Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	arthur_n	john_n	sir_n	15,296	5	6.8412	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A86169	The oppressed man's out-cry; Or, an epistle writ by John Hedworth of Harraton in the county of Durham, Esq. the 13 Sept. 1651. unto the Honourable, Sir Henry Vane, the elder, a Member of the Honorable Parliament of the Common-wealth of England, William Vane his son, Lieut. Col. Paul Hobson, and John Middleton, Esq. members of the com. of the militia of the county of Durham by authority of Parliament.	Hedworth, John.	1651 (1651)	Wing H1353A; ESTC R230321	13,902	16

THE OPPRESSED MAN'S OUT-CRY OR An Epistle writ by John Hedworth of Harraton in the County of Durham Esq the 13 Sept. 1651. unto the Honourable Sir Henry Vane the elder a Member of the Honorable Parliament of the Common-wealth of England William Vane his son Lieut. Col. Paul Hobson and John Middleton Esq Members of the Com. of the Militia of the County of Durham by Authority of Parliament Honourable worthy Gentlemen THE great Lord Jehovah the Creator of the world In Scripture is styled a God of Compassion and of Truth and Justice and a hearer of the sighs and groans of the afflicted and oppressed who in scripture hath fully declared himself to be an angry and severe Judge and punisher of tyrants and oppressors yea and of those that shut their ears and harden their hearts against the mournful pitiful and just complaints of the afflicted and distressed And he by his special Providence hath put power authority magistracy into your hands being Members of that Committee that have the chiefest command of this County under the Parliament the supream at your beck And therefore by him in Scripture are styled gods upon earth and in that regard yee ought to be like him not onely in tender Compassion and mercy but also in truth and Justice and hearers of the sighs groans and mournfull Lamentations of the afflicted and oppressed In the serious Consideration of which give me leave to cry out unto you and acquaint you that I am the son and heir of a deceased Knight Sir John Hedworth who was Lord Owner or Proprietor of the Lands of Harraton in the County of Durham and all the Cole Mines thereof or thereunto belonging and left them unto me by an ancient and unblemished Intail as strong as the Laws of England my undoubted birth-right could make any as his eldest son and heir And being by his decease left yong in years and destitute of the support of powerful friends and allies and therefore fit to become a prey to every devouring wolf or greedy great man that should have a covetous eye to that inheritance that my forefathers strongly and Legally intailed upon my father and my self And it was my unhappy fate to live in the age wherein Sir Arthur Hesilrig became Governor of New Castle a man of a high and covetous spirit the whole County of Durham being as by his constant actions he declares too little in Revenue to satisfie or content his greedy appetite And a man that will admit of no rule to walk by but his own perverse will and sword who casting more then an Ahabs eye upon my poor Vineyard at Harraton abhorred to be so righteous unto me as wicked Ahab desired and proffered to be to poor Naboth who proffered him for his Vineyard the worth of it in mony or a better for it But Sir Arthur Hesilrig finding my land and Cole mines at Harraton were profitable and pleasant and lay commodious for him to add to his newly com'd by great Estate yet though he were inferiour in power to Ahab a King would be more unrighteous in practice to me then he was to poor Naboth and therefore would take from me my Colyeries and Land yea and my Cattle too and that without so much as ever proffering me as good for them in exchange or the worth of them in mony or so much as one penny for them in consideration yea or that so much as ever setting up legally producing the least shadow or pretence of title against me more then his wil pleasure and sword yea and to aggravate his covetousness and tyranny exercised to the height against me he would not only take my inheritance goods cattle from me for nothing by his will but he would do it in such a way as that I should be left destitute for ever hereafter of all hopes of friends to recover it therefore he would totally destroy and crush to pieces not onely in estate but also in good name which to an honest man ought to be more precious then much sweet ointment my Father in Law M. George Grey and my old friend M. George Lilburn thereby for ever hoping to deter any man of power or interest in the least to meddle with me to help to ease or redress me and all this done unto me at such a time when the righteous and just God is abroad in the world in Power and Majesty to destroy Kings and Princes and the greatest of their Followers for tyranny injustice and oppression yea and at such a time when the Parliament of England his Masters have raised and maintained a bloudy and costly war declaredly to defend the liberties and properties of the people yea and at such a time when they themselves execute severe justice for secret transgressions done in holes and corners upon their own members witness my Lord Howards Bribery And that Sir Arthur hath oppressed me and taken from me and my tenants my estate is evident 1. As to my Cole mines the profits of which he and his under Commissioners in their Certificate printed in Lieutenant Colonel John Lilburns Letter to four of the Commissioners at Haberdashers Hall dated the 30 of July 1651. pag. 11. line 3 4 hath valued it at fifteen pounds a day in clear profit which by the year at that rate reckoning 365 days to the year amounts to full 5475 l. per an the high injustice and tyranny in his taking away of which and still with a high and strong hand as unjustly detaining of it is so fully set out proved in authentick Records in the forementioned printed Epistle especially in my tenant M. Josiah Primates petition to the Parliament delivered at their door in print to their members upon the 22 of July 1651. and recorded there pag. 16 17 18 19 20. that I need now say no more of it but refer you to the said Epistle one of which I make bold herewith humbly to present unto you all for your serious and careful perusal 2. He and his under Commissioners hath as arbitrarily and tyrannically taken away from me almost three hundred pounds per annum of my Land of Inheritance at Harraton and have let both Collieery and Land to Colonel Hacker Lieutenant Colonel Mayers major Tolhurst or other of his officers and soldiers of which Land I was being neither Papist nor Delinquent in legall and quiet possession for about three years together before they pretended to sequester it from me and although I had an Order dated the 12 of July 1650. recorded in the 29 page of the foresaid Epistle that requires that in case I were in actual possession at the time of the sequestring my said Land and were no Papist nor Delinquent that then I should be restored by the Commissioners of Durham to the possession taken from me giving security to be responsible for the profits of the estate in case it should not prove mine and although there was never any

may clearly see I am made the most miserablest spectacle and object in England being robbed by Sir Arthur Hesilrig c. by his will and power of my Land Colliery Goods and Cattle and damm'd up that I can have Justice no where to obtain a little of my own to buy me bread to keep me my wife and young and tender infants alive nay that which is vvorst of all I am expresly by Sir Arthur Hesilrig himself in the presence of my self and my Brothers M George and M. Richard Grey and many others absolutely commanded to be robbed and deprived before I have committed any crime of all the priviledges of an English man by being debarred to have the benefit of the Law against any of those that detain other parts of my inheritance from mee then now is in the possession of the State in the detention of which the State gets no benefit at all Wherefore hear O Heavens and give ear O Earth and if any bowels of Compassion Justice or Mercy be in you pity commissionate and help to relieve me a most distressed and cruelly oppressed young Gentleman that with grand oppression and unparrelleld cruelty is like to be destroyed by Sir Arthur Hesilrig even in England at that time when the Parliament thereof hath many Armies in the field to fight for the Laws Liberties and Properties of the people and therefore as yee are men nay men of Honour Conscience or common honesty or as ever you came from the bowels of women O help help help me and my perishing family in my transcendent and great distresses and put forth some of that power betrusted to you by the Parliament of England as you are Members of the chiefest power in this County viz. Commanders and Disposers of all the Forces and Militia there and send forth your Warrant and Soldiers to command before you these Thieves and Robbers now upon my ground that call themselves soldiers and so being within your jurisdiction are under your immediate command and compel them by your power either to produce before you a Formal and written Warrant to justifie them in what they have already done or in default thereof to send them to the Goal as Rogues Thieves and Robbers and as one of you is a Parliament man and as either the spirit of Honour or an English man dwels in you send I beseech you this my Complaint to the Parliament and earnestly intreat them in my behalf to read my forementioned Petition depending before them and do me right against all the cruel oppressions of their own Member Sir Arthur Hesilrig who is the greatest dishonour unto them by his oppression and tyranny in all this Nation and as another of you hath been a Member of the Army in a place of Eminency there and as either the spirit of a Soldier or a man of Magnanimity dwels within you send this my mournful Complaint Lamentation and Out-Cry to his Excellency the Lord General Cromwel and the Honourable Officers of his Army and intreat of them in my behalf to take Cognizance of my great oppressions by the Members of their own Army viz. Sir Arthur Hesilrig his Col. Hacker his Lieu. Col. Mayers his Major Tolhurst his Lieu. Bruine and all the rest of his Officers that have unjustly oppressed mee and helpt to rob me of my estate And also I pray put him in mind of the dishonour Sir Arthur Hesilrig hath done unto him and the affront he hath put upon him by his turning honest firm and fast men to him and the Common-vvealth out of places of authority in this County and his placing in as Governors thereof not onely Newters but known Delinquents yea and particularly his making Col. Francis Wren the only man under him as it were to govern and rule this whole County after his Excellency had cashiered him in Scotland for his unworthiness and baseness and for your noble favours manifested unto me in the things desired of you in this the day of my great distress and calamity I shall be very much obliged in the presence of my friends whose names as witnesses are hereunto subscribed to acknowledge my self to be ingaged to remain Gentlemen Your greatly distressed friend and most humble servant heartily to serve you and this Common-wealth JOHN HEDVVORTH Witness George Grey John Lilburn Ralph Rookby Ralph Gray Roger Harper From my own House at Harraton this 13 of Sept. 1651. FINIS