detection and prevention of Jesuites and their treasonable forementioned practises against our Church Kingdomes Princes Religion Parliaments and Government by the wisdom and zeal of our best affected vigilant Protestant Parliaments I can neither hear nor read of any effectual means endeavoured or prescribed by any in power for the discovery of these Romish â—anizaries or banishing feretting keeping them out of England where they have wrought so much mischief of late yeers and whose utter ruine they attempt nor any encouragement at all given to the discoverers of their Plots and Persons but many affronts and discouragements put upon them and particularly on my self mewed up Close-Prisoner under strictest Guards in remotest Castles neer three yeers space whiles they all walked abroad at large of purpose to hinder me from any discoveries of their practises by my pen whiles they printed and vended publickly here in England above 30000 Popish books of several kindes during my imprisonment without the least restraint to propagate the Jesuites Plots and antichristian Romish Religion amongst us as you may read at large in the Stationers Beacon fired which seasonable book and Discovery of these Romish Emissaries books and plots some Officers of the Army in their Beacon quenched publickly traduced in print as a New Powder-treason of the Presbyterian Party to blow up the Army and that pretended Parliament of their own erection which themselves soon after blew up and dissolved in good earnest to carry on their designes against our Laws But most certain it is there hath been of late yeers not onely a General councel of Officers of the Army sitting many months together in counsel to alter and new model all our ancient Laws and Statutes in pursuance of Parson's design but likewise two Conventicles of their own selection and election sitting of late in the Parliament-House at Westminster assuming to themselves the Name and far more then the Power of the Parliament of the Commonwealth of England together with the transcendent ambitious Title of The Supream Authority of the Nation in derogation of the Army-Officers Supremacy who sufficiently chastised them this strange Usurpation who have made it their chief business not onely to New-model our ancient Fundamental Government Parliaments Ministers Universities much according to Parsons and his Fellow-Jesuites forementioned Plat-formes and Thomas Campanella his Instructions to the King of Spain De Monarchia Hisp c. 25. but likewise to New-mould subvert eradicate the whole body of our Laws and with them the great Charter of our Liberties it self And in their last cashiered unelected Convention as some of their Companions now in greatest Power assure us in their True State of the case of the Commonwealth of England c. London 1654. p. 15 16 17 18. there was a strong prevailing Party whom nothing would satisfie but A TOTAL ERADICATION of the whole body of the good old Laws of England the Guardians of our lives and Fortunes to the utter subversion of civil Right and Propriety who likewise took upon them by vertue of a supposed right of Saintship in themselves to lay the foundation of a New Platform which was to go under the Name of A FIFTH MONARCHY never to have an end but TO WAR WITH ALL OTHER POWERS AND BREAK THEM TO PIECES baptizing all their proselytes into this Principle and Perswasion that the Powers formerly in being were branches of the Fourth Monarchy of England Scotland and Ireland which MUST BE ROOTED UP AND DESTROYED And what other Fifth Monarchy this could be but that projected universal Monarchy of the Jesuites which should bring the whole Monarchy of Great Britain and Ireland together with France Spain and all other Princes States in Christendom under the Jesuites subjection and break all other Powers in peices mentioned by Watson in his Quodlibets p. 306 to 333. or else that Elective New Monarchy of Great Britain and Ireland projected by Campanella and Cardinal Richeleiu which some Grandees now endeavour by their Instrument to erect and perpetuate for èver without Alteration in themselves and their Successors though they thus expresly brand it in others let themselves and wise men resolve it being apparent by the practises and proceedings of all the Propugners of this new Project that this Fifth Monarchy they intend to erect is neither the spiritual Kingdom of Jesus Christ in their own hearts mortifying their ambition covetousness pride self-seeking unrighteousness violence rapines and other worldly lusts nor the personal reign of Christ himself alone in and over our three Kingdoms and all other Realms and Nations for ever which they endeavour to evince from Dan. 2. 44 45. c. 7. 14 27. Micah 4. 1 2 7. Luke 1. 32 33. but a meer supream arbitrary temporal Authority without Bounds or Limits enchroached by and erected in themselves and their confederates without any colour of Right or Title by the Laws of God or the Realm and no wayes intended but refuted by all these sacred Scriptures and others which explain them This design of the Jesuites to alter and subvert the whole body of our Laws was so far promoted by the Jesuitical and Anabaptistical Party in this last Assembly elected onely by the Army-Officers that on August 20. 1643. as our News-books print they Ordered there should be a Committee selected to consider of A NEW BODY OF THE LAW for the Government of this Commonwealth who were to new-mould THE WHOLE BODY OF THE LAW according to Parsons his mould And hereupon our cheating Astrologers especially Lilly Culpeper the Jesuites grand Factors to cry down our Law Tythes and Ministers from the meer visible earthly Conjunctions Motions Influences of these New wandring excentrick Planets at Westminster onely not of any Coelestial Stars as they would make Country-Clowns believe took upon them in their Monthly Prognostications for this yeer 1654. almost in every Month to predict the pulling down of the Laws of the Nation and of Lawyers to the ground the calling of the great Charter it self into question with other Liberties as not suiting with English mens brains at this time The plucking up the Crabtree of the Law BY THE ROOTS to hinder the future growing of it there being no reason we should now be governed by the Norman Laws since the Norman Race is taken away by the same instrument the Sword that brought it in and the like But these Predicters of our Laws and Lawyers downfals could neither foresee nor predict the suddain downfal of these lawless earthly Westminster-planets from the Firmament of their new-created Power who should effect it by their influences Wherefore though I look upon these and all other their Astrological Predictions as meer Figments Cheats and Impostures in relation to the Coelestial Planets as are their twelve Signes and Houses of the Heavens whereon all or most of their artless Art and Predictions are grounded Yet I cannot but take notice of them as clear Discoverie of a strange
if they had some plague sores on them not only during their late restraints but likewise since their enlargments out of them enough to perswade them never to write speake act or suffer any thing more for such ingrate unworthy Creatures but rather to put their helping hands to make them and their posterities slaves for ever I have yet once more out of pure zeal love conscience towards my native Country adventured my life liberty and decayed estate considering the lawlessnesse and Danger of the times not the justice and goodness of the Common Cause I plead for the necessary defence of the Fundamentall Liberties Franchises Lawes Rights Parliaments priviledges and Government of our eâ—slaved Nation though every way unworthy to be beloved by God or men of noble spirits in this Seasonable Legall Historicall vindication and Collection wherein I have with all boldness faithfulness without the least fear or flatterie of any Mortals or created powers whatsoever argued evinced maintained my own particular with the whole Nations publique right and inheritance in them and endeavoured as much as in me lyes to preserve them from the severall Jesuitical plots our religion counsels specified in the whole Commons House Remenstrance of 13. December 1641 exact Collection pa 3. to 14. of late years revived and more vigorously pursued than ever and to rescue them out of the Claws of Tyrany and all usurping arbitrary powers which have avowedly encroached on yea trampled them under feet of late more than ever the worst of all our Monarchs or beheaded King did though declaimed against as the greatest of Tyrants by some who have transcended him in his worst Regall Exorbitances and particularly in this which the Lords and Commons in parliament in their Declaration of Aug. 4 1642. thus grievously complained of and objected against the Kings ill Counsellers That the LAWS were no protection or defence of any mans right all was subject to will and power which imposed WHAT PAYMENTS THEY THOVGHT FIT to drain the subjects purses and supply THOSE NECESSITIES which their ill counsell had brought upon the King and gratify such as were instrumentall in promooting most ILLEGAL and OPPRESSIVE COVRSES Those who yeilded and complied were countenanced and advanced all others disgraced and kept under that so their mindes made poor base as they were never so poor and base as now and THEIR LIBERTIES lost and gone as they were never so much as now they might be ready to LET GO THEIR RELIGION whensoever it should be resolved to alter it which was and still is the GREAT DESIGN and all the rest made use of as instrumentall and subservient to it Vpon which consideration they thus concluded that Declaration Therefore we the Lords and Commons are resolved to expose our lives and fortunes for the defence and maintenance of the true religion the king person honor and estate the power and priviledg of Parliament the just rights and liberty of the subject And we do hereby require all those who have any sence of piety honor or compassion To HELP A DISTRESSED STATE especially SVCH WHO HAVE TAKEN THE PROTESTATION and are bound in the same duty with us unto their God their King and Country to come in to their aid and assistance That which hath not a little encouraged me hereunto is not only this their publike call but likewise this memorable passage vow protestation of the Lords and Commons assembled in parliament in their printed Declaration in answer to his Majesties of October 23. 1642. Which I fear most of them since in power have quite forgotten and therefore I beseech them now seriously to remember it Though we know very well there are too many of the Gentry of this Kingdome who to satisfy the LVSTS OF THEIR OWN AMBITION are content like Esau TO SELL THEIR BIRTH-RIGHT CARE NOT TO SVBMIT THEMSELVES TO ANY ARBYTRARY AND VNLIMITED GOVERNMENT so they may FOR THEIR OWN TIME PARTAKE OF THAT POWER to trample and insult over others and have not are not some of these declarers and censurers such themselves yet we are assured that there are of the Gentry many worthy and true hearted patriots but where are those many now who are ready to lay down their lives and fortunes and of late have given ample testimony thereof for maintenance of their Lawes Liberties and Religion and with them and others of their resolution we shall be ready to live and die But how many of these declarers have made good this publike engagement yea have not some of them been and still are more ready to secure seclude disoffice imprison kill slay any such true hearted patrons as I have felt by sad experience then to live and die with them And we must own it as our duty to use our best endeavors that the meanest of the Commonalty may enjoy their owne Birthrights Freedome and Liberty of the Laws of the Land being equally entituled thereto with the greatest Subject I trust therefore the Greatest Grandees in late or present power neither will nor can be offended with me and that all the Nobility Gentry Commons and true hearted Patrons in the Nation who bear any love to the Laws Liberties Freedom of the people for which their Ancestors and they have so long so stoutly contended heretofore and lately with our Kings will live and die with mee in this their Vindication and Defence against any of their fellow-Subjects who shall endeavor to subvert or deprive them of the full and free enjoyment of all or any of them according to this engagement and Declaration Wherein there are these further observable passages relating to the Parliaments priviledges and its Members which I desire our Army-Grandees who impeached secured secluded my self with other Members of the last true parliament levied war against and forcibly dissolved it with the Contrivers of our late New Modelled Governments would seriously ponder who in common justice must bee content to be as freely told of and reprehended for their faults in print where the publike and every mans private interest Right Liberty Security is concerned as they have censured others as well their superiors as equalls oft in print though perchance less peccant than themselves in that they object against them For the matter of his Majesties raising an Army against the Parliament wherein many Papists priests Jesuites were imployed and taking away the priviledge thereof we shall refer it to the judgment of every ordinary capacity whether it be void of sense to say that this war is raised against the parliament But the truth is that it is not a few persons but the Parliament it self is the thorn that lies in these mens sides which heretofore when it was wont to prick them was with much case by a sudden dissolution pulled out But now that is more deeply fastned by the Act of Continuance they would force it out by the power of an Army hath not this been the very practise of some Army-Grandees
and defending them from the Justice thereof and by admitting such to bear places of great trust in the Army and to stand in defiance of the Parliament and the Authority thereof and it is not a far greater crime to make the Parliaments Army it self a Delinquent against the Parliament and Kingdome the fanctuary of such Delinquents against both and to continue such Officers in places of greatest trust in the Army who have levied actual war against the Parliament secluded secured members of Parliament kept divers years under their armed guards in defiance of the Parliament refusing to release them even when the Serjeant was sent from the House it self to demand the Members seised By all which it is apparent how our Priviledges have been torn from us by piece-meals from time to time And we might mention many passages whereby they were endeavoured to be pulled up by the root and totally subverted As the attempt to bring up the late Army from the North to force Conditions upon the Parliament His Majesties Letters and Commands to the Members of both Houses which found obedience in a great many to attend him at York and so By depriving the Parliament of their Members destroy the whole body And was not the actuall twice bringing up of the Parliaments own Army by the Army Officers against the Parliament it self to impeach secure some principall members of both Houses seclude the Majority of the Commons House suppresse the whole house of Lords break off the Preaty behead the King the Head of the Parliament against the Parliaments Votes alter the government force conditions on the Parliament it self to omit the 12 21 24 32 37 38 39. Articles of their New government with the secluding of all the Members lately admitted by Armed Souldiers till they took a New Engagement and keeping out all others a taking of the Priviledges of the Parliament from them all by whole-sale and a more desperate pulling up by the Roots and totall subversion of all the Priviledges and whole body of the Parliament then this objected against the Northern Army or the Kings Jesuiticall ill Councel VVhich is enough to prove the vanity of the Contrivers of that Declaration and of the Army Officers too to feed themselves with hope of beliefe That the Priviledges of Parliament are not Violated but intended to be preserved with all due observance Concerning the Allegation That the Army raised by the Parliament is to murder the KING oft alledged by the King and his Party in many printed PROCLAMATIONS Declarations before and after this here mentioned VVe hoped the Contrivers of that Declaration or any that professed but the name of a Christian could not have so little charity as to raise such a SCANDALL especially when they must needs know the Protestation taken by every member of both Houses and Army Officers too whereby they promise in the presence of Almighty God TO DEFEND HIS MAJESTIES PERSON The Promise and Protestation made by the Members of both Houses upon the nomination of the Earl of Essex to be Generall and to live and die with him wherein is expressed THAT THIS ARMY WAS RAISED FOR DEFENCE OF THE KINGS PERSON Our oft earnest and most humble Addresse to his Majesty to leave that desperate and dangerous Army c. A request inconsistent with any purpose to offer the least violence to His Person which hath and ever shall be dear unto us And concerning the imputation laid to our Charge of Raising this Army to Alter the whole Frame of Government and Established Laws of the Land which the King and his party frequently objected in print we shall need give no other Answer but this That the Army Raised by the Parliament is to no other end but for the Preservation of his Majesties Person to Defend themselves the Laws of the Land and the true Protestant Religion After which they there and elswhere conclude And by this time we doubt not but every man doth plainly discern through the Mask and Visard of their Hypocrisie what their the Kings ill Counsels design is To Subject both King and Parliament and Kingdome to their needy Ambitious and Avaritious Spirits and to the violent Laws Martial law of Governing the People by guards and by the Souldiers But alas for greife how superlatively have many of the Army Officers and their confederate members though parties to these Declarations and Protestations violated them and both Houses Faiths Trusts intentions ends in raising the Army in every of these particulars How have they verified justified the Kings Declarations Jealousies concerning the Parliaments Army in every point here and elswhere disclaimed by both Houses How have they exceeded out acted the Kings Jesuiticall Counsellers and most desperate Popish army in violating subverting both the Parliaments Priviledges Members and Parliaments themselves together with our Fundamentall Laws Liberties Government for whose preservation they were onely raised paid How have they pursued the Kings and his worst Counsellorsâ—ootsteps â—ootsteps in all the charges here objected against them by both Houses in relation to the Parliaments priviledges Members Constitution Rights Lawes to their utter Subversion dissolution and waged warre against them And doth not every man plainly discern through the Mask and Visard of their Hypocrisie to use both houses expressions that their designe is just the same with that here objected by the Parliament to the Kings ill Jesuited Counsellers and Popish army even to subject both King Parliament and Kingdome to their needy ambitious avaritious spirits and to the violent Laws marshall Law of Governing the people yea parliaments themselves by guards and by the Souldiers and By Conquest to establish an absolute and unlimited power over the Parliament and good subjects of this Kingdome as the Houses elsewhere thrice objected against the late King his Army and party being the very designe as many wisemen fear of the 27 Article of their new Government to settle a constant Annuall revenue for the maintenance of 20000 foot and 10000 Horse and Dragoones for the Defence and Security of England Scotland and Ireland O that they would now in the name and fear of God as they tender the eternal salvation of their souls the honour and priviledges of all future Parliaments the ease welfare settlement of our Nation Lay all this most seriously to their Hearts and make it a matter of their greatest lamentation and repentance Besides this have they not falsified that memorable late Declaration of the Lords and Commons assembled in Parliament Novemb. 2. 1642. in Answer to his Majesties well worthy perusall now and made good both for the time past and all succeeding Parliaments whiles there shal be any standing Army in England able to over power them all the odious scandalous positions in relation to the English Parliament its Members and priviledges deduced from the Kings Declaration onely by inference but disclaimed by the King summed up by them in the close
against such detestable treasonable violences for the future destructive to all Parliaments if permitted or silently pretermitted without question censure righting of the imprisoned members or any provision to redresse it for the future Our prudent Ancestors were so carefull to prevent all violence force arms and armed men in or near any places where Parliaments were held to terrifie over Qaw or disturb their proceedings or members That in the Parliament of 7 E. 1. as you may read in Rastals Abridgement Armour 1. Provision was made by the King by common consent of the Prelates Earls and Barons by a geciall act That in all Parliaments Treaties and other Assemblies which should be made in the Realm of England FOR EVER every man shall come without Force and withour Armour well and Peaceably to the honour of the King and of the peace of him and of his Realm and they together with the Commonalty of the Realm upon solemne advise declared That it belonged to the King and his part it is by his Royal Signiory strictly to defend wearing of Armour and all other Force against his peace at all time when it shall please him especially at such times and in places where such Parliaments Treaties and Assemblies are held and to punish them which shall do contrary according to the Laws and usage of the Realm And hereunto they are bound to old the King as their Soveraign Lord at all seasons when need shall be Hereupon our Kings ever since this statute by virtue thereof and by the Law and Custome of the PARLIAMENT as Sr. Edward Cook in his 4 Institutes c. 1. p. 14. informs us did at the beginning of every Parliament make a speciall Proclamation prohibiting the bearing of arms or weapons in or neere the places where the Parliament sat under pain of forfeiting all they had Of which there are sundry presidents cited by St. Edward Cook in his Margin whereof I shall transcribe but one which he omits and that is 6. E. 3. Rot. Parliament n. 2. 3. Because that before these dayes at the Parliaments and Councels of our Lord the King Debates Riots and commotions have risen been moved for that people have come to the places where Parliaments have been summoned and Assembled Armed with privy cotes of plate spears swords long knives or daggers and other sort of arms by which the businesses of our Lord the King and his Realm have been impeached and the great men which have come thither by his Command have been affrighted Our Lord the King willing to provide remedy against such mischiefs defendeth that no man of what estate or condition soever he be upon pain of Forfeiting all that he may forfeit to the King shall be seen armed with a Coat of Male nor yet of plate nor with an Halberd nor with a speare nor sword nor long knife nor any other suspicious arms within the City of LONDON nor within the Suburbs thereof nor any place neer the said City nor yet within the Palace of WESTMINSTER or any place neere the said Palace by Land or Water under the foresaid pain except onely such of the kings men as he shall depute or by his command shall be deputed to keep the peace within the said places and also except the Kings servants according to the Staâ—ute of Northampton And it is not the intention of our Lord the King that any Earle or Baron may not have his Lance brought to him in any place but onely in the Kings Presence and in the place of Councell The like Proclamations were made in the beginning of the Parliaments of 9. 13 17 18 20 25. Ed 3. and sundry others more necessary to be revived in all succeeding English Parliaments now then ever heretofore since the unpresidented forces upon the late Members of both Houses and the Parliament it self by the Army-Officers and souldiers raised to defend them from violence The Treasonablenesse and Transcendency whereof being at large related in my Epistle to the Reader before my Speech in Parliament 4 December 1648. I shall not here criminally presse or insist on but referre them thereunto However for the future security and freedome of our Parliaments from violence I must crave liberty to imform these Army Parliament-drivers forcers dissolves habituated to this trade That if the late Kings march to the House of Commons accompanied onely with some of his Pensioners and others armed with Pistols and Swords meerly to demand but five Members thereof to be delivered up to Justice particularly impeached by him of High-Treason some dayes before to wit That they had traterously endeavoured to Subvert the Fundamentall Laws and Government of this Kingdome To deprive the King of his Royall power To place over the subjects an Arbitrary and Tyrannicall power To Subvert the very Rights and being of Parliaments and by force and terrour to compell the Parliament to joyn with them in their designs for which end they had actually raised and countenanced Tumults against the King and Parliament Or if the Kings bare tampering with some Officers of his own Northern Army to draw a Petition from them to the Houses or march towards London from their quarters not to seise upon force or dissolve the Parliament or its Members but only to overaw them and impeach the freedome of their debates Votes touching Episcopacy Church-Government and the Kings Revenews were such high transcendent violations of the Priviledges and Freedome of Parliament and unsufferable injuries as both Houses of Parliament seperatly and joyntly proclaimed them to all the world in severall Declarations during his life Or such capitall crimes as those who condemned and executed him for a Traytor and Tyrant have published in the Declaration of 17. March 1648. touching the grounds of their proceedings against him and setling the Government in the way of a Free State without King or House of Lords since his beheading in these very words But above all the English Army was laboured by the King to be engaged against the English Parliament a thing of that strange impiety and unnaturalnesse for the King of England that nothing can answer it but his being a Forraigner neither could it have easily purchased belief but by his succeeding visible actions in full pursuance of the same as the Kings comming in Person to the House of Commons to seise the five Members whether he was followed with some hundreds of unworthy debauched persons armed with swords and pistols and other arms and they attending him at the door of the House ready to execute what the Leader should command them This they charged against the King as the highest of his unparralleld Offences for which they appeal to all the world of indifferent men to judge whether they had not sufficient cause to bring him to Justice Though neither he nor his followers then seised secured secluded injured any one Member when they thus went to the Commons House Yea presently retracted and offered all satisfaction that should
Representative body of the whole Kingdome since dissolved by the Army is a Faction of Malignant Schismaticall ambitious Persons whose DESIGNE IS AND ALWAYES HATH BEEN TO ALTER THE WHOLE FRAME OF GOVERNMENT BOTH OF CHURCH AND STATE AND TO SUBJECT BOTH KING AND PEOPLE TO THEIR OWN LAWâ—ESSE â—â—BITRARY POWER AND GOVERNMENT and that they DESIGNE THE RUINE OF HIS MAJESTIES PERSON and OF MONARCHY IT SELF and consequently that they are TRAITORS â—nd all the Kingdome with them for 〈◊〉 act is the act of the whole Kingdome And whether their punishment and ruine may not also INVOLVE THE WHOLE KINGDOME IN CONCLUSION AND REDUâ—â—â— INTO THE CONDITION OF A CONQUERED NATION as some ARMY-OFFICERS and SOULDIERS openly averred we are now reduced to by and under them NO MAN CAN TELL BVT EXPERIENCE SHEWETH Vâ— and now we finde it most true in the ARMY-OFFICERS COUNCELL SOULDIERS THAT SVCCESSE OFTEN DRAWS MEN NOT ONELY BEYOND THEIR PROFESSION but also many times beyond their first intentions Surely as the Armies and their Confederates late proceedings in relation to themselves though not unto the forced dismembred dissolved Parliament and secured Members have fully verified this charge in every particular then reputed most false and scandalous which I thus press upon their consciences at this time and so largely insist on not to defame or asperse them to the world but to vindicate the Innocency Integrity of the Majority and secluded Members of both Houses against the scandalous printed aspersions of Militiere and other Papists to preserve and justifie the Honour of our Reformed Religion and of the most zealous Professors thereof to restore re-establish if possible the Priviledges the Freedom of all Future Parliaments much impaired endangered by their heady violent Proceedings to convince them by what Jesuitical Popish old Court-Principles Counsels Practises they have hitherto been mis-guided and to reclaim them as much as in me lieth for the future from the like destructive Practises for the publick Safety Peace Settlement of our distracted Kingdoms and do most earnestly beseech them as they are English men Souldiers Christians seriously to repent of and lay to heart lest they perish eternally for them at last So the Army-Officers Souldiers Great Successes in all their Wars Designs and forcible Proceedings against the King Parliament Kingdom Government Laws and Liberties as it hath caused them not onely beyond their Professions but also beyond their first Intentions Commissions Protestations to forget that Gospel-Precept given to Souldiers Luke 3. 14. to advance themselves to a more absolute Soveraign arbitrary Power over them then ever any Kings of England claimed or pretended to as their late Proceedings Remonstrances and transcendent Instrument of the Government of the three Kingdoms manifest so it hath been the principal Ground whereby they have justified all their unpresidented forementioned Exhoâ—bitances as lawful commendable Christian and that which hath struck such a stupyfying pannick fear such a stupendious cowardize baseness sottishness into the Generality of the Nobility Gentry Ministery and Commons of our late most heroick English Nation that there is scarce a man to be found throughout the Realm of any Eminency though we should seek after him like Diogenes with a Candle that dares freely open his mouth against the most irregular illegal violent destructive arbitrary Proceedings Usurpations Innovations Oppressions Taxes Projects to the shaking and utter subverting of our ancient Fundamental Laws Liberties Rights Properties Parliaments Parliamentary Priviledges Government and taking away of the very Lives of some and thereby endangering the Lives of all other English Freemen of all Degrees in mischristened High Courts of Justice Such a strange Charm is there in Success alone to metamorphise Men into meer temporizing slavish sordid sotts and beasts yea to cause not onely persons truly honourable but the very Devil himself and the worst of beasts to be wondred after applauded adored not onely as Saints but Gods We read Rev. 13. of a Monstrous deformed BEAST to whom the Dragon the Devil gave his Power Seat and Great Authority whereupon all the world wondred after the Beast and worshipped not onely the Dragon that gave him power but the Beast likewise saying Who is like unto the Beast WHO IS ABLE TO MAKE WAR WITH HIM And there was given unto him a Mouth speaking Great things and blasphemies and power was given him to continue and make war forty and two months And power was given unto him to make war with the SAINTS AND TO OVERCOME THEM and power was given him over all Kindreds and Tongues and Nations And HEREUPON IT FOLLOWS all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him whose names are not written in the Lambes Book of Life And another Beast under him caused the earth and all that dwell therein to set up the Image of this Beast and to worship it and he caused all both small and great rich and poor free and bond to receive the mark of the Beast in their right hand and in their foreheads and none might buy or sell but he that had this mark and as many as would not worship this Beasts Image were ordered to be killed Yet this Blasphemous Beasts reign and power continued but twenty four Months Rev. 13. 5. This Beast in the height of his Power and Victories was by God himself threatned to go into captivity and be killed with the Sword as he had led others into captivity and killed them with the Sword ver 10. All his followers and worshippers shall soon after drink of the wine of Gods wrath and be tormented with fire and brimstone c. Rev. 14 9 10 11. The Saints at last shall get this victory over the Beast Rev. 15. 2. And the Beast himself notwithstanding all his former Victories Friends and great Armies was at last taken and his false Prophet with him and were both cast alive into a lake burning with fire and brimstone and all his Forces were slain with the Sword and the fowls were filled with their flesh Rev. 19. 19 20 21. From which Texts I have frequently silenced confounded some of our conquering Army-Officers and Souldiers whiles prisoner under them when they were vapouring of their Great Victories Successes and concluding from thence both their Saintship and the Goodness of their Actions saying oft-times like the Beasts followers here Who is able to make war with us And that with these genuine deductions from these Texts which they could not reply against worthy all Souldiers their saddest meditations 1. That God may nay oft-times doth give great power to the very worst and most blasphemous of all Men and Beasts that not only over one or two but many Tongues Nations as in this Text and Dan. 7. 3 to 29. c. 8. 4. to 27. 2. That such Beasts many times may and do not onely make war with but even overcome the very Saints themselves in battel as the Babylonians Assyrians and other ungodly Beasts did the Israelites Gods own Saints and People Psa
suspecting the Kings minde towards his Nephew answered Seâ—e suam curiam habere et in illa diffiniri debere quicquid aliquis in homines suos clamaret Si ergo rectitudinem Evelino decrevisset appetere ipsum in urbe Troinovanto ex veterum traditione recepisset That he had his own Court and that in it what ever any one complained of against his men ought to be determined therefore if he decreed to desire justice against Evelin he might receive it in the City Troinovant according to the custome of the Ancients Upon this answer they departing discontented one from another Cassibelan threatned to invade and waste Androgeus his Country withfire and sword unlesse he delivered up his Nephew to justice which he peremptorily refusing Cassibelan wasted his Country accordingly notwithstanding all his entreaties by his kindred and friends to divert him from it Hereupon Androgeus sent messengers to Caesar complaining of this ingrate and injurious violence and craving assistance from him against Cassibelan who endeavoured to disinherit him of his Country by whose meanes he had inherited his own and gotten the victory over the Romans promised to joyne his forces with him and so make him Lord of all Britain if he would by his power restore him to his former dignity and possessions for which he giving Hostages to Caesar he thereupon returning into Britain routed Cassibelan and his whole Army by Androgeus his means and besieged him in a steep mountain to which he fled where he was very likely to be taken prisoner in a few dayes by famine Cassibelan thus destressed sent to Androgeus to remit the former injuries he had done him and to make his peace with Caesar Upon which he returning to himself taking pity on his own nation and Soveraign though he had done him so much injury repaired and used these memorable words to Caesar Behold thou hast sufficienily revenged thy self upon Cassibelan and subjected Britain to thee by my assistance Noluerunt dii omnipotentes nostri ut Dominum meum morte turpissima condemnnari aut vinculis patiar irretiri Habeto igitur misericordiam de eo Quia me vivente ipse periolitari non poterit cui auxilium meum reddere non erubescam nisi consilio meo parueris For our omnipotent Gods will not that I should suffer my Lord and King to be condemned to a most shamefull death or to be bound in Chaines Have mercy therefore upon him because whiles I live he shall not be in danger to whom I will not be ashamed to contribute my aide unlesse thou wilt obey my counsell O the memorable faith and Loyalty of this much oppressed injured Noble Pagan Briton to his Soveraign in his distresses notwithstanding all his former injuries and oppressions worthy all heroick Saints and true Christian Loyall English Subjects imitation and shaming some strange extravagant contrary practises of late times Upon which speech Caesar being pacified made this agreement with Cassibelan That he should promise to render to Caesar and the Romans three thousand pounds of silver every year by way of Tribute And so being made friends they bestowed mutuall gifts on each other After which Caesar wintering in the Island returned in the Spring with his Army into France and from thence marched towards Rome against Pompey From these few passages of the antient Britons before and till the Roman Conquest it is apparent 1. That the ancient Fundamentall Government of the Britons in this Island was only an Hereditary Kingship and Dominion And although about Caesars time they had many petty Kings and Kingdomes yet those Kings had the style honor power of Kings within their respective Kingdomes and were hereditary as Tacitus Dion and others cited by Mr. Camden attest as well as our British stories 2. That the British Kings were obliged to governe their subjects justly and righteously according to the established Lawes of those times which secured their Liberties Properties Goods Lives against all violence and arbitrary Tyranny Rapines Taxes 3. That the Britons had their nationall Councels or Parliaments consisting of their Kings Princes and Nobles wherein they consulted of all weighty affaires concluded of Warre and Peace and enacted and confirmed publick Lawes And the rarity of these Common-Councels by reason of their intestine discords was the greatest help and advantage the Romans had to conquer them as Tacitus observes in the life of Agricola 4. That they had Legall and proper Courts for trying all differences and malefactors according to their Lawes and ancient Customes and tryals by their Peers 5. That they were very zealous carefull and couragious to defend their Liberties Properties Laws against all Tyrannicall oppressing Kings Usurpatioâ—s and forain Invaders and to spend their lives in their defence not induring Slavery Bondage or Tributes 6. That their Nobles were persons of greatest power had in great respect and consulted with by their Kings upon all occasions as their Great Councell they doing nothing of moment but by their advice and consent 7. That though they were stout opposers of Tyrannicall oppressing Princes yet they were very Loyall and obedient to those who were just and never offered violence to any of their persons whom they deposed for misgovernment And so much concerning the ancient Britons before and till their begun Conquest by Julius Caesar before our Saviours Nativity 54. years SECTION II. Concerning the Britons Contests and Warres against Tyrants and forain Invaders for their Liberties Couutry Lawes and their Great Councels or Parliaments from Caesars Conquests during the Romans Dominion and untill the Saxons supplanted them and succeeded in their places AFter the death of Caesar and Cassibelan the Britons continuing for a time under the Government of their own hereditary Kings Tennancius the next succeeding King though he was warlike yet vigorem Justitiae colebat he executed Justice vigorously Kymbelinus his Son succeding him being educated by Augustus Caesar fell into so great friendship with the Romans ut cum possit Tributum eorum detinere gratis impendebat that he freely bestowed their Tribute on them when as he might have detained it being imposed on Cassibelan only by power of the invading sword of Caesar without right which bound neither him nor the Britons in Justice or conscience both Caesar and Cassibelan being dead In the 5. year of his Reign our Saviour Christ was borne In the 22 year of our Saviours Nativity Guiderius succeeding his Father Kymbelinus refused to render the accustomed tribute to the Romans which none of his Ancestors from the time of Julius Caesar durst to refuse Hereupon Anno Christi 44. the Emperor â—laudius with a great Army invaded the Island to conquer and reduce it under Tribute who was encountred and routed by Guiderius at the first but he being afterwards slain by the policy of Laelius Hamo the Britons being likely to lose the field Arviragus the slain Kings brother putting on his Armes encouraged the Britons so that they forced the
them seeing they deserted their defence when we substracted them from their Power The whole Council of Kings and Nobles present assenting fully to this his opinion and resolution promised him their assistance in this cause against the Romans Whereupon he returned Answer to the Roman Emperours by the said Messengers THAT HE WOULD BY NO MEANES RENDER THEM TRIBUTE NEITHER WOULD HE SUBMIT HIMSELF TO THEIR JUDGEMENT CONCERNING IT NOR REPAIR TO ROME yea that he demanded from them that which they had decreed by that their judgement to demand from him And hereupon some say he writ this Letter unto the Senate of Rome in answer of theirs Vnderstand among you at Rome that I am King Arthur of Britain and FREELY IT HOLD and SHALL HOLD and at Rome hastily will I be not TO GIVE YOU TRUAGE Tribute but to have Truage of you For Constantine that was Helens Son and others of mine Ancestors CONQUERED ROME and thereof were Emperours and that they had and held I shall have and hold by Gods grace Whereupon Lucius Tiberius by command of the Senate raising great forces amongst the Eastern Kings to subdue Britain was encountred and slain by King Arthur with all his Roman forces in the valley of Soisie in France Anno Dom. 537. since which this Tribute was never demanded This History whether true or seigned as it declares by the Resolution of thirteen Kings and a great multitude of Princes Dukes Nobles Prelates Souldiers that Titles and Tributes gotten by Force Violence Conquest are both irrational unjust and illegal So it resolves That the Matters of Warre Peace and other great Affaires of the Realm were determined in Parliament That the Kings Princes and Nobles were the onely Parliaments and Parliament men of that age That the Realm and Kings of England are neither tributary nor subject nor responsible to any Forraign Powers Jurisdictions or Courts whatsoever and that no Tribute or Tax can justly be imposed on or exacted from the Inhabitants of this Island but by their own voluntary Grants and Consents even by the Lawes and Customes of the Realm in the Britons times and that whatever Tax or Possession was then gained by force conquest or armed power without just right and Title was both unjust and unreasonable And so ought to be reputed now Quod ab initio non valet tractu temporis non convalescit being a Principle in our Law I read in the Lawes of King Edward before the Conquest c. 35. in Mr. Lambards Archaion fol 135 136. and Sir Edward Cook his 7 Report Calvins Case fol. 6 7. That this most famous King Arthur first invented and inacted this Law That all the Princes Earles Nobles Knights and all Free-men of the Realm of Britain ought to make and swear fealty to their Lord the King in the full Folkemote or Leet in this form commonly used in Leets till within the six yeares last past You shall swear that from this day forward you shall be true and faithfull to our Soveraign King Arthur and HIS HEIRES and truth and faith you shall bear to him of life and member and terrene honour and you shall neither know nor hear of any ill or dammage intended to him that you shall not defend So help you God And that by Autherity of this Law King Arthur expelled the Saracens it should be Saxons for no Saracens ever invaded Britain and Enemies out of the Realm And by Authority of this Law King Etheldred in one and the same day slew all the Danes throughout the whole Realm Surely such Oathes of Fealty Loyalty and Homage are very ancient as our Histories manifest King Arthur being mortally wounded in the battell he fought with his Nephew Mordred who usurped the Crown in his absence Mordred being slain in the fight Arthur despairing of life gave the Crown of Britain to Constantine his Kinsman Anno Dom. 542. who together with the rest of the British Kings neglecting all Lawes and Justice warring against each other and degenerating into Tyrants Usurpers Murderers Perjurious Persons Oppressors and the like declined daily in their power the Saxons continually incroaching upon them in all parts and about the year of our Lord 586. they were quite driven out of their Kingdomes together with their British Subjects by the Saxons into Wales Cornwall and Little Britain in France and reduced to the extremity of all misery as you may read at large in Gildas de Excidio Conquestu britanniae and others out of him Who thus describes the Tyrannies and vices of those times Vngebantur Reges non per Deum sed qui caeteris crudeliores extarent paulo post ab unctoribus non pro veri examinatione TRUCIDABANTUR ALIIS ELECTIS TRUCIORIBUS Si quis vero eorum mitior veritate aliquatenus pronior videretur in hunc quasi Britanniae Subversorem omnium odia telaque sine respectu contorquebantur omnia quae displicuerint Deoque placuerint aequali saltem lance pendebantur si non graviora fuissent displicentia Sicque agebant cuncta quae saluti contraria fuerunt ac si nihil mundo medicina a vero omnium medico largiretur c. Ita cuncta veritatis Justitiae moderamina concussa ac subversa sunt ut corum non dicam fastigium sed ne monimentum quidem in supra dictis propemodum ordinibus apparent exceptis paucis valde paucis c. Reges habet Britannia sed TYRANNOS Judices habet sed impios saepe praedantes concutientes sed innocentes vindicantes patrocinantes sed reos latrones CREBRO JURANTES SED PERJURANTES VOVENTES CONTINUO PROPEMODUM mentientes belligerantes SED CIVILIA ET INJUSTA BELLA AGENTES per patriam quidem fures magnopere insectantes eos qui secum admensam sedent non solum amantes sed munerantes in sede arbitraturi sedentes sed raro recti judicii regulam quaerentes innexios humilesque despicientes sanguinarios superbos parricidas commanipulares qui cum ipso nomine certatim delendi sunt pro ut possunt efferentes vinctos plures in carceribus habentes quos dolo sui potius quam merito proterunt catenis onerantes inter Altaria jurando demorantes hoec eadem ac si lutulenta paulo post saxa despicientes Cujus tanti nefandi piaculi non ignarus est immundae Leaenae Dâ—mnoniae tyrannicus Catulus Constantinus Hoc anno post horribile juramenti Sacramentum quo se devinxit nequaquam dâ—los civibus Deo primum jâ—requejurando Sanctorum demum choris Genetrice comitantibus frelis facturum in duarum venerandis matrum finibus Ecclesia earnalisque sub sancti Abbatis amphibalo Latera regiorum tenerrima pucrorum vel praecordia crudeliter duum totidemque nutritorum inter ipsa ut dixi sacrosancta Altaria nefando ense hastaque prodentibus laceravit c. Quid tu quâ—que catule Leonine Aureli Canine agis Nonne pacem Paâ—riae mortiferum ceu
HAVE COMPANIONS FOR TO HEAR AND DETERMINE IN PARLIAMENT ALL THE WRITS AND PLAINTS OF THE WRONGS OF THE KING OF THE QUEEN AND OF THEIR CHILDREN and especially of those OF WHOSE WRONGS ONE COULD NOT HAVE RIGHT OTHER WHERE And these Companions are now called Counts after the Latine word Comites every oâ—e of which had at first a Country delivered to him to guard and defend it from the Enemies which Country is now called a County and in Latine Comitatus and these Counties together with the Realm were turned into an Inheritance So Horne in his Mirrour of Justice in the reign of King Edward the first These English Saxons from the first Settlement of their Kâ—â—gdomes and Monarchies had no Soveraign Power at all tâ— make alter or repeal Lawes impose Taxes or alien their Crown Lands but onely by common consent in General Parliamentary Councils much lesse to imprison conâ—emn exile out-law any mâ—ns person or to deprive him of his Life Lands Goods Franchises against the Law without any Legall triall as these Subsequent Historicall Collections will at large demonstrate That they had no Power nor Authority to make alter or repeal any Lawes but onely by common advice and consent of their Nobles and Wise-men in their Great Parliamentary Councils of the Realm is evident by this passage of our Venerable Beda concerning Ethelbert King of Kent the first Christian Saxon King and Law-maker He about the year of Christ 605. Inter caetera bona quae genti suae consulendo conferebat etiam Decreta illi juxta exempla Romanorum CVM CONSILIO SAPIENTVM CONSTITVIT Quae conscripta Anglorum sermone hactenus habentur observantur ab ea In quibus primitus posuit qualiter id emendare deberet qui aliquid rerum vel Episcopi vel reliquorum ordinum furto aufernt volens scilicet tuitionem eis quos quorum doctrinam susceperat praesiare Malmesbury and Huntingdon write of him Quin etiam curam extendens in posteros LEGES PATRIO SERMONE TVLIT quibus bonis praemia decerneret improbis per remedia meliora occurreret NIHIL SVPER ALIQVO NEGOCIO INFVTVRVM RELINQVENS AMBIGVVM The first Law this Christian King ever made BY THE COUNCIL OF HIS WISE-MEN was for God his Church and Ministers to protect them and theirs from violence a Jove principium and the next for to Protect Great Councils and their Members from Injury thus recorded by Sir Henry Spelmau out of a famous ancient Manuscript called Textus Roffensis 1. Quicunque Res Dei vel Ecclesiae abstulerit duodecima componat solutione Episcopires undecima solutione Sacerdotis res nona solutione Diaconires sexta solutione Clerici res trina solutione Pax Ecclesiae violata duplici emendetur solutione Pax Monachi duplici etiam solutione 2. Si Rex populum suum convocaverit hos ILLIC quispiam injuria afficerit duplex esto emendatio praeterea 50. Solidos Regi pendito Let the forcers of Parliaments consider it To these I might subjoyn all the Ecclesiasticall and Civil Lawes Canons Constitutions of all our other Saxon Kings before the Normans reign recorded in Mr. Lambards Archaion and scatteringly mentioned in Beda Ingulfus William of Malmesbury Huntindon Mathew Westminster Florentius Wigorniensis Brompt Antiquitates Eccl. Britannicae Mr. Seldens Titles of Honour Mr. Fox Acts and Monuments with other Antiquaries and Historians all made altered amended repealed from time to time by common advice and consent in their Great Parliamentary Councils which because I have particularly insisted on in my Antiquity Triumphing over Novelty and Historicall Collection of the ancient Great Councils and Parliaments of England I shall forbear here to repeat at large being never yet denied by any and a truth beyond contradiction That our Saxon Kings from their original institution could not alienate or transferre to any other uses no not to endow Churches support Gods Worship or Ministers any of their Crown Lands Demesnes or Revenues without common consent of their Nobles and Prelates in their Great Parliamentary Councils is apparent by the three first Charters we read of granted by Ethelbert the first Christian Saxon King to the Church of Peter and Paul in Canterbnry Anno Dom. 605. Wherein the King CVM CONSENSV venerabilis Augustini Archiepiscopi AC PRINCIPVM MEORVM by the consent of Archbishop Augustine and his Princes first gave and granted a parcell of Land of his Right in the East part of the City of Canterbury to build a Church and Monastery to the honour of St. Peter and after that by a second Charter of the same date confirmed by his own the Arch-bishops and Nobles subscriptions thereto with the Sign of the Crosse he gave and granted other Lands in Langeport to God and his Church and after that by a third Charter Anno 610. he granted other Lands and Priviledges to it as a testimony of his gratitnde to God for his conversion from the Errour of false Gods to the worship of the onely true God adjuring and commanding in the name of the Lord God Almighty who is the just Judge of all things that the said Lands given to this Church by the said subscribed Charters should be perpetually confirmed so that it should not be lawfull for himself nor for any of his Successors Kings or Princes or for any Secular or Ecclesiasticall Dignity to defraud the Church of any part thereof And if any shall attempt to diminish or make void any thing of this Donation let him be at present separated from the holy Communion of the body and bloud of Christ and in the day of Judgement let him be separated from the fellowship of all the Saints The two first of his Charters and Donations to this Church were approved and confirmed in a Common Councill assembled by this King at Canterbury 5. January Anno 605. Omnium singulorum approbatione consensu BY THE APPROBATION AND CONSENT OF ALL AND EVERY OF THEM as you may read at large in Sir Henry Spelman and William Thorne This truth is further abundantly confirmed by the Charter of Immunities of Withraed King of Kent granted to the Churches under him Anno 700. The Charter of Ethelbald King of Mercia to the Church of Croyland An. 716. The Charter of King Ive of Lands and Priviledges to the Church of Glastonbury Anno 725. The Charter of King Offa of Lands and Priviledges to the Courch of St. Albanes Anno 794. The Charter of King Egfred to the same Church Anno 797. The Charter of Bertulph King of Mercia to the Abbot of Croyland made in the Parliamental Great Council of Biningdon Anno 850. and of Kingsbury Anno 851. a memorable president recorded at large by Abbot Ingulphus Hist p. 858. to 863. the Charter of King Aethelstan to the Abby of Malmesbury An. 930. The Charter of King Edmond to the Abbot of Glastonbury Anno 944. and of the same Edmund to the Abby of Hyde Anno 966. and to
the Abby of Croyland the same year and to the Abby of Malmesbury Anno 974. with many other Charters of our Saxon Kings to Abbies Bishops and Churches recorded in Ingulphus Malmesbury Spelman and others all which were made and confirmed by these Kings with the consent and approbation of their Bishops Abbots and Nobles assembled in their Great Parliamentary Councils and ratified confirmed by them being else void in Law and repeaâ—lable as appeares by the Generall Council of Kingston Anno 838. Wherein the Manor of Mallings in Kent which King Baldred had formerly given to Christs Church in Canterbury being afterwards revoked and substracted from it because the Nobles offended with the King would not ratifie that donation nor suffer it to remain firm was resetled and confirmed to this Church in and by this Council specially summoned for that purpose by King Egbert and his Son Athelwelfe CONSENTI ENTIBVS DEMVM MAGNATIBVS the Nobles now at last consenting to it in this Council which they refused formerly to doe A clear Evidence of the Noble-mens Negative and Affirmative Voyces to the Saxon Kings grants of their Lands and Charters to pious uses and of their invalidity without their concurrent assents thereto In most of these forecited Charters of our Kings to these Churches and Monasteries it is observable that they exempted them and their Lands AB OMNIBVS PVBLICIS VECTIGALIBVS ONERIBVS REGIIS EXACTIONIBVS ET OPERIBVS nisi in structionibus Arcium vel Pontium quae nunquam ullâ—s possint Laxari From which notwithstanding King Ive exempted the Abby of Glastonbury and King Aethulwulfe and Beorred the Abby of Croyland ab expeditione militari And therefore as they could not thus exempt them from publick Tributes Burdens Regal Exactions and Services without common consent in Parliamentary Councils so they could not impose any publick Tributes Burdens Exactions or Services on them without common grant and consent in such Councils unless by special referrations as I shall by ensuing Presidents most fully evidence How carefull the Saxon Nobles and Subjects were from the first erection of their Kings and Kingdomes in England to preserve their Priviledges Liberties Properties Lawes from the usurpations Invasions and arbitrary power of Tyrannical Kings or Usurpers and how unâ—nimous magnanimous they shewed themselves in their just defence will appear by these few Presidents of their Proceedings against their Tyrannicall Oppressing Kings which I shall muster up together in their Chronologicall Order Anno Dom. 756. Sigebert King of the West-Saxons growing insolent and proud by the Successes of his Predecessors in their Warres became intolerable to his People treating them very ill by all kind of meanes LEGESQVE ANTECESSORVM SVORVM PROPTER COMMODVM SVVM VEL DEPRAVARET VEL MVTARET endeavouring to dâ—prave or change the Laws of his Ancestors for his own private luchre and using EXACTIONS CRUELTIES UPON HIS SUBJECTS setting asidâ—â— ALL LAWES Whereupon his most Noble and Faithful Counseller Earle Cumbra lovingly intimating to him the complaints of all the people perswaded the King to govern the people committed to his Charge more mildly and to lay aside his inhumanity that so he might become amiable to God and man he thereupon soon after commanded him to be wickedly slain and becoming afterwards more cruell to the people augmented his Tyranny Vpon which the rest of the Pâ—ers seeing their State and Lives were every day in danger and the Common Subjects WHOSE LAWES WERE THUS VIOLATED being incensed into fury all the Nobles and People of his Realm assembling together rose up against him and upon provident mature deliberation AND UNANIMOUS CONSENT OF ALL they before he had reigned full two yeares expelled him out of the Kingdom and elected and made Kenulphus sprung from the bloud royall King in his stead Whereupon flying into the Woods like a forlorn person for shelter he was there slain by Cumbra his Swineherd in revenge of his Masters death Ita crâ—delitas Regis omnem pene Nobilitatem pervagata in homine ultimae sortis stetit writes Malmesbury To which Henry Huntindon addes this memorable observation Ecce manifestum Domini Judicium ecce quomodo Domini justitia nonsolum in futuro seculo verum etiam in isto digna meritis recompensat Eligens namque Reges improbos ad contritionem promeritam subjectorum alium diu insanire permittit ut populus pravus diu vexetur Rex pravior in aeternum acrius crucietur veluti Edâ—lboldum regem Merce praesatum alium vero cita disterminatione praeoccupat ne populus suus nimia Tyrannide oppressus non respiret immoderata Principis requitia citissimas ultionis aeternae debito paenas incurrat veluti Sigebertum hunc de quo tractamus Qui quanto nequior extitit tanto vilius a Subulco interfâ—ctus a dâ—lore in dolorem transiit Vnde Domini justitiae aeternae laus gloria nunc semper In the year of our Lord 758. the people of the Kingdome of Mercia rising up against their King Beornred pro eo quod populum non EQVIS LEGIBVS sed PER TYRANNIDEM GVBERNARET because he governed his people not by their JUST LAWES but by arbitrary Tyranny they all of them as well NOBLES as IGNOBLE assembled together in one and Offa a most valiant young man being their Generall they expelled him out of the Realm which being accomplished BY THE UNANIMOUS CONSENT OF ALL as well Clergy as People they crowned the said Offa King This Beornred treacherously murdered King Ethelbald his Soveraign whose Captain he was and then usurped his Crown but was himself deprived of it and slain soon after by Offa who succeeded him by divine retaliation So Edwin King of Mercia in the year 857. for his Misgovernment his despising the Wise-men and Nobles of the Realm who hated his vicious and oppressive courses affecting and fostering ignorant and unrighteous persons his forcible expelling the Monkes and others out of their possessions by armed men his banishing Dunstan into France for reprehending his vices and other injurious and Tyrannicall Actions against Law and Right was utterly forsaken and rejected by all his Subjects and by the unanimous consent of all dejected deposed from his royall Dignity and his Brother Edgar Elected King in his place Deo dictante annuente populo by the dictate of God himself and the peoples consent AB OMNI POPVLO ELECTVS as our Historians write By these Presidents pretermitting others it is apparent that the ancient Saxons held their Kings Supremacy to be bounded within the rules of Law and Justice and that they esteemed their Kings to lose both the name and office of Kings when they ceased to Govern them according to Law and Justice or exalted themselves above their Lawes and Liberties which was not onely the ancient Divinity of those former times as appeares by Pope Eleutherius his forecited Letter to King Lucius but the received Law amongst the Saxons as
is evident by the Lawes of King Edward the Confessor Lex 15. hereafter cited The Law was the sole Umpire between these Kings and their people which Law as no Great man nor any other in the whole Kingdome might violate or abolish as Ive the great Saxon King confesseth in his Lawes So the Kings themselves were to submit thereto in all things as well as their Subjects Whence Aethelstan the Saxon King in his Prologue to his Lawes made at the Great Councill of Gratâ—ley Anno Dom. 928. by the advice of the Arch Bishops Bishops Nobles and Wise men of the Realm used this memorable expression as the Law of that age between King and people Ea mihi vos tantum modo comparatis velim QVAE JVSTE AC LIGITIME PARARE POSSITIS Neque enim mihi ad vitae usum QVICQVAM INJVSTE ACQVIRI CVPIVERIM Etenim cum ea ego vobis LEGE VESTRA omnia benigne largitus sum ut MEA MIHI VOS ITIDEM CONCEDATIS prospicitote sedulo ne quis vestrum neve â—â—rum aliquis qui vobis paruerit offensiâ—nâ—m aut divinam aut nostram concitâ—tis Indeed some of the Saxons being too much addicted to Faction Treason Sedition and Rebellion against their Kings abused their just Liberties and Priviledges to the unjust murther and destâ—â—ction of their Kings especially those of the Kingdome of Northumberland to prevent which excessâ—s in the famous Council of Calchuth Anno 787. held 〈…〉 of Northumberland his Bishops and Nobles and Ofâ— King of Mercians and his Bishops and Nâ—lles there 〈…〉 memorable Lawes and 〈◊〉 both for the Security Immunity of King and people which they with all their Subjects assented to and with all devotion of mind to the uttermost possibility of their power vowed through Gods assistance to observe in every point Cap. XI Of the Duty and Office of Kings Vndecimus Sermo fuit ad Reges Principes ut Regimen suum cum magna cautela disciplina peragant cum Justitia judicent ut scriptum est Apprehendite disciplinam ne quando irascatur Dominus pereatis c. Habentque Reges Consiliarios prudentes Dominum timentes moribus honâ—stos ut populos bonis exemplis Regum Principum eruditus confirmatus proficient in laudem gloriam omnipotentis Dei Cap. XII De Ordinatione Honore Regum who were then generally Hereditary not Elective We decree that in the Ordination of Kings none may permit the assent of evill men to prevail but KINGS SHALL BE LAWFULLY ELECTED BY THE PRIESTS and ELDERS OF THE PEOPLE and those not begotten of Adultery or Incest for as in our times by the Lawes a Bastard cannot be admitted to the Priesthood so neither can he be able to be the Lords annointed and he who shall be born out of lawfull Wedlock shall not be King of the whole Realm and Heire of his Country the Prophet saying Know yee that the Lord ruleth in the Kingdom of men and the Kingdome is his and he will give it to whomsoever he will Therefore we admonish all in generall that they would with a unanimous voice and heart intreat the Lord that he who electeth him to the Kingdome would himself give unto him the regiment of his holy discipline to govern his people Likewise honour is to be rendred to them by all men the Apostle saying Honour the King and in another place Whether it be to the King as Supream or to Governours as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of Malefactors but to the praise of them that doe well Likewise the Apostle Let every Soul be subject to the higher Powers for there is no power given but of God And the powers that are are ordained of God Therefore who ever resisteth the power resisteth the Ordinance of God and those who resist acquire damnation to themselves Let no man detract from the King for Solomon saith Thou shalt not detract from the King in thy mouth neither shalt thou curse the Prince in thy heart because the birds of the air shall carry the voyce and that which hath wings shall tell the word LET NO MAN DARE TO COMMUNICATE IN or conspire THE KINGS DEATH BECAUSE HE IS THE LORDS ANOINTED and if any shall have adhered to such a Wickednesse or Treason if he be a Bishop or any of the Priestly Order let him be thrust out of it and cast out of the holy inheritance as Judas was ejected from his Apostolicall degree and every one whosoever he be who shall assent to such a Sacriledge shall perish in the eternall bond of an Anathema and being associated to JVDAS THE TRAITOR shall be burnt in sempiternal burnings as it is written Not onely those who doe such things but those also who consent to such who doe them shall not escape the Judgement of God For the two Eunuches consenting to slay Ahasuerus were hanged on a Gallowes Consider what David said to the Captaines when the Lord had said unto him I will deliver Saul into thy hands when he found him sleeping and was exhorted by the Souldiers to slay him Let this sin be farre from me that I should stretch forth my hand against the Lords anointed Yea he cut off the head of that Souldier who after his death came unto him protesting that he had slain Saul and it was reputed unto him for righteousnesse and to his seed after him And it is often proved among you by examples that WHOEVER HAVE HAD A HAND IN THE MURDER OF THEIR KINGS HAVE ENDED THEIR LIFE IN A SHORT SPACE utroque Jure caruerunt it should be corruerunt and have perished by both Lawes civill and sacred Cap. 13. De Judiciis Justis ferendis Let Great and Rich men execute just Judgements neither let them accept the Person of the Rich nor contemn the Poor nor swerve from the rectitude of Judgement or Law nor receive gifts against the innocent but judge in righteousnesse and truth the Prophet saying Judge justly yee sons of men Also elsewhere Thou shalt not doe that which is unjust nor judge unjustly thou shalt not stand against the bloud of thy neighbour Likewise Isaiah Seek Judgement releive the Oppressed judge the Fatherlesse defend the Widow then come and let us reason together saith the Lord. Also elsewhere Vndoe every bond of iniquity undoe the heavy burdens let those who are oppressed goe free and break every yoak Then shall thy light break forth as the morning and thy health shall spring forth speedily The Lord saith in the Gospel For with whatsoever judgement yee judge you shall be judged and whatsoever measure you meet it shall be measured to you again Neither shall you take BY FORCE FROM ANY ONE THAT WHICH IS HIS OWN as it is said Thou shalt not covet the thing which is thy Neighbours Thou shalt not covet thy Neighbours wife nor his house nor his oxe
destroyed those of Northumberland and Lindesfaâ—ne horribly destroying the Churches of Christ with the Inhabitants at which time Duke Sigga who unworthily betrayed and slew his Soveraign King Alfwold of Northumberland worthily perished the whole Nation being first almost quite consumed with civill Warres and by these Pagan invaders whose Plague was farre more outragious and cruell than that of the Romans Picts Scots or Saxons Invasions and Depredations in former ages they most frequently invading and assailing the land on every side desiring not so much to obtain and rule over it as to spoile and destroy it with all things therein burning their houses carrying away their goods tossing their little children and murthering them on the top of their pikes ravishing their wives and daughters then carrying them away captives and putting all the men to the Sword which sad and frequent rumours from all parts struck such terrour into the hearts of King and people that their very hearts and hands failed and languished so that when they obtained any victory they had no joy nor hope of safety by it being presently encountred by new and greater swarmes of these Pagan Destroyers The cause of which sore Plague and Judgement he together with Mathew Westminster thus expresse In the Primitive Church of England Religion most brightly shined but in processe of time all vertue so withered and decayed in them VT GENTEM NVLLAM PRODITIONE ET NEQVITIA PAREM ESSE PERMITTERENT that they permitted no Nation to be equall to them IN TREASON AND WICKEDNESSE which most of all appeares in the History of the forecited Kings of Northumberland For men of every Order and Office DOLO ET PRODITIONE INSISTEBANT addicted themselves TO FRAUD AND TREASON in such sort as their impiety is formerly described in the Acts of their Kings Neither was any thing held disgraceful but Truth and Justice Nec honor nisi BELLA PLVS QVAM CIVILIA ET SANGVINIS INNOCENCIVM EFFVSIO causa dignissima caedis Innocentia Nor any thing reputed honourable but more than civill Warres and effusion of the bloud of Innocents and Innocency reputed a cause most worthy of death THEREFORE the Lord Almighty sent a most cruell Nation like swarmes of Bees who spared neither age nor sex to wit the Danes with the Gothes the Norwegians and the Sweeds the Vandals with the Prisons who from the beginning of King Edelwolfe to the coming of the Normans under King William wasted and made the fruitfull Land desolate for 230. yeares destroying it from Sea to Sea and from man to beast Which sore and dreadful long continued Judgement of God upon the Land for those crying sinnes now abounding amongst us as much almost as amongst the Northumberlanders and other Saxons then may cause us justly to fear the self same punishments or the like as they then incurred and the Britons before that under the bloudy Usurper Vortigenne unlesse we seriously repent and speedily reform them From these unparalleld prodigious Treasons Insurrections Regicides Rebellions of these Northumberlanders I conceive that infamous Proverb used by Maximilian the Emperor and frequent in Forraigne and other Writers first arose touching the English That the King of England was REX DIABOLORVM a King of Devils not of men or Saints SVBDICOS ENIM REGES EJICERE TRVCIDARE because the English especially the Northumberlanders so oft rebelled against expelled deposed and murdered their Kings beyond the Spaniards French and other Nations Which Proverb the late extravagant Proceedings of some Jesuitized pretended English Saints have now again revived out of the ashes of oblivion But I hope these sad recited old domestick Presidents will hereafter instruct both Kings Magistrates Parliaments and people to keep within those due bounds of Justice Righteousnesse Law Equity Loyalty Piety Conscience Prudence and Christian Moderation which the Lawes of God and the Land prescribe to both and the Council of Calchuth forecited long since prefixed them That the ancient English Saxon Kings at and from their primitive Establishment in this Realm had no power nor prerogative in them to impose any publike Taxes Imposts Tributes or Payments whatsoever on their people without their Common Consents and Grants in their Great Councils of the Realm for any spiritual or temporal use I shall evidence by the four first General publick Taxes that I meet with in the Histories of their times which I shall recite in Order according to their Antiquity though I shall therein somewhat swarve from my former Chronological Method in reciting some subsequent Lawes and confirmations relating to every of them for brevity sake out of their due order of time and coupling them with the original Lawes for and Grants of these general Charges and Taxes to which they have relation and then pursue my former method Henry Huntindon in the Prologue to his fifth Book of Histories p. 347. writes thus of those Saxons who first seised upon Britain by the Sword Saxones autem pro viribus paulatim terram Britanniae bello capiscentes captam obtinebant obtentam adificabant adificatam LEGIBVS REGEBANT not by arbitrary Regal power without or against all Law The first Taxes and Impositions ever laid under the Saxon Kings Government after they turned Christians upon the people of England were for the maintenance of Religion Learning Ministers Schollers long before we read of any Taxes imposed on them for the publick Defence of the Nation by Land or Sea all and every of which were granted imposed onely by common consent in their Great Councils before the Name of Parliament was used in this Island which being a French word came in after the Normans about Henry the third his reign without which Councils grant they could neither be justly charged nor levied on all or any Free-men of this Island by any civill or legall Right by those to whom they were granted and thereupon grew due by Law 1. The first General Tax or Imposition laid on and paid by the Saxon Subjects of this Land appearing in our Histories was that of Caericsceatae id est CENSVS ECCLESIAE in plain English Churchets or Church-Fees in nature of First-Fruits and Tythes The first Law whereby these Churchets Church-Fees or First-Fruits were imposed on the people and setled as an annuall duty on the Ministers paid onely before that time as voluntary Free-will Offrings to the Ministers of the Gospel by devout and liberal Christians was enacted by Ive King of the west Saxons in a Great Councill held under him Anno Dom. 692. Wherein by the exhortation advice and assent of Cenred his Father Heddes and Erkenwold his Bishops AND OF ALL THE ALDERMEN ELDERS AND WISE-MEN OF HIS REALM and a great Congregation of the Servants of God he established this Law among sundry others which none might abolish Cap. 4. De Censu Ecclesiae Cericsccata i.e. Vectigal or Census Ecclesiae reddita sint in Festo Sancti Maâ—â—tini Si quis hoc non compleat reus sit IX sol duâ—
decuplareddat ipsum Cericsceatum So one Coppy renders it out of the Saxon another thus Cyricsceata idest PRIMITIAE SEMINVM ad celebre divi Matini Festum redduntor qui tum non solverit qua raginta Solidis mulctator ipsas praeterea Primitias duodecies persolvito After which there is this second Law subjoyned Cap 62 De Cyricsceatis Primitias Seminum quisque ex eo dato domicilio in quo ipse natali die Domini câ—mmoratur These Duties were afterwards enjoyned to be paid by the Lawes of King Adelstan Anno 928. c. 2. Volo ut Cyricscâ—atha reddantur ad illum locum cuirecte pertinent c. By the Lawes of King Edmund made Anno 944. in a Great Synod at London AS WELL OF ECCLESIASTICAL AS SECULAR PERSONS summoned thither by the King c. 2. Decimas praecepimus omni Christiano super Christianitatem suam dare emendent Cyricsceattam id est Ecclesiae censum Si quis hoc dare noluerit excommunicatus sit By the Lawes of King Edgar Anno 965. c. 2 3. and the Lawes of King Aethelred made by him and his Wise-men apud Habam about the year of Christ 1012. Cap. 4. DE CONSVETVDINIBVS sanctae Dei Ecclesiae reddendis Praecipimus ut OMNIS HOMO super dilectionem Dei omnium sanctorum DET CYRISCEATTAM ET RECTAM DECIMAM SVAM sicut in DIEBVS ANTECESSORVM NOSTRORVM FECIT quando melius fecit hoc est sicut aratrum peragrabit DECIMAM ACRAM omnis consuetudo reddatur super amicitiam Dei ad Matrem Ecclesiam cui adjacet ET NEMO AVFERAT DEO QVOD AD DEVM PERTINET ET PRAEDECESSORES CONCESSERVNT By which Laws it seemes that these Cyricsceata or Church-Fees were of the same nature with Tythes if not Tythes in truth and the tenth acre or tenth part of all their Corn and arable Lands increase Tithes both in the Fathers Councils Writers of this and some former ages being usually stiled First-Fruits though most esteem them duties different from Tythes Which duty the people being backwards as it seems to pay King Knâ—te by the advise and consent of his Wise-men in a Great Council Anno 1032. quickned the payment of them by this additionall Law increasing the first penalty by a superadded fine to the King Cyricsceata which the Latine Translation renders Seminum primiciae ad festum Divi Matini penduntor Si quis dare distulerit eas Episcopo undecies praestato ac Regi ducenos viginti Solidos persolvito Et dat omnis Cyricsceot ad matrem Ecclestam per omnes Liberas domus I find by the Surveyes and Records of our late Bishops Revenues That these Churchets of later times were certain small portions of Corn Hens Eggs and other Provisions paid by each House or Tenement according to the several values of them for the Maintenance and Provisions of the Ministers which were constantly rendred to our Bishops by their Tenants under the name of Cyricsceata or Churchets in divers Mannors till they were lately voted down This was the first kind of publick Tax imposed on the people for the Maintenance of the Ministry and that onely by common grant and consent in Common Councils of that age as were their annuall Tributes for Lights Parish Almes and their Soul-shot or Mortuaries at every mans decease first granted by common Consent in Parliamentary Councils which I shall but name 2. The second principle annuall Charge or Tribute imposed on and paid by the people under the Saxon Kings was Tythes of the annuall increase of their Lands and Goods for the maintenance of Gods Worship Ministers and Religion which though due by Gods Law and a Divine Right to Ministers as the first Law made for their due and true payment recites and I have lately proved at large in my Gospel-Plea c. yet they could not be legally imposed nor exacted from the people by the Ministers in foro humano without publick consent and grant Whereupon in the Generall Councill of Calchuth held in the year of our Lord 787 Cap. 17. Vt Decimae solvantur this Law was made In paying tithes as it is written in the Law of God Thou shalt bring the tenth part of all thy Corn and First Fruits into the House of the Lord thy God c. Wherefore likewise WE COMMAND with an obtestation that all men be carefull to render Tithes of all things they possesse BECAUSE IT IS THE PECULIAR PORTION OF THE LORD GOD c. Which Law being read in that publick Council by Gregory Bishop of Ostia before King Alfwoldus Arch-Bishop Eanbald and all the Bishops Abbots Senators Dukes and PEOPLE OF THE LAND they all assented to it and with all devotion of mind according to the uttermost of their power bound themselves by vow that by Gods supernall assistance they would observe it in all things ratifying it with the Sign of the Crosse and Subscription of their Names thereto according to the Custome of that age After which it was read before King Offa in the Councill of the Merâ—ians and his Senators Jambertus Arch-Bishop of Canterbury and the rest of the Bishops of the Realm with a loud voyce both in the Latine and Germane tongue that all might understand it who ALL WITH A UNANIMOUS VOYCE AND CHEARFUL MIND ASSENTED TO IT promised that they would by Gods Grace assisting them with A MOST READY WILL to the best of their power observe this and the rest of the Statutes there made in all things And then ratified them with the sign of the Crosse and subscription of their Names thereto It seemes very probable by this Clause in the Lawes of Edward the Confessor confirmed by William the Conquerour Cap. 9. Of Payment of Tithes of Cattel Bees and other things Haâ—c enim beatus Augustinus praedicavit docuit Et haec CONCESSA SVNT A REGE ET BARONIBVS ET POPVLO That upon the preaching of Augustine first Arch-Bishop of Canterbury Ethelbert King of Kent with his Barons and People assembled in a great Parliamentary Council after their Conversion by him to the Christian Faith granted Tithes of all things to him and their Ministers by a speciall Act or Law which if true must be about the year of our Lord 603. at least one hundred and eighty years before the Council of Calchuth But because I find no such speciall Law of his extant in any Author and this passage may be intended of Augustine Bishop of Hippo flourishing about the year of Christ 410. who hath sever all Homiles concerning the Due payment of Tithes as Hom. 48. inter Sermones 59. Sermo De Tempore 219 ad Fratres in Eremo Sermo 64. and in Psal 146. and because this clause may be as well intended of King Alfwold or King Offa and his Barons and People in the Council of Calchuth as of King Ethelbert and his Barons and People I have therefore begun with their Law for Tithes being
Antwerp 1640. In these Colledges and Seminaries of theirs they had then as they print 15591 Fellows of their society of Jesus besides the Novices Scholars and Lay-brethren of their Order amounting to neer ten times that number So infinitely did this evil Weed grow and spread it self within one hundred years after its first planting What the chief imployments of Ignatius and his numerous swarms of Disciples are in the World his own Society at the time of his Canonization for a Romish Saint sufficiently discovered in their painted Pageants then shewed to the people wherein they pourtraied this new Saint holding the whole world in his hand and fire streaming out forth of his heart rather to set the whole World on fire by Combustions Wars Treasons Powder-plots Schismes new State and old Church-Heresies then to enlighten it with this Motto VENI IGNEM MITTERE I came to send fire into the world which the University of Cracow in Poland objected amongst other Articles against them Anno 1622. Their number being so infinite and the Pope and Spaniard too having long since by Campanella's advice erected many Colledges in Rome Italy Spain the Netherlands and elsewhere for English Scotish Irish Jesuites as well as for such secular Priests Friers Nuns of purpose to promote their designs against the Protestant Princes Realms Churches Parliaments of England Scotland Ireland and to reduce them under their long prosecuted UNIVERSAL MONARCHY over them by Fraud Policy Treason intestine Divisions and Wars being unable to effect it by their own Power no doubt of late yeers many hundreds if not thousands of this Society have crept into England Scotland and Ireland lurking under several Disguises yea an whole Colledge of them sate weekly in counsel in or neer Westminster some few yeers since under Conne the Popes Nuntio of purpose to embroyle England and Scotland in bloody civil wars thereby to endanger shake subvert these Realms and destroy the late King as you may read at large in my Romes Master-piece published by the Commons special Order An. 1643. who occasioned excited fomented the first and second intended but happily prevented wars between England and Scotland and after that the unhappy Differences Wars between the King Parliament and our three Protestant Kingdoms to bring them to utter desolation and extirpate our reformed Religion The Kings Forces in which many of them were Souldiers after some yeers Wars being defeated thereupon their Father Ignatius being a SOULDIER and they his Military sons not a few of them secretly insinuated themselves as Souldiers into the Parliaments Army and Forces as they had formerly done into the Kings where they so cunningly acted their parts as extraordinary illuminated gifted brethren and grand States-men that they soon leavened many of the Officers Troopers and common Souldiers with their dangerous Jesuitical State-Politicks and Practises put them upon sundry strange designes to new-mould the old Monarchical Government Parliaments Church Ministers Laws of England erecting a New General Councel of Army-Officers and Agitators for that purpose acting more like a Parliament then Souldidiers And at last instigated the Army by open force against their Commissions Duties Oaths Protestations and Solemne League and Covenant to Impeach Imprison Seclude first eleven Commoners then some six or seven Lords after that to seclude seclude the Majority of the Commons House suppress the whole House of Lords destroy the King Parliament Government Priviledges Liberties of the Kingdom and Nation for whose defence they were first raised which by no other adverse power they could effect This produced new bloody divisions animosities wars in and between our three Protestant Realms and Nations and after with our Protestant Allies of the Netherlands with sundry heavy monthly Taxes Excises Oppressions Sales of the Churches Crownes and of many Nobles and Gentlemens Lands Estates to their undoing our whole Nations impoverishing and discontent an infinite profuse expence of Treasure of Protestant blood both by Land Sea decay of Trade with other sad effects in all our three Kingdoms yea sundry successive New changes of our publique Government made by the Army-Officers who are still ringing the changes according to Campanella's and Parsons Platforms So that if fire may be certainly discerned by the smoke or the tree commonly known by its fruit as the Truth it self resolves Matâ—h 12. 33. we may truly cry out to all our Rulers as the Jews did once to the Rulers of Thessaâ—onica in another case Act. 17. 6. THOSE Jesuites WHO HAVE TURNED THE WORLD UPSIDE DOWN ARE COME HITHER ALSO and have turned our Kingdoms Kings Peers Monarchy Parliaments Government Laws Liberties yea and our Church and Religion too in a great measure UPSIDE DOWNE even by those very Persons who were purposely raised commissioned waged engaged by Protestations Covenants Vows Oathes Laws Allegiance and Duty to protect them from these Jesuitical Innovations and subversions Those who will take the pains to peruse all or any of these several printed Books most of them very well worth their reading written against the Jesuites and their Practises as well by Papists as Protestants as namely Fides Jesu Jesuitarum printed 1573. Doctrinae Jesuiticae praecipua capita Delph 1589. Aphorismi Doctrinae Jesuiticae 1608. Cambitonius De Studiis Jesuitarum abstrusioribus Anno 1609. Jacobus Thuanus Passages of the Jesuites Hist l. 69 79 83 94 95 96 108 110 114 116 119 121 124 126 129 131 132 134 136 137 138. Emanuel Meteranus his Passages of them Belgicae Hist l. 9 17 18 19 21 23 26 to 34. Willielmus Baudartius Continuation Meterani l. 37 38 39 40. Donatus Wesagus Fides Jesu Jesuitarum 1610. Characteres Jesuiticae in several Tomes Elias Husenmullerus Historia Jesuitici Ordinis Anno 1605. Speculum sive Theoria Doctrinae Jesuiticae necnon Praxis Jesuitaram 1608. Pasquier his Jesuite displayed Petrus de Wangen Physiognomia Jesuitica 1610. Christopherus Pelargus his Novus Jesuitismus Franciscus de Verone his Jesuitismus Sicarius 1611. Narratio de proditione Iesuitarum in Magnae Brit. Regem 1607. Consilium de Jesuitis Regno Poloniae ejiciendis The Acts of the States of Rhetia Anno 1561 and 1612. for banishing the Jesuites wholly out of their Territories NE STATUS POLITICUS TURBARETUR c. mentioned by Fortunatus Sprecherus Palladis Rheticae l. 6. p. 251 273. Melchior Valcius his Furiae Gretzero c. remissae 1611. Censura Jesuitarum Articuli Jesuitarum cum commonefactione illis opposita Anti-Jesuites au Roy par 1611. Variae Doctorum Theologorum Theses adversus quaedam Jesuitica Dogmata The Remonstrance of the Parliament of Paris to Henry the Great against the Re-establishment of the Jesuites And their Censure of Mariana his Book to be publickly burnt printed in French 1610. recited in the General History of France in Lewis 13. his life and Peter Matthew l. 6. par 3. Historia Franciae Variae Facultatis Theologiae Curiae Parisiensis quam aliorum opuscula decreta
of late here objected against the Kings Jesuiticall and Popish ill Counsellors And whosoever will peruse the severall Speeches and Declarations made upon the breaking up of former Parliaments since the beginning of his Majesties Raign will find the pretences of those unjust and illegall Dissolutions to be grounded upon the exceptions against some particular Members under the name of A few factious and seditious persons so that the aspersing and wounding of the Parliament through the sides of a few Members is no new invention And hath not this been the very Army officers practice since the first year of their reigne till now to wound the last real parliament yea their own lare dissolved Mock parliaments since though the sides of a few corrupt Members or a corrupt Maiority in the House as all their printed Declarations upon their dissolutions attest And is this then no crime or no Jesuiticall practise in them though such in the late King and his ill Counsellors And for the satisfaction of all indifferent men that this war is raised against the parliament wee shall refer them to former Declarations issued out in his Maiesties name being so many invectives and groundless accusations not against particular Members only but against the Vote and proceedings of both Houses And are not many of the Armies Declarations in 1647. and 16â—â— yea the late pamphlet of some present Grandees 〈◊〉 A True State of the Case of the Commonwealth of England printed 1654. Such let them now then see whence they took their pattern even from the beheaded Kings Iesuited evill Counsellors whose steps they exactly trace in this But if the truth were as that Declaration seems to imply That this Army is raised to force some particular Members of this parliament to be delivered up yet upon that ground would it follow that the same is levied against the Parliament For it cannot be denyed by any ingenious man but that the Parliament by their inherent rights and priviledges hath the power to judge and punish their own Members yet the Army officers took upon them to secure seclude them without charge and their future new minded parliament Members though only elected by the people must be trye à iudged by the new Whitehall Members ere they can be admitted to sit Article 21. of the New Government And we have often declared to his his Majestie and the world That we are alwaies ready to receive any evidence or accusations against any of them and to judge and punish them according to their demerits yet hitherto no evidence produced no Accuser appearing And yet notwithstanding to raise an Army to compel the parliament to expose those Members to the fury of those wicked Counsellors that thirst for nothing more then the ruin of them and the Commonwealth What can be more evident then that the same is levied against the Parliament For did they prevaile in this then by the same reason pray observe it They might demand twenty more and never rest satisfied until their malice and Tyrany did devour all those Members they found cross and opposite to their lewd and wicked designs And was not this the practice of the Army-officers who levied a reall actuall Warre against the parliament They first impeached secluded XI Members of the Commons house and some Lords soon after An 1647. then they secured imprisoned my self with 44. Members more and secluded the greatest part of the Commons House leaving not above 50. or 60. at first sitting who confederated with them in December 1648. within two moneths after this they beheaded the King then suppressed the whole Lords House to carry on their designs since acted At last they dissolved their own Mock Parliaments when they crossed their ambitious aspires What they did in September last since this was first penned to those now sitting is fresh in memory Touching the priviledges of Parliament which the contrivers of that Declaration in his Majesties name and the Contrivers of sundry Declarations since in the armies name who imitated them herein seem to be so tender of and to profess all conformity unto and deny this army to be raised in any degree to violate we shall appeale to the judgment of any indifferent man how little truth is contained in this their assertion or in the Army Officers printed papers to the same effect The Parliament is to be considered in three severall respects First as a Council to advise Secondly As a Court to judg 3. As it is the body representative of the whole kingdome to make repeal or alter lawes whether the Paarliament hath enjoyed its priviledges in any of these respects under the Army Officers and powers as wel as late King let any that hath eyes open judg For the first Wee dare appeal even to the Consciences of the Contrivers themselves and to the consciences of the Army-Officers Souldiers and Whitehall men themselves whether matters of the highest importance witness all the publike proceedings against the late Parliament King Peers Government the warrs with Scotland Holland their new Magna Charta repealing the old entituled The Government of the Commonwealth of England Scotland and Ireland wherein they take upon upon them such an Omnipotent Soveraign power as To pass a decree upon the waveting humors of the people and to say to this nation yea to Scotland and Ireland too As the almighty himself said once to the unruly Sea Here shall be thy bounds hitherto shalt thou come and no further as ome most arrogantly if not blasphemously publish in print to all the world in their True State of the Case of the Common-wealth p. 34. Their making of new binding Laws and Ordinances repealing old Laws and Statutes in and by pretext of this Instrument out of Parliament as their manifold VVhit-hal Folio new Edicts amounting to near 700 pages attest have not been agitated and determined in and by the Armie-Officers General-Councel and other unparliamentary Juncto's not onely without but even contrary to their Advice and Votes too and whether Private unknown Councels in the Army VVhite-hall and elswhere have not been hearkned unto approved and followed when the Faithfull and wholsome advice of the great Counsel hath been scorned and neglected by the Army Officers and their Confederates And 〈◊〉 can deny but it is one of the Principle ends why a 〈◊〉 called To Consult the great Affairs of the Church and State And what miserable effects and 〈…〉 neglect of the great Councell and preferring of unknown and private Councels before it hath proved let the present Distractions of this Kingdome bear witnesse with all the bloody unchristian VVars Taxes Oppressions Distractions since the Armies force upon the King Members Houses Anno 1647. and 1648. to this present time Concerning the Second it sufficiently appears by the making the Kings Court by the Force and Power of the Kings Army the Sanctuary and reâ—uge of All sorts of Delinquents against the Parliament and Kingdome and protecting
14. John 10. 4 5. Dan. 3. 4 to 30. 1 King 19. 18. 2 Chron. 11. 13. to 18. Which serious seasonable considerations as they should daunt the hearts and allay the high Presumptious Spirits of the most Successful Conquerours Powerful Usurpers over and violent Invaders of the Liberties Lives Estates Rights Properties of their Lawful Superiors or Christian Brethren and all Subverters of the Laws Priviledges Parliaments Government of their Native Country especially against their Oathes and Trusts So the Meditation on them together with the contemplation of the infinite Power Wisdom Faithfulness Justice Holiness Presence and gracious Promises of God have at all times and seasons hitherto invincibly animated steeled fortified my Sonl in the midst of all my sufferings both under the domineering Prelates Parliament-assaulting Army-Officers the late Tyrannical cashiered Republicans and all other self-created oppressing Powers which if not already dead and buried in the dust with all their thoughts and high aspiring Projects yet shall certainly die ere long like men and become as dung yea they have enabled me by Faith and Patience to be more then a coâ—quering triumpher over them and to sing aloud with magnanimous David a man after Gods own heart long before their down-fall Psal 27. 1 2 3. The Lord is my Light and my Salvation whom shall I fear The Lord is the strength of my life of whom shall I be afraid When the wicked even mine enemies and my foes came upon me to eat up my flesh they stumbled and fell Though an Host should encampe against me as they did at Westminster at my House and in sundry Garrisons where I was a Prisoner under Souldiers my heart shall not fear though war should rise against me in this I will be confident I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people that have set themselves against me round about And to cry out in Pauls words of defiance against all Enemies and Perils in the cause of my God and Country uttered in his own and all true Elected Saints names Rom. 8. 35 c. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ or my Native Country as well actively as passively considered Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or peril or SWORD of an whole Army or other Powers Nay in all these things we are more then Conquerors through him that loved us For I am perswaded that neither death nor life nor Angels nor PRINCIPALITIES NOR POWERS nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. And to say with him in all threatned Dangers for my sincere consciencious publick Services Act. 20. 22 24. And now I go bound to Jerusalem not knowing the things that shall there befall me save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every City saying that Bonds and Afflictions wait for me But none of these things move me neither count I my life dear unto me so as I may finish my course with joy and the Ministery which I have received of the Lord Jesus c. And verily methinks the serious contemplation thereof and of all the premises with that of 2 Sam. 10. 12. Isai 51. 12. Jer. 1. 8. Ezech. 2. 2 to 6. Matth. 10. 26 28. Isai 1. 12 13. coupled with Psal 11. 2. If the foundations be destroyed what can the righteous do Prov. 24. 22 23. My Son fear thou the Lord and the King AND MEDDLE NOT WITH THOSE WHO ARE GIVEN TO CHANGE For their calamitie shall rise suddenly which we have seen verified in many late Changers Mock-Parliaments and self-created new Powers and who knoweth the ruine of them both should now at last banish all base carnal fears out of all timerous hearts rouse up the lanâ—uishing fearful dead stuped Spirits of our degenerated English Nation and engage them all unanimously undauntedly to claim vindicate regain re-establish those ancient undoubted Hereditary Fundamental Rights Liberties Priviledges Franchises Laws Government purchased with their Ancestors and their own dearest Blood Treasures which belong to the whole Kingdom to all true English Parliaments Freemen in general and to every of them in particular whereof they have of late yeers been forcibly disseised or hypocritically cheated by pretended Patrons Preservers and Propugners of them the substance whereof I have here set before their eyes in ten brief Propositions and by Records Statutes Presidents Histories Contests Resolutions in all ages undauntedly as their Common Advocate asserted fortified to my power for their Encouragement and president in this publick work And if they will now but couragiously second me herein with their joynt bold rightfull Claims Votes Declarations and Resolute Demands of all and every of their enjoyments and future inviolable Establishments according to their Oaths Vows Protestations Duties manifold late Declarations Remonstrances Solemn League Covenant and the encouraging memorable Presidents of their Ancestors in former ages here recorded I dare assure them by Gods blessing a desired good-Success whereof their Ancestors never failed no mortal Powers nor Armies whatsoever having either Impudency or Ability enough to deny detain them from them if they will but generally unanimously couragiously importunately claim and demand them as their Birth-rights But if they will still basely dis-own betray and cowardly desert both them and their Assertors and leave them to a single combate with their combined Jesuitical enemies whom none take care to discover suppress or banish out of our Realms where they now swarm more then ever and Armed Invaders the Fate of our old English Britons when they improvidently neglected to unite their Counsels Forces against and fought onely singly with the invading united Armies of the Romans is like to be Englands condition now Dum pugnant singuli vincuntur universi the single Champions of our Liberties Laws Rights will be easily over-powered destroyed for the pesent and all others by their unworthy Treachery and Basenesâ— in not adhering to but abandoning their present Patrons discouraged disabled to propugne regain them for the future the whole Kingdom vanquished enslaved to them for eternity in all humane probability to those who have broken your former yokes of wood but instead thereof have made for and put upon you yokes of Iron and by the Jesuites Machiavilian Plots and Policies will reduce you by degrees under a meer Papal yoke at last having deeply leavened many in power and arms with their forementioned most desperate Jesuitical Positions Practises and Politicks which will soon usher in the whole body of Popery and all damnable Heresies whatsoever to the ruine of our Religion as well as Laws and Liberties Wherefore seeing it neither is nor can be reputed Treason Felony Sedition Faction nor any Crime at all but a commendable bounden Duty to which our Protestations Oaths Leagues Covenants Reason Law Conscience our own private and the publick Interest Safety of the Nation engage us
WAS THE LIKE NEVER HEARD OF BEFORE TO THIS PRESENT And may we not then justly suspect fear conclude that all our late dismal changes and turning all things upside down in our Church State Kingdoms Parliaments were originally promoted contrived by the Jesuites and effected by the seduced Officers and Souldiers as their delâ—ded instruments 2. That this Jesuite Parsons in his Books of the Reformation of all the States of England as he prescribed Reformations to the Prince Court Counsellors Noblemen Bishops Prelates Pastors Universities Lawyers Laws in which he will have STRANGE METAMORPHOSES so likewise THE COURT OF PARLIAMENT HE WILL HAVE BROUGHT TO BETTER FORM as W. W. a secnlar Priest in A Dialogue between a Secular Priest and a Lay-Gentleman Printed at Rhemes Anno 1601. Watson in his Quodlibets p. 92. to 96. 320. to 334. William Clark a secular Priest in his Answer to Father Parsons Libel p. 75. c. in direct terms attest And may we not then justly suspect that the late New-models and Reformation of our Kingdoms Parliaments Government Laws c. proceeded primarily from the Jesuites Projections and Plots against them if the Statutes of 23 Eliz. c. 1. 27 Eliz. c. 2. 35 Eliz. c. 2. 1 Jac. 1 2 4 5 7. 7 Jac. c. 6. and the manifold Declarations of both Houses of Parliament Exact Collection p. 491 462 497 498 616 631 666 698 813 to 828. may be judges 3. That the Jesuites drift directly is immediately by means of CONQUEST intended for England to bring it and all Christendom into an uproar FOR COMMON SOULDIERS TO EXAMINE THEIR SOVERAIGNS WHAT TITLE THEY HOLD BY that thereupon themselves by craft money and multitudes gathered together through their Policy may bring England and then Spain and all the rest under their subjection and Monarchy And that principally by this Jesuitical Position That every Precopie or Tartarian multitude getting once the stile and title of a PUBLICK STATE or HELVETIAN COMMONWEALTH may alter change and innovate the course of inheritances and succession TO CROWNS AND KINGDOMS and also to every private Persons heritage holden in Fee-simple as William Watson assures us in these very terms And whether the Jesuites have nor instructed our Army-Officers and Common Souldiers upon this pretext and for this very end to examine their Soveraigns yea our Parliaments Titles Priviledges and Powers too of late and dispose of them at their pleasure let themselves the whole Nation with all in present power in the fear of God most seriously consider without passion or affection before it be over-late 4. That the Oaths of Supremacy and Allegiance specially made prescribed by our most wise zealous Protestant Parliaments to prevent the Treasonable Plots and designs of Popes Jesuites and Papists against our Protestant Princes Realms Parliaments Religion though confirmed by many Statutes and containing in them onely the Declaration of such a Duty as every true and well-affected Subject not onely by the bond of Allegiance but also by the COMMANDMENT OF GOD ought to bear to the King his Heirs and Successors and none but persons infected with Popish Superstition formerly oppugned as the Prologue of the Statute of 7 Jacobi c. 6. positively resolves have by late State-innovators not onely been discontinued suspended but declaimed against and repealed as much as in them lay as UNLAWFUL OATHS The New Oath for abjuration of Popery with all Bills against Jesuites and Papists presented to the late King by both Houses the last Parliament and by him consented to in the Isle of Wight wholly laid aside and quite buried in oblivion The Solemn Protestation League and Covenant prescribed by the last Parliament and taken by all the well-affected in all the three Kingdoms to prevent the dangerous plots of Papists and Jesuites and our common enemies to destroy our Religion Churches Realms Government Parliaments Laws Liberties quite antiquated decried detested and a New Engagement forcibly imposed under highest penalties and disabilities upon all men diametrically contrary to these Oaths Protestations and Covenants which have been by a new kinde of Papal Power publickly dispenced with and the people absolved from them to become sworn Homagers to other new self-created Lords and Masters And are not all these to considerate zealous Protestants strong Arguments of the Jesuites Predominancy in our late counsels changes of Government 5. That the Notion of THE PRESENT GOVERNMENT in my weak apprehension deriving its original from the Jesuites-late invented PRESENT CHURCH the onely Supream Power and Judge of Controversies which all men must submit unto without dispute by their determination as they must do to that present Republican Government and new Optimacity and Popularity lately set up instead of our Monarchy Which two forms of Government as they were the inventions of Factious Graecians at first which put all their Cities into Combustions fury frenzy and civil wars against each other to their utter overthrow in conclusion witness these verses of Heniochus an ancient Greek Comaedian Tum geminae ad illas accesserunt Mulieres RITAS QUAE CUNCTA CONTURBARUNT OPTIMA Est nomen alieri alteri POPULARITAS RUNT Quarum incitatu PRIDEM EXTERNATAE FUso Parsons Campanella Cardinal Rechâ—liâ—u designed to introduce and set them up amongst us in England Scotland and Ireland of purpose to divide and destroy us by civil wars and combustions and bring us under their Jesuitical power at last as the marginal Authorities declare to all the world And if this be undeniable to all having any sence of Religion Peace or publick Safety left within their bâ—ests is it not more then high time for us to awake out of our former lethargy and sordid selfish stupidity to prevent our ruine by these and other forementioned Jesuitical practises Or can any English man or real Parliament be justly offended with me for this impartial discovery of them And for my endeavours to put all the dislocated Members and broken bones of our old inverted Fundamental body Politick into their due places joynts and postures again without which there is no more possibility of reducing it to its pristine health ease settlement tranquility prosperity or of preserving it from perâ—ecual pain inquieration consumption and approaching death therâ—of a natural body whose principal members continue dis-joynted and bones broken all in peices as all prudent State-Physitians must acknowledge These five Considerations together with the Premises will I presume sufficiently justifie this my undertaking and impartial discovery of Jesuitical Plots to ruine our Church Religion Kingdoms Parliaments Laws Liberties Government against all malicious Enemies Accusers Maligners whatsoever before all the Tribunals of God or Men where I shall be ready to justifie them upon all occasions In perpetual testimony whereof I have hereunto set my Hand and by God's Grace shall ever be ready to seal them and the truth of God with my blood if called out to do it Swainswick Aug. 12. 1654. Will.
Iceni famous for his riches which he had been a long time gathering by his will made Claudius and his own two daughters his heir thinking by his flattery to make his Kingdom and house sufficiently secure from Injurie which fell out quite contrary for his Kingdome by the Roman Centurions and his house by Slaves was seised on and spoyled as lawfull booty his wife Boadicia whipped his Daughters deflowred the chiefest persons of that Province dispossessed of their lawfull Inheritance and the Kings kindred reputed and used as slaves Hereupon the Icenians began seriously to discourse of their present bondage and miseries made subject to a Lieutenant which sucked their bloud and to a Procurator that sought their substance whiles with a servile fear they yealded to please the meanest Souldier as though the Heavens had framed them only for servitude and the earth appointed to bear their injuries unrevenged and meeting together in secret consultations they ripped up their wrongs and oppressions and aggravated them to the highest saying that no other good was to be looked for by their sufferance but that more grievous burdens should be imposed upon them still as men ready to bear all willingly c. That the Roman Souldiers from whose unsatiable avarice and unbridled lust nothing was free were but a handfull in respect of the Britons that if they would but endevour to follow the prowess and valour of their Ancestors and not be dismayed with the doubtfull successe of one skirmish or two they would soon enforce them to recede out of the Island c. In fine they resolved That Liberty was to be preferred though bought with their lives and Bondage to be avoided if not otherwise then by their deaths Whereupon chusing Boadicea for their Leader they suriously fell upon the insulting oppressing Romans slew no lesse then seventy thousand of them and their confederates sacked and plundered their free Town Verolamium resolving to extirpate and drive them out of the Island Upon this Suetonius the Roman Governor collecting all the Forces he could raise against her She made a most gallant encouraging Oration to her Britons thus aggravating their oppressions What abuse can be so vile that we have not suffered or indignity so contemptible that we have not borne my stripes yet felt and seen against their own Laws do witnesse well what Government they intend Your wealth is consumed by their wastfull wantonnesse your painfull travels upholding their idlenesse do seal the issues of our succeeding miseries if not timely prevented by one joynt endevour You that have known the Freedome of life will with me confesse I am sure that Liberty though in a poor estate is better then fetters of gold and yet this comparison hath no correspondency in us for we now enjoy no estate at all nothing being ours but what they will leave us and nothing left us that they can take away having not so much as our very heads tole free Other subdued Nations by death are quit from Bondage but we after death must live servile and pay tribute even in our graves Have the heavens made us the ends of the world and have not assigned us the ends of our wrongs Or hath nature among all her free works created us only Britons for bondage Why what are the Romans are they more then men or immortall Their slain carcasses sacrificed by us tell us they are no Gods But you will say they are our Conquerors Indeed overcome we are but by our selves our own factions still giving way to their invasions Our dissersions have been their only rising and our designes been weakned by homebred Conspiracies We have as much to keep as birthright can give us that is our Island possessed by our Ancestors from all antiquity ours by inheritance theirs by intrusion claimes so different in the scale of Justice that the Gods themselves must needs redresse Whereupon the Britons fighting valiantly lost eighty thousand of their lives to redeem their Liberties and Boadicea seeing her Army routed chose rather out of a noble spirit to end her life and miseries together by poyson then to live under the Roman bondage and see her Country languish under their intolerable oppressions About the year of our Lord 179. or rather 185. Lucius King of Britain who succeeded his Father Coillus by descent being converted to the Christian faith with most of his Nobles and Subjects the first Christian King and Kingdom in the world petitioned Pope Eleutherius as the marginall Authors testifie Ad Petitionem Regis et procerum Regni Britannie assembled no doubt in a general Councell when they made and sent this Petition to send a copy of the Imperial Roman Laws to govern the people by who returned the King this answer in writing You have requested from us that the Laws of Rome and Caesar might be sent over which you desire to use in the Realm of Britain The Roman and Caesars Laws we may alwayes reject but the Law of God in no wise You have received of late through Gods mercy in the Realm of Britain the law and faith of Christ yâ—u have with you in the Realm both Testaments out of them by Gods grace per consilium Regni vestri sume â—egem by the Councell of your Realm take a Law and by it through the patience of God govern your Realm of Britain For you are Gods Vicar in the Realm c. The Kings children are the Christian Nations who live and consist in the Realm under your protection and peace according to that in the Gospell As the hen gathereth the chickens under her wings the Nations and people of the Realm are yours which being divided you ought to congregrate into one tâ— reduce to concord and peace and to the faith and Law of Christ and to the holy Church to foster maintain protect governe and always to defend from injurious and malicious persons and from enemies Woe to the Realm whose King is a childe and whose Princes eat in the morning I call not a King a child from his Nonage but for his folâ—y iniquity and madnesse according to the royall Prophet Bloudy and deceitfull men shall not live out half their dayes c. A King is denominated from ruling not from a Kingdome Thou shalt be a King while thou rulest well which unlesse thou shalt do the name of a King shall not appear in thee and thou shalt lose the name of a King which God forbid Almighty God grant you so to rule the Realm of Britain that you may reign for ever with him whose Vicar you are in the Realm aforesaid This Epistle shewes that the power of making Laws was vested only at that time in this Popes judgment in the King and his great Councel of the Realm and that Kings only ought to rule and govern their people righteously according to the Laws of God and the Realm as Gods Vicars upon earth and to protect them from all violence wrong and enemies
expelling the Barbarians to dispose of it at his pleasure and restore his Country to it pristine estate which had formerly subdued to it Kingdomes far remote To which the King answered I formerly would have accepted of this offer of the Kingdome of Britain but in respect of its present misfortunes it is made more contemptible to me and odious to my Princes But above all other evils the Roman power hath so much prejudiced it that no man can enjoy a stable dignity within it but be must lose his liberty and be burdened with a yoake of servitude and who would not possesse lesse elsewhere with liberty then enjoy the wealth of Britain under a yoak of bondage Notwithstanding because my Grandfather and great Grandfather have enjoyed that Island I will deliver to you my Brother Constantine with 2000. Souldiers which by Gods permission will free the Country from enemies and being there crowned King shall possesse the Kingdome with glory and honour Whereupon Constantine undertaking the expedition the Archbishop used these words to him Christ hath conqueted Christ reigneth Christ commandeth let the grace of Christ be therefore present with our King of Britain who is our defence our hope our joy that he may restore the miserable Island to its pristine liberty Constantine taking shipping arrived at Totnes with 2000. Souldiers to whom the dispersed Britons creeping forth of their holes and dens where they hid themselves repaired from all parts and fighting with their enemies obtained a great victory over them by the diligence and valour of their new King After which facta in Cicestria concione calling an assembly at Chichester they made Constantine King and gave him a wife extracted out of the linage of the noble Romans educated by Guithelin Anno 445. King Constantine being slain by a Pict suborned by Vortigerne as he was hunting there arose a dissension among the Nobles which of them should be made King for Aurelius Ambrosius and Vther the Kings Sons were sent over into little Britain to be educated and if they had been present they could not reign by reason of their childhood Whereupon Vortigerne Consull of the Gewisâ—i who aspired after the Crown with all his endevour going to Winchester and taking Constans a Monk Son of Constantine out of his Cloister brought him to London and there made him King the people scarce consenting to it because he was a Moâ—k and acting the part of a Bishop Guithelin being dead he set the Crown on the Kings head with his own hands The King thus crowned referred the managing of all affaires to Vortigerne alone who craftily committed all the Castles and Forts of the Realm to his own Souldiers and having gotten all the Forts and Power of the Realm into his own hands he cunningly devised how he might destroy the King and get the Crown for himself Whereupon he seised upon the Kings treasures augmented the number of his Soldiers and servants and perswaded the King to intertain a Guard of one hundred Picts who were at his own command and ready to execute any Treason and treachery he should prescribe them to guard his person day and night from enemies The King at his perswasion entertaining these Picts Vortigerne so inriched them with stipends and feasted them with most delicate meats that they did in a manner adore him and aryed openly through the streets that he was worthy to Reign When he had thus highly ingratiated himself in the favour of them all he made them all drunk on a certain day and then told them with tears that he would depart out of Britain seeing he had not enough of his own to maintain 50. Souldiers After which departing as it were sorrowfull to his lodging he left them drinking in the hall which the Picts hearing of murmured one to another saying Why do not we slay the Monke that Vortigerne may enjoy the throne of the Kingdome Rising up therefore being drunke they made an assault upon the King and slew him and brought the Kings head to Vortigerne Which when Vortigerne understood he feigning himself to be very sorrowfull brake forth into a weeping that he might palliate the treason committed under the vaile of tears Then calling the Citizens of London together he acquainted them what had hapned and commanded those Picts to be slain and beheaded that he might render his own fraud exeused from this wicked act At last when he saw no man equall to himself he set the Crown of Britain on his own head and overwent al the Princes He being thus advanced the contagion of all wickednesse began to increase scurrilous wickednesse hatred of truth contempt of God wrangling contention riot villany grew outragious so as Vortigerne alone might seem to be a vessell of all wickednesse and that which is most contrary to royall honesty Nobiles Deprimens depressing the Nobles and advancing ignoble persons both for manners and bloud he became odious to God and Men. Anno 447. When the iniquity and levity of minde of King Vortigerne was divulged to all Nations round about the Scots and the Picts one hundred of whose fellow Citizens Vortigerne had slain for that Treason which he suborned them to act that he might get the Crown rose up against him and most grievously infested him and impunged the Realm of Britain for consuming all things with the sword fire preyes and rapines they ground to powder the sinfull Nation because it favored this Vsurpers royall estate and thus the common people contaminated together with the King communi percellitur ultione is pierced through with a common revenge And as the sword devoured many on the one hand so the Pestilence did more on the other so as the living were not sufficient to bury the dead The King therefore with the desolated people tyred out with warlike incursions not knowing what he might do against the irruptions of their enemies inclined to desolation for Vortigerne hereupon awaked with the cryes of the people assembled a Councell or Parliament to consult what they should do in this publick distresse requiring the advice of his Nobles therein Which our Historians thus relate Super statu publico in medium consulit sententias magnatum suorum explorans So William of Malmesbury Britanni injerunt consiium quid agendum so Henry Huntington and Ethelwerdus placuit omnibus cum rege suo Vortigermo or as Ethelwardus records it Concessit tota Nobilitas c. At last they all agreed and all the Nobility together with King Vortigerne granted and resolved that they should call in the Saxons and English out of Germany to their aid being valiant in armes and then fixed in no setled place by which they conceived they should reape a double benefit for being invincible in armes they would easily repulse their enemies and being unsetled they would reckon it for a very great benefit if they might receive some barren squalid soile and cliffs to inhabit and that they would never attempt
where destroyed to the ground by the Saxons Anno 468. sent for Work-men and caused them to be new built placed Preshyters and Clerkes in them restored divine Service to its due state utterly destroyed the prophane Temples and Idols of the Saxons blotting out their memory from under heaven Moreover he studied and commanded to observe Justice and Peace to Churches and Church-men conferring many Gifts on them out of his Royall bounty with ample Rents commanding all to pray for the prosperity of the Realm and State of the Church The year following by his Letters directed to all the Coasts of Britain he commanded all who could bear Armes speedily to repair to him and to endeavour to exterminate the Pagans out of the confines of Britain Whereupon all of them being assembled together he marched with them against Hengist and the Saxons after a bloudy battel Hengist was taken Prisoner by Duke Eldol fore-mentioned and his whole Army routed The King upon this victory coming to Glocester calling his Captaines and Nobles together commanded them to resolve WHAT OUGHT TO BE DONE CONCERNING HENGIST upon which Eldad Bishop of Glocester brother to Duke Eldol commanding all to be silent grinding his teeth for anger said Although all would set this man free yet I will hew him into peices O effeminate men why doe yee demurre Did not Samuel the Prophet when he hewed the King of Amaleck taken in warre in peices say As thou hast made many Mothers childlesse so will I this day make thy Mother childlesse among women So doe yee likewise concerning this other Agag who hath bereaved many Mothers of their Children Upon which words Eldol drawing forth his sword led Hengist out of the City and cutting off his head sent him packing to hell After this CONVOCAVIT REX CONSVLES ET PRINCIPES REGNI EBORACVM The King called the Consuls and Nobles of the Realm together to York and commanded them to repair the Churches the Saxons had destroyed himself building the Cathedrall there Then marching to London Anno 490. Octa and the other Saxons unable to withstand his power submitted to him confessing his God to be stronger than their Gods with whom he made this agreement that they should leave Kent and those other places they possessed and seat themselves in a Country neer Scotland which he gave them Then going to Ambri he caused great stones there remaining to this day to be set up as a Monument for the Noble Britons there treacherously slain Where he holding A COUNCIL WITH HIS BISHOPS ABBOTS and OTHER NOBLES was Crowned again on Whitsunday and granted the Metropolitical Sea of York then void to Sampson and that of the City of London to Dubritius and likewise REGNVM DISPOSVIT LEGESQVE RENOVAT set the Kingdomes in order and renued the Lawes After this he and the Britans had many battles with the Saxons to defend and recover their Country Liberties Lawes till at last he 〈◊〉 trâ—yterously poysoned Anno 497. whose death the Bâ—itons 〈◊〉 cum quo simul MILITIA ET 〈◊〉 Bâ—â—TONVM EXPIRAVIT as Mathew Westminster and others write From this memorable Story of Vortigerne Aurelius Ambrosius and the Britons and Saxons these particulars are observeable 1. That the British Kings in those times debated all their weighty affaires and concluded all matters touching Warre Peace and the publick defence of the Realm against invading Enemies in Grand Parliamentary Councils in which they likewise made Laws and Edicts 2. That the Princes Dukes and Nobles â—ere the onely or principle Members of the Great Councils of the Realm in those dayes by whose advice all things were managed 3. That Traytors to and Murderers of their lawfull Soveraignes usurping their Crownes bring commonly great fearful Judgements on the whole Kingdome and Nation in case they comply with them therein 4. That Vortegernes Treason in murdering his Soveraignes and usurping their Crown was the occasion of and punished with the long-lasting Warres with the Picts and Saxons yea the original cause of the great revolution of the Government Kingdome and Country of Britain from the Britons to the Saxons 5. That although a bloudy usurping Traytor may reign and deprive the right heir of the Crown of his right for many yeares yet his reign is usually full of warres vexations dangers troubles his end tragicall and the right heir called in and restored by the people themselves at last as herâ— Aurelius Ambrosius was after 21 yeares usurpation of his right and Joash in the seventh year of Athaliah's usurpation 2 Chron. 23. 6. That usurpers are apt to depresse the Nobility and oppresse the Natives of the Realm for fear they should oppose their Tâ—ranny and dethrone them 7. That aâ—l Heresies vices contempt of God and Religion usually sâ—â—ing up and overspread the Realm under Usurpers who give publick countenance to them to please all sides to suppoâ—â— uâ—just authority over them 8. That it is very dangerous to call in forrain Forces upon any necessity into a Kingdome as assistants who commonly prove worse Enemies in conclusion than those they are called in to 〈◊〉 9. That all Mercenary Guards and Souldiers especially Forraigners are for the most part very Treacherous and Perfidious forâ—ibly suppressing supplanting destroying those Princes and Nations they are hired to guard and protect 10. That lawful hereditary Kings are the cheifest Patrons of Gods Ministers Churches Religion and the death of such then religious just valient the greatest losse and misery that can befall a Nation 11. That all Subjects are obliged to defend with their armes and lives their Native Country and lawful Kings against Invaders and Usurpers 12. That the worst of Kings and Usurpers in cases of extream danger are enforced to all Common Councils and to crave the advice and assistance of their Nobles as Vortigerne did here as well as the justest Kings Aurelius Ambrosius dying by poson without Issue Anno 497. Vther Pondragon his Brother and next heir posting to Winchester assembled the Clergy and People of the Realm thither and took upon him the Crown of the Realm which done PRAECEPIT VTHER CONSVLES SVOS AT QUE PRINCIPES AD SEVOCARI VT CONSILIO SVORVM TRACT ARET QVALITER IN HOSTES IRRVPTIONEM FACERENT Vther commanded his Consuls and Nobles to be called to him that by their advice he might debate in what manner they should assault the Enemies whereupon they all assembling in the Kings presence upon mature debates they all agreed to the advice there propounded by Gorlois and encountring the Saxons slew many of them routed the rest took some chief Commanders Prisoners and put them in Prison at London whether the King repaired The feast of Easter approaching REX PRAECEPIT PROCERIBVS REGNI IBI CONVENIRE The King commanded all the Nobles of the Realm to assemble TOGETHER AT LONDON that wearing his Crown he might celebrate the holy day with due honour ALL PRESENTLY OBEYED and the King celebrated the Festivity with joy Among other Nobles
Gorlois Duke of Cornwall was present The King not long after being taken with a great sicknesse Octae and Osa the Saxon Generals bribing their Keepers efcaped out of Prison and then collecting all their forces resolved to extirpate the Britons and Christian Religion out of the Island in pursuance whereof they wasted the Land from Sea to Sea sparing neither Bishops nor Churches overruning all places without resistance The Britons deserting their sick King fled into Woods and Caves refusing to follow the Counsel and Conduct of Consul Lotho a most valiant man whom the King had made Generall of his Forces Hereupon King Vther being much grieved for the Subversion of the Realm the Oppression of the Church the Desolation of the Nobles and Dispersion of the People Anno 512. CONVOCATIS OMNIBVS REGNI SVI MAGNATIBVS calling together all the Nobles of his Realm in a General Parliamentary Councel sharply reproved them both for their Pride and Sâ—othfulnesse and casting out many bitter words with reproaches against them informed them that he himself would lead them against the Enemies that so he might reduce the minds of them all to their pristine state and audacity And commanding himself to be carried in his sick bed in a Litter into the Camp his infirmity not permitting him to be carried otherwise he marched therein with all the strength of the Kingdome against the Enemies who scorned to fight with him being sick in his Litter and at last forcing them to fight after many bloudy encounters utterly routed their forces and slew Octa and Osa their Generals Anno 516. The Saxons treacherously poysoning this Noble King the Bishops Clergy and People of the Realm assembling together buried him honourably at Ambri within the Quire of Giants The funeral being ended Dubricus the Arch-Bishop SOCIATIS SIBI EPISCOPIS ET MAGNATIBVS associting the Bishops and Nobles to him magnificently advanced his Son Arthur a youth but sixteen yeares old to be King to which Solemnity CONVENERVNT EX DIVERSIS PROVINCIIS PROCERES BRITTANNORUM the Nobles of the Britons assembled out of divers Provinces to Caâ—rleon and there crowned King Arthur who having routed the Saxons in twelve severall Battles afterwards if we believe our British Fables as Malmesbury stiles them conquered all France and keeping his Court at Paris CONVOCATIS CLERO ET POPVLO STATVM REGNI PACE ET LEGE CONFIRMAVIT Whence returning into Britain in triumph about the year 536 Pentecost aproaching he resolved to keep that Solemnity at Caer-â—eon and there to be new Crowned Whereupon he sent Messengers into all the Kingdomes and Countries subject to him inviting ALL THE KINGS DUKES and NOBLES SUBJECT TO HIM TO COME TOGETHER TO THAT SOLEMNITY that he might renâ—e a most firm Peace between them Whereupon no lesse than thirteen Kings three Arch-Bishops with sundry PRINCES DUKES CONSULS EARLES and NOBLES there assembled whose names you may read at large in Geoffry Monmouth The King being solemnly crowned by Dâ—bricius Arch-Bishop of 〈◊〉 in the midst of the Feasts Sports and 〈…〉 at this Coronation behold twelve men of mature age of reverend countenance bringing Olive branches in their right hands in token of their Embassy with grave paces came to the King and having saluted him presented him with 〈…〉 Luciu Tiberius Procurator of the Roman Râ—publiâ—k to this effect I exceedingly admire the frowardnesse of thy Tyranny aâ—d the Injâ—ry thou hast done to Rome that going out of thy self thou refusest to acknowledge her neither dost thou consider what it is to offend the Senate by unjust actions to whom thou art not ignorant the whole 〈…〉 Service For thou hast presumed to detain THE TRIBUTE OF BRITAIN which THE SENATE COMMANDED THEE TO PAY because Caius Julius and other Romane Emperours have injoyed it for a long time neglecting the command of so great an Order Thou hast taken away from them the Province of the Switzers and all the Isles of the Ocean whose Kings whiles the Roman power pâ—evailed in those parts paiâ— Tribâ—te to our Ancestors Now because the Senate hath diverced to demand Justice concerning so great heapes of thy injuries I command thee to repâ—ir to Rome to answer them on the midst of August the year following the time prâ—fixed to thee that satisfying thy Lords thou maist submit to that sentence which their Justice shall pronounce But if thou refusest I my self will come in person into thy Quarters and will endeavour to restore by the Sword what ever thy frenzy hath taken away from the Republick This Letter being read in the presence of all the Kings and Nobles present King Arthur went apart with them to consult concerning this businesse where craving their unanimous advise and sense conceâ—ning these Mandates He said That he thought the inquietation of Lucius was not much to be feared since ex irrationabile causa from an unreasonable cause he exacted the Tribute which he desired to have out of Britain For he saith that it ought to be given to him because it was paid to Julius Caesar and the rest of his Successors who invited by the divisions of the old Britons arrived with an Army in Britain and BY FORCE and VIOLENCE SUBJECTED THE COUNTRY TO THEIR POWER SHAKEN WITH DOMESTICK COMMOTIONS Now because they obtained it is in this manner Vectigal ex ea INIVSTE RECEPERVNT They RECEIVED TRIBUTE CUT OF IT unjustly Nihil enimu od vi violentia acquiritur juste ab ullo prossidetur qui violentiam intulit Irrationabilem ergo causam pretendit qua nos jure sibi tributarios arbitratur c. FOR NOTHING WHICH IS ACQUIRED BY FORCE and VIOLENCE IS JUSTLY POSSESSED BY ANY MAN WHO HATH OFFERED THE VIOLENCE Therefore he pretends AN UNREASONABLE CAUSE whereby he supposeth us of right to he Tributaries to him Now because he presumes to exact from us id quod injustum est THAT WHICH IS UNJUST by the same reason let us demand Tribute of Rome from him and he which shall become strongest let him carry away that he desires to have For if because Julius Caesar and the rest of the Roman Emperours have in times past subdued Britain he determines that Tribute ought now to be rendred to him out of it in like manner I think that Rome ought now to render Tribute unto us because my Ancestors have in ancient times obtained it For Belinus that most noble King of the Britons using the assistance of his Brother Brennus Duke of the Allobroges having hanged up four and twenty of the most Noble Romans in the midst of the market place took the City and being taken possessed it a long time Moreover Constantine the sonne of Helen and Maximianus both of them my neer Kinsmen both of them Kings of Britain one after the other obtained the Throne of the Roman Empire Doe yee think therefore that Tribute is to be demanded by the Romans Concerning France or the Collaterall Islands of the Ocean I am not to answer to
serpentem odiens CIVILIAQUE BELLA CREBRAS INJUSTE PRAEDAS SITIENS animae tuae caelestes portas pacis ac refrigerii praecludis Quid tu etiam insularis Draco MULTORUM TYRANNORUM DEPULSOR TAM REGNO QUAM ETIAM VITA snpradictorum novissime in nostro stylo prime in malo major multis potentia simulque malitia Largior in dando profusior in peccato robuste armis sed animae fortiâ—r excidiis Maglocune in tam vetusto scelerum aâ—ramento stolide volutaris Quare tantas peccaminum regiae cervici sponte ut ita dicam ineluctabiles celsorum seu Montium innectis moles Nonne in primis adolescentiae tuae annis avunculum Regem cum fortissimis propemodum militibus acerrime ense hasta igni oppressisti Parum cogitans propheticum dictum Viri inquiens sanguinum doli non dimidiabunt dies suos Quid pro hoc solo retributionis a justo judice sperares si non talia sequerentur quae secuta sunt itidem dicente per prophetam Vae tibi qui praedaris nonne ipse praedaberis qui occidis nonne ipse occideris cum dâ—siveris praedari tunc cades These sinnes brought the ancient British Kings with their Kingdomes and People to ruine Legitur in Libro Gildoe Sapientissimi Britonum Quod ijdem Britones propter Avaritiam rapinam Principum propter iniquitatem injuriam Judicum propter desidiam praedicationis Episcoporum propter luxuriam malos mores populi Patriam perdiderunt write Alcuinus and Malmesbury The Lord grant they may not bring our Kingdomes and Nations to like ruine and desolation now How many bloudy Warres and battles the Brotons after they were driven out of their Country into the Welsh Mountaines by the Saâ—ons fought with them for the defence of their Country Rights Liberties under the conduct of valient Cadâ—in who after twenty four yeares civill Dissention amongst the Britons and so long an Inter-regnum was by the UNANIMOUS CONSENT OF ALL THE PRINCES and NOBLES OF THE BRITONS ASSEMBLED TOGETHER in a great Parliamentary Councill AT LEGECESTER ELECTED and MADE 〈◊〉 OF THE BRITONS Which Nobles and Counsellor would not permit him to give way that Edwin the Saxon by his permission should be crowned King of Northamberland Aiebant enim CONTRA IVS VETERVMQVE TRADITIONEM ESSE Insulam unius CORONAE DVOBVS CORONATIS SVBMITTI DEBERE And after his decease under Cadwallo his Son who succeeded him in the Crown and under famous Cadwallader succeeding Cadwallo his Father in the Kingly Government by lineall dâ—scent by whose death both the royall blond with the Government of the Britons and the very name of Britain it self expired you may read at large in Geoffry Monmouth Bâ—da Gildas Maelmesbury Huntindon Mathew Westminster Fabian Holinshed Grafton Speed and others being over tedious to relate The divisions and discords amongst the British Nobility during Cadwalladers sicknesse seconded with eleven yeares sere pâ—stilence famine and all sorts of miseries whereby the land became desolate enforced them to forsake their native Country and to seek relief in forraign parts Whereupon the Saxons sending for more of their Countrymen into Britain replenished and planted the vacant Country dispossessing the Britons totally of their ancient rightfull Inheritance which they never since regained after they had possessed it from Brute to Cadwallader for two thousand seventy six yeares under one hundred and two Kings as John Brompton records in the beginning of his History col 725. And this shall suffice concerning the Britons Contests and Wars for their Liberties Laws Government Country Religion against the Romans Saxons and touching their Great Parliamentary Councils Proceedings in them from Julius Caesars to the Saxons Conquest and total supplantation of them by Treachery Violence and the Sword of which violent Intrusion Laeland our famous Antiquary and Archbishop Parker in his Antiquitâ—tes Ecclesiae Britannicae p. 12. give their Censure in point of Conscience who writing of Pope Gregories conversion of the Pagan Saxons who expelled the Britons to the Christian Faith conclude thus Debuerat Gregorius admonuisse Saxones GENTEM PERFIDAM ut si syncere Christiaâ—issimâ—m admittere vellent BRITANNIAE IMPERIVM QVOD CONTRA SACRAMENTVM MILITIAE PER TYRANNIDEM OCCVPAVERANT IVSTIS DOMINIS AC POSSESSORIBVS RESTITVERENT That is Gregory ought to have admonished the Saxons a PERFIDIOUS NATION that if they would sincerely embrace Christianity they then ought to restore the Kingdome of Britain which they had seised upon by Tyranny against the Oath of their Militia to the just Lords and Possessors thereof a Doctrine fit to be pressed on others now by all our Ministers which because they neglected to doe you may read what a divine retaliation their Postetity received from the Pagan Danes in the insuing Sections CHAP. III. SECT III. Comprising some remarkable Generall Historicall Collections proving the limited Power and Prerogative of the first Saxons Kings of England disabled to make any Lawes Warre Peace alienate their Crown Lands impose any Taxes Tributes in any Necessity or kind whatsoever but in and by common consent in the Generall Parliamentary Councils of their Nobles and Wisemen which they were obliged to summon upon all occasions when there was need and to govern their people justy according to Law The Saxons proceedings against their Tyrannicall oppressing Kings and the severe Judgements of God upon some Saxon Subjects for their Perjury Treachery disloyalty Rebellion against expulsions murders of their lawfull Soveraignes and unrighteous violent disinheriting the Christian Britons by the sword of their Native Country THe British Kings and Britons being for their Tyranny Perjury Treachery Injustice and other sinnes related reprehended by Gildas driven out and dispossessed of their Royalty and Country by the Saxons they about the year of our Lord 576. divided it into seven Kingdomes and set up seven Kings in severall parts of the Island who soon after waged civill Warres and more than civill Warres one with another These Kings all agreed utterly to delete the name of Britain and the memory of the Britons Whereupon they by common consent ordained That the Island should not be called Britain from Brute but England These Kings were at first elected by the Saxon Nobles and People to reign over them to govern the people of God and TO MAINTAIN and DEFEND THEIR PERSONS and GOODS IN PEACE BY THE RULES OF RIGHT And at the beginning so soon as they turned Christians they made their Kings to swear that they should maintain the Christian faith with all their power and GOVERN THEIR PEOPLE BY RIGHT without respect to any person and should be SUBJECT TO SUFFER RIGHT AS WELL AS OTHERS OF THE PEOPLE And although the King ought not to have any Peer in his Land for as much if he did wrong or offended against any of his people he or any of his Commissioners should not be both Judge and party it behoved of RIGHT THAT THE KING SHOULD
nor his sheep nor his field nor any thing that is his For the Prophet threatneth saying Wo to you who joyn house to house and lay field to field till there be no place that you may be placed alone in the midst of the earth These things are in my eares saith the Lord of Hosts Again the Prophet crieth Deliver the poor and needy rid them out of the hand of the wicked Remember what he deserveth who shall offend one of these little ones but whosoever shall receive one of these receiveth Christ from whom he shall deserve to hear in the day of Judgement Come yee blessed inherit the Kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the world Cap. XIV De cohibendis Fraude RAPINIS ET TRIBVTIS ecclesiae INJVSTE IMPOSITIS Let Fraâ—d VIOLENCE AND RAPINE BE FEARED AND NO UNJUST OR GREATER TRIBUTES IMPOSED ON THE CHURCHES OF GOD then by the Roman Law and THE ANCIENT CUSTOMES OF FORMER EMPEROURS AND PRINCES HATH BEEN USED He who desires to communicate with the holy Roman Church and St. Peter the chief of the Apostles let him study to keep himself free from this vice of VIOLENCE So concord and unanimity shall be every where between Kings and Bishops Ecclesiasticks and Laicks and all Christian people that there may be unity every where in the Churches of God and peace in one Church concurring in one faith hope and charity holding the Head which is Christ whose Members ought to help one another and to love one another with continuall Charity as he himself hath said By this shall all men know that ye are my Disciples if you shall love one another These old established Saxon Lawes and Canons backed with sacred Scriptures manifest the Duty of our old Saxon Kings and their Officers towards their Subjects whom they could not injure oppresse or tax in any kind against their ancient Lawes Customes Priviledges as likewise what Loyalty and Obedience the people owed to their Kings which bounds when their Kings exceeded in an exorbitant manner you have seen how they proceeded with them and when the people exceeded them on the other hand against their Loyalty and Duties they did not escape unpunished Take but one memorable general president in this kind in the Seditious factious rebellious Saxons of the Kingdom of Northumberland who were infamous for their Insurrections and Rebellions against and Expulsions and Murders of their Kings William Malmesbury and Huntindow give us this Abbreviation of their Rebellions Treasons Regecides Osulf son of Egbrick reigned one year and was betrayed and slain by his Subjects and made way for Mollo who reigning diligently for two yeares was compelled to lay down his Regality and slain by Alred who succeeding him reigned eight yeares and then was chased out of his Realm and deposed by his people from the Throne he had invaded Adelred Son of Mollo succeeding him reigned three yeares and then was driven out of his Kingdome and forced to fly from the face of his Rebellious Dukes and Captaines Then Celwold alias Alfwold being cried up King after ten yeares reign mourned under the Treachery of his Subjects being slain without fault by the Treason of Duke Sigga Osred his Nephew the next King reigned scarce one year and then was chased by his Subjects out of the Realm and afterwards slain Adelred Son of Mollo reigned again four yeares taking severe vengeance against those Rebellious Dukes and others who first expelled and deposed him and then was slain by his alwayes most wicked people being unable to avoid the fate of his Predecessors Ardulf his Successor reigned twelve yeares and then was chased out of his Realm by his rebellious Subjects And Oswold after him holding the Title of King onely for twenty eight dayes was forced to save his life by flight unto the King of Picts After which the Northumbrians preoccupated with the madnesse of their folly continued divers yeares without a King For many Natives and Nobles being offended with these Rebellions and Murders of their Kings fled out of their Country as fearing some heavy plague to befall it Alcuinus that Country-man then in France with Charles the great being ready to return to his Country with gifts to King Offa from Charles the Emperor thought best to continue where he was writing thus to Offa That he knew not what to doe amongst his Country men amongst whom no man could be secure or doe any good in giving wholesome Counsell to them their holy places being wasted by Pagans their Altars defiled with perjuries terra SANGVINE DOMINORVM ET PRINCIPVM FAEDATA and their very land it self polluted with the bloud of their Lords and Princes and the raining of bloud then at York in the Lent time where their Religion first took its beginning in that Nation presaged that bloud should come from the Northern parts upon that BLOUDY LAND and Realm of Northumberland almost brought to desolation for its intestine dissentions bloud-sheds and fallacious Oathes which they violated to their Soveraignes The Emperour Charles himself having prepared divers Presents and Letters to be sent by Alcuinus and others to King Offa and King Ethelred and the Bishops of their respective Realmes after his Presents and Letters delivered into the hands of the Messengers hearing of the murther of King Ethelred and the Treachery of this Nation to their Kings by Messengers returning through Scotland from King Offa recalled all his Presents and Gifts and was so farre incensed against that NATION which he called PERFIDIOUS AND PERVERSE AND MURDERERS OF THEIR KINGS ESTIMATING THEM WORSE THAN PAGANS that unlesse Alcuinus had interceded for them he had presently substracted all the good he could from them and have done them all the hurt that possibly he could devise Malmesbury records that after Ethelred no man durst ascend to the Kingdome whiles every one feared in particular lest the chance of these foregoing Kings should befall himself and would rather live safe in inglorious idlenesse then reign pendulus in doubtfull danger Seeing most of the Kings of Northumberland departed out of this life by the Treachery and destruction by their Subjects Whereupon they having no King for thirty three yeares THAT PROVINCE WAS EXPOSED TO THE DERISION AND PREY OF THEIR NEXT NEIGHBOURS and the Barbarous Danes speedily in great Numbers invaded spoiled and possessed it all that time slew most of their Nobility and people till at last they were enforced to subject themselves to the power and pleasure of the West-Saxon Kings to defend them from the Danes who infested invaded and miserably slew wasted destroyed these Seditious Treacherous King-deposing King-murdering Northumberlanders Henry Huntindon and Mathew Westminster record that the year before the Northumberlanders trayterously slew their King Ethelred there were fiery Dragons seen flying through the air after which followed a very great famine which destroyed many of them soon after the Pagan Nations from Norwey and Denmark invaded and miserably
extant certain whereas the other is but conjecturall yet made by common grant and assent of the King and his Barons and People if there were any such After this Councill of Calchuth I find very many Lawes confirming continuing establishing in all successions of ages till this day this charge and payment of Tythes all made by Common Consent in Generall Councils or Parliaments both before and since the Conquest which because they are all extant in John Bromptons Chronicle printed at London 1652. Mr. Lambards Archaion Sir Henry Spelmans Councils Rastals Abridgement of Statutes and accurately collected in a Chronological order by Mr. Selden in his History of Tythes ch 8. where all may peruse them I shall wholly pretermit them here and referre the Reader to these Authors All which Lawes are clear Evidences of the first Propositions verity The third General ancient Saxon Tax and Charge occurring in our Histories imposed on the People was that of Rome-scot or Peter Pence to wit one penny out of every House each year paid on the Feast of St. Peter ad vincula for and towards the maintenance of the English School and Schollars at Râ—me from the payment whereof all the Lands belonging to the Abby of St. Alâ—anes were exempted by King Offa by whom this Tax or Almes was first granted for the maintenance of the English Schollars at Rome and that by the UNANIMOUS antecedent and subsequent CONSENT of Arch-Bishop Humbert and his Suffragans ET PRIMATIBVIS SVS VNIVERSIS and of all his Nobles or chief Men assembled in a PROVINCIAL COUNCIL at Verolam in the year of our Lord 793. This School as Malmesbury De Gestis Regum Angliae l. 2 c. 1. and Balaeus Cent. 1. c. 15. record was first founded by King Offa before his going to Rome which Sir Henry Spelman proves out of Brompton and others But it appeares by Mathew Westminster that this School was there first built and endowed with Peter-pence by King Ive 66. yeares before King Offâ—aes grant and endowment For he writes that King Ive going to Rome Anno 727. built a House in that City by the consent and will of Pope Gregory which he caused to be called the School of the English To which the Kings of England and the royall Stock with the Bishops Elders and Clergy-men might come to be instructed in the Catholick doctrine and faith and so being stedfastly confirmed in the faith might return home again For the Doctrine and Schooles of the English from the time of St. Augustine were interdicted by the Roman Bishops by reason of the daily Herisies which had sprung up by the coming of the English into Britain whiles the Pagans intermixed with the Christians corrupted both the grace of holy conversation and the Christian Faith He likewise built a Church dedicated to the Honour of the Virgin Mary near to this School where the English coming to Rome might celebrate divine Mysteries and be likewise buried if they died there Then he addes ET HAEC OMNIA VT PERPETVAE FIRMITATIS ROBVR OBTINERENT STATVTVM EST GENERALI DECRETO made in General Council of the Realm PER TOTVM REGNVM OCCIDENTALIVM SAXONUM in quo praedictus Ina regnabat ut singulis annis de singulis familiis denarius unus qui anglice ROME-SCOT appellatur beato Petro Ecclesiae Romanae mitteretur VT ANGLI IBIDEM COMMORANTES VITALE SVBSIDIVM INDE HABERENT Which grant Offa King of Mercians first inlarged and granted in his Kingdome distinct from that of Ive 66. yeares after this as aforesaid This Annuall Contribution towards this Schooles maintenance was afterwards confirmed and the due payment thereof prescribed under penalties by the successive Lawes of King Edgar King Ethelred Canutus Edward the Confessor and William the Conquerour made in successive GREAT COUNCILS held in their times BY AND WITH THE ADVICE AND ASSENT OF THEIR ARCH-BISHOPS BISHOPS WISEMEN NOBLES AND SENATORS in the years of our Lord 967 1009 1012 1032 1060. or thereabouts and 1070. By vertue of which Lawes this Tax was duly paid every year in all succeeding ages till it was finally abolished and taken away by name by the Statute of 25. H. 8. c. 21. being perverted from its primitive intended use and made a constant Revenue by and for the Popes themselves against the Donors mindes and their Successors who so long continued it for the foresaid uses of the English schoolings These three most ancient Taxes and Charges originally granted imposed and afterwards continued onely by Common grant and Consent of the King Nobles People in Generall Councils and Parliaments are a most pregnant proof of the first Proposition and of the Peoples most ancient Originall Fundamentall Right of Property in their Goods and Estates exempt from all Impositions and Tallages whatsoever but onely by their free Grants and Consents in Parliament For if our ancientest Christian Saxon Kings and greatest Monarchs could not by their Prerogatives or absolute Power alone but onely with and by the free and common consent and grant of their Nobles Wise-men Prelates and People in the Great Parliamentary Councils of their Realmes impose the Payment of First Fruits and Tithes upon their Subjects though due by the very Law of God towards the Maintenance of Gods Worship and Ministers for the publick good instruction salvation of all their Soules nor yet the Payment of Peter-pence for the Maintenance of Learning and Schollars to supply the Ministry and furnish the Realm with able learned Men for the common benefit both of Church and State being things of greatest Concernment for the Peoples Kingdomes Happinesse Government and Prosperity much lesse then could they lay on them any other Tax Tribute Aid or Assessement whatsoever of lesse necessity and concernment for any inferior uses or for Defence of the Realm by Land or Sea against Enemies or Rovers by their own absolute Authority but onely by and with their voluntary Grants and Consents in Generall Parliamentary Councils of the Realm as every rationall man must acknowledge The fourth Publick Tax or Imposition on the people in point of time is that of Danegeld the first Civill Tax we everread of whereof there was two sorts The first paid to the Danes themselves by way of Composition as to a prevailing Conquering Enemies to prevent their Plunders Rapines Incursions The second paid for the maintenance of valient Souldiers and Mariners to defend the Sea Coasts and Seas against the Invasions Piracies of the Danes and other Enemies The first Payment I find of any monies to the Danes by way of Composition was in the year of our Lord 871. When Bernredus King of Mercians compounding friendly with them Pecuniis Inducias impetravit obtained a Truce with them for money as Mathew Westminster records After this Anno 873. Merciarum Gentes dato munere appeased those Pagans with a Gift What the sum of Money or Gift was is not expressed nor how it was raised nor yet
upon whom but the words imply that it was done by common consent of the Nobles in a Generall Council for their Common Preservation from Plunder not imposed or raised by the Kings Prerogative without their free consents in a General Council or Parliamentary Assembly for so it was assessed and levied in succeeding times Anno Dom. 983. The Danes infesting all the Parts of the Realm and the people not knowing where or how to resist them DECRETVM EST A VIRIS PRVDENTIBVS It was decreed by the Wise-men no doubt in a Generall Councill assembled for that end not by the Kings absolute Authority that they should be overcome with Money who could not be vanquished with the Sword Wherefore they satisfied the Covetousnesse of the Danes with the payment of ten thousand pounds Anno 991. A Tribute of 10000 l. was given them BY THE ADVICE OF SIRICIVS DUKE ETHELWARD AND OTHER NOBLES OF THE REALM that they should cease their frequent Rapines Burnings and Slaughters of men which they used about the Sea Coasts Anno 994. King Aethelred CONSILIO PROCERVM SVORVM by the Counsell of his Nobles no doubt in a Parliamentary Assembly gave them a pension of 16000 l. collected of all England that they should cease from the Rapines and Slaughters of innocent men And Anno 1002. the same King HABITO CONCILIO CVM REGNI SVI PRIMATIBVS utile duxit a Danis dextras accipere c. And CONSILIO PRIMATVM SVORVM by the Counsell of his Nobles or Chief men gave them 24000 l. and Anno 1007. CONSILIO PRIMATVM SVORVM BY THE COUNSEL OF HIS NOBLES he gave them 30000 l. gathered out of all England that they should desist from Rapines and hold a firm Peace with him Anno 1012. Duke Edric and ALL THE NOBLES OF ENGLAND OF BOTH ORDERS to wit the Lords Spirituall and Temporall were assembled together at London before Easter no doubt in a Great Council and continued there so long till the Tribute promised to the Danes should be paid which was 48000 l. All which is recorded in these expresse termes by Mathew Westminster Florentius Wigorniensis and Simeon Dunelmensis in their Chronicles and Histories of these respective years and by Polychronicon Fabian Holinshed Grafton Speed and other late Historians out of them So as this Tax or Tribute paid to the Danes was undoubtedly imposed and levied by common Consent in the Parliamentary Councils of those times not by the Kings own Power and Prerogative alone True it is King Suanus the Dane having conquered most of the Land exacted it from the people and levied it perforce against their wills for the payment of his Souldiers But the Inhabitants of St. Edmonds-bury refused to pay it Whereupon he threatned by force to spoile and destroy the Town but in the midst of his Jollity and Nobles he suddainly cryed out that he was struck through by St. Edmond with a Sword or Speare no man seeing the hand that smote him and so with great horrour and torment died three dayes after at Theâ—ford as Hoveden Annal. pars prior Simeon Dunelmensis de Gestis Regum Angliae Anno 1014. col 170. Math. Westminster Anno 1014 p. 394. Ranulsus de Diceto Abbreviationes Chronicorum col 465. Johann Brompton Chron. col 892. Fabian part 6. c. 200 Polychronicon l. 6. c 16. Speed in his History l. 7 p. 420. with others relate A memorable Punishment for this his illegal Exaction and Oppression As for the Tax of Danegeld imposed on the People to wit 12 d. as some or 2 s as others to be annually paid out of every Hyde or Plowland throughout the Realm except the Lands of the Church and some others exempted from it by special Charters it was imposed by Authority and Acts of Generall Councils onely not by royall Prerogative for Defence of the Kingdome by Land and Sea against the Danes and other Enemies and Pirates as is evident by the Lawes of King Edward the Confessor cap. 12. The Black Book of the Eschequer l. 1. c. 11. Sir Henry Spelman and William Sonmer their respective Glossarium Tit. Danegeld p 200 201. Mr. â—elden his Marâ— Claâ—sum l 2 as I have irrefragably proved at large in My Humble Remonstrance against the Illegal Tax of Ship-mony p 19. to 25 to which I refer you for fuller satisfaction Anno 1051 this unsupportable Tax of Daneâ—elâ— was â—â—leased for ever to the People of England by King Edward the Confessor 〈…〉 towards his oppressed People to wit in the 38. year from the time that Suanus King of the Danes commanded it to be yearly paid to his Army in the reign of King Ethelbert Father to this King Edward Which Abbot Ingulph in his History p 897. Iohn Brompton in his Chronicle col 938 9â—3 Simeon Dunâ—lmensis De Gest Reg Angl col 184. Ailredus Abbas Rievalus de Vita miraculis Edwardi Confess col 383. Radulfus de Diceto Abbrev. Chron col 475 Henry de Knyghton de Eventibus Angl l 1 c. 9. col 2331. Mr Selden in his Marc Clausum l 2 Sir Henry Spelman in his Gâ—ossary Title Dâ—â—egâ—ld and others thus relate in Ingulphus words TRIBUTUM GRAVISSIMUM quod DANEGELD dicebatur OMNI ANGLIAE IN PERPETUUM RELAXAVIT DE TAM FERA EXACTIONE NE IOTA UNVM VOLVIT RETINERE reâ—oring to the People all the mony then collected and brought into his Bed-chamber by his Officers and there laid in heaps upon which this most holy King as some of these record saw a Devil dancing and triumphing with over much Ioy and calling it HIS MONY QUIA INJUSTE ADQUISITA EST DE SUBSTANTIA PAUPERUM because it was unjustly gotten out of the substance of the poor Subjects though by coulour of former Grants by common consent in Parliamentary Councils upon which occasion this good King forthwith restâ— red all that was collected and perpetually released for the future this great and heavy Tribute which had continued near fourty years to the English-men for ever so that after that day it was no more gathered as Roger Hovedon Annal pars prior p 447. Hygden in his Polychron l 6. c 24. Capgrave Surius Ribadenicra Holinshed in the life of Edward the Confessorâ—Math Westm Simeon Dunâ—lmâ—nsis and Florent Wigorniensis An 1051. Grafton in his Chronicle p. 180. Speed in his History of Great Britain l 8. c 6 Sect 7 p 419. Fabian in his Chron part 6. c 210 p 282 with the other forementioned Authors joyntly attest By these four first Generall Taxes and publick charges thus imposed on the ancient Saxons and English onely by common grant and consent in the great Parliamentary generall Councils of the Realm both for the maintetenance of Gods Worship Ministers Religion Learning and defence of the Realm against forraign Enemies and Invasions the truth of the first fundamentall Proposition in the precedent Chapter is abundantly confirmed during all our Saxons Kings Reignes which I shall confirm in subsequent Sections by Presidents in all succeeding ages to