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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	day_n	life_n	world_n	8,295	5	4.5590	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A74791	A whip for the present House of Lords, or the Levellers levelled. in an epistle writ to Mr. Frost, secretary to the Committee of State, that sits at Darby House, in answer to a lying book said to be his called A declaration, &c. / By L.C. Io. Lilburne, prerogative prisoner in the Tower of London, Feb. 27, 1647.	Lilburne, John, 1614?-1657.; Frost, Walter, fl. 1619-1652.	1648 (1648)	Thomason E431_1	47,524	30

the proof of it I desire you to read the first part book of Decl. pag. 44 95 150. 201. 202. 207 209. 382. 4●2 5●9 532 533. 548. 557. 637 690. 720. And for the Parliaments lenitie or gentlenesse which you talke of I for my part crave none at their hands but for any thing that any particular man or any faction of men amongst them hath to say to me the same defiance I bid to Levt Gen. Cromwell in the 57 58 pages of my last published book I bid to them And as for their disserting their trust if they doe not punish us I answer the generallity of them hath doth it so often that they have now forgot to be sensible of the dishonour of doing it againe and I doe not think that ever any generation of men breathed in the world that ever disserted their trust more then they have done or else they would never have given so many 10000. l. amongst themselves But in the sam● sixt pag. you goe on and name me to be the chiefe of all those men that have under specious pretences served the Kings ends and designes And in the 7. pag. you carrectarise me to be a man known to the world by those Heaps of Scandalous books and papers that I have either written or owned against the House of Peers and ●uch as have done him greatest courtesies filled with fashood bitternesse and ingratitude whereby he hath distinguished himself say you from a man walking after the rules of sobrietie and the iust department of a Christian and also in the same 7. pag. to make me as odious for an Apostate as your grand master Lievt Gen. Cromwell too justly deserves to be you brand me to be a Cavialeer for you say that some that know me have well observed that I brought not the same affections from Oxford that J was carried thither prisoner withall To the last of which I answer first and challenge thee Frost and all thy associats in England grounddedly perticularly to instance the least particular for this 11. years together when I have in the least apostatised from my declared principles though I have had as many thundring shakings pearceing trials as I do confidently believe would have shaken the very foundation of the tallest stoutest cedars among your grandees I am confident in Oxford I behaved my self with more resolution in my imprisonment there then all the Gentlemen prisoners that there were officers did and run more hazards and underwent more tormenting cruelties then any of them and maintained openly and publickly more discourses with the Kings party to justifie the Parliaments authority and the justice of their proceedings insomuch that it was grown to common saying with the Mashal and his officers when they had got a fat and timerous Prisoner of whom they intended to make a prey of keepe him out of the Castle from Lilburne for if he come to discourse with him he will seduce him from all his allegience from taking the Kings Covenant or forsaking the Parliaments principles and when the King by foure Lords complemented with me and profered me no small things I deliberately and resolvedly bid them ●ell the King from me I scorned his pardon and maintained the Parliaments proceedings with them by dint of argument and reason for above an houre together and told them I would part with my heart blood befo●e I would resede from my present engagement or principals and when I was arraigned for high treason therefore I told the Iudge in the open Guildhall at Oxford when he prest me to save my self that I was seduced by no flesh alive to take up armes against the King and his party to defend my liberties and that ● girded my sword to my thigh in judgement and conscience to fight for my liberties with a resolution to spend the last drop of the blood in my vains therfore and pressed the Iudge to goe o● with his tyall telling him a scorned to beg or crave longer time at his hand protesting unto him ●hat I was as ready and willing that day to loose my life by a halter as ever J was by a sword or a bullet ●elling I feared not death in the least having by the assistance of God for above seaven yeares before always ●arried my life in my hand ready every moment to lay it downe and besides my purse and paines to re●ieve and helpe the poore sick starving prisoners was as free and as ready as any mans in the House and 〈◊〉 doe verily believe in the two last particulars I was as serviceable to the Prisoners as the richest in ●he house and some of them had about 1000. l. land per annum and I had never a farthing per annum nay I defie a or any of the Prisoners that ever were there face to face to lay to my charge the least ●emonstration of fraging or denying my p●inciples from the first day of my going in to the last houre of ●●y staying there And I am sure when I come home I was not a litle praysed and made much of by those that are ●ow my professed adversaries and profered the choise of divers places all of which I absolutly re●ised and expresly told my wife when I was pressed by her to stay at home that J sconrd to be so base ●s to fit down in a whole skin to make my selfe rich while the liberties and freedomes of the Kingdome was in danger by the sword to be destroyed and rather then I would take a place at present of ●00 l. per annum to lay down my sword I would fight for a groat a day and my zeale carried me to Manchester and Cromwell after upon my enlargement I had severall wayes been more really obliged ●y the Earle of Essex then ever I was before or since by all the great men of England put them all in ●ne chusing them meerly for their honesty I then judged then to be in them and there I fought ●nd behaved my self in all my engagements like a man of resolutions till I had spent some hundreds ●f pounds of my owne money and lost all my principles of fighting by reason of Manchesters vis●ble ●alpable treachery which went unpunished after he had apparently bought Sold betrayed us al to the King being impeached as a Traytor therefore by Cromwell himselfe and for prosecuting of him c. ●or his treasons al my present miseries and sufferings are come upon me and your Idol Cromwel who set ●e a worke is now joyned hand in hand with him like a base unworthy fellow to destroy me therefore and because I will not turne a wethercock an Apostate and an enemy to the liberties of England as ●e hath done But it is very strange that you in your book should Carracterise me for a Cavilere when but the other day the Grandees that I beleive now set you at worke at the head quarters indeavoured to destroy me for secretly designing basly and unworthily

Lawyers had proctered for them in the open House against● me a little before of whom face to face in that particular in their own profession I dare ingage my head to make Novices and lyars of provided I may be suffered my selfe to answe● their obiections and when the discourse is done I shall readily and cheerfully submit to the finall determination and judgement of this House in it or if I cannot obtain this at your hands Then in the second place Mr. Speaker I most humbly intreat this honourable House that they will be pleased to appoint a day to reade over my Plea J made for my self before Mr. Iohn Maynard c. † Who I doe aver delt most unworthily trecherously and not like a righteous iudg nor a●just English man with me who though the House had expresly ordered him and the rest of the Committee not only to heare and examine my businesse but also to conclude their opinions upon it and report their results to the House yet notwithstanding Mr Maynard being then in the Chaire as some of the Committee told me would not upon any tearmes suffer them to doe it by meanes of which he rob● me of my reall benefit of that Committee which the House intended me and hath done like a trecherous man as much as in him lyes to destroy me and my liberties and the liberties of all the Commons of England the Lords being encouraged thereby to deale since as illegally with Sir John Maynard and other Commons of England as they have done with me see Sir Iohn pleas of the 5 and 14 Feb. 1647. and which since I have printed and delivered some hundreds of them to the members of this House and upon the reading of it to proceed to give a final Judgment in it that so I may after almost 2. years waiting know what to trust to and not be kept everlastingly in Prison in a condition worse then death it self for truly Mr Speaker my pressing and unsupportable necessities compels me to deale ingeniously with this House and t●uly to acquaint you that I have not being a yonger Brother one foot of land in the whole world nor a penny of any rents coming in to maintaine me my wife and litle Children nor any trade agoing to bring me in one farthing nor a penny allowed me by those that uniustly imprisoned me to buy me bread and all these things considered with my 11 years in a manner constant sufferings laid unto them I cannot apprehend how this house can rationally conceive how without maricle I should live or subsist especially seeing I am necessitated to contest for my own preservation with all the corrupt grand interests in England therfore in the second place I humbly intreat this honourable house to let me have somthing at the present out of my Arreares to keepe me alive which I dare with confidence Mr Speaker avere before this House Iustly amounts to the greatest part of a Thousand pounds And in the third place Mr. Speaker I humbly intreat this Honourable House seriously to consider and passe my Ordinance that long hath laid dormant here for my 2000. l. reparations against my cruell Star-Chamber Iudges and that I may speedily and effectually by you he put into a certain way where to receive my money and not be sent unto those for it where it is impossible for me to get it * The names of those my unrighteous and barbarous High Commission and Star-Chamber Iudges are Dr. Lamb Dr. Gwin and Dr. Alylet whose hands were to my first commitment and yet never see my face these that past my first bloody whipping sentence upon me c. were Lord Coventry Earle of Manchester Lord Newburgh old Sir Henry Vaine Lord Chiefe Iustice Bramstone and Iudg Jones those that past my second most barbarous sentence to starve me c. were Canterbury Coventry London Manchester Arundell Salisbury Cottington Secretary Cook and Windebank the severall sentences you may read at large in the 1 2 3 4. pages of my printed relation before the Lords of the 13. Feb. 1645. and from the fattest and ablest of these I expect my reparations viz. from old Sir Henry Vain the Earl of Salisburys whose greatnesse alone in both Houses I have cause to iudg hath kept me all this while from my reparations and therefore O all true hearted English men help me to grapple with their lawlesse greatnesse without the losse of a great deale of time and the expence of a great deale of money if ever I get it at all which I have not now to spend having I dare with confidence aver it spent above 1000. l one way and another in following this House c. for it and so Mr. Speaker I have done with what I have to say to you at present wherupon I was commanded to withdraw which I did And immediately upon it Mr IOHN WILDMAN was called in a severall times and myselfe having sent in word to Mr. Speaker that I earnestly desired to come to the Bar againe to speak two or three words more to the House and accordingly I was called in coming to the Bar very hoarse by reason of my straining my selfe to speak audably in my former speeches one of which lasted above an houre and half I said with a mild voyce Mr. Speaker a Prison by the law of this Land is appointed not for the punishment or distuction of the Prisoner but for the secure and salf-keeping of him for a speedy tryall at the next Assises Sessions or Goale del●very And truly Mr Speaker J have now been many assizes Sessions and Goale deliveries in Prison and never called out to have any crime in the world laid legally unto my charge being commited by those that J must and do averre with confidence before this house have no more power or authority by the law of England to commit me then so many Turkes or Tertors and this House was lately pleased to doe me so much Iustice and right as to give liberty day by day to goe obroad to follow my businesse and yesterday I understand they have taken of that order and left me a Prisoner under the power of the Lords by reason of this information of Mr. Mastersons which I aver is a most malicious lying one truly Mr. Speakes my necessities are such and I count it no disgrace to repeate it over againe to this House especially considering my eleven year● hard and constant chargeable sufferings for the liberties of my native Country that I have neither Lands houses nor tade ●going to bring me in a penny to buy me bread to preserve alive my wife and little children and I never die any action in my life but I was alwayes willing and still am ready to answer for it at the touchstone of the Law and by it to iustifie it at my perrill without ever craving o● now desiring the least dram or courtefie in the world at the hands of any flesh

friends have bin contrary to the laws liberties of England very much restrained for comming to me have often bin forced to stay an houre or two at the gate before they could get a Keeper to come up with them to me and divers have had from them very base and provoking language and others have been forced to goe away without acces● unto me so that I am in some sence in the nature of a close prisoner robd by men in greatest authoritie of my estate and proprietie robd of my liberty and of the free accesse of my friends unto me in my great and almost unsupportable captivitie so that if it be not immediately mended I must bee necessitated and compeld whether I will or no to cry out in the next to all the free men of England as loud as I did in the Bishops time in my Epistle to the Apprentices of London of the 10. May 1647. which I caused on ther play day to be thrown in Moorfields amongst them Murder Murder and Murder and provoke every English man that hath the spirit of a man in him to importune with loud cryes the Parliament to doe me iustice and right so far as I have Law and iustice on my side and to punish or distroy me without mercy so farre as by law and iustice I have deserved it which is all the curtesie I crave at the hands of all the men in England and resolved I am by Gods assistance never to sit down in silence so long as they so murderinly and tyrannically as they doe tyrannise over me let the issue be what it will I value it not having long since through the goodnesse of God learned to dye hoping and strongly beleeving that that God hath been my God in six troubles and in seaven hath ●ot left me will be a loving and carefull husband and father unto my poore wife and children if I ●hould be taken from them in that distressed meane and low condition they are now in And there●ore M● Frost I shall draw towards a conclusion and according to my promise in the foregoing lines ●ive you a short breviate of Mr. Iohn Morris his case as I find it drawn up to his Excellency Sir Tho●as Fairfax by divers of the late Agents which thus followeth May it please your Excellency BEing deeply oppressed in our spirits and overburthened in ourselves at the manifold dolefull outcryes and complaints of the people in all parts of our quarte●s where we come uttered against the daily pressures and inroads that are made by prerogative and arbitrary violence upon their Common rights and in particular the cry and miserable moane of certain oppressed Commoners to wit of Iohn Poyntz alias Morris Esquire Isabella Smith Iohn Harris and Leanord Darby comming unto our ●ates that we could not but as in duty we are bound deeply represent their miserable condition as fellow feelers of their oppressions and persons lyable when we come into their single capacitie of Commons to the said mischiefe and therefore conceiving it our duty to contribute our utmost endeavours for the remedy of the same we could not but unburthen in some measure our spirits unto your Excellency in their behalfes who in such a horrid and barbarous manner have been abused and supplanted of their common rights by acts of violence and force committed by Iohn Brown Clarke unto the House of Lords and his accomplicies under the colour of severall Orders surruptuously by misinformations gained from the said House to the high usurpation and abuse of the name and authority of Parliament in permitting the image thereof upon his own prerogative outrage and violence to the totall ●uine and supplantation of the iust freedomes and birthright inheritance of the said persons as the severall papers thereunto subioyned for the full information of your Excellency doe demonstrate And for more certain confirmation of our premises represented by the same be pleased to consider that whereas the abovesaid persons are accused condemned and sentenced by the Lords supprised by Browns misrepresentations and delusions to pay 2500. l. fine and suffer imprisonment contrary to the regular course of the Lawes during the pleasure of the said House for forging and framing a copy of an Act of Parliament touching the estate of the said Iohn Poyntz alias Morris pretended to be taken out of the Office of the said Iohn Brown with his hand thereunto no such originall Record as Brown pretendeth to be found in his office that since the said accusation another originall Record of the said Act of Parliament with other writings and evidences for the said estate is found in the Court of Wards and they have gained copyes thereof examined and subscribed by the Master of the said Court and his Clarkes the which with their hands thereunto are herewith presented and concerning the truth thereof three of us can also give it upon oath that the wife of one Godfrey Cade now prisoner in the Fleet did declare unto us that the said John Brown went to the Fleet unto her husband and gave him 25. shillings in hand and promised him 5. l. more and his inlargement to sweare at the Lords Bar that he forged the copy of the said Act of Parliament and counterfeited the Clarkes hand unto it and the sai● Cade did also confesse the same Wherefore we humbly implore that your Excellency would be pleased to grant the said distressed persons your letter of request unto the Parliament according to their Petition herewith directed to your Excellency that the said persons and their adversaries may be left to the free course and tryall at common law and that in the meane time till the controversie concerning the estate be decided at Law the said persons may inioy their inlargement upon Bayle without any further trouble or durance and the execution of their severe sentence be suspended and the said Poyntz alias Morris enioy peaceable possession of the said estate like as all his ancestors from the dayes of Queen Elizabeth have done before him which request is so reasonable and iust and their condition so miserable desperate and dangerous and of such concernment to the whole Common wealth that no man if such exhorbit●ces be not stop and ●●rbd can have any security in his estate of liberty that we cannot but promise our selves your Excel●encies con●se●●●●●n of their condition and readily assent unto their iust s● Thus we humbly take our leave beseeching your favourable construction upon our boldnesse a● remaine Your Excellencies most humble Servants and Souldiers Lievt Gen. R. Robert Everard George Sadler Com. Gen. R. George Garret Thomas Beverly Col. Whalys Matthew Wealy William Russell Will. Sampson Richard Daley Col. Riches Will. Hudso● Iohn Dober Col. Fleetwood William Priar William Bryan Now Mr. Frost to conclude all at the present I shall desire you to aske your grand Senior Cra●well whether he intends forthwith to become an absolute brother to the great Turke and to set up ●mongst us in England his absolute tyranny and the reason why J desire you to doe it is because heare he lately neer the Parliament met with on William Thomson a meer Commoner and no Sou●dier and without any affront given him by the breath of his mouth committed him prisoner to 〈◊〉 Mercinary lanisaries at Whitehall and have since passed a sentence upon him at a Councell of War● to be shot to death over whom he hath no more jurisdiction then the great Turke hath and now kee● him close prisoner in Whitehall without use of pen inke and paper where it is said he intends th●ly to murder him for no other crime in the world but only because he hath more honestly in his li● finger then Cromwell hath in all his body So being in hast letting you know I intend to visit yo● again and your silly Comrade William Prinn shortly for writing his late silly book for the supporta●on of the Lords rotten and illegall jurisdiction and so I rest Your Antagonest John Lilburne FINIS