Selected quad for the lemma: master_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
master_n	earl_n	king_n	lord_n	6,406	5	4.2451	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A90250	To the supream authority of England, the representors of the people in Parliament assembled; the humble petition of Richard Overton, late prisoner in Newgate by the House of Lords, in behalf of himself and other Commoners that have suffered under their prerogative jurisdiction.	Overton, Richard, fl. 1646.	1649 (1649)	Wing O636; Thomason E546_1; ESTC R206080	4,514	9

TO THE Supream Authority OF ENGLAND THE REPRESENTORS OF THE PEOPLE in PARLIAMENT assembled THE Humble Petition OF Richard Overton late Prisoner in Newgate by the House of Lords in behalf of himself and other Commoners that have suffered under their Prerogative Jurisdiction London Printed in the year 1649. To the supream Authority of England the Representors of the People in Parliament assembled The humble Petition of Richard Overton late Prisoner in Newgate by the House of Lords in behalf of himself and other Commoners c. Sheweth THat whilest the Peoples Soveraignty in their Parliaments was held captive under the Norman Preorgative of the King and Lords your Petitioner expected no right or freedom in any wise to this Nation and in the since thereof hath long groaned under the weight of his sufferings counting it bat as water spilt upon the ground for the Asserters of the Peoples Authority bow suffering soever to make any Address or Petition to this House for any case or relief during the Negative Interposition of that destructive Interest But your late Proceedings in taking off the King the supreamest peece of Justice that ever was in England your rejection of the House of Lords your vindication of the supream Authority of the Nation declaring and avowing it to be originally as of right it is in the People and legally in their Representative clearing the same from all pretences of a Negative Voyce doth animate your Petitioner with lively hopes that now at last after all the blood the sighs and tears of the people the horrid treacheries defections and revokings amongst your selves we shall yet finde a Sanctuary of Refugt in this House to save and deliver us from our oppressions and give us Justice and Right upon our oppressors Many of us even of the ●●●t affected to the Common-wealth have formerly with uncessant importunity cryed out and complained unto this House against the Oppressions of the Land praying for Redress but we have been meniced abused imprisoned our Petitions burnt by the hand of the common hangman although the Votes and Orders to that purpose more deserved the same and all our just Assertions of the supream Authority of the Nation and Endeavors after Foundations of common Right as is evident to the whole world voted treasonable and seditious being branded for the vilest of men bearing the reproach of Levellers Jesuits Hereticks Sectaries Despisers of Government Contenders for nothing but Anarchy and Confusion But now Right Honorable you being in a great measure purged of a trayterous Faction from within your selves we look for better things at your hands free admitrance and access with our Complaints and them not to be slighted or our persons imprisoned or abused for the same for we know none hath more faithfully asserted your Authority and the Freedom of the People then we and that you now stand in the strength of those righteous principles more then in the strength of an Army which we enduring the shock of all changes have held forth unto the people Hence your Petitioner is imboldned humbly to desire exemplary impartial Justice from this House upon the E. of Manchester and the rest of that late prerogative Order of Lords for their treasonable exorbitant practices over and against the common Rights of the people during their late Session with ample and full Repairation out of their Estates unto all good people of England that have illegally contrary to the common Interest of the Nation suffered under their usurped Power hoping that you will not suffer our Laws our Rights our Lives Liberties and Estates by them to be trod under-foot our houses to be plundered our wifes and our servants to be imprisoned our children exposed to the wide world and our selves to be toss'd from Goal unto Goal lay most unreasonable fines upon us ten times beyond our estates disfranchise us from all Right in the Common-wealth damn us to perpetual imprisonment throw us into noisom dungeons tetter us in irons drag us like dead dogs through the dirt and mire of the street deprive us of the benefit of pen ink and paper deny us the comfort and visitation of our friends and not suffer so much as our wifes or servants to be admitted unto us to bring victuals or other necessaries and not allow us bread but leave us to merciless famine execute their cruel Orders upon us in a warlike manner beset our houses with Musquetteers burst open our doors emer the same with drawn Swords and Pistols ready cockd threatning death to him that oppose and that in a place under civil Government which in the Bill of Attainder against the Earl of Strafford was adjudged a levying of War against the Kings Majesty and his leige people of Ireland break open our locks our trunks chests desks c. Rasle rob steal and carry away what they please impose oaths upon servants to betray their Masters examine the free People of this Nation upon Star-Chamber High Commission Interrogatories to ensuare and destroy themselves and neerest relations stop the proceedings at Law by their immediate Orders dis-inherit whom they please conspire and confederate in the treasonable designes of the late King assert themselves the most supream Court of Judicature above the Parliament and People introduce and set up an absolute Arbitrrry Government amongst themselves contrary to the fundamental Laws of this Common-wealth and crush and destroy all that submit not thereunto Acts and Crucities for which the said Earl of Strafford and the Bishop of Canterbury c were adjudged and attainted of high Treason forfeited their Heads their Goods Chattels Lands Tenements Heredaments and Freeholds and such as hath formerly been by this House in your Petition and Ramonst to the King Decemb. 1. 1641. declared to be more the proper issues of Turks Pagans Tyrants and men without any knowledg of God then of those that have the least spark of Christianity Honor or Justice in their brests and which in the case of Lieut. Col. John Lilburn against the Bishops you voted not only illegal and against the Liberty of the Subject but also to be bloody wicked cruel barbarous and tyrannical and voted him 3000 l. repairation for the same And your Petitioner offereth upon the forfeiture of his 〈◊〉 to make good in behalf of the Comoners of England and of himself the said Charge of Treasons Oppressions and Cruelties against them and hopeth that you cannot in reason and conscience hear and behold the same and not do us right upon the Tyrants and Traytors themselves He further hopeth that you are so sensible of your own future preservation that for your own sakes if not for ours you will expire your Session in honor and renown with the people which will not be but is their relief ease our afflictions and state us in perfect freedom and you wil be safe otherwise you have but left us a President of an High Court for our next Representative to call you to an account but in

a juster maner allowing you your Juries c. which you shall never be able to prevent for your Session must have an end If you do us not right we shall never cease if God prolong our days till with the King you have tasted the stroke of like impartial Justice according to your demerits and amongst other things we shall not be satisfied without just recompence upon the Lords and satisfaction according to Law for our several sufferings and abuses under them It avayleth not to change their Prerogative Session into a monsterous Councel of State to shelter them from Justice It is not expected that the two pernicious Interests of Lords and Lawyers the Vermine and Caterpillars of the Common-wealth should be disguised in new robes from the present discerning of the people by insensible transmutation into the specious Garb of a Councel of State under new forms and figures to prolong our miseries for may we look for grapes of thorns or figs of thistles Can we expect Freedom from the Masters of Oppression You may as well Interest the Lord Bishops thereunto for 't is not the change of Tyranny from old names and forms into new that will satisfie If you do not mean to right and repair us but let them scape unpunished your own Votes and Actions against them will be as a thousand witnesses on our side for else what meaneth your period to that Court It is equally just to repair the oppressed as to remove the oppressor from his place to throw down and not repair would be a small president of honor to this house lastend of terron for the name at would be an encouragement to such Arbitrary spirits to be as exorbitant as these for no punishment no fear Your Petitioner therefore humbly prayeth that Justice and Right may be done upon them that you will not deny is nor deter it is is but the benefit of the great Charter of England he desueth and what you have often Col. of Dec pag. 264. 336. 382. 50● col of Declar page 81 172. 262. 266. 267 340. Coll. De●● 666. 673. before God and the world sworn to do and in divers of your Declarations declared to be your duty without any private aimes personal respects or passions whatsoever to do Justice and Right and secure the persons Estates and Liberties of all that joyned with you imprecating the Judgments of Heaven to fall upon you when you declined the same Remember the Kings Imprecations and the vengdance that fell upon him and slight not the suit of your Petitioner though he be mean and despicible in the eye of the world Thus then Right Honorable in his own behalf he humbly desires you would be pleased to consider that after his opposition of Episcopacy High Commission Star-chamber Scoth-Presbytery c. and deep sufferance for the same he became a witness against this Prerogative Session of Lords and for the same without any legal summons Indictment or other due procese at Law preceding contrary to the great Charter and other the good Laws and Statutes of the Realm Mag. Cart. c. 29. l. Ed. 3. c. 9. 25. Ed. 3. c. 4. 28. Ed. 3. c. 3. 42. Ed. 3. c. 3. 25. Hen. 8. c. 14. 1. Eliz. c. 1. Petstion of Right 2 Caroli Stat. for abolishing the Star-Chamber Had his house suddenly surrounded with Muskerreets taken in his bed with their swords drawn threatned to be shot fun through basely and barbarously drag'd through the dirt and mire beat abused and vilified endured a most tedious and cruel imprisonment for the space of 12 moneths in the Goal of Nemgate laid in double irons on the common side amongst the Theives Murderers and Felons his wife at the same time thrown into Bridewell his brother into Maiden-lane prison who then depended upon his charge both continuing in that durance the space of eight moneths his house risled and plundered several times his three small children left go the mercy of the streets besides other inhumane abuses and sufferings which he here omitteth all executed upon him and his by several tyrann nical Orders of that Prerogative Court whereof the Earl of Manchester was then Speaker to his utter ruine and beggerly 〈◊〉 being thereby reduced to extream want and misery and for 〈◊〉 other cause but for his just Vindication of the supream Authority of this House his open defiance and resistance of their usurped Jurisdiction Writing Printing and Publishing Papers to that end refusing to answer to their High-Commission Interrogatories and the like all which your Petitioner by the just Laws and Freedoms of this Nation was allowed and as a true Englishman obliged to do and yet notwithstanding your Petitioner could never gain any consideration or recompence for himself or any Right or Justice upon those destroyers of the people being still born down with their might and trod under their merciless feet he hath petitioned and apealed formerly to this House against their exorbitant crueleled upon him and had his Case with Leiu Col. John Lilburns and M. Larners refer'd to a Committee for consideration of the Commoners Liberties where Col. Henry Martin had the Chair and our sufferings were there determined and found upon due eximination and proof to be illegal and unjust deserving Repetation but hitherto none of as have tasted either Right or Repetation at all from this House whereby your Petitioner with his charge are even ready to perish through want Be pleased therefore to reassume the Cause of your Petitioner and other the like sufferers into your timely and serious Consideration forthwith to resign up those impeached Delinquents as well as other trayterous Lords to tryal saving in a more just legal maner then the present Proceedings of this High Arbitrary Court exalted above all Law Right and Freedom of the People it being both Judg Jury and Prosecutor over-ruling all liberty of exception of Tryers c. And your Petitioner in this extraordinary case no other way of remedy being left humbly defireth your assigument unto him of such Repairations as for his suffirings and just demerit of so publike a cause you shall in Iustice and Reason judg meet And your Petitioner shall ever pray c. FINIS