Selected quad for the lemma: judgement_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
judgement_n	action_n	case_n	defendant_n	6,227	5	10.2324	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A35931	The royalist's defence vindicating the King's proceedings in the late warre made against him, clearly discovering, how and by what impostures the incendiaries of these distractions have subverted the knowne law of the land, the Protestant religion, and reduced the people to an unparallel'd slavery.	Dallison, Charles, d. 1669.	1648 (1648)	Wing D138; ESTC R5148	119,595	156

when the Law is only declared by Act of Parliament If the King and the two Houses declare that it is not by the Common Law of England Treason to kill or to attempt to kill the King the Queen or Prince or that it is not felony to steale or the like such declarations are of no effect they ought not they do not they cannot conclude the Judges And as every Statute may be judged by them whether it be binding or void so the meaning of the words thereof must be by the Judges expounded too It is the true sense which is the Law not the bare letter and this exposition is likewise the office of the Judges as is said before For example by a Statute made 1 Eliz. it is enacted that all leases made afterwards by any Bishop of his Church-lands exceeding 21. years or three lives shall to all intents and purposes be judged void and yet it hath been adjudged both in the Kings Bench and in the Common Pleas that a lease for an hundred years is not void against that Bishop himselfe who was lessor wherein the Judges expound the meaning of the Law-makers to be thus that their intent was onely for the benefit of the Successours not to releive any man against his owne Act therefore such leases made after the Statute exceeding twenty one years or three lives are voidable only by the successours if they please and adjudged not void against the lessour himselfe contrary to the expresse words of the Statute And in like manner are other infinite Acts of Parliament expounded by the Judges wherein it is a maxime in Law that their exposition of Statutes ought to be according to the rules of the Common Law by which it appears the Members are not the interpreters for they know not the rules of the Law Besides the Parliament cannot be the finall expounders of Statutes for these reasons 1. It appears before that it is not the bare letter but the true sence and meaning of the words which is the Law And the King and the two Houses cannot declare the meaning of those words but by Act of Parliament they cannot saith our Law otherwise speake what ever they Act or doe in any other way is extrajudiciall if the King and both Houses unanimously deliver an opinion without reducing it to an Act of Parliament concerning the meaning of a former Statute it is of no more nor greater force or effect then for the Judges of a Court of judicature to give their opinions in a point of Law in a case not judicially depending before them such an opinion binds not nor is pleadable in a Court of Justice And besides the absurd inconvenience and the impossibility to have an Act of Parliament to determine every question arising upon Statutes it may so happen as that the King and the two Houses can never give an end to one controversie For example suppose an Act be made to explaine the meaning of former Statute ambiguously penned the words of this Act must have a meaning too and may admit of severall interpretations as well as the former Act did and severall persons as they are therein concerned may differ in the exposition thereof and so irreconcileable as not to be ended without the authority of a Judge and this may fall out upon every Act of explanation upon explanation in infinitum and consequently by that way there cannot to the end of the world be a finall determination of the difference 2. The validity of every Statute and the exposition thereof at the will of every person concerned may regularly be brought before the Judges of the Law but cannot judicially depend before the Parliament For example every Statute is binding or void if binding it concerns the Subject in his person or estate and when it is put in execution the ministers or actors therein may at the will of him interrupted thereby be sued in the Court of Common Pleas or in some other Court of Justice by an action of trespasse by which suite what ever the Act of Parliament is both the validity of the Statute and the meaning of the words thereof is submitted to the Judges of that Court and to their judgement As suppose this case to arise upon the foresaid Statute of 23 H. 6. that one who hath continued Sheriff above one year by vertue of a Writ directed to the Sheriff of the same County doth arrest the body of A. who for this brings his action of trespasse in the Common Pleas in which the Sheriff justifies by vertue of the Writ A. replies pleads the Statute and shewes that the year was ended before the arrest upon which the Sheriff demurs in Law by these pleadings the whole fact is confessed on both sides the Sheriff doth acknowledge his year was out before the arrest and A. confesseth the arrest was by vertue of the Kings Writ directed to the Sheriff and so the question being matter of Law it is to be determined by the Judges of that Court wherein the sole doubt is whether that Statute be binding or void for if binding judgement ought to be given for the plaintife A. because the Statute being good the defendant was not Sheriff after his year ended when he made the arrest and so had no authority if void it ought to be given for the Sheriff for then the Law is not by it altered and so he was Sheriff at the time of the arrest although his year was out Now in this case no man can deny but that the Judges must give judgement else the Court of Common Pleas which were absurd to imagine hath not power to determine an action of trespasse and judgement being given as in this case it ought to be for the Sheriff because it is already resolved and received for a knowne truth that the foresaid Statute binds not the King this duty of the Subject to serve the King in person saith the booke being due by the Law of nature cannot be severed by Act of Parliament it is finall And so if it were enacted that a Member of the Commons House or any other subject by name should not be condemned or punished for murder who afterwards commits the fact for which being arraigned at the Kings Bench bar he pleades the Statute the Judges even against the expresse words and intent of that Act ought to give sentence of death And contrariwise if by Act of Parliament it were enacted that all Pardons for felony to be granted by the King should be judged void after which a subject commits felony obtaines the Kings pardon for it is arraigned at the bar and pleads this pardon it ought to be allowed being duely pleaded and the Justices in such case ought not to condemne but to acquit the prisoner And these judgements as to any appeale to the Parliament are finall they cannot be brought before the King and the two Houses by any suite or action at Law They cannot judicially determine any

And although this rule be exactly observed yet once having declared himself he is every houre in danger of destruction For when a new faction gets up which is very frequent changing his note oftentimes preserves him not from an impeachment he is from thence but dandled as a whelp under a Lyons Paw when that party thinkes fit cru hed in pieces Now should some of the Judges of any Court of Justice in Westminster-Hall demean themselves in this manner with their fellow Judges no wise man would esteeme them to have the power of Judicature And why a part of the Members of either House should have this Priviledge more then they is beyond the reach of the Westminster-men to make it good By this it appears that the Members have not freedome of Speech and consequently no House of Parliament Fourthly admitting the Members had not been injuriously expulsed And had they been permitted freely to give their opinions yet these men at Westminster have disabled themselves to sit or Vote there which is proved thus Every Traytor Murderer and Felon by the Law of the Land is disabled to sit or vote in Parliament But these persons are Traytors Murderers and Felons Ergo. The Major needs no proof every one grants it And for the Minor Those men have not onely committed such facts as the Law judgeth Treason Murder and Felony but even making it their daily work are still constant to those their principles They as before appears actually Levyed War against their King which is Treason They have actually endeavoured to kill the King the Queen and Prince which is Treason They have counterfeited the Kings Great Seal which is Treason They have counterfeited His Mony which is Treason They have not onely denyed their King to be the Supreame Governour but have arrogated the power of Soveraignty to themselves which is Treason They have this Parliament declared it Treason to attempt to change the Law But themselves have actually subverted both Law and Religion And have reduced both King and people to their Arbitrary power which is Treason They have and still doe imprison the Person of their King which is Treason Then for Murder besides their owne consciences if they have any remorse inwardly gnawing the fatherlesse children and widdowes of those slaine on both sides in this unnaturall War raised and prosecuted by them against King and Kingdome in swarmes to testifie against them But this not all they doe still in colder bloud and in further abuse of Justice by pretext and colour of Law sometimes in their own names other while imitating the ordinary formes of Law by the mouths of their nominall mock Judges whose understandings and consciences by their foresaid Order and with bribes and rewards they have in vassalage condemne murder and put to death the Kings Loyall Subjects as Traytors and this principally for refusing to commit Treason And for felony That offence is included both in the crime of Treason and Murder but there needs not that help to prove them guilty thereof By the Law of England it is felony of death to steal goods exceeding the value of twelve pence But these persons in the nature of robbery have by force taken from King and People their whole livelihood Suppose 20 Troopers to make an Order that all persons passing through High-gate shall deliver unto them all such Money as shall be found about them If the Troopers by colour of this Order force the passengers to deliver their Money It were ridiculous to deny this to be robbery Yet if that Order made by the Troopers were binding the fact were lawfull So here those men at Westminster have ordered which they stile an Ordinance of Parliament that all the people of England shall give unto them the 5 part and the 20 part of their Estates That every man who eats or drinkes buyes or sels shall pay unto them a certaine summe by the name of Excise That every County and Towne shall likewise contribute unto them and their Souldiers vast summes of money That all the Kings Revenues shall be disposed of to them and to their use That all persons who shall oppose them herein shall be judged Traytors and forfeit unto these men their whole estates and fortunes And by colour of those Orders we see they do by force seize and take all to their owne use Now in regard the foresaid persons at Westminster have not power as before is proved to make such Laws it directly followeth that the forcing the King and people herein is unlawfull and consequently both King and Subject are robbed of their money and goods And their estates wrongfully detained from them But peradventure these incendiaries at Westminster will object that although they be guilty of those crimes yet untill they be judicially convict thereof it cannot be alleadged against them Answer First By their owne practice they have judged this point against themselves For as before appears without any legall conviction they have expulsed almost all their fellow-Members And that for supposed facts which if guilty of disabled not them to sit or vote in the house So that these Westminster-men having to the view of the world committed such facts as by law disables them to sit or vote to be judged no Members themselves must confesse is at the most but lex Talionis Secondly it may appear even in the judgment of Law that a man is guilty of treason murder or felony although not attainted or convicted thereof For example one calls another before any conviction of such a crime Traytor Murderer or Thief The Person thus charged brings his action of slaunder In this case if the Defendant justifie his words alleaging that the Plaintif committed such a fact which the law judgeth Treason Felony or Murder and at the triall proved it The Jury ought to acquit the Defendant of the slaunder yet still that Traytor Murderer or Felon is not convict of the fact Therefore clear it is a Traytor is a Traytor And the people may as well know him so to be and as lawfully so call him before attainder or conviction as to know a spade to be a spade and so call it Besides when a treason murder or felony is committed it is the proper office of every petty Constable and of every Justice of peace nay it is the duty of every honest Subject to apprehend the malefactor and to bring him to due punishment wherein neither priviledge of Parliament dignity of the Person or imployment of the Offender is any protection It is not only lawful but the duty of every honest English man to lay hands upon the Speakers of both Houses or upon any Peer or Parliament-man or any other having committed the crime of treason murder or felony or justly suspected for the same And consequently they ought to apprehend the aforesaid Westminster-men It is true that in the ordinary proceedings no man can be convict of treason murder or felony but by Act of Parliament or