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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	good_a	great_a	time_n	5,928	5	3.4202	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A94677	To the Right Honourable, the supreme authority of this nation, the Commons of England in Parliament assembled. The humble petition of firm and constant friends to the Parliament and Common-wealth, presenters and promoters of the large petition of September 11. MDCXLVIII.	England and Wales. Parliament. House of Commons.	1649 (1649)	Wing T1710; Thomason 669.f.13[73]; ESTC R211160	3,545	1

TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE THE SUPREME AVTHORITY OF THIS NATION THE COMMONS OF ENGLAND in Parliament assembled The humble Petition of firm and constant Friends to the Parliament and Common-wealth Presenters and Promoters of the late Large Patition of September 11. MDCXLVIII Sheweth THat having seriously considered how many large and fair opportunities this honourable House hath had within these eight yeers last past to have made this Nation absolute free and happy and yet that until this time every of those opportunies have after some short space of hope faded and but altered if not increased our bondage When we call to mind what extraordinary things the Army undertook and this honourable House approved in behalf of the liberties of the people in the yeer 1647. and that nevertheless the first fruits of their great and unexpected success was a more oppressive Ordinance for enforcing of Tyths than ever had bin before and which hath bin severely executed and is still continued to the extreme vexation of Friends and encouragement of Pulpit Incendiaries And how that great and wonderful opportunities wasted it self away in contending with and imprisoning of cordial Friends or in tampering with known enemies and at length ended in a most dangerous and bloudy war whereas rightly applied it might have given peace and security to the Nation for many Generations These things considered although we exceedingly rejoyced in your just and excellent Votes of the 4. of this instant Ianuary as a people who had long suffered the reproches of Sectaries Levellers for maintaining the supreme original of all just power to be in the people the supreme Authority of this Nation to be in this honourable House which our burnt Petitions and that of Sept. 11. do fully witness Yet since we understand that within few daies after you admitted a message from the House of Lords and gave an accustomed respect thereunto We have bin very much troubled how already the same doth essentially derogate from your foresaid Votes And since also we have seen a printed Warrant of his Excellency the Lord General Fairfax directed to his Marshal General for suppressing of unlicensed Books and Pamphlets authorising him upon the oath of one witness to take all persons offending into custody and inflict upon them such corporal punishments and levie such fines upon them as your Ordinances impose and not to discharge them until after payment and punishment And further to make diligent search in all places where the said Marshal shall think meet for unlicensed printing presses employed in printing scandalous unlicensed pamphlets Books c. and to seise and carry away such printing presses c. And likewise to make diligent search in all suspected printing houses ware-houses and other shops and places whatsoever for such unlicensed books c. And in case of opposition to break open according to your Ordinances all dores and locks and to apprehend all persons so opposing and take them into custody till they have given satisfaction therein And all this by vertue of an order of yours of the fift of this instant Ianuary Since we have seen this we profess we cannot but already fear the issue and consequence of those excellent Votes nothing more dangerous to a people than the mis-application of their supreme entrusted Authority and therefore we entreat herein to be excused though we appear herein as in a cause of very great Importance For what-ever specious pretences of good to the Common-wealth have bin devised to over-aw the Press yet all times fore-gone will manifest it hath ever ushered in a tyrannie mens mouths being to be kept from making noise whilst they are robd of their liberties So was it in the late Prerogative times before this Parliament whilst upon pretence of care of the publike Licensers were set over the Press Truth was suppressed the people thereby kept ignorant and fitted only to serve the unjust ends of Tyrants and Oppressers whereby the Nation was enslaved Nor did any thing beget those oppressions so much opposition as unlicensed Books and Pamphlets A short time after the begining of this Parliament upon pretense of publike good and at the solicitation of the Company of Stationers who in all times have bin officiously instrumental unto Tyrannie the Press again notwithstanding the good service it immediately before had done was most ungratefully committed to the custody of Licensers when though scandalous Books from or in behalf of the Enemy then at Oxford was the pretended occasion yet the first that suffered was M. Lawrence Sanders for Printing without license a book intituled Gods Love to Mankind and not long after M. Iohn Lilburn M. William Larnar and M. Richard Overton and others about books discovering the then approching Tyrannie whilst scandalous Pamphlets nevertheless abounded and did the greater mischief in that Licensers have never bin so free to pass as good men have bin forward to compile proper and effectual answers to such books and pamphlets And whether Tyrannie did soon follow thereupon the courses you were forced unto in opposition and the necessities you were put upon for your preservation will most cleerly demonstrate And if you and your Army shall be pleased to look a little back upon affairs you will find you have bin very much strengthned all along by unlicensed Printing yea that it hath done with greatest danger to the doers what it could to preserve you when licensed did its utmost to destroy you and we are very confident those very excellent and necessary Votes of yours fore-mentioned had made you a multitude of enemies if unlicensed printing had not prepared and smoothed your way for them whereas now they are received with great content and satisfaction And generally as to the whole course of printing as justly in our apprehensions may Licensers be put over all publike or private Teachings and Discourses in Divine Moral Natural Civil or Political things as over the Press the liberty whereof appears so essential unto Freedom as that without it its impossible to preserve any Nation from being liable to the worst of bondage for what may not be done to that people who may not speak or write but at the pleasure of Licensers As for any prejudice to Government thereby if G●vernment be just in its Constitution and equal in its distributions it will be good it not absolutely necessary for them to hear all voices and judg●ments which they can never do but by giving freedom to the Press and in case any abuse their authority by scandalous Pamphlets they will never want able Advocates to vindicate their innocency And therefore all things being duely weighed to refer all Books and Pamphlets to the judgement discretion or affection of Licensers or to put the least restraint upon the Press seems altogether inconsistent with the good of the Common-wealth and expresly opposite and dangerous to the liberties of the people and to be carefully avoided as any other exorbitancy or prejudice in Government And being so we beseech you to consider how unreasonable it is for every man or woman to be liable to punishment penal or corporal upon one witness in matters of this Nature for compiling printing selling or dispersing of Books and Pamphlets nay to deserve even whipping as the Last yeers Ordinance an Engine fited to a Personal Treaty doth provide a punishment as we humbly conceive fit only for slaves or bondmen But that this honourable House that is now by an extraordinary means freed from that major part which degenerating from the true Interest of the people were the unhappy authors of that Ordinance and reduced to that minor part which we alwaies hoped did really oppose the same should now approve thereof and of all other Ordinances of like nature and not onely so but in cases so meerly Civil to refer the execution thereof to a Military power This is that which in the present sense and consequence thereof afflicts us above measure because according to this rule we may we know not how soon be reduced under a military jurisdiction which we humbly conceive we ought not to ●e and which above any thing in this world we shall desire in this and all other cases for ever to avoid And therefore we most earnestly entreat First That as you have voted your selves the supreme Authority so you will exactly preserve the same entire in it self without intermixing again with any other whatsoever Secondly That you will precisely hold your selves to the supreme end the Freedom of the People as in other things so in that necessary and essential part of speaking writing printing and publishing their minds freely without seting of Masters Tutors and Controulers over them and for that end to revoke all Ordinances and Orders to the contrary Thirdly That you will fix us onely in a Civil Jurisdiction refering the Military to Act distinct and within it self except in cases of warlike opposition to Civil Authority Fourthly That you will recal that oppressive Ordinance for Tyths upon treble damages that so as we have rejoyced in the notion we may not have cause to grieve but to rejoyce also in the exercise of your supreme Authority and that the whole Nation in this blessed opportunity may receive a full reward of true Freedom for its large expense of bloud and treasure and by your Wisdom and Fidelity be made happy to all Future Generations Die Jovis January 18. 1648. THe House being informed that divers Inhabitants within the Citie of London and Borough of Southwark were at the Dore they were called in and then presented a Petition to this House which after the Petitioners were withdrawn was read and was entituled The humble Petition of firm and constant friends to Parliament and Common-wealth the Presenters and Promoters of the late large Petition of Sept. 11. 1648. Ordered by the Commons assembled in Parliament that the said Petition be referred to the Committee appointed yesterday to consider of Petitions of this nature Hen. Scobell Cler. Parl. Dom. Com The Petitioners being again called in M. Speaker by command of this House gave them this answer Gentlemen The House have read your Petition and have referred it to a Committee to consider of the matters of consequence therein and have taken notice of your continued good affections to this House and they have commanded me to give you thanks for your good affections and I do accordingly give you thanks for your good affections Hen. Scobell Cleric Parl. Dom. Com.