Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	bill_n	house_n	pass_v	12,480	5	7.4741	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65664	Farther arguments, for passing the bill against the sale of offices humbly offer'd to the House of Lords, as it has pass'd the honourable House of Commons.	Whiston, James, 1637?-1707.	1697 (1697)	Wing W1686A; ESTC R221994	4,885	4

Farther Arguments FOR Passing the BILL AGAINST The Sale of Offices Humbly Offer'd to the House of LORDS as it has Pass'd the Honourable House of COMMONS WHEREAS JAMES WHISTON has set forth the Calamities of England in the several Pernicious Effects Occasioned by the Sale of Offices c. And has more particularly Levell'd the Subject of his Discourse at the Corruption Oppression and Male-Administration of and in the City of London through her present unjust and Arbitrary Sale of Offices And some Papers having been since publish'd in Vindication of the great Truths he has Asserted And also the Honourable House of Commons having in their great Wisdom Pass'd a Bill accordingly now lying before the House of Lords for Redressing that Universal Grievance Upon which some of the Magistrates of London and other Favourers of a Bad Cause have in defence of the Mercinary disposal of Offices Put in their Petition and Engag'd their uttermost Interest against the Passing of the said Bill which being not able to Effect they still as true Champions for the said Publick Sales and consequently all the Oppressions that attend them endeavour to defeat the good Intentions of the Honourable House of Commons in their said Bill labouring to Check its Force and Vertue by clogging it with useless Riders and restrictive and pernicious Limitations to excuse Themselves THESE Farther Arguments are therefore humbly offered for enforcing the Reasonableness of passing the Bill and more particularly to Expose the injustice of their endeavours who wou'd Obstruct it THE Sale of all Offices belonging to the City of London is supposed to amount to near 180000 Pounds Now take all the Offices greater and less together they are bought at about Three years Purchase And consequently with the honest discharge of their Several Posts there is about 60000 Pounds per Annum to be Advanced to pay their Purchase-Money but as 't is notoriously known that most of these Purchasers get Estates many of 'em considerable ones So 't is not at all to be doubted but that one with the other they get more than double the Summ of 60000 Pounds per Annum and all this by a General Extortion from the Peoples Purses occasioned wholly by such Sales that both encourage that general Oppression and indemnifie the Oppressour when the Magistracy that otherwise should redress and punish all Extortions is now obliged to indulge favour them only that they may have opportunity to enrich themselves by an universal Spoil and Depredation for such are the Effects of the Sales chiefly Rapin'd from the Poor It being inconsistent both with the Justice and Prudence of all Governments that the Publick should be sacrinced to Private Interest HOW hard this Load must lie even upon the Poorest may be seen in the present exacted Price of the Fifteen Coal-meeters and Ten Corn-meeters Places The first at 1700 Pounds each and the latter at 1300 Pounds amounting in all to 38500 Pounds Now how must the excessive Purchase-Mony of near 40000 Pounds be answer'd but by an extraordinary and inhumane Tax if We may so call with submission a down-right and bare-fac'd Oppression upon the very Bread that goes into the mouths of the Poorest Beggars and upon the fire that warms them in their Raggs and Nakedness Thus the Common Fruits of the Earth and the Elements themselves must be Fin'd to maintain the Riot and Luxury of Oppression and Tyrannical Extortion Besides these Two very Offices with two Thirds more in the City are superfluous being the Creatures of the Chair and of no necessary and Legitimate Production save only Paying such round Summs for bare titular Employments they are thereby connivd at in Imposing such Arbitrary Taxes upon the Subject to Re-imburse their Purchase-Money OF the same Stamp is the Office of the Lord Mayor's Six Young Men so call'd who pay about 600 Pounds a piece for their Places which as they are manag'd have no Foundation either in Necessity or Reason Where a parcel of lusty Fellows hire themselves with great Summs of Money to walk about the Markets and should prevent the Sale of defective Victuals c. and detect all false Weights and Measures 〈◊〉 and rectifie Common Annoyances and Grievances in the Streets c. which if they were-so justly Reformed as they might be it would deprive them of making any thing near the Value of the Money they paid for their Places which can be readvanced no other way than by their being in Fee with the Persons by whom 't is supposed those Nusances and Abuses must be Committed So that it necessarily infers a Connivance and Toleration of what they are Commission'd to Suppress and-Remedy In fine the Channel of Common Justice is miserably obstructed by the Sale of Offices and their Dependancies AS for Instance He that sues in the City Courts tho' for a Just debt of Three or Four Pounds stands obliged meerly by the Depravity of Custom in the Particulars complain'd of to pay larger Fees than the Law will allow him back again in Costs by which means the Creditor loses one Pound to recover three possibly twice as much as he gets by the honest Sale of his Goods when he is paid nor is the Oppression less on the Defendants side So that the very Law that should give Relief is render'd a meer Snare and Instrument of Oppression And all this purely owing to the aforesaid Sales for otherwise the several Officers would be Contented with their respective Legal Fees or at least be kept by the Authority of the Magistrate within those Bounds as should totally Check all Exactions For 't is not Proposed that any Person 's Merit shall Recommend him to a Place and then Countenance him in Demanding extravagant Fees for doing his Duty but that all things be limited to such a Regulation as the Common-Hall shall think fit which would abundantly tend to the Ease and Satisfaction of the Subject For 't is highly worth our Consideration That this Corruption is so far from being countenanc'd by the general Inclination of the City that the Common-Council have been often Desirous to make Laws against it and have only been Obstructed and Over-power'd by the Chair IF it be Objected that the Mayoralty and Shrievalties require any such Perquisites as the said Sales for keeping up the Grandeur of the Chair c. In Answer to that feeble Pretension It is humbly Reply'd That the Allegation is not True for the Mayor has above 3000 Pounds per Annum incident to the Mayoralty and the Sheriffs about 1000 Pounds per Annum besides Fines and Felon's Goods which frequently amount to above three times as much Moreover It is notoriously evident that the greatest Part of the former City-Feastings are now by Themselves laid aside Insomuch that it appears an irreconcilable Piece of Injustice that they should Sell so many Offices nay and for higher Prices and yet take such Provident Care that the Expence of their Grandeur Hospitality and Charge shou'd dwindle and

lessen almost to nothing However if any such Extravagance were requisite to maintain the City's Honour c. Wou'd it not be more Reasonable and Humane to raise such Monies by a General Tax upon the City than to squeeze it from the small Remains of the Unfortunate In short if the Sale of Offices were wholly rooted out it is hardly to be imagin'd what infinite Summs might be saved by it seeing that upon a Computation of the Exactions through the whole Kingdom occasion'd purely by Mercenary Administrations of numerous and several unnecessary Officers We may reasonably Venture to affirm That there is more Money drain'd on that very Account through the whole Body of the Nation in one year than would half pay the largest Tax that has been yet levied for Carrying on the War And of this we are certain That nothing can more Illustrate the Glory and Wisdom of our Patriots at the Helm than to do Justice to the Publick in utterly Prohibiting the Sale of all manner of Offices especially at this Time For it seems a little hard that Two Hands shou'd draw from one Pocket That when with one Chearful Hand we are so heartily and largely Contributing towards the Defence of our Country and Liberties this Pick-pocket Thief call'd Extortion shou'd dive so deeply into our Purses THIS desired Retrenchment wou'd make Publick Offices become the Reward of Merit and Vertue to the utter Confusion and everlasting Discouragement of that general and crying Vice of Extortion which now reigns amongst us from that Pest of the Nation who buy their Places only to Enrich themselves and Prey upon their Neighbours WE shall Conclude with some short Reflections on the Weakness of their Cause who endeavour to defend their Arbitrary City-Marts and Markets of Places Trust and Power when they have never ventur'd to answer as indeed being unable so to do the just Complaints publish'd by JAMES WHISTON which were in so high a measure the Foundation of Bringing in the said Bill and have only had the Confidence of exposing a Paper industriously handed only to some few Noble Friends called The Case of the Lord Mayor and Aldermen of the City of LONDON in Relation to continue the Sale of Offices in the said City Which was since justly rejected by the H●use of Lords the greatest Contents whereof we leave to any Judicious Reader to examine of what notorious Falsities they are composed it being a strong Argument of a despairing Cause that wants Untruths and of harden'd Advocates that make use of them in their Vindication HOWEVER They have this Advantage that they carry their Plea with a very high Hand making use of all their strongest Private Interest and strong Purse viz in Learned Council Florid Arguments High Sollicitations c. When on the other side the Adverse Party against them under no Motive of Malice or any Hopes of Reward or Self-Interest whatever but purely for the Good of his Country with none of all these Aids comes wholly Naked to the Field with only the Pebble from the Brook called Truth to combate the Goliah So that upon the whole Matter viz. the earnest and universal Desires of the People on the one Hand to have the Bill against the Sale of Offices to pass both Houses and the indefatigable and restless Industry of some of the City Magistrates and Officers on the other to obstruct and oppose it is very observable What should be the Reason of these two contrary Endeavours Certainly they must spring from Ends as different in their Natures as they are opposite in their Actions In short 't is this The One only begs Relief under an unjust and insupportable Affliction The Other use all their Artifice to support an unjust Possession The one requests only to be secured in their Legal Rights and Native Liberties The Other to be conniv'd at in unlawful Usurpations and Invasions The One Petitions only for the Re-Establishment of banisht Equity and Justice The Other contends for Riches and Profit with full-Mouth crying up the Great Diana of Avarice and Corruption upon which alone all their Hopes and Expectations do intirely depend This Party pluming it self in the Confidence of hired Friends and Rhetorical Expressions And that relying solely on the Merits of the Cause and Favour of Honest Men. Tho' Truth is always modest yet at last she will be Victorious She may indeed be Over-powered but ca●●●ver be Subdued Strong Lines and fine coucht Periods may Mis-represent her but she can never be Corrupted She may be Disguised but cannot be Deformed ONE Argument us'd by their Learned Advocates against the Reasonableness and Justice of this so much desired Bill is of so quaint a Contexture and of so unaccountable Consequence that it can no means be passed by without some small Remark Among many learned Observations and Deductions from the P●●mises the Gentlemen were pleased to affirm That the Sale of Places is so far from being a Temptation and Inducement to Corruption and Exaction that the very giving of Money is a double Caution upon the Person Buying that he shall behave himself in his Office more Honestly and Vprightly c. Now we should be very glad to know in what Age and what Part of the World this Notion was hatchd All Governments in all times have Condemn'd and Forbid it as fully appears in the above-mentioned Book Nay some of our very City-Magistrates and Officers that now Stickle so much against the Bill before they came into Office used to Convert all the Wit they were Owners of into Satyr on Purpose to have a Lash at the Toleration of the Abominable Practice here complain●d of We confess 't is a singular Thought and beyond Comprehension 'T is certain there is no Enemy to the Government in England that has Money in his Pocket and despairs of King James s Return but ought to Embrace it and return Thanks for the Information And consequently demand a Legal Entrance into Trust upon that only Qualification viz. of Paying his Money For if Purchasing be a Double Caution as these Sticklers suggest there is no Need at all of an Oath of Fidelity c BUT we have a better Opinion of these Gentlemen's great Abilities than to believe it could ever enter into their Minds that such Arguments should in the least prejudice so Just and Reasonable a Bill in the Judgment of Persons so Honourable and Discerning as those Noble Lords to whom the Harangue was Addrest Thus Erasmus wrote a Book in Praise of Folly not that he intended to persuade Mankind that 't was a desirable Thing to be out of their Wits and turn Fools But 't is presum'd with the same design as these Gentlemen made their Speech to show his own Parts and expose a Common Vice But how Vigorously soever the Learned Gentlemen of the Long Robe behav'd themselves at the Lords Bar in behalf of their City Clients yet being ask'd in the Lobby by their Opponent WHISTON With what Confidence Men of their Honour Reputation and Integrity could so far Prevaricate with their Consciences as to Obtrude such shameful Falsities Sophistry and Amusement for Truth Reason and Argument they very ingenuously made Answer That they Argued as Counsellors not as Christians FINIS Farther Arguments FOR THE BILL AGAINST The Sale of OFFICES c.