Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	allegiance_n	king_n	oath_n	2,942	5	7.6429	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A88241	Rash oaths unwarrantable: and the breaking of them as inexcusable. Or, A discourse, shewing, that the two Houses of Parliament had little ground to make those oaths they have made, or lesse ground to take, or presse the taking of them, being it is easie to be apprehended, they never intended to keep them, but onely made them for snares, and cloaks for knavery, as it is clearly evinced by their constant arbitrary and tyranicall practices, no justice nor right being to be found amongst them; by meanes of which they have declaratorily, and visibly lost the very soule and essence of true magistracy, (which is, the doing of justice, judgement, equity ... In which is also a true and just declaration of the unspeakable evill of the delay of justice, and the extraordinary sufferings of Lievtenant Colonell John Lilburne, very much occasioned by M. Henry Martins unfriendly and unjust dealing with him, in not making his report to the House. All which with divers other things of very high concernment, are declared in the following discourse, being an epistle, / written by Lievtenant-Colonell John Lilburne, prerogative prisoner in the Tower of London, to Colonell Henry Marten, a member of the House of Commons of England ... May 1647.	Lilburne, John, 1614?-1657.	1647 (1647)	Wing L2167; Thomason E393_39; ESTC R201615	53,968	58

displayed ensignes of the voluntarie Christians pluckt the writing out of his bosome wherein the League was comprised and holding it up in his hand with his eyes cast up to Heaven said Behold thou crucified Christ this is the League thy Christians in thy name made with me which they have without cause violared Now if thou be a God as they say thou art and as we dreame revenge the wrong now done unto thy Name and me and shew thy power upon thy perjurious people who in their deeds deny thee their God Whereupon there began a most cruell and feirce fight the successe of which within alittle while wholy fell to the Turkes who having slaine King Vladislaus and discomforted his Army Huniades that most valiant Captaine was forced to fly for his life and it is observable that in this battle were destroyed all the chi●fe Authors and Actours yea Iulian himselfe in breaking the Oath Covenant and League they had made with the Turke Folio 297. 298. which overthrow proved a fatall and dismall blow to the Hungarians which may be a good warning to all men in the world not rashly to enter into an Oath or Covenant but delibrately and with a resolved resolution enviolably to keepe and observe it which is impossible for any man breathing to do yours For first I read in the 1 Eliz. Chapter 1 that all and every Arch-Bishop Bishop and all and every other Ecclesiasticall Person and other Ecclesiasticall Officer and Minister of what estate dignity preheminence or degree soever he or thay be or shall be and all and every temporall Judge Justice Mayor and other lay or temporall Officer and Minister and every other person having your highnesse sees or wagges within this Realme or any your Highnesse Dominions c. shall take that Oath following viz. THat the King is the onely supreme Governour of this Realme and of all other his Highnesse Dominions and Countries as well in all Spirituall or Ecclesiasticall things or causes as Temporall And a little below all that takes it which all you Parliament men must and ought to doe or else you cannot sit as by the Statute of the 5 Elz. 1. appeares sweares and promises that from henceforth I shall beare faith and true Alleagence to the Kings Highnesse his Heires and lawfull Successors and to my power shall assist and defend all jurisdictions priviledges prehemanencies and authorities granted or belonging to the Kings Highnesse his Heires and Successors vnited and annexed to the imperiall Crowne of this Realme And by the Oath of Allegiance inacted the 3 of Jam. chapter 4. which principally and originally was made for Popish Recusants to take and for such men of England as traviled beyond the Seas to serve any Forraigne State or Prince though of late yeares as I am informed imposed upon all Members of Parliament before they are admitted to sit there in which Oath you and every one that takes it sweares and declares in your Conscience before God and the World that our Soveraigne Lord King Charles is lawfull and rightfull King of this Realme and of all other his Majesties Dominions and Countries and that the Pope neither of himselfe nor by any Authority of the Church on Sea of ●ome or by any other meanes with any other marke the last clause well hath any power or authoritie to despose the King or to dispose any of his Majesties kingdomes or dommious or to authorise any Forraigne Prince to invade or annoy him or his countries or to give lisceuce or leave to any of them to beare Armes raise Tumults or to offer any violence or hurt to his Majesties Royall Person State or Government or to any of his Majesties Subjects within his Dominions And a little below he that takes that Oath sweares I will beare Faith and true Allegiance to his Majestie his Heires and Successors and him and them will defend to the uttermost of my power against all conspiracies and attempts whatsoever marke the word whatseover which shall be made against his or their Persons their Crowne and Dignitie by reason or colour of any such Sentence or Declaration or otherwise make the word otherwise well and will doe to my best endeavour to disclose or make knowne unto his Majesty his Heires and Successors all treasons and treacherous conspiricies which I shall know or heare of to be against him or them And below the Oath saith I do beleeve and in conscience am resolucd that neither the Pope nor any person whatsoever note the foure last words well hath power to absolue me of this Oath nor any part thereof which I acknowledge by good and full authoritie to be lawfully ministred unto me and doe renounce all Pardons and Dispensations to the contrary and all these things I do plainly sincerely acknowledge and sweare according to these expresse words by me spoken according to the plaine and common sence and understanding of the same words without any equevocation or menthall evation or secret reseruati●n whatsoever And I doe make this recogniction and acknowledgemeni heartily willingly and truly upon the true faith of a Christian So helpe me God And adde unto these your fore-mentioned Covenants and upon them all I conclude it is impossible for any man breathing to keepe them Now Sir set aside the evill ingredients of these two Legall or Statute Oaths fore-mentioned which were easie in my judgement to be evinsed especially that clause of the Oath of Supreamicy recorded 1 Eliz. 1 the expresse words of which are That the King is the onely Supreme Governour of this Realme and of all other his Highnesse Dominions and Countries as well in all Spirituall or Ecclesiastiall things or causes as Temporall To say nothing of the Temporal part of it I will desire you to satisfie me in two or three things of the Spirituall First whether or no Jesus Christ by God the Father was not appointed to be the perfect Law-maker and Law-giver unto his visible Church on earth under the Gospell and so to settle it that there should be no roome at all left for Kings Parliaments or any other power on earth to adde to or detract from what he by the eternally and everlasting assigament of his Father was to doe in that particuler Secondly whether or no he hath beene faithfull in executing fully the will of his Father in this particuler Thirdly whether or no to deny his faithfulnesse or to set up in the Spirituall Church House or City of Jesus Christ the dictats lawes or injuntions or commands of Kings Parliaments or any other earthly power whatsoever be not an absolut denyall of the faithfulnesse of Jesus Christ a calling the Scripturea lie and false thing and a Declaration that he that we owne of our annointed Mesias or Seviour is a Theese Deluder and false Prophet and not the true reall and great Prophet professed of old to be sent into the world as the Atoner of man unto God the King of Saints as well as the

people for no other end in the world but to provide for their weale and happinesse and to redresse their mischiefs and grievances unfortified at all by the established knowne and declared Law of the Kingdome degenerate from your trust destroy their Liberties and trades overthrow their Lawes and the Bounds that establish meum tuum and tyrannize over their persons ten times worse then ever the King did or his wicked and evill Ministers of Justice the Judges and Patentee Monopolizers especially all of whom you cannot deny but he at the beginning of your Session surrendred up to you to be punished by you according to Law Justice which in them you extreamely perverted and tooke bribes for the acquitting the capitallest of them and otherwise made use of them to do more mischiefe since to the Common-wealth then ever they had done before by assuring any thing for Law that you would propound to them by meanes of which you with your wicked and unbounded Priviledges have dared to exercise the absolutest and grandest tyranny over the lives liberties trades properties and estates of the Freemen of England that ever was I dare positively aver it since it was a Nation governed by an established and declared Law to your eternall and everlasting shame I speake it so that truly if the Freemen of England seriously look upon all your late publike and to us visible actions and compare them with their former enjoyments they may justly take up Miach's lamentation and say with him to you The good man is perished out of the earth and there is none upright amongst you men they or you all lie in waite for blood they or you hunt every man his brother with a net that they or you may do evill with both hands earnestly the Prince asketh and the Judge asketh for a reward and the great man he uttereth his mischievous desire so they wrap it up therefore woe unto the Parliament for the best of them is as a briar the most upright is sharper then a thorne hedge the day of thy watchmen and thy visitation cometh now with a vengeance shall bee their perplexity therefore O all ye understanding Commons of England in reference to your Parliament Trustees trust ye not in a friend put ye no confidence in a guide for your enemies are the men of your owne House Micah 7.2,3,4,5,6 Therefore M. Martin I professe it before you and all the world that were I rationally able I would make no scruple of conscience to help forward with my sword in my hand the distruction of every lawlesse tyrannicall treacherous man amongst you that I should groundedly know to be a ring-leader in the fore-said transcendent vilenesse then I should to help to destroy so many rats or devouring vermin and by your owne fore-mentioned Principles Declarations Protestations Oathes Actions and doings it will undeniably be justified to be lawfull for all the Commons of Englands to do the same towards you But now Sir let us come to some particulars in the first place the 29. Chap and the most excellent Petition of right which I call the English-mans legall treasure doth clearly condemne all the pract●ses amongst you for they expressely say that no Freeman shall be taken and imprisoned or be disseized of his freehold or liberties or free-customes or be out-lawed or exiled or any otherwise destroyed nor we will not passe upon him nor condemne him but by lawfull judgement of his Peers that is to say equalls or men of his owne condition or by the Law of the Land We will sell to no man we will not deny or defer to any man either iustice or right and that no man be imprisoned without cause shewed or expressed in his Warrant of Commitment nor no man refused Habeas Corpus's for any cause whatever nor no man taken by Petition nor suggestion made to our Lord the King nor his Counsell unlesse it be by Indictment or Presentment of his good and lawfull People of the same neighbourhood where such deeds be done 25. E. 3.4 in due manner or by Processe made by Writ Originall at the common Law nor that none be put out of his Franchises nor of hi● Free-holds unlesse he be duly brought in to answer and fore-judged of the same by th● course of the Law and that no man hereafter be compelled to make or yeeld any guift bond benevolence taxe or such like charge without common consent by Act of Parliament Now compare your daily and hourly actions to those good just and unrepealed Laws and blush for shame But to wipe all this off you will it may be say the same that is said in your Declaration of the 17 of Aprill 1645 Booke Decl. 2 part pag. 879. That the end of the Primitive institution of all government is the safty and weale of the people which is above all Lawes and therefore the Kingdome being imbroyled in warre necessitated nacessitie compells you to doe many actions contrary to the knowne Lawes of the Land without the doing of which actions wanting the puntillo of the Kings consent you could not save your selves nor the kingdome will admit all this for a truth I pray then why doe you impose such illegall devilsh impossible to be kept contradicting Oaths and Covenants upon all the Freemen of England upon such sever penalties that all men must be disfranchised or destroyed that will not take them and in them without any provisoes eautions limitations or declared exceptions and reservation tye them to maintaine the Law of the Land and the lawful● rightes and liberties of the Subjects of England is not this to force men to sweare to contradict and oppose to the death all your actions and to destory you for doing those actions because they are contrary to the Law and Liberties of England O yee forsworne men for so I may call you all that have taken these illegall damnable hellish and soule insnaring Oaths because ye do your selves and suffer to be done daily such things as tends to the absolute distruction of the Lawes and the lawfull Liberties of the freemen of England which by all these Oaths you have sworne to maintaine and defend with all your might and yet there is not one just nor righteous man amongst you that dare avowedly and publiquely to the whole Kingdom protest against all the rest but by parsilent patient and constant seting there owne approve of all their actions O ye unworthy forsworne men in the highest degree for this may too justly be the stile and title of all and every one of you without exceptions in the condition of the visablest best of whom for Millions of Gold I would not be for if perjuries swearings and false swearings be so odious abominable and detestable unto God as in Scripture he declares they are read Exod 20.7 Lev. 19.11.12 Num. 30.2 Deut. 23.21.22.23 Psal 15.4 Eccl. 5.4.5 Ezek. 17.13.14.15.16.17.18.19 Jer. 24.10 Zek. 5.3.4.9.8.16.17 Then woe wee and vengance upon earth is your vadoubted

portion if 〈◊〉 everlasting woe and indignation in the world to come But that I may not be sentenced for rashnes in saying this which is not in your Oath● and Covenants I will site your owne words and leave them to your judgement to passe sentence upon them First in your Protestation of the 5 of May 1641 I find you sweare in these words To maintaine and defend the lawfull Rights and Liberties of the Subject and every person that maketh this Protestation in whatsoever he shall doe in the lawfull pursuance of the same And secondly in your Vow and Covenant which you commanded to be taken througho●t the whole Kingdome You vow in the presence of Almighty God the Searcher of all hearts that you doe in your Conscience beleeve that the forces raised by the two Houses of Parliament are raised and continue for their just defence and for the defence of the true Protestant Religion which what that is I thinke never a one of your selves knowes And Lawes and Liberties of the Subject against the Forces raised by the King and a little below you all that tooke that Oath declare vow and covenant to assi●t all persons that shall take this Oath in what they shall doe in pursuance thereof and if so then ●aver it for a truth that all the men of England that have taken this Oath are bound to assist me or any other whatsoever that shall oppose the Lords and Commons sitting at VVestminster for their apparant indeavoring the distruction of the Liberties of the Subject And in the third place in the preamble to the League and Covenant fram'd in Scotland and most basely illegally and unjustly obtruded upon England and the Freemen thereof with an unsupportable penalty I find that amongst the things the Fraimers of it had before their eyes this is one viz. The true publique Liberty safety and Peace of the Kingdome wherein every ones private condition is included And in the third Article of the Covenant you and all those that took it sweare sencerely really and constantly in your severall e●ditions to endeavour with your estates and lives mutually to preserue the Rights and Privileges of the Parliament and the leiberties of the Kingdome and I am sure the Parliament hath often declared though in action they have visablely denied it that they have no Privileges for the destruction of the Kingdome but for the preservation of it nor no Privileges for the over-throwing of good and wholsome Lawes but for the defending and preseruing of them nor no Privileges for the trampling under their feet the Liberties of the Kingdome but to maintaine them in their luster and glory and what they are you may in part read before and in your owne Declaration First part booke Decl. page 6. 7. 38. 39. 77. 123. 201. 202. 209. 277. 278. 458. 459. 548. 660. 720. 845. see the second edition of the out-cryes of oppressed Commons page 8. I shall give you but one notable instance of the most rememberable Vengence of God upon the Hungarians for breaking and violating their Faith and Covenant made with the Turke and it is in the Turkish History made of the Life of Amurath the second the sixt King of the Turkes In which History the fourth edition printed by Adam Islip 1631 I read that the Hungarians were much distressed by inrods and spoyles made by the said Amurath whereupon the States and great men of Hungary chused Vladislaus King of Polonia for their King and Captaine Generall and he made that famous man Huniades his Generall in Transliluania who obtained severall most notable Victories against the Turkes as you may read in the foresaid History folio 267. 269. 273. 277. one of which is extraordinary remarkable that Huniades with 15000. ●ought a pitcht-field with about 80000. Turkes and after five houres there fe●… a feirce and bloody fight totally overthrew the Turkes by ●…aine dint of sword and just about that time Scanderbeg that ●amous Wa●rie● and wonder of his age for gallant achevements revolted from the Turke which with his great losses be the valiant Hungarians so te●…fied old Amurath that in a very great feare of himselfe and his Kingdom● he made a peace to his owne particuler great losse for ten yeares with t●… H●…gar●an● the capulations whereof were First that Amurath withdraw all his forces and garrisons should clearely depart out of Seruia and restore the same unto the p●ssession of George the late Dispot the right Lord and Owner thereof then in armes and confideracy with the Hungarians Delivering also freely unto him his two sonnes Stephen and George who was bereft of their sight he had long time keept in straite prison Also that from henceforth he should make no claime unto the Kingdome of Moldavia nor to that part of Bulgaria which he had in the late Warres lost And finally that he should not invate nor molest the Hungarians nor any part of the kingdome during the whole time of that peace and to paie 40000. Duckats for the Ransome of Carambey one of his Generalls which conditions by solome Oath were confirmed Ki●g Vlad●…aus taking his Oath upon the Holy Evangle●…s and Amurath by his Ambassoders upon their Turkish Alcoron inviolable to observe the ten yeares peace and Amurath forthwith faith fully performed those things that he was presently to doe follo 292. but by the perswadtion of divers Princes but especially of Iulian the Cardinall the Popes Legat who in his large and set speech in a full convention urged that against a perfidious enemie as the Turke was it is lawfull for a man to use all cunning force and deceit deluding craft with craft and fraud with fraud and saith he by craft the Turke first passed into Europe and by little and little he crept into that Kingdome and never kept faith with any It is sometimes lawfull for the common-weale sake neither to stand to our Leauges neither to keepe our faith with them that be themselves faithlesse lawfull saith he it is to breake unlawfull Oaths especially such as are thought to be against right reason and equitie therefore saith he make no conscince of the League you made with the Infidell upon which the King Vladislaus condescended to be absolved by the Cardinall from his Oath and Covenant and prepaires for wars against the Turkes and the Turke with his army met him and pitched battle within Arvarna that fatall place to the Hungarians and when the battle came close to be joyned it was cleare of the Christians sides who had put to flight both the wings of the Turkish armie insomuch that Am●…th dismayed with the flight of his Souldiers was about to have fled himselfe cut of the maine battle had he not bin stayed by a common souldier who laying hands upon the raines of his bridle stayed him by force and sharply reproved him for cowardize And Amurath seeing the great slaughter of his men and all brought into extreame danger beholding the picture of the crucifix in the

take all or any of your fore nentioned unwarrantable Oathes for he that hath said Thou shalt not kill hath also said thou shalt not in that manner swear And I would fain know of you what confidence the Parliament upon sollid grounds can put upon any men in England that are so ready and willing to swallow your oat●es that now are become nothing else but cloaks of knavery and breeders of strife and mischief therefore for shame say them all down and presse them no more upon any man whatsoever for he that consciensiously maks nothing of an Oath will make as little of breaking his Oa●h whensoever it shall make for his profit ease or preferment whereas to h●m that conscienciously scruples an Oath his bare word promise or ingagement is the sencerest tye in the world which he would not willingly violate for all the earth But Sir to return to your forementioned grand Objection That your Houses are not in a temper to hear my report and to do me justice upon it I pray Sir what is the reason of it Is it because there is a Faction of great men in it that hates my person and therefore though my cause be never so just yet they will do me no right and if so then I tell you plainly without fear they are a company of Factious knaves and not a company of righteous Judges who ought in judgement to be so impartial that they should not regard or respect persons but the justnesse of their cause Or Secondly it is because I have not the Law of the Land sufficiently on my side and if so it is the easier judged against me but why did you receive and approve of my appeple to your house at first but know Sir that although I be no Lawyer yet I dare throw the gantlet to all the Lawyers in England and against them all before any Legall Barre in England will plead my own cause my selfe and justifie and prove the Lords proceedings with me to be point blanke against the good old and unrepealed Law of England and this I will do at my at most perrell yea let the Lords in the front put their lying Champion William Prinn the basest and lyingest of men who in less then eight lines hath told and printed twelve or thirteene notorious lyes against me see Inocencie and truth justified page 4. 5. 6. and hath such a firey zeale to my distruction that in his late booke called The Sword of Christian Majestracy supported hee would have the two Houses without Law by the power of their owne wills to hang me for no other cause in the world but for being zealous and couragious in standing for the Laws and Liberties of England which you and he have sworne vowed and covenanted to maintaine preserve and defend and for which you have shed at least in pretence so much English blood Oh brave Prinn a fit man indeed to be a Privy-Counseller to the great Turke whose will is his Law Or in the third place it is because the Lords are so great that you dare not do me justice and right for feare of displeasing them and if so why doe you not tell the Kingdome so for it is not a ●…t●le conserned in the contest betwixt the Lords and my self that we may follow your former pattren to know the names of them among them that are enemies to our Liberties and just Free some and so indeavour to give them their just defer●s For I read in the 547 548. pages of the first part book Declaration that upon a lamentable Petition of many thousands of pore people in and about the City of London the House of Commons appoynted a conference with the Lords where Mr. Hollis whose actions demonstrats thereby his ambition is not to be lesse then a Duke or a petty King though not in title yet in power and domination one of the chiefest stickler then against the King in the whole house and one of the chiefest Beginners Causers and Promoters of the by-past warres against the King pressed the Lords at there Barre to joyne with the house of Commons in their desire about the Militia and further with many expressions of the like nature desired in words to this effect that if that desire of the House of Commons were not assented too those Lords who were willing to concur in would find some means to make themselves knowne that it might he knowne who were against them and they might make it knowne to them who sent them yea in page 557 ibim it is positively aver'd that he required the names of all those of that House which would not discharge that they then ●alledther Kingdom se the Juncto● notable Declaration at Oxford the ninteenth of March 1643. page 10. 11. 12. and Mr. Hollis his owne printed Speech and if this fore recited practis were just then it is also in the like case just now yea and the rather because our case is ten times worse now then it was then and our Lawes and Liberties principally by the House of Lords means and their Arbitrary confederates in the House of Commons are now a giving up to the eyes of all rationall and knowing impartiall men their last breath yea and verily there is but one step betwixt Us the Commons of England and perfect and absolute slavery which I for my part had rather be hanged if it were possible ten thousand times over then indure but Sir remember that you in your excellent Declaration of the 19. May 1642. 1. part book Declaration pag. 207. tell us that this law is as old as the Kingdom that the Kingdom must not be without a means to preserve it self and I say by your own declared principles that if you our ordinary and legall means will not preserve us but rather destroy us we may justly by extraordinary and rationall means preserve our selves and destroy you our treacherous destroyers Or lastly is it be cause your House hath already done the last Act of Justice that ever they intended to doe for the Commons of England there Impowerers Lords and Masters and therefore I cannot expect the making of my report indeed Sir I ingniously confesse unto you I think this is the true reason indeed though you do not in plain English words tell us as much yet by your actions you undeniablely declare it for truly many say that there is no Iustice nor right to be had at your hands and for our Laws they only serve you to destroy us at your pleasure or to serve your ends when your hot burning malice is incensed against us which if they serve for your ends they shall be your engines tu undoe us But they do not in the least serve to defend or protect us against you but when we should use them against any of you as justly we may See your own excellent Declaration of the 26. May 1642. 1 part book Declar. p. 278. Sir Ed. Cookes 4. part institut chap. of the High Court of

They doe declare their high dislike of that Petition their approbation and esteem of their good Service who first discovered it and of all such Officers and Soldiers as have refused to joyne in it and that for such as have been abused and by the parswasion of others drawn to subscribe it if they shall for the future manifest their dislike of what they have done by forbearing to proceed any further in it it shall not be looked upon as any caus to take away the remembrance sence the houses have of the good service they have formerly done but they shall still be retained in their good opinion and shall be cared for with the rest of the Army in all things necessary and fitting for the satisfaction of persons that have done so good and faithfull service and as may be expected from a Parliament so carefull to performe all things appertaining to honour and justice as on the other side it is declared that all those who shall continue in their distempered condition and goe on in advancing and promoting that petition shall be looked upon and proceeded against as enemies to the State and d●sturbers of the publique peace Die Martis 30. Martii 1647. Ordered by the Lords assembled in parliament that this Declaration be forthwith printed and published John Brown Cler. Parliamentorum Now Sir to conclude the tyrannicall house of Lords having most illegally barbarously tirannically and unjustly committed me to prison and sentenced me under wh●se tyranny you are willing to suffer me to perish and then by your and their whifling and buking Curs to bespatter and reproach me in print thereby strongly indeavouring to m●ke me as odiou● in the eyes of the sons of men as Job was in all his botches and alasse pocre I must be kept in pri●… 〈…〉 without pen or inke accesse of friends or any 〈…〉 and so deprived of all means to vindicate my 〈…〉 ●…ce write in my owne behalfe and set my name to wi●… 〈◊〉 ●…ing alwayes ready to owne and iustifie my lines and to seale then with my 〈◊〉 blood yet my wife must be made a prisoner and fetched up to your arbitrary Committees for dispersing of my bookes and the book women in Westminster Hall that sell them must have then shops and houses searched and rob'd of all my bookes by your Catch poules and if you suspect any for printing of them they must be sure to be dealt worse wi●h then if they were Traytors and enemies to their Country and have their houses rob'd and spoyled of their goods and presses with which they earne bread for them and their families and carried away by force before any legall tryall or conviction of any crime contrary to the lawes of the land which possitively declares that no free man of England forfeits his lands goods or livelyhoods tell he be convicted of a crime 1 R. 3.3 Cookes 2. part institutes chap 103. fol. 228. 229. See the Petition of Right yea and their bodies imprisoned most tyrannicall and illegally without baile or maineprize although there be no collour in law for the pretended cause of their commitment nor no power in law for any Committee of your house to commit a printer or any other free man in England to prison See the law authorities mentioned in Judge Jenkins late printed papers And when the prisoner according to the law of the Kingdome sues for a Habias Corpus which legally cannot be denyed to any prisoner whatsoever and by vertue thereof be brought before the present Judges of the Kings bench Justice Bacon and Justice Rowles yet contrary to law and their owne oathes which oaths are before mentioned they refuse to deliver the prisoner so uniustly imprisoned or to take baile for his forthcomming but returne him back to prison againe there contrary to law and iustice to be kept without bail or maineprize Oh horrible tyrannie oppression and iniustice and yet as I am certainly informed this was the case of Mr. Thomas Paine a Printer the last tearme Nay your Catchpoules by their owne power can and have forceably entered and felloniously and illegally carried away my proper and truly com'd by goods to a large value for which though I complained to your Committee yet could I not obtaine from their hands one dram of Justice See my examination before them called the resolved mans resolution pag. 12. Nay this is not all for when your members and the Lords and their catchpoules creatures have sufficient railed at me and reproached me and tyed up my hands by depriving me of all meanes as they thought to publish any thing for my owne defence then they as I conce●ve ioyne together and git some lying Presbyter assemblie man or other for the Author concealing his name and I not able to find it out I apprehend and iustly conceive I have iust cause to lay it to them it being so sutable to the constant meanes they and their Creatures use to set up their new reformed Kingdome to frame contrive and publish to the view of the world a Recantation in my name that J my selfe though my name be to it had not the least finger in or knowledge of thereby to render me odious to the purpose and to declare me a weather cock follow and as fass●l and easie in changing my former avowed just principles as the Lords and Commons and assembly men at Westminster are to change theirs But Sir if God permit I shall take a more fi●t oppertunity to anotomize that grosse peice of Pa●l●…mentary assembly knavery And therefore I must plainly tell you seeing the Lords and Commons at Westm●nster have dealt so ●arb rously and illegally with 〈◊〉 as they have done * And not with me but also with M. Over●on his wife and brother and Mr. Larners man and maid who are all yet in person and can have nor obtain any iustice from either of your houses and are worse then the unrighteous Iudge that upon no importunity will doe me Justice I am now in good sober resolved earnest determined to appeale to the whole Kingdome and Army against them and it may be thereby come quittance with them and measure unto them as they have measured to me and doubt not but to make it evident that though some of your members call the Army Rebells and Traitors for contesting with those that gave them their power and authority that they themselves a●e reall Rebells and Traitors to the trust reposed in them by the free people of England their Empero●rs Lords and Masters And that the Army are really and truly a company of Rogues Knaves and traiterous Villains to themselves and their native Country if they should disband upon any tearmes in the world till they have brought them to examplary Justice and made them vomit up the vast sums of the publiques money that they have swallowed down into their devowring canniball mawes and firmly setled the peace and iustice of the Kingdome which that they may faithfully and cordially doe is and shall be the daily prayer of him that hath been and will be againe your true friend if you will repent of your remissenesse and slacknesse and manifest your selfe to be more firme active and valourous for the good of your Country Iohn Lilburn From my uniust Captivitie in the Tower of London for the visably almost destroyed Lawes and Liberties of England which condition I more highly prize though in misery enough outwardly then the visiblest condition of any member whatsoever that sits in either or both houses being all and every of them apparently palpably and transendently forsworne having all of them taken Oaths upon Oathes to mainetaine the lawes liberties and freedome of the land and yet in their dayly practice overthrow and destroy them of which sin and wickednesse they are all of them guilty in regard you all sit there in silence and doe not publiquely and avowedly to the whole Kingdome according to your duty manfully protest against and declare your dislike of their crooked uniust and Englands destroying wayes this 31. of May 1647. John Lilburne FINIS