Selected quad for the lemma: majesty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
majesty_n	house_n	parliament_n	speaker_n	3,357	5	10.8139	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A45318	The shaking of the olive-tree the remaining works of that incomparable prelate Joseph Hall D. D. late lord bishop of Norwich : with some specialties of divine providence in his life, noted by his own hand : together with his Hard measure, vvritten also by himself.	Hall, Joseph, 1574-1656.; Hall, Joseph, 1574-1656. Via media.	1660 (1660)	Wing H416; ESTC R10352	355,107	501

Secretary and after perusall by him to his Majestie and after from his Majestie to the Parliament and for that purpose to the Lord Keeper the Lord Littleton who was the Speaker of the house of Peers all these professed not to have perused it at all but the said Lord Keeper willing enough to take this Advantage of Ingratiating himself with the House of Commons and the faction to which he knew himself sufficiently obnoxious finding what use might be made of it by prejudicate minds reads the same openly in the house of the Lords and when he found some of the faction apprehensive enough of misconstruction Aggravates the matter as highly offensive and of dangerous consequence and thereupon not without much heat and vehemence and with an ill Preface it is sent down to the House of Commons where it was entertained hainously Glynne with a full mouth crying it up for no less then an high Treason and some comparing yea preferring it to the Powder-plot VVe poor souls who little thought that we had done any thing that might deserve a chiding are now called to our Knees at the barr and charged severally with high Treason being not a little astonished at the suddainness of this Crimination compared with the perfect Innocence of our own Intentions which were only to bring us to our due places in Parliament with safety and speed without the least purpose of any mans offence But now Traytors we are in all the haste and must be dealt with accordingly For on January 30 in all the extreamity of Frost at Eight a Clock in the dark Evening are we voted to the Tower Only two of our Number had the favour of the black Rod by reason of their Age which though desired by a Noble Lord on my behalf would not be yielded wherein I acknowledg and bless the Gracious providence of my God for had I been gratified I had been undone both in body and Purse the rooms being strait and the expence beyond the reach of my estate The newes of this our crime and imprisonment soon flew over the City and was entertained by our well-willers with ringing of Bells and Bonfires who now gave us up not without great Triumph for lost men railing on our perfidiousness and adjudging us to what foul Deaths they pleased and what scurrile and malicious pamphlets were scattered abroad throughout the Kingdom and in forraign parts blazoning our Infamy and exaggerating our treasonable practises what insultations of our adversaries was here being caged sure enough in the Tower the faction had now fair oportunities to work their own designes they therefore taking the advantage of our restraint renew that bill of theirs which had been twice before rejected since the begining of this Session for taking away the votes of Bishops in Parliament and in a very thin house easily passed it VVhich once condescended unto I know not by what strong importunity his Majesties assent was drawn from him thereunto we now instead of looking after our wonted Honour must bend our thoughts upon the guarding of our lives which were with no small eagerness pursued by the violent Agents of the Faction Their sharpest wits and greatest Lawyers were imployed to advance our Impeachment to the height but the more they lookt into the business the less crime could they find to fasten upon us In so much as one of their Oracles being demanded his judgment concerning the fact professed to them they might with as good reason accuse us of Adultery Yet still there are we fast only upon petition to the Lords obtaining this favour that we might have counsel assigned us which after much Reluctation and many menaces from the Commons against any man of all the Commoners of England that should dare to be seen to plead in this case against the representative body of the Commons was graunted us the Lords Assigned us five very worthy Lawyers which were nominated to them by us what trouble and charge it was to procure those eminent and much employed Counsellors to come to the Tower to us and to observe the strict lawes of the place for the time of their ingress regress and stay it is not hard to judg After we had lyen some weekes there however the house of Commons upon the first tender of our Impeachment had desired we might be brought to a speedy tryall yet now finding belike how little ground they had for so high an Accusation they began to slack their pace and suffered us rather to languish under the fear of so dreadfull Arraignment In so much as now we are fain to Petition the Lords that we might be brought to our tryall the day was set several summons were sent unto us the Lieutenant had his warrant to bring us to the Barr Our impeachment was severally read we pleaded not guilty Modo forma and desired speedy proceedings which were accordingly promised but not to hastily performed After long expectation another day was appointed for the prosecution of this high charge The Lieutenant brought us again to the Barr but with what shoutings and exclamations and furious expressions of the enraged Multitudes it is not easie to apprehend being thither brought and severally charged upon our Knees and having given our Negative Answers to every particular Two Bishops London and Winchester were call'd in as witnesses against us as in that point whether they apprehended any such cause of fears in the tumults assembled as that we were in any danger of our Lives in coming to the Parliament who seemed to incline to a favourable report of the Perills threatned though one of them was convinced out of his own Mouth from the Relations himself had made at the Arch-bishop of Yorks Lodging After this Wild and Glyn made fearfull declamations at the Barr against us aggravating all the Circumstances of our pretended Treason to the highest pitch Our Counsell were all ready at the Barr to plead for us in Answer of their clamorous and envious suggestions but it was answered that it was now too late we should have another day which Day to this Day never came the Circumstances of that day's hearing were more Grievous to us then the substance for we were all throng'd so miserably in that strait room before the Barr by reason that the whole house of Commons would be thereto see the prizes of their Champions plaid that we stood the whole afternoon in no small torture sweating and strugling with a Merciless Multitude till b●ing dismissed we were exposed to a new and greater danger For now in the dark we must to the Tower by Barge as we came ard must shoot the Bridge with no small Perill That God under whose Mercifull Protection we are returned us to our safe Custodie There now we lay some weeks longer expecting the summons for our Counsails answer but instead thereof our Merciful Adversaries well finding how sure they would be foyl'd in that unjust charge of Treason now under pretences of remitting

gone along with them in their election It came to the Poll Those of my Nomination carried it The Parliament begun After some hard tugging there returning home upon a recess I was met on the way and cheerfully wellcom'd with some hundreds In no worse terms I left that my once dear Diocess when returning to Westminister I was soon call'd by his Majesty who was then in the North to a remove to Norwich but how I took the Tower in my way and how I have been dealt with since my repair hither I could be Lavish in the sad report ever desiring my Good God to enlarge my heart in Thankfulness to him for the sensible experience I have had of his fatherly hand over me in the deepest of all my Afflictions and to strengthen me for whatsoever other tryalls he shall be pleased to call me unto That being found faithfull unto the Death I may obtain that Crown of life which he hath Ordained for all those that Overcome Bishop HALL'S HARD MEASURE NOthing could be more plain then that upon the Call of this Parliament and before there was a general Plot and Resolution of the Faction to alter the Government of the Church especially the height and insolency of some Church-governours as was conceived and the ungrounded imposition of some Innovations upon the Churches both of Scotland and England gave a fit Hint to the Project In the vacancy therefore before the Summons and immediately after it there was great working secretly for the Designation and Election as of Knights and Burgesses so especially beyond all former use of the Clerks of Convocation when now the Clergy were stirred up to contest with and oppose their Diocesans for the choice of such men as were most inclined to the favour of an Alteration The Parliament was no sooner sate then many vehement Speeches were made against established Church-government and enforcement of extirpation both root and branch And because it was not fit to set upon all at once the resolution was to begin with those Bishops which had subscribed to the Canons then lately published upon the shutting up of the former Parliament whom they would first have had accused of Treason but that not appearing feisible they thought best to indite them of very high crimes and offences against the King the Parliament and Kingdom which was prosecuted with great earnestness by some prime Lawyers in the House of Commons and entertained with like fervency by some zealous Lords in the House of Peers every of those particular Canons being pressed to the most envious and dangerous height that was possible The Arch-bishop of York was designed for the report aggravating Mr. Maynards criminations to the utmost not without some Interspersions of his own The Counsel of the accused Bishops gave in such a demurring Answer as stopt the mouth of that heinous Indictment when this prevailed not it was contrived to draw Petitions accusatory from many parts of the Kingdom against Episcopal Government and the Promoters of the petitions were entertained with great respects whereas the many petitions of the opposite part though subscribed with many thousand hands were sleighted and disregarded VVithall the Rabble of London after their petitions cunningly and upon other pretences procured were stirred up to come to the Houses personally to crave justice both against the Earl of Strafford first and then against the Arch-bishop of Canterbury and lastly against the whole Order of Bishops which coming at first unarm'd were checked by some well-willers and easily perswaded to gird on their rusty Swords and so accoutred came by thousands to the Houses filling all the outer rooms offering soul abuses to the Bishops as they passed crying out No Bishops No Bishops and at last after divers dayes assembling grown to that height of fury that many of them whereof Sir Richard Wiseman professed though to his cost to be Captain came with resolution of some violent courses in so much that many Swords were drawn hereupon at Westminster and the Rout did not stick openly to profess that they would pull the Bishops in pieces Messages were sent down to them from the Lords they still held firm both to the place and their bloody resolutions It now grew to be Torch-light one of the Lords the Marquesse of Hartford came up to the Bishops Form told us that we were in great danger advised us to take some course for our own safety being desired to tell us what he thought was the best way counselled us to continue in the Parliament House all that night for saith he these people Vow they will watch you at your going out and will search every Coach for you with Torches so as you cannot escape Hereupon the House of Lords was moved for some Order for the preventing their mutinous and riotous meetings Messages were sent down to the House of Commons to this purpose more then once nothing was effected but for the present for so much as all the danger was at the ●i●ising of the House it was earnestly desired of the Lords that some care might be taken of our safety The motion was received by some Lords with a smile some other Lords as the Earl of Manchester undertook the protection of the Arch-bishop of York and his company whose shelter I went under to their lodgings the rest some of them by their long stay others by secret and far-fetch't passages escaped home It was not for us to venture any more to the House without some better assurance upon our resolved forbearance therefore the Arch-bishop of York sent for us to his lodging at Westminster layes before us the perillous condition we were in advises for remedy except we meant utterly to abandon our Right and to desert our Station in Parliament to petition both his Majesty and the Parliament that since we were legally call'd by his Majesties writ to give our Attendance in Parliament we might be secured in the performance of our Duty and Service against those Dangers that threatned us and withall to protest against any such Acts as should be made during the time of our forced Absence for which he assured us there were many Presidents in former Parliaments and which if we did not we should betray the Trust committed to us by his Majestie and shamefully betray and abdicate the due right both of our selves and Successours To this purpose in our presence he drew up the said petition and protestation avowing it to be legall just and Agreeable to all former Proceedings and being fair written sent it to our severall Lodgings for our Hands which we accordingly subscribed intending yet to have had some further Consultation concerning the delivering and whole carriage of it But ere we could suppose it to be in any hand but his own the first Newes we heard was that there were Messingers addressed to fetch us in to the Parliament upon an Accusation of high Treason For whereas this Paper was to have been delivered first to his Majesties

house But God fetcht it about for me in that absence and Nescience of mine and that Reverend and better Deserving Divine was well satisfied with greater hopes and soon after exchanged this Mortall estate for an Immortall and Glorious Before I could go down through my continuing weakness to take possession of that Dignity his Majesty pleased to design me to his Attendance into Scotland where the great love and respect that I found both from the Ministers and People wrought me no small envy from some of our own upon a commonly received supposition that his Majesty would have no further use of his Chaplains after his remove from Edenborough for as much as the Divines of the Country whereof there is great store and worthy choice were allotted to every station I easily obtained through the Solicitation of my ever Honoured Lord of Carlile to return with him before my fellowes No sooner was I gone then suggestions were made to his Majesty of my over plausible Demeanure and doctrine to that already prejudicate people for which his Majesty after a gracious acknowledgment of my good service there done called me upon his return to a favourable and milde account not more freely professing what Informations had been given against me then his own full Satisfaction with my sincere and just answer as whose excellent wisdom well saw that such winning carriage of mine could be no hinderance to those his great Designes At the same time his Majesty having secret notice that a Letter was coming to me from Mr. VV. Struther a Reverend and Learned Divine of Edenborough concerning the five points then proposed and urged to the Church of Scotland was pleased to impose upon me an earnest charge to give him a full answer in satisfaction to those his modest Doubts and at large to declare my Judgment concerning those required Observations which I speedily perform'd with so great approbation of his Majesty that it pleased him to command a transcript thereof as I was informed publickly read in their most famous University The effect whereof his Majesty vouchsafed to signifie afterwards unto some of my best friends with allowance beyond my hopes It was not long after that his Majesty finding the exigence of the affairs of the Nether-Landish Churches to require it both advised them to a Synodicall decision and by his incomparable wisdom promoted the work My unworthiness was named for one of the Assistants of that honourable grave and reverend meeting where I failed not of my best service to that wofully distracted Church By that time I had stayed some two Moneths there the unquietness of the Night● in those Garrison Towns working upon the tender disposition of my Body brought me to such weakness through want of Rest that it began to disable me from attending the Synod which yet as I might I forced my self unto as wishing that my Zeale could have discountenanced my infirmity where in the mean time it is well worthy of my thankfull remembrance that being in an afflicted and languishing condicion for a fortnight together with that sleepless distemper yet it pleased God the very Night before I was to preach the Latin Sermon to the Synod to bestow upon me such a comfortable refreshing of sufficient sleep as whereby my spirits were revived and I was enabled with much vigour and vivacitie to perform that service which was no sooner done then my former complaint renewed upon me and prevailed against all the remedies that the counsell of Physitians could advise me unto so as after long strife I was compelled to yield unto a retirement for the time to the Hague to see if change of place and more carefull attendance which I had in the house of our Right Honourable Ambassador the Lord Carleton now Viscount Dorchester might recover me But when notwithstanding all means my weakness increased so farr as that there was small likelyhood left of so much strength remaining as might bring me back into England it pleased his gracious Majesty by our Noble Ambassadors solicitation to call me off and to substitute a worthy Divine Mr. Dr. Goade in my unwillingly forsaken room Returning by Dort I sent in my sad farewell to that grave Assembly who by common vote sent to me the President of the Synod and the Assistants with a respective and gracious valediction neither did the Deputies of my Lords the States neglect after a very respectfull complement sent from them to me by Daniel Heinsius to visit me and after a Noble acknowledgment of more good service from me then I durst own dismissed me with an Honourable retribution and sent after me a rich Medall of Gold the portraicture of the Synod for a precious Monument of their respects to my poor indeavours who failed not whiles I was at the Hague to impart unto them my poor advice concerning the proceeding of that Synodicall meeting The difficulties of my return in such weakness were many and great wherein if ever God manifested his speciall Providence to me in over-ruling the cross accidents of that passage and after many dangers and despairs contriving my save arrivall After not many years setling at home it grieved my soul to see our own Church begin to sicken of the same disease which we had endeavoured to cure in our Neighbours Mr. Montagues tart and vehement assertions of some positions neer of kin to the Remonstrants of Netherland gave occasion of raising no small broil in the Church Sides were taken Pulpits every where rang of these opinions but Parliaments took notice of the division and questioned the Occasioner Now as one that desired to do all good offices to our dear and common Mother I set my thoughts on work how so dangerous a quarrell might be happily composed and finding that mis-taking was more guilty of this dissention then mis-believing since it plainly appeared to me that Mr. Montague meant to express not Arminius but B. Overall a more moderate and safe Authour however he sped in delivery of him I wrote a little project of Pacification wherein I desired to rectify the judgment of m●n concerning this misapprehended controversy showing them the true parties in this unseasonable Plea and because B. Overall went a mid-way betwixt the two opinions which he held extream and must needs therefore somewhat differ from the commonly-received tenet in these points I gathered out of B. Overall on the one side and out of our English Divines at Dort on the other such common propositions concerning these five busy Articles as wherein both of them are fully agreed All which being put together seemed unto me to make up so sufficient a body of accorded Truth that all other questions moved here-abouts appeared merely superfluous and every moderate Christian might find where to rest himself without hazard of Contradiction These I made bold by the hands of Dr. Young the worthy Dean of Winchester to present to his Excellent Majesty together with a humble motion of a peaceable silence to be