Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n
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A36048
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A Direct road to peace and happiness in church and state
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1696
(1696)
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Wing D1525A; ESTC R26699
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25,392
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45
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like a Mountebank to Gull the World with insipid Drugs and Medicines of the Jesuits and French King 's Composing And search the Books and Files of his Receipts and Prescriptions and his Coffers and you will find who composed his Medicines and Lewis d'Ores good Store Object In case Symoniacal Parsons and Office-Jobbers be such Dangerous Enemies to the King and his People Were it not better to have a strict Scrutiny presently For 't is certain such as have purchased Benefices and Offices with the Jesuits or French King's Money will serve their Turns and such as have purchased with their own Money will be upon the Spurs to re-imburse themselves and both will act all for their own private Gain and Profit but as little as may be for the true Honour and Interest of their King and Country And the Proposals aforesaid are only for the time to come Now admit an Office of Trust should become void and a Worthy Good Man should succeed therein as proposed if the Majority of Men in Office be Good he may do a great deal of Good But in case the Majority be such as came in by Money Brocage Favour or Affection the Good will be but like a piece of New Cloth set upon an Old Garment or New Wine put into Old Bottles for the Bandittee of Office Jobbers will make all honest Men very uneasie who cannot wink at or dispense with such things as the Bandittee allow to be Good and Practicable Answ I suppose the Government hath paid a great deal for the Learning of the most Ignorant Persons in Office and if any of them do not understand their proper Work and Business at this time of day they deserve to be kick'd out of Imployment and the Cunning will give over all their Tricks and Fallacies when the Gift or Disposition of Offices is settled as proposed because they cannot make Friends or Parties with Offices in their Gift or Recommendation as they have done And such as have done Good Service are proposed to be taken Care of so that the future Settlement proposed will work a present Cure But would the Lords-Justices now in His Majesty's Absence please to appoint special Commissioners to Examine and Enquire into the Behaviour and Qualifications of such as be suspected to misbehave themselves or to be Ignorant of the Work and Business properly belonging to their Offices undoubtedly upon the Reports of indifferent Commissioners so appointed many and great Abuses would be discovered which the Government might think fit and necessary presently to redress Object Is it safe to have such Enquiry made at this time Answ I humbly Conceive That it would oblige and indear the Generality of His Majesty's Loving and Dutiful Subjects and none will be disobliged thereby or Discontented at it but Rotten or Gangreen'd Members or Branches which must either be Dissected or paired and scraped that their Rust and Canker may not Corrupt the whole Body or Mass of Government or hinder it to Thrive and Flourish Object Would not this be better for Committees of the Two Houses of Parliament Answ I humbly Conceive That His Majesty and His People are best served and pleased when Parliaments ring least of Grievances and the more Active Princes and Private Councils are to find out and redress Abuses in the Intervals of Parliament the less Work will Parliaments have when they meet and their Councils will be more Free and undisturbed And if the Commissioners appointed be not True and Trusty the King and His Privy Council or the Parliament will find out their Roguery for the Blot will be Hit some time or other and then Woe be to such if any there be who like the Chief Priests and Elders have abused the Ears of Government Now Reader I beg of thee to be like the Bee that Sucks her Honey where the Spider gathers her Poyson I know by woful Experience that the best things said and done may by Mercinary and ill Men be wrested to wrong Purposes I do assure thee if any so wrest what I have done or make ill Constructions thereof it is their own Fault not mine For I declare to thee in the Presence of Almighty God unto whom all Hearts be open all Desires known and from whom no Secrets are hid that I have no other End in publishing this to the World but to Communicate such things to all that truly Love and Honour His Majesty that they may improve my Talent for the Service of their King and Country Was I under no Obligation of Oaths Gratitude would oblige me to be as Serviceable as I may or can be to His Majesty But being under the Obligation of Old and New Oaths to do my King and Country the best Service I can in my Calling and Profession I hope none that reads this but will pardon my Infirmities Do thou but read the Petition which the Lords and Commons of England in Parliament Assembled 3 Car. 1. presented to King Charles the First and thou wilt find their Prayer in the Conclusion is That His Majesty would be Graciously Pleased for the further Comfort and Safety of his People to declare His Royal Will and Pleasure That all Officers and Ministers shall serve him according to the Laws and Statutes of this Realm as they tender the Honour of His Majesty and the Prosperity of this Kingdom And were His now Majesty so served there would be no Male-Contents or Parties or Factions in Court or Country Consequently Plots and Conspiracies would be at an end and in all Parts of His Majesty's Realms and Dominions the loud Acclamations of the People would be O King Live for Ever POSTSCRIPT UPON the Rumor and Report of a General Peace abroad I did add this Dear Countrymen to let you see what will Unite and Settle us in Peace at Home so that every Man may sit and enjoy himself under his own Vine free and undisturbed unless the Generality of Free-holders and Free-men will not consider their own Interest It is certainly a great Disparagement to Vertue and Learning it self That those very things which only make Men useful in the World should incline them to leave it This ought never to be allowed to Good Men unless the Bad had the same Moderation and were willing to follow them into the Wilderness For if the Good Content to get out of Publick Imployments and live retiredly and the Bad strive to get into Publick Places of Trust the Affairs of Mankind are like to be in so ill a Posture that even Good Men themselves will hardly be able to enjoy their very Retreats in Security What with humble Submission is more Injurious to the Government than such in Commissions of Peace as have the Fines and Forfeitures of Persons Convicted What hinders the Increase of Fishermen and sit Persons to be Sea-men and Marriners but Tenants and Farmers to Vice Admirals and Justices of Peace that under the Umbrage of Royalties of Fishing Potch and Fish and hinder such to follow the Trade of Fishing in Times of Peace as would be free to go to Sea and serve his Majesty in Times of War What puts Millers upon Grinding the Face of the Poor by extorting unreasonable Toll or Moulter of them But Lords of Royalties Letting their Mills to Farm at excessive Rent What makes Stewards of Leets remiss to remove Nusances But to have the same Presented over and over again What makes Stewards of Liberties and under Sheriffs Pack Juries and be remiss in their Turns or Leets or the chief Duties of their Offices But Dispensing with the Laws against Letting out their Bailywicks to Farm In short 23 Hen. 6. Cap. 10.27 Hen. 8. Cap. 24. What makes any in Office under the King Guilty of undue Practices But Patrons Parsons Judges and others by their Example Dispensing with the Laws against Symony and Buying and Selling Places of Trust Are not their Traditions Destructive to the Government Have Good Men ought but Good Laws and the due Execution thereof to keep Ill Men within the Circle of Obedience Are not Rewards the Golden Spur to Glory and all Noble Actions Do not Rewards and Punishments misplaced make a Weak and Tottering State Did not King Edward the Third 15 Edw. 3. as soon as he had opportunity make void several Laws to which his Consent was not Free but Dissembled to eschew some Eminent Dangers he foresaw might ensue by his denying the same at that time And was not the late Imposition of Waterborne Coals taken off when the Poor for want of Firing destroyed and burned their Neighbours Pales and Hedges And now having done my Duty in giving my Brethren to understand their Grievances and making Proposals for remedy hereof I hope they will not be Lazy or Indiscreet either in the Choise of sit Persons to represent them nor in soliciting them to have things done for the Common Interest of the Crown and People Remembring all Men are Mortal and nothing but their Works follow them to their Grave and after Death comes Judgment Vale. FINIS
Execution at a time when the People were much Dissatisfied and Discontented with Favorites Monopolizing old and Erecting new Offices of Profit whereupon his Majesty Issued out his Declaration to put a stop to all further Suit to be made to him for new Offices and Judgment was given against some that had Bought and Sold Offices to Lose both Mony and Office And had the Disposition of Offices been so Setled that it had not been in the power of Favourites to have over-ballanced the Administration with Ill Men Wards and their Estates had not been made a Prey to Ill Officers and Guardians which occasioned the Murder of his Son and the Exile of his Grand-children And had not the Favourites of King Charles the Second discontented the People by neglecting such as had Lost all by their Duty and Loyalty and over-ballanced the Administration with such as were glutted with the Spoil and Pillage of the Crown and People England might happily have Flourished in his Reign but the Jesuits you know are very Rich and Cunning and they the French King and the Devil their Master ever took care to disoblige such most as had done their King and Country the best Service because their Complaints lie heavy upon the Shoulders of the Government and Friends disobliged that will be Male-Contents and Disaffected are the worst of Enemies It would fill a Volume to particularize how and which way they divided our Councils in the late Reigns and sowed Strife and Debate among their late Majesties Houshold Servants and Favourites and set up one Party or Faction to pull down another and made one Party jealous of another and both of the King and the King of them and what Aid and Asistance was given to the Party or Faction that Debauched or Discontented the People most and Ripened them for Rebellion and how the Crown was Stript of its Ancient Regalia's and Inheritance and how the same were Sold by the Grantees and dispersed into many private hands that when the Crown stood most in need of Aids and Supplies there might be Squabbling about Acts of Resumption mis-spending the Publick-Treasure and what not Object Doth not this Popular way of Electing and makeing Clergy-men and Officers put the Staff of Government out of the King's hand Answ There is a Law already in Force against Abuses in Election of Schollars and Presentation to Benefices And you may remember His Majesty upon his acceptance of the Administtation desired the Parliament to Name Officers because his Majesty had knowledge of few Persons or their Services and his Majesty looked upon the Representatives of his People to be most knowing and impartial And undoubtedly had they Recommended they would not have neglected any that had done any Generous Service for the Crown and People You have seldom any Benefice or Office of Value becomes void but several be Competitors for it and every one prevails with some to be his Intercessor and it is Morally impossible to gratifie one but the rest will be apt to dis-rellish their disappointment Signall Service and Societies Electing and Recommending Persons and Lots deciding the Preferrence of the Persons Elected and Recomended will disoblige no body but a few private Patrons that would influence their younger Sons to be Parsons to give or procure them Benefices in Liew of their Portions and such as dispence with the Laws against Simony and Buying and Selling Officâ—s are but a handful of Men gratified to the vast numbers of His Majesty's Subjects will be indeared by a right disposition of Benefices and Offices This Method Proposed will certainly ease the King of much Trouble and leave no room for his Majesty's Enemies to blame His Majesty 'T is not Ordaining Naming or Making Officers but their Rewards or Punishments well placed wherein the Staff of Government rests And while His Majesty hath Full and Sole Power to Reward such Liberally as are found True and Trusty and to Remove and Punish such as are found False and Treacherous His Majesty may keep the Hearts of his People Firm and Fixt which Commands their Hands and Purses And such as Mis-behave themselves will then have no Parties or Factions of their own Making in Church or State to â—ly unto You know the People upon His Majesty's Access to the Crown were as Debauched as the Devil the Jesuits and the French King in the late Reigns could make them yet being true to their Common Interest and stedfastly believing His Majesty would be so they planted the Crown upon his Sacred Head and his Majesty hath most intirely followed the Advice and Counsels of his Parliament to the great Joy and Satisfaction of all good Protestants and never People gave greater demonstration of Love and Duty to a Prince than the People of these his Majesty's Realms and Dominions have done to his Majesty and long may their Mutual Love and Affection continue and increase are the hearty Desires of all that truly wish the Peace and Safety of Great Brittain and Ireland and other his Majesty's Dominions Object Are not many private Patrons and such as have or claim the Presentations of Benefices and Disposition of Offices Lords of Mannors and Men of Power and Interest to Influence Boroughs to Elect them And have not Burgesses equal Voices with Knights of Shires then how can these Proposals take effect An. The People know that the Commons of England in Parliament assembled are the Grand Inquest of the Nation and that their Laws express their Aversion to every thing that smells of Partiality or Private Interest and will any Man of Sense omit his Challenge of an Array or Pannel or not take Exception to any returned upon a Jury to give Verdict of a thing in Question concerns him And will Men of Understanding chuse such to represent them in Parliament as be Parties Interested to oppose any thing that is fit to be done for the Common Good and Benefit of the Crown and People You know the Advancement of such as signalize themselves by their Services will be without all doubt well liked by every body and such as are not signalized by Services cannot be Advanced but upon the Report of some body if of particular Persons their Report or Recommendation may be suspected to be Partial so that you may believe private Patrons and Office-Jobbers will not be able by all their Artifices to delude the generality of the People who heartily desire and wish that the Clergy were had in due Reverence and Esteem that none but Persons Worthy and Meet may be Advanced to Dignities Benefices and Offices and that such as have good Estates and Work enough to Husband and Manage the same well were not put into Offices of Profit to keep younger Sons of Parents well descended out of such Imployments as they are fitly Qualified for and have Time and Leisure to be more Serviceable in That all Loyal and Dutiful Services were Liberally Rewarded That all under any Oppression for discharge of Oath and Duty