Selected quad for the lemma: justice_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
justice_n	henry_n	lord_n	sir_n	13,505	5	7.3815	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A88227	The oppressed mans oppressions declared: or An epistle written by Lieut. Col. Iohn Lilburne, prerogative-prisoner (by the illegall and arbitrary authority of the House of Lords) in the Tower of London, to Col. Francis West, lieutenant thereof in which the oppressing cruelty of all the gaolers of England is declared, and particularly the lieutenants of the Tower. As also, there is thrown unto Tho. Edwards, the author of the 3d. ulcerous gangræna, a bone or two to pick: in which also, divers things are handled, of speciall concernment to the present times.	Lilburne, John, 1614?-1657.	1647 (1647)	Wing L2149; ESTC R202786	33,231	28

my publique Contest with the Bishops hath enabled me to carry my life in my hands and to have it alwaies in a readienesse to lay it downe in a quarter of an hours warning knowing that he hath in store for me a mansion of eternall glory All these things considered I am now determined by the strenght of God if I speedily have not that Justice which the Law of England affords me which is all I crave or stand in need of no longer to waît upon the destructive seasons of prudentiall men but forthwith to make a for mall Appeale to all the Commons of the Kingdome of England and Dominion of Wales and set my credit upon the tenters to get money to print 20000. of them and send them gratis to all the Counties thereof the ingredients of which shall be filled with the Parliaments owne Declarations and Arguments against the King turned upon themselves and their present practise and with a little narrative of my Star-chamber tyrannicall sufferings and those I have there to complain of are first Dr. Lamb Guin and Aliot for committing me And 2. Lord Keeper Coventry Lord Privie Seal Manchester that corruptest of men whose unworthy Son is now hath been for some yeares the chiefe Prosecut or of my ruine for no other cause but that I have been honest valiant and faithfull in discharging the trust reposed in me which he himselfe was not my Lord Newburgh old Sir Henry Vane a man as full of guilt as any is in England whose basenesse and unworthinesse I shall anotamize to the purpose the Lord chiefe Iustice Bramstone and Judge Jones who sentenced me to the Pillory and to be whipt c. And then 3. Canterbury Coventry Manchester Bish of London E. of Arundel E. of Salithury L Cottington L. Newbnrgh Secretary Cook and Windebank who sentenced me to lye in irons and to be starved in the prison of the Fleet With a short Narrative of my usage by Lords and Commons this present Parliament and conclude with a Declaration of what is the end wherefore Parliaments by law ought and should be called which is to redresse mischiefes and grievances c. but not to increase them 4. E. 3.14 36. E. 3.10 to provide for the peoples weal but not for their woe Book Declar. 1. part pag. 150. and yet notwith standing all the trust reposed in them and all the Protestations they have in publique Declarations made faithfully without any private aimes or ends of their owne to discharge it And notwithstanding all the bloud and money that hath been shed and spent at their beck and and commands I would faine have any of them to instance me any one Act or Ordinance since the wars begun that they have done or made that is for the universall good of the Commons of England who have born the bu then of the day Sure I am they have made severall Ordinances to establish Monopolies against the Fundamentall Lawes of the Kingdome and thereby have robbed free men of their trades and livell hoods that at their command have been abroad a fighting for maintaining the Law and in practise annihilated Magna Charta and the Petition of Right So that a man though of their own Party may suffer much if commited by a Parliament-man or Parliament men before he can get the Iudges to grant an Habeas Corpus to bring him and his cause up to their Bar there to receive a tryall secùndum legem terrae that is according to the Law of the Land although the Iudges be sworn by their oathes to doe it So Sir desiring you seriously to consider of the premises which I could not conveniently send you but in print I rest From my illegall and chargeable captivity in Cole-harbour in the Tower of London this 30. Ian. 1646. Your abused Prisoner who is resolved to turne all the stones in England that lye in his way but he will have right and iustice against you Iohn Lilburne semper idem FJNJS

that from thence-forth no person should be compelled to make any Loanes to the King against his will because such Loane were against reason and the franchise of the Land and by other Lawes of this Realme viz. 1. E 3.6.11 R. 2.9.1 R. 3.2 it is provided That none shall be charged by any charge or imposition called abenevolence nor by such like charge by which the statutes before-mentioned and other the good lawes and f●at●teo of this Realm your subjects have inherited this freedome that they should not be composed to contribute to any taxe tallage aid or other like charge not fet by common consent in Parliament All which the King confirmes And by the statute made this present Parliament that abolished Ship money All and every the particulars prayed or desired in the said Petition of Right shall from hence sorth be put in execution accordingly and shall be firmly and strictly holden and observed as in the same Petition they are prayed and expressed yea in this very statute it is declared and enacted to be against Law for his Maiesty upon any pretence what ever to levie money of the people of England without common consent in Parliament And truly sir let me tell you without feare or flattery that if your great Masters th Lords and their true prerogative friends which fill nor up a few places in the House of Commons had any true and reall intentions to preserve the Fundamentall Lawes and Lioerties of England or had any time to spare to punish those that justly and groundedly infringe them and doe as much as in them lies to destrey them from their weighty employment of deviding great and vast sums of the Common wealths money amonst themselves without either doing justice and rightin the like nature to any man breathing unlesse it be themselves or some of their sons kinsmen or neare friends whose principles are to serve their ends to the breadth of a haire in all they enjoyne them they would scorne to give cause to be reputed so base and unworthy as they are to deny the King the power unto whom ever and anon they give such glorious and transcendent titles unto to levie and raise money without common consent in Parliament when they allow every paultery Iaylor in England to doe it at his pleasure yea and for any thing I can perceive abet and countenance him in it for they will not nor have not done all this long Parliament any man any effectuall justice against them that have complained of them but every man is crushed and in a manner destroyed that meddles any thing to the purpose with them I pray sir tell me whether this be to Keep the Solemn League and Covenant which is now made a cloake for all kind of knavery and villanic which they and you took with your hands lifted up to the most high God and swore to maintaine the Fundamentall Lawes and Liberties of the Kingdome But this I dare boldly tell you you never intended it as by your practises appears But sir in the second place I should desire to know of you the reason why laylors are so impudent and oppressive as they are and go so scot free from punishment though often complained of as they doe Truly for my part I am nor able to render any more probable on then this That it may be some powerfull Parliament-man or men are sharers with them in their profits for as grose if not groser things are commonly reported yea printed o● some of them See the 99. 100 101 102 103. c. pages of the fore-mentioned book called Regall Tyranny discovered and therefore must and doe improve their interest and power to protect them in their knaverys and oppressions For within these few dayes I was talking with an understanding knowing Gentleman that came to visit me and he told me he durst venture his life to make it evident to any rationall man in the world that there is one Gaoler about this City that makes of his Prison above 20000 l. a yeare and commits all manner of villanies and yet no Justice can be had against him though he hath often and powerfully been complained against to the Parliament it selfe where he said he had more favour countenance and protection then the honestest man that complained of him yea more then them all put all in one Now sir in the last place I come to acquaint you what monies I have paid since I came to the Tower for my Chamber-rent only the 10. of July last I came hither and you sent me to the Lodging where I am with extraordinarie strict and severe command upon my Keeper who within certain dayes after I came to him demanded chamber-rent of me at a great deale higher rate then I pay and I told him necessity had no law and I therefore desired him to ask me reasonably and he should see what I would say to him So at last he asked me 15. s. a week I told him I knew well the lawes of all prisons in England and 15. s. a week was a great deale of money for beare Lodging but in regard it was with me as it was conditionally that he for his part would use me and those my friends that should come to see mee with civilitie and humanity I would give him 15. s. a week and find my own linnen besides protesting unto him that the first time he used me or any that came to see me churlishly I would not pay him one peny more of money and I must ingeniously confess I have no cause in the least to complaine of the man in point of civility nor he of me in performing my promise for I have paid him though it hath been with some straights to me betwixt 20. and 30. l. which I am now able no longer to pay And therefore I desire you according to your duty which by law you are bound unto to provide me a prison lodging gratis for I professe unto you no more rent I can nor will pay though it cost me a dungeon or as bad for my pains And truly Sir I shall deale ingeniously with you and give you the true reason wherefore I condescended to pay chamber rent at first and have done it so long it was because I had extraordinary potent adversaries to deale withall viz. the House of Lords or Peeres as they are called who had pretty well managed their dealings with like tyrants in keeping very strictly my friends from me and also pen ink and paper that so I was debarred of all ability in the world to publish to the view of the whole Kingdome my own innocency and their inhumane and barbarous tyranny which they knew well enough I would doe if I had not been debarred of all meanes to doe it and then fell upon me and transcendently sentenced me to pay 4000. l. c. and illegally and unjustly entered notorious crimes against me in their records And you know I told you at my first comming

people of God under pretence of hereticall Opinions I will upon the hazard of my life justifie and prove it against you and the present Parliament that you and they therby justifie Queen Mary in murdering and burning the Saints in her dayes yea and all the bloudy persecuring Roman Emperors that caused to be murthered thousanes of the Saints for bearing witnesse to the restimony of Iesus yea and all the persecutions of the Iewes against Christ and his Apostles yea and the putting them to death and so bring upon your owne heads all the righteous blood shed upon the Earth from the dayes of righteous Abel to this present day Matth. 23.29 30.32.33.34 35. which I warrant you will bring wrath and vengeance enough upon you Now Mr. Lieutenant a few words more to you and so conclude I desire you in the next place not only to provide me gratis a prison Lodging for I can pay Chamber tent no longer but also to provide me my diet according to the custome of the place for you cannot but know and if you doe not I now tell you that the King was alwayes so noble and iust as to doe it to all the Prisoners be committed to this place of what qualitie soever of the truth of which * Who as I have lately heard confessed hee spent his Maiesty 1500. l. while hee was a prisoner here Col. Long Col. Hollis and Mr. Selden c. now members of the house of Commons can informe you and how that themselves when they were the Kings prisoners here in the 3. of His Raign for speaking and acting freely in the Parliament were maintained by the King according to their qualities though some of them had great estates of their owne in their owne possessions and enjoyments and now as the newes books tell me are voted 5000. l. pece for their then illegall sufferings And Sir the Lords who committed me hither have in gareat measure the Kings Revenue in their hands at their dispose and therefore I expect now I seek for it they shall be as just as their Master whom they have so much condemned for injustice and provide for me according to my quality And Sir I must tell you that I am very confident I have as many noble qualities in me and as much of a man in every respect as any of those that sent me hither For Titles of Honour without Honesty and Iustice are no excellenter then a gold ring in a Swines snout Yea and have given as large a declaration of it to the view of the world as any of them whatever hath done And therefore Sir if they shall deny me this piece of justice and equity I will by Gods assistance tell them as well of it as ever they were told in their lives But fir in the third place if this faile me I desire you to speake to them to allow me interest for my two thousand pounds it being scarce twice so much as I have spent since I first became a suiter for it that they the last yeare decreed me for my illegall bloody barbarous and inhuman sufferings by the Star-Chamber which I dare confidently say were more tormenting then all the sufferings of the above mentioned Gentlemen and their co-partners See my printed Relation of it made at the Lords Barre 13. Feb. 1645. For which as I understand there is 50000. l. reparations voted them by the House of Commons that so I may have something of my owne to live upon For without all or most of the three fore-mentioned things be done for me I must either perish or run exceedingly into debt which I confesse I am very loath to doe or lastly live upon the almes of my friends which I professe is not pleasant unto me And besides the freest horse or horses in the world with continuall riding thay not only be weatied but also jaded and tyred But if they will not yeeld that I shall have my lodging gratis and my diet found by them nor interest for my many yeares expected and long-looked for 2000 l. that last yeare they decreed me nor the remainder of my just arreares which yet is divels hundreds of pounds that I faithfully valiantly and dearly earned with the losse of my blood to maintain and keep me alive and my wife and small children Then as my last request I intreat from you to desire them to call me out to alegall tryall and by the law of the Kingdome but not their arbitrary wills either to be Justified or condemned And here under my hand I professe I crave nor desire neither mercy nor favour at their hands but bid defiance to all the adversarie I have in England both great and small to doe the worst their malice can unto me alwayes provided I may have a legall tryall by my Peeres my Equalls men of my own condition according to the just established unrepealed fundamentall law of the Land contained in Magna Charta and the Petition of Right And truly Sir if upon these tearmes they will not call me out but resolve to keep me here still I will by Gods assistance before many moneths be expired give them cause with a witnesse to call me out for here if I can helpe it I will not be destroyed with a languishing death though it cost me hewing to peeces as small as flesh to the pot For if it had not been that my report hath lain so long dormant in the hand of Col. Henry Martin the glory of his age amongst Parliament men for a lover of his Country whose credit and reputation I ingeniously confesse I should be very loath in the least if I could avoid it to bespatter But in regard by all the meanes and friends I can use to him I cannot get him to make my report though I desire nothing at his hands but a bate endeavour of the discharge of his duty to quit himselfe of it let the issue be good or bad all is one to me so it were but done or endevoured to be done I had long since made a formal appeal to the people but in regard of my constant hard usage both from divers Lords and Commons and their laylors and other instruments and the many unresistable prickings forward of my own spirit which presseth me rather to hazzard the undergoing of Sampsons portion Judg. 16.21 then to be forced to degenerate from the principles of Reason the King or chiefe of all creatures into the habit of a bruit beast and so to live a slave or vassal under any power under the Cope of Heaven whether Regall or Parliamentary or what ever it be And therefore having now with a long deliberated delibertation committed my wife and children to the tuition care and protection of a powerfull God whom for above these ten yeares I have feelingly and sensibly known as my God in Jesus Christ who with a mighty protection and preservation hath been with me in six troubles and in seven and from the very day of