Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	king_n	law_n	subject_n	3,285	5	6.8288	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A78477	Certaine observations on that letter written to the two Houses from the Army. Dated at Reading the 8th. of Iuly, 1647. Written for the satisfaction of a private friend, and may serve for the whole kingdome. Whereunto is added the letter upon which these observations were made.	Fairfax, Thomas Fairfax, Baron, 1612-1671. Two letters from His Excellency Sir Thomas Fairfax.	1647 (1647)	Wing C1712; Thomason E398_10; ESTC R201687	5,470	8

Certaine Observations ON THAT LETTER WRITTEN TO THE TWO HOVSES FROM THE ARMY Dated at Reading the 8 th of Iuly 1647. Written for the satisfaction of a private Friend and may serve for the whole KINGDOME Whereunto is added the Letter upon which these Observations were made Printed in the Yeare 1647. Sir IT was your desire that I should render you my observations upon that Letter which was written in the name of the Army Signed by St. Thomas Fairfax bearing date from Reading the 8th of July 1647 I must confess I have very much heretofore justified the proceeding of the Army and it was my opinion that they had very cleare intentions for the good of the King and the Kingdome But I now feare I was mistaken for although I yet retaine a very charitable opinion of the Army in generall yet considering the dilatory and intricate proceedings of those chiefe Officers who now act and negotiate with the Parliament in what concernes the Kingdome I doe not conceive them men of such unspotted integrity as I supposed they were For either they are selfe-seekers or have selfe-interests in the managing and transacting of affaires else why do they not deale clearely and plainly to the open understanding of all men who are concerned in the peace and settlement of the Kingdome It is evident that there is but one truth and that is or ought to be manifest and needs not put on any veile or disguise to obscure or shadow it but the more open and naked it is the more naturall and lovely it appeares If the Army beleeve that they owe Allegiance and obedience to his Majestie as their lawfull King why should they not pay him that dutie and respect they owe Him as Subjects and not endeavour to make the world beleeve as they seem to do in this Letter that the civility they pay him is matter of Courtesie and not duty The Army pretends to maintaine the Law of the Land Let them in the first place if they really intend as they speak and as they write restore his Majestie to his Crowne and Dignity who is the fountaine and life of the Law Let them not court the two Houses with arguments of conveniency and offering of humble advises to perswade them to suffer his Majesty to see his Children which is a thing so agreeable to nature and so consonant to reason and religion that they may justifie to all the world the using of violence to compell so just an act and declaring those unnaturall Rebells and traytors who detain his Majesties Children from waiting on Him Why should the Army excuse themselves as if it were a fault to treat with his Majesty to make conditions with him for their own peace and safety or to obtaine from him an assurance that they shall enjoy that liberty of conscience they desire For I beleeve Judge Jenkins hath instructed them sufficiently from whom they must receive their pardon It must be an Act of his Majesties grace and savour that must secure them no Ordidinance of the Houses And for my part I beleeve it to be ill Logique and worse Law to dispose the settling of his Majesties rights in the second place for if h●s Majestie be not first restored and in a condition of being absolute in himself that so without constraint he may freely act what is desired for the good and liberty of the Subject I beleeve his preceding acts will not be so obliging and valid as otherwaies they would be I am sorry to understand in this Letter that His Majestie is avowed by the Army to be a Prisoner which is contrary to what they formerly professed for their phrase in this Letter is That his Majestie should find all personall Civilities and respects from us with all reasonable freedome that might stand with safety and with the trust and charge lying upon us concerning his person Now if they pretend but to allow his Majestie all reasonable freedome that might stand with safety c. Then I am sure that they deny him absolute freedome for the word reasonable doth limit and restraine him and for the rest of the phrase expressing the trust and charge lying upon them c. I doe professe my ignorance that I do not understand what is meant thereby or whence they derive that trust and I beleeve it is the intention of the Army although it be not so expressed by their Pen-man that what they write in this kind is written to informe the People and should be easie to be understood by all that read it For that wh●ch followes I beleeve it not agreeable to reason justice honesty or conscience so to behave themselves towards his Majestie as not to render unto his Majestie in all things that duty they owe him by the law of God and the Land I could wish the Army had dealt clearly and told us who are the Kingdomes best friends for feare of offending of whom they had reluctancy when they admitted the Duke of Richmond and two Chaplaines to wait on his Majestie And I wonder the Army or those who penn'd that letter should mention that they permitted his Majestie to use a continued importunitie to procure leave for two of his Chaplaines to wait on him it being contrary to the duty of loyall Subjects and to the Principles of the Independent Party and repugnant to the Armies profession when they tooke away the King from Holmby For they then pretended to desire their own liberty of Conscience and did wonder it should be thought that what they themselves desired they should refuse to their King The Army professeth in this Letter that they avoid harshnes and afford kind usage to his Majesty as the most Christian honourable and prudentiall way wherewith they thinke it fit to use his Majesty but they doe not acknowledge that they pay him any respect as in duty they ought hee being their King and they his Subjects These things I would gladly see reconciled and be satisfyed in and if it be the sence of the whole Army that they doe with reluctancy afford his Majesty liberty of Conscience I am sorry I was so mistaken in their tenents and professions for I did beleeve otherwise of them And I am of opinion that as the two Houses have lost the affections of the people because they have rob'd his Majesty of his ju●t Rights and deprived the Subjects of their Laws and Liberties so the Army hath gotten and doth now retaine the good opinion of all the Kingdome because they pretend to restore his Majesty to his just Rights and the Subjects to their Liberties which are both effected by the restitution of our Laws and when they faile to perform this they will be despised as now the two Houses are And for the complement which this Letter seems to put upon his Majesties friends I am perswaded they will content themselves by being made capable to enjoy what the Law affords them and for this favour I am confident upon