Selected quad for the lemma: city_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
city_n	abbey_n	bishop_n	chester_n	21	3	11.0685	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A64083	Bibliotheca politica: or An enquiry into the ancient constitution of the English government both in respect to the just extent of regal power, and the rights and liberties of the subject. Wherein all the chief arguments, as well against, as for the late revolution, are impartially represented, and considered, in thirteen dialogues. Collected out of the best authors, as well antient as modern. To which is added an alphabetical index to the whole work.; Bibliotheca politica.	Tyrrell, James, 1642-1718.	1694 (1694)	Wing T3582; ESTC P6200	1,210,521	1,073

of Parliament and Taxed with the rest of the Kingdom as often as there were Laws made and Taxes given when their Bishop or Earl was present which was not so for in the first place as for the County of Chester if the Earl had been the Representative in Parliament of his Tenants by Knights Service or otherwise as also of all the Abbeys and the City of Chester it self and all other great Towns in that County his Vote in Parliament would have obliged all of them and there would have been no need of a Common Council or Parliament of the States of the whole County in which they then made Laws and Taxed themselves as a Separate Body from the rest of the Kingdom as may appear from these following Records which Mr. A. hath given us the first of which is a Writ of K. Edw. I. directed Archiepiscopis Episcopis Abbatibus Priori●us Baronibus Militibus omnibus ●liis Fidelibus suis in Comitat. C●striae reciting that whereas the Prelates Counts Barons alii de Regno had given him a 15 th of their Moveables He desires that they also would of their Benevolence and Courtesie in Latin Curialitate grant him the like Subsidy which Note could not be done out of a Common Council So likewise in another Writ of the 20 th of this King reciting that whereas the Probi Homines Communitas Cestriae sicut caeteri de Regno nostro 15 mam partem omnium mobilium suorum nobis concesserunt gratiose Now supposing as the Doctor always does that these Probi Homines were the Earls Tenants in Capite what can this word Communitas here signifie but another sort of men distinct from them viz. the Communalty or Commons of that County And which is also remarkable this County was now fallen to the Crown for want of Heirs male of the last Earl and so according to the Doctors notion the King being their sole Representative needed not to have been beholding to them for these Subsidies since tho not as King yet as Earl of Chester he might have Taxed them himself which yet he thought not fit to do because he knew it was contrary to the Rights and Priviledges of that County which had ever since the grant of it to Hugh Lupus by Will I. always been Taxed by themselves Which Priviledges are also expressly set forth in a Supplication of all the Estates of this County Palatine to K. Henry the Sixth which Mr. P. has given us from an Ancient Copy of it then in the hands of Sir Thomas Manwaring of that County Baronet Wherein the Abbots Priors and Clergy Barons Knights Esquires and Commonalty set forth that they with the consent of the Earl did make and admit Laws within the same c. and that no Inheritors or Possessors within the said County were chargeable or lyable or were bounden charged or hurt of their Bodies Liberties Franchises Lands Goods or Possessions unless the said County had agreed unto it Now what can here be meant by County but the Common Council or Parliament thereof since otherwise they could make no Laws nor do any other publick Act The like I may say for the County Palatine of Durham which from the Grant thereof by William Rufus to the then Bishop had always been Taxed by themselves and not by the Bishop in Parliament and that as low as the Reign of Edw. 3. as appears by this Record of the 14 th of that King containing a Letter or Commission to R. Bishop of Durham reciting that whereas the Prelates Earls Barons and the Commons of Counties had given him a 9th of their Goods there mentioned that therefore the Bishops should convene the Magnates Communitatem Libertatis vestrae to wit of his County Palatine ad certum diem locum with all convenient speed and that done to perswade and excite the said Magnates Communitas to grant the King the like or a larger Subsidy or Aid towards the maintainance of his Wars which had been altogether in vain if the Bishop or the King could in those days have Taxed this County at their Pleasure Now if these great Tenants in Capite could not Tax their Mesne Tenants without their consents much less could the rest of the Tenants in Capite in England impose Taxes on their Tenants in Military Service or in Socage without their consents which last had a much less dependance upon them M. I must confess I never considered these Precedents of the County Palatine of Chester and Durham and therefore can say nothing to them at present since it is matter of fact but as to Reason and Law I think it is consonant to both that not only Tenants in Military Service but Socage Tenure should be found by the Acts of their Superior Lords of whom all the Lands of England were formerly held by Knights Service And tho in Process of time many of these Estates and Lands became free Tenements or were holden in Socage that is were Free holders yet the Lords retained Homage which in the times we now write of was no idle insignificant word and by that a Dominion over the Estate whereby upon Disobedience Treachery or Injury done to the Lords c. the Lands were Forfeited to them and although the Lands nor the Tenants of them which were termed Free-holders were subject to any base Services or Servile works yet the Lords had a great Power over these Tenants by reason of their doing Homage to them which tho now antiquated yet eo nomine their Lands were many ways liable to Forfeiture and Taxes too So that upon all thes● accounts it was then as reasonable that the Tenants in Capite should in those days make Laws and grant Taxes for all the rest of the Kingdom as the Tenants in Capite in Scotland should do so to this very day for all the Inhabitants of that Kingdom of never so great Estates and to this Argument which is certain in matter of fact you have yet answered nothing nor do I believe can F. I cannot see notwithstanding what you have now said that the Superior Lords by reason of Homage should have an absolute Power over their Tenants Estates For tho in the Profession of Homage to the Lords I grant the Tenant thereby promised to become the Lords Man yet he never thereby meant to become his slave and there were mutual Duties on both sides so that if the Lord failed to protect his Tenant in his Estate or unjustly oppressed him he might have refused nay renounced his Homage till the Lord had done him right nor can I see how a bare right of having the Forfeiture of the Estate in the Cases you have put which yet let me tell you were never so strict in respect of Socage as Military Tenure as I could shew you were it worth while for if this right of Forfeiture alone could give the Superiour Lord a Power over his Tenants Estate to make Laws for

to examine this Quotation because I confess it seems very specious at first sight but if it be throughly examined will make nothing at all for you And to this end pray let us read the Dr's Observations on this Passage at the end of his Answer to Argumentum Antinormaunicum F. But you need not read from the beginning of that Paragraph since I so far agree with the Dr. as that by Principes diversi Ordinus are not to be understood as this Author renders them whom the Dr. here writes against the Chief or Principal Men of several ranks or conditions but the Chief and Principal Men of both Orders viz. of the Clergy and Laity yet will it not therefore follow as the Dr. here would have it that these Principes diversi Ordinis were only Bishops ● Abbots and great dignified Clergy-men only and the Procenes and Magnates the Earls Barons and Temporal Nobility alone for though I grant he produces several Quotations out of Florence of Worcester Malmsbury Eadmer to prove that Principes Regni Ecclesiastici Secularis Ordinis Primates Regni utriusque Ordinis c. were at these Councils yet I have already proved that the words Principes and Primates do not in their proper signification signifie none but Bishops or dignified Clergy-men on the Temporal Nobility only since these words mean no more than Chief Principal or most considerable men both of the Clergy and Laity who had by reason of their Offices Dignities or Estates any place in our General Councils at that time and which did certainly comprehend the Inferiour Clergy also tho' the Dr. has made bold to pass them by without any notice taken of them and if they were then there by the same Rule the lesser Nobility or Commons were also summoned from divers Provinces Cities and great Towns M. Well But pray see here does not the Dr. prove plain enough that this Gentleman he writes against is mistaken in his Translation and applying the words Provinciis Vrbibus for Chief Lay-men from divers Countreys Cities and Burroughs whereas the Dr. here proves that the words mentioned in this passage cannot here mean Lay-men sent from County to Cities but only the Bishops whose Seats are here called Vrbes and which as the Dr. shews us were by a great Council held at London in the year 1077. being the 11th of King William translated from Villages to Cities as were Sherburn in Dorsetshire removed to Sarum Selsey to Chichester Litchfield to Chester which was before this Council at Westminster cited by Sulcardus which this Author places in the 14th of this King And the Dr. here farther proves from these words following pro causis cujuslibet Christianae Ecclesi●e that this Universal Synod being called for hearing and handling the Causes of every Christian Church that these words every Christian Church must certainly mean many Churches in England which in reason and probability could not be meant of the small Parish-Churches all the Nation over and therefore must be understood of Cathedrals or Churches where Bishops Seats then were or where they had been or were to be removed F. Pray give me leave to answer this Comment of your Doctors before we proceed farther In the first place suppose I grant him that by Vrbes may here be meant such Cities as had Bishops Seats yet does it not therefore follow that it shall signifie no other Cities or Towns but Bishops Seats only for tho' I grant in the Modern acceptation of this word Vrbs here in England a City and a Bishops Seat are one and the same yet it is plain that at first it was not so for then there had been no need of the Law you mention whereby it was ordained that Bishops Sees should be removed from Villages to Cities nor it seems were all of them so removed at this Council you mention since the Dr. shews us from this very place here cited that some of them still remained in Villis Vicis in Villages and small Towns and therefore it is here said Dilatum est ad Regis Audientiam qui in partibus transmarinis tunc Temporis bella gerebat ●And tho' the Dr. here supposes tho I know not on what grounds that the persons summoned by the King to this Synod from Provinces and Cities were such as were concerned or able to advise the King in this matter of the conveniency of the places whither the Removals were to be made as Deans Arch-Deacons and other dignified persons and Church Officers as well of the Clergy as Laity c. And also the Principes Regni the great Nobility who were in those days present in those Assemblies Now I shall only observe from these words of the Doctors that even in his own supposition all Cities had not yet Bishops Seats annext to them and therefore the word Vrbibus cannot mean Bishops Seats alone but any other great or walled Towns But the worst of it is it falls out very unluckily for the Dr. that this Charter we now mentioned bears date A. D. 1075. two years before this Law for removing Bishops Sees to Cities was made so that all his Learned Comment on that matter signifies just nothing and this is one of the Doctors very rational conclusions which have no other ground than his own Fancy to support them In the next place pray observe the Dr. owns that by these Principes universi Ordinis were meant the chief Clergy-men and Nobility he there musters up but passes by or else did not consider the whole Context of these words hii autem illo tempori diversis Provinciis Vrbibus ad universalem Synodum Convocati which must certainly refer to the Principes Regni diversi Ordinis to the chief and considerable Men both of the Clergy and Laity of the Kingdom who were alike summoned from divers Countreys and Cities and great Towns to this Synod Now pray do you or your Dr. tell me if he can what Earls Barons or great Noble-men were then summoned from Cities or great Towns as well as the Bishops and Deans of Cathedrals which if you cannot do I see no reason why we may not understand these Principes Regni who were also summoned from the Countreys and Cities for the Representatives of the Commons of those Cities and Towns at that time In the next place I think the Dr. is as much out in his interpretation of the word pro causis cujuslibet Ecclesiae for the causes of every Cathedral Church since it must certainly mean not only Cathedral Churches but all other Churches whether Parochial or Conventual for that it takes in the latter appears by one great cause of the summoning this Council which was chiefly for the confirmation of the Priviledges of the Abby of Westminster which sure was no Cathedral Church and yet must be some Church or Ecclesiastical Corporation or else this Synod could have had nothing to do with it And I doubt not but this General