Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	commissioner_n	john_n	sir_n	10,577	5	6.4155	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A89674	A letter sent to General Monk, to St. Albons the 29 of January. VVherein the antient government of England founded upon Magna Charta, and the Petition of Right, is vindicated and proved to be a popular and free commonwealth; all the marks of soveraignty being in the people. Together vvith an expedient for admitting the Members excluded in 48, and composing all differences, and setling the nation upon a sure basis of peace.	Nichols, Henry, fl. 1660.; Albemarle, George Monck, Duke of, 1608-1670.	1660 (1660)	Wing N1100; Thomason E1015_2; ESTC R203054	3,474	8

A LETTER SENT TO GENERAL MONK To St. Albons the 29 of January VVHEREIN The Antient Government of England founded upon MAGNA CHARTA and the Petition of Right is vindicated and proved to be a popular and free Commonwealth All the marks of Soveraignty being in the people TOGETHER VVith an Expedient for admitting the Members excluded in 48 and composing all differences and setling the Nation upon a sure Basis of PEACE LONDON Printed for the Author 1659. A LETTER TO GENERAL MONK Right Honourable THis Letter was intended you before yours to the Devonshire Gentlemen came forth and therefore it may not be looked on as an answer though in it you may find your objections answered and an expedient proposed for future Settlement which will be more for your honour to close with than to joyn with an interest averse to the Spirit of the Nation The credit of your Letter hath given birth to 100000. per mensem and if you should not hasten filling up the House without laying snares for honest consciencious men it s feared it may involve us in a speedy war lest this intended new Government might pretend to have somthing of freedom in it which the People wanted I have considered our former constitution without raveling into matter of fact since the year 40 and have stated the cause of the Commonwealth as it s now in the Parliament House and under the consideration of the wisest soberest and most judicious out of the House wherein a way of Settlement may be proposed and prosecuted as nigh as possible to the satisfaction of all persons concerned the pi●lars of the peoples liberty being these two excellent Laws Magna Charta and the Petition of Right do so well preserve the property and liberty of all sorts and ranks of men that the single person could not legally incroach upon the Nobility and Gentry nor they upon the Commonalty each had such a check upon other that they were a ballance each to other and were as necessary to each other as the hand to the head or the head to the feet each contributing his part to make a compleat free Common-wealth more free than which never was any For the single person was so limited and bounded by his oath to Govern according to Law and by Law no former Law or Statutes can be repealed no new one made or introduced but what is moved in the popular counsell and there debated and considered whether it be for the good of the People And if upon the debate it be not found in all or in part pro bona Publica it s laid aside Secondly the single person had no power to take from them the least part of their Estates without their own consents in Parliament nor to imprison their persons without the cause be signified in the warrant and then it ought to be by a legal Magistrate which in a certain time is bound to prosecute which being not done the person cannot be denyed a Habeas Corpus and the Judge is bound to set him at Liberty the party grieved hath a good Action against the Officers that illegally imprisoned him notwithstanding the Kings Warrant under Hand and Seal For the Government doth so well provide against Tyrranny and Arbitrarinesse that whatever person puts the Kings illegal commands in execution shall suffer for breach of the Law and the Kings Warrant cannot justifie him and upon that reason was that antient maxime grounded That the King can do no wrong which has only relation to his politique capacity So that it is very perspicuous to every eye that the Government of this Nation is a popular and free Common-wealth all the marks of Soverainty being in the people for the negative voyce and execative part of the Government in the intervals of Parliament they were no way a diminution of the peoples freedom for what ever emergency the single person had he could raise no money but by Parliament and in Parliament they never conseded to raise any money except the King gratified them in their desires that is to grant those Laws they proposed so that he was necessarily and consequently constrained to grant their Laws otherwise his necessities were left unredressed As to the Militia it was placed in mens hands of Estates and Interest the Officers being men of quality the Souldiery were composed of the Farmer and Yeoman who cannot be thought would joyn against Law and Reason with the Lust and Ambition of any single person to abridge themselves and their posterity of any just freedom they injoyed as their Birthright Besides they had no particular obligation to obleage them to the King for they were not his mercinaries raised to support his Prerogative but those that lived upon their own Estates and were put in trust to preserve the peace of the Country according to Law both against forein invasions and domestick insurrections and it were a thing impossible to imagine that they could ever be so besotted as to change their Liberty for Slavery as some do vainly dream On the contrary it hath been too evident in our Hemisfere of late years how easy it is to perswade and lead mercenary Souldiers to the subvertion both of Law and Religion and to convert those that were raised for the strength defence and liberty of the Commonwealth to become the absolute Lords and Masters thereof the late sad experience of this truth I shall leave to your serious consideration I acknowledge that several Kings have attempted making themselves absolute but in perusal of the History you shall find that no King of England since Henry the 3ds time who first granted the Charter hath ever gotten by contending with his Subjects but lost and their Favorets and Counsellers were brought to ignominious deaths It will be too long for a Letter to recite the particulars and we see the great Charter confirmed 32 times by Act of Parliament Sir It 's judged that a people with good Laws and good Majestrates may live happily under a Monarchy Astrocrasie or Democrasie the form of Government neither adds nor diminisheth for we shall find in History both applauded and condemned it is good Laws and good Magistrates only gives the difference and therefore no wise good man will be an instrument to change a Law or Government upon a people against the genious and spirit of the people for principally every body operates to his own good If the greatest part of the men of interest of honesty and wisdom center in a Government excepting only some few which are biassed by sinister and selfish principals It is both the duty and wisdom of every honest and good man to contribute as much as lies in him to the strengthening of their interest I have but a word more the Government of this Nation is Parliamentary Parliaments elected sitting and voting freely that every Member chosen by the people may freely sit and vote before he is adjudged uncapable by a Legal and fair Tryal that no Member may be obstructed by a force without God hath made you instrumental in removeing one force that you may be truly instructed in the State of the case to remove all force from this present Parliament I recommend you to Mr. Prynnes book The Cause of the secluded Members Vindicated You will meet with objections and obstructions and they hang simply upon those two great propositions First how to secure both Lives and Estates of all that have acted since 47. Secondly and how to maintain the good old Parliaments cause undertaken for the good of the Subject in the year 40. I have a short expedient to offer you As to the first that you will endeavour that six of the secluded Members viz. Mr. Pierepoint Mr. Crew Sir William Waller Sir Gilbert Garret Serjeant Maynard and Mr. Ansley may be Commissioners appointed of the one side Lord St. Iohn Sir Anthony Ashley-Cooper Mr. VVeaver Mr. Letchmore Colonel Morley Colonel Hutchinson on the other part and in case there should be any difference wherein they should not agree that three moderate men may be chosen as Umpires for the healing our Breaches and composing these differences amongst us Whereby this poor Nation may hope for a settlement It hath been your honour to stand in the gap to resist the most wicked and arbitrary design that ever was laid to insnare a people It is now your wisdom and interest to espouse the interest and good of this Nation for a future consistency and settlement and therefore you ought not to seek the pleasing of some few selfish ambitious persons to the disgust of the whole Follow your wonted moderation and wisdom but give not your Country cause to believe you will leave them destitute of a friend in this day of trouble When you come to London you will find your self Courted by all parties The Lord be your Councel and Guide for you now walk upon the edge of a knife but he that walks uprightly walks surely As to You second if the Parliament be left free and the Persons and Estates of all that have acted under any Government since 47. be secured by an Act of Oblivion and indempnity and an assurance of any Estate that hath been made over by the present Authority or any Authority which acted since the first interruption either by re-imbursement of the money with use or confirmation of the Estate by Act of Parliament Who can distrust that Parliament which hath a publick Spirit that managed the heat of the War from 42. to 47. against the late Kings interest But they will settle the Nation upon a Basis of Righteousnesse and Publick preservation against all Tyrany and Tyrannical usurpation whatsoever I crave pardon for this trouble and beseech you for God and your poor Countries sake that you be not slow to consider some expedient that may be righteous and equal for the setling of this Nation which will give you increase of Honour as you increase in years here and leave you a Reputation full of Glory to Posterity I Remain Right Honourable Your most Affectionate Humble Servant H.N. FINIS