Legal Vindication of the Liberties of England Against Illegal Taxes, Title page – To the reader
A Legal Vindication Of the Liberties of ENGLAND, AGAINST ILLEGAL TAXES And pretended Acts of Parliament, Lately enforced on the PEOPLE: OR, Reaſons aſſigned by WILLIAM PRYNNE of Swainſwick in the County of Sommerſet, Eſquire, why he can neither in Conſcience, Law, nor Prudence, ſubmit to the New illegal Tax or Contribution of Ninety thouſand pounds the Month; Impoſed on the Kingdom by a pretended Act of ſome commons in (or rather out of) Parliament, April 7 1649. (when this was firſt penned and printed) nor to the One Hundred Thouſand pound per Menſem, newly laid upon England, Scotland and Ireland, Jan. 126. 1659. by a … of the old Commons. Houſe, ſecluding the whole Houſe of Lords, and Majority of their hellow Members, by armed violence againſt all rules of Law and Parliament Preſidents.
Eſay 1. 7.
He looked for Judgement, but behold Oppreſsion; for Righteouſneſſe, but behold a cry.
Pſal. 12. 5.
For the Oppreſsion of the Poor, for the ſighing of the Needy; new will I ariſe (ſaith the Lord) and will ſet him in ſafety from him that would enſnare him.
Exod. 6. 5. 6.
I have alſo heard the groaning of the children of Iſrael, whom the Aegyptians keep in bandage; and I have remembred my Covenant. Wherefore ſay unto the children of Iſrael, I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the Burdens of the Aegyptians; and I will rid you out of their Bondage; and I will redeem you with a ſtretched out arm, and with great Judgements.
Eccleſ. 4. 1, 2.
So I returned and conſidered all the Oppreſsions that are done under the Sun, and beh…ld the tears of ſuch as were oppreſſed, and they had no comforter; and in the hand of their Oppreſſors there was power, but they had no Comforter: Wherefore I praiſed the dead which are already dead, more than the living which are yet alive.
The ſecond Edition enlarged.
London, printed for Edw. Thomas at the Adam and Eve in Little Britain, 1660.
ERRATA.
PAge 4. l. 33. to, read by. p. 8. l. 1. Secluſion. l. 29. dele in. l. 31. extended. p. 41. l. 10. on. p. 47. l. 2. only. p. 54. l 18. and, r. as. p. 57. l. 4. it is. p. 62. l. 4. obsta. p. 71. l. 35. to. p. 71. l. 1. reſolved. l. 8. and, r. as. p. 79. l. 15. and, r. of.
Margin. P. 9. l. 9. 12, r. 17.
To the Ingenuous Reader.
THe Reaſons originally inducing and in ſome ſort neceſſitating me to compile and publiſh this Legal Vindication, againſt Illegal Taxes and pretended Acts of Parliament, impoſed on the whole Engliſh Nation, in the year 1649. by a ſmall remnant of the Commons Houſe, ſitting under an armed Force, abjuring the King and Houſe of Lords, and unjuſtly ſecluding the Majority of their Fellow-Commoners, againſt the very tenor of the Act of 17 Caroli, c. 6. by which they pretended to ſit, the letter of the Writs by which they were elected, and thoſe Indentures by which they were returned Members, the Oaths of Supremacy, and Allegiance, Proteſtation, Solemn National League and Covenant which they all took as Members; the very firſt Act of Parliament made and printed after their firſt ſitting, 16 Caroli, c. 1. and many hundreds of Declarations, Remonſtrances, Orders, Ordinances, Votes, from Nov. 3. 1640. to Dec. 5. 1648. have conſtrained me now to reprint it with ſome neceſſary and uſefull Additions in the year 1659. above ten years after its firſt Publication: Thoſe very Rumpers, who on the 7th. of April 1649. impoſed a Tax of Ninety thouſand Pounds the Month on England alone, having on the 26. of January, 1659. preſumed to lay a new Tax of no leſſe than One hundred thouſand pounds the Month, for ſix Months next enſuing, on England, Scotland, and on Ireland too, (never taxed in former Ages by intire undubitable Engliſh Parliaments) when as by their former Order, they advanced and paid in before hand a heavy Tax (illegally impoſed on them by a Protectorian Conventicle) during thoſe very Months for which they are now taxed afreſh far higher than before, though totally exhauſted with former inceſſant Taxes, Freequarter, Militia expences, Impoſts of all ſorts, and utterly undone for want of Trade; and all to keep them in perpetual Bondage under armed Gards, and Iron yoaks, under pretext of making them a New Free-State and Common-wealth, of the Jeſuites projection, perpetually to ſubvert our antient hereditary Monarchy, Kingdom, and true old Engliſh *See Forteſcue de Laudibus Legum Angliae, and Sir Thomas Smith De Republica Anglicana 16 Car. c. 1.Common-wealth, under which we formerly lived, and flouriſhed with greater freedom, ſplendor, honour, peace, ſafety, unity, and proſperity, than we can See Raſtal, Title Taxes, Tallages, The Acts for Subſidies of the Clergy and Temporalty.ever expect under any new Form of Government or Utopian Republick whatſoever our whimſical Innovators can erect.
When our Parliaments under our antient and late Kings granted any Aydes, Subſidies, Imposts, to ſupply the publick Neceſſities, as they were alwaies moderate, and temporary, not exceeding the preſent Neceſſities, and the Peoples abilities to pay them; ſo they ever received ſome Acts of Grace and Retribution from our Kings, and New Confirmations of their Great Charters, and Fundamental Laws and Liberties, recorded in our Parliament Rolls and Statutes at large.
But our New Republicans, worſe than the old Aegyptian Pharoes and Tax-Maſters, double our Bricks, Taxes, yet deny us straw and materials to make or defray them redreſſing none of all our publick Grievances, nor eaſing us of any unjuſt burthens or oppreſſions whatſoever, nor indulging any Graces or Favours to us, nor yet ſo much as preſerving, or confirming our old Grand Charte…s, Fundamental Laws, Statutes, for the preſervation of our Lives, Liberties, Properties, Franchiſes, Freeholds but violating them all in a far highe: and more preſumptuous degree, than Strafford, Canterbury, the Shipmony Judges, or any of our Kings, whom they brand for Tyrants, and that after all our late wars and conteſts for their defence.
Upon which account, I held it my bounden duty, to enlarge and reprint this Vinaication, nor out of any Factious or Seditions deſign, but from the impulſe of a true Heroick Engliſh publike spirit, and Zeal to defend my Native Countries undubitable Hereditary Rights, againſt all arbitrary Tyrannical Uſurpations and Impoſtors whatſoever▪ though arrogating to themſelves the Title and power of The Parl. of England, when their own Judgements, Conſciences, as well as all our antient Statutes, Parliament Rolls, Laws, Judges, Law-Books and Treatiſes of Engliſh Parliaments, reſolve them, to be no Parliament at all, but an *See My Memento to the p…eſent Un-Parliamentary Juncto, Prynne the Member reconciled to Prynne the Barreſte…, and True and perfect Narrative, May 7. & 9. 1659.Anti-Parliamentary Conventicle. If I now loſe my life (as I have formerly done my Liberty, Calling and Eſtate) for this publike cauſe, I ſhall repu…e it the greateſt earthly Honour and … to dye a Ma… for my dying Country, & to redeem her loſt Liberti…s, with the loſſe of my momentary life, which will be more i…kſome to me, than the … Death, if protracted only to behold thoſe ruines and deſolations, which ſome Grandees Tyrannies, and Bedlam exorbitances are like ſpeedily to bring upon her, unleſſe God himſelf, by his Miraculous Provi…n…s reflrain their Fury, abate their Power, and confound their Deſtructive Deſ…gns beyond all humane expectation as he hath done of late, and I truſt he will ſ…dainly do again, to the rejoycing and reviving of all good men. Which is the hope and expectation,
of thine and his Native Countries true Friend and Servant William Prynne. Lincolns Inne, Feb. 12. 1659.