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A79833 The golden rule, or, Justice advanced. Wherein is shewed, that the representative kingdom, or Commons assembled in Parliament, have a lawfull power to arraign, and adjudge to death the King, for tyranny, treason, murder, and other high misdemeanors: and whatsoever is objected to the contrary from Scripture, law, reason, or inconveniences, is satisfactorily answered and refuted. Being, a cleer and full satisfaction to the whole nation, in justification of the legal proceeding of the High Court of Justice, against Charls Steward, late King of England. The first part. / By John Canne. Canne, John, d. 1667? 1649 (1649) Wing C440; Thomason E543_6; ESTC R204183 32,291 40

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it hath been seen by often and wofull experience when the States of a kingdom have only stirr'd their Princes by opposing and resisting their tyranny and misgovernment and not cut them off they have brought upon themselves and the whol Realm the more mischief and misery afterward 3. Former examples are no binding rules to us otherwise then we see men have acted according to reason religion Law for wherein soever they differed from these things therein ought we to differ from them 4. If kings formerly have not judicially been put to death for murder treason and other capital crimes it is the more needfull and usefull that such a thing should now be don that all other Nations far and neer may hence know and learn what their duty is and what they may lawfully do in point of Law and conscience and not stand stil as if they were beasts in a base and sencelesse slavery any longer But Fiftly To speak more directly to the objection There is no new thing under the sun We have many examples of Emperours Kings which have judicially been condemned put to death by the Soveraign power of the people Matth. Par. pag. 273 274 275. Not to speak of Nero mentioned before nor of our King John who was condemned to death by a Parliament in France for slaying his Nephew Arthur treacherously with his own hands and likewise to lose the Crown of England It is said of Amaziah king of Iudah 2 King 14.19 That they made a conspiracie against him in Jerusalem and he fled to Lachish but they sent after him to Lachish and slew him there Not privately but openly as acted by publick authority for his great impiety and having broken his Oath and Covenant whereupon we reade not of any complaint inquisition proceeding or punishment inflicted on those that slew him after his death either by the people or his children as there was upon those that slew king Amon but being slain They to wit the persons who had put him to death brought him on horses and he was buried in Jerusalem and all the people of Judah made Ahaziah King Which plainly shews that what was formerly done by the greater part of the State at Jerusalem was afterward confirmed by Common-consent and executed by command of those which might lawfully do it In like manner Andronieus was apprehended deposed put to death by the people for his tyranny and oppression Nic. Chr An nales fol. 52. Grimst Emp. hlst pag. 160. Reg. Sco Buchan lib. 4. pa. 111. So Iulianus not only deprived of the Empire but authoritatively commanded to be slain in his pallace Heliogabulus that monster of mankind was by the Praetorian Soldiers put to death with the Senate and peoples approbation Dardan King of Scotland by the unanimous consent of the Nobles and people had his head cut off which they carried about for a laughing-stock and threw his corps into a jakes after he had reigned 4. years Lucktock the 22 King of Scotland for his vitious and base life was convented before an assembly of the chief men and slain with the instruments of his wickedness ib. p. 113. Eugenius the 8. another of their Kings was for his filthy lusts covetousness and cruelty slain in the assembly of his Lords by their general consent and his companions in villany and wickednesse hanged Et ipsi gratum populo speculatum praebuere pag. 165. which was a greateful spectacle to the people So Agis and Pausanias two Lacedemonian Princes put to death by the people Mun. cos l. 5. c. 37. p. 1248. So the Thracian Kings for their offences by publick consent were punished with death The usual practice of the Saboeans was to stone their Kings if they highly transgressed and went beyond their bounds If need were it might be shewed out of Histories and approved Authors that the Athenians Ionians Melesians Marchomanni Quadi Persians Sicilians Corinthians Parthians Meroes Gardii Medes Paphii Cathians Ethiopians Sidonians Germanes Swedes Danes and antiently even all other Nations not only prescribed laws and lim●… to their Kings but cald them usually to an account for their misgovernment and oft times put them to death when they saw cause Alex. ab ●… 4. ●… fol. ●… ●uel Gibel pli l. 4. Alex. l. 6. c. 4. Plut. in Arat. Val. 6 The putting to death of Tyrants in former times hath been held so lawful and honorable as large rewards have been propounded to the undertakers and authors thereof and to the living they have given the goods of the Tyrant as to the deliverer of their Country and honored the dead with Epitaphs and Statutes of brasse as in Athens Harmodius and Aristogiton together with Brutus and Cassius Max. l. 2. c. ult L. 3. L. om● ne delictū Sect. ut F. de re mil. in Greece Aratus the Sycienian and thus by publick Decree of their States because they had freed their several countries from the tyranny of Pasistratus Coesar Nicoebis yea those monuments of Tyrant-killers by antiquity were so honored and highly esteemed of as they placed them in their Temples on sacred banqueting beds And when Xerxes having vanquished the Athenians had carried away with him the Statutes of Harmodius and Aristogiton into his own country Seleucus one of the successors of Alexander the great King of Syria caused them with all diligence to be carried back again and to be set up in their own places In Norway antiently they had this custom That whosoever slew a Tyrant King was thereby made a King Gul. Neu brig l. 3. cap. 6. And what the Poet wrote was the opinion then and common saying of the people Victima haud ulla amplior Potest magisve opima mactari Iovi Quam Rex iniquus To God no better offering can men bring Nor fatter than a wicked Tyrant King For conclusion This only I shall add to say There is not an example any where of the like practice If it be meant not so judicially and according to the strict rule and form of law I confesse there may be much truth in it For commonly heretofore amongst all Nations Iewes Turks Papists Heathens c. People observed not the manner as matter they thought Tyrants so worthy of death as they did not much mind how and in what way to cut them off so they were destroyed hence it came to passe that few tyrannous princes in old time ever died a natural death but either by their subjects or their means were slain in warre or by some private hand made out of the way which gave Iuvenal occasion to say Ad generum Cereris sine caede sanguine pauci Descendunt Reges sicca morte Tyranni Few Tyrants unto Plutoes Court do go But that are thither sent by bloody blow And therefore this late proceeding against the King seeing it was so legal it shall live and remain upon record to the perpetual honor of our English State who took no dark or doubtful way no indirect ●…by-course but went in the open and plain path of Justice Reason ●…w and Religion and in this regard they need not fear the reproaches and falshood of malitious tongues and pens for as God doth approve their work and owns it so he will defend them his and their Cause in spight of all treacherous and wicked Designs either of Men or Devils The end of the First Part.
to save any man who should commit such crimes as by the Law of God and nature deserveth death I say such a power the people never had never gave him and so consequently a King hath it not 3. The Law saith Illud possimus quod jure poscimus Again it is no power which is not a lawfull power and therefore if a King murder the innocent and do acts of sinfull iniustice this tyrannicall power is not from God otherwise then by way of permission as a power to sin in devils and men is and therefore such a power is restrainable and punishable by the subiect as being a power I say not from God at all 4. Note the conditions tacite or expresse upon which the Prince receiveth the crown For soedus conditionatum aut promissio conditionalis mutua facit vis alteri in alterum a mutual conditional covenant giveth Law and power over one to another I ask then why a subject breaking his covenant with the King by treason or rebellions should be punished for it justly and the King breaking his covenant and oath with the people in degenerating into a tyrant and murdering the innocent should not be punished likewise Specially seeing it is acknowledged That the States of the Kingdom who gave him the crown are above him and they may take away what they gave him as the Law of Nature and God saith Qui habet potestatem constituendi etiam jus adimendi Rutl plea for the people quest 26. pag. 234. l. nemo 37. l. 21. de reg jur l. ille a quo 13. S. 5. If the King turn a paricide a lyon a waster and a destroyer of the People as a man he is Subject to the coactive Laws of the land if any thing should hinder that a Tyrant should not be punished by law it must be either because he hath not a superior but God or nemo potest a se ipso cogi but this ground is false and absurd for a politick society as by natures instinct they may appoint a head or heads to themselves so also if their head or heads become ravenous wolves the God of nature hath not left a perfect society and free people remedilesse but they may arraign and punish the head or heads to whom they gave all the power that they have for their good not for their destruction 6. Where ever there is a covenant and oath betwixt two equals yea or superiors and inferiors the one hath some coactive power over the other If the father give his bond to pay the son a thousand pounds as his patrimony though before this ingagement the father was not oblieged but only by the law of nature to give a patrimony to his son yet now by a politique obligation of promise covenant and writ he is so oblieged to his son to pay a thousand pound that by the Law of Nations and the civil law the sonne hath now a coactive power by law to compel his father though his superior to pay him so much of his patrimony Even so though it should be granted which I shall never grant that the King stands superior to his Kingdom and States yet if the King come under covenant with his Kingdom as ours have don he must by that come under some coactive power to fulfill his covenant for omne promissum saith the Law cadit in debitum what any man doth promise falleth under debt If the Covenant be politique and civil then the King must come under a civil obligation to perform the covenant and though there be none on earth superior to King and people to compel them both to perform what they have promised yet de jure by the law of nations each may compel the other to mutual performance And this is cleer 1. By the law of Nations if one nation break covenant with another though both be Independant yet hath the wronged Nation power de jure to presse performance and to force the other to keep covenant or punish them for violation 2. This is proved from the nature of a promise or covenant described by Solomon Pro. 6.1,3 My son if thou be surety for thy friend if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth and art taken with the words of thy mouth The meaning is by a word of promise and covenant the creditor hath coactive power though he be an equal or an inferior to the man who is surety even by law to force him to pay and the Judge is obliged to give his coactive power to the debtor that he may force the creditor to pay If then the King giving not granting he were superior to his whole Kingdom come under a covenant to them to preserve their rights lives liberties but contrarywise destroys their persons goods cities by sword plunder and fire by his commissions granted to inhumane malignants and bloody Irish they have power to compel him to give satisfaction 3. The law shall warrant to loose the vassal from his lord when his lord hath broken his covenant Hippolitus in L. Si quis viduam col 5. dixit de quoest l. Si quis major 41. 161. Boltol n. 41. The Magdeburgens in libel de Offic. Magist Imperatores Reges esse Primarios vassallos imperii Regni proinde fi feloniam contra Imperium aut Regnum committant feudo privari proinde ut alias vasallos 14 obie I find this to be a main objection That there is no law for subjects to put their Kings to death for any crime It is saith Bodin a great difference to say that a King may be lawfully slain by a strange Prince or by his Subjects It is no commendation or grace given to the law that it should be like the spiders web that catcheth the little flies and lets the greater escape But to answer 1. It is an error and a great mistake to say that the Commons in the house of Parliament or the representative Kingdom are subjects to the King This I utterly deny to wit as they are Judges there to be subjects to the King neither doe they Judicially convent his Person before them censure and iudge him to death quatenus as subiects but thus He being a minister a steward or servant of the people and they representing the whole body of the people doe call him to an account not as Subiects to him but indeed as his lord and master and so have a Soveraign power to iudge him to death if his crimes deserve the same 2 In point of law Bodin gives us the whole cause Ibid. for he confesseth Where the Prince that bears rule is not an absolute Soveraign but the Soveraignty is either in the people or Nobility in such a case saith he there is no doubt but it is lawfull to proceed against a Tyrant in way of justice and to put him to death and gives for it the example of Nero and Maximinius That