Answer to a Proposition of a Commonwealth, Answer
THE ANSWER.
It is the deſire of our three divided Nations;
THat there be no Committee appointed by thoſe Commoners now ſitting to receive Mr. Harringtons Propoſitions for ſetling our old Kingly Government in his new way of a Commonwealth, till the Houſe of Peers, and the ſecluded Members of the Commons Houſe who ſate in Parliament till December 6. 1648. be permitted freely to fit, debate, and vote in Parliament, according to the Statute of 17 Caroli, c. 7. by which the preſent Conventicle pretends to ſit.
That this being done, a Committee of both Houſes may be appointed to receive Mr. Harringtons propoſitions. And that the perſons named in Mr. Harringtons liſt who are no M…mbers, with ſuch other wiſe men as Mr. Harrington and the friends to his propounded Commonwealth ſhall nominate, may have libertie to propoſe to the ſaid Committee what Mr. Harrington and they ſhall think fit in relation to the forming and erecting of the ſame.
That to the end the ſaid Mr. Harrington and his friends may in their propoſals be kept within the bounds of ſobrietie and moderation, according to the antient Law of Charondas, the Law-giver of the Athenians, (the firſt erectors of Commonwealths,) Mr. Harrington and his friends may all come to the ſaid Committee with Ropes about their necks, and in caſe they ſhall not convince the ſaid Committee (and Parliament) that their new Commonwealth is better, ſafer, and more profitable for the Engliſh Nation, than their old legal hereditarie Kingly Governusent, that then they ſhall forthwith by ſentence of Parliament be carried to Tyburne, and undergoe the penaltie of Charondas Law, to be hanged up by the neck as Traitors and ſeditious Perſons till they be dead.
But if their propoſals take effect: That then Mr. Harrington for his rare invention and extraordinarie good ſervice in minting a New Commonwealth, ſhall have the monopoly of coyning all new Harringtons, alias braſs farthings, which ſhall henceforth paſs for the onelyonly coin of his new copper Commonwealth, Gold and ſilver which are Royal mines & metals annexed to the Imperial Crown of the Realm) being as inconſiſtent with his New Commonwealth, (which hath ſwallowed them all up) as Kingſhip, and therefore to be baniſhed with it.
The Committee is deſired to ſit every afternoon in the weeke by two of the clock at the Seſſions houſe in the Old Baily, or rather in the old Kings Bench Court in Weſtminſter Hall, being places open to all Commers, and ſitted for that end, without further charge to the poor Commonwealth: That ſo Mr. Harrington and his friends may not be delayed from receiving a deſerved execution, or glorious reward.
This by the Generality of our 3 Nations friends to our Antient Monarchy is propoſed, and they hope to have Mr. Harringtons poſt-conſent thereto.
The Reaſons for this Anſwer to the Propoſition are theſe:
1. It is the faireſt way of altering our antient Kingly Government, and Parliament, that they be firſt legally impeached and condemned to conviction before they be injuriouſly ſuppreſſed by armed power. Therefore M. Harrington muſt firſt anſwer M Wren & M. Pryns reaſons in his new publiſhed True and perfect Narrative; for the reſtitution of our old hereditarie Kings & Kingſhip, as the beſt of Governments, before he propound his New Ʋtopian Republike, to thruſt them out of their long-enjoyed poſſeſſion.
2. That Mr. Harrington and his friends being convinced of the illegality of the ſaid Commonwealth, and the dangerous conſequence of propoſing ſuch a ſeditious novelties, againſt our old Kingſhip and Kingdomes, and duely executed according to Charondas law, it muſt needes have a healing influence upon all the parties, degrees or qualities in theſe divided nations; ſince the exemplary execution of ſuch leading Innovators wil ſo terrifie all others that they will not dare mutter one word for the future againſt our antient fundamental government by King, Lords and Commons; which they are all obliged to maintain by ſacred Oaths and Covenants.
3. All the three Nations will Judge Mr. Harrington and his Republican friends are in good earneſt for the Government of Oceana, and as Valiant as Sir John Harringtons Ajax, when they ſhall ſo fairely adventure a voyage to Tyburne to introduce it.
Funis coronat opus.
Reſolved upon the Queſtion, (on Mr. Harringtons friends Petition) that Dr. Chamberlain ſhall attend him during all the time of his travel with his Gigantick Commonwealth, leſt it ſhould miſcarry, and be ſtrangled in its birth: That if the orifice of his Brain or Womb be ſo narrow that the Doctors hands cannot uſher it into the world without ſuffocation, that then (Caeſar-like) the General Councel of Officers of the Army, ſhall violently cut it out of his Womb with their ſwords, rather then it ſhould be ſtill born, though with the Parents death: That if it be live-born, it ſhall not be chriſtened, till it be able to render an Account of its Faith to Cardinal Mazarin, Dr. Owen, Mr. Nye, and John Canne: That new dipped Col. Bennet, Col. Hewſon, Major Packer, and Lieut. Col. Allen, ſhall be Godfathers; the Whore of Rome, Mrs. Rolls, Mrs. Haggat, and Mal Cutpu…ſe Godmothers to it: That it ſhall be then called by the Fathers name, Harringtons (not Englands) Commonwealth, and bear his Arms inſtead of the ſuperſtitious red Engliſh Croſſe upon its Forhead: That in the mean time it ſhall be ſtrongly guarded night and day by the Keepers of the Liberties of England, and Col. Fleetwoods Regiment, leſt Dr. Chamberlains Denn of Thieves, or the Queen of Fayries, ſhould fteal it away out of its cradle, and put a miſhapen Changeling without wit or reaſon, into its place, to the Parents diſhonour, and great diſappointment of the hopes and prayers of all the Publicans and Sinners, falſly ſtiled, the godly people, and Saints of the 3. Nations, who rather deſire to enjoy a ſhare in the Commonwealth and Crown lands of England, Scotland and Ireland, than in the Kingdom and Crown of Glory in Heaven, Bonum quo communius eo melius, being a ſure principle, and the chief corner-ſtone on which they intend to build their New Commonwealth, having little private wealth of their own, except Braſs Harringtons, to inherit.
FINIS.
End of the text · William Prynne, Answer to a Proposition of a Commonwealth (1659)