Selected quad for the lemma: prince_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A26677
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Allegiance and prerogative considered in a letter from a gentleman in the country to his friend, upon his being chosen a member of the meeting of states in Scotland.
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Gentleman in the country.
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1689
(1689)
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Wing A955; ESTC R11003
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11,569
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18
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established but upon the Ruines of the whole Reformed Interest in Christendom Let all therefore awfully observe the hand of GOD and chearfully submit to his will and without attempting to strugle against Heaven leave K. James to the disposal of Providence Let every Man in his Station contribute what in him lyes to reâ—reive our Religion and Laws from the grievous abuses they have suffered and to secure them to us and our Posterity from the like hereafter and from falling under the fatal Dangers from which GOD has been pleased so signally to rescue them Neither let this Assembly of Estates look back as if they were under any tye to withhold them from advancing vigorously in setling the Government of this Nation now under Anarchy a State in which it cannot subsist Nor let any thoughts of the Right of Succession stop their procedure For besides that there can be no Heir to a living Man the former Arguments are as part against the Prince of Wales true or Supposititious as against King James the 7. But now when God has so wonderfully put this opportunity in their hands let them be as honest and upright hearted Patriots set themselves seriously to consider what is fit to be done for settling a Government in this Nation upon just and solid Foundations whereby the true Religion and publick Peace may be established and secured the just property and Liberties of the Subject clearly asserted and the high-stretched Prerogative of the Crown brought to an equal frame I am perswaded that as it is the Genius so it is the Interest of this Nation to have a Monarchy still established for any other Form must unavoidably evert the whole bulk of our Laws and Customs which might be of fatal Consequence Nor could any other Model be long liv'd here considering the natural bent of Scotsmen to this Besides since experience has discovered to us the worst diseases that can attend Monarchy I think if we be wise we may now apply such Remedies as may secure us for the future against them And so we may be safer under it then any other kind of Government the inconvenieneies whereof in this Nation at least we can only discover by a tract of time As to the choice of a Monarch I think the best method is to follow the example England has set us For besides the just and solid Reasons that determined their choice which are all as pregnant and applicable to us We have further this cogent Reason that England having already declared the Prince of Orange their King out of a due sense of the Great Deliverance he has been Instrumental in working for them We must do the same unless we will declare our selves the most ingrate of Mankind since we are delivered from a far greater Bondage then ever England felt And unless we will resolve to break with England and their King which how fatal it might soon prove every Body can see more then is fit for the Honour of this Nation to express This I shall only say that it were certainly very unkind to the Reformed Religion to divert and weaken by such a breach the K. of Englands hands who is now under GOD the chief support of it But seeing the Fondness of this Nation for the Restoration of K. Charles the Second did hurry them from one extream to another from having abandoned the King and Royal Family to give too much and lay the Foundations of an unbounded Prerogative upon which an Aspiring Court designing to Copy after the Perfidous Cruel Hâ—ctor of Europe finding still unhappily amongst this poor Proud Self seeking People fit Tools for their service have rear'd up an Uncontrolable Despotick Absolute Power in the King and that by repeated Laws but more by a constant Series of Arbitrary practices Whereby they have brought us into Absolute Bondage and laid a Yoke upon us that neither we nor our Fathers were able to bear It therefore nearly concerns and highly becomes the Wisdom of the States of the Kingdom Yea it is their Duty to the Nation whom they Represent and what they owe to their posterity in After-Ages before they give the Crown out of their hands to smooth and purge it of every thing that may be hard and grievous to the People And to leave it only Adorned with such Jewels as can only be firm and shining when by Justice and Mercy they attract the Peoples hearts but will prove brittle and dim when put to gall their Necks I would therefore humbly offer to the Consideration of this Ensueing Meeting some things that to me seem necessary and incumbent for them to do for retrieving this Nation from the intollerable Thraldom we have been brought under And for vindicating and asserting the Peoples Just Right and Freedom without robbing the Crown of any Jewel that 's fit for the Hononr of a King who is to Rule by Law Or without diminishing any part of the Kingly Power that is necessary for enabling out Kings to perform the great duties of their High Charge Let our Kings be Vested with Power to be Nursing Fathers to the Church to be Patres Patriae vigorous Asterters and Defenders of the Honour and Well of the Nation against Attempts from Abroad or Seditions at Home Let them have Power to be Terrors to Evil doers and Encouragers of these that do Well Let them have Power to preserve to all their Subjects their Respective Properties and Liberties from all Insolence and Injustice to see all our Laws vigorously Executed and all Transgressors impartially punished These are the only true Jewels of the Crown and every beyond this that 's fixed to it ought to be cleansed and wiped off as noisom dust and rust that will throughly corrupt it It is then the unquestiouable Duty of this Meeting of the States to cut off from the Crown all such Excressences as are useless to a Just King and to our sad experience are Pernicious and of most dangerous consequence to the People First Then it has been often Asserted and maintained That the King derives his Crown and Dignity immediately from GOD that the People do not nor cannot give any Right or Title to it That all power and Authority is Originally and Eminently Inherent in the Crown and that therefore the Parliament can give no Prerogative to the King. This has been long Currant Coyn at Court and amongst Court parasites and of late has had the boldness to appear Bare-fac'd in our Parliaments where it seems to have given rise to yea dictated some of our Acts about the prerogative But it is obvious that this is a Mother Evil and may be broody of all the mischiefs that can be dreaded from Arbitrary Power or Tyranny For if this Maxime hold good what security for our Religion Laws Property or any thing that 's dear to Free men or Christians Sure none but the Princes pleasure Why then should we complain of the late Court stile which makes the Prerogative Royal and
occures to me further about the Prerogative into one Article I think it necessary the Convention take to their serious consideration The Kings sole power of Disposal of Trade his power of setting Valuation on current Money his power of the Militia of Peace and Warr and raising the Nation in Arms as they are declared in the respective Acts thereanent As also the Practice of the Kings establishing Instructions of Warr and thereby exempting Souldiers from the ordinary Laws and Judicatures We have seen and felt grievous abuses in the Nation from all these as I could Instance but that I haste to a close and it is enough to my purpose that every thinking Man upon a very little reflection will see such powers may be the Foundation of Arbitrary proceedings in many cases of high Importance to the whole Nation I confess I do not think it adviseable or safe to divest the King wholly of these Powers and reserve them to a Parliament For the exercise of all or most of them may be very necessary much oftner then we can expect or desire parliaments may trvst with the reasonable intervals of parliaments neither do I think it possible to lay down fixed Rules that can continue useful for any time for the Kings managment of these Powers such is the inconstancie and vicissitude of humane Affairs The only Medium I can think on is that the King shall be restricted in the exercise of these Powers to the Advice and Concurrence of a Council or Councils to be named by the Parliament out of the whole States This Council may have their settled Annual Meetings or more frequent if needful and withal be obliged to Conveen when upon any Emergent the King shall call them But as for the Militia since it is palpablie useless to the Crown and Government and very heavy to the People I hope all will be Unanimous to have it totally discharged As for exempting Souldiers from the ordinary Laws and Judges in Causes Civil or Criminal betwixt them and other Subâ—ects least at it is of dangerous Consequence and there is no shadow of Law or Justice for it in this Nation wherefore it ought to be discharged and declared Illegal in all time coming I doubt not e're you come this length you will be as wearie in reading this tedious and indigested Letter as I am of writing it So I shall delay at this time the troubling you with what is fit to be done for securing our Crown from falling again into Popish hands what convenient amendmâ—nts may be made as to the Constitution of and Forms of Procedure in our Parliaments and what is expedient for the Redress of our past Grievancâ—s and necessary for the providing wholesome Remedies for preventing the like hereafter The slightest review of all these tho desired in Powers would swell this Letter into the Volume of a Treatise which I have no thoughts of writing I hope you do not expect it and though the stuff is course you have large enough measure already for an Letter Bâ—sides what is here omitted seems to be the propâ—r work of a Parliament when the Crown is settled but what is spoke of seems necessary to be dispatched by the Meeting of States before they declare the Crown For though I am fully perswaded that if we give the Crown to the King of England with as Absolute unlimited a Prerogative as ever any Tyrant or Sultan Usurped Yet our Religion and Laws and every Man's Liberty and Property would be as secure to Us under so Brave Generous Pious and Just a Prince as they can be by all the Provisions we can devise for their security But it is uncertain how long God may bless us with him who may come after him And this is certain that if once the Crown be settled and a set of Officers of State and Counsellours established our Nobility and great Ministers have unhappily been so accustomed to carrie things here with so high a hand They will be sure to use all their Interest to frustrate all Projects for such Limitations of the Prerogative foreseeing easily that thereby their hands will be more bound up then was usual and I doubt not if you will be at the pains to observe it you 'l easily perceive that such as have but any faint hopes and a remote prospect of getting any share of the Government into their hands will already be shy on these Points Wherefore it nearly concerns every honest Sincere Scotsman to strike thee Iron while it is hot for it is much better holding then drawing If this is acceptable and gives you any satisfaction you shall by the next have more of the matters now omitted March 6. 1689. I am Yours c. POSTSCRIPT Sir I Have said nothing of the Kings Negative Vote in Parliament and his Power of Adjourning and Dissolving them Tho it is of the greatest Importance for if it stands as it is now Asserted all hopes of Redress of Griveances by a Parliament are cut off under an ill Government when there is greatest need of it Wherefore it much concerns this Meeting to adjust in to an harmless Temper Yet I must confess I can hit upon no overture for this that pleases me But I doubt not The things is so Obvious and of such vast Consequence you will hear of it from better hands FINIS