this the <HI>Parliaments</HI> owne Declaration, made the Fifteenth day of <HI>December,</HI> 1642, doth cleerly hold out, which is worth every true-hearted <HI>Engli&s;h-mans</HI> &s;erious peru&s;all and Ob|&s;ervation.</P>
<P>In the third place, they &s;weare to pre&s;erve the Liberties of the Kingdome, and yet commit men to pri&s;on for &s;tanding for them, witne&s;&s;e Lieutenant Colonell <HI>Lilburnes</HI> lying in <HI>New-gate,</HI> commit|ted originally, no man knowes wherefore; and tho&s;e that were the Authors of his impri&s;onment, are a&s;hamed to this day to tell him for what cau&s;e they have committed him: And becau&s;e they would faine pick a hole in his coat, they not onely keep his e&s;tate from him, but as if they intended to de&s;troy him without remedy, doe com|mit him to pri&s;on, which action indeed tendeth to his utter ruine, and then lay all the Provocations and a&s;per&s;ions upon him, which they can devi&s;e again&s;t him in his Impri&s;onment, becau&s;e they had none before.</P>
<P>And then at their la&s;t pinch, examine him upon Interrogatories at the Committee of Examinations, concerning him&s;elf, (ju&s;t <HI>High-Commi&s;&s;ion</HI> and <HI>Star-Chamber-like,</HI>) and becau&s;e he &s;tands upon his right, and the law of the Land, and will not an&s;wer, they turne him over to <HI>New-gate</HI> among&s;t Roagues and Cut-pur&s;es, there to brand him with infamie as much as in them lyeth, that &s;o it &s;hall never be taken off from him as long as he lives, and then to make Orders to arraigne him at <HI>New-gate</HI> Se&s;&s;ions, if they can devi&s;e a crime, and get Lawyers to plead again&s;t him, before they have done him one bit of ju&s;tice in helping him to the moneys they owe him.</P>
<P>O <HI>Engli&s;hmen,</HI> what doe you think of the makers, and fir&s;t takers of this Covenant, are they perjured yea or no? are you able to di|&s;cerne the benefit of forced Covenants, are they not like forced Religion?</P>
<P>In the fourth place, they &s;weare faithfully, <HI>To di&s;cover all &s;uch as have been, or &s;hall be Incendiaries, Malignants, or evill In&s;truments a|gain&s;t the publick good, and what mi&s;chief they are not able in their own per&s;ons to &s;uppre&s;&s;e or overcome, that they &s;hall reveale or make knowne, that it may be timely prevented or remedied;</HI> all which they &s;weare to doe, as in the &s;ight of GOD.</P>
<P><PB N="17" REF="10">And yet notwith&s;tanding, although Lieutenant Generall <HI>Crom|well,</HI> according to his duty long &s;ince, revealed the Earl of <HI>Manche|&s;ters</HI> treachery and ba&s;ene&s;&s;e at <HI>Dennington</HI> Ca&s;tle, and other places, and proved it punctually by unque&s;tionable witne&s;&s;es before a Com|mittee of the Hou&s;e of Commons, and before hee could <HI>perfect his charge,</HI> he was &s;ent upon an unhopefull de&s;igne with Sir <HI>William Waller</HI> to relieve <HI>Taunton</HI> with Hor&s;e, although it be an exceeding clo&s;e inclo&s;ed Country, where a hundred foot may deale with a thou&s;and hor&s;e.</P>
<P>And when he came back to <HI>Wind&s;or,</HI> he was po&s;ted away <HI>&V;riah-like,</HI> by &s;peciall command, with his owne Regiment of Hor&s;e, to lie betwixt <HI>Oxford</HI> and <HI>Worce&s;ter,</HI> (in the very roade way of de&s;truction, had not the Noble Generall (by GODS Providence) exceedingly &s;trengthned his party) and after that, hee is po&s;ted from place to place, and never &s;uffered to come to the Parliament &s;ince, whereby <HI>Manche&s;ters</HI> trea&s;on lies, as it were hid, although it be more fully proved (as &s;ome of that Hou&s;e have &s;ince confe&s;&s;ed) then ever <HI>Strdf|fords</HI> was; and yet he is &s;uffered to act in all the great de&s;ignes of the Kingdome, unto this pre&s;ent.</P>
<P N="2">2. Ma&s;ter <HI>Mu&s;&s;enden</HI> and Mr. <HI>Wolley,</HI> and divers others (Gen|tlemen of quallity) of the Committee of <HI>Lincolne,</HI> in <HI>Augu&s;t,</HI> 1644. exibited Articles of <HI>High-Trea&s;on,</HI> and other hainous mi&s;demeanors again&s;t Colonell <HI>Edward King,</HI> to the Hou&s;e of <HI>Commons:</HI> which Articles they have &s;ince Printed and publi&s;hed to the view of the World; yet can they not to this day get any hearing of them, that &s;o they may prove again&s;t him what they accu&s;e him of, howbeit, although in their Fourth and Twelfth Article, they accu&s;e him of plaine <HI>High-Trea&s;on,</HI> their owne words are as followeth: As</P>
<P>Article 4. <HI>When hee (the &s;aid Colonell</HI> King) <HI>was before</HI> Newarke, <HI>he &s;ent for a Captaine, who kept</HI> Crowland, <HI>who obeyed his command, yet &s;ent word to him of the danger that Towne was in, and therefore de&s;i|red his &s;econd plea&s;ure, which was, That he &s;hould march; who according|ly did; the Gentlemen of the Country fearing the enemy, procured Major</HI> Ireton <HI>to &s;end a</HI> 100. <HI>Musketiers to keep</HI> Crowland, <HI>which hee hearing of, took ill, that without Order from him, any &s;hould come into his liber|ties, and commanded them to be gone, who accordingly departed; the enemy pre&s;ently &s;urpri&s;ed the Towne, and tho&s;e few that he had left in it, by which meanes he betrayed the Towne unto the enemy, which was not regain|ed
<PB N="18" REF="11">
without much charge, hazard, and lo&s;&s;e of many mens lives.</HI></P>
<P>Article the 12. <HI>That when the Enemy took</HI> Grantham, <HI>they being beaten from one part of the Town, wheeled about, to fall upon the other &s;ide, at a place called</HI> Spittle-gate, <HI>which Major</HI> Savill <HI>(being then Major of the Towne) perceiving, commanded Colonell</HI> King <HI>(being then Captaine of a Company there) to march with his Company to defend that place, Colonell</HI> King <HI>an&s;wered, That he &s;corned to be commanded by him, and rather then he would be commanded by him, he would take his com|pany, and let the enemy into the Towne, and he delayed &s;o long before hee would goe, that the enemy was entred at the &s;aid Part before hee came thither, by which means be betrayed that Towne.</HI> Al&s;o,</P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>John Mu&s;grave</HI> Gentleman, hath complained to the Com|mons in this pre&s;ent Parliament again&s;t <HI>Richard Barwis</HI> <ABBR>E&s;q</ABBR> Bur|ge&s;&s;e for <HI>Carlile,</HI> and a Member now &s;itting in the Hou&s;e of Com|mons, and lately one of the Commi&s;&s;ioners of Parliament for both Kingdomes, that at his being at <HI>Edenborough,</HI> he held corre&s;ponden|cy with the Commi&s;&s;ioners of <HI>Array,</HI> both for <HI>We&s;tmerland</HI> and <HI>Cumberland,</HI> and in his Twentieth Article again&s;t him, he &s;aith, <HI>That when the &s;aid</HI> Richard Barwis <HI>was at</HI> Sunderland, <HI>hee had Intercour&s;e by Letters with the chief Delinquents in</HI> Cumberland, <HI>which were, e&s;pecially Baronet</HI> Graham, <HI>Baronet</HI> Mu&s;grave, <HI>Baronet</HI> Curwen, <HI>and</HI> Sir <HI>Willfrede Law&s;on;</HI> and <HI>that the &s;aid Mr.</HI> Barwis <HI>E&s;tate was pro|tected by means of &s;ome of the fore&s;aid Knights, during the time the King had the Command of the North, and that Mr.</HI> Barwis <HI>was an In&s;tru|ment in getting men nominated to be Committee-men for the</HI> Parlia|ment, <HI>while they were in actuall Rebellion again&s;t the Parliament and Kingdome, and hath been an in&s;trument in getting the Command of both the fore&s;aid Counties into the hands of tho&s;e that actually have been in Armes, and committed trea&s;on again&s;t the Common-wealth, who a|bu&s;e the hone&s;t well-affcted to the Parliament there, as much as ever they were while the King had the Command of them: and though complaint hath been made of all this to many of the Hou&s;e of Commons, and much more by Mr.</HI> Mu&s;grave, <HI>and his partner, who are &s;ent up to the Parlia|ment from the Country (as Commi&s;&s;ioners for that purpo&s;e) yet they can|not be heard or finde any</HI> Ju&s;tice <HI>again&s;t Mr.</HI> Barwis, <HI>and the other De|linquents, by means whereof, both the Counties are in danger &s;hortly to be lo&s;t and de&s;troyed.</HI></P>
<P N="4"><PB N="19" REF="11">4. Some Gentlemen of the Bi&s;hopricke of <HI>Durham,</HI> long &s;ince complained to divers Parliament men of old Sir <HI>Henry Vanes</HI> wil|full loo&s;ing and betraying their Country, being there Lord Lieu|tenant, but by rea&s;on of his greatne&s;&s;e could never be heard, but in regard the &s;ub&s;tance of his charge is come into my hands, from the hands of a Gentlemen of that Country now in <HI>London:</HI> I have in|&s;erted here, that you may read it as followeth, only with this cau|tion, that &s;eeing in the Copy I took it out of, there were &s;ome in|terlynings at the latter end thereof, that if a word &s;hould be di&s;|placed, you would not therefore throw a&s;ide all the re&s;t of it, for I dare pawne my life, the &s;ub&s;tance of it will be proved.</P>
<P>The <HI>Militia</HI> of the County of <HI>Durham</HI> was intru&s;ted with Sir <HI>Henry Vane</HI> the elder, to whom &s;ome Gentlemen of the Country re|paired, and de&s;ired his care therein, which he omitting, the Earl of <HI>Newca&s;tle</HI> in <HI>Augu&s;t,</HI> 1642. taking advantage thereof, came into the County of <HI>Durham,</HI> and to the Towne of <HI>Newca&s;tle</HI> upon <HI>Tyne,</HI> with divers Captaines, Commanders, not exceeding the number of 100. men, to rai&s;e forces again&s;t the Parliament, and by <HI>Michaelmas</HI> after, he increa&s;ed to 500. or 600. men at the mo&s;t, and Sir <HI>Henry Vane</HI> having Armes of his owne in his Hou&s;e at <HI>Rahy</HI> Ca&s;tle, &s;ufficient to arme 100. men, tho&s;e Armes were carried by his two principall &s;er|vants, <HI>William Conyers,</HI> a Popi&s;h Recu&s;ant, and <HI>Henry Dingly</HI> his &s;o|liciter in his Law affaires, to the Towne of <HI>Newca&s;tle,</HI> where they were delivered to one appointed by the Earle of <HI>Newca&s;tle,</HI> to re|ceive them, and <HI>Conyers</HI> and <HI>Dingley</HI> received a note for the receit of tho&s;e armes.</P>
<P>All which being publikely known in the Country, the people were much di&s;heartned, and for that the party intru&s;ted with the <HI>Militia,</HI> had furni&s;hed the enemie as afore&s;aid, many were forced to take up Armes under the command of the Earle of <HI>Newca&s;tle,</HI> divers for feare fled out of the Country, and others of them, who &s;taid longer, were taken and impri&s;oned: and &s;hortly after, the Earles Army increa&s;ed to the number of 5000. and upwards, as it was commonly reputed; there being 39. Colours of foot, and 25 Troops of Hor&s;e, or neere thereabouts; and the affected plundered in their E&s;tates to their utter impoveri&s;hment.
<Q>Our humble de&s;ire is, That no man that hath taken up Armes, and
<PB N="20" REF="12">
&s;erved, or been active in this unnaturall Warre, again&s;t the Parlia|ment, or are Delinquents, or willingly contributed thereunto, be put into Commi&s;&s;ion, or imployment, or Admini&s;tration of Ju&s;tice, untill the well-affected of the Country be heard concerning their offences, and mi&s;demeanours, and the &s;ame be determined of in the Parlia|ment, &amp;c.</Q></P>
<P>This Information was pre&s;ented to the Right Honourable the Earle of <HI>E&s;&s;ex,</HI> in <HI>February,</HI> 1643. by <HI>Richard Lilburne,</HI> and his bro|ther <HI>George Lilburne,</HI> in the pre&s;ence of <HI>Edward Wright, Nicholas Heath, John Ewbanke,</HI> and <HI>Michael Daw&s;on,</HI> all of the County of <HI>Durham.</HI></P>
<Q><TEXT LANG="eng">
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="copy">
<HEAD>&para; The Copies of Colonell THO. MIDFORDS Certificate, with others, given under their hands.</HEAD>
<P>THat about <HI>July,</HI> 1642. <HI>Thomas Midford</HI> and <HI>George Lilburne</HI> went on purpo&s;e to the Hou&s;e of Sir <HI>Henry Vane</HI> the elder, neere <HI>Charing-Cro&s;&s;e,</HI> and there acquainted him of the free|quent meetings of the Papi&s;ts and their adherents, in the County of <HI>Durham,</HI> and that they did not onely gather together mo&s;t of the prime Hor&s;es of the &s;aid County, but did exerci&s;e them in Armes, and trained the &s;aid Hor&s;e, to the di&s;couragement of all the true-hearted Prote&s;tants of the &s;aid County: And that the Sea-ports of the &s;aid County were fit to betaken care of, which the &s;aid Sir <HI>Henry Vane</HI> promi&s;ed to take timely care of, making &s;hew that hee intended &s;hortly to goe downe into the &s;aid County: In the meane time, de&s;ired the &s;aid <HI>George Lilburne,</HI> and the &s;aid <HI>Thomas Midford</HI> to goe to the Deputy Lieutenants, and acquaint them with the a|fore&s;aid Information, and to tell them from him, that he could not then write to them concerning the &s;ame, but bid them take care thereof, till he gave further Order.</P>
<P>The &s;aid <HI>Thomas Midford,</HI> about the end of the &s;aid moneth, com|ming into the &s;aid County, went to <HI>Durham,</HI> and did acquaint Sir <HI>William Darcie,</HI> being then high Sheriffe of the &s;aid County, Sir <HI>John Conyers</HI> and others at <HI>John Halls</HI> Hou&s;e in <HI>Durham,</HI> of the &s;ame, who returned the &s;aid <HI>Midford</HI> no other an&s;wer, but <HI>well, well,</HI> and &s;eemed to make no great matter thereof.</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE><DATE>18 <HI>June,</HI> 1645.</DATE></DATELINE>
<SIGNED>Tho. Midford.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT></Q>
<Q><TEXT LANG="eng">
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="copy">
<PB N="21" REF="12">
<P>In the yeere 1643, <HI>Nicolas Heath</HI> of <HI>Little-Eden</HI> in the County of <HI>Durham</HI> <ABBR>E&s;q</ABBR> came to Sir <HI>Hen. Vane &s;enior</HI> in <HI>We&s;tmin&s;ter-Hall,</HI> and told him that the County was in a very &s;ad Condition, and the In|habitants utterly undone, unle&s;&s;e there were &s;ome pre&s;ent cour&s;e ta|ken for preventing of rai&s;ing the forces which were then a gathering; but Sir <HI>Henry Vanes</HI> An&s;wer was, <HI>That he never thought otherwi&s;e.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>NIC. HEATH.</SIGNED>
<DATELINE><DATE>18 <HI>June,</HI> 1645.</DATE></DATELINE></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT></Q>
<P>Mr. <HI>Henry Dingly</HI> died in <HI>Jan.</HI> 1644. at <HI>Charing-Cro&s;&s;e,</HI> and lodged neer Sir <HI>Henry Vanes</HI> Hou&s;e, <HI>te&s;tis John Marr,</HI> <ABBR>E&s;q</ABBR> Clarke of the Kitching to the Prince.</P>
<P>Mr. <HI>William Conyers,</HI> Steward of his Land, hath continued in his &s;ervice likewi&s;e, and lived in <HI>Raby Ca&s;tle,</HI> ever &s;ince the carrying of the Armes from the &s;aid Ca&s;tle to <HI>Newca&s;tle</HI> upon <HI>Tyne,</HI> till within the&s;e Foure moneths la&s;t pa&s;t, <HI>Te&s;tis,</HI> Mr. <HI>George Lilburne,</HI> and Col. <HI>Rob. Lilburne,</HI> his Nephew. <HI>June</HI> 2. 1645.</P>
<P N="5">5. When Alderman <HI>Gurney</HI> was Lord Major of <HI>London,</HI> the Ci|tizens complained to the Parliament of him and others of his Bre|thren, and al&s;o of the Recorder <HI>Gardner,</HI> tho&s;e that pro&s;ecuted the Cities bu&s;ines, was principally Alderman <HI>Folkes,</HI> and Alderman <HI>Gibbs,</HI> that Monopoli&s;er, and Mr. <HI>Gline</HI> now Recorder, &s;ate in the Chaire of that Committee, but as &s;oon as they had ju&s;tled out tho&s;e, they complained of, and &s;et them&s;elves downe in their pla|ces or Saddles, rode and &s;purr'd the poor Commons of <HI>London</HI> as hard as ever the former did, and troad in <HI>Strafford's</HI> pathes of Arbi|trary Goverment, as much as the former, and the People &s;igh, groane, and cry out of their unju&s;t bondage by the Lord Major pre&s;ent, Recorder and Court of Aldermen, and the Parliament look upon them with a &s;lighting eye, and afford them no helpe, though the Commons of <HI>London</HI> have been chief In&s;truments under GOD of &s;aving their Lives, Liberties, and E&s;tates, howbeit now they goe about to make them &s;laves for their paines; it were well therefore the <HI>Commons</HI> of <HI>London</HI> would aske their <HI>Foure Burge&s;&s;es,</HI> if they did not &s;end them to &s;it in Parliament, to pre&s;erve and de|fend their Liberties, and if they finde they have not performed their tru&s;t, then to de&s;ire to choo&s;e Foure more Faithfull, Carefull and &s;touter in their places, and that the Commons of <HI>London</HI> are &s;en|&s;ible of their being rob'd of their Freedomes by the afore&s;aid par|ties,
<PB N="22" REF="13">
the Petition of divers of them pre&s;ented to the whole Com|mon Councell, &s;itting in <HI>Guild-hall</HI> in <HI>Aprill</HI> la&s;t, and &s;ince printed, doth fully declare; whereof a true Copy here followeth.</P>
<Q><TEXT LANG="eng">
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="petition">
<HEAD>To the Right Honourable, The LORD MAJOR, and the Right Wor&s;hipfull, the <HI>Aldermen,</HI> and <HI>Common-Councell of the City</HI> of LONDON; <HI>In Common Councell A&s;&s;embled.</HI> The humble Petition of divers Citizens of this Honourable City.</HEAD>
<OPENER>SHEWING,</OPENER>
<P>THat the afflictions and &s;orrows of our hearts are unex|pre&s;&s;able in regard of the manifold mi&s;eries that are upon us, and thou&s;ands of our deer Brethren, and fellow Citi|zens, complaints being generall, and very grievous. As among&s;t ma|ny other;</P>
<P N="1">I. <HI>That the Poore is in great nece&s;&s;ity, wanting wherewith to &s;et them&s;elves on worke, their Children uneducated, and thereby prepared, to wickedne&s;&s;e and beggery.</HI></P>
<P N="2">II. <HI>That Trading is exceedingly decayed, whereby thou&s;ands that have lived in a free and plentifull way, are many fallen, and are more fal|ling into great extremity.</HI></P>
<P N="3">III. <HI>That A&s;&s;e&s;ments are made very unequall, whereby the Taxes laid upon the City, are made burthen&s;ome, and paid with much re|pining.</HI></P>
<P N="4">IV. <HI>That the Forces of the Citie are very much abated, and that the Citie is not in a Po&s;ture of Warre an&s;werable to its greatne&s;&s;e, or its danger.</HI></P>
<P>And though there hath not been wanting continuall endeavours of juditious charitable per&s;ons to pre&s;cribe remedies for tho&s;e grie|vances, yet our mi&s;eries are &s;uch, that we are in effect debarred from opening our griefes, or propo&s;ing our remedies to any that hath power to help us.</P>
<P>For if wee motion our going to the Parliament immediately (as
<PB N="23" REF="13">
was u&s;uall and &s;ucce&s;sfull in former times) our mouthes are pre&s;ent|ly &s;topt with this prejuditiall rumour. <HI>That the Parliament will not receive any Petition from the Citizens, but by the Common-Councell;</HI> whereupon few or none will move in that way, though there be ne|ver &s;o urgent nece&s;&s;ities.</P>
<P>If wee propo&s;e to goe through the <HI>Common-Councell,</HI> &s;ad experi|ence hath proved it &s;o difficult to obtaine a Common-Councell, that men are weary in pur&s;uance thereof. The Lord Major and Aldermen challenging to them&s;elves Prerogative of calling Com|mon Councells onely when (they &s;ee cau&s;e,) al&s;o that nothing &s;hall be debated, but what hath been fir&s;t pre&s;ented to the Court of Al|dermen, and that after debate, the Lord Major hath a negative voice or power to Null or fru&s;trate all that hath been debated by refu&s;ing to put to Vote, or by di&s;&s;olving the Court at his plea&s;ure. By which Prerogative Rules, if the Lord Major will not, or cannot pre&s;erve the Citizens from mi&s;eries and de&s;truction, Will not heare our Complaints, nor be &s;en&s;ible of our nece&s;&s;ities, The whole power of the cho&s;en Common-Councell men, may not interpo&s;e, or u&s;e any meanes for our pre&s;ervation and relief. Wee willingly give all due honour to the Lord Major and Aldermen in referrence to their particular Offices. But that the &s;afety and well-being of &s;o great a People &s;hould depend upon the under&s;tanding and affections of &s;o few, and that the whole City mu&s;t be without a ju&s;t means to pre|&s;erve them&s;elves, or to remedy things that are any wayes ami&s;&s;e, ex|cept the Lord Major and Aldermen will a&s;&s;ent, And that tho&s;e whom the People yeerly choo&s;e, and principally intru&s;t, &s;hould be made u&s;ele&s;&s;e at their plea&s;ure. And them&s;elves e&s;tated with &s;uch a power, that no Authority in the City can call them to an account in ca&s;es of mi&s;-government, is &s;o pernitiou&s;ly ob&s;tructive and intolle|rable, as is not to be pleaded, but <HI>to the en&s;laving of the People.</HI></P>
<P>Whereas of Right, the People of the City are a free People, and are not to be bound or concluded, but by their own con&s;ents, or by the major part of tho&s;e they yeerly choo&s;e to give their con|&s;ents in common and free Councell, who are Commonners cho&s;en from among&s;t them&s;elves, with reference to their Con&s;ciences, and good affections. In whom the concluding law-making power of the City ju&s;tly is. It being de&s;tructive and improper that it &s;hould
<PB N="24" REF="14">
be e&s;tated in two di&s;tinct juri&s;dictions. And therefore, &s;ince wee have none to open our griefes unto, but unto you, And that it is thought convenient, that wee &s;hould apply our &s;elves to this Court in what&s;oever we de&s;ire to pre&s;ent unto the Parliament.</P>
<P>Wee mo&s;t earne&s;tly intreat you to &s;hake off all pretences of Pre|rogatives, by which (and the like) the Citie and Common-wealth have been mo&s;t gro&s;&s;ely in&s;laved, and that you will reduce your &s;elves into &s;o proper and ju&s;t a method of proceeding, as may &s;tand with the condition of a free people, and conduce to the remedying of all grievances, and removall of all our afflictions.</P>
<P>Unto which end we humbly propo&s;e to your grave con&s;iderati|on, as followeth.</P>
<P N="1">I. <HI>That you will be plea&s;ed to Order a Court of Common Councell once every week to meet without warning upon a certaine day, and ex|pre&s;&s;e houre, and to publi&s;h the &s;ame, that all the Inhabitants of the City may be informed thereof.</HI></P>
<P N="2">II. <HI>That you will al&s;o publi&s;h your readine&s;&s;e to receive all Informati|ons and Petitions from any of the Inhabitants, there having been many mo&s;t nece&s;&s;ary and u&s;efull things &s;tiffled for want of incouragement in this kind.</HI></P>
<P N="3">III. <HI>That you will re&s;olve within your &s;elves, to maintaine the E&s;|&s;ence and freedome of your Court,</HI> As namely,</P>
<P><HI>To take into your Con&s;iderations, and freely to debate what&s;oever the pre&s;ent or greater part &s;hall thinke meet and nece&s;&s;ary. To Vote and con|clude what&s;oever to the major part &s;hall &s;eem good: To continue the pre|&s;ent Se&s;&s;ion or Court, as the pre&s;ent occa&s;ions &s;hall require, To adjourne to what day and time &s;hall by the greater part be thought convenient, over and be&s;ides the &s;et weekly</HI> Court, <HI>without which, and the due Ob&s;er|vations of all rea&s;onable Orders, as by your wi&s;edome &s;hall be provided, you will appeare to every juditious under&s;tanding, but as a meer &s;hadow of Power, and no wayes helpfull.</HI> And therefore,</P>
<P N="4">IV. <HI>That you will be plea&s;ed to make a perpetuall &s;tanding Order, or Law, that what&s;oever Per&s;on or Per&s;ons &s;hall from henceforth by &s;ecret or open meanes endeauour to deprive the Court of</HI> Common-Councell <HI>of the fore&s;aid Rights, Freedoms or Priviledges (in the vindicating where|of &s;ome members of this Court then Commoners expre&s;t much zeale a|gain&s;t that ob&s;tinate Lord Major</HI> Gurney, <HI>and his perver&s;e A&s;&s;ociates)
<PB N="25" REF="14">
&s;hall be in&s;tantly disfranchi&s;ed, and otherwi&s;e puni&s;hed, as &s;hall &s;eem good to the Ju&s;tice of this Court.</HI></P>
<P>The&s;e wee mo&s;t earne&s;tly intreate may be &s;peedily e&s;tabli&s;hed, as being the only meanes to incourage your Petitioners, and all other well-affected People, to &s;tudy and pre&s;ent you with &s;uch materialls as may happily tend to give a &s;peedy end to all our mi&s;eries.</P>
<CLOSER>And wee &s;hall ever pray, &amp;c.</CLOSER>
<TAILNOTE>
<P>This Petition was delivered the <HI>15.</HI> of <HI>April, 1645.</HI> to the Common-Councell of <HI>London,</HI> &s;itting at <HI>Guild-hall.</HI></P>
</TAILNOTE>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT></Q>
<P N="6">6. Sir <HI>John Lenthall</HI> having acted and done many things of ex|traordinary prejudice again&s;t the State, one Captaine <HI>Cob,</HI> a &s;ea-Captaine, and then Pri&s;oner in the hands of Sir <HI>John Lenthall,</HI> out of duty and affection to the well-fare of the Publique, informed by a Letter the <HI>Speaker</HI> of the Hou&s;e of Commons of it, and &s;ent his Letter by the hands of one Mrs <HI>Jencts,</HI> who faithfully delivered it to him, and by her importunity to &s;ome that belonged to the &s;aid <HI>Speaker</HI> for an An&s;wer to it, the &s;aid Captaine <HI>Cob</HI> was brought out of Pri&s;on to the Hou&s;e of Commons door, as he thought to ju&s;tifie the &s;aid Letter, who had brought along with him three or foure Witne&s;&s;es, to prove all the particulars mentioned&punc; in the &s;aid Letter.</P>
<P>But the <HI>Speaker,</HI> contrary to his duty, never cau&s;ed him to be cal|led in, but only &s;ent him out word, that he &s;hould goe home againe, and he would &s;hortly come over to his brother Sir <HI>Johns</HI> Hou&s;e, and &s;peak with him there, who accordingly did, but would admit none to be pre&s;ent to heare what pa&s;&s;ed among&s;t them there; yet <HI>Cob,</HI> as &s;oone as he came into the Pri&s;on among&s;t his fellows, gave unto them a true Relation, upon his Reputation, of what pa&s;&s;ed among&s;t them, which as they averre, was to this effect; as &s;oon as he came up, &s;aith the Speaker, Sir doe you know me, yes &s;ir, &s;aith <HI>Cob,</HI> I know you to be Speaker of the Hou&s;e of Commons, which was the rea&s;on I writ to you, judging you the fitte&s;t man to bring to light &s;o great a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of importance, as I have to make known to you, for the good of the State and Kingdome, then the <HI>Speaker</HI> &s;hewed him his
<PB N="26" REF="15">
Letter, and asked him if he would ju&s;tifie it, and he told him, yes, and a great deale more, if he would doe his duty, in making it tru|ly knowne to the Honourable Hou&s;e of Comm<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">ns.</P>
<P>The <HI>Speaker</HI> turning him&s;elf to his Brother, &s;aid, Sir <HI>John,</HI> if this be true, heare is enough to hang you, well Sir, &s;aith Sir <HI>John;</HI> where|as he chargeth me of letting <HI>Violet</HI> goe twi&s;e to <HI>Oxford,</HI> during the time that hee and Sir <HI>Ba&s;&s;ell Brooke</HI> were contriving their Plot a|gain&s;t the City; you know I never let him goe but once, and then I had your warrant for it; well, well, &s;aid the Speaker, Captaine <HI>Cob,</HI> I &s;ee you are an hone&s;t man, and much wronged by your adver&s;a|ries, but &s;hake hands and be friends with Sir <HI>John,</HI> and I will get you your Liberty, &s;o they parted.</P>
<P>But Captaine <HI>Cob</HI> perceiving the <HI>Speaker</HI> did nothing in it, but in|deavoured to &s;mother it, &s;ent a true Copy of his Letters, that he had &s;ent to the Speaker, to Mr. <HI>William Fendry</HI> of <HI>London,</HI> with <HI>Ellen Thomas,</HI> her information about the three&s;core thou&s;and pounds of Sir <HI>Ba&s;&s;el Brookes,</HI> that then was in Sir <HI>Johns</HI> hands, which Letter and Information the &s;aid <HI>Pendry</HI> communicated to two Knights that are members of the Committee of both Kingdomes, who took no more care then the Speaker to have it brought to light, nor the 60000<ABBR>l.</ABBR> attached, and now it is upon the &s;tage, before the Com|mittee of Examination, the Chaireman of which, <HI>Ju&s;tice Whittiker,</HI> with Mr. <HI>Knightly</HI> and Sir <HI>Robert Pye,</HI> who is de&s;ired to remember a Letter that was going to Don <HI>Cottington,</HI> &amp;c. have not dealt fairely in the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, as both the Informers, and &s;ome of the 6. Citizens that were permitted into the Committe, to &s;ee to the managing of the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e doe declare.</P>
<P>And therefore a&s;&s;uredly, if &s;o foule and hainous a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e as this is, be &s;mothered up againe, I am very confidently per&s;waded, &s;ome one or other will publi&s;h all the particulars of it (ere long) in print, to the view of all the Commons of <HI>England,</HI> that &s;o they may &s;ee and judge how they are jugled with, by &s;ome of tho&s;e they have re|po&s;ed their greate&s;t tru&s;t in, although Sir <HI>Jo. Lenthall,</HI> and the Spea|ker have (as it may ju&s;tly be &s;uppo&s;ed) &s;et Dr. <HI>Ba&s;twick</HI> at worke to publi&s;h to the view of the world the innocency of the parties ac|cu&s;ed, &s;aying in the 8. page of his late book again&s;t Mr. <HI>Lilburne,</HI> that there is nothing made good again&s;t them, &s;o much as with a &s;eeming probabilitie, much le&s;&s;e proved, and &s;o bu&s;y and earne&s;t is
<PB N="27" REF="15">
the &s;aid <HI>Ba&s;twick</HI> to defend their rotten Reputations, and their wicked and unju&s;t dealings towards the State and Kingdome, that he thinks with his lies and ba&s;e and &s;ordid language, to &s;alve up their credits, and to baffle and ju&s;tle the ju&s;t and hone&s;t pro&s;ecuters out of their ju&s;t wayes and pathes they tread in, to doe the King|dome faithfull &s;ervice in bringing trea&s;on to light.</P>
<P>Yea, &s;o bold and impudent is hee, being back'd by their Autho|ritie and Intere&s;t, that rather then truth &s;hall come to light, and their wickedne&s;&s;e be di&s;covered, he will lay &s;uch a blot upon the <HI>Par|liament,</HI> that will render them ridiculous to all that &s;eriou&s;ly read his Book, and con&s;ider that the Parliaments owne Authority hath licenced him to call them Ninneys and Grols.</P>
<P>For &s;aith he in the la&s;t page of his Book, <HI>For as there is no family, though never &s;o hone&s;t, that hath not a Whore or a Knave of their kin|dred, &s;o it is impo&s;&s;ible in &s;uch a great Coun&s;ell as the Parliament is, but they &s;hould have &s;ome Ninnyes and Groles, and men that have no more wit, then will reach from their no&s;e to their mouth:</HI> It were well Dr. <HI>Ba&s;twick</HI> would doe the Common wealth that &s;ervice, as to name tho&s;e men, that &s;o &s;ome men may begge them for fooles, to take up|on them &s;o high a calling, as to be Law-makers to &s;o great and knowing a People, as <HI>England</HI> is, and to have &s;o little wit in them.</P>
<P>Surely this Parliament will be contempteous, not onely to their foes, but al&s;o to their freinds, and will never &s;hake off this blot while they &s;it, unle&s;&s;e they call him to an account, and make him name whom he meanes, and puni&s;h that Licencer that dur&s;t be &s;o bould, to let &s;uch a book be publi&s;hed <HI>cum privilegio,</HI> to the di&s;ho|nour of the very Parliament it &s;elfe, &s;urely Sir <HI>John</HI> and his Brother the Speaker have feed <HI>Ba&s;twick</HI> well, and are not very &s;ound, that they put him (their pack-hor&s;e) upon &s;uch de&s;perate cour&s;es to &s;alve up their credit, and he hath as little wit or hone&s;ty in him to be &s;o earne&s;t for Sir <HI>John Lenthall</HI> in particular, who is notoriou&s;ly knowne and reputed &s;o grand a Knave and Tyrant, by thou&s;ands that know him, as <HI>England</HI> hath not his fellow, being at this pre&s;ent Outlawed, and hath &s;o continued 3. yeers, and of whom for murder, Cruelty, Bribe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">y and Arbitrary Government, and what not, there hath &s;o many complaints been made to this pre&s;ent Parliament, (though little effect they have taken, by rea&s;on of the Speakers Po|wer
<PB N="28" REF="16">
and Intere&s;t) who&s;e common practi&s;e it is, to walke in a con|&s;tant contempt and violation of the knowne Laws of the Kingdom, and to the making of them null, and of none effect, as much as in him lies, to the ruine and de&s;truction of thou&s;ands of the free Deni|zons of <HI>England.</HI></P>
<P>For though the Law provide, that if a man in Execution e&s;cape or walke abroad out of Pri&s;on, the Jaylor is lyable to pay his debt, yet for his own gaine he doth con&s;tantly doe both, and the undone and wronged Creditor can have no &s;atisfaction of him, neither Law nor Ju&s;tice again&s;t him, by rea&s;on of the <HI>Speaker</HI> his great fa|ction in the Hou&s;e, &s;upporting of him.</P>
<P>Sir <HI>John Lenthal,</HI> be&s;ides his Outlawries, hath dozens of executi|ons upon him, and yet walkes abroad, and continues keeper of <HI>Kings-Bench</HI> Pri&s;on, and Ju&s;tice of Peace, and as it is reported, is Chairman of a Committee, by means of which, he is inve&s;ted into a Power to cru&s;h and de&s;troy every hone&s;t man that but opens his mouth to &s;peake of his ba&s;ene&s;&s;e and inju&s;tice, the height of his in|ju&s;tice and of his Arbitrary and Tyrannicall Government, &s;carcely in <HI>Strafford</HI> to be parralell'd, which is &s;o in&s;upportable to the poor oppre&s;&s;ed Pri&s;oners in Kings Bench, that they have got a pro|verbe among&s;t them in the&s;e words;</P>
<P><HI>The Lawyers rule Committees, the</HI> Speaker <HI>rules the Lawyers, Sir</HI> John Lenthall <HI>rules the</HI> Speaker; Thomas Dut&s;on <HI>rules Sir</HI> John Lenthall, <HI>and the Devill rules</HI> Dut&s;on.</P>
<P>But for all <HI>Ba&s;twicks</HI> brags of Sir <HI>John Lenthalls</HI> innocency, if he plea&s;e to doe the State &s;o much &s;ervice, as to prevaile with his good friend the <HI>Speaker,</HI> to procure the &s;ame Court <HI>Mar&s;hall</HI> in <HI>London</HI> that &s;ate upon the <HI>Hothams,</HI> as &s;oon as the Ordinance is pa&s;t, hee &s;hall have the names of &s;ome of reputation in the Kingdome, that will before that Coun&s;ell accu&s;e Sir <HI>John Lenthall</HI> of High Trea&s;on, and hazard the lo&s;&s;e of their lives upon the proof of it.</P>
<P>In the la&s;t place, the Parliament men &s;wear to be at enmitie with indifferencie or newtrallity, which newtrallitie in the <HI>Covenant,</HI> is branded as dete&s;table by them, and yet notwith&s;tanding, divers of them cannot indure them that would have an end of the&s;e warres &s;peedily; but hate and abhorre all tho&s;e who with all their might indeavour the end of them: and though &s;uch men walke by better principles then taking the <HI>Covenant,</HI> even by Principles ingraven up|on
<PB N="29" REF="16">
their &s;oules by God him&s;elf: yet unle&s;&s;e they will take this (im|po&s;&s;ible to be kept) <HI>Covenant,</HI> (the framers and makers of which have runne into wilfull perjury them&s;elves) they mu&s;t be turned out of Committees and their Regiments disbanded (as in Hartford|&s;hire, &amp;c. and Newters put in their places, that are neither hot nor cold, nor have any other principle whereby to walke, but ba&s;e pecuniary principles and &s;elf-Interre&s;ts, and by this meanes the Kingdome is in danger to be utterly de&s;troyed, even by &s;uch cove|tous newtrall indifferent Committie-men, and men of excellent publique principles, disfranchi&s;ed, and undenized, contrary to the fundamentall Con&s;titutions of the Kingdome, which doe allow none to be &s;o dealt with, but only for an act done or committed a|gain&s;t the welfare of the Publique.</P>
<P>And though many con&s;cientious men have laid out their witts, their time, their paines, their pur&s;es, their blood; yea, and all that in this world is mo&s;t precious to them for the pre&s;ervation of the Publique, yet they mu&s;t not &s;it in Parliament, though never &s;o fit and able, unle&s;&s;e they will take this make-bate (per&s;ecuting, &s;oul-de|&s;troying, <HI>Englands</HI>-dividing, and undoing) <HI>Covenant;</HI> I &s;hall there|fore de&s;ire all the Commons of <HI>England,</HI> and the Parliament them|&s;elves, &s;eriou&s;ly to read over &s;ome part of their owne words, in their <HI>Exhortation</HI> to the taking of the <HI>Covenant,</HI> the words thus follow:</P>
<P><HI>And as for tho&s;e Clergy men who pretend that they (above all others) cannot Covenant to extirpate that Government, becau&s;e they have (as they &s;ay) taken a &s;olemne Oath to obey the Bi&s;hops,</HI> in licitis &amp; hone|&s;tis, <HI>they can tell if they plea&s;e, that they that have &s;worne obedience to the Laws of the Land, are not thereby prohibited from endeavouring by all lawfull means the abolition of tho&s;e lawes, when they prove inconve|nient or mi&s;chievous.</HI></P>
<P><HI>And if there &s;hould any Oath be found, unto which any Mini&s;ters or others have entered, not warranted by the Laws of God and the Land, in this ca&s;e they mu&s;t teach them&s;elves and others, that &s;uch Oathes call for Repentance, and not ob&s;tinacie in them.</HI></P>
<P>O that the Parliament would mind the&s;e their owne words, and give free leave to &s;ome of their hone&s;t fellow Commoners to re|mon&s;trate the inconveniency and mi&s;chievou&s;ne&s;&s;e of this <HI>Covenant,</HI> and I am confident, it would ea&s;ily and cleerly be made appeare to
<PB N="30" REF="17">
them&s;elves &s;o vild, that they would never inforce it any more, but rather recall it again, <HI>Judg.</HI> 11.30. <HI>E&s;t.</HI> 3.10. <HI>Dan.</HI> 3.3. <HI>&amp;c. Mark.</HI> 6.23.</P>
<P N="12">12. Whether it be not mo&s;t agreeable to Law, Ju&s;tice, equitie and con&s;cience, and the nature of a Parliament mans place, that during the time of his being a member, hee &s;hould lay a&s;ide all places of profit in the Common-wealth, and tend only upon that function, for which he was cho&s;en; or if he be poor, or have lo&s;t his E&s;tate, whether he ought not at pre&s;ent, to be content with his ma&s;ters wa|ges, that is to &s;ay, with &s;o much a day, as the Common-Wealth by the Law of the Land is to pay him for his dayes labour, which is expre&s;&s;ed in 33. <HI>H.</HI> 8. 11. to be 4<ABBR>s.</ABBR> <HI>per diem</HI> to every Knight, and to every Citizen and Burge&s;&s;e 2<ABBR>s.</ABBR> a day, or more, as heretofore hath been accu&s;tomed, &amp;c. or with &s;ome rea&s;onable Competency, being the Commonwealth is grown &s;o poor, that it is not able to pay her common Souldiers their 8<ABBR>d.</ABBR> a day, though they con&s;tantly adventer their lives to pre&s;erve her, which the Parliament men &s;eldome doe, and not to thir&s;t after great and rich Places, farre le&s;&s;e to po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e or enjoy them.</P>
<P>Seeing by woefull experience it is found, that the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ing of them breeds nothing but factions and ba&s;e cowadline&s;&s;e, yea and &s;owing up of mens lips, that they dare not &s;peak freely for the Com|mon-wealth, nor di&s;plea&s;e &s;uch and &s;uch a faction, for feare of being Voted, and thru&s;t out of their unfit to be enjoyed Offices, the Com|mon wealth hath ju&s;t cau&s;e to fear they wil &s;et up an intere&s;t of their owne, de&s;tructive to that common Intere&s;t and Freedome, whereof the poore&s;t free man in <HI>England</HI> ought to be po&s;&s;e&s;&s;or, and &s;o make this pre&s;ent Parliament an everla&s;ting Parliement, and the Warre a never ending Warre, &s;eeing it tends &s;o much to the inriching of Parliament men and their Officers, who have already wi&s;ely, as they thinke, fenced them&s;elves with an Ordinance made the 26. of <HI>June,</HI> 1645. That they &s;hall not be called to account for their Ma&s;ters the Common-wealths money, nor Plate that once commeth into their fingers.</P>
<P>Object. <HI>But would you have tho&s;e Parliament men, that had their Places before the Parliament &s;ate, turned out of theirs?</HI></P>
<P>Yes, I would have Sir <HI>Henry Mildmer,</HI> Sir <HI>Henry Vane</HI> the young|er, Soliciter <HI>Saint-John,</HI> Mr. <HI>Holland, &amp;c.</HI> turned out of their Places at pre&s;ent, though I conceive it ju&s;t they &s;hould be &s;ecured of the
<PB N="31" REF="17">
injoyment of them againe &s;o &s;oon as the Parliament is ended, for their pre&s;ent injoying thereof, &s;owes but up their lippes, and makes them they dare neither &s;peake nor doe that they &s;hould, and with|out them is hoped they would (and for avoiding the jealou&s;ie of par|tiallity) I thinke there is as much Ju&s;tice, to turne them out during the Parliaments continuing, as to turne out Mr. <HI>Greene,</HI> Sir <HI>Robert Harlow,</HI> Sir <HI>Walter Earle,</HI> Mr. <HI>Reynolds,</HI> the <HI>Speaker,</HI> Mr. <HI>Prideaux, &amp;c.</HI> and all the Chancery Judges, for to me it is one of the mo&s;t unju&s;t things in the world, that the Law-makers &s;hould be the Law executors, &s;eeing by that meanes, if they doe never &s;o much inju&s;tice and oppre&s;&s;ion, a man may &s;pend both long time, and all he hath be&s;ides, before ever he can get any Ju&s;tice again&s;t them, yea, and it may be, hazard the lo&s;&s;e of his life too.</P>
<P>And therefore it were a great deal better for the Common-wealth, that all the executors of the Law &s;hould be &s;uch per&s;ons as doe not in the lea&s;t belong to the Parliament, that &s;o they may not be able to make any fictions to &s;ave their Lives and E&s;tates, when they doe inju&s;tice: and I am confident, there is never an hone&s;t-hearted Par|liament man that meanes well to the Common-Wealth, but he will upon the debating of this needfull point, be of my minde, though it be never &s;o contrary to his owne particular Intere&s;t and profit.</P>
<P>But you will &s;ay, This will fetch that gallant man <HI>Cromwell</HI> from the Army, which will be a mighty lo&s;&s;e to the Kingdome, &s;ee|ing he is &s;o able and active a Souldier, and &s;o extraordinarily belo|ved of the Officers and Souldiers in the Army, yea, and &s;uch a &s;tay to that unparralleld Generall, Sir <HI>THOMAS FAIRE|FAX.</HI></P>
<P>I an&s;wer, it is very true, that the Kingdome will have a mighty lo&s;&s;e of him indeed, if he &s;hould be taken out of the Army, and be made un&s;erviceable to them any where el&s;e; but if he come into the Hou&s;e of Commons (that proper &s;eat whereunto hee was cho&s;en,) and doe them ten times more &s;ervice there, then he doth, or can doe in the Army, what lo&s;&s;e hath the Common-Wealth then? Con&s;i|der &s;eriou&s;ly the grand &s;ervice he did the la&s;t Winter, when hee was in the Hou&s;e, and &s;ee whether any action that ever he did in his life can be parralleld to it, and I beleeve it will be found good to have him at home: for he is &s;ound at the heart, and not rotten cored,
<PB N="32" REF="18">
hates particular and &s;elfe-Intere&s;ts, and dares freely &s;peake his minde.</P>
<P>Therefore home with him, as well as the re&s;t of Parliament-men, according to their owne Ordinance, and let him perfect what he began, and either lay <HI>Manche&s;ter</HI> flat upon his back, or him&s;elf, for the be&s;t &s;ervice can be done the Kingdome, is to pull out home-bred Traytors, and to helpe to keep and pre&s;erve the <HI>Great Coun&s;ell</HI> aright: for if there be Twenty Armies abroad, and your Coun&s;ells be not ab&s;olutely &s;afe, &s;ound, and Unanimous at home, you are not &s;afe, but &s;till in danger; be&s;ides, I have heard it reported, that hee was about a de&s;igne of getting a Committee &s;et apart, and an Or|der made and publi&s;hed to the whole Kingdome, that if any man were unju&s;tly oppre&s;&s;ed by any Member of Parliament, Committe-man, or any other Officers or Mini&s;ters, let him bring his com|plaint, and hee &s;hall have a ju&s;t and a faire hearing, and Ju&s;tice done not in words, but in actions upon the Tran&s;gre&s;&s;our.</P>
<P>O for &s;elfe-denying <HI>Cromwell</HI> home againe, to &s;et this on foot, which would be a &s;alve for all our &s;ores, and would gaine the Par|liament more ground in one moneth, then their forcing the <HI>Cove|nant</HI> will doe in a hundred; And if you will &s;eriou&s;ly meditate upon the&s;e things, you will finde there was a hidden my&s;tery in &s;ending him from the Parliament, when he had impeached <HI>Manche&s;ter,</HI> the fre&s;h pricking of which veine againe, would cau&s;e good blood to grow in the body of our Common-wealth; and be&s;ides <HI>Cromwell</HI> may rea&s;onable well be &s;pared now from the Army, &s;eeing there are &s;o many gallant, brave, and true-hearted <HI>Engli&s;hmen</HI> there be&s;ides him&s;elf, who are well knowne for their Hone&s;ty, Parts, Valour and Souldiery to the Noble Generall: and be&s;ides, <HI>Cromwell,</HI> if he were at the Hou&s;e, might (if it were thought fit) now and then vi&s;ite the Army, to &s;older them together, if there &s;hould be any disjoynted, (as I hope there will not) in which Art hee hath good skill, and unfainedly hates all factious pertaking, and ba&s;e &s;elfe-gain|ing.</P>
<P>Againe, Whether is it not agreeable to Law, Ju&s;tice, Equity and Con&s;cience, &s;eeing that by the 4. of <HI>Ed.</HI> 3. 14. that there &s;hould be a Parliament once every yeere, and more often, if need require, and in the 36. of <HI>E.</HI> 3. 10. it is inacted, That for maintenance of the Laws, and the redre&s;&s;e of divers mi&s;chiefs and grievances, which dai|ly
<PB N="33" REF="18">
happen, a Parliament &s;hall be holden every yeere, as at another time was ordained by a Statute, that &s;eeing this pre&s;ent Parliament, (by rea&s;on of the extraordinary nece&s;&s;ities of the Kingdom) have &s;ate foure yeeres, and many of the members betray'd their tru&s;t, and tho&s;e that remaine, ingro&s;&s;e Law-making, and al&s;o Law-executing into their own hands contrary both to rea&s;on, and to the true in|tent and meaning of the Law, which &s;aith, <HI>delayes in judgement in other Courts &s;hall be redre&s;&s;ed in Parliament, as al&s;o fal&s;e judgements and difficult Ca&s;es that &s;hall happen, &s;hall be there decided:</HI> Read the 14. <HI>E.</HI> 3. 5.</P>
<P>By which manife&s;t abu&s;ing, negligent and not true u&s;ing the Lawes, oppre&s;&s;ions, mi&s;chiefes and grievances are no le&s;&s;e (if not far more) increa&s;ed, then they were before the Parliament began; and many times by the powerfull Intere&s;t of a Faction in the Parlia|ment, to &s;ave &s;ome one, two or three of their Members, unde&s;erving credits; they &s;o violate the known, unrepealed, and declared law of the land, yea and their owne Votes, Ordinances, Declarations, and Prote&s;tations, as if they had never made them; I &s;ay, all the&s;e things con&s;idered, ought not the Free-men of <HI>England,</HI> who have labour|ed in the&s;e de&s;troying times, both to pre&s;erve the Parliament, and their owne native Freedoms and Birth-rights, not only to chu&s;e new Members, where they are wanting once every yeere, but al&s;o to renue and inquire once a yeere, after the behaviour and carriage of tho&s;e they have cho&s;en.</P>
<P>And if they finde that &s;ince they came into the Hou&s;e, they ne|ver made any motions for the publick good, nor &s;o much as for theirs that &s;ent them, but doe &s;it like &s;o many <HI>Ninneys</HI> and <HI>Groles,</HI> that have no more wit in them, then will reach from their no&s;es to their mouthes, as Doctour <HI>Ba&s;twick</HI> &s;aies, or have any way been unfaithfull and un&s;erviceable to the publique, or groundedly &s;u|&s;pected &s;o to be, that then tho&s;e that chu&s;e and &s;ent them, may have liberty to chu&s;e more faithfull, able and better men in their places, for &s;tanding water will &s;peedily corrupt, if it have not fre&s;h running &s;prings to feed it, though it were never &s;o pure at the fir&s;t.</P>
<P>Therefore I earne&s;tly de&s;ire all true-hearted: Free-men of <HI>Eng|land,</HI> to have a care in their pre&s;ent new choices, and &s;eriou&s;ly con|&s;ider, that Gallant man, Major <HI>George Withers</HI> advice to them in his late Book, e&s;pecially his 20. page, who there &s;aith, <HI>Some men
<PB N="34" REF="19">
give their voices to their freinds, &s;ome to their Landlords, &s;ome to the riche&s;t (and hee for&s;ooth mu&s;t needs be the wi&s;e&s;t) mens merits are mea&s;ured by the aker, weighed by the pound, &s;o let a Bea&s;t be Lord of bea&s;ts, and po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e many acres of durt, hee &s;hall be pre|ferred to be a Parliament-man, in admiration of his wealth, and not wit: although (as</HI> Varro <HI>&s;aith of a &s;wine) he hath no more &s;oule then will &s;erve in &s;tead of &s;alt to keep his body from putrifying.</HI></P>
<P>But who thinkes upon the poor wi&s;e man, who as <HI>Solomon</HI> &s;aith, <HI>&s;aved the City?</HI> who thinks of the ju&s;t man, who&s;e integrity keeps Gods ble&s;&s;ing among&s;t us, and us together among&s;t our &s;elves? No not one; who wonders then to &s;ee a crooked repre&s;entation of a crooked Commonwealth it is no true gla&s;&s;e that ca<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">ts not a &s;hadow as crooked and deformed as the &s;ub&s;tance: but above all others, have care of chu&s;ing Lawyers, as the &s;ame Author in his late Poems called <HI>Vox Pacifica,</HI> page 183. &s;aith of them; for if the Common-wealth had Peace with their profe&s;&s;ed enemies; yet they will rein|crea&s;e.</P>
<Q><LG>
<L>&mdash;Your Quarrells, el&s;e, a&s;&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">one as you agree:</L>
<L>By their formalities, and flow proceeding,</L>
<L>Your remedy f<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">r injuries is made</L>
<L>A mi&s;chief, the di&s;ea&s;e oft times exceeding;</L>
<L>And if &s;ome eye unto them be not had,</L>
<L>So many places in your Parliament,</L>
<L>They will &s;upply, and fill &s;o many Chaires</L>
<L>In your Committees; that, much detriment</L>
<L>&V;nto the Subject; and &s;ome clo&s;e impaires</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Of <HI>Publique Freedomes</HI> (e're you be aware)</L>
<L>Which &s;lip upon you, if you have not care.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>So &s;trong a party they have alwayes had,</L>
<L>That your <HI>great-Charter,</HI> which doth interdict</L>
<L>Delay of Ju&s;tice, was in that point made</L>
<L>(Ere &s;ince the <HI>Grant</HI>) a Law without effect.</L>
<L>But when their Courts, and practi&s;es have reach'd</L>
<L>Oppre&s;&s;ions height; they, as the Clergie were;</L>
<L>Shall downe into another Orb be fetch'd,</L>
<L>And taught to keep a con&s;tant motion there:</L>
<L><PB N="35" REF="19">This worke, upon &s;ome Court hath been begun,</L>
<L>Another time, it &s;hall be fully done.</L>
</LG></Q>
<P>And as the worthy Authour of that late &s;heet of paper, called <HI>Some Adverti&s;ements, for the new Election of Burge&s;&s;es for the Hou&s;e of Commons,</HI> &s;aith in his 6. page.</P>
<P><HI>Take heed how you fill up Elections with the&s;e kind of men</HI> (meaning Lawyers) <HI>the Recorder of every Borough will of cour&s;e looke to be cho|&s;en; as being the mouth of his Corporation: but it is a Cu&s;tome not fit for the nece&s;&s;itie of the&s;e times, our affaires require rather</HI> State&s;-men <HI>then Lawyers;</HI> my Rea&s;ons again&s;t &s;uch Elections follow:</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>The Knowledge of the Common Law, doth no way conduce to the making of a States-man: it is a confined and topicall kind of Learning, Calculated only for the Meridian of</HI> We&s;tmin&s;ter-Hall; <HI>and reacheth no further then</HI> Dover. <HI>Tran&s;plant a Common Lawyer to</HI> Calice, <HI>and his head is no more u&s;efull there, th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">n a Sun-dyals in a grave: who ever heard of the Polyticks written in Law-French?</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>If the making and penning of good Lawes were the worke of the&s;e times (as they are not) it were not wi&s;edome to chu&s;e Mercinary Law|yers to make Lawes: becau&s;e they are the fir&s;t men to invent &s;ubtilties to evade them, and make them u&s;ele&s;&s;e; and will pen them ob&s;curely on pur|po&s;e to procure them&s;elves work in the interpretation.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>Lawyers, being a bold and talketive kinde of men; will intrude them&s;elves into the Chaires of all Committees, where (being accu&s;tomed to take fees) they will under-hand protect delinquents, and their con|cealed E&s;tates with tricks and devices.</HI></P>
<P N="4">4. <HI>The Reformation of Courts of Ju&s;tice, is a worke of ab&s;olute nece&s;|&s;ity, without which (though the &s;word of the Lord returneth again into its &s;cabbard, &s;o that you have no warre yet) you &s;hall have no Peace: but if you have many Lawyers, they will never &s;uffer any effectuall Law to pa&s;&s;e for this purpo&s;e: Becau&s;e they yet move by the corruption and delayes of the Law, then by the Law it &s;elf:</HI></P>
<P N="5">5. <HI>It is nece&s;&s;ary to make a Law for limitation of exorbetant fees, ex|tortion, and prevarication (or collu&s;ion) among&s;t Lawyers, as it is u&s;ed in other Countries.</HI></P>
<P N="6">6. <HI>It is nece&s;&s;ary to limit the certaine number of practi&s;ers in each Court, that they &s;warme not (like Locu&s;ts) over the land, devouring and impoveri&s;hing it.</HI></P>
<P><PB N="36" REF="20">The&s;e ble&s;&s;ings you will never attaine unto, unle&s;&s;e God give you the wi&s;edom to avoide &s;uch <HI>Elections:</HI> lay to your hearts &s;inne as well as the &s;hame and &s;mart, of oppre&s;&s;ions and tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions of lawyers, and you will finde that the cries of the oppre&s;&s;ed have been a principall motive to draw downe Gods vengeance upon this mournfull Land.</P>
<P>Was ever &s;o de&s;perate a wound given to the Lawes, Liberties and properties, as the predetermined judgement of Ship-mony. Who gave that blow? Judges. What were they? Theeves <HI>cum privilegio Rege maje&s;tatis,</HI> who bought Ju&s;tice by whole-&s;ale, and &s;old it by Retaile? Who a&s;&s;i&s;ted them? Lawyers; who undertaking to pleade for their Clyants again&s;t it, (pretending one thing, and doing ano|ther thing) for the mo&s;t part: and betrayed the Cau&s;e, all to get fa|vour and preferrment; and yet &s;uch proceedings&punc; were both again&s;t the Judges, and the <HI>Coronation Oath;</HI> upon an extrajuditiall opini|on collu&s;ively given: (for &s;aith the Record) <HI>Sacramentum Domini Regis erga populum &s;uum habent ad cu&s;todiendum:</HI> But our Judges, (though more wicked) have the happine&s;&s;e to live in a more wicked age, and out-live their crimes, paying onely a &s;mall part by way of fine: and enjoying there to their &s;tollen trea&s;ures: and after they had made Peace as devouring as warre, and the Law as cruell as the Sword; who's that is not a better Chri&s;tian then the&s;e Brothers of the <HI>Coyfe,</HI> brothers in evill: will not cry out with <HI>Epicures,</HI> that God takes no more care what men doe on this earthly balke, then man doth what <HI>Ants</HI> doe on an <HI>Em<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">n<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">t-hill;</HI> when <HI>Verres:</HI> (being <HI>Con|&s;ull</HI> of <HI>Cicily,</HI>) had pilled that <HI>Province,</HI> and (other <HI>Pro-Con&s;ulls,</HI> and <HI>Pro-Praetors</HI> were puni<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">hed for le&s;&s;er Extortions) he laughing at their fooli&s;h moderation, vaunted to his Brother <HI>Ty<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="4 letters">kedes:</HI> that he had got enough to buy the freind&s;hip of the <HI>Senate,</HI> and com|mendation, of a rich and Honourable man: So our Judges enjoy their crimes, and the prize and reward of them: Nay, they grow fatt and pro&s;per upon the anger of God and man, while&s;t this Land groanes under the &s;ad weight of the <HI>Sword, Pe&s;tilence,</HI> and fa|mine, the effects of their inju<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">tice: but through who&s;e favour is it they have not expiated their Crimes with their blood: and wa&s;hed away the Guilt of the Land&punc; but the <HI>Lawyers?</HI> who wi&s;ely con|&s;ider it may be their own Ca&s;e another day.</P>
<P><PB N="37" REF="20">I have &s;hewed you how un&s;afe it is to tru&s;t Mercinary-men with making or keeping of your Lawes; I will epitomize what I have &s;aid in <HI>Pleniea's</HI> words <HI>(in Panegyr. ad Trajanum,)</HI> Heretofore we were laden with our Crimes, now we are oppre&s;&s;ed with our Lawes: and it is to be feared, lea&s;t the Common-wealth (though founded by the Lawes) be confounded by the Lawes (or rather by the Lawyers.)</P>
<P>Likewi&s;e to this purpo&s;e read what the Authour (reputed to be a member of the A&s;&s;embly, as well as he that writes the <HI>Brotherly and friendly Cen&s;ure of Mr.</HI> Prinnes 4. <HI>late Queries:</HI>) in his Antidote again&s;t the &s;ame 4. dangerous Queries, <HI>pag.</HI> 3. &s;aith, That if the thing be granted, that he di&s;putes, for Judges will be taught, <HI>That they judge not for man, but for the Lord, who is with them in judgement,</HI> peo|ple will grow more peaceable and free from continuall contentions: Lawyers &s;hall not get the wealth of the Land into their hands by <HI>fi&s;hing in troubled waters:</HI> incouraging men in unlawfull and quar|relous &s;uites, pleading wicked Cau&s;es for large Fees, prolonging &s;uites; and making men &s;pend in long &s;uite unto twi&s;e the value of their ju&s;t Right, and debt for which they &s;ue, and by taking treeble fees, and keeping them, though they faile their Clyant, and have beene imployed at other <HI>Barres,</HI> when his Cau&s;e was to be pleaded.</P>
<P>Godline&s;&s;e and <HI>true Religion</HI> being increa&s;ed by faithfull Preach|ing and godly Di&s;cipline, in the hearts of men, will make the Com|mon-wealth free from the nece&s;&s;ity of many <HI>Lawyers,</HI> which the learned Philo&s;opher held to be a Plague in a State and Kingdome: and therefore it is no marvell that the corrupt ones of that Profe&s;|&s;ion, are deadly enemies to the Maintenance, Honour, and other in|couragements of the true Mini&s;tery of the Go&s;pel.</P>
<P><HI>Al&s;o:</HI> Read what that hone&s;t Author (and true principl'd Com|mon-wealths man:) of the little booke intituled, <HI>A Helpe to the Right under&s;tanding of Mr.</HI> Wil. Prynne, &s;aith of Lawyers; and lay all the aforecited Authors together, and you will ea&s;ily finde, they make it evidently appeare, that there is as little u&s;e of Lawyers to be in the Hou&s;e of Commons, as there is of a Plague or Pe&s;til<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">nce, or of the Bi&s;hops and Popi&s;h Lords in the Honourable Hou&s;e of Peeres; their Intere&s;t being both as Delatory, and as de&s;tructive to the true Peace, Pro&s;perity and well-fare of the Common-wealth of di&s;tre&s;|&s;ed
<PB N="38" REF="21">
<HI>England:</HI> for the procuring of which, as principall helpes and meanes under the powerfull and wi&s;e di&s;po&s;ing Providence of the Lord <HI>JEHOVAH,</HI> who in his owne due time, (as <HI>Mordecai</HI> &s;aid to <HI>E&s;ther, E&s;t.</HI> 4.14. and <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 63.3. <HI>when all means faileth, is alone able with|out and beyond all meanes, to bring Salvation by his owne out-&s;tretched Arme,</HI> Yet let not us be idle or &s;ecure, but ob&s;erve and indeavour the&s;e in&s;uing means for our part.</P>
<P N="1">I. <HI>By Petitioning, and by all other lawfull wayes and addre&s;&s;es, &s;trive to procure from the Parliament, and all other ju&s;t Authority, that they (according to their duty, Oath, and Profe&s;&s;ion; yea, and our tru&s;t repo&s;ed in them) will Admini&s;ter J&V;STICE impartially, (according to that loud and earne&s;t de&s;ire of di&s;tre&s;&s;ed and Impri&s;oned Lieutenant Colonell LILB&V;RNE, in that late</HI> Letter, <HI>(which frequently is called his,) and according to tho&s;e &s;ad and lamenting Expre&s;&s;ions in that ju&s;t complain|ing Epi&s;tle (of an</HI> Utter Barre&s;ter <HI>to his &s;peciall freind,) called</HI> Eng|lands Mi&s;ery and Remedy,) <HI>and that without turning either to the right hand, or to the left, or knowing of any Relation either to Father, Mother, Si&s;ter, Brother, Kin&s;man or other; or without regarding of any Faction, either Popi&s;h, Epi&s;copall, Presbyterian, Independant, Separate or Anabapti&s;t, but Cordially to doe every one Ju&s;tice, becau&s;e it is ju&s;t: and &s;everely to puni&s;h all perverters of Ju&s;tice, who&s;oever they be: one Moneths doing of which, would procure the Parliament more Cordiall freinds then the fighting of all their Armies, or the forcing of all their Covenants, or the Pre&s;&s;ing of all their Souldiers, or per&s;ecuting all their Sectaries will doe in ten moneths &s;pace.</HI></P>
<P N="2">II. <HI>To endeavour to &s;et the City of</HI> London <HI>right in the enjoyment of her Priviledges: (being the Metropolis of</HI> England, <HI>that &s;hee may indeed be a true Pre&s;ident to all the Cities and Corporations in the Kingdome, and a ballance to all the Tyrants, or Arbytrary-principl'd men in the &s;ame:) the means to &s;et her right, is fir&s;t, for the Commons to get a Copy of their Charters, and tran&s;late them into Engli&s;h, and print, them, that &s;o every free-man may &s;ee and know his own rights, and en|deavour the more earne&s;tly the exemplary puni&s;hment of the infringers and incroachers thereupon.</HI></P>
<P N="3">III. <HI>To ri&s;e as one man under faithfull, hone&s;t, experienced, con&s;tant, well-affected Commanders, &s;uch as tho&s;e that ri&s;e, &s;hall chu&s;e to adven|ture their lives with; and beleager all the Kings Garri&s;ons before the &s;torme grow &s;o great in the North, that no man dare travell under paine
<PB N="39" REF="21">
of his life, according tho&s;e hone&s;t and good Directions lately printed&punc; which are intituled,</HI> Englands Cordiall Phy&s;ick.</P>
<P N="4">IV. <HI>To call to a ju&s;t and &s;trict account all Fingerers, and Receivers of money, what&s;oever, even Parliament men as well as others; for they are all but the Common-wealths &s;ervants) and &s;everely (according to the greate&s;t pennalty of any declared and unrepealed Law) to puni&s;h all tho&s;e that have any wayes cheated and cozened the Common-wealth, and unju&s;tly made them&s;elves rich by her trea&s;ure now in the time of their great richer, and her extreame poverty; and for future time, to make a Law to puni&s;h with death all &s;uch gro&s;&s;e tran&s;gre&s;&s;ors, who de|&s;erve to have their skinnes flead off, and &s;topt full of &s;traw, and hung up publikely in the places where they &s;o unju&s;tly executed their unde&s;erved Offices, and deceived their owne Nation to inrich them&s;elves, to the ter|rifying of all &s;uch as &s;hall &s;ucceed them in their places, from the acting of &s;uch unchri&s;tian&punc; yea, and wor&s;e then Heathen-like Roaguery.</HI></P>
<P>For I am confident, that the portion of all &s;uch covetous State-robbers, Nationall Fellons, mighty thieves, and &s;ecret Traytors will be &s;uch as are de&s;cribed (or painted lively in their colours) throughout the Twentieth Chapter o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>Job,</HI> from the fourth Ver&s;e, which I expre&s;&s;e here at large, and more Scriptures after them, for the u&s;e of tho&s;e that have no <HI>B<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">bles,</HI> to read (they are become &s;o dear, and Monopolized like other things, as &s;hall yet hereafter ap|peare,) the words a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">e the&s;e.</P>
<P><HI>Knowe&s;t not thus this of old, &s;ince man was placed upon the earth, that the triumphing of the wicked is &s;hort, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment. Though his Exce<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">lency mount up to the heavens, and his head reach unto the Clouds, yet he &s;hall peri&s;h for ever, like his owne dung: they which have &s;een him, &s;hall &s;ay, Where is hee?</HI></P>
<P><HI>He &s;hall flie away as a dreame, and &s;hall not be found, yea, he &s;halbe cha&s;ed away as a Vi&s;ion of the night, the eye al&s;o which &s;aw him, &s;hall &s;ee him no more, neither &s;hall his Place any more behold him. His Children &s;hall &s;eek to plea&s;e the Poore, and his hands &s;hall re&s;tore their goods: His bones are full of the f<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">rme of his youth, which &s;hall lie downe with him in the du&s;t. Though wickedne&s;&s;e be &s;weet in his mouth, though hee hide it under his tongue: though he &s;pare it, and for&s;ake it not, but keep it &s;till within his mouth.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Yet his meat in his bowels is turned, it is the gall of a&s;pes within him: He hath &s;wallowed down riches, and hee &s;hall vomite them up againe,
<PB N="40" REF="22">
God &s;hall ca&s;t them out of his belly: He &s;hall &s;uck the poy&s;on of A&s;pes, the &V;ipers tongue &s;hall &s;lay him: He &s;hall not &s;ee the Rivers, the &s;hods, the brookes of honey and butter; That which he laboured for, hee &s;hall re|&s;tore, and &s;hall not &s;wallow it downe; according to his &s;ub&s;tance &s;hall the re&s;titution be, and he &s;hall not rejoyce therein.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Becau&s;e he hath oppre&s;&s;ed, and hath for&s;aken the poor, becau&s;e he hath violently taken away an hou&s;e which he builded not: &s;urely hee &s;hall not finde quietne&s;&s;e in his belly, hee &s;hall not &s;ave of that which hee de&s;i|red.</HI></P>
<P><HI>There &s;hall none of his meat be left, he &s;hall be in &s;traites; every hand of the wicked &s;hall come upon him: When he is about to fill his belly, God &s;hall ca&s;t the fury of his wrath upon him, and &s;hall raine it upon him, while he is eating.</HI></P>
<P><HI>He &s;hall flie from the iron weapon, and the bow of &s;teel &s;hall &s;trike him through: it is drawne, and commeth of the body: yea, the gli&s;tering &s;word commeth out of his gall; terrours are upon him: all darkne&s;&s;e &s;hall be hid in his &s;ecret places; a fire not blowne &s;hall con&s;ume him: it &s;hall goe ill with him that is left in his Tabernable. The heaven &s;hall re|veale his iniquity; and the earth &s;hall ri&s;e up again&s;t him: the increa&s;e of his Hou&s;e &s;hall depart, and his goods &s;hall flow away in the day of his wrath: This is the portion of a wicked man from God, and the heritage appointed unto him by God.</HI></P>
<P>Cn&s;ider and apply the&s;e Judgements to your &s;elves yee wicked <HI>Lawyers,</HI> (if you apprehend your &s;elves to be guilty of the blood, and of grinding the faces of the poor, by your profe&s;&s;ions, and e&s;pecially you grand <HI>Lawyers,</HI> (who are out of your element) in the Hou&s;e of Commons, by your practi&s;es.)</P>
<P>And as the P&s;almi&s;t &s;aith well of wicked men, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 73.5. <HI>&amp;c. They are not in trouble as other men, neither are they plagued like other men: their eyes &s;tand out with fatnes, they have more then their heart can wi&s;h, they are corrupt and &s;peak wickedly concerning oppre&s;&s;ion, they &s;peake fooli&s;hly, they &s;et their mouth again&s;t the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth; therefore the people returne hither, and wa|ters of a full cup are wrung out to them. And they &s;ay, bow doth God know? and is there knowledge in the Mo&s;t High: Behold the&s;e are the ungodly, who pro&s;per in the world, they increa&s;e in riches.</HI></P>
<P>But in the 18. ver&s;e it is &s;aid; <HI>Surely thou (O Lord) did&s;t &s;et them in &s;lippery places, thou ca&s;te&s;t them down into de&s;truction.</HI></P>
<P><PB N="41" REF="22">And in the 49. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 16&punc; hee &s;aith, <HI>Bee not thou afraid, when one is made rich, when the glory of his hou&s;e is increa&s;ed, for when hee dieth, hee &s;hall carry nothing away, his glory &s;hall de&s;cend after him, &amp;c. And in the</HI> 50. <HI>P&s;alm.</HI> 16, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> But unto the wick|ed, God &s;aith, <HI>What ha&s;t thou to doe with my &s;tatutes, or that thou &s;houlde&s;t take my Covenant in thy mouth: &s;eeing thou hate&s;t in&s;tru|ction, and ca&s;te&s;t my words behind thee. When thou &s;awe&s;t a thief, then then con&s;ented&s;t with him, and ha&s;t been partaker with Adulterers. Thou give&s;t thy mouth to evill, and thy tongue frameth deceit. Thou &s;itte&s;t and &s;peake&s;t again&s;t thy brother, thou &s;landere&s;t thine owne mothers &s;onne. The&s;e things ha&s;t thou done, and I have kept &s;ilence: thou thoughte&s;t that I was altogether &s;uch a one as thy &s;elf; but I will reprove thee, and &s;et them in Order before thine eyes. Now con&s;ider this, yee that forget GOD, le&s;t I teare you in pieces, and there be none to deliver. Who&s;o offereth prai&s;e, glorifieth me, and to him that ordereth his conver&s;ation aright, will I &s;hew the &s;alvation of God.</HI></P>
<P><HI>But as the Prophet</HI> Jeremiah <HI>&s;aith,</HI> chap. 23. &amp;c. <HI>But this people hath a revolting and rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone: neither &s;ay they in their heart, let us now feare the Lord, our GOD, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter in his &s;ea&s;on, hee re&s;erveth unto us the very appointed weeks of the harve&s;t: your iniquities hath turned away the&s;e things, and your &s;innes have withdrawen good things from you. For a|mong my people are found wicked men; they lay wait, as hee that layeth &s;nares, they &s;et a trap to catch men. As a cage is full of birds, &s;o are their hou&s;es full of deceit, therefore they are became great, and waxed rich. They are grown fat, they &s;hine, yea, they overpa&s;&s;e the deeds of the wickod, they judge not the cau&s;e, the cau&s;e of the fatherle&s;&s;e; yet they pro&s;per, and the right of the needy doe they not judge.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Shall I not vi&s;ite for the&s;e things, &s;aith the Lord, &s;hall not my &s;oul be revenged on &s;uch a Nation as this? A wonderfull and horrible thing is committed in the Land, the Prophets Prophe&s;ie, fal&s;ly, and the Prie&s;ts heare rule by that means, and my people love to have it &s;o, and what will yee doe in the end thereof?</HI></P>
<P>But to returne to our former matter, e&s;pecially the grievances of the Nation; (through the mi&s;take of the Printer, in omitting of &s;ome Manu&s;cripts) and the ab&s;ence of the Author, when the Monopolies in the former part of this Book were expre&s;&s;ed; as chiefly that &s;oul-&s;tarving, or murthering Monopoly, in hindering the free pa&s;&s;age of
<PB N="42" REF="23">
the Go&s;pel, by extorting the prices of Bibles, which the fal&s;e &s;elf-loving Stationers, as deadly enemies to all goodne&s;&s;e, have been en|terprizing a long time to obtaine, and again&s;t all common freedom, to engro&s;&s;e into their owne hands the &s;ole and only &s;elling of them, by which meanes, they intend to &s;ell at what rates &s;oever they plea&s;e, though already they &s;ell at double the rate that hone&s;t wel-affected Common-wealths men may print and &s;ell them, and al&s;o be con&s;cionable gainers by them:</P>
<P>So of all Monopolies or Patents, next the monopolizing of in|gro&s;&s;ing the Preaching of Gods Word into the Tything and gripe|ing clawes of the Clergy; this is the mo&s;t wicked and intollerable, becau&s;e it deprives many, both poore &s;ervants, and others of meane condition to buy any Bibles at all, by rea&s;on of the extraordinary dearth or dearne&s;&s;e of them, that thereby they might be in&s;tructed in the way to heaven and happine&s;&s;e; and taught their duty al&s;o to|wards their Ma&s;ters, and the Magi&s;trates; whereby it is evident, that tho&s;e Stationers, thus enterprising, are &s;elf-&s;eekers, and as great ene|mies to the Common-wealth, as they are to all goodne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>And be&s;ides, they employ the Bi&s;hops old Theeves and Roagues about their robbing affaires, as <HI>Hun&s;cott</HI> their Beadle for one, and a tall pale-faced fellow for another, who lately with their ba&s;e crue of robbing Partners, under pretence of Parliamentary Authority, to &s;earch for dangerous Bookes, have robbed divers hone&s;t mens hou|&s;es in <HI>London,</HI> who have been the Parliaments be&s;t freinds and &s;er|vants, and particularly, Lievtenant Colonell <HI>Lilburnes</HI> hou&s;e, who being Pri&s;oner in New-gate, and his wife with him, and the great with Childe, &amp; neer her time, tho&s;e robbers took advantage of their ab&s;ence.</P>
<P>And none being in the Hou&s;e, but an old Gentle-woman at that time, whom they much frighted; as they did a young Gentle-woman in another place, to the great danger of her life (in&s;omuch that &s;he cryeth out in her extreame-Fever, <HI>Hun&s;cott, Hun&s;cott,</HI>) they ranne up into the Chambers, &amp; &s;tole out of his wives Drawers, divers pieces of her Child-bed linnen&punc; and &s;uch other things as they plea|&s;ed, and refu&s;ed to &s;hew the Old-woman what they had &s;tollen, though &s;hee earne&s;tly intreated them.</P>
<P>And in other the Parliaments freinds hou&s;es, under the colour of Parliamentary Authority, they at lea&s;t doe rob all choice old books,
<PB N="43" REF="23">
as well as new, upon all occa&s;ions of &s;uch grievous oppre&s;&s;ions, and unexpected per&s;ecutions.</P>
<P>And not only hath this ba&s;e fellow <HI>Hun&s;cott</HI> this &s;o needfull and profitable Office of Robbing, but it is reported, that hee hath al&s;o another as needfull and profitable, for he gathereth the Exci&s;e for Cattell, and Hats, &amp;c. which with the former, is e&s;teemed to be worth 500<ABBR>l.</ABBR> <HI>per annum</HI> to him.</P>
<P>Oh! what a cleer demon&s;tration of future and intended &s;lavery may be well and cleerly perceived by any (who have but halfe an eye) to begin againe among us (though after more hidden and ob&s;cured wayes then formerly) when &s;uch &s;turdy Roagues, bold Robbers, &s;hamele&s;&s;e covetous, and impudent Tyrants as this, or his fellows, are authorized and &s;ent from high Judicatories, upon &s;uch ungodly &amp; barbarous de&s;ignes, &amp; inhumane enterprizes, &amp; yet found good enough al&s;o to be imployed in the great Affaires of the Kingdom!</P>
<P>Is there never a con&s;cientious nor hone&s;t man left unkilled, exi|led or impri&s;oned, that hath the feare of God, &amp; done good &amp; faith|full &s;ervice to the State, there would be &s;ome colour of excu&s;e, that &s;uch abjects and off-&s;courings of mankind &s;hould be accepted, and well-de&s;erving worthy men quite rejected? Well, the&s;e are brave times for the wicked, who are advanced by the ruine of the godly, the allowed thiefe permitted to rob and de&s;troy the hone&s;t man, the rich to rob, plunder and &s;eque&s;trate the poore, untill they can get no more, but when they have gotten all, and done with all what they plea&s;e, it re&s;ts only that the poore al&s;o, in their turne, render them the like mea&s;ure, and finde out their Riches for the States &s;er|vice, which all this heavy time they have &s;aved, whiles poore mens e&s;tates have been exceedingly de&s;troyed.</P>
<P>But as the Water-men at <HI>Queen-hive</HI> doe u&s;ually cry, <HI>We&s;tward hough, hough,</HI> &s;o according to the pre&s;ent current of the times, mo&s;t hone&s;t men have more then cau&s;e to cry in the Water-mens lan|guage, <HI>Aegypt hough, hough, the hou&s;e of Bondage, &s;lavery, oppre&s;&s;ion, taxation, heavy and cruell, heavy and cruell, wee can no longer beare it, we can no longer beare it, wee can no longer beare it; wee are as much pro|voked &amp; forced to ca&s;t off all our yoakes and cro&s;&s;es from our &s;houlders (ex|cept only that of Per&s;ecution) as ever any people or Nations, though no People or Nation under heaven have been more free, beneficiall and help|full to tho&s;e whom wee intru&s;ted to help and deliver as from Oppre&s;&s;ion,
<PB N="44" REF="24">
which &s;aith the</HI> Wi&s;e-man, <HI>is enough to make wi&s;e-men mad.</HI></P>
<P>According to the Parliaments Declaration, in their own words, expre&s;&s;ed on the &s;econd page of this book, is it not ju&s;tly &s;aid, that in the Generall of an Army &s;hould turn the mouthes of his Cannons again&s;t his owne Souldiers, would not that his attempt contrary to the nature of his tru&s;t and place committed unto him, <HI>ip&s;o facto,</HI> e&s;tate the Army in a right of di&s;obedience, (even by &s;tanding on their own defence, as the Parliament them&s;elves doe (and we al&s;o in helping them, or el&s;e where had they been, again&s;t the fury of the King, which <HI>Salomon</HI> calleth, <HI>like the roaring of a Lion;</HI> except wee thinke that obedience binds men to cut their owne throates, or at lea&s;t their companions, &s;o (as they truly teach us) it is the equitie, and not the Letter of the Law, unto which wee mu&s;t have recour&s;e in our greate&s;t nece&s;&s;ity, as the Parliament them&s;elves were forced to doe, and &s;till doth in this their owne extremity.</P>
<P>But &s;ome will &s;ay, that our bondage is not yet &s;o bad as that of <HI>Aegypt</HI> was, for all the Jewes were in great bondage under the <HI>Egyp|tions,</HI> and yet many of ours are exempted: unto that I yeeld, and doe confe&s;&s;e, that few of our great and mighty men doe either work the clay, or make the bricks; but they lay either all, or mo&s;t part of the burthen on the poor by heavy labour, and &s;weat of their browes in the heat of the day, not only in working the clay, and making of the bricks, but if they doe complaine to <HI>Higher Powers,</HI> upon their cruell and Tyrannous <HI>Task-ma&s;ters,</HI> they are &s;o farre from getting any kind of Ju&s;tice, that becau&s;e they moaned and complained, and groaned under &s;uch heavy and grievous burdens, that they were not able any longer to beare or indure, they are further ordained (even for their complaining) to gather &s;tubble too, becau&s;e they are &s;o idle.</P>
<P>Innumerable in&s;tances there are throughout the&s;e three mourn|ing and bleeding Kingdomes, to prove all the&s;e bu&s;ine&s;&s;es, but I will onely chu&s;e a Citie in&s;tance, and let every man who is in his pro|fe&s;&s;ion after that manner grieved and wronged, turne the &s;imile home to him&s;elf, according to his &s;mart; Though the poore Hat-makers, who earne their living with heavy and, hot labours, both early and late, doe pay Exci&s;e both for all the materialls, and fire which they u&s;e, for the bread they eate, for the liquor they drinke, and clothes they weare, yet when they have made their Hatts, and
<PB N="45" REF="24">
done all they can with great trouble and toyle, day and night, they are forced to pay Exci&s;e over againe out of their very labour, not|with&s;tanding it was both &s;o deare and heavy in buying all the ne|ce&s;&s;aries before.</P>
<P>O cruell, pitifull, lamentable and intollerable Bondage, no long|er to be indured, &s;uffered, nor undergone, the burdens being far hea|vier then the poore labourers can beare! and yet the <HI>Spirituall Ta&s;k-ma&s;ters</HI> doe gape, and roar like Lions for their prey of Tythes, al&s;o over, above, and be&s;ides all, without any kinde of pitie, compa&s;|&s;ion or commi&s;eration, in the&s;e grievous daies of affliction.</P>
<P>When this Kingdom was in any way or po&s;&s;ibility of &s;ub&s;i&s;tance, the auntient cu&s;tome was, that Taxations &s;hould be rai&s;ed by way of Sub&s;idie, which is the mo&s;t ju&s;t, equitable, and rea&s;onable way of all, for it &s;ets every tub on its owne bottome, it layes the burthen upon the &s;trong &s;houlders of the rich, who onely are able to beare it, but &s;pareth and freeth the weake &s;houlders of the poore, becau&s;e they are &s;carcely able to &s;ub&s;i&s;t, pay rent, and maintain their fami|lies.</P>
<P>But our new invented pay, layes the burden heavily upon the poore, and men of middle quality or condition, without all di&s;cre|tion, and &s;carcely maketh the rich touch it with one of their fingers: yea, many of them are more and more advanced in their pro&s;pe|rous e&s;tate, through the great ruines, di&s;tractions, and mi&s;eries of the Kingdome, by their great &s;alleries they have for executing their places, as 500<ABBR>l.</ABBR> 1000<ABBR>l.</ABBR> 1200<ABBR>l.</ABBR> and more, <HI>per annum,</HI> be&s;ides all the bribes they get, and the fal&s;e Accounts they make; So that in this life, the rich have their plea&s;ures, but poore <HI>Lazarus</HI> paines.</P>
<P>Seeing the Parliament ordained, that none &s;hould be accepted to be a Parliament-man, that had been a Monopolizer to the Kings Coun&s;ell, and fal&s;e Judges again&s;t the Liberties of the free-men of <HI>England,</HI> is it not as unju&s;t to imploy any man in a place of Tru&s;t, Credit, or profit now in Parliament time, that have been known to be a Monopolizer in any place or Office to or for the Parliament, to the prejudice of the Free-men of <HI>England?</HI></P>
<P>Further it was omitted in the former part of this book, where complaint is made both of inju&s;tice to well-doers, and no ju&s;tice to evill doers, that (according to the Parliaments booke of Declarati|ons, pag. 259. and 260.) <HI>Who&s;oever &s;hall &s;erve or a&s;&s;i&s;t the King in the&s;e
<PB N="46" REF="25">
Warres, are Traytors by the fundamentall Lawes of this Kingdome, and have been &s;o adjudged by two Acts of Parliament.</HI> 11. <HI>Richard</HI> 2. 1. <HI>Hen.</HI> 4.</P>
<P>And pag. 576. of the &s;aid book, <HI>It is declared by the Lords and Com|mons a&s;&s;embled in Parliament, that whereas the King, &s;educed by wick|ed Coun&s;ell, doth make warre again&s;t his Parliament and People, and for the promoting of that war, divers forces both of hor&s;e and foot have been, and are leavied and rai&s;ed by &s;everall per&s;ons, and his Maje&s;ties good Subjects are mo&s;t cruelly robbed, &s;poiled and &s;laine.</HI></P>
<P><HI>To the end that no man may be mi&s;led through ignorance, the Lords and Commons in Parliament declare, that all &s;uch per&s;ons as &s;hall upon any pretence what&s;oever, a&s;&s;i&s;t his Maje&s;tie in this warre with Hor&s;e, Armes, Plate or money, are Traytors to his Maje&s;tie, the Parliament, and the Kingdome, and &s;hall be brought to condigne puni&s;hment for &s;o high an offence.</HI></P>
<P>Yea, and according to the book of Articles for Warre, <HI>pag. It is enacted to be death unto any who&s;oever, who holdeth Intelligence and corre&s;pondency with the enemy.</HI></P>
<P>All which Sir <HI>John Lenthall,</HI> and the Speaker his Brother have done, and yet it mu&s;t neither be proved again&s;t them, nor they try|ed nor arraigned, but altogether excu&s;ed, cleered, and freed, even by Vote of Parliament, and the accu&s;ers both pri&s;oned and arraign|ed for them; yea, &amp; a Committe cho&s;en to devi&s;e and inflict puni&s;h|ments again&s;t the Accu&s;ers, &s;o that &s;till the ju&s;t are condemned, and the wicked ab&s;olved.</P>
<P>P&s;al. 9.18, 19. <HI>For the needy &s;hall not alway be forgotten: the expe|ctation of the poore &s;hall not peri&s;h for ever: Ari&s;e, O Lord, let not man prevail, let the Heathen be judged in thy &s;ight.</HI> And 12.5. <HI>For the op|pre&s;&s;ions of the poor, for the &s;ighing of the needy, now</HI> will I ari&s;e, <HI>&s;aith the LORD, I will &s;et him in &s;afety, from him that puffeth at him.</HI> And 35.10. <HI>All my bones &s;hall &s;ay, LORD, who is like unto thee! which de|livereth the poore from him that is too &s;trong for him yea, the poore and the needy from him that &s;poileth him?</HI> And 37.14. <HI>The wicked have drawne out the &s;word, and have bent their bow, to ca&s;t downe the poor and needy, and to &s;tay &s;uch as be of upright conver&s;ation.</HI></P>
<P>And 62.9, 10. <HI>Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie, to be laid in the ballance, they are altogether lighter then vanity. Tru&s;t not in oppre&s;&s;ion, become not vaine in robbery; if riches in|crea&s;e,
<PB N="47" REF="25">
&s;et not your hearts upon them.</HI> And 74.19. <HI>O deliver not the &s;oul of thy Turtle Dove, unto the multitude of the wicked, forget not the Congregation of thy poore for ever.</HI> And 82.3, 4, 5. <HI>Defend the poore and fatherle&s;&s;e, doe ju&s;tice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poore and needy, rid them out of the band of the wicked, they know not, nei|ther will they under&s;tand: they walk on in darkne&s;&s;e, all the foundati|ons of the earth are out of cour&s;e.</HI></P>
<P>And 92.6, 7. <HI>A bruiti&s;h man knoweth not, neither doth a fool under|&s;tand this; When the wicked &s;pring as the gra&s;&s;e, and when all the wor|kers of iniquity doe flouri&s;h, it is, that they &s;hall be de&s;troyed for ever.</HI> And 118.8.9. <HI>It is better to tru&s;t in the Lord, then to put confidence in man. It is better to tru&s;t in the Lord, then to put confidence in Princes.</HI> And 146.3. <HI>Put not your tru&s;t in Princes, nor in the &s;onne of man, in whom there is no helpe.</HI></P>
<P>I&s;aiah. 10.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. <HI>Woe unto them that decree unrighteous de|crees, and write grievous things, which they have pre&s;cribed. To turn a&s;ide the need, from judgement, and to take away the right from the poor of my people, that Widdows may be their prey, and that they may robbe the fatherle&s;&s;e. And what will ye doe in the day of Vi&s;itation: and in the de|&s;olation which &s;hall come from farre? to whom will ye &s;eek for help? and where will ye leave your glory? Without me they &s;hall bow down under the Pri&s;oners, and they &s;hall fall under the &s;laine, for all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">retched out &s;till. O A&s;&s;yrian, the rod of mine anger, and the &s;taffe in their hand is mine indignation. I will &s;end him again&s;t an hypocriticall Nation; and again&s;t the people of my wrath, I will give him a charge to take the &s;poile, and to take the prey, and to tread them downe like the myre in the &s;treets.</HI></P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
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<BACK>
<DIV1 TYPE="errata">
<P>The chiefe faults e&s;caped in the printing, either through the Authours ab&s;ence, or the Correctours negligence.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="errata">
<P>In page 4. l. 22. read <HI>the la&s;t but one of.</HI> p. 5. l. 2. read <HI>and that.</HI> &amp; l. 7. read <HI>for the &s;ame.</HI> p. 7. l. 37. r. <HI>and ju&s;tly</HI> for <HI>hence ju&s;tly.</HI> and read <HI>may condemne</HI> for <HI>may not condemne.</HI> p. 9. l. 20. r. <HI>of which you may.</HI> and l. 32. r. <HI>are culpable.</HI> p. 10. l. 19. r. <HI>publick</HI> for <HI>bublick&punc;</HI> p. 15. l. 18. r. <HI>that call evill good, and good evill.</HI> and adde to the next
<PB REF="26">
line, <HI>Job</HI> 14.4. Who can bring a clean thing out of an uncleane? not one. read 25.4. and <HI>P&s;alm.</HI> 51.5. p. 16. l. 16. r. <HI>to pri&s;on without cau&s;e &s;hewed.</HI> and l. 18. r. <HI>to force him to commit a crime.</HI> &amp; l. 26. r. <HI>and then make</HI> for <HI>and then to make</HI> p. 17. l. 14. r. &s;trength|ned <HI>for</HI> &s;treightned, l. p. 37. l. 18. r. &s;uites <HI>for</HI> &s;uite, p. 39. l. 1. r. according to tho&s;e, <HI>for,</HI> according tho&s;e. p. 40. l. 23. r. con&s;ider, <HI>for</HI> cn&s;ider. p. 43. l. 16. r. If there were, <HI>for,</HI> Is there.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="postscript">
<HEAD>THE POSTSCRIPT, Containing divers &s;entences belonging to &s;everall pa&s;&s;ages of this Book, which were in their due places omitted, and here at la&s;t remembred.</HEAD>
<P>ADde to page <HI>16.</HI> l. <HI>29.</HI> So that fir&s;t, he was committed by Order and Vote of Parliament, without cau&s;e &s;hewed, and then &s;econd|ly, for refu&s;ing to an&s;wer upon Interrogatories to their Com|mittee of Examinations; which is contrary, <HI>1.</HI> To the Great Charter of <HI>England. 2.</HI> To the very words of the <HI>Petition of Right. 3.</HI> To the act made this pre&s;ent Parliament, for aboli&s;hing the <HI>Star-chamber, 4.</HI> To the &s;olemne Oath and Prote&s;tation of this Kingdome. <HI>5.</HI> To the great Covenant and Solemne Vow, made upon paine of eternall damnation, for uniting the two Kingdomes together. <HI>6.</HI> And mo&s;t principally of all, contrary to the infallible Rules of Gods own mo&s;t &s;acred Word, which forbids that any man &s;hould an&s;wer upon que&s;tions to accu&s;e, condemne, and con&s;equently to kill and de&s;troy him&s;elf, or that any man &s;hould be condemned before he be heard. And <HI>7.</HI> Contrary to all ju&s;tice, equity, con&s;cience, &s;en&s;e, rea&s;on, the very practi&s;e of the Romi&s;h Heathens, love, duty, brotherly affection, Chri&s;tianity, Reformation, Comi&s;eration, or Compa&s;&s;ion. <HI>8.</HI> Contrary to the Kingdoms great tru&s;t, committed by their grand Commi&s;&s;ion to the Parliament, for defending and improving, and no wi&s;e for de&s;troying nor di&s;annulling their Liberties, and &s;o alwayes for the Weale, but never for the woe of the Free-men of <HI>England,</HI> other|wi&s;e they are not only to be bidden&punc; take heed to their inju&s;tice&punc; but to be called to an account, and cen&s;ured accordingly.</P>
<P>That in regard the Kingdome is in &s;o pittifull and great di&s;tre&s;&s;e, and that the mo&s;t and be&s;t things that ever this Parliament did, were fir&s;t motioned by private men, and then authori&s;ed and e&s;tabli&s;hed by them; it would be excellent and needfull, if they would ordaine, that every free-man of <HI>England,</HI> who is able, would be&s;tow his &s;ervico one yeere at lea&s;t, freely for the good of the Civill State, in any Place or Office of Tru&s;t, whereof his skill and breeding doe fit him, to be mo&s;t capable, according as they &s;hall be cho&s;en, and tho&s;e who are not able to &s;erve freely for a
<PB REF="26">
yeere, and to have competent maintenance allowed unto them, to the va|lue of <HI>50.</HI> or <HI>60<ABBR>l.</ABBR></HI> a yeere, according to their charge; if &s;uch be cho&s;en for their skill and diligence, though they want outward means: for which allowance, tho&s;e that are con&s;cien&s;cious, will doe as good &s;ervice, at lea&s;t, as &s;ome others, who have <HI>1000.</HI> or <HI>2000.</HI> a yeere.</P>
<P>The like rule is no le&s;&s;e, but rather farre more excellent and needfull, to be ob&s;erved and e&s;tabli&s;hed in matters concerning the Church-&s;tate wherein her &s;ervants are to performe their duties freely, they being able to maintain them&s;elves, and tho&s;e with them, whether by means obtain|ed formerly, or indu&s;try u&s;ed daily; otherwi&s;e, to have the like allowance of <HI>50.</HI> or <HI>60<ABBR>l.</ABBR></HI> a yeere, according to their charge.</P>
<P>And that the remainder of all Church-living, obtained by the &s;ubtil|ty of Antichri&s;t, be n<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">w wholly imployed to the &s;upply of the Kingdomes manifold pre&s;ent nece&s;&s;ities, and after the Warres are ended, to the pay|ment of the Kingdoms great debts, contracted upon the publick faith.</P>
<P>But if in ca&s;e, that the Clergy or any of them &s;hall not be content with the afore&s;aid allowance, which is &s;ufficient for as hone&s;t men, that then it might be free for tho&s;e whom God &s;hall be plea&s;ed to fit with &s;uffici|ent abilities to &s;upply their places freely: to the intent, it may not be &s;aid of them, as of the Scribes and Phari&s;ees, that they &s;hut up the King|dome of heaven, and will neither enter in them&s;elves, nor yet &s;uffer tho&s;e that would. <HI>Matth. 23.13. Luk. 14.52.</HI></P>
<P>In the Appendix of one of Mr. <HI>Prinnes</HI> bokes, authorized by the Par|liament, called <HI>The Soveraign power of Parliaments and Kingdoms,</HI> beginning at <HI>pag. 1.</HI> It is manife&s;ted by &s;undry Hi&s;tories &amp; Authours, that in the ancient <HI>Roman</HI> Kingdome and Empire&punc; in the <HI>Greek</HI> and <HI>German</HI> Empires, derived out of it, in the old <HI>Grecian, Indian, Egyp|tian</HI> Realmes, in the Kingdome of <HI>France, Spaine, Italy, Hungaria, Bohemia, Denmark, Poland, Swethland, Scotland,</HI> yea of <HI>Judah, I&s;|rael,</HI> and others mentioned in the Scripture, the &s;upreame Soveraignity and Power, re&s;ided not in the Emperours and Kings them&s;elves, but in their Kingdomes, Senates, Parliaments, People, who had not onely power to re&s;train, but cen&s;ure and remove their Emperours &amp; Princes, for their tyranny and mi&s;-government: Where al&s;o there is an an&s;wer to the prin|cipall Arguments to prove Kings above whole Kingdomes and Parlia|ments, and not que&s;tionable nor accountable to them, nor cen&s;urable by them for any exorbitant actions.</P>
<P><HI>The 4. page, 6. 7. 10. 11. 13. 17. 101. 112. 123. 125. 150. 151. 153. 154. 159.</HI> are mo&s;t excellent for deciding tho&s;e differences, which I referre to the juditious and courteous Reader to peru&s;e at his lei&s;ure.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="colophon">
<P><HI>Printed</HI> Octob. 1645.</P>
</DIV1>
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</TEXT>
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</ETS>
