Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A65010
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A vindication of addresses in general, and of the Middle-Temple address and proceedings in particular in answer to the impartial account of addresses : wherein the popular pretences of some men are exposed / by a barrester of the Middle-Temple.
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Barrester of the Middle Temple.
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1681
(1681)
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Wing V469; ESTC R18697
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15,280
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8
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mightily that always shewed an uneasiness under his Government and as much discountenance those who came to give him thanks for and were well pleased with what He did I then the King would see that for his Subjects to be well pleased with his actions was always a Popish and Arbitrary design but 't was They were his Friends who were always rendring both his person and actions contemptible and ridiculous He would then see § 4. that Addresses tend only to divide the Nation into Faction and Parties but that Petitions had no such tendency 'T is true the Petitioners began before the Addressers and had given the stamp of Papist and Popishly affected upon all Non Petitioners What they call that I can't tell but 't was not dividing for that was for Petitions and would any man think that Petitioning would divide the Nation therefore 't was not dividing but for Addressing any man may see that divides the Nation therefore that is dividing To proceed His Majesty would then see that § 7. the number of Addressers are very few all of them put together makes not so great number as we have seen not long since to one Petition Well said Whig this is a Swinger let the Reader take notice this is a second proof that Whigs will lye If this be true where was the need of our Author 's tender care and compassion towards His Majesty in rectifying the apprehension of Him and his Privy-Councel concerning the sence of the Nation c. for they have the numbers before them both of Addressers and Petitioners and they could not therefore be deceived which was greatest Our Author seems to mistrust this will not be swallowed therefore adds p. 10. If it be allowed as in justice as well as modesty it ought that whoever have either avoided or refused subscribing are as truly to be judg'd against them as they who have positively withstood or directly opposed them then the tale of the Addressers will make but a very small shew and appearance in the Muster-Roll of the Nation Smartly said I protest Must it not as well follow that they who avoided or refused subscribing Petitions are as truly to be judg'd against them as they who have positively withstood or directly opposed them And then what a show they will make in the Muster-Roll of the Nation And now the Gentleman is fallen into a fit of railing for two or three pages together That the Addressers are the scum of the people Those which are Popishly inclined c. All which I deny so there wants only proof on his part And thus he concludes his natural thoughts as to the general and I begin mine as follows That to give His Majesty Thanks for His late most Gracious Declaration is very avowable for my first reason I shall lay down these two Propositions That grateful acknowledgments for favours received are a Christians Duty That for every man to be judge when he has received a favour is an English mans Liberty One would think neither of these two Propositions need any manner of proof But because those who would be thought the Preservers of our Liberties are for betraying them in this or any other particular where they run counter to their Damnable Designs of which no doubt the next Parliament will take notice I shall prove the second Proposition from their own practices I mean Petitioning for if I have not a liberty of judging what is a Favour when received à fortiori I have no liberty of judging what will be a Favour when it shall be received being then at a greater distance therefore less capable of judging So that by consequence if they do except to what I have laid down a fortiori they must exclude themselves the Right of Petitioning Wherefore I may conclude if I do not dislike the Kings Declaration because 't is the Kings or because 't was given with an intent to satisfie the Minds of His Subjects but really do esteem it as a Gracious Favour notwithstanding these and such like weighty reasons I may nay I am bound as appears by my first Proposition to render His Majesty all Humble Thanks Wherefore in so doing I am so far from breaking that I keep the Law But I need not take this advantage that because I think the King's Declaration exacts Thanks therefore I may justifie paying them For I may well stand the Tryal whether right reason does not call upon us to perform that respect as a duty and in order thereto I shall reduce the King's Declaration to these three Heads 1st His Reasons for His dissolving two Parliaments 2dly His promises to govern according to Law 3dly His promises to call frequent Parliaments First His Reasons for dissolving two Parliaments The very naming of this Head is sufficient to baffle that blundring mistake of those that affirm that when we give His Majesty Thanks in general for His Declaration we give him Thanks for dissolving two Parliaments As if there was no difference between dissolving and giving reasons for dissolving Those Dissolutions were unquestionably justifiable by Law Afterwards the King condescends to give us reasons For what for doing a thing which by Law he might do This was certainly more than His Greatness need to have condescended to and therefore commands our grateful returns especially if we consider the end for what 't was done which does fully appear to be only for the quiet and satisfaction of his Subjects minds at such a time when Male-Contents were endeavouring to possess the people with a needless Fear and Jealousie that these Dissolutions were in order to their utter Ruin and Destruction 2dly Our Thanks are due for His Majesties gracious promise That he will govern according to Law This grave Mr. Thompson glad no doubt of the opportunity explodes in a formal Speech before the Bench of the Middle-Temple upon the account of the Address carrying on in that Society says that Gentleman a weighty reason truly The King is bound by his Coronation-Oath to govern according to the Laws of the Land therefore in so doing he does but his duty and 't is absurd to thank any man for barely doing his duty I can't say these are the words but I am mis-informed if this be not the substance of Mr. Thompson's Argument which in form is thus Whenever a man does but his bare duty 't is absurd to pay him Thanks for so doing But the King has done but his duty c. He had done well had he proved the major Proposition 'T is but the bare duty of every rich man to relieve one whom he knows to be necessitous 'T is but the bare duty of every Christian when he sees another almost suffocated in a Pit to â—end the utmost assistance to his relief 'T is but the bare duty of a Father which is just the case to provide for and comfort his Children But none can be so hardy to deny Thanks to be due in all these cases wherefore that
Argument is grosly Illogical And further let me ask why the City and some Countreys gave Thanks to their Members that served in Parliament for preserving their right of Petitioning c Did these Members more than barely execute their Trust or more than what was barely their Duty When men catch hold of straws 't is sign they 're sinking Our Author § 12. insists upon the same reason but goes somewhat further For says he It does unbecome English Subjects to thank their Prince for promising to govern according to Law seeing as he never did so cannot do otherwise Let it be admitted But then why all this roaring against his Royal Highness By what means can He take our Lives Liberties and Properties By what means can He introduce Arbitrary Power if a King cannot do otherwise than govern according to Law This is down-right confessing they scare the people when there 's no need for 't 3dly Beyond all contradiction His Majesty may justly expect our Thanks for his promise of frequent Parliaments why else was there such a stir made in petitioning for them It may well be presumed those men were not in earnest when they seemed hotly and zealously to desire and now they have a gracious promise that their desires shall be fulfilled think that promise not worth their acknowledgements From what has been said 't is manifest 1st That admit His Majesties Declaration does not reasonably exact Thanks yet if any man thinks it does he being thereof proper Judge is obliged to pay them 2dly That there is not one particular in that Declaration but what according to right reason exacts our most grateful returns As for the particular forms of Addresses which our Author quotes I am not obliged to justifie not only because I have them not by me and therefore cannot know whether He prevaricates but also because several passages in these forms are incerted upon reasons most obvious to the Inhabitants of that place from whence they came For in one place the Republican-spirits take one way in another another way according as they and the Jesuits together think most conducing to their ends Wherefore each company of Loyal Addressers assure His Majesty to stand by him in opposition to those undutiful Managements c. which they more particularly see carried on I shall therefore say nothing to any particular form except that of the Middle-Temple to which I was a Subscriber And before I speak to the exception against the Address it self because there has been a great noise made as if our Proceedings in the carrying it on were abominably irregular I shall acquaint the world with the truth of the fact as follows At the first proposing of an Address 't was thought fit to appoint a meeting at a Tavern that they might consider whether their Party were the Majority before they would publickly propose it in the Hall Upon this score they met two or three times which begot a Jealousy in the Adverse party who also met and I suppose too 't was to try their own strength that we would huddle up an Address and privately get Hands without proposing the matter fairly and publickly in the Hall To this effect I have heard our Party upbraided who still replyed they designed no such thing nor indeed did they But a day was appointed and the fullest Hall that has been seen appeared We made a noise for one Speaker they for another we with all the earnestness imaginable prest a Poll twice or oftner we drew out from them in order thereto yet could not obtain it When they would by no means come to a Poll we took it for granted they yielded us the Majority and indeed we were so we set our Speaker in the Chair who put the Question and all that Voted him Speaker Voted for the Address After this was all over and a great many of us gone some of the other party very Gravely demanded a Poll. No sooner were we all gone then they chose themselves a Speaker Voted our Proceeding Irregular c. For that we had no power to call a Parliament in Term time the Benchers having then the sole Government of the House They clamoured likewise that we had appointed three of the Clock but met at two so that their party was surpriz'd c. Thus truly stands the Fact I defie any of them to prove me mistaken in any one particular And now I shall beg leave to make some brief Observations thereon First That they were surpriz'd by our appointing Three of the Clock and our meeting at Two is totally false for they knew the time of meeting as well as we our selves and they had publick notice thereof by the Blowing of the Horn There was divers of their party present I knew none Absent at the very time of our Meeting which had not been in Commons within twelve Months at least abundance that had not been in Commons that Term and how was it possible for those to be there had they not had fair notice Nor was this Sham ever mention'd till they found themselves the fewer number 2dly 'T is very observable that they should upbraid us for not meeting publickly in the Hall which I will Depose I heard and then because we did meet publickly in the Hall that they should Vote our Proceedings Irregular Which way shall one take to please such men There was no noise of Irregular proceedings in the Inner House when 't was carried though in Term time against the Address Nay to my own knowledge not long since These very men who now Vote our Proceedings Irregular because the Bench are the governing part in Term these very men I mean all the Leading men were the most busie Actors in our Parliaments conven'd in Term-time even in opposition to the Bench In answer to these instances they tell us those Parliaments began in Vacation and therefore they might continue them in Term What a miserable shift those Gentlemen are put to to vent such Nonsense for their excuses As if our calling a Parliament in Vacation took away the Benchers power in Term. Had they not much better deal plainly and say that Parliaments which meet in Term in opposition to the Bench are well enough because they favour something like Rebellion But Parliaments that meet to carry on Addresses those fye upon'm irregular things They are never to be justified for they look something like Loyalty To come yet harder upon these Gentlemen If because the Government is in the Bench we have no power to act Parliamentary First why did they Nominate and Vote for a Speaker if 't was an Irregular meeting why did they not oppose all Speakers No if their party had been strong enough to have carried it all had been extreamly Regular But 2dly By what Authority did they themselves act Parliamentary when we were gone out of the Hall By what Authority I say did they chuse a Speaker Vote our Proceedings Irregular c. This was one of Neatest