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<DATE>2011-03-05</DATE>
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<NAME>Pip Willcox</NAME>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch Z110210.pdcc.</ITEM>
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<DIV1 TYPE="proposals">
<PB N="1" REF="1" MS="y">
<HEAD><HI>PROPOSALS in behalfe of the Poore of this NATION.</HI> With &s;ome briefe
Con&s;iderations propounded to the Ho|nourable Parliament of the Commonwealth of <HI>England,</HI>
now &s;itting at <HI>We&s;tmin&s;ter.</HI></HEAD>
<P><HI>_BLe&s;&s;ed is he that con&s;idereth the poor and needy</HI> P&s;al. 41.1. <HI>The merciful
&s;hall find mercy,</HI> Mat. 5. <HI>He &s;hall have judgement without mercy that &s;heweth
none,</HI> Jam. 2.13. <HI>He that oppre&s;&s;eth the poor reproacheth his maker; but he that
honoureth him, hath mercy on the poor,</HI> Prov. 14.31. <HI>The poor you &s;hall have alwaies with
you. Hide not thy &s;elfe from thine own fle&s;h,</HI> I&s;a. 58.7.</P>
<P>To give flattering Titles is contrary to that of <HI>Elihu, Job</HI> 32.21. Yet give honor to
whom honor is due <HI>Rom.</HI> 13.7. <HI>They that rule well are worthy of double honor,</HI> To
be &s;ubject to powers, and pray for them in Authority, is the duty of the people protect|ed by
them, 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 2.2. Seeing it hath plea&s;ed him who is higher then the highe&s;t; to change
the Governours of this Nation four times in le&s;&s;e then &s;ixty years, 1 Queen
<HI>Elizabeth,</HI> 2. King <HI>James,</HI> 3. late King <HI>Charles.</HI> 4. The late Parliament.
The 5. now entred. Which by the ble&s;&s;ing of him that ruleth the Nations, may proceed to the
e&s;tabli&s;hing of righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e, and judgement (having the eies of the former to &s;ee
withall, and their &s;houlders to &s;tand upon, may &s;ee further) it would be a reproach if they
&s;hould not: It appears by their late Declaration, their fight is more like the Eagle, and
&s;oa|reth higher towards the new <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> (in expre&s;&s;ions.) To
<PB N="2" REF="2">
<HI>whom much is given, much is required.</HI> There are two baskets of Figs &s;poken of by
<HI>Jeremiah, Jer.</HI> 24.3. one very good, the o|ther very ill (&s;o it is expected from this
Commonwealth) the Harve&s;t is nigh ripe, the Lord of the Vineyard will come, and will not tarry,
to take an account of the talents he hath given forth. Let it not be offen&s;ive, he that hath but
one ta|lent, doe with the widow, who had but one mite, ca&s;t it into the trea&s;ury (that it may
be improved) the&s;e are times of Pro|po&s;als; let one take place for the poor, the rather
becau&s;e <HI>Wealth maketh many friends, but the poor is &s;eparated from his neighbour,</HI>
Prov. 19.4 Oppre&s;&s;ion of the poore, is a crying &s;in in holy Writ all along, the Lord will
ari&s;e for it, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 12.5. So is neglect of the poore, it was one of the &s;ins of
<HI>Sodom, Ezek.</HI> 16.49. to multiply places, were not &s;uitable to tho&s;e who are wi&s;e to
under&s;tand the&s;e things already; a word is enough to the wi&s;e, how&s;oever it may be u&s;eful
to mind them as <HI>Peter</HI> did, 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1.13.</P>
<P>It was the honor of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> there was no beggar in it, it &s;eems not many Harlots,
the hire thereof was abominable; the number of Theeves, and Cheaters did not &s;o abound as in this
Nation (with grief it may be &s;aid) to the &s;hame of it; the ground of the&s;e would be inquired
into. A little view in|to <HI>Salomons</HI> Proverbs will unmaske the fruits of idlene&s;&s;e and
evill company, <HI>Prov.</HI> 1.10. <HI>Prov.</HI> 2.10. It is &s;u&s;pected the&s;e times hath a
generation of people make much gaine of them (as Harlots in <HI>Salomons</HI> time did) it is to be
feared the Cities of <HI>London</HI> and <HI>We&s;tmin&s;ter,</HI> with the adjacent parts have
ju&s;tifi|ed <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> as it did <HI>Sodom,</HI> the iniquity of it was pride,
fulne&s;&s;e of bread, idlene&s;&s;e, neglect of the poore; two of the foure have relation to the
poor. The&s;e Cities are lifted up to heaven with <HI>Corazin</HI> and <HI>Beth&s;aida</HI> in the
means of the light of the Go&s;pell (pray it be not brought down to hell.) The poor of this Nation
are of &s;everall &s;orts. The fir&s;t &s;uch as are
<PB N="3" REF="2">
Beggars borne, and &s;o live and dye, never labouring in any calling el&s;e. A godly Mini&s;ter
once &s;aid (Dr. <HI>Siba</HI> by name) of them, marryed under hedges, children born in Barns and
under hedges, there bapti|zed, &s;o continue to the &s;hame of the Nation, and of the Go&s;pel. The
&s;econd &s;ort are Vagabonds, and counterfeit Rogues; &s;ome di&s;&s;em|bling lame, &s;ome one
di&s;ea&s;e, or &s;oar, &s;ome another: Will not be cu|red if they might; if any Officer come, they
can run, or by a Coach &s;ide to beg, what their conver&s;ation is when they meet together, by
drunkenne&s;&s;e and &s;wearing, hath vexed many a godly &s;oule pa&s;&s;ing by them (as
<HI>Lot</HI> was) the patience of God is to be admired that they are not &s;wallowed up with
<HI>Korah</HI> and his company. The&s;e are &s;uch <HI>Job</HI> &s;peaks of, viler then the earth
in his account, <HI>Job.</HI> 30.8. The&s;e &s;hould be provided for by imployment, it is not
&s;ufficient to pa&s;&s;e them from place to place, and correct them as the law requireth (this
were cru|elty) unle&s;&s;e imployment be provided for them, if they wil not work, then let a rod be
for the fools back. There are a third &s;ort, that labor and get a little mony, then will be drunk,
raile, and quarrel one with another, pawn their cloaths to vex one another by law, and when all is
gone, burthen the place where they live; Their manner of reven|ging one upon another, was formerly
by re&s;ting with Mar&s;hals men, and &s;etting Parators on their backs, for words; the&s;e Courts
being downe, they re&s;t one another with Bailiffs (a Bill of Mid|dle&s;ex, which is one of the
grievances of the Commonwealth) with writs of the like kind, it is expected the Regulators of the
Law will mend &s;uch abu&s;es (if it hinder not their Mill from grinding.) Ano|ther way the&s;e
unquiet poor puni&s;h one another, they (trouble Con|&s;tables, di&s;quiet their neighbors that
would live quietly) run to a Ju|&s;tice for a Warrant, there is one &s;hilling gone, bind one
another over to the Se&s;&s;ions, there 2<ABBR>s.</ABBR> 4<ABBR>d.</ABBR> a peece, when they have
drunk them&s;elves friends, withdraw their Recognizance, then as much more to be paid, &s;ometimes
committed to pri&s;on, and a Se&s;&s;ions bu&s;ine&s;&s;e is made of it; and their Neighbours
mu&s;t hinder their bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, to attend to give e|vidence (then more Fees to be paid) and
all for railing and fighting when drunk. (Never look for amendment, &s;o long as &s;o many
Offi|cers gain by it, dangerous to name them;) how can the&s;e people be but poor, where they are
permitted &s;uch pleadings, fitter to be rebu|ked and &s;ent home to their labour. (But how &s;hall
&s;o many Officers live then?) Is there never a wi&s;e man in a Pari&s;h to order &s;uch people?
<PB N="4" REF="3">
time was, when Certificates from hone&s;t Neighbours would have duckt them, without traver&s;ing
(that is co&s;tly) time hath been, a whole &s;treet of filthy &s;u&s;picious hou&s;es, hath been
removed by a Certificate of hone&s;t Neighbours; now they &s;warme, none dare meddle with them, if
they have but mony, or a companion that is crafty, and well acquainted with &s;ome unworthy
Soliciter of the Law, a whole Pa|ri&s;h &s;hall be vexed from Court to Court by the wor&s;t of
people, &s;uch as are not worthy to &s;it with the dogs of the flock, as <HI>Job</HI> &s;aith,
<HI>Job</HI> 30.1. (as before; the&s;e make worke, and bring gaine to many, little hope of
amendment &s;o long.) If any Neighbor reprove them he is revi|led, or re&s;ted if he can take hold
of any word, &s;cold and provoke them on purpo&s;e &s;ometimes. The&s;e are but the gleanings of
the abu&s;es of the skirts of the&s;e Cities (which are like the common-&s;hoare) it is hoped to be
better in the Country) one poor man to oppre&s;&s;e another is like a &s;weeping raine.
<HI>Jer.</HI> 5.4. The &s;in of the poor and fooli&s;h is a crying &s;in, as well as the rich.
The&s;e have grieved many a righteous &s;oule, who&s;e eyes have &s;een it, and ears have heard
it.</P>
<P>But to come to the oppre&s;&s;ion of tho&s;e that bear the burthen of the Nation by their
indu&s;try, and labour, the ble&s;&s;ing of the Almighty being with them, the laborious Husbandman,
the Handicrafts-man, and all kind of hone&s;t Trade&s;men, who would be glad to live quiet|ly, but
many times di&s;turbed by unquiet Neighbors, and proling Of|ficers, The corrupt Courtier, with his
Purveyor, and Harbinger, the Prelates with their Courts and Parators, their perjured Articlers, the
Star-Chamber, with the like, Court of Reque&s;t, Mar&s;hal Court with their Crew; <HI>Yorke</HI>
and <HI>Ludlow,</HI> with their perjured informers and all the rabble; all the&s;e are (by the
mercy of God) &s;pewed out of the Land; it were well &s;ome of the old Brood were not remaining
&s;till to bring &s;acks to Mill, to the Chequer and Se&s;&s;ions, and other Courts, dangerous to
be named, the&s;e are the taile of the Bea&s;t, and &s;ting the poor labouring man (the name of K.
is down but the Game remains &s;til.)</P>
<P>An Exci&s;e-man is added to a Cu&s;tomer (but their hone&s;ty is not to be que&s;tioned, their
fat and wel-liking, clears them all) if well con|&s;idered by that time every Officer hath his
&s;hare, it is doubted little comes to the Trea&s;ury.</P>
<P>There is another &s;ecret worme, like the Ivy windes about the body of the Oake, and feeds with
the Viper upon the Bowels of the
<PB N="5" REF="3">
body politique, &s;ecretly many times con&s;umes a man, his name not known to the party con&s;umed,
(if he be) the Statute beares him out, no remedy to be had (though unju&s;tly undone;) the upper
part of the body he dares not meddle with, they are too great; the lower part have nothing to feed
upon. Will you know their names, they are called among&s;t &s;ome of their friends, &s;uch as bring
work to many Officers; but by the common people Pro|moters (nay Knaves, what not.) Some will &s;ay
a Commonwealth cannot be without them. Mu&s;t evill men be tollerated, nay, re|warded, by a Statute
to take oaths? right or wrong, his oath mu&s;t &s;tand. By the mouth of two or three witne&s;&s;es
all things ought to be confirmed, but reward them, and give them halfe the Fine impo&s;ed upon any
man by a corrupt Statute made in the times of Tyranny, and Popery. Compare the time they were made
in, and the pre&s;ent; then con&s;ider the equity of them (with the Ma&s;&s;e Book, much at one)
and &s;o intermingled one with another, it requires a Councel at Law to finde which are repealed,
which not.</P>
<P>It is hoped they that &s;it at the Stern will blu&s;h for time to come to get any Trea&s;ure by
&s;uch waies, either to the Chequer, or any other Office: but the&s;e Informers have a way to
cou&s;en them, and the people both (&s;o long as the Statute &s;tands unrepealed) com|pound with
people, borrow money of them quarterly; no man almo&s;t deals in any thing, but comes under &s;ome
Statute, a Hus|band-man if he breed not &s;o many Calves, many waies more; Handicrafts men, Market
people, Shop-keepers, one old worm-eaten Statute will take hold of them, revived by <HI>Jack</HI>
and his Mate, they goe by twoes, the Informer and his Pettifogger, all are kind to them, as to the
Parators, formerly (as they) &s;o the&s;e awe a whole Country, the wor&s;t people comply with them:
Now and then an Ignoramus or a man out of hone&s;ty, will not feed them, then <HI>&s;ub-penae</HI>
him into &s;ome Office; if fined then halfe is the Informers (this is to hire men to goe to hell)
to do evill that good may come of it. Wherefore are the Clerks of Markets, Of|ficers in every
Corporation, to looke to di&s;orders? Mu&s;t there needs be an unclean &s;pirit to vex all the
re&s;t, and to bring trea&s;ure to the coffers.</P>
<P>It were happy if tho&s;e that have power would con&s;ider the cu&s;to|mary
<PB N="6" REF="4">
taking of Oaths in this Nation, that they may not be &s;o fre|quently urged upon per&s;ons,
uncapable by their ignorance or pro|phannes; can it be &s;uppo&s;ed he makes &s;cruple of
ki&s;&s;ing a book, who takes the name of God in vain ordinarily, and &s;wears to get mo|ny? Doe
the&s;e men ever puni&s;h Swearers, Drunkards or any o|thers, where there is to them no reward?
the&s;e are to ungodly men &s;nares, experience tels; <HI>Ahab</HI> and <HI>Jezabell</HI> hire
&s;ons of <HI>Beliall</HI> to take <HI>Naboths</HI> Vineyard, the Jews did the like out of malice
to Chri&s;t. An oath is a &s;erious thing, to call God to witne&s;&s;e, and to call a cur&s;e upon
him&s;elfe, it ought to be in truth, in righte|ou&s;ne&s;&s;e and judgement, <HI>Jer.</HI> 4.2. A
gift blindeth the wi&s;e, much more the fooli&s;h and ungodly, when given by a Law, Con&s;ider what
they are, for the mo&s;t part, idle fellows that go up and down, eate and drink of other mens
co&s;t, who feed them for fear, not for love (would be glad they were rid of them;) It were well
the givers of oathes, and takers would con&s;ider the flying Role in <HI>Ze|chariah</HI> again&s;t
Swearers and Stealers, <HI>Zech.</HI> 5.3.</P>
<P>There is another oppre&s;&s;ion of poor Handicrafts men, Engli&s;h and &s;trangers, &s;ince the
late Parliaments di&s;&s;olving, hotly followed by Informers, &s;et on by &s;ome Monopolizing
Companies, who to keep all Trade in their owne hand, cannot be contented with their Priviledge of
the City, but in former time got Patents by friends and mony, extending &s;ome miles from the City
to bring all men of the &s;ame Craft under their juri&s;diction, and pay to their Hals, though they
dwell out of their Liberties: &s;ome Companies &s;uffer no man to be a Ma&s;ter, though a better
Workman then them|&s;elves, but whom they plea&s;e; under pretence of &s;eeing no bad Ware made;
but never look after any thing but for their Quarte|ridge to fea&s;t them&s;elves withall. It were
con&s;iderable to cau&s;e their &s;everall Pattents to be brought to the view, that they might not
tyranni&s;e over their Brethren by their unknown laws.</P>
<P>They are very hot in per&s;ecuting of many Alien friends, who have lived many years, married
Engli&s;hwomen, Children borne here, paid all taxes all the time of the late War here.
Prote&s;tants in times of trouble in <HI>Germany</HI> nece&s;&s;itated to travell: Now mo&s;t
unnaturally they mu&s;t be gone, or be their Servants; what &s;hall their wives and children doe?
Ingenious men, no exception, but an old Statute, it is con&s;iderable what is &s;aid in the 7th.
part of <HI>Cooks</HI>
<PB N="7" REF="4">
Reports, in <HI>Calvins</HI> ca&s;e of Aliens, leaf 4. and 7. and what is &s;aid in holy Writ
touching oppre&s;&s;ing Strangers, <HI>Exod.</HI> 23.9. <HI>Levit.</HI> 19.23. <HI>Deut.</HI> 24
17. and 28. <HI>Matth.</HI> 7. Do as ye would be done unto: It is &s;uppo&s;ed the Laws of this
Nation, are not like the Decrees of the <HI>Medes</HI> and <HI>Per&s;ians</HI> unalterable. Neither
&s;o perfect as that per|fect law of liberty <HI>James</HI> &s;peakes of: But oppre&s;&s;ing of
&s;trangers is a crying &s;in, ranked with Fatherle&s;&s;e Children, and Widowes, &s;hedding of
innocent blood and Idolatry, <HI>Jer.</HI> 7.6. would they that are &s;o envious would con&s;ider
what they doe, charity &s;aith they do it ignorantly, not knowing what they doe.</P>
<P>The re&s;ult of all here is propounded, a double object of pitty, to the bodies and to the
&s;oules of the (ungodly) poor, a company of poor creatures ha&s;tning to de&s;truction, none &s;ay
why do&s;t thou &s;o? Corrupt men, and Officers incouraged in their wicked waies by corrupt laws
(if compared with pre&s;ent time) all the&s;e together, Idle and ungodly poor, with &s;ons of
<HI>Belial</HI> by Trade peri&s;hing, ex|cept the Lord Chri&s;t by his grace, take pitty upon them.
When he was upon earth hee wept to &s;ee a company of poore creatures without a guide;
<HI>Ieremiah</HI> wi&s;hed his head a fountaine of tears to weep for the &s;ins of the people.
<HI>I&s;aiah</HI> bewailed him&s;elfe, <HI>David</HI> wept becau&s;e the laws of God were broke,
his example of governing is a good pattern for Rulers now. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 101.8 <HI>I will early
de&s;troy the wicked of the Land.</HI> He re&s;olved to &s;ing a &s;ong of mercy and judgement, and
to behave him&s;elfe wi&s;ely at his enterance. If any bowels of compa&s;&s;ion with Chri&s;t to
poor &s;oules, endeavour that of <HI>Iude</HI> to pluck &s;ome poore &s;oules out of the fire, if
by any means. Imitate God, <HI>Gen.</HI> 18.21. goe down, &s;ee whether the&s;e things be &s;o; it
is meant, condi&s;cend to men of low e&s;tate, be not high minded. <HI>Rom.</HI> 12.16. The&s;e
petty bu&s;ine&s;&s;es, accounted by &s;ome, may bring judgement as formerly they have. Better is
hoped.</P>
<P>Secondly, an object of protection, to re&s;cue the hone&s;t labori|ous man, from the tyranny of
unrea&s;onable men, and un&s;ea&s;ona|ble lawes. Pardon the plainne&s;&s;e of language to tho&s;e
in high pla|ces. <HI>Amos</HI> a man of low breeding, was plaine with the Rulers of
<HI>Dama&s;cus</HI> and <HI>Edom;</HI> with the Rulers of <HI>Moab</HI> and <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> no
doubt his me&s;&s;age was acceptable to the godly as the former Prophets, who were more elegant,
and no doubt as te&s;timonial, again&s;t the wicked Rulers. It is true, the poor Author is no
Clerk, but read|ing
<PB N="8" REF="5">
&s;o much of the language of <HI>Canaan</HI> in a Declaration of late, hath pre&s;umed to bring a
little Goats haire to the building of this tottering Commonwealth. And &s;hall pray that this great
worke in hand may pro&s;per: too great for men, except the great recon|ciler of all things in
heaven and earth, come in and make peace be|twixt brethren by his &s;pirit. The Lord give to
tho&s;e it concerns the courage of <HI>Io&s;hua,</HI> the Ju&s;tice of <HI>Samuel,</HI> the
uprightne&s;&s;e of <HI>David,</HI> the wi&s;dom of <HI>Salomon,</HI> the zeal and
tender-heartednes of <HI>Io&s;ias,</HI> and &s;ome mea&s;ure of the love of the Lord Je&s;us, who
laid down his life for his flock; the work is great, the people full of muttering, as in
<HI>Mo&s;es</HI> time; the Lord Chri&s;t &s;upply by his &s;pirit to heap coals of fire on their
head, by overcoming them with good.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>J. R.</SIGNED>
<DATELINE><HI>From my Chamber in</HI> London
<DATE><HI>this fir&s;t of</HI> Augu&s;t, 1653.</DATE></DATELINE></CLOSER>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
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