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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A62846 The danger of mercenary Parliaments Toland, John, 1670-1722. 1698 (1698) Wing T1765; ESTC R10340 11,445 8

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France with Timber and skilful Workmen for building Ships as well as expert Mariners and a prodigious quantity of Brass and Iron Canon Morter-pieces and Bullets from the Tower by the help of which our own treacherous King w●s able to boast publickly and thank God that he had at last made his Brother of France a Seaman By this means the Honour of England was prostituted and our Natural and Naval Strength betray'd with which like SAMPSON we should easily have broken all the Cords that Europe or the whole World could have made to bind and enslave us had not this Parliament made a Sacrifice of all to the Charms of a French DALILAH To this profligate and villanous Reign we are to ascribe the loss of all the considerable Charters of England the deaths of our best Patriots the encouragement and almost establishment of Popery the decay of Trade the growth of Arbitrary Power the ill effects of dishonourable Leagues the shutting up of the Exchequer the progress of all sorts of Debauchery the servile compliances at Court of a rampant Hierarchy in the Kingdom the insolent Deportment of the inferior Clergy both in the Universities and elsewhere their slavish Doctrine of Passive Obedience and Nonresistance in short a general depravation of Manners and almost utter extirpation of Virtue and moral Honesty These and all the other Mischiefs of that Reign are justly chargeable to the account of that pension'd Parliament who either were the immediate Authors or the undoubted causers of them who tho they sat long and often and could not be ignorant of our deplorable Condition yet having their Eyes blinded with the dust of Gold and their Tongues lock'd up with Silver Keys they durst not cry out for the rescue of their Country thus inhumanly ravish'd in their very presence It will not consist with my de●●gn'd Brevity nor is it here necessary to give the Reasons that induc'd the Court to dissolve that Parliament nor shall I take any further notice of their great and fortunat oversight in doing it nor of their unfeign'd Repentance afterwards for it I shall only observe That if the Nation had been so senslesly stupid to have chosen the same Members a second time who were Pensioners in the foregoing Parliament we had long ago suffer'd the dismal Consequences of our folly and madness in such a Choice nor should we now have had this liberty to warn one another against splitting upon the like Rocks and falling into the same Precipices But they were wiser in those times and the consideration of the dreadful Shipwrack they had so lately escapt made them choose Pilots of a quite contrary disposition who as far as in them lay and as long as they were permitted to sit at the Helm repair'd the shatter'd Vessel of the Commonwealth restor'd its Honour reviv'd its drooping Genius gave force to its Laws countenance to its Religion and in a great measure reduc'd our banish'd Liberties and expos'd the Persons who sold them to the universal hatred and reproach of their fellow Subjects a Punishment indeed infinitely less than they deserv'd for the highest Crime a Member of Parliament is capable of committing 5. As for King IAMES's Reign tho it was notoriously guilty of the breach and violation of most of our fundamental Laws which sufficiently justifies our Carriage towards him yet cannot we say that his Mismanagement is to be ascrib'd to the corruption of any Parliament sitting in his time 'T is true indeed he reap'd too much advantage from the Conduct of the brib'd Parliament in his Brother's Reign and us'd all possible endeavours to procure such another for himself well knowing it to be the most effectual means for carrying on his ruinous and destructive Projects yet either from the unshaken Constancy of the People or want of dexterity in his Ministers he was altogether defeated in his Expectation 6. This miserable disappointment of King IAMES's hopes made way for our late glorious Revolution which was brought about by the hearty endeavours and accompanied with the most unfeigned vows and wishes of all true Lovers of their Country who from hence expected a full deliverance from their present Miseries and a sure remedy from their future Fears For what Happiness might not the People well hope for under the Government of the best of Kings supported by the best of Titles viz. The general Consent and Election of his People We were fill'd with golden dreams not only of a bare security for our Estates and Lives but an inexhausted affluence of all manner of Blessings a Nation is capable of enjoying But tho we have dreamt the Dreams yet have we not seen the Visions And tho the Nation is by this time sadly sensible how wretchedly they have fallen short of their expected Happiness yet are they not all acquainted with the true Spring and Fountain from whence all their Misfortunes flow which is indeed no other than that bare-fac'd and openly avow'd Corruption which like a universal Leprosy has so notoriously infected and overspread both our Court and Parliament 'T is from hence are plainly deriv'd all the Calamities and Distractions under which the whole Nation at present groans 'T is this that has chang'd the very Natures of Englishmen and of Valiant made them Cowards of Eloquent Dumb and of honest Men Villains 't is this can make a whole House of Commons eat their own words and countervote what they had just before resolv'd on 't is this could summon the mercenary Members from all quarters of the Town in an instant to vote their fellow Criminals innocent 't is this that can make a Parliament throw away the Peoples Mony with the utmost profusion without enquiring into the management of it 't is this that put a stop to the examination of that scandalous escape of the Thoulon Fleet into Brest 't is this that has encourag'd the mismanagements of the Admiralty in relation to the loss of so vast a number of Men of War and Merchant Ships as well as other Miscarriages which were by all Men judg'd to proceed not from their want of understanding in Sea-Affairs 't is this that has hindred the passing a Bill so often brought into the House for incapacitating Members to bear Offices 't is this that could not only indemnify but honour a leading Member for his audacious procuring and accepting a Grant of Lands which by the Parliament had been set apart for the public Service a Vote that shall stand recorded in their own Journals to the never-dying Infamy of that mercenary Assembly 't is this could make the same Person most confidently affirm that he was sure the majority of the House would agree to what he was going to propose 't is this that could make Men of peaceable Dispositions and considerable Estates vote for a Standing Army 't is this that could bring Admirals to confess that our Fleet under their Command was no security to us 't is this could make wise Men act against