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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A89701 No king but the old kings son. Or, a vindication of limited monarchy, as it was established in this nation, before the late war between the King and Parliament. 1660 (1660) Wing N1180; Thomason 669.f.24[30]; ESTC R211728 2,942 1

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No KING but the Old KINGS Son Or a Vindication of Limited MONARCHY as it was Established in this Nation before the late War between the King and Parliment IT being the general cry of the People that Monarchy is the mirrour of Governments under which we enjoyed the very perfection of Liberty and were blessed far beyond any of our neighbour Nations I shall lay down several serious reasons whereby it may plainly appear to the weakest capacity that no Government can be so beneficial to this Nation as to restore it to its ancient Monarchical Government and to establish the Son of the Old King in his Royal Dignities and Prerogatives 1. Because those that surfeited of our Kingly Government and longed for Novelty have lost the substance of Liberty and happines in pursuit of the shaddow and none of our fierce Champions for a free State can maintain that it is not subject to violation for if they should undertake to prove it they must renounce their sences and deny the Faith of Story which proves that Republicks have been sometimes invaded with usurpation sometimes Debauched and embased with Oligarchy and alwaies tormented with Faction Yet of all Government Kingly Government did most excellently comply with the Laws Genius and Interest of this then flourishing Nation 2. Monarchy in these Nations is more ancient then Story or Record and more venerable then Tradition it self Our Lawes were born as it were under that Climate grafted into that stock and habituated in that ayre and Dyet This made our Lawyers importune Oliver Crumwell to assume the stile and power of a King to which our Laws were shaped rather then Protector a title unknown to the Law 3. Our old Kingly Government included all the perfections of a Free State and was the Kernel as it were of a Common-wealth in the shell of Monarchy the essential parts of a Commonwealth are these viz. The Senate proposing the People resolving and the Magistrate executing for the Senate or Parliament if ever a Free Parliament were it was here where the Deputies of the whole Nation most freely chosen did with like Freedom meet propound debate and vote all matters of common Interest No danger escaped their representing no grievence their complaint no publick Right their Claim or good their demand In all which the least breach of Priviledge was branded as a civil Sacriledge And though there lay no appeal to the disp●erced body of the people Elections being so popular and Assemblies frequent yet the same end was attained with much more safety and convenience the Prince had likewise in effect but an executive power which he exercised by Ministers and Officers not only sworn but severely accomptable For though both he and the Lords had their Negatives in making Laws yet no Tax being imposable but by consent of the Commons there was a wise and sweet neceffity for the King and likewise for the Lords who were but as a grain in the Royal Scale to confirm all such Bills as were convenient for the people and not greatly hurtful to the Prince And so this Bug-bear Negative was resolved into a meer Target to shelter and preserve the Government from being altered at the will of the Commons if at any time they should prove Factious which hath been confirmed by great experience Our Kings having rarely obstructed any Bill which they might sufely grant but on the other side passed many high Acts of meer Grace circumscribing their Prerogatives and clipping its Wings Nay I could wish they had not pierced its bowels 4. This was our Gold seven times refined for every Bill being thrice read debated and agreed on in either house was at last brought to the King for his Royal assent the Mint of our Laws a tryal so exact that surely no drosse could escape it since all Interests must thereto concur as truly it was but fit they should in the establishment of that which must bind them all This was that temperament which poised our humours and at once endued us with health vigour and beauty No Vote was precipitated no Act was hudled up as by sad events we have since seen that power being engrossed by one of the Estates purged and modelled to the Interests of a Faction 5. The king indeed had the power of making War but he had not the means and therefore it signified no more than giving him leave to fly if he could get w●ngs or to go boyond Sea so he went witbout shipping He had a Sword but he alone could never draw it for the Trained-bands were a weapon which he decently wore but the Nation only could use it He chose Ministers But alas he was accomptable for them to the Tryennial Parliament which none but the soundest integrity could abide 6. Seeing his person was most sacred it was but needful to avoid circulation of accompt reasonable since it carries with it the consent of Nations just that he should not be the But of Faction and Malice in worse condition than the basest of Vassals honourable that the nakedness of Government might not daily be uncovered Wise in the constitution not at once to trust and provoke by forcing him to shift for his own indempnity no danger to the Publick seeming so extream as the Out-lawry of a Prince no task by daily experience so difficult as the arraigning of any power whether Regal or Popular And since we make golden bridges for flying enemies much more may we afford them to relenting Soveraigns 7. When the Prerogative of Kings was most Rampant then the greatest of them could never prudently aspire to make themselves sole Legislators nor presumed to maintain Red-coats in the times of Peace If any should here object that Kingly power can no longer here subsist for want of a Revenue I answer That a King of England might and still may the sale of Crown Lands which exceeded not the value of 100000 li. per annum being me thinks no matter of ruin but rather of easie compensation For the publick Revenue was proportioned according to the maintenance of Courts not Camps or Fleets a Gentleman of reasonable Estate might live well upon his Rents without disbursments out of the publick Revenue 8. A Monarchical Government did provide greater freedom for their Citizens then any other as Magna Charta and the Petition of Right hereby our Lives Liberties and Estates were secured established I think as well as any thing on this side Heaven it were no soloecisme to say the Subject had his Prerogative as well as the King And sure I am he was as good if not better condition to maintain it the dependance being lesse on his side Liberty was no lesse sacred then Majesty Nole me tangere was likewise its Motto And in case of any the least infringement as escapes in Government may happen even in the most perfect It was resented as if the Nation had received a box on the Eare If it be as they say the glory of a Free-Stat to exalt the scandall of Tyrany to Embase our Spirits doubtlesse this was our onely Common-wealth For ever since me thinks we have learned quietly to take the Bastonade 9. We can never hope under our Common-wealth what ever promises may be made us so perfectly to distinguish the Legslative from the Ministeral Authority as once we did when the House of Commons had not the power of a Court Leet to give an Oath nor of a Justice of the Peace to make a Mittimum Which disinction doubtlesse is the most vitall part of Freedome and far more considerable to poor Subjects than the pretended Rotation As on the contrary the confusion of them is an accomplishment of servitude For which the best Republick I fear have more to answer than any limited Prince can have Certain it is that our King in his personal capacity as he made no Laws so neither did he by himself interpret Laws His Privy Seal ever buckled to the great Seal as being the Nations more than his Lastly Charles Stuart the Son of the late King is the sirmest adherer in the world to the true Protestant Religion and continues immovable to the principles in which he was educated from his infancy Therfore no way of Government can be settled so prevalent to the preservation of the true ancient Catholick and Apostolick Faith and to restore the unity of these languishing Nat●ons as to establish him in the Royal Throne and Dignity of his Father LONDON Printed for Theophilus Microcosmus Anno Dom. 1660.