Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	competent_a	good_a	great_a	22	3	2.1286	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A48472	The picture of the Councell of State, held forth to the free people of England by Lieut. Col. John Lilburn, M. Thomas Prince, and M. Richard Overton, now prisoners in the Tower of London for bearing testimony to the liberties of England against the present tyrants at White-Hall, and their associates, or, a full narrative of the late extrajudiciall and military proceedings against them ; together with the substance of their severall examinations, answers, and deportments before them at Darby-house, upon March 28 last.	Lilburne, John, 1614?-1657.; Prince, Thomas.; Overton, Richard, fl. 1646.	1649 (1649)	Wing L2155; ESTC R10562	40,210	29

and by the Order of the Councel of State appointed by authority of Parliament Jo. Bradshaw President Note that we were committed upon Wensday their fast day being the best fruits that ever any of their fasts brought out amongst them viz. To sinite with the fist of wickednesse For the illegallity of this warrant I shall not say much because it is like all the rest of the warrants of the present House of Commons and their unjust Committees whose Warrants are so sufficiently anatomized by my quondam Comrade M. John Wildeman though much degenerated his Books called Truths Triumph and the Laws subversion being Sir John Maynard's Case truly stated and by my self in my late plea before the Judges of the Kings Bench now in print and intituled The Laws Funerall that it is needlesse to say any more of that particular and therefore to them I refer the Reader But to go on When we had read our Warrants we told Mr. Frost we would not dispute the legality of them because we were under the force of Guards of armed Musketiers So some time was spent to finde a man that would go with us to prison Captain Jenkins as I remember his name being Captain of the Guard and my old and familiar acquaintance was prevailed with by us to take the charge upon him who used us very civilly and gave us leave that night it being so late to go home to our Wives and took our words with some other of our friends then present to meet him in the morning at the Angel Tavern neer the Tower which we did accordingly and so marched with him into the Tower where coming to the Lieutenants House and after salutes each of other with very much civility the Lieutenant read his Warrants and Mr. Walwin as our appointed mouth acquainted him that we were Englishmen who had hazarded all we had for our Liberties and Freedoms for many yeers together and were resolved though Prisoners not to part with an inch of our Freedoms that with strugling for we could keep and therefore we should neither pay Fees nor chamber-rent but what the Law did exactly require us neither should we eat or drink of our own cast or charges so long as we could fast telling him it was our unquestionable right by Law and the custom of this place to be provided for out of the publick Treasure although we had never so much money in our pockets of our own which he granted to be true and after some more debate I told him we were not so irrationall as to expect that he out of his own money should provide for us but the principall end of our discourse with him was to put words in his mouth from our selves he being now our Guardian to move the Parliament or Councel of State about us which he hath acquainted us he did to the Councel of State who he saith granted the King or former times used to provide for the Prisoners But I say they will not be so just as he was in that particular although they have taken off his head for tyranny yet they must and will be greater Tyrants then he yea and they have resolved upon the Question that he shall be a Traytor that shall but tell them of their Tyranny although it be never so visible But let me tell them that saying of Mr. John Cook their Solicitor general in his Book called the Kings case stated is most true That in condemning the King for tyranny they have already past Sentence against themselves when they tyrannize But I say and will make it good upon my life before competent Judges that they are greater Tyrants then the King was and the Ring-leaders of them better deserved his punishment of losse of their heads then he did for he never made such professions of Libertie and Justice to the People as they have done but always maintained the people had no share in Government and that for his misgovernment he was accountable to none but God and yet I will justifie it their actions are as wicked as his yea I will maintain it that the cruel tyrant Duke D'Alva so much mentioned in Edmond Grimstons generall History of the Neather-Lands lib. 9. who with his High Court of Justice or Counsell of State put above eighteen thousand to death under pretence of Justice in less then five yeers fol. 435. 462. was more excusable then the Leaders of these men Yea bloudy Qu. Mary in comparison was a Saint to these men who never went about to burn or hang the Martyrs but for transgressing a Law in being yea and let them enjoy open tryals according to Law but these men would hang us for Traitors although we have transgressed none of their Laws yea and in the night contrary to Law in a close room examine us against our selves without producing face to face either prosecutor accuser or witnesse yea or so much as laying any crime unto our charge our chiefest Adversaries being our Judges Wherefore Hear O heavens and give ear O earth So now I have brought the Reader to my old contented lodging in the Tower where within two or three days of our arrivall there came one M. Richardson a Preacher amongst those unnatural un-English-like men that would now help to destroy the innocent and the first promoters in England as Cromwels beagles to do his pleasure of the first Petition for a personal Treaty almost two yeers ago and commonly stile themselves the Preachers to the seven Churches of Anabaptists which Richardson pretending a great deal of affection to the Common-wealth to Cromwel and to us and prest very hard for union and peace and yet by his petition since this endeavours to hang us telling us men cryed mightily out upon us abroad for grand disturbers that sought Cromwels bloud for all his good Service to the Nation and that would center nowhere but meerly laboured to pull down those in power to set up our selves And after a little discourse with him being all four present and retorting all he said back upon those he seemed to plead for before severall witnesses we appealed to his own conscience to this effect whether those could intend any hurt or tyranny to the people that desire and earnestly endeavoures for many years together that all Magistrates hands might be bound and limited by a just law and rule with a penalty annexed unto it that in case they out-stripe their rule they might forfeit life and estate therefore and that all Magistrates might be chosen by the free people of this Nation by common consent according to their undubitable right and often removed that so they might not be like standing waters subject to corruption and that the people might have a plain easie short and known Rule amongst themselves to walk by administred in their own Countries but such men were all we and therefore justly could not be stiled disturbers of any but onely such as sought to rule over the people by their absolute