Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
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A29271
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To the supreme authority, the Parliament of the Commonwealth of England a serious charge and accusation against Mr. Edw. Winslow, one of the commissioners for compounding at Haberdashers Hall / by William Bray.
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Bray, William, 17th cent.
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1652
(1652)
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Wing B4314; ESTC R26449
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3,077
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9
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To the Supreme Authoriâ—â— The Parliament of the Commonwealth of ENGLAND A Serious CHARGE AND ACCUSATION Against Mr EDW. WINSLOW One of the Commissioners for Compounding at HABERDASHERS HALL BY Capt. WILLIAM BRAY. Imprinted at LONDON 1652. To the Supreme Authority The Parliament of the Commonwealth of ENGLAND c. Honorable Senators I Have always been according to the light and talent that God hath given me faithful to the Cause of this Commonwealth and though I am weak and frail in this life yet my desire and endeavours hath been and I hope shall be not to sin wilfully against God my own soul or my neighbour I am now constrained by all the obligations of humanity to my self to appeal for your Justice that so you mought exercise your Vertue Reason and Christianity on my behalf I shall present unto you the Case as briefly as I may in that manner and form as things are and shall present nothing to you but what I can make to appear in Judgement-seat I have been about two yeers and eight months a Prisoner and it pleased God who is just wise and merciful to stir up the spirit of his Excellency the Lord General Cromwel and some other worthy Members of Parliament to make a just and truly worthy motion for my release even at such a time when I judged in my self that my afflictions had even wholly destroyed my bodily health as well as incumbred me with destruction by reason of worldly prejudice to my self indebtments and obligations to friends But may it please this honourable Council that on the first day of January instant I was desired by Cornet Cheesman to appear for him on the behalf of the Commonwealth in order to a Charge exhibited against the Sub-Commissioners of Berk-shire before the Committee at Haberdashers Hall in a matter of many hundred pounds per annum which the Commonwealth had been apparently negligently and wilfully defrauded of as did appear unto me by information and Judgement by the Depositions of abundance of Witnesses And I was further acquainted by the said Cornet Cheesman that about a yeer since he had a hearing of his Cause and he alleadged unto me that he was surprised in his Trial because the Publication and Trial was all in one day so that he had no time to inform Counsel or abbreviate his Cause which he had so deeply engaged in according to his Oath against the wilful corruptions of the Sub-Commissioners I desire not to be tedious but I appeal to this honourable Council whether this was just holy rational or good Secondly he the said Cornet Cheesman informed me that by way of recrimination his adversaries had charged him that was Plaintiff for the Commonwealth and upon very slender proof as he informed me and accordingly did shew me the copies of the Depositions on the Defendants part the particulars whereof I shall not trouble you with because I hear he intends to present his whole Cause before you Yet he told me the Commissioners of Berk-shire had onely some verbal check and were continued in their Places and he that had appeared for the Commonwealth was cast out of his Trust He informed me that there were about seventy or more Witnesses examined to the Cause which he first of all began for the Commonwealth and thereupon desired me to be a friend and assistant unto him Whereupon after I had taken the Engagement in Court in obedience to your Act as my judgement and understanding did lead me I spake on the behalf of the Commonweâ—lth for Cornet Cheesman the Plaintiff But may it pâ—ease this honourable Council whilst I was composing my self to discharge my trust for the Commonwealth and as I conâ—eive according to my instructions for the honour of your Authority one M. Black-grove a Member of Parliament that did much appear for the accused parties the Sub-Commissioners asked me in full and open Court in the presence of many people Whether I was not Captain Bray the Ranter but I answered to this effect that I knew no one in the world could justly accuse me of any such thing and I did not know any one of the name to be so Secondly so far as I ever understood their Opinions I was contrary in my spirit unto them and have endeavoured when I have been called to it to convince them by principles of Religion and Reason according to my light and conscience And truely let me say and boast as Paul did in a sence and upon an occasion If I were as free from sin inwardly and outwardly for I have no cause to boast but in the Lord Christ who was crucified and is risen as I am from those acts of conversation that such a people are accused with I should have no sin at all I desire this honourable Council to excuse me if I vindicate my self seeing I am so abundantly constrained for the defence of the Commonwealth for the honour of your Authority in which I have reason to comprehend my own preservation But may it please this honorable Council if such sinister questions and cunning illegal accusations shâ—ll be given to a man that stands for the cause of the Commonwealth Who can be innocent Who may not be politickly and craftily destroyed in his reputation and good name And to do it in such a cause in such a time and indeed unto me after all my sufferings and when I had undertaken such a way and resolution in my self to plead in such causes as I conceived were honest and just wherein I might do the Commonwealth service and keep me from an idle state and condition which is unsutable to a man and to preserve me in a state of subsistence out of duty to mine own body that I mought not be a lawless and wilful destroyer of my self And I believe no honest or Christian man can be my enemy for this for these Reasons made me willing to employ my self in this way 1. For four or five yeers before the Wars I was educated to the understanding of the practice of the Law 2. I conceived it to be the liberty of an English man a Christian and a Rational man 3. I thought none could rationally deny me that since I had engaged in the Parliamentary cause But further may it please this honourable Council M. Winslow one of the Commissioners went much higher tending to over-awe me and discountenance me as from the other Commissioners I received no incivility at all and manifested so high an enmity to me that he stood up and uttered these words viZ. Captain Bray you shall plead no more at this Court Are not you the man that hold dangerous opinions were not you found in bid with two women together at one Mistress Seney 's that was carted This was in open Court this was to one who hath been for your safety and can prove upon Oath hath been in several engagements his conscience testifying to that end this was in open Court in the face of an assembly when according to the Instructions and copies of Depositions given me I was to plead the interest of the Commonwealth in faithfulness and duty against wilful violators of your Ordinances Rules Acts and Instructions And I appeal to this honourable Council whether this be not as much as in him lay dishonourable to Parliamentary authority and capital Tyrannie But this was from a Commissioner that should shew forth humanity and good example This was a way to ruine me in all credit and esteem and to make my life a burthen to me after the expiration of my imprisonment whereas it was fully known I was a prisoner when Mistress Seney was carted I have been a prisoner almost three yeers and was but lately released I was never in Mistress Seney's habitation in my life And indeed this was the way of the corrupt bloody Papists of old as well as the unconâ—cionable Persecutors in the Primitive times To make such sinistrous general illegal and destroying accusations which hath been condemned by this honourable Council as the Parliamentary Declarations manifest But of this I shall say no more at present though I could say much more in it My cause will speak for it self and be an object for your Wisdoms and Justice When I was coming forth of the Hall I told M. Black-grove he did not deal with me like a man or like a Christian 〈…〉 Gentleman He told me he would acquâ—int the Gâ—â—â—ral of me But I replied I would acquaint both Pâ—â—â—â—â—ment and Lord General of him and I do accordingly tender it to your serious consideration and do humbly desire that my cause may be acceptable in your sight I commit my cause to the righteous Judge of heaven and earth and to your Christian vertuous and honourable consideration 6 January 1651. William Bray FINIS