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A91303 The treachery and disloyalty of papists to their soveraignes, in doctrine and practise. Together with an exact parallel of the jurisdiction, power, and priviledges claimed and exercised by our popish Parliaments, prelates, Lords and Commons in former times, with those now claimed and practised by the present Parliament, Lords and Commons, which are here manifested to be farre more loyall, dutifull, moderate; more consistent with, lesse invasive on, and destructive to the Kings pretended soveraigne power and prerogative, then those of popish parliaments, and subjects. Wherein likewise the traiterous, antimonarchicall doctrines, practises and attempts of papists upon their soveraignes prerogatives, crownes, persons, with the dangerous consequences, effects, and designes, of their present illegall arming, and accesse to the Kings Army, and person by meanes of evill counsellours, are briefely discovered; ... It is ordered by the Committee for Printing that this treatise be forthwith printed and published, by Michael Sparke, senior. Januar. 13. 1642. John White.; Soveraigne power of parliaments and kingdomes. Part 1 Prynne, William, 1600-1669.; England and Wales. Parliament. 1643 (1643) Wing P4108; Thomason E248_1; ESTC R203188 101,087 43

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which these Acts disable the King who is so farre inferior to the Law that he cannot so much as delay the smallest proceedings of it in any Court or Session by his supreame power by any meanes whatsoever to effect in his meanest Courts much lesse then in the greatest from whence the subvertion of Lawes Libertie Iustice and the whole Realme would ensue If any therefore cavill at the All for the continuance of this Parliament till both houses shall agree to adjourne or dissolve it or at the Bill for Trienniall Parliaments which when they meete shall not be dissolved without their consents for 40. dayes space next after their first meeting Let them now learne that this is no Innovation nor encroachment on the Crowne but an ancient Priviledge of Parliament both claimed practised and resolved in times of Popery in an higher degree then now it is And thus you see how in these particulars the Popish Parliaments Prelates Lords and Commons in former times have claimed and exercised far greater Priviledges and Iurisdictions then this or any other P●orestant Parliament hath hitherto claimed or practised which I hope will for ever silence the clamourous tongues of all ill Counsellors Courtiers Royalists Malignants Papists and Cavaliers against the present Parliament of whose highest ye● moderate proceed●ngs themselves alone have beene the occasions and therefore of all others have least cause to complaine against them But to returne againe to the first grand Objection Thirdly I answer that the High Court of Parliament and whole kingdome which it represents may in divers respects be truely and properly 3. The Parliament and kingdome proved to be above the king sayd to be the Highest Soveraigne power of all others and above the King himselfe which because it may ●eeme a dangerous paradox and tends much to the vindication both of the Priviledges Honour and ●urisdictions of our High Court of Parliament now so much undervalued because not really knowne to most and to the justification of the proceedings in this present Parliament which many out of ignorance and malice so much declaime against both by Word and writing in a most licentious manner I shall take a little liberty to demonstrate the truth of it by such convincing reasons of Authorities as no rationall man I hope shall be able to contradict but must necessarily submit to First it is undeniable that See Cromptons jurisdiction of Courts Title Parliament Brooke Title Parliament Holinsh Description of England c. 8. p. 173. Chron. of Ireland p. 120 to 130. Sir Th. Smiths Cōmon-wealth of England l. 2. c. 1. 2. 3. Cowel and Minshew Tit. Parliament Camdens Brit. p. 177. the Court of Parliament hath a lawfull power to question all the Kings Pa●ents Charters Commissions Proclamations Grants Warrants Writs and Commitments whatsoever whether they be Legall yea to cancell or repeale them in case they be illegall mischeivous or onerous to the Subject not onely without but against the Kings consent and mandate to the contrary as appeares by infinite presidents in this and all former Parliaments the scourges of Monopolists Patentees and Projectors the Pests of the Commonwealth The like power have all other Courts of Iustice within the Kingdome in some degree when such Charters and Writs of the King are brought judicially before them because they are Courts of the Law to which the King and all his Actions are and must be subject Now that which can thus question cancell disanull revoke the Kings owne royall Charters Writs Commissions Patents c. though ratified with the great seale and regall power even against his will must certainely be a Soveraigne power and Authority which in point of Law and Iustice is fu●eriour to the King This is Bractons resolution l. 2. c. 16. f 34 a and Fletaes l. 1. c. 17. Where ●hey affirme the Law and Parliament to be above the King because they may censure judge and rescinde the Kings Acts and Charters legally and judicially even against his personall though not legall Will which ●s the Law Secondly It is unquestionably true that in all cases of difference betweene the King and all or any of his Subjects though they concerne the Kings Prerogative and the highest branches thereof the Parliament is the supremest and most proper judge and its resolution from which there is no appeale ●o any higher tribunall shall finally binde not onely all the subjects but the King himselfe notwithstanding his owne personall disassent This is manifest by the many late resolutions given in Parliament against sundry Patents Commissions Writs Charters Impositions Loanes Shipmoney i See 21. Iacob c. 3. Co. l. 8. f. 125. to 130. l. 10. f. 113. l. 11. f. 84. to 89. Fitz Brooke and Ash Tit. Charters Grant le Roy Comissions Habeas Corpus Bayle and the Iudges arguments against Ship-money Forrest-Bounds Marshall Law Pressing and ●illetting souldiers Imprisonment by speciall Command of the King or his Privie Counsell Tonnage and Poundage Knighthood and Taxes The Commission of Array and ●he like which obliege both King and Subject the King in receiving justice in such cases being subject ●o the Law as well as the meanest of his subjects as k Rex in justitia re● pienda minimo de ●egno suo comparatur minimus esse debet vel qua●i in judicio suscipiendo Bracton l. 1. c. 8. f. 5. b. l. 3 c 9. f. 107. Bracton truely avers against all Royalists mistakes Now that which can thus finally conclude and binde the King himselfe even volens nolens ●n cases of highest concernment entrenching farthest upon his Prerogative Royall must doubtlesse ●e the most Soveraigne power Superiour to the Kings And in this sence every Court of Justice whose just resolutions and every petty Jury whose upright verdicts obliege the King because war●anted by the Law which is paramont the King as Bracton m Lib. 1. c. 5. 17. Fleta n Cap. 9. to 15. Fortescus o Speech in Parliament 1609 King Iames p In his ●awes in Fox Acts Mon. Edit vol 1. p. 214. Edward the Conf●ssor yea and q Aristotle resolve may be truely sayd to be above the Kings ●erson which they binde but not above the Parliament which by its suparlative power may examine ●ll ſ 1 H. 7. 1. Br. parliament 92. Ash tab 65. 67. judgements and verdicts in other Courts by way of error or appeale and reverse them if there be ●●use when as the King in person cannot by law examine or reverse them but onely in his Courts ●f Iustice by his Iudges Thirdly Parliaments oft times doe and may as they see cause enlarge the Kings Prerogative and Royall ●ower in sundry particulars in which the King had no such jurisdiction before these Acts witnesse the ●tatute de Praerogativa Regis 25. H. 8. c. 19. 20 21. 26. H. 8. c. 1. 3. 31. H. 8. c. 8. 9. 34. 35. H. ● c. 23. 27 H. 8. c. 15. 28. H. 8. c.
by Parliament and violently p●t to death though the Kings highest Officer and darling Minions o Walsingham Holinsh Speed Grafton Stow in 11 R. 2. c. 1. 6 7. Froysards Chron. part c. 97. Michael De La Pole wi●h other great Officers and Favourites to King Richard the second condemned deprived of their Offices banished and executed by the Peere● in Parliament together with Trisilian Belknap and their fellow Judges who misadvised him in point of Law p Hall Stow Speed Holinsh Grafton Fox in H. 6. Humph●ey Duke of Glocester Protector to King Henry the sixt arrested of high Treason in a Parliament at Bury and there murdered q Hall Holi Grafton Stow in H. 8. Cardinall Wolsey that powerfull favourite ●o King Hen●y the eight accused and put from his Chancellorship and other Offices by the Parliament r Fox Speed Holinshed Stow Grafton in Ed. 6 The Duke of Sommerset Lord Protector to King Edward the sixt accused and attainted of high Treason in Parliament for which he lost his head the great Earle of Strafford Lord Depu●y of Ireland who lost his head this Parliament for Treason full sore against his Majesties and the Queenes wills with infinite others mentioned in our Stories and Records Nay Queenes themselves have undergone ●he censures of Parliament of which we have sundry precedents in ſ See Fox Hall Speed Holinshed Grafton in his life 28. H. 8. c. 7. p. 35. p. 8. c. 1. King Henry the eight his Reigne not onely to divorce but losse of their very heads and shall any Delinquent then thinke to be protected by any power against the Parliaments justice now 13. Not to mention the Parliaments Soveraigne Power and Jurisdiction t Matth. Paris p. 560. 562. 933 934 935. Speed p. 750. Grafton p. 188 189. 240 241. 221 222 223. The severall Acts for Subsidies and Rastal Warre Truce Armes Money Mint Musters Taxes Tonnage Poundage The Parliaments two Remonstrances concerning the Militia C●oks Instit on Artic Super Chartas in Making or proclaiming warre or Peace in which they have oft ti●es not onely advised but overswayed the King in creating the highest Officers in Ordering the Militia of the Kingdome by Sea and Land by setled Lawes of which more an on or in ordering the coyne and Money of the Land together w●th the Mint or designing how the Subsidies and Aydes granted by them to the King shall be disposed of to the Kingdomes use of which there are sundry precedents All which are strong See Bodines Commen wealth l. 1. c. 10. evidences of its Soveraigne Authority together with the Acts concerning his Purveyance and all Revenues royall Nor yet to remember this infallible Argument to prove Kingdomes greater and more valuable then Kings that Kings as publique Servants to their Realmes ought to hazard their lives for their Kingdomes safety and preservation as many have done in wa●●es against enemies but never ought the whole kingdome to be lost or hazarded to preserve its Kings P●erogatives that of John 11. 48 49 50. and chap. 18. 14. being an undoubted rule in Divinity and Policy * That it is expedient that any one man though a King should dye for the people that the whole Nation perish not rather then the whole Nation dye for him There is one cleare Demonstration yet remaining to prove the Supreame power of Parliaments above Kings themselves which is this That it is the highest Court and power to which all x See Sir Thomas Smiths Common wealth l. 2. c. 1. 2. Holinsheds Description of England c. 8. p. 173 and Chronicles of Ireland p. 127. to 130. Cromptons Jurisdiction Appeales are lastly and finally to be made from all other Courts and Judges whatsoever yea from the Kings owne personall resoluti●ns in or out of any other his Courts and such a transcendent Tribunall from whence ●here is no appeale to any other Court or person no not to the King himselfe but onely to another Parliament If any erroneous judgement be given in the Kings Bench Exchequer Chamber Chancery Court of Wards or any other Court within the Realme or in the Parliament in Ireland it is finally to be reversed o● determined in Parliament by a Writ of y 1 H. 7. 1. Br. Parliament 92. 98. Error 65 88. 137. See Ash Error 65 66 67 68 70. Error or upon a Petition or Bill If any sentence be unjustly given in any Ecclesiasticall Courts or before the Delegates the finall Appeale for redresse must be to the Parliament Illegall sentences in the now exploded extravagant Courts of Star-Chamber or High Commission Injuries done by the King and his privy Councell at the Councell Table are examinable and remediab●e in this High Court Nay if the King himselfe should sit in person in the Kings Bench or any other Court as sometimes our Kings have done and there give any judgement it is not so obligatory or finall but that the party against whom judgement is pronounced may appeale to the Parliament for reliefe But if the Parliament give any judgement There * See 22 E 3. 3 Error 8. 8 H 4. 12 13 can be no Appeale to any hig●er Tribunall Court or Person no not to the King but onely to the next or some other Parliament as is evident by experience by all z 21 R. 2. c. ● to 15. 1 H. 4. c. 2 3 4. 8 H. 4. 12 13. See 1 Mariae c. 1. 1 Eliz. c. ● 3. 21 Jac. c. 28. And all Acts for restitution in blood of Persons Attainted and Acts of repealing S●atutes Bracton l. 1. c. ● Attainders of Treason by or in Parl●ament by all inconveent and unjust Act● passed in Parliament which concerne either King or Subject Which cannot be reversed nor repealed though erroneous nor the right heire restored in blood by any Charter f●om the King but onely by an Act of repeale or restitution in blo●d by another Parliament Now this is an infallible Maxime both in the Common Civill and Canon Law that The Court or person to w●om the last appeale is to be made is the Supreamest power as the a See Ashes Tables Error 65 66 67 68 69 70. Kings Bench is above the Common Pleas the Esc●equer Chamber * See Matthew Paris p. 268. Legimus quod multi al● Reges imo Reguli usque ad mortem dimica●unt c. above the Kings Bench and the Parliament above them all because a Writ of Error to reverse erroneous judgements given in the Common Pleas lyeth in the Kings Bench Errors in the Kings Bench may be reversed in the Eschequer Chamber and errors in all or either of them may be redressed finally in Parliament from whence there is no further appeale Hence the Canonists conclude a b Bodin l. 1. c. 10. Summa Angelic● Rosella Tit. Appellatio Lindwood lib. 2 de Appellationibus Fox Acts and Monuments Vol. 1. p. 448 449. 452. 506. 24. H. 8. c. 12. All Papists and Protestants
Historians and Hen●y the fourth elected and created King in his stead In both which depositions the Popish Prelares were chiefe 〈…〉 ctors ſ Speed p. 869. 878. 879. 887. Holingshead Polychronicon Fabian Grafton Hall Stow Caxton in their lives Anno 1462. King Henry the sixt Queen Margaret and Prince Edward their Sonne were by a Popish Parliament disinherited of their right to the Crowne and Edward the fourth made King after which King Henry was by another Parliament recrowned and reestablished in his Kingdome and Edward the fourth declared 〈…〉 Traytor and usurper of the Crowne And not long after Edward taking King Henry prisoner and causing him to be murdered in the Tower another Popish Parliament Anno 1472. abrogated King Henries Lawes and ●eestablished King Edward All this have our Popish Parliaments Prelates Lords and Commons formerly done and that rightly and legally as they then supposed which far transcends the highest st●aines of pretended in●roachments on his Majesties royalties by the present Parliament which detests such presidents Secondly our Popish Parliaments Pecres and Prelates have oft translated the Crowne from the right heires ●nd setled it on others who had no lawfull right or title to it electing and acknowledging them for their one●y Soveraigne Lords in which actions the Popish Prelates and Clergy were commonly the Ring-leaders witnesse their t Speed p. 410. 411. 425 426. 404. to 407. 410. 416. 418. 419. 455 456. 466 467. 548 549. 550. 590. 591. See Matthew Paris Matth. Westminster Malmesbury Hunting don Eadmerus 〈…〉 bian Walsingham Caxton Polychronicon Polydo● Virgil Hall Gr●●t●n Stow How Hollinshead Haywar● M●●tin Daniel and Sir 〈…〉 their severall lives of these Kings electing and crowning of Edward who was illegitimate and putting by Ethelred the right heire after ●dgars decease An. 975. The electing and Crowning Canutus King a meere forrainer in opposition to Edmund ●he right heire to King Ethelred An. 1016. Of Harold and Hardiknute both elected and crowned Kings successive●y without title Edmund and Alfred the right heires being dispossessed and the latter imprisoned and tortu●ed to death An. 1036. and 1040. yet after Hardiknutes decease Edward surnamed the Confessor was chosen King by consent of Parliament And the English Nobilitie upon the death of King Harold enacted That none ●f the Danish blood should any more reigne over them After this Kings death Edgar Etheling who had best title was rejected and Harold elected and crowned King so after William the Conquerors decease Anno 1087. Robert ●he elder brother was pretermitted and William Rufus the younger brother crowned and established in the Throne After whose death Henry the first his younger brother though not next heire was elected King ●y the Clergy Nobles and Commons who refused to admit of any King but with capitulations and caveats to their ●wne liking upon faire promises for resorming bad and rigorous Lawes remission of Taxes exacted on the Subjects and ●unishment of the chiefe causers of them and a solemne oath to frame good Lawes and ratifie Saint Edwards Lawes ●ll which he really performed So after the death of Richard the first John Earle of Morton was elected and crowned King and his Nephew Arthur the right heire disinherited And he dying his sonne Henry the third was ●lected and crowned and Lewis made King in his fathers life by the Barons removed The like we finde in ●he case of King Henry the fourth King Edward the fourth and Richard the third made Kings by Acts of Par●●ament by our Popish Prelates and Nobles with the Commons consent upon unlawfull or doubtfull Titles ●y way of usurpation and the right hereditary line put by Such a transcendent power and ●urisdiction as this 〈…〉 disinherite the right heire and transferre the Crowne to whom they throught meerest neither the present nor ●ny other Protestant Parliament Peeres or Subjects ever claymed or exercised though Popish Parliaments ●relates Lords and Commons have thus frequently done it of which you may reade more in 25. H. 8. c. 22. 26. 〈…〉 8. c. 12. 28. H. 8. c. 7. 35. H. 8. c. 5. Thirdly the Lords and Commons in times of Popery have sent our writs and summoned a Parliament in the Kings name and forced the King to call a Parliament without and against his full consent Thus they summoned and held a Parliament in Ireland Anno 1341 refusing to come to a Parliament there summoned by the Kings officers and authority as the u In Camdens Britania English p. 188. Irish Annalls doe more at large record Thus they x Walsingham Hist. Ang. p. 107. 398. Speed p. 681. 757. summoned and held two Parliaments here in England to depose King Edward the second and King Richard the second without these Kings consents and by two severall Acts of Parliament 4. E 3. c. 4. and 36. E. 3. c. 10. enacted That for the maintenance of the Lawes and Statutes and redresse of divers mischiefes and grievances which daily happe●eth a Parliament shall be holden every yeare once and more often if need be whereas this Parliament was 〈…〉 called but by the Kings owne free consent and hath moderated these former Acts by changing the annuall into 〈…〉 triennuall Parliament by a speciall Bill to which his Majestie gave his full and free assent y Myrror c. 1. sect 3. p. 10. Co. instit on Littleton f. 110. Spelman Concil p. 347. Long before which Acts King Alfred in an assembly of Parliament ordained this for a perpetuall custome that a Parliament should be called together at London twice every yeare or oftner in time of peace to keep the people of God from sinne th 〈…〉 they may live in peace and receive right by certaine usages and holy judgements Fourthly Our Popish Barons Prelates and Commons have refused to meet in Parliament when the King ha 〈…〉 summoned them by his writ z Matth. Paris An. 1233. p. 344 473 c. Speedes Hi. p. 607. to 613. Anno Dom. 1233. King Henry the third summoned his Earles and Barons to appeare at a Parliament at Oxford where the King now resides but they all joyntly sent him an expresse messag 〈…〉 that they would not come upon his summons for that the Kings person went guarded with Poictovines othe 〈…〉 strangers who swayed and miscounselled him as ill Counsellors doe now the King so as they could no 〈…〉 there appeare with safety at which message the King grew very angry resolving that they should bee on 〈…〉 twice and thrice summoned to appeare Whereupon Roger Bacon who usually preached before the King freely told him That if he did not remove from him Peter Bishop of Winchester and Peter de Rivallis his malign 〈…〉 Counsellors he could never be quiet And Roger Bacon a Clergy man also of a pleasant wit seconding Robert advise told the King that Peirae and Rupes were most dangerous things at Sea alluding to the Bishops name Petrus de Rupibus The King hereupon comming a little to himselfe and taking that
but beauty also and ornamen● writes John Speed After all this i Walfing Hist Ang. p. 349. to 400 ●podigm Newstriae p. 144. to 158 Speed Hist p. 747. to 762. Holin Graft St●w Fabian Caxton and others King Richard the second in the ninth yeare of his reigne summoned a Parliament where●● Michael de la Pole Earle of Suffolke for cheating the King was put from his Lord Chancellorship of England by th● Parliament and the Seale taken from him against the Kings will and given to Thomas Arundell Bishop of Ely Whereupon both Houses gave halfe a tenth and halfe a fifteene to be disposed of as the Lords thought fit for th● defence of the Realme The Parliament was no sooner dissolved but the King recals de la Pole and other ill counsellors to the Court shewing them greater favour then before In so much that at Christmas the King mad● de la Pole sit at his owne table not in the usuall garment o● a Peere but of a Prince out of a stomacke and hatred again●● the Peeres whom from thenceforth he never regarded but feinedly and then fals to plot the death of the Duke of Gl●cester and other Nobles who opposed his ill Counsellors For which purpose he appoints a meeting at No●●ing ha●● Castle with a few persons generally ill-beloved ill-advised and ill-provided The course agreed upon by th● King and that ill-chosen Senate was first to have the opinion of all the chiefe Lawyers who saith Spe●● seldome faile Princes in such turnes concerning certaine Articles of Treason within whose nets they presum●● the reforming Lords were and if the Lawyers concluded those Articles contained Treasonable matters th●● under a shew of justice they should be proceeded against accordingly The Lawyers who were the very me●● which in the last Parliament gave advice to the Lords to doe as they did now meering were demanded Whether by the Law of the Land the King might not disa●ull the Decrees of the last Parliament They joyntly answe●ed he might because he was above the Lawes a most apparent errour confessing that themselves had in th● Parliament decreed many things and given their judgement that all was according to Law which they acknowledg● to be altogether unlawfull The King thus informed appointeth a great Councell at Nottingham and witha●● sends for the Sheriffs of Shires to raise Forces against the Lords who denyed saying that they could not rais● any competent Forces or Armes against them the whole Counties were so addicted to their favours and being furthe● willed to suffer no Knights to be chosen for their shieres but such as the King and his Counsell should name they a●swered that the election belonged to the Commons who favored the Lords in all and would keepe their usuall customes a good president for our present Sheriffes whereupon they were dismissed Then were the Lawye● and Judges Robert Tresilian and his companions called before the King to determine the judgements of Treason against the Lords to be legall and to set their Seales thereto which they did Meane time the King and Duke of Ireland sent messengers to hire what Forces they could That they might stand with them if neede we●● against the Lords in the day of battle * Note this Many of which answered that they neither could nor would stand against th● Lords whom they knew for certaine intimately to love the King and to endeavour all things study all things doe a●● things for his honour yet many out of simplicity thinking themselves to be hired promised to be ready upon the King●●o●●ce The Lords hearing of these proceedings were much sadded being conscious to themselves ●● no 〈…〉 ●●rthy the Kings so great indignation The Duke of Glocester sent his purgation upon Oath by the Bishop ●● London to the King w●o inclining to credit the same was in an evill houre diverted by de la Pole ●he Duke hereupon makes his and their common danger knowne to the rest of the Lords upon which ●ey severally gather forces that they might present their griefes to the King How he favoured Tray●rs not onely to them but to the Publique to the imminent danger of the Realme unlesse it were spee●ly prevented The King on the other side by Trayterous Cōunsellours advise sought how to take ●em off single before they were united but in vaine by reason their party was so great Meane time ●me peaceable men procured that the Lords should repaire safe to Westminster and there be heard Thi●er approaching they are advertised by some who had sworne on the Kings behalfe for good dea●●g to be used during the interim that in the Mewes by Charing-Crosse a thousand armed men which ●ithout the Kings privity Sir Thomas Trivet and Sir Nicholas Brambre Knights were reported to have ●●d for their destruction attended in ambush The King sweares his innocency promising safe con●●ct to the Lords if they would come who thereupon came strongly guarded and would trust no longer ●he King sitting in royall State in Westminster Hall the Lords present themselves upon their knees before ●m and being required by the Lord Chancellour Why they were in warlike manner assembled at ●aring gye Park contrary to the Lawes their joynt answer was That they were assembled for the good of the ●ing and kingdome and to weed from about him such Traytors as be continually held with him The Traytors ●ey named to be Robert de Vere Duke of Ireland Alexander Nevill Archbishop of Yorke Michael de ● Pole Earle of Suffolke Sir Robert Tresilian that salse Justiciar Sir Nicholas Brambre that false Knight ● London with others To prove them such They threw downe their Gloves as gages of challenge for a tri●l by the Sword The King hereupon replyed as knowing they were all hidden out of the way This ●all not be done so but at the next Parliament which shall be the morrow after Candlemas all parties shall ●ceive according as they deserve And now to you my Lords How or by what authority durst you presume to levy ●orces against me in this Land did you thinke to have terrified me by such your presumption Have not I men and ●mes who if it pleased me could environ and kill you like sheepe Certainely in this respect I esteeme of ●u all no more then of the basest Scullions in my Kitchins Having used these and many like high words ●e tooke up his Unckle the Duke from the ground where he kneeled and bade all the other rise The ●st of the conference was calme and the whole deferred till the next Parliament then shortly to be hol●●n at Westminster In the meane time that the world might see how little able the King was to equall ●s words with deeds a Proclamation was set forth in which the King before any tryall cleareth the ●ords of Treason names those persons for unjust accu●ers whom the Lords had before nominated The ●ords neverthelesse thought not good to sever themselves but kept together for feare of the worst which
7. 17. 3. 4. E. 6. c. 11. 12. 1. Eliz. 1. 2. with sundry more Now ● Lib. 1. c. 8. l. 3. c. 9. f. 107. r polit l. 3. c. 1● 11. 12. that Parlimentary power which onely can create and conferre on Kings a greater regall Authority and Prerogative then they had before must needs be the Originall and supreame authoritie for as we rightly argue m See 1 Eliz. c. 1. Rastal T it Sewers or Commissioners Rastall Tit. Iustices c. that the Kings Authority is superiour to all other his greatest Officers and subordinate Ministers of Iustice because their power is by Patent or Commission derived from his So we may from the selfe-same reason conclude that the High Court of Parliaments power the representative body of the whole kingdome is the most primitive soveraigne and greatest authoritie of all other yea larger and higher than the kings n Qui●quid ●fficit tale est magis tale nemo potest dare quod non habet are true in this case because it onely can enlarge the Kings prerogative whose originall or additionall Royalties proceede not from the king himselfe or his Ancestors owne inherent hereditary power for what king could justly without his peoples consents usurpe a Crowne or lawfull royall Prerogative to himselfe over an whole Countrey but meerely from the voluntary consent and grant of his people in the Parliament This is irrefragably evident not onely by the various o See Alex. ab Alexandro ● 3. c. 2. Facile perspici potest regni multa esse genera nec eandemimperii formam in omnibus esse regibus Regalis potentiae gen●ra numero sunt quatuo● Aristot Polit. l. 3. c. 10. 11. See Dan. c. 8. 11. kinds of kings whereof some are of greater power and authority others of lesse some by Election others by succession by reason of their Subjects originall institution by the diverse alterations of the Monarchy in this kingdome which hath beene sometimes divided into 7. sometimes into 5. sometimes into 3. or two kingdomes and at last reduced unto one by the great changes and alterations made in all forraigne Realmes which have sometimes multiplied sometimes diminished the number and power of their Princes and sometimes quite abolished the royall forme of Government changing it into an Aristocraticall or popular rule by the divine Authority of S. Peter who in this regard calls Kings and their Supremacy a r 1 Pet. 2. 13 14. Alex ab Alexandro Gen. Dier●m l. 3 c. 3. l. 4. c. 23. humane creature or Ordinance of man because instituted limited and moulded into severall degrees of power by men over whom they r●igne● by two expresse determinations of Aristotle in these termes s Politicorum l. 3. c 10. p. 209 2●0 Regna patriis moribus legibus FVNDATA CONFIRMATASVNT And t Ibid l. 5 c ●3 p. 367. Verum Regnum est imperium majoribus praestantioribus viris VOLVNTAT ● CIVIVM DELATVM seconded by v De Officiis l. 2. Caeli●● Rhodi Antiq. Lect l 8. c. 1 Alexander ab Alexandro Gen. Dierum l. 4. ● 23. Livie Hist Rom. l. 1. Sect. 17. p. 14. 15. l. 4 p. 144. 145. Pl●●archi Num●●ompilius Tully Livie and others but likewise by Andrew Horne an eminent Lawyer in Edward the 1. his raigne in his Myrro●r of Justices Chap. 1. Sect. 2. p. 7. 8. 9. where he thus writes of the originall institution of our English Monarches After that God had abated the Nobility of the Britans who rather used force then right he delivered it to the most humble and simple of all the neighbour Nations the Saxons who came from Germany to conquer it of which Nation there have beene 40. Kings all which held themselves to have COMPANIONS These Princes called this Land England which before was named Greater Britain These after great warres elected from among them a King to Raigne over them to governe the people of God and to maintaine and defend their persons and goods in peace by the Rules of Law or Right And at the beginning they caused the King to sweare that he will maintaine the holy Christian faith to the utmost of his power and guide his people by p See Mathew Paris Speed Holinshed Grafton and others Law without respect to any person and shall be obedient to suffer or undergoe Law as well as others of his people And afterwards this Realme was turned to an heritage according to the number of his Companions who divided the Realme into 38. Counties and delivered each one a County to keepe and defend from Enemies according to every ones estate And although the King ought to have no P●●res in the Land yet because if the King of his owne wrong should offend against any of his people neither he nor any his Commissaries can be both Iudge and Party OF RIGHT IT BEHOVES that the King should have q Livie Hist Rom. l. 1. Arist Polit. l. 2. c. 8. Goodwins Rom. A●tiq COMPANIONS for to heare and determine in Parliaments all the Writs and Plaints of the wrongs of the King the Queene and their children and of those especially of whose wrongs they could no● otherwise have common right These Companions are now called Counts after the Latine Comites and so at this day these Countries are called Counties and in Latine Comitatus c. Henry de Bracton who writ in Henry the 3. his raigne as in his forecited Passages so in others resolves x Lib. 1. c 8. f. 5. lib. 3. c 9 f 07. That the King is under the Law because the Law makes him a King by giving him dominion and power Now how doth the Law thus make him a k●ng but by the Parliament the kingdomes great Counsel by whose counsell and consent alone all Lawes were first enacted and yet are as the y Hujusmodi leges Anglicanae cum ●uer●m approbatae Sacramento Regis confirmatae mutari non poterunt c. Idem l. ● c. 2 f. 1. 6. same Author informes us who further addes That the King ought to be under the Law because Christ whose Vicar he is on Earth when he came to redeeme mankinde made choyse of this way especially to destroy the workes of the Devill using not the strength of his power but the reason of his iustice and so would be z Gal. 4. 4. ● under the Law that he might redeeme those that are under the Law Thus the Virgin Mary the mother of our Lord who by singular priviledge was above the Law yet to shew an example of humilitie refused not to be a subiect to Legall Ceremonies So therefore the King lest his power should remaine unbridled there ought not to be a greater then he in the Kingdome in the exhibition of Iustices yet he OVGHT TO BE THE LEAST or AS THE LEAST IN RECEIVING IVDGMENT if he require it b ●ract ●●● 3. c. 9. f. 107. lib. 1. c. 8. f. 5. l.
houses license under paine a Major Pars est totum Brookes Corporations 34. Smiths Common-wealth of England l. 2. c. 3. ●f inditement imprisonment or fine as appeares by the Bishop of Winchesters case 3. E. 3. 19. Fitz. ●orone 161. and Stamford l. 3 c. 1. f. 153 compleatly answers that fond cavill of the Malignants ●nd Royalists against this Parliament that the king and many of the other members have wilfully ●bsented themselves from the House of purpose to dissolve it if they could notwithstanding the late ●peciall Act made by their joyntconsents for its continuance Ergo this unlawfull Action of theirs to effect this pernicious designe must nullifie or at least invalid in their new non-sence Law and ●ogicke the lawfull proceedings of those worthy faithfull members who continue in it to preserve ●oth Parliament Kingdome Religion Lawes Liberties from ruine and dissolution If these ab●ent members be the greater number why doe they not come and over-vote the rest in the House in peaceable legall usuall Parliamentary way rather then challenge them into the field in a military ●legall unusuall bloody manner unheard of in former ages If the lesser party then present or ab●ent the Major part must over-rule them volensnolens as it hath ever used unlesse they will be wil●●ller I cannot say wiser then all their predecessors put together As for his Majesties absence from Parliament by the pernicious advise of Evill Counsellors so Object ●uch insisted on by Malignants I answer 1. That it was without any just cause given by the Parliament Secondly It was much Answ ●gainst their wills who have a See their Messages and petitions to the king to this purpose oft importuned petitioned and used all possible meanes to procure ●is returne 3. His absence was procured and is yet continued by those alone who most unjustly ●axe the Parliament for it and would take advantage of this their owne wrong Fourthly though ●e be personally absent as a man yet he is still Legally present in Parliament called the kings pre●ence as he is a king as he is in al other his Courts of Iustice where all proceedings are entred b See Camdens Brit. p. 163. which stiles the Parliament the kings presence The Register of Writs Old New Natura Brevium old and new book of Entries Cookes Institures on Littleton f. 71. 6 Co●am Rege though the king never yet sate personally in either of them as he hath oft times done in his Parliament for the continuance whereof he hath passed such an Act as will inseperably tye his ●oyall presence to it though his Cavaliers about him should by force withdraw his person from it ●ot onely as farre as Yorke but the remotest Indies yea he must first cease to be king of England ere ●e can be legally absent from his Parliament of England This his wilfull personall absence from ●is greatest Counsell which desires and needes it is as many conceive an Act of the highest in justice ●hat ever any Prince could offer to his Parliament worse then a ● King 12. 2 Chron. 18. Reh●boams forsaking the counsell ●f his ancient Sages to follow the hare braind advise of his young Cavaleers for though he follow●d not their ancient prudent counsell yet he withdrew not himselfe from them as his Majestie ●oth now sever himselfe from his Parliament not onely without but against all prefidents of his ●oyall predecessors except king b Richard the second who once absented himselfe from his Parlia●ent above 40. dayes yet then returned to it upon better advise and the very common custome and ●aw of the Land which he is obliged by his Coronation oath and many late protestations added ●o it constantly to maintaine This appeares most clearely by the ancient Treatise of the man●er of holding of Parliaments in England both before and since the conquest * See Minshes Dictionary Title Parliament f. 526. tende●ed to and ap●roved by the Conquerone himselfe newly printed 1641 which in the Section touching the kings ●bsence from Parliament resolves thus The king is BOVND by all meanes possible TO BE PRESENT AT THE PARLIAMENT unlesse he be detained or let therefrom by bodily ●icknesse and then he may keepe his chamber yet so as he lye not without the Manour or Towne ●t the least where the Parliament is held and then he ought to send for 12. persons of the grea●est t Grafton p. 348. 349. 350. and best of them that are sommoned to the Parliament that is 2. Bishops 2. Earles 2 Ba●ons 2. Knights of the shire 2 Burgesses and 2. Citizens to looke upon his person to testifie and ●itnesse his estate and give A uthority to the Arch-bishop of the place the Steward of England ●nd chiefe justice that they joyntly and severally should begin the Parliament and continue the same ●● his name expresse mention being made in that commission of the * Note this cause of his absence there ●hich ought to suffice The reason is because there was wont to be a cry and murmure in the Par●iament for the kings absence because his absence is hurtfull and dangerous to the whole commo●alty of the Parliament neither indeede OVGHT OR MAY HE BE ABSENT BUT ONE●Y IN THE CASE AFORESAYD And whereas Malignants clamour that most of the ●ords are absent as well as the king and therefore this can be no lawfull Parliament The same ●uthor will in forme them that if the Lords be once sommoned to Parliament and then appeare ●ot or absent themselves the king may hold the Parliament with the commonalty and commons ●f the kingdome every of which hath a greater voyce in Parliament then the greatest Earle in Eng●●nd because he represents a whole county towne or city the other himselfe alone without Bishops ●arles or Barons because in times past before there was either Bishop Earle or Baron yet even ●hen kings kept their Parliaments but on the contrary no Parliament can be kept by the king and ●eeres if all the Commons for the kings misgovernment or such like cause should absent them●●lves This is the judgement of r In Holinsheads Chronicle of Ireland f. 127. 128. Master John Vowel too who writes in this manner Yet ne●●rthelesse if the king in due order have sommones all his Lords and Barons and they will not come or if they come they will not yet appeare or if they come and appeare yet will not doe or yeeld ●● any thing then the king with the consent of his Commons may ordain establish any acts or Lawe● which are as good sufficient and effectuall as if the Lords had given their consents But on th● contrary if the Commons be sommoned and will not come or comming will not appeare or appe●ring will not consent to doe any thing alleaging some just weighty and great cause the King in thes● cases d Cromptons Iurisdiction of Courts f. 8. 4. H. 7. 18. 7. H. 7. 14. 11. H. 7. 27. Parliament
their mutuall assents alone and as these private By-●awes oblig● all those who consent to them by reason of their owne free assents onely so doe all publike Acts of Parliaments obli●ge all Subjects onely because of their generall assents to them in their Knights Citizen● and Burgesses elected by and d See ● ●ac c. 1. representing their persons Thirdly all e 33. H. 6. 17. Br. Parli 4. M. Hackwell of Pas●●ng Bills Cromp. Iuris ● 8. Chron. of Ireland f. 127. ●●● 30. Acts of Parliament are usually made framed altered thrice read engrossed voted and fully agreed upon in both Houses without the Kings personall knowledge or privity for the most part before they come to have his royall assent And when they are thus agreed on by both Houses the king cannot alter any one word or letter in them as the Houses may doe but must either absolutely assent to or consider further of them as the Houses tender them And if the king send any Bill he desires to have passe it must be thrice read and assented to in both houses which have power to reject a●ter enlarge or limit it as they thinke meete else it can be no Act at all A● cleare demonstration that the chiefe power of enacting and making Lawes is onely in the people Commons and Peeres not the king who by his Writ doth purposely sommon them to meete an● enact Lawes as the chiefe Legislators witnesse this notable clause in the y Cromp. Iuris of Courts f. 1. 2. and at the end of the Manner of ●olding Parliaments in England Writ for the Election of Knights Burgesses Ita quod iidem Milites plenam safficientem ●ote●●atem pro S E COMMVNITATE Comitatus praedicti dicti Cives Burgenses pr● se COMMVNITAT● Civitatum Burgorum praedictorum divisim ab i●sis babeant AD FACIENDVM E● CONSENTIENDVM HIS quae ●●ne ibidem DE COMMVNI CONSILIO DICTI REGN● not Regis nostri contigerint ORDINARI super negot●●s antedictis Ita quod PRO DEFECT● POTEST AT●S HV●VSMODI c. dicta negotia INFECTA NON REMANEANT quov● modo answerable to which is that clause in * Pope Elutherius his Epistle to our first Christian king Lucius about An. 185. Exillis Deigratia PER CONSILIVM REGNI VESTRI SVME LEGEM● per illam D●i potentia vestrum reges Britaniae regnum Fourthly all publicke Acts are the whole Kingdomes Lawes made principally and solely fo● the subjects benefit if good their prejudice if ill therefore the whole kingdome represented i● and by both Houses not the king knowing much better what is good or bad for themselves the● the king alone it is z See ●●tv before just and reasonable that they and not the king should be the principal● Law-makers to binde or bu●then themselves with any new Lawes penalties or restraints Fifthly it is cleare that all Acts which give any Subsidie Tax Penalties or forfaitures to the king are made onely by the people in Parliament and not principally by the king since the king canno● be sayd in any propriety to give any thing to himselfe This is undeniable by the forme of penning all subsidie Bills granted by the Commons or Clergie Your Commons assembled in your Hig● Court of Parliament c. humbly present your Majestie with the free and cheerefull gift of two intire s●bsidies which we humbly beseech your Majest●e graciously to accept c. Your Majesties faithfull subjects the Prelats and Clergie c. with one agreement and uniforme consent have given and granted and by these presents doe give and grant to your Highnesse c. foure intire Subsidies in manner and forme as followeth And by the kings assent to these Bills a Hackw●ls passing of Bi●s sect 8 p. 78 Le Roy remercy ses Loaulz subjects accept LOVR BENEVOLENCE c. the Commons having the sole power to grant or deny b See Rostal Taxes and Tenthes The Acts of Subsi●ies 21. Iac ●●is present Parliament Speed p. 745. Subsidies and Ta●es when they see cause and to limit the proportion of them the manner and time of paying them and to order how and by whom they shall be received and imployed a● all Acts of this Nature ●anifest If then they be the chiefe Law-makers in these Acts which lay● any imposition ●pon the Subjects goods or restraint on his person then by like ●eason in all other penall publik Lawes Six●ly All Acts of Pa●liaments made in the raignes of ●surpers who have no Title to the ●rown nor right to assent to Lawes are c See 1. E. 4. c 6. 4. E. 4. 10 9. E 4. 1. 2. ●r Charters d●●ardon 22. 13. Eli● c. ● firme and good in Law and shall binde the right heires to the Crowne as i● evident by the Lawes made by king John Henry the 4. 5. 6. reputed usurpe●s by Edward the 4. and Richard the third acknowledged an usurper whose Lawes are yet in force The reason is as is cleare by 1. E. 4. c 6. because the Lawes and all other Iudiciall Acts in Court● of Iustice are the Acts of the Parliament and Courts themselves which are lawfull not of the king who is unlawfull Therefore certainely the Legislative power is more in the Parliament thenin the king if not wholly in it there being Lawes and Kingdomes before kings were Seventhly admit the king should dye without heire no doubt the kingdome and Parliament have a just right either to alter the government or dispose of the Crowne to what familie they please as ●he constant practise of all kingdomes in such cases manifests and d The tr●e difference c. part 3. p 416. Bishop Bilson himselfe assureth us that all Nations once members of the Roman Empire when the right heires failed were suffered to elect their Governours where they pleased as the Romans themselves might doe and no doubt they might make binding publike Lawes during the Inter-reg●um yea if the king be an infant as Henry the 3. Henry the 6. Edward 3. 5. and Richard 2. with other ou● kings were when the Crowne ●escended to them or non Compos Mentis or taken with a dead palsie or Apoplexie or an Ideot by ●irth or Age or a Monkeprofessed as e Fox Act● Monument vol. 1. p. 173. Speeds Hist p. 244. some kings have beene or absent in a Pilgrimage to Rome or ●● voyage to the Holy Land or other remote forraigne Parts by reason of warres as f See Nubrigenfis Speed Holinshead Mat. Westm● and others in the lives of R. 1. H. 1. 2. 3● 4. 5. 6. 8. Ed. 1. 2. 3. 4. divers of our Kings heretofore have beene and so unable personally to consent to lawes no doubt in all such ●ases the right of creating a Protector to execut● regall power sommon Parliaments assent to Lawes is ●nely in the g Walsingh Hist Angl. A. 1422. p. 458. Speed p. 1108. Grafton p. 496. 447. 648. Fabian p.