Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	king_n	law_n	parliament_n	7,403	5	7.2636	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A48119	A Letter of an Independent to his honoured friend in London	Swadlin, Thomas, 1600-1670.	1647 (1647)	Wing L1571; Wing S6220A; ESTC R37866	5,357	11

A LETTER OF AN INDEPENDENT To his Honoured Friend IN LONDON SIR WIth what Sympathy and Unanimity we first engaged our selves in this present Cause I need not call to your remembrance nor can you forget what lists and bounds wee then set our selves Reformation was our earnest desire Petition was our only way To live and dye together in one and the same opinion was our mutuall promise To preserve our Antient and Fundamentall Lawes to purchase our just Liberties To conserve the Kings known Rights were our solemne Protestations All these being now like Sampsons cords broken I believe my selfe disengaged The Reformation desired is extirpation endeavoured In stead of Petition as Subjects ought we command as Rebels use The preservation of our Ancient and Fundamentall Lawes is out-lawed by new Votes and illegall Ordinances The purchase of our just Liberties is turn'd into unjust licentiousnesse And the conservation of the Kings known Rights is overturn'd by unknown wrongs And our living and dying in one and the same Opinion is crumbled away into So many men so many minds of our first Juncto how many Presbyterians how many Independents we both know of those Presbyterians how many are Anabaptists how many Jacobins you know not of those Independents how many are Antinomians how many are Brownists I know not And though we both know what we would not have yet neither of us know what we would have Would we have no Bishops Sit in Parliament an Act is passed for it the King hath signed it Though I must tell you that very Act hath cancelled one of our best Fundamentalls The best part of Magna Charta is thereby dissolved and hath put the whole into an Ague Would we have no imposition of Ship-money the like course is taken and the like power hath confirmed it Though I must tell you this very ease of Ship money hath brought a disease upon our Ship-strength and whereas before we were well nigh able to cope with all the Navies of Christendome wee have scarce any more left now then the bare name of a Navie Would we have no Monopolies They are damn'd too by the like Authority though I must tell you the very taking away of this yoak hath made the whole Kingdome a Monopolie the severall Committees have got a Monopoly of our Coyne and all that is Coynable The severall Commanders have got a Monopoly of our Cattell and all that is Edible some there be that have got a Monopoly of our Wives and all that is Amiable others of our Children and all that is Delectable others of our Servants and all that is Profitable others of our Neighbours and all that is Sociable Would we have no Ceremonies lie heavie upon tender Consciences That hath been offered us too Though I must tell you we that stumbled at these Gnats have since swallowed Camels we that would not be imposed upon our selves doe our selves impose upon others But thens too heavie for them our selves or any man else to beare Would we have no Papists wee were in a faire way for that too we might have forc'd their children to an education under Protestants Though I must tell you but under the Rose be it spoken This had been a piece of absolute Tyranny and would have been requited with the Abolition of all Protestants in all the World save England What is it we did privatively desire and the King did positively deny He was not weary of Granting 'till we were shamelesse and unreasonable in demanding To a Regulation of Bishops He consented He declined only their Extirpation would we have no Bishops Why because they have not Jus divinum to plead for them it remaines yet undecided the Episcoparians affirm it The Anti-Episcoparians deny it and yet grant by consequence what they challenge by conclusion That Episcopacy hath Jus Apostolicum for their Advocate Or is it because some of them are bad Upon the same ground would we have no Judges no Aldermen no Knights no Lords no Parliaments All have not been good because some are let their prescription of time forbid the proscription of their Function Mistake me not yet Sir I am no Patron no Advocate no Pleader for Episcopacy I am an Independent I was so when I first entred into this combination and so will die And such a one were you at that time though now you have forgot your first Faith and are turn'd Presbyterian yet still I am as I was then a perfect Bishop-hater but why I am so I know no more then you doe Herein we still both agree In all things else we are at oddes you will have Presbytery established I am for Independency And which of these two are most consistent with the essence of this Kingdome I wish you would put it to the Issue upon a faire and calm disputation betwixt my good Lord Say who well knowes what the new Directory is and how to confute it and your good Earle of Pembrook who for three Months his own words could not understand it but now by the help of Mr Olsworth it seemes knowes it to be the best Nursery of Devotion in the World and yet neither understands nor knowes how to maintain it or betwixt our Learned Mr Goodwin and your learned Mr Calamy who yet never answered that Quotation of his from the best Astronomers that ever writ in the yeare 1640. plus vel minus there would be universalis totius Mundi insania to which I should have pinn'd my Faith if he had but added the whole Truth saying with Tycho-Brahe Erga Reges so the words stand and ought not otherwise to be repeated or by determination of the Sword betwixt Noble Cromwell our Generall and valiant Massey yours But Disputations we have had already to no purpose you will confesse with me For the Episcoparians are the better Scholars and have confuted us both you for too heavie Task-masters and us for too easie And justly For your Assembly with the power of your Party in the Parliament have imposed Oaths and Covenants contrary to Law and Religion yes and imprisoned Lilborn for his defence of Magna Charta and refusing the new Oath Ex Officio which your selves condemned in the Ecclesiasticall Court Nay and beyond this too divers of your Assembly of Divines have in their Feast-meetings declared That their Presbytery being Jure divino hath a Supreame power in Causes both Ecclesiasticall and Civill over King and Parliament and so instead of ruling by Law will rule all by their own lawlesse Arbitrary Injunctions Battailes we have also had to as little parpose For untill this last Summer the Kings Souldiers were the stronger men and gained against us both you know in what a low Condition we both were when Sir Thomas Fairfax lay before Oxford how tumultuous the Londoners were when Leycester was taken and how we were resolved to passe over the Channell if Nasby fight had gone against us And to whom we owe the thankfulnesse of that whether to