Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	act_n	great_a	parliament_n	3,586	5	6.2777	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A87145	The grand designe: or A discovery of that forme of slavery, entended, and in part brought upon the free people of England; by a powerfull party in the Parliament : and L. G. Crumwell, Commissary Gen. Ireton, and others of that facton [sic] in the Army; tending to the utter ruine, and enslaving of the whole nation. With the true grounds of the Kings removall to the Isle of Wight. Also the pretended designe of levelling refuted, and cleared from those false aspersions lately cast upon the authors and promoters of the Peoples Agreement. / Written by Sirrahniho, not an invective, but moderate and impartiall observer of the transactions of the Parliament and Army.	Harris, John, fl. 1647.	1647 (1647)	Wing H860A; Thomason E419_15; ESTC R202583	8,989	16

THE GRAND DESIGNE OR A Discovery of that forme of Slavery entended and in part brought upon the free People of England by a powerfull Party in the Parliament And L. G. Crumwell Commissary Gen. Ireton and others of that facton in the Army tending to the utter ruine and enslaving of the whole Nation With the true grounds of the Kings removall to the Isle of WIGHT ALSO The pretended designe of Levelling refuted and cleared from those false aspersions lately cast upon the Authors and Promoters of the Peoples Agreement Written by SIR RAHNIHO not an invective but moderate and impartiall observer of the transactions of the Parliament and Army Printed in the last yeare of Englands Slavery 1647. The Grand Designe OR A discovery of that forme of slavery entended and in part brought upon the free People of England IN all Ages publique pretences have been made use of for the advantaging and securing of particular interests Not to trace the foot-steps of our Ancestors I shall come a little nearer and bring to memory only the actings of a great party in our present Parliament and some yea most members in power in the Army for the proving my Assertion And now O ye free Commons of England remember at the beginning of this Parliament what publique pretences were made use of to unite your affections in the management of their then designed undertakings Was there any visible suffrage or indeed supposed grievance depending as a consequent upon the King and his Parties deportment that was not laid down and de-painted in the most lively colours to the end that the actors and contrivers might appeare odious and the discoverers and then opposers famous persons deserving both the love and assistance of that People which they seemingly pretended to deliver from such their then declared pressures and grievances At the beginning of this Parliament the whole Representative declared against those illegall practises of the King and his Councell touching Pattens Monopolies illegall Taxes as Ship-money and the like to the end they might the better catch the affections of the People that groaned under those unsupportable burthens But it may be remembred that after those Declarations had netled the Royall party therein concerned and that self-interest began to run a contest with publique concernments how soon although before we had a full Parliament declaring had we an empty House owning or vindicating the justice of those 〈◊〉 which they had before declared to be legall and prosecuting the contrivers and abetters of those things which were as they had declared illegal nay rather how soon had we a great party swaid by honour and interest that contrary to their own Declarations did joyne in the maintenance of those things which they had before so egerly declared against viz. the now Lord Hop●on the Lord Capell Sir Edward Deering and many others of the Representative or Parliament Which acting and dissenting of theirs how destructive it proved to the Kingdome since I leave to all wise men to judge but to proceed After many persons had declined and deviated from their first principles whereby a bloudy War was occasioned a second party remaining in power and plausibly pretending the publike safety having by pretences of freedome beguiled the Natition to a belief took upon them instead of executing justice and judgement without partiality and imploying the Law in a way of safety and preservation to oppresse the oppressed and pervert justice to exercise power more then reason and to make Law subject to their own inordinate wills straining their priviledges beyond their due limmits making them altogether unlimmited which being observed and discovered by some great men in the Army who pretended as in the field so in all places to endeavour the redemption of the Kingdome from slavery and oppression a designe was carried on in the Army and engagements passed thereupon without yea against the Parliamnts liking in as much as the Parliament had not by reason of a malignant party prevalent therein done those things which they had formerly sworn to performe were in conscience bound to do in the discharge of their trust to them by the free Commons commited and for as much as there was a design to engage the Kingdome in another war enslave the People of England under an Arbitrary power carryed on by Mr. Hollis Sir Philip Stapleton and others as was supposed and as indeed afterwards did manifestly appear The Army and Councell thereof did agree and enter into an engagement against the Parliaments liking to endeavour and employ all their force to breake and prevent that design of raising another Army and to defend maintaine and vindicate the liberties and Native Birth-rights of all the free Commons of England against all the endeavours or opposition that could he made against it In pursuance whereof it was by some persons at L. Gen. Crumwels he himselfe being present upon monday at night before Whitsunday 1647. resolved that for asmuch as it was probable that the said Hollis and his Party had a determination privately to remove the King to some place of strength or else to set him in the head of another Army That therefore Cornet George Joyce should with as much speed and secrecy as might be repaire to Oxford to give instructions for the securing the Garrison Magazine and Traine therein from the said Party then endeavouring to get the same and then forthwith to gather such a Party of Horse as he could conveniently get to his assistance and either secure the person of the King from being removed by any other or if occasion were to remove him to some place of better security for the prevention of the design of the aforesaid pretended traiterous Party Which was accordingly done both with the knowledge and approbation of L. G. Crumwell although he afterward like a subtle Fox would not be pleased to take notice of it This being done and the two Polititians Crumwell and Ireton finding themselves compleatly seated in the affections of the soldiery having caught them by their plausible pretences of Liberty Freedome Indempnity security and the like and being sure likewise by reason of their many Creatures in the Army which they had advanced to places of promotion and brought into the Councell being sure I say to carry any thing that they should propound though they might meet with some opposers they cast about first how to un-horse that Faction that opposed them which by a charge of Treason and other misdemeanours which they never yet had leisure to prove nor ever will they in a short time accomplished which being done they made an essay to do something which seemed to tend to the establishment of justice securing the freedomes of the People and easing of the burthens of the Kingdome that they might the better catch the affections of the People which when they found to be abstructed and that the same party and their adherents were still prevalent in the House and did vote against

dictates unto them It is a commendable thing in the Lievetenant Generall to advance his kindred and servants so it be done by good wayes and for just ends not to advance lawlesse ambition strengthen irregular attempts if so he may chance in the midst of his Golden hopes meet with Buckinghams Fate or Straffords doome and in stead of honour inherit infamy Thus having in some measure discovered unto you their actings in relation to the betraying the free People of England to an Arbitrary power contrary to the Protestations of Parliament and engagements of the Army I will now in opposition to this their practice lay you down the heads of that foundation of freedome prop●unded and by them opposed and to the Kingdome rendered odious under the notion of Parity Community Levelling destroying Magistracy and the like to the end that you may plainly judge betwixt us and them and see who they be that indeed labour to invest you with your just rights and liberties The Agreement 1. That the People of England being at this day very unequally distributed by Counties Cities and Boroughs for the Election of their Deputies in Parliament ought to be more indifferrently proportioned according to the number of the Inhabitants That is for as much as by the late costomes of this Nation there were but two persons chosen as Representatives for each County and those by the consent and approbation of persons of such a rancke quality and condition as free-holders c. which persons chosen as Representatives have commonly been such as were in some measure linckt in or related to the prerogative of the King either by promotions received or expected and likewise for as much as the persons chosing are commonly more swaid by favour then reason in their choyce being Tenants either to the persons chosen or their friends which hath been one main reason that the lost liberties of the Kingdome have beene from time to time no better vindicated and preserved That therefore from henceforth their might be persons chosen for Representatives for every County proportioable to the number of Inhabitants in each County and that not by freeholdolders only but by the voluntary assent of all men that are not servants or Beggers it being pure equity that as all persons are bound to yeild obedience to the decrees of the Representative or Parliament so they should have a voyce in the electing their Representatives or Members of Parliament 2. That to prevent the many inconveniences apparently arising from the long continuance of those persons in authority this present Parliament be dissolved c. That is for as much as the long continuance of the Power of Parliament men proveth very destructive to the liberty of the People and occasioneth their falling into parties and factions and giveth them great countenance in the exercising of an arbitrary power that therefore they be continued but for a short time and that during that time they may remain accountable to those that chose and entrusted them And for that clause in the agreement to wit That in all Lawes made or to be made every person may be bound alike and that no Tenure Estate Charter Designe birth or place doe conferre any exemption from the ordinary course of legall proceedings whereunto others are subjected which they make the ground of aspersing the prosecutors thereof with the name of Levellers and pulling down Magistracy it is indeed no other but this That whereas now severall persons are by an usurped power exalted above the Law and protected from due process at Law viz Lords as Peers allhough legally indebted may not be touched with an arrest nor be made subject to the censure of the Law whereby they have made little conscience when they have got mens estates in their hands to returne the same but have stood upon their Prerogative and thereby been protected to the utter ruine and undoing of many of the free people of England And likewise whereas not only the persons but habitations of such Persons are made sanctuaries for persons indebted that these things might be for the future removed and both persons and places put under the power of the Law and this is the whole summe of that great design of Levelling you hear so much of For all other matters I referre you to the Agreement it self which being seriously and impartially scanned I am confident will give any man not swaid with interest or prejudice sufficient satisfaction and I doubt not maugre the malice and opposition of all sorts of men will ere long appear to be indeed that which ultimately conduceth to the freedome and security bothof the Magistracy if setled in its right orbe and all other the now oppressed and almost enslaved Commons of England Quere Whether it be not more then probable that the encreasing the heavy burthens of the Kingdome by taxations from the Parliament and free quarter from the Army whether I say may it not be done by designe and on purpose to weary out the People that they may thereby be made willing to accept of peace on any tearmes