Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	french_a	king_n	prisoner_n	2,998	5	8.6314	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A27544	The providences of God, observed through several ages, towards this nation, in introducing the true religion and then, in the defence of that, preserving the people in their rights and liberties, whilst other kingdoms are ravished of theirs, as our counsellors designed for us.	Bethel, Slingsby, 1617-1697.	1691 (1691)	Wing B2074; ESTC R18802	50,816	66

was the beginning of his Troubles wherein he was as much out in his Politicks as in any of his other Actions for it could not be well expected that they who had swept their Church as clean from all the Rubbish of Rome as Geneva it self and more zealous and refined in their Doctrin than they would be easily imposed upon in Matters of Religion But it was the Pride of Bishop Laud who was ambitious of being the Founder of a new Popery and of seeing it accomplished in his days by driving too furiously that prevented the designed Mischief and so we find it confessed by our Queen Mother in Monsieur Siries Mercury the French Kings History Writer for the Affairs of Italy who tells us among many other things concerning England That when the Parliament in 1640. met the Pope had three Agents in England negotiating the reconciling our King to Rome viz. the Count of Roset Seignior C●● and Seignior Pausa●i● reciting Roset's Remonstrance delivered the King to prove it his Interest to turn Papist whereupon the King asking if the Pope would dispense with his Subjects taking the Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy she was told that if ●e would be a Catholick i● must be without Conditions But the Parliament getting a Sent hereof● 〈…〉 clo●e that Roset was forced to be confessed whilst disguising himself and then fled for Ireland a little before the 〈◊〉 where it 's said he died And it may be observed that at this time this King 's Chief Counsellors 〈…〉 Strafford and Laud were such as whilst living were suspected and at Death declared themselves Papists viz. Thomas Earl of Arrundle Lord Cottington and Sir Francis Windibanck Secretary of State and Laud's Kinsman and not long before Treasurer Weston died of the same Communion And the same Author where he writes of the Affairs of England tells us further that Bishop L. and Bishop N. by which must be meant the two Archbishops Laud and Neal profered the Pope to leave England and go to Rome and for the Credit of that See declare themselves Papists provided the Pope would allow them at Rome the value of their English Bishopricks which they computed each at 16000 Crowns per annum but received for answer from the Pope's Nephew Chief Minister of State who at that time was as I remember Cardinal Francisco Barbarino reputed a great Statesman that if their Conversion were real they might at Rome live comfortably of so many hundred Crowns per annum For the Cardinal was jealous that the bottom of Laud's design was a Patriarchal Popedom for England which would have been a bad Example for France and other Popish Countries If any are curious to know further concerning the Affairs of England at that time I refer them to the aforesaid Mercury which is writ in Italian In the succeeding eighteen years interval this Nation received not the least dishonour save what happened at Hispaniola in War with Spain during Cromwel's Usurpation For the greatest part of the rest of that time our Neighbours trembled when we frowned tho since that the Catastrophy hath been such that we have trembled at their Frowns occasioned by the misgovernment of Charles the 2d who yet came to the Administration of the Crown most advantageously not an Enemy daring to shew his Teeth excepting that mad freak of the 29 Fifth Monarchy Men he seeming to be the universal Delight of the People At Breda he promised Liberty of Conscience to those dissenting Ministers that were with others sent by Parliament to invite him into England and at his arrival made shew of being true to his Word by appointing at the Savoy in order thereunto a Conference betwixt the two Parties the Conformists and Dissenters but the latter being under hand discountenanced by him who was a great Minister of King James the First 's Art in King-Craft it came to nothing more than making their Burthens the heavier so that in a short time the Presbyterians who had been the chief Authors of his Restauration his own Party being then so inconsiderable that they cannot be said to have contributed more to it than as Servants to the other were most ungratefully used their Ministers turned out of their Livings their Families exposed to live in a great measure upon Charity and that by him whom they had brought from that Condition himself to the injoyment of three Crowns His first Parliament acted regularly with an eye to publick good and quiet passing an Act of Indempnity for all save some few excepted which he seemed to approve so much of that in his cunning and cajoling way he gave them the name of the healing Parliament and then dissolved it calling another more to his purpose after which how he kept his Indempnity appears by his usage of the great and incomparable Sir Henry Vane Alderman Ireton Mr. Samuel Moyer Major Gladman c. taking away contrary to Faith the Life of the first imprisoning others without cause till they redeemed their Liberty by great Sums like Slaves in Algiers others standing it out till the Habeas Corpus Bill came in use after the withdrawing of Chancellor Hide which for seven or eight years had been denied or from the Iniquity of the Times durst not be moved for were freed by Law without Fines He pretended great zeal for the Reformed Religion with an Abhorrence of Poperty yet in favour of the latter endeavoured to set the Conformists at the greatest difference with the Dissenters by several Acts against the latter and severe Prosecution thereupon And this whilst at the same time all proceedings against the Papists in the Exchequer upon Conviction were stopped to the preserving of them when Protestant Dissenters were many of them ruined by close Imprisonments where they died he designing all a long no less than Popery and Slavery even when he pretended the contrary His two unjust costly and causeless Wars with Holland being in order thereunto as was the burning of London and the Popish Plot discovered by Dr. Oats yet rather than be thought to have any hand in the latter he suffered about twenty persons which he is strongly suspected to have imployed in it to dye for it When the burning of London the frequent subsequent Fires in Southwark St. Katharines and several parts of the City c. would not serve his ends he contrived a Protestant Plot for murthering of himself and as he untruly suggested introducing a Commonwealth and as the most probable Instrument as he thought tho therein mistaken Mr. Clapol a Son-in-law of Cromwel must be charged with it and without the least ground clapped up in Prison in the closest way and had not the real Popish Plot broke out he had surely been sacrificed to give Credit to the Forgery but Mr. Capol's unsuitable Principles to such a Design was enough to detect the Fraud and Villany he having been in the Civil Wars reckoned all a long a Royalist and Anti-Republican And thus ill Men are sometimes caught in

such Pardon as the Lawyers say against an Impeachment in Parliament is valuable in Law and the King having no power to pardon Offences where in the Indictment he is not made a Party as he is not by Impeachments in Parliaments they being by the House of Commons in the Name of all the Commons of England The Dissolution of Parliaments doth not give Prisoners at the Suit of the Commons the privilege of being bailed no inferiour Court having by Law any such power especially the fault of their not being brought to Trial not being in the Parliament but in the King in not suffering them to sit till they had cleared or passed Judgment upon them as he ought to have done This King an Artist in King James I's King-craft observing his Conduct to have lost all Reputation confessed by a Declaration his Errour in governing his Affairs by Cabals and not by Parliaments and his Privy Council by whose Advice he had always thriven best resolving for the future to be ruled by them without Cabals And in Conformity thereunto he dissolved entirely by the said Declaration his Privy Council and chose another under the notion of a new Council into which was taken some of the most popular and honest Members of the House of Commons as the good Lord Russel the then Lord Cavendish Sir Henry Capel Mr. Powle c. but the Majority being of the old Leaven they soon found that the design of bringing them into the Council was merely to give Credit to their sinister Proceedings which made them as soon unanimously withdraw rather than be in the least accessary to their unwarrantable and destructive Counsels and Actions So that tho some will have the small time these Gentlemen were in Council to have been a great advantage to the Court in their Reputation and blame them for it I am of a contrary Opinion and that there could not have been a greater and more prejudicial Affront put upon a Prince than that by such an unanimous and publick Leaving of his Council in a way that amounted to no less than a Protest against his Proceedings which could not but make a more disadvantageous Impression on the Minds of the People than so short a Continuance with them could be of advantage to the King Now new Measures were again taken and with them a new Minister of State chosen several Parliaments are dissolved and new ones called in hopes of getting one at last to serve their turn but the People growing more and more sensible of the Growth of Popery and Slavery sent such suitable Members to the Condition of the Nation that they were almost as soon dissolved as assembled for three Parliaments successively and then to be revenged of the Corporations for sending such Members and of the Members themselves for being averse to the Destruction of the Nation Quo Warranto's by the Advice of a new Set of evil Counsellors were brought to take away the old and give them new Charters that might subject them to the arbitrary Will of the Prince illegal in the highest degree Nay Burroughs by Prescription were destroyed and Charters imposed upon them to the infringing of their Privileges Hereford I think was the first that had a new Charter imposed upon them by which all Power was so reserved in the King as an Example for those that should follow that one might have thought should have wrought an Hatred in all true English Men to the Authors or Abettors of such Counsels The Charter of London by many Acts of Parliaments and in the comprehensivest manner confirmed was so gallantly defended by the City nothing material being against them as appears by the learned Arguments of the Lord Chief Justice Pollixfen and Mr. Attorney General Treby that one may wonder there should be Lawyers found to plead against it and that such were found is a Reproach upon the Persons for being too mercenary As Quo Warranto's were for being revenged of the Corporations so a Protestant Plot was contrived as well to stifle the Popish Plot as to destroy such Gentlemen as were thought to stand in the way of Arbitrary Power and Popery by false Evidence leaving treasonable Papers at their Houses as was done at Mr. Dubois's House in London or putting them into their Pockets and then seizing them of which Mr. Fitz-Harris gave my Lord Shaftsbury warning Which made those that knew they were under the Envy of the Court when they were to come into Crowds to sow up their Pockets to prevent practising such Tricks upon them Fitz-Harris whose Province it was to act in these ways to get or make treasonable Lampoons to trepan Persons falsly judged to be of Antimonarchical Principles for not playing his part well and fearing his Discovery according to his Promise to the then Sheriffs of the Popish Plot had a Rope for his Reward being Drawn Hanged and Quartered but as a Gratuity for his weak Endeavours his Head and Quarters were given to his Wife to bury Soon after he was dead an impudent false and lying Confession was made for him as is fully demonstrated by the published Answer of those concerned in it under the Title of Truth vindicated in reference to the Aspersions cast upon Sir Robert Clayton c. published in the name of Dr. Hawkins as Edward Fitz-Harris ' s Confession As also the falseness of this Confession appears by the last Actions of his Life viz. the Paper he read at his Execution which was printed and his giving the Sheriffs Thanks for their Civility and Kindness to him which were his last Words and yet by his Confession he is made to complain of them The design of this Confession and publishing of it was by it to vindicate the Guilty and accuse the Innocent for certain Persons being determined for Destruction it was thought fit to make them hereby odious to the People that when they should be murthered by Form of Law their Deaths might be the less resented To give an Instance of the Evidence made use of in these Times the Witnesses against my Lord Shaftsbury were so scandalous as Ages to come will not believe that such should be offered against any Man much less one of his Quality As Booth a Minister of the Church of England and Parson of Ogle in Northumberland well known to be an infamous Rascal and violently suspected for the Murther of one of his Servants to conceal his Clipping of Money of which he was notwithstanding convicted and condemned and had been hanged had not the Duke of Newcastle who gave him his Parsonage at Ogle begged his Pardon And I have heard an honest Divine of the Church who had known him from his Youth say that he could write a Volume of his Rogueries So that nothing less than shameless Impudence could have produced him against the Life Honour or Estate of any one The rest of the Witnesses were not better as the Affidavits hereunto annexed do evince Barry or Narrative Smith being one c.