Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	great_a	read_v	time_n	3,650	5	3.4648	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A82034	An exact relation of the proceedings and transactions of the late Parliament: their beginning and ending. With a briefe account of their expence of the time of their session, and of the acts that were made by them, who were dissolved the 12. Decemb. 1653. As likewise of foure great votes, viz. I. For abolishing the Court of Chancery. II. For a new modell of the law. III. For taking away the power of patrons to make presentations. IV. That innocent negative vote of not agreeing with the report of the committee for tithes. And an account of some reasons of those votes: with a briefe apology in way of vindication of those gentlemen that appeared for the votes from the great out-cry made against them. By L.D. a Member of the late Parliament.	L. D., member of the late Parliament.	1654 (1654)	Wing D52; Thomason E729_6; ESTC R19772	22,347	31

uncertaine darke and concealed as few are able to come to the knowledge of them Those of the profession of the Law differing in very many cases what the Law is and being of severall opinions about this and the other thing And then how should others though highly concerned be able to understand them and their Interest therein contained There being so many Law-Bookes of great Bulke so many old mustie Records Reports and Book-Cases As that after the time spent in School-learning the rest of the Time of the flower of a mans yeares would be little enough to reade them over and peruse them And beside those Records and Book-Cases are very ill Guides or Lights to goe by for who knoweth the Circumstances that did attend them which alters oft times the whole Case who knoweth whither in those Cases bribery did not make the Judgement or the powerfullnesse of some great man or the love or hatred of the Judge or the Negligence or Corruption of the Advocate And besides in those Law-Cases some presidents are directly Contrary to others And an Advocate or Counsell alledgeth one Case or Report and another another and then the Judge followeth which he pleaseth how Arbitrary is the Law in this Case and at what uncertainty are the great Interests and proprieties of men Beside how various are the Customs which notwithstanding passeth for Law Usually unknown but to some old men of the place which though it be never so unrighteous and unreasonable Time out of minde carries it How bulky and voluminous are the Statute Books and of so great a price as few are able to buy them and so large that few can spare time to read them to know their right and how they are concerned in them and yet they must be judged and stand or fall by them And many times some old musty Statute of a hundred years old and more imprinted is found and made use of by some crafty Lawyer to the undoing of an honest man that meant no hurt nor knew any thing at all of the danger Upon something held forth to this effect the Vote was carried for a New body or model of the Law and a Committee chosen to that end who met often and had the helpe of some Gentlemen of worth that have deserved well of their Countrey being true Patriots who liked well the thing as very usefull and desireable It being not a destroying of the LAW or putting it downe as some scandalously reported But a reducing the wholsome just and good Laws into a Body from them that are useless and out of date such as concerned the Bishops and holy Church so called and were made in favour of Kings and the lusts of great men of which there are very many the Law of God being eyed and right Reason looked unto in all there being some of the Laws that are contrary to both as the putting men to death for Theft The sparing the lives of men for Murther under the notion and name of Manslaughter a term and distinction not found in the righteous Law of God And that unreasonable Law that if a Waggon or Cart c. driven by the owner or some other with never so great care and endeavour fall and kill any person the owner though it were his own son or servant could no way help it shall loose his Horse and Waggon by the prophane and superstitious name of Deodand And the owners of the goods shall loose them also upon the same account though they were as innocent as Abel other instances might also be given The way the Committee took in order to their work which must needs be elaborate was by reducing the severall Laws to their proper heads to which they did belong and so modelizing or imbodying of them taking knowledge of the nature of them and what the Law of God said in the case and now agreeable to right reason they were likewise how proportionable the punishment was to the offence or crime and wherein there seemed any thing either deficient or excessive to offer a supply and remedie in order to rectifying the whole The Committee began with Criminals Treason being the highest they considered the kinds what was meet to be a judged Treason in a free Common-wealth and what was meet to be the punishment of Grand and Pettie Treason Then they proceeded to Murther the kinds of it and what was to be so ajudged and the punishment thereof The like they intended concerning Theft and after to have asertained and secured propertie As also the excecutive part of the Law so as a person should not need to loose or part with one propertie to secure and keep another as now it is Persons being forced to loose or part with the propertie of their Cow to keep the property of their Horse and one peice or parcel of Land to preserve and keep another Which Body of Law when modelized was to be reported to the House to be considered of and passed by them as they should see cause A work great and of high and great esteem with many for the great fruit and benefit that would come by it By which means the great volumes of Law would come to be reduced into the bigness of a pocket book as it is proportionable in New England and elsewhere A thing of so great worth and benefit as England is not yet worthy of nor likely in a short time to be so blessed as to injoy And this being the true End and Endeavour of those Members that laboured in that Committee it is submitted to every godly and rationall man in the Nation whether as is most falsly and wickedly reported and charged upon persons acting in so much love to their Countrey their endeavours tended to destroying the whole Laws and pulling them up by the roots The third Vote was the taking away of patrons Presentations which thing is one of the strong holds of Sathan At the passing of this Vote some Gentlemen were greatly offended pretending it was a destroying and taking away proprietie The Gentleman that moved first to have the House dissolved made this one of his great Reasons why he could sit no longer with his fellows being very contious like those that stumble at a straw and yet leap over a block Tith mint and Commin and neglect the great things of the Law This Vote after a sharp Debate was carried in in which very sober Gentlemen concurred such as are not blemished as Sectaries or Levellers Though they had of this kind o● propertie themselves some two or three a peece that out of conscience for the better advance of the knowledge of the Gospel and Interest of the Lord Christ they were willing to part with their right herein The nature of this propriety may be a little minded because of the great outcry that is every where made Oh the Parliament men many of them are such as would destroy all property As if they had none themselves when as though all of