Selected quad for the lemma: parliament_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
parliament_n	house_n	king_n	officer_n	2,496	5	7.4181	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96471	Prima pars. De comparatis comparandis: seu iustificationis Regis Caroli, comparatè, contra Parliamentum. Or The first part of things compared: or Of the iustification of King Charles comparitively against the Parliament. Wherein is manifested, that by the cunning contrivance of a wicked party in the House of Commons, who by their fraud, and subtilty, deceive and seduce the major part of the House for their own ambitious ends, our oppressions have been made far more grievous, then they were in the Kings dayes, the course of justice, and reliefe of grievances, is obstructed, and our troubles and pressures are still continued. ... With the names of the heads, of the usurping faction, and advice to all the free men of England, to beware of them, and to take a speedy course to remove and expell them, together with an intimation of a way to effect the same.; De comparatis comparandis. Part 1	Wilbee, Amon.	1647 (1647)	Wing W2113; Thomason E396_11; ESTC R201647	12,847	16

the whole Kingdome and frame of government is indangered and the power and authority of parliament is dishonoured blemished and made contemptible J doe remember that after the Kings return in 1641. from the Parliament in Scotland divers jealousies did arise in the apprehention of this present Parliament in England concerning a strong designe by a Malignant Jesuited party to devide the King and Parliament and to deprive the people of the fruit of all the Parliaments earnest and faithfull labours and endeavours as they then affirmed for the establishing the people in safety peace and happinesse Whereupon they fall on declaring and in Decemb. 1642. they publish a large Remonstrance to the whole kingdome conteining the roots growth meanes oblique and direct together with the actors and promotors of this designe for the subverting the fundamentall lawes and principles of this government wherein after s●me matter of introduction among other things as misprisions in the Kings government They complain of charging the Kingdom with ●●●●●ting ● ldiers and of a concomitant design of Germain Horse that the land might either submit with fear or be inforced with rigour to such arbitrary contributions as should be required of them And I pray you fellow Commoners stands not the Parliament guilty of this accusation of billerting Soldiers on the Kingdome even ever since they raised armes and that in a more intollerable manner then that was in those times For the Parliament by themselves and their distr ying Committees and Commissions have levied great taxes and raised large sums of money in all parts the which the King did not with a pretence to pay the Soldiers that they might in all places pay their quarters yet was the Soldier never paid but the Country were both assessed and exhausted and also burthened with free quarterings and neverthelesse if the people refused to pay their taxes the Committees sent a party of horse and either took the persons prisoners as well friends as adversaries or plunder them the which I am sure was fully answerable to that Concommitant design which was then as themselves doe say but intended of German Horse And I doe wish there were not now in hard a designe by an ambitious party in the Parliament for the establishment and making perpetual of this same inssaving practice of billitting Solders and German horse as they call it throughout the Kingdome that thereby the people may either submit with feare or be enforced with rigour to pay such arbitrary contributions as shall be exacted of them But alas it is too manifest a man halfe blind may see it But it will be said the Parliament have been necessitated to this there hath been I conteste a necessity of raising Soldiers but not of billitting them without paying their quarters For the Parliament and their Committees have raised unspeakable sums to pa●●th Soldiers to the end they might pay their quarters the which they or their Committees as is suspected have put into their own purses and never paid them but burthened the Country notwithstanding with free quarters They complaine also of the Kings raising great sums by way of Privie Seales proportionable to subsidies And have not the Parliament done the selfe same thing by way of publique faith and that much more abundant Aske London and a numberless multitude of all sorts of persons and they will with no lesse then heavie sighes testifie this truth And whether had yee rather a Privie Seale or the publique saith Verum horum mavis accipe many feare the last will prove the worst securities They complain also of an uniust and pernicious attempt to extort great payments from the Subiect by way of Excise This it seemes was then but an Attempt but the Parliament have notwithstanding the iniustice and perniciousnesse of it really acted it and so by their owne tearmes they have herein exceeded the King for iniust and pernitious dealing They complaine also that the Petition of Right which was granted in full Parliament was blasted by an illegall Declaration and of the presumptuous injustice of such Ministers as durst breake the lawes and suppresse the liberties of the Kingdome The Petition of Right was then as themselves say only blasted by an illegall Declaration But have not they since blasted it and made it also fruitlesse by a multiude of illegall actions as false imprisonments and examining of men after the manner of the Courts of Star Chamber and High Commission upon Interrogatories against themselves and with many other like unjust practises as herein after more plainly appears And I appeal to all if ever any manifested more presumption in daring to break the lawes and suppresse the liberties of this Kingdom then many of themselves They also complain of the illegall imprisonment by the King of some Members of the House of Commons at the breaking up of the Parliament 40. Car. deteining them close prisoners c. not permitting their wives to come unto them c. and so keeping them in this oppressed condition by reason of which their cruell and harsh imprisonment some have dyed whose blood as they say cryes for vengeance or repentance of the Ministers of State who at once obstructed both the course of his Majesties justice and mercy I will not here discusse the imprisonning of Sir Ra. Hopton and Mr. Martin two of their own Members for speaking their minds freein in the House of Commons albeit without question one if not both the commitments for the causes were contrary were illegall and contrary to the law and custome of Parliament but it is certain they have in all respects justified this act of the Kings by inflicting the same measure of injustice and cruelty upon divers of their fellow Members of the body politique as on L. C. John Lilburn Mr. Musgrave Mr. Rich. Overton and his wife both Mr. Larners servants and others which they so much condemn in his Majestie and his Ministers But the house of Commons will happily say that they were committed and thus used by the House of Lords Not all and besides there is an old rule qui non vetat peccare cum potest jubet He who hinders not an evill when it is in his power commands it And moreover this is certain that many poore prisoners for debt and others their fellow Subiects as I shall herein plainly demonstrate who have petitioned them more then these 5. yeares for redresse have through their neglect by the cruelty inhumain usage of Gaolers Sir I. L. of the Kings Bench Henry Wollaston of Newgate such monsters and others been miserably destroyed and perished in prison whose blood without doubt cryes loud in the eares of the Lord of Hosts for vengeance without repentance upon tha heads and hearts of them the ministers of State who have been intrusted for the preservation of the Nation and notwithstanding all petitioning have neither done iustice nor shewed mercy No nor cannot either by preaching praying petitioning speaking or any peaceable meanes be induced

moneys which as I remember were raised and collected for that good Christian worke received and disposed as the most of the rest as is supposed into private pockets and to particular uses Then they complaine of the inlargement of Forrests contrary to Charta Foresta this was not so bad in the King as the i●la●gement of p●iviledges is in the Parliament that was injurious but to some persons in speciall this is to all in generall For the priviledges of Parliament are growne like the rules of Kings Bench prison without limits for if ye doe but present nay only prepare a petition contrary to the humours of the prev●lent malevolent party be it never so legall and necessary demand justice or tell any of them of their shamelesse injustice it is presently voted a breach of their priviledge but they themselves may threaten and revile persons check and reproach yea imprison wi nesses and affront and assault men contrary to the law and the nature of their places take them by the coller and pull them by the throat and that only because they are advertised of their evill as haughty Mr. Hollis did lately Major Tulidah in a word according to the expression of some of them they may doe what they list and some of them doe accordingly act all manner of violence and injustice by vertue of their priviledges O admirable priviledges whose uncircumcised bounds are so absolutely destructive to our lawes rights and liberties Then they tell you of exacting Coat and Conduct money and divers other military charge and of a desperate designe of ingrossing all the Gun-powder into one hand and keeping it in the Tower of London and of the taking away the Armes of the Trained bands of divers Counties c. Though the Parliament have not exacted money under the notion of Coat and Conduct yet they have exacted and still doe exact of you large sums of money to pay their Armies and for other military charges and though they have not taken away the Armes of your Trained bands yet they have taken away your servants and caused you to find both men and Arms to do them service yea they have contrary to law sent forth your Trained bands and their Armes to the hazard of the places from whence they went especially of London City but the disceived fooles did not see the which the King never did as for the designe of ingrossing all the Gun powder into one hand it was not so bad as is the designe of some men in the Parliament of ingrossing the stock of all the moneyes power and priviledges of the whole land into their hands by which means the people shall be utterly impoverished and made slaves Then they complaine of selling the Kings timber the taking away of mens right under colour of the Kings title to land between high and low water markes Of the Monopolies of Sope Salt c. the restraint of the liberties of the Subiects in their habitation trades and other interest And who had more right to sell the Kings timber then himselfe they cannot say he sold any but his owne and what he had a lawfull right and interest in but many of the Parliament have destroyed other mens timber and sold abundance both of woods and goods since these fatall warres and put the moneys I beleeve into their own purses whereunto they had neither title or intrest and to omit those who have indeed been Delinquents how many mens rights even whole estates have these wicked men of the Parliament taken away under colour of Delinquency the right between high and low water mark● the owners whereof have been no Delinquents I need not instance examples too many of their own friends can testifie against them Only one or two for a proofe as Mr. Antrobus an honest pious Minister of the Gospel in Cumberland one who hath both paid to them and suffered for them and for his fidelitie is intrusted as a Commissioner with Mr. Musgrave by his country to solicit the House for redresse of their grievances had his benefice to the value of a 100. l. yearly and his estate the other day adjudgd to be sequestred taken away for Delinquencie to no disadvantage I hope of the Earle of Northumb. and Mr. Barwis a Member of the House of Commons of whom more hereafter one of the Common wealths deceitfull servants and false friends In like manner as I have heard was the Vicar of the rich Viccarage of Wiggen in Lancashire served who afterwards dyed in the Parliament service quarrel yet this was done that one Mr. Case a coveteous Priest might be put in I have indeed observed that since the Parliament got the power into their own hands there hath not been a more sure token of Delinquency in the eyes of some Parliament men and coveteous Priests then a faire house richly furnished a pleasant seat well wooded a good office and a fat benefice or a flock well woolled and sometime a desire of revenge might witnesse Sir Garret kemp of Slindon neare Chichester in Sussex a man of peaceable demeanor and conversation and aged neare 80. yeares having many children and grand children and an estate upwards of 2000. l. per annum well wooded and a great personall estate was totally sequestred to his dammage of neare 20000. l. for denying to send his horses to Chichester to assist Sheriffe Foord against the Parliament and afterwards upon a second warrant sent from them by Foord upon paine of death he being told by his servants the said Sheriffe had declared he must have them Sir Garret replyed if they must have them let them have them upon proofe of which words learned Mr. Sam. Brown and the rest of the reverend Committee of Lords and Commons for sequestration did adiudge and declare the confirmation of the Sequestration of his estate and 10000. l. worth of Beech some of 500. yeares growth because beech cannot be supposed by them to be timber hath felled and disposed of although he hewed within 4. mile of the enemies Garrison and 20. mile distant of the Parliament fo●ces As for the restraint of the liberties of the Subiect in their habitations I say restraint in a mans habitation is far better more comfortable and tollerable then to be restrained in a noysome Gaole or prison where he can have no free communion with his wife children family or friends and is exposed to the ty●anny of Gaolers and all manner of oppressive charges But why talke these men of restraint of the liberties of the Subiects in their habitations when as they restrain the King their sovesaign Lord and ours of liberty in his owne house and that in such a manner as is worse then a prison for commonly and legally men in prison may receive and right letters touching their owne affaires and commune discourse walke and talke with any visitant friend or stranger without prohibition inspection incivill question or restriction but so cannot Charles our King A sad

and strange condition We say that by law a man ought not to be kept close prisoner and by the Petition of Right it is declared to be contrary to law to imprison a man without cause shewed or expressed Yet is our King and if they date deale so presumptuously with the King their Soveraign Lord contrary to law doe you thinke country men they will if they can chuse allow you law no no be not deceived But ye shall find more concerning this man our King and this matter and this treacherous parties as they conceive their undiscerned abuses of him and of the whole Kingdome through him and their designes upon him and us by him elswhere following as for Monopolies though they have taken away some yet they continue others witnesse among divers the Monopolie of * And a n●●● Monopoli● lately gra●●●● by them t● 〈◊〉 Crew an●●thers of t●●● Norway t●● Marchant adventurers to the spoyling and destroying of the trade and lively hood of thousands who subsist by that stable trade of Cloathing And for the restraint of the liberty of the Subiect in other interest I can tell you how they have by an illegall Ordinance restrained on Mr. Markham a Citizen of good repute in London the true and lawfull Executer of one Mr. Gamble deceased from receiving or medling with the estate and debts of the said Gamble and have apointed and authorised Mr. Maud and Mr. Bettison two other Citizens who were but Overseers to receive and dispose of the same and neverthelesse they leave Mr. Markam the Executer open and lyable to pay all the testatours debts Legacies and duties and to be accountable for the Estate Is this an Act my friends befitting a Parliament that would be accounted the preserver of the Lawes proprieties and liberties of the free men of England If this be that law libertie interest and proprietie they seeme so zealous and swear so hard for and declate so vehemently to mainetaine I had rather be one of the Turkes Vassells then one of Englands free Commons They proceed and tell you of vexation and oppression by Purveyours Clerks of the Market and Salt-peter men the sale of pretended nuzances as buildings in and about London depopulation c. all which drew many Millions out of the Subiects purses without any considerable profit to his Majestie Doth not the vexation and oppression of the Parliament by their conscience lesse Committee men and their Clerkes their sequestrators and their substitutes Collectors Receivers Porsevants Messengers and their deputies and assistants Informers and a multitude of Excise Cater pillars Publicans and Sinners a rabble indeed of I know not what destroying officers wholike the locusts of Aegypt overspread the whole Kingdome trancendantly exceed these other businesses of Purveyors Clerkes of the market c. and what benefit profit or advantage at all have we had of all those many millions of moneys the Parliament hath dreigned and scrued from us and how have they disposed of it for they are but our Stewards and it is very meet and just that we should have an account but I feare they intend no such matter if they can prevent it And for the depopulation which is the turning of ●rrable land that is common fields into pasture J would this had been the worst that had been done for have not there bin divers acts of Parliament provided against it and did not they justly deserve to be deeply fined who for their owne pride and unreasonable lucre that as the Scripture speakes they might live Lord like alo●e in the midst of the Earth would destroy whole townes of tillage where time out of mind there had been many good houses kept by the plough for the entertainment of the stranger and reliefe of the poore where there had been so many Farmes occupyed by husbandry to the sustaining of many poore samilies by dayes labour and many able farmers had lived that had yeelded aid and subsidies to his Majestie for the service of the Kingdome whereas now in most of these places the townes being depopulated and destroyed and the people that be left beggered and all the common fields and plough-land inclosed and turned into pasture yee shall find nothing for comfort or entertainment but a poote Shepherd living happily in the midst of a multitude of grounds in a poore sheep-Cote standing as a Cottage in the midst of a Vineyard But let such men be assured that Lordlikenesse contracted by such accursed meanes will never continue and he that thinkes the poor and meane man unworthy to live in the earth by him may in due time either him or his posteritie be to seeke a habitation if not beg their bread And for certaine some of our Parliament men were and are guilty of this impoverishing destroying practice and because they were deservedly punished for it did therefore complaine though more of malice then just cause Then they complaine that large quantityes of common and severall grounds have been taken from the subiect by colour of the statute of improvement c and are not the sam● Commons and grounds detained still unto this day and no redresse or remedy ministred and who is in fault but Parliament and that not only private interest but also publique faith had been broken and is not the like dayly done and shamefully continued by the Parliament the complainers of these abuses themselves and they say that the whole Kingdome was like to have been robbed by an abominable project of Brafle money It seemes it was but a like I will not say a yet had they never lyed we had never been deceived But yee may be sure friends and yee will find it certaine if yee be not watchfull and doe not take courage and prevent them that some of them have an abominable treasonable project to rob the whole Kingdome if they can not only of their moneys but of that also which is more precious their birthrights and their liberties and that at once suddenly Then they tell you that a great number of his Majesties Subiects for refusing those unlawfull charges have been vext by long and expensive suits some fined some censured imprisoned c that others have had their houses broke up th●ir goods seized and beene restrained from their callings with many other assertions not answetable to those grievous pressures we now feele And have not great numbers not only of Delinquents but also of their owne friends for refusing because perhaps not able to pay their unlawfull and unreasonable taxes and charges been vexed with long tedious and expensive attendances on themselves and their shamelesse Committees every way equivolent to long suits have not some had their Horses and Cartell taken and driven away some been imprisoned and plundered and others had their houses broken up or forceably entred and their goods seized and made a pray on to their utter undoing And whereas they say that the Starre Chamber did abound in extravagent censures not only for the maintenance and improvement of Monopolies and other unlawfull taxes but for divers other causes where there hath beene no offence or very small c. Whether any Court or Counse● that ever was within the memory of man in this Kingdome did ever more abound I Will not only say with extravagent but with wild wicked contradictory distracted unjust illegall unreasonable and uncolourable Votes Sentences sayings Ordinances Orders and Censutes then this present Parliament and their Committees and all through the subtil●y of the same evill party I appeale not only to the whole land but all the world and those not only for the maintenance and improvement of their unjust unreasonable and mercilesse sequestrations and others their like insupportable taxes and charges things more grievous then precedent Monopolies but for other causes worse and more unrighteous and that generally where the offence hath been very small or none at all As the Committing of Major Tulidah and Mr. Tew doe verifie wherby his Majesties Subjects they say have been oppressed not more then at this present I am certain by grievous Fines imprisonments Stigmatizings mutilation c. these acts were then grievous to them it seems yet now their fingers itch to be exercising them upon others if they had but oppertunity what meanes else that Declaration of the 31. of Decemb. last but I hope that as God did then so he will now by his over-ruling providence give an interruption to the prevailing power and counsell of those who are the Authors and Promoters of such peremptory and heady courses There they complaine also that Judges have been put out of their places for refusing to doe against their oaths c. men they were it seeme● more conscionable then themselves and now by their usurped authority Judges are made and put into places who are glad to observe and serv● their wills For it is not meet nor good manners for these Iudges to oppose or contradict Glyn Maynard Prideaux Brown Wilde or any other of their masters in any thing they plead or move before them and so ye plainly see that our grave Iudges are still in effect but Durante bene placit● Lawyers they say have been checkt for being faithfull to their Clyents Solicitovrs and Atturneys have been threatned and some punished so following law suits and that by this meanes all the approaches of iustic● were forecluded If Lawyers Solicitours and Atturneys be not now

PRIMA PARS DE COMPARATIS Comparandis Seu Iustificationis Regis Caroli comparatè contra Parliamentum Or the first part of things compared or of the iustification of King Charles comparatively against the Parliament Wherein is manifested that by the cunning contrivance of a wicked party in the House of Commons who by their fraud and subtilty deceive and seduce the major part of the House for their own ambitious ends our oppressions have been made far more grievous then they were in the Kings dayes the course of justice and reliefe of grievances is obstructed and our troubles and pressures are still continued With a relation of certain acts of injustice deceit and treason committed by some of them against the Kingdome and certain persons and particular observations of the treasonable purpose and designs of the same evill and treacherous party to secure themselves from justice and to get the Soveraign power into their own hands With the names of the heads of the usurping faction and advice to all the free men of England to beware of them and to take a speedy course to remove and expell them together with an intimation of a way to effect the same Thou therefore that teachest another teachest thou not thy selfe thou that teachest a man should not steale dost thou steale thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery committest thou adultery thou that abhorrest Idols committest thou Sacriledge thou that makest the boast of the Law through breaking of the Law dishonourest thou God Rom. 2.21 22 23. Turpe est Doctori cum culpa redarguit ipsum Parve nec invidio sine me liber ibis in urbem Hei mihi quòd Domino non licet ire tuo OXFORD Printed in the Yeare 1647. To the Reader Vouchsafe to read and then iudge TO avoid all misunderstanding and lest I may seem in some weake mens apprehensions by this unexpected Comparison or Comparitive justification of the King absolutely to justifie the King and condemn the whole Parliament I conceive it expedient to prefix this Epistle for the information of all men concerning my selfe and my meaning in this matter As I never hated my King which God forbids So I alwayes honoured and adhered to the Parliament as the supreame judicatorie and chiefe conservatorie of the lawes rights and liberties of the land I am neither Priest or Jesuit Malignant Delinquent or Papist but one who have ever loved the truth and the republique and have exposed my selfe as can be testified as freely and as farre as any whatsoever for the preservation and promotion of both under the Parliament And this my Comparison doth no more justifie the King de facto or condemne the Parliament in toto then Christs upbraiding of Chorazin and Bethzaida with Tyre and Zidon and Capernaum with Sodome and the Scribes and Pharisees with common Harlots Publicans and Sinners doth justifie Tyre and Zidon Sodome and Common Harlots Publicans and Sinners and condemn Chorazin and Bethzaida Capernaum the Scribes and Pharisees For I am not ignorant that there are a company the which the Lord preserve and multiply of faithfull and upright men in the Parliament who ever shall have my heart and hand whose ends and endeavours are wholly to set up the Gospel in the power of it to doe right to their King and to discharge their trust to the Kingdome in seeing iustice impartially executed and our lawes and liberties established according to their Oath taken at their entrance the duty of their place and the Protestation But there is a party or faction in the House of Commons the heads of which I have named of false ambitious deceitfull coveteous heady high minded-men whose ends are their owne opulency and greatnesse and our indigency and vassalage who like the sons of Zerviah are too hard for them for these ill kind of men by their cunning craftinesse doe deceive and seduce the Maior part of the House of Commons to assist in their destructive counsells and votes and by this meanes overpower the honest and upright in the discharge of their duties but the Lord hath said that he will reward the evill doer according to his wickednesse 2 Sam 3.39 And the discovery of these mens the causers and contrivers of all our troubles deep Hypocrisie and hatefull treachery to the too long oppressed and abused free people of England is all my scope and purpose having principally therein no other end of advantage then Gods glory the good of his people and the preservation and freedome of my native Country which at present is over whelmed in confusion and misery that the secret and inward enemies thereof as well as the open and publique which doe now only impede the accomplishment of our settlement and tranquillity may be detected depressed and taken out of the way that so the parliament may be rectified and preserved intire and upright in its Power the good therein strengthned and incouraged and our lawes and liberties established and kept inviolate So shall iustice run downe in our streets as streames and righteousnesse as great waters Read therefore considerately consider seriously iudge impartially and improve all thy power interest and parts accordingly for the suppressing the wickednesse of the wicked and advancing of righteousnesse and truth within this our land In which I shall be ever willing and ready who acknowledge my self Gods and my Countryes and thine if thou art theirs Amon Willbee Prima Pars. De Comparatis Comparandis Seu Iustificationis Regis Caroli compara●è contra Parliamentum Or the first part of things compared HEare Oye Country men and harken all ye free borne Commons of England marke and mind seriously what I shall say Doe not read only and so lay it by but weight it also well in your minds and fix it in your memories let it affect your spirits and worke upon your judgements least yee suddenly perish For I will relate no fictions but reall truths nor are my desires and intentions any other then to discover unto you your dangers that ye may speedily apply your selves unto such meanes as God hath given and left you to save and secure your selves and your posterities your Estates Laws and Liberties which are at this present in extream hazard and that yee your selves may by way of Comparison discern and be Judges whether the evils of government which we underwent in the dayes of the King by his evill instruments or these we now suffer under the Parliament which ought to be our soveraign helpe be most grievous and in excusable and whether our present condition be not much 〈◊〉 more perillous and intollerable then it was in those times And I will declare unto you the chiefe Authors and promoters of these our evills and of the obstructions of Justice and redresse Or who by their power and cunning crafty working impose upon and deceive the Maior part of the House of Commons whereby all acts for the good of the publique are diverted all settlement is protracted