Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	bench_n	court_n	king_n	1,919	5	4.4386	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A66820	The high court of justice. Or Cromwells new slaughter-house in England With the authoritie that constituted and ordained it, arraigned, convicted, and condemned; for usurpation, treason, tyrannie, theft, and murder. Being the III. part of the Historie of independencie: written by the same author.; High court of justice	Walker, Clement, 1595-1651.; Andrews, Eusebius, d. 1650.	1651 (1651)	Wing W324D; ESTC R203985	41,776	78

Charge or Accusation and gave five Months time to the Respondents to make their defence And had he given lesse then five Months time To Instruct Counsell Pen their Answers produce and summon witnesses inquire into the lives conversation of their Accusors his feet had been swift to shed blood Nulla unquam de morte hominis cunctatio longa est But our Inquisitors take whole years to themselves to hunt for Matter of Accusation and hire and engage witnesses against men kept in ignorance and want with close imprisonment and allow not them so many dayes to make their Defence All manner of Accusors and witnesses though apparently suborned and forsworn in the same cause and proofes without exceptions offered to the Court that they are of infamous life and conversation are in this Court the Object of whose desires are blood and Confiscations not Iustice lawfull witnesses such witnesses were the said Bernard and Pits Monsters of man See Sir John Gels case stated Printed about August 1650. To Cite any antient known Laws or Statutes or any other then their own new coined Acts passed by this 8. Part of a House of Commons since they became elect Members chosen by Thomas Pride is to incur the High Indignation of the Court expressed abundantly in their words looks But to put them in minde of the Parliaments many Declarations to maintain the ancient known Laws Liberties and Properties of the people is to scandall the present Government and incur the Censure of that unknown mysterious Crime which knaves call Malignancy The witnesses and Judges being thus irrefragable the first may swear what they will the second may judge what they will since they are left at large and have all things in scrinio pectoris and Book Law must give place to Bench Law The Jurisdiction and Authority of this New unparalelled Court is such a Mistery of iniquity so unscrutable and unquestionable that if a prisoner scruple in the least either it or any of the uncouth proceedings of it it is a Mortall sin to him and he is presently interrupted and affronted both with disdainfull words and looks And told We are satisfied with our Authority that are your Judges so are Thieves upon the High way satisfied with their Authority that rob and murther us by Gods Providence and permission It is upon Gods Authority and the Kingdoms yet what they do is against the will of God revealed in his Scriptures and against the known established Laws Statutes and continual Practise of the Kingdome Which Authority commands you in the name of the People of England to answer them Yet at lest 9. parts of 10. of the people so much abhorre these and other their Practises that every mans mouth speakes against them with bitter curses and reproaches to restrain which they have minted Acts of New Treasons to make men Offenders nay Traitors even for bare words and erected this bloudy illegall Theater The High Court so called for its High Injustice as a Spanish Inquisition over them every mans hand would be about their ears did they not keep an Army of Janisaries to suppresse them Their Authority they do avow to the whole World that the whole Kingdom are to rest satisfied therewith You see here a Whip and a Bell provided to keep the whole Kingdom in aw the declared Supreme power of their Soveraign Lord the people must resign their known Laws to their Trustees their Representatives in parliament and take new Laws from their Arbitrary Votes or wo be to their Necks and Shouldiers I must interrupt you what you do is not agreeable to the Proceedings of any Court of Justice You are about to enter into Argument and dispute concerning the Authority of this Court before whom you appeare as a prisonner you may not dispute the Authority of this Court nor will any Court give way to it you are to submit to it It is not safe to confute a lye told with Authority Yet if a man be Endicted of Treason or Felony in the Court of Common Pleas a man may Demurre to and dispute the Jurisdiction of that Court because it is not in Criminall Causes Competens Forum nor the Judges Compentent Judges every man and every cause must be tried Suo Foro non Alieno 80 if a Peer be Arraigned in the Kings Bench And for this upstart unpresidented High Court it is no Court of Judicature at all as being erected without lawful Authority Consisting of Incompetent Judges no Records belonging to it and tending to disinherit and disfranchise all the People of England and to murder them You may not dispute the Jurisdiction of the Supreme and Highest Authority of England from which there is no Appeal The Votes of the Commons of England assembled in Parliament is the Reason of the Kingdome Oh Brutish irrational Kingdome Where 40. or 50. Anabaptisticall Members the Dregs and Lees of the House of Commons after all the best and sincerest 7. parts of 8. had been racked and purged out at the Bunghole by Cromwell the Brewer and Pride his Drayman shall be called the Reason and Law of the Land This confirms the truth of what King Charls the I. Objected to the Parliament whereof I have formerly spoken That they disposed of the Subjects Lives and Fortunes by their own Votes against the known Laws of the Land But that there should be no Appeal to their declared Soveraign Lord the people from their subordinate Trustees in Parliament is wonderfull Considering that in all Governments The last Appeal is ever to the Highest and most Absolute power But it may be they will be the Peoples Trustees in spight of their Teeth and by the power of the Sword and so free themselves from rendring any account of their Stewardship You may not Demurre to the Jurisdiction of the Court If you do they let you know that they over rule your Demerrer and affirm their own Jurisdiction Reason is not to be he heard against the Highest Jurisdiction the Commons of England make a direct positive Answer either by denying or confessing and put in immediately an issuable Plea Guilty or Not Guilty of the Charge or we will record your Default and contumacy and by an implicite confession take you guilty pro confesso immediately give judgment against you This as I told you before is it that blanches the Deer into the Toile But God deliver us from that Jurisdiction that is too high to hear Reason and that over rules Demurrers before they be heard I have told you as much of the proceedings of this Court as the Novelty Obscurity uncertainty and confusion thereof will give me leave Let me now by way of overplus give you the great dangers and slavery that will be fall all sorts of People if they tamely and cowardly suffer themselves to be deprived of their auticent legal Tryals by Endictment and Juries of the Neighbour hood then which the whole world cannot boast of a more equall

proceedings but at their own pleasure 1. ARTICLE All Petitions heretofore tendered to the States or Cities Corporate against the erecting of New Episcopall Sees or against the Holy Inquisition or requiring a Moderation of Decrees or Acts of State or Parliament are accounted meer Conspiracies against God and the King 2. ARTICLE All Nobles Gentry Judges Magistrates and all others who connived at Hereticall Sermons plundering of Churches and delivering such Petitions as aforesaid pretending the necessitie of the times and did not resist and oppose them 3. ART Whosoever affirms That all his Majesties Subjects of Belgia have not forfeited their auncient Priviledges Immunities and Lawes for Treason and that it is not lawfull for the King to use and handle them for the aforesaid Treasons as he pleaseth to prevent the like Treasons for the time to come and that the King is not absolved thereby from all Oathes Promises Graunts Contracts and Obligations whatsoever 4. ART They that affirm This Counsell or high Court of Justice to exercise Tiranny in their Proceedings or Judgements and that they are not Supreme and competent Judges in all causes Criminal and Civil 5. ART Those that in case of Heresie deny that all manner of Informers and witnesses of whatsoever Degree and condition they be are to be credited and that upon the Testimony of any two witnesses this High Court ought to proceed to Judgement execution and conflication of life and goods without publishing the cause or charge and without any legal form of Triall All these are guilty of high Treason against God and the King The Rigor Cruelty and Injustice of this New erected Counsell of Bloud or High Court of Justice inforced the Lowe Countries to revolt and cast off the King of Spain LEt us now examine whether in some one little Province or Island belonging to that vast Roman Empire and in some meane petty fellowes Natives of that Island men even at home of obscure birth breeding and fortunes we can not finde examples of Ambition usurpation and Tiranny as high and transcendent as bloudy and destructive as covetous and greedy as any of the fore-cited presidents And which is worst of all carried on by those that call themselves Christians nay Saints which is more than they vouchsafe to Saint Peter and the rest of the Apostles though glorified Saints in the Church Triumphant and such as in all their bloudy oppressing cheating Designes promoted by perjury Treachery breach of Faith Oaths and publike Declarations pretend to the singular favour Providence and will of heaven as confidently as if they could shew Gods special commission to warrant Usurpation Treason Tyranny and Thievery It is not unknown by what Artifices frauds falsified promises Oaths and covenants a party of Antimonarchists Schismaticks and Anabaptists lurking in the Parliament fooled the People to contribute their blood and money towards the subduing of the King and in him of themselves and how by the same wayes and subtleties the said Party in the two Houses now combined openly under the Generall Title of Independents engaging and conspiring with the Officers of the Army and Souldiery expelled by armed force seven parts of eight of the House of Commons leaving not above 43 or 44 of their own engaged Party sitting men enriched with publike spoiles and voting under the power of the Armies commanders whose commands are now become a law to the said sitting Members as their Votes are become Laws to the Kingdome In Obedience to their said Masters of the Army The said Remainder of Commons voted down the House of Lords though an integrall and principall Member of the Parliament of England farr antienter then the House of Commons and having a power of Judicature and to administer an Oath which the House of Commons never had nor pretended to have untill this time that they overflow their Bounds and the whole Kingdomes under the protection of their Army which prerogative of the House of Lords is clearly demonstrated by the House of Commons standing bare before them at all conserences as the Grand Enquest doth before the Judges because they rejected the Ordinance for Triall of the King And now these Dregs and Lees of the House of Commons take upon them to be a compleat Parliament To enact and repeal Statutes to subvert the Fundamentall Government Laws and Liberties of the Land To pull up by the Roots without Legall proceedingss every mans private property and possession and destroy his life To burden the people with unsupportable unheard of unparliamentary Taxes Impositions Excise Freequarter buying of New Arms after the Countrey have been disarmed of their old Arms three times in one year Pressings and Levying of Souldiers Sequestrations Plundering of Houses and Horse and many other oppressions more than the Turk Russe or Tarter ever heard of of all which our Grandees are free and lay them upon others as partially as they please purposely to consume them To make Religion but a stalking horse to their designes and the Ministers thereof but hostlers to rub down curry and dresse it for their riding to whom they send Commands what they shall and shall not preach to the people as if preaching were the Ordinance of man not of God At last by way of preparative to their machinanations they passe these following votes 1. That all Supreme power is in the people 2. That the Supreme Authority under them is in the peoples Representatives or delegates in Parliament assembled Meaning themselves you may be sure the Quintessence and Elixar of the House of Commons extracted by those learned Chimicks Doctour Fairfax Doctour Cromwell and the rest graduated at that degraded University of Oxford Here note they voted the Supreme power to be in the people that they might use those Gulles as Conduit Pipes or Trunks to convey the Supreme Authority into themselves the better to enslave the people And tickle them whilest they fasten about their necks the Iron yoke of a Military Oligarchy wearing the Mask of a perpetuall Parliament 3. That whatsoever the Commons in Parliament shall enact shall have the power and force of an Act of Parliament or Law without the consent of the House of Lords or the Kings Koyal Assent any statute law custome or usage to the contrary notwithstandingr they might have said all our statutes laws customes c. notwithstanding This one vote hath more of Dissolution and more of Vsurpation and Innovation in it than any I yet ever read of This is universally Arbitrary and layes the Ax to the root of all our Lawes Liberties Lives and properties at once What these men will they vote What they vote is Law Therefore what they will is Law 4. That to wage warre or beare Arms against the Representative body of the People or Parliament is high Treason By the law all Treasons are committed against the King his Crown and Dignity 5. That the King hath taken up Armes against this Parliament and is therefore guilty

Souldiers were not so wicked as their Masters Yet we daily see many good Families in England despoiled of their Estates for want of protection of the laws brought to miserable beggery rather than they will wrong their consciences by subscribing this damnable Engagement contrary to the Protestation and Covenant imposed by this Parliament contrary to the known law of this land which this Parliament hath declared to observe and keep in all things concerning the lives liberties and properties of the people with all things incident thereto contrary to this Parliaments reiterated votes that they would not change the Ancient Government by a King Lords and Commons And contrary to the Oathes of Allegeance Obedience and Supremacy whereby and by the Stat. of Recognition 1. Jac. our Allegeance is tied onely to the King his Heires and Lawfull Successers from which no power on earth can absolve us and so much we attest in the Oath of Supremacy Politicus Interpreter to our new State-Puppet play Numb. 19. from Sept. 19. to Sept. 26. out of the dictates of his Masters tells us that in Answer to the Kings Act of oblivion granted the Parliament intends to passe an Act of Generall pardon for which they expect in future a Generall obedience submission to the government you see though they will not be the Kings subjects they will be his Apes and in the beginning of the said Pamphlet Politicus saith That Protection implies obedience otherwise they may be handled as publike Enemies and outlawes and ought to be destroyed as Traitors Here you have the end to which this generall pardon is intended it is but a shooing-horn to draw on the utmost penalty upon Non-engagers appointed by the said pretended Act 2. Ian. 1649. to weed them out of this good Land that the Saints only may enjoy the earth and the fullness thereof to which purpose all their new coyned Acts and Lawes are directed The Scripture points forth these kind of men when it saith The Mercies of the wicked are cruell The sum of all is If we will not acknowledge Allegeance to these Mush-romes we shall be Traitors without Alleageance a Treason never yet heard of in any Law If we will acknowledge Allegeance we put our selves in a capacity to be Traitors when they shall please to make us such But let them know That we are all Englishmen Free-born alike under the Protection of an antient legall Monarchy to which we owe Alleageance and how we come to forfeit that legall Protection our setled laws and Government and be subjected to a New unknowne Protection obtruded upon us by a Company of upstarts Mushromes of Majesty so meane in birth and breeding for the most part that the place of a Constable equalls the highest of their education imposing what Lawes and conditions upon us they please I would be glad to heare without being hindered by Guns Drums High Courts of Iustice and other Instruments of violence Murder But the greatest Mistery in this cheat is That our Self-created Supremists having voted the originall power to be in the people and but a derivative Authority to be in themselves as the Representative of the people should notwithstanding so yoake their Soveraigne Lord the people and make them pay Allegeance to their own Delegates the 8. part of a House of Commons under the penalty unless they subscribe as the far major part have not of outlawing and depriving all the people of this Land of all benefit of the Lawes they were born to and consequently of annihilating and making them no longer a Nation or people As if they were meer Salvages newly conquered collected and formed into a Politike body or Commonwealth and endowed with Laws newly invented by these Novice Statists But the unlawfullness of the said Engagement with the Injustice of the Self-created power that obtrudeth it hath been handled by many good pens especially by the Cheshire and Lancashire Ministers in their Plea for Non-Subcribers Therfore I passe on to my principall scope The second Engine appointed to root out all such as are of a different Party The High Court of Iustice A formidable Monster upon which no pen that I know of hath yet adventured 4. In treating of the High Court of Iustice I must consider 1. By what Persons and Authority this new erected unpresidented Court is constituted 2. Of what Persons it is constituted 3. The way and manner of their proceedings What formalities and Lawes they observe therein How sutable to the known Laws of the Land and the Parliaments Declarations Protestations and Covenant they are 4. To what end this Court is constituted 1. The Persons constituting this extrajudiciall Court are the present pretended Parliament consisting of 40 or 50 thriving Commons only who conspired with Cromwell and the Army to expell 7. parts of 8. of their follow-Members without any cause showne abolished the House of Peers erected this High Court of Iustice in nature of a Court Martiall to murder the King abolished Kingly Government Turned it into a thing they call a Free-State disinherited the Royall Family and now usurp to themselves without any calling from God or the People more then a Regall Legall or Parliamentary Authority wherewith they have subverted the Fundamentall Government Religion Laws Liberties and Property of the Nation and envassallised enslaved them to their Arbitrary Domination the Authority by which they erect this extrajudiciall Court is The usurped Legislative power By colour of which they passed an Act dated 26. March 1650. establishing the said High Court of Iustice Yet their own creature Master St. Johns in his Argument against the E. of Strafford in a Book called Speeches and Passages of this great happy Parliament printed by William Cook 1641. pag. 24. saith The Parliament is the Representative of the whole Kingdom wherin the King as head The Lords as the more Noble the Commons the other Members are knit together as one body Politick The Lawes are the Arteries Ligaments that hold the body together And a little after Its Treason to embesell a Judiciall Record Strafford swept them all away It s Treason to counterfeit a 20s peece here is a counterfeiting of Law so in these counterfeit new Acts we can call neither the counterfeit nor true one our own It s Treason to counterfeit the great Seale for an acre of Land no property hereby is left to any Land at all no more is there by the votes practise of our new Supremists thus far Master St. Iohns But that the Parliament doth necessarily consist of the King the two Houses assembled by his Writ can passe no Act without their joint consent See the Praeambles of all our Statutes all our Parliament Records all our Law Books Modus tenendi Parliamentum Hackwells manner of passing Bills Sr. Tho. Smith de Repub. Anglorum Cambdeni Britannia All our Historians Polititians and the uninterrupted practise of all Ages That it is now lately otherwise practised is