live with more gravity and decency and so more feared they might then far better attend their Studies and Cure of Souls and so be able to give up a better account at last L. That according to the good Policy of Q. Elizabeth the Chancellours or Vice-Chancellours of both our Universities may be obliged to deliver the King every fourth of fifth year a just true and impartial List of all the eminent and hopeful Students especially those of the Civil Law to set down punctually their Names Colledges Standings and Faculty wherein they did or were likely to excel that so when any occasion should be to send an Ambassadour abroad the King might nominate him an Associate a Secrecary or Chaplain and when any preferment fit for persons of an Accademical Education should fall the King might make choice of the person LI. That all Advousons of England not now in the Crown may be all bought in at reasonable values and setled for ever upon the Crown that so all Rectors of Parishes as well as Bishops Deans and Prebends may have their dependance on the Kings bounty onely as all the Clergy in some Reformed Churches now have and not on any mean covetous illiterate factious heterodox symoniacal or sacrilegious Patron by which one means all the English Clergy would soon become Loyal and Orthodox of one mind and of one Lip the whole English Church would flourish in a perfect Unity and a beautiful Uniformity and God would then delight to dwell amongst us LII That since divers known Jews are by His Majesties Princely Clemency permitted again to inhabit in this Kingdom some good Laws according to the wisdom of His Majesties Predecessours and the present practice of other well-policed Christian Dominions may be enacted in order both to the Christians safety and the Jews Salvation It was the ancient Law of England as appears in Fleta that a Christian whether man or woman that married with a Jew should be burnt alive In Italy by express Law of all Jews even in those places where they are freely permitted to dwel are made uncapable to bear any office or dignity in the State nor to take any degree in the University or to be seen in publick without a distinct mark to be discerned from all Christians nor erect any new Synagogues nor circumcise any not born of a Jew nor take to wife a Christian nor impugne the Christian Doctrine nor to take into their Family a Christian to serve as a Servant or as a Nurse nor to be admitted a witness against any Christian nor be seen abroad on the day of our Saviours Passion nor to take any Usury of Christians Also that every Saturday Afternoon they shall be obliged to send one out of each Family of the Jews to a Christian Sermon appointed for them onely to the end that they may be converted to the Christian Faith or at least be convinced of the Truth informed of the reasonableness thereof above and beyond all other Religions in the world LIII That by an Act of Parliament or by a Canon of the Convocation the computation of the Church of England at present erroneous and defective may for the future be rendred more regular and perfect For in the Julian or English Account by reason of the no allowance made for almost eleven minutes every year since the year of Christ 532. the year with all its Festivals hath been brought back about ten days and thereby caused a notable absurdity more especially in the observation of the Feast of Easter which for Antiquity and Authority yeelds not as Learned Christians affirm to our Sunday or Lords day for whereas by the Primitive institution after a long and hot contention between the Eastern and Western Churches about the time only of observing Easter that Feast was at length by Decree of a general Council ordered to be observed for ever on the Sunday following the First Full Moon after the Vernal Equinox and not on the day of the said Full Moon as the Jews ever have observed their Passover now according to the Church of England there falls sometimes two Full Moons between the Vernal Equinox and Easter-day Nay which is too great an absurdity to be suffered in any Christian Church two Easters will sometimes be observed in one year and none in the next As in this very year of 1667. one Easter hath already been observed on the 7 th of April last past and before our Church begins to write 1668. that is to say before the 25 of March next there will happen another Easter viz. upon the 22 of March next and then from the 25 th of March 1668. to the 25 th of March 1669. there will not any Easter at all be observed in England according to the present Rule whereby is guided the English Computation FINIS
ENGLANDS WANTS OR SEVERAL PROPOSALS Probably beneficial for ENGLAND Humbly offered to the Consideration of all Good Patriots IN BOTH Houses of Parliament By a true lover of his Country LONDON Printed for Jo. Martyn 1667. ENGLANDS WANTS OR Several Proposals probably beneficial for England humbly offered to the Consideration of all good Patriots in both Houses of Parliament ALthough the Kingdom of England doth abound with many blessings which other Nations want yet doth it want many which others enjoy It is recorded That an eminent foreign Ambassador after a long Residence in England sayling homeward did cast his eye back upon this Land and said in his own language O Isola felicissima c. The happyest Country upon the face of the Earth did it not want publick Spirits amongst them The want of publick Spirits hath occasioned the want of many Publick works of Peity and Charity works necessary or commodious for the people or of ornament for the Kingdom I. To supply this want That by such easie wayes and means as are hereafter mentioned there may be raised a publick Stock to be put into the hands of Commissioners nominated by both Houses of Parliament approved by the King and accountable to them for the same II. For raising such publick Stock it is proposed first That according to the practice of neighbour Nations upon all such Commodities as occasion either Excess or Luxury Wantonness Idleness Pride or Corruption of Manners there may be laid a large Impost as upon all Wines all strong Drinks Tobacco Coffee Chocolatte Sugars Spices Plums all sorts of Sweet-meats Oranges c. Upon all Silks Laces Ribbons Jewels Feathers Perruques Fringes c. Upon all fine Linnens Camolets upon Cards Dice Tables Bouls c. upon all Coaches Chariots Litters Sedans upon all Pictures Perfumes Paints for the Face c. Moreover a third part of all the gettings of Comedians Ropedancers Mountebanks Lotteryes Shewes c. III. That according to the practice of the Primitive Christians whose Devotion was such that they thought no Testament well made unless some considerable portion was thereby added to Christs Patrimony that no Testament henceforth should be valid unless a 20 th part of the Legacies were given to these after-named publick and pious uses IV. That for these uses there may be reserved as was anciently practised in the Roman State a tenth part of the profit of all Lands given by the Husband to the Wife or coming from the Wife to the Husband there being no Issue between them alive V. That a 40 th part of all things recovered by Law may be as once among the Romans assigned for publick usses VI. That there be paid out of all marriage Portions Six pence in the Pound and something proportionably paid at the death and birth of every person not living on Almes VII That every one to be made free of a Trade or licenced to practice in Law or Physick may pay proportionably to these publick uses VIII That all Contracts in Writing all Decrees Judgments c. may have a small Seal on the top as is practised in divers other Countreys for which a smal Tax to be paid c. IX That in all Churches as in Holland at every solemn Assembly the Churchwardens with a long Staff Bag and Bell during the Sermon receive the charitable benevolence of the whole Congregation where every person that desires to honour God not onely with his Soul and Body but with his Substance as God commands and the primitive Christians punctually observed at their Church-meetings throwing in but his Mite it is incredible by this constant course at every Assembly to what a sum it will amount in one year Now the Moneys of this publick stock may be employed in these publick uses following X. For building Work-houses in all convenient parts of this Kingdom for making Rivers navigable for building or repairing Bridges Highways Sea-banks Havens Moles Land-marks Aquaeducts for setting up poor Youths after an Apprentiship served for marrying poor Maids for relief of aged impotent decayed People for maintenance of sick and maimed Souldiers for redemption and relief of Captives and Slaves in Turky for building and repairing of Churches whereof there is great want in this Kingdom more especially in the Suburbs of London where not a fourth part of the Parishioners can at once enter into their Parish Church at least not well hear Divine Service to the great shame of the Protestant professors who since the Reformation have as our Adversaries observe erected scarce one considerable solid Structure for the worship of God For repairing the Mother-Church of the Mother-City of this Kingdom to the Glory of God and Honor of this Nation for the speedy promoting whereof both King and Parliament City and Country Clergy and Laity High and Low stand all engaged to lend their helping hands For erecting in London and other great Cities banks or mounts or Piety as have been long used in Italy in Flanders and other Countreys whereby the intollerable oppression of publique and private Brokers and Pawn-takes that grinde the faces of the poor scruing out of them 40 or 50 per Cent. may be utterly abolisht For erecting Hospitals in London and other Citys as there is at Paris and Rome for to receive all little Infants exposed or found whereby many poor Innocents destroyed in the womb or at the Birth might be preserved from Murder as well as the unnatural Mothers from hanging For building of Hospitals to accommodate therein all poor Women as is done at Paris neer the time of their Travel to enter and there to be carefully delivered and remain afterwards till they are in a condition to return home and follow their work For providing stipends for Physicians Surgeons and Apothecaries as at Rome to give gratis their Advice Pains Medicines and Salves to poor sick or wounded people allowed in forma pauperis to require their assistance who otherwise perish for want of timely and due helps For erecting Colledges in London as is done in Holland where old men deprived of Wife and Children may for a reasonable sum of Money be neatly accomodated during life with Diet and Lodging and pass the rest of their days without care or trouble in a comfortable society with men of like condition and age And the like for old Women For erecting Colledges wherein Virgins and Widows of the Protestant Religion resolving not to marry as the Begains in Holland Brabant Flanders c. may for a certain summe of money deposed be maintained and live in a retired vertuous and religious Society their Teaching and Educating in Vertue and Piety the Female youth of this Nation whereof there is now more need then ever and such young Virgin-Scholars may there remain constantly till their marriage day before which time very many by too much liberty are now corrupted and debauched and that the said Virgins and Widows of the Society may with the forfeiture of the said Money deposed and leave
person left at liberty to work himself out of Debt by his Industry Trade or Profession to which end if Creditors did proceed onely by Summons after which legally served at the Debtors House and no appearance made then presently proceed to have a Judgement against the Debtor as if he had appeared and then to Execution and thereupon to seize not his person but Estate and in case he hath no Estate yet to forbear till by his industry he hath gotten somewhat for imprisonment is not only too severe a punishment of the Body a torment of the Mind a dying daily a loss of Reputation and alienation of Friends a separation from Wife and Children and a great occasion of being ever after debaucht and dishonest but it is also clearly against the Creditors profit and advantage for the Debtor being cast in prison must there lie at much more charges then at home and yet find less opportunity to work or earn any thing which makes him commonly hold faster what is in his hands which else he would have parted with towards the satisfaction of his Debts and endeavoured by his Work or Trade to have maintained himself and Family Besides by imprisoning the body of a Debtor the State loseth a Member which at liberty or compelled to work might be of some use XXII That some Provision be made according as is excellently provided by the Civil Law against that Unchristian Custome of arresting the body of a deceased Debtor or of any his Relations whilest they accompany the body to the Grave Also against that vexatious and superstitious custome of stopping any dead body in its passage through any Town or Lordship and demanding some Fee or Toll for the same before the body pass further on XXIII That the Admiralty and all Ecclesiastical and Civil Law Courts may enjoy their due Jurisdictions That those Jurisdictions may be declared and known that so no man when he hath brought his suit almost to a Tryal may by a Prohibition be constrained to begin all again in a new Court to his horrible vexation expences and charges XXIV That according to the ancient Custom of this and all other Christiain States all Ecclesiastical Judges may have a power to proceed Ex Officio That way of Enquiry being exceeding necessary for correcting of vice and sin which otherwise will daily go unpunished Insomuch that by the Civil Law it is called Nobile Judicis Officium and was never opposed but by the Factious Puritanical part of England out of design to disturb the English Church Government such enquiry and proceeding Ex Officio without an Accuser but onely upon publick fame strong Presumption c. being approved by sundry examples of Scripture as well as by all Canon Civil and Common Laws It is true that by the Constitutions at Common Law it hath not been held fit that any person should be examined upon Oath against himself touching a Crime whereby his Life or any of his Limbs may be endangered and the reason is for fear of occasioning Perjury because most men probably would rather hazard an untrue Oath although no good Christian ought so to do then either their Lives or their Limbs But yet in Criminal matters not Capital handled in Chancery the Oath of the party is required against himself onely there is an Accuser and an Accusation of Bill of Complaint and not a meer insinuation of fame as in the proceeding ex Officio sometimes But then it is to be considered that the Complainant to find out the truth may stuff his Bill full of Lyes because he is not sworn to the Truth of the Bill as the Defendant is to the Truth of his Answer And what is this less then the proceeding Ex Officio when the Defendant is forced in his Answer which is alwayes upon Oath to accuse himself Besides in dangerous Crimes against the Person of the King or Peace of the Kingdom it hath alwayes been held necessary and lawful Policy to torture such persons against whom good probabilities and strong presumptions lie to make them confess although it be capital against themselves and others in the highest degree And is it not of as great equity in high Crimes against the King of Heaven and Earth and in Crimes of no less secresie as Atheism Apostacy Adultery Incest c. to use the means of the Parties Oath especially where no Capital no Corporal punishment is intended but onely a fatherly and spiritual correcting and reforming of the Party for his souls health Moreover the proceeding Ex Officio is not as many vainly imagine onely the ministring of an Oath to the suspected party against himself in a Cause Criminal for there may be proceeding Ex Officio Judicis though the Oath be not at all urged nay sometimes it may not be urged as in case of Life or Limb endangered thereby Now if there should be in England no means for an Ecclesiastical Judg to take cognizance nor to proceed but upon the voluntary prosecution and accusation of some party how many execrable offences most displeasing to God Almighty scandalous to the Godly dangerous to mens Inheritances and to the souls health of the offenders yea some that are the very bane of all Religion and Christianity would through want of discovery and by impunity in a few years spread themselves over this whole Church and State before any Accusers will be found As Atheism Apostacy from Christianity Heresie Schisme Errors in matters of Religion Sacriledge Perjury Blasphemy Subornation of Perjury Swearing Polygamy Adultery Incest and other Uncleanness Drunkenness excessive Usury Symony Forgery Usurpation of the Holy Ministry Conventicles ungodly Libelling and many other abuses For who commonly are privy to such sins but men of like humour and affection who can never be presumed to be likely to accuse but rather to conceal such horrid offenders and therefore since that power of thus proceeding was by that most pernicious over-ruling Faction in the Long Parliament extorted from the Church How have all those formentioned Impieties like a general Deluge overwhelmed the Manners of English men XXV That it may by a Law be provided according to the practice of other well-policed States that an obstinate debaucht Son may be punisht by the Magistrate as the Father shall reasonably require and that in some certain Cases as is ordained by the Imperial Laws Liberi a potestate patria liberati in potestatem redigantur ut si fuerint ingrati vel insignitèr injuriosi in parentes suos c. XXVI That no man til he attain to the age of 25 according to the Custom of our Southern Neighbours where men are sooner ripe may be enabled to sell or alienate his Lands considering that in England very many Estates have been most foolishly spent and sold after the age of 21. which by the same persons arriving to their Wits before 25. would have been preserved XXVII That according to the Policy of William the Conquerour for assuring of
Peace and Concord no man of any considerable Estate who was in actual Rebellion against the former or present King may be permitted to match their Sons and Daughters as they now do to those of their own Tribe and Faction thereby entailing Non-conformity and Faction and perpetuating an impious hatred against the present Government of Church and State XXVIII That to take off the present continual charge of Foot and Horse in constant pay and yet assure peace amongst us that most excellent and politique Law may be revived called Visus Franci Plegii whereby all men under the degree of Gentry and Clergy may stand obliged to find Suretyes for their Loyalty toward the King and those Suretyes to be bound to find each man of their Pledge to be forth coming within 31 days or else to satisfie for his offence and that all persons who cannot find such Suretyes may be imprisoned or banish'd This Custom was by our Ancestors so highly approved that by Bracton it is called Res quasi Sacra quia solam personam Regis respicit introductus fuit pro pace communi utilitate Regni And in case this should not be assented unto then considering that the King must necessarily be at the continual charge of armed men to bridle the proud disloyal humour of all those sons of Belial who obstinately refuse Conformity to the Government establisht that they all in all Taxes may be obliged to pay double if not to defray the whole charges which they themselves occasion XXIX That Repeal may be made of that unnatural Law of punishing the Innocent in case he flie for if a man be accused of a capital Crime and perceiving the power and malice of his Enemy and the often and corruption and partiality of some Judge should run away for fear of the event and afterwards be taken and brought to a legal Trial and there making it sufficiently appear that he was not guilty of the Crime is thereof acquitted yet shall he be by our Law condemned to loose his Goods It is true that a written Law may forbid Innocents to fly but that flying for fear of injury should after a man is absolved of a Crime iudicially be taken for presumption of Guilt is contrary to the nature of a presumption which ought to have no place after Judgement given XXX That for the poor who are ashamed to discover their Poverty and to declare their wants there may be yearly appointed Commissioners or Overseers according to that Excellent custom in Holland to go to their Houses and there privately to inform themselves of their necessities and condition of life and to take care for a private Relief before they are constrained to beg or do worse XXXI That for the great use and benefit of the Poor and the more convenient distribution of the Charity of the Rich there may be according to the present custom of all other civilized Countreys coyned by the King and not by Victualers and Retailers a sufficient quantity of Farthings and half Farthings and those made of such Metal that it may be no loss to the King no profit for others to counterfeit them and that they may be made of such a bigness that they may not be apt to be lost nor yet burdensom to carry all which is done in divers other Countreys XXXII That according to the wisdom of our Ancestors and the custom of the most civilized Nations some sumptuary Laws may be made whereby the great Excess especially in the inferior sort of English may be restrained and most Degrees and Orders may be discerned by their Habit or Port as now in the Universities and amongst the Clergy is partly done XXXIII That as in the Courts at Westminster so much more in the highest Court of England all Parliament men whilst they attend on the Parliament may be obliged upon high penalties to wear a Robe or Vestment becoming their respective Persons and the Gravity and Authority of the English Parliament of Great Counsel of England as all the Nobility and Gentry both young and old who have right to sit in the Great Counsel at Venice and all the Roman Senators did antiently and do at this day that so they may every where be discerned and receive their due respect and be ashamed to be seen frequently in Play-houses Dicing-houses Cockpits Taverns or Houses of worse repute or to be Night-walkers c. And during their attendance on Parliament if they be found in such places and ways out of their Robe or Vestment then to loose their wonted Protection from Arrests according to that saying God giveth his Angels charge over us to keep us whilst we are in our ways but out of our way no protection of this Angels to be expected Let no man here object that Parliament men ought rather to wear their swords which suit not with Robes or Gowns because the Writ to the Sheriff runs for to choose duos Milites gladiis cinctos for the meaning thereof is two Knights dubbed which in those days was done by girding on a sword but it was ever expected and sometimes especially commanded that they should attend on Parliament a Counsel of Peace gladiis discincti and their Robes then will be sufficient Guard for their persons as well in England as it is now in other Countreys XXXIV That as the Coins so the Weights and Measures both wet and dry may be according to Magna Charta and 14. Edw. 3. exactly alike all over England as it is carefully provided in other Countreys XXXV That most if not all eatable things exposed to sale in the Market as well as in Shops may be sold by weight as is done in Spain and also may weekly or monthly be Rated as Bread in Cities by the Magistrates or Officers sworn so to do XXXVI That according to the good Policy of Italy all Taverns Innes Ale-houses Victualling-houses may be obliged to have a printed Table hang publickly of the Prices of all such things as they are wont or allowed to sell to Guests XXXVII That no Vintner Inn-keeper Ale-seller Victualer or Malster may in any Corporation be intrusted with the Execution of those Laws which may any ways prejudice their profit XXXVIII That to reduce servants to their pristine and due humility diligence frugality faithfulness and obedience a Law be made that no Servant shall be henceforth received into any other service without a Testimonial under the Hands and Seals of their former Master or Mistris that they are competently endowed with all those qualities forementioned XXXIX That according to the excellent policy of the Romans there may be appointed some persons of the best Rank and Quality both in City and Country to Censores Morum for reforming of Manners to be furnisht with a power to enquire into mens lives to take notice if any man neglect his Farm Trade or Profession and how he otherwise maintaineth himself XL. That special Provision be made for executing all our good Laws