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A80505
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A copy of a letter written to an officer of the Army by a true Commonwealths-man, and no courtier, concerning the right and settlement of our present government and governors.
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True Commonwealths-man.
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1656
(1656)
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Wing C6173A; Thomason E870_5; ESTC R202910
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31,378
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45
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A Copy of a LETTER Written to an OFFICER OF THE ARMY BY A true Commonwealths-man and no COVRTIER Concerning The Right and Settlement of our present GOVERNMENT and GOVERNORS LONDON Printed by Tho. Newcomb over against Bainards-Castle in Thames-street 1656 SIR IF we look into our Stories from the Conqueror from whom the whole race of our Kings since have derived their Titles and Claims we shall finde it evident that those that were originally the great Council of this Land were originally such as had been Commanders under and had holpen that first William to the Soveraignty of this Kingdom who having now through his means obtained so great a share in the wealth of the Nation seemed most likely to be regardful as well of his as of the general safety and good thereof To you therefore I shall make this my humble Appeal concerning the reasonableness of that Letter which I formerly addressed unto those that last of all sate as a Parliament amongst us leaving it to you to determine whether they had not presidents as well as reason sufficient to have led them to the establishment of this Government in a more setled way then now it is For we shall find that all along this great Council or Parliament have ever setled the succession on him that had the present power although others might in legal appearance have a better title and that confirmed by their own oaths also Thus we find the said William the First generally obeyed by the English after the conquest of Harold even as Harold was before notwithstanding Edgar Etheling had the indubitable right from both according to the then established Laws And so again were the possession and hereditary right of his succeeding sons William and Henry the First sworn to and maintained by the Peers and others notwithstanding also that these two besides the claim of the said Edgar might be also justly reputed Vsurpers against the right of their elder Brother Robert yet living The Soveraignty being next seised on by Stephen against the direct lineal right of the Issue of Maud the Empress unto whom the said Peers had also sworne faith and allegiance yet shall we again find them swearing to be faithful to him and his issue and both they and others of the Nation generally taking his part against the said Maud and her children To instance in all would be too tedious But it is apparent through the whole Story that all Parliaments both before and after the addition of the House of Commons have ever confirmed and setled the succession in him whose Writs they obeyed in their Summons however a more apparent Title might seem to rest in some other person yet living In which doing it could not yet be expected but some mutterings and insurrections must arise from some particular persons as well such as had been of the same party with the present Prince who like sons of Zerviah out of discontent at their own smaller share of preferment or the greater favor cast towards others then they thought fit will thereupon be keeping the terms of War in time of Peace and so dislike of their Princes entertainment of any that have like Abner been of a contrary party although their usefulness and fidelity be now apparent As also of some again who like Shimei out of some more particular love and relation to the deposed Family 2 Sam. â—6 5 6 7 8. 1 Sam. 20 14 15 42. 1 Sam. 2â— 2â— 22. 2 Sam. 3.1 will be prone to cast the odium of blood and usurpation upon the person possessed especially if from a mean degree he have come to the Throne and had also taken an oath of fidelity to the former Prince and his family as in the case of David to Jonathan and Saul when as yet it was plain enough that Saul was not slain by David but by the Philistines And for that war between their houses in which it is said The house of David waxed daily stronger and stronger and the house of Saul weaker and weaker it is to be looked upon as the joint association of these of Judah also who having now submitted to another Head opposed the other as a common enemy And if we look into the latter times for the care taken by the then good Commonwealths-men in setling this great affair even to the time of Queen Elizabeth we shall find the first Parliament humbly to sollicite her to marry betimes Annal. Eliz. fol. 25. The Parliament says Mr. Cambden being to be dissolved they all thought good that the Third Estate or Lower House should advise the Queen to marry betimes yet would not the Temporal Lords join with them lest any of them might seem to propound it in hope to prefer himself And it 's like both they and all former Peers were also willing to have the Crown hereditary lest they might also seem to be ambitious of succession themselves as though they had been rather Pares as to the Soveraignty then as a true Senate of Patres or Peres as to the Nation Some words then used by the Speaker I shall particularly set down that we may see how antient Parliaments differed from some of late they having as great a care to build and to establish as these to pull down There is nothing which with more ardent affection we beg of God in our daily prayers then that our happiness hitherto received by your most gracious Government may be perpetuated to the English Nation to all eternity Whilest in our minds and cogitations we cast many ways how this may be effected we can find none at all unless your Majesty should either reign for ever which to hope for is not lawful or else by marriage bring forth Children heirs both of their Mothers vertue and Empire which God Almighty grant And in the Parliamnt held in the ninth year of her Reign when through difference of Religions which then were men began to propound to themselves sometimes one and sometimes another to get the Soveraignty in case she should die without a certain Successor fol. 84. Therefore says my Author the Higher House besought the Queen with all earnestness by the mouth of Bacon L. Keeper their Speaker according to the duty which they owe to God the allegeance to their Prince and love to their Country that forasmuch as by her they now quietly enjoyed all the benefits of Peace Justice and Clemencie both they and their posterity might securely and always enjoy the same by her But say they they cannot enjoy the same unless she marry and withall design a Successor Above all things therefore they do wish and pray her that she will join herself in the sacred bond of marriage to whomsoever wheresoever and howsoever it may please her to the end she may have Children to be pillars of the Realm constitute and appoint a Successor if she or her children which God forbid should die without issue That they should so earnestly beg this which is
shall be equally and altogether uncapable of having voice or share in the Government and the other of being constantly and equally capable of both as in all elective Monarchies is practised then by the same rule of justice that they observe a distance and exclude those below from having an equality with them in some places of command or profit he that is uppermost of all may as I said exclude them again in that which is highest For it may well be presumed that he is as much above them of the highest rank of equality as they again are above those that are below If we look to the examples of Germany and Poland the two onely places where there is a soveraign Magistrate elected with any competent power we shall find that Germany hath scarcely made any choice but out of their four great Families of Franconia Swevia Bavaria and Austria still making choice of one of those Dukes for Emperor which they did not neither till there was a failer in the family of Charls the Great which was above them all And as for Poland their Stories tell us That they have had Forty persons successively Raigning of one and the same Family the like whereunto cannot be said of any hereditary Monarchy that I know of And Sir if you would be satisfied with presidents as well as Reason for this hereditary succession amongst our selves you shall finde it adjusted even from the Founders and Originals of our English Nation For did not those Armies of the Saxons that had holpen the people of this Land against their Enemies think it afterwards reasonable that since themselves had shared in most of the great places of Trust and Command and that also in the same way of approbation and hereditary right they found them possest by others before so also to settle their Generals and their Heires in that place and degree of power which was highest of all and this they did although in their own Nation that Office did then pass by Election And it will be also found that both Dane and Norman coming with their Armies afterwards did upon their success settle themselves and their Chieftains in like manner If we look abroad we shall finde Sir that as these Saxons did in England so the Francks another people of Germany did also settle their Leaders in the Kingdom of France and although they had called themselves Francks as impatient of the subjection of any other yet did they most willingly submit to the Head of their own party And mark those severall lines of Kings that have therein swayed and you will finde that the severall Families of Meroveus Charles the Great and of Capet were such as by their own policy and prowess and by the help of a powerfull party had bin advanced from the degree of Subjects to become absolute Kings upon the expulsion of those that were their former Masters and had the Title Nay look to Italy Spain France Germany Poland Hungary and all the world over and you shall still finde that in all those State-alterations that have been made by a prevailing party either domestick or foraign the Head and Leader of that party hath still had the Diademe or chief place of Authority setled on him and his Family Neither Goths Vandals Lombards Huns or any people whatever but acted accordingly and however they were Nations most fond of the name of Liberty as it is observed that all Northern people are and might also be otherwise governed at home yet in this case they still held it equitable that since themselves had every one by the conduct of their Chieftain bettered his Fortunes in possession of the Inheritances of persons of inferior Ranks so proportionally should their Generall be setled in that which was highest And as the examples of Republicks or of elective Monarchies have been few and also inconsiderable either for eminence or durance in comparison of Monarchies and those hereditary which in most places hath always so continued without alteration whereas no one place that hath been Republick or Elective but what hath been longer and more eminent otherways so is it farther observable That when Greeks Romans Germans Poles or any other have erected Commonwealths or made their Princes elective it hath never been done after a Civill contest and where one party hath gotten the better of the other by way of conquest but was still done in peace and by an unanimous consent of the whole Nation and when there was no alteration of private mens Fortunes and conditions and where also there was a failer in the Line of their last conquering Prince at which time it is not to be supposed that the Nobles or Senators would in their parity one to another be content to submit to the constant Regiment of any third person and family amongst themselves For so in Greece they set up their Commonwealths when the Heraclidae that race of Kings amongst them that descended from their famous Warrior and defender Hercules became extinct And so they did in Germany and Poland upon failer of the Lines of Charlemain and Lechus Or else as in Rome where the whole people did joyn in that discontent and in seclusion of their Kings and had no precedent Civill war thereabouts or about the exercise of the Civill power For had it so been that side that had under a Cesar been victorious and thereupon seated themselves and families in the honors and possessions of the adverse party would certainly in honor and gratitude have made him and his issue Imperatores in the Civill State who had all that while been Imperatores in the Field And if we look to our Neighbors of the Low-Countries a People that our Nation hath no reason to reckon as gratefull to their Protectors yet we shall finde that they having in their Union against their King the King of Spain been victorious through the conduct and assistance of the Prince of Orange have thereupon confirmed unto the same Family the chief Office of Honor and Command heretofore executed among them Under which as they have hithetto thriven so is it highly probable that the seclusion thereof may prove the seclusion of all farther peace and happiness from that people And now Sir after all this travail in foraign Stories to return home and home to your self too let me appeal to you as a Member of a Parlament of England Did you ever read of any Parlament that did not settle the Government on the posterity of him that was possessed and whose Writs they obeyed in their Summons And therefore Sir since there is no competent example to be fetched herein out of any foraign Story and since no one sort of people at any time inhabiting or possessing this Land did ever in any age attempt to make this Government elective such a thing to be at this time attempted and towards such an one that hath in particular so well deserved will seem a thing most of all unreasonable as well as