Selected quad for the lemma: power_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
power_n	authority_n	law_n	legislative_a	2,620	5	12.4064	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A94041	Government described: viz. what monarchie, aristocracie, oligarchie, and democracie, is. Together with a brief model of the government of the common-wealth, or, free-state of Ragouse. Fit for view at this present juncture of settlement. By J.S.	Streater, John, fl. 1650-1670.	1659 (1659)	Wing S5947A; Thomason E985_7; ESTC R203466	5,873	8

be subject to give an Account of their Trust doth not that Common-wealth stand better Assured to be free from Corruption then that Constitution that shall secure the persons Governing and protect them from Justice He who doth continue alwayes in power is enabled by virtue of his power to secure himself from being questioned and maketh use of his Authority that should be to discourage Evil doers to defend himself in Evill doing But when the Common-wealth is large and they send their Deputies and Invest them with their Legislative power who meet and Consult about making Lawes Peace and War and the management of other State-Affairs it is more orderly and freer from all manner of Faction than it would be if the People should meet all in one Body and make Lawes as they did at Rome Athens Sparta Corinth Thebes and other Grecian States Although the People have not an Immediate hand in the Supream management of Affairs yet they have the vertual power in them by Election which is the Original of the being of Supream Authority and also a possibility for every one that can arrive to Credit by his Parts to be Chosen and Elected for the Next Representative the which will animate an hundred in this Government to one in any other sort of Government to put themselves forth to acquire Parts and to fit themselves with Abilities to serve the Publique either by Councel or Arms. I will here say nothing at all of the Defects of this Government and the Remedies nor of any other Government it shall be done shortly in a Volume But here I will give you a brief Modell of the Government of the Common-wealth or Free-State of Ragouse scituated in Dalmatia near the Bottom of the Ad●iatick or Gulph of Venice Reader here take notice That a Common-wealth thus Constituted though small is able to preserve it self against the most powerful Princes The Councels proportionably of such a Common-wealth are more strong and their Swords more sharp then a Prince's This Common-wealth or Free-State maintaineth its self by its Just Impartial Policy in perfect Freedom and Strength notwithstanding they border on the Tyrannicall Turk's Dominions The Government of the Common-wealth of Ragouse RAgouse hath nor been alwayes a Common-weal for that it hath obeyed divers Lords ac divers times sometimes Grecians sometimes Albanians But since it hath embraced this kind of Government they have been in some reputation The Ragousans when as they sought to reduce the Town to a Common-weal followed for the most part the order of the State of Venice Being thus resolved they first instituted a Great Councel knowing that it was the foundation of a Common-weal and as it were the firm Basis or Ground-work of their City All Gentlemen of the City enter into this Councel having attained to the age of Twenty years and they are admitted proving their Gentry In this Councel th y create all the Magistrates of the City which are such as I will set down There are first the Pregadi or Great Councel which should be commonly Sixty There may be many Gentlemen of one Family for the Families in time are reduced into a small number These have charge of the Affairs of the Common-weal and do judge of Civill Causes they also judge of Criminal Causes which are of Importance in regard of the persons as if any Gentleman be accused or hath committed any Crime They continue a year in this Charge and are changed as they are void for that they are not all created at one instant but one after another as they end The Petty Councel so called in regard of the Great is the Councel of the Rector which consists of eleven Persons all of divers Families who assist the Rector or Head of this Common-weal They receive and hear the Petitions and Demands of strangers and private men Letters Embassadours and such like like and are as a hand that presents the things which come before them to other Magistrates and go afterwards to Officers appointed for such matters And these decide some of those things which are presented to them and report the rest to the Pregadi or Great Councel They continue but one year in this Charge and go out together and the others which are created by the Great Councel enter into this Office with the new Rector the first day of January This Rector who is head of all the Councels is chosen in the Grea● Councel by three Elections as they do in all other Offices and of these Elections the one is made by scrutiny by three Councellors of the Rector and the two others are made by Lot The Rector remaineth but on● Moneth in Charge and he is bound during that moneth to live in the Palace He wears the hab●te of a Duke tint is a Robe with open sleeves different from others by reason of his Authority They give seven Duckats a moneth for his ente●tainment yet when he is one of the Pr●gadi he hath a Duckat eve●y day to assist This Rector assembles with the Councellours upon working-dayes af●er d●nner and on Festival dayes on some occasions But if the Rector be not there the most ancient Councellour enters into his place yet they dispatch not any thing without his presence They give this Rector a Lievtenant who hath Jurisdiction in matters which do not exceed three Duckats of Gold and he is for Civill matters onely The Councellours cannot be chosen Rectors the years that they are in their Magistracy Next there are five Purveyors who are fifty years old and upwards and must be of divers Families They have authority to cause all exped●tions made by any Magistrate whatsoever to be received and they must be present when as the Councels assemble These may be made Rectors during their Magistracy and are so commonly They are of the Chief of the Town of great authority and in a manner alwayes of the Councel After these are the six Consuls which hear Civil Causes at first for any sum whatsoever They are most commonly men of great authority and which enter into Councel with the Pregadi and they frame the process of such things as they judge The parties are not accustomed to make allegations but these Consuls hearing the matter in quest●on determine what Justice requires and draw from every Cause two Duckats in the hundred They cannot be Rectors for the space of two years left they should alter their proceedings in Civil Causes and to the end the people might be soon dispatched in their Suits For they do continually attend them There are also five Criminal Judges and Expeditions go from them atcording to the Judgments which they make Gentl●men are excepted for that in Criminal Causes they go before the Great Councel and they that have Fees of the Commonweal answer before the petty Councel Th●se Judges are made Rectors as the Purveyors be There are moreover three Offices upon the Art of Wool these do commonly hear the differences that grow betwixt men which exercise that Trade They enter into the Great Councel and may be made Rectors This Common-weal hath also a College of 30 into which there may enter many persons of one Family They take knowledge of Appellations unto the sum of three hundred Duckats and every o●e of them hath three Duckats yearly for their Wages which is done for that all O ficers are finable if they attend not their Charges for other wife they would not accept them for they are of small profit When any Office is void it is supplied by one that is in some other Office If one of the Pregadi dies they supply his place by one of the Purveyors or of his Colledge There are six Captains of the Night who one after another have the Guard of the City in the Night with the Ho●garians who are about one hundred with their Captains and they obey these who open and shut the Gates of the City They remain two moneths in this Charge and they observe this order that They which shut the City Gates at Night do not open them in the Morning for they change them at Midnight The Captains and Earles which go into Governments abroad throughout the Estate of this Commonwealth are all created by the Great Councel and some of them remain in charge seven moneths and others twelve By this often changing of Officers they preserve themselves This is the true Embleme of a Free-State The continuation of any Persons or Councels or Senates are but Defects unless that the Senate were also to be elected as well as the Great Councel or Parliament it is hard if the people cannot be trusted with Election It 's true the people of England would if intrusted now at this Juncture of time elect such as would deprive than of the blessed Government of a Free-State but that must not be an Argument to deprive them of their Right they must be intrusted with Election with such Qualifications as may preserve the Interest of the Common-wealth Those that alleadge that a Free people ought not to be limited in that Case may also alleadge That a Physitian must not hinder his Patient of such meat or drink as will ruine him nor force him to take such medicines as will cure him Liberty consisteth not in every ones doing what he listeth but true Liberty is such a thing as a convenient and necessary Bondage that is I ought to be limited in such a thing If not it will be to the detriment of another this Liberty would not consist with Society He that would assassinate himself must be deprived of his Liberty to do so horrid an act England yet was never a Free-State but it will be if the L●g●slators can hit upon the Mark of denying themselves in perpetuating their Power No doubt but the People may be trusted with their Liberty in that point and that with safety if they bad tasted once of the blessed Fruits of the Government intended and much pretended to FINIS