Legal Vindication of the Liberties of England Against Illegal Taxes, Treatise · Floating text 1
A Declaration of William Lenthall Eſquire, Speaker of the Honorable Houſe of Commons.
ALthough it may happily be contrary to the expectation of ſome, that I attend not the ſervice of the Houſe of Commons at this time, as I have conſtantly done for 7. years laſt. paſt, yet can it not be reaſonably expected by any that well conſider the 1Is there not a greater, longer, force and violence offered to both Houſes ever ſince Dec 1648. by aimed souldiers, than that by the unarmed Apprentices, but for a few hours?violence offered to both Houſes of Parl. and to my ſelf in particular on Monday laſt; inſomuch that I can ſafely take it upon my conſcience, and ſo I doubt not may all the Members of both Houſes alſo, they ſate in continual fear of their lives, and by terrour thereof, were compelled to paſſe ſuch Votes as it pleaſed an unruly multitude to force upon them; which as I did then openly declare in the Houſe, ſo I cannot but believe, that they are all void, and null, being extorted by force and violence, and in that manner that they were; and 2How can you diſpence with your ſelf, to fit ſince Dec. 6. & paſſing Votes, to ſeclude & exclude the Lords & your fellow Members, and to Tax them at your pleaſure, & not believe them voyd & null?I cannot any longer diſpence with my ſelf to be an inſtrument in paſſing ſuch Votes, or to give any colour or ſhadow of Parliamentary authority unto them, which are not the Votes of the repreſentative body of the Kingdom, but of a tumultuous multitude; as thoſe muſt needs be accompted, that ſeemed to paſſe the Houſe on Monday laſt, and which ſhall paſſe hereafter, untill better proviſion be made for the ſafe and free ſitting of the Houſes of Parliament; there being no effectual *Nor yet by thoſe now ſitting againſt the Lords and our forcible excluſion, but new votes in juſtification thereof?courſe taken by the City ſince the laſt adjournment of the Houſes, to prevent the like tumults for the future, no nor ſo much as a Declaration from them to ſhew their diſlike thereof. But on the contrary, it is generally voyced in the Town, that there will be a far greater confluence of Apprentices, Reformadoes, and others, on Friday at the Parliaments doors; and particularly notice was given to me that after they 3The Army could not with all their power and menaces, inforce the ſ… cluded Members to Vote againſt their Judgements & Conſciences? ec. 4. 1648.had made the Houſe Vote what they pleaſe, they would deſtroy me. I had likewiſe information given me, that there would be a great number of Apprentices of a contrary Opinion and affections to the other, about the Parliament doors on Friday morning, which I fore-ſaw muſt of neceſſity cauſe a great combuſtion, and in probability occaſion much blood-ſhed; the preventing of which miſchiefs, together with the conſiderations aforeſaid, have weighed more with me than any thing which may concern my particular, and eſpecially having ſerved the Houſe faithfully and diligently for the ſpace of very near ſeven years, 4Why hav and do you yet ſerve the Juncto in a falſe and Anti-Parliamentary way near as many years more, to abuſe and deceive them?in a true and Parliamentary way of proceedings, that I might not now be made a ſervant to ſuch a multitude to transfer upon them the colour of Parliamentary authority, there withall to abuſe and deceive the minds, and to 5Have you not done it ſince in the higheſt degree by High Courts of Juſtice, ſecuring, ſecluding, impriſoning, baniſhing, diſanheriting thouſands, and impoſing Taxes and Exciſes on them againſt all our Laws?deſtroy the lives, liberties, and eſtates of the people of this Kingdom; And having taken a 6Have you nor conſcientiouſly obſerved them, by ſecluding, ejecting the Lords, and your fellow Members? by ſubverting all Rights, Privileges of Parliament, and Liberties of the Subject?ſolemn Proteſtation & Covenant in my place and calling, to maintain the privileges of Parliament, and the Rights and Liberties of the Subjects, I could not now ſatisfie my ſelf, but by 7Why do you not now much more abſent your ſelves upon the ſame account?abſenting my ſelf at this time, rather than by my preſence to give any ſhadow or countenance of the authority of Parliament to ſuch apparent violations thereof. Neither can the omiſſion of a circumſtance, or ſome formality in the adjournments of the Houſe, (when through force and violence it cannot meet and ſit in any ſort as a Parliament) be any prejudice to the future meetings and proceedings thereof, when it may meet and ſit again as a free Parliament, it being well known, that nothing can diſſolve this Parliament but an Act of Parliament.
When a company of Apprentices, Reformadoes and others, ſhall call the Ordinances of Parliament, pretended Ordinances; ſhall 8If it was ſo great a crime to lock and keep them in the Houſe? Was, yea is it not a far worſe and g…eater crime in you and your Juncto, to lock the Lords and your fellow Members, and keep them forcibly o…t of the Houſes for ſo many years till you have paſſed what new Vores, and ſet up what new Government, and impoſed what Tixes you pleaſe upon them againſt their wills?lock the doors of the Houſes upon them, ſhall ſwear, not to let them out till they had paſſed what they pleaſed concerning the Militia of London, and other things, (though the Houſes had immediately before voted otherwiſe,) ſhall threaten the Houſes in caſe they did not inſtantly fatisfie their demands; ſhall knock, whoot, and hollow continually at the Parliament door, that the 9And is it not a greater breach of ptivilege for you to vote out moſt of the Members without hearing them?Members could not be heard to ſpeak or debate; & after that the Houſe of Commons had paſſed a Vote concerning the Militia of London, and that the Speaker by the Vote had judged the 10The Major Vote therfore Dec. 4. 1648 ought to carry it as well as then.major part to be for the Negative, ſhall not ſuffer the Houſe to be divided, but in a thr eatning way require thoſe that 11Did you not far worſe in ſeeuring, …cluding, impriſoning, ejecting the majority of your fellow-Members, onelyonly for voting againſt the minority, Dec. 4?gave their votes againſtth em, to corne out to them if they would; when after the Houſe was adjourned, they ſhall by main force thruſt back the Speaker again into the Houſe, and force the Members in their preſence and ſight (divers of them thruſting into the Houſe) to vote what they demanded: when they ſhall juſtle pull and hale the Speaker all the way he went down to his Cosch, and force him to avoid their violence to betake himſelf to the next Coach he could get into, for Refuge: when they ſhall breath forth bloody threats againſt the Members as they came out of the Houſe, and ſince againſt me in particular at the next meeting of the Houſe (as I am credibly informed) and where there is no appearance, but that they will continue to do as formerly they have done, or far worſe on Friday, 12And can you diſcharge them by ſitting now, when the Majority of the Members & Lords are ſecluded, and ſorcibly kept out by your Orders, and not permitted to ſit with freedome & ſafetie?I couldnot in diſcharge of my Truſt, Proteſtation and Covenant, ſit in the Chair of the Houſe of Commons whilſt it ſhall be iu ſuch a condition: but ſo ſoon as it may ſit again in freedome and ſafety, I ſhall be ready to attend ſhe ſervice thereof; but till then, as I have upon the forementioned grounds, fully ſatisfied my own Conſcience, ſo I doubt not but I ſhall give the whole Kingdome (whoſe intereſt is moſt concerned in it) ample ſatisfaction in the neceſſity of my abſence.
William Lenthall, Speaker,
2ly. By the Engagement of thoſe Lords and Commons that went to the Army after the Apprentices tranſitory forc…, upon the Army-Officers invitation) who ſubſcribed their names thereto, with ſome others who continued ſitting in the Houſes.