Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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B09217
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To the honourable House of Commons assembled in Parliament the case and humble petition of Benjamin Harris, bookseller prisoner in the Kings-bench.
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Harris, Benjamin, d. 1716?; England and Wales. Parliament. House of Commons.
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1681
(1681)
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Wing H842; ESTC R178004
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2,549
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8
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To the Honourable House of Commons Assembled in PARLIAMENT THE CASE AND Humble PETITION OF Benjamin Harris BOOKSELLER Prisoner in the KINGS-BENCH Humbly Sheweth THat Your Petitioner being a Citizen of London that formerly Liv'd in Good Fashion and Repute Hath not only been Exposed to the Indelible Ignominy of Standing In the Pillory before his Own House near the Royal Exchange But also Confin'd for above Thirteen Months last past and still continues a Prisoner in Execution for 500 l. Fine Imposed upon him in Hillary Term 1680. by the Lord Chief-Justice Scroggs and the rest of the Judges of the Court of King's-Bench Which Your Petitioner being altogether Unable to Pay is consequently doom'd to as wretched a state as if he had been Condemned to the Gallies since like them his Misery has no Prospect of Terminating but with his Life And withal his distressed Wife and many Innocent Helpless Children sharing in the same Calamity and being hereby inevitably reduced to Ruine and the utmost Extremities And all this for no other Crime or Offence so much as Alledged against him save only That he did In the way of his Trade cause to be Re-printed and sell a certain Book Intituled An Appeal from the Countrey to the City for the Preservation of His Majesties Person Liberty Property and the Protestant Religion In which Book the Onely Words excepted against and charged as Criminal in the Information brought against Your Petitioner and upon which he receiv'd this Unparallel'd Judgment are these Speaking concerning Electing of Members to serve in Parliament We in the Countrey have done our Parts in Chusing for the Generality Good Members to Serve in Parliament But if as our Two last Parliaments were they must be Dissolved or Prorogued when ever they come to Redress the Grievances of the Subject we may be Pity'd but not Blam'd If the PLOT takes Effect as in all Probability it will our Parliaments are not then to be Condemned for that their not being suffer'd to Sit occasion'd it And as these were all the Words charged as by the Information appears And that Your Petitioner did onely Re-print it from and by a Printed Copy then commonly Sold about Town Publish'd as hath been offered to the Lord Chief-Justice Scroggs to be proved by Thompson commonly called The Popish Printer So after all this Hardship to Your Petitioner the said Thompson who first set it abroad was never in the least Question'd or Prosecuted for the same And as Your Humble Suppliant with all Gratitude acknowledges the abundant Charity and Kindness of the Honourable House of Commons in the late Ever-Honour'd Parliament towards him in Repeating on his behalf the Addresses and Requests of that Honourable House to His Majesty That He would Graciously be pleased to Remit Your Petitioner's Fine So nothing in all Your Petitioner's Troubles has more sensibly afflicted him than that he should be so Unhappy as to be misrepresented to His Majesty by some ill Men speaking either out of Malice or meerly on false unjust Reports as a Person of Disloyal or Seditious Principles Your Petitioner being really and sincerely a most Dutiful and Affectionate Honorer of His Majesties Person and Government Both which he prays Almighty God long to preserve and continue And as to the Expressions alledged to be spoken That Thousands would stand by him c. No such words were ever utter'd by Your Petitioner And one of the Witnesses that testified against him at his Tryal has since Publickly and Freely acknowledged before divers Witnesses That he there swore falsly and ask'd Your Petitioner pardon for the same Wherefore since Your Petitioner's Misery is so Unsupportable and the Occasion thereof no other than as aforesaid And for that in the Resolutions of the late House of Commons the said Proceedings against Your Petitioner as to such Excessive Fine were declared Partial Arbitrary and Illegal And because Your Petitioner can never hope for Liberty but must certainly perish in this Loathsom Confinement and his Numerous Family Beg their Bread unless His Majesty at the Intercession of You His most Great and Wise Councel shall be Graciously pleased to Remit that Disproportionate Fine which 't is impossible for Your Petitioner ever to Raise And since Your Petitioner has been thus Ruin'd and remains still under such Severity And that the late Parliament were pleased to have Your Petitioner under Nomination for Printing Their VOTES Though Your Petitioner did not then get any thing thereby but Others went wholly away with the Profit Your Petitioner humbly begs That this Honourable House would take him into Their Pious Consideration and Allow him Now the Priviledge of Printing the Votes of this Present Parliament at Oxford or of the sole Reprinting them at London from time to time or such Share therein to support himself and Family from Perishing as the Compassion and Wisdom of this Honourable House shall deem meet In which Your Petitioner assures himself he shall not because Confin'd be Postpon'd for the Importunities of others who enjoying Liberty cannot pretend so much Equity in their Requests though they may have Opportunities of making greater Interests For he is confident the Justice of so wise a Senate will charitably extend their Favors not meerly to those that stand Next or are most Importunate but to such as have the most Need of them Or should it be said That Your Petitioner because in Prison cannot so well manage that Affair for the Service of the House and the Publick Your Petitioner hopes there will not appear any weight in that Objection since 't is well known That Your Petitioner has for divers Weeks together during this Rigid Confinement Publish'd though with very little Encouragement of Advantage by reason of the Swarms of Papers daily Emitted his Intelligence and divers other Sheets tending to Unvail the Designs of the Papists Advance the Protestant Interest and Vindicate the Justice and Loyalty of the Last Parliament And also has given the World a true Account of more PETITIONS ADDRESSES and APPLICATIONS for the Sitting of this present Parliament than any Pretender to Intelligence whatsoever And therefore does not doubt but by his Servants and Agents he may as well either at Oxford or London dispatch the VOTES where there is a certain Prospect of Profit as he did those other things where there has been very little private Advantage But besides Your Petitioner being an Evidence against Sir William Scroggs who stands Impeached of Treason and other High Crimes and Misdemeanors in Parliament ought and may as he humbly conceives on an Habeas Corpus if the Honourable House judge his Testimony material be brought down and allowed de Die in Diem to Attend as long as You shall Sit or till that Charge be Try'd Your Poor Petitioner is not insensible of Your manifold weighty Affairs which much deter'd him from interrupting You with this his private Concern But hopes the Dismal Circumstances he is under and the Afflicting Complaints of his Poor Wife and Children may Excuse the Vnusual Boldness of it and prevail with so Christian an Assembly to take Pity on Him and Them so far as 't is Just and Reasonable And Your Petitioner as in Duty bound shall ever pray for Your Respective Safeties the Blessing of God on all Your Consultations an Hearty Agreement between the KING and His good Subjects the long Life of His Majesty the Preservation of the Protestant Religion and our just Liberties and Properties From my Confinement in the Kings-Bench Mar. 19. 1680 1.