Selected quad for the lemma: power_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
power_n	king_n	law_n	tyrant_n	3,396	5	9.9720	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A46454	K. James's opinion of a King, of a tyrant, and of the English laws, rights, and priviledges in two speeches, the first to the Parliament, 1603, the second, 1609.	James I, King of England, 1566-1625.	1689 (1689)	Wing J141; ESTC R10840	3,629	4

K. Iames's Opinion OF A KING of a TYRANT AND OF The English Laws Rights and Priviledges In Two SPEECHES The First to the PARLIAMENT 1603 the Second 1609. In his Speech to the Parliament 1603 he expresseth himself thus I Do acknowledge that the special and greatest point of difference that is betwixt a rightful King and an usurping Tyrant is in this That whereas the proud and ambitious Tyrant doth think his Kingdom and People are only ordained for satisfaction of his Desires and unreasonable Appetites The righteous and just King doth by the contrary acknowledge himself to be ordained for the procuring of the Wealth and Prosperity of his People and that his great and principal worldly Felicity must consist in their Prosperity If you be Rich I cannot be Poor if you be Happy I cannot but be Fortunate and I protest your Welfare shall ever be my greatest Care and Contentment And that I am a Servant it is most true that as I am Head and Governour of all the People in my Dominion who are my natural Subjects considering them in distinct Ranks so if we will take in the People as one Body then as the Head is ordained for the Body and not the Body for the Head so must a righteous King know himself to be Ordained for his People and not his People for him Wherefore I will never be ashamed to confess it my principal Honour to be the great Servant of the Common-wealth and ever think the Prosperity thereof to be my greatest Felicity c. In his Speech to the Parliament March 21. 1609. he expresseth himself thus IN these our times we are to distinguish betwixt the State of Kings in the first Original and between the State of setled Kings and Monarchs that do at this time Govern in Civil Kingdoms For even as God during the time of the Old Testament spake by Oracles and wrought by Miracles yet how soon it pleased him to settle a Church which was Bought and Redeemed by the Blood of his only Son Christ then was there a Cessation of both He ever after governing his Church and People within the limits of his revealed Will. So in the first Original of Kings whereof some had their beginning by Conquest and some by Election of the People their Wills at that time served for a Law yet how soon Kingdoms began to be settled in Civility and Policy then did Kings set down their Minds by Laws which are properly made by the King only but at the Rogation of the People the King 's Grant being obtained thereunto and so the King came to be Lex loquens a speaking Law after a sort binding himself by a double Oath to the observation of the Fundamental Laws of his Kingdom Tacitly as by being a King and so bound to protect as well the People as the Laws of his Kingdom and expresly by his Oath at his Coronation So as every just King in a settled Kingdom is bound to observe that Paction made to his People by his Laws in framing his Government agreeable thereunto according to that Paction which God made with Noah after the Deluge Hereafter Seed-time and Harvest Summer and Winter Cold and Heat Day and Night shall not cease so long as the Earth remains And therefore a King Governing in a settled Kingdom leaves to be a King and degenerates into a Tyrant as soon as he leaves off to Rule according to his Laws In which Case the King's Conscience may speak unto him as the poor Widow said to Philip of Macedon Either Govern according to your Law aut ne Rex sis or cease to be King and though no Christian Man ought to allow any Rebellion of People against their Prince yet doth God never leave Kings unpunished when they transgress these Limits For in that same Psalm where God saith to Kings Vos dii estis Ye are Gods He immediately thereafter concludes But ye shall die like Men The higher we are placed the greater shall our fall be Ut casus sic dolor as the fall so the grief the taller the Trees be the more in danger of the Wind and the Tempest beats sorest upon the highest Mountains Therefore all Kings that are no Tyrants or Perjured will be glad to bound themselves within the limits of their Laws and they that perswade them the contrary are Vipers and Pests both against them and the Common-wealth For it is a great difference betwixt a King's Government in a settled Estate and what Kings in their Original Power might do in Individio vago As for my part I thank God I have ever given good proof that I never had Intention to the contrary And I am sure to go to my Grave with that Reputation and Comfort that never King was in all his time more careful to have his Laws duly observed and himself to Govern thereafter than I. That Just Kings will ever be willing to declare what they will do if they will not incur the Curse of God. I will not be content that my Power be disputed upon but I shall ever be willing to make the reason appear of all my Doings and rule my Actions according to the Laws And afterwards speaking of the Common Law of England which some conceived he contemned saith to this purpose That as a King he had least cause of any Man to dislike the Common Law for no Law can be more favourable or advantageous for a King and extendeth further his Prerogative than it doth and for a King of England to despise the Common Law is to neglect his own Crown It is true that no Kingdom in the World but every one of them hath their own Municipal Laws agreeable to their Customs as this Kingdom hath the Common Law. Nay I am so far from disallowing the Common Law as I protest that if it were in my hand to chuse a new Law for this Kingdom I would not only prefer it before any other National Law but even before the very Judicial Law of Moses for conveniency to this Kingdom at this time though in another respect I must say both our Law and all Laws else are very inferiour to that Judicial Law of God for no Book nor Law is perfect nor free from corruption except only the Book and Law of God. And therefore I could wish that some Corruptions might be purged and cleared in the Common Law but always by the Advice of Parliaments for the King with his Parliament here are absolute in making or forming any sort of Laws First I could wish that it were written in our Vulgar Language 〈◊〉 for now it is an old mixt corrupt Language only understood by Lawyers Whereas every Subject ought to understand the Law under which he lives since it is our Plea against the Papists that the Language in God's Service ought not to be in an unknown Tongue according to the Rule in the Law of Moses that the Law should be written in the Fringes of the Priest's Garment and should be publickly read in the ears of all the People so methinks ought our Law to be made as plain as can be to the People that the excuse of Ignorance may be taken from them for conforming themselves thereunto Next our Common Law hath not a setled Text being chiefly grounded upon old Customs which you call Responsa Prudentum I could wish that some more certain were set down in this case by Parliament for since the Reports themselves are not always so binding but that divers times Judges do disclaim them and recede from the Judgment of their Predecessors It were good that upon a mature deliberation the Exposition of the Law were set down by Act of Parliament and such Reports therein confirmed as were thought fit to serve for Law in all times hereafter and so the People should not depend upon the bare Opinions of Judges and uncertain Reports And lastly there be in the Law contrary Reports and Precedents and this corruption doth likewise concern the Statutes and Acts of Parliament in respect there are divers cross and cuffing Statutes and some so penn'd as they may be taken in divers yea contrary sences And therefore would I wish both those Statutes and Reports as well in the Parliament as Common Law to be once materially reviewed and reconciled And that not only Contrarieties should be scraped out of our Books but that even such Penal Statutes as were made but for the use of the time for breach whereof no Man can be free which do not now agree with the condition of this our time might likewise be left out of our Books which under a tyrannous and avaritious King could not be endured And this Reformation might we think be made a worthy work and well deserves a Parliament to be set of purpose for it c. And as to the point of Grievances tells them That there are two special Causes of the Peoples presenting Grievances to their King in time of Parliament First For that the King cannot at other times be so well informed of all the Grievances of his People as in time of Parliament which is the Representative Body of the whole Realm Secondly The Parliament is the highest Court of Justice and therefore the fittest place where divers natures of Grievances may have their proper Remedy by the establishment of good and wholsome Laws Wherein he addresses himself especially to the lower House who as representing the Body of the People may as it were both Opportunè Inopportune in Season and out of Season I mean either in Parliament as a Body or out of Parliament as private Men present your Grievances unto me I am not to find fault that you inform your selves of the particular Grievances of the People Nay I must tell you ye can neither be just nor faithful to me or to your Countries that trust and employ you if you do not for true plaints proceed not from the persons employed but from the Body represented which is the People And it may very well be that many Directions and Commissions justly given forth by me may be abused in the execution thereof upon the People and yet I never to receive Information except it come by your means at such a time as this is London Printed for R. Baldwin near the Black Bull in the Old-Baily 1689