Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	day_n	spend_v	time_n	1,974	5	4.1978	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A82034	An exact relation of the proceedings and transactions of the late Parliament: their beginning and ending. With a briefe account of their expence of the time of their session, and of the acts that were made by them, who were dissolved the 12. Decemb. 1653. As likewise of foure great votes, viz. I. For abolishing the Court of Chancery. II. For a new modell of the law. III. For taking away the power of patrons to make presentations. IV. That innocent negative vote of not agreeing with the report of the committee for tithes. And an account of some reasons of those votes: with a briefe apology in way of vindication of those gentlemen that appeared for the votes from the great out-cry made against them. By L.D. a Member of the late Parliament.	L. D., member of the late Parliament.	1654 (1654)	Wing D52; Thomason E729_6; ESTC R19772	22,347	31

matters were fitted and prepared by the Committees who made their daily reports The Councel of State having the preheminence to be first heard divers things were offered by them some of which had been considered of by them in the interval of Parliament many things passed and were dispatched of what they reported and which other Committees did likewise report which spent not a little time Businesse came on so fast from Committees which did cause striving which should be first heard and much time lost thereby There were many particular things ordered and dispatched by the House as The relieving the sufferings of many by fires in severall parts of the Nation some their grievances redressed some their Petitions and desires granted some had obstructions in their Purchases removed by the House The businesse of providing moneys all other things ever giving way to that occasioned expence of much time and great debate of wayes and means to that end The Fights at Sea coming to knowledge by Letters the reading of them the acknowledging Gods goodnesse and praising of his holy name the taking care to provide for the sick and maimed the relieving the Widowes of such whose Husbands were slaine the honouring with rewards the Chieftains and Commanders with the bestowing several sums of money on the widows and Children of such Captains as were slain in the Fight in consideration of their losse of such Husbands and Fathers All which were things just and honourable but not done without expence of time The dispatch of Ambassadors to forreign parts as to Turkie and to Sweden their Letters of Credence and Commissions signed and sealed the receipt of Letters from Switzerland and other free States the reading of them and returning Answers may be reckoned into the expence of time The Councel of State chosen a second time by the Box or Glasse where every one put in his paper of Names and those that had most Votes carried it spent more then one whole day To omit very many things toward the end of the House's sitting the businesse of the Excise came on where about three dayes were spent in passing the Rates particularly by Vote The Old and New Drapery Hats Capps and Tobacco-pipes were by Vote exempted from the duty of Excise The Bill following in Order of the Rates was very large of about eighty sheets of paper spent one whole day in the hearing of it read and there appeared so many snares and difficulties in it as to trade as was judged no way fit to be put on a people that expected freedome as the price of their blood and treasure by them spent in the late war whereupon it was by general consent waved and laid aside There were divers Bils prepared by several Committees some of which were read in the House and others offered to have them read but other businesse hindered as A Bill for constituting a Committee for Advance of Trade A Bill for Work-houses and providing for the poor Divers Bills for the Regulation of the Law and making of it lesse chargeable to the people and more expeditions There were severrll Acts passed by the House in time of their sitting the perticulars here follow Viz. 1 An Act for the Committee of the Army and Treasurers of War 2 An Act for constituting Commissioners for ordering and managing the Admiralty and Navy 3 An Act for the settling the Court of Admiralty much time spent in fixing on Judges 4 An Act for taking away Fines on Original Writs which was as some knowing Gentlemen of worth in the House affirmed to the saving of the people of this Common-wealth an hundred and twenty thousand pound per annum only ten or twelve thousand pound thereof coming to the State 5 An Act touching the several Receipts of the Revenue and Treasuries of the Common-wealth and the bringing them into one Treasury 6 An Act for Marriages and the registring of them as also Births and Burials much time spent in the debate about Marriages there being many nicities and difficult cases relating to that subject 7 An Act for the more speedy bringing in of the Arrears of the Excise and setling Commissioners to that end 8 An Act concerning the Planters of Tobacco in Gloucestershire and elswhere 9 An Act to continue the receipt of the Excise til the 29 of December last 10 An Act additional and explanatory for the sale of the remaining Fee farm-rents and finishing the whole businesse 11 An Act for setling Ireland and making it a part of the Common-wealth and satisfying the Adventurers and Souldiers with Lands which Act being very large and comprehensive took many dayes Debate before it could be passed as a Law 12 An Act for the relief of Creditors and poor Prisoners the fruit of it hath shewed the worth of it three hundred poor starving souls having been freed thereby in and about London a Law so just and honourable as England hath seen few better which passed not without serious debate 13 An Act for Accounts and clearing publick Debts and for the discovery of fraud and concealment of any thing due to the Common-wealth 14 An Act impowering the Committee of the Army to state and determine the accounts of all Souldiers and others employed by them for moneys by them received from the 26 of March 1647. until the 25 of July 1653. 15 An Act for redresse of delayes and mischiefs arising by Writs of error and Writs of false judgement in several cases 16 An Act for repealing of a branch of an Act of the late Parliament intituled An Act for subscribing the Ingagement which was much to the ease and profit of the people and to the losse of the Lawyers 17 An Act for the regulating the making of Stuffes in the County of Norwich and Norfolke 18 An Act for a High Court of Justice cost indeed but one dayes time the reading debate and passing for a Law by reason of the great hast some Gentlemen made pretending great danger to themselves and the Common-wealth so as no reasons could prevaile to have it recommitted as some desired or that the Acts for Treasons might be read that the Commissioners were to proceed upon as others moved to have them nor yet that the Bil might be ingrossed being to be a Law that concerned life for then it could not have passed til the next day when some that were perceived that day absent being praying at the Black Friers might be present and hinder as it is likely they feared the passing of it which had they done they had saved much the credit of the Counsel for to wise men it seemed a very weak piece and experience hath thanks be to God shewn there was not that sudden danger as some Gentlemen suggested that did not let to say in answer to those that would have had it ingrossed against the next morning That they knew not but by that time they might have their Throats cut 19 An Act for Deofforistation and improvement of the Forrests and of

the clock each day The Speaker being aged and not able to sit longer The Debate was managed day by day with very great seriousness many Arguments and Scriptures being alledged The House being evenly poysed and great attendance being given by the Members waiting the time of the Vote and though any Member might by the Rules of the House have spoken every day so long as the Debate continued yet such was the modestie shewed that hardly any on all the five dayes spake twice very little of heat or passion being shewed all that time onely one Gentleman or two that were for the Report seeing themselves and their partie so ingaged flue out a little complaining of the expence of Time to have given a check to the going on of the Debate But the Orders of the House being called for by some of the other side to the Speaker he declared it to be the right of every one to be heard and that the question could not be put so long as any would speak to it withall those Gentlemen were told of their restlesness to take on the Debate and how now they wanted patience to wait the Issue of it after three or four days a Member that was against the Report offered an Expedient but was not accepted At last on Saturday toward noon the question grew neer as did also the end of the Parliament some Members that were against 1ste Report having not spoken and assaying to speak were perswaded to forbear who onely gathered the Issue and result of the whole and left it to the House which was whether upon the whole this in the report was the best expedient for that end which some on the other side that w●● for the Report perceiving the stress of the question put there moved that the word best might be put out but it was not admitted having been in the Report all the time of the Debate so about one of the clock the Vote passed and upon dividing the House was carried in the Negative A Debate of that nature and length in so great a Councell hardly ever passed with such soberness and little heat or passion The business was in statu quo as to any ones being either better or worse the report was laid aside for that the first part of it whereon the other part depended was rejected to wit that the best way to eject ignorant prophane and scandalous Ministers and to incourage them that are good was by sending certaine Commissioners impowered to do it as at full hath been put forth in Print already There was at the passing this Vote 115. Members whereof 54. were for the affirmative and 56. for the negative and two Gentlemen tellers for each side and the Speaker which make up that number To go about to tell of the Arguments insisted on from the Scriptures and from Experience and other Reasons of a prudentiall consideration would be too tedious that this Vote that hurt no body should occasion such wonderfull displeasure and out-cry every where is at least wonderfull If men were asked as Micah was what aileth them they would hardly be able to tell so well as hee did is it not much when as godly sober men in discharge of their duty and trust for the glory of God and good of their Countrey should leave their habitations relations and injoyments spend their time and meanes to serve their Countrey and be so rewarded with scandalous and false reports and to have judgement of high condemnation passed on them upon hearsay without the least shew of proofe Is it not much that men of learning Leaders and Teachers of others that would be esteemed godly Orthodox Divines Ministers of Christ and Preachers of his Gospel should be of such a spirit and strain so unlike Christ and the Gospel as to utter such speeches in Pulpits and else-where that they meaning those that complyed not in the afore mentioned Vote and voted in the other were the arrantest Rogues and Villaines that ever the earth bare That their designe was worse then the Gunpowder treason That they would have destroyed the Magistracy and the Ministry the Law and the Go● c. That it were well if one of ten of them were hanged up and then there would be happy dayes might not inquiry be made what is the matter of this their so great rage and displeasure who hath hurt them or done them wrong no question but they would say Oh they would have destroyed all the Ministers good aswell as bad and overthrown the Gospel for so they frequently say heynous crimes indeed but how doth it appeare onely thus they were against those grievances of the Law and Tithes and would have had those taken away and they would not concur with the Report of the Committee in order to the setling of Tithes that being in the bottome of the Report so as by these mens Logick and conclusion those two great grievances of the Law and Tithes which these so reproched laboured to have taken away are the Magistracy and Ministry the corrupt Law or corruption of the Law are the Magistracy and Tithes they are the Ministry yea more the Gospel also but alas Magistracy can stand without such horrible corruptions of Law and the Ministry without Tithes as it is in other Countries where there is neither of them But the belly hath no ears and therefore no more shall be sayd The afore mentioned Vote passing as it did those Gentlemen that missed of their expectations and were crossed of having their wils greatly fearing as it seemeth it would goe ill with those corrupt interests of the Lawyers and Clergy which they indeavoured to support they took the Pet and were exceeding wroth divers of them and that afternoone and the next day being the Lords day a day fittter for better imployment they tooke Counsell with and among themselves holding Cabals and there consulting the overthrow and dissolution of the House which was as they had declared to all the world the supreame Authority or Magistracy the Parliament of the Common-wealth of England is it not much that Gentlemen pretending so high to wisdom and godliness for missing the having their wills in a Vote carried in the Negative should bee induced thereby presently to take on such desperate Counsels and resolves and to draw others into them ignorantly forgetting as it seemeth what they had solemly declared before God and all the world to wit that the House was the Supreame Authority of the Common-wealth of England which Common-wealth God had highly honoured and made famous throughout the world forgetting also their severity against malapart word●●●en in a Petition because it was the supreame Authority What might such Counsels Resolves and Actings merit by their owne Law had they no charity in them towards their fellows because crossed in that poore Vote had they lost or laid aside the feare of God that they could thus venture to overthrow Magistracy even the greatest in the Common-wealth the Parliament