Selected quad for the lemma: city_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
city_n	john_n	thomas_n	william_n	31,627	5	9.1915	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A94693	To the supreme authority of the nation the Commons of England, assembled in Parliament. The humble petition of divers well-affected persons in the cities of London and Westminster, the borough of Southwark, hamblets, and parts adjacent. In behalf of Lieut. Coll. John Lilburn, M. William Walwin, M. Thomas Prince, and M. Richard Overton, now prisoners in the Tower.		1649 (1649)	Wing T1730; Thomason 669.f.14[20]; ESTC R211104	4,146	1

TO THE SVPREME AVTHORITY OF THE NATION The COMMONS of ENGLAND Assembled in Parliament The Humble Petition of divers well-affected Persons of the Cities of London and Westminster the Borough of Southwark Hamblets and Parts Adjacent In the behalf of Lieut. Coll. John Lilburn M. William Walwin M. Thomas Prince and M. Richard Overton now Prisoners in the Tower Sheweth THat the more we consider the state and condition of our said Friends the more we are perplexed in our thoughts with fear of great danger intended towards them For though nothing hath bin pretended to be done by them contrary to any Law made before the fact whereof they are suspected nor any thing done by them after you had published your Declaration concerning the same yet your Votes and Declarations the hostile seizure of them by the Councel of State and their Examinations apart upon questions against themselves no Accuser appearing face to face nor friends allowed to be present and thereupon committed prisoners to the Tower do all in a great measure fore-judge them as really guilty of high Treason All which being proceedings directly contrary to Magna Charta the Petition of Right and to your Late Declarations of the 9. of Febr. 1648. and of the 17. of March 1648. wherein you resolve to preserve inviolable those Fundamental Laws and Liberties concerning the Preservation of the Lives Properties and Liberties of the People with all things incident thereunto we are enforced to believe what this House hath formerly found that some eminent persons whose particular Interest our said Friends may have opposed have surprised this honorable House and transported you into some causeless fears of danger from those our Friends whose constant care and watchfulness for the settlement of this long wasted Common-wealth and prevention of misery and bloudshed hath bin so evident by their frequent motions and petitions to those just ends especially by that which was burnt by the common Hangman that of Sept. 11. 1648. and their Agreement of the People wherein are comprised such cleer Fundamentals of just Government redress of Grievances and conducements to general Peace and Reconcilement as had their advise in any reasonable time bin taken we are verily perswaded much of that rancour bitterness and bloudshed which hath befallen had bin prevented And which in our apprehensions are sufficient Evidences against all suspition of treasonable practises or intentions in them and may also acquit them of that aspersion of unsetledness cast upon them and which we wonder did not invite a more respectful carriage towards them than to fetch them out of their Beds and houses by so formidable partys of Horse and Foot And truely if we may have leave to speak our hearts in behalf of these our friends who for many yeers have neither spared their estates nor time but frequently hazarded their lives in our behalf and for the safety and Freedom of Parliament and People We are perswaded in our Consciences the greatest crime or rather cause for which they are thus molested is That they have uncessantly endeavoured to induce the Army to the real performance of those many good things they engaged for and largely promised to this Nation in their many Declarations c. When first they disputed and opposed the Orders of Parliament And for that they have endeavoured to preserve the interest of the Army to the just interest of the People and to reduce the Military power to a real subordination to the Civil Authority For which their endeavours we verily believe they are hated by some eminent persons of the Army whose frequent distinct actings according to their own imediate Wills towards this Honourable House in casting out Members without Charge brought against them leaving or taking in only whom they pleased and so likewise in the Army And by their prevalency against some particular persons hath made them presume and we fear resolve to sacrifice the bloods and lives of these our dear Friends for standing betwixt their absolute Domination and the Freedom of the People And that this may not appear to be a groundless supposition be pleased to take notice that our said friends have bin long aspersed by them as Levellers Atheists Jesuites c. upon what ground and to what end we know not except to prepare them to des●ruction Threatning That if once they caught hold of them they should not escape out of their hands as they had done out of the hands of Hollis and Stapleton That they have deserved more to be fought against than the most desperate Enemy Ploting and contriving in their General Councel of Officers to get a Law to have power to hang or otherwise put to death as they saw cause and that because the Civil Magistrate could not dispatch them fast enough In all which their threats and contrivances there are many circumstances to prove they principally aimed at those our friends And so when neither by threats nor promises they could prevaile with them to desist from preserving the Freedom of the Nation and discovery of their designs as was done in their Serious apprehensions presented to this House Febr. 26. 1648. having absolute power in the House where contrary to the self-denying Ordinanc● they takeup many places which with an Army at Command is more than all the rest and having got enow of themselves into their Councel of State contrary to their own positive consent in the Agreement of the People they catch at an opportunity and fall upon our Friends with such a face of force and terror as would have made the world believe what ever cruelty had succeeded there had bin a cause answerable to that force The like having not bin known that persons so visible and responsible should to the terror of their wives children families and neighbors in the break of the day be fetched out of their beds forced out of their houses and carried away as prisoners of War and after a days restraint in their Garison at White-hall were carryed before the Councel of State and there after examination of them against themselves no accusers appearing face to face or friends allowed to be present were about twelve of the clock at night committed prisoners to the Tower upon suspition of High Treason In their debates whereupon as we are credibly informed Lieut. Gen. Cromwel declared in the Councel That they must break this Party in pieces meaning our friends or they would break them That if they did not do it they would render themselves the most silly low-spirited men in the world to be routed by so contemptible and despicable a generation of men And immediately after was published your Declaration which reflecting upon them as persons seditious destructive to the present Government Mutineers Hinderers of the relief of Ireland and Continuers of Free-quarter hath with the rest fore-mentioned so fore-spoken them that wheresoever they come to tryal they are likely to fall under abundance of prejudice besides the influence those eminent persons who