Letter to the General, Letter – Postscript
Mr. PRYNNES LETTER TO THE GENERALL The third of Ianuary 1648.
Demanding what kind of Priſoner He is? And whoſe Priſoner? with an appearance to his Action of falſe impriſonment, which he Reſolves to proſecute againſt thoſe who have impriſoned him, for the publick intereſt and freedome. of the Members and Subjects.
My Lord,
IT is now a full Moneths ſpace ſince I [with other Members of the Commons houſe] have been forcibly apprehended and kept priſoners by ſome of your Officers and Marſhall, againſt the Priviledges of Parliament, the Liberty of the Subject, the Lawes and Statutes of the Realme, and all rules of Juſtice, Conſcience & Right reaſon; without the leaſt ſhaddow of Authority, or any cauſe at all yet made known to me, of which [were there any] neither God nor man, ever yet made your Lordſhip or your Officers Judges. I therefore deſire to know from your Lordſhip, what kind of priſoner I am? and whoſe? If a priſoner of peace: neither your lordſhip nor your Officers are any Iuſtices of peace, or Civill Magiſtrates in this place, to reſtrain me for any civill crime, were I guilty of it, much leſſe without proof or hearing, in caſe I were no Member: but being neither guilty nor accuſed of any ſuch crime, and a Member too, no Magiſtrate can, nor ought to impriſon me upon any pretext, at leaſt without the Houſes licenſe firſt obtained. Ifa priſoner of War, which I cannot probably be, being never in Arms, and apprehended neer the Commons houſe door, going peaceably and unarmed thither to diſcharge my duty; then you, and your Officers thereby acknowledge, that you have LEVYED WARRE AGAINST THE PARLIAMENT, and it's MEMBERS; and what a Capitall offence this is, and what a puniſhment it deſerves, I need not informe your Lordſhip, or your Councell, who have for this very crime condemned and ſhot ſome to Death, As TRAYTORS: and demanded ſpeedy Juſtice and Execution for it upon THE KING HIMSELFE. I have but one thing more to trouble your Lordſhip with, and that is, to demand whoſe Priſoner I am? having yet ſeene no Warrant nor Order, from your ſelfe, or your Officers for my reſtraint, though I have oft demanded it of your Marſhall: If your Lordſhips Priſoner, there appearing yet no Legall Authority, cauſe or warrant for my reſtraint, I muſt then crave ſo much Juſtice from your Lordſhip (being but a Subiect, and not yet paramount all Lawes) to order your Attorney to give an Appearance for you in the KINGS BENCH, the firſt returne of the next Tearme, to an action of falſe impriſonment, for this my uniuſt reſtraint; which I intend(by Gods aſſiſtance) effectually to proſecute. If your Officers Priſoner only and not yours, which I conceive, who yet abuſe your name and authority herein, though it be a rule in Law and Divinity too, Qui non prohibet malum quod poceſt, Inbet; yet I ſhall be ſo iuſt as to ſet the ſaddle upon the right horſe, and commence my action only againſt ſuch of your Officers, who have been moſt active in my impriſonment, for damage and reparations, which if there be any juſtice remaining under Heaven, I doubt not but I ſhall recover in Gods due time, in this publick cauſe which ſo highly concernes the Honour, Freedome, and Priviledgesof Parliament and Subiects Liberties; for defence and maintenance whereof, as I have hitherto ſpent my ſtrength, adventured my life, Body, liberty and Eſtate, ſo I ſhall now againe engage themall, and all the friends & intereſts I have in Heaven and Earth, rather then they ſhall ſuffer the leaſt diminution, preiudice or Eclipſe by my ſtupid patience under this uniuſt captivity; though I can as willingly forgive and put up private Iniuryes, when the publike is not concerned, as any man. All which I thought meet to informe your Lordſhip off, whom I am heartily ſorry to ſee ſo much diſhonoured, abuſed, and miſled by raſh ill-adviſed Officers, and dangerous, deſtructive (& I dare ſay Ieſuiticall) councells, to the Parliaments diſſipation, the Kingdomes prejudice, Irelands loſſe; moſt good mens and miniſters greif, your beſt freinds aſtoniſhment, your Enemies and the Papiſts triumph, our Religions ſcandall, and your own diſhonor; which I beſeech you as an Engliſhman, a Chriſtian, a profeſſor of piety and Religion, a Soldier, a Generall, to lay ſadly to your heart, as the earneſt requeſt of
From my Priſon at the Signe of the Kings-Head in the Strand: 3. Iauuary 1648. Your Lordſhips faithfull Friend and Monitor WILLIAM PRYNNE.
❧ To the Honourable Thomas Lord Fairfax, GENERALL of the Preſent Army, theſe preſent.
An Additionall POSTSCRIPT.
WE read Luke 3.14. That when the Soldiers demanded of Iohn Baptiſt ſaying; And what ſhall we do the ſaid unto them; DOE VIOLENCE TO NO MAN [or put no man in feares] NEITHER ACCVSE ANY FALSELY; and be content with your allowance; not impriſon depoſe, or murther Kings, pull downe Parliaments impriſon, violently ſhut out and drive away Parliament men, and then lay all falſe accuſations and ſcasdalls upon them, to colour your violence, ſubvert kingdomes, alter States; break all bonds of Lawes, Oathes, covenants, obligations, engagements to God and men; uſurpe all civill, military and Eccleſiaſticall power, and the Kings Royall Pallaces into your own hands, as ſupream Lords and Kings; raiſe what new forces, and leavie what new Taxes you pleaſe, take up what Freequarters and houſes, ſeiz & plunder what publik Treaſuries and monies you pleaſe, without Commiſſion or Authoritie, obey neither God nor Man, neither Parl. nor Magiſtrate; & be content with nothing, but alter & ſubvert al things. Theſe are St. Peters new Doctrines and Revelations, to our Officers and Soldiers now, &thoſe Jeſuits who lurk amongſt them not Iohn the Bapt. whoſe Canonicall adviſe is now rejected as Apochryphall even among the army Sts. who prefer everie ignis fatuns, though from Doway or Rome it ſelf, before this burning & ſhining old light, & are guided only by a new minted law, of pretended providence, or neceſſity, of their owne forging, and not by the Revealed will and law of God, the ſacred light whereof their preſent works of Darkneſſe dare not approach, leaſt they ſhould be reproved and condemned by them. But ſome 43 actions of falſe impriſonment by the impriſoned, and 150. actions of the Caſe by the ſecluded Members, brought againſt theſe dominering lawleſſe Officers and Grandees of the Army, where in good Damages will be recovered, and ſome 12. Indictments of High Treaſon againſt them, for laying violent hands upon the Kings Perſon, & the Members, & levying Warre againſt the Parliament, will teach them more Obedience, Humility, and Modeſty, then either Iohn Baptist, Saint Paul, Saint Peter, or Saint Peters will do; and be like Giddeon thorns & briars of diſcipline to theſe men of Succoth, with whom no fair means will prevail: who might have learned ſo much law and juſtice from an Heathen Souldier and Governour Feſtus Acts 25.27. it ſeemeth unto me UNREASONABLE to ſend, (much more to commit) a pri…ner, and not withall to ſignify THE CRIMES LAYD AGAINST HIM; And come ſhort of that ingenuity of the Heatheniſh CHEIFE Captain, who ſeized upon Paul, thereby to appeaſe the tumult at Hieruſalem, Acts 22, 27.29. who as ſoon as ever Paul told him, he was a Roman, and FREE BORN, then ſtraightway they departed from him who ſhould have examined him; and THE CHIEF CAPTAIN ALSO WAS AFFRAID, after he knew that he was a ROMAN, AND BECAUSE HE HAD BOVND HIM. And ſhould not the falſe impriſoning of a Parliament man, and Freeborne Engliſh Man, be as formidable to our cheif Captain… (being a chriſtian, I ſay ſworn and vowed to defend the Houſes Priviledges and Members perſons as the impriſonment of a Roman was to this Chief Captaine, and they as ingenious and juſt as he, who ſhall riſe up to Iudgement againſt them and condemn them at the laſt.
FINIS.
End of the text · William Prynne, Letter to the General (1649)