Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	justice_n	lord_n	thomas_n	3,038	5	8.3600	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A33434	The idol of the clovvnes, or, Insurrection of Wat the Tyler with his priests Baal and Straw together with his fellow kings of the commons against the English church, the king, the laws, nobility and royal family and gentry, in the fourth year of K. Richard the 2d, an. 1381.	Cleveland, John, 1613-1658.	1654 (1654)	Wing C4673; ESTC R5215	69,732	166

indangered and fatally tied to the same chain might make him weary of the World and that he cou●…d now die with more quiet of conscience than ever a quiet wh●…ch these Patricides will not finde when they shall pay the score of this and their other crimes However the flattery of successe may abuse our death-bed represents things in their owne shape and as they are after this the rout of Wolves enter p●…ophane'y roaring wh●…re is the Traitour where is the Robber of the Common-people He answers not ●…oubled at what he saw or heard Yee are welcome my Sonnes I am the Archbishop whom you seek neither Traitour nor Robber Presently these 〈◊〉 of the Devill griping him with their wicked clutches teare him out of the Chappell neither reverencing the Altar nor Crucifix figured on the top of his Crosier nor the Host these are the Monkes observations for which he condemnes them in the highest impiety and makes them worse than Divells and as Religion went then well he might condemne them so They dragge him by the Armes and hood to Tower hill without the Gates there they howle hideously which was the signe of a mischiefe to follow He askes them what it is they purpose what is his offence tells them he is their Archbishop this makes him guilty all his eloquence his Wisdome are now of no use he addes the murder of their Soveraigne Pastour will be severely punished some notorious vengeance will suddenly follow it These destroyers will not trouble themselves with the idle formality of 〈◊〉 mock-trial or Court of their own erecting an abominable Ceremony which had made their impiety more ugly they proceed down tight and plainly which must be instead of all things He is commanded to lay his neck upon the block as a false traitour to the Commonalty and Realm To deale roundly his life was forfeited and any particular charge or defenc●… would not be necessary his enemies were his Accusers and Judge●… his enemies who had combined and sworne to abolish his order the Church and spoile the sacred patrimony and what innocency what defence could save Without any reply farther he forgives the Heads-man and bowes his Body to the Axe After the first hit he touches the wound with his hand and speakes thus It is the Hand of the Lord The next stroke falls upon his hand ere he could remove it and cuts off the tops of his fingers after which he fell but died not till the eight blow his body lay all that day unburied and no wonder all men were throughly scared under the tyranny of these Monsters all Humanity all Piety were most unsafe The Archbishop dyed a Martyr of loyalty to his King and has his miracles Recorded an honour often bestowed by Monkes friends of Regicide and Regicides on Traitours seldome given to honest men In his Epitaph his riming Epitaph where is showne the pittifull ignorant rudenesse of those times he goes for no lesse he speakes thus Sudburiae natus Simon jacet hic tumulatus Martyrizatus n●…ce pro republica stratus Sudburies Simon here intombed lies Who for the Commonwealth a Martyr dies It is fit sayes Plato that he who would appeare a iust man become naked that his virtue be despoiled of all ornament that he be taken for a wicked man by others wicked indeed that he be ●…ocked and hanged The wisest of men tell us † There is a just man that perisheth in his ●…ghteousnesse and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his wickednesse The Seas are often calme to Pirates and the scourges of God the executioners of his fury the Gothes Hunnes and Vandalls heretofore Tartars and Turkes now how happy are their Robberies how doe all thing●… succeed with them beyond their wish●… Our Saviours Passion the great mysterie of his Incarnation lost him to the J●…wes his Murtherers Whereupon Grotius notes It is often permitted by God that pious men be not onely vexed by wicked men but murdered too He gives ex●…mples in Abel Isaiah and others the MESSIAH dyed for the sins of the world Ethelbert and Saint Edmund the East-Angles Saint Oswald the Northumbrian Saint Edward the Monarch c. Saxon Kings are examples at home Thucydides in his narration of the defeat and death of Nician the Athenian in Sycily speaks thus Being the man who of all the Grecians of my time had least deserved to be brought to so great a degree of misery It is too frequent to proclaim Gods Judgments in the misfortunes of others as if we were of the Celestiall Councell had seen all the Wheels or Orbs upon which Providence turns and knew all the reasons and ends which direct and govern its motions men love by a strange abstraction to separate Facts from their Crimes where the fact is beneficiall the advantage must canonize it it must be of heavenly off-spring a way to justifie Cain Abimelech Phocas our third Richard Ravilliac every lucky parricide whatsoever Alexander Severus that most excellent Emperour assassinated by the Militia or Souldiery by an ill fate of the Common-wealth for Maximinus a Thracian or Goth. Lieutenant Generall of the Army a cruell Savage tyrant by force usurped the Empire after him Replyed to one who pretended to foretell his end That it troubled him not the most renowned persons in all ages die violently This gallant Prince condemned no death but a dishonest fearfull one Heaven it selfe declared on the Archbishops side and cleared his innocency Starling of Essex who challenged to himselfe the glory of being Heads man fell mad suddenly after ran through the Villages with his Sword hanging naked upon his brest and his Dagger naked behinde him came up to London confest freely the fact and lost his head there As most of those did who had laid their hands upon th●…s Archbishop comming up severally out of their Countries to that City and constantly accusing themselves for the Parricide of their spirituall Father Nothing was now unlawfull there could be no wickednesse after this They make more examples of barbarous cruelty under the name of Justice Robert Lord Prior of St. Iohn and Lord Treasurer of England Iohn Leg or Laige one of the Kings serjeants at Armes a Franciscan a Physitian belonging to the Duke of Lancaster whom p●…rhaps they hated because they had wro●…ged his Master a Frier Carmelite the Kings Confessour were murdered there in this fury Whose heads with the Archbishops were borne before them through London streets and advanced over the Bridge This while the King was softning the Rebells of Essex at Mile-end with the Ea●…les of Sal●…bury Warwick and Oxford and other Lords Thither by P●…oclamation he had summoned them as presuming the Essexians to be the more civiliz'd and by much the fairer enemies as indeed they were There he promises to grant them their d●…sires Liberty pretious Liberty is the thing they aske this is given them by the King but on condition of good behaviour They are

killing had not fallen by the sword of Lancaster he had found his grave on Tower-hill or Smithfield where the faithfull lieges of his Crown were torn in pieces by these Canibals The reverence due to the annointed heads of Kings began to fall away and naked Majesty could not guard where Innocency could not But Tyler blinded with his owne fatall pride throws himself foolishly upon the Kings sword and by his over-muoh hast preserves him whom he had vowed to destroy The Heathens make it a mark of the Divinity of of their Gods that they bestowed benefits upon mortal men and took nothing from them The Clownes of the Idoll upon this rule were not very heavenly they were the meeke ones of those times the onely inheritours of right the kingdom was made a prey by them it was cantoned out to erect new Principalities for the Mock-kings of the Commons so their Chiefs or Captains would be called Here though the title of the Rebellion spoke fair was sh●…wn somewhat of ambition and no little of injust private interest no little of self-seeking which the good of the people in pretence onely was to give way to and no wonder for the good of the people properly was meeraly to be intended of themselvs and no where but amongst those was the Commonwealth Had these Thistles these Brambles flourished the whole Wood of noble Trees had perished If the violent casting other men out of their possessions firing their houses cutting off their Heads violating of all Rights be thought Gods blessing any evidence of his owning the Cause these Thieves and Murderers were well blessed and sufficiently owned Such was then tho face of things estates were dangerous every Rich man was an enemy mens lives were taken away without either offence or tryall their reign was but a continuation of horrible injuries the Lawes were not onely silent but dead The Idolls fury was a Law and Faith and Loyaltie and Obedience to lawfull power were damnable Servants had the rule over Princes England was near a slavery the most unworthy of free and ingenious spirits of any What I relate here to speak something of the Story I collect out of Sir John Froissart a French-man living in the times of King EDVVARD the third and his Grandchild King RICHARD who had seen England in both the reigns was known and esteemed in the Court and came last over after these Tumults were appeased and out of Thomas of Walsingham a Monk of St. Albanes in Henry the sixth's dayes who sayes Bale in his centuries of him writes many the most choice passages of affairs and actions such as no other hath met with In the main and to the substance of things I have made no additions no alterations I have faithfully followed my Authors who are not so historically exact as I could wish nor could I much better what did not please me in their order No man saies Walsingham can recite fully the mischiefs murders sacriledge and cruelty of these Actors he excuses his digesting them upon the confusion of the combustions flaming in such varietie of places and in the same time Tyler Litster and those of Hartfordshire take up most part of the discourse Westbrome is brought in by the halves the lesser Snakes are onely named in the Chronicle What had been more had not been to any purpose Those were but types of Tyler the Idoll and acted nothing but according to the Original according to his great example they were Wolves alike and he that reads one knowes all Thomas of Becket Simon of Montfort the English Cataline Thomas of Lancaster Rebels and Traitors of the former years are Canonised by the Monks generally the enemies of their Kings miracles make their Tombes illustrious and their Memories sacred The Idol and his Incendiaries are abho●…ed every where every History detests them while Faith Civility Honesty and Piety shall be left in the world the enemies of all these must neither be beloved nor pitied THE IDOL OF THE CLOWNES THe Reigne of King Richard the second was but a throw of State for so many yeares a Feaver to whose distempers all pieces of the home Dominions contributed by fits * the forrain part onely continuing faithfull in the fourth yeare of his reigne and fifteenth of his Age the dregs and off scum of the Commons unite into bodies in severall parts of the Kingdome and forme a Rebellion called the Rebellion of the Clownes which lead the rest and shewed the way of disobedience first Of which may truly be said Though amongst other causes we may attribute it to the indisposition and unseasonablenesse of the age that the fruits of it did not take it was strongly begun and had not Providence heldback the hand the blow had fallen the Government had broke into shivers then The young King at this time had few besides Thomas of Woodstock his Unkle Earle of Buckingham and after Duke of Glocester but the servants of his house in ordinary about him the Lord Edmund of Langly Earle of Cambridge after Duke of Yorke with the Lords Beauchamp Botereaux Sir Matthew Gourny with others of the Nobility and Gentry had set saile for Portugall the Duke Iohn of Lancaster another of his Unkles was in Scotland treating a peace when this commotion brake out Though no cause can be given for Seditions those who designe publick troubles can never want pretences Polidore as much out in this story as any gives this reason for this The Polle money sayes he imposed by Parliament a groat sterling upon every head was intollerable It was justly imposed and so by some to whom Law and Custome of England were intollerable not to be indured but we shall find in the tyranny breaking in not onely fifth and tentieth parts and loanes forced out of feare of plunder and death but subsidies in Troops and Regiments by fifties more than Sequeltrations and Compositions not under foot low sales for what had these Rascalls to give but downright Robbery and violent usurpation of Estates Thus would Polidore have it in defence of his Priests who blew the fire and thrust the silly rout into the midst of it He takes it ill that Baal valle he calls him should be supposed by I know not what slaterers of the Nobles to have filled these sailes to have let these windes out of their Caverns In the fourth yeare of this King sayes the Monk●… there was a grievous Tax exacted in Parllament after cause of great trouble every Religious paid half a Mark every Secular Priest as much every Lay-man or Woman 12d This might discontent the people but who prepared the Mutineers for such dangerous impressions who fell in with them after and pushed them forward will be soon found Frois●… sart complaines of the servitude of the villanes or Bond-men now Names worne out a miserable sort of drudges frequentth knowne here in the Saxon times excluded from any right of propriety sold and passed away with the Mannour or Lands to

of force because it was obtain'd presently after his Creation when things are presumed to be rather extorted than obtained Bodin denyes that a King deceived or forced can be bound by his grants The justice of Contracts is that alone which binds The distinction of Royall and Private acts is of more sound then strength and answers not the injustice of the impulsive violence which must be naturally vicious every where and corrupt and weaken the effects and cannot be good and bad by changes or as to this or that Grotius who loves this distinction in another place is positive There must be Equality in all Contracts He condemns all fear or awe upon the person purposely moved for the contracts sake and tels us out of Xenophon of those of Lacaedemon who annulled a sale of lands which the Elians had forced the owners to passe out of fear A Charter of King Henry the third imprisoned and forced is said by Ald●…nhans to be voyd upon this reason and I judge the justice of this revocation by the Law of England by which as ou●… old Parli●…ments such force is Treason The fruits of wch were here more justly plucked up than they were planted He who gives up his money to Thieves according to his oath may lawfully take it away from them however they are bound to make restitution Nor can any prescription of time establish a right of possession in him who makes his seizure upon no other title but Plunder and Robbery The 5th of this King the Parliament declares these Grants to be forced and voyd Enough to clear the honour of King Richard as to this part At Chelmsford the King is informed of the whole History of mischiefs done at St. Albanes and resolved in person with all his Guards and Cavalry to ride thither and sentence the Malefactors with his own mouth but Sir Walter Leye of Hartfordshire fearing the mu●…h impoverishing th●… Country if the King should make any long stay there with such numbers as then attended him beseeches him to make a tryal wehther things might not be composed without him and offers to reconcile the Abbot and Townsmen if the King would which was consented to The King grants him a Commission and joyns with him Edward Benstude Geofrey Stukelye and others of the Gent●…y of that County The coming of these Commissioners was noysed at St. Albanes The fiercest of the Clowns knowing what they had done was condemned by the Law and not to be defended but by force which now they had not began to shake and take fright are plotting to get out of the way Grindecob Lieutenant of the late Idol comforts them he perswades to goe to Horse Let us meet the Knight sayes he and see whether his looks promise Peace or not if not the Towns about us have engaged they have associated and are of our League we are rich and cannot want good fellows who will assist us while our monies last On St. Peters day this ill advised crue meets the Knight upon the Rode who wa●… ignorant of their resolutions and conduct him honourably according to their fashion to the Town Sir Walter had with him fiftie Lances and some Companies of A●…chers listed at random many of them being of the Churles and confederates with them The Knight cites the Towns-men and their Neighbours to appear before him in Derfold to hear the pleasure and commands of the King They fail not There h●… tells them what Forces the King had assembled how rigorously those of Essex were sentenced That the King was highly inc●…nsed at the troubles and seditions of this place of which he was the Patron and Defender That with great difficulty he had procured of the King a Commission by which himself and others not Strangers or Enemies but their Friends and Neighbours were authorised to do Iustice in the Kings stead he concludes if they will appease the King they must find out and deliver up the beginners of these broyls and make satisfaction to the Lord Abbot an holy and a just man for the wrong they had done him This many of the hearers approve and promise to obey The Knight charges a Jury to be made ready the next morning and make what discovery they can and gives the people leave to depart Towards night he send●… for the Jury to his Chamber intending to have apprehended the Lieutenants by the assistance of the Jury without any noyse These good men and true know nothing it was the case of their fellows in mischiefe and might be their own They answer in a plain Ignora●… they can indict no man accuse no man Amongst all the founder of these swine there was not one who had been faithless and disloyal to his natural Liege Lord not one breaker of his peace not one who could appear so to them The Knight seems not to understand the falsnesse and cunning of these Hob n●…ile perjured Jug●…ers He takes another way and next requires them within a peremptory time to bring him the Charters which they had forced from the Monastery they return after a short consultation and in the Abbots chamber where the Knight then was tell him They dare not obey out of fear of the Commons what was more they knew not in whose custody the Charters were The Knight grows angry and swears they shall not goe out of the Chamber till he have them which they call imprisoning their persons Here the Abbot intercedes and though he knew them as very knaves and lyars as any Tyler had set on work yet he will not he sayes distrust their honesty he will leave things to their consciences upon which they are freed Another Assembly is appointed at Barnet Wood whither the Villagers about throng in multitudes Three hundred Bow-men of Barnet and Berkhamsted make here so terrible a show nothing is done The Commissioners privately charge the Gentry Constables and Baylifs to seiz in the night Greyncob Cadindon Iohn the Barber with some others and to bring them to Hartford whither themselves went in all haste which was performed The Esquires and servants of the Abby were sent with them to strengthen the company This inrages the Townsmen afresh they gather into Conventicles in the Woods and Fields so much frightful to the Monastery that the Abbot recalls his Esquires le ts the prosecution fall and fearfully summons in his friends to guard him Greyndcobs friends take advantage of this change and bayl him for three dayes within which time they were either tyed to agree with the Abby or render up Greyndcob to the Justices again The Townsmen fierce enough still yet earnest to preserve their Worthy are content to part with the Charters But this Greyndcob more fool-hardy than wise would not consent to Nor does he as knowing the stifnesse of his Clowns whine in a Religious tone never used by him He prayes them to consider how beautifull Liberty is how sweet how honourable Dangerous Liberty sayes he is more valuable than safe