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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
end_n	law_n	people_n	safety_n	1,280	5	9.1725	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77280	Innocency and the blood of the slain souldiers, and people, mightily complaining, and crying out to the Lord, and the people of the land, against those forty knights and burgesses, or thereabouts, that sit in the House of Commons. For the violation of our capital fundamental laws and liberties, and those capital obligations mentioned in this my letter, in capital letters. Or a letter to an eight yeers speaker of the House of Commons. / By Cap. William Bray, from his indurance, illegal, un-Christian, and cruel gaol in Windsor Castle.	Bray, William, 17th cent.	1649 (1649)	Wing B4304; Thomason E568_12; ESTC R206251	25,812	21

God And do not you divide if you deal unjustly The Kings Fast was on a Friday and he dealt unjustly the Parliaments Fast on a Wednesday and now you have changed the Fast a day neerer to the Kings If your injustice be the same what materiall difference between a Thursday and a Friday Fast Doth not Arbitrariness and injustice cause division The Psalmist saith Ps 85.10 Righteousness and Peace doth kiss each other and not Tyranny and peace or policy and peace Z●ch 8 16 17 19 Execute ye the Judgment of truth and peace love the truth and peace Isay 58 4 5 6. Zach. 7 5 6. When ye fasted and mourned the fifth and s v●n●h mon●th even those s●venty years did yee at all fast unto me and when ye d●d ●at and wh●n y● did d●ink d●d you not eat for your selves and drink to your selves Oh Lord arise and judge between thy people and the Grandees of the peoples Army and Parliament and oh Lord convert them if it be thy will and let them not be any longer as if th●y were supream to Iustice and Freedome and let them be that in deed which they have been often in word Sir Let me tell you I have observed your Ordinance for observation of the Sabbath also but this is also delusive to the people if you do not rest from wickedness arbitrariness and cruelty according to the constitution and end of authority both by God and the people for the Sabbath signifies a rest to the people of God What is a Magistrates keeping a Fast or a Sabbath once a moneth or a seventh day of a week if he acts arbit●ariness illegally and cruelly contrary to the Laws of God Nature and the Land six of the seven Those three Students and only three that I have read of Trinity Colledg in Cambridge that writ in your justification of your proceedings against the King say That when any man or men through depraved principles of tyranny usurp over Conscience naturall or civill Rights he loseth the notion of a Magistrate because he goes contrary to the end of Government of the fundamentall Laws of safety to the people and when Res Publica comes to be Res Privata it ceaseth to be a Commonwealth and is then tyranny Again I desire you to consider that the part of the Solemn Oath and Covenant which you have taken which relates to the Rights Freedoms and Laws of the people is just unanswerable irrevokable essentiall substantiall and binding though the person of the King and Lords be taken away by you do you intend to King it and Lord it over our Laws and Liberties Psal 15.1.4 Lord who shall abide in thy Tabernacl● he that swoareth to his own hurt and changeth not But you have sworn the good and not hurt of the people and your own good and not hurt in it but if you leave the good of the people and consequently your own true honor and good and act Arbitrarily and unfaithfully you leave peace of conscience to your selves and peace and satisfaction to the people I should be glad for the peoples sakes and your sakes if you can be free from the guilt of Perjury in the sight of the Lord and the people that are impartial Good Iosiah rent his cloaths when the Book of the Law was found and when the Ordinances were not kept and it was the Wisdom Justice and Honor of the Parliament in their Primitive constitutions for which they had the incomparable love of the people before they did divide and subdivide into faction and parties to inquire into the just Laws of the Nation and into the highest Reason for inlargement of our freedoms and complained against the King for exceeding the just limits of Honor and Law but how shall the people be assured of the perfection of Freedom by these men when those just and righteous Laws of God and Nature and the Nation formerly and already made as Laws and wrung from Polititians Tyrants Conquerors Vsurpers and contended for this eight or nine years unto precious blood are so much violated Truly Mr. Speaker let me tell you we shall never have peace untill Authority come to lay down Interest and to act as Magistracie as Authority What do Interests tend to and meer power but to murder and destruction and to make a Nation miserable though one man great full of war and to make a second Germany of England Interests tend to nothing but to this viz. Suppose an Independent it may be murdered to day or unjustly dealt withall to his ruine and the Inquisition for the Innocent blood may be is secured by an Interest A Presbyterian it may be murdered to morrow and the murder it may be secured by an Interest had an Episcopal also who though he hath it may be justly paid his Fine and Composition for his Delinquencie and is in Law and Reason excluded as to matter of Power according to the Judgments of Parliaments and a just Agreement of the people because he hath used it against the peoples Laws and Liberties yet he cannot have personal Justice in futurity according to Law and Reason because of Interests and so a Nation is in the rode way to destruction and then every Interest it may be endevors being enraged to revenge the murder and injustice because they cannot have legal or judicial Judgment and so all Interests are slaves to one Interest and all are engaged against one as well as may be one against another if any such thing is up called Interest and act above contrary unto and without LAW And truly Mr Speak●r let me tell you as I have already proved and shall prove by Law Reason and Ch●istianity Those fourty Gentlemen in the House or thereabouts have committed me illegally partially and interessedly contrary to CAPITAL Obligations of God to man man to God and mankinde common undeniable indisput●ble and binding Principles of NATURE LAW REASON SCRIPTU●ES DECLARATIONS upon DECLARATIONS IMPRECATIONS OATHS COVENANTS CONSCIENCE INGAGEMENTS VICTORIES VICTORIES AGREEMENTS FASTS HONOR the very name of PARLIAMENTS * Sabbaths Magistrates Gov●●nment Wounds Bloodshed BLOOD BLOOD both of friends and enemies rendring a PARLIAMENT out of zeal for Justice The blood of the KING declared to stand in the way of the peoples RIGHTS FREEDOM JVSTICE MERCY Just Laws are made to batter down all the walls of unmercifulness arbitrariness and cruelty and to justifie Freedom and the force of a Nation should be to maintain the just Laws and Liberties of the people the contrary is Cruelty and Murther You have made the late KING a notable spectacle amongst the rarest examples of worldly fragility and this was declared and pretended to be for acting contrary to the R●ghts of the people which engaged him unto abundance of blood for his own safety though his extravagancies in Government and Arbitrariness amongst the people might have been composed certainly if his end had not been to carry on an absolute domination over the peoples Laws Liberties and

INNOCENCY AND THE Blood of the slain Souldiers and People mightily complaining and crying out to the Lord and the People of the Land Against those Forty Knights and Burgesses or thereabouts that sit in the House of COMMONS For the violation of our Capital Fundamental Laws and Liberties and those Capital Obligations mentioned in this my Letter in capital Letters Or a LETTER to an Eight yeers SPEAKER of the House of COMMONS By Cap. William Bray from his indurance illegal un-Christian and cruel Gaol in Windsor Castle Exod. 5.21 And Pharaoh said Who is the Lord that I should obey his voice to let Israel go I know not the Lord I know my unrighteous power and force neither will I let Israel go London Printed in the Yeer 1649. A LETTER To an Eight yeers SPEAKER OF THE House of Commons Master Speaker I Did determine in resignation to the will of the Lord not to write unto your House any more but the Lord doth make it free to make you the more inexcusable and also with this peradventure in my own reason That God may change your spirits and sithence I have intelligence as if there were an Act stiled Grace coming forth from your House unto the Levellers and Prisoners therefore now I am free beyond my own expectations from you and intentions in my self It is said in Scripture Isaiah 14.20 That the seed of evil doers shall never be renowned the good people of the Land had certainly reason to expect That you that have destroyed and dishonored others for injustice should walk in the path of renown your selves whether you have done so let the whole world judg yea whether you have done so since you have cut off the King let the world judg I have read That there was a Temple of Honor among the Romans and before it a stately Porch dedicated to Vertue to notifie That in that Common-wealth there was no hope of Dignity but to tread in the path of desert And Aristotle discoursing of Honor makes four parts thereof the first of Rich●s the second of Blood the third of Learning the fourth of Vertue and to the two last he doth describe the first place of true Gentry and one speaking thereof saith Because Boors may be rich and Rakebels may be of ancient blood but Vertue and Knowledg cannot harbor but where God and Nature hath left their Noble endowments but you would have the world think you are Christians which is a name that hath its denomination from that unction of the Spirit and yet you walk beneath the Law of Nature Are you honorable then And Aristotle discoursing of Temperance and Fortitude saith That Temperance is a Vertue whereby a man governs himself according to Law and that Fortitude is a Vertue by which a man carries himself honorably and according to the Laws in time of danger And I remember that the Parliament alwayes told the King that if h● would subscribe to the L●ws and Liberties of the peoples peace and safety they would make him a most glorious King by which I do infer there is no true honor but in that way yet what occasion do you give to the Kings party to say would these have been faithful ●o the King that are perfidious to their own friends and destroy them in their Liberties contrary to the Laws of God Nature and the Nation the King had ground to suspect them they will say Magistracie when they act by the rules of th ir own wills they do not act as Magistrates but as Tyrants so King James his Speech to the Parliament at White H●ll 1609 and the first part of the ●arliaments Declarations 150. And Dr. Stoughton in his Bo●k of Sermons Preached before King James speaking of wicked Magistrates saies Th●y ●ill by Autho●ity and y●t ask● the peoples money for th●ir pains God never constituted Au●hority but gave precepts and bounds to that authority I●a 30 18. Is● 6● 8. Psal 82.61 Exod. 18.21 and 23 26.8 Deut. 1.16.17 and 16 19. 25.1 2 Chron. 19.6.7 I●a 1.23 24. J●r 5.28 29 22.16 17 18. Amos 5 12. 6.12 14 M●ca 3.9.11 Z●c 8.16 17. as I declared to you in my Letter D●ut 16 17. and in nine other places of Scripture there recited but they that care not for one will not care for nine b●sid●s there a●e many more that I could recite Personal Authority or Magistracie are ●sp●cially bounded by just Laws and they are to do unto others as they would have others to do unto them fo● this is the Law and the Prophets as Christ saith not to deal unjustly as they would not be dealt unjustly with not to commit murder as they themselves would not be murdered Adomb●z k found the righteteous God a just executioner of the Law of like for like upon him th●eescore and t●n Kings having their thumbs and great to●s cut off ga●hered their meat und r my table As I hav● done so God saith the Pag●n hath requited me and Jam. 2 13. And Mr. Solicitor St. John said in Parliament of King Lords and Commons against the Earl of Strafford That an Arbitrary man is an Achan a miserable accursed thing c. And my Lords saith he Frustra legis auxilium inv●cat qui in leg●m committit ●or he that will not suffer others to have Law why shou'd he have any hims●lf why should not that be done to him that h● would have done to others and calls Arbitrary men V●●●mine Polcats Foxes Wolves B●asts of Prey Personal Gov rnment is to k●ep Vermine Polcats Foxes Wolves Lyons c. f●om d●vouring but not to b● such th●ms●lves and saith he it was never accounted cruelty or foule play to knock Foxes and Wolves on th● head as th y may be found because saith he they be beasts of pr●y O Lord what a thundring zealous Common wealths man was this then to preserve the people from spoil Mr. Pym said against the Earl of Straffo●d Th●re A●bit●ary and unlimited power is let up a way is open f●r th● security adv●ncem●nt and encourag●ment of evil and those that will be instrument● of any unjust commands and that those that make a conscience of the Laws and Liberties of the p●ople are unpassible for imploy●●nt and subj●ct to much jealousie and danger And the Army in their Declarations and Grandees peculiarly when they ●●end and ear a Parliament to peeces th●y bring Justice and Righteousness in the mou●h page 10. complained That the friends to the Nation and them were dragged to Goales but now a Goal and an illegal one too is my por●ion That the Commanders that did not stand fast in their integrity should be marked with a brand of infamy for ever as traytors to their Country and enemies to the Army but now they have the power no Traitors June 9 p. 14. The glorious administration of Justic● without Justice no comfort of life or so much as life it self but according unto the pleasure of some men ruling meerly

according to your solemn desires that the people might say Amen Instead of Acting up to the nature of Oaths I must put UNFAITHNESS instead of Acting up to Covenants I must put TRUCE-BREAKINGS instead of Acting up to principles of Conscience I must put UNCONSCIONABLENESS instead of principles of serious Engagement I must put walking up to principles of DISHONESTY instead of VICTORIES and POWER to do good I must put walking as if you had no power at all and so denying the glory of God instead of walking up to principles of Agreement of the people I must put DELUSION and VARIANCE instead of walking up to principles of a true Fast I must put OPPRESSION and CRUELTY instead of walking up to principles of true honor I must put DISHONOR instead of acting up to the name of Parliaments I must put acting up like Corrupt minded men instead of acting up to principles of observation of a Sabbath I must put case and rest in wickedness and prophaneness of the Lords holiness instead of Magistracy I must put as God and Nature K. James and your selves have said Tyranny instead of Goverment according to the institution of God and the uncorrupt order of Nature I must say according to principles of DISORDER instead of walking up to a conscientious respect of the wounds of the Nation I must put walking unjustly causing more wounds inflamations and distempers both of friends and enemies and so to lay foundation for blood and cruelty instead of your rending a Parliament out of declared zeal for Justice I must put your rending a Parliament to carry on your own corrupt ambitious Interest tending to exalt your selves above the persons of your Brethren the Laws of God and Nature the Scriptures and all the Capital Obligations of Justice and Mercy instead of your true declared Nature of doing justice upon the King I must put you have cut him off to make your selves Kings and Lords over the peoples Laws and Liberties though not Titularly so instead of principles of Freedom I must put SLAVERY instead of Justice I put INJUSTICE instead of Mercy I must put UNMERCIFULNESS Hear O Heavens and judg O Earth O Lord hear and have mercy upon thy people and if it be thy will change the hearts of those that pretend to Righteousness and act contrary to as high Obligations as ever have been expressed by thy Self in Scriptu●● by thy Saints and Servants And therefore Master Speaker Let me desire your House in all seriousness and sincerity of Conscience to consider and weigh and turn from your iniquities and be a president to the Nation of Judgment and Justice and look upon the cruelty exercised towards me from first to last contrary to the Freedoms of the Nation and i● may be any mans case as well as mine And that it doth exhaust such Language from me contrary to my own temper and disposition of spirit And truly Sir though the General Lieutenant General and Commissary General they being men whom I have formerly honored much in subordination unto my God and the Freedoms of my Countrey may it may be thirst after my blood which is the Nations blood as Mr. St. John said against the Earl of Strafford A Nation is to be accounted unto for the loss of the meanest member as the Hart thirsts after the Riv●rs of waters though it were a more worthy thirst after the performance of those glorious Obligations in themselves and others which would cause peace of Conscience to themselves and joy peace and unity to all the wel-affected in the Nation But truly as for my life or blood I know that is the most they can take away and if the Lord should give them so much power I can use the former part of Christs prayer viz. Father forgive them but not the latter viz. For t●ey know not what they do For their glorious splendid Declarations declare their knowledg and if it were not my Fathers will or the Ordinance of the Eternal GOD That innocent blood under the Altar should cry out I should desire That there might be no Vengeance taken for me for it shall suffice me that I go unto God and shall cease in imperfection and sin and be out of the race of the new glorious ambitious tyranny and perfideousness of the Earth the tyranny of Death is but short and I hope the Lord will m●ke it sweet unto me to give testimony to himself for the land of my nativity And to add unto the former Tyrannies and bondages exercised towards me A pretty while after my first coming I was denied the free and just access of many of my friends unto me to give me a visite by the Tyrannical Governor Whitchcock contrary to Law Reason or Christianity for which thing he had no Warrant at all from the House but your Arbritrariness made him also to ingratiate himself for it is well known he is but a friend to the Army and you for his own ends stretch beyond the bounds that indeed you had set him and so he hath acted as if he were Lord and Master of you as well as of our supream Laws Liberties and safeties and for ought I know he intends to be the Janizary to murder me under his illegal jurisdiction and indeed I heard that L. G Cromwel himself should call him a Sot or some such like name whereas he is made a Justice of the Peace and Qu●rum and furthermore I could not have so much leave of him to have the Christian society of Mr. Bacon here in the Castle but I must be fain to hear their Priests here in the Castle or none concerning whom I hear abundance of hypocrisie and dissimulation and also though Lieut. General Cromwel gave order to Whitchcock the Governor to use Mr. Bacon with all civility and respect and though he is also convinced in his conscience as he hath declared to some that I will not stir yet he maliciously and unrighteously hath not given me that liberty and freedom that he might though he hath given many of the late Kings party far greater viz. Parol● c. But Sir let me tell you if I had never so much liberty and freedom I would not for millions of the gold of Ophir betray the Cause of my Country so as to flinch and indeed you may imprison and destroy my body but my spirit you cannot and the lively appearance of my blood may rise in others when you think it may be forgotten if I am murdered butchered massacred starved or poysoned or what not by the enemies of the Lord and my Countries just Laws Libertie and safeties for they may do one as well as any thing else they have done and if you mean by liberty of Conscience to take such large liberty of conscience to your selves farwel all maner of Justice and Peace and the dealings with me are contrary to the prime undeniable Laws of Nature and capitall obligations of mankinde and which Presbyterians Episcopals Independents c. that have had any unbiased reason in them have granted before the blood of War and by such actions as these all the blood that hath been shed which is also of ten thousand times and unexpressibly of more value then all the treasure that hath been spent is not worth a farthing and truly Sir as one saith writing against the cruelty of the Spaniards to the Native people of Mercico as I remember calling themselves Christians as you do That it is not good to measure the God of the Christians by the actions of those that are called his servants If there be any sparks of God or humanity in you it may be you may consider a bleeding Nation Sir I pray read this to the House and ● further desire That the names of those men may be certified to the Nation that committed me contrary to those capital Obligations in capital Letters that the Nation may know their Friends and that the Christians and good Common-wealths-men in the House may clear themselves to the Nation from such abominable Facts tending to the total subversion of humane society and consequently all Ch●istianity if they please for I beleeve the hearts of true Christians will be truly pierced with such usage When Paul reasoned of Temperance and Judgment to come Felix trembled And I have read as I remember when Tully pleaded for Liggurius Caesar trembled and the Bills of Accusation sell out of his hands And Master Solicitor Cook saith in King Charls his Case page 38. There are but two things desirable to make a dumb man eloquent namely a good Cause and good Judges the former I have sufficiently and the later I want The first procures justice of Heaven the second justice upon Earth So in great haste I remain The Lords and the Peoples William Bray July 17. 1649. FINIS

persons And the corruptions of his heart and Government and of his evil Councellors caused jealousies and fear of his own life and honor whereas he might have had both if he would have stooped to the Laws and Liberties of the people and the peoples Representatives and free Parliament but his heart was hardened as Pharaohs for judgment It is a sad thing when a man hath committed injustice or murther contrary to the plain inbred Light of Nature and the Laws of Scripture and Nations and goes on to commit more and more murther and injustice for his personal safety whereas a Christian had rather die in his innocency then commit murther or out of design to do injustice The Law of England is said to be extream tender and favorable of a mans liberty and freedom See Sir Edward Cooks 29. Chapter of Magna Charta 2 part Instit sol 42. also 189 515. Because the Gaol in the eye of the Law is a bad or hard mansion or dweling 4 Edw. 3. cap. 3. They that will unjustly and arbitrarily imprison they are in a forward way to adde to their impiety and to commit murder upon the people Injustice is a Tyrants rode way to murder and the harbenger of Tyrants in all ages And I shall desire you for your own sakes to avoyd that Rock of Injustice and Oppression for there are many eyes upon you besides the eyes of the eternal Majesty of God And the sin of blood is of a Skarlet Dye and of a crying Nature Gen 49.6 7. O my soul joyn not thou into their secret unto their assembly mine honor be not thou united for in their anger they slew a man and in their self will th●y digged down a wall Cursed be their anger for it was since and their wrath for it was cruel I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel Though Davids wound was healed by remission yet the blemish remained that blood should never depart from his house for the blood of one Vriah Num 35.31 33 Moreover ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer that is guilty of death but he shall surely be put to death Blood defileth the Land and the Land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein but by the blood of him that shed it 1 Kings 2.5 6. Moreover thou knowest what Joab the son of Zerviah did to me and what he did to the two Captain of the Hosts of Israel unto Abner the son of Ner and unto Amasa the son of Jether whom he sl w and sh●d the blood of war in peace and put the blood of war upon his girdle that was about his loyns and in his shooes that were on his feet Do therefore according to thy wisdom and let not his hoary head go to the grave in peace Exod. 21.14 If a man come presumptuously upon his neighbor to slay him with guile thou shalt take him from mine altar that he may die And Doctor Stoughton or Doctor Sibbs as I partly remember I have read speaking of it saith How sweet is life to those that have been prod●gal of the blood of others No subject saith he had murdered more then Joab When Proclamation was made in Israel That who ever should smite the Jebusites first should be the chief and Captain Joab was the man no man was more constant to the Weal of Israel non so successful in victories yet he was called to reckon for his old sins and must repay blood to Amasa and Abner Murder in Authority is the greatest murder and the violation of Laws and Liberties by Authority is the greatest violation But concerning the Act of Grace and Favor Forgiveness and favor is good in its due place and in truth is acceptable to God and men but out of its place it s a delusion of Antichrist and a lie An Act of favor and grace is indeed shewn when a man is an offender in the eye of the Law Reason and Christianity but surely a man is not an offender in the same thing wherein he is offended and destroyed in his Liberty or Right contrary to Law Reason or Christianity when he is denied the benefit of Justice a Hearing or Tryal as I have been and how destructive this is to the Rights of the Nation let the world Judg. If a Law had been made to that end it had been unjust in it self and voyd but no Law being made it s supersuperlatively Tyrannical contrary to Law and Scripture Deut. 11.3 8 Numb 15 30. Rom. 4.15 and contrary to the pretended Agreement of the General and General Councel of Officers pag. 23. in four or five particulars by the Law of England The faith and reputation of the General is violated that I have not Justice any Act or Agreement against the Laws of God or Nature is a meer nullity Master Solicitor Cook in King Charls his Case citing also E. L●ci●sters Case Page 23. and 1 part of the Book D●clarations pag. 207 690. Those things that are evil in their own nature cannot be the subject of any command or order any obligation of obedience upon them by any Authority whatsoever When you should do a man Justice you wrong him and to hinder Justice and hide the wrong in the peoples eyes you pretend a Politique Act of Grace and Favor Is not this Politique Tyranny in grain Mercy and Justice are two glorious attributes of God and they ought to be truely imitated and resembled by men that are true Governors or pretended ones And the not walking up to it makes a man guilty of prophaning the attributes of God and his Ministrations to men and for a man to have an Act of favor or grace before he is legally and judicially convicted of a crime If I were an offender indeed yet unless I was an offender in Law and Reason it would be but Injustice to grant an Act of Pardon for an offender must die in Law and Judgment before he can be said to be capable of Mercy But I am in Law a freeman as I have shewed you though I am by force and arbitrariness a prisoner and I am a prisoner in walking in an undeniable Christian warrantable legal and fundamental Right of the people and of just Government How improper is it and contrary to the Nature of just Iudgment and Reason And how contrary to the nature trust and very name of a Parliament which very name doth hold forth That it ought to do things according to the rational unbiassed and deliberative discourse of the Minde without fear favor or affection Fabritius and Cato would not swa●ve from the Rules of Iustice and Vertue You profess your selves Christian Common-wealths men But as for the Act of Favor and Mercy I wish those had it that stand in need of it And let me tell you in my oppression Honor would t●uly be seen in that But indeed there is no honor but dishonor in falsly stiling the glorious attributes of God