Selected quad for the lemma: england_n
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A27115
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The royal charter granted unto kings, by God himself and collected out of his Holy Word, in both Testaments / by T.B. ... ; whereunto is added by the same author, a short treatise, wherein Episcopacy is proved to be jure divino.
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Bayly, Thomas, d. 1657?
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1649
(1649)
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Wing B1514; ESTC R17476
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64,496
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181
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goodnesse that is in all â—hese three kind of Governments of Monarchy in the King of Aristocracy â—n the Peers of Democracy in the House of Commons where the acerbities of any one is taken away by their being all three together but if one will be all â—hen all will be nothing This stupendiously wise and Noble way of Government had its dissolution by inverting the course it took in its originall When the first William had Conquered the Nation the Normans would not admit that any Laws should be observed or rules obeyed but only the will of the Conquerour and why so but because thereby the Conquerour might take away the Estates of any English-man and give them to his Conquering Normans But in process of time when these Normans became English they began to insist a little upon mâ—um and tuum and would know the what that was belonging to the King as a King and to themselves as Subjects for by the former rule the King might as well take away the Estates from one Norman and give it to another as he did formerly from the English and give to his Normans wherefore they would have no more of that but joyntly and unanimously Petitioned the King to the same effect the King thought it reasonable condescends to their desires consultation was about the premises the result of the consultation was that the King should issue out Writs to the Lords Spirituall who in those dayes were thought the wisest and most Consciencious to reason with the King and advise with him as well concerning the bounding of the Ocean of Soveraignty as bridling in the petty Rivers of private interest These Spirituall Lords thought it a work of too high a nature for their private undertakings wherefore they supplicated his Majesty that the Lords Temporall might be also summoned by Writ and joyn with them in the same Authority 't was done accordingly being done they both thought it a businesse so transcendent and of so universall concernment that they found a way to involve the whole Nation in a joynt consent which was that all Free-holders in the Kingdome in their severall precincts might by the election of two in every County disimbogue all their suffrages into theirs and to remaine the Countries proxies to Vote for and to be directed by their several Countries and thus the Commons were brought in but behold the Viper that eats through the sides of its own Parent behold the Asses foale who when she hath done sucking kicks her own dam The King brings in the Lords Spirituall the Lords Spirituall bring in the Lords Temporall both bring in the Commons the Commons destroy both both destroy the King Neither was Kingship as they call it and Episcopacy better rewarded for being the principall and so zealous reformers of the Gospel to have both their Crowns and Miters broke in pieces by the same hammer of reformation and the wals of their Pallaces mingled with Abby dust casting thereby such a blot upon the very name of Reformation that it will scarce be legible by Christians except what went before and what may follow after may help the future ages to the true sence and meaning of the word thus Rivers run backwards and drowne their own Head thus the monsterous Children who are borne with teeth in their mouthes bite of the nipple and starve themselves for lack of sustenance thus blind Sampsons revenge themselvâ—s upon their enemies by pulling downe the house upon their own heads thus the formes of the most glorious government of a Church State are wounded to death through the sides of Reformation If you are not I am sure you will ere it be long be satisfied that all the specious pretences of popular Government Free-State Liberty of the Subject are but figments and delusions of the people obtruded by vaine-glorious and haughty men who knowing that they could not be that one Governour of all the rest yet they hope to be one of many thus foolish children set their fathers barnes full of Corne on fire to warme their hands when they are ready to starve for lack of bread who had not rather live under a Government wherein a man iâ— only bound to submit to him whom it is honour to obey then to live under a Government where every man is a slave because every one is a Master Finally my opinion is this I had rather have my liberty to kneel before a Throne then 〈◊〉 be the tallest man in a crowd and should â—â—inke it more for my â—ase and honour CHAP. XIV That there is no such thing as a Free-State in the World IF by a Free-State you mean a people who have shook off their Allegiance to their Prince there are many such Free-States to be found but a beggars-bush or a company of Gipsies who propound to themselves new Laws renouncing the old and yet chuse a King and Queen amongst themselves pleasing one another with a selfe-conceited opinion of a thing they call Liberty which is no otherwise then an ignoble bondage of their own chosing preferring the correction of a bundle of rods because their own hands have made them before the sway-meant of a Scepter which God himself hath put into their Soveraignes hand is as good a Common-wealth or Free-State as the best but if you mean by a Free-State a freedom from Tyranny you will be as far to seek for any such thing in rerum natura as for a reason why tyranny may not be in many as well as in one But if you mean by freedome an exemption from all such tyrannicall oppressions as are expressed in the Petition of Right I see not why such a Free-State may not be under a Monarchy certainly I have seen such Petitions and insistances during the late Kings Reigne as having relation to Free-born people of England and should thinke that the Magna Charta defended by one who had power to make it good against the infringement of many breakers and by a Parliament of many authorized to the same purpose against the pessundation of it by any one be it by the highest may not be as good a way to make preserve and keep a Nation free as well as the intrusting of a Nations freedome into the hands of a few whose Independency deny all remedies to be either above them or below them It may be it will not be thought tedious if I entertaine your eye and consideration with some observations of my owne in those Free-states of Christendome as they call themselves wherein I have been I shall begin with the Free-State of Genoa wherein I have been resident some time and the rather because whilst England was a Kingdome they could not have the face to stand in any competition with us but now the Kings armes were cut off as well as his head how should we do to make a distinction between them and us for both the State of Genoa and the State of England give the very same coat of Armes and
and so observe him all along through the whole tract of time we will consider how it dealt with the first Prince under whose Dominions it pullulated which was under the Prince and Bishop of Geneva and these two were both nullified in the same person as they were both here in England by the same Parliament verefying that maxâ—m of ours with that fore-running of theirs No Bishop No King and then we will shew you how they dealt with our Princes here at home where ever they had a power viz. with Mary Queen of Scots and James and Charls the First Kings of England and of Scotland both and then usurpe a power themselves higher then Popes or Kings Calvin with his gladiators having expuls'd the Prince and Bishop of Geneva sets up a government so high and unexpected that the people would have nothing to do either with him or his government and thereupon they banished him the City Calvin in exile bethinkes himselfe how he might appease their fury and give them satisfaction and be invited in again Calvinus de tristibus thinks it his best course of endearing himself unto the people to make them sharers with him in the government whereupon he invented his new fangle of Lay-Elders and so all parties were agreed In comes Mr John Calvin whilst he was scarce warme in his seat I shall present you with a story of him and of his demeanour of himself towards the temporall Throne There was a Noble-man of Italy who liked the Reformation which he had begun so well that he forsook his Religion and Country sold his Lands and fortune converted all into money and took sanctuary in Geneva as soon as he came there great rejoycing insulting there was that their cause was honored with so high a convert The grand Seigniour fals a building directing his Masons he found one of them something more sawcy then to what his Lordship in his own Country had been accustomed little thinking that where there was promised so large a respect of souls there had been so little respect of persons this Noble-man hereupon gives this Mason a gentle tap upon the head the Mason flies upon him like a Dragon and fhakes him by the beard my Lord not being used to such course salutations stabs him with his dagger thinking nothing lesse but that so high a provocation would have pleaded his indempnity no such matter my Lord was soon â—aid hold on and brought to his triall Calvin upon the tribunall not as a â—emporall Judge in such cases take â—eed of him but only to be asked his opinion in cases of Conscience the Delinquent pleads for himself tels them â—ow insolently he was provoked and wonders considering such provocation he should be questioned for so vile a â—arlet Hereupon Mr Calvin soon starts up and tels him that with God whose seat they held there was no respect of persons and for ought he knew that man whom he despis'd to death was as near and dear to God and his favour as himself their Laws knew no such distinction as man-slaughter and murder but they were regulated by the Divine Law that told them that the man that shed mans bloud by man shall his bloud be shed that there was no exemption by greatnesse nor buying it off by favour the Noble-man replied that he had not been long enough amongst them to be acquainted with their Laws it was answered that the law of Nature did forbid that of which he could not be ignorant all this was well enough My Lord told them how hard a case it would be for a man out of his love and liking to the place and manners should seeke to it as a sanctuary for his conscience and so soon find it his grave that he was heartily sorry for what he had done and would give any satisfaction to his wife and children that the Court should order or his estate allow hâ— intended the man no hurt before such rough hands shook him out of himself that he knew not what he did and therefore he humbly begg'd their pardon assuring theâ— for the future that his waies should be so directly answerable to those paths they walked in that he would not by Gods grace hereafter step aside the temporall Judges wonne with his humble and submisse behaviour began to relent and desired Mr Calvin to abate a little of his rigour for the reasons before mentioned assuring him that his case was no common case and therefore it ought to have respect accordingly hereupon there grew a hot dispute between the spirituall and the temporall Judges Calvin remained stiffe in his opinion and would not be bent to the least mercy the Nobleman thought to throw one graine of reason more into the ballance that should turne the scales and that should be taken out of a consideration had of their own good for saith he if you shed my bloud hand over head without any the least respect had to my years to my birth to my education to the little time I had of being acquainted with your Laws nor to the provocation it self nor to the suddennesse of the action nor to the surprize of all my senses nor to the satisfation I would have given nor ro the repentance of my very soul who will come amongst you what Lord or Gentleman will live within your wals wherefore if you will have no consideration of me yet consider your selves consider what a blow it wil give to your Religion how many this very thing will stave off from ever having any thing to do with you by this time they were all prone to mercy but Calvin alone who stands up and cries fiat justitia ruat Caelum neither could he be brought to give his opinion that the Jury as we call them might not passe upon him but out went the Jury and contrary to their owne Law hearing the Noble-mans plea and observing well the inclination of the Bench in generall they brought in their verdict not guilty whereupon the Noble-man was acquitted hereupon John Calvin rises from the Bench and whilst the rest proceeded to their matters cals all the Ministers within the Wals and liberties of Geneva who appear before the Judgement sets with white wans in their hands which they laid down telling them that with those wans they laid down their offices protesting that they would never preach the Gospel to a people whose humane Laws should run contrary to the Laws Divine and suddenly turned about and took their leave which being acted with so much gravity wrought so much upon the beholders that they presently sent for them back againe and hanged the Noble-man This story I have read in their own History in Geneva then which my thoughts were then as they are still that never any Pope of Rome did act as Pope of Rome or so much as claime halfe that authority over the Civill Magistrate as this anti-pope did virtually act and yet was not ashamed to make lesser matters then this the