Selected quad for the lemma: city_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
city_n	great_a	king_n	people_n	9,166	5	4.4099	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A81180	A Cunning plot to divide and destroy, the Parliament and the city of London. Made knowne (at a common hall) by the Earle of Northumberland, Master Solliciter, and Sir Henry Vane. The design is fully discovered in the severall examinations and confessions, of Master Riley. Several examinations and confessions, of Sir Basill Brook. Severall examinations and confessions, of Master Violet. Proclamations from his Majesty. Letters from his Majesty. Letters from the Lord Digby. Letters from Colonell Read.	Northumberland, Algernon Percy, Earl of, 1602-1668.; Vane, Henry, Sir, 1612?-1662.; England and Wales. Sovereign (1625-1649 : Charles I). Proclamation for the removing of the Courts of Kings-Bench and of the Exchequer from Westminster to Oxford.	1644 (1644)	Wing C7586; Thomason E29_3; ESTC R11898	34,816	59

A CVNNING PLOT TO DIVIDE AND DESTROY THE PARLIAMENT AND THE CITY OF LONDON Made knowne at a Common Hall by the Earle of Northumberland Master Solliciter and Sir Henry Vane The Design is fully discovered in the Severall Examinations and Confessions of Master RILEY Severall Examinations and Confessions of Sir BASILL BROOK Severall Examinations and Confessions of Master VIOLET Proclamations from his MAJESTY Letters from his MAJESTY Letters from the Lord DIGBY Letters from Colonell READ LONDON Printed and are to be sold by Peter Cole at his shop in Cron-Hill right over against Popes-Head Aily neare the Royall Exchange January 16. 1643. The Right Honourable the Earle of Northumberland his Speech MY Lord Maior and you Gentlemen of the City of London the two Houses of Parliament have not of late had any occasion to imploy us hither the reason hath been because that your readinesse and your forwardnesse have upon all occasions prevented any thing that they could ask or desire from you But now at this time we come from command of the two Houses to communicate unto you a discovery that hath been lately made under a fair and specious pretence of desiring peace to raise divisions and to make factions here in the City and between the City and the two Houses of Parliament What hath already passed and come to the knowledge of the Houses they have sent us here to acquaint you with the Papers and the Examinations will be here read unto you and likewise the Sense of the two Houses When you shall heare these read and consider the Instruments that were the Actors and the Persons imployed in this Negotiation you will be best able to judge of the businesse If you please to have the patience to heare these Examinations read these Gentlemen will read them A Narrative of a Designe and Practise upon the City of London lately discovered and some Observation upon it by Mr SOLLICITER MY Lord Mayor and you Gentlemen and worthy Citizens of this City You have heard by this Noble Lord that it hath pleased Almighty God out of his goodnesse within these few dayes to make a discovery to both the Houses of an intended practise upon the Parliament and City and so by consequence upon the whole Kingdome And in respect that the Stage whereupon this designe was to have been acted were the Houses of Parliament and principally this City and that some of the Actors in that Tragedy for so I may call it were members of this Citie And likewise in respect of that neere Conjunction between the Houses and you That as Hypocritus twins they are like to live and dye together Therefore they have commanded me and diverse other Gentlemen of the House of Commons to make known unto you what this designe and practice was But before I tell you either what it was or the dangerous consequence of it I think it will not be amisse that you should heare it from one of themselves who was an Actor and projector of it that is from the Lord Digby who in a letter writ to Sir Basil Brooke concerning this businesse doth professe That since these troubles did begin There was no design nor no practise that was so likely to have taken that was so likely to have produced that good effect as they stile it as this You may very well remember the bloody Designe upon the Parliament and this City discovered about half a yeare since he himselfe said That this is above all that hitherto hath been in agitation This is their sence upon it that were the Projectors and were to have been the Actors in it The thing in brief is thus It was a seditious and Iesuiticall Practice and Designe under the specious pretence of Peace to have rent the Parliament from the City and the City from the Parliament To have severed and disjoyned the Parliament within it self the City within it self Thereby to render up both Parliament and City to the Designes of the Enemy which is not all for the destruction and nulling of this present Parliament was intended as likewise the ingaging our selves in a Treaty of Peace without the advice or consent of our Brethren of Scotland contrary to the late Articles solemnly agreed upon by both Kingdomes to the perpetuall dishonour of this Nation by breach of our publique Faith ingaged therein to that Nation thereby not only utterly to frustrate our expectation of assistance from Scotland but which is worse in all likelihood to ingage the two Nations in broyles if not in a war This in briefe was the design the particulars whereupon it was framed and the parties that were Actors in it I shall likewise discover to you There was one Read who called himselfe Collonel Read a man I suppose well known by name to this City He had been heretofore many yeares since a common Agent for the Papists he was a principall person to whom the Packets and addresses from Rome were made it was he that did disperse them abroad in the Kingdome with whom for the advancing of the Popish Cause continued consultations were held who for advancing of the Catholique Cause as they call it went over into Ireland there fomented the Rebellion having been one of the Plotters of it and was taken Prisoner there and sent hither This was the man who was the principall contriver and Actor in the present businesse Who together with Sir Basil Brooke a known Jesuited Papist a great Stickler in all the Popish transactions and Treasurer of the monies lately contributed by the Papists in the War against Scotland both prisoners having laid the designe here Mr Reads enlargement must be procured that he might act his part at Oxford Sir Basil Brooke must lye ledger here But because so great a businesse required more mannagers therefore one Violet a broken Goldsmith and a Protestant in shew must be brought in as a fit person to go between these Papists and the parties in the City Mr Ryley by reason of his place of Scoutmaster of the City and his reputation amongst the Commoners must be gained who in these respects might be very usefull both in the way of Intelligence between Oxford and them as likewise by promoting it with the Citizens others in the City of principall note amongst the people are dealt withall The first thing Mr Ryley must act is the exchange of Read a prisoner for the Treason and Rebellion in Ireland under the name of Captain Read taken prisoner at Burleigh House in this Kingdome for one of no greater ranke than a Quarter-master That being done a Character of Intelligence was agreed on between Read Ryley and Violet Read to be knowne by the name of Collonel Lee Ryley by the name of The Man in the Moone and Violet by the name of James Morton After Reads going to Oxford the Queene the Dutches of Buckingham and the Lord Digby are consulted with These are the Managers at Oxford with his Maiesties knowledge Reade from Oxford by Letters

at nine of the clocke in expectation of Violets returne He further saith that the like note to this shewed him directed to the Man in the moone was delivered to him by Violet about a fortnight sithence and this Note was delivered to him by Sir Basil Brooke at the three Cranes on Munday or Tuseday last both of them comming from Colonell Read T. Riley So there he acknowledgeth both these Letters the one to be delivered him by this Violet the other by Sir Basil Brooke He further saith that the said Violet delivered this Examinant a paper of Propositions demanding this Examinants opinion who told him which he thought would be consented to by the Parliament and which not That the said Violet also asked this Examinant whether there might not bee thought on some Propositions that might please the King and Parliament Theophilus Riley Having proceeded to examine Master Riley thus farre the Committee did likewise send for Sir Basil Brooke who was Prisoner in the Kings Bench and his Examination is that which is next to be read to you and is the fifth of Ianuary 1643. Who saith That he knowes Colonell Read that he was the man as hee thinkes did designe the Treaty of peace now in agitation betweene the King and the City That hee knowes Thomas Violet that he acquainted this Examinant with Propositions which he knowes not whether himselfe drew or that hee did it with the assistance of others Who further saith that Master Violet told this Examinant that hee thought all those in the City that formerly shewed themselves for peace would doe so now among which was Alderman Gibbes who had made a Speech tending that way in the house of Commons that he knowes Master Riley upon occasion of this businesse and hath met with him at the three Cranes in the Vintrey two severall times where he desired to know of the said Riley whether if that a Letter came from the King it might bee a meanes to procure the City to move the Parliament for the procuring of a Treaty of peace To which Master Riley replyed he thought the Lord Major and Common Councell would acquaint the Parliament with it and that it was probable thereupon Propositions might be thought upon and a peace might insue This Examinant being shewed the note directed to the Man in the moone did confesse he received it from Master Read by Wood and that he delivered it with his owne hands to Master Riley at the three Cranes at their second meeting and saith that Violet told him this that by the Man in the moone was meant Master Riley This Examinant further saith that in lesse then a fortnight one Wood brought severall Letters from Oxford one from his Majesty to the Lord Mayor Aldermen and well-affected Citizens another from the Lord Digby to this Examinant and a Copy of the Kings Letter That Thomas Violet returned from Oxford on Wednesday night and brought with him Letters also from his Majesty to the Mayor Aldermen and Common Councell a Letter from the Lord Digby to this Examinant and a copy of his Majesties Letter that the later of the Kings Letters is in the hands of the said Wood and that the said Letter was given him on Thusday night with direction to deliver it to the Lord Mayor the rest of the Letters this Examinant hath in his power and undertakes to deliver them to this Committee and knoweth who hath the charge of them that the Kings Letters differed very little and were to this effect That the City had shewed great loyalty to the Kings predecessors and had received great favours from them and that he doubted not that he had many good subjects in the City that did desire Peace and were weary of their misery that he had sent these Letters to let them know he would confirme the Protestant Religion and the liberties of the subjects in any way they should devise and that hee would bee ready to receive their petition if they presented any to him and give safe conduct to them they should send with their Petition That the substance of the Lord Digbies Letter was to direct him to deliver the Kings Letter or to forbeare according as he found it probable the City were inclinable thereunto That Violet did tell this Examinant that hee conceived the City would be very well inclined to that the King expressed in his Letters and thereupon would acquaint the Parliament with it That Violet told this Examinant hee had spoken with Alderman Gibbes and Master Riley since his returne from Oxford and acquainted them that hee had brought a Letter from the King and though Alderman Gibbes refused to have any thing to doe in the businesse but in a publike way yet hee was conceived by Violet notwithstanding to be the same man hee was before inclinable towards peace He further saith that he desired Mr. Riley to promise him secresie in what he delivered to him which he did That Violet told this Examinant that the King promised him to requite him well if the businesse succeeded Riley also should bee well requited if a peace did follow That at the meetings betweene this Examinant and Master Riley at the three Cranes the said Riley told him he thought the said Alderman Gibbes and divers others in the City would be for peace and that hee thought that the Cities declaring for Peace would be the most probable and best way to draw the Parliament to joine and so to effect it Basil Brooke The next Examination which shall be read to you is the Confession of Violet written with his owne hand Tho. Violet saith that he being aboard the Ship called the Prosperous Sarah for his twentieth part hee did write two Letters to my Lord Mayor and Alderman Gibbes to entreat their assistance for bringing him on shoare which was done within foure or five dayes and he was committed to the prison of the Kings Bench. That about ten dayes after Master John Read was remanded from the aforesaid Ship to the prison of the Kings Bench and lay in the same house part of the time of his stay in prison where he procured to be exchanged for one that was taken by the Kings forces and carried to Oxford and understanding by Master Iohn Read that the Warrant for the exchange was in Master Rileys hands to take the security hee went twice over with Master Read to have the security taken and Master Read then telling Master Riley that if there were not a Peace there would needs come a great destruction upon this Kingdome that he would be a blessed Instrument that could procure peace which Master Riley seconded Therupon Mr. Read told Mr. Riley and me that when he came to Oxford he would intimate how he found things to incline to a peace and protested hee would to the utmost of his power doe good offices in that behalfe and that he would signifie how he found things to stand Whereupon hee sent a small note to me that

grace and favour of the King to be communicated in his gracious Letter that this grace and favour was of the coutrivement of Sir B. B. or M. Ryley and M. Violet here in this City before hand and that they gave reasons and arguments to the Court afterward why they should send it And in it Sir David Watkins that is named in this is a party it is true he was acquainted with this businesse but did discover it in part ten dayes before it came to light to some Members of the house of Commons and did freely come himselfe before he was sent for to the Committee and desired that it might be found out and searched This is the last Examination we shall read in this businesse after which you shall heare the Letters themselves of the Lord Digby and his Majesty the 7 of Ianuary 1643. The further Examination of Sir Bazill Brooke That George Wood mentioned in his former Examination is called Iohn Wood who was an Apprentice to a Merchant in the City and recommended by Read to this Examinat as a fit man to be trusted to carry Letters betweene Oxford and this placo in this businesse That Violet with the advice of of M. Ryley as this Examinat beleeveth framed some Propositions about 12 or 14 in number which were brought to this Examinat by Violet which mended the English of them which Propositions were reduced afterward to six by Violet Ryley or both and afterward was with the approbation of this Examinat That this Examinat at the three Cranes in the Vintry did meet with M. Ryley and Violet to confer upon the said Propositions and to consider of the probability of them to please this City and Parliament which afterward were carried to Oxford by the said Wood to Colonell Read who returned an answer that he thought the King would approve of them upon a Treaty which might be betweene the City and some Parliament men joyned with them That Wood also when he dwelt with his Master neere the Stocks and was imployed about taking up the exchange of monies and since that time the Examinat saith the said Wood told him he served in the wars particularly he served in the Battel at Newbury and being asked whether he knew the usuall abode of the said Wood or how to find him out upon occasion he saith he doth not know That the Propositions formerly mentioned this Examinat remembreth to be these or to this effect 1. That the City might be satisfied that the King would settle the Protestant Religion for without that neither the Parliament nor City would admit any Treaty 2. That the debts contracted upon the Publike Faith on either side by King or Parliament should be satisfied and the most likeliest way for the doing thereof was to settle the Excise for those purposes 3. That it was conceived that in respect of the Kings Declaration that the Parliament was no Parliament and that therefore the King could not Treat with them any more this Treaty was to be immediately betweene the King and the City and the City was to be the medium betweene the King and Parliament And this Examinat further saith That the said Wood told the Examinat that if any Parliament men would joyne with the City in this Treaty they also might come with them to Oxford under the safe conduct granted to the City though it were not exprest in the Kings Letter and that the said Wood received directions at Oxford for this Examinat to declare so much to whom he should thinke fit 4. That there must be an Act of oblivion for all parties and Delinquents whatsoever and a generall pardon that no Cessation should be expected during the Treaty if there had beene any That no mention was made in all these Propositions either of Scotland or Ireland That this Examinat doth remember That M. Alderman Gibs and M. Ryley were thought upon as fit men to be sent to Oxford about the Treaty as being persons inclined to the furtherance of Peace That VVood told this Examinat that it was wished from Oxford that the said parties might be imployed in this Treaty that Read being to procure his release first made a Petition to the Militia by the Name of Iohn Read Gent. to secure his quality as Colonell under pretence that he was a poore man and had children in great want in which businesse the said Read made use of some Citizens to promote this Petition That M. Ryley told the said Read when his release was obtained that he might perceive notwithstanding he might have beene h●ndred from his inlargement but that he said he knew no opposition and therefore he wished him to labour to requite this curtesie by endeavouring a peace betweene the King and City when he came to Oxford which he said he would doe Bazill Brooke Upon this examination you may observe that which will give you most light in this designe it was made so plausible not onely under the name of Peace but it must be that which must answer all mens expectations and that which most pinched which was that the debts of the Publike Faith should be paid by these propositions by the setling of the Excise when all things should be established that very thing which the Parliament in their wisedome and care would prevent that when your lawes have their freedome and when you injoy your liberties you should have no such extraordinary courses now on foot only for this extraordinary occasion this must be the way and the meanes when your liberties are setled to bring you under the greatest slavery that is to bring thosethings upon you that when you have said all that must not only pay you that have borne the brunt here but satisfie all the Delinquents on the Kings side also And secondly you may observe clcerely that now the Parliament must sit under a cloude by his treaty it must be by the King and the City the Parliament must be wholy obscured and waved The Kings Proclamation which is but a Paper and forme of a Proclamation must have anthority to abolish a Parliament setled by an Act of Parliament and that is the end that while you had a bait laid you for your liberties and peace to be setled you might have made such a president as never to have recovered a Parliament againe but in stead of that Act of Oblivion you might have made an Act for to have buried all Parliaments in Oblivion this was the right state of this Designe This Letter Gentlemen was directed to Sir Bazill Brooke in an outward Cover The Letter here which is for Sir Bazill Brooke it is under my Lord Digbies owne hand it is the Letter which Wood brought to Towne on Monday night last Oxford 29. Decemb 1643. Your affectionate Servant George Digby SIR THe King and Queene have both commanded me to give you thanks in their Name for your care and diligence in their service and His Majesty hath so much

therby to delude simple people if it were possible that might take place to subvert the Lawes of this Kingdome and subject al our liberties to an arbitrary power under pretence of Law to the worst of all evils By this you may easily understand the drift of the Councels that are at Oxford and this use we ought to make of it to unite our selves with more strong resolutions and unwearied affections then ever with our purses lives and estates to labour to redeeme our selves from this misery and thraldome that is threatned us and now appearing in more cleare Demonstrations than ever yet it hath You shall now heare the Proclamation it selfe read this Paper that is now to be read to you is that which commeth in the forme of a Proclamation for as you well know the great Seale of England is now with the Parliament and the other great Seal by the Ordinance is made voide and such is the confidence they have of this good doctrine of theirs and to set up another Parliament in the roome of it and to proceede upon these principles and grounds they think it necessary to send it beyond sea hoping hereby to unite all Popish Princes upon this point who know very well the true Protestant Religion must inevitably be rooted out if this Protestant Parliament be made no Parliament or destroyed in which all our other Lawes at the same time and upon the same grounds are no Lawes but must perish also By the King A Proclamation for the Assembling the Members of both Houses at Oxford upon occasion of the Invasion by the Scots VVhereas we did by Our Proclamation hearing date the twentieth day of June last upon due consideration of the miseries of this kingdom and the true cause thereof warn all Our good Subjects no longer to be missed by the Notes Divers and pretended Ordinances of One or Both Houses by reason the Members do not enjoy the freedom and Liberty of Parliament which appears by severall instances of Force and Violence and by the course of their proceedings mentioned in Our said Proclamation and severall of Our Declarations since which time Our Subjects of Scotland have made great and Warlike preparations to enter and inhave this Kingdom with an Army and have already actually invaded the same by possessing themselves by force of Armes of Our Town of Barwick upon presence that they are invited thereunto by the desires of the two houses the which as we doubt not all Our good Subjects of this kingdom will look upon as the most insolent Act of ingratitude and dissoyalty and to the apparent breach of the late Act of Pacification so solemnly made between the Kingdoms and is indeed no other then a designe of Conquest and so impose new Lawes upon this Nation they not so much as pretending the least probecation or violation from this Kingdom so We are most assured that the Major part of both Houses of Parliament do from their souls abhorre the least thought of introducing that for raigne Power to encrease and make desperate the mile ries of their unhappy Country And therefore that it may appear to all the world how far the Maior part of both Houses is from such Actions of Treason and disloyalty and how grossely those few Members remaining at Westminster have and do impose upon Our People We do Will and require such of the Members of both Houses as well those who have been by the faction of the Malignant Party expelled for performing their duty to Us and into whose roomes no Persons have been since chosen by their Country as the rest who have been driven thence and all those who being conscious of their want of freedom now shall be willing to withdraw from that Rebellious City to assemble themselves together at Our City of Oxford on Munday the twenty second day of January where care shall be taken for their severall Accomodations and fit places appointed for their meeting and where all Our good Sujects shall see how willing We are to receive Advice for the preservation of the Religion Lawes and safety of the kingdom and as far as in Us lies to restore it to its former Peace and Security Our chief and only end from those whom they have trusted though We cannot receive it in the place where We appointed And for the better encouragement of those Members of either House to resort to us who may be conscious to themselves of having justly incurred Our displeasure by submitting to or concurring in unlawfull actions And that all the World may see how willing and desirous We are to forget the Injuries and Indignities offered to Us and by an Union of English hearts to prevent the lasting miseries which this forraigne Invasion must bring upon this kingdom We do offer a free and Generall Pardon to all the Members of either House who shall at or before the said twenty second day of January appear at Our City of Oxford and desire the same without Exceptions which considering the manifest Treasons committed against Us and the condition We are now in improved by Gods wonderfull blessing to a better degree then We have injoyed at any time since these Distractions is the greatest instance of Princely and fatherly Care of Our People that can be expressed and which Malice it self cannot suggest to proceed from any other ground And therefore We hope and are confident that all such who upon this Our gratious Invitation will not return to their duty and Allegiance shall be no more thought Promoters of the Religion Lawes and Liberty of the Kingdom which this way may be without doubt setled and secured but Persons engaged from the beginning out of their own Pride Malice and Ambition to bring confusion and desolation upon their Country and to that purpose having long once contrived the Designe to invite and joyne with a forraigne Nation to ruine and extinguish their own and shall according be pursued as the most desperate and malitious Enemies of the kingdom And Our Pleasure is That this Our proclamation be read in all Churches and Chappell 's within this Our kingdom and Dominion of Wales Given at Our Court at Oxford the 22th day of December in the Nineteenth yeer of Our Reigne 1643. God save the King GENTLEMEN I believe upon the reading of this Paper which is put forth in the forme of a Proclamation you cannot but discerne a great affinity in it to this present businesse that is now before you which is to occasion division between the City and the Parliament to raise factions in both and to say open as much as possible may be to the power and malice of their enemies howsoever they cover themselves under these fair and specious expressions which you have heard before This Proclamation doth very ill agred with his Majesties Letter here it is called the disobedient and Rebellious City in this Proclamation and here the Parliament is indeavoured to be brought from you though before you are the

only darlings in his Majesties eye whereby they might have served their turns and their ends of you In that therefore you must have as fair and good words as possible may be But now in this on the contrary side when it is to work upon the Parliament then you must be called an odious and rebellious City to draw them from you to Oxford This sufficiently discovers how palpable and grosse they are that all this faire and foule weather is made up only to shift hands to work the same designe of sowing division and dissention among us that so their party might prevaile you may likewise observe from the title of this Proclamation which is by occasion of the invasion of the Scots that they themselves have forgotten the cessation of Ireland whereby they have let loose worse then a forraign nation a nation imbrued in the Protestant blood and settled upon principles for the utter destruction of the Religion and Lawes of this Kingdom I say you may discerne thereby how far forth the cessation of Ireland is forgotten that complyes with all this For after they had murthered almost all the Protestants there and after they have layd that Kingdom waste they must have an opportunity to be let into this Kingdome and no councell called about it to hinder them but rather the councell to bring them over and the princiall actors in that rebellion must be neerest his Majesties heart For the comming of the Scots I believe you all know very well that the Parliament did think fit finding how neer the interest of these two Nations were conjoyned in one finding the constant love and amity of that Kingdome to this and how in its greatest extremity it was very punctuall to it how that the last time it was here it was very punctuall and carefull to observe all conditions and at the desire of the Parliament return back again according to their promise they thought it fit to enter into a Treaty with them in a solemn Covenant which Treaty is now solemnly ratified by both Kingdomes yet this must be called an Invasion When they were last in the Kingdome if they would have joyned with that Army to have come up against the Parliament they might have had very large conditions but that is now forgotten the offers that were then made to them I believe you have heard of already which was that they should have the foure Northern Counties formerly esteemed their ancient bounds that they should have three hundred thousand pounds in mony paid them down at Newcastle that they should have the plunder of the City of London and that all manner of grace or honour that his Majesty could bestow upon particular persons this is that which those that have been in Scotland know was then sent by way of Proposition by Sir Iohn Hinderson who is now at Oxford they then rejected those with scorn and did refuse to make an Invasion upon this Parliament but kept true and faithfull to the Parliament And upon this experience the Parliament thought fit to make use of them again against the publike danger against the ruine of the Protestant Religion which is threaned in all his Majesties three Dominions and therefore as for that point though for the present we cannot give you the full and large Declaration as hereafter will come forth from both Houses yet it is necessary to acquaint you with thus much that you may not be amazed by any such printed Papers as these are Here is a second paper in the forme likewise of a Proclamation whereby you shall see the unevennesse and unsteddinesse of His Majesties Councels at least in appearance for though they be steddy and united in that which is to bring destruction and ruin upon the Parliament and Kingdom yet you may see them halt in their expressions Before you were called a famous Citie you had deserved so well and had all encouragements offered you here on the contrary you shall see what language is given you and because the welfare of this Citie consists much in the residence of this Parliament and Courts of Iustice that are here And of such persons of quality as are necessarily attendant thereupon It is not now only thought fit to call away the Parliament from you but the Courts of Iustice that so you might be left a miserable confused Citie notwithstanding all the faire words and promises that have been given you BY THE KING A Proclamation for the removing of the Courts of Kings-Bench and of the Exchequer from Westminster to Oxford WHereas the sole power of appointing the Place or Places in which Our Great Courts of Iustice shall be kept and of removing them from one place to another as urgent occasion shall move Vs by the Lawes of this kingdom is inherent in Our Royall Person And whereas it is of great importance to Our service in these times of difficulty and distraction to have Our Iudges of Our said Courts to attend neer unto Vs by whose advice We may the better proceed in in all those Cases wherein the Iudgement and knowledge of the Lawes is required And whereas more especially the Chancellor or Lord keeper of the Great Seal of England and the Iudges of Our Court called the Kings-Bench were and are to follow the King and Our Court of Exchequer being the proper Court of Our Revenue ought to attend Vs as We shall appoint And whereas Our Cities of London and Westminster have been and yet are the chief Causers and Maintainers of this present Rebellion against Vs. And We taking into Our serious consideration that while Our Courts of Kings-Bench Common-Pleas and of Our Exchequer are kept at Westminster many of Our good and Loyall Subjects might be compelled or injoyned by Process in Our name to make their appearance there which they could not do without hazard of Imprisonment or other dammage or violence from the fomentors of this Rebellion and many might suffer prejudice by Verdicts and Iudgements had and obtained against them by default or otherwise when they could not with safety come to make their just defences thereupon We did re●olve to remove those Courts from Westminster to Our City of Oxford whether other of Our Courts of Iustice hath been and are already removed by Our former Proclamation And to the end that there might not be any prejudice to any of Our Subjects by discontinuance of their Suits in those Courts or otherwise We did send Our severall Writs of Adjournment directed to Our Iudges of Our said Courts of Kings-Bench and Common-pleas and to Our Barons of Our Exchequer thereby commanding and giving Warrant and authority to them respectively to adjourn all Pleas and Process depending before them in and from the Two and Twentieth day of November last past to the first return of Hillary Terme next commonly called Octabis Hillary to be holden then at Our City of Oxford But our Messenger sent with those Writs as We have been informed for no other cause