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<DATE>2014-10-28</DATE>
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<NAME>John Pas</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B140621.pdcc.</ITEM>
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<VID>160448</VID>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
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<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>A PREPARATION For a day of THANKSGIVING To the PARLIAMENT, for their late ORDINANCE for TYTHES.</P>
<P>Newly mounted and well charged with treble dammages, for the people not giving the tenth part of their E&s;tates to the Clergie or Impropriators.</P>
<P>Being the re&s;ult of the Parliaments friends in <HI>Hartford-&s;hire.</HI></P>
<P>Printed in the Yeare. 1647.</P>
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<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB N="2" REF="2">
<P><GAP DESC="missing" EXTENT="1+ pages">when we delivered our la&s;t Petiton again&s;t tyeth, which did expre&s;&s;e the unju&s;tne&s;&s;e of paying it, and that we ex|pected reliefe from the Hou&s;e of Commons of <HI>England:</HI> they then commanded their Speaker to tell us we were mi&s;taken, his meaning we did not then well under&s;tand. But now this explanation Ordinance doth declare the meaning of that Hou&s;e, that we were mi&s;taken if wee did expect any helpe from them, for any &s;uch burthen as lay upon us: but e&s;pecially &s;uch as they them&s;elves had gaine by, as in impropriations, indeed this doth de|clare to us and the whole world, that this Hou&s;e of Commons intend to deliver us from all our oppre&s;&s;ions as <HI>Rehoboam</HI> did the <HI>I&s;raelites,</HI> from thence he told them his little finger &s;hould weigh down his Fathers Loynes in oppre&s;&s;ion, but by it he lo&s;t ten Tribes to his &s;ervant let our Parliament take heed now for <HI>England</HI> is moved with oppre&s;&s;ion, and &s;uch an&s;wers to Petitions.</P>
<P N="2">2. A &s;econd rea&s;on why we &s;hould take more notice of this then other Ordinances of this nature formerly pa&s;t, as worthy of thankes and prai&s;e, is becau&s;e it was as we conceive in oppo&s;ition to <HI>Sir Thomas Fairfax,</HI> and the Armies Propo&s;itions, of which this was one, to re|gulate Tyeth: We cannot but be &s;en&s;ible of this, for we petitioned Sir <HI>Thomas,</HI> and the re&s;t at St <HI>Albans,</HI> to doe their utmo&s;t for the bringing of us out of our wor&s;e then <HI>Egyptian</HI> bondage, we looking upon him as one ap|pointed and fitted of God for that purpo&s;e, as <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> was one who rather choo&s;es to &s;uffer with the people of God, then to be poy&s;onned with a &s;elfe-&s;eeking Parlia|ments honour: or a Silver Charger fild with (not only) the head of innocent <HI>John Bapti&s;t,</HI> but al&s;o the heads of
<PB N="3" REF="2">all the harmele&s;&s;e ones in the Kingdome, but &s;hould have been covered over with Gold, by a company of treacherous Aldermen and their Abettors, but ble&s;&s;ed be that God who let him &s;ee what was in the bottome before ever the Gold did dazle his eyes.</P>
<P N="3">3. A third rea&s;on of our returning thankes, is becau&s;e this Ordinance is to be fiered by two Iu&s;tices of the peace: and the greate&s;t part of our Commi&s;&s;ioners in that kind are &s;uch as have been again&s;t the Parliament in all the&s;e times of trouble, or el&s;e &s;uch &s;elfe-&s;eeking men as we are fully per&s;waded, will never doe any action that &s;hall tend to the publique good, much le&s;&s;e to any private or particular man, as we by wofull experience can &s;peake in all cau&s;es, that have ever yet come before any of them, for the greate&s;t favour that they u&s;e to &s;hew is to let the Plaintiffe produce what con&s;cionle&s;&s;e witnes he will to &s;wear for him&s;elfe: and then to pa&s;&s;e a cen&s;ure of treble dammage, according to the oaths made again&s;t the poore Defendant, and to give out their warrant to &s;eize upon any of his goods, and fell them as the Plaintiffe will, and the Parliament have left no way of reliefe for the poor Defendant but the Court of in|equity, which is a remedy wor&s;e then the di&s;ea&s;e.</P>
<P>And &s;ome of our wi&s;e and hone&s;t Iu&s;t-a&s;&s;es who are glad to take any occa&s;ion to whip tho&s;e who have faith|fully &s;erved their Country in the&s;e times of trouble, have again&s;t &s;ome given above foure times the value of what their very enemies had &s;worne their tyeth was worth.</P>
<P>Now the premi&s;es con&s;idered, let all rationall men judge, if we have not cau&s;e to return thanks when we &s;ee
<PB N="4" REF="3">&s;uch glorious Ordinances guilded over with pretence of Go&s;pel maintenance, for Mini&s;ters come forth e&s;pecially (at this time) when our expectations were altogether for deliverance from &s;uch yoakes and burthens, now we did &s;uppo&s;e our Parliament men would have done &s;om|thing to gaine their Countries love againe, for it is al|mo&s;t pa&s;t recovery, but we &s;ee now they are out of hope (if this Parliament be di&s;&s;olved) ever to be cho&s;e any more, and therefore they intend to pay us home now: and if God prevent not to plunge us &s;o deep in Bondage, that two or three Bienniall Parliaments will &s;carcely be able to bring us out againe.</P>
<P>And if any &s;hall object and &s;ay, I but there are &s;ome in the Hou&s;e of Commons that doe &s;tand for the pub|lique good and are willing to free us from our oppre&s;|&s;ions, but that they are over powred by others that are enemies to common freedome.</P>
<P>We an&s;wer, if we knew who they were we &s;hould be very &s;orry to accu&s;e any &s;uch that &s;tand for our good in the lea&s;t, for we confe&s;&s;e we had more need incourage &s;uch that they might grow more bold and couragious and if there be &s;ome that are again&s;t opre&s;&s;ive votes and ordinances we would be glad they had courage enough to declare to the Kingdome who are their enemies that they might be cheated no more with &s;uch men.</P>
<P>But truly it doth not appeare to us who are our friends, for our proverb is <HI>&s;ilence gives con&s;ent</HI> &amp; non de|clare that they have a de&s;ire to ea&s;e us but are not able: for if they did we would help them as much as po&s;&s;ible we could for by the Parliaments Declaration wee are to oppo&s;e oppre&s;&s;ion in whom &s;o ever we find it, and &s;o we
<PB N="5" REF="3">are now re&s;olved to do what&s;oever it co&s;t us, for as God hath made Sir <HI>Thomas Fairfax</HI> and the re&s;t of that gall|ant Army a meanes to pre&s;erve this peri&s;hing Kingdom, &s;o he hath indued his Excellency, and the re&s;t of his faithfull Commanders and private Soldiers with gallant re&s;olutions to recover long lo&s;t freedomes, and in this with them we re&s;olve to &s;tand till death.</P>
<P>Therefore now wee &s;hall for this time conclude with the&s;e de&s;ires.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, that the di&s;&s;embly of
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">For to cal them Di|vines, is bla&s;phemy.</NOTE> devi&s;ers of oppre&s;&s;ions for the Kingdome be de&s;ired to &s;et a day apart, for thankes to be returned to tho&s;e Gentlemen that made and moun|ted this gallant Ordinance to &s;hoot through al the corn|fields in the Kingdom at once, &amp; that worthy Mr. <HI>Vines</HI> be de&s;ired to preach, becau&s;e he is an able con&s;cientious man for his ability he hath 120 l. <HI>per annum,</HI> at Clemons without temple bar, he hath al&s;o at <HI>Wooton</HI> in our coun|try 260 l. <HI>per annum</HI> &amp; he is al&s;o Ma&s;ter of <HI>Pembrook</HI> hal at Cambridge which is thought to be worth nigh 200 l. <HI>per annum</HI> be&s;ids he hath four &s;hillings <HI>per diem</HI> for &s;iting to devi&s;e how to keepe the people in ignorance and bon|dage, and his pari&s;h in <HI>Warwicke &s;heire</HI> whereof he was wont to write him&s;elfe Mini&s;ter before hee had got all the&s;e; now judge if he be not an able man, and that he is as con&s;cionable as tho&s;e by whom he hath his meanes and honours, judge ye, for he neaver comes to <HI>Wotton</HI> where he hath his 260 l. <HI>per annum</HI> but a matter of twi&s;e in a yeare, and that is out of con&s;cience to receive his rith of the people for his great paines, but he doth &s;upply the place very wel, for there is one that hath been outed by Parliament three &s;everall times for his ba&s;ene&s;&s;e, there|fore
<PB N="6" REF="4">we thinke this man fit to preach fir&s;t at this thanks|giving: in the afternoone we de&s;ire Mr. Hardwick of <HI>Hadam</HI> in our Country, bee de&s;ired to preach at this thank&s;giving for he is a man whom the Parliament have given a living of 320 l. <HI>per annum</HI> and is a man of &s;ound doctrine for his Pari&s;h had a charge of bla&s;phemy and lyes again&s;t him, enough to out 20 better Members then he if ther had been any Iu&s;tice to be had, but he is a good Common wealths man for if there happen a Fa&s;t day to fall in Harve&s;t he can di&s;pence with that when he hath tith abroad, and tell his pari&s;h, tis mo&s;t fit for great Mar|ket Townes to fa&s;t that have but litle Corne to get in and therefore we think him a very fit man for this purpo&s;e, that &s;o the Proverb may bee fullfilled like Prie&s;t like hearers.</P>
<P>We al&s;o de&s;ire our neighbours in <HI>E&s;&s;ex</HI> to do as much as wee have done in order to this thanks, and wee think it wil be very fit for them to de&s;ire <HI>Obediah Seighwick</HI> there belowing bull calfe to bleat out thankes for them. We al|&s;o de&s;ire all other countyes to doe the like that &s;o tho&s;e that did make this ordinance may therby be encourage|ed to make &s;uch an other as &s;oone as may be in order to common freedome.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
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