Selected quad for the lemma: father_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
father_n	sister_n	son_n	wife_n	28,080	5	9.0955	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A20768	The yonger brother his apology by it selfe. Or A fathers free power disputed for the disposition of his lands, or other his fortunes to his sonne, sonnes, or any one of them: as right reason, the laws of God and nature, the ciuill, canon, and municipall lawes of this kingdome do command. By I. Ap-Robert Gent.	J. A. (John Ap Robert)	1618 (1618)	STC 715; ESTC S115725	30,207	72

world though he being the youngest sonne of three had Europ for his inheritance which in all arts and vses of life far excelleth Affrick Asia and all the rest of the earth Whereas according to the pretenses of those customary challenges Iaphet Sem should either haue had all or byn Lord Paramount of all Cham and Iaphet with their posterity but Farmers or Fre-holders vnder him I will not also as if there were penury of resemblances againe vse for example Esaus disinherision though that were inough for our present purpose For if it had bene sinne which Iosiphus the Iew neither in his Antiquities or Scripture faith the Mother could not haue procured it God would not haue prospered it nor Iacob himselfe being a good man haue accepted it nor Esau whose anger Iacob feared haue left it vnreuenged Neither is there in Scripture nor in any writen Law vnder heauen any commaundement to restraine the Fathers power but rather the contrary For such is the law of Nature that they who are exaequo one mans children should if not exaequo yet not exiniquo be prouided for Against which partiality the Imperiall Lawes admit so forcible a remedy vnder the title of an inofficious Testament as it shal inable the yonger childe to a certaine proportion of estate whether the deceased Father would or no if he had no iust reason for omission or disauowment in his last will The example certainely of the same holy Patriarch Iacob in preferring Ephraim before Manasses Ephraim the younger son before the elder being his grandchildren against the set purpose of Ioseph their Father seemes vnāswerable on behalfe of the power of parents for transferring or distributing their blessings Of which it may truely be said Qui prior in benedictione est potior in iure Of Salomon I haue spoken before who was not the eldest sonne of Dauid Salomon but Adonai after Absalom was slaine as Dauid himselfe was not the eldest sonne of lesse his Father but the youngest and yet chosen by God who sees not as man doth for with him there is resp●ctus personarum to gouerne Israel though he was not set before his brothers in the priuate inheritance of his familie And in the Ghospell it is apparent by the Parable of the workmen who came at vnequall houres into the vineyard and yet had equal wages that first and last are to him a like who though he created thinges in number weight and measure yet he squares not his fauors by priority of being but of well-deseruing Augustus Caesar the most renowned of all the first Emperours setled the succession of his Empire not vpon his onely G●andchilde Agrippa Posthumus Agrippa Posthumus the sonne of his daughter sole heyre the lady Iulia though Tacitus sayth that he was nullius stagitij comp●rtus then what if he had indeed byn a notorious vnthrift but vpon Tiberius a stranger in bloud and his sonne by no other but by a ciuill title of Adoption because he reputed him far the fitter to gouerne Chosroas King of Persia Medarses made Medarses his younger sonne companion in his Empire and left out his eldest sonne Sinochius But let forraine examples passe for briefnes sake wherwith of all tymes places books are full In our Country wee might alledg the fact of Brutus Brutus the reputed foūder of our Nation who diuided Albion afterward called Brittaine to his three sonnes leauing onely the best portion to Locrinus anciētly called Loegres Albania now Scotland to Albanact and Cambria or Wales to Camber Leir long after knew he had so much power in himselfe as a Father euen against the euidence of his owne act of partition by the originall law of Nature as for the ingratitude of his owne children to confer the kingdome wholy vpon his younger child Cordeilla in preiudice of his grandsōnes M●rgan and Cunedage Cordeilla borne of his eldest daughters I knowe that some will deny credit to Brutus history which in this case they might with the more reason do if the ancient Weale or Brittish Custome did not answere in the practise thereof to that act of Brutus For not onely king Roderick deuided his kingdome of Wales to his three sonnes according to that distinctiō of the countrey into Northwales Southwales and Po●island but others since haue done the like among them As for Brutus History Brutus History an it hath some enmies so also hath is many friends and those of speciall worth and note Henry Archdeacon of Huntington Matthew of Westminister others among the ancient And of later tymes Syr Iohn Price William Lambert Humphrey Lloyds Doctor White of Basingstoke Count Palatine in right of the Ciuill law Chaire an honour due to the iust number of years by him passed innumerable others Aboue all the rest Edward the first King of England with all the Earles Barons of this Realme by their authentick deed or instrument confirmed in Parliament But let vs proceed They who know the old fashions of Ireland either by report or by the printed Statutes of that Nation may testify of their most ancient Tenure Irish Tauistry or Fundament custome which there is called Tauistry By which the land and chiefest of a Name after the predecessors death is not a warded to the eldest sonne but to the worthiest if I misremember not the iudgment wherof is left with the people and such Tenants about as haue interest and right of voyce As Alexander the great though as it is apparent in the Machabees very falsly is said to haue left his Empire And the custome of equal shares may be in other places also which neuer borrowed their equall partitions from Gauelkind A custome I graunt which some haue very lately altered in their priuate families by Parliament In Scotland there is scarse any thing in their most ancient Records more often found concerning their succession to the Crowne therof then Vncles to reigne before Nephewes euer by Nationall Custome as is auerred But the abundance of forraine examples must not carry me from home Arthur Arthur the Great was left heyre to the crowne by his Father King Vther surnamed Pendragon or Dragons head though begotten in Bastardy rather thē the sōnes of Lot king of Pic̄tland being borne of Vthers sister or as some write of his daughter Anne an history which euen Buchanan relateth out of the Scottish Monuments on Arthurs behalf for very true To come neerer in the same kynd Athelstane that victorious king of England Athelstane being a Bastard was notwithstanding preferred before the lawfull eldest sonne euen by his Father King Edward surnamed Sinior to whom saith Florentius Wigornienss an authour aboue 500 yeares old R●gni gub rnacula reliquit and not to any of his sonnes by his wife Queence Little cause is there to seeke examples so far off William the Conquerour preferred William his youngest sonne before Robert the eldest in the Kingdome of England and

brothers right to his Fathers fortunes CHAP. V. That the present custome in our Cōntrey of giuing all or almost all to the Eldest was neuer so begun that it meant to exclude iust remedies for such euills as should growe out of the abuse of that custome when it may make Fathers guilty of their sonnes faults and of their families ruines I Haue of purpose reserued to treate of the lawes of our countrey in the last place because I assure my selfe that they are of most force to sway the matter in question For many things may be permitted by the lawes of God and Nature and yet they on the contrary are forbiden or practised by course of law in seuerall States of the world as the law-makers and the customes of the countries do allow or comaund I do confesse that the generall practise of our tyme among parents is to leaue either all or the most part of their lands to their eldest begotten sōne This without all question was as it hath bene said first deuised in former ages for the preseruation of a family and to raise some one who might be a comfort to his brothers sisters and family and in whom his progenitors vertues might line to the world Moreouer I will not deny but the partition of lands may bring in the end a goodly estate to nothing or to so little as it may be like an A tomie in the sunne yet I find in Naturall reason that ex nihilo nihil fit or at lest that Haud facilè emergunt quorum virtutibus obstat Res ang ista domi But if men do faile of those happy ends to which this generall custome should guide then would I wish that they would not vse that for their destruction which was meant for their preseruation For who doth not see in these our tymes may vnbridled youths to be so violently carried away with the humor of spending that they neglect brother and sister yea bring to extreame misery their Naturall Mothers after their Fathers death by their vnthristines What help for this hath law left vnto vs no means to put a bridle to these vnruly colts if they become heires according to the custome of our tyme no truely For some starting hole wil be found to vnty the knot which a Fathers care once tyed How then must many an hopefull and well-de seruing brother and sister be left to the mercy of this whirlwind There is no necessity in it For our law hath giuen power to a Father free will to dispose of his owne according as reason shall guide his will without all obligation to his heire Besides this custome takes place onely after a Fathers death if he dispose not of what is his by deed in life or by will at his death But least my words be more generally taken then they are meant I meane those Fathers who are possessed of their lands in fee or fee-tayle that is are absolute of themselues and haue not vpon good consideration conuaied their lands from themselues For all our lawyers do agree that such parents may alien sell and giue by power of our law their lands to whome they wil without respect of person or eldership But me thinks I heare one say that the custome is otherwise and that this custome is a law True it is the custome But let vs see whether it bindes sub peccato or as a custome which rather inuites then commaunds There neuer was any comaund to tye a Father vnder a penalty which admits no limitation but it was euer left indifferent and then only to take place where former prouision according to course of law is not made thé surely a parent is free from this deuouring custome and may in good consideration preuent what euill it may bring to his posterity yea reason comaunds it should be so For Interest reipublicae vt quilibet re sua bene vtatur as saith the ciuill law For if a man can ney ther sell nor set much lesse can hee giue any thing to another which he thinks in his conscience will vse it to the dishonour of God the ruine of himselfe or others Some Deuines hould that it is not lawfull to sell or let an house to any that he thinks assuredly would make thereof a stewes or to sel giue or lend a weapon to a man who intends therewith to do murder Excomunications are imposed on them who sell armes offensiue or defensiue to Turks though they be not assured that they will vse them against Christians Thus wee see the rule of conscience not onely to commaund a man to vse well those fortunes which God hath bestowed vpon him but forbids him either vpon affection or gaine to part with them to others who wil abuse them least he be partaker of others sinne which a parent may be after death who leaueth his lands to a desperate vnthrift But what religion and conscience doth commaund shal be declared in the following chapter In which vpon grounds drawne out of these former foure Chapters it shal be argued what sin may be contracted by the parting of an estate among sonns or by disinheriting of an eldest sonne vpon iust cause and vnto whom the Father is only tyed by the Custome of the Countrey without obligation of promise or contract in Marriage which may alter the Case CHAP. VI. That it is no offence before God for a Father being tenant in fee-simple to disinherit the eldest or to parcell his estate vpon cause that extreme vices of Heyres apparent togeather with the fewer meanes which younger Brothers haue now to liue on then heeretosore cryeth out against the contrary opinion THE right of these insociable inheritours of which wee now treat may grow as I magine out of three titles or claymes which they may pretend to a Fathers inheritance wherby it may be deemed as they think sinne in a Father vpon what desert soeuer to barre them of the faid right These three tytles are Purchase Custome and Entaile Of ech seuerally And of the first which is Purchase surely in the iudgment of the good and learned there is no question in law or conscience but that a Sonne ioyned Purchaser with his Father hath Ius in re and by equity must suruyuing his Father inherite such lands as were purchased in their names Now of the other two though it be as cleere as the noone light that a Lord in Fee simple or Tenant in taile may sell or giue by course of our Common law at his pleasure all such lauds held by him in that kind according to those formes of law which the learned in our lawes haue and can set downe yet there seemes to arise a great difficulty how such an act or acts may in cōscience be executed I haue heard some say in this our Case Summum ius summa iniuria Of these points therefore I will speake saluo meliori iudicio what may in Conscience vpon good and iust occasion giuen by the sonne to