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	power_n	sit_v	3,978	5	7.3782	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A82250	A declaration or representation of the actions, intentions, and resolutions of divers of the inhabitants of the county of Hartford, which alwaies have, and still intend to stand to their first declared Parliamentary principles, in order to common right and freedom. In answer to a book, entituled, A declaration or vindication of ths [sic] Parliament of England.		1650 (1650)	Wing D784; Thomason E592_2; ESTC R210990	6,017	8

motion very often somtimes a month or five weeks somtimes more and all at our own charge without any allowance from the State or one penny abatement in our proportion of Taxes although no County in the Land of our quality were at the like charge Yea and when by neglect of doing justice upon Charles Stuart and his crew Kent and Essex did joyn with the old Cavaliers and raised a new War we did not onely keep our own County at quiet but were as ready to help others and did never forsake our first Principles viz common Rights and Freedom And whereas there is great complaining of parties carrying on the design of Charles Stuart under the name of Levellers we are sure this cannot be spoken by us who never appeared directly or indirectly in his design But we declare to the world that we would be glad to injoy what these mens declared Principles hold forth For their intentions if they had any base end we cannot see their hearts but are to judge of their intentions by what is declared in words for we had nothing but Declarations to cause us to do all that we have done And whereas there is much said to be done in order to the ends declared for truly we could be glad we were truly sensible of it But in answer to what is said to be done viz in taking away his Commissions Star-chamber-Courts Ship-money and Monopolies projects and purveyancies and the Court of Wards * To this we answer they were all taken away except the Court of Wards at the begining of this Parliament before any contest with Charles Stuart with the sword and used as an Argument to induce us to assist the Parliament against Charles Stuart So that it is clear this is just nothing in answer to our expectatations grounded upon the Parliaments Declarations which were made before these things were done And truly this is but a small requital for our service and expence this being all paid for before by way of Subsedy And for the Court of Wards we acknowledge it hath bin taken away since But we desire to know if this becomes those who say they are and desire to prove themselves good Patriots and good Christians in the discharging their trust to free themselves from all oppressions that lay upon them and the rest of the great men of the Nation although they know the greatest part of them have bin their professed and deadly Enemies And to keep all those or the greatest part of those that have adhered to the first declared Parliamentory principles in slavery to themselves and the gaeatest Cavaliers of the Land by base tenures fines hariots fealty homage c. and by tithes and the Lawes in the Norman Tongue for it is notoriously known that those that hid adhere to Charles Stuart were such whose interest was in the peoples oppressions And that the most of those that did adhere to the Parliament were not great men but such as were oppressed by great men either in Coppy-holds or Tithes or by the subtilty of the Lawyers who Caterpillar-like eat and devour all they possibly can not regarding equity or justice but how to get money right or wrong Now although there is much talking of common freedom in that book yet how far this is off or short of common freedom let the world judge This single Act of taking away the Court of Wards being all that can be said in order to common freedom and this reacheth onely the Actors and the rest of the great men of the Nation of which he greatest part are perfect Cavaliers who make the utmost use of their power to ruine and destroy all those who oppose their Tyranny by imposing great fines upon them in their Estates by alienation or decent even to the ruining of some mens Estates And others have found the like from Impropriators in the matters of Tythes who have by Ordinance of Parliament destroyed some of the Parliaments faithful friends We are also left in the like condition for many other oppressions as the Norman Laws in an unknown Tongue and the cruel practise of the same by Vipers as also the towle of Markets that none may sell their corn which is their own but first there must come Publicans and take away what they please to feast some who never take any pains for it By what hath been said let the World judge vvhether this tend to Common Freedom or to self interest or whether it is not an act of grace to the great Tyrants of the Land rather then Common Freedom and whether it is not an act of cruelty to the greatest part of the People of the Nation who have spent so much blood and treasure for the ends before mentioned And vvhereas there is much said about some mens going into Egypt under Pharaohs oppressions We declare to the whole World that vve are resolved never to look back to Pharaohs bondage again vve confess we are brought into the Wilderness and there we meet vvith hardship and difficulty but vve are resolved for the Land of Promise in the power of the Lord of Hosts and the God of all our mercies vve have already received and he vvho brought us from Pharaohs bondage and Tyranny vve beleeve vvill carry us into the Promised Land vvhere none shall hurt or oppresse or make a prey of us in any kind and although many like Israel of old vvhen Canaan vvas to be possessed gave an ill report of it and said There were Gyants and the Walls high so novv many say in the vvay to Common Freedom There is the Gyants of Self-interests Lords of Mannors and Impropriators and Lavvyers novv in povver vvho vvill never y●eld to let the People go free in this vve shall like Ioshuah and Caleb rest upon That God vvho brought us thus neer to the Promised Land to bring us into the possession of our deer bought Liberties and though vve are novv in straits and troubles in the Wildernesse yet if ever God shall be pleased to raise us up a Ioshuah to go before us vve mean a Nevv and equal Representative chosen and elected upon the grounds of equity and reason vve shall vvith all cheerful readinesse go along vvith them for the attaining all just ends desired and laboured for by all good men And if any shall say There is a Parliament already firing To this vve answer in our understandings there can be none for we are sure if there vvere there ought to be some elected by us to treat for us in things concerning our Freedom and Liberty vvhich vve sensibly knovv there is not and therefore of necessity vve must appeal to a Nevv It is also declared in that book that some complain of or aggravate the charge and burden of the Nation and that there can be no accounts given of their money and truly we say none need to tell us of our burdens or oppressions that are laid upon us for they are so heavie that we feel them sufficiently and for Accounts we believe that those who share the Nations Treasure among thems●lves by hundreds and thousands never intend to give account for it unless they are forced to it It is also said there are special Commissions given out to Try some men as Disturbers of the Common-Wealth At which we stand amazed that those who call themselves good Patriots and good Christians should at this time set up that which at the begining of the Parliament was so much cried down for cruelty when it was done by Charles Stuart but truly we declare to those men who sit to do such Acts that they would have got as much credit and love if they had spent that time to have done some good Action for the Nation which they spent to destroy honest men that have stood alwaies for Common good And taking notice also of a thing called an Act for taking the Engagement We declare our resolution at once for standing against King or kingly power we are fully resolved upon the grounds of reason that Government being tyranical vexatious and very chargeable and for the House of Lords we are the like for when we had a Parliament although the House of Commons made but few good motions for us yet we alwaies found the Lords obstructing and hindring and therefore we shall to the utmost endeavor against them but to engage to be true to the Common-wealth as it is now established we know not what that means for Government we see none but the old tyranical Norman Government or a Government by the power of the Sword which if it continue is very tedious to us but put the case there were a just Government setled which we see none yet in reason vve could not engage to stand to it because vve have no men impowered by us that have bad any hand in making or establishing it if it vvere for in so doing we 〈◊〉 up our vvhole Right of Election by consenting and seting out 〈…〉 such a Government as vvas made vvhen vve had no part or share in the making of it and by this our resolution is declared concerning it We also declare to the vvhole World that if ever vve recover our Right of a New Election of a New Representative for vvhich vve engaged against the chief Tyrant of the Norman Race We also resolve against all his Creatures and never intend to chuse one of them more for a Parliament man vvhile vve live vve mean lords of Mannors Impropriators and Lawyers vvhose Interest is in our oppression and at this day keep us in bondage like Egyptian Task-masters having by policy and our money got the Soldiers to decline their promises to us and support them We also resolve never to petition these men more vvho now rule over us nor never to recruit them if they would have us By this it shall be known to be a general consent of those exprest in the Title FINIS