Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	henry_n	king_n	stephen_n	5,689	5	11.2407	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41307	Observations concerning the original and various forms of government as described, viz. 1st. Upon Aristotles politiques. 2d. Mr. Hobbs's Laviathan. 3d. Mr. Milton against Salmatius. 4th. Hugo Grotius De jure bello. 5th. Mr. Hunton's Treatise of monarchy, or the nature of a limited or mixed monarchy / by the learned Sir R. Filmer, Barronet ; to which is added the power of kings ; with directions for obedience to government in dangerous and doubtful times.	Filmer, Robert, Sir, d. 1653.	1696 (1696)	Wing F920; ESTC R32803	252,891	546

that is God can only compel but the Law and his Courts may advise Him Rot. Parliament 1 Hen. 4. nu 79. the Commons expresly affirm Judgment in Parliament belongs to the King and Lords These Precedents shew that from the Conquest until a great part of Henry the Third's Reign in whose days it is thought the Writ for Election of Knights was framed which is about two hundred years and above a third part of the time since the Conquest to our days the Barons made the Parliament or Common Councel of the Kingdom under the name of Barons not only the Earls but the Bishops also were Comprehended for the Conquerour made the Bishops Barons Therefore it is no such great Wonder that in the Writ we find the Lords only to be the Counsellors and the Commons Called only to perform and consent to the Ordinances Those there be who seem to believe that under the word Barons anciently the Lords of Court-Barons were comprehended and that they were Called to Parliament as Barons but if this could be proved to have been at any time true yet those Lords of Court-Barons were not the representative Body of the Commons of England except it can be also proved that the Commons or Free-holders of the Kingdom chose such Lords of Court-Barons to be present in Parliament The Lords of Manors came not at first by Election of the People as Sir Edw. Coke treating of the Institution of Court-Barons resolves us in these words By the Laws and Ordinances of ancient Kings and especially of King Alfred it appeareth that the first Kings of this Realm had all the Lands of England in Demean and les grand Manors and Royalties they reserved to themselves and of the remnant they for the Defence of the Realm enfeoffed the Barons of the Realm with such Jurisdiction as the Court-Baron now hath Coke's Institutes First part Fol. 58. Here by the way I cannot but note that if the first Kings had all the Lands of England in Demean as Sir Edw. Coke saith they had And if the first Kings were chosen by the People as many think they were then surely our Fore-fathers were a very bountiful if not a prodigal People to give all the Lands of the whole Kingdom to their Kings with Liberty for them to keep what they pleased and to give the Remainder to their Subjects clogg'd and encumbred with a Condition to defend the Realm This is but an ill sign of a limited Monarchy by original Constitution or Contract But to conclude the former point Sir Edward Coke's Opinion is that in the ancient Laws under the name of Barons were comprised all the Nobility This Doctrine of the Barons being the Common Councel doth displease many and is denied as tending to the Disparagement of the Commons and to the Discredit and Confutation of their Opinion who teach that the Commons are assigned Councellors to the King by the People therefore I will call in Mr. Pryn to help us with his Testimony He in his Book of Treachery Disloyalty c. proves that before the Conquest by the Laws of Edward the Confessor cap. 17. The King by his Oaths was to do Justice by the Councel of the Nobles of his Realm He also resolves that the Earls and Barons in Parliament are above the King and ought to bridle him when he exorbitates from the Laws He further tells us the Peers Prelates have oft translated the Crown from the right Heir 1. Electing and Crowning Edward who was illegitimate and putting by Ethelred the right Heir after Edgars decease 2. Electing and Crowning Canutus a meer Foreigner in opposition to Edmund the right Heir to King Ethelred 3. Harold and Hardiknute both elected Kings successively without title Edmund and Alfred the right Heirs being dispossessed 4. The English Nobility upon the Death of Harold enacted that none of the Danish bloud should any more reign over them 5. Edgar Etheling who had best Title was rejected and Harold elected and crowned King 6. In the second and third year of Edw. 2. the Peers and Nobles of the Land seeing themselves contemned entreated the King to manage the Affairs of the Kingdom by the Councel of his Barons He gave his Assent and sware to ratifie what the Nobles ordained and one of their Articles was that He would thenceforward order all the Affairs of the Kingdom by the Councel of his Clergy and Lords 7. William Rufus finding the greatest part of the Nobles against him sware to Lanfranke that if they would choose him for King he would abrogate their over-hard Laws 8. The Beginning saith Mr. Pryn of the Charter of Hen. 1. is observable Henry by the Grace of God of England c. Know ye That by the Mercy of God and Common Councel of the Barons of the Kingdom I am Crowned King 9. Maud the Empress the right Heir was put-by the Crown by the Prelates and Barons and Stephen Earl of Mortain who had no good Title assembling the Bishop and Peers promising the amendment of the Laws according to all their Pleasures and Liking was by them all proclaimed King 10 Lewis of France Crowned King by the Barons instead of King John All these Testimonies from Mr. Pryn may satisfie that anciently the Barons were the Common Councel or Parliament of England And if Mr. Pryn could have found so much Antiquity and Proof for the Knights Citizens and Burgesses being of the Common Councel I make no doubt but we should have heard from him in Capital Characters but alas he meets not with so much as these Names in those elder Ages He dares not say the Barons were assigned by the People Councellors to the King for he tells us every Baron in Parliament doth represent his own Person and speaketh in behalf of himself alone but in the Knights Citizens and Burgesses are represented the Commons of the whole Realm therefore every one of the Commons hath a greater voice in Parliament than the greatest Earl in England Nevertheless Master Pryn will be very well content if we will admit and swallow these Parliaments of Barons for the representative Body of the Kingdom and to that Purpose he cites them or to no Purpose at all But to prove the Treachery and Disloyalty of Popish Parliaments Prelates and Peers to their Kings which is the main Point that Master Pryn by the Title of his Book is to make good and to prove As to the second Point which is That until the time of Hen. 1. the Commons were not called to Parliament besides the general Silence of Antiquity which never makes mention of the Commons Coming to Parliament until that time our Histories say before his time only certain of the Nobility were called to Consultation about the most important affairs of the State He caused the Commons also to be assembled by Knights Citizens and Burgesses of their own Appointment much to the same purpose writes Sir Walter Raleigh saying it is held that the Kings of England