Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A45076
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To the right honourable the Commons of England, in Parliament assembled The humble petition of thousands wel-affected persons inhabiting the City of London, Westminster, the borough of Southwark, hamlets and places adjacent.
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1648
(1648)
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Wing H3587; Wing L2188; ESTC R210908
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6,045
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1
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superstitious Parliaments in making Orders Ordinances or Laws or in appointing punishments concerning opinions or things super-natural stiling some blasphemies others heresies when as you know your selves easily mistaken and that divine Truths need no humane helps to support them such proceedings having bin generally invented to devide the people amongst themselves and to affright men from that liberty of discourse by which Corruption and tyranny would be soon discovered 24. That you would have declared what the businesse of the Lords is and ascertain their condition not derogating from the Liberties of other men that so there might be an end of striving about the same 25. That you would have done Justice upon the Capital Authors and Promoters of the former or late wars many of them being under your power Considering that mercy to the wicked is cruelty to the innocent and that all your lenity doth but make them the more insolent and presumptuous 26. That you would have provided constant pay for the Army now under the command of the Lord General Fairfax and given rules to all Judges and all other publike Officers throughout the Land for their indempnity and for the saving harmlesse all that have any waies assisted you or that have said or done any thing against the King Queen or any of his party since the beginning of this Parliament without which anie of his party are in a better condition then those that have served you nothing being more frequent with them then their reviling of you and your friends The things and worthy Acts which have bin done and atchieved by this Army and their Adherents however ingratefully suffered to be scandalized as Sectaries and men of corrupt judgements in defence of the just authority of this honorable House and of the common liberties of the Nation and in opposition to all kind of tyranny and oppression being so far from meriting an odious Act of Oblivion that they rather deserve a most honorable Act of perpetual remembrance to be as a pattern of publike vertue fidelity resolution to all posterity 27. That you would have laid to heart all the abundance of innocent blood that hath bin spilt and the infinite spoil and havock that hath bin made of peaceable harmless people by express commissions from the King and seriously to have considered whether the justice of God be likely to be satisfied or his yet continuing wrath appeased by an Act of Oblivion These and the like we have long time hoped you would have minded and have made such an establishment for the generall peace and contentfull satisfaction of all sorts of people as should have bin to the happines of all future generations and which we most earnestly desire you would set your selves speedily to effect whereby the almost dying honour of this most honorable House would be again revived and the hearts of your Petitioners and all other well-affected people be afresh renewed unto you the Freedom of the Nation now in perpetuall hazard would be firmly established for which you would once more be so strengthned with the love of the people that you should not need to cast your eyes any other waies under God for your security but if all this availeth nothing God be our Guide for man sheweth us not a way for our preservation Vpon the eleventh of September 1648 this Petition was delivered into the House 〈◊〉 for their great pains care to the publike good of the Kingdom would speedily take their humble desires into considâ—ration
Peace it is well known to have been cryed up principally by such as have been alwaies dis-affected unto you and though you have not contradicted it yet it is believed that you much feare the issue thereof as you have cause sufficient except you see greater alteration in the King and his party thee is generally observed there having never yet been any Treaty with him but was accompanied with some underhand-dealing and whilst the present force upon him though seeming liberty will in time to come be certainly pleaded against all that shall or can be agreed upon Nay what can you confide in if you consider how he hath been provoked and what former Kings upon â—…esse provocations have done after Oaths Laws Charters Bonds Excommunications and all tyes of Reconciliations to the destruction of all those that had provoked and opposed them yeâ—… when your selves so soon as he had signed those Bills in the beginning of this Parliament saw cause to tell him That even in or about the time of passing those Bills some designe or other was on foot which if it had taken effect would not only have rendred those Bills fruitlesse but have reduced you to a worse condition of confusion than that wherein the Parliament found you And if you consider what new Wars Risings Rovolting invasions and plottings have been since this last cry for a Personall Treaty you will not blame us if we wonder at your hasty proceedings thereunto especially considering the wonderfull Victories which God hath blessed the Armies withall We prosesse we cannot chuse but stand amazed to consider the inevitable danger we shall be in though all things in the Propositions were agreed unto the resolutions of the King and his party have been so perpetually violently and implacably prosecuted and manifested against us and that with such scorn and indignation that it must be more than such ordinary Bonds that must hold them And it is no lesse a wonder to us that you can place your own security therein or that yon can ever imagin to see a free Parliament any more in England The truth is and we see we must either now speake it or for ever be silent We have long expected things of an other nature from you and such as we are confident would have given satisfaction to all serious people of all Parties As 1. That you would have made the supreme authoritie of the people in this Honourable House from all pretences of Negative Voices either in the King or Lords 2. That you would have made laws for election of representatives yearly and of course without-writ or summons 3. That you would have set expresse times for their meeting Continuance and Dissolution as not to exceed 40. or 50. dales at the most and to have fixed an expresse time for the ending of this present Parliament 4. That you would have exempted matters of Religion and Gods worship from the compulsive or restirictive power of any Authority upon earth and reserved to the supreme authoritie an un-compulsive power only of appointing a way for the publick whereby abundance of misery persecution and heart-burning would for ever be avoided 5. That you would have disclaimed in your selves and all future Representatives a power of Pressing and forcing any sort of men to serve in warrs there being nothing more opposite to freedom nor more unreasonable in an authoritie impowered for raising monies in all occasions for which and a just cause aâ—…ants need â—ot be doubted the other way serving rather to maintain injustice and corrupt parties 6. That you would have made both Kings Queens Princes Dukes Earls Lords and all Persons aâ—…ike liable to â—very Law of the Land made or to be made that so all persons even the Highest might fear and stand in aw and neither violate the publick peace nor private right of person or estate as hath been frequent without being lyable to accompt as other men 7. That you would have freed all Commoners from the Iurisdiction of the Lords in all cases and to have taken care that all tryalls should be only by twelve sworn men and no conviction but upon two or more sufficient â—…own witnesses 8. That you would have freed all men from being examined against themselves and from being questioned or â—…ished for doing of that against which no Law hath bin provided 9. That you would have abbreviated the proceedings in Law mitigated and made certain the charge thereof in all particulars 10. That you would have freed all Trade and Merchandising from all Monopolizing and Engrossing by Companies or otherwise 11. That you would have abolished Excise and all kind of taxes except subsidies the old and onely just way of England 12. That you would have laid open all late Inclosures of Fens and other Commons or have enclosed them onely or chiefly to the benefit of the poor 13. That you would have considered the many thousands that are ruined by perpetuall imprisonment for debt and provided for their anlargement 14. That you would have ordered some effectuall course to keep people from begging and beggery in so fruitfull a Nation as through Gods blessing this is 15. That you would have proportioned punishments more equal to offences that so mens Lives and Estates might not be forfeited upon trivial and slight occasions 16. That you would have removed the tedious the burthen of Tythes satisfying all Impropriators and providing a more equal way of maintenance for the publike Ministers 17. That you would have raised a stock of Money out of those many confiscated Estates you have had for payment of those who contributed voluntarily above their abilities before you had provided for those that disbursed out of their supersluities 18. that you would have bound your selves and all future Parliaments from abolishing propriety levelling mens Estates or making all things common 19. That you wovld have declared what the duty or businesse of the Kingly office is and what not and ascertained the Revenue past increase or diminution that so there might never be more quarrels about the same 20. That you would have rectified the election of publike Officers of the Citie of London and of every particular Company therein restoring the Community thereof to their just Rights most unjustly with held from them to the producing and maintaining of of corrupt interest opposite to common Freedom and exceedingly prejudicial to the Trade and Manufactures of this Nation 21. That you would have made full and ample reparations to all persons that had bin oppressed by sentences in High Commission Star-Chamber and Counsel Board or by any kind of Monopolizers or Projectors and that out of the Estates of those that were Authors Actors or Promoters of so intollerable mischiefs and that without much attendance or seeking 22. That you would have abolished all Committees and have convayed all businesses into the true method of the usuall Tryalls of the Common-wealth 23. That you would not have followed the example of former tyrannous and