Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	earl_n	sir_n	william_n	145,713	5	9.2043	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A74791	A whip for the present House of Lords, or the Levellers levelled. in an epistle writ to Mr. Frost, secretary to the Committee of State, that sits at Darby House, in answer to a lying book said to be his called A declaration, &c. / By L.C. Io. Lilburne, prerogative prisoner in the Tower of London, Feb. 27, 1647.	Lilburne, John, 1614?-1657.; Frost, Walter, fl. 1619-1652.	1648 (1648)	Thomason E431_1	47,524	30

Lawyers had proctered for them in the open House against● me a little before of whom face to face in that particular in their own profession I dare ingage my head to make Novices and lyars of provided I may be suffered my selfe to answe● their obiections and when the discourse is done I shall readily and cheerfully submit to the finall determination and judgement of this House in it or if I cannot obtain this at your hands Then in the second place Mr. Speaker I most humbly intreat this honourable House that they will be pleased to appoint a day to reade over my Plea J made for my self before Mr. Iohn Maynard c. † Who I doe aver delt most unworthily trecherously and not like a righteous iudg nor a●just English man with me who though the House had expresly ordered him and the rest of the Committee not only to heare and examine my businesse but also to conclude their opinions upon it and report their results to the House yet notwithstanding Mr Maynard being then in the Chaire as some of the Committee told me would not upon any tearmes suffer them to doe it by meanes of which he rob● me of my reall benefit of that Committee which the House intended me and hath done like a trecherous man as much as in him lyes to destroy me and my liberties and the liberties of all the Commons of England the Lords being encouraged thereby to deale since as illegally with Sir John Maynard and other Commons of England as they have done with me see Sir Iohn pleas of the 5 and 14 Feb. 1647. and which since I have printed and delivered some hundreds of them to the members of this House and upon the reading of it to proceed to give a final Judgment in it that so I may after almost 2. years waiting know what to trust to and not be kept everlastingly in Prison in a condition worse then death it self for truly Mr Speaker my pressing and unsupportable necessities compels me to deale ingeniously with this House and t●uly to acquaint you that I have not being a yonger Brother one foot of land in the whole world nor a penny of any rents coming in to maintaine me my wife and litle Children nor any trade agoing to bring me in one farthing nor a penny allowed me by those that uniustly imprisoned me to buy me bread and all these things considered with my 11 years in a manner constant sufferings laid unto them I cannot apprehend how this house can rationally conceive how without maricle I should live or subsist especially seeing I am necessitated to contest for my own preservation with all the corrupt grand interests in England therfore in the second place I humbly intreat this honourable house to let me have somthing at the present out of my Arreares to keepe me alive which I dare with confidence Mr Speaker avere before this House Iustly amounts to the greatest part of a Thousand pounds And in the third place Mr. Speaker I humbly intreat this Honourable House seriously to consider and passe my Ordinance that long hath laid dormant here for my 2000. l. reparations against my cruell Star-Chamber Iudges and that I may speedily and effectually by you he put into a certain way where to receive my money and not be sent unto those for it where it is impossible for me to get it * The names of those my unrighteous and barbarous High Commission and Star-Chamber Iudges are Dr. Lamb Dr. Gwin and Dr. Alylet whose hands were to my first commitment and yet never see my face these that past my first bloody whipping sentence upon me c. were Lord Coventry Earle of Manchester Lord Newburgh old Sir Henry Vaine Lord Chiefe Iustice Bramstone and Iudg Jones those that past my second most barbarous sentence to starve me c. were Canterbury Coventry London Manchester Arundell Salisbury Cottington Secretary Cook and Windebank the severall sentences you may read at large in the 1 2 3 4. pages of my printed relation before the Lords of the 13. Feb. 1645. and from the fattest and ablest of these I expect my reparations viz. from old Sir Henry Vain the Earl of Salisburys whose greatnesse alone in both Houses I have cause to iudg hath kept me all this while from my reparations and therefore O all true hearted English men help me to grapple with their lawlesse greatnesse without the losse of a great deale of time and the expence of a great deale of money if ever I get it at all which I have not now to spend having I dare with confidence aver it spent above 1000. l one way and another in following this House c. for it and so Mr. Speaker I have done with what I have to say to you at present wherupon I was commanded to withdraw which I did And immediately upon it Mr IOHN WILDMAN was called in a severall times and myselfe having sent in word to Mr. Speaker that I earnestly desired to come to the Bar againe to speak two or three words more to the House and accordingly I was called in coming to the Bar very hoarse by reason of my straining my selfe to speak audably in my former speeches one of which lasted above an houre and half I said with a mild voyce Mr. Speaker a Prison by the law of this Land is appointed not for the punishment or distuction of the Prisoner but for the secure and salf-keeping of him for a speedy tryall at the next Assises Sessions or Goale del●very And truly Mr Speaker J have now been many assizes Sessions and Goale deliveries in Prison and never called out to have any crime in the world laid legally unto my charge being commited by those that J must and do averre with confidence before this house have no more power or authority by the law of England to commit me then so many Turkes or Tertors and this House was lately pleased to doe me so much Iustice and right as to give liberty day by day to goe obroad to follow my businesse and yesterday I understand they have taken of that order and left me a Prisoner under the power of the Lords by reason of this information of Mr. Mastersons which I aver is a most malicious lying one truly Mr. Speakes my necessities are such and I count it no disgrace to repeate it over againe to this House especially considering my eleven year● hard and constant chargeable sufferings for the liberties of my native Country that I have neither Lands houses nor tade ●going to bring me in a penny to buy me bread to preserve alive my wife and little children and I never die any action in my life but I was alwayes willing and still am ready to answer for it at the touchstone of the Law and by it to iustifie it at my perrill without ever craving o● now desiring the least dram or courtefie in the world at the hands of any flesh

that have been in the whole land besides And I challenge you in their behalfe and all your co-partners in England to instance or lay unto their charge any the least particulars acted writ said or done by the body of them or those that you count the ring leaders of them that in the eyes of any rationall men in the world doth in the least tend to the destruction of liberty and proprietie or to the setting up of Levelling by universall Communitie or any thing really and truly like it A lasse poore men their great and reall crime is this and nothing else that they will not be ride and inslaved by your masters Cromwell and Ireton and their confederates in the Houses viz. Earle of Northumber and Earle of Solisbury Lord Say Lord Wharton Mr. Lenthall Speaker the two Sir Henry Vains Sir Arthor Hasterige Sir Iohn Eveling Iunior Mr. Recrepoint Col Natth Eines coveteous and ambitious Solicitor S. Iohn Commissary Gen. Staines Scout Master Generall Watson Col. Rich the greatest part of which put altogether hath not so much true volour in them as will half fill a Sempsters Thimble nor so much honestie as will ever make them fit for any thing but Tyrants And indeed and good earnest Mr. Frost if divers of the forementioned honest men which you call Levellers would have been soft wax wether cocks Creatures every thing and nothing but to serve great mens ends I am very confident of it they should not have had your pen so deeply dipt in gall and vinegar against them as in that most desperate malicious lying book it is but in doing what there you doe you doe really without a maske or vizard shew your self what you are viz. a Secretary more fit for the Great Turke then for a Committee of that Parliament that in the yeares 1640. and 1641. did so many iust gallant and excellent things nor have incurred so much bloody hatred and destroying indignation from your last forementioned Grandees Lords and Masters as they have done but I am confident of it some of them might easily at this day have been in as great repute esteemation and place as your self having as much brains and parts and a little more resolution as your self But hinc ille lacrimae heer 's their sorrow heer 's their treason been their rebellion faction sedition stirring up and dividing the people and here is their Annarchicall Levelling as you call it that they will indure tyranny oppression and injustice no more in apostatised Cromwell and Ireton and their forementioned confederates then in Mr. Hollis Sir Pillip Stapleton c. nor then in the Earle of Ess●x Earle of Manchester c. nor in the King and his Cavieleers nor in the Councell Board Star Chamber High Commission c. but desire that all alike may be Levelled to and bound by the Law and so farre I ingeniously confesse I am with them a Leveller and this Mr. Frost without any vernishing or colution is their only and alone crime in the blood-shot eyes of you and your new Lords and Masters And besides if in the phrases of men I may speake to you the forementioned honest men and their principles have been the Creators to set up Cromwell his preservers to support him in his straits which have not been a few his Sanctifiers by their praises and fightings to sanctifie him and to make him amiable and lovely in the peoples eyes his Redeemers to redeem him from destruction by Hollis and Stapleton c. even at that time when I am confident he gave himself up in a manner for a lost and undone man and to requite them for all their faithfullnesse to him and hazzards for him he hath visibly and apparently made it his study and worke to crush and dash them to pieces like a cuber of Glasses with such violence as though he designed and intended they should never be g●ude or sodered together any more O monstrous unnaturall ignoble and horrible ingratitude and yet even this in its hight hath been acted and done by him unto them as is undeniably demonstrated in that notable book called Putney projects and an other book called the Grand designe and a book in answer to his lying champion Mr. Masterson called A lash for a Lyar. And therefore from all that hath been said I againe christen your forementioned tribe the true and reall Levellers and those that you nick name Levellers the supporters and defenders of liberty and propriety or Anti Grandees Anti Jmposters Anti-Monopollsts Anti-Apostates Anti-Arbitrarians and Anti-Levellers And further in your sixe pag. you say that the foresaid honest men are grown to that hight both by making combinations printing and dispearsing all manner of false and scandalous Pamphlets and papers against the Parliament to deb●uch the rest of the people gathering moneys and making treasures and representers of themselves that the Parliament can no longer suffer them in these seditious wayes without deserting their trust in preserving the peace of the Kingdome and the freedome and propriety of peaceable men For printing and dispearsing all manner of false and scandalous Pamphlets I retort that upon you and the rest of the mercianary pentioners of your Grandees lying Dia●nolls and Pamphlets being one of the chiefe meanes to support their rotten reputation and new attaind unto soveraignty but I am sure you and they have almost lockt up the presses as close as the Great Turk● in Turkey doth Tyrants very wel knowing nothing is so likely to destroy their tyrany procure liberty to the people as knowledge is which they very well know is procured by printing and dispearsing rational discourses But your Grandees have been very grosse in their setting up their new tyranny for at their first rising at one blow and with one ordinance they lock up the presse clooser then ever the Bishops did in all their tiranny or then Mr. Hallis and his faction againw whom for tyranny and injustice your Grandees in their declaration so much crid out upon did al● those yeares they bore the sway And J am sure it was the maxim of the chiefe of your Grandees the beginning of this Parliament that alwayes in time of Parliament it being a time of liberty and freedome the printing presse should be open and free and J am sure this was their answer to the Bishops the begining of this Parliament when they solicited the House of Commons to stop the presses and for my particular I shall give you my consent to an Ordenance or law to make it death for any to print or publish any book unlesse the author to the printer or bookseller enter into some ingagement to maintaine with his life the truth of his book provided the Presses may be free for all that will so doe And as for gathering money to promote popular Petitions and all the rest of your charges upon them they may easily iustifie them out of the Parliaments own premitive declarations and for a little tast of

iustice yet in my case as I said in my grand plea before Mr Maynard of the House of Commons page 13. so I say still their Court was no Court to me having not the least jurisdiction in ●he world by law of the cause and therefore my affronting contemning abusive carriage towards them 〈◊〉 as you are pleased to call it was no violation of the Law and therefore not punishable in regard they ●e●led with that they had no power by law to medle with for if a Court of Sessions questions me for my ●ree-hold and I refuse to answer them and give them contemptious words for medling with that which ●y law they have no iurisdiction of they may by law bind me to my good behaviour but cannot fin● or ●●pr●son me much lesse disfranchise me of all the priviledges of an Englishman as the Lords have most ●●●e●ally done to me as appeares by their sentence printed in that notable book called Vo● pl●bis the ●●me holds good in the Court of commmon Pleas who if they goe about to hold Plea of murder before ●hem if the party refuse to answer it is no contempt of the Court because by Law they have no iurisdiction ●ver such cases and pertinent to this purpose is Baggs case in the 11. part Cookes reports who being ●●mmoned before the Mayor of Plimoth in open Court called him cousening knaue and said unto him come ●●sse my arse c. for which the Maior disfranchised him and it was by law resolved that the disfran●hisement was illegall because it was not according to law for the Mayor in law had no power to ●o it and at most could have only bound him to his good behaviour the same holds good with the ●ords in reference to me 〈◊〉 that they have no jurisdiction over me in the case in controversie nor over ●ny Commoner of England in criminall cases I have undeniably proved in my Plea before Mr. Mar●n of the house of Commons of the 6. of November 1646. now in print and called an Anatomy of ●he Lords Tyranny and in my Grand Plea before Mr. Maynard of the 20. October 1647. And in ●y wifs large petition delivered to the House of Commons the 23. Sept. 1646. and printed in the ●● 72 73. 74. 75. 76. 77. pages of Reg●ll Tyranny and the 65. 66. c. pages of my own book called ●ondons liberty in Chains and in the 20. 21. c. pages of my book called the Out-cry of oppressed com●ons but a colourable Answer to the Arguments therein contained I could yet never see ●●ough I have extraordinarily longed to see what rationally and legally could be said in Answer 〈◊〉 them ●nd that I have never declined a fair ishew of my controversie with Lords the before my competent ●udges the house of Commons that I have appealled to clearly appeares b● my constant uninterupted ●●licitations of them to heare it finally adiudge it and this also fully appears by my Additional plea ●nt to Mr. Maynard the 38. Octo. 1647. and printed at the last end of the second edition of my grand ●lea where I wholly put my self upon the finall iudgement of the house of Commons though suffici●ntly corrupted But that I may fully make it evident to all the world that J have offered the Lords all the faire play ●n the earth to come to a finall issue with them J shall here insert my proposition of the 2 October ●647 the originall Coppy of which I sent to the House of Commons which was there read and debat●d and after that I printed and published some thousands of them in single papers and after that reprinted it in the 16. page of the second impression of my Grand plea and now of late have reprinted 〈◊〉 the third time in the 70. page of my last book called The peoples perogative or priviledges asserted c. ●hich thus followeth verbatim The Proposition of Liev. Col. Iohn Lilburne Prerogative Prisoner ●n the Tower of London made unto the Lords and Commons assembled at Westminster and to the whole Kingdome of England October 2. 1647. I Grant the House of Lords according to the stattute of the 14. of Ed. 3. chap. 5 Which statute ver●atim you may reade ●n the 9 page of my last forementioned book withall the rest of the princpalest statutes made for the Peoples libertie since Magna Charta to have in law a iurisdiction for redressing of grievances either upon illegall delayes or illegall iudgements given in any of the Courts at Westminster Hall provided they have the Kings particular Commission therefore and all other the legall punctillos contained in that Statute which jurisdiction and no other seems to me to be confirmed by the Statutes of the 27. Eliz. chap. 8. and 31. Eliz. chap. 1. But J positively deny that the House of Lords by the known and declared Law of England have any originall iurisdiction over any Commoner of England whatsoever either for life limb liberty or estate which is the only and alone thing in controversie betwixt them and me And this position I will in a publique assembly or before both Houses in Law d●bate with any 40. Lawyers in England that are practisers of the Law and I will be content the LORDS shall chuse them every man and if after I have said for myself what J can that any three of these forty Lawyers sworn to deliver their judgements according to the known law of England give it under their hands against me 〈◊〉 will give over my present contest with the Lords and surrender my self up to the punishment and sentence of the present Lords and Commons Provided at this debate J may have six or ten of my own friends present to take in writing all that passeth thereupon Witnesse my hand and Seale in the presence of divers witnesses in the Tower of London this 2. of October 1647. John Lilburne Now I oppeale to all the rationall men in England whether any man under heaven can offer the Lords farer then here I have done to which I now againe to you declare that I am willing to stand to yea and now againe dare them to enter the lift of the dispute upon that very proposition But seeing iust in the very nick of time as I was writing these lines there is brought in unto me a brandished weapon of another petty fogging Champion of the Lords viz William Prinn who stile● his book the Levellers Levelled to the very ground who pretends to be a Champion for the House of Lords but hath not so much parts abilities courage and mettell in him as to dare to meddle with either of the maine things in controversie betwixt the Lords and those in his 2. pag. he stiles Lilburnist● and Leyellers And that is first their right to their Legislative or law making power Secondly Their right by Law to their Iudicative power over Commoners in crimimall causes But he only answers a meere falacie which is none of my tenent nor

it was requisite it should be promoted And also for the healing of the divisions amongst the people and knitting them together in love that so their minds might be diverted from studying the ●uin each of other to studie the destruction of Tyrants that would in time destroy them all whose fundamentall maxime ●t is that they must by policies and tr●cks divide the people amongst themselves or else they can never safely tyrannise over them † And therefore of all dangerous kind of cattell that ever were have a care of the Lawyers whose interest it is to set up and promote tyranny that so thereby divisions and discords enough may be begot without which they cannot live and grow rich and great and therefore take this for an infallible rule that if at any time there be any thing promoting for healing the divisions of the people and securing their liberties and proprieties the mercinary hackney Lawyers are principally the men that bend all their might and strength to oppose it and crush it and therfore I say againe look upon them with an evill eye as the vermine plagues and pests of a Common wealth there being so many of them in England as is able to set a thousand peaceable Kingdomes together by the eares therefore say I to the people never fit still till you have got your Lawes abreviated with all their entryes and proceedings in English that so you may understand them and plead your causes your selves and so let the Lawyers goe shake their cares till which you will never inioy peace and quietnesse And Mr. Speaker there was one in the Company that made a motion to this effect that he did conceiveit was more requisite at present speedily to second the Armies Declaration with a petition to incourage this House vigorously to go on to prosecute their last Gallant Votes for so they were called to which was answered to this effect That in this petition was contained more then was in all them Votes for it struck at the very root of all that tyranny that had enslaved and would inslave us viz. the Negative voice in King and Lords both which the Votes did not in the least And it was impossible that there could be an active member in the House of Commons but knew that this petition was promoting all over the Kingdome which abundantly declares greater incouragement to all those Members of the House that really intended good to the Commonwealth then possible could be in a single complementall Petition signed with 4 or 500. hands such a petition being rather fit to puffe them up and thereby divert them from fully intending the peoples good then upon reall grounde to strengthen and incourage them therein and there was never a member of the House whose design in the largest extent of it was no more then the pulling down of the King that so he might be a King himself but of necessitie he must receive more satisfaction and incouragement from the knowledge of the promoting this gallant unparaleld petition which is a cleare demonstration to the Parliament that those that promote it clearely understand that the King and the Lords tyranny and their liberties are inconsistent then he could doe from a bare complementall petition which would also be dangerous to our selves in quashing the vigorous prosecuting of this that contained the utmost of our desires and the sum of all those things that in this world we desired to make us happie But Mr. Speaker it was againe obiected that seeing the Petition struck so much at the House of Lords as it did who lately it was said had concurred with this House in their Gallant Votes against the King it was dangerous to the Kingdomes safety in this iuncture of time to promote it loast is might occasion a clashing betwixt the two Houses which would now be very dangerous U● to which Mr Speaker my self c. answered to this effect that if the Lords had so concurred in these Votes that they had declared it had been their duty without dispute ●o have concurred to all such Votes as the House of Commons had passes there had been some ground to have pleaded for a respect 〈…〉 from us But seeing they so passed the Votes as in the passing of them they declared it to be their right to give their denyall to any Votes the House of Commons shall hereafter passe that doth not please them We are thereby ingaged the rather to goe on with our Petition to pluck up their destructive interest by the roots that had brought all our miseries and woe● upon us For Mr. Speaker if the Lords be considered in their indicative power we shall find them as guilty of treason in subverting our fundamentall lawes and liberties as ever the Lord of Strafford was for which he lost his head † See his Bill of Attainder by vertue of which he lost his head printed in the 29. pag. of the Peoples prerogative read also the ●6 47. 55. pages thereof read also his charge printed at large in a book called speeches and passages mentioned in the 28 pag. of my book above mentioned who in his impeachment of high treason by this House was accused it tho 4 5 6 7 8 9. articles that he had treache●ously subverted the fundamentall lawes and liberties of England and Ireland and introduced an arbitrary tyrannicall government beyond and above law in that he had upon paper petitions and verball complaints without any due course processe or shadow of Law but meerly by the Law of his own will outed divers of the free men thereof out of their liberties proprieties and freeholds to the ruin and destruction of many of their families And truly Mr. Speaker I must aver it and doe aver it before this House that the present House of Lords are as guiltie of this trayterous subverting of our fundamentall lawes and liberties and introducing and exercising an arbitrary and tyrannicall government above and beyond all law and iustice as he was And by the law of their own wills without any due course or processe of law or the least shaddow of law have outed divers free men of England out of ther liberties properties free holds * See amongst many other of their transcendent acts of iniustice the lamentable case of Iohn Pointz alias Morrice Esquire and Isabel Smith c. which you may read at the last end of this Epistle they themselves being Complainants Prosecuters Parties Witnesses Jury and Iudges have passed most barbarous and tyrannicall censures upon them to the apparent ruine of them and their families yea and upon me have passed so barbarous and transcendent an illegall sentence that I am confident the like of it in all circumstances is not to be paraleld in all the Earle of Straffords tyranny for which he lost his head And Mr. Speaker let me freely tell you that unlesse this House doe execute upon the present tyrannicall House of Lords or the mischievous and law

distroying ring leaders amongst them the Earle of Straffords punishment I shall never iustifie you for righteous and impartiall Iudges or think that you have discharged your duty either to God or the Common wealth And then Mr. Speaker in the second place as for the Lords Legislative power I told my friends to this effect that the Lords usurpations in that particular had been the cause of all the late wars and blood shed in England And Mr. Speaker I illustrate it unto you thus that before this Parliament was called there were certain great and wicked men in England that had in a manner totally destroyed and subverted all our lawes and liberties For the Judges in the iudgement of Ship money alone had given up to the King at one blow all our properties and by consequence all our lives and all that was deare unto us And these with many others had de facto set up an arbitrary tyrannicall power beyond above all law which is well set forth in your first Remonstrance of the state of the Kingdome which had like to have destroyed this whole Nation and the King being of necessity compeld to call this Parliament this House in its verginitie and puritie according to the great trust reposed in them endeavoured to execute justice and judgement upon the forementioned tyrannicall law and liberty destroyers whose power and interest by reason of those many great places and command they possessed in the Kingdome and by reason of the length of time they had continued in their wickednesse had so fastly routed and revited them in the bowels of the Common wealth That the endeavouring to pluck them up occasioned the feare of a dreadfull Earth-quake in the Kingdome and therefore that this House might in securitie goe on effectually to discharge their trust and duty to the kingdome they were therefore as to me appeares necessi●ated to new mould the Militia of the Kingdome and to put the strength of the nation into more confiding hands then it was before which desires of theirs they sent up to the Lords for their concurrance who refused to concurre not once nor twice but many times † See 1 part book dec pa. 289 364. 365. 398. 548. 557. and procrastinated time so long by their delay that the Kingdom was therby in danger of ruine which necessitated this house to send up Mr. Hollis a quandum Patron of the peoples liberties to the Lords bar with a message to this effect to demand the names of all those Lords that would not concurre with this House in saving the Kingdome that so they might be the obiect of their iustice and punishment And truly if the Lords had had a rea●● and true right and title to their Negative voice to deny concurring with this House in what they pleased this message was no better then by feare and compulsion to ravish them out of their judgements and consciences and so by force to rob them of their rights And upon this message Mr. Speaker when the House of Lords see this House was in good earnest being prickt up thereunto by divers transcendent high Petitions of the people after they had delayed their concurrance so long as they could or durst the most of them fled and the remnant or lesse part concurred who at the best if they had a right to deny or grant it their wills and pleasures can be stiled no better then a House under force and by the same argument it ●ill follow they have so continued ever since and so all their acts eversince are null and void in law and reason both being the act of force and therefore of necessitie it must either be granted that the Lords pretended right to their law making power is a meere usurpation or else that the House of Commons committed the Apprentices late treason inforcing the Parliament But Mr. Speaker I said and still doe say that the Lords so long standing out and refusing to concurre with this house to settle the Militia of the Kingdome gave the King an oppertunitie to withdraw from the Parliament and to lay his design for a War yea and to gather his forces together whereas if they at the first desire had concurred with this house in setling the Militia the King had never had an oppertunitie to have withdrawn himself from the Parliament or to have gathered 300. men together much lesse an Army and so there could have been no Warre and blood shed in the Kingdome And therefore Mr. Speaker as I old amongst my friends so I doe here again lay the guilt of all the blood that hath been spilt in England in the late warre which I doe beleeve amounts to the number of 100000. men that have lost their lives in it at the House of Lords doore and this House Mr. Speaker in my apprehension can never in justice either before God or man acquit them selves as iust men if at their hands they doe not require and upon their heads requite the guilt in shedding all this innocent blood And as for their right to their pretended Legislative power I told my friends Mr. Speaker I would maintaine it upon my life against all the Proctors the Lords had in England that they had no truer right to their Legislative or Law making power then what they could derive from the sword of that Tyrant Will●am the Conquerer and his successors and therefore it was that in their joynt Declaration with this House published to the view of the Kingdome they doe not stile themselves the chosen Trustees or Representatives of the Kingdome but the Heriditary Councellers of the kingdome † See 1. part book decl pag. 324. 508. and Vox Plebis pag. 43 44 45 86. 92. 93. 94. in which pages the Lords are soundly paid but especially in the last the strength of which is taken out of Will. Prinns part of the soveraign power of Parliaments and kingdomes pag. 42 43. 44. where he hath if my judgement serve me levelled the Lords as sow as ever any of those he calls Levellers in England did and therefore his new book needs no other answer but his own words in his forementioned book so his own hand is against himself that is to say men imposed upon the Kingdom● for their law-makers and Rulers by the ficious omnipotenc● will of the King to be their law makers and governour● Who in his answer to the 19. propositions hath no better plea for the Lords Legistive power but that they ha●● their right thereunto by blood And Mr. Speaker I said unto them and now averre it with confidence unto you tha● for them to take upon them the title of Legislators of England they have no more right so to doe then a Rogue Th●eefe and Robber that robs me upon the high way and by force and violence takes my purse from me had or hath to call my money when he hath so done his own true and proper goods Or Mr. Speaker for them to plead