Selected quad for the lemma: war_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A59973
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A familiar discourse or dialogue concerning the Mine-Adventure
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Shiers, William.; Corporation of the Mine Adventurers of England. Second abstract of the state of the mines of Bwlehyr-Eskir-Hyr.
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1700
(1700)
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Wing S3458; ESTC R10992
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76,138
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191
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any Adventurer shall be in Debt and suffer an Extent or Execution to come forth against him that the Committee for the time being shall and may sell and dispose of such Adventurers Shares and Interest in the Mines at the best Price that can be had on the Exchange for the same and therewith pay off and discharge the said Debt the Creditor assigning his Security to the said Committee Ld. B. Well Sir I must own that I am abundantly satisfied that this is an honest Undertaking But what do you say to my Lord 's other Question Do you want no help from the Legislative Power Merch. There is no Company so great but the Legislative Power is able to make them greater but at present I don't know of any thing that we have to desire unless his Majesty and the Parliament shall think fit to pass an Act to save the Lives of some Criminals condemned to Die for lesser Offences and order them to be Transported over Severn to work in the Mines Dr. Sir I thank you for that Thought certainly there is nothing could redound more to the honour of a Christian Kingdom than such a Law whereby the Souls of many Thousands of Men may by the Grace of God be eternally saved as well as their Bodies from utter ruin and destruction Merch. But besides the Charity of such a Law there is no small Policy therein for thereby the Nation would reap the benefit of their Labour and the poor penitent Criminals be able to make some Atonement for their Crimes in the Service of their Native Country Ld. A. What you mention is a Law that all good Men would be very well pleased with but that we have got such a horrible Notion in England of Slavery that I doubt such a Law will never be carried in our Parliament Ld. B. Truly my Lord I am of your Opinion I believe it would never admit of a Debate the very Title of such an Act to make English-men Slaves would be sufficient to throw it out of the House upon the first Motion Dr. My Lord I humbly beg leave with all due submission to your Lordships to discourse this Matter a little farther I humbly hope your Lordships however will not throw it out without Debate nor be offended with me for offering my poor Thoughts on this Occasion to your Lordships Consideration Ld. B. No good Doctor Pray go on Sir and say what you please Dr. My Lord I presume that our Noble English Patriots are not angry with meer Words or Sounds but with the Thing it self called Slavery that is they abhor that Absolute and Arbitrary Power which is used in other Countreys of condemning Men to the Gallies for lesser Offences but I can't think they do abhor the saving of an English-man's Life when he is condemned to die That which is now proposed is not to make English-men Slaves that are entitled to Liberty but on the contrary to save condemned Criminals that have forfeited their Liberty from the Slavery both of Sin and Death Ld. B. But you would still make them Slaves to work at the Mines Dr. My Lord I would so but they are first dead in Law they have forfeited their Birth-right they are no longer English-men they are condemned by the Laws of England to die their Blood is Attainted and the Law has no farther tenderness or regard for them Can any English-man be in fear of such a Law No certainly If he commits no Offence worthy of Death he is in no danger if he does he will be glad of such a Deliverance to save his Life to have time to Repent and to live among Christians in his own Country where he will have a Chaplain to take care of his Soul as well as a Keeper of his Body Ld. A. I protest the Doctor distinguishes very well in this Case If Men would have patience to hear this Matter fairly debated I can't think but they would have another Opinion of such a Law then now they have for as the Doctor observes the Thing we fear is That in Case of Misdemeanors or other slighter Offences instead of Fine and Imprisonment or any other usual Corporal Punishment the Judges should have power to condemn an English man to any sort of Slavery which would be of ill consequence for we are tender of our Liberty But where there is no danger of loosing our Liberty till a Man is first condemned to die and hath forfeited his Estate Liberty Life and all I think that alters the Case very much for this is to add Liberty to an English-man not to take it away since there is more Liberty in any Life than in the dark Regions of Death Merch. Truly my Lord I think such a Law could never be more seasonable then at this time Our late War has taken off many thousand Mens Lives the Country want Men for their necessary work of Husbandry especially in Harvest time and if another War should happen the King would want Souldiers and therefore for all Felonies and Larcenies without Benefit of Clergy except Treason and Murder I think such a Law would be of great advantage to the Publick as I shall indeavour to demonstrate to your Lordship Ld. B. 'T would be a great advantage to your Mines perhaps but I don't know whether it would be so great an advantage to the Publick to have a Nest of Rogues in the Kingdom Dr. Hard Labour will in time bring down the highest Spirits and with God's blessing and good management in a Christian Country may bring them to a sense of Religion and Vertue Merch. My Lord though I propose some advantage to the Mines by this Law yet I propose more to his Majesty and the Publick if your Lordship please to hear me out Ld. A. Sir I 'le hear you very patiently in any thing for the advantage of his Majesty and Publick therefore pray go on Merch. My Lord I propose that the Mine-Adventurers shall pay an Acknowledgment to his Majesty for every such Criminal that is to say Whereas a Workman in that Country may deserve Nine pence per day I would divide that Nine pence into three parts and apply Four pence per day to maintain the Criminal in Meat and Drink Three pence per day to his Majesty and Two pence a day to the Company for Clothes and other incident Charges whereby his Majesty would have an Annual Rent of Four pounds per Ann. and upwards for each Criminal at which rate One thousand Criminals would yield above Four thousand pounds per Annum and Ten thousand Criminals above Forty thousand pounds per Annum This is no contemptible Income and in all the Mines of the whole Kingdom so many Men may easily be employed Ld. B. I protest I am brought over I like this Motion very well and I can't tell how far this Thought may be improved to many other purposes as well as to the Mines and bring in a very great Revenue and thereby become very