Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	bind_v	conscience_n	law_n	2,669	5	5.5286	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A88227	The oppressed mans oppressions declared: or An epistle written by Lieut. Col. Iohn Lilburne, prerogative-prisoner (by the illegall and arbitrary authority of the House of Lords) in the Tower of London, to Col. Francis West, lieutenant thereof in which the oppressing cruelty of all the gaolers of England is declared, and particularly the lieutenants of the Tower. As also, there is thrown unto Tho. Edwards, the author of the 3d. ulcerous gangræna, a bone or two to pick: in which also, divers things are handled, of speciall concernment to the present times.	Lilburne, John, 1614?-1657.	1647 (1647)	Wing L2149; ESTC R202786	33,231	28

themselves all forsworn that had a finger in that vote and so a people not fit to be trusted For by their late vote no man what ever must preach and declare Jesus Christ but be that is Ordained that is to say unlesse they be depending on the Bishops by Ordination or else on the Presbyters who are no Presbyters unlesse they depend on the Bispops for their Ordination for they have no other and what is this else but to punish every one that shall truly endeavour the true and reall performance of the Covenant Truly we have lived to a fine forsworn age that men must be punished and made uncapable to be are any office in the Kingdome if they will not take the Covenant And then if they doe take it it shall be as bad it they will not forsweare themselves every moment of time that the assembly shall judge it convenient and the house of Commons vote it And truly there is in my judgment a good stalking horse for this practice in the Assembly of Dry-vines alias Divines Deut 32.32.33 Esa 44.25 Ehortation to take the Covenant in these words and if yet there should any oath be found into which any Ministers or others have entred not warranted by the Lawes of God and the Land in this case they must teach themselves and others that such Oathes call for repentance not partinary in them that is to say that neither the Covenant nor any other Oath whatsoever that they have before or hereafter shall take binds them any longer then the time that they please to say it is not warrantable by the Lawes of God and the Land and so by this Synodian Doctrine a man may take a hundred Oathes in a day and not be bound by any of them if he please Besides I would faine know if by the Parliaments so eager pressing of the Covenant they doe not presse the hastning of many of their owne destructions For by the Covenant every man that takes it is bound thereby to maintaine and preserve the Fundamentall lawes of the Kingdome which is every day trodden under foot by some of the members of both Houses arbitray practices not only towards Cavaliers for which they have some colour by pleading necessity but also towards those of their owne party that have as freely and uprightly adventured their lives to preserve the lawes and liberties of the Kingdome as any of themselves for justice and right effectually they have scarce done to any man that is a suiter to them And therefore I here challenge all the Members of both Houses from the first day of their sitting to this present houre to instance me that man in England that is none of themselves nor dependance upon themselves that they have done effectuall justice to though they have had thousands of Petitioners and Complainants for grand grievances before the Parliament some of which have to my knowledge even spent themselves with prosecuting their businesse before them and run themselves many hundred pounds thick into debt to manage their businesse before them and yet to this houre not one peny the better and yet they can find time enough since I came prisoner to the Tower to vote or share about 200000 l. of the Common wealths money amongst themselves as may cleerly be particularized by their owne newes books c. licensed by one of their Clerks O horrible tyrannicall wickednesse Was a Parliament in England ever called for that end as to rob and poll the poore common people and to force those that have scarce bread to put in their mouthes to pay excise and other taxations or else to rob and poll the poore common people and to force those that have scarce bread to put in their mouthes to pay excise and other taxations or else to rob and plunder them of all they have and then share it amongst the members of both houses as 10000. l. to one man 6000. l. to another 5000. l. c to another and this many times to those that never hazarded their lives for the Weal-publique no nor some of them never intended I am confident of it good to the generality of the people but that they should be as absolutely their vassals and slaves if not more as ever they were the King O thou righteous and powerfull Iudge of Heaven and Earth that of all the base things in the world hatest and abhorrest dissemblers hypocrires Ier. 7.9 10 11 12. to 16. Mat 23. deale with these the greatest of Dissemblers thy selfe who like so many bloody and cruell men have ingaged this poor Kingdome in a bloody and cruell war pretendedly for the preservation of their lawes and liberties when as God knowes by a constant series of actiont they declare they never truly and really intended any such thing but meerly by the blood and treasure of the people to make themselves tyrannicall Lords and Masters over them So that for my part if I should take the Covenant I protest ●t before the God of Heaven and Earth without fear or dread of any man breathing I should judge it my duty and that I were bound unto it in conscience by vertue of my oath to doe my utmost to prosecute even to the death with my sword in my hand every member of both Houses that should visibly ingage in the destruction of the Fundamentall Lawes and liberties of England and prosecute them with as much zeale as ever any of them prosecuted the King for tyranny is tyranny exercised by whom soever yea though it be by members of Parliament as well as by the King and they themselves have taught us by their Declarations and practises that tyrannie is resistable and therefore their Arguments against the King may very well serve against themselves if speedily they turn not over a new leafe for what is tyranny but to admit no rule to govern by but their own wills 1. part col declar pag. 284. 694. But Thomas Gangraena one word more to you and your threatning to write a booke against liberty of Conscience and toleration of Religion I pray let me aske you this question if the Magistrate quatenus Magistrate be Judge of the Conscience and thereby is indowed with a power to punish all men that he judgeth conceiveth or confidently beleeveth are erroneous and hereticall or because in religion he differeth from the magisteriall Religion in the place where he lives Then I pray tell me whether all Magistrates quatenus Magistrates have not the very same powe● And if so then doth it not undeniably follow that Queen Mary and her Parliament did just in her dayes in making a law to bu●ne those Heretiques that dissented from her established Religion who were as grosse in their tenents in the then present Magistrates eyes as any of your Sectaries tenents are now in the present Magistrates eyes and if you and your bloody brethren of the Clergy-Presbytery shall ingage the present Parliament and Magistracie to persecute the Saints and

that from thence-forth no person should be compelled to make any Loanes to the King against his will because such Loane were against reason and the franchise of the Land and by other Lawes of this Realme viz. 1. E 3.6.11 R. 2.9.1 R. 3.2 it is provided That none shall be charged by any charge or imposition called abenevolence nor by such like charge by which the statutes before-mentioned and other the good lawes and f●at●teo of this Realm your subjects have inherited this freedome that they should not be composed to contribute to any taxe tallage aid or other like charge not fet by common consent in Parliament All which the King confirmes And by the statute made this present Parliament that abolished Ship money All and every the particulars prayed or desired in the said Petition of Right shall from hence sorth be put in execution accordingly and shall be firmly and strictly holden and observed as in the same Petition they are prayed and expressed yea in this very statute it is declared and enacted to be against Law for his Maiesty upon any pretence what ever to levie money of the people of England without common consent in Parliament And truly sir let me tell you without feare or flattery that if your great Masters th Lords and their true prerogative friends which fill nor up a few places in the House of Commons had any true and reall intentions to preserve the Fundamentall Lawes and Lioerties of England or had any time to spare to punish those that justly and groundedly infringe them and doe as much as in them lies to destrey them from their weighty employment of deviding great and vast sums of the Common wealths money amonst themselves without either doing justice and rightin the like nature to any man breathing unlesse it be themselves or some of their sons kinsmen or neare friends whose principles are to serve their ends to the breadth of a haire in all they enjoyne them they would scorne to give cause to be reputed so base and unworthy as they are to deny the King the power unto whom ever and anon they give such glorious and transcendent titles unto to levie and raise money without common consent in Parliament when they allow every paultery Iaylor in England to doe it at his pleasure yea and for any thing I can perceive abet and countenance him in it for they will not nor have not done all this long Parliament any man any effectuall justice against them that have complained of them but every man is crushed and in a manner destroyed that meddles any thing to the purpose with them I pray sir tell me whether this be to Keep the Solemn League and Covenant which is now made a cloake for all kind of knavery and villanic which they and you took with your hands lifted up to the most high God and swore to maintaine the Fundamentall Lawes and Liberties of the Kingdome But this I dare boldly tell you you never intended it as by your practises appears But sir in the second place I should desire to know of you the reason why laylors are so impudent and oppressive as they are and go so scot free from punishment though often complained of as they doe Truly for my part I am nor able to render any more probable on then this That it may be some powerfull Parliament-man or men are sharers with them in their profits for as grose if not groser things are commonly reported yea printed o● some of them See the 99. 100 101 102 103. c. pages of the fore-mentioned book called Regall Tyranny discovered and therefore must and doe improve their interest and power to protect them in their knaverys and oppressions For within these few dayes I was talking with an understanding knowing Gentleman that came to visit me and he told me he durst venture his life to make it evident to any rationall man in the world that there is one Gaoler about this City that makes of his Prison above 20000 l. a yeare and commits all manner of villanies and yet no Justice can be had against him though he hath often and powerfully been complained against to the Parliament it selfe where he said he had more favour countenance and protection then the honestest man that complained of him yea more then them all put all in one Now sir in the last place I come to acquaint you what monies I have paid since I came to the Tower for my Chamber-rent only the 10. of July last I came hither and you sent me to the Lodging where I am with extraordinarie strict and severe command upon my Keeper who within certain dayes after I came to him demanded chamber-rent of me at a great deale higher rate then I pay and I told him necessity had no law and I therefore desired him to ask me reasonably and he should see what I would say to him So at last he asked me 15. s. a week I told him I knew well the lawes of all prisons in England and 15. s. a week was a great deale of money for beare Lodging but in regard it was with me as it was conditionally that he for his part would use me and those my friends that should come to see mee with civilitie and humanity I would give him 15. s. a week and find my own linnen besides protesting unto him that the first time he used me or any that came to see me churlishly I would not pay him one peny more of money and I must ingeniously confess I have no cause in the least to complaine of the man in point of civility nor he of me in performing my promise for I have paid him though it hath been with some straights to me betwixt 20. and 30. l. which I am now able no longer to pay And therefore I desire you according to your duty which by law you are bound unto to provide me a prison lodging gratis for I professe unto you no more rent I can nor will pay though it cost me a dungeon or as bad for my pains And truly Sir I shall deale ingeniously with you and give you the true reason wherefore I condescended to pay chamber rent at first and have done it so long it was because I had extraordinary potent adversaries to deale withall viz. the House of Lords or Peeres as they are called who had pretty well managed their dealings with like tyrants in keeping very strictly my friends from me and also pen ink and paper that so I was debarred of all ability in the world to publish to the view of the whole Kingdome my own innocency and their inhumane and barbarous tyranny which they knew well enough I would doe if I had not been debarred of all meanes to doe it and then fell upon me and transcendently sentenced me to pay 4000. l. c. and illegally and unjustly entered notorious crimes against me in their records And you know I told you at my first comming