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judgement_n act_n king_n parliament_n 3,280 5 6.9453 4 true
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A87147 The royall quarrell, or Englands lawes and liberties vindicated, and mantained, against the tyrannicall usurpations of the Lords. By that faithfull patriot of his country Sr. John Maynard, a late member of the House of Commons, but now prerogative prisoner in the Tower of London. Being a legall justification of him, and all those other Lords and aldermen, unjustly imprisoned under pretence of treason, and other misdemeanours; the proceedings against them being illegall, and absolutely destructive to Magna Charta, and the petition of right. Also his protest against the Lords jurisdiction over him, and his appeale unto the Common Law, for tryall, proved both reasonable, and legall. / By Sirrahnio, an utter enemy to tyrannie and injustice. Harris, John, fl. 1647. 1648 (1648) Wing H861; Thomason E426_11; ESTC R204576 14,368 16

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you to the best of my remembrance the summe of what passed between the Lords and Sir Iohn Maynard though not so fully as he delivered it yet I dare affirme it to be all the most materiall passages thereof Give me leave to add somewhat by way of justification of Sir Iohn Maynard in this his protesting against the Lords as incompetent Judges and appealing to the common law of the Kingdome First I will plead Reason Secondly Law First Reason Should Sir Iohn Maynard have submitted to the Lords jurisdiction over him he could not have possibly avoided destruction and that for this cause The parties prosecuting Sir Iohn are a few Grandees of the Army and their adherents viz. Those Commons and Lords that joyned with the Army against the other party remaining behind in the House now if two men equally interested have a difference with a third and get him into their power can you imagine that one of these two prevailers can be a competent Judge of the conquered party the other a competent accuser certainly if the accuser be an enemie and the Iudge an enemie too the party to be accused and adiudged cannot in the eye of reason look for other then absolu●e destruction Now this is clearly Sir Iohn Maynards case and the case of all the Lords and Aldermen that were accused and imprisoned for the matter of the charge against them is for doing such and such acts against the Parliament and Army * There can be no treason committed against the Army And if you aske what they meant by Parliament I must needs say the Lords and Commons and who brought a force upon the Lords and Commons why the Lords and Commons and so one party of the Lords and Commons accuse another and because the Law which should be the Vmpire in this businesse cannot do that which they would have it therefore they will devide their forces and one half shall be the accusers and the other half the Iudges and thus what the Law cannot make a crime they will and by this time J know all rationall men will say Sir John had reason to doe what he did in relation to protest against the Lords as incompetent Iudges Secondly Sir Iohn Maynard had not only Reason but Law on his side His plea and protest is grounded upon the established Law of the Kingdome for by law there is but two wayes whereby a mans life can be taken from him viz. either by the customes of the Realm or the Law of the land that is either by Bill of Attainder or Bill of Judictment * But Ordinances of King Lords King and Commons or Lords and Commons are no law of the land See their own Law published in the 2. part of Sir Ed. Cooks inst fol. 47. 48. and 3. part inst fol. 22. and 4. part inst fol. 23. 25. 48. 292. By Law the Lords have no jurisdiction over him as a Commoner he not being their Peer or Equall besides the manner of their proceedings is altogether illegall Articles are nothing in law neither can any man be tryed legally by Articles Nay further suppose it were granted that Sir John were guiltie of the highest Treason that can be imagined yet if there be no established Law whereby his life may be legally taken away he ought not to be destroyed or adiudged by any other way neither by Martiall Law nor Ordinance For where there is no Law there saith the Apostle can be no transgression Nay further their dealing with Sir John plainly demonstrates that it is only a design upon his life seeing there is no colourable ground why they if they intended only the satisfying of Iustice should not have proceeded at first in the ordinary legall way by Bill of Indictment seeing if he be culpable of such crimes as they pretended the common law will take his life with lesse trouble and and more satisfaction to all parties then this underhand dealing whereby they endeavour to iuggle him out of his life Nay further yet their proceedings with Sir Iohn Maynard is altogether illegall in respect that they adiudge that Treason which is not enacted to be Treason by the Statute of the first of Hen. chap 10. Wherein that uncertaine proviso viz. That the Judges in case of any act not particularised and supposed to be Treason should deferre iudgement and transferre the case to the King and Parliament who might declare it Treason c. And enacted that in times to come nothing should be esteemed Treason but what was litterally contained in the Statute of o● 25 Ed. 3. and 2. And in the ● of M. S●… 1. This was againe confirmed that nothing should be adiudged High Treason Petty Treason or Misprision of Treason but what was declared and expressed in the 25. of Edward 3. Chapter 2. c. So that if the pretended Treasons laid unto the charge of Sir Iohn Maynard and the rest of those Gentlemen now imprisoned be not Treason according to the litterall sense of that Statute his or their lives cannot ought not to be taken from them by any way or meanes whatsoever and if they adiudge him or them for any such pretended Treason by any wayes or meanes contrary to the known Lawes and prescript rules thereof it is wilfull murther in the persons adiudging or executing such sentence or punishment And now O yee free people of England J beseech you lay to heart your condition when tyranny rides tryumphant and Iustice goes a begging what can you thinke will be your portion When they domineered over Liev. Col. John Lilburne they then had a seeming pretence for what they did they could cry out he was a factious fellow a Sectarie c. But now you see they cease not to prosecute others which are none of their despised Sectaries Mr. Wildman was never accused with faction nor Sectarisme nor Sir J●hn Maynard neither but yet for all that be he Sectary or no Sectary if he stand in their light and oppose their promotion their ambition leads them to endeavour his destruction And deare Country-men consider by the same rules that the Lords may iudge Sir John Maynard they may iudge another and so 10000. And if any man oppose the Lords usurpations the Commons perfidiousnesse or the Armies Tyranny The Armie or Commons may accuse and the Lords sentence and what the Law will not condemne they will and then farewell all your Lawes and liberties which you have so gallantly comested for And O you Soldiers which say you drew your swords for our defence but now keepe them to make us vassals you that engaged not to disband or divide nor suffer your selves to be disbanded or divided till our and your owne freedomes were secured and yet now contrary to your engagement and declarations strengthen the hands of Tyrants to destroy us and your selves too Oh timely return to your former Principles Cry out for Law and Liberty cry out out for justice till you make the Tyrants tremble