Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	act_n	law_n	parliament_n	5,454	5	6.8345	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A81180	A Cunning plot to divide and destroy, the Parliament and the city of London. Made knowne (at a common hall) by the Earle of Northumberland, Master Solliciter, and Sir Henry Vane. The design is fully discovered in the severall examinations and confessions, of Master Riley. Several examinations and confessions, of Sir Basill Brook. Severall examinations and confessions, of Master Violet. Proclamations from his Majesty. Letters from his Majesty. Letters from the Lord Digby. Letters from Colonell Read.	Northumberland, Algernon Percy, Earl of, 1602-1668.; Vane, Henry, Sir, 1612?-1662.; England and Wales. Sovereign (1625-1649 : Charles I). Proclamation for the removing of the Courts of Kings-Bench and of the Exchequer from Westminster to Oxford.	1644 (1644)	Wing C7586; Thomason E29_3; ESTC R11898	34,816	59

of this present Parliament as will appeare by the Lord Digbyes letter to De vic and the summoning of the great Councell or Parliament at Oxford compared with the third of these Propositions By the letter to De vic this Parliament as the resolution then was at Oxford must not be acknowledged and by this third Proposition for that very cause the Parliament must be waved and the Treaty must be immediatly between the King and City The consequence whereof had been no lesse then the rendring of the Kingdome for ever uncapable of having any more Parliaments This Parliament It was called and continued according to the knowne Lawes and Usages of the Kingdome was afterwards by an Act of Parliament assented unto by his Majestie so acknowledged and made indissolvable without its own consent a greater Testimony of the validity of this Parliament then I think was ever given to any If neither the Common Lawes and usages of this Kingdome nor the concurrent Authority of an Act Parliament be able to support this Parliament when his Majestie shall declare the contrary I shall without more words leave to your judgements whether this doctrin doth not at once blow up the fundamentalls of all Parliaments Lawes of the Kingdome Libertie of the Subjects and of the whole pollicie and Government of this Kingdome which being destroyed what security you could have devised for the maintaining of the Religion Lawes and Liberties of the Kingdome as is promised you in his Majesties letter I know not 3. The third was not onely the preventing of the assistance of our Brethren in Scotland But that which is worse and must have necessarily followed thereupon the embroiling of both the Nations in divisions in all likelihood fat all unto both this will appeare by putting together what hath beene done by the Parliament those at Oxford and the transactions in this designe The Parliament long since have invited that Nation to our assistance in this common cause upon weighty considerations As first conceiving that by this meanes through Gods blessing this great cause which concernes our Religion Lawes Liberties and all we have would be assured and the event of the War otherwise doubtfull made more certaine 2. Secondly that by their assistance the war might be the sooner ended and so by consequence the calamities which of necessity must accompany it their assistance adding so considerable a strength to our party besides the reputation which the concurrence of a whole Nation with us will adde to the justnesse of the cause 3. And thirdly that as in likelihood by their joynt concurrence a better Peace for present might be procured so in all probability what shall be agreed upon would be the more lasting and durable both Nations being equally interested in what should be agreed upon Besides the Covenant maturely sworn and agreed upon by both Nations for the maintenance and defence of Religion and of the mutuall Lawes and Liberties of each Kingdome a solemne league and Treaty hath likewise beene mutually agreed upon between the Parliament here and that Kingdome concerning the manner of their assistance and great sums of money have been thereupon sent unto them In which Treaty one Article is That neither Nation shall entertaine any Treaty of Peace without the advice and consent of the other This in briefe containes the transactions between that Nation and the Parliament At Oxford by papers in the forme of Proclamations they have stiled this assistance an Invasion of the Kingdome and one end of the calling of that great Councell or Parliament is for opposing of the same In the carriage of the present designe by one of Reads letters to Ryley he saith That a dore is open by the comming in of the Scots for the destruction of this Kingdome That therefore this Peace must presently be concluded That all is lost unlesse it be done speedily The maine intent of the letter is for the speeding of it to that end The Lord Digbyes letter to Sir Basil Brooke referring the delivering of his Majesties letter to my Lord Mayor to his discretion he forthwith delivers it to Wood to be the next day delivered to my Lord Mayor and he next day after the delivery to be by him published He saw it necessary and so resolved at Oxford That we must speedily breake with the Scots Their assistance how necessary and by Gods blessing how beneficiall it is like to be unto us I think you see but this must be prevented The honour and publike faith of Nations how Sacred it is and from the rules of Religion and common policie how tenderly to be preserved each man knowes But this designe must violate and staine our honour in the highest For contrary to the Article before mentioned this Treaty must presently be set on foot without them such violations are alwayes deeply resented by the parties injured how dangerous therefore the consequence must needs have beene he that runnes may reade This was the Designe It was too Ugly It was too Black Bare fac'd to have been presented to your view and therefore it must be masqu't This hook must be baited with the sweet word Peace It hath been long since observed from the Ecclesiasticall proceedings of the Romish Church That in nomine Domini Incipit omne malum The Holy Name of God must bear out all their Spirituall wickednesses The end of all Civil Policie is the preserving of just and Honourable Peace and therefore these men when Divisions Violence and what is most contrary to Peace is intended yet for the compassing of these ends Peace must be pretended So was it by many of them about this time twelve moneth Designed in their Petition to the Parliament for a Peace and so was it in the bloodie plot upon the Citie and diverse Members of both Houses discovered the last Summer For upon the examinations of diverse of them It appeared that the ground of that plot was laid in the first Petition and that the second was to have been guilded over with a Petition for Peace These men I speak of these designes they cry Peace Peace that destruction might have come upon you as an armed man You shal now hear the examinations and other things read at large unto you SIR HENRY VANE JUNIOR His Introduction to the Reading the severall Examinations taken in this businesse Together with severall Observations delivered by him upon occasion thereof GENTLEMEN YOU have heard very fully the State of this bu sines by what the Persons that have already spoken have opened to you in generall that which you are now in the next place to have communicated to you are the Examinations as they proceeded from the mouthes of the Parties themselves that you may see the Design in its lively colours and that as you have had it summarily presented to you from this Noble Lord and worthy Gentleman you may now hear the parties themselves speak The first Examination that was taken was the 4. of Jan. 1643. and

grace and favour of the King to be communicated in his gracious Letter that this grace and favour was of the coutrivement of Sir B. B. or M. Ryley and M. Violet here in this City before hand and that they gave reasons and arguments to the Court afterward why they should send it And in it Sir David Watkins that is named in this is a party it is true he was acquainted with this businesse but did discover it in part ten dayes before it came to light to some Members of the house of Commons and did freely come himselfe before he was sent for to the Committee and desired that it might be found out and searched This is the last Examination we shall read in this businesse after which you shall heare the Letters themselves of the Lord Digby and his Majesty the 7 of Ianuary 1643. The further Examination of Sir Bazill Brooke That George Wood mentioned in his former Examination is called Iohn Wood who was an Apprentice to a Merchant in the City and recommended by Read to this Examinat as a fit man to be trusted to carry Letters betweene Oxford and this placo in this businesse That Violet with the advice of of M. Ryley as this Examinat beleeveth framed some Propositions about 12 or 14 in number which were brought to this Examinat by Violet which mended the English of them which Propositions were reduced afterward to six by Violet Ryley or both and afterward was with the approbation of this Examinat That this Examinat at the three Cranes in the Vintry did meet with M. Ryley and Violet to confer upon the said Propositions and to consider of the probability of them to please this City and Parliament which afterward were carried to Oxford by the said Wood to Colonell Read who returned an answer that he thought the King would approve of them upon a Treaty which might be betweene the City and some Parliament men joyned with them That Wood also when he dwelt with his Master neere the Stocks and was imployed about taking up the exchange of monies and since that time the Examinat saith the said Wood told him he served in the wars particularly he served in the Battel at Newbury and being asked whether he knew the usuall abode of the said Wood or how to find him out upon occasion he saith he doth not know That the Propositions formerly mentioned this Examinat remembreth to be these or to this effect 1. That the City might be satisfied that the King would settle the Protestant Religion for without that neither the Parliament nor City would admit any Treaty 2. That the debts contracted upon the Publike Faith on either side by King or Parliament should be satisfied and the most likeliest way for the doing thereof was to settle the Excise for those purposes 3. That it was conceived that in respect of the Kings Declaration that the Parliament was no Parliament and that therefore the King could not Treat with them any more this Treaty was to be immediately betweene the King and the City and the City was to be the medium betweene the King and Parliament And this Examinat further saith That the said Wood told the Examinat that if any Parliament men would joyne with the City in this Treaty they also might come with them to Oxford under the safe conduct granted to the City though it were not exprest in the Kings Letter and that the said Wood received directions at Oxford for this Examinat to declare so much to whom he should thinke fit 4. That there must be an Act of oblivion for all parties and Delinquents whatsoever and a generall pardon that no Cessation should be expected during the Treaty if there had beene any That no mention was made in all these Propositions either of Scotland or Ireland That this Examinat doth remember That M. Alderman Gibs and M. Ryley were thought upon as fit men to be sent to Oxford about the Treaty as being persons inclined to the furtherance of Peace That VVood told this Examinat that it was wished from Oxford that the said parties might be imployed in this Treaty that Read being to procure his release first made a Petition to the Militia by the Name of Iohn Read Gent. to secure his quality as Colonell under pretence that he was a poore man and had children in great want in which businesse the said Read made use of some Citizens to promote this Petition That M. Ryley told the said Read when his release was obtained that he might perceive notwithstanding he might have beene h●ndred from his inlargement but that he said he knew no opposition and therefore he wished him to labour to requite this curtesie by endeavouring a peace betweene the King and City when he came to Oxford which he said he would doe Bazill Brooke Upon this examination you may observe that which will give you most light in this designe it was made so plausible not onely under the name of Peace but it must be that which must answer all mens expectations and that which most pinched which was that the debts of the Publike Faith should be paid by these propositions by the setling of the Excise when all things should be established that very thing which the Parliament in their wisedome and care would prevent that when your lawes have their freedome and when you injoy your liberties you should have no such extraordinary courses now on foot only for this extraordinary occasion this must be the way and the meanes when your liberties are setled to bring you under the greatest slavery that is to bring thosethings upon you that when you have said all that must not only pay you that have borne the brunt here but satisfie all the Delinquents on the Kings side also And secondly you may observe clcerely that now the Parliament must sit under a cloude by his treaty it must be by the King and the City the Parliament must be wholy obscured and waved The Kings Proclamation which is but a Paper and forme of a Proclamation must have anthority to abolish a Parliament setled by an Act of Parliament and that is the end that while you had a bait laid you for your liberties and peace to be setled you might have made such a president as never to have recovered a Parliament againe but in stead of that Act of Oblivion you might have made an Act for to have buried all Parliaments in Oblivion this was the right state of this Designe This Letter Gentlemen was directed to Sir Bazill Brooke in an outward Cover The Letter here which is for Sir Bazill Brooke it is under my Lord Digbies owne hand it is the Letter which Wood brought to Towne on Monday night last Oxford 29. Decemb 1643. Your affectionate Servant George Digby SIR THe King and Queene have both commanded me to give you thanks in their Name for your care and diligence in their service and His Majesty hath so much