Selected quad for the lemma: prince_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
prince_n	king_n	law_n	prerogative_n	2,294	5	10.0658	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A90235	England's miserie, and remedie in a judicious letter from an utter-barrister to his speciall friend, concerning Leiutenant [sic] Col. Lilburn's imprisonment in Newgate, Sept: 1645.	Utter-Barrister.; Overton, Richard, fl. 1646.; Lilburne, John, 1614?-1657.; Wildman, John, Sir, 1621?-1693.; Sexby, Edward, d. 1658.	1645 (1645)	Wing O628B; Thomason E302_5; ESTC R200275	5,726	8

ENGLAND'S MISERIE AND REMEDIE IN A JVDICIOVS LETTER from an Utter-Barrister to his speciall Friend concerning Leiutenant Col. LILBVRN'S Imprisonment in Newgate Sept 1645. Kind Sir OUt of the firme confidence and certain knowledge which you seeme to have of the integrity and honesty of Lieutenant Co●lonel Lilburne and that his Letter of the 25.th of July containes nothing but truth I send you here my Sense and Opinion concerning his Imprisonment And for the clearer explanation of what you demand and our better understanding of one another J conceive it necessary that we be at a point upon these two things First what the House of Commons is Next for what end and purpose they are conveened and called together J beleeve you agree with me that the House of Commons is nothing lesse then the representative body of the People elected and sent up by the severall Shires and Burroughs respectively and joyned with the two other States of capacitie to make alter abrogate Lawes as occasion shall require to heare and relieve the Grievances of the people and to reforme what is amisse in the Common wealth Here is the Character and description of the House of Commons which themselves I thinke will allow of and here is the end and purpose for which they serve In this description you may plainly see two Bodies of the people the representative and the represented which together make up the body of the Common-wealth and of this later Lieutenant Collonel Lilburne is an eminent member Now for any man to imagine that the shadow or representative is more worthy then the Substance or that the House of Commons is more valuable and considerable then the Body for whom they serve is all one as if they should affirme that an Agent or Ambassadour from a Prince hath the same or more authority then the Prince himselfe which in matters of Proxie for Mariage I believe no Prince will allow of J will not undertake to define the limits of power or extent of Parliaments having found the practice in my reading more or lesse lengthned or shortned like a paire of Stirrops according to circumstances and Current of times or the weaknesse or power of the Prince under whom they serve who hath for the most part subjected them to his will and made them act his Designes Neither will I goe about to cast the apple of Division betwixt the People and their agents who should be linckt together by common interest and mutuall respects of common preservation yet this much I cannot forbeare to intimate that the one is but the servant of the other the House of Commons I meane of the People elected by them to provide for their welfare and freedomes against all in-bred tyrannie or Foraigne invasion which by reason of their numbers they cannot conveniently doe in their owne persons without hazard both of confusion and desolation But to come to our businesse Mr. Lilburne complains that Three times since the first of May last he hath been imprisoned by Authority from the House of Commons before he knew his Accuser or Accusation or was suffered to speak one word in his own defence Certainly Theeves and Murtherers taken in Flagranti delicto in the very act of a haynous crime are not thus hardly dealt withall This cals to my mind the very words of a Member of the House Mr. Edward Stephens by name uttered with passion openly in Westminster hall in a case of the like injustice viz. That we have not withdrawne our selves from our obedience to the King to yeild our selves slaves and vassalls to the Tyrannie of our fellow subjects But you will say How shall we mend our selves we have given our selves lives liberties and all into the Parliaments power To this I answer That this free and abandoned confidence of ours whereby they are intrusted with all that is deare and precious unto us ought the rather to oblie●e them to a tender and conscientious care of the dispensation of t●● power Besides this soveraig● or legislative power which they make use of is not lent them for the ruine and destruction of our Lawes and Liberties no more then the Kings Prerogative but for the edification and strengthning of the same in particular as well as generall The abuse and overflowing of this power is odious to God and man for Princes or what State soever when they arrogate to themselves an unlimited jurisdiction do degenerate into Tyrants and become Hostes humani generis enemies of mankind And the Angels which would be like to the most high were by his just judgement changed into the most wretched of all creatures It belongs to God and to God alone to rule by the law of his blessed will As for Princes and States when they break out into exorbitancy and will be immitators of the power of God in governing by an uncircumscribed authority they run themselves into inevitable mischiefs and the people whom they serve into unavoidable inconveniencies and this comes to passe of necessitie for every State governed by fantasticall and Arbitrary power must needs be floting inconstant and subject to change besides man is naturally ambitious and apt to encroach and usurpe upon the liberty of his inferiours Hence is derived that excellent maxim Melius sub iniquissima lege quam sub aequissimo arbitro vivere It is better live under a rigorous and unjust Law then an Arbitrary government though just the reason is because by the first he is at certainty and knows what he must trust too the last leaves him uncertaine and so in danger But to returne to Lievtenant Collonel Lilburne who stands imprisoned by a Vote of the House of Commons for refusing to answere to the Committees Interrogatories before cause shewed of his former imprisonment J am informed by some members that this Vote was obtained by Bastwicke surreptitiously when the House was thinne and emptie and therefore I conceive he may appeale from the House thin and emptie to the House full and compleat if this will not be accepted of why should he not appeale to the people For Buchannan an Author without reproach in his Booke De jure regni apud Scotos concerning the Scottish Lawes doth boldly and positively affirme Supremam potestatem esse in Populo the Supreame power to be in the people And before Buchannan the Common-wealth of Rome which remaineth a patterne and example to all âges both for civill and Military government I say this Common-wealth in its best perfection did allow of this last refuge or appeale to the People To this purpose Titus Livius an unreproveable Author speakes in these tearmes Decad. 5. of his History C. Flaminius was the first or one of the first that un●●●standing the Majestie of Rome to be indeed wholly in the people no otherwise in the Senate then by way of delegacy or grand Commission did not stand highly upon his birth and degree but made his addresse to the multitude and taught them to know and