Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	ability_n	able_a	power_n	175	3	4.5155	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A58482	A two-inch board for M. Prynne to peep thorow being a full and satisfactory answer to a late libellous pamphlet ... called, A declaration of the officers and armies illegall &c. proceedings and practices against the XI impeached members ... : with ... a justification of the armies charge and proceedings against the XI impeached members, by law, president, and reason : with certaine considerable queries and observations upon the cities late tumultuous rebellious proceedings agaisnt the Parliament / vvritten by T.R., Gent.	T. R., Gent.	1647 (1647)	Wing R92; ESTC R11143	15,809	20

suspend them by the Law of the Land Here note that he meanes the generall heads of the Charge given in 15 June last and not the particular Charge which came in Tuesday 6. July although like a Juggler he inserts it in such a sort as to have the multitude believe it the same And as for the generall heads there was no answer thereunto required onely therefore a suspertion of the accused as being charged and truly with M. Declarers leave there was both reason and president for it although the House voted against it Look backe and consider the Parliaments proceedings in all times against their Members in such cases and in particular in the last and latest presidents Strafford Canterbury Barkley c. nay have not the Fouse of Commons suspended and excluded divers of their owne Members this Parliament for words and particular actions in the House cases of inferiour nature and consequence to the matter of charge against the 11 Members And againe if those generall heads five in number against the 11. Members which are more large and speciall then the generall charge the House of Commons preferred against the E. of Strafford and B. of Canterbury were insufficient to charge or suspend them of what validitie then were those generall charges of the H. of Commons so vehemently prosecuted by some of these very 11. whereupon Strafford and Canterbury were both charged and suspended yea and secured which these vipers are not what justice then I say in their case had those two and others Peace for shame good M. Simpleton it is an ill bird that bewrayes her own nest you will help to enlarge their charge by and by and while you plead like a mad-man for their justification you will like a fool lay more guilt and condemnation upon them 3. The unjustnesse of the Armies proceedings aginst the 11. Members he faith appeares by the multitude and quality of the parties impeached eleven at once all men of approved integrity fidelity and abilities and there in this third instance he tells you of all their good acts and enlarges their praise beyond their deserts A silly argument without sense or reason to prove the unjustnesse of the charge by the multitude and qualitie of persons accused as if a multitude and those men eminent both for estates and authority could not act treason or be as culpable of criminall trespasses as the poor and meane What thinke ye of the Complotters and Actors of the Gunpowder plot the rising by the Earle of Northumberland and his confederates in the North in the Reigne of Queen Elizabeth Absalom and all the heads of the people against King David Here were as great multitudes and as gallant men in these traiterous actions as any of these 11. Members truly I never thinke of M. Hollis the principall of the eleven but I call to mind Cataline of Rome whose sole ambition was to be the head of a faction though it turned to his ruine as for M. Massey we know he is a good Souldier but no Christian and if the number and the quality be a sufficient excuse to these eleven and of condemnation to their Accusers Sir Tho. the Army for injustice against them Oh how unjust then were all the proceedings against all the aforesaid in those daies but I wil ask this Rabshekah whether he ever heard or read of any grand treason for the 11. Members actions as sleight as he and other knaves fooles make of them when they come to the test wil be found no other even exceeding Straffords and in effect equall to that of the Gunpowder wherein there was not more then a few and those no mean ones confederates Nay do not such abominable actions evermore accompanie the greatest personages and spirits for mean men have neither wit power opportunity or audacity to contrive or act them and therfore are never tempted unlesse by so great ones to be instruments to doe them And as for their abilities and acts of merit by how much the more able and by so much the more wicked therefore by so much the more odible and condemnable The Devill hath as exquisite gifts and endowments and more then any mortall yet not therefore to be either pittied or justified and for the good they or any of them have done why did not they continue in it who hindered them Not to him that runs but to him that holds out to the end of the race belong's the praise Finis coronat factum Justice is like death it takes a man as it findes him it considereth neither quality nor condition what a man was is or hath done but of what he is accused and found guilty and so it rendreth unto him either by acquitting or condemning him The old Earl of Essex in Q. Elizabeths dayes had deserved as well of the Kingdome and was much more honoured and beloved of the people then ever any of these 11. Members yet ye know his end he being found guilty justice forgot his former good services his honour was tainted and all his merits were forfeited and this manner of proceeding is justified by the example of God the most just Judge of quick and dead Ezek. 18.24 Nor are these men of such great eminencie and quality in themselves as they are by that authority wherewith we have invested them as our Trustees the which they have unworthily and unthankfully perverted and abused M. Hollis is the most honourable amongst them but by the evill of his actions is so much the more dishonourable for nobilitas est unica virtus and the rest do we not know them The Merchants of Hamborough can tell you of Massie his manners and his quality and without question there are those can give as true a character of the rest as Mr. Declarer or any other As for the House clearing any of them by Vote or M. Prynnes who never knew aright how to examine or cast up any accompt acquitting them in their accompts is of no value non valet ova duo For if an illegall factious Vote may clean any Member of an accusation of breach of Law or publique trust where then is Englands Law dic quaeso No Sir he that is accused to transgresse the Law must be acquit or condemned by the Law in a publike Judicatory and not by arbitrary Votes within a close room and private walls Strafford and all traitors and trespassers against the publike have been alwaies tried publikely and so it is just legall and meet these should be As for the Committee for Accompts their acquitting men by * As Sir W. Lewis was by name Vouchers that is if they bring in but one or two though they be suborned to sweare that their false accompts are true is of as much credit and value as a thiess procuring witnesses to avouch a stolne horse for which notwithstanding he may be hanged As for his fourth instance of the Armies violence to have the eleven Members suspended before

it yet lower even under the earth or in the bottome of the Sea if it could be And so I come to his seaventh instance Wherein instead of producing any reason or good argument to prove the unreasonablenesse of the Armyes charge and proceedings against the eleaven Members he fals on rayling according to Mr. Prynns manner on certaine men Mr. Liburne Amon Wil bee and others inserting Jndge Jenkins for company and calls them Mercenary Pamphleters only because they declare the truth and avow justice nor are those tracts he there censures pamphlets but solid tracts or treatises to informe the too much deceived people the which he migth do well to refute or disprove if he can by solid argument for reproach and clamour is neither legall nor rationall answer And it is sufficiently known to men of more integrity and lesse corrupt in judgment then Declarer the shamles supposed Prynn who speakes for his own Diana that those Gentle-men hee tearms mercenary were never of so base a Spirit for if preferment or profit would have by assed them or made them base like him and others apostatised persons whereas they long have suffered both in their estates and persons they might I believe long since have equalized him and other such Temporizers both in place and power though not in Bribery deceit and knavery but Mr. Pryn is Chair-man of a Committee and was appointed a principall Commoner for the deforming reforming it was said of the Vniversity of Oxford and happily the man had some thoughts of obtaining the Chancellours place give him leave therefore to speake for himselfe his fee and reward his place and his office and authority Committee man was therefore bestowed upon him it is more I am confident then Mr. Lilburn or Mr. Wil bee ever got by the Parliament and therefore justly may the terme of mercenary bee retorted upon himself and hath he not done them good service for their wages casting away for their saks both honesty Conscience modesty and good manners religion and wisedome in all his writings in the behalfe of these Trayterous persons his promoters and supporters and their adherents And of late the man is raveing mad see his Queries his Declartion against the Army and their proceedings his Justification his Vindication and full answer in behalfe of the eleaven justly accused Members wherein he termes the Charge a scandalous Libell and yet himselfe the only Pamphleter and shameles notorious Libeller for he subscribs his name to none of these his papers and if his cause be good what need he feare but he is sensible that his eares are already so short they wil not stretch to make satisfaction as for the brands of L. in his cheeks set upon him as a Libeller though then they were unjust yet now he justifieth them he is wise and loves I see not to weare any thing improperly or impertinently But I will come to that passage in the Declarers Prynns doubtlesse declaration concerning the accused Members in the Declaration of Sir Thomas and the Army June 14. last and lay open unto you how this Impostour after the manner of the Devill his master in using of Scripture who only takes and applyes what serves his purpose hath taken certaine peecemeales of the Armyes Declaration out of severall places of it and put them into a continued saying together in his declaration against them marking them in the margent thus ☞ as a matter of speciall discovery by which diabollicall practice the which few usually will or can examine he imagens he hath strucken the Army throrow and given them an incureable wound in their reputation and honour I will first give you the pasages as he cites it and there I will open and disect it that yee may see his pernicious policy malice and villany He saith that in the said Declaration of Sir Thomas and the Army page 7 8 14. June it is rendred thus wee humbly desire for the setling and securing of our owne and the Kingdoms common right freedome peace and safety that the persons who have abused the Army c. may be some way disabled from doeing the like or worse to us and for that purpose may not continue in the same power especially as our and the Kingdomes Iudges in the highest trust but may be made incapable thereof in future c. Nor would our proposals of this singly bee free from the scandals and appearance of faction or designes only to weaken on party under the notion of uniust or oppressive that we may advance another which may be imagined more our own which Proceedings since saith the declarer against these Members demonstrate it to be a most reall truth Now the Army having in page 4. of that their declaration laid downe the grounds and reasons they had before disbanding to proceede to act something in reference to their own● as private persons and members of the common-wealth and the Kingdomes freedome peace and safety in page 5. not the 7. nor the 8 as he cites they say thus viz. Now haveing thus farre cleared our way in this businesse we shall proceede to propound such things as we humbly desire for the setling and securing of our owne and the Kingdom 's common right freedome peace and safety as followeth and then they go to particulars As 1. that the houses be speedily purged c. secondly page 6. that those persons who have in the uniust and high proceedings against the Army appeared to have the will the confidence credit and power all which he hath left out to abuse the Parliament the which he hath also left out the Army besides the better to bring in his praevaricated sence he transcribes it have abused for to abuse as depending on the precedent words and there he puts an c. and comes to these words viz. may be some way where as the sence is still continued thus viz to abuse the Parliament and Army and indanger the Kingdome in carying on such things against us while an Army all which also is omitted may be some way speedily disabled from doing the like or worse to us when diasbnded and disperced and in the condition of private men or to other the free-born people of England in the same condition with us all which he also omits because it demonstrates that they act as well for the people in generall as for themselves and skips to viz. and for that purpose may not continue in the same especially as ours and the Kingdomes Iudges in the highest trust but may be made incapable thereof for the future and from thence pretermitting all the there intervenient reasons and discourses he leaps to the bottome of that 6. page and comes to these words viz. nor would our proposing of this singly be free from the scandall appearance of faction or designe only to weaken one party under the notiō of uniust oppressive that we may advance another which may be imagined more our own And having thus omitted