Selected quad for the lemma: parliament_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
parliament_n	king_n	law_n	royal_a	5,437	5	7.9688	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A48119	A Letter of an Independent to his honoured friend in London	Swadlin, Thomas, 1600-1670.	1647 (1647)	Wing L1571; Wing S6220A; ESTC R37866	5,357	11

Generall Fairfax and the Presbyterians under him or to Generall Cromwell and the Independents under him let our Enemies speak Their witnesse will be the best we may be partiall to our selves That we have since taken Bristoll the Devizes in spight of Lloyd Winchester notwithstanding Ogles strength there and Bazing House where many of our Armies were till then crusht It is well known we owe more to Cromwels Horse then to Fairfax Foot or Dalbeers Engines And that Dalbeer should have 6000 l for Basing Fairfax 500 l for Bristoll Massy the like in Iewels which they weare as Badges of Honour and Cromwell no acknowledgement for all yes and instead of it you suffer him to lye under an impeachement of Treason suggested by the Earle of Manchester is a shrew'd evidence to me That if your Presbytery be once establisht we must look for as little favour as the Episcoparians And this you already partly shewed by your selfe-charity in your great care of Skippon to cure his wounds which he received at Nasby fight and suffering all ours to sinck or swimme Well notwithstanding all these Successes are either of us nearer to our ends If the King can but live and rub out this Winter we shall save Him a labour next Spring of calling in any Forreign Forces It is resoived upon amongst us and for that ancient loves sake which hath been betwixt us I give you notice of it that you may return to us That if the King will give us Liberty of Conscience and not subjugate us to Ecclesiasticall Power we will submit our selves to His Civill Power and rather live with Episcopacy to establish Monarchy then under Presbytery to pull it down Episcopacy may stand and we enjoy our Consciences Presbytery will not allow it Episcopacy may enjoy their Lands and we our Farms not so with Presbytery For they intend as well a Reformation of the State as of the Church i. e. of long Gownes into short Clokes of Lawn Sleeves into fine Shirts of Meum Tuum into Suum of Godlinesse into Gaine And our Copy holds if they once come to the question whether they be as Antichristian as the Churches Lands into their own Purses It is not a Reformation they seek but an Alteration and that Alteration shall but make way for an Alienaton To bring the Kings Crown under Christs Scepter which themselves will manage not for Christ but against Christ For his Kingdome is not of this world We Independents seek only a Reformation not an Alterations we have yet so much Reason as to see The further we swerve from our first Constitutions the nearer we hasten to Desolation The further from our Fundamentall Principles the nearer to our perpetuall Ruine It is so in the Church it is so in the State I instance only in the State The first Constitution and Fundamentall Principle of this Kingdome is There should be a King and Subjects That the King should Rule the Subjects should obey He Rule according to Law They obey according to Conscience That He should secure the Kingdome against Forreigne Enemies That they should assist him therein That both should conscientiously intend the publick Peace and the Kingdomes happinesse we find all this done while we had but one King and many Subjects And we find all this undone now we have many Kings and no Subjects To regaine all we would come to our first Constitution and live in subjection under that one whom God hath made our Superiour and not any longer in vassalage under many whom our selves have made A second or another first Constitution of this Kingdome is we should have Parliaments that those Parliaments should consist of three States Lords Spirituall Lords Temporall and the House of Commons But one of these three the Lords Spirituall being found superfluous we say of two States the House of Peers and the House of Commons The House of Commons to find out the Grievances of the Kingdome and to prepare Redresses of those Grievances for the House of Peers the House of Peers to present them to the King and the King to sign them with His Royall Fiat for Lawes All this hath been done while the House of Parliament prepared Lawes for the King to confirm them All this hath been undone since the two Houses have made Lawes for the King to obey them our Grievances were redressed before They are encreased now we had some Liberties then and hope of all Liberties we could desire we have no Liberties now nor hope of any we had good Lawes before whereby we knew sinne we have many sinnes now yet know no Law To regaine our Lawes and Liberties we would come to our first Constitution and have two Houses to acknowledge one King above them and not one King to acknowledge two Houses above H●m It may be you will say Turpe est Doctori cùm Culpa redarguit ipsum why have I hitherto took part with the Parliament against the King with the Parliament I confesse I have but not against the King For when I first entred into this Compact by Protestation by Vow and Covenant is was to fetch the King up unto his Parliament out of the hands of Evill Councellors That was the only pretended reason for the raising of all our Armies save the very last under Sir Thomas Fairfax He was the first Generall that ever received Command to deny Quarter to any even to the King himselfe And this was not disclosed untill of late else I had published it and our resolution in this point sooner But now it is known and yet I still side with the Parliament I confesse I doe but not as I did before Before I did it sincerely now I doe it politickly The Parliaments Cause Rebus sic stantibus is a good Cause to live in For hereby I save mine own stake and a good share in other mens But now I am weary of it For now I would manage such a Cause as I might live and die in live in with Profit and die in with Comfort The course I have hitherto taken I professe I have undertaken for meere gaine The course I would now take I professe I would undertake for meere Godlinesse I would not at my Death renounce a wicked course as Colonell Sandys did at Worcester and Major Abercromye in Buckinghamshire For then it would be too late because I cannot goe to Heaven without Repentance and Repentance cannot be true which hath not this Ingredient Doe good as well as that Cease to doe Evill I must receive the Kingdome of Heaven The Gospel into me before I can hope to be received into the Kingdome of Heaven Glory And you know To the Poore is the Gospel Preached And though I am rich in substance yet I am poore enough in spirit I thank God for it and would you were so too to receive the Gospel Sir by this that hath been said you know the Resolution of our Party There wants nothing but the Kings offer to invite us and ere long we intend to invite Him to that offer viz. That we shall be obliged only to honest Conversation by the common Lawes of this Kingdome and freed from any and all Ecclesiasticall Censures for point of Religion This is all we desire and if this be granted we presently declare our selves for the King will joyn with Him will fight for Him and either end our lives or settle His Crown fast upon His Head His Sword in His Hand and Himselfe in His Chaire This we will doe maugre the opposition of all Presbyterians in great Brittaine and the whole World besides we will make our Army equall with that under Montrosse who wee heare is already on this side Tweed with no sewer then 14000 Foot and Horse The like Assistance he shall have from us under the Command of Cromwell or whom else His Majesty will put in Chiefe And let it be tryed then whether any Parochiall Consistoriall Provinciall or Generall Classis of the Clero-Laicall-Presbytery dare think to Depose or whisper to Excommunicate the King or any of his Loyall Subjects And now Sir if you will goe on in your Apostacy Goe and perish If you will return Welcome and be safe with them who say GOD SAVE KING CHARLES I leave you to your Choice but will be glad to embrace you in the armes of Sir Your Worships affectionate Kinsman and Servant FINIS

A LETTER OF AN INDEPENDENT To his Honoured Friend IN LONDON SIR WIth what Sympathy and Unanimity we first engaged our selves in this present Cause I need not call to your remembrance nor can you forget what lists and bounds wee then set our selves Reformation was our earnest desire Petition was our only way To live and dye together in one and the same opinion was our mutuall promise To preserve our Antient and Fundamentall Lawes to purchase our just Liberties To conserve the Kings known Rights were our solemne Protestations All these being now like Sampsons cords broken I believe my selfe disengaged The Reformation desired is extirpation endeavoured In stead of Petition as Subjects ought we command as Rebels use The preservation of our Ancient and Fundamentall Lawes is out-lawed by new Votes and illegall Ordinances The purchase of our just Liberties is turn'd into unjust licentiousnesse And the conservation of the Kings known Rights is overturn'd by unknown wrongs And our living and dying in one and the same Opinion is crumbled away into So many men so many minds of our first Juncto how many Presbyterians how many Independents we both know of those Presbyterians how many are Anabaptists how many Jacobins you know not of those Independents how many are Antinomians how many are Brownists I know not And though we both know what we would not have yet neither of us know what we would have Would we have no Bishops Sit in Parliament an Act is passed for it the King hath signed it Though I must tell you that very Act hath cancelled one of our best Fundamentalls The best part of Magna Charta is thereby dissolved and hath put the whole into an Ague Would we have no imposition of Ship-money the like course is taken and the like power hath confirmed it Though I must tell you this very ease of Ship money hath brought a disease upon our Ship-strength and whereas before we were well nigh able to cope with all the Navies of Christendome wee have scarce any more left now then the bare name of a Navie Would we have no Monopolies They are damn'd too by the like Authority though I must tell you the very taking away of this yoak hath made the whole Kingdome a Monopolie the severall Committees have got a Monopoly of our Coyne and all that is Coynable The severall Commanders have got a Monopoly of our Cattell and all that is Edible some there be that have got a Monopoly of our Wives and all that is Amiable others of our Children and all that is Delectable others of our Servants and all that is Profitable others of our Neighbours and all that is Sociable Would we have no Ceremonies lie heavie upon tender Consciences That hath been offered us too Though I must tell you we that stumbled at these Gnats have since swallowed Camels we that would not be imposed upon our selves doe our selves impose upon others But thens too heavie for them our selves or any man else to beare Would we have no Papists wee were in a faire way for that too we might have forc'd their children to an education under Protestants Though I must tell you but under the Rose be it spoken This had been a piece of absolute Tyranny and would have been requited with the Abolition of all Protestants in all the World save England What is it we did privatively desire and the King did positively deny He was not weary of Granting 'till we were shamelesse and unreasonable in demanding To a Regulation of Bishops He consented He declined only their Extirpation would we have no Bishops Why because they have not Jus divinum to plead for them it remaines yet undecided the Episcoparians affirm it The Anti-Episcoparians deny it and yet grant by consequence what they challenge by conclusion That Episcopacy hath Jus Apostolicum for their Advocate Or is it because some of them are bad Upon the same ground would we have no Judges no Aldermen no Knights no Lords no Parliaments All have not been good because some are let their prescription of time forbid the proscription of their Function Mistake me not yet Sir I am no Patron no Advocate no Pleader for Episcopacy I am an Independent I was so when I first entred into this combination and so will die And such a one were you at that time though now you have forgot your first Faith and are turn'd Presbyterian yet still I am as I was then a perfect Bishop-hater but why I am so I know no more then you doe Herein we still both agree In all things else we are at oddes you will have Presbytery established I am for Independency And which of these two are most consistent with the essence of this Kingdome I wish you would put it to the Issue upon a faire and calm disputation betwixt my good Lord Say who well knowes what the new Directory is and how to confute it and your good Earle of Pembrook who for three Months his own words could not understand it but now by the help of Mr Olsworth it seemes knowes it to be the best Nursery of Devotion in the World and yet neither understands nor knowes how to maintain it or betwixt our Learned Mr Goodwin and your learned Mr Calamy who yet never answered that Quotation of his from the best Astronomers that ever writ in the yeare 1640. plus vel minus there would be universalis totius Mundi insania to which I should have pinn'd my Faith if he had but added the whole Truth saying with Tycho-Brahe Erga Reges so the words stand and ought not otherwise to be repeated or by determination of the Sword betwixt Noble Cromwell our Generall and valiant Massey yours But Disputations we have had already to no purpose you will confesse with me For the Episcoparians are the better Scholars and have confuted us both you for too heavie Task-masters and us for too easie And justly For your Assembly with the power of your Party in the Parliament have imposed Oaths and Covenants contrary to Law and Religion yes and imprisoned Lilborn for his defence of Magna Charta and refusing the new Oath Ex Officio which your selves condemned in the Ecclesiasticall Court Nay and beyond this too divers of your Assembly of Divines have in their Feast-meetings declared That their Presbytery being Jure divino hath a Supreame power in Causes both Ecclesiasticall and Civill over King and Parliament and so instead of ruling by Law will rule all by their own lawlesse Arbitrary Injunctions Battailes we have also had to as little parpose For untill this last Summer the Kings Souldiers were the stronger men and gained against us both you know in what a low Condition we both were when Sir Thomas Fairfax lay before Oxford how tumultuous the Londoners were when Leycester was taken and how we were resolved to passe over the Channell if Nasby fight had gone against us And to whom we owe the thankfulnesse of that whether to