before Judges a Cause betwixt a Father and his Son Most Reverend Judges Plaintiff against the Father HEre is the Son which ought to be his Fathers Heir whom for Marryig against his Fathers Consent his Father hath Dis-inherited which is against all Law or Right both of God Nature and Man Defendant Most Reverend Judges Disobedient Children ought to have no Part nor Parcel of their Parents Estate as Lands Goods or whatsoever for it the Parents have no Duty nor Obedience from their Child their Child can challenge no Part of their Parents Estate and since he hath Married Disobediently he ought to Live Poorly or to get his Living by his Own Labour or Industry Plaintiff Most Reverend Judges There is no Reason nor Law that if one man Commit a Fault to an other that man should Commit an other to be quit with him and put the Case the Son were unnaturally Disobedient must the Father be unnaturally Cruel to be Revenged of him Defendant Most Reverend Judges Parents are the Fittest Judges of their Childrens Faults and Crimes committed against them But howsoever Parents cannot be thought Cruel or Unnatural to Punish the Crimes of their Children no more than God can be said to be Cruel or Unjust to Punish Sinners for God who Made Creatures may do what he Pleases with them for being his own Work he may Dispose or Order them as he Thinks best or as he Pleaseth So Parents that Begot their Children may do the like in things concerning themselves Plaintiff But God is Mercifull wherefore Parents ought to be Natural Defendant God is Just and therefore Children ought to be Dutifull Plaintiff But if God Should Punish his Creatures according to their Desert no man would be Saved Defendant And if Children should do what they List there would be no Government for Parents would be made Slaves and their Children Masters so if God should not Punish Some of his Creatures All would be Damned and to make up the Fulness of their Sins they would Despise his Love and not Fear his Power and so they would neither Love nor Fear God so Children would have neither Duty nor Obedience to their Parents But to prove it a Clear cause his Estate is free from all Intails and wholly in his own Power to Dispose of it as he Pleases and to Give it to whom he will and therefore his Son can Challenge nothing by Law or Right SPEECHES TO The KING in Council PART V. A Privy-Counsellours Speech to His Soveraign Dread Soveraign HEre are many of your Noble Subjects chosen out to be I can not say Privy-Counsellours by reason there be too many to keep Secrets of State which shews we are rather Counsellours for Form than for Business Counsellours in Name rather than Counsellours in Nature Wherefore we shall not need to trouble your Majesty or our Selves the one to Hear the other to Speak long Orations or tedious Speeches for should we Speak we should rather speak like Fools than Wise men by reason we are not acquainted with your Majesties Cabinet Designs or Intrigues and so being your Majesties General and not Particular Counsellours must needs speak at Randome Wherefore we beseech your Majesty not to Censure our Judgements but our Ignorances in not knowing your Majesties most Private as Cabinet Desires Designs and Intrigues A Petition and Plea at the Council-Table before the King and his Council concerning two Brothers Condemned by the Laws to Dye May it Please your Most Sacred Majesty I Am come here to your Majesties Council-Table to Plead the Cause of two Brothers whose Cause hath been Heard Judged Cast and Condemned by the Judges of the Laws of this Land and must suffer Death unless your Majesty acquit or Pardon them Indeed their cause is Hard for they were Forced either to Offend the Laws of Government or the Laws of Honour the Laws of Government threatned Bodily Death the Laws of Honour threatned Infamy and being Worthy Persons they chose rather to Venture Life than to Live Dishonourably But their Crime or it may rather be called their Justice which the Laws of the Land have Condemned them for is for Killing or rather Punishing their Sister for the Impurity Immodesty Dishonesty and Dishonour of Inchastity which was an Offence to the Gods a Reproach to her Life a Disgrace to her Race a Dishonour to her Kindred and an Infamy to her Family As for the Sin they past that by to be Judged of by the Gods her own Reproach they regarded not the Disgrace of her Race they indeavoured to obscure But as for the Dishonour to her Kindred and Infamy to her Family her Brothers were resolv'd to Wash off the Dishonour with her Blood and to Rub out the Black spot of Infamy with her Death which Resolution they put in Execution forcing a Surgeon to open an Artery Vein through which she Bled to Death Besides had they let her have Liv'd the Laws of the Land would have Punished her which would have been a Double Dishonour and a Recorded Infamy receiving as much Dishonour by her Public Punishment as her Private Crime Wherefore to prevent as well as to take off all Disgrace they were her Executioners by forcing the Surgeon to strike an Artery a very Easie Death for so Great an Offender but the Natural Affections from Brothers to a Sister did desire she might Dye with as Little Pain as might be Now Dead she is and they Condemned to Dye for her Death unless your Majesty will Pardon them and it will be a Gracious Act to pardon VVorthy Men such men as preferr'd Honour before Life A Speech of one of the Privy-Counsellours which is an Answer to the former Plea and Petition May it Please your Majesty TO give me leave as One of your Council to Answer this man As for Parents to Kill their Children for Children to Kill their Parents for Brethren to Kill each other and Sisters their Brothers or Brothers their Sisters or Neeces or Nephews their Uncles or Aunts or Uncles and Aunts to Kill their Nephews or Neeces or Cousin Germans is Unnatural or to be the Cause of their Death is Unnatural I may say a Great Sin in Nature VVherefore these two Brothers that were the Cause indeed the Actors in effect of their Sisters Death have Sinned against the Gods Nature and the Laws of good Government for which they Deserve Punishment both in this VVorld and in the VVorld after this Life And as for that which is called Honour it is but the Opinion of some men a meer Fancy not any Real Good only a Name to perswade men to do Evil Actions as to Fight Duells to make VVarrs to Murder Friends nay to Murder Themselves all which is against Gods Mens and Natures Laws which is Inhuman Uncharitable Unnatural and Impious The Petitioners Reply Most Dread Soveraign SInce your Majesty is pleased to hear the Sutes of Humble Petitioners and the Causes of Pleaders and the Defences of Condemned Persons as
hath no Power to Mend him and Help her for the Law ought not to intermeddle in their Quarrel as having no more Power to take away the Prerogative of a Husband than the Prerogative of Parents and Masters for whensoever the Law takes the part of a Servant against his Master a Subject against his Prince a Child against his Parents or a Wife against her Husband the Law doth unjustly Usurp on their Rights and Privileges which Rights and Privileges they receiv'd from Nature God and Morality A Widdows Cause Pleaded before Judges in the Court of Equity Most Reverend Judges Plaintiff HEre is a Poor Widdow of a Rich Husband who in his Life-time did allow her Little and at his Death left her Less for he only left her a small Annuity during her Life which is so Small as cannot Maintain her neither Like his Widdow nor indeed in any Decent Fashion for she having no Joynture he to Bar her of her Widdows share gave her this small Annuity knowing that otherwise she should have had the Third part of his Estate during Life but he by a Deed and Gift of a Little hath cast out her Claim from the Common Law wherefore she doth Appeal to this Court of Equity and Conscience hoping to have Justice accordingly Defendant Most Reverend Judges There is no Reason Equity nor Conscience that the VViddow should carry away During her Life so Great a Part of her Husbands Estate as to Impoverish his Children and Ruine his Family besides it hinders the Paying of Debts and there be very few Families that have not Debts as well as Children which Creditors ought to be Paid as well as Children to have Portions and were there no Debts yet many Childrens Portions although but Small would shrink a Great Estate almost into Nothing but if a VViddow carries out the Third Part there will be little left for after Posterity when every Child hath had their Portion indeed so Little as after Posterity will have Nothing to Live on nor to be Bred up with which is the Cause there are so many Noble Honourable and Right VVorshipfull Beggers nay it makes them not only Beggers but Base and VVicked for having not Means according to their Births nor Minds according to their Means Despising their Fortunes they take Desperate Courses or else their Minds are so Dejected as they Degenerate from their Births and do Base Actions Plaintiff Most Reverend Judges It is against Conscience and Equity that the Mother that Bred and Bore her Children with Fear Sorrow Pain and Danger of her Life should be left Poorer than the Children that were Born from her Defendant Most Reverend Judges It is against all Reason Equity and Conscience that Parents should Get and Bring forth Children and not Provide for those Children for if they give them no Means to Live as neither by Education to Get Means nor some Allowance or Means to Live their Children will have Small Reason to Thank their Parents or Natural Affection to be Dutifull to them for giving them a Miserable Life which Deserves no Thanks nor can Challenge a Duty for as Children are Bound by the Laws of Nature to Assist their Parents so Parents are Bound by the Laws of Nature to Provide for their Childrens Subsistence and when the Bonds are Broken of one Part the othe Part is Free But Most Reverend Judges I do not Plead against the Mothers or Wife's Livelihood for it is not that Mothers and Wives ought not to be Provided for for a Man ought to be a Kind Husband as well as a Loving Father but a Wife ought not to be the Ruine either of her Own or her Husbands Children and if she be a Natural Mother she ought to Spare for her Children and not to Spend what her Children should have but most Women do not only Spend what their Children should have but Give it away to a Second Husband to the Ruine of the First Husbands Children and Family for this Reason Wise men that are Husbands not knowing what their Wives will do when they are Dead leave them as Little as they can Securing their own Estates and Familes as much as they possibly can from the Spoils and Ruins which Strangers as Second Husbands make for it were more Conscionable not to leave a Wife any Maintenance than Too much and better One should Suffer than Many Perish at least it is better that a Widdow should live Poorly all her Life than that an Honourable Family should be Poor to all Succession Wherefore this Widdow in Conscience ought to have no more out of her Dead Husbands Estate than what he hath Left her which is enough for Necessity though not for Vanity enoough to Live a Solitary Widdow as she ought to do although not enough to Inrich a Second Husband which a hundred to one but she would do if she had it but her Husband was a Wise Man a Carefull Father and a Prudent Husband in not giving his VVife the Liberty to play the Fool. A Cause Pleaded before Judges betwixt a Master and his Servant Most Reverend Judges Plaintiff HEre is a Poor Servant which Served his Master Honestly and his Master hath turn'd him out of his Service without his VVages which are due unto him by Right of Bargain and Agreement made betwixt them which Bargain and Agreement he hath broken and unjustly Detains his VVages Defendant Most Reverend Judges This Servant Accuses his Master Falsly and Challenges that which he ought not to have as so much for his Wages for the Bargain was that his Master would give him so much Wages to do so much VVork he did not Hire him to be Idle so that a Master is not bound to keep a Lasie Servant nor to Pay him his VVages unless he had Done the Work he was Hired to do and not only to Do it but to do according to his Masters Will and Good Liking Plaintiff Most Reverend Judges If a Masters finding Fault shall be sufficient to Barr a Servant of his VVages no Servants could Live by their Labours for Masters would find Faults a purpose to Save their Hire Defendant Most Reverend Judges If Servants should live Idlely or Disorderly or Disobediently or make VVast and Spoil of their Masters Goods and Estate and be maintain'd with Meat Drink Lodging and VVages their Masters would become Poorer than their Servants and Live in more Subjection rather than so the Masters would Serve themselves and keep no Servants for surely men will rather be their Own Servants than to be Servants or rather Slaves to their Servants so that Servants would not only want VVages but Food and Starve for want for if they gain Nothing by their Labour and have no Means of their Own they must upon necessity Perish and for Examples sake as well as Justice this Servant ought not to be Paid his Wages for he doth not Deserve it and therefore 't is not his Right nor Due to Have it Two Lawyers Plead
to Live on Also they do Rob the Subjects in General and your Majesty in Particular for though they take away Much from Us yet they pay your Majesty but Little in Comparison of what they take and they Use or rather Abuse your Majesties Name to the Ruine of your Subjects for they Extort by your Majesties Name and when we hear your Majesties Name we humbly Submit and Yield to all they Demand for not only your Person but your Name is Sacred to us But give us leave to tell your Majesty that they are so Unsatiably Covetous as all the VVealth of your other Subjects will not Satisfie them and their Covetousness makes them so Unbelieving and Hard-hearted as when they have taken All from us they put us in Prison because we have Nothing left to Give them and if we be not put in Prison we are put to Slavery and many times our VVives and our Children are Abused And this is the Lamentable Condition of your Poor Subjects for which we implore your Majesties Redress knowing it is not your Majesties Pleasure we should suffer so miserably A Kings Speech to his Rebellious rout Beloved Subjects VVHat is the Reason or Cause you gather together in such Rebellious Tumults Is it for fear of your Lives or Liberties which you have no cause to Fear for I am not your Enemy but your Gracious King or is it that you are my Enemies and throng to Dethrone me or is it that you would have the Absolute Power amongst you which Absolute Power cannot be Divided amongst Many for if every one hath Liberty to do what he list not any man will have Power to do what he would for Liberty will be lost if every man will take upon him to Rule and Confusion will take place of Government Thus striving for Liberty you will thrust your selves into Slavery and out of Ambition to Rule you will lose all Government and out of Covetousness to be Rich you 'l make your selves Miserably Poor for if there be no Government there can be no Order if there be no Order there can be no Justice and if no Justice there can be no Safety if no Safety no Peace if no Peace no Trade and if no Trade there will be no Riches VVherefore your best way is to Submit and Obey to be Content to be Ruled and not seek to Govern to injoy your Rights and to revenge your VVrongs by Law and Justice and not to make VVarr and Confusion to destroy your selves A Kings Speech to Rebellious Subjects I May call you Well-beloved Subjects but I cannot call you Loving Subjects for although I have been Carefull Watchfull Prudent and Just for your Safeties Peace Prosperities and Rights yet you regard not my Safety my Peace nor my Rights Neither can I call you Good for you are Factious Complaining and full of Malice nay it may be a question whether I may call you Subjects for you Disobey all Authority Resist the Laws and will Obey no Command unless you be Forced and though you have not Actually Rebell'd yet you are in the Way to it for you Dispute my Power and would if you could take away my Prerogatives but will not quit any of your Privileges which shews your Unconscionableness Ungratefulness and Unkindness to me your Soveraign Besides you are so Unreasonable and so Evil as you murmur at my Harmless and Lawfull Pleasures but will abate none of your own Vanities Vices and Wickednesses The truth of it is I have done like an Over-fond Father who through extreme Love and Tenderness to his Children hath given them their Wills and Liberties So much as they forget their Duties and become Disobedient through VVantonness but had I used Severity instead of Clemency and had Rigorously kept you in Fear and had Exacted More from you and had Yielded Less to you and had I Curbed your Liberties you had been more Obedient which would have been more Happy both for Me and for You for then you would have been Govern'd Easily and Obey'd Willingly by which we should have Lived Peaceably whereas now we are like to Ruine each other with Civil VVarrs unless Heaven open your Eyes of Understanding to see your Faults Errors and Dangers you are like to fall into but I hope Heaven will give you Grace to Reform your Lives and Conform your Manners to Live Peaceably A Kings Speech to Discontented Subjects Beloved Subjects I Perceive Frowning Countenances amongst my people which doth portend a Storm but let me advise you from raising a Storm lest you Ship-wrack the whole Kingdome and be Drown'd your selves in the VVaves of Rebellion The truth of it is Raging Men are worse than Raging Billows and worse more Devouring than the Sea Yet if you are resolve'd to make VVarr rather make VVarr in Forein Nations than in your Own Country and on Strangers rather than on your Friends for to make VVarr on Me your King and your Soveraign is against the Laws of God to make VVarr on the Protector of your Liberties and Father of your Country is Unnatural to spill your Friends Blood is Ungratefull and Inhuman to Ruine your Native Country is Barbarous by which Actions you will become worse than Beasts and as bad as Devils but if you be so possest with Fury as no Intreaties will dispossess you you must be Scourged with Misery the truth is you seem by your Rebellious Actions to be Mad and then there is no Cure for you but to be Let Blood in the Discontented Veins and I will be your Surgeon on whom I 'l try my Skil and Power to bring you into a Perfect Obedience besides I will Bind you with Bonds of Slavery and Whip you with Rods of Afflictions unless you presently Conform your selves to Peace Law and Government and humbly crave Pardon for your Faults A Kings Speech to his Rebellious Subjects PRoud Presumptuous Subjects for so you are that Dare bring your Soveraigns Prerogatives in question and to Dispute his Power but who Gave you that Authority not my Ancestors nor your Own for my Ancestors Conquered your Ancestors and made them Slaves in which Slavery you ought to have been Kept and not to have such Liberty as now you have in so much as to come so Near and so High in your Demands as to Justle me in my Throne only you cast a Veil of Pretence over your Wicked Designs the Pretence is your Rights and Privileges but what Rights had you when you were Conquered and what Privileges have you but what the Conquerour gave he gave you not the Privilege to Dispute my Power or to Bring my Prerogatives in Question neither have you Privilege to Disobey my Command to Resist my Authority or to Break my Laws and know rather than I will quit my Rights my Birth or my Power I will Die first but my Death will not serve your turn for I have Successors and though your Idle thoughts and Vain hopes perswade you you shall get more