Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A37439
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The six distinguishing characters of a Parliament-man address'd to the good people of England.
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Defoe, Daniel, 1661?-1731.
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1700
(1700)
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Wing D846; ESTC R17561
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8,259
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28
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THE Six Distinguishing Characters OF A Parliament-Man THE Six Distinguishing Characters OF A Parliament-Man Address'd to the Good People of England And that in Respect of some Matters of the Highest Importance to this our Kingdom we do intend to give Directions for the calling a new Parliament which shall begin and be holden at Westminster on Thursday the Sixth Day of February next Vide Proclamation LONDON Printed in the Year MDCC THE Six Distinguishing Characters OF A Parliament-Man Good People of England THE Disuse or Distrust of Parliaments in the Four last Reigns was the Nation 's general Grievance and 't was but lately that parliaments were consulted in the Matters of Highest Importance to the Kingdoms This was the Destruction of that Mutual Confidence between King and People which is so Essential to the Prosperity of a Nation Parliaments were call'd together a long Speech and great Pretences for Money open'd the Session and as soon as the End was answer'd they were sent Home about their Business If they began to show their Resentments and appear Sensible of their being Impos'd upon if they began to search into the Intriegues of the Court if they began to Question Favourites and Ministers they were equally certain of being dismiss'd Now to show us what kind of a Nation we are that according to the Old Character of an Englishman can never tell when we are Well Providence has chang'd the Scene Former Kings have been Addressed by their Parliament to make War against the French and Money given by Millions to carry it on and have had their Money spent and no War cou'd be had Now we have a King that has Fought our Battels in Person and willingly run thro' all the hazards of a bloody War and has been oblig'd to use all the Perswasions possible to bring us to Support him in it Former Kings wou'd stand still and see the French over-run Flanders and ruin our Protestant Neighbours tho' the Parliament People have intreated them to Assist them and save Flanders from the falling into the hands of the French Now we have a King who Solicites the People to enable him to preserve Flanders from falling into the Hands of the French and to stand by and assist our Protestant Neighbours And we on the Contrary are willing to see the French and Popish Powers unite and possess Flanders and every thing else and glad the Dutch are in danger to be ruin'd nay so willing we are to have the States General destroy'd that Damn the Dutch is become a Proverb among us Formerly we had Kings who raised Armies in Times of Peace and maintain'd them on sham Pretences of a War never design'd and received Aids from the Parliament Three times for the Disbanding One Army and having spent the Money left the Parliament to do it themselves Now we have a King who against his Judgment and as it now appears against the Nation 's Interest consented to Disband the Army at the first Word from his parliament tho' he left all the most powerful of our Neighbours with their Forces in full Pay Formerly we had Kings who did what they pleas'd now we have a King who lets us do what we please And yet Englishmen are not contented but as it were with our Saviour when our Kings come Eating and Drinking they Cry Behold a Glutton and a Drunkard and now they have a King that comes neither Eating or Drinking they cry out He has a D l. 'T is a vain thing to pretend to open the Eyes of the English Nation but by their own immediate Danger any Body might ha' known in former times what the Issue of a Popish Successor would ha' been and some wiser than others told the People of it and were rewarded with the Ax and the Halter for their News But when that Popish Successor came to the Crown and had reduced the Liberties and Religion of the Nation to the last Gasp then those very People who cou'd not see their Danger at a distance took a fright when it was upon them and what was the Consequence Nothing but all the Blood and Treasure of this last War Had the Nation seen with the same Eyes as the late Lord Russel Earl of Essex and the Oxford Parliament did see could they have been convinc'd by Argument that It was inconsistent with the Constitution of this Protestant Kingdom to be govern'd by a Popish Prince Cou'd the B ps who threw out that Bill have known that a Popish King wou'd erect a High Ecclesiastick Commission Court and send them to the Tower for refusing him a Power to Dispence with the Laws this War had been prevented and the Blood of 300000 English Protestants who have perished in it had been sav'd all the Ships our Merchants have lost to the French had been safe and the many Millions of Money which have been spent had been in our Pockets all this is owing to the blindness of that Age who cou'd not see the danger of the Nation till it was just upon them Now Gentlemen this is to give you Notice that the Nation is in more danger at this time from abroad than ever it was then in at home The King in his Proclamation for the calling a Parliament has done two things which no King his Predecessor ever did in our Age. First He has told us that he has such a Confidence in his People that he is very desirous to meet them and have their Advice in Parliament Secondly He tells us that what he will advise with them about are Matters of the Highest Importance to the Kingdom Matters of the Highest Importance to a Kingdom must relate to some of these things Peace and War the Safety of Religion Liberty and Trade at least it will be allow'd that these are Matters of the Highest Importance to the Kingdom Now tho' I shall not adventure to explain His Majesty's Meaning yet I may be allow'd to build the following Discourse on the Supposition of this Explication And venture to suppose His Majesty had said that the Danger the Protestant Religion seems to be in from the formidable Appearance of the French Power and the Danger our Trade is in from the Succession of Spain devolving to the House of Bourbon and the Danger of a new Flame of War breaking out upon our confederated Neighbours whom our Interest as well as Leagues and Alliances oblige us to assist all these things being Matters of the Highest Importance to the Kingdom he has resolv'd to call a new Parliament to advise with them about these important things And because the Circumstances of Affairs are such as may bring us under a necessity of Armies which People are so mightily afraid of and that the Condition the Breach of our Army has left us in has been such that if another shou'd be wanting to defend us 't is a Question where it cou'd be rais'd Wherefore our proper Defence may be one of the Important things for ought we