Selected quad for the lemma: kingdom_n

Word A Word B Word C Word D Occurrence Frequency Band MI MI Band Prominent
kingdom_n certain_a king_n time_n 2,645 5 3.5256 3 true
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A88244 Regall tyrannie discovered: or, A discourse, shewing that all lawfull (approbational) instituted power by God amongst men, is by common agreement, and mutual consent. Which power (in the hands of whomsoever) ought alwayes to be exercised for the good, benefit, and welfare of the trusters, and never ought other wise to be administered: ... In which is also punctually declared, the tyrannie of the kings of England, from the dayes of William the invader and robber, and tyrant, alias the Conqueror, to this present King Charles, ... Out of which is drawn a discourse, occasioned by the tyrannie and injustice inflicted by the Lords, upon that stout-faithful-lover of his country, and constant sufferer for the liberties thereof, Lieut. Col. John Lilburn, now prisoner in the Tower. In which these 4. following positions are punctually handled ... Vnto which is annexed a little touch, upon some palbable miscarriages, of some rotten members of the House of Commons: which house, is the absolute sole lawmaking, and law-binding interest of England. Lilburne, John, 1614?-1657. 1647 (1647) Wing L2172; Thomason E370_12; ESTC R201291 90,580 119

There are 10 snippets containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

both on him and all that had a finger in furthering of his usurpation vers 23 24 45 53 54 for afterward the Tyrant tha● they had set up destroyed them all for their pains and in the end had his scull broke to pieces with a piece of a mill-stone thrown from the hand of a woman And after many miseries sustained by the people of Israel for their revolt from their loyalty to GOD their LORD and KING Yet in their distresse hee took compassion of them and sen● them Samuel a just and righteous Judge who judged ●hem justly all his dayes But the people of Israel like foolish men not being content with the Government of their Soveraign by Judges who ou● of doubt took such a care of them that he provided the best in the world for them would reject their Liege Lord and chuse one of their own nam●y a King that so they might be like the Pagans and Heathens who ive without God in the world which Act af theirs God plainly declares was a rejection of him th●t he should not reign over them 1 Sam. 87. and chap. 10. 19. Bu● withal he desc●●beth vnto them the behaviour of the King vers 11 12 13 14 16. which 1 Sam. 8. 7. and 10. 9. is that he will rule and govern them by his own will just Tyrant like for saith Samuel he will take your Sons and appoint them for himselfe for his Chariots and to be his hor●em●n and ome shall run before his Chari t s and he will take by his Prerogative your Fi●lds and your Vineyards and you● Oliveyards eve● the hest of them and give them to his Servants and he will take your men-servants and your maid-servants and your goodliest young-men and your Asses and put them to his worke c. And saith Samuel you shall cry out in that day because of your King which ye shall have chosen unto you but the Lord will not hear you in that day And Samuel in the 12. C●ap●er gives them positively the reason ofi● which was that although GOD in all their straights had taken compassion on them and sent them deliveries and at the last had by himself set them free on every side so that they dwelt sately Yet all this would not content them but they would have a King to reigne over them when s●●h Samu●l the ●ord your God was your King therefore chap. 1● 19. saith Samuel ye have this day rejected your God who himself saved you out of all your adversities c. yea and in the 19. ver of the 12. chap. the People acknowledged that they had added unto all their sins this evill even to ask a King Whereb we may evidently p●rceive that this office of a King is not in the least of Gods institution neither is it to b● given to any man upon earth Because none must rule by his will but God alone And therefore the Scripture saith He gave them a King in his anger and took him away in his wrath Hosa 13. 11. In the second place for the proofe of the minor Proposition which is That Charles R. received his Crown and Kingdome by contract and agreement and hath broken his contract and agreement I thus prove And first for the first part of the position History makes it clear that WILLIAM THE CONQVEROVR OR TYRANT being a Bastard subdued this Kingdome by force of Armes Reade Speeds Chronicle folio 413. There being slain in the first Battell betwixt him and the English about sixty thousand men on the English party As Daniel records in his History fol. 25. And having gained the Country he ruled it by his sword as an absolute Conqueror professing that he was beholding to none for his Kingdome but God and his sword making his power as wide as his will just Tyrant like giving away the Lands of their Nobles to his Normans laying unwonted taxes and heavie subsidies upon the Commons insomuch that many of them to enjoy a barren liberty forsook their fruitfull inheritance and with their w●ves and children as out-lawes lived in woods preferring that naked name of freedome before a sufficient ☞ maintenance possest under the thraldome of a Conquerar who subvert●ed their Lawes disweaponed the Commons prevented their night meetings with a h●avi● penalty that every man at th● day closing should cover his fi●e and depart to his rest there by depriving them of all opportunity to consult together how to recover their liberties collating Office●s all both of command and judicature on those who were his 〈◊〉 made saith Daniel page 46. his domination such as he● would have it For whereas the causes of the Kingdome were before determined in every Shire And by a Law of King Edward Seg●ier all matters in question should upon speciall penalty without further deferment be finally decid●d in the Gemote or Conv●●●ions held monethly in every Hundred Now he ordained That four times in the yeare for certain dayes the same businesse should be determ●ned in such place as he would appoint where he constituted Judges to 〈◊〉 to that purpose and others from whom as from the bosom● of ●he Prince all litig●tors should have justice And to make them ●s miserable as slav●s could be made He ordered that the Laws should be practised in French A● P●itions and businesses of C●urt ●n French that so the poor miserable people might be gulled and cheated undone and destroyed not onely at his will and pleasure but also at the will and pleasure of his under Tyrants and Officers For to speak in the words of Martin in his History page 4 He enacted and established strict and severe Lawes and published them in his own language by meanes whereof many who were of great estate and of much worth through ignorance did transgress● and their sm●llest offences were great enough to entitle the CONQVEROR to their lands to the lands and riches which they did possesse All which ke seized on and took from them without remorse And in page 5. he declares hat he erected sundry Courts for the administra●i●n● his ●ew Lawes and of Justice and least his Iudges sh●uld bear to● great a sway by reason of his absence he caused them all to follow his Court upon all removes Whereby he not only curbed th●ir disp●si●ions which i●cited them to be great but also tired out the English N●tion with extraordinary troubles and excessive charges in the prosecution of Suites in Law From all which relations we may observe First from how wicked bloudy triviall base and tyrannicall a Fountain our gratious Soveraignes and most excellent Majesties of England have sprung namely from the Spring of a Bastard of poore condition by the Mothers side and from the p●rnitious springs of Robbery Pyracie violence and Murder c. Howsoever fabulous Writers striv● as Daniel saith to abuse the credulity of after Ages with Heroicall or mircaulous beginnings that surely if it be rightly considered there will none dote upon those kind of Monsters Kings bu●
the Realm granted him the ninth peny A● so deer a rate were they forced to buy their own Rights at the hands of him that was their servant and had received his Crown and Dignity from them and for them But the People of England not being content with the confirmation of their Liberties by his Deputies presse him at a Pa●l at Westminster the next year to the confirmation of their Charters he pressing hard to have the Clause Salvo Jure Coroae nostrae put in but the People would not endure it should be so Yet with much adoe he confirmes them according to their mind and ●hat neither he nor his heires shall procure or do any thing whereby the Liberties of the Great Charter contained shall be infringed or broken and if any thing be procured by any person contrary to the premises i● shall be held of no force nor effect And this c●st them dear as I said before So that here you have a true relation of the begetting the conception and birth of Magna Charta The English-Mans Inheritance And how much blood and money it cost our fore-fathers before they could wring it out of the hands of their tyrannicall Kings and yet alas in my judgment it falls far short of Edward the Confessors Laws for the ease good and quiet of the people which the Conqueror robbed England of for the Norman practises yet in Westminster-Hall by reason of their tediousnesse ambiguities uncertainties the entries in Latine which is not our own Tongue their forcing men to plead by Lawyers and no● permitting ☞ themselves to plead their own causes their compelling of persons to come from all places of the Kingdom to seek for Justice at Westminster is such an Iron Norman yoak with fangs and teeth in it as Lieutenant Colonell Lilburn in his late printed Epistle to Judge Reeves cals it That if we werefree in every particular else that our hearts can think of yet as the same Author saith were we slaves by this alone the burthen of which singly will pie●ce gaul our shoulders make us bow stoop even down to the ground ready to be made a prey not only by great men but even by every cunning sharking knave Oh therefore that our Honourable Parliament according to their late Declaration would for ever annihilate this Norman innovation reduce us back to that part of the antient frame of government in this Kingdome before the Conquerors dayes That we may have all cases and differences decided in the County or Hundred where they are committed or do arise without any appeale but to a Parliament And that they may monethly be judged by twelve men of free and honest condition chosen by themselves with their grave or chiefe Officer amongst them and that they may swear to judge every mans cause aright without feare favour or affection upon a severe and strict penalty of those that shall do unjustly And then farewell jangling Lawyers the wildfire-destroyers and bane of all just rationall and right-governed Common-wealths And for the facilitating of this work and the prevention of frauds I shall onely make use of Mr. John Cookes words a Lawyer in Grays-Inne in the 66. page of his late published Book called A Vindication of the Professours and Profession of the Law where he prescribes A ready remedy against Frauds which is That there might be a publike office in every Countie to register all Leases made for any Land in that County and also all conveyances whatsoever and all charges upon the Lands and all Bonds and Contracts of any value for saith he It is a hard matter to find out Recognizances Judgments Extents and other Charges and too chargable for the Subject that so for 12. d. or some such small matter every man might know in whom the Interest of Land remains and what incu●brances lie upon it and every estate or charge not entered there to be void in Law And that the Country have the choosing of the Registers in their respective Counties onc● a yeare upon a fixed day and that they have plaine rules and limitations made by authority of Parliament and severe penalties enacted for transgressing them But after this digression let us return to Mag. Charta whosoever readeth i● which eve●● man may at large at the beginning of the book of Statu●es sha●l fi●d it an absolute Contract betwixt the Kings of England and the People thereof which at their Coronations ever since they take an Oath inviolable to observe And we shall find in the dayes of ●his P●inc● who is noted for one of the best that we have that English-men understood themselves so well that when the Pope endeavoured to meddle in a businesse betwixt the Scots and the Crown of England there was letters sent from Lincoln at a Parliament which did absolutely tell the Pope that the King their Lord should i● no sort undergo his Holinesse judgement therein Neither send his P●ocurators as was required ●bout that businesse whereby it may seeme that doub●s were made of their Kings title to the prej●dice of the Crowne the Royall Dignity the Liberties Custom●s and Lawes of England which by their oath and duty they were bound to observe and would defend with their lives Neither would they permit nor could any usuall unlawful and detrimental proceeding but that which is most observable is in the next clause viz. nor suffer their King if he would to do or any way to attempt the same Daniel fol. 199. After the warlike King succeeded his Son Edward the second who was continually at variance with his people although never any before him was received with greater love of the people then he as saith Daniel fol. 204. nor ever any that sooner le●t it His very first actions discovered a head-strong wilfulnesse that was unconcealable regarding no other company but the base Parasites of of the times the head of which was Gaveston which made his Nobles at Westminster when he and his Queen was to be crowned to assemble together and require him that Gaveston his darling might be removed from out of the Court and Kingdome otherwise they purposed to hinder his Coronation at that time Whereupon the King to avoid so great a disgrace promises on his saith to yeeld to what they desired in the next Parliament And at the next Parliament the whole Assembly humbly besought the King to advise and treat with his Nobles who then it seemes were abundantly honester then these are now concerning the state of the Kingdome for the avoiding of iminent mischiese likely to ensue through the neglect of Government and so far urged the matter as the King consents thereunto and not only grants them liberty to draw into Articles what was requisite for the King●ome but takes his Oath to ratifie whatsoever th●y should c●nclude Whereupon they elect certain choice men both of the Clergy Nobility and Commons to compose those Articles which don● the Archbishop of Canterbury lately recalled from exile with
Knaves Fooles Tyrants or Monopolizers or unjust wretched persons that must of necessity have their Prerogative to rule over all their wickednesses Secondly Observe from hence from what a pure Fountain our inslaving Lawes Judges and Practises in Westminster Hall had their originall namely from the will of a Conqueror and Tyrant for I find no mention in History of such Iudges Westminster Hall Courts and such French u●godly proceedings as these untill his dayes the burthen of which in many particulars to this day lies upon us But in the 21. of this Tyrants reigne After that the captivated Natives had made many struglings for their liberties and he having alwayes suppressed them and made himself absolute He began saith Daniel fol. 43. to govern all by the customes of Normandy whereupon the agrieved Lords and sad People of England tender their humble Petition beseeching him in regard of his Oath made at his Coronation and by the soule of St. Edward from whom he had the Crown and Kingdome under whose Lawes they were born and bred that he would not adde that misery to deliver them up to be judged by a strange Law wh●●h they underst●●d no● A●d saith he so earnestly they w●ought that he was pleased to confirme that by his Charter which he had twice ●ore-prom●●d by ●is Oath And gave commandment unto his I●stitiaries to see those Lawes of St. Edward to be invi●lably observed th●ough u● the Kingdome And yet notwithstanding this co●firmatio● 〈◊〉 the C●●r●ers afterward granted by Henry the secon● ●nd King Iohn to the same effect There followed a great Innovation b●th in Lawes and Government in England so that this seemes rather to h●ve b●en done to acquit the people with a shew of the confi●mation of their antient Customes and liberties then that they enjoyed them inessect For whereas before those Lawes they had were written in their tongue i●telligible unto all Now they are tra●slated into Latine and French And whereas the Causes of the Kingdome were before determined in every Shire And by a Law of King Edward s●nior all matters in question should upon speciall penalty w●tk●ut ●urther deferment be finally decided in their Gemote or Conventions held monethly in every Hundred A MOST GALLAN● LAW But he ●et up his ●udges four times a yeare where he thought good to he●● their Causes Again before his Conquest the inheritances descended not alone but after the Germane manner equally divided to all the children which he also altered And after this King alias Tyrant had a cruell and troublesome raign his own Son Robert rebelling against him yea saith Speed fol. 430. all things degenerated so in his cruell dayes that t●me and domestick● fowles as Hens Geese Peacocks and the like fled into the Forrests and Woods and became very wild in imitation of men But when he was dead his Favourites would not spend their pains to bury him and scarce could there be a grave procured to lay him in See Speed fol. 434. and Daniel fol. 50. and Martin fol. 8. WILLIAM THE SECOND to cheat and cosen his eldest brother Robert of the Crown granted relaxation of tribute with other releevements of their dolencies and restored them to the former freedome of hunting in all his Woods and Forrests Daniel fol. 53. And this was all worth the mentioning which they got in his dayes And then comes his brother Henry the first to the Crown and he also stepping in before Robert the eldest brother and the first actions of his government tended all to bate the people and suger their subjection as his Predecessour upon the like imposition had done but with more moderation and advisednesse for he not only pleaseth them in their releevement but in their passion by punishing the chiefe Ministers of their exactions and expelling from his Courtall dissolute persons and eased the people of their Impositions and restored them to their lights in in the night c. but having got his ends effected just tyrant-like he stands upon his Prerogative that is his will and lust but being full of turmoiles as all such men are his Son the young Prince the only hope of all the Norman race was at Sea with many more great ones drowned after which he is said never to have been seen to laugh and having besides this great losse many troubles abroad and being desirous to settle the Kingdome upon his daughter Maud the Empresse then the wife of Coffery Plantaginet in the 15. year of his reign he begins to call a Parliament being the first after the Conquest for that saith Dan. fol. 66. he would not wrest any thing by an imperiall power from the Kingdome which might breed Ulcers of dangerous nature he took a course to obtain their free consents to observe his occasion in their generall Assemblies of the three Estates of the Land which he convocated at Salisbury and yet notwithstanding by his prerogative resumed the liberty of hunting in his Forrests which took up much faire ground in England and he laid great penalties upon those that should kill his Deere But in this Henry the first ended the Norman race till Henry the second For although Henry the first had in Parliament caused the Lords of this Land to swear to his Daughter Maud and her Heires to acknowledge them as the right Inheritors of the Crown Yet the State elected and invested in the Crown of England within 30. dayes aftter the death of Henry Stephen Earle of Bolloign and Montague Son of Stephen Earl of Blois having no title at all to the Crown but by meer election was advanced to it The Choosers being induced to make choice of him having an opinion that by preferring one whose title was least it would make his obligation the more to them and so they might stand better secured of their liberties then under such a one as might presume of a hereditary succession And being crowned and in possession of his Kingdome hee assembleth a Parliament at Oxford wherein hee restored to the Clergie all their former liberties and freed the Laity from their tributes exactions or whatsoever grievances oppressed them confirming the same by his Charter which faithfully to observe hee took a publike Oath before all the Assembly where likewise the BBs swore fealty to him but with this condition saith Daniel folio 69. SO LONG AS HE OBSERVED THE TENOVR OF THIS CHARTER And Speed in his Chronicle fol. 468. saith that the Lay-Barons made use also of this polici● which I say is justice and honesty as appeareth by Robert Earl of Glocester who swore to be true Liege-man to the King AS LONG AS THE KING WOVLD PRESERVE TO HIM HIS DIGNITIES AND KEEPE ALL COVENANTS But little quiet the Kingdome had for rebellions and troubles dayly arose by the friends of Maud the Empresse who came into England and his Associates pitching a field with him where he fought most stoutly but being there taken hee was sent prisoner to Bristell And after this Victory thus
the rest of his Suffragans solemnly pronounced the Sentence of Excommunication whi●h then was a fe● full thunder-bolt against all such who should contradict those Articles which were there publikely read before the Barons and Commons of the Realme in the presence of the King Amongst which the observation and execution of Magnae Charta is required with all other ordinances necessary for the Church and Kingdome and that as the said King had done all st●angers should be banished the Court and Kingdome and all ill Councellors removed That the businesse of the State should be treated on by the Councell of the Clergy and the Nobles That the King should not begin any war or go any way out os the Kingdom without the common Councell of the same Daniel fol. 205. Speed fol. 652. But this King for his evill government breaking his Oaths and Contracts with his People was therefore by common consent in full Parliament deposed Which we shall have occasion b● and by more fully to speak of and the Bishop of Hereford as the mouth of those Messengers that were sent by the Parliament the Body of the State told him that the Common-wealth had in Parliament elected his eldest Son the Lord Edward for King and that he must resigne his Diadem to him or after the refusall suffer them to elect such a person as themselves should judge to be most fit and able to defend the Kingdome This Prince being crowned raigned above 50. years and hath the best commendation for Manhood and Justice of any Prince that went before him or that followed after him who yet notwithstanding though he came in by election and took the Oath at his Coronation which his Father took before him yet he fayled often in the performance of it Of which the BBp. of Canterbury in an Epistle written to him when hee was in France tells him home of it in these words That it was the safety of Kings and their Kingdoms to use grave and wise Councellors alleadging many examples out of holy Writ of the slourishing happinesse of such as took that course and their infelicity who followed the contrary Then wills him to remember how his Father led by evill Councell vexed the Kingdome putting to death contrary to the Law of the Land divers of the Nobility and wished him to consider what hapned thereby unto him 〈◊〉 to call to mind how himself at first through evill Councell about 〈◊〉 almost lost the hearts of his people But afterwards by the great 〈◊〉 and care of his Prelates and Nobles his affaires were 〈…〉 into so good order as he recovered them and is reputed the noblest Prince in Christendome But now again at present through the 〈◊〉 Councell of such as effect their own prosit more then his honour o● the welf●re of his People he had caused Clergy-men and others to be ar●ested and held in prison by undue proceeding without being indicted or convilled contrary to the Laws of England which he saith he was ●●●nd by his Oath at his Coronation to observe and against Magna Charta which whosoever shall presume to infringe are to be by the Prelates excommunicate so that hereby he incurred no small detriment to his Soule and to the State and his Honour which he doubted if he proceeded in it would loose both the hearts of the people and their ayd and helpe Daniel Foli 229. 230. For which the King sharply according to his prerogative power reproveth him But shortly after the King found much to do● in the Parliament held at London being earnestly petitioned by the whole Assembly that the great Charter of Liberties and the Charter of Forrests might be duly observed and that whosoever of the Kings Officers in●ringed the same should loose their place That the high Officers of the Kingdome should as in former times * Read Daniel fol. 149. be elected by Parliament But the King stood stiff upon his prerogative but yet yeelded that these Officers should receive an Oath in Parliament to do justice unto all men in their Offic●s and thereupon a Statute was made and confirmed with the Kings Seal both for that and many other Grants of his to the Subj●cts which notwithstanding were for the most part presently after revoked Daniel fol. 231. But forasmuch as About this time in the Statute-Bookes at large fol. 144. l find was an excellent Oath made in the 18. of Edw. 3. Anno 1344. intituled The Oath of the Justices I conceive it may be worth the reading and therefore it is not unnecessary here to ins●rt it which thus followeth YE shall swear that well and lawfully ye shall serve our Lord the King and his People in the Office of Iustice and that lawfully ye shall counsell the King in his businesse And that ye shall not counsell nor assent to any thing which may turn him in dammage or disherison by any manner way or colour And that ye shall not know the dammage or disherison of him whereof ye shall not cause him to be warned by your self or by others and that ye shall do equall Law and execution of right to all his Subjects rich and poore without having regard to any person And that you take not by your self or by other privatly nor apertly guift nor regard of gold nor silver nor of any other thing which may turn to your profit unlesse it be meat or drinke and that of small value of any man that shall have any plea or processe hanging before you as long as the same processe shall be so hanging nor after for the same cause And that ye take no Fee as long as ye shall be Justice nor Robes of any man great or small but of the King himself And that ye give none advice nor counsell to no man great nor small in no case where the King is party And in case that any of what estate or condition they be come before you in your Sessions with force and arms or otherwise against the peace or against the form of the Statute thereof made Stat 2. E. 3. 3. to disturb execution of the Common-Law or to ●●●ace the people that they may not pursue the Law that ye shall cause their bopies to be arrested and put in prison And in case they be such that ye cannot arrest them that ye certifie the King of their names and of their misprision hastily so that he may thereof ordain a conveniable remedy And that ye by your selfe nor by others privily nor apertly maintain any plea or quarrell hanging in the Kings Court or else-where in the Country And that ye deny to no man common right by the Kings Lett●rs nor none other mans nor for none other cause in case any Letters come to you contrary to the Law that ye do nothing by such Letters but certifie the King thereof and proceed to execute the Law notwithstanding the same Letters And that ye shall do and procure the profit of the King and his Crown with
of pag. 706 707 714. In the Records of 1 R. 2. Num 44. and R. 2. Num 34. and 40. Again it will clearly appear that there is a contract betwixt the King his People yea and such a one as ties up all his public official actions to be according unto Law and not according to the rule of his own Wi●l if we seriously weigh but the Lawes made and past this present Parliament but especially that for abolishing the Star-Chamber and regulating the Councell-Table the Act for abolishing the high Commission Court two Acts for the levying and pressing Souldiers and Marriners and an Act declaring unlawfull and void the late proceedings touching Ship-money And an Act for preventing vexatious proceedings touching the order of Knight-hood And an Act for the free bringing in and free making of Gun-powder But if all this will not serve let us a little further consider what the Parliament saith who are the States representative of all the individuals of the State universall of England Book Declar. pag. 171. 264. 336. 508 613. 628. 654. 655. 703. 705. 711. 724. 725. 726 728. 729 730. And therefore are the highest supreamest and greatest Court Counncel and Judge of this Kingdome pag. 141 143 197 207 213 271 272 278 280 281 303 457 693 703 704 711 718 725. And who may justly be called the legall Conservators of Englands Liberties 281 277 282 264 496 587 588 617 693 698. Yea the legall and publike eyes and heart of Englands Politike Body pag. 213 278 340 690. Of whom a dishonourable thing ought not to be conceived of them pag 281 654. much lesle to be acted or done by them pag. 150. And they say pag. 266. That the King hath not that right to the Towns and Forts in England which the people in generall have to their estates the Towns being no more the Kings own then the Kingdome is his own And his Kingdome is no more his own then his people are his own And if the King had a propriety in all his Towns what would become of the Subjects propriety in their houses therein And if he had a propriety in his Kingdom what would become of the Subjects propriety in their Lands throughout the Kingdom or of their Liberties if his Majestie had the same right in their persons that every Subject hath in their Lands or Goods and what should become of all the Subjects Interests in the Towns and Forts in the Kingdome and in the Kingdom it self if his Majestie might sell them or give them away or dispose of them at pleasure as a particular man may do with his Lands and his Goods This erroneous Maxime being infused in●o Princes that their Kingdoms are their owne and that they may do with them what they will as if their Kingdoms were for them and not they for their Kingdoms is the ●oot of all the Subjects misery and of the invading of their just Righ●s and Liberties whereas indeed they are only intrusted with their Kingdomes and with their Towns and with their People and with the publike Treasure of the Common-wealth and whatsoever is bought therewith And by the known Law of this Kingdom the very Jewels of the Crown are not the Kings proper Goods but are only intrusted to him for the use and ornament thereof As the Towns Forts Treasure Magazine Offices and the People of the Kingdome and the whole Kingdome it self is intrusted unto him for the good and safety and best advantage thereof And as this Trust is for the use of the Kingdom so ought it to be managed by the advice of the Houses of Parliament whom the Kingdom hath trusted for that purpose it being their duty to see it discharged according to the condition and true intent thereof and as much as in them lies by all possible meanes to hinder the contrary and therefore say they pag. 276. by the Statute of 25. Ed. 3. It is a levying of warre against the King when it is against his Lawes and Authority though it be not immediatly against his Person And the levying of Force against his Personall Commands though accompanied with his presence if it be not against his Lawes and Authority but in the maintainance thereof is no levying of warre against the King but for him for th●re is a great difference betwixt the King as King and the King as Charles Stuart And therefore say the Parliament pag. 279. That Treason which is against the Kingdome is more against the King then that which is against his Person because he is King for that very Treasor is not Treason as it is against him as a man but as a man that is a King and as he hath relation to the Kingdome and stands as a Person intrusted with the Kingdome discharging that Trust And therefore page 722. that Alexander Archbishop of Yorke Rob. Delleer Duke of Ireland Trisiilian L. chief Justice the rest in the time of Richard the 2. were guilty of Treason and so adjudged by two Acts of Parliament viz. 11. R. 2. 1. 2. and 1. H. 4. 3. and 4. which to this day are both in force for levying Forces against the Authority of Parliament and to put to death divers principall members of both Houses although they had the Kings expresse Command to do it and the promise of his presence to accompany them which yet for all that neither would nor did save their lives in regard as they say page 723. It is a known rule in Law that the Kings illegall Commands though accompanied with his presence do not excuse these that obey him therfore if the Kingdom be in danger and the King wil not hearken to the Parliament in those things that are necessary for the preservation of the peace and safety of the Kingdome Shall they stand and look on whilest the Kingdome runs to evident ruine and destruction No page 726 for safety and preservation is just in every individuall or particular page 44. 150. 207. 382. 466. 496. 637. 690. 722. much more in the Parliament who are the great and supream legall Councell from whom there is no legall appeale as is before declared Yea and in their Declaration of the 19. of May 1642. page ● 7. they tell us that this Law is as old as the Kingdome viz. That the Kingdom must not be without a meanes to preserve it selfe which that it might be done without confusion say they this Nation hath entrusted certain hands with a power to provide in an orderly and regular way for the good and safety of the whole which power by the constitution of this Kingdome is in his Majesty and in his Parliament together Yet since the Prince being but one person is more subject to accidents of nature and chance whereby the Common-wealth may be deprived of the fruit of that Trust which was in part reposed in him in cases of such necessity that the Kingdome may not be inforced presently to return to its first principall and every man
as formerly they have done Read the fore-mentioned Discourse of John Vowel printed in Hollinsheds Chronicles of Ireland pag. 123 Sir Edward Cookes 4. part Institutes chap. 1. pag. 2. and the fore-mentioned book called Vox Plebis pag. 39 40. Yea though conditionally they might sit as Peers yet they ought not to do it for this were for the Peoples Trustees the House of Commons to give away their true and legislative power which originally is only inhe●ent in them THE PEOPLE which is the next and the last thing I should prove But in regard the Discourse is swolne so big already and the present time being the season for publishing what I have already said which were impossible to come out this Moneth or sixe Weekes if I should throughly handle this Proposition as by Gods assistance I intend which will take up a Discourse almost half as big as the fore-going For first I must shew and prove That the people in generall are the originall sole legislaters and the true fountain and earthly will spring of all just power And Secondly That all the power which the house of Commons hath is mee●ly derivative and bounded within this tacit Commission to act only for the good of thosothat betrusted them and not for their mischiefe in the least And here I shall propound some Queries Whether or not they have not done and acted some things prejudiciall and mischievous so the generality of the Kingdome and destructive to the fund ment all Lawes and Liberties thereof Which in the affirmative I shall answer Yea and prove it in divers particulars our of their own late published large book being the second part of the Collection of Ordinances Declar. c. where I finde three Ordinances viz. That for the Merchant-Adventurers pag. 361. That for the Turkie-Merchants pag. 439. Thirdly That for the Greenland Merchants pag. 646. Of all three of which I say as Sir Edward Cooke in the second part of his Institutes fol. 51. And the fourth part Institutes fol. 41. saith of the Statute of the 11. of Henry 7. chap. 3. for executing of which Justice Dudley and Empson lost their lives that they are made in the fac● of the ancient and fundamentall Law of the 29. and 30. chapters of Magna Charta c. And that they are unjust and injurious Ordinances which in duty they are bound to abrogate and to punish the procurers of them in regard those very Ordinances if continued will ●ender the Parliament the Commissioners of the people and the great interest of their preservation odious abominable and 〈◊〉 ble in their eyes and do them more mischiefe then an Army of twenty thousand Cavaliers for such palpable injustice as in these very Ordinances is done to the whole Kingdome will in time destroy the Parliament though now they had never a professed enemy in the world and true friends to their professed enemy the King they are who put them upon this work And let them take warning by those that were formerly the setters up of Pattentees and therby destroyers of the peoples legal and just liberties for it was not only that they were set up by an unbinding authority of the Kings which made them illegall but that they were against destructive to the fundamentall Lawes and liberties of the Land And therefore the house of Commons in its first purity before any of them was corrupted with assessing treasuring and disposing of the Common-wealths money in Clandestine Wayes not in the least allowed by the known and just Law of the Land and which to the Common-wealth they are not able to give an account of as indeed and in truth they ought of all the monies they have raised I say the house of Commons at the first beginning of their straights when they would render themselves amiable and lovely in the eyes of their Impowrers the people that trusted them They tell them in their first and most excellent Declaration 1. par Col. Declar. pag. 14. That they have supprest all Monopolies whereof some few did prejudice the Subject above a Million yearly the Soap an hundred thousand pounds the Wine three hundred thousand pounds the Le●ther must needs exceed both and salt could be no lesse then that besides the inferiour Monopolies Was this an excellency in the peoples Commissioners at the beginning And can it be lesse now then the greatest of basenesse in them to do the quite contrary Yea and that after so much bloud hath been shed and so much money spent and so many Oaths and Covenants sworn and taken to preserve the fundamentall Lawes and Liberties of the Kingdom And here I must fall extreamly foule upon Sr. WALTER EARLE GILES GREENE IOHN ROLL GEORGE TOMPSON ALEXANDER BENCE all Parliament men for their unjust and illegall Order made at the Committee of the Navy and Customes Novemb. 12. 1646. which is published in print on purpose to conjure the Officers of the Customs to take care to put the aforesaid patentee M●●op●lizing Ordinance of the GREENLAND COMPANY in d●e execution according to its true intent and meaning and that before they passe any en●ry or other warrant for any F●ns or gills wrought or unwrought or for any sort of W●●le O●le or other Oyle to call to their assistance the Officer or the Officers of the Greenland Company if any such be appointed for the place to view the same thereby to proc●ed according to the Ordinance of Parliame●● which Ordinance is dated the 6. of May 1646. which AVTHORISETH THEM TO CEISE UPON ALL SVCH COMMODITIES that are brought in by any other free Merchants that are not of this Company by m●anes of which they ing●osse all the trade into their own hands and sell their Commodities for double the rate that others if they might be suffered to bring them in would sell them O brave and gallant slavery and bondage The dear but unwelcome purchase of all our blood and money The next querie that will arise will be this Whether some particular Parliament men have not outstript the bounds of their Commission And here I shall answer affirmatively likewise or else as Samuel said to Saul what meanes this bleating of the Sheepe in my eares and the lowing of the Oxen which I heare So say I if all be right what meanes MAJOR GEORGE WITHERS Complaint against Sir Richard Onsley and Sir Poynings Moore and Mr. IOHN MVSGRAVES loud Complaint and impeachment of treason against Mr. Richard Barwis which he hath largely published in severall bookes to the view of the world called A WORD TO THE WISE ANOTHER WORD TO THE WISE YET ANOTHER WORD TO THE WISE In which he also accuseth Mr. Lisle the Chairman of the Committee of great injustice for making a false Report to the House And what meanes the grievous Complaint of divers Gentlemen of the County of Durham against OLD SIR HENRY VANE which is printed in ENGLANDS BIRTHRIGHT pag. 19. 20. 21 And Lieutenant Collonel Lilburne● Complaint against him in
all things where you may reasonably do the sam● And in case ye be from henceforth found in default in any of the points aforesaid ye shall be at the Kings will of Body Lands and Goods thereof to be done as shall please him As God you help● and all Saints But now in regard we shall for brevities sake but only touch at Richard the s●c●nd who for his evill government was Artic●ed against in Parliament Martine fol. 156 157 158 159 160. Speed fol. 742. The substance of which in Speeds words were First in the front was placed his abuse of the publike treasure and unworthy waste of the Crown-Land whereby he grew intollerable grievous to the Subjects The particular causes of the Dukes of Gloucester and Lancaster the Arch-Bishop of Canterbury the Earle of Arundel filled sundry Articles They charged ●im in the rest with dissimu●ation fa●shood ●osse of honour abroad in the world extortio●s rapine deniall of Justice rasu●es and e●b●zelling of records dishonourable shifts wicked Axi●mes of S●at● cruelty covetousnesse subordinations lasciviousness● reason to the rights of the Crown perjuries and bri●fly wi●h all sorts of unkingly vices and with absolute tyranni● Upon which it was concluded That he had broken his Cont●act made with the Kingdome or the Oath of Empire taken at his Coronation and adjudged by all the States in Parliament That it was sufficient cause to depose him and then the diffinitive sentence was passed upon him And wee shall wholly passe over Henry the 4. 5. and 6. Edward 4. and 5. Richard 3. Hen. 7. and 8. and shall come down to King Charles and not mention the particular miseries blood-sheds cruelties treason tyrannies and all manner of miseries that the free-born people of this Kingdome underwent in all or most of their wicked raigns especially in the Barons warres In which time the Inhabitants of England had neither life liberty nor estates that they could call their own there having been ten Batte●s of note fought in the Bowels of this Kingdome in two of their R●igns only viz. Hen. 6. and Edw. th● 4. In one of which 〈◊〉 there was 37. thousand English sl●i● Martine fol 393 394 ●95 I say w● wi●l p●ss● by all these a●d give you the Copy of the Oath that King Edward 2. and K●●g Edward h● 3. by authority of Parliamen● took and which all th● Kings and Queens of England since to this day at th●i● Coronation ●ither took or ought to have taken never having b● au●●ori●y of Parliament b●en altered since that I could hear of by which it will cleerly appeare that the Kings of England receive their Kingdoms co●di●io●all● The true Copy of whic● as I find it in this Parliaments Declaration made in reply to the Kings Declaration or answer ●o their Remonstrance dated 26. May 1642. and set down in the Booke of Declarations page 713. SIR Will you grant and keep and by your Oath confirme unto the People of England the Lawes and Customes granted to them by antient Kings of England rightfull men and devout to God and namely the Lawes and Customes and Franch●ses granted to the Clergie and to the People by the glorious King Edward to your power Sir Yee keepe to God and to Holy Church to the Clergie and to the People Peace and accord wholly after your power Sir Yee do to be kept in all your Domes and Iudgments true and even Righteousnesse with Mercie and Truth The King shall answer I shall doe it Sir Will you grant defend fulfill all rightfull Laws and Customes the which the COMMONS of Your Realme shall choose and shall strengthen and maintain them to the Worship of GOD after Your power The King shall answer I grant and behight And then the Arch-Bishop of Canterbury at the time of the Coronation goes or should goe to the four sides of the Scaffold where the King is crowned and declares and relates to all the People how that Our Lord the King had taken the said Oath enquiring of the same people If they would consent to have him their King and Liege Lord to obey him as their King and Liege Lord who with one accord consen●ed thereunto Now let all the world be judge whether the Kings of England receive their Kingdom●s by contract yea or no. And if they do receive them by contract as is already undeniably proved before Then what becomes of that wicked and tyrannicall Maxime avowed by King Charles immediatly after his Answer to the Petition of Right Book Statutes fol. 1434. viz. That he did owe an account of his actions to none but GOD alone And of that erroneous Maxime mentioned in Book Declaration pag. 266. viz. That Kingdomes are Kings own and that they may do with them what they will as if Kingdomes were for them and not they for their Kingdomes But if any man shall object and say that King Henry the 8. with his own hands altered this Oath and therefore it is not the same Oath which King Charles hath taken To which I a●sw●r and say The Parliament in their Declaration g●a●●s that King Hen. the 8. c. a●tered it but they also say pag. 712. They do conceive that neither he nor any other had power to alter it without an Act of Parliament And in pag. 708. 709. They say They well know what Kings have d●ne in this point But we know also say ●●ey that what they have done is no good rule alwayes to interpret what they ●●ght to have done for that they are bound to the observation of Lawes by their Oath is out of question and yet the contrary practised by them will appear in all ages as often But to put this out of doubt whosoever reades the Oath taken by this King which he himself sets down in his Declaration Book Declar. pag. 290 291. will find no materiall difference betwixt that which hee took and that which he ought to have taken saving in that clause of passing New Lawes But there is enough in that he tooke to prove my assertion viz. That he received his Crown by a Contract which further to prove I alledge the Petition of Right which whosoever seriously readeth with his Answer to it shall finde it to be a large and absolute Declaration of a contracted duty betwixt him and his people viz. That it was his duty to govern them by Law and not by his Prerogative Will And when his first answer to their Petition did not please the Parliament they pressed him again out of Right to give a satisfactory one Which he out of Duty doth saying Let right b● done as is desired So that this is a clear demonstration and enough to prove that there is not only a bare Contract betwixt the King and the People but also that he is bound by duty to grant such Lawes as they shall rationally choose although there were no such Statute as the 25. of Edward the 3. which they mention in pag. 268 nor no such clauses as they speak
Councellers hath now at last resolved to set up his royall Standard and draw his sword for the destruction and ruine of his most faithfull and obedient people whom by the lawes and constitutions of this Kingdome he is bound to preserve and protect Yea and in their answer sent to his Messenger from Nottingham August 25. 1642. pag. 580 They tell him plainly that though they have used all meanes possible to prevent the distractions of this Kingdome which have been not onely without successe but there hath followed that which no ill Councell in former times hath produced or any age hath seene namely those severall Proclamations and Declarations against both the Houses of Parliament whereby their actions are declared Treasonable and their persons Traytors and thereupon your Majesty hath set up your Standard against them whereby you have put the two Houses of Parliament and in them this whole Kingdome out of your protection and as I may truly say have thereupon virtually ceased to be King so that untill your Majesty shall recall those Proclamations and Declarations whereby the Earle of Essex and both Houses of Parliament and their adherents and assistants and such as have obeyed and execu●ed their commands and directions according to their duties are declared traytors or otherwise delinquents And un●ill the Standard set up in the pursuance of the said Proclamations be taken downe your Majesty hath put us into such a condition that whil'st we so remaine we cannot by the fundamentall priviledges of Parliament the publike trust reposed in us or with the generall good and safety of this Kingdome give your Majesty any other answer to this Message The same language they speake to him in their Petition pag. 584. And in their Message pag. 585. And in their Petition 587. And in their Declaration pag. 576 They say plainly that the King seduced by wicked Councell doth make warre against his Parliament and people And in their Petition sent by Sir Philip Stapleton to the Earle of Essex to be presented to His Majesty pag. 617. They say positively His Majesty warres against the Parliament and subjects of this Kingdome leading in his own person an Army against them as if he intended by conquest to establish an absolute and unlimitted power over them and by his power and the continuance of his presence have ransacked spoyled imprisoned murthered divers of his people yea and doth endeavour to bring over the Rebels of Ireland and other forces from beyond the Seas And in their Declaration and resolution after the King had proclaimed the Parliament and the Earle of Essex Traytors pag. 508. 509. They call that very Proclamation an attempt so desperate and so transcendently wicked that the Lords and Commons do unanimously publish and declare that all they who have advised contrived ab●●ted or countena●ced or hereafter shall abett and countenance the said Proclamation to be Traytors and enemies to GOD the King Kingdome and to be guilty of the highest degree of Treason that can be comitted against the King and Kingdome that they will by the assistance of Almighty God and of all honest English Protestants and lovers of their Country do their best endeavours even to the utmost hazard of their lives and fortunes to bring all such unparalleld traytors to a speedy and exemplary punishment Be sure you be as good as your word for GOD of all villians abhors faith-breakers and take he●d by your actions and treatyes with the unjust and false King Charles one of the Monsters of the earth you do not give a just and visible cause of ground not onely to all rationall men in England but in the world that knowes reades and understands your often solemn sworne Oathes vowes Protestations and ingagements to judge you a forsworne false and perjured Generation and fit to be abhorred of GOD and all good men for to speake truth and right Hath not Charles Stewart committed treason against King Charles sure I am he hath done it against the KINGDOME of ENGLAND and that I prove by your own grounds thus The Proclamation that you so much cry out of comes out in his name and stile pag. 503. 404. 406. 507. And therefore his Ergo. For he ownes his own Proclamations and Declarations and jeeres you for a company of simpletons for declaring it otherwise His words pag. 248. are All our answers and Declarations have been and are owned by us and have been attested under our hands if any other had been published in our name and without our authority It would be easy for both Houses of Parliament to discover and apprehend the Authors And we wish that whosoever was trusted with the drawing and penning of that Declaration namely the Parliaments dated 19 of May 1642. had not more authority or cunning to impose upon or deceive a major part of those votes by which it passed then any man hath to prevaile with us to publish in our name any thing but the s●nce and resolution of our own heart And since this new device is found out in stead of answering our reasons or satisfying our just demandes to blast our Declarations and answers as if they were not our own a bold senselesse imputation we are sure that every answer and Declaration published by us is much more our own then any one of those bold threatning and reproachfull Petitions and remonstrances are the acts of either or both houses Y●a and as if all this were not enough to be done by a trust sufficiently for ever to declare the forfeiting of his trust and Kingly Office the King himself hath caused the Iewels of the Crown to be pawned to buy instruments of warre to butcher and murther his people who never gave him any power and authority for any other end but to protect defend and preserve them neither did he ever in his life injoy any other power either from God or man but for that end yet in his speech to the people of SALOP he declares he will melt down all his own Plate and expose all his land to sale or morgage though it be none of his but the Kingdom●s that so he may the faster cut the throats and shed the innocent blood of those his brethren that betrusted him with all he had or hath for their good and welfare Yet to fillup the measure of his iniquity he not his evill counsellors hath given Commission to his Commissioners of Array Sheriffes Mayors Justices Bailiffes or any other whatsoever to raise Force and to kill and slay all such as should hinder the EXECVTION of his Royall command or put the Ordinance of Militia though it were for their own preservation in Execution pag. 581. And the same bloody murdering Commissions he hath given to his Instruments in Scotland Ireland to Butcher destroy and ruinate the people there So that to sum up all the Parliament told him plainly in their late letter sent to him at Oxford That he was guilty of all the innocent blood
the Dutely of Normandy and doe him homage for the same And then to make all sure with Pope Alexander whose thu●der-bolts of Excommunication were then of extraordinary dread and terror he promised him to hold it of the Apostolick See if hee prevailed in his enterprize Whereupon the Pope sent him a Banner of the Church with an Agnus of gold and one of the hai●es of St. Peter which was no small cause of prevailing the ●ase Clergy being then at the Popes beck and more minding their own particular self-interest then the welfare of their own native Countrey or the lives liberties estates of their brethren according to the slesh thereupon were the principall instrumentall cause that William the Bastard commonly called William the Conqueror had so easie an entrance to the possession of this kingdome Speed fol. 403 404. 405. 406. 413. 417. Daniel fol. 28 29 35 36. By means of which the Clergy beeraied their native Countrey to Robbers and Pirats and left the poore Commons to the mercilesse fury of mercilesse men And I wish they doe not now again the same with poore England now in her great distraction● for their interest is visible not to be the publickes but their pride covetousnesse and greatnesse Therefore O yee Commons of England beware of them and take heed you trust them not too much lest you be so deluded by them to your ruine and destruction And when William by their means principally as Daniel saith fo 36. had got possession of the Kingdom as you may partly before read p. 14 15 16 17 how extraordinary tyrannically he dealt with the poor natives and inhabitants By changing their laws and robbing them of their goods and lands at his will and pleasure and gave them away to his Norman Robbers And the poor Englishmen having all their livelihoods taken from them became slaves and vassals unto those Lords to whom the possessions were given And if by their diligence afterwards they could attain any portion of ground they held it but onely so long as it pleased their Lords without having any estates for themselves or their children and were oftentimes violently cast out upon any small displeasure contrary to all right Daniel fo 47. Speed 421 423 425. Insomuch that in those days it was a shame even among Englishmen to be an Englishman Speed fol. 422. 429. By means of all which he bestowd great rewards upō all those great men that came along with him and made them by h●s will the great men of England to help him to hold the people in subjection bondage and slavery for he made William Fitz-Auber the Norman the principall man under him to help for his designe Earle of Hartford who singly of himselfe took upon him meerly by the power of his own will to make Lawes in his own Earldome And unto Allayn another of his Comrades or trusty and well-beloved Consins he gave all the lands of Earle Edwin where on he built a Castle and whereof he made the Earldome of Richmond And unto William of Warren another of his Norman Robbers Marder ers he gave the Earldome of Surrey Speed fol. 437. And unto Walter Bishop of Durham another of his Comrades he sold the Earldome of Northumber land who there by the law of his owne will maintained Murderers and Rogues and there was murdered himselfe And unto his Brothers who came of his mother Arlet the Whore who after William the Bastard was borne was married to Harlain a Norman a Gentleman but of mean substance Odo and Robert he gave the Earldome of Ewe and Mortaigne Speed 417. Daniel 32. And afterwards Odo Earle of Kent and after that in his absence Vice-Roy of England And how this Beggar now set on Horse-back governed this poore distressed kingdome let the Conquerors own speech declare recorded by Speed fol. 431. At the time when William came out of Normandy found his brother Odo a Bishop as well as an Earle at the Isle of Wight with divers Noble men and Knights his attendants then going to Rome with an expectation there to be Pope being grown extraordinary rich with his polling of this poore Kingdome Vpon which the King in presence of his Nobles thus spake Excellent Peeres I beseech you hearken to my words and give me your counsell At my sailing into Normandy I lest England to the government of ODO MY BROTHER who a little further in his speech hee saith hath greatly oppressed England spoyling the Churches of land and rents hath made them naked of Ornaments given by our predecessors and hath seduced my Knights with purpose to train them over the Alps who ought to defend the land against the Nations of Scots Danes Irish and other enemies over-strong for me And a little below that my brother saith he to whom I committed the whole kingdom violently plucketh away their goods cruelly grindeth the poore and with a vain hope stealeth away my Knights from me and by oppression hath exasperated the whole land with unjust taxations Consider therefore most NOBLE LORDS and give mee I pray you your advice what is herein to be done And in conclusion the King adjudged him to prison yet not as a Bishop who then it seemes had large exemptions but as an Earl subject to the lawes and censure of his King Which accordingly saith Speed was done upon seizure of estate this Prelate was whose found so well lined in purse that his ●eaps of yellow mettle did moveadmiration to the beholders So that here you have the true story of the subversion of the ancient manner of Parliaments the ancient Lawes and Liberties of Government of this Kingdome and a Law innovated and introduced flowing meerly frō the will of a Bastard Thief Robber tirant You have here also a true Declaration of the original rise of the pretended legislative power of Earles Lords and Barons the Peers Competitors and trusty and wel-beloved Cousins and Hereditary Counsellors of our Kings which was meerly and only from the wills and pleasures of this cruell and bloudy Tyrant and his Successors And no better claime have our present house of Peers either for their legislative power or judicative power then this as is cleerly manifest by their own fore-mentioned Declaration cited pag. 45. and therefore say I are no legall Judicature at all nor have no true legislative or law-making power at all in them having never in the least derived it from the people the true legislaters and fountain of power from whom only and alone must be fetched all derivative power that either will or can be esteemed just And therfore the Lords challenging all the power they have by their bloud and deriving it from no other fountain but the Kings Letters-Pattents flowing meerly from his will pleasure I groundedly conclude they have thereby no judicative power no nor legislative power at all in them for the King cannot give more to them then he himself hath and he hath neither of these powers viz. a
Parl. in the Moneth of Jan. 1645. wherein the Committee do alleadge that if they might have had the managing of that service of 60000. l. in a Committee-way they would have saved the State 15000. l. in the said sum of 60000. l. of the prises allowed Mr. Davies and would have furnished better goods and Mr. Davies after his first agreement had also allowed him 2500. l. to get in the mony if 15000. l could have been saved in 60000 l. what might have been saved in 245000. l. by that accompt there might have beene saved above 61000. l. and better commodities furnished There is a Parliament man named Sir John Clotworthy that hath been the said Mr. John Davies his chiefe friend to assist him in all his bargaines aforesaid this is that Sir Iohn Clotworthy against whom the Committee of Adventurers for Ireland formerly petitioned the Pariiament that he might give accompt foe 24000. l. received by him of the Aduenturers money for the which to this very day he hath given no accompt and the Committee do verily believe he never will give any accompt for the said money So what with Mr. Davies 12195. l. which he so falsely got and the 61000. l. formerly mentioned and the monies Sir I. Clotworthy detaines in his hands being 24000. l. as aforesaid amounts in the whole to 97195. l. which is above the fourth part of the money alotted for the service of Ireland for these 2 or 3 years past This-being considered it is no marvell that the cry of Ireland is so loud That in Septemb. and October 1644. there was by order of Parliament three meeting● of the Adventurers of Ireland usually sitting at Grocers Hall London four Parliament men then present sent as a Committee from the Parliament namely Sir I. Clatworthy Mr. Reynalds Major Jepson Sir I. Clotworthy moving at all the several meetings for money it was desired by the Adventurers that there might be a new Committee chosen by the Adventurers Sir I. Clotworthy shewed his dislike unto that motion saying if they would have a Committee it should consist of 4 Parliament men 4 Irish men and 3 Citizens the Irishmen were such who not above 3 weekes before had sided with the Irish Rebels and these four to three Citizens this savoured not well The Adventurers much distasting this were all going away at last it was granted the Adventurers to chuse the Committee whereupon 4 Aldermen and 16 Merchants very able men were chosen newly Sir I. Clotworthy as appeares disliking this Comm●ttee ●he businesse was managed by a Committee above and the Committee of Citizens have been as ciphers At the said meeting there were two Citizens A●venturers did offer unto sir I. Clotworthy and the committee then pr●sent that they would undertake to serve 1500. l. worth of cheese and butter good sound cheese at 2. d. per l. and good bu●ter at 4. d. ob per l. and to receive the money out of the Ordinance of Parliament at sixe moneths or as i● came in But sir Iohn in the audience of all he people then presen● made this answer that cheese and butter was too saucic for them and that the souldiers in Ireland would be c●ntent with bread and water teis did much discourage the Adven●urers to hear him speak after this manner But observ● sir Iohn Clotworthy did so assist his friend Mr. Davies that hee had 3. d. ob per l. for the same commodity which was offered by the Adventurers for 2. ● pe l. on may judge w●at that will come to in a quantity you may observe that Mr. Davis and his Partners did buy the goods aforesaid upon the credit of the said Ordinance of Parliament the which might have been done by some of the Adventurers who would have delivered better Provisions and have saved the State 61000. l. in the severall percels aforementione● all the wivele eaten and mustie Corne that could be had these undertakers did buy up at cheape rates and so in other Commodities the bas●st trumperie that could be had which they delivered for the said service of Ireland The said Mr. Davis had 3. partners which are by their callings Cheesemongers viz. Mr. Thomas Radberd Mr. John Chesson and Mr. Dennis Gauden I shall set forth unto you what these men have been First of all in the yeare 1640. they were undertakers and did deliver Provisions for the Bishops Army against the Scots which Provisions being returned the said undertakers bought most of the same Provisions under the fourth part the King paid for them yet it hath been observed that this mony hath not thriven with them for they have had great losses especially one of them by Sea That about 3. yeares since Mr. Radberd and his partners having good store of Butter on their hands procured one to petition a Committee of Parliament setting forth in his Petition that he was a Merchant and that he did desire their Order for transportation of 1800. Firkins of Butter for Ireland which being granted by vertue of the said Order Radberd and his partners shipped 1800. Firkins of Butter and so it passed the River upon the said Order the Vessell laden with this Butter put into Dover Peere and there continued for 3. or 4. dayes as the Mr. hath acknowledged the wind coming fayre the ship put forth of the Peere at night and the nex morning the Mr. with his Ship and goods came safe before Dunkirke upon Order from the said Mr. Radberd and his partners the Mr. hath also acknowledged that the Order for their transporting of the Butter for Ireland was onely to coullour the businesse the Butter was unladen and sould at Dunkirke for the accompt of Mr. Radberd and his partners That John Chesson at the begining of the troubles of this Kingdome when the Parliament was lowe and the Kings party looked very bigg upon us then he cryes a King a King but of late he faced about cryes a Parliament a Parliament that when the Kingdō was brought to a very low condition the Adventurers for Ireland and others wellaffected did disburse in mony and goods for Ireland above 5000000. l. and to this day have not been repaid any part thereof at that time Mr. Racb●rd c his 〈◊〉 partners aforementioned would not trust the State with 〈◊〉 And yet norwithstanding they with their partner Mr. Davis 〈◊〉 the men that have the mannaging are undertakers for all the service of Ireland although to the great dammage and losse of this Kingdome and likewise to the Kingdome of Ireland and a very greatch scouragement to the Adventurers all other persons we● effected to the safety of both Kingdomes Thus you may perceive that those who have been most affectionate and helpfull to the Parliament and Kingdome adventuring their liv●s and Estates for them having almost disbursed their whole Estates are now scarce looked upon and those who have not at all assisted the Parliament but stood as N●urers have sought themselves and their own advantages these are the men who run away with so many thousand pounds while many aithfull friends to the Parliam●n● and true lovers of their Country fare ready to perish for want of Foode Can it be immagined that the said undertakers for Ireland were more able to provide the goods aforesaid better and cheaper or so cheape as the Committee of Adventurers could have done And i●divers Citizens did trust the Parliament upon their bare words in times of distresse with above 50c0000d what would not these men have trusted the Parliament upon an Ordinance to have their mony paid them within very few months and it cannot be otherwise immagined These things with divers others as also the Parliament mens continually fingering great sums of many out of Goldsmiths-Hall into their own particular pockets for th●● pr●tinded losses disbursments and pay before any of the poor necessitaied people of the Kingdome have theirs abundaice of whom stand sen●tine●s more in need of it th●n they yea and better desorve it their divers of them and ought in justice and conseience to go in ●●●q●all forvard preportion vvith them and their injoying their vast and great place for all the Cloake and moske of their self-deniall Ordinance and the iaegrosing the most of the La●● pr●c●ise in the kingdome into the hands of their petty fogging Lavvyers I say the things for the more presevation of the kingdom deserve seriously to be looked into and told plainly and honestly unto them vvlth an earnest desire of their reformation and not of their destruction t●at so they and all th● love their just interest may have canse to say Faithfull are the wounds orrepreofes of a freind but deceitfull are the kisses or slatterings of an enemy vvhith taske shall be the earnest and to diall endeavours of him that is a true lover of Englands happinesse and prosperity N. E. FINIS